TJ and Spinelli arrived home to see the fortifications not only built,
but rather impressive looking.
"Tender" said TJ.
"Wow Gretch" said Spinelli, "you guys really got to work."
"Indeed, with these fortifications, we could hold off a force with three times the number of kids as us."
"Speaking of which, how many kids did you two get?" Inquired Vince.
"We recruited nine kids, so that makes fifteen of us total."
"We're gonna put them up in the vacant houses around the block, including your old house Spin, if you don't mind."
"No problem Teej."
"Now comes the hardest part."
"Whatcha talking bout Gus?"
"Well, my dad told me the hardest part of combat is waiting for the enemy to attack. We know Lawson's gonna come at us, but waiting for it to happen will be pretty nerve-racking."
"I'm afraid Gus is correct, the time from now till Lawson's attack will be very tense for all of us."
"Come on, you guys are just being scaredy cats, I'm not scared of this, It's gonna be a synch to beat Lawson's goons, and how hard could waiting for him be, right Teej?"
"Uh...yeah, sure Spin, it'll be...easy."
"Hey TJ" said Brian, one of the kids they'd recruited. He was of average height and build, with blue eyes and dirty blond hair, with a tee- shirt and baggy jeans. "We got an intruder."
"A spy?"
"Dunno, but he says he wants to talk to you and you only."
"Where did he come from, can you tell?"
"Dunno, he's pretty tight lipped, insists on talking to you, says he has important information."
"About what?"
"Again, he's not talking to us,"
"Well, bring him here."
"Okay."
He was escorted up to Tj's house with two guards keeping his arms behind his back. Though he seemed a bit nervous, disheveled, and obviously hadn't eaten in days, but his facial expression was quite smug.
"Hustler Kid !?!?"
"The one and only, at your service."
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, it's a long story."
"I've got time."
"Well, you see, under King Bob, things were going great, well, not great, but you know what I mean, business was booming, I had everything the kids needed, I was at the peak of success, all things considered."
"Then what?"
"Well, Spinelli, Lawson happened. He had me arrested and my assets seized. He threw me in the dungeon, the cell next to King Bob."
"So how'd you get out?"
"Well, since Bob designed the dungeon, he knew all the weak spots. There was no way out from his cell, but there was a weak spot in the wall of mine. Using a spoon I kept from when the guards feed me, I slowly dug through it. It took three whole days, but I managed to break through the wall, and escape."
"So what news do you bring?"
"Only that Lawson's attack is planned for the day after tomorrow."
"How many kids does he plan to bring with him?"
"About thirty to thirty-five."
"Gretch, can we hold them off?"
"Well, TJ, I calculate the odds of our success to be pretty good, a fifty nine percent chance, in fact."
"Only, one problem" Piped Spinelli, in a threatening tone "How do we know you're not lying to us?"
"You'll just have to trust me."
"I don't like this Teej. What if he's a double agent?"
"Well, Spin, He's the best we've got, and he's never lied to us before."
"He seems genuine." Added Gretchen.
"Well, okay" she conceded. Then she grabbed the labels of HK's jacket "Only you'd better be right, or else."
"Heh...Don't worry about it." He said with a nervous smile.
"By the way Spinelli, I'd be especially careful if I was you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Word on the street is, if Lawson creams you guys tomorrow, the Ashleys are planning on making you the fifth Ashley again, and the rest of you will be put in jail."
"Lawson and the Ashleys working together, something doesn't smell right."
"I concur, there must be a third party working between the two."
"But who?"
It was getting late. Everyone had decided to get some sleep. The Diggers got night watch tonight, much to their chagrin. TJ and Spinelli were settling in their room, Spinelli on the bed, TJ on a hammock strung from wall to wall. 'Man, they wanna make me the fifth Ashley again, why can't they just let it go, why does my first name have to be Ashley?'
"Spin, what's wrong?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well you were tossing and turning, and talking to yourself..." 'Talking to myself, oh boy, I really am losing it.' "...And I was just wondering what's wrong."
"What do you think is wrong?" 'Boys could be so clueless sometimes.'
"It's about being the fifth Ashley again, isn't it?"
"TJ, I can't go back to that, it was an absolute nightmare last time. I'll never be able to do it, I'd rather..."
"Calm down Spinelli" He cut her off
"Calm down, how can I calm down, you have no idea what it was like, how can you tell me to calm down?"
"Look, I won't let you get captured and turned into the fifth Ashley tomorrow."
"You promise?"
"I promise, and Spin, Ashley or no Ashley, I'll always be your friend, and I'll always be here for you."
"Thanks Teej."
"Anytime."
She was contented, and soon drifted off to sleep, leaving TJ alone with his thoughts, mostly about her. 'She's looks like...an angel.'
"Tender" said TJ.
"Wow Gretch" said Spinelli, "you guys really got to work."
"Indeed, with these fortifications, we could hold off a force with three times the number of kids as us."
"Speaking of which, how many kids did you two get?" Inquired Vince.
"We recruited nine kids, so that makes fifteen of us total."
"We're gonna put them up in the vacant houses around the block, including your old house Spin, if you don't mind."
"No problem Teej."
"Now comes the hardest part."
"Whatcha talking bout Gus?"
"Well, my dad told me the hardest part of combat is waiting for the enemy to attack. We know Lawson's gonna come at us, but waiting for it to happen will be pretty nerve-racking."
"I'm afraid Gus is correct, the time from now till Lawson's attack will be very tense for all of us."
"Come on, you guys are just being scaredy cats, I'm not scared of this, It's gonna be a synch to beat Lawson's goons, and how hard could waiting for him be, right Teej?"
"Uh...yeah, sure Spin, it'll be...easy."
"Hey TJ" said Brian, one of the kids they'd recruited. He was of average height and build, with blue eyes and dirty blond hair, with a tee- shirt and baggy jeans. "We got an intruder."
"A spy?"
"Dunno, but he says he wants to talk to you and you only."
"Where did he come from, can you tell?"
"Dunno, he's pretty tight lipped, insists on talking to you, says he has important information."
"About what?"
"Again, he's not talking to us,"
"Well, bring him here."
"Okay."
He was escorted up to Tj's house with two guards keeping his arms behind his back. Though he seemed a bit nervous, disheveled, and obviously hadn't eaten in days, but his facial expression was quite smug.
"Hustler Kid !?!?"
"The one and only, at your service."
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, it's a long story."
"I've got time."
"Well, you see, under King Bob, things were going great, well, not great, but you know what I mean, business was booming, I had everything the kids needed, I was at the peak of success, all things considered."
"Then what?"
"Well, Spinelli, Lawson happened. He had me arrested and my assets seized. He threw me in the dungeon, the cell next to King Bob."
"So how'd you get out?"
"Well, since Bob designed the dungeon, he knew all the weak spots. There was no way out from his cell, but there was a weak spot in the wall of mine. Using a spoon I kept from when the guards feed me, I slowly dug through it. It took three whole days, but I managed to break through the wall, and escape."
"So what news do you bring?"
"Only that Lawson's attack is planned for the day after tomorrow."
"How many kids does he plan to bring with him?"
"About thirty to thirty-five."
"Gretch, can we hold them off?"
"Well, TJ, I calculate the odds of our success to be pretty good, a fifty nine percent chance, in fact."
"Only, one problem" Piped Spinelli, in a threatening tone "How do we know you're not lying to us?"
"You'll just have to trust me."
"I don't like this Teej. What if he's a double agent?"
"Well, Spin, He's the best we've got, and he's never lied to us before."
"He seems genuine." Added Gretchen.
"Well, okay" she conceded. Then she grabbed the labels of HK's jacket "Only you'd better be right, or else."
"Heh...Don't worry about it." He said with a nervous smile.
"By the way Spinelli, I'd be especially careful if I was you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Word on the street is, if Lawson creams you guys tomorrow, the Ashleys are planning on making you the fifth Ashley again, and the rest of you will be put in jail."
"Lawson and the Ashleys working together, something doesn't smell right."
"I concur, there must be a third party working between the two."
"But who?"
It was getting late. Everyone had decided to get some sleep. The Diggers got night watch tonight, much to their chagrin. TJ and Spinelli were settling in their room, Spinelli on the bed, TJ on a hammock strung from wall to wall. 'Man, they wanna make me the fifth Ashley again, why can't they just let it go, why does my first name have to be Ashley?'
"Spin, what's wrong?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well you were tossing and turning, and talking to yourself..." 'Talking to myself, oh boy, I really am losing it.' "...And I was just wondering what's wrong."
"What do you think is wrong?" 'Boys could be so clueless sometimes.'
"It's about being the fifth Ashley again, isn't it?"
"TJ, I can't go back to that, it was an absolute nightmare last time. I'll never be able to do it, I'd rather..."
"Calm down Spinelli" He cut her off
"Calm down, how can I calm down, you have no idea what it was like, how can you tell me to calm down?"
"Look, I won't let you get captured and turned into the fifth Ashley tomorrow."
"You promise?"
"I promise, and Spin, Ashley or no Ashley, I'll always be your friend, and I'll always be here for you."
"Thanks Teej."
"Anytime."
She was contented, and soon drifted off to sleep, leaving TJ alone with his thoughts, mostly about her. 'She's looks like...an angel.'