Tossed back into the vice principal's waiting room, Calvin simply melted into the first chair he could get. He was too tired to do anything else, having just barely survived the wrestling match with the big ugly. The muscles in his shoulder and legs ached and he mentally noted to see the school nurse after he was done being punished and chewed out by Mr. Cantle. Calvin closed his eyes for a split second, trying to day dream about being Spike Speeder in hopes that the day dream would dim the pain. Racing down the post apocalyptic roads and electron highways beat a cramped suburban office any day.

Unfortunately for Calvin, Spike Speeder was back in a holding cell in the custody of the police yet again. He knew the drill, assumed the position and let them drag him away. Naturally pleading innocence by reason of being forced into the pit wouldn't work, so Spike saved his breath. The post apocalyptic roads and electron highways would have to wait. Indefinitely.

Still, the escape into Spike Speeder's fantasy world, was enough to lure Calvin's mind out of the here and now and into his dreams. While to outside observers, Calvin had dozed off, in reality, he was in fact drinking sodas in a penthouse suite loaded with every conceivable technological toy a hacker could want, laughing it up with the hottest neo-geishas and his partner in crime while Morris and his thugs got themselves splattered by the security system and those autoguns Spike had to knock over a Swiss bank's datacore to afford. Real food and fine soda flowed like water and the most secured datastores on the planet were being broken into for fun.

Commander Cantle rudely awoke Spike from his dream by grabbing his arm and yanking him out of the cell block and back into his office. He let go only when Spike was in the office before dropping into his own chair with a heavy sigh. Calvin likewise took a seat, quickly shaking off the weight of his five minute nap.

"Calvin, you've been here twice in one day. You haven't been this much of a headache since the spring dance incident. What exactly is going on this time?" Commander Cantle said, completely unaware of whom he had become.

"Commander Cantle," Spike began, only to be interrupted.

"Mister Cantle!" Commander Cantle snapped, losing his cool as Spike had seen him do only a few times.

"Okay, if we're gonna be chummy, Mister Cantle," Spike said with only the slightest hint of defiance, "Mister Cantle, I was forced into that arena and I had to either fight or be beaten down. You know I'm too scrawny to fight unless it's absolutely necessary, why else do you think I'd be in that place unless I was forced?"

"Calvin, being forced to attend gym class is not an excuse to take a swing at another boy's crotch," Commander now Mister Cantle said with another sigh. Commander Cantle reached for his hip flask at that, taking a might swig of the synthetic hard liquor he kept in there. Vice Principal Cantle wasn't drinking synthetic liquor though. It was only some Jack Daniels.

"Did you see that goon? He was about to kill me! I had to defend myself, again. You think these bruises just appeared out of nowhere?" Spike asked, shrugging off his jacket and shirt to reveal the physical keepsakes he had from that fight. The sight of the purple marks caused Commander Cantle to lean back into his chair with resignation.

"All right. Considering that Kenneth was being rough and that he left bruises like that, I'll just slap you with another month of detention," Commander Cantle said, "On the condition that I don't have to see you again this week. All right?"

"Hey, fine by me, Comman-, er, Mister Cantle," Spike said with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Get out of here before I change my mind," Mister and Commander Cantle said at the same time. Spike and Calvin alike were only too happy to oblige.

"I need a vacation," Mister Cantle muttered once Calvin as out of his office, briefly wondering if in fact he should have taken his cousin up on his offer to get him a job as a male escort.