Logan, Elisha, and Beau strode into the base with armfuls of cardboard and other odds and ends. Karleigh followed behind, notebook in right hand and a mess of the squad'sparking tickets in the other.
Beau yanked open a stationery drawer and pulled out a roll of Duck tape printed with green-and-pink stripes. Elisha produced a box cutter from his back pocket--with some difficulty, as it was hidden under his Frisbee. Logan set to drawing new helmet templates on the cardboard.
Elisha sliced the cardboard across Logan's lines, slicing off half his fingernail in theprocess. He yelped. Karleigh dropped her log of events and hurried over with first aidsupplies she'd mysteriously drawn from nowhere.
"How about we take a short break for a meeting, comrades?" Beau said, as he threw aside the tangled Duck tape in frustration.
Massaging his new Band-Aid, Elisha nodded.
The four squad members gathered in Logan's living-room.
"Anyone have the stats for our stockpile?" Logan asked.
"I need a new notebook. Two would be good too. Or three if you can find them," Karleigh said.
"Guys, we need new guns. Without them, the mod's deletion weapons will overpower
us!" Beau moaned.
"The mods can never overpower us, deletion weapons or no deletion weapons,"
Logan said firmly. "But you're right. We need to restock. My trusty hunting rifle... it has served me well."
"I wouldn't mind some grub right now either," Elisha said.
"Let's head into town and get rations and three more rifles," Logan agreed.
"I'll get the tank warmed up," Beau said as he headed for the door.
As Beau fiddled with the jammed tricycle wheels, Logan and Elisha packed their cash into their pockets.
"Uh, Beau, where am I gonna sit?" Karleigh asked.
Logan looked at the tricycle seat and sighed. "We definitely need another tank." "I'll run along with you guys," offered Elisha heroically. "Karleigh can sit."
Three minutes later the four members--Logan, Beau, and Karleigh balancing on the tricycle as Elisha ran, arrived at the local supermarket.
"We need to split up," Logan ordered, "Beau, head for the rifles. Karleigh, go get ussome food. Elisha can come with me."
Beau and Karleigh dashed for the aisles. Logan was sauntering over to back of thestore with Elisha when he stopped short. Sitting by the grocery's cafe's window, a girl with long, curly blonde hair over her face was reading a copy of Sense and Sensibility.
"ELISHA! Is that... Abigail Henrikson?"
Elisha turned around slowly in horror. "It sure is."
Logan rubbed his hands. "I've been planning this day for months. Watch me take her down."
"Good luck, comrade."
As Elisha crouched behind the cereal aisle, Logan headed for the window, lowering his half-complete helmet.
"Abigail," Logan announced, "Your reading tastes are--"
Mr Darcy had appeared in front of Logan. It took Logan and Elisha a moment to realize Mr Darcy was the dog that was being carried by George-Edward Goggans. George-Edward wore a dress shirt . He handed Mr Darcy to Abigail and turned to the boys.
"Hello, Logan," George Edward said, in a voice even deeper than Logan's own.
"GE?" Beau sputtered behind Elisha. "He hasn't been seen in Discussions for weeks!" "Now, what were you saying?"
Logan stepped forward bravely. Admiration shone in Beau's eyes.
"I was about to say, before being interrupted, that her reading tastes are almost as bad as what happens when she opens her mouth," he said coldly. "But now that you're here, not much beats you opening your mouth either."
"Ooooh," oohed Beau from the cereal aisle.
"Why don't you leave Abigail alone?" GE said.
In response, Logan pulled himself into a dramatic fighting stance. "I don't have my rifle with me, but I can still pack a punch." Elisha's eye widened.
For a moment, GE looked confused. Then he rolled up his shirt sleeves. "Bring it on."
Beau quickly handed Elisha an orange. "Launch this grenade at him if it gets messy."
With incredible speed, Logan threw two rights and a left at GE. GE (who hadn't beenmoved at all) swung back.
There was a soft whoosh as Logan flew through the air. He crumpled right in front ofthe cereal aisle. GE stepped back in shock. "Oh my g-"
Instantly a device in his pocket began to blare. It was the Euphemism Detector the moderators had put on every HS student after they'd gotten tired of listening to countless conversations to catch a euphemism.
As GE switched off the Detector in annoyance, Elisha struck out.
He executed a perfect high-kick at GE while simultaneously detonating the orange-ade on his dress shirt.
GE ducked the high kick and made for Logan, a trail of orange pulp forming behind him. GE got down on a knee, dripping more orange, and grabbed him by the shoulders."Logan? Logan are you okay?" There was no response from Logan.
Suddenly a very large human cannonball launched itself against GE's back. GEtoppled over and Beau the Brave fell over with him. GE huffed on the grimy floor as he tried to catch his breath. Beau struggled to his feet, pulled Logan out by his arms, and yanked him to the grocery entrance. Elisha, wheezing from his earlier exertion, followed behind.
GE sat up and stared after the scraggly trio in shock. "Okay, bye, I guess."
Abigail scurried up. "George-Edward Goggans, that was a beautiful duel." She wiped a tear from her eye.
Two minutes later, Karleigh Provost climbed out of the stationery aisle, loaded heavily with writing supplies. "Guys...?" Nervously, she eyed the trail of Beau's muddyfootprints, then took off in a run.
The Thunder Squad re-gathered at the base and assessed themselves. Logan was still unconscious, Beau was dirty from the grocery floor, Elisha had a twisted ankle from his high-kick, and their funds were depleted of fifteen dollars' worth of notebooks and pencils.
Karleigh chronicled the day onto her new notebook. Elisha and Beau heaved Logan onto the couch.
"Our brave general," Elisha sighed. "That monster fought unfairly."
"If Logan had actually wanted to hurt him, that GE would be pulp," Beau said withconviction.
Karleigh fanned Logan's face with her notebook.
"I won, right?" Logan croaked.
Beau and Elisha glanced at each other. "You--" Beau started."--Did really well," Elisha finished.
"Thanks, guys," Logan said. "Well, after all that... I think it's best for GE and Abigail if we give them some time to recover. Gotta be fair, even to one's enemies."
