A Comedy of AR's

Chapter 80
CHAPTER 180 .......... The Mission Continues

Chapter Description: 2 new pictures added 4/3/24 Images for this story can be found at the following web...... https://sites.google.com/view/comedy-ars-characters/home

CHAPTER  180

It was amazingly easy for me to traverse through the school unchallenged by hall monitors.  My reputation for having stopped Sally with her gun gave me ‘Carte Blanche’ for free movement in the school.  It’s fine for now if I don’t let it go to my head.

“Professor Clinkenbeard?”

I hated to interrupt my Bio-lab teacher while he was giving a lecture.  He made sure to let me know that he wasn’t happy about it.

“Class, Derrek is here to take another look at my giant penis.”

When the laughter died down, I asked, “May I please borrow a stereo microscope?  I need to check the whorls and swirls of my fingerprints.  It’s for Health class.”

“Don’t remove it from this classroom.”

“I won’t.”

My presence drew a smattering of questions about the election from other students.

“Are you running, Derrek?  Who are your running mates?  What will you say in your speech?”

“You’ll see tomorrow,” I told them.

I went to the back table where a stereo microscope was already set up and turned my back to the class so they couldn’t see what I was doing.  At first, I pretended to look at my fingers … and then put the spycam under the scope.  After focusing, I read and copied the serial number onto a scrap paper and said ‘thanks’ to my teacher.

Other students, especially girls, echoed ‘Bye Derrek’ and warmly waved to me as I exited.  This was so weird because I wasn’t accustomed to being one of the ‘popular’ kids.  I was always such a dork my first time around in middle school … and very immature.

I headed back to see Marlan and I told him, “This is it … KRZ3816285MP.”

My IT guru classmate punched in the serial number into his new account.  Nothing happened.  The screen indicated ‘Serial number in use.’

“Derrek, I can probably find a way through Spy-Varmint’s back door, but it would be very helpful, instead, if you could guess Kitti Power’s password.”

I took a deep breath and answered, “Try ‘Chikon’.”

“Okay.”

“No, wait, Marlan.  You’re spelling it wrong.  It’s C-h-i-k-o-n.”

“Has to be at least eight characters, Derrek.”

“Then try the whole thing.  Enter Chikoncrudup.”

The other boy punched it in and said, “Bingo … How the hell did you know that?

“It’s Kitti’s boyfriend.”

“Okay, Derrek, let’s see what we’ve got here … Oh, this is so simple.  They just ask for your serial number and your phone number.  We don’t even have to mess with frequencies.  Perfect … Let’s delete her serial number and re-enter it into my ‘guru_mar’ account.  And we’ll send the video to one of my cheap burner phones, so they can’t trace it … and we’ll see if it works.  If it does, then just keep the burner for now.”

“I’m all set, Marlan.  Let me peel the tape off the camera.  I need one of your zip bags to store the tape in case it has a Kitti print on it.”

“Better silence your burner phone, Derrek.  Then see if you get a text message with pictures of our wall here.”

“It’s silenced, Marlan … Okay, I got the message … And there’s our wall.  It’s working great.  Thanks much.  But there’s one more thing … Would you be able to send out an email to everyone in the school district but make it appear that it’s being sent by a fake person?”

“Actually, I’ve already done that, Derrek.”

“When?”

“Two weeks ago with the Principal Glass’s name.  All the hackers do it.  I re-routed the email through the Proton Mail Service in Switzerland.  It’s totally encrypted and untraceable.  I sent it to myself …   Who do you want the sender to be?”

“Make it from ‘Nancy Drew’.  She’s a teenage fictional detective.   If the camera’s successful and I write up a letter, could you email it this Sunday night at 11 pm?  It would be great to see the shit hit the fan on Monday morning.”

“You got it, Derrek.  And I happen to agree that Kitti Power is one fucked up bitch … Good luck with that, and good luck on your election.”

“Thanks Marlan.  I appreciate your skills.  Oh, for the election, can we use the big printer here for a poster that says ‘Elect Adams, Dazilme, and Aoki for class officers’?  I need something to prove that I was doing election work when I cut class.”

Now I just had to wait till eighth period study hall.  With the morning shot, I joined my teammates for lunch.

I snapped off the remark, “Well, I hardly recognize any of you guys with boy clothes on.  Am I at the right table?”

“Hey amigo,” said Goro, “will you be expecting us to bow down to you when you become our class president?”

I retorted, “No, but a curtsy would be nice.”  (level 2 laughter).

“Did your two girlfriends agree to join your cabinet?”

I looked sideways at Goro.  “Girfriends?  You mean colleagues?  I believe they’ll sign on, yes.”

Showkat boisterously chanted, “You’re gonna RULE the SCHOOL!”

I scoffed, “Hardly, Showkat.  Now everyone will expect me to follow the rules.  It’s probably just  a bunch of paper work anyway.  I didn’t ask for this job.”

“No?” Batty broke in.  “But everyone wants you to be our fearless leader.  You’re the man who saved us all from the wrath of SALLY!”

I shook my head.  “I’m no hero.”

“That’s exactly what a hero would say,” added Putz.

Captain X stated, “We need to show our respect to Coach this week.  He thinks we can win without him and that’s not true.  We’re on the road against Vlad the Impaler this week.”

“Who the hell is that?” asked Grey Wolf.  “Anybody know?”

I volunteered, “He was a bad dude from Transylvania who would put spears through the bodies of his enemies and then plant the spears in the ground.”

“Doesn’t scare me,” replied Grey Wolf.  “I’d rather be a Gonad.”

“And we’re not dressing in drag this week,” added X.  “On Friday, let’s let Vlad know that he’s facing fifteen seriously pissed off football players.”

When the bell rang ending lunch, Captain X came around the table and nudged my shoulder, saying, “Derrek, we need to talk.”

Once in the hallway, the captain said, “Derrek, have you noticed anything weird about some of the girls in our school this morning.  I only hear bits and pieces between the giggling, but I think something’s up … something bad.  I heard a whisper this morning that sounded like the words ‘naked boy’.  Do you know anything?”

I took a deep breath, deciding what I wanted to say.  “X, I know everything about it, but I can’t tell you because you need ‘plausible deniability’.  Even our conversation now has to be kept confidential.”

“Why, Derrek?”

“Because I don’t want to bring my teammates into my personal war with Kitti Power.  That’s all I’ve been working on this morning and I’m handling the problem.  You need to trust me on this one.  Please.  A week from today, we’ll know if my work was successful.  Either way, there’s going to be fireworks.”

“Derrek, you don’t think your teammates can help you?”

“Oh, I know they would help me, but that’s exactly what I don’t want to happen.  When the shit hits the fan, I don’t want you guys anywhere near the fan.  This time, it’s my problem alone … so I’m asking you to please back off and let me handle it.”

“I don’t like this Derrek.  I don’t like sitting on the sidelines when a teammate is in trouble.  But I’ll back off if that’s what you really want.”

“Thank you, X.”

“One more thing, Derrek … (The captain poked four fingers of his right hand into my chest.)  I don’t ever again want to hear you say the words ‘I’m no hero.  The kids in this school need heroes, and you’re the closest thing they’ve got to the real deal.”

“That’s not how some others feel.”

“Doesn’t matter, Derrek.  I happen to agree with your method of stopping Sally … You had confidence, you had a plan, and you carried it out, just like we did in our last game.  So when you speak tomorrow, act the same way.  Be confident.  Be the leader that these kids are looking for.  Be MY leader.”

When I arrived at sixth period Geography, I approached my teacher.  “Mr. Scarry?”

He frowned.  “Oh, so now you feel emboldened enough to call me that to my face?”

“It’s a term of endearment, sir,” I replied.  “I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be at eighth period study hall today … doing election prep.”

Scarry Harry looked down his nose at me.  “I know you’re only running so you can cut class … but go ahead.”

At 2 pm, I stuffed my backpack into my hall locker … and ran like hell.  The high school was about one mile from the middle school.  I couldn’t run the mile in four minutes … but I could do it in ten, and once there, I said hello to the security guard and he let me in.

I introduced myself to the secretary, Tess Tinsley, and reminded her that it was my mom who gave the great lecture recently at the high school.  (Not to be a name dropper, but having a well known mom sometimes came in handy.)

Now she gave me the big welcome and the invite, “How can I help you, Derrek?”

“Miss Tinsley, I’m running for class president of the seventh grade and I really need your camera guy, Peter Shinee, to take a few photos of me.  It’ll only take a minute.”

“Oh certainly,” she replied with a warm smile.  “Let me buzz his classroom on the intercom … Mr. Smith, could you have Peter Shinee come up to the office, please?”

“I really appreciate your help, Ma’am.”

“It’s not a problem, Derrek … and I hope you win.”

“Thanks.”

When the teen arrived, he had a look of shock on his face as he pointed at me.  “You’re my avatar,” he blurted.

I stated, “Pete, I need you to take a few pictures of me in the sunlight.  Let’s go outside.”

As we walked toward one of the brick walls, I told him.  “You’re partially right, Pete.  My mom modeled her avatar from my face.”  (That was just a little lie.)

He was surprised again.  “Wait!  Your mom is Dr. Adams?  Seriously?”

“Yes, I’m Derrek Adams.”

The teen practically fell over himself.  “Derrek, I would die for your family.”

“Whoa, Pete, let’s not go overboard.  I actually need you alive to work on a secret project.”