5 All Tied Up

CHAPTER 5 ALL TIED UP Anti-A jumps to his feet. "Ha-ha!" he cries. "Our trick worked!" "Yeah!" says Terrible-T. "Let's go make some mirror-gang mischief!" "Wait," says Junkyard-J. "What about the chumps?" She points at us. "Maybe we should tie them up so they don't get in our way." "Good idea," says Anti-A. "Anybody got any rope?" "No," says Junkyard-J. "Me neither," says Terrible-T.

"I've got some," says Terry, handing his doppelganger a large coil of rope. "Thanks, pal," sneers Terrible-T. "Don't mention it," says Terry. "What are friends for?" And before we know it, Jill and Terry and I are bound tightly together. "Terry!" I say. "Why did you give him the rope?" "I was just trying to be helpful," says Terry. "And you were," says Terrible-T. "Very, very helpful!"

"All right, now let's go have some fun," says Anti- A. "Who's with me?" "Me," says Terrible-T. "And me," says Junkyard-J. "All for one and one for all, let's find some junk and have a ball!" "SO LONG, SUCKERS," calls Anti-A as they run off, laughing.

The last thing we hear before the elevator doors slide shut is Terrible-T saying, "I smell gingerbread— let's go eat it!" "And I smell junk!" shouts Junkyard-J. "Let's go grab it!" "Well, this is just great, isn't it?" I say. "The mirror gang are going to eat all our gingerbread and steal all our junk while we're stuck here tied up with rope that you gave them, Terry." "Look on the bright side, Andy," says Terry. "At least we're not at school!" "And you do have a lot of gingerbread," says Jill. "And a lot of junk, for that matter! It's not like you'll miss any."

"Are you kidding?" I say. "All our junk is essential!" "If it's essential, then it's not junk," says Jill. "So there's nothing to worry about." "That sounds like the 3-D videophone ringing," says Terry. "That's because it is the 3-D videophone ringing," I say. "Thank goodness. We can ask whoever it is to send help. Quick, answer it."

"I can't," says Terry. "I'm tied up, remember?" "Oh yeah," I say. "Me too. Jill?"