(no subject)

Fry hasn't been able to get the idea of a seige engine out of his head. Angus was right; he should break some rules to stand up against Bethany. Well. Maybe he can do this without breaking any rules...

Which is why at lunch time the next day, he seeks out Lenny, the oldest and undoubtably the leader of his class until he moves up in September. Dad said that he wasn't allowed to use the power tools, but he didn't say Lenny couldn't. And Lenny knows lots about DIY. Well, about screws and things.

"Lenny!"

"What?" Lenny looks up from the B&Q catalogue he was reading for leisure.

"Will you come to my house after school and chop some wood for me please? My Dad won't let me use power tools."

Lenny gets out his phone and checks his schedule.

"How many pieces of wood do you want cutting?"

Fry describes the project.

"Can I help you make it?" Lenny asks.

"I already promised some others they could help me make it, so it would get too crowded." Fry says. "But you can come and help me launch it. We're firing horse manure at Bethany's window."

"Okay, I'll help cut the wood." Lenny says.

"Can I help?" Maurice asks, sidling up.

"You have no special skills for this job." Lenny informs him. Maurice droops slightly.

"You can come with me for the battle." Fry reassures him.

***

Fry's whole class end up congregated at half four in the garage. Lenny easily cuts the wood to the right size. Jo enters with a big box of horse manure. The boys grimace at the smell.

"Jo, I don't think we're ready for the manure yet." Fry says. "Where am I going to keep it?"

Jo shrugs. "Hide it somewhere?"

"But it smells!" Maurice says.

"Put it in the shed." Fry says. "Nobody ever looks in there."

Jo goes to put it in the shed, and the others survey the parts.

"Why can't we build it?" Lenny asks.

"I already promised the others they could help." Fry says. "And my parents would notice we used the power tools. We have to build it on the day of the launch."

They pile the wood into a large cardboard box, then set off for the tip to look for useful scrap.

"Okay, we need a really big spring, something to hold the poo, three long metal rods and some wheels." Fry says, sending his team to different areas.

He asks one of the staff about the really big spring, which seems to be the most difficult item. Lenny soon comes back with a colander for poo, James digs out an old pram to provide wheels on two metal rods, and Jo comes up with another metal rod with a slightly chewed up end.

"You be careful with that, it's a bit sharp at the end." the staff member warns her before turning back to Fry. "I don't think we've got any big springs, lad, sorry. You'll have to modify your design."

As they leave the dump and head back, Maurice suddenly stops them, and points to a dumped sofa on the side of the road.

"Sofas have springs in don't they?"

"Good thinking Maurice." Lenny says. "I'm surprised you thought of that. How do you intend on getting the springs out of the sofa?"

Maurice glares at Lenny, then scrambles down the bank to the sofa.

"Help me push it over." he says, and the others climb down and push it upside down. Then, with a screwdriver and a lot of kicking, he manages to detach two large springs, which bounce back wildly as they come loose.

"Kaplah!" he declares, scrambling back up the bank to put them in the box.

"Didn't know you spoke Klingon." Lenny says.

"That's because you never pay attention to me." Maurice says.

"I'm going now, it's time for Robot Smash." Lenny says, ignoring Maurice and walking off abruptly.

"Well don't forget to come back for operation Poostrike!" Fry calls after him.

Beat.

"Hey he's right, it is nearly time for Robot Smash."