Ambitions (Jack)

[David Jacobs]

David Jacobs leaned against the Horace Greeley statue as he waited for his best friend, Jack. He said he had something very important to tell David. David could only wonder what that would be, Jack was a mysterious person. He never let David know what he was thinking about at the moment, or sometimes he would come right out and say it. Either way, David had to be attentive and on his toes.

Another thing he had to be attentive about was what was going on with the newsies. He heard talk about an old 'friend' coming back, his name was Mike. Ironically enough, a day after that Sarah wanted him to meet her friend Mike. David agreed, Mike was a pretty common name, so no hurt could come from it right? Anyways, that meeting was sometime this week. Sarah needed to give him the details.

He began to pace, wondering where Jack was. Normally when Jack said he would be somewhere he meant it. David began to think about the rumors he heard, and he began to worry. What if this Mike fellow got Jack? What would David do if something ever happened to Jack? He couldn't become their leader, he had a hard enough time during the strike.

Relief filled David's body as he saw Jack come strolling through the square. So he didn't have to worry about the newsies more than he already did. David breathed a sigh of relief, and he jogged to meet up with Jack. "Hey Jack," He said, "What did you want to tell me?" He felt nervous, just because he was always nervous when he heard someone had news.

[Jack Kelly]

If anyone needed to know everything that was going on, it was David. Dave had been Jack's right-hand man since the strike, and truthfully, he had been Dave's as well. Jack knew that if he could count on anyone, he could count on David to help him. In all honesty, Jack was at a loss as to a course of action to take. He never thought Mike would come back to New York, and so he was left completely unprepared. Jack knew that something bad would happen inevitably, but after it did, Mike needed to be gone. Along with any followers he might have picked up along the way.

Jack had told David to meet him at the statue, confiding nothing more than that it was important. There had been others around when this message was delivered, and Jack couldn't risk people knowing anything too far ahead. There was still the threat of spies hanging around his head. God, this whole thing was messing him up. He could hardly sleep anymore, with worry, trying to figure out who he needed to talk to and what he needed to do. It seemed that the times when you really needed to be a leader were the times you wished you never were one.

Jack walked into the nearly empty square, and he could see David standing near the statue already, looking a little worried. Jack was a little late, he realized, but at least he was here now. He quickened his pace as he approached Dave. Dave met him halfway. "Hey Jack. What did you want to tell me?"

Jack shushed him, and spoke in a low voice. "Keep it down, Dave," he warned. "I don't want nobody hearin'." This whole situation had caused a significant change in Jack. He was never apprehensive, paranoid, or submissive to anything. Now that he knew he had to watch his step, for risk of his life and the life of his friends, he had turned into a different person entirely. He put a hand on David's shoulder and said, "You been hearin' about Mike, Dave? Mike Greaser?"

[David Jacobs]

"Keep it down, Dave, I don't want nobody hearin'."

That was the tip that made the butterflies in David's stomach flutter faster. The news was probably not going to be very good. He could tell by Jack's tone, the news was going to be serious. David's palms began to sweat, and he felt cold all of a sudden. He took a shaky breath, and nodded. Waiting for Jack to continue.

"You been hearin' about Mike, Dave? Mike Greaser?"

David nodded, "I've been hearin' stuff about a Mike guy who doesn't appear to be very good." He had been hearing horror stories about Mike from some of the boys. They would tell him that Mike was a fanged animal that roamed around the woods, waiting to kill. David didn't believe what they said, he believed the older newsies who would say Mike wasn't a good person.

One story he heard was that Mike killed a few newsies, and that scared David. The worst fight he had ever gotten into was when the Delancey's came and beat him up right in front of Les and Sarah. That made David feel horrible, he didn't want to appear weak to Les or Sarah and when he was getting beat up he was helpless and scared. He hoped this Mike character didn't go after Sarah or Les, both of them would seem like easy targets.

"What about this Mike guy?" David asked, feeling confused. He wanted to know, and he wanted answers. Whenever he would ask one of the other boys they would say, "Oh sorry, I can't tell you." and they would walk away. "Jack, I want a clear answer." He stated, hoping Jack didn't beat around the bush and play games with him. David wasn't playing at all.

[Jack Kelly]

"I've been hearin' stuff about a Mike guy who doesn't appear to be very good."

Of course, Jack knew that Dave would have heard about Mike from somewhere or another. Unless you lived in a hole in the ground, you had probably heard something about it. But Jack also knew that people liked to exaggerate, or play things down, even make up all kinds of stories. There was no telling what David had heard, or if it was the truth. For all he knew, Dave had been fed a lie. But "not very good"? David didn't have all the facts if that was his opinion of Mike. Jack nodded in response. "You better believe it," he said sternly. "He ain't no good at all."

"What about this Mike guy? Jack, I want a clear answer."

Jack could see that David was serious. He knew that sometimes, his best friend could be a bit of a pushover, which is why Jack liked to step in occasionally (likewise, David would have to step in when Jack got too impulsive; they balanced each other out). But Jack also knew when David wasn't in the mood to mess around. He'd seen the same look in his friend's eyes during the strike: a real determination that didn't come until things got desperate. Jack sighed and nodded. He was prepared to tell Dave everything.

He started off quietly, almost slowly. "Mike and me used to be friends. He was a Midtown boy, and we sold together in the old days. Then he started getting strange, see. He kept talkin' about bein' the leader of all New York. I didn't take him too seriously, even after I stepped in as Manhattan leader. About two years ago was when he got...crazy," Jack paused for a moment before going on. "He wanted to be the leader of everyone. Take over the newsies. We wouldn't let him, and..." Another pause. "He killed a kid. Scout. We only found one of 'em, but a couple more disappeared after him. When we found Scout, we drove Mike out of New York. All of us, together...Me, Spot, Note, all the leaders and our boys. Now he's back in New York, and that can only mean one thing."

[David Jacobs]

"You better believe it, He ain't no good at all."

David frowned, Mike must have done something horrible to have Jack saying he wasn't a good person. With the newsies things could go two separate ways. If you stepped on someone's toe they could forever hate you, or they could forgive you. Normally Manhattan newsies were very forgiving, and they gave each other second chances. Unless you sold them out, they were pretty much easy going with everything else.

"Mike and me used to be friends. He was a Midtown boy, and we sold together in the old days. Then he started getting strange, see. He kept talkin' about bein' the leader of all New York. I didn't take him too seriously, even after I stepped in as Manhattan leader. About two years ago was when he got...crazy, He wanted to be the leader of everyone. Take over the newsies. We wouldn't let him, and...He killed a kid. Scout. We only found one of 'em, but a couple more disappeared after him. When we found Scout, we drove Mike out of New York. All of us, together...Me, Spot, Note, all the leaders and our boys. Now he's back in New York, and that can only mean one thing."

David listened to Jack's story carefully, he had heard that Mike was a Midtown newsie and that he was very close friends with some of the newsies. It was obvious now that Mike was very power hungry, and he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. He now understood that Mike was a horrible person, and he was meant not to be trusted. David was very smart, and he tried to sum it up. "Mike's back for revenge, and to get what he wants, right?" David asked, seeing it like a puzzle. He was trying to put the pieces together.

Overall, David got the big picture; Mike was a terrible person, and he needed to keep Les and Sarah as far away from him as possible. He worried about their welfare, and he worried about this Mike person Sarah met a while ago. She said she met him at the river. When she went to the river, he would never know. But now she said that he was a Manhattan newsie, and he wanted to meet David. Like usual, David was very hesitant, but Sarah begged him and he couldn't say no to his sister. So he agreed, and he felt like it was going to be a big mistake...

[Jack Kelly]

"Mike's back for revenge, and to get what he wants, right?"

Jack nodded. "Right." There wasn't a doubt in his mind that not only was Mike aiming for what he wanted all along, but he was also out for blood: Jack's. The hate between him and Mike was strong, because they both knew that it was Jack who stood in Mike's way. The two of them were at the center of the entire conflict, and if one of them was brought down, it would essentially be over. Unless the others on each side could hold their own. What would happen then? Could it be possible for it to last longer than either of them had anticipated?

Jack continued to David in his low, confidential tone. "All I'm hearin' is that he's getting people together to try and overthrow the rest of the leaders. I hear he got spies everywhere, and I even hear he's getting Mitch's support. He's been causing trouble all over, with my sister and the boys. He broke Race's nose, and Specs had to get new glasses. And that's not even the worst of it. I don't know what else he's been doing."

Jack broke off, a troubled look on his face. Maybe he'd been playing too fair all this time. If Mike had moles, why shouldn't he? Jack knew he had to get moving, try to talk to people and build up his own forces. And for that... "Listen, Dave, I'm gonna need your help with this. It ain't somethin' that I can do alone, ya see? And hang Mike...if he can have a band of helpers, he ain't gonna make me feel weak for havin' someone help me out." Jack knew that Mike liked to play the insult card, accusing him of hiding behind his newsies. Well, who was doing Mike's dirty work?

If only Jack knew...

[David Jacobs]

"Right."

David nodded, he know understood more than he did before. All he could think about was little Les. Little, gullible Les who didn't have a care in the world. It made David sick to think about what Mike would do if he ever got his hands on Les. David tried to get the nasty thoughts out of his mind but they kept coming back. He kept picturing Les in an alleyway, dead.

"All I'm hearin' is that he's getting people together to try and overthrow the rest of the leaders. I hear he got spies everywhere, and I even hear he's getting Mitch's support. He's been causing trouble all over, with my sister and the boys. He broke Race's nose, and Specs had to get new glasses. And that's not even the worst of it. I don't know what else he's been doing."

David listened, and tried to concentrate on what Jack was saying. It seemed like Mike was gaining more power by each day. He began to worry, he knew that he would stay on Jack's side, but what about the other boys? And he was now wary about some of the new newsies, were they some of Mike's spies? He guessed that he would probably never know, but he wanted to find out. David was somewhat shocked that Mitch, the Bronx leader, was joining in with Mike. He knew a lot of people in the Bronx, and it was almost surprising that they would choose to go with such a terrible person.

"Listen, Dave, I'm gonna need your help with this. It ain't somethin' that I can do alone, ya see? And hang Mike...if he can have a band of helpers, he ain't gonna make me feel weak for havin' someone help me out."

"Why don't we get some of the spies together?" David asked, if Mike could do that then they could too. "Get some of the newsies," He said in a hushed tone. "Some of the new ones, the ones Mike probably doesn't know about, and have them be spies for us." It sounded like a good plan in David's mind, all he could hope for was that it would work out as well as in sounded in his mind. Now they couldn't trust anyone, not even some of the older boys who had been newsies forever. That, was a sickening thought.

[Jack Kelly]

"Why don't we get some of the spies together?. Get some of the newsies. Some of the new ones, the ones Mike probably doesn't know about, and have them be spies for us."

Jack had thought of that, and now that David thought it was a good idea as well, Jack was considering it. But then he frowned as he thought of several things that could go wrong. "That ain't gonna work, Dave. Nobody knows Mike's game better than Mike. If we send out a spy he'll see right through it in no time." It was too late to join in at what Mike was playing, because Jack knew that Mike would sense foul play right away. If Jack knew two things about Mike, they were that he could fight like the best of them...and he could think like the smartest of them, too.

He shook his head. "An' that's another thing, Dave. We don't know who we can trust no more. The new kids...they'se fine so far, but I can't tell whether or not..." Jack trailed off. Dave had a point that Mike probably wouldn't know about a lot of the newer newsies, but how could they be sure he wouldn't know if someone was from Manhattan or not? And then there was the threat, the constant fear that someone among them was working for Mike. The knowledge had created a sort of electric current through the air in the lodging house...friends weren't as close as they once were, conversations were limited. It was as if even if someone had known another person for years, they were now to be suspected, which Jack hated.

David, however, was one person that he could be sure of. If he couldn't be sure of Dave, Jack thought, he couldn't be sure of anybody. He said after a moment, "I gotta figure out what he's thinkin' on doing. Somehow..."

[David Jacobs]

"That ain't gonna work, Dave. Nobody knows Mike's game better than Mike. If we send out a spy he'll see right through it in no time."

Jack was right, normally the bad guys knew the plan, and they had ways to find out what the good guys were doing. David frowned, Mike sounded like someone who had been thinking of this for a really long time. Which he probably had been, David didn't know. He hasn't even met him yet.

"An' that's another thing, Dave. We don't know who we can trust no more. The new kids...they'se fine so far, but I can't tell whether or not..."

David nodded, he understood what Jack meant. He didn't know if some of the new kids met Mike, and put themselves on his side. But they were still living at the Lodging House with the rest of the Manhattan newsies. They couldn't trust anyone, and it was a strange feeling to know that some of the most loyal newsies could betray them at any moment.

Ever since the strike trust has been a big issue with David. He wasn't so sure if Jack was going to go through with this. What if Jack got a better offer with Mike? He would be abandoning David with his newsies to fight on the other side. That thought in itself almost made him feel sick.

"I gotta figure out what he's thinkin' on doing. Somehow..."

David shivered slightly as he nodded. He tried to push the previous thoughts away. He couldn't think about that now. Maybe later, but anytime but now. "How would you be able to do that?" He asked, "Do you even know where Mike is at?" David swallowed, the same thoughts kept coming back. They were taunting and teasing him. All he could do was to continue to try pushing them away.

[Jack Kelly]

"How would you be able to do that? Do you even know where Mike is at?"

Jack shook his head. "Mike and me ain't exactly on conversation terms, Dave," he said, a tinge of embitterment making its way into his voice. He didn't mean to be so condescending to David, but it would be lying to say that the topic of Mike didn't take a toll on his mood. Mostly Jack tried not to think about it too much, and he would be fairly all right--a little off balance, but otherwise fine. He just needed a way to compose himself, even if slightly, and sometimes his friends had to deal with his bad mood so he wouldn't go crazy.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Nah, I don't know where he is. I'm thinkin' he might be in the Bronx. Or else in the tenements in Brooklyn. Maybe even Midtown..." Midtown was a shady place all right, but Jack had no way of knowing where Mike was. Their encounters were brief, and Jack couldn't have anyone tail him...that would be quickly discovered, and who knew what would happen to the newsie who was doing it. Mike could kill, but the worst part was that Mike was as prepared for anything as Jack was, maybe more so.

"So what do I do, Dave?" Jack asked, his voice still low, and he didn't meet David's eyes. "Tell me what I should do. You're good at that, ya know..."

((Awful. Sorry.))

[David Jacobs]

"Mike and me ain't exactly on conversation terms, Dave,"

David frowned, he should've known that. He felt really bad for Jack, having to deal with all of this on top of his normal everyday responsibilities. David knew he wouldn't be able to handle anything like that. If one hair got out of place it almost made him go crazy. He couldn't imagine how it would be if his entire world turned around upside down. Even though he got a small taste of that back during the strike.

"Nah, I don't know where he is. I'm thinkin' he might be in the Bronx. Or else in the tenements in Brooklyn. Maybe even Midtown..."

David sighed slightly, there had to of been someone who knew where Mike was. He thought back, when some of the boys told him about Mike. They said they had no idea where he was at, or where he could be staying. Well, that didn't help much. But then, David remembered when he heard Racetrack, Kid Blink, Mush and Chance talking about a night a few days back when Jinks woke them up to help Dreamer. He recalled them saying how dumb she was for trying to fight Mike in Harlem. Maybe she knew where he was at. "Have you tried asking any of the other boys?" He asked.

"So what do I do, Dave? Tell me what I should do. You're good at that, ya know..."

He had no idea what to tell Jack. If he knew Mike better he could probably help more, he didn't even know what all was going on. David felt horrible, he's never seen Jack like this. "Build your armies quietly, don't let anyone know. Even though Mike could be suspecting spies, send them out anyways. He might not think that you are because its such an obvious move, try to get him when he leasts expects it." He said.

[Jack Kelly]

"Have you tried asking any of the other boys?"

Jack shook his head. He had been planning to, but right now he needed to figure out what he should do in the first place. Talking to his boys came next; first he needed something to tell them. "I'll get 'em together when I gotta..." He only wondered how long he could wait. He knew that the boys were in on what was going on, and had their own encounters and stories to tell. There wasn't much longer he could go. They expected him to do something, say something, but he didn't know what to tell them. That was one of the reasons he needed to talk to David. David knew what to say when Jack didn't.

"Build your armies quietly, don't let anyone know. Even though Mike could be suspecting spies, send them out anyways. He might not think that you are because its such an obvious move, try to get him when he leasts expects it."

Jack considered. It wouldn't be a bad idea. He looked Dave in the eye and mused, "Now that Jordan's on our side we can ask that kid of his...the messenger, Diesel...to do some ratting." Most newsies knew about Diesel: he was eight years old, a fast runner with a good memory. He was the unofficial messenger among the newsies for these reasons, and he would carry important information from leader to leader. The little German boy's sharp eyes could also remember scenes and rarely made a mistake.

Build the armies quietly...well, of course. He had Queens, and he still had to talk to Brooklyn and Harlem. The Bronx was lost, and Jack wouldn't try to talk Mitch out of it. He knew he had to convince Spot, because he knew as well as anyone that if Mike got Brooklyn's support, they might as well be beaten.