Spy School: Life After School

Chapter 12

Abandoned Airstrip
June 13, 2026
0900 hours

Ben's POV

Cyrus drove us to the abandoned airstrip. It wasn't in that bad of condition, and it certainly could handle a takeoff/landing. It was only 45 minutes away from the Hale's house. We had rode in an old minivan, to blend in with the general population.

I saw a nice, small private jet upon arriving there. The stairs were already down, but I couldn't see the pilot. I got out of the car and walked alongside Erica.

"Do you know who the pilot is?" I asked.

"I do," she said. "But you have to wait and see." I sighed. This was the Erica I knew.

I walked up to the start of the stairs, then took a deep breath and followed Catherine, Alexander, and Cyrus.

Inside the cabin was a luxurious area with comfortable seats and a large dining table that the seats surrounded. There were no windows, as I assumed the plan was supposed to fly discreetly. I sat at one of the 6 seats around the table, and waited.

I heard the stairs move, and then the door shut, and I heard the pilot come on over the speaker.

"All passengers please buckle up. Today we will be flying to the Cayman Islands, but due to the precarious situation, we will be taking a rather long and winding route, to root out any suspicions of enemy organizations. Your estimated flight time is 16 hours and 37 minutes, at a cruising altitude of 34,000 feet. Beverages and snacks are available at the bar behind the table, and the 3 bedrooms are near the back of the cabin (each with a private restroom). Thanks for flying with whatever this airline is called and we hope you enjoy your flight."

I buckled in and felt as the airplane rumbled along the airstrip, smoothly taking off into the sky. I waited for 7 minutes and 32 seconds, and the pilot came over the intercom again.

"We are now at the cruising altitude, you may unbuckle your seats, and rest assured, the autopilot is on."

I looked toward the cabin and watched as the door opened. Out came a man that I had longed to see ever since I had gone into hiding.

Mike Brezinski.

"Mike?" I said, astonished.

"One and the same, Ben," he said, smiling. I quickly went up to him and hugged him.

"You don't know how much I missed you, bro," I said. He pulled away.

"I believe you have some explaining to do," he said, with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"You too," I replied. "You're a pilot??"

"Sit down, we'll talk about it. But you first." We both went to sit down around the table.

And so, for the third time in the past 3 days, I explained what happened to me. I told him everything except about me and Erica, because I didn't want to be the first person since the time of Medusa to be killed by a stare.

Then he went on to explain his story. He had graduated the school with honours, and quickly went into the flight academy with the CIA. For the past 4 years, he had been training to be a pilot, and he just got his license to fly with passengers 3 months ago.

We all sat around, talking about stories and laughing. It felt good to have company again, especially my best friend. After eating some snacks and having soda, I decided to get some sleep.

"Which bedroom should I take?" I asked.

"Well, there's only 3, so Catherine and Alexander can share, Cyrus can be by himself, and Erica and you are together," Mike said.