Spy School: Life After School

Chapter 20

Under The Expo Building
June 16, 2026
1418 hours

Ben's POV

It couldn't be. Why? Really?

But it makes sense.

I looked up and saw my parents looking down at me.

Why they wouldn't answer your calls. Why the didn't go to your funeral. Why SPYDER had so much info on me and Erica. Why SPYDER wanted me alive.

My parents were moles, and they were the directors of the CIA.

"It's been a long time Ben," my mom said. I just glared at them.

"We knew you were alive, but even we couldn't figure out where our own son was hiding," my dad continued.

"It probably hurt you that we didn't show up to your funeral," mom said. "Didn't it?" My dad leaned down to touch my face and I shrugged away from him.

"Now now, Ben, don't be like that," he chided me.

"Even though we are on opposite sides here, we're still your parents," mom said to me. I kept silent. I didn't betray anything.

My dad and my mom flashed out their CIA badges.

"You may know our secret, but to everyone else, we are CIA agents," she said.

"I'm sorry it has to end like this, Ben," my dad added. "We can tell you won't join us, so you have to die. No loose ends."

"Come, Joshua, it's time to leave," my mom said.

All 3 of them left, leaving us with a ticking bomb. Erica quickly started squirming around. She managed to get an arm free, then she proceeded to unravel Cyrus's rope and then mine after. We were all free after 7 minutes. They had left us in the cage for 45 minutes before, so now we only had 5 minutes to defuse the bomb.

Cyrus ran after them, leaving the bomb to me and Erica. She went to work. She pulled out a screwdriver with multiple heads then unlocked the case. Inside was a terrible amount of wires.

"Hold the bomb, here," she said, pointing to her right. "And right here," pointing to her left. I was behind her with my arms on both sides of her, like I was protecting her from the back. She started clipping various wires. But time was running out. There were 10 wires left with a minute. I felt Erica sweating and I held steady. She rubbed against me.

I was losing it. I took everything I had to stay calm. I felt her unclipping wires after wires.

Soon there was only 2 left with 20 seconds left.

"Shoot, they put a decoy," Erica muttered. "It won't detonate until the timer is done though." She clipped a wire, then turned around.

I kissed her. She met my lips and I felt the emotion running through her.

My mental timer was ticking down.

3....

2....

1....

"I love you, Erica," I said. Then an explosion filled my ears.

Mike's POV

I watched in the distance. An explosion was in the distance. I couldn't look.

Ben and Erica had sacrificed themselves. I needed to fulfill my job. I waited by the airplane, standing by the stairs. It was about 5 minutes, then I got word from Alexander.