Spy School Fail-Safe

Chapter 6

Sorry for the late update! But to make it up I have a long chapter. :)

"Ah! They even have pasta, how delightful!"

I woke up to the most cheerful, sweet and melodious British accent ever. It belonged to none other than my absolute favorite, my second mother-like figure, Catherine Hale. She appeared to be surveying the food.

I stretched, sleepy, and stifled a yawn as I trudged into the bathroom. Mike wasn't in bed, and I assumed he was outside too, probably eating breakfast and talking to Catherine. It was eight in the morning, and the sun was brighter than ever outside.

"Benjamin!" Catherine smiled as I exited the bathroom. "It's absolutely wonderful to see you again, dear. Of course, I know you're a wanted man back in the States, but I'm hoping you're enjoying the comforts of this Mi6 safehouse."

"Oh, yeah," I replied. "Totally." I walked over to the kitchen, where Catherine had a plastic container full of fresh-baked chocolate chip and blueberry muffins.

Erica sat at a high bar stool, blueberry muffin in hand. She looked somewhat relaxed that Catherine was here, and I spotted Jawa and Mike both eating chocolate chip muffins. I took a chocolate one and slid into a bar stool beside Erica.

"So, I assume getting here was no problem," Catherine spoke, eyeing Erica. "Right?"

"Mi6 was empty," Erica replied. "We needed Zoe to get into the computers, and they had some sort of fail-safe that made the coordinates and the passcodes disappear in 20 seconds and lock for the next 24 hours," she explained. "Zoe hacked them and Ben memorized them."

Catherine smiled. "Yeah, Mi6 cares about security. But I'm glad you were able to get into the British Embassy and into Mi6."

Jawa nodded. "But this place is crazy awesome. Much better than our dorms."

"It somewhat reminds me of Aquarius," I commented, and Erica met my gaze before giving me a small smile.

"We need to have you five staying out of sight," Catherine said, her tone growing serious. I spotted Zoe digging through the pantry, searching for other foods, presumably. "If anyone spots you five, we're screwed."

I was struck by a sudden question. "Hold on, what if some CIA official finds out we're in the UK?"

Catherine paused. "This is a top-secret location. Did you bring anything from the US?"

Everyone shook their heads. "No," Erica replied. "Nothing but passports."

"Okay," Catherine said. "That shouldn't be a problem. I don't think the CIA can track you. Erica, do Cyrus and Alexander know that you guys are here?"

Mike frowned. "That's a good question. Erica, do your dad and grandpa know?"

I looked to my best friend, whose icy blue eyes had slightly faded, like she was upset. "No," Erica admitted. "Both Dad and Grandpa are mad at Ben."

"Oh," I sighed.

Catherine sighed as well. "Well, if Cyrus and Alexander are not on our side, that could be a problem. I don't think we have any source in the States, then."

That's when the biggest smile spread across Jawa's face. In fact, it attracted the attention of not only me, but also Erica, Mike, Zoe, and even Catherine. "Actually," Jawa spoke, "I know someone else who may be able to help us."

XXX

"Yo!" Chip yelled across the phone. "What's up?"

"Hey, Chip!" Mike waved with a friendly smile. I waved too, and Erica acknowledged his presence with a small nod.