Spy School: last time I fell

Why do the worst things always happen to the best people?

HEY GUYS. SO, WARNING. YOU MAY ALL HATE ME FOR WRITING THIS CHAPTER, AND THINK I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON. WELL, I'M SORRY. I AM IN A KIND OF SAD HEADSPACE LATELY, AND THIS IS JUST WHAT I FEEL LIKE WRITING. SO, BEFORE YOU GO FORWARD AND READ THIS CHAP, KNOW THIS:

you may hate me forever. and be sad. okay! time to get into it!

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Bens POV

It was the first time I had seen Erica truly terrified. She simply stood in the center of the Spy School Cafeteria, frozen, her phone by her ear, her blue eyes wide with fear. 

"I understand. I'm coming- I promise- I won't let him hurt you... I'm coming." I could feel my heartbeat revving up in my chest, feeding off of Erica's concern. She hung up the phone, the turned to me, her Icy eyes wet and her face a muddle of anger and terror. Behind us, our friends had gotten up from the table and rushed over to see what was wrong. 

"What's wrong?" I asked Erica nervously. "What just happened?"

"Erica? Is everything okay?" Trixie asked, coming up and putting a hand on Erica's shoulder. Erica turned to her, suddenly snapping out of her frozen state. 

"He has mom- he's going to kill her- COME ON! WE HAVE TO GO!" Erica turned tail and fled out the cafeteria doors, the rest of us in hot pursuit." I sprinted to catch up with her, noticing tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.

"Who Erica? Who has Catherine?" I panted, doing my best to keep up with her. Erica shook her head, mouth opening and closing but no words coming out. Our group reached the front gates of the Spy School campus, where an official government car was parked, six agents by the gates. When they saw us, their faces twisted in confusion.

"What's-" Erica punched the guy by the car before he could finish his sentence. 

"I need to commandeer this car-" she panted, yanking open the driver's side door and jumping into the front seat. The rest of us swerved around the shocked agents and slid into the back of the car, except for me, who slid into the passenger's seat next to Erica. 

"Erica! Calm the hell down. I need you to tell me what's going on with mom!" Trixie urged from the back as Erica slammed her foot on the gas pedal, making the car lurch forward into the rush hour traffic. 

"He has her- mom. He's going to hurt her if I don't come- GOD. How did it get to this... We just need to hurry... I have to save her... this is all my fault. 

"WHO has her?" Mike asked urgently. A salty tear fell out of Erica's eye. 

"Joshua." she gulped. "Joshua has her. It's revenge- on me. For... everything. I just... I need to save mom. She's one of the only things that keeps me going- I can't loose her." 

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Erica's POV

The car screamed into the lot of the airstrip. I slammed on the breaks, then practically shot out of the car. Ben, Trixie, Mike, Chip, Jawa, Jessica and Zoe jumped out and ran behind me. Tears were running down my face now, but I didn't care. I spent the last year and a half repressing my emotions, and now that the former love of my life was threatening to kill one of the closest people to me, I couldn't hold them back anymore. There wasn't any point in trying. 

There they were. Mom, on her knees, a deep gash above her right eye, blood running down her skin, her face muddled with fear and pain... and Joshua. All his limbs were now bionic, making him stronger than ever. While it might have looked odd, he was now practically a cyborg. Before, mom would have been able to beat him in any fight, but with his mechanical advancements, he had the strength and power of a hundred ones of her. Joshua's emerald green eyes locked on me, a malicious grin spreading across his face. 

"ERICA! TRXIE!" Catherine screamed, overwhelmed with joy at the sight of her daughters. "He sedated me, got the jump on me. With his new bionic arms and legs, I can't fight him." Tears ran down Trixie's face. 

"MOMMY!" she cried, then turned to Joshua. "I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE,  BUT I SWEAR TO GOD- DON'T HURT HER. PLEASE! YOU CAN'T!" 

"Oh, but I can." Joshua purred. " and you and your dearest sister, as well as the rest of you..." Joshua's angry gaze flitted to Ben for a moment. It suddenly hit me that my mom meant almost as much to Ben as she did to me. He stood a foot away from me, Mike grasping his shoulder, trying to keep from crying. 

"Joshua, your problem is with me. Don't- hurt- my- mother. Kill me instead- please." 

"While that would be a joy, it would be far more fun to watch you suffer, then... then it'll be your time to die." Anger exploded out of me, flowing through my veins. 

"JOSHUA NO." I shouted... my heart beating furiously in my chest. I hadn't felt this worked up since... well... ever.

"Sorry Erica... sorry not sorry." Then he lifted the gun to her head... finger on the trigger...