Spy School: On Ice (Fan-Made)

Chapter 11

Montreal, Canada
Criminal Headquarters?
December 9th
2000 Hours

Fang ended up carrying me half of the way.
By the time he got to his car, he was panting and wheezing.
And I was very bored.
There's only so much panicking you can do for half an hour...
He tossed me in the backseat.
"Don't...try...anything..." He wheezed.
"I won't."
I meant it.
This was my ticket to infiltrate the home base and free my friends!
I really hope Erica has a plan...
Or anyone, really...
During the ride, I paid attention to my surroundings. Or tried to. By now it was late, and everything was dark except for a few stores and street lamps.
But thankfully, I managed to get a good grasp on where we're going.
After a 34 minute drive, we arrived at a house.
It was pretty inconspicuous. It looked like a normal house that a family would live in.
For a minute, I was wondering whether or not this was the right place.
Fang dragged me inside the house by the arm.
"Hey, idiots! I brought that nerdy kid you guys were talking about!" He yelled.
Someone rushed down the stairs.
It was the was the guy that broke into my hotel room.
He stomped over and whacked the back of Fang's head.
"Are you out of your mind?! Now he knows where we live! And you brought him where his friends are being kept!" He yelled.
"I thought you needed him!" Fang yelled back.
"We never said that, dipshit! Now thanks to you, everything will go to shit!"
They continued arguing, and I just awkwardly stood there.
I took this time to look around the room.
It was a simple living room. There was only a small couch, recliner, and a TV propped up by a table. I could just barely see a trapdoor, probably leading to the basement, hidden under the couch.
That must be where everyone is.
I gotta find a way in there without alerting these two. Or whoever else is here...
"...whatever, let's just kill him!"
I barely had time to react before Fang raised his pocket knife.
But before he could hit me, the other guy grabbed his arm. He hit it over his knee with barely even a flinch.
Fang screamed in pain. "You broke my fucking arm! Oh, once I get my hands on you-"
He suddenly stopped talking and collapsed on the floor.
A girl around his age was behind him, empty syringe in hand.
"He never learns, does he?" She shook her head and put down the syringe.
"What the hell happened anyways?" She rolled her eyes.
"He brought the Ripley kid here."
The girl's eyes were immediately on me.
She swore under her breath.
"I...think you might be overestimating me a tad..." I said.
"He's probably right. What could one kid do?" Another guy came out of a separate room.
"Alright, let's just toss him down there with the others..." The girl sighed.
One of the guys picked up and moved the couch away from the trapdoor. The other guy lifted up the door.
The girl took me by the wrist and walked me down the stairs.
I was expecting a dark, dank dungeon, but it was nicer than I thought.
Lights were strewn along the walls, and the floor was smooth, dry hardwood.
It seemed more like a wine cellar than a prison. But as we walked I started to see the cells.
They had metal bars in the front, but had solid metal walls in between them.
The girl opened the cell door and shoved me inside.
"Don't worry, we'll let you and your friends go after we're done. We're not all like Fang. Some of us have a functioning moral compass. Just hang tight, alright?" She closed the door and locked it.
I heaved a sigh. "I'm so tired of this...can't we have a normal mission for once?"
"Apparently not."
My head jerked up. "Erica!"
"I'm hoping you being here means you have a plan." Erica said.
"Yes, I do!" I replied.
"But first..."
I combed through my hair until I found the hairpin I hid. Thank you, Zoe!
I stuck it in and began picking it.
"It doesn't seem very high tech, so you can probably-"
Before she could finish, I managed to unlock the door.
"Oh. I guess you already knew that."
I went over and got to work on her lock.
The lock clicked and Erica opened the door.
"You stay here and free the others. I'll go take care of things." She ordered.
I nodded. She snatched up her bag, which was on the floor on the other side of the room, and ran up the stairs.
I kept unlocking doors, opening every one of them.
"Ben! Oh man, I am so happy to see you!" Chip smiled.
"Now we have a chance at beating these guys!" Zoe said.
"Where's Mike?" Merlyn asked.
"Oh, he's-"
Wait.
"How did you know Mike's name...? And how did you know he escaped?"
Merlyn clammed up and started stuttering.
"Well, I uh-"
"For that matter, how did Fang know your name? And why were you captured in the first place?"
Everything made sense now.
A heavy stone of dread settled in my stomach. I felt sick.
But there was no other explanation.
Before anyone could say anything, one of our captors came down, Erica tossed over his shoulder unconscious.
Merlyn suddenly grabbed my arms and put an arm around my neck.
"Don't move, or else!"
He backed away, getting distance away from everyone else.
"Thanks Merlyn, you're a huge help!" The stranger nodded approvingly.
"Now let's lock 'em all back up." He said.
"Wait. I wanna talk to Ben. Alone." Merlyn said.
The stranger shrugged. "Sure. You can use one of the empty bedrooms."
Scooping me off my feet, Merlyn took me to an empty room and locked the door.
"Ben, please... Let me explain...!"
"Explain what?! That you used me to get to my friends? That you pretended to like me so I could lower my guard?" I demanded.
"I'm sorry I had to use you, but I wasn't pretending to like you!" He cried.
"Oh sure you weren't! Why else would a super hot, charming guy hit on me?" I yelled.
Merlyn's face fell.
"Is that what really what you think?"
I flinched away as he put his hand on my cheek.
"Ben, of course I liked you... You're the one who's too good for me... I stabbed you in the back to help these guys..."
"I'm sorry, I really am..."
I stayed silent.
"I should've known it was too good to be true... But yet again, I screwed everything up by getting a crush on the wrong person..." I sat down on the bed, crossing my arms.
Merlyn sat down next to me.
"I still think you're pretty amazing..."
He put his hand around my waist and pulled me closer.
"That makes one of us."
I clenched my fist and punched Merlyn in the stomach. Hard.
He gasped for air and doubled over in pain, kneeling on the floor.
"Look, don't worry about it. I'm used to it. It comes with the business. But I still think you're a jerk." I said curtly.
I didn't give him a chance to reply as I opened the door and walked out.