So I thought I would have a quick update. I was like, I got this one out quickly! Then I realize it was 9 days later. Shoot.

Anyway, the story is coming to a close pretty soon I think! :(

Haha Alright, Enjoy!

I froze, praying they didn't hear me. I crouched below the window looking into the office and pressed myself against the wall. The whole hallway was dark, so I was hoping they weren't very acute this night.

The door swung open slowly as if Joshua and Mr. E didn't want anyone to hear them either. It only opened a little bit, enough room for them to slip through, and they walked out and started down the hall. To my great relief, they didn't even look in my direction. In fact, they were walking the other way!

I let myself sigh in consolation when I felt a whoosh of air next to me. Alarmed, I whipped my head around to only see the door of the office slowly closing. Joshua never shut it. He just assumed it would close on it's own.

Seeing a great opportunity, I stuck my foot out and wedged it between the door and the doorframe. It stayed open and I snuck another glance at the hallway. It was super dark, but I could barely see the silhouettes of Mr. E and Joshua about to turn into another hall. It was clear for me to make my move.

I pushed myself off the ground and slipped into Mr. E's office. I quietly shut the door behind me. It was too risky to turn on the lights, but my eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness, so I could see my way around.

It was surprisingly... normal. There was a desk with a lamp and a monitor on it, a small couch for guests to sit on, a filing cabinet on the back wall and a few decorative plants scattered throughout the office.

I immediately went for the desk, to see what was on it. There were a few stray papers, but none labeled 'SPYDER's Secret Plans for all of Eternity' to my great disappointment. But I poked around anyway.

A lot of them were printouts of the news story that they had just caused about the nuking of the countries. It seemed like SPYDER likes to brag about their success. There was also a detailed report about the United Nations, which seemed logical because the UN was hosting a meeting about their attack in Washington DC Friday. SPYDER would probably want to do an evaluation about what the probability they'd get caught was. But what confused me the most was a printout of an email from a man in Sankibali.

Hello. It was a pleasure to meet JH this week. I enjoyed his company very much. You have done exactly what we had asked of you. Well, not exactly, but the end result is what we have wanted. We have your payment and JH told me that the final piece has arrived and your men collected it. That is truly excellent. If all goes well Friday, you two men will be very rich. Very, very rich. Let me know if there are any new developments. -RT

The email was from someone in Sankibali, according to his profile that showed up next to his name (more like his initials). I gathered that JH must be Joshua Hallal but why was he in Sankibali? I remembered Erica telling me in the interrogation Joshua was on a business trip to Sankibali meeting King Tablin. King Tablin... RT! RT is the initials of the dictator of Sankibali! Ranove Tablin!

I remember Sankibali ringing a bell in my head when Erica said it. But where could I have heard it? Suddenly, a thought struck me! When I had first heard of Sankibali, it was in a news report from the same people Joshua and Mr. E were listening to just now. Sydney and Clint. I had heard it in the media center! But what were they talking about in that old news report? Something about the UN letting another country in and Sankibali was...! I got it! I know what the final piece was! What all the news articles had to do with it! I was right! Nuking those five countries wasn't SPYDER's overall plan! That was the start of something bigger, badder and more chaotic! They were planning too...

All of a sudden, I heard Joshua's voice, right outside the office!

"Sorry, I left my phone in your office. I'll be just a second if you'd unlock the door."
I heard keys jingling in the door handle. I looked around in a panic, looking for anything or anywhere I could hide behind or in. I found nothing. Mr. E's desk was glass and all of the filing cabinets were locked. I could hide in the couch, but Joshua would spot me no matter what. There was nowhere to run.

I just grabbed something near me that could be used as a weapon. A lamp. Great. I was going to fight one of the greatest fighters I know with a lamp. Wonderful.

Joshua walked in and flipped on the light. The look on his face was almost comical in a different situation. It went from pure shock to tomato face anger.

"RIPLEY! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?" Joshua shouted at me as he pulled out his gun.

"Whoops! Haha, must have gotten lost..." I tried to talk myself out of it but it was clearly not going to work.

Joshua pointed the gun at me but I was already moving. The glass table shattered as the bullet hit it and glass rained down on us. I jumped on top of the couch when I realized that Joshua had me cornered. I couldn't go around him and there was a window behind me. To add on to the misery, Mr. E ran into the office and was trying to shoot me as well. There was nowhere to go... or was there?

I tried one last ditch effort as I dodged the incoming bullets. I used the lamp and smashed the window that let into the hallway. To my relief, it shattered like the table and I jumped through it. Without thinking, I sprinted through the hallway, having no idea where it was leading me. I heard Joshua and Mr. E shouting profanity at me as I darted through the dark hall.

I turned a corner and kept running. I guess I wasn't paying much attention because a dark silhouette was sprinting towards me. I noticed them way too late to avoid them and did the only thing I could think of: swing the lamp at them.

I used my famous fastball swing and aimed it right towards their head. Unforchinitly, the figure anticipated this and grabbed it mid-swing.

"Jesus Ben!" The figure gasped. The one voice I was hoping to hear: Erica Hale's.

I had completely forgot the whole reason I was outside my room in the first place was to meet Erica. I must have been super late and she must have heard the gunshot and come to investigate. To me, it was a miracle.

She didn't waste any time catching up. Erica started sprinting the way she came and she obviously knew where she was going. I tried with all my might to keep up with her.

"Where were you?" She snapped at me.

"I was looking for you but then saw an office light on and hid. Apparently it was Mr. E's and I went in to investigate."

"Lemme guess," she sighed, "you got caught."

"Geez!" I reply sarcastically, "What gave it away?"

She had no reply for me as a gunshot pinged over our heads. We both reflectively ducked but kept running. Joshua was yelling and swearing at us, but we couldn't hear exactly what he was saying.

"Do you have a plan?" I wheezed as the run was taking a toll on me.

She looked back for a nanosecond and shot me a look of disdain, "Of course I have a plan. But did you have a plan when you decided to sneak into the office?"

"Er... no." I admitted.

"Yeah, didn't think so."

We continued through the halls as I heard more footsteps, backup probably, running towards us as well.

"Where are we going?" I asked in pannik as even more soldiers are running after us.

"A car. The plan was for us to bust you out tonight. We can still catch it."

"Okay," but something struck me, "What about the others?"

"Who?" she asked.

"Mike and Zoe and everyone else SPYDER kidnapped."

"Ben, I can't worry about them. We're getting out of here."

"But we can't just leave them here!" I protested.

"Oh yes we can!" Erica snapped, "And we are!"

In front of us, a group of what I assumed to be soldiers approached us.

Erica swore under her breath.

But I recognized the run of one of them. It had more of a heightened step to it. Mike.

"Ben!" Mike cried out as my friends ran towards me. Huh, perfect time. (Probably because a certain author wanted the chapter to be over soon. :)

"Mike! You broke out!" I grinned as we ran towards each other.

"Yeah, all the guards got called for backup and Jawa had planned a way to escape the whole time. Wait... Erica?"

"Hey Mike," she breathed heavily, "We gotta get out of here! There's an emergency door in the hallway to the left. Just outside should be a car."

"And if there isn't..." Zoe asked from behind him.

"Then we're screwed," Erica finished her sentence, "Let's go."

The group with Jawa, Zoe, Mike and Chip turned around and together we ran towards the door. Chip shoved it open and a hoard of soldiers entered the hallway behind us.
"Quickly!" Jawa yelled and we all piled out of the hallway into the crisp night.

Erica knew exactly where to go and the path lead us to a non-script white van. She yanked the door open and we all entered. Just as the door was yanked shut, the driver flooded the gas.

"You guys need a ride?" Murray Hill asked with a wolfish grin as he violently yanked the steering wheel.

"Murray! You lair!" Jawa snarled as he lunged at the front seat. Erica caught him.

"Woah, not so fast. He's working with us." Erica shoved Jawa back into the seat.

"How can we trust you?" Jawa hissed suspiciously at Erica.

"She just saved our asses!" Chip retorted back.

"So, Ben," Erica said, ignoring Chip and Jawa, "Do you finally know what SPYDER's plan is?"

Mike, Jawa, Chip and Zoe's mouths swung open.
"The nuking wasn't enough?" Zoe asked in a small voice.

"No it wasn't," I replied with a shake of my head, "SPYDER is planning something much worse."

Anyone have any guesses? The whole case is in the story already. Comment if you think you know SPYDER's plan. Have a great day! :)