Now my AP Finals are OVER!! Yay!!! All I have left is regular finals in all my classes and then the end of the year! School is coming to a close so hopefully I'll have plenty of time to update during the summer. It really doesn't feel like the end of the school year. Normally, there's this summer vibe towards the end of the year with my friends and pool parties, but now it's just dull. Oh well.

Oh and also: I don't know if you can see this because I blocked you, but I AM NOT SELLING THIS STORY. I don't know who the hell you are (I haven't recognized you from the regular circuit of people) but this story is not for sale. For everyone else: this guy offered me $20 via paypal in my PM's to BUY this story. Apparently, they wanted to write the rest of the story and I was supposed to post it on my account. To write it how they wanted. I have no intention of selling it or making money off my writing and I have reported you Wattpad. Just fyi. I'm not looking to sell because that's crazy and probably against Wattpad guidelines.

And everyone please stay safe. There's a lot of craziness going on around the country and world so be careful! With all of that, please enjoy! :)

Once Jawa and Chip's identities were revealed, Erica released Jawa immediately. Jawa stood up gracefully and brushed himself off. Chip, however, seemed very concerned. He kept gingerly touching his face.

"Erica, I swear!" He squealed as he checked his reflection on this app on his phone, "I better not have a bruise! The director's gonna KILL me if I even have a scratch on my face! You know important continuity is!"

Erica rolled her eyes, "What are you doing here? I thought you were training and you were shooting a movie."

"Wait," Hailey stepped forward, starstruck, "Are you Chip Schneider? THE Chip Schneider? You were in one of my favorite action movies, Coercion!"

I was surprised that Chip was the one she was starstruck about. Hailey's been traveling with Erica Handler, definitely more well-known than Chip.

Chip shot her a flirtatious wink that made my skin boil, "Yes, I am."

"What are you guys doing here?" Erica repeated, "And how did you know where to find us?"

"I was doing a meet-and-greet with other olympians representing the United States in DC. Chip was shooting a movie in DC as well, but production was halted for a few weeks due to this government meeting thing. Audrey called us earlier today, to see if we were in town. It sounded like she was on an airplane or boat; it was very loud. She said that she needed us to come to this forest thing to meet you guys or something." Jawa said.

"And you trusted her?" Erica said, a bit suspiciously.

Jawa shrugged, "Why not? We have time. And I'd be nice to see you guys again." Jawa shot Zoe and Mike polite smiles which they returned.

"So she told you to go in the woods, at night, looking for us?" I asked, a little dubious.

They looked at each other for a beat, "Okay, in retrospect, maybe that wasn't the smartest decision we made." Chip agreed.

"But it worked out!" Jawa grinned. He went over to Mike with his flashlight and gave him a bro five. I guess we just accepted the fact that they were there. I was fine with it; overjoyed even, that they were there. There was a little suspicion that they weren't there for the right reasons, but their story lined up with Audrey timeframe wise.

They told us that Audrey called then around noon, about the time we estimated she figured out about the whole plan to capture us. This must have been her plan all along, before she even got us.

"Wait, hold on, was this her idea of getting us out of the situation? To have us jump out of the plane and escape?" Zoe exclaimed. We were all sitting in a circle on the ground with our phone flashlights. Kinda looked like a cult, but whatever.

"I guess," I concluded, "So did she plan for the plane to go down? How could she? And precisely over the spot she told you guys to find us? That seems like too much of a coincidence."

"Wait, what's going on? Why would that agent help us escape? She's the one who captured us in the first place." Hailey looked visibly lost. I didn't blame her whatsoever. We often forget how little she knows about us. She thinks we're still the FBI somehow.

Before I could decide whether or not to tell her about our second life, Erica made something up on the spot.

"She's a friend of ours. She let us go as FBI agents, so we can catch this guy and possibly stop something suspicious, without having to go through the headache of paperwork to get us out. I'm sure her supervisors signed off on it; the whole show with the jumping must have been just for the other lower rank agents. Chip and Jawa are just helping us."

That was sorta a weak argument but Erica's tone left no room for arguments.

"Maybe isn't a coincidence!" Mike suddenly exclaimed, "I might be crazy but didn't Audrey do a last minute check on the plane right before takeoff? She's not a pilot so why would she need to check on something?"

"What are you suggesting?" Jawa asked curiously.

"Maybe, I don't know, she somehow rigged the airplane to blow?" Mike said skeptically. It did seem awfully far fetched.

Erica, however, shrugged, "It's not the craziest theory. It's completely possible. She could have rigged oil, in a container already in the engine, to release at the exact moment she wants, over this forest. The engine would smoke up and burn, yet avoid the risk of blowing up the entire plane. Oil in the engine is the only explanation for that kind of smoking. She releases it when we're over the field, freaks everyone out, making everyone think that it's gonna blow and help us escape. It's quite brilliant actually."

"That was... oddly specific," Hailey said.

"That plan could also be a reason why she wasn't really freaked out at all when the plane started smoking," Zoe pointed out.

"But what about the people in the plane and the plane itself?" Chip asked, "That plan seems too risky, even for Audrey. There's too many liabilities. What if the fire spreads more rapidly than expected? What if the engine falls off entirely?"

"It did," I informed him. His face turned sheet white.

"It's a calculated risk, sure," Erica said nonchalantly, "But as Ben seemed to have noticed, planes can fly miles without either engine, merely on a glide. It's a safety measure on every plane. The wings have features that help them glide down safely."

This all made sense. If that was really what Audrey had planned, it was very clever. Props to her. Plus it helped us escape without her totally revealing she helped/knew us.

"Well I guess after Audrey figured out the master plan, she called us. She told us to come here and find you guys and take you to the city. So here we are!" Jawa smiled.

"We have a truck if you want to get out of here," Chip said, standing up. We quickly followed suit. Even though we had to trek a little farther into the woods at midnight, it was way better than having to sleep in the woods.

After some long trudging, we finally got to the van. It was a white, regular van. It was a twelve seater, so we had plenty of space. Zoe and Hailey were talking a lot on the walk here, so I was worried Hailey wouldn't want to sit with me again. As first in the van, I chose the very last row, where I could sulk in peace. Mike entered next and sat behind the drivers seat Jawa was occupying. Erica slid in next to him. Chip had the passenger seat.

Hailey was next on the bus. I was expecting her to take the whole middle empty row, but to my delight, she sat next to me with a smile on her face. I eagerly scooted over to give her more space. Zoe sat alone in the middle seat and winked at me as she sat down.

We drove into the dark night. Mike, Zoe and Erica were engaging in a concentrated conversation with Chip and Jawa. Everyone was ignoring us.

"Look, Ben," Hailey said finally, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for icing you out earlier today and being so accusing. That was wrong of me, and I'm sorry."

It was so good to hear that from her. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. She seemed sincere and real.

"And I'm sorry too," I told her, "I shouldn't have used you to make Erica jealous. I don't even care what Erica thinks anymore. We're together now and I couldn't be happier."

Hailey gave me a big smile, "We're together?"

I felt my face heat up. Shoot, I didn't mean for that to slip out, "Um... I mean I would like that. If you're okay with that of course."

Hailey smirked, "Ben, I would absolutely love to be your girlfriend."

My entire face lit up. I couldn't be happier, "Well I would love to be your boyfriend."

And then... well, my body took over. I wrapped my arms around her in the dark, and she did the same. I closed my eyes and went in for our first kiss together. She reciprocated it instantly, passionately kissing me back.

It lasted a few seconds too. It felt naughty, as everyone else was in the van, but no one seemed to notice and care. For me, it felt like two teengers in the back of their parents car, trying not to get caught. It was thrilling and amazing.

We finally pulled away. Hailey's face was all red and seemed shy. But she had a big smile on her face and I'm sure that I did too.

She grabbed my hand and interlaced it with hers. She rested her head on my shoulder and I rested my head on hers. I haven't had much girl action in the last few years, so this was super nice.

"If we can survive an argument, thoughtfully and kindly, I feel strong about this relationship," Hailey grinned and looked up at me.

"I agree," I said looking down at her, "If we can survive a disagreement, we can survive anything."

Hailey smiled and we just sat in that position for a good ten minutes, both not saying anything but just listening to the heated debate going on in the front seats.

After some time, Hailey asked me, "What's your previous relationship with Erica? I'm curious. You obviously seemed like you were into her back in the day."

I nodded, "We um.. grew up together." I hated lying to Hailey about the whole Academy of Espionage thing. I absolutely hated it. But unfortunately, not that I don't trust her, some things are bigger than just my life. Plus I didn't want to risk her safety. And if I tell her about Spy School, then I'll have to explain why and how I know Joshua. Again, I forgot how little she knows. Oh well, I'm sure she'll figure it out very soon. I just pray she won't hate me for having to lie to her, even if it was a direct order from the government.

"Erica and I were good friends back then. In fact, she was my first real crush and first real girlfriend, I guess you could say. But then life got in the way and we haven't seen each other in ten years. Admittedly, I may have still had feelings for her and selfishly tried to win her back and rekindle what we used to have. But we both talked about it and thought we'd do best as friends. But I did use you on the way and for that I'm truly sorry. I am over her and Erica and I are still friends. I care about you and only you now."

Hailey nodded in understanding, "I completely get that. I have men in my past as well. I was talking to Zoe on the walk here. She said you really seemed sorry and that you cared for me, which I really appreciate. I forgive you."

"Thank you," I felt a weight lift off my chest. I couldn't have been happier.

Finally, we got to our destination. Jawa and Chip, to avoid being recognized or draw attention to ourselves, got some rooms in this quaint motel right outside downtown Washington DC. It was next to a sketchy area, but we were far enough away from it that it wasn't an issue.

It was weird being back in Washington DC. My travels took me to California, Illinois, Massachusetts and now I was back "home".  Not really home because I lost my apartment. I didn't really recognize where we were (the motel was on the other side of Washington DC that I was used to).

Because of this important government address, the motel was quite full, most tourists wanting to see their favorite politician. There was only enough space for us to get two suites. Erica, Zoe and Hailey shared a room while Jawa, Mike, Chip and I shared the other.

When we checked in, we were all beyond exhausted. It had been a LONG twenty four hours. We started on Dazy's farm all the way in Nebraska and now we were in DC. We survived a parachute jump, the CIA and a dark forest. I just wanted a hot shower and to get to bed.

By the time all of us got to sleep, it was probably around two or three am. Everyone fell asleep fast.

XXX

The next morning, Erica burst into the room FAR too early. It was only nine am and I could have slept for at least two more hours. Hailey and Zoe were behind her, fully dressed and awake. They had worried expressions on their face.

Something felt weird in my stomach. Like there was something off.

"Wake up!" Erica demanded. None of us were happy about it, but once they heard the tone of Erica's voice and read the mood of the room, no one protested.

We got ready very quickly while Erica, Zoe and Hailey were whispering with each other, sounding concerned.

Once all of us boys were ready, Erica turned to face us. Her expression was a bit worried, an expression I wasn't used to from her.

"I got a text this morning. Joshua invited us to his campaign event. Today."

XXX

For a few seconds, everyone just looked at each other. Well that was a shock. We all looked rattled. Hailey especially. She doesn't know our history with 'Joshua Duncan' at all. This was the first time she was going to see him since he lived on their farm. But not only that, she looked specifically worried. Like there was something else.

"What are we going to do?" Mike asked.

"Accept it." Erica said, "We have to. This is our biggest lead yet. According to the invitation, it's at his house."

"It could be a trap," Zoe said cautiously.

"Hold on." Hailey interrupted, "What's going on? Why would going to Joshua Duncan's house be a trap? And what do you mean about a lead?"

Again, the rest of us looked at her, then each other. No one knew what to do. Hailey was in the dark.

"Why are you guys looking at each other? What the hell is going on?" Hailey got increasingly suspicious and wary.

Without thinking and definitely against my better judgement, I blurted it out.

"Hailey, we're spies."

All of my fellow spies' eyes went wide and surprised. No one said anything.

Hailey wheeled on me in complete shock, "WHAT?!"

I opened my mouth to explain, but she cut me off.

"Seriously Ben?! Right after I thought I could trust you?!" She was yelling at this point.

"Hold on!" Zoe intervened, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, "This isn't Ben's fault. We were all spies ten years ago, but not anymore. We're all technically retired. We are forced to lie about it for the safety of this country. It's a government order. Don't get mad at Ben. It's not his fault."

"And I hated to lie to you," I added.

Hailey didn't seem mad anymore, just confused. I could tell a lot of emotions going through her right now, "Wait what is going on? You're CIA? Why are you investigating Joshua? I thought you guys were trying to help my family figure out who killed my father. Not whatever is going on right now." 

We looked at each other again. Well, screw it. We already told her about being a spy. We are already in trouble if we get caught. And it's so much easier to function if we didn't have to lie to her.

"Joshua Duncan,"I started, "sounds suspiciously like this old enemy we used to run into when we were spies, Joshua Hallal. He ran a terrorist organization, SPYDER, that blackmailed the government. We fought him all the time. Our investigation into him brought us to you and your family. Conicednely, your father died while Joshua was present. I'm not saying that he killed your father, but he has done much worse in his career of being evil. We have no proof of him being up to anything suspicious at this point. But it is weird that after so many years of manipulating and blackmailing the government, he decides to join them. And take your dad's position. So while investigating Joshua, we are possibly investigating the death of your father."

Hailey had no words for this. She slowly sunk down on the bed in a trancelike state. I didn't blame her. I would be shocked too if I heard that the man who lived with me for years previously ran a terrorist group. And that a man that I trusted could have killed my father. But reading her face, it seems like something else was bothering her. Something big.

After a while, she finally spoke, "That... that can't be possible. You knew Joshua back then, while you were a spy? And Joshua didn't kill my father. That... it can't be possible."

I sat next to her and laid my arm around her, "I know, it's hard to believe. He was really evil back then. Who knows? Maybe he did change and we're suspicious for nothing."

"I trusted him," she said in a small voice, "I didn't know anything about his past like you were saying."

"I know," I said sympathetically, "That's why we have to investigate him. To see if he was up to anything and if he is. That's why we have to go to the convention."

Everyone watched us silently. Hailey stood up slowly, "If what you are telling us is true, why would I want to go? I don't want to see Joshua again if he lied to me and even possibly killed my father. He and I were close and I can't believe he would exploit my family like this."

"We should all go," Erica pointed out, "If you want to know the truth, I'd be best if you come. Maybe you could question Joshua. We want to see if he was lying as much as you do. You could even get some closure."

Hailey was reluctant, but eventually agreed. I felt bad to have bombarded her with all this information. I don't think she fully processed it yet.

And something was off about her from the moment we started talking, especially about the death of her father and Joshua's role in it. She must be doing a form of grieving. It seemed like she was hiding something, probby her emotions, towards it. I felt bad.

Originally, we all thought this was a trap. It literally screams trap. But upon further investigation, this event was planned long before we got involved. It was posted all over his social media. Since he is newly elected, it was a meet and greet for people who haven't met him or don't know him yet. It was for, not only his supporters, but those who are interested in getting to know him. If he planned anything for us, evil intentions, that would be very bad for his cause. He hasn't been in office long enough to make any significant changes. Then there would be no point in being a congressman in the first place. If anything went wrong at this party event, Joshua would be in trouble. It felt safe, so why was he inviting us?

So we got ready. There was a mall nearby and we bought some nicer clothes for the event at five tonight. We got ready and it was almost time to leave.

"Okay," Erica said before we left, "Even though it would be political sucide if Joshua tried anything malicious tonight, we still have to be cautious. No one takes anything from his house. If someone hands you something, put it down. Be aware of your surroundings. And don't take anything with you. No promotional buttons, givebags, nothing. We have to be careful."

We all nodded. That made sense.

And so, we were off. To see Joshua Hallal (or a small chance of Joshua Duncan) for the first time in ten years.

Yes, there was a little bit of deus ex machina in Chip and Jawa's arrival and throughout the book so far. I'm just too lazy to justify everything haha. I hope you enjoyed! Yes it was a little bit shorter than usual, but it would be really choppy if I didn't stop it here. The next chapter is sure to be exciting! See you later! Don't forget to vote and review! :)