Spy School: Family Ties

Chapter 11

New York Hotel
March 18, 2027
0300 hours

Erica's POV

My eyes opened and I looked around before sitting up. I sprang off the bed quietly, looking in the shadows. I cased the room, but didn't find anything, so I went back to look at the bed.

I had heard something while I was dreaming, an unnatural sound. I didn't know what it was, but I woke up instinctively. It was fairly loud though.

I saw Ben sleeping peacefully, making no sound at all. He looked at ease, which was nice to see. I walked over to the crib to see Emma, whose eyes were open.

"What's up, little girl," I said. I picked her up and cradled her. "It's your bedtime, you know."

Emma moved around in my arms. I rocked her, hoping to will her to sleep. She didn't seem to want to drift off, however, so I just went to sit on a chair with her.

"Looks like you like to stay up later than normal, huh? You're going to be a mischievous one."

I held her tight and she simply looked at me. I saw a little confusion in her eyes, as if she was wondering why I was awake.

"I have to take care of you, silly."

She looked away and I did as well.

What had woken me up? It couldn't have been Emma, but why was she awake anyway?

So many questions.

I heard a gust of wind outside. It didn't sound like wind though. It sounded like a man made whoosh. One that ended quickly and didn't have any natural effect on the building. I estimated that I should of heard some feedback off the building if it was natural, but I heard nothing.

"Stay here, little Hale," I said. I placed her on Ben's chest, and she listened to me, just lying there.

I kept to the shadows, inching towards the balcony door. I sidled up beside it and peeked out.

I saw two figures in blacked out gear, only uncovered patches being their eyes. I saw a grappling line set from the top of the building down, as well as their harnesses and grappling hooks.

The helicopter must have woke me up.

I pulled back and listened to their footsteps. They started picking the lock on the door. I heard a small click, and then the door slide open.

I lunged out from the shadows, wrapping my arm around one of the agents necks, throwing them to the ground. The other one grabbed me, but I leaped off.

I faced the second agent. He pulled out a knife. He came at me and started thrusting his knife. I blocked with my arms, each attack the knife barely missing me. He did a knife flip and I saw my chance, lashing out at his lower gut. I felt plastic.

Nuts.

He came back with the knife and went for my face, but I instinctively dodged backwards and I heard it fly by my face, the sound loud as a truck in the dead silence of the night. I sprang back up, and caught the agent in the face with my punch. They stumbled backwards, but didn't fall. I pushed them out onto the balcony.

I ran towards the agent, who had regained their bearings on things. He punched me in the arm, but it just made me more mad. I threw punches every which way, but they managed to block all of them. I tried a leg sweep, but they jumped over.

That was their mistake though. They thought I would get up and recover quick, so they lashed out a punch above me, but to be met with thin air. I sprang up from the ground after, hitting a punch in the face, then another, and finally a kick to the stomach.