Spy School: Operation Leopard Blaze

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or characters.

(Edited)

Prologue:

March 1st, 2019

0900 hours

Random SPYDER Base that's getting blown up.

When you're trying not to get blown up, it's hard to think of anything else. But somehow my mind was once again, inevitably, drawn to the topic of girls. One girl in particular. Erica Hale, running alongside me. I felt a pang of guilt when Zoe Zibbell, also running alongside us, appeared and flashed me a smile. Which is why, when the bomb exploded, I threw myself over in front of the others, hereby knocking myself unconscious on our latest mission against SPYDER because of the flying shrapnel, rubble, debris, and who knows what else. According to my calculations, I took the whole brunt of the blast. The last thing I heard was Erica's startled yelp of frustration. Aargh! SPYDER sucks. We always thwart their plans, but they get away. I hope Erica doesn't kill me for messing stuff up.

Chapter 1:

March 8th

1500 hours

Spy School

Erica's POV:

Great, just great. I had to do the SASCA's for a newbie girl. Supposedly, she was a first-year student, taking Warren's position, but that would mean an extra first year and a still missing second year. Whatever. I wasn't supposed to question top brass. Once again, I found my mind wandering to my SASCA for Ben. I scolded myself internally. I wasn't supposed to think about that now! Alexander would be here any second! That is if my fraud of a dad could actually keep up his time schedule. Right on cue, a girl burst in, looking even more frightened than Ben had, and that was saying something. I ran through the same enemy organization, skipped the assembly crap, but this time it was actually quite plausible. It was sad, how much the CIA academy had dropped, even though it was low enough already. Anyway, I handed her a Taser with instructions on how to use it and where to go, and then promptly faded into the background, easily making it to the conference room. Thank God. The principal's office could barely fit the Hale family, the principal, and Ben. It definitely couldn't fit the whole student body. At least, not anymore. Long story.

I stood at the front of the room with Zoe, Chip, Mike, and Jawa, next to the principal and his bodyguards. The rest of the student body stood behind them. The newbie taking the SASCA's had promptly curled up into a ball on the floor and stayed there, whimpering. I sighed. "We have to tutor this loser?" I complained, sounding slightly annoyed. At this point, the girl leaped up and said defiantly: "I'm not a loser!" I laughed. "Your grade is an F+ at best," I said casually. "You're lucky Grandpa is interested in you. Then you'll at least get a D because you have us." The principal nodded dumbly, his fake toupee jouncing up and down. Ugh, it really did look like a dead raccoon had been run over by a car and then stuck on his head. Erica! I told myself. Stop getting distracted. Focus on the task at hand. "I am the principal," he said awkwardly. "This is Erica, Zoe, Chip, Jawa, and Mike. They will be your personal tutors. Consider yourself lucky." The girl received curt nods from all 5 of them. She scanned them. "I'm Elizabeth. Who's missing from your group? There's obviously an empty spot." Everyone tensed up at these words. If it hadn't been a touchy subject, I would've been impressed by her deductive skills. "None of your business," I muttered tightly. "You don't want to start off on the wrong foot here. If you do, you'll most likely make no allies." Zoe added. "Don't stick your nose in others' business." Elizabeth looked taken aback. "I just wanted to get to know my tutors better," she said, trying to defend herself. Promptly closing myself off, I said icily, "Look, none of us want to be here right now. We want to be in the hospital, checking on our friend. The longer you do this, the more we'll hate you. And it'll do no good to have the best students at spy school hating you from the first day. Nobody likes late spies anyway. What Grandpa's gotten into his mind about you, I don't know, but don't you push your luck. We might not even want to teach you anymore if you do. So scram, and go to your quarters. You can meet us when you learn to open your eyes and ears and find out where we go." I wasn't nearly finished with my speech, but then Cyrus Hale sidled through the door. I stared. "Grandpa, what are you doing here?" I asked, confused. Cyrus winked at me. "Just checking out the new kid," he said enigmatically. "I did sponsor her after all." I shrugged. She knew that if Ben was here, he would've taken care of introductions and everything and would've introduced Cyrus, and the rest of the group. I could tell the others were thinking of that too. My heart twisted at the thought of Ben, lying there helplessly on the hospital bed. Of course, Cyrus noticed all of this. So he ordered: "Mike, please escort Elizabeth to her room." Mike looked crestfallen to be taken out of the group, but he obeyed, leading her out of the conference room. Before he did though, Elizabeth asked a question. "Why is the person gone? Isn't it bad for a spy to be taken out? Doesn't that mean the missing person is a bad spy?" This time, it was Zoe who spoke, her voice shaking with rage. "Ben is the bravest spy I've ever met. Don't you go bad mouthing him when you don't even know what he did! He took a bomb blast full on so we could escape. If you think you can do that, go ahead, insult him. If you can't, then shut your big mouth and scram!! How many times have we told you that this kind of behavior isn't appreciated! If a real spy acted nosy like that, they'd be dead!" Elizabeth suddenly looked ashamed and afraid. "I'm sorry," she whispered, then ran out of the room, with Mike tailing her. Cyrus looked at the rest of the student body. "You may all leave now," he said, making it sound more like an order than a choice. The student body, along with the principal and his bodyguards, scurried out of the room, until it was Zoe, Chip, Jawa and I once again.

I stated the question on all of their minds. "Is Ben okay?" Cyrus sighed. "He is fully coherent and has regained use of his body. However, the doctors are making him do a lot of exercises. He may be released in a few days." I nodded, relieved, and everyone filed out of the room, going their own ways.