Spy School Viva Vegas

Chapter 1 - Summer Spy School

St. Smithens Science Academy for Boys and Girls
Washington D.C.
June 10
1000 hours

If there was one advantage to having your parents in the witness protection program, it was at least you knew they were safe.

Unfortunately, it also meant I didn't really have a home to go to. I know some of my fellow students would have been happy to avoid their parents all summer. But, I actually got along really well with mine, and missed them. I knew they were happy in their new lives, and I was glad for that. However, since that new life was taking place in Florida, it left me very few options for our school's summer break. That meant I had to stay at the Academy of Espionage, in my crummy dorm room.

That in of itself wouldn't have been so bad, but all my friends had homes to go to over the summer, leaving me all alone. Mike Brezinski, my best friend from childhood and a first year graduate from spy school, had offered to take me in. That would have been ideal. I got along well with his parents, and he said they were happy to have me. Only, he didn't realize, as a first year student, he was required to attend the school's summer camp program. I was there last year, and while it wasn't great, it could still be fun. My time was cut short because SPYDER had attacked me, forcing me to flee.

Most of the fun came from the leader, 'Woodchuck' Wallace. He was extremely knowledgeable about anything to do with nature, and, unlike a lot of the teachers at spy school, was friendly, actually caring about the students. He even went on a mission to Colorado with us, where he assumed a cover as a ski-school instructor. And, taught me to ski. That was surprising since I could barely walk without tripping. It was also surprising because it was the one time I could remember where I was able to master a skill the best spy-in-training at our school, Erica Hale, couldn't.

Erica was older and would be entering her fourth year next fall. She was a legacy, descendant of the most well-known Revolutionary war spy, Nathan Hale. Her grandfather, Cyrus Hale, had groomed her to be a spy from a young age, so she was probably really a sixth year before she even stepped foot on the grounds. It also helped that both her parents were spies. Well, maybe it was a miracle that she was so good. While her mother, Catherine, was one of the best spies I had ever met, her father, Alexander, left something to be desired. He was certainly handsome and charismatic, which is how he had been able to fool everyone into thinking he was some dashing James Bond like secret agent. Only it was all lies.

Erica was also my girlfriend. We agreed we wouldn't say this out loud. It was risky having a relationship in this line of work, because it could be used against us by our enemies. She also really valued her privacy. However, I was allowed to say it in my head as often as I wanted. Erica Hale was my girlfriend.

Our relationship had followed a long and bumpy road to get to where it was. While I had a crush on her the moment we met, Erica was opposed to any and all romantic relationships. She even avoided friendships. Those that did know her a little, had given her the nickname - Ice Queen -  for her coolness under pressure and aloof personality. Over time, I had shown her the value of working as a team and having friends. She eventually admitted she also had feelings for me. And kissed me.

It wasn't exactly smooth sailing after that moment. It still took time for us to figure out what our relationship really was. In the middle of all of that, I found out my greatest nemesis, Murray Hill, had ordered a hit on me. I found this out because I was attacked by missiles shot from a helicopter. He had recruited all of my biggest enemies to join him in assassinating me. Not literally join him, since he was in prison at the time, but join his cause. The assassination attempts ended up causing some tension between Erica and I, and a lot of misunderstandings. Thankfully, we worked it out, and finally admitted we wanted to start dating each other. Of course, we still had yet to actually go out on a date, but we were texting and calling more.