Responses to reviews:

Guest: Still not convinced for a Rodelga? Lol. What do I have to do to convince you?

Cre8ivelybankrupt87: I was thinking of having Rodrigo draw a line, but I think Arnold would have gotten upset if he ripped through his room's carpet, lol.

Ooooo, another Lord of the Ring's battle! Just wait and see ;)

I'm still working on Nick.

I wanted Gerald and Helga to have another scene together, which is why I paired them up. Gerald and Helga? Together? That would be interesting! Is there any HA! Fanfiction story about them being together?

You're really falling for R and R, aren't you? Lol

The plot will thicken soon…

Veganmama: OMG that's why you and Cre8ivelybankrupt87 were creeped out! NNOOO! I did not base Michael Epstein after that guy at all! Lol I wanted it to be a rather funny scene rather than make it all creepy. Well, I guess I blew that one lol.

Yes, I'm more and more I'm adding some comedy into this story. Glad you you're finding the scenes funny :).

If Rod did tell Helga that he loved her, yeah I wouldn't have expected her reaction to be anything else other than anger. I can imagine her reaction when Arnold first said "I love you" to her. More anger, only more passionately lol.


Later that day...in the late evening...at the FTI building...

Von Scheck was packing up for the day. Putting everything he will need when he got home, he closed his briefcase and then made his way out of the office. Closing the door, he then locked it, as he always does everyday, and then proceeded to the elevator. However, instead of pressing the 'G' button, he instead pressed a button that would take him to a particular floor of the building. He just needed to check on something before he headed home for the day.

After getting on the elevator and then waiting for a bit, the elevator made it to his destination and got out. After walking for a bit, he when then opened the door of building's security's head office room and looked around for his Head of Security.

"Evening, Hubert." Von Scheck said to him when he saw him and walked towards him.

"Good evening Mr. Von Scheck." Hubert faced and addressed him.

"I will be taking my leave for today." Von Scheck said to him. "I trust the building will be secured for the night?"

"Yes sir." Hubert said. "I have arranged for all security guards on duty tonight to make two rounds per floor. They have been instructed to check every room and to report of anything suspicious. I was just checking to ensure all active security cameras and motion sensors are operational."

"Good." Von Scheck said, although he wasn't feeling particularly confident. "Good night Hubert."

"Good night, sir." Hubert said.

Von Scheck then escorted himself out of the room and then went back to the elevator. As he descended down, he felt a bit concerned as to how Hubert would be able to check every floor and every room with so few guards on duty. Each guard was responsible for not one, but two floors, so it was anybody's guess how each personnel was supposed to inspect a floor twice. Nevertheless, Von Scheck had little choice in the matter. With the security level now back to normal levels, Von Scheck could only hope that the building will not be raided, and even if it does, the security system should be enough to catch them.

With the deadline for the demolition of the neighbourhood fast approaching, Von Scheck knew these last few days will be crucial. Everything must be done to ensure they reach the deadline. With so close to succeeding, his anxiety had risen up, causing him to sleep little and devote more time into his work. Tonight would be one of those nights where he would get little sleep.

As he got out of the elevator and made his way towards his car, Von Scheck thought about what to do at home.

Maybe I'll just take a warm bath. He thought. Then get some sleep and wake up very early and head to the office. I don't trust that robotic weasel to leave him unattended for long.

Von Scheck got into his car, turned on the ignition and headed out of the parking lot. As soon as he was in the open, he grabbed his cell and dialed a number. After a few rings,

"Nick?" Von Scheck said on the phone. "Any news to report?"

"None, boss." Nick said. "Everything is quiet as a graveyard. Arnold and his friends have been at their house packing or just went out to buy some food, probably for their last meal." He joked.

"How long are you and your people going to be there?" He asked.

"Just until their lights go out," Nick said, "which should be for another few more hours or so. You got nothing to worry about, boss. These kids haven't made so much as a peep for three days now. They haven't been rendezvousing and they haven't been in communication with each other. They are done, broken."

"We shall see about that." Von Scheck then countered. "These next few days will prove to be crucial for us. You and your men are to continue spying on those kids until the deadline. Do not loosen up on your surveillance."

"You got it, boss." Nick acknowledged. "I'll let you know if I notice anything strange."

Von Scheck said nothing and simply hanged up as he continued to drive. Even with Nick's reassurance, the CEO didn't feel any more confident. He could feel it, right down to his bones, that Arnold was planning something. He just knew it. The football head wouldn't just given up like that. He knew he would at least try something one last time. But, after being constantly told otherwise by Nick and Hubert, he felt that perhaps he was being a bit paranoid. Perhaps Arnold and his friends did give up. They had a whole month to do something, but instead they ended up diverting resources to fight each other. Perhaps they realized that now they were too late.

Von Scheck just groaned at his own thoughts. Paranoid or not, he preferred to be safe than sorry. But now, all he could do was wait for Arnold to make his move, if he was going to at all. Getting agitated about his worry, Von Scheck simply forced such worrying thoughts aside and just drove home.

Back at the boarding house...

It was now late in the evening. Everyone had already been briefed about what the plan was and everyone's role in it. Once that was done, everyone then just settled down for the evening. Everyone went downstairs to cook some dinner to eat. After that, they all went back to Arnold's room and tried to relax by either talking to each other or played some board games – anything to occupy their minds.

Yet, as one walked around the room, one could tell just by looking at their faces that the reality of what they were going to do and what was at stake was now finally settling in their minds. As much as everyone tried to show a brave face, one could tell at the huge amount of anxiety, stress and fear that everyone was feeling. It was clear in their faces and by the silence. While there was talking going on, it was of low and somber tone, devoid of laughter or happiness.

Although feeling a strong worry, this was not something that was completely new to them. Everyone in that room, in some ways or form, were veterans of already past confrontations and fights against those who tried to do them wrong. Except for Rodrigo, everyone had gone and experienced the brutal tradition of Trash Can day that the sixth grades tried to inflict on them back in the fourth grade. When their PS 118 school became flooded and Mr. Simmons and Helga were at risk of drowning, everyone banded together and helped save them. In San Lorenzo, when they became lost in the jungle and then kidnapped by Lasombra, everyone again banded together and formulated a daring escape plan, which saw them overwhelm Lasombra's men. In the sixth grade, when Ludwig tried to reinstall Trash Can Day, after a brief splinter, everyone again banded together to put a stop to it, even going so far as to physically confront Ludwig and his army. And now, just a few months prior, everyone had again banded together to stop Caesar and his army from trying to tear their school apart with racial slanders and hate. The list was endless.

However this time, things were different. In all past events, everyone at least had the assurance that the side they were on was right and just, or at least justifiable. No one ever expected that their actions would be judged and criticized by their mature and more influential peers. If anything, they kind of expected their actions to be condoned, even serve as models for future generations. Now, that was no longer the case. If there was anything that they learned this summer, it was that the world is not neatly divided between 'good' and 'bad'. There were a lot blurs in between and no matter which way they chose, their actions will be scrutinized, if not penalized.

Unlike before, everyone had agreed to stop a mad man from tearing down a neighbourhood. Only, they were now prepared to break the law in order to do that and face the consequences of their actions. Instead of being praised and hailed as heroes, they will be vilified as nothing more than rebellious delinquents and trespassers and were looking at the real prospect of serving some serious time. Yet, everyone knew there was no going back. They had to do this; their hands were forced. To help others, everyone was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.

After putting their pajamas, the boys, Sheena and Patty settled down and were talking while playing a card game. Rhonda and Nadine sat together and conversed with each other. Rodrigo was with Arnold and Gerald, still busy making final preparations. Lila was sitting by herself, reading something. Curly was busy on his laptop.

Helga and Phoebe were sitting together on top of their sleeping bags, with their backs to the wall, conversing with each other.

"Do you think they'll let us be cell mates?" Helga jokingly asked her. "I hope they do. It would really suck if I am call mates with some heavyweight broad, covered in jail tattoos. They should at least send us to the same prison."

Phoebe said nothing and merely looked down on the floor with a sad look.

"Hey," Helga said to when her noticed her facial expression, "you okay Pheebs? Dumb question, I know. But, I thought I'd ask."

"Yeah, I'm okay." Phoebe said. "It's just, I never thought I would ever be in this, well,"

"Awkward position?" Helga tried to finish her sentence for her.

"I was going to say oxymoronic, if not stupid position." Phoebe said. "But, awkward is also a good way to describe it."

"Ya, me neither." Helga softly admitted. "To do good, we gotta do bad. Pfft! Life."

"Yeah." Phoebe sadly agreed. "I just hope that we would only get a slap in the hand. I'm not really cut out for life in prison and I can't bear to be away from Gerald."

"Or worse." Helga then said. "You might actually thrive in prison. Remember back in the fourth grade, when you were given the position of hallway monitor?"

"Yes." Phoebe said. "But, how does that relate to us going to prison?"

"Well, that experience just brought out the worst in you. It just goes to show you what a little authority can bring out of you." Helga said to her. "It was kind of scary actually. You got a lot more toughness in you than you think. So if we go to prison, who knows? If you just show a little bit of authority in there, you might just end up dominating the whole place." She said with a chuckle.

"I guess." Phoebe said with a bit of a smile.

"And I'll be your enforcer." Helga continued. "Think about it. With your analytical brain and my brute force, we can do pretty well and end up controlling the joint."

"Hm, that wouldn't be such a bad idea." Phoebe said with a smile. "It would be nice to be in charge for once."

"There you go, Pheebs. That's the spirit!" Helga said optimistically. "Always gotta look on the positive side of things."

"Really?" Phoebe said with a raised eyebrow. "I wonder where you got that mentality from, hmm?"

"Eh." Helga just shrugged. "It's just one of those lasting legacies of my time with football head. No biggie. Feeling a bit better now?"

"A little bit." Phoebe responded.

"Good." Helga said. "But seriously though Pheebs, whatever happens, I just want you to know that...well, you've been the best best friend a person could ever have." She continued with a smile.

"Really?" Phoebe asked, to which Helga just smiled.

"You have always been there for me," she said, "even during our bad times, you never gave up on me. You were there when I needed you. And I will also always be there for you Pheebs, whether it's here or in prison. We'll figure this out together."

"Thanks, Helga." Phoebe said with a smile.

While Helga and Phoebe were talking, Rodrigo was with Arnold and Gerald, busy talking and making any last preparations.

"So, based on what we can see," Arnold said as he pointed to the screen that showed the building's digital blueprint, "It'll be best if all 4 teams enter the building separately from each other. Each team can get inside from each of the building's sides. This will maximize the chances of allowing at least some of us to accomplish our goal. Assuming all 4 teams do make it inside, we can rendezvous with the other team at their objective locations."

"Sounds good to me." Gerald said.

"I'm good." Rodrigo agreed.

"Once we get inside, well, it'll be up to us." Arnold continued. "I think that's it. We've done all we can to prepare."

Gerald and Rodrigo said nothing and sighed. Just then, Curly approached them.

"Okay, I've been thinking this over," he began to say, "and I don't think we should work inside your room, Arnold. It's just too convenient."

"What do you mean?" Arnold asked.

"What I mean is that there is a possibility that some of Von Scheck's cronies could try to break in here to stop us." Curly explained. "Not to mention that I absolutely DO NOT want to be interrupted by your crazy family or the tenants. We need to be somewhere where it's quiet and obscure."

"Well, do you have some place in mind?" Arnold asked.

"Oh yes." Curly said with a great big smile on his face. "Eddie's junkyard."

"Say what?" Gerald asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There is a junkyard only a few miles from the FTI building." Curly explained. "It's close, desolate, isolated from everyone. No one will ever think we would go there. It's perfect to stay well hidden and not have to worry about anyone spying on us."

"Well, Okay." Arnold agreed. "Rodrigo, do you agree with this?"

"Ya, I do." Was all Rodrigo said.

"Eddie's junkyard? Isn't that the same Eddie that owns that shady convenient store where you bought that virus software?" Gerald asked.

"Yes, and your point is what?" Curly asked with a raised eyebrow. "He's a businessman and owns several stores."

"Is his junkyard shady too?" Gerald asked.

"No. this one is legit." Curly said.

"Well, alright." Gerald just shrugged. "Alright well, since we are done, if you'll excuse me, I would like to be with my lady. You know, seeing as how this is our last night and all." He continued.

"Gerald, come on." Arnold said, trying to be his usual optimistic self. "We don't yet know for sure..."

"Arnold," Gerald then interrupted him, "you're my best friend and I love you man, but please do me this one favor. Don't try to convince me to look on the bright side of this."

"But..." Arnold tried to protest,

"Nah huh." Before Gerald again cut him off. "Don't say it. I don't need hear it. We're going to jail and that's that. I'm not mad at you. I'm not mad at Rodrigo. This is just my way of trying to deal with it, Okay?"

"Okay, sure." Arnold said with a defeated tone in his voice.

"Thank you." Gerald said before then heading off to find Phoebe.

"Whoa. Trouble in paradise." Curly remarked before he then went back to his laptop, leaving Rodrigo and Arnold.

Rodrigo was about to leave too when he saw Arnold slump down and lied on his bed.

"You okay?" He asked him.

"Not really." Was all Arnold said back.

Rodrigo just looked at him and hesitated if he should continue talking to him. He didn't seem to want to, if at all. But, seeing that something was bothering him, he thought he could at least try.

"Still worried about involving everyone?" He asked him.

Arnold initially just nodded and remained silent. But, he then stood up an.

"It's just that, I wish things could have been different." He frustratingly said. "Perhaps if we had just worked together from the beginning, things could have been different. This is exactly what I was fighting so hard to avoid. Now, everything came back full circle and it all just became,"

"A self-fulfilling prophecy?" Rodrigo finished his sentence.

"Yeah." Arnold agreed.

Rodrigo went beside him and sat down on his bed.

"Maybe you were never meant to stop this." Rodrigo said to him. "Maybe this is what is supposed to happen."

"What do you mean?" Arnold asked.

"Look, despite our rivalry," Rodrigo explained, "no one forced any of our friends to be here. We gave them the choice to either be in or out. Gerald included. Everyone is here on their own accord. Could things have turned out differently if we had just worked together from the beginning? It's possible. Or, perhaps my plan to break into City Hall could have succeeded or your protest could have had the necessary affect. But then again, it could have also still led to where we are now. Regardless, in all three cases, our friends followed us to do these things because they not only believed in what we are trying to do, but they also made their choice to follow us. We didn't really force them to protest or break into City Hall. It was all them. Things just took a serious down turn because you and I abused their trust and allowed our rivalry to become personal."

"Anyway, the point is that, as much as we care about them and want them to be safe, we can't really patronize them or force them to not do this. They have as much right to be here as you and I do. In the grand scheme of things, they would have put themselves in this situation regardless. I honestly don't think it would have made any difference if you or I tried to stop them."

"I guess." Arnold said. "So you're saying this is out of our control and we can only just adapt to the circumstances?"

"More or less." Rodrigo responded. "I mean, look at you. You decided to come visit everyone this summer and out of all the days, Von Scheck not only gets released from prison, but is trying again to destroy this place. What are the odds? Do you really think this was all a coincidence?"

"I'm not really sure." Arnold said. "I thought about that too. It can't all just be coincidental, can it?"

"I'm not sure either." Rodrigo added. "In the end, whether this was coincidental or determined, it's irrelevant. The only thing that really matters is what we do in a given situation, which is to take advantage of it, adapt, survive this and move on to the next level. Our friends made their choice to contribute on stopping Von Scheck. So instead of lamenting or blaming ourselves for involving them, let us let them help us in this struggle. Let us use what we have. If anything, it just shows that we are not alone in this."

Arnold said nothing but was giving everything that Rodrigo had just said some serious thoughts.

"You know, you can be a real control freak." Rodrigo then remarked.

"Really? You think so?" Arnold curiously asked.

"Sure. Think about it." Rodrigo explained. "You've always had this need or compulsion to give out advice or always lend a helping hand. You can never really say no. Now, I'm not saying that you help people for selfish reasons, but I am saying that you can't stand watching people, especially those closest to you, make a decision or do something that you know is wrong. It's almost like a person who has to constantly wash his hands clean because he sees them as dirty. You have this need to want to guide or even push people to do the right thing, even if they never really asked for your help or whether they even deserve it. In some ways, you are like Helga whom I think we can agree, is a control freak."

Arnold just laughed a bit when he heard Rodrigo say that.

"I shouldn't be surprised to hear you say that." Arnold said. "On my last year in Hillwood, Helga and I talked about the exact same thing and came up with the same conclusion."

"Really?" Rodrigo asked.

"Yeah. Helga lectured me on the same reasons that you just told me." Arnold answered with a smile and a chuckle

"Huh. Go figure." Rodrigo said with his own chuckle.

After chuckling, both teens then wnet quiet and just watched their friends for a bit. Despite his rationality, Rodrigo was also concerned about his friends' well-being and too wondered if had they worked together or done things differently, would they have resorted to involving them in the first place.

"Hey Rodrigo," Arnold then spoke again, although this time he sounded a bit nervous, "after everything that had happened between us, just out of curiosity, where do we stand?"

"What do you mean?" Rodrigo asked.

"Well, I mean in terms of 'friendship', what are we?" Arnold clarified his question.

Rodrigo took some time before he answered Arnold's question. With everything going on, he hadn't had the time to think about that.

"I'll be honest with you, Arnold." Rodrigo began. "After what happened between us, even though we came to understand each other's point of view and apologized, I'm not willing to consider us as friends. I'm not saying that went out the window. I'm just saying that it's best to start from the beginning and see where we go from there."

"Good point." Arnold agreed, although in truth, he was a bit disappointed on hearing that.

"Maybe that was the problem." Rodrigo continued. "When you first came in March and in my letters after, maybe I was pushing you into being friends so fast, so soon and never gave you the necessary time to just let out all of the anger and hurt out. You have every right to be upset and for even feeling that I 'took your girl'. I should have just left you alone and allowed you to move on at your own pace. Not mine."

"You can't blame yourself for that." Arnold countered. "You weren't trying to push me to be friends. You were just trying to be nice to me. Remember that I was in San Lorenzo all this time with plenty of room to sort my feelings out and move on. It was just...harder than I thought it would be. But regardless, I never should have taken my feelings out on you like that."

"So, I guess we are both at fault." Rodrigo said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess so." Arnold responded with his own chuckle

As disappointed Arnold felt, he couldn't blame Rodrigo for wanting to take things slowly. But, who knows? Perhaps starting from the beginning may in fact be the best course of action.

Just then, Helga approached them, prompting them to draw their attention at her.

"Mind if I talk to Arnold for a bit?" Helga asked.

"Sure." Rodrigo said as he gave Arnold a small tad on his back and then he got up.

Before he left, Rodrigo then stopped to look at Helga, who also glanced back a him. Then, with a small smile, he gently put his hand on her shoulder, prompting her to return a small smile. Then, he left, leaving both of them alone. Helga then went to sit down beside Arnold.

"So." Helga began to say. "Last night of freedom before we all go to prison. Any regrets, football head?"

"Yeah. Just one." Arnold said. "Well two, really. I'm sorry for putting you through this. I never meant to hurt you or Rodrigo. I thought that if I stayed away and minded my business, you two would be able to works things out."

"Well, you failed at that big time." She remarked. "But um, it's okay." She then gently continued. "It wasn't your fault. You have every right come and visit us. You shouldn't have to shoulder that responsibility."

"I guess." Arnold said.

"And the second regret?" Helga asked.

"I'm sorry we never really got a chance to hang out." Arnold confessed. "It's one of the reasons why I came back. I wanted us to try and be friends, but I didn't want to force it until you were ready"

Helga didn't say anything at first and let out a sigh.

"It was too soon, Arnold." Helga admitted. "But um, please don't stop trying. Especially now, I would like...need to have you in my life."

Arnold turned to glance at Helga with a surprised, yet confusing look. He wasn't sure what Helga meant by that. Was she referring to needing him as a friend during this difficult time or perhaps was she insinuating something...else. Whatever the case, Arnold opted to not ponder about it.

"I'll always be here for you, Helga." Was all Arnold said to her reassuringly. "Whether it's now, or in the future, here or in...prison. You know I'll always be here."

Helga just turned to face him and with a rare sweet smile, went for and softly grabbed his hand, much to his surprise.

"Thanks football head." She said to him.

Although taken a back by her holding his hand, Arnold didn't say anything and just returned the smile and held her hand tight.

"Well," She then said, "there's still some time now to hang out before they split us up and throw the book at us."

"Really?" Arnold asked to which Helga just nodded.

"Okay." He said with a smile.

While Arnold and Helga were talking, Rodrigo made his way towards where the boys were as they quietly played a card game. Well, at least they were trying to play. Rodrigo quietly approached and sat down within a little space in between the group.

"Who's wining?" Rodrigo asked.

"Lorenz is." Park responded. "I think."

"Yeah, we've been trying to play this game for a while," Sid said, "but it's been kind of hard to concentrate, based on what we have to do tomorrow." He continued with a worrying tone.

"You've been pretty calm though, Rodrigo." Peapod Kid commented. "It's as if you've been in this situation before."

"I don't know about being calm," Rodrigo answered, "but yeah, I have been in this situation before. I never told you about what I did at my old school?"

Lorenzo, Sheena, Park and Peapod Kid just shook their heads.

"Well, you told me, Harold and Sid." Stinky said.

"What did you do at your old school?" Peapod Kid asked.

"My old school was a seriously depleted place." Rodrigo began. "The building was old, a lot of kids came from not so good neighbourhoods. Some of them were in gangs. To make matters worse, a lot of the books that we had there were old, some even outdated. Some of them were even 20 years old. Our grades suffered because of that. We didn't have the most updated information or materials to get good grades. We read novels from authors who many of us didn't really feel were relevant in our lives. As a result, some of us began take action and create awareness to the school board by signing petitions and mailing out complaint letters. You would think that after a few of these, they would have responded to us. But, they didn't. Again we tried and submitted more petitions, more letters, complaining about the need to have updated books and materials. But again, we were ignored."

"So, I did what I had to do." Rodrigo continued. "Frustrated and angry, I used that emotion to my advantage and got a bunch of us together and barricaded ourselves in the school. To show to everyone just how serious we were and to create a lot noise, we even held a few students and teachers hostage. But, we let them go the second the police arrived."

Peapod Kid, Lorenzo and Park said nothing and just stared at Rodrigo with a wide-eyes, absolutely stunned.

"Did you succeed?" Lorenzo asked, to which Rodrigo only nodded.

"What were you feeling?" Park asked.

"I went into that school knowing that there was no way back." Rodrigo said. "I knew that if we did this, we would face the full extent of the law. We would not be shown any leniency because what we were doing was illegal and in some ways wrong. But what choice did we have? In that situation, you feel trapped, as all of you feel now. You feel that you cannot move, that whichever way you turn, it would be wrong one. So, I had no choice, no options left. I chose the one that would make the most noise. I felt that by barricading ourselves, it would finally force the school board to listen to us. Thankfully, after almost half a day of an intense standoff, they finally listened to us."

"Did you get arrested?" Sheena asked.

"Oh ya." Rodrigo said. "We were all taken into custody and had to wait and see what they would do to us. After some weeks, our trial began and surprisingly, the judge was sympathetic and ordered the school board to update all of our school's study materials immediately. He told us that given the circumstances, he understood why we did what we did and that was why he decided he would let us all go, but with a warning. He made it very clearly that if any of us ever do that again, the court will not be so lenient next time."

"Were you scared?" Sid asked.

"It wasn't a war zone." Rodrigo answered. "It's not like we were going to die, but yes I was scared. I didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't know if I was going to succeed or fail, or how much in trouble I was going to be. All I knew was that this had to stop, someone had to make a stand and say 'enough'. But, I didn't just do it for myself. I also did it for others."

"For others?" Stinky asked.

"Yeah." Rodrigo responded. "I did it so that others wouldn't have to do it. I guess that was the only thing that kept me going; making the sacrifice, take the fall so that others wouldn't have to. Apart from the books that we eventually got, that is what I personally got from all of that; a clean conscience. I became a virtuous person."

"That doesn't sound too rewarding." Sid said pessimistically.

"It's the most noblest that any human can ever obtain, and it is also the most costliest." Rodrigo said. "Anyways, that's the reason why I'm here. You guys think about what why you feel you need to do this. It can be for our homes, for your friends, or just the fact that you are too lazy to move, it doesn't matter to me. So long as you do what you need to do tomorrow." He continued before giving some of them a tap on the back and then got up and left. Rodrigo then made his way back towards where Arnold and Helga were.

"I'm just too lazy to move." Sid casually remarked.

While Rodrigo was busy talking to the boys and Sheena, Rhonda and Nadine were on the other side of the room. Rhonda had finished taking the latest selfie, while Nadine was brushing her hair.

"How many selfies have you taken already?" Nadine asked.

"About 20." Rhonda casually responded as she then scanned through her iPhone. "I'm trying to get the perfect image of myself to take with me when they arrest us and…" Rhonda stopped herself and began to mentally and dramatically lament at just what she got herself involved in. "send us to the slammer." She said with a sigh. "I would like a picture of myself of how I used to look like before I go to prison. You know, to keep my spirits up."

"I see." Nadine said with a raised eyebrow. "Good luck." She sarcastically said.

"Thanks." Rhonda said, not realizing the sarcasm while she continued to scan the pictures on her iPhone. However, she soon then put her phone away.

"Is this really how all of this is going to end?" Rhonda then said. "Us getting into some sort of trouble for trying to stop something so vile and corrupt? We're trying to do something good here and instead of being praised for it, society is going to view us as nothing more than a bunch of delinquents."

"Yeah, it's pretty ironic." Nadine said with a bit of a sad tone. "But, we're still not sure if the City will actually arrest us. Who knows? They might even, well, join us."

Rhonda looked at her best friend with a raised eyebrow, not really having the full confidence that the municipal government will ever tolerate a group of teenagers breaking into a multi-billion dollar corporation.

"I hope so." Rhonda said. "It would suck if we go to prison, just when I got my best friend back." She continued with a smile.

"It's nice to have my best friend back too." Nadine said with her own smile. "I'm sorry for ever making you want to end our best friendship."

"Don't be." Rhonda said. "You didn't push me to do anything. I thought about it at that time and given what was going on, I also thought it was the best. But, look on the bright side. At least once all of this is over and after we serve our prison sentence, we can continue to be best friends. You know after some...10 to 20 years...later." Rhonda then began to lament and groan at the very prospect of having to potentially serve some serious time.

"Oh my gosh, I really did not think this through." Rhonda said, slowly panicking. "My family name will forever be tarnished by this. How will my parents be able to retain their wealth? And what if the state comes bearing down on us and we are all sent to a maximum security penitentiary? What if they deem us to be so dangerous to society that we are all sent to solitary confinement? How will I be able to remain in touch with my fans? Oh this is disastrous! I can't possibly allow them to…"

"Rhonda! Rhonda!" Nadine said as she frantically shook her. "Get a hold of yourself! You're just letting your fear run away with you. Remember why you are here; to help everyone retain their homes. Let's focus and worry about that first. There's no sense on worrying what we will happen to us later."

"H-H-How do you figure?" Rhonda asked with a panicking tone.

"If we beat Von Scheck, we can at least say that our sacrifice was not in vain. But if we lose, then everything we will do tomorrow would have amounted to nothing and we would still be held accountable by the authorities. Which one do you prefer?" Nadine asked.

"You're right, Nadine." Rhonda said while breathing heavily and trying to get a hold of herself. "I have to control myself." *slap**slap*

Rhonda ended up slapping herself a few times so as to retain her sanity and just focus on what she needed to do tomorrow. After trying to control her breathing for a bit, she finally managed to calm down.

"Thanks Nadine." She said to her. "But, just promise me this one thing."

"What?" Nadine asked.

Rhonda then went inside her bag and then took out an envelope.

"Should anything happen to me," she began to tell Nadine with an almost morbid tone, "just in case, I want you to give this to my parents. It just tells them the reason why I did what I did and that I hope they can understand."

Nadine said nothing and just stared at Rhonda with an extremely worried look on her face. She couldn't fathom that Rhonda was actually thinking that something could happen to her. At the same time, even if that were true, she looked at her best friend with awe and even a new found case of respect. This was not the same Rhonda she knew back in the fourth grade. The old Rhonda would never have endangered her future, status and even wealth for the people that she had always deemed to be 'culturally' inferior. Maybe for some of her friends, but not for a whole group of strangers. Now, here she was, willing to sacrifice every comfort of her life in order to help others retain some of theirs. A truly remarkable shift!

"Uh, sure." Nadine said, albeit a bit hesitatingly.

"Thanks, Nadine." Rhonda said.

"Rhonda," Nadine then said, "you know you're going to be okay, right?"

"I hope so." Rhonda said, looking a bit sadden, if not scared. "Just promise me that if Rodrigo initiates Plan B, you'll come right away."

"I will." Nadine said with a smile. "I promise."

Rhonda said nothing and just smiled back.

While Rhonda and Nadine spoke, Harold and Patty were sitting alone, far away from everyone else.

"We don't have it too bad." Harold said. "I mean, we're not the ones who are going to break into that building."

"But we are going to help them." Patty softly countered. "That makes us accomplices."

"Oh. Right." Harold responded pessimistically. "Hey uh, Patty? How bad do you think this will be on us and everyone else?"

"I'm not quite sure." Patty responded. "I assume we'll go to prison for this. Even if Von Scheck goes to prison, I'll bet he'll use whatever little influence he has left to make sure we do some serious time. I just hope that we manage to dismantle as much of his power as we can and if we do get sent away, it won't be for too long."

Harold said nothing and merely frown at that thought. He then went and grabbed Patty's hand, holding it tight.

"Will you write to me?" Harold asked. "If we go to prison, will you write to me?"

Patty noticed how tightly Harold was holding on to her hand, as if someone was taking her away from him and was refusing to let her go.

"Everyday." Patty said with a smile.

Harold smiled and just leaned in to give her a kiss.

"You scared?" Patty asked.

"A bit." Harold responded. "You know me. I've never been that tough guy that I always tried to be. I'll never make it in prison. I just hope that with my size, people will leave me alone."

"Well, if you ever do get into a fight," Patty then said, trying to comfort him, "you can just think of them trying to hurt me. I'm sure that'll give you the will to fight back. Remember at the park against Caesar, when I tried to grab him and he punched me? You completely lost it and charged at him. Had it not been for those two guys who tackled you, you probably would have ripped his head."

"Oh ya." Harold said as he remembered that event. "When he punched you, I couldn't help it. Something inside me just took over and all I wanted to do was ran up to him and flatten his head for ever putting his hands on my Patty!" He angrily exclaimed.

"Calm down, Harold." Patty said. "He's not here."

"Oh, right." Harold said. "But, thanks. I'll keep that strategy in mind."

The couple then said nothing and just continued to glance each other with loving eyes, while still holding on to each other's hands.

As soon as Rodrigo left, Stinky turned around and noticed Lila sitting on her own, reading something. Seeing that the card game was not really taking his mind off of the worry, he put his cards down, got up and walked towards here.

"Ms. Lila?" Stinky said to her.

"Oh, hi Stinky.' Lila said while trying to give him her usual, optimistic smile.

"Is everything alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I guess." Lila said with a worrying tone. "I'm just ever so sure that I'm worried about everyone and what will happen tomorrow."

"Yeah, me to." Stinky said a bit sadly. "I reckon we will not be able to escape the lawmaker this time around.

"Yeah. I'm just really worried about my dad." Lila said while also looking sadly. "I don't know how he will be deal with the fact that his only child might go to prison. I just hope he'll be able to understand why I felt I had to do this."

"You haven't told him?" Stinky asked, to which Lila shook her head.

"He would have never allowed me to go if I had told him." She responded.

"Are you regretting it, Ms. Lila?" Stinky asked.

"No." Lila responded without hesitation. "I'm ever so sure I know what must be done to stop Von Scheck. My dad and I worked too hard to just abandon what we gained, just to satisfy his despicable thirst for vengeance. I cannot allow him to win. I have to fight."

"Wow, that is some mighty determination you got there, Ms. Lila." Stinky said, looking impressed.

"Thank you, Stinky." Lila said with a small smile. "Did you want to have a seat?" She offered.

"Well, I would sure like to." Stinky said as he then sat down beside her and continued talking.

As soon as Rodrigo finished talking to the boys and Sheena, he then made his way back to Arnold and Helga, who were still talking. However, instead of going back to see them, he instead made his way towards the ladder that led to the roof. Rodrigo simply got on the bed and started climbing.

"Where are you going, Rodrigo?" Arnold asked who was still sitting on his bed.

"I'm just going to up on the roof to be alone for a moment." Rodrigo casually responded. "I'll be careful and make sure no one sees me."

With that, Rodrigo continued to make his way up without waiting to hear Arnold's response.

Meanwhile, Curly was busy typing away,

"Ugh, dang it!" He frustratingly exclaimed as he slammed his fist on his laptop.

"Problem, Curly?" Phoebe then asked.

"Very! I'm having trouble uploading the software program on my laptop that would allow me to control the virus once the teams upload it." Curly frustratingly explained. "I've tried multiple times but it keeps giving me an error."

"May I try?" Phoebe politely asked.

"You?" Curly scoffed as he turned around to look at her. "You think you can actually be able to install a delicate virus program?"

"I could if you would allow me to try." Phoebe calmly replied.

"Sure, I guess." Curly just grumbled and then got up to allow Phoebe have a go at it.

Phoebe sat down and immediately started typing away. Curly just watched by the sidelines, not really looking impressed that she would be able to resolve this dilemma. After all, he had bested her in this field, so he wasn't sure what hope she had.

As Curly looked on, he noticed just how focused and even confident she was as she stared at the screen, typing away and looking diligently at her work. Even with the amount of focus and attention that she was giving, he still didn't have high hopes that she would succeed.

"You can try all you want," Curly began to say to her, "but I doubt you'll be able to find a way install the program and have it ready - "

"Done." Phoebe cheerfully said as she immediately stopped typing.

"What?" Curly said surprisingly when he heard her. "Let me see." He said as he leaned to get a closer look.

"Well I'll be." He said, looking astonished. "How did you get it to work?"

"Oh, I simply reconfigured the program by aligning it with your laptop's program." Phoebe responded with a smile.

"Huh." Was all Curly could say as he was still astonished by Phoebe's knowledge of computer programming."

"Well, I guess there's some hope for you after all." He said a bit condescendingly, now mostly considering Phoebe more as an equal partner. Mostly.

"Gee, thanks." Phoebe said with a frown, noticing his tone.

"By the way, how's your laptop?" Curly asked.

"It's okay. I managed to get it up and running again." Phoebe replied. "I suppose I should thank you for not completely destroying it."

"Hey, I just wanted to get you out of there." Curly said. "I didn't want to cause any more damage than what I was already causing. But if it's any consolation, I did find your ability to find me inside the City's security program with so much speed, rather impressive." He continued as he extended his hand with a smirk.

"Likewise, Curly." Phoebe said as she shook it with her own smirk.

Rodrigo climbed up the ladder that was attached to the wall. Upon reaching the glass ceiling, he carefully opened the glass hatch just enough for him to crawl out onto the roof. The roof of the boarding house was big, but Rodrigo had no desire to walk around. All he actually wanted to do was just look up into the night sky and relax. Not wanting to be seen in case if anyone was on top of other buildings' roofs watching them, Rodrigo gently crawled out of the room and continued to lowly crawl to the side. The glass ceiling that made up Arnold's room had its sides slanted, around 45 degrees. Rodrigo merely moved to the side from the opening and using one of the metal bars that separated and connected two glasses in between, leaned against it and just settled into a relaxing pose, while staring out in to the night sky.

Rodrigo moved all thoughts and worries away and just concentrated on enjoying the permeating sensation of what the night brought; total darkness. While for most people the idea with something dark would have intimidated them, for Rodrigo, he welcomed it. Staring into the darkness was like staring into nothingness, devoid of any motion, collision, an absence of cause and effect, anything alive essentially. For him, this dark void relieved him of any worry or anything that brought anxiety or concern.

To not really feeling anything, or at least the thought of it, was a refreshing, even warm feeling. Almost immediately, he began to feel his mind and body loosening up, releasing much of the tense that he had been feeling for quite some time. It was most certainly a regeneration for him. He had not experienced this relief the whole summer. For one moment, he began to feel like himself again, that same lively kid who always seemed to be moving on about and not allow the burden of life to drag him down. For most of the summer, he almost allowed that burden to smother him, but through sheer will, resilience and even hope, he managed to hang out to whatever energy he could muster and strive forward.

As he continued staring into the night, he began to feel a bit drowsy, as if the night sky was mesmerizingly putting him into a sound and peaceful sleep. Yet, he refrained from succumbing to slumber, preferring instead to use the drowsiness to fully relax his body. Just as he was doing so, he heard the opening hatch move and make a small squeaking sound. Out from the opening came out a blonde head with two pigtails.

"Are you planning on keeping a night watch?" Helga asked. "How noble of you."

"I might as well." Rodrigo casually responded. "My watch hasn't yet ended." He said with a smirk.

Helga just rolled her eyes at the latest Game of Thrones pun. She, along with Arnold, was one of the very few people who never bothered to watch the series.

Helga stepped out of the room and gently crawled towards Rodrigo, leaning on the glass ceiling right beside him.

"So," she said to him, "ready to meet your maker tomorrow?"

"Not really." Rodrigo said. "But, I suppose it was going to happen eventually. You scared?"

"You want the honest truth?" Helga asked, to which Rodrigo just nodded.

"I'm petrified." She confessed. "But, just to make myself feel better, I'm blaming all of this on both you and Arnoldo over there."

"Well, whatever floats your boat." Rodrigo said with a chuckle.

"Hey, that's line!" Helga joked as she gave him a gentle nudge on his shoulder.

"Listen Helga," Rodrigo said, getting serious now, "whatever happens tomorrow, I just want you to know that, despite what happened between us, I don't regret anything."

"You don't?" Helga asked, a bit surprised. "After what I put you through, the pain, the humiliation, the back stabbing, the heartbreak, the drama, you still don't regret being with me?" she asked him a bit dramatically.

"Well you don't need to get all Shakespearean on me, but no, I still don't." Rodrigo replied. "Besides, you tried to get our relationship going again, but I was too stupid and selfish to listen. I'm so sorry about that, about what I said to you on that day when I walked you home. I know I hurt you and I really wish I could it back."

"Eh, I survived." Helga just shrugged. "But, I know I hurt you too and I'm sorry for that. Any regrets about what you said to me yesterday? It's still not too late to take it back."

"Do you want me to take it back?" Rodrigo asked.

Helga just sighed.

"I don't know." She said. "For the first time in my life, I don't know what I want. I've never been so conflicted. I spent the entire summer trying to figure out what I wanted. I even spoke to Dr. Bliss about it, but she wasn't much help. I guess that's why I got so angry at you yesterday. I never liked it when someone made a decision for me and I guess I took it that way; you took a decision from me."

"I didn't mean for you to feel that way." Rodrigo said.

"I know you didn't." Helga replied. "You just took me by surprise, that's all."

"Did you manage to speak to Arnold about it?" Rodrigo asked.

"No." She said. "When you went to talk to Princess, I was going to but...I couldn't tell him. With everything going on, I don't think it's the right time to say anything. I know I should, but I want to wait until this is all over so I can sit down with him and tell him."

"I don't suggest you wait too long." Rodrigo said.

"Don't push me, okay?" Helga retorted. "This is hard enough as it is without you breathing down my neck about it. I'll tell him when I'm ready to tell him."

"Sorry, you're right." He said, backing down. "How do you think he will take it?"

"No clue." Helga said. "I don't know if he'll be happy or get angry, or just be all dramatic about it."

"But, for what it's worth and whatever happens tomorrow, I also have no regrets; about meeting you." She continued with a smile,

Rodrigo said nothing and just smiled back. Then, Helga reached for his hand and held it. Feeling her soft hand brought Rodrigo a deep, caring sense of deep closeness and calm. He simply tightened his grip and held her hand tight as they both continued to just stare out into the night sky.