Responses to reviews:

Veganmama: Lol, oh I know. Wow, I did not even think about that possibility! Good thing they are going to get off.


Team 3...

Helga and Gerald were silently back in the staircase and continued going up. Only, they did so silently, and it was not due to trying not to arouse any attention from the guards. Still steamed and feeling minusculed after being heavily lectured by Phoebe, they continued going up in awkward silence. Both teens still had a frowning face, but neither of them attempted to look at each other. As far as they were concerned, they just wanted to get to the security room, upload the virus, get out of there and then go find Rodrigo and kill him for putting them in this predicament. Even Phoebe herself heard, or rather not heard, the silence and she too felt the tension between her and Helga and Gerald. However, she remained firm on what she said to them and was not going to apologize.

As they continue going up, Helga and Gerald heard some commotion downstairs, prompting them to stop for a bit. Gerald cautiously peeked out and looked down but they were too far below to really be of any concern for them. And so, both teens then continued with their journey.

Phoebe was scanning the building ahead of where Helga and Gerald were when she suddenly saw a bunch of additional red dots appearing out of nowhere at the bottom of the building. She then scanned down the digital blueprint of the building in order to find out what and why these dots appeared. She then looked at the time and realized that it was around 7:30 am. The red dots could only mean one thing.

Oh no. She worryingly thought. We're running out of time.

"Helga, Gerald!" Phoebe then began to speak to them, finally breaking the awkward silence. "You both need to get to the security room as fast as you can!"

"Why? What's up?" Gerald asked.

"A bunch of new red dots appeared out of nowhere. I think they are employees and more guards who are just starting their shift. That building is about to get filled with employees soon. You both need to hurry up." Phoebe frantically explained to them.

"Got it. We're on it." Gerald said and then began to go up the stairs faster. Helga heard everything and without saying a word, also began to go up the stairs faster.

The two teens scurried along up the staircase, going up and up as fast as they could. However, after only passing two additional floors, something instantly stopped them in their tracks. The floor just above them, one guard exited the hallway and began to go down the stairs. The mere sound of a guard only a few feet above them was enough for them become extremely tense, if not fearful. Without a second thought, and with no time to even ask Phoebe, both Helga and Gerald exited the staircase and entered the hallway closest to them. Luckily for them, the coast was clear, for now.

Both teens were initially going to just wait outside of the staircase for the guard to pass them before they would re-enter it. However, much to their shock, the same guard descended down the stairs and then began to enter the same floor where they were. Shocked once again, and with no time to spare, both teens scrambled to find an office room and hide inside it.

Still not willing to talk to each other, both teens inadvertently and quickly went to two separate small rooms. Gerald and Helga ran inside their respective rooms and closed the door, just as the guard went inside. Leaning against the wall beside the door, both teens then both realized that the other didn't follow them.

Where the heck did Gerald go? Helga thought to herself.

Where the heck did Helga go? Gerald thought to himself.

Much to their frustration, they could now to do nothing but wait for the guard to pass by before they would then have go out and look for each other.

The guard stepped inside the hallway and after walking around a bit, was about pass the teens when he suddenly stopped, turned around, and began to talk to two employees that had just arrived at that floor.

Both Gerald and Helga heard the talking and realized they were employees and grew even more nervous now. They hoped they were not inside the office of two those employees that had just arrived. Even worse, the three men just continued to stand in the hallway, talking and by the looks of things, they weren't in any hurry. Now getting even more frustrated, the two teens could do nothing but just wait for them to leave. For now, they were rendered immobile.

"Pheebs." Helga then spoke through her earpiece. "I'm inside an office right now and can't move. There are three FTI scumbags right outside."

"Babe." Gerald then spoke through his earpiece. "I can't move either. I'm in another office with those same employees right outside the hallway and it doesn't look like they are going to leave any time soon."

"Pheebs, it's best if you inform the other teams and let them know that we may not be able to make it to our objective on time." Helga suggested.

"Copy that." Phoebe responded. "I'll let the rest of the teams know. Just, please be careful."

Team 2...

After their near-death experience inside the elevator tunnel, Rodrigo and Rhonda managed to crawl their way back out of the ventilation system. It took them some time, but instead of going back from whence they came in, they managed travel through an empty office and back out. After placing that shaft back inside its hole, the two teams, guided by Curly, then managed to get back inside the staircase.

"How's your hand?" Rhonda asked him as they went into the staircase.

"It's okay." Rodrigo responded as he gently caressed his now bandaged hand. "Thanks for patching me up." He thanked her.

"Don't sweat it. It was the least I could do." She said to him.

Just then,

"Roddy, Rhonda." Curly then spoke to them through their earpiece, "got a problem."

"What is it?" Rodrigo softly asked him.

"Phoebe just informed us that a bunch of FTI employees and guards had just arrived there to start their shift. That means that the building is going to be crawling with employees and guards pretty soon. You guys need to hurry!"

"Got it." Rodrigo said.

"What about the other teams?" Rhonda asked. "What's their status?"

"Yeah, that's problem number two." Curly then worryingly said. "Stinky and Sid are on the 30th floor, but they got stuck inside a storage room and can't get out."

"What?!" Rodrigo exasperatingly exclaimed. "What about Helga and Gerald?"

"Gerald and Helga are also stuck." Curly responded. "They are inside an office, but can't get out due to a few employees being right outside the office door. They'll have to wait until they leave."

"Are they even close to the 30th floor?" Rodrigo asked.

"Not really." Curly said. "According to Phoebe, they have been constantly delayed, so it will take them some time for them to arrive."

"What about Arnold and Peapod Kid?" Rhonda asked.

"Fat chance with them." Curly said. "They were originally stuck inside a storage room for a while and have been constantly delayed after that. They are way behind schedule, so I don't think they will make it on time."

Rodrigo said nothing and just leaned against the bar on the staircase and rubbed his face, feeling utterly frustrated at their lack of progress.

Rhonda, realizing just how precarious their situation was rapidly becoming, looked increasingly worried, but then quickly thought of something.

"I'll go back and upload the virus." Rhonda then spoke out.

"What?" Rodrigo asked in surprise as he lifted his head up to look at her.

"Let me go back and help free Stinky and Sid and then the three of us can get inside the security room and upload the virus." Rhonda explained. "There's no point in the both of us getting to Von Scheck's room if the virus hasn't yet been uploaded into the security system. That needs to be done first."

"But, are you going to be okay getting there on your own?" Rodrigo asked, hesitating to let her go on her own.

"I'll be fine." Rhonda assured him. "Trust me." She spoke with a confident tone. "It's not like we have a choice, anyways."

Rodrigo initially just stood silent, still not completely confident on letting her go on her own, especially after what had just happened inside the elevator. However, she was right; there was no other option. They couldn't afford to wait for either Helga, Gerald, Arnold or Peapod Kid to make it.

"Okay." He then said. "Go. And be careful."

Rhonda just smiled at him a bit and after placing her hand on his shoulder, turned around and started heading back down to the 30th floor. After watching her go downstairs, Rodrigo then turned around and started heading up.

Rhonda...

Rhonda wasted no time and sprinted back down as fast as she could. No longer even care if she made any noise, she hurried down, even skipping a few steps by jumping down. Luckily for her, Curly confirmed that the coast was clear of any guards or employees. However, she knew that was only temporary and that the window would eventually close if she did not hurry.

As she continued her descend, Rhonda realized she felt more confident in herself and on the mission. After her near-death experience, instead of traumatizing her and forcing her to shy away from anything risky, she felt the opposite. She couldn't explain if it was only temporary due to the rush or if that experience genuinely changed her. Whatever the case, using it to her advantage, she even went so far as to use the bar to swing around down to the next staircase, bypassing a series of steps, but that also meant risking on her possibly falling down to her death. However, she held on tight to the bar as she sung over to the outer side, leaped down to the next bar on the next floor, grabbing onto it tightly, almost as if she was a gymnast, swinging from bar to bar. Eventually, she safely arrived to the 30th floor.

"Curly, are there any guards in the hallway on the 30th floor?" Rhonda asked.

"Nope. You're good." Curly confirmed.

Rhonda then opened the door, exited the staircase and headed down the hallways, towards the Head security office. As she did so, she looked at the various doors on both sides, trying to find the storage room where Stinky and Sid were supposedly inside. Despite Curly's assurance that there was no one in the hallway, Rhonda still remained cautious, keeping her guard up in case if someone just suddenly entered the hallway. Eventually, she saw a a metal type door. Thinking that perhaps they were inside there, she grabbed the door knob, turned it and opened it.

"Sid? Stinky?" Rhonda whispered as she peeked inside.

"Rhonda?" Sid responded, completely surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" Rhonda softly retorted. "I'm here to free you two." She continued as she rolled her eyes.

"Uh, thank you, Ms. Rhonda." Stinky embarrassingly said.

"Ya, thanks." Sid also embarrassingly said.

"Curly, is there anyone inside the security room?" Rhonda asked.

"Yeah, one guard." He said. "You'll have to find some other way to get inside."

"The ventilating system..." Rhonda assumed with a groan.

"Yup." Curly acknowledged.

"Come on." She instructed the two male teens as she then walked to the nearest office. Sid and Stinky, still reeling from the embarrassment of getting stuck inside a storage room, right when they were so close to their goal, followed her.

Rhonda gently opened the door to one of the offices and after scanning around, she saw a shaft that would lead them inside the ventilating system. She and the two male teens then stepped inside and closed the door behind them.

"Okay, you two open that shaft so we can get inside." Rhonda directed them. "I already damaged my nails last time." She said as she looked at her nails with a distraught look on her face.

"Hey, wait a second." Sid then exclaimed. "who said you get to be in charge of us?" Trying to regain some of his pride.

"That would be the person who freed you two dummies for getting stuck inside a storage room!" Rhonda angrily retorted back. "I didn't almost get myself killed in the elevator just so we can fail! One way or another, we're going to succeed here!"

"You almost died?" Stinky asked, shocked by the news. "What happened?"

"It's a long story and I'll tell everyone about it later. Now open that shaft!" She ordered them.

Sid and Stinky said nothing and just looked at her shamefully. Realizing that Rhonda had a point and not wanting to be the cause of the operation's failure, the two male teens did as they were instructed and using some tools they had, managed to bust open it. Rhonda, reluctantly, was the first one to climb up inside the system, followed by Sid and then Stinky. As soon as he climbed up, Stinky then closed the opening behind him.

The trio then crawled through the space with Rhonda using her visual memory in order to guide them inside the security room. As quietly as they could, they pushed their way through until Rhonda saw lights up ahead. Curious to see if that was perhaps were they needed to go, she continued to crawl her way ever closer to the lights. When she reached the other opening, she peeked down and after scanning around and, with a smile on her face, realized they were there.

"Curly, we're on top of the security room, inside the ventilating system." Rhonda confirmed with a whisper. "But the guard is still inside."

"Copy that, Rhonda." Curly acknowledged. "You'll just have to sit tight until Peapod Kid arrives. He's almost to your location.

Team 4...

While all of this was unfolding, Arnold and Peapod Kid continued to make their way up the stairs when Lorenzo spoke through their earpiece.

"Arnold, Peapod Kid. We just got word that employees and more guards have arrived to start their work day. The building will soon be filled with employees. You guys need to hurry."

"We're on our way." Arnold said as he and Peapod Kid then began to run up the stairs.

"Where are the others?" Peapod Kid asked.

"Helga and Gerald are stuck in a floor. They are safe, but can't leave their hiding spot until the coast is clear." Lorenzo explained. "Sid and Stinky made it to the security room floor, but accidentally trapped themselves inside a storage room. Rhonda already went back down to free them and based on the latest information, are just entering the ventilation system in order to get inside the security room."

"And Rodrigo?" Arnold asked.

"Rodrigo is heading up to Von Scheck's office alone." Lorenzo responded.

"Got it." Arnold responded and now as a race against time, both teens ran even faster upstairs, no longer caring if their footsteps were heard or not.

"Is the coast clear for us?" Peapod Kid asked.

"Yes, you're good." Lorenzo confirmed.

Arnold and Peapod Kid were still pretty far behind, but with the coast being clear, they were able to make their up the stairs very quickly, even if it meant risk getting caught. But now, with time running out, there was no longer any option. They had to move fast. After some time, they made it to the 30th floor and quickly passed it, thinking that Rhonda, Stinky and Sid had everything under control and headed straight up to help Rodrigo who was alone, as per their original objective. However, Lorenzo then spoke to them again.

"Guys, where are you now?" Lorenzo asked.

"we just passed the 30th floor and are on our way to help Rodrigo." Arnold responded as he and Peapod Kid continued running up the stairs.

"Hold on." Lorenzo then called out of them, prompting them both to stop. "Rhonda, Stinky and Sid went inside the ventilation system and are on top of the security room, but are now stuck. There's a guard inside there and unless he leaves, they can't climb down."

"Where are Gerald and Helga?" Peapod Kid asked. "Can they help them?"

"No. They are still stuck." Lorenzo responded.

Both Arnold and Peapod Kid fell silent as they both pondered on what to do. Whatever plan they needed to come up, they had to do so quickly. Should they both go back to help Rhonda, Stinky and Sid, or should they just risk and aid Rodrigo? Or...

"Arnold," Peapod Kid said to him, "I'm going to the 30th floor and help distract that guard so Rhonda can get inside. You go and help Rodrigo."

Given their situation and the closing window to succeed, Arnold made no attempt to argue and just nodded in agreement.

"Good luck." The football head said to him before he continued running upstairs.

Peapod Kid in turn ran back downstairs to help upload that virus.

Rodrigo...

As Rhonda went back downstairs, Rodrigo continued running towards the top floor. As he got closer, he hoped Rhonda can get that virus uploaded so he can get inside Von Scheck's office, lest he become just a sitting duck, literally. He passed the 41th floor, then the 42th floor, then the 43th floor. With each passing floor, his heart continued to beat ever faster, his hands started becoming more and more sweaty, but he nevertheless continued without flinching. He then reached the 44th floor and just as he was passing it, the door at the top of the floor suddenly burst open, forcing Rodrigo to stop dead in his tracks.

A guard had just exited the hallway and into the staircase and started descending down the same stairs where Rodrigo was.

Ugh, damn it! Rodrigo thought in utter frustration, being so close to his objective.

He quickly exited the staircase and into the 44th floor.

"Curly, I am on the 44th floor. Is there anyone here?" Rodrigo asked.

"No, you're good." Curly confirmed.

Rodrigo stayed just outside and waited for the guard to pass by. However, the guard then approached the door and began to turn the door knob. Realizing to his shock and horror that the guard was about to enter the 44th floor, Rodrigo quickly made a brace for it and entered the nearest office door.

It's locked! He exclaimed to his shock.

Undeterred, he quickly made for the other office door, but it was also locked. Rodrigo then turned around to see the knob fully turning and the door just opening. He soon realized that was about to get caught...

However, he then saw a large vase with a plant beside him. With no other option, he hid behind it, just as the guard opened the door and stepped inside. After closing the door, the guard continued walking down the hallway, passing the large plant vase. Rodrigo knelt down into a fetal position and stood completely still as he watched the guard pass him, mere inches away from him. After he passed him, Rodrigo quietly and rapidly went around the vase and hid in front of it. The guard, noticing something, then turned around behind him and saw...nothing other than that vase. Shrugging it off, he turned forward and continued his walk.

Rodrigo made no attempt to move and just waited for the guard to make his shift around the floor, his heart heavily pounding as if it was about to burst out of his chest.

Team 3...

While Rhonda was making her way through the ventilation system and Arnold and Peapod Kid were approaching the 30th floor, Helga and Gerald were still trapped inside their respective office hideouts. The employees hadn't moved for a while and there still wasn't any sign of them letting up on their conversation.

Crimeny, what's taking these idiots so long to stop talking?! Helga thought in a fury. Is this what they get paid to do? To just sit around and talk? I hope Von Scheck fires them!

Meanwhile, inside the other office,

Oh man, that's taking them so long?! Why won't they just go to work?! Gerald frustratingly thought. If those dumbos don't move out of there soon, we and this entire operation is done for!

Just then, they started hearing footsteps from the hallway. The employees finally finished their conversation and began to walk away from where Gerald and Helga were.

Oh finally! Helga thought, feeling relieved.

After waiting for a bit to make sure they truly left, Helga then started getting ready to slowly open the door when suddenly she heard footsteps again, this time coming closer to her. Helga went back to her hiding spot beside the wall, but then to her horror, she saw the door swing right open, and then seeing someone she didn't recognize burst right through!

Oh crap! Helga thought with utter fear now consuming her as she saw an employee dressed in a suit go inside.

The office where Helga was hiding in was incredibly small, fit for only one employee. There was nowhere for her to hide. All she could do now was just watch in utter dismay and horror as the employee then began to around.

The employee turned and to his surprise, saw Helga just standing there, looking as if she had just seen a ghost. Initially too stunned, both of them just stared at each other completely fazed on seeing both of them inside the office room. However the man soon shook off his stunned look.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The man asked her.

"I uh, ummm..." Helga began to nervously try to come up with any excuse. "I am here...with... my dad! He brought me here as part of taking-your-kid-to-work day." She explained with a nervous smile.

"What are you doing inside my office?" The man demanded.

"I went to the bathroom and when I got out, I accidentally lost my earring and I could have sworn it rolled inside here, hehehehe" She quickly explained with a nervous giggle. "It was unlocked so I didn't think it would have a big deal for me to just come inside and look for it."

The man just silently stood here and examined Helga, trying to see if what she said was genuine. Truthfully, it wasn't uncommon for some of the employees to actually bring their kids to work and he would have believed her...except she looked like she was in high school, much too old to be part of bring-your-kid-to-work day and after looking at her earlobes, saw that she didn't have her other earring. But that wasn't all. She also looked...familiar.

"Wait." He then said to her with his eyes widening. "I know who you are. You're that blonde girl that broke into this building several ago. Your pigtails and ugly unibrow make you stand out."

"Hey!" Helga angrily yelled at him for the insulting remarked, but she didn't have any time to say anything else to him because he then grabbed her by the hand and immediately pushed her deep inside the office room, with him standing right behind the door way, blocking her escape.

"You stay right there or else." He demanded as he then reached for a ruler to use as a weapon.

"You caused this company a lot of trouble in the past." He said with a grin. "I would really like to see what Von Scheck will do to you once he finds out that you here...again. And If you are here, I'm certain that stupid football headed kid must also be inside." He continued as with his other hand, reached his office telephone and began dialing.

Helga could do or say anything other than watch with growing alarm and shock that she had just been caught and now the whole building's security was about to be informed of their presence. She tried to think of something fast, but unless she was willing to go head-to-head with him, there wasn't much else that she could do and even that option had a low chance of success. The man not only had a weapon, but was also taller and stronger than her. With each number being pressed, Helga realized with utter dismay that she was creeping ever closer to complete, utter, failure. She had failed her friends, she had failed her family, she had failed the neighbourhood.

The man continued dialing, but before he could finish, the door then suddenly swung open, hard, revealing Gerald who came to the rescue and hitting the employee from behind, knocking him over and forcing him to collide right on his desk, knocking the breath right out of him. Helga then immediately took advantage of the opportunity and grabbed the telephone with both hands and swung it hard, striking right on the employee's head, knocking him right to the wall as he fell on unconscious.

"Uuuhhhh..." The man groaned as he lay on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Gerald asked Helga.

Helga, who was still reeling from everything that had just happened within a span of a few seconds, didn't respond and just continued looking at the unconscious employee, stunned and still in shock.

"Helga!" Gerald then called out to her, this time gently grabbing her shoulder.

That did the trick as Helga then turned to face him.

"Are you okay?" Gerald asked again.

"Y-Yeah..." was all Helga could say, still shaken. "Thanks, Gerald." She genuinely said to him. "Really, thanks."

Had it been anyone else, Gerald wouldn't have thought much of it, but considering that it was Helga who was thanking him, with utter sincerity in her voice and without the usual smart or insulting remarks that would come after, it surprised him.

Whoa. He thought. She must really be glad that I came just in the nick of time.

"Let's go." He then softly said to her, trying not to make it a big deal, as he gestured her to step outside.

Helga, although still shaken, nevertheless shook that off and left the room, followed by Gerald. Both teens then immediately went back to the staircase and then began to run up again.

"Pheebs, you need to pass this information to the rest of the teams;" Gerald then said as they continued to run up the stairs, "Helga was seen by an employee, but we managed to neutralize him for the moment. He is unconscious, but once he comes to, he will sound the alarm. We ran out of time. It's now or never!"

"Oh no!" Phoebe exclaimed with utter shock in her voice by the news. "Is Helga alright?"

"She is. Just a little shaken up, but she's okay." Gerald said. "Did you get everything I said, Pheebs?"

"Yes, I did Gerald." Phoebe said. "I'll inform everyone else. You just make sure you get to where you need to go."

Team 4...Peapod Kid...

After departing from Arnold, Peapod Kid made his way to the 30th floor and went inside.

"Lorenzo, I'm here. Is the guard still there?" Peapod Kid asked him.

"Yes. It's only still him." Lorenzo confirmed.

Peapod Kid quickly made his way to the end of the corner of the hallway where the entrance to the Head security room was. Once he reached the end, he took a peek and saw the two cameras surveying the entrance. Seeing that he couldn't get close to the door unless he was discovered, he leaned back and thought about what to do.

"Lorenzo, can you ask Rhonda what the guard is doing right now?" Peapod Kid asked.

"Give me a second." Lorenzo said and then went silent.

Peapod Kid just stood there and impatiently waited for him, looking back to see if anyone was approaching.

"Rhonda said that the guard is just reading the newspaper." Lorenzo then spoke. "He doesn't seem to be looking at the footage."

That gave Peapod Kid an idea. He reached into his pocket and took out some coins that he had.

"Lorenzo, I'm going to throw some coins at the door in order to distract him." Peapod Kid said to him. "Ask Rhonda what the guard is doing and if he gets up or if he looks at the footage. If he doesn't move and just looks at the footage, Rhonda needs to make sure when the guard goes back to reading his newspaper, let me know so I can throw another coin at the door."

"Copy that." Lorenzo acknowledged.

With that, Peapod Kid takes a few deep breaths and then rapidly went around the corner and in a split second, threw a coin towards the doors, which were made completely of glass. Hitting it successfully, it made a tapping sound. Peapod Kid then quickly went back around the corner and hid, waiting to get confirmation from Lorenzo. After waiting for about a minute,

"No good, he didn't get up." Lorenzo confirmed. "You can try again now. Rhonda said he went back to reading his newspaper."

Peapod Kid again took a few breaths and did the same thing again, throwing another coin and then quickly going back to hide around the corner. Again, Lorenzo told him that it didn't work and instructed him to try again. For the third time Peapod Kid quickly went around the corner and threw in a third coin at the door.

"Rhonda says he got up and is leaving the security room." Lorenzo said. "You need to go and hide somewhere."

"Got it." Peapod Kid whispered and then hurriedly went inside one of the office rooms to hide.

Arnold...

Arnold wasted no time and hurriedly went up the stairs to go and help Rodrigo.

" Lorenzo, where is Rodrigo right now?" He asked him.

"He is on floor 44." Lorenzo confirmed. "He is somewhat stuck at the moment, but he is okay."

"Okay." Arnold said before then going even faster up the stairs.

Rhonda, Sid and Stinky...

Rhonda quietly and steadily waited for the guard to leave the room before she made her descend down. She didn't have to wait for long. As soon as she heard the door close, she got to work and unhinged the shaft door open. She then cautiously peeked out to see where the guard was. To her relief, he was nowhere close to the door. Wasting no time, she then quietly leaped out from the ventilation system and onto the floor. Stinky and Sid quickly followed suit.

"Curly, we're inside." Rhonda whispered. "Get ready when we upload the virus."

A few miles away...inside the van...

"Alrighty team!" Curly then enthusiastically said to everyone present as he cracked his fingers while having a big smile form on his face. "It's almost show time. Brace yourselves and get ready."

Back in the Head security room...

"Stinky, lock the door." She whispered to him.

Stinky quickly complied and cautiously approached the door and locked it from the inside, securing themselves.

Both Rhonda and Sid quickly looked at the main computer and tried to look where they can insert the USB to upload the virus. It wasn't that simple to look for it. It was a state of the art processing system and neither had any thorough knowledge about computers. For all they knew, it was probably right in front of them and they wouldn't even know it.

"I think I found it." Sid said to Rhonda as he waved at her to give him the device. Rhonda handed it to him and Sid tried to insert it.

"Damn it! That's not it!" He frustratingly said.

Rhonda just gave out a disappointed sigh and continued to look for it.

Stinky said nothing and just remained at the door, keeping a look out.

Sid and Rhonda continued to look where to insert the USB. Each second passed was each second lost in time and both now knew that was now a serious luxury. After 30 seconds of intense and further looking,

"Hey, I think this maybe it." Rhonda said to Sid with a hopeful tone. "Give it to me."

Sid complied and handed it to her to which Rhonda immediately tried to insert it...with success.

"It's in!" Rhonda exclaimed rather loudly as she became instantly excited, prompting to immediately put her hands on her mouth after she realized what she was may have been too loud.

"Curly," She then softly said to him, "the USB chip is in. Get ready, I'm going to upload the virus."

She then immediately went to the main computer screen and began to look for which disk the USB was inserted into. After only looking for a second seconds, she found it and opened the document.

"Done." She said to Curly with a smirk. "That virus is being uploaded."

A few miles away...inside the van...

"The fun has arrivveedd!" Curly happily, almost maniacally exclaimed. "Cue the music." He said to himself as he then went to his music list and pressed on a song.

He then once again cracked his fingers and just as the music began, he began to get into the building's security system as the virus began to attach itself to it..

Throughout the van, tubas and violins began to be heard as Curly's music began to increase in suspension and volume. Then, a particularly strong tube began to blow, almost overwhelming the other instruments. The tone in the music began to change as it then felt like they were about to engage in a struggle, a struggle for dominance, for control with the protagonist slowly gaining the upper hand. Curly remained silent and just continued to type away while listening to Richard Wagner's opera Ride of the Valkyries.

Park, Lorenzo and Phoebe said nothing and just turned to face him with some confusion and awkwardness as Curly just hummed to the music and with a great big smile on his face, began to control the cameras, motion sensors, even some of the electronic doors.

"Oh yes! She is mine now. I have thus conquered, made you subservient to me, your dominatrix, your master, your god! Now obey my pretty and do my bidding, WUHAHAHAHAHA!" Curly maniacally laughed as lightening and thunder was seen and heard from the outside, creating the aura of an intense and frightening environment.

"Does he always get this dramatic?" Phoebe calmly asked Lorenzo and Park.

"Yeah, a bit." Park responded with a shrug.

Finally, with the dark and gray clouds covering the city and the FTI building, the light from the Sun was fazed out, creating this imposing and looming darkness that permeated throughout, as rain began to drizzle down throughout the area.

Back in the Head security room...

The guard stepped outside into the hallway and looked around, but saw no one. Confused as to who or what made that tapping sound, he went to the end of the hallway and turned the corner to see if there was anyone there. To his even more confusion, it was empty.

"Hello?" The guard called out, only to be met with silence.

Ookk...This is weird. He thought as he scratched his face. He then went inside some of the rooms to see if there was anyone inside, only to see an empty office room one after the other.

After standing for a bit while longer and looking around, he felt confident that there was no one there and began to head back to the room. As soon as he turned the corner,

"Fellars, he's coming back!" Stinky softly exclaimed. "Hide!"

Rhonda and Sid gasped and immediately hid behind the big computer system while Stinky hid behind the wall that was beside the glass doors. Not noticing anything, the guard continued to make his way and just as he was about to reach for the door knob, he heard someone call him through his walkie talkie and asked him if he go up to the top floor. The guard acknowledged and began to walk towards the elevators.

Peapod Kid, who was hiding in one of the still empty office rooms, heard the guard walk around and waited until he either left or heard the alarm. Instead, he heard the elevator arrive to the floor as it made a dinging sound, opened its doors and then closed them again. After that, he heard nothing. After waiting for a bit, he very carefully opened the door and peeked out. After making sure that the hallway was clear, he came out and headed straight for the head security room.

"Guys! Let me in." Peapod Kid said as he banged on the glass door.

Stinky quickly rushed to the door, unlocked it to allow Peapod Kid inside, closed it and then locked it again.

The virus soon began to do its job and Curly began to gain control of the building's security system.

"Hehehehehehe." Curly mischievously chuckled. "Perfect. Tell all teams that the elevators are now under our control and they can use it if they need to." He instructed his helpers.

Rodrigo...

Rodrigo, who was still on the 44th floor and inside the hallway, continued to hide behind the large plant vase. It took a while, but the guard eventually left the floor, leaving it through the other staircase, finally allowing the Latino kid to emerge from his hiding spot.

"Curly, what's the status?" Rodrigo asked.

"We're in baby, yeah!" Curly excitedly exclaimed. "Rhonda uploaded the virus and I am in! You can use the elevator if you want to get to the top floor."

"Finally" Rodrigo said as he let out a big relieved sigh. "I'll do it." He said as he then headed to the elevator and pressed the button to go up to the top floor.

He didn't have to wait long as the elevator quickly stopped on the 44th floor and opened its door, only to reveal a very, very nasty surprise.

Rodrigo stood in utter shock when he saw a guard there, standing inside the elevator, the same guard that had just left the 30th floor.

"Who the hell are you?" The guard demanded, but Rodrigo didn't answer him.

Completely stunned that he had just been caught, Rodrigo initially just stood there and nervously gazed upon the guard as he was waiting for him to answer his question. However, instead of verbally answering him, Rodrigo completely surprised him when the Latino kid, mostly due to his fear and flight response acting up, jumped him and began to wrestle with him, pushing him all the way back into the elevator.

The guard, initially surprised, soon regained his composure and began to overpower Rodrigo.

"Guys, I've been caught!" Rodrigo frantically yelled. "I need help!"

"Hold on, Roddy. Arnold is on its way." Curly responded.

Realizing that he was not alone, the guard then attempted to grab his walkie-talkie.

"Code re-" the guard began to speak, only for Rodrigo to grab it and pull it away from him.

"Give me that you stupid kid!" The guard angrily yelled at him as he wrestled with him to get the walkie talkie back.

Both of them swung the walkie-talkie back and forth for a bit, eventually leaving the elevator and getting back to the hallway. Finally losing his patience, the guard then intentionally let it go, forcing Rodrigo to tumble and fall to the ground. The guard then immediately went on top of him, grabbed him by the shirt and was just about to give him a serious beating when suddenly,

*Clang*

"Ow!" The guard exclaimed, followed by a groan and then fell to the ground, knocked out unconscious.

Rodrigo, confused as to what happened looked up and sighed, even smiled, when he saw Arnold with a fire extinguisher.

"I didn't know you had it in you." Rodrigo remarked to him while panting.

"I can when I need to." He said as he then extended his hand and helped him up.

Meanwhile...

Outside the FTI building, Von Scheck was just arriving, pulling his vehicle inside the parking lot as he hummed away. He wasn't sure why, but he woke up that morning feeling slightly better than he did the previous night. Actually, he was in a bit of a good mood. Maybe it was because he actually slept well.

Whatever the case, he drove to his usual spot, got out, set his alarm on his car and began to walk into the building with a smile on his face

I am so close to victory. He thought to himself. Within a few days, I will have avenged my family, myself and tear that disgusting, annoying little neighbourhood. The last few days have been quiet and I'm confident that today will not be anything different...

Back in floor 44...

"Come on Rodrigo, let's go." Arnold said as he helped him up.

"Thanks." Rodrigo said and both then made their way to the elevator. Just as they were about to enter,

"Rodrigo!" Curly called him.

"Arnold!" Lorenzo called him.

"What is it?" Both Rodrigo and Arnold responded simultaneously.

"It's Gerald and Helga; they need help." Curly and Lorenzo both explained to them. "They started going up, but got trapped again a few floors below the 30th floor and they can't get out. That floor is swarming with employees and are now at risk of getting caught."

The news shocked them both.

"Can't Rhonda, Peapod Kid, Sid or Stinky go and help them?" Rodrigo asked.

"Negative." Curly replied. "They are busy helping me and that room needs to be secured at all costs. If any of the FTI employees regains control of that room and unplugs the virus, I won't be able to control the building's security system and I can't gain entry into Von Scheck's computer. One of you will need to go down and help them."

Rodrigo said nothing and just let out a frustrated sigh.

"Well? What did he say?" Arnold asked.

"One of us will have to go down and help them." Rodrigo responded. "But even that I'm not sure. He said that floor is crowed with employees."

"Rodrigo, we need to help them." Arnold firmly said to him. "It's not just because they are our friends; there's a good chance someone there might recognize them as the same two kids who broke into this building several years ago. If Von Scheck captures them, he can use them as leverage to force us to stop what we are doing."

"Okay, let's go and help them." Rodrigo quickly agreed. "Together. One person can't do it alone and you can't go there on your own; they will surely recognize you." He explained.

"Okay." Arnold agreed. "Lorenzo, is the elevator safe for us to use?"

"Affirmative." Lorenzo replied.

"Which floor are Gerald and Helga in?" Rodrigo asked.

"Floor 28." Curly responded.

The two teens then wasted no time and went inside the elevator and pressed the button that will take them to floor 28, hoping they would get there in time to help them.

Floor 28...

Despite being the one of the first teams to have gotten inside the building, they were repeatedly delayed from getting to their objectives. For some reason, their area had more guards than the rest of the building, forcing them to continually stop and wait, delaying them. It also didn't help that they stopped moving and ended up arguing over who should be in charge.

After Gerald saved Helga from that FTI employee and temporarily neutralized him, the two made it back to the staircase and continued to way towards the 30th floor. Initially, everything was going well and they nearing their objective when Phoebe again warned them of a guard about to enter the same staircase.

Now getting utterly frustrated with the constant delay and with being so close, Helga and Gerald had to once again make their way out of the staircase and into the hallway on the 28th floor. Unfortunately, that same guard was making his way to the 28th floor, forcing Helga and Gerald to once again hide in one of the floor's office. This time, they both went inside the same office room and waited.

Although the guard was only there for a short while, the elevator began to ding more and more often as employees began to arrive and made their way to their offices. Very quickly, the hallway became busy with employees walking about, forcing the two teens to sit it out. To make matters even worse, the room where they were in did not have a ventilating mouth, so they had nowhere else to go.

Gerald exasperatingly had no choice but to inform Phoebe of their predicament and if possible, to send for help.

As they continued to wait, the noise in the hallway started dissipating, giving the two teens some hope that they would be able to get out and make it to at least the 30th floor, where they will be safe. After waiting for a bit more, it got very quiet. Hearing the coast was possibly clear, Gerald went closer to the door in order to peek out, but to his utter dismay and horror, the door knob began to move on its own. Frantically, he reached for the knob and prevented it from turning all the way through.

"Hey!" The employee yelled from the other side of the door. "The door's stuck!"

The employee tried to turn the door knob again, but again it did not move. Helga stepped in as well and leaned against the door, making sure that it would not open no matter what the employee did.

"Oh man, we're done for!" Gerald worriedly whispered to Helga. "When Von Scheck catches us, he's going to barbecue us alive."

"Just shut up Gerald and keep holding the door knob." Helga snapped back at him. "We need to buy everyone else time for them to complete their mission."

The employee again tried to turn the knob and when his patience ran out, began to push the door hard with his body, but it was still no use. Gerald and Helga had the door firmly sealed tight, but the employee was not deterred and continued trying to open the door. Just then, Gerald and Helga heard another voice from outside, only this time it was a familiar voice.

"Excuse me." Rodrigo tapped on the employee's shoulder.

"Is that Rodrigo?" Gerald asked confusingly.

"It sounds like it." Helga said. "What is that dummy doing?!"

"Yes?" The employee responded with an irritated tone in his voice.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm a bit lost. Can you tell me where Human Resource office is? I'm supposed to meet up with my father who works there, but I got lost along the way."

"Oh uh, sure." The employee said as he straightened himself out. "It's umm, err..." the employee tried to think where the HR office was.

"Sorry, I'm a bit new here, so I'm not yet familiar where everything is." He then confessed with a nervous chuckle. "But, I think there is a map of the building that tells you where it is."

"Oh really?" Rodrigo continued to pretend. "Can you please show it to me?"

"Sure. It's right by the elevator." The employee said. "This way."

Both the employee and Rodrigo then made their way to the elevator, finally leaving the office alone. However, Helga and Gerald still made no attempt to move out, not really sure if they were supposed to or if they needed to wait for some sort of cue. Just then, they heard another familiar voice.

"Helga, Gerald." Arnold then softly called out to them. "Are you guys in there?"

"Football head?" Helga answered back.

"Yes, it 's me." Arnold answered.

"Well, you are a noise for some sore ears." She said with a sigh a of relief.

"You guys can come out, but quietly." Arnold answered.

As instructed, Gerald gently opened the door and then he and Helga came out and gently closed the door. While Rodrigo had the employee distracted, the trio decided to make their way toward the staircase when suddenly,

*sirens*sirens**sirens*sirens*sirens*sirens*

Sirens blared out and flashing lights were turned on, startling all four teens and the employee.

"Attention, attention all security personnel!" A voice was heard through the prompter. "We have a security breach, I repeat we have a security breach. A group of teenagers have broken into the building and are now on the loose!"

"Uh oh." Gerald said with frightening alarm.

The employee heard everything and then faced Rodrigo with growing suspicious, especially since he was dressed completely in black.

"What?" Rodrigo said to him when he noticed his stare. "Don't look at me, I'm not the one who-" but before he finished, he simply jumped on the employee and violently pushed him to the side.

"RUN!" Rodrigo frantically yelled at Arnold, Helga and Gerald, to which all four of them began to run towards the staircase.

"Oh crimeny, this is just perfect!" Helga exclaimed as they continued running. "Latino boy, why did you and football head come down to get us? You could have used the time to get to Von Scheck's office!"

"Don't listen to her! She is suffering from PTSD." Gerald then intervened. "We're just glad you came to get us!"

"Arnold brought up a good point; we couldn't allow you both to get caught." Rodrigo began to explain as they continued running. "If Von Sheck captured you, he could have used you as leverage to get us to stop what we came here to do."

"And besides," Rodrigo continued. "you guys are family and we don't leave family behind." He continued with a smile.

"What ever happened to 'the mission first'?" Helga then remarked.

"Screw it." He just said to her.

Helga initially said nothing back and just continued to run.

"Thanks." Was all she said.

They soon made it to the staircase that was at the back of the building. Thus far, it was clear and they continued to make their way there, despite the blaring sirens and lights flashing.

"We're almost there!" Gerald exclaimed happily.

However, the door that lead to the staircase swung right open, revealing four guards as they went inside the hallway.

"You just had to jinx it, didn't you?" Helga snapped back at Gerald.

"There they are!" One of the guard yelled and all four began to ran up to them.

"Back to the other side, quickly!" Arnold yelled and everyone then began to ran back.