NEGOTIATIONS by bookworm rider

Hey guys, this is Yassen's point of view of the failed negotiation to release Sabina in exchange for the flash drive, between Alex and Damian Cray. You may remember that Yassen wouldn't meet Alex's eyes throughout the scene. Why? Find out!

YGPOV

"Ah, there you are, Alex. This is Bubbles. Isn't he beautiful?"

I heard Cray's voice, muffled through the thick door, and knew that Alex had arrived. I hadn't been looking forward to this, but did not doubt that Alex would come. The girl continued to try to squirm out of my grip.

"Where's Sabina?"

I smiled to myself. Cray wouldn't like that. I was right.

"I'm not going to be dictated to, if you don't mind, especially not in my own home." Cray said angrily.

"Where is she?" Alex pressed.

I shook my head. He was exactly like his father.

"All right!" Cray said, no longer angry.

I knew my que was seconds away, and I let my face become the emotionless mask it always was. The door opened, and I forced the girl into the room, and sat her in a chair, avoiding Alex's eyes. This seemed like a horrible way to repay his father.

"You see, Alex, here she is, a little scared, perhaps, but otherwise unhurt."

"Why have you tied her up? Why won't you let her talk?" Alex demanded. His voice was slightly strangled. I knew he cared about the girl. It made my job harder. I again wondered if it was worth it. Cray was becoming an annoyance.

"Because she said some very hurtful things to me," Cray replied. "She also tried to assault me. In fact, frankly, she has behaved in a very unladylike way. Now—you have something for me?"

For the first time since I entered the room, I looked up at Alex, but he wasn't looking at me. He took a deep breath and took the flash drive out of his pocket, but it had one modification. There was a brightly coloured tube tapped to it, the nozzle pointing into the device. I smiled. Of course he would come with a plan.

"What is that?" Cray demanded. I could here the restrained anger in his voice.

"It's Super Glue," Alex replied. "I don't know what's inside your precious flash drive, but I doubt it'll work if it's gummed up with this stuff. I just have to squeeze my hand and you can forget Eagle Strike. You can forget the whole thing.

It was a good plan, but Cray was mad. He would do anything to get the flash drive. Alex was not going to win.

"How very ingenious! Cray giggled. "But I don't actually see the point."

"It's simple," Alex said. "You let Sabina go; she walks out of here. She goes to a pub or a house and she telephones me here. You can give her the number. Once I know she's safe, I'll give you the flash drive."

I knew Alex was lying, and I didn't doubt the Cray knew it to. He was an amazing spy; as good as his father was an assassin. As soon as he got the call, he would destroy the flash drive. After that, I would be ordered to kill him. But I wouldn't. That was all I could do for Alex. But it wouldn't come to that.

"But the question is…" Cray raised a finger on each hand. "Will it work?"

I started listening to the conversation, having tuned out some of Cray's rambling. I looked back at Alex, his face set in determination. But there was fear in his eyes.

"I mean what I say." Alex held out the flash drive. "Let her go."

"But what if she goes straight to the police?

"She won't."

The girl started to shout behind the gag in disagreement. She cared for him to. Alex took a breath, pleading with his eyes for her to play along.

"You'll still have me," he explained. "If Sabina goes to the police, you can do whatever you want to me. So that'll stop her. Anyway, she doesn't know what you're planning. There's nothing she can do.

"I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head. "No deal!"

"Are you serious?" Alex closed his hand around the tube. "What about Eagle Strike?"

"What about your girlfriend?"

Alex's face turned to horror as Cray threw a pair of kitchen scissors to me. I knew that this was part of Cray's plan, but as I turned away from Alex to hold the thrashing girl down, I couldn't shake off the image of his horrified face. But that didn't matter, I was here to do my job.

"You've made a simple miscalculation, Alex," Cray continued. "You're very brave. You would do almost anything to have the girl released. But I will do anything to keep her. And I wonder how much you'll be prepared to watch, how far I'll have to go, before you decide that you might as well give me the flash drive anyway. A finger, maybe, two fingers?"

I opened the scissors, and the girl went very still. Alex stared at her, mirroring the girl's terror.

"NO!" Alex yelled.

There was defeat in his eyes; I saw it, just like I saw it in my victims on other assignments. Alex had lost. Cray saw it to.

"Give it to me!" Cray demanded.

Alex shook his head. "No."

"Start with the little finger, Yassen. Then we'll work one at a time toward her thumb."

The girl started to shake. I looked at Alex, who was staring at her with desperation and regret in his eyes. His face and turned slightly green, and sweat was trickling down his face. I felt pity for him. But he wasn't looking at me, I was nothing to him. His shoulders slumped, and he threw the flash drive on the desk.

Cray picked it up. "Well, that takes care of that," he said with a smile. "Now, why don't we forget all this unpleasantness and go and have a nice cup of tea? Untie young Sabina, Yassen."

I bent down, once again avoiding Alex's eyes. Upon freedom, the girl ran straight to Alex, throwing her arms around his neck.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I should have believed you."

So Alex had told Sabina that he was a spy, and she obviously hadn't believed him. Then again, why would she? A fourteen year old spy? I shook my head. He's just a boy, he shouldn't be here. In response to her words, Alex wrapped his hands around her waist and kissed her head.

"I'm sorry." He said simply.

"Ah, young love." Cray giggled. "But you wouldn't want the tea to get cold would you?

Alex released Sabina and glowered darkly at Cray. Sabina looked at Alex, her face pale.

"Lead the way, Yassen." Cray said cheerfully.

I looked at Cray in surprise.

"You'll join us, of course?" Cray said. It sounded more like a demand. I gave a stiff nod, and walked towards the lawn, feeling Alex's gaze on my back. When we were all seated, Cray talked about his past and how it led to his insanity, not that he put it that way. I sat uncomfortably in my seat. This wasn't my scene, and I was bored. I'd much rather be in my quarters.

"I have a couple of questions," I heard Alex say.

"Do, please, go ahead." Cray replied.

"My first one is for Yassen Gregorovich."

I looked up, keeping the surprise off my face. Alex turned to me.

"Why are you working for this lunatic?" Alex said, his voice almost accusatory, as if he expected more of me.

I've asked myself the same question a lot lately. "He pays me," I answered simply.

Well, that's the first chapter. If you review (hint) I'll write the rest of Eagle Strike from Yassen's point of view, leading up to the scene where he tells Alex about his father! Hope you liked this chapter. P.S i know, i added a scene that wasn't in the book, but that's just how I imagined the break between those two chapters went. Plus, this is fan fiction! Oh, and soz about the dictating, but to write from Y point of view, there had to be some. :)