A.N. So I've recently reread Scorpia (my favourite of the series! Who agrees?) and I loved Mr Grey, so… Read and enjoy. And review ;)
Disclaimer: Alex Rider belongs to Anthony Horowitz. And while I enjoy kidnapping him, I'm not Scorpia, so no one ever pays me...
It had started out like any other weekday. He had dressed in his usual suit, and driven along the usual roads, and had stood at the gates to welcome the students, as usual. But what made this week different for Mr Grey was an unusual sighting.
He was like a rare bird. Comes to nest for a few days at a time between long hunting trips. First signs of his return are the reactions of surrounding creatures. Identifiable by the blond hair and inexplicable injuries.
Yes, Alex Rider was certainly rare. Mr Grey watched from the other end of the driveway as he dismounted his bike and started pushing it towards the racks as if he'd never been gone.
The boy's eyes suddenly flicked up and locked onto his, as though he'd known he was being surveyed. Mr Grey stared back in silent accusation. He'd disappeared at least a month ago from Venice and hadn't been seen since. It had reflected badly on Mr Grey and it certainly wasn't doing the chances of next year's trip to Barcelona much good. And now he was back, with no warning and no explanation except, he predicted, a doctor's note mentioning some form of illness that shouldn't have really taken that long to recover from.
He watched as Alex looked away first, dropping his head in shame and continuing to padlock his bike to the rail morosely until another boy joined him - Tom Harris, who, if he remembered correctly, (and anything connected to Rider was hard to forget) was a close friend. The smaller boy's energy was hard to ignore, and soon they were both smiling.
Finally, he approached, looking apprehensive but trying to hide it as well as he could.
"Alex," Mr Grey said cooly. "Good to see you back."
"Good to be back, sir," answered the teenager. Emotionless. Everybody knew that Alex had changed ever since his uncle's death, but this was different. He looked more tired than ever, and at the same time more dangerous. There was fresh pain in those serious brown eyes.
"What was it this time?"
Mr Grey thought he saw Alex wince slightly as he reached into his blazer and wordlessly drew out a note. Another excuse from the doctor, which would later be closely examined. Even when Mr Bray called the number of Alex's GP, it would be intercepted by an MI6 agent who would confirm what had been written.
Mr Grey barely glanced at the offensive paper. He gave Alex another hard stare before turning away to intercept a couple of Year 11 boys with their shirts hanging out.
Neither of them said anything about Venice, but both could sense it hanging in the air between them. Mr Grey would never be able to trust Alex again.
Alex Rider was there for about a week. Rumours sprung up again and he was once more the hot topic of conversation in the staffroom. While he was there, he was invariably polite and worked hard, trying to understand the material but struggling after a month's absence. At break, he tried a little too hard to fit in. He was otherwise very quiet, lost in thought, and grimaced at the lightest touch on his arms. With those observations, the teachers bounced ideas around - abuse? But Mr Grey never believed any of them. Not that he had a better suggestion.
A week. Then the school received a phone call. Alex Rider had appendicitis. It seemed more genuine this time. They could even send cards if they wished.
But when Alex didn't return until February next year - over four months! - Mr Grey didn't know what to think. Nobody did. Alex Rider remained a mystery, and something of a legend, until he slowly faded from memory after moving to America.
It was about thirty years later when the truth finally came out.
Mr Grey entered the family home, kissed his wife and ruffled his teenage son's hair, much to the kid's annoyance. He hung up his coat and she flicked the tv on to the six o'clock news. They all sat down. It was the same ritual as every day ever since he had finally settled down. They waited for the ads to end and the presenter to greet them.
"The infamous criminal organisation Scorpia has finally been officially disbanded after their final operation was stopped by a government agent."
Mr Grey raised his eyebrows at that. The name had re-appeared around ten years ago, behind a few small-scale assassinations and thefts, and had grown since then.
The woman continued to speak, introducing the other headlines. Floods. A mentally unstable woman murdering her husband and children. England beating Spain at football. Then they returned to the first story in more detail.
"Scorpia lost credit in the criminal world thirty years ago after a number of major incidents were prevented. They rebanded ten years ago and have worked their way back up again. However, after an agent working for MI6 brought down their latest plans, involving airstrikes on the schools where the children of leading ecologists if their demands were not met, which would have undoubtedly resulted in a lot of collateral damage, they have informed government around the world that they will be disbanding permanently.
"The agent was killed in the final struggle. The heads of Special Operations at MI6 - current and the former Mrs Jones - express their regrets after what they say had been a long and successful career. Over to Sam Parker who is interviewing a former Prime Minister."
Mr Grey vaguely recognised the man from when he himself had been a young man, just of university. He thought that that was when he had his first job, teaching Humanities in a London comprehensive.
"I was very sad to hear of the agent's death. He was working for us even when I was in power. It was him who brought down Scorpia the first time, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that everybody has to the thank him for something. He may have been young, but he was the best, even then."
The screen returned to the studio.
"MI6 have revealed that the man's name is Alex Rider. Somerset has been suffering from heavy deluges…"
But Mr Grey heard no more. He sat frozen in shock. Alex Rider. Memories came flooding back to him.
"Darling? Are you alright?" his wife asked. He shook himself.
"Yes, yes. I'm fine. I just want to check something." He stood and logged on to the family computer. A few google searches soon confirmed his suspicions. The first downfall of Scorpia had coincided with Alex's long absences from school. He stared at the screen, wanting to share this discovery with someone, and eventually ended up searching through the address book and picking up the phone.
"Jane Bedfordshire? It's Charlie Grey. Do you remember me from Brookland?"
He paused to listen to the reply, then continued.
"Have you seen the news? It involves Alex Rider…"
Fin.
A.N. Please tell me if you like it! Constructive criticism is very much welcomed and will be taken into account and I will edit it if I agree, so it's worth telling me! Many thanks.