Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider. I own Otter. But that's it. I know it's not the most original plot idea, but I hope to make it different.
Alex woke early Saturday morning from the banging on the front door, which could be heard all the way in his room.
He groaned, and pushed himself up, knowing that Jack was going to ignore it, in favor of sleeping a while longer before she had to leave for the airport.
Stumbling down the steps, still groggy, Alex made his way to the door, where whoever (probably Fiona) had stopped banging for a second. Alex looked through the peephole, blinking to focus.
He blinked again to make sure he was actually seeing what he thought he saw.
Yup.
Alex unlocked the door, throwing it open, just as the person on the other side was raising his fist to bang again. Alex glowered at the men on his front stoop, one hand still on the door.
"Hello, Cub." Eagle bounced in place, smiling brightly at the youth's rather grumpy face.
"What are you doing here?" Alex asked, running a hand through his hair, looking like he was contemplating slamming the door shut.
Wolf, sensing his thoughts (somehow), stepped into the threshold, smirking agreeably into Alex's face.
"We are here to babysit you." A man Alex didn't know—Fox's replacement, presumably—grumbled. Alex raised an eyebrow, blanking out his face, until the only readable emotion was cold curiosity.
"Excuse me?" Alex asked, opening the door wider in invitation. The men stepped through gratefully out of the cold. Alex shut the door and led the way to the kitchen. K Unit followed quietly, taking note of the fact that they were there ridiculously early, and they knew someone else was in the house.
"We're here to . . . guard you." Wolf clarified, while muddling things further. Alex shook his head, confusion making a dent in the space between his eyebrows.
"Why?" Alex hopped up on the island, and gestured for the men to sit at the table.
"Well, your guardian is leaving for America this morning. Some higher ups in MI6 or SAS decided they didn't want you to be alone for two weeks, so they sent us to keep you company." Wolf continued, picking at the fake fruit on the table.
Alex's eyes narrowed in contemplation. Jack was leaving for America for two weeks to help her brother and sister-in-law with their newborn baby, and Alex didn't want to go, this being one of the only times he'd get to spend with Fiona and go to school, before MI6 sent him after another crazy.
So either MI6 didn't believe that's what he's going to spend the adult-supervision-free-fortnight doing, or something else entirely is going on.
Alex glanced at the unknown unit member, raising his brows.
"Cub, this is Otter; Otter, Cub." The redhead nodded to Alex, still appearing upset at the prospect of babysitting a fifteen year old for two weeks. Alex crossed his arms, and frowned.
If I ask nicely, do ya think Blunt will tell me what the hell is going on?
Alex certainly didn't think so. He hopped off the counter, already resolving to go to the bank later today, demand answers, and then call Fiona over (assuming she doesn't show up first), and make K Unit's stay both painful and hilarious.
Two Hours Later
"Well, honestly, Alex, I do feel better that you have four SAS men here. Don't give me that face, you know as well, if not better than I do, that you attract trouble like white on rice." Jack said impatiently, stuffing a pair of jeans into her bag.
"Still, though. Don't you think something could have happened? Someone somewhere pulled strings to get my old unit here with me. You don't think that's cause to worry? And why didn't you pack last night?" Alex was sitting on Jack's bed, looking every bit the petulant child.
Two hours earlier, Jack had come running down the stairs, hurrying from one spot in the house to another, trying to get the last details of her trip ironed out. When she noticed the soldiers sitting on the couch, she paused, curiosity overriding the need to get coffee. When she heard why they were there, she shrugged, told Alex to suck it up, and then went to get her coffee.
Now, two hours later, Alex sat on her bed, complaining.
Jack chucked him under the chin. "Alex, something may have happened, but I'm just glad that someone is taking measures to protect you. For once." Jack grumbled the last bit, victoriously shoving a shirt in the bag then zipping it up. She sat back on her heels, moving a strand of bright red hair from her face. She sighed, hands on hips, and studied her ward for a minute. "That being said, you will behave. Don't give these guys too much of a bad time. Who knows? You might just enjoy it."
Alex snorted, but didn't say anything further, just walked downstairs with Jack. As he waved goodbye from the doorway, watching Jack's taxi disappear around a corner, Alex heard the men inside talking and laughing.
Smirking, Alex pulled out his phone and speed-dialed his best friend.
So, I changed Tom to a girl (Fiona).
