On the 13th February 2002, timed for Alex Rider's fifteenth birthday, the story about MI6's teenage spy broke. Three days later, the Prime Minister resigned. Four days later, Alan Blunt was arrested for child cruelty and neglect causing or allowing the death of a child. The attempts to wipe all records relating to the dead child from official records failed as the Prime Minster in his resignation speech had spoken of meeting the teenage hero and bearing him no ill will for his own injuries sustained in the firefight at the science museum and then stating he had been assured this operation had been a one time thing. As the named guardian in the will of Ian Michael Rider, Blunt was going down for a long time. On the other side of the world, Edward, Liz and Sabina Pleasure were sworn in as US citizens.
Alex had found out about his post mortem fame long after the banner headlines had been replaced by the Middle East crisis that summer. The lack of any lifeline home had tempered his plans, when he picked going to Germany to try and live like a normal teenager and failing miserably, lost knowing all who had known him thought him dead. The only consolation was fate had dealt Blunt a damning blow of prison, the loss of his wife, who left him then spilled sordid details of the master spy to the same tabloid paper which published the Alex Rider Story. The teenager's favourite quote was the trophy wife tearfully stating she would have loved, cherished and adopted the dear nephew of their friend Ian and she would never forgive her bastard husband, who had driven this 'son' to an early grave. It had been Byrne who had told him that SIS had officially disbanded of MI6 Special Operations. There super secret replacement had been up and running with days, but it appeared that there was no more official black ops in the UK.
The story had run out of steam, but only after more and more ludicrous details were revealed by Alex's close friends including his first 'girlfriend' Fiona Friend, the traumatised Paul Drevin, who hero worshiped his fellow patient from St. Dominics, to the real surprise as most at Brookland stated he was a great guy. The Pleasures, Tom Harris and Jack Starbright had said nothing. Neither had the kids from Point Blanc. The memorial added to Ian's grave stone had become a shrine to this lost hero. The teenager described by Bulman had not had to beg, borrow, lie, cheat and steal to survive.
….
It was a rather jaded Alex Gardiner who travelled to DC with his 'cousin' Joe Byrne. The cousin part was way better than the of spy's original suggestion of 'uncle'. The twenty year old had countered that horrible reflection of reality with his preferred legend of sugar daddy and twink. After six years of being 'Sasha', Alex was back pretending to be the son of Belinda and Tom, with the tag line he'd run away from his foster home as a very wayward teen. The steward was handsome , so Alex got to flirt, while drinking two more than strictly necessary vodka martinis. The alcohol let him sleep for four hours rather than endure the film choices on offer.
Joe Byrne never slept on any flight, be it First class luxury or in the back of a Jolly Green Giant. He was too much of a hardened professional to feel safe anywhere but his home or a fully secure safe house. These moments of enforced rest meant this seasoned traveller got the chance to catch up on reading for pleasure or watching a newish film to keep fresh with popular culture. This afternoon he watched Alex sleep. For once in his life he had been liven the chance to correct a mistake and redress the balance where he far too often had to think of the bigger picture and the collateral damage that entailed. In 2001, after 9/11 the war on terrorism had sharpened the CIA's focus and it had been easier to shred all evidence over Drevin and his megalomania. At least Alex was enjoying the for and drink on the flight. During his surveillance he had noted the kid was clean as Mimi did not drink. The sixty two year old veteran of the cold war, glasnost and the Middle East, he had seen the twenty year old polish off two dinners, while refusing wine and sticking to straight vodka. Was the legend of 'Sasha' based off some stage encounter with Russians during the kid's travels from Pacific atoll to Germany? Then again, Sarov had done a number on this kid on Cuba playing the 'father issues' card and the horror of the his suicide had damaged Alex and MI6 had done nothing to assuage that psychological impact.
As breakfast was served, Alex asked what was happening after their arrival in DC. "Am I off to the Farm to be debriefed?"
Byrne smiled ruefully, "With the no official involvement card played over Ark Angel, QED no need to go anywhere near spook central. Sylvia will want a verbal report from me, but you are not on our files. Well after the death of Sarov, I kept your fake ID on file for possible future use and well, I always had a suspicion that your capsule had made it down in one piece. I alerted my counterparts in Australia, thinking you'd end up there, but that all went pear shaped with Wu's failed bombing of the oil platform. The only person you might visit semi offically is a retired plastic surgeon for real modifications to put off any AI hits in future."
Alex shuddered at the thought of a real stranger in the mirror, when he already was disassociated from who he was and who he had been. "I need help first. I'm not 100%. A bucket load of issues thanks to Ian and the Bank. Mimi was great, but she was only helping keep the demons of depression, loneliness and loss at bay."
The career spook took a long look at Alex, "Its good to know you're still that great kid I knew. It takes a brave soul to admit you need help. Luckily, you are covered under my health insurance as long as you reside at my place. No hospitals, just visits to my shrink, Joel. He's a bastard, as only an ex-deep cover spook can be and he will fight your corner. He lost his son in Iraq and has a huge grudge over those in charge fucking things up. Either that or join me bean counting in Beirut; with five forms needed for every requisition. Yes, being out in the open means you need to conform to government bureaucracy. Covert is much easier, when you can blackmail or just plain steal what you need."
…..
Edward Please had received a very strange email from Joe Byrne, suggesting they meet up as he was in DC for the next three weeks and left his personal mobile number. Of all the spooks involved, the CIA deputy director had been the only one to offer condolences in person to the journalist, his family and to Jack Starbright. Not one communication in six years, made the San Francisco based writer wonder what had happened. The last hurrah over the whole Rider business had been Blunt only serving four years on house arrest and was now living in exile in France. Alex's godfather had died as had a team of SAS on Dragon Nine in 2001. He sighed, pondering his grief and guilt over his daughter's friend; knowing that an offer of home might have prevented the chain of events that lead to his death; but he was too much of a realist to think that coulda should woulda was anything but a conscience salving exercise. He decided on keeping it purely work and not invite Liz along, knowing it was bad news. In DC, he could network with old friends, so he emailed back saying sure, name a time and place.