AN: YAY chapter three at your service. Thank you all for the lovely reviews guys!
There was another mission, and Alex was not going to like it. Birkhoff had gathered the Intel on the target a few hours earlier and together with Nikita and Michael figured out a plan. Unfortunately they had to ask Alex for a favor she had every right to turn down. She wouldn't of course; as it would jeopardize the ultimate goal of destroying division. Yet no one was certain in what capacity they would get Alex back.
"Okay, listen up." Michael called as Birkhoff showed the picture on a bigger screen, visible for everyone in the room. "This is our next target. His name is Trevor Daniels, sixteen and currently graduating from Thomas Jefferson high school for science and technology."
"What do we want with him?" Alex questioned as she stared at the picture of the cocky boy.
"We don't want him. Division does. This boy has an IQ to rival Birkhoff and knowledge of the newest systems on the planet. Now Birkhoff isn't working with Division anymore, they need a replacement. This boy is the only one that comes even close to resembling Birkhoff." Nikita answered her question.
"Now wait a minute! He might have an IQ that comes close to mine and knows some fancy tricks on the computer, but I never mutilated animals or got people in the hospital." The resident genius huffed.
"What are you talking about?" The young spy asked.
"This guy has a record; Division wouldn't get him unless they were desperate. He has been known for some small arson problems, he once broke all the legs of his neighbors their cat and then set it on fire. While it was still alive! He also has beaten a little boy to an inch of his life because he had accidently kicked his soccer ball against his head." There was a thick silence in the room. "He has been tested and found to be having some psychopathic tendencies."
"So what is exactly the plan?" Ryan asked, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl.
"There will be a masked ball at a hotel not far from the school. All students are invited. Alex will infiltrate there as a student and find Trevor. Charm him if necessary, but make sure he leaves the party unnoticed. We do not need any witnesses. Division will not be moving in until after his graduation. This is the last chance we will have."
"What am I supposed to do with him? Bring him here?" The silence that followed was clear enough for Alex. "You want me to kill a sixteen year old boy!" She exclaimed.
"It's the only way. We can't trust him to help us once he understands that Division will give him a better pay. If we keep him alive he will be snatched up by Division. He is a genius so he would probably find a way to escape our clutches if we put him in a safe house." Nikita placated the younger girl.
"He is just so young, he has a family." She whispered.
"We know, but we can't let him go free. We currently have the upper-hand with Birkhoff on our side. If Percy gets his hands on Trevor we might lose that advantage." The older woman was having a hard time with it. She understood Alex her reluctance, and it could damage the younger girl much more than they were able to predict.
"Fine I'll do it, if only to take revenge for the cat." She muttered. Birkhoff had to keep himself from laughing. Trust Alex to make the tortured cat the reason for tipping the scale.
"Here is your microphone and ear piece. I will be there with you. Now this little guy you need to keep clear off. This syringe contains a high dose of nearly untraceable venom. One shot of this and the coroner will think he suffered a heart attack. Make sure to stick it in a spot where it won't be easily noticed as the point where the needle goes in will get a little inflamed." Birkhoff explained as he handed her all the equipment. She was dressed in a dark red dress that had been cut open at one side to almost her thigh so she could move easily. It had a corset like top, making it easy to hide the needle between her breasts. Her dress was red with a black trimming. Her mask had the same red color as a base, but was trimmed with gold glittery lines. Her hair was swept away from her face in an intricate bun with a few curls escaping.
"Wish me luck." She said as she waved Ryan and Birkhoff goodbye. Michael would driver her there and stay outside in case she needed back up. Nikita would be one of the waiters.
The party had already started when she arrived. They wanted her to enter when the party was already in full swing so she wouldn't be noticed too much. Alex scanned the crowd for a figure that resembled Trevor. "Birkhoff, how am I supposed to know which of these guys is Trevor. They all look the same with these masks on." She whispered, grabbing a drink from one of the trays.
"Give me a moment Sweetheart, most people use rented costumes for these types of things. There must be a paper trail to see which one he has rented." The sound of tapping filled her earpiece. The room was warm and stifling. 'I might as well go to the bathroom.' Alex thought as she didn't get a reply from Birkhoff. It was impossible to find the guy in this crowd without a detailed description.
There were four other girls in the bathroom, dressed as elegantly as Alex was. She listened to their inane chatter as she entered one of the cubicles in the pretense of having to use the toilet.
"You know, I just can't wait for prom to come around."
"I know Charlaine, this party is awesome, but then we will be finally finished!" another girl replied.
"That wasn't what she was talking about, were you Charlaine?" Another girl teased. "She and Tommy are planning to take the next step…if you know what I mean."
"Shut up Sasha!" the girl named Charlaine replied, but it was clear she meant no harm as she laughed along with the rest of the girls. The slamming of the door and the sudden silence told Alex she was finally alone. She had taken the needle out of her top, as she wouldn't have time to do so once she got their target separated from the rest without being suspicious. Splashing some water on her neck and checking if her make-up was still in order she left the bathroom.
"Wow, do girls really have conversations like that in the bathroom?" Birkhoff his voice came through the earpiece. "Yes they really do Birkhoff; do you have something for me about how our Target is dressed?" Alex replied drily, typical for the nerd to focus on something inane as girls chattering.
"Yes, apparently our guy has rented a Victorian suit, and I mean a true Victorian suit: The cravat and all. His mask is a deep red apparently. He should be about your height if that helps." With that their conversation was once again on the mission. It took Alex about ten minutes before she spotted him at the bar. He was a rather handsome boy from what she could see. Slim, but there were clearly some muscles underneath his clothing. She had already known how his face looked but the startling blue eyes and yet black hair was still a rather nice sight. If only he wasn't a psychopathic jerk.
"Can I have a white wine please?" She called to the bartender as she slit onto the stool next to the boy. He turned to look at her, and while he was a rather handsome boy that leering look didn't work on anyone their face.
"I don't think I have seen you here before?" He said. 'What a cliché.' Alex thought, before she realized he was right.
"No I'm sure you haven't. I am new here. My father recently got transferred here. I'm Alexandra." She introduced herself, letting her Russian accent sound clearly.
"I'm Trevor. Where are you from? Russia?" She gave him a slight nod while she shook his hand.
"I'm afraid I do not know a lot about Russia, all I know is that you guys sure like your vodka." He made it sound like a joke. Alex laughed maybe a little louder than necessary. She leaned forward on her chair so her lips were right next to his ear. "It's not the only thing we like." She whispered seductively as she nibbled at his earlobe. She grabbed her white wine and threw him a flirtatious wink. "He will surely follow you now." Birkhoff muttered in her ear. Just like they both had expected Trevor followed her out of the hall to a men's toilet down the corridor. The point was for the boy to be in a logical place when he died. No one expected the boy to drop dead of a heart attack in a broom closet, and the hallways were too visible. She leaned back against the far wall; one of her hands was covered by the fabric of her dress to make sure he didn't see the syringe. He placed both his hands on both sides of her face, leaning forward for a move. Alex struck as fast as a viper. She plunged the needle at the back of his head at the spot where his hair ended and his skin began. The slightly shaggy hair would cover up the reddened puncture mark and because of the natural causes of death they wouldn't do a full autopsy. The boy thrashed for a second as he felt the needle go in, only to slump against her. Trevor Daniels was officially death. Alex slammed his head against the counter as if he had fallen forward when his heart stopped and then left the bathroom. Instead of leaving through the front door she took an entrance meant for the staff where she met up with Nikita. "Target down." Were her last words to be said that evening.
Alex didn't come down for breakfast the next morning which made the already guilty tension even worse. Nikita hadn't been able to let Alex die because the girl had been a child then, Trevor had only been two years older than Alex back then. He was jerk, but still a child in many ways. The only reason he was death was because he was born with a high IQ. They may have been all involved, but Alex was the one to pull the trigger figuratively speaking. Birkhoff grabbed a plate of scrambled eggs and some toast to take up to Alex her room. The girl had to eat at least something.
He found her sitting on the windowsill in her room looking at the ocean. "knock, knock, room-service." Birkhoff joked as he walked into the bedroom. Even without the make-up and fancy clothing Alex looked beautiful, but the red rimmed eyes rather ruined the picture for him. "If you are feeling guilty about Trevor: don't . He tortured a cat remember." She took the offered plate of food, but only toyed a bit with the toast.
"It's not Trevor. While I am not happy with what I did, it was necessary." She muttered.
"If it is not him, then what is it?" He didn't dare sit next to her as an emotional Alex could easily become a violent Alex.
"You remember those girls, talking in the bathroom?"
"Yeah they were talking about prom and…such." It was a rather awkward thing for Birkhoff to talk about, mostly because he had absolutely no idea where she was going with it.
"It just made me realize how much I missed. I never went to high school or had a prom. My first time was on a filthy mattress in the back of a van. I just hate the fact that I lost so much of a normal youth."
He finally understood what she meant. "You never were meant for a normal youth anyway. You are the daughter of Nikolai Udinov, you were always meant for bigger things than who to take to the prom." He realized she wasn't going to become violent any time soon and he would be safe if he sat down next to her. "Would you really have liked it, the normal life?"
"I don't know. Perhaps I would be bored, but I just hate the fact that I never had a chance at it." She finally took a few bites.
"Well I did, Division didn't get their claws on me till I was halfway through university. I can tell you it is not much better. So don't worry too much about 'What ifs'. At least you have a couple of friends who are in the same position as you." He gave her a small nod and then left the room, leaving her to her own thoughts.
She found him later on the day, when he was getting changed in something more comfortable in his own room. He wasn't really planning to go to sleep yet, even though the other agents had already retired to bed. He drank too much energy drink to go to bed early. He was planning to work on a couple of things before he went to bed as well.
"What can I help you with Sunshine?" He asked as he pulled his shirt over his head.
"You were right earlier. I wouldn't have you guys if my life had been normal. You are the best friends I could ask for. So are you feeling up for a movie and ice cream?" she asked getting a DVD and a tub of Ben and Jerrys cookie dough from behind her back.
"That depends on the DVD. No chickflicks in this room." She smiled holding up the DVD for him to see. "Shaun of the death. You have passed my test." He pulled it out of her hands and put the disk into the box beneath the flat screen that was hanging in front of his bed. Alex fluffed up some pillows on the bed and made herself comfortable underneath the blankets, opening the tub of ice cream.
"Scoot over Sweetheart." Birkhoff muttered as he joined her on the bed, grabbing the second spoon. If they sat a little closer than necessary that night, no one mentioned it.
AN: hope you guys all liked it! Please read and review :D.