That next day found Alex a nervous wreck. He was fairly certain he could get the case thrown out but it still didn't negate the severity of the situation. Sure he had MI6 on his side but Kopp had an unknown terrorist group with clearly just as much sway. It made it all oddly fair. His life was literally in the judge's hands.
Eagle had called Mrs. Jones to let her know what they'd found out but Alex didn't think it was overly necessary. They now knew he knew. And the situation was still the same. Jones had told Eagle that Redden's group had never been properly identified.
That made Alex even more nervous. Who the hell was he dealing with? His first instinct was to think it was SCORPIA but they more snipers-on-rooftops kind of people. It was clean and simple. And while SCORPIA was very good at big elaborate schemes, they'd need a better reason to do it. And they certainly wouldn't have relied on someone they knew was a failure.
There was also the possibility that these people thought he was normal. He'd never met Kopp or possibly the people she worked for. They were doing this as revenge for what his Uncle did, even though the man was already dead. Redden still had a score to settle.
So it was with good reason that Alex couldn't force down a breakfast or that he couldn't stop pacing. K-Unit thought it strange to see him so nervous. Snake was even brave enough to comment on it.
"Nervous Cub?" he asked as Alex opened the fridge, didn't bother looking inside, and closed it for what was probably the fourth time.
"No, I'm cool as a cucumber," Alex replied sarcastically. Wolf smirked at the rather dorky comeback but didn't say anything.
"Have you eaten?" Snake asked as Alex once again opened and shut the fridge door.
"I can't remember," Alex replied honestly. He couldn't help it; he was confidant Kopp wouldn't win but the prospect of being taken away from Jack even on paper was tearing at him. He could possibly die and he hadn't even talked to her. Couldn't bring himself to.
"Cub, sit down," Wolf said, taking pity on the boy as he stared at the front door looking like a lost puppy. Cub didn't even hesitate to follow the order. "You do you realize that even if Kopp wins, there's no way you'll be handed over, right?"
Alex looked at him blankly. No, he hadn't realized that. He was stupid not to, though; that he realized. Wolf was right; MI6 would never hand him over to Kopp simply because a family court judge said to. They'd gotten him to court but they really didn't have a chance of getting him to go anywhere with them. Unless they had some sort of plan.
Could they have the resources to kidnap him from under MI6's noses? What if a part of the deal Kopp had made was to deliver him? Did she have the skills to take him from the courthouse? He didn't know. She was a trained MI6 agent, however failed, and possibly a terrorist now as well.
There was also the fact that Alex would probably have to go willingly if she won. He needed the name of that terrorist group.
"Yeah," he said knowing Wolf wanted an answer, then swiftly stood from the couch and resumed his pacing. He could practically feel the ulcer forming.
Alex found that without the adrenaline in his veins he was a lot more scared of dying. He could do his job when he needed to without thinking but all of that danger had been fast paced for the most part. Even with Sarov, Alex had never felt more dejected. He couldn't really pinpoint why he was suddenly feeling this way.
Maybe it was because he'd always assumed he'd die saving people, or from an enemy he'd made. Never had he pictured this. He felt like he was going to the noose without his last meal.
The threat he was experiencing now was so different from what he was used to. Alex didn't truly fear death; no it was the thought of dying for no reason. He could sacrifice himself for innocent people. He couldn't for money. And was what it all honestly boiled down to. Kopp and her incessant need for his money.
Their case hearing was set for one that afternoon but they needed to be there by eleven to go over last minute stuff with the lawyer. Alex was ready by nine and thus pacing impatiently as he waited for K-Unit to move. On his fourth trip by the living room, Fox finally snapped.
"Cub!" he said loudly and startling Alex out of his trance. "Sit down, now. You're going to drive me crazy with all the pacing." Alex decided not to test the man as his tone was quite scary and sat down between him and Wolf on the couch. Eagle was attempting to tie his tie in his bedroom and Snake was on the phone with someone.
"What is wrong with you?" Fox asked as he eyed the boy. Alex shrugged.
"I don't know," he said. And truthfully he didn't. He was highly confused as to why he was feeling so jumpy but the more he thought the more confused he became. He knew MI6 would not just let him leave with Kopp but he was starting to doubt that he could solely rely on anyone to keep Kopp away from him. Plus, they might not do anything to help on purpose, simply because they wanted her people. It was all rather screwed up.
The no back up thing wasn't really a problem; he'd been in worse situations by himself before but again something in the back of his head would start niggling at him and he'd resume his pacing and would continue being nervous.
"Cub, are you scared?" Wolf asked, giving him a weird look.
"No!" Alex replied hotly and crossed his arms.
"You look scared," Wolf insisted.
"I'm not scared," he informed the wayward man. He wasn't scared.
"Are you sure?" Fox asked. Alex resisted his urge to punch the man. He was positive. When Alex didn't answer Wolf continued talking. Alex wished he wouldn't.
"It's okay to be afraid of being taken away, Cub," the soldier told him. "It's normal."
And there it was. The whole reason for all of this jumbled mess in his head. He didn't want to be taken away. It was why he was a spy. Why he'd gone through so much; he didn't want to be taken away. And no matter how unlike he'd thought this situation would end up being, it was the sole reason for his nervousness. It was hitting too close to his biggest fear.
He didn't want to be taken away.
Alex looked at Wolf.
"I'm not scared," he insisted, getting up from the couch and resuming his pacing. No one tried to stop him again.
Andy hated ties. He'd never learned how to put one on and in the end he just gave up. He was too proud to ask one of the guys for help and since Cub wasn't wearing a tie either he thought it'd be okay to forgo it. When he left his room, he found Cub still pacing and the guys still relaxing.
They were all in suits as they had all been asked to come by Andy. Rey had been the hardest to convince and it had taken him nearly half an hour to assure the man that he wasn't there for moral support, that no one expected moral support from him, and that, yes, he thought more of him than just a human shield for Cub.
"Should I bring my gun?" Andy wondered aloud as he leaned against the doorframe to the living room. Jake looked at him like he was insane.
"Only if Abby will bail you out because I sure as hell ain't doing it," he said. Andy gave him a low level glare as he felt Cub brush by him in the hall. That was going to get annoying. What the hell was wrong with that kid?
"I'll take my id," he said. Jake still shook his head.
"I don't think that's a good idea. You're still off duty."
"Fine," he said. "Cub, are you ready to-" He didn't even finish his sentence when he heard the front door shut as Cub left the flat. He turned back to the other two soldiers. "What's wrong with him?"
Rey just shrugged, stood, and followed the jumpy boy out.
Andy couldn't help but be amused as he watched Cub continuously glare at Kopp while she ignored him entirely. It was actually an amusing sight. It was also a bit surreal. Never in a million years would he have thought he'd be battling Cub's custody case against a gold digger working for terrorists. He blamed Cub; the boy was a magnet for strange situations.
Horton was sitting closest to Kopp's side, with Cub at his side and Andy on the end. Andy surreptitiously kicked Cub lightly under the table to get him to stop glaring. Not only did Cub not stop glaring, he responded with a much harder kick to Andy's shin. The soldier couldn't quite suppress his grimace as he rubbed the fast forming bruise. Really, that was not necessary.
Andy glanced around the courtroom and saw a good sized audience. He saw a group of what could only be law students there to learn from the proceedings. Some people who either curious or waiting for the case after theirs. And there was what were unmistakably MI6 agents. Andy hoped they'd brought their guns.
Five minutes later they rose for the judge and the proceedings started. Andy listened intently as Horton did indeed poke his holes in Kopp's case, pointing out that Ms. Starbright had done nothing to convey that she was an unsuitable guardian and that unlike Kopp, Starbright wasn't a complete stranger.
Kopp's lawyer threw out Cub's school record, the recent drug charge (which Horton pointed out had been dropped after being disproven), and various interviews from Cub's teachers about bruises and injuries. Andy squirmed at that; it didn't look good.
Horton then went on to attempt to have the case delayed by arguing that Andy was only a temporary guardian and that this was beyond his legal responsibilities to which Andy agreed wholeheartedly. The judge didn't seem to think it was pertinent to wait until Starbright was back.
Andy was looking around to see if there were any threats besides the obvious when his name being called to the stand sounded through the courtroom. His head snapped back to the front so fast he was lucky not to crick his neck. He looked at Horton with a shocked and confused face.
What the hell? Nobody had said anything about him testifying!
"Mr. Rosten," the judge said breaking him away from his silent conversation with the MI6 lawyer. Andy gave a Cub a quick glance before standing up and going to the stand. He did the whole hand on the bible thing and took a seat.
Kopp's lawyer looked a tad smug as he approached him.
"Mr. Rosten," the man said, his silky tone already irritating Andy.
"Yeah," he replied roughly. He saw Jake shake his head.
"Alex's school councilor was kind enough to inform me that you'd told her that you've known Alex for some time," he said. "Is that true?"
"Yeah." It was true. Brecon Beacons had happened almost a year ago.
"She also informed me that he was in a car accident. Is that true?"
"Yes," Andy replied deciding it wasn't a lie if he believed it. He didn't know if Cub had been in a car accident or not, but decided to take it as truth.
"And you were the one driving?" Crap, he'd have to lie.
"Yes." He had no idea where this was going and by the look on Cub's face he didn't either. Horton was impassive.
"You don't really know Alex Rider do you?" the lawyer asked.
"No, I know him," Andy said, purposefully not fully answering the question.
"How often does Alex stay with you?"
"Only when he has to," Andy informed him. "Jack isn't often away." God, he hoped that was the truth.
"How close would you say you two are?" Well, this was sufficiently awkward. He'd told the school he'd known Alex for some time. There had to be a certain amount of trust there for Jack to supposedly 'choose' for him to take care of her ward for two weeks. He took a wild guess to the right answer.
"Fairly," he said simply. He saw Cub look over his shoulder at the other members of K-Unit directly behind him. What he was looking for, Andy had absolutely no idea.
"Has he ever complained about his current situation?" Ah, the guy wanted him to tell the court that Cub was terribly abused. Like hell.
"No more so than any other teenager does," he replied smoothly. He saw the judge give an amused, understanding smile.
"What kind of complaints exactly?" the guy pushed.
"I don't know," Andy said trying to sound like this wasn't rehearsed, which it technically wasn't but still. "Wants a later curfew, money for movies. That type of stuff."
"Have you ever seen any strange or unexplained bruises on Alex?" Really, could these questions get any more awkward?
"No, I mean plays football, so he's always got a couple of little bruises," Andy replied, recalling the conversation he'd had with Cub when Jake had first visited. "He's a teenage boy, he's not the most careful person on the planet." He recalled a time during training when Cub had jumped off a cliff into the lake to go after some fallen equipment. It'd practically given the Sergeant a heart attack as, apparently, there were a lot of underwater boulders in that lake. The judge gave another understanding smile.
"How exactly did you meet Alex, Mr. Rosten?" the lawyer asked. Well, this was a much easier question as there was no precedent and the only other person who was needed to keep the story straight was listening.
"Through his guardian," Andy replied. "Jack. I met her at a club."
"Does she often leave him alone at night?" the guy asked with a raised eyebrow. Andy shook his head.
"No, she really only goes out late at night when he's sleeping at a friend's," the soldier replied.
"And who are his friends?" Andy didn't think it would too weird if confessed to not knowing any of them.
"I don't know," he said. "I haven't really met any of them. A couple of rides here and there but that's it."
"Have you and Ms. Starbright ever dated?" He decided the truth was best as Cub couldn't quite keep the scandalized look off his face and he was pretty sure the judge saw it as well.
"No, we're just friends." The interrogation went from there as Andy was forced to spin tales from whole cloth concerning his supposed relationship with Cub, Jack, and what he knew of their relationship really did hope he was convincing but wasn't entirely sure until the lawyer appeared to be getting frustrated. Finally he was allowed to step down and Cub was called to the stand. The boy was asked similar questions and gave correlating answers. He even managed to work in a plea to the judge to leave custody with Starbright. If Andy hadn't been completely sure that the plea was fully sincere he would have been impressed with Cub's acting skills.
When Cub was told to step down the court was given an hour long recess and the judge went to his chambers to make his final decision. Cub immediately left for the corridor, ignoring Kopp, and with K-Unit following close behind.
Cub was sitting on a bench with the others standing around and talking when Kopp came into the wide corridor. She started over and the boy stood to match her. The soldiers flanked him. An impressive sight indeed. Kopp stopped directly in front of the boy.
"Alex," she greeted, keeping her tone pleasant.
"Tara," he returned.
"It's nice to finally to meet you."
"No it's not," he returned coldly. "What do you want?" She gave a nasty smirk.
"I'm sure you know," she said. "I've seen your school records. You're a smart boy even if your current grades are so utterly terrible. Did Ian's death hit you that hard?" Cub's stiff posture went even stiffer.
"Go to hell," he spat and she let loose a cold laugh. "Who do you work for?"
"I work for nobody," she said evenly .
"Who are you working with?" he amended.
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," she said. With that she turned and left.
"Why hasn't MI6 stepped in already?" Rey asked Ben as soon she was out of earshot.
"This is probably the first time they've known exactly where she is since this all started," he replied.
"They want her partners as well," Cub jumped in. "They're purposefully waiting. It's all worth it if they catch all of them, not just her."
"We need to be careful leaving," Ben said. "If Kopp loses, she loses some money but her partners might still try something, depending on whose plan this is."
"What do you mean?" Jake asked. "Thought they were partners."
"If this is Kopp's plan, the others may not be overly interested in the outcome. If they get the kid, great, they get to teach MI6 a lesson. If they don't they're not gonna risk one of their people to get their hands on the nephew of a guy who's already dead."
"But," Cub said. "If it was the terrorist's plan, they may have a backup plan."
"Let's hope its Kopp's plan," Andy said. Cub nodded in agreement.
"I find that the best interest of the child in question, Alex Rider, lies with his current permanent guardian, Jack Starbright," the judge said. The judge's gavel hitting the circular wooden block on his bench lifted a great weight from Andy's shoulders. Thank god! No, potential blacklisting, and no dead Cub. Well, yet. Baby steps.
Andy looked over at the boy who was staring at where the judge had been sitting, relief evident on his face. He didn't see her raise the gun. But Andy did and he moved fast. He blamed Cub for the bullet that cut through his bicep. It hurt like hell.