Note: Well….it's been a while. I'm so sorry to anyone actually reading this as updates definitely aren't regular. I don't really know why it takes me so long to update but I do actually have a life, as surprising as that is, and other stuff gets in the way sometimes. Plus, school's been an absolute nightmare and the workload is just… there isn't a word for how much work that place has given me. Well, rant over, i am sorry for the late update and, if this ends up being my last update before Christmas, I hope everyone (who celebrates it) has an amazing time, even though Covid has probably changed your normal routine! Feel free to review and I hope you enjoy :)...

Jack Starbright stared in disbelief at the piece of paper clutched in her shaking hands. Next to a picture of Alex, the three blood-red letters KIA seemed to glare up at her. A tear trickled down her cheek and she wiped it away with a trembling hand.

This couldn't be happening. Alex was only 17, he couldn't be- he shouldn't be- dead. There were still so many things he hadn't had the chance to experience. Marriage, graduation, having kids. All the little things that made life worth living. But, most of all, he hadn't had a chance at a normal life. Not only had MI6 taken his life, they had also stolen the last few years of his childhood.

After everything Alex had been through, the least he had deserved was the chance to be a normal teenager, without having to worry about MI6 or sociopathic millionaires trying to take over the world or any of the other insane crap that seemed to follow him around.

But there was no chance of that ever happening now, Jack realised with a jolt. Because Alex was dead. That was the simple truth and there was no denying it.

God, he had only been seventeen. To have your life snatched away at such a young age was just...barbaric.

But the thing that bothered her the most about the letter in her hands was not the briefness of it, although that did trouble her immensely. No, the thing she hated most was the way the letter stated that Alex had been "KIA" (killed in action).

Alex wasn't a soldier and he had never wanted to be a spy. So why did these people think it was okay to phrase this letter as if he was both?!

A red hot anger seemed to bubble up inside of her and she threw the paper to the ground and stamped on it, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks as she did so.

This wasn't how she'd expected or wanted her life to turn out when she'd moved to the UK. Of course, she had loved Alex dearly and the years she had spent with him, before MI6's involvement, were some of the happiest of her life. But, after Ian's death, everything had changed. Alex had gradually become colder and more subdued, jumping at the slightest noise and pointing a gun at any unexpected presence, even if it only turned out to be the postman (that had been funny, she remembered with a sad smile, they'd laughed for hours.) But, despite his evident competence for the job, no child should have to go through any of the things Alex had endured.

Honestly, in a sick sort of way, Jack was amazed that Alex had survived this long. All the odds had been against him constantly and yet he had still pulled thorough, he had always found a way to survive. Until now.

She sighed. It shouldn't have been like this. Alex should have been at school, with his friends, laughing and slacking off because wasn't that what teenagers were meant to do? She wouldn't know, and, she realised sadly, Alex wouldn't either. And, in a way, that was the worst part about all this. Those bastards at MI6 had recruited a 14 year old child and they'd ruined everything. They'd ruined his childhood, they'd taken his innocence, they'd, they'd… God, she didn't even know anymore. She missed him so much already.

And, somehow, she couldn't help but think that all this had partly been her fault. After all, the whole reason Alex had agreed to do the job in the first place was because they used her as a bargaining chip. Alex had risked his own life just to protect her and let her stay in the country. She didn't think the guilt of that would ever leave her. But, then again, what could she have done? If she had tried to leave the country with Alex, MI6 would have stopped them before they could even get on a plane. And then what would they have done to Alex? No, she'd done what was best for the both of them by staying, that was what she kept telling herself. But still, if she could have just…..

No! She mentally scolded herself. She shouldn't be thinking like this. What had happened, had happened, and it was awful, but there was nothing she could have done differently.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself, wiping the tears from her eyes. She wouldn't just sit here and feel sorry for herself, that wasn't what Alex would have wanted. And, true, maybe she couldn't have done anything for Alex before but that didn't mean she couldn't do something now. But what could she possibly do? God, her thoughts were whirling about her head, a complete mess of worry, grief and determination.

One thing was clear to her, though. Alex hadn't deserved to die.

And that was why, as she walked out of the briefing room, she promised herself one thing. She would make those who were responsible pay, one way or another. Blunt had dragged Alex into this world of deception and pain and now he would find out what it felt like to suffer.

MI6 had controlled Alex's life for too long and now their interference had led to his death. And, after all these years of feeling helpless, it was finally time to fight back...

Soooo...Jack's gone a bit rogue haha. Tell me what you think and let me know if there is anything you particularly enjoyed about this chapter or this fanfic as a whole as I really love it when people take the time to review my stories :).