The helicopter flew over London, only a blinking red light to the people below. Chloe smiled and laughed along with the team's celebrations, but her mind was miles away. Only Alex noticed. His hand never left hers. Wolf lent over and lay a thick fingered hand on her shoulder.
"Good work, both of you," he said, "I couldn't have asked any more."
She accepted the praise with a smile and a nod but felt ill.
"Thank you, sir," said Alex neutrally.
"Cheer up you two," Snake said, "this mission will go down in history. MI6 will teach their new recruits about how Chloe Hartford and Alex Rider saved the day."
A red mist clouded the girl's vision.
"How can you be so casual about it? A man is dead!" she snapped and immediately regretted it, "sorry. Ignore me."
"Ah. I remember my first," Snake reminisced, "I actually prayed for the first time in my life afterwards. On my knees and everything."
"I heard two gunshots," Wolf said pragmatically, "we don't know if it was Chloe."
"It was me…" she said quietly, "I know it."
"And if you didn't kill him, you'd be dead," he concluded, "and we'd take you home in a body bag and everything you ever worked for would be for nothing. Don't be ashamed of defending your life, Chloe."
"He was an evil man," Snake said, dismissing it with a wave of his hand, "the world's better off without him."
"It just feels…" she tried to think of a suitable word for what she felt, but nothing quite fit the ache in her heart and the sickness, like eels twisting around in her guts, "wrong," she finished limply.
"Give it time," Alex said, squeezing her, "no one is expecting you to feel normal after something like that."
Chloe was exhausted. Too much had happened. She needed to sleep and process it all. The ride back to MI6 was like watching herself in a dream. The helicopter touched down and they all crowded back into the lift. A black car with a silent driver took them from there. Without even noticing the passage of time or space, Chloe was standing in the conference room again. Wolf was there, Eagle, Snake. Blunt was speaking, pacing around with his hands in his pockets. Chloe listened and nodded but didn't hear anything. Alex was told off for falling asleep in his chair. There were dark circles under his eyes and he smelt of sweat and earth. Chloe knew she must look much the same. With a sympathetic pat on the shoulder for both of them, Jones sent them away to rest. Floor by floor, the central lift took them to the barracks. The rhythmic chime as each floor was passed threatened to send the girl to sleep. Alex slumped against the side and shut his eyes for a moment. Chloe pressed herself into his chest. His body was very warm and despite the not so pleasant smells, he still smelt like Alex. Safe and reliable. They held each other until their floor was reached. Chloe's eyes felt dry. One moment, it was all she could do not to cry, another, she felt nothing. Empty.
"I want to see Kyra," she said.
"Okay," he replied, too tired to ask questions, "I'm gonna sleep."
They parted ways in the hall. Chloe could hear the plastic tap of Kyra's keyboard even before she knocked.
"Come in."
The dark-haired girl was in her computer chair, one leg drawn up to her chest. In a rare moment, her hair was untied and it sat stiffly on her shoulders.
"Good job today," Chloe said with a weak smile, "and thank you. You saved my life back at the manor."
"You should have killed him," Kyra said harshly.
Chloe flinched at the word.
"Maybe."
"Why didn't you?" Kyra was failing to hide her anger. She pulled the other leg up and hugged her knees.
"I didn't- I couldn't just- Shit, what did you expect me to do? I was just trying not to die!"
When Kyra didn't say anything, just fixed her with a cold glare, Chloe felt the need to justify herself.
"He's one of the most dangerous men in the world, Kyra! Even in the dark he nearly killed me. And then he was gone before I could do anything about it!"
Kyra looked away, but her face had crumpled and she no longer looked furious.
"He's the only reason we found everyone in time…"
"What?"
"The ring. He must have taken in somehow. God knows why. But without that, we never would have found the location. I don't understand why…"
"We can ask him when we find him again."
"I've had too many close calls with that man. I couldn't beat him in a fair fight."
"Well, how the hell am I going to get to him then?" Kyra shot back.
"What is wrong with you tonight?" Chloe pleaded. She came to the girl's room because she needed… What? Maybe just someone who hadn't been there. Hadn't seen a man die.
"You let the guy who killed my parents go and I'm supposed to be fine with that?"
Chloe began to cry. Quiet tears rolled down her cheeks as she covered her eyes with her hands. Kyra said nothing, but the girl could hear her breathing evenly, trying to calm down. She crossed the room and pulled Chloe into an embrace. Just like that, the fight was forgotten, at least for that moment.
"Come on. Let's get some sleep."
Chloe had only meant to nap before going to find Alex, but she ended up sleeping through the whole night. She awoke suddenly, heart pounding from an unseen threat. She was terrified, but couldn't remember why. The sheets were soaked in sweat. Chloe swung her legs over the bed and picked at her wet shirt. The room was stiflingly hot. She opened the window and stuck her head out, but the air was stale and hot outside too.
"Why is the sheet so wet?" came a groggy, disgusted voice, "did you wet yourself or something?"
"It's just sweat," Chloe said, laughing, "and half of it's yours anyway."
Kyra made a noise of disgust and dragged herself from the duvet. Chloe helped her strip the bed bare and dumped everything in the corner.
"God, it's so fucking hot," Kyra said, fanning herself with a book.
There was an awkward pause and the two girls remembered the words they had exchanged the night before. Chloe broke it.
"I'm going to find Alex. I feel bad for leaving him alone all night. We'll talk about everything later," she promised.
"Alright. Later,"
Kyra was already tapping indecipherable code onto her PC, taking occasional notes on a pad.
Alex was up and showered when she entered her room. His eyes were ringed with grey and slightly bloodshot. There was a pleasant smell of orange shampoo in the air.
"Morning," she said after Alex had answered her knock.
"Morning," he hugged her, then held her at arm's length abruptly, "wow. You smell awful."
"Consequences of spending a hot, sweaty night in Kyra's bed," Alex laughed, "sorry I didn't come back. I fell asleep."
"It's alright. I passed out pretty quickly anyway."
"Still, I shouldn't have left you alone. I feel bad."
"I'll forgive you if you take a shower."
"Deal."
She was about to peck his lips but stopped herself, her breath probably didn't smell much better than her armpits.
Chloe didn't even gasp when the freezing water touched her skin. Rather, it felt unbelievably cool and refreshing. She hadn't noticed how dirty she had become. Her nails were brown with dirt, her hair greasy and contained seeds from crawling over the woodland floor. She washed her hair twice thoroughly and scrubbed the dirt from her nails. The effect of cleaning her whole body was soothing. It was one thing she could control, one thing she could take care of flawlessly. When she'd spat out her toothpaste, it was a foul mixture of brown and red. She ran her tongue over the teeth, appreciating the fresh mint replacing the metallic taste of blood and dirt.
The girl wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the ensuite. She flopped down onto the bed, where Alex was reading the news on his phone.
"Has the story broken?"
"Not yet. I reckon Blunt is drafting a response before it goes public."
Chloe draped herself over his chest and laid her head down.
"How are you doing?" She asked because she didn't want to talk about herself.
"Alright," he said, stroking her hair, "a bit like after Point Blanc. It doesn't feel real."
"Kyra was mad at me."
"Really? Why?"
"Because I didn't kill Yassen."
When Alex didn't say anything, Chloe bit her lip. She raised her head to look at him.
"Alex."
"I'm angry Yassen isn't dead too," he said gently.
"I couldn't just…" the argument died on her lips, "I think we're all angry he isn't dead. I failed you both. You've each lost much more than I have to that man. I should have done more, I should have-"
"Let me finish," Alex began to stroke her hair again, "when I think about him. About how he killed Ian and Kyra's parents, I get so angry. I'd like to think I could do it myself if it came to it. I wish he was dead every day. But I'm glad that you didn't kill him."
"Why? I don't understand."
"Because I would hate the thought of you killing someone for me. It's not fair. You shouldn't have to bear that burden. Kyra's was wrong to make you responsible."
"But we all agreed to take him down together! I was too weak to see it through."
"You did everything you could," he hugged her tight against his chest," I watched the footage you know. I don't think I took a breath from the moment he walked in the room to the moment the lights came on and I saw you were alright. I wasn't thinking about how much I hated him, I was thinking about how badly I wanted you to be okay."
Chloe just cried against his chest
"I never used to cry so much before I met you," she said, "you've turned me into such a baby."
"It's just a girl thing," he teased, his voice was oddly thick.
Chloe snorted and hit his shoulder playfully. But when she looked up, she saw that Alex's face was turned upwards to the ceiling and tears were running down his cheeks and onto his neck. She pushed herself onto her knees and kissed him for a long time.
"Do you think any differently of me?" she asked when they parted.
"No," he said, he knew what she was talking about, "you did nothing wrong."
"I feel different. Like I've discovered something about myself."
"You have. You've discovered what you're capable of," he said, "like Wolf said. You shouldn't be ashamed of defending your life."
"I know. But what kind of psycho would I be if I didn't feel weird about it?"
"You remember at Point Blanc?" Alex asked. Chloe was jarred by the sudden change in subject, "I was on Wolf team then. We came and rescued you from the fires."
"I remember."
"I only fired one shot that day. It was only from a stun gun, but I missed. The guy came at me and I pulled out my knife. Wolf got to him before I could do anything and knocked him out. Everything was too chaotic for me to think about it then, but afterwards, I felt sick. I knew that I would have killed that man if he'd got to me. Or I would have tried to in earnest. I know it's not the same thing, but I think I know a little how you feel."
"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" she asked.
"I think I was afraid you would think differently of me too."
Chloe had to laugh.
"We're both idiots," she said, "too scared to tell each other how we feel, even when we feel the same way."
MI6 was chaotic that morning. Everyone in the office was either frantically making phone calls or making reports on their computers. No one had called them there, but Chloe felt it necessary to make an appearance. She saw Smithers talking to a woman over their coffee cups. She smiled at him and he winked cheerfully at her. She'd send him a bottle of wine later. His gadgets had saved her life and the lives of dozens of women the day before. As soon as she saw Blunt's stern face through the glass of the conference room, she knew she wasn't ready to face it all.
"You know, what," she said, catching Alex by the arm, "you go ahead. I'm going to go see if everyone is okay."
Alex looked relieved himself, "maybe I'll go find Wolf and the guys. See how they're doing. Meet you back here."
She found the women in the infirmary, now a lot busier with a dozen extra cots set up in between the originals. Most of them were asleep. She saw Dina's long dark hair poking from the edge of the white sheets. Ocean and Erika were curled up together in the same bed and Priya was pestering a nurse, asking what she could do to help. Christie was having her bandaged face looked at by a nurse. The girl's eyes widened when she saw Chloe.
"Hi," Chloe said shyly. Not quite certain on how to approach. They'd been through too much to be strangers, "can I interrupt?"
"One moment, I just need to check everything is in the right place," said the nurse.
After a bit more poking and prodding, she left the two of them alone. Christie patted the bed and Chloe sat down.
"How's your face?" Chloe asked after a pause, "he got you pretty good."
"It'll scar. The wanker was wearing a ring. But I'll be fine. I've always thought scars were cool. How are you doing?"
"Seems like everyone is asking everyone else how they are these days. I should start wearing a badge or something."
"'Piss off, I'm fine," Christie suggested.
"'It's better than it looks'," Chloe said.
"Really though. I heard you killed Sanders."
"Probably."
"Hardcore."
"Yeah. Please don't ask me how I feel about it because I still don't know."
"I get that. You'll get no complaints from any of us here, though."
"Thanks." Chloe smiled. She liked how blunt the woman was. There was no hidden meaning with her or reading between the lines.
"I'll only say this once, right?" Christie sported a pink blush, "we're all grateful to you, you know? For getting us out. You really put your life on the line. That Alex kid too. They told us you were both only just eighteen. He your boyfriend?"
"Yeah. Happy birthday to us," Chloe laughed.
"Tell me about it. God... you two should be making out in the cinema, not this," she shook her head as if shaking the pity out of her, "really though. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'm just glad I was able to do anything."
"What's going to happen with Vaughn and all his lackeys?"
"Once the news gets out, it'll be a public crucifixion. I don't think he has any chance of getting out of this. The rest of them…" Chloe gave it her best guess, "I think they'll all be charged, but who knows how severe the sentencing will be. I think the defence will have a strong case for coercion."
Christie bit her lip.
"Sorry. I thought I'd tell you the truth. I'm not a lawyer though so I wouldn't listen to me."
"It's fine. That's what I was expecting anyway."
"Are you going to testify?"
"You're kidding, right? I want to look Mike in the eyes as I tell the world how he screwed me over. Some of the others might not. After all this, I think a lot of them just want to go home to their families."
"Have you got people to go back to?"
"Yeah. My dad and little sister. Jesus…" Christie rubbed her eyes before the tears escaped, "I saw a video of them on the T.V, begging for whoever had me to give me back. That was hard to watch."
Chloe drew the woman into a hug.
"But it made me happy too. To think that they cared about me so much. It's easy to forget that you have people that love you sometimes."
Chloe said hello to the girls she'd got to know behind the painting. Just like Christie, many had a fire in their eyes. They wanted to make sure that the people that did this to them rot in prison. Others wouldn't meet her eyes, only pulled the sheets over their heads. Dina hugged her before curling back up to sleep. More than the others, she looked exhausted. It must have taken a lot of energy to keep up that tough front for weeks. Now that she was safe, she was like an empty battery. Priya however, squeezed Chloe so tight she couldn't breathe.
"When you set off that bomb, or whatever that was," she said, "I was so scared I couldn't move. You've got guts, girl. Thank you for helping us."
Chloe pushed the heel of her hand into her eyes so that she wouldn't cry. She smiled at Priya and wished her the best. When she closed the door to the infirmary behind her, part of her wished she'd never had to see any of them again. They deserved to have their lives go back to normal as if all of this was just a bad dream.
The urge to go and see the man responsible for it all overtook her. She didn't resist it, though she knew Alex would be waiting for her upstairs by now. It wasn't surprising to see Jones at the doors. The security guard was checking her for metal objects.
"Jones."
"Oh, Chloe," she said as the guard removed a ballpoint pen from her pocket and raised an eyebrow, "oh for God- just take it then. Chloe, come with me."
The man pat her down and sent her on her way. She found Jones standing in front of a pane of one-way glass. Vaughn sat on a lonely chair behind a table, hands cuffed to loops on its surface. His hair was hanging limply over his eyes, the pupils shifted around restlessly like flies. A shiver ran through her body as she looked into those eyes, thinking of how casually he talked of her death. He looked so pathetic now, made small under the stark white light. Yet being in his presence made her uncomfortable. His insect eyes stared blankly through the glass and Chloe's skin felt alive with spiders. Jones noticed her tense shoulders. She lay an awkward hand on her and pat twice.
"Has he said anything?" Chloe asked.
"We can't get him to stop talking actually," Jones sighed, "he's told us how he planned everything half a dozen times now. He thinks if he explains himself well enough, we'll understand why he had to do it."
"What a psycho," Chloe scowled.
"Yes. A complete psycho," the woman smiled, "at least this will make it easier to convict him."
"Has he said anything about Yassen?"
"No. That's one thing he won't budge on. I think he's afraid of him."
"Can't blame him for that, I suppose."
"You and Alex both," Jones said, shaking her head, "you're drawn to him. This is one thing I wish you shared with Vaughn. Nothing good will come from you two chasing him. Twice you've come across him and barely escaped with your lives. I don't want to test if you'll be lucky with a third."
"I know," said Chloe, "but you are looking for him, right?"
"We are."
"What if I could help you?"
Jones sighed, "you're too emotionally involved. Alex and Kyra especially."
"Not like that. I don't want to chase him anymore. I do, however, think I might be able to get Vaughn to talk about where he went."
"Oh?" Jones raised an eyebrow, her white teeth showing in an intrigued smile, "how's that?"
"Let me in and I'll show you." Chloe nodded to Vaughn's room. Jones thought for a moment, then she called a guard over.
"I'm going inside with agent Hartford. Keep an eye on the situation while we're in there."
"Don't argue. Just do it," Jones said to Chloe as she was about to do just that.
Vaughn's head snapped up as they entered. Chloe expected him to grin at her and laugh, maybe spit at her feet and curse. But the man turned away and lowered his head.
"Hello," said Chloe, "remember me?"
Vaughn sniffed and refused to meet her eyes. Somehow, this infuriated her. She clenched her fist and kept the anger under control.
"What a role-reversal, hey? How are you liking it?"
"I'll be out of here in no time. You won't be able to hold me for long."
He didn't sound confident. Chloe was glad to hear his posturing because it confirmed her assessment of his character. If her ploy was going to work, he had to turn out to be exactly who she thought he was.
"I bet you're wondering how we found you in the end, right? You were so close. A few minutes later and it wouldn't have mattered if you got caught."
"Just say what you want to say," Vaughn spat.
"One of your guys betrayed you," she said evenly.
The man stood up violently. His chains rattled and the chair hit the floor. The security guard outside burst in with a taser gun trained on him.
"It's alright. We're fine," Jones told the guard and sent him away again.
Chloe felt a surge of pride. Jones trusted her with this. She couldn't mess it up. Vaughn had fixed her with a fury that almost made the girl flinch. She kept her face a mask of indifference. She was in control here. Vaughn couldn't hurt her.
"Fuck you!" spit flew from his mouth, "my guys are loyal to me. They wouldn't have snitched. They worshipped me."
"Sit down," she commanded, "or do you not want to hear the rest?"
Vaughn clenched his teeth, one vein pulsing at his temple. Finally, he gave in.
"Just tell me."
"It was your hired dog. Yassen."
"That piece of-" the man mumbled unintelligible curses under his breath, then slammed his hands on the table. Chloe flinched and was glad that he didn't notice, "I'll kill him. The amount of money I gave him- I'll kill him."
"It looks like we have a common goal then," Chloe crossed one leg over the other, "we also want him dead."
"So you want me to tell you where he's gone?" Vaughn barked a laugh, "I'm not a bloody snitch like him."
"That's a shame. What if I sweetened the deal then?"
Vaughn raised an eyebrow in answer.
"Gregorovitch is just about the most wanted man around the world. There isn't much the British government wouldn't do to catch him."
"It's true," Jones said, "there is a lot we could do for you if you were willing to help us."
Vaughn looked between the both of them. His eyes were wary and frantic. The eyes of a cornered animal.
"You said it yourself. Yassen's a liar. He betrayed you. Why protect him?"
Vaughn lent back in his chair, his jaw working as he thought.
"Tell me exactly what I'd be getting from this."
Chloe was tempted to tell him that they could erase all charges. It was the sweetest deal, but she knew he'd never believe it. She had to dangle just the right bait.
"We can reduce everything you're being charged with now- and let me be clear, you would never walk free again- and reduce it to kidnapping and endangerment. You didn't actually kill anyone, after all."
Vaughn looked thoughtful, but Chloe could tell he wasn't quite convinced. She took a gamble.
"And we'll do one other thing," she said, "your secretary. Nicole Jeffreys."
By how Vaughn's eyes stopped shifting, she knew she had him.
"She's not innocent either, is she? She knew about the whole thing. About where the girls were being held, even all of their names. She helped keep everything running smoothly, didn't she? She's facing nearly as many convictions as you. If you help us out, I can promise that she'll walk away from this with a record as clean as ever."
Vaughn's knuckles had turned white. Chloe was certain he was about to crack a tooth.
"Fine," he said with a voice so taught she thought he might snap, "I'll tell you. But I need everything you promised me in writing. I'm not saying a word until you do that."
"I'll put the legal team on it immediately. You have my word that we'll follow through."
Chloe didn't know how you were supposed to end a negotiation like this. She tried holding her hand out for the man to shake, though she dreaded feeling his skin on hers. He took it firmly. He did the same to Jones. He was many things, but Vaughn was also a businessman and a deal had been made.
Chloe leant against the glass once the door had fully closed. She put a hand to her heart. It was racing and a sheen of sweat had formed on her skin.
"You did well," Jones said, "very well. I'm proud of you."
Chloe gulped down her surprise and childlike elation at the praise.
"Thanks. We're not actually going to let them off, are we? I was just bluffing the hell out of anything I could think of."
"No. I'll draw up some very realistic documents and get all the right signatures. Vaughn's lawyers won't know don't need to know a thing."
"Sometimes I forget that MI6 is pretty much above the law," Chloe said, "it's kind of scary."
"It's meant to be scary. Puts people off messing with us."
"Let's just hope that he knows where Yassen went. I don't want all this to be for nothing."
"We'll get him eventually. He can't run forever."
"Jones' phone buzzed.
"Blunt wants us upstairs."
"Wait," Chloe caught her arm, "I wanted to talk to you about something."
Jones' expression grew grave, "tell me."
"Well, I…" Chloe found herself embarrassed, "actually, it's nothing serious. I just wanted to tell you that I'd got into my first choice university. I'm going to be studying forensics at the start of the school year."
Jones wasn't often stunned, but she was now. She pushed up her glasses.
"University?" she said the word as if it were foreign to her.
"Yep. An unconditional offer."
"That's," her face broke into a genuine smile, "that's great. I'm happy for you. Have you told Alex?"
"He's coming with me. He got into the same place to do sports medicine."
"Wow. I don't know what to say."
"That's alright. I just thought you should know."
"Of course."
"And," she took a breath, "I also want you to know that I do appreciate everything you've done for me. The whole of MI6. You were my family when I never had one. I know I didn't always exactly act that way, but I feel it. Thank you."
"There's a lot to be desired for our parenting methods," Jones admitted, "and I'll say that we should have done better in a lot of ways. I want you to know that I always saw you as family too. Even though I was pretty bad at showing it."
There was nothing left for it but to hug awkwardly in the hall with attempted murderers in every room around them. Jones patted her back robotically. Affection didn't come naturally. Chloe only smiled and squeezed tighter.
"Alright, that's enough. Let's get this over with."
It was the same with most meetings Chloe was forced to attend. She sat still for hours until someone decided they needed some information from her. She would say maybe two words before they were satisfied and went back again to talking in circles. Picking apart every detail of the events, what protocols were used, what they should have done instead, what they could have done better, what they should factor in for next time. Chloe would always struggle to stay awake toward the end. Her head throbbed, a residual effect of the drug she'd been forced to ingest mixed with the relentless voices. Sometimes, Alex would flick a paper ball at her to make her laugh while Blunt's back was turned. When Wolf caught him, he cuffed the back of his head. Chloe covered her mouth so she didn't laugh.
There was a horrible moment when the girl thought she had fallen asleep to a nightmare. Everyone in the room was staring at her, waiting for her to say something. She had the urge to look down to see if she was wearing trousers.
"Chloe, were you listening?" Blunt said with an air of frustration.
"Not really," she admitted. Alex stifled a laugh.
"We were talking about Albert Sanderson. The autopsy came in just now. Died from heart failure due to blood loss from a bullet wound to his heart."
"Right."
"The bullet was confirmed to be yours."
As she knew it would be.
"Is there a question?"
"No. I just thought I would inform you."
Chloe felt herself relax. She realised only now that she'd been expecting to have to defend herself. But of course, these people understood that she'd had no choice. She'd given a statement right after. As had the rest of the team. Every one of them said the same thing. He had a gun on her and she defended herself. There wasn't anything to debate about. Chloe had been expecting, dreading, someone telling her that she should have done something else. She should have dodged or aimed for his legs, anything but land a killing blow. It made her feel sick to think that everyone in the room agreed. Killing Sanderson had been the right thing to do.
Blunt ended the meeting an hour later. A statement would be prepared by the legal team for him to present to the Prime Minister. Jones didn't tell the room about the deal she and Chloe had made. The fewer people knew about it, the better. The room emptied quickly. Everyone had a job that had to be done before the end of the day. Many were already refuelling on coffee and tea in the small kitchenette. Chloe felt Blunt's hand on her shoulder as she went to leave.
"Meet you outside," she told Alex, who shrugged.
"Jones tells me you have an announcement," he said. He was only as tall as Chloe but always seemed to take up much more space. The wrinkles around his eyes deepened as he squinted at her.
"I suppose," she refused to be intimidated by his glare, "I'm sure you've already found out somehow, but I'm going to uni with Alex."
"Chloe, I don't-"
"Oh, don't," she scowled, "I'm not under any contract with you. I'm free to do whatever I want."
She crossed her arms, acutely aware of how childish she sounded and must have looked.
"I was going to say," he said slowly, "that I don't know what you are going to study. I wanted to know."
Chloe blushed at her mistake, "oh. Forensic science."
"Interesting," Blunt raised a grey eyebrow, "going into police work? Analysing chemical samples in a lab?"
"Maybe," she felt defensive despite her best efforts.
"I can't see you sitting behind a desk, filling in spreadsheets."
"I haven't thought that far ahead," she admitted, "I'm just interested in the science."
"I see. Best of luck to you then."
Chloe's mouth hovered open.
"That's it?"
"What were you expecting?"
"Nothing, I guess."
"I'll send you your pay. It should be in your account by tomorrow."
"Thanks, but that's not what I want most from you."
"I know. You want information," Blunt led her to his office, once inside, he retrieved a thick brown envelope from a desk drawer, "this is everything we have on Alex's parents."
Chloe reached for it, but Blunt didn't let go as she tugged.
"Give it to me," Chloe said, almost desperately.
"That isn't all that's inside," Blunt assessed the girl in front of him, "it also contains everything we know about your mother and father."
Chloe's fingers tightened around the paper.
"You told me they went missing in action," it took all of her concentration to keep her voice even.
"And that was the truth. But we haven't been idle in tracking them down. This file contains all the leads we've accumulated over the years. Jones insisted that you were old enough to be involved."
When Chloe didn't answer, Blunt carried on.
"It goes without saying that the contents of this file are top secret. Burn it when you have memorised the information."
The girl nodded blankly.
"What you do with it is your choice," he said, "I trust you to make the right call."
Chloe didn't want to leave just yet. Something felt unsaid between them, but she didn't know quite what it was. It wasn't as if she wanted a tearful goodbye from the man, but surely she meant more to him than a pat on the shoulder.
"I have work to do," he said, "would you like a driver to take you home?"
"No, it's fine."
The man stopped at the door, his hand lightly touching the handle.
"My number is always the same Hartford," he said, "should you need to contact me."
It was as close to saying 'keep in touch' as Blunt would ever get.
Alex wanted to see Fox again before they left. He'd been asleep when he had tried earlier and wanted to at least say hello. Rather than the infirmary, Fox had been taken to his room in the Barracks. Like Chloe's, it was sparse and less than decorated. There was an IV drip giving him a constraint stream of fluids on his right. On his left, sat Eagle, clutching his hand and whispering fervently.
"Alex, mate!" he smiled when he called them in.
Other than a black eye and a bandage around his head, Fox looked no worse for wear.
"How are you doing?" Alex asked, taking the man's hand as he slapped his back.
"Good. Got me on some great meds. Make me feel all wavey."
"He was saying some very interesting things when he woke up," said Eagle with a wry smile, "they've worn off a bit now. Shame."
"You," he pointed at her, "are a cruel woman. Anyway, seems like all I've been doing since I woke up is thanking people, but, thanks," he smiled, "all you idiots somehow managed to save my life."
"I can feel the love," Alex laughed, "but you're welcome. You would have done the same for us."
"Eagle was out of her mind," Chloe said, "it was kind of sweet."
The woman flushed, "come on, you don't have to tell him that stuff."
"If you say so," she sang. Fox shone with glee.
"I don't know what you're so happy about. I just didn't want to do your half of the chores at home."
"Ah, I see. So you weren't worried at all?"
"Nope. You're too much of an idiot to die."
"Can't argue with that logic," Alex agreed.
Chloe and Eagle found themselves on the edges of the boys' conversation. The woman seemed to have done this by design when she pulled the younger aside.
"They told me it was your kill. Straight through the heart. Couldn't have done it better myself."
"Well, you did miss it."
"Alright, cheeky. I'm just trying to say you did a good job under the circumstances. If you were anyone else, you'd probably be dead."
Chloe wanted to argue that it quite literally had been a shot in the dark. That all she had done was point and shoot without zero technique. But Eagle looked proud.
"I remember my first…" she looked at the ceiling, lost in memory for a moment. She shook her head, "just be glad it was a clean kill."
"But, don't you think I should have done something differently?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know, aim for the legs?"
"Then he would have shot you with a bullet in his leg and you'd be dead. This isn't A level ethics. When someone tries to kill you, you don't hold back."
The men had grown quiet as their conversation had grown in intensity.
"Everything good?" Fox asked.
"Yeah. Fine," said Chloe a little more sharply than she had intended, "I appreciate the advice."
Chloe hugged her to soften her words. She then put a gentle arm around Fox, who patted her head.
"Come visit, you hear me?"
"We will."
The house felt unbelievably empty. She threw her keys on the coffee table and sank onto the sofa. Jack would be back from American the next evening. She was coming home to quite the story. Not telling her wasn't an option. The woman could smell deceit like a bloodhound.
For once, the house was blessedly cool. The first drops in temperature were harbingers of autumn and Chloe couldn't wait. London in the summer was always stifling. Alex made a show of clattering pots and pans around until they both gave in and decided on takeout.
"The guys asked if we wanted to do something tomorrow, you up for it?"
"What about Jack?"
"A morning thing. Just a coffee or something. We'll be back before she is."
Chloe realised she hadn't checked her messages for days. Opening the app, she saw a swarm of activity from their friends, mostly wondering why they had gone silent. Micah made a joke that they'd been kidnapped, which Daisy told him off for. Then Marnie suggested they'd joined a sex cult in the woods and they'd never hear from them again. That got her told of by Daisy too. Chloe typed out a reply. An easy lie about taking a few days away from social media and phones. It was clear they didn't buy it, but they also knew better than to pry. It was decided they'd all go for lunch at a little cafe tucked away in a corner of Chelsea. Micah had turned his nose up at coffee and couldn't stand the smell. Chloe wondered what they would talk about. By tomorrow, the story would have broken and they'd have to act like they had no idea about any of it.
Chloe curled herself around Alex as they lay in bed. She wanted as much of their skin to touch as possible. The hot summer nights, windows flung open sprawled naked in the sheets, made it impossible to touch without overheating. But the night was cool enough that Chloe could indulge herself and make up for the lost time. Alex seemed to feel the same way, pressing his body into hers just to feel skin touching skin.
"Today felt final, don't you think?" He whispered. His mouth was right by her ear.
"I don't know about that," Chloe said, "nothing has been resolved. I feel like there are more questions than answers now."
"What do you mean?"
Chloe pointed to the thick brown envelope on the coffee table.
"Is that-?"
"The Arc of the Covenant," Chloe shifted her arm- it was falling asleep underneath him.
"Shit- have you opened it yet?"
"No. I'm too scared. Alex, Blunt told me something when he gave it to me. He said that it contains leads as to where my parents are."
Alex's mouth fell half-open.
"You've never brought them up, I assumed they weren't alive anymore."
"They might not be. They disappeared during a mission when I was four. Nothing has been heard from them since- or so I thought."
She eyed the envelope as if it were a poisonous spider. Horrifying yet intriguing to look at.
"Looks like we've all got mysterious parents," Alex laughed dryly, "do you even want to look inside? We've done this before. Say we're done and then get pulled right back in."
"I'm starting to think this will never be over, Alex. But I know one thing. If you want to pursue Yassen, if you want to figure all of this out- I'm with you. You've always got me."
Chloe looked into his blue eyes. More than ever, she was unsure as to where the future would take them. But on this one fact, she didn't have any doubts.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Well, that's it! I hope you guys liked it. I had such a blast writing this, please tell me what you thought of it in the reviews and I'll be forever happy. And if you want to go the extra mile, tell me how you think I could improve because constructive criticism is my kink. I'm not sure if I'll be writing a third instalment as an original story, but I was planning on doing the next season of the show as a fanfic. I think that's it, so thanks for reading the whole thing!
S