A/N: Happy Monday, all!

I have to say, I'm getting super excited for these next parts. And by excited, I mean, "I'm rubbing my devious little paws together and cackling to myself." Just so you know. ️


Ben shoved his glasses up, watching the small figure disappear from the light of the closest streetlamp. Not that he needed the light with the nightvision capabilities of his spectacles to recognize the brat. "I knew it."

Eagle sighed from where he was wrestling noodles onto his plastic fork. "Yes, Ben, you do look like a prick wearing those at night. We didn't want to say anything."

Ben snapped his fingers, cutting off Wolf before he could chime in. "Alex was here. Outside."

"What?" Snake said, coming to stand by the window and squinting down at the pavement below. "How do you-?"

"I heard something in the hallway when I went out to get the food. I didn't realize it was him until just now."

Setting down his plate, Wolf crossed his arms and gave him a sharp look. "Why didn't you look into it? Anyone listening in on or taking notice of this flat is a bad sign. It could have been anyone. The SVR. Those mafia people Gregorovitch works with."

Ben shook his head. "I went back for my wallet, remember? I didn't see anyone running, I just heard a noise like someone had tripped and hurried on. There's a lot of people in this building and none have seemed interested in us. I didn't actually see it was him until now. I mean, it had to be."

"What do we do?" Snake asked.

"I'm not sure we need to do anything," Wolf said slowly. "He's supposed to know we're here. That's the mission. If he's spooked, that was going to happen regardless, correct? I know we're not supposed to approach him until Monday but-"

"But what did he overhear?" Eagle dragged himself to his feet. "He was standing outside the flat so he was probably eavesdropping, if I had to take a guess. I don't think we said anything scary. I mean, we did mention the mission before Ben left to get the food, though…"

Ben heaved a massive sigh. "We're off to a great start then. I mean, it's obvious we're here for a mission that involves him, but now we have to assume they know the details of it."

Internally, he cheered. Any signs that their appearance in Russia had been anticipated would be chalked up to Alex being Alex, not a mole passing information to Smithers at a semi-steady rate.

Wolf scowled. "It's probably better we talk to him as soon as possible. Make sure he's got his story straight in case he goes talking to Gregorovitch. If he didn't overhear the actual mission directive, he might give the guy the impression we're here for more trouble than we intend."

Fuck. Wolf was right, but more than he knew. Gregorovich already knew about the mission itself, but Ben wasn't certain the man understood who they were exactly. That they were the same team of soldiers sent to snatch Alex last time.

Of course, that was assuming that Alex didn't point to Ben immediately and list his real profession. Soldiers already looked bad enough, but MI6's coverup of Ben's agent status would suddenly look a lot more aggressive. An obvious threat.

This could be a massive problem if not approached carefully and quickly.

Ben set his jaw and used his glasses again, unease growing. "It's too late. I think he just went into his building. There's no way we'll get past the concierge at this hour. Our building schematics don't show any other good way in except the front door."

Snake grimaced. "Well, back to the original plan then. We approach him ASAP and pray no one gets the wrong idea in the meantime. Maybe we should take shifts tonight in case we get a visit from everyone's favorite terrorist for hire."

"Agreed." Ben scrubbed a hand across his face. "This was partially my fault, so I'll take first. You guys get some rest."


Alex took the lift up to their floor, pressing a hand to his chest as his heart rate finally returned to normal. His night surely wasn't over, but talking to Yassen wouldn't be quite as stress inducing. The man would be frustrated with him, certainly, and angry that he'd lied to him over text. Still, Yassen had an unusually high tolerance for Alex's general… Alex-ness… and would at least hear him out about what he'd been up to before he started in on him for the riskiness of what he'd done. Alex might have technically endangered himself, but now he could confirm who had come and what their strategy was, so that had to be worth something, right?

He entered the code and tapped his keyfob before tugging open the front door. Yassen would be very, very cross with him. Alex was sure to get at least a twenty minute safety lecture. He scowled as he tugged off his coat and glanced around the empty apartment. Yassen must be out getting food. It was just as well: it would buy Alex plenty of time to figure out how to appease the man. Maybe he'd promise to be extra safe for the next few weeks and go straight home after school. Do some extra cleaning. Let the man pick what Alex ate for dinner for at least one meal. Perhaps try his hand at cooking dinner himself one of these nights and-

Alex froze, looking down at the slightly ajar foil lid of the brownie pan.

Oh, no.

He yanked it up, confirming his fears: an empty space remained where a full sized brownie had been removed.

Alex was supposed to have cut those squares into quarters when he got home, to mimic the edible's THC content that he'd gotten used to in America. Only he was also supposed to cut those quarters into eighths to make sure it wasn't more than he could handle because this strain was especially potent.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-

He yanked out his phone, darting over to Yassen's bedroom door to confirm it was empty. So was the office for that matter- the door hung open to reveal the dark, empty interior. He glanced back down at the little screen, furious to realize he hadn't actually checked the text he'd gotten just as Ben had started to leave the apartment. Had forgotten all about it.

Yassen was going to be right there?

What?

Right. He thought Alex was across town at the market they'd shopped with Dima at and had gone to join him. Meeting up with him like they often did to save time. So they could get food together.

Alex glared at the screen, flicking through menus until he could see what time the message had been sent. Fifteen- no, twenty minutes ago. Shit. Yassen could be nearly there by now if he'd taken a taxi. Maybe he was riding a train. This was assuming that he sent the text before leaving and not while he was on his way.

The teenager winced. In Kingman, when he'd done edibles for the first time, Yassen had said he didn't know how long they lasted since he'd never tried any. As far as Alex knew, cigarettes and booze were the most mind altering chemicals Yassen had ever done, not that the man had given him his entire substance abuse history. He certainly seemed to lack first hand knowledge of what Alex's own highs were like so Alex was willing to bet it wasn't extensive.

Alex buried his face in his hands, letting out a soft moan.

Yassen, an armed assassin with a Scorpia-sized paranoid streak and the predisposition to enact violence at the drop of a hat, was about to be VERY unexpectedly high in downtown Moscow without any understanding of what was happening, all while K-Unit was camped out across the street trying to gather evidence that the man was unfit to look after him.

Fuck.

He dialed Yassen's number immediately, without bothering to rehearse his phrasing. No matter how much shit he was going to catch for this, he had to warn the man about what was going to happen. It rang and rang and rang. He hung up and dialed again as voicemail kicked on. Actually- Alex paused to grab his coat and drag it back on- even if Yassen did pick up, he might be too disoriented to navigate himself out of a paper bag, much less back onto the metro and back home without making it obvious that he was inebriated. Alex would just have to hope he found the man before anyone else.


"Are you sure he was by himself?" Wolf demanded, grabbing his coat.

Ben nodded, already planning. "Positive. Not only was he alone, he seemed worried. Phone pressed to his ear and on foot. He was in the building for maybe ten minutes. Not nearly enough time to explain himself to Gregorovitch and then he takes off like a bat out of hell. He's going to meet him, obviously."

"If he's panicking, that definitely suggests he doesn't really understand our mission," Snake said. "We might only get one chance to explain ourselves before he does something stupid."

"How sure are we that's what's going on?" Eagle asked slowly. He held up a hand. "Hear me out. What if he's just high?"

Snake gave him a stern look. "Then he's in distress and might still need help. Not that it changes the fact that he probably did eavesdrop on us. Really, Eagle."

"Point taken. We might also need to consider that he's leading us into a trap before we go tearing out here," Eagle countered. Regardless of his words, he grabbed his coat and tugged it on.

Wolf scowled. "Now who's calling him a junior terrorist?"

"We don't have time to squabble," Ben snapped. "But there is the chance that he'll double back or slip through our fingers. Wolf, you're with me. Snake and Eagle, keep an eye on their building in case he returns or gives us the slip. I'm not taking any chances."

Eagle scowled, but didn't argue. "I suppose we don't want to be caught on our own in case mummy comes home early, do we? Fine. Buddy system it is. Stay in touch."

With a sharp nod, Ben let himself out of the apartment, heading steadily for the lift with Wolf hot on his heels. It seemed to take an entire eternity, though intellectually Ben knew this was faster than trying to use the stairs. He sucked in a deep breath and tried to summon his patience, doing everything in his power to keep his face smooth.

Wolf studied him, eyes tense. "Spill it."

"What?"

"You're holding back," Wolf said as the door to the elevator dinged open and they both swiftly stepped on. He turned to face the door as it shut. "When we realized Cub overheard everything, you went on high alert. More so than anyone else. I trust you fine even though you're a spy now, but don't let the whole team run in blind. Give us something."

Ben set his jaw, not bothering to deny it. Damn. While he definitely hadn't expected Wolf to read him so well and would have to work on that, he still had plenty of room to express his doubts without roping anyone in on the riskier points of his situation. "I've got suspicions about this mission."

"We all do," Wolf said wearily, folding his arms as his eyes drifted to the floor.

"We're off-duty soldiers, according to our visas," Ben went on, staring straight ahead. "Technically, it's legal to be here and technically, we don't work for MI6, but it's got to look dodgy as hell. Whatever evidence we collect might not be taken seriously because of it. We don't even have great surveillance equipment, just stealthier versions of the basics. That makes our presence almost pointless unless we get Alex to avoid testifying and I'd say our odds of that are low."

Wolf gave him a side eye. "You think we're here for something else. A kidnapping?"

"Perhaps," Ben said heavily. "Or we're here as sacrificial lambs."

"God damn it." Wolf whipped around to face him. "What makes you-?"

"Think about it. Soldiers approaching the kid. Living across the street from Gregorovich. Not sending agents that will blend in or even people Alex knows well. The government might tolerate us for the sake of appearances, but Gregorovich is extremely careful. I've poured over his files. Studied him as much as I could. He's far from an idiot and he doesn't make many mistakes, such as tolerating what appear to be combat-based operatives moving in across the street."

"What are you saying?"

Ben took in a deep breath, watching the illuminated floor numbers count down until they were at the ground floor. "I have no proof, but I'm starting to wonder if we're really the only team in Moscow. Are we here to spook Alex into going quiet, or is it really Gregorovitch's hand we're here to force?" Ben turned to his comrade and looked him dead in the eyes. "You have to admit, our murders would be quite convenient for MI6 if they can be documented. Prove that he's both a killer and a danger to Alex in one move."

Wolf jerked a hand at the elevator. "So you suggested we split up and try to meet him? Christ, Fox."

Ben shook his head. "No. If I'm right, our only chance is to explain ourselves to Alex before Gregorovitch gets the wrong idea. That, or try to convince both of them directly."

"Or we expedite the process by looking like we're attacking both of them," Wolf hissed.

Ben spread his arms. "What other choice do we have? Just by being here, we present a problem to him. We arrived today. He could become aware of us at any second. At least if we try to get ahead of this and introduce ourselves, there's a chance that he might listen or at least won't kill us."