Chapter 68: Treason and Thievery

Alex woke up thoroughly unsettled. His last dream had been more of a memory. It had been one of his and Three's many, many philosophical discussions about the nature of evil. Alex ran his hand through his hair. Three's words were not exactly leaving his head. Oh? And what do you consider evil, Alexander? Alex closed his eyes and forced the memory back as he tried to focus on the present. They needed to get into Card's office to steal his files. Alex inhaled sharply. Grim had a point, though. It would be unfortunate if Three discovered how "interesting" he was. Alex shuddered. Lance barged in at their usual time. "So, planning."

Alex sighed. "Let's go out to the fire escape."

The window was opened. Alex was surprised Lance could get through it. Then again, Fenrir had somehow squeezed through it. Alex wasn't sure if being a hellhound let you alter the laws of physics. Lance looked at him as he shut the window. "Why are we meeting out here instead of in a classroom?"

Lance shrugged. "They installed a new audio system that's active today. Technically, there are no bugs in the classes, but the new ones go at least partially through the walls."

Alex rubbed his eyes. "Shit."

Larry sighed. "Yeah. So, it's this or running water from now on."

Alex groaned. "Fuck."

Larry patted him on the shoulder. "We're going to go out tonight to plan further. Card's going to be gone this weekend."

Alex blinked. "Oh?"

Lance shrugged. "It's his weekend with the kids. I heard his wife has been whittling at his custody time."

Alex sighed. "Alright. What do we do now?"

Lance clapped him on the shoulder. "Go to class. Act normal."

Alex opened the window. "Alright then."

He went to class.

In the evening, they met on the outskirts of town. Alex was nervous throughout the entire evening but still tried to have fun. Card's class had been canceled. Alex had mentally sniffed at that. SCORPIA would have found a substitute, but he supposed the CIA had an actual budget. Larry had gotten them to a nice French restaurant. It was the first time Alex had seen him doing anything vaguely cultured on his own. "French doesn't seem to be your usual style."

Larry laughed. "Naw, most of what I spout around the base is bullshit. That way, they won't check places where they don't think I'd be caught dead."

Alex arched a brow. "So, it's an act?"

Lance shrugged. "Kinda. I was really like this once, but once I started growing out of it, I realized it could be useful as a kind of cover."

Alex sighed. This was pretty nice. "Cool."

Larry smiled softly. "You know, kid, I get the feeling that you're not sleeping well."

Alex blinked. "Would you? Doing this at my age?"

Larry's face softened slightly. "Probably not."

Alex sighed. "What were you doing at my age?"

Lance looked at him. "I was in prison." Alex blinked. "For a murder that I didn't commit."

Alex had heard the rest of the story. "You killed the guy who framed you."

Larry nodded. "Yup. I did. That's how I met my mentor. Trying to dump the body in the river."

Alex snorted. "Forgetting to weigh it down? Tsk. Tsk."

Lance playfully swatted him. "Hey, I figured it out eventually."

Alex grinned. "I'll bet he told you."

Lance huffed. "You might be right, but that's enough about me. Now we've got to talk about you."

Alex sighed. "So, what's going to go down?"

Larry sighed. "We don't want Card to suspect anything, so we're going to loop the camera feed. I'm going to call a meeting in the teachers' lounge and throw my monthly fit about children under sixteen in black ops."

Alex frowned. "What about me?"

Lance paused. "The next part is important. I can only loop the video feed, not the audio feed. You must not be heard."

Alex froze at the tone and swallowed. "Alright."

Larry glared at him. "I mean it, kid."

Alex blinked. "I got it. Walk silent and don't breathe loudly."

Lance nodded. "After you get the info, I'll get the whole thing to your drug lord."

Alex let out a breath. "Alright."

It was more useful than most of his partners had been.

Larry reflected that he might be pushing Xander a little hard. The kid could probably handle it. He hoped. Belinda said he would get better after this part was done. Larry had every intention of following through on his parts of the project. It wasn't his cup of tea, but it would get him several things he wanted. First, Michael was about to go solo and he wasn't going to have an apprentice/junior partner anymore. Larry had a thing about not being without partners, especially in his treacherous line of work. It paid to have the right partner. Now, Xander seemed to be a good, solid candidate for his next partner. Larry tried not to bring women into this line of work, since he'd only seen one woman have a happy-ish ending in his field. He ruthlessly suppressed a shudder at the fate of the last female partner he'd had. Poor girl. This was also why he didn't have a wife. Bringing a civilian woman into this would be unfair. Not to mention, the divorce rate was high and he'd want to see any kids he'd have. Damn courts and their damn mothers' first approach. Card would be better off murdering his wife, using the would-be-child support to pay the assassin, and moving his kids here into some private apartments. They even had teachers on staff. Anyway. Xander. The kid was showing promise. Larry liked that promise. Going along with this little shitshow would get him major brownie points with the kid. Also, he liked chaos. He liked fire and explosions and murder. This would get him so much more of that, at least for a short while. Xander's little crusade would have the added benefit of being, well...a war. War changed people. It provided all sorts of mind-bending ethical issues that would let him take a huge chunk of Xander's pesky little morals. That torture one had to go, for one. It would be delicious and complicated and interesting. To be honest, he was a little bored with his whole CIA and mercenary on the side gig. Bored meant you were getting complacent. Larry had plans. Big plans. The war would be interesting, if short. As long as Xander managed to steal the files properly. Not a sound, Xander, not a single damn sound. Otherwise, the game would be up. Not that he cared if the war got messier. It would all be fine. And maybe Xander would agree to be his new work partner. Belinda might date him. Larry wondered if aiming for an educated woman when your formal education ended in sixth grade was aiming too high. Maybe, but it would be fun. It couldn't hurt to try to date her. Even if she was pretty far out of his league. She was one of the few women he'd met that he wanted to date. Larry glanced at the stars. Time to go in.

Alex woke up the next day with a familiar feeling of dread. It was the kind of dread he'd felt on missions. Alex sighed. This wasn't the same as doing things for MI6. There was the time they had sent him to steal files. The memory was shoved to the back of his mind. Alex inhaled. "Rise and shine!"

Alex looked at Lance. "You know, I'm perfectly capable of setting an alarm clock."

Larry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but it would be kind of cold of me not to check on you."

Alex hit the off button on his alarm clock. "Thank you, Lance."

He was probably the first person to check that he had gotten up on time aside from Jack. Ian pretty much left him to his own devices and expected him to be up on time. Alex got dressed after the man left. It was kind of nice to be checked on, but it made him feel like a child. He decided not to focus on the fact that Three had been very similar when they had lived together in the past life. Breakfast was quiet without Card there to start up conversations. Eric and Madison sat by him. "So, what do you do during the other half of the day?"

Alex blinked. Conspire against the CIA. Go to therapy. Do art. The occasional flight and fighting lessons with Larry. "Homework and mentorship stuff, mostly."

Eric blinked. "I heard you went into town. What's it like?"

Alex realized that these kids had spent most of their formative years in the compound. "Pretty quiet. Very different from here. Less structured. There are shops and restaurants. Plus, there's a few other businesses and a post office."

Eric seemed satisfied with that, for now. It was a good thing, too, because it was time for Saturday classes.

Alex slipped away from the other children and went toward his apartment, doubling back once they were all safely inside their places. He already had the computer storage drive with him. It was inside his jacket pocket. Lance had said that he would take care of putting the cameras back later. All Alex had to do was the actual file stealing. It felt odd, trusting another person with details like this. He had no reason to doubt Lance's skill but was used to his partners failing and dying on him. Alex moved utterly silently down the hallways. He hardly dared breath, even though he had stilled his breaths to be silent. The silent padded steps down the hall were second nature to him. Alex quieted his inhales as he approached Card's door. Alex silently prayed to whatever lockpicking gods there were that Card's office didn't have a second, invisible alarm. The slim tools he had with him were taken out. Alex was careful to not let the panel make a sound as he unscrewed it. Alex found that the door alarm was already disabled. He would ask Larry about that later. If the man had done it, it was a nice touch. Alex put the panel back, wiping his prints as he went. The second set of tools came out for the actual physical lock. It was almost too easy after picking state-of-the-art paranoid SCORPIA remnant locks in the past life. The lock clicked. Alex prayed that it wasn't enough for the audio surveillance to pick up. Alex swung the door shut behind him. It was a good job that Card kept his hinges thoroughly oiled. People underestimated the value of squeaky hinges for security. Alex started up the man's computer and waited until he landed on the home screen. The drive better work. Alex hoped the Russians had the sense not to leave any traces. The drive downloaded all of the files in twenty minutes flat. Apparently, the going rate for breaking encryption was fifteen minutes, unless you were a supercomputer named Maddox. Alex was tense the whole time. He had been tempted to pace but resisted the urge. Instead, he concealed himself under the desk, just in case. After the minutes were up, Alex grabbed the drive, shut the computer down, and shut the lights back off. The door locked from the inside, so it was easier to lock it and head out. Alex flinched slightly at the faint click as the lock latched. It was time to head back to Lance.

Lance opened the bogus afternoon meeting with his usual rant about children and black operations. To be fair to the other adults, he did call these meetings for his rants previously. As soon as he opened up, there was a collective groan around the room. "I still heartily object to…"

The teachers all interjected with their usual spiel. Davis the man accused him of being a complete hypocrite, considering his relationship with Xander and Michael. Larry had fake-hotly replied that those had been under duress and the teachers had freely signed up for the assassin school bullshit. Davis the woman had taken his side, stating that children who had the most time with one-on-one mentors tended to score better and live longer. Larry continued. "Yeah, it's because I hand-pick the kids who have what it takes instead of your guess and check bullshit."

Allen had retorted. "Not all of us rely on gut feeling voodoo."

Larry snarled back. "Oh, yeah?! You want me to tell you which one of these kids has a killer instinct?! You want me to tell you which ones are the most likely to live?!"

There was dead silence. Maybe he'd gone a bit too far. Allen was the quickest to recover. "Be as that may, your "feelings" aren't a scientific method."

Lance retorted. "Yeah, but neither is fieldwork."

Allen opened her mouth again. "Oh, and what would you have us do? Take you to orphanages so you can steal children?! This is the wrong century for that. You will be wanted for kidnapping."

Larry huffed. "The foster care system is so bloated, nobody notices like fifty thousand kids go missing per year. I don't think they'll care about a few extra."

Davis the woman walked up and whacked them both with one of her files. "Both of you, shut up. These meetings never get anywhere. We all know that." Lance blinked at her. Even Allen stared. Davis the woman was usually an unassertive pansy who let them carry on however long they liked. The woman continued, half to herself. "Besides, the CIA won't discontinue the program so long as there are no major disasters and the success rate is good enough."

It was quiet after that. Shortly after, there was a knock at the door. It was Xander, thank god. "Erm, Lance? I may have accidentally set the microwave on fire trying to make your lunch."

Larry inhaled. Playing a mildly exasperated adult. "Did you close it?"

Alex shrugged. "Yeah."

Larry blinked. "It's probably fine, then, but let's check it out."

Lance ignored the adults in the background about Xander being cute and shut the door.

After they got back, Xander looked at him curiously. "Did-"

Lance put his hand over Xander's mouth. "Balcony, kid."

Xander's eyes widened, but he nodded. They both were on the fire escape. Alex handed the flash drive to Lance. Larry took it. "Did you disable the electronic alarm and/or lock on Card's office?"

Larry flashed him a smile. "You noticed, eh? Good eye."

Alex grinned. "I'm twelve, but I'm not completely inobservant."

Lance grinned. "Nice, nice. You know how to take care of 'em, then?"

Alex shrugged. "Yep."

Lance patted him on the back. "Cool."

Alex felt a smile appear. "What about safecracking and alarms?"

Alex lightly shoved Lance. "Don't be insulting, old man."

The man shoved him back but was already chuckling. "I'll show you old during your next knife training, boy!"

Xander grinned. It had a bit of a savage edge. "Bring it!"

Lance rolled his eyes. It was kind of fun. "Oh, I certainly will, you little shit."

Lance ruffled the kid's hair. "I might be a little shit, but I'm your problem now."

Lance grinned and lightly shoved the kid. "Aww, c'mere."

To his surprise, Xander did hug him. Lance ran a hand through the kid's ultra-soft blond hair. "So, uh, I'm not trying to replace your dad or anything, but if you want, erm, Uncle Lance has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Alex blinked and looked up at Lance. "No pressure, kid."

Alex let out a mental sigh of relief. "Err, thanks, Larry." The man ruffled his hair. "It might be nice sometimes."

Lance offered him a hand to hoist him through the window. Alex took it. They got back inside. "So, are you doing better now?"

Alex remembered that they should probably be cooking something up for the cameras. "A little bit."

Lance let out a dramatic sigh and put on a sarcastic expression, but used his normal-sounding voice. "One day, I hope you'll trust us enough to talk about your issues on audio."

Alex took the hint. "Not a chance, Lance."

Larry snorted. "Xander."

Alex looked at the man. "Lance."

The man shrugged. "Eh, I'm glad you're not feeling as anxious now."

Alex shrugged. "Eh, sometimes just chilling helps."

Lance shrugged. "Did you want to try something new? I can probably bully the cooks into giving us something fun."

Xander blinked. "That would be nice, Lance."

The man lightly tapped his shoulder. Alex felt a piece of paper hit his shoulder. "Cool. I'll be right back, kid."

Alex walked up to the window. The note was fairly simple. Don't worry. It'll be done by sundown. Alex took out a lighter and burned the note. This was one of the few angles he could get away with since there was a small blind spot around the area of the sill. After that, he closed and locked the window. Fenrir was waking up. The golden eyes blinked at him. "Alright, c'mon. Let's see if we both like what Lance considers "fun to eat", hmm?"

His dog sleepily followed him.

Larry had figured that you couldn't go wrong with bacon-wrapped shrimp. Plus, they were delicious. Alex's pooch had, of course, gotten a few of them when Alex had thought he wasn't looking. Larry had let it go. Dogs were fun and the fluff ball looked like it could tear a few throats out. He'd also gotten them nice vegetables and potatoes. "So, kid, feeling better?"

Xander grinned. "Yeah. It's nice when one of the adults is useful for a change."

Larry grinned. "Don't worry, kid. I'm pretty reliable. I've never failed a mission."

Xander looked at him. "Really?"

Larry shrugged. "Not completely, anyway. Certainly nothing important. You know how the bosses are blah blah, you accidentally shot some dude next to the guy you were shooting, blah blah, you blew up too many buildings, yadda yadda. Honestly, it's like they've never even been in the field."

Xander was nodding in agreement. "Ug, yeah, sounds awful."

Larry got up to grab the kid's dishes and ruffled Xander's hair. "It is. It is. Such a thankless attitude, am I right?"

Xander blinked at him. "How's the dental plan?"

Larry burst out laughing. "God awful. Don't get me started on the health insurance providers. Out of network, my effing ass."

Xander looked amused. "Sounds like you have plenty of salt built up."

Larry brought out pieces of chocolate cake. "Oh."

The kid leaned back into his chair. The chair dumped over. Larry darted over. "Are you okay?"

Xander was brushing himself off. "Yeah, fine. Just a bit bruised."

The bruises were deep purple, almost black. "Is it alright if I check for fractures?"

Xander shrugged. "Sure."

Larry was as gentle as possible when he lightly pressed on Alex's arm to check for broken bones. The bone seemed fine. "Seems fine."

Larry looked at him. "And what did you learn from this experience?"

Xander grinned. "Absolutely nothing!"

Larry lightly cuffed him. "Don't tilt your chair, you little shit."

There was no force behind the blow and no bite behind the words. Xander blinked. "You care about me."

Larry huffed. "Took you long enough, kid."

Xander was looking at him hopefully. "So, can I have a hug?"

Larry didn't have the heart to tell those doe-like brown eyes no. "Oh, come here."

It was a short hug. A manly hug. Or, at least, that was what he told himself.

Yassen Gregorovich was not best pleased to hear that Nile had been sent to chase Alec Pierre in South America. It all came down to Nile keeping his word and Yassen was not a huge fan of relying on other people. Would he realize that "Alec Pierre" and "Alex Rider" were the same? Would he hold up under the pressure? Was Patrick going to keep his unofficial word to Kroll? The rest of the board was not oblivious. The two had even dined under their real names. Patrick had met with Kroll and then not murdered Nile. The board was curious as to what the exchange was but knew better than to ask. Yassen stepped into Brendan Chase's office. The man eyed him almost immediately upon entrance. "Can I help you?"

The door locked behind him. Chase was way too close for his comfort, but Yassen knew better than to complain or show it. The man had an unfortunate habit of inspecting people like one would a horse. Or a slave. A voice whispered in his head. "Yes, you can."

Yassen waited. Chase seemed almost nervous. The man was practically vibrating. "Well, between Zeljan's, ah, potential recruits and his interest in my operative, I've about well-"

Yassen held up a hand. "I understand completely."

Chase eyed him. Yassen could only pray that this wasn't some sort of elaborate trap. "Alright, good."

Yassen blinked. "This may take some time."

Chase whipped towards him. "You have a month and any of the resources I command at your disposal."

That was...unusually generous. Then again, Zeljan Kurst was a bit of a tall order. "Very well."

Yassen left the office. What were the chances that Ian had given Alex information he shouldn't have on the board? Probably high, knowing the man's tendencies. It couldn't hurt to ask, at any rate.

Alex was surprised to get a text on the phone from Yassen. He hadn't bothered turning on his phone from Ian in a good few months.

-A

I'm calling in my favor. I need everything you have on Zeljan Kurst, particularly his primary home.

-C

Yassen paced as he waited for a response. He was nearly certain Alex would at least know something.

-C

Now, what makes you think I know anything at all?

-A

Alex was going to put up some resistance on the principal. He did know quite a bit about the icy fortress, given that he'd decided against an invasion and had convinced the Russians to missile it instead in the past life.

-A

That reply, for one. Out with it, you little shit

-C

Yassen felt his eye twitch. Sometimes, Alex's mind games grated on his nerves. Especially when he was on a time-sensitive and delicate assignment.

-C

Tetchy, aren't we? :) This is why nobody likes you, you know.

-A

Alex grinned at the phone as he typed out his retort. Provoking Yassen probably wasn't the safest of hobbies, but it was fun.

-A

Now.

-C

Yassen wasn't going to dignify that with a response. He made a mental note to force Alex to suffer through - he meant learn - text etiquette from The Countess.

-C

Fine, fine. You're kind of curt, you know that right? Also, I would honestly just missile the place into dust. He lives in a bloody Siberian fort.

-A

Alex rolled his eyes at the phone. Yassen was such a rude little bitch sometimes. He wouldn't be surprised if the man had gotten stuck with extra etiquette lessons.

-A

How did you get my email?

-C

Yassen glared at his phone. Alex was a nosy shit. Then again, it came in handy when he needed information.

-C

I don't have to answer that honestly.

-A

Alex grinned as he closed his phone and switched it off, pulling out the battery. It probably voided the warranty, but Alex didn't care. Not that these kinds of phones usually got sent back to the producer, anyhow. He wondered who had ordered Kurst's death. Brendan Chase. It was a thought that came unbidden. It wasn't like this was unwarranted. Pierre had sent Chase a giant file proving just how much of a treacherous backstabber Kurst was and it had been in time for dear Brendan to do something about it. Alex wondered if it was a bad sign that Doctor Three's monikers for his colleagues had entered his stream of consciousness. Three had an interesting habit of using first names, even if he wasn't all that familiar with his colleagues during meetings. Alex took the cynical route and figured it was a way for the man to create a small hesitation if it came to a fight of sorts. A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Alex quickly jammed the phone in its hiding spot. "Come in."

It was Belinda. The blonde hair was almost like corn silk in the low light of the evening. "Would you like to talk?"

Alex blinked. "Alright, then."

Belinda sat down. He tried not to stare at her. "Am I interrupting something?"

Alex blinked. "No, sorry. I'm just a little distracted."

Belinda sighed. "It's natural for a boy your age, but do try to focus."

Alex leaned back into his chair. "So, what's up?"

Belinda seemed amused. "You're much less anxious today."

Alex blinked. "Stage fright is a thing."

Belinda arched a brow. "Is this a performance to you?"

He shrugged. "Partially. You have to admit that you were nervous for your first patients."

Belinda leaned back. "True. Some more than others."

Alex arched a brow. "Do I need to talk with Gramps?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Patrick has failed to change with two generations of people trying. I doubt your words will do more than vaguely glance at the back of his mind."

Alex grinned. "Seems to run in the family."

Belinda gave him an exasperated look. "Very well. We'll talk more later. Do your homework."

Alex shook his head at the woman's back. He'd never had so much as a late assignment. Honestly.

Yassen sighed as he put away his phone and opened up the file on Kurst and the blueprints to the fort that Alex had ever-so-graciously sent him. He had already decided to amend the truth and claim it was his sources who had given him the information. Brendan Chase seemed a touch surprised at the speed and completeness of his information. "Where did you get this?"

Yassen arched a brow. "I have my own personal sources for when SCORPIA's resources are...limited."

Brendan Chase glared at him. Yassen was thoroughly amused at the attempt to intimidate him. "Oh?"

Yassen was entirely expressionless. "It was Pierre wasn't it?"

Yassen arched a brow. "Information on my sources costs extra."

Chase laughed. "I'll bet it does."

Chase leaned in over the blueprints. "Did he give you any hints on how to invade?"

Yassen blinked. "My source says tactical advice costs extra."

Chase muttered. "I'm sure he does."

Yassen shrugged. "I told him 'just missile it into oblivion, bro' did not constitute tactical advice."

Chase cackled at that. "Mhm. Not Pierre, my ass."

Cossack just gave him a deadpan look. "He might have a point. Kurst placed himself behind a minimum of at least three choke points at all times in his private rooms and office. The casualties would be heavy, and that's not including any traps he might have waiting. Kurst also has what amounts to a private army of Malagasto graduates and other special forces squads."

Chase pinched the bridge of his nose. "Point. He was always an avid collector."

Chase began to pace. "What about the transport?"

Yassen blinked. "Armored cars. Reinforced planes."

Chase sighed. "And it's not like corrupting any of his people is a guarantee."

Chase paced. "What if we shot him out of the sky?"

Yassen shrugged. "It's possible. He does occasionally use a helicopter and the corpse would still be sufficient to prove his death."

Chase raised an eyebrow at Yassen. "How are you with rocket launchers?"

Yassen scowled. "Competent."

Chase looked at him. "I have access to flight plans."

Yassen blinked slowly. "Very well."

Chase huffed and stepped further into Yassen's personal space. "You're disavowed for this, you realize?"

Yassen resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Naturally."

Chase sighed. "I'll contact you in three days."

Yassen nodded and began to gather the files. "How come he'll sell you information and won't touch me with a ten-foot pole?"

Yassen was amused. "You are an executive board member, I am merely an assassin to whom he owes a favor."

Yassen nearly chuckled as he heard Chase swear at his back. "Fucking spies and their fucking paranoia."

Alex was called into Tom Card's office the next day. He barely concealed his panic as he stepped into the room. Had they been caught? Why wasn't Larry there? "Xander. Do come in."

Alex did his best not to gulp. "Is something wrong?"

Card blinked. "No, not at all. I'm simply curious."

That was not helping Alex's anxiety. "Curious?"

Card gestured to him to sit down. "I wanted to know how you were settling in."

Alex almost froze. Was this some sort of fucking trap? "Is this a trap?"

Card looked genuinely surprised. "What?! No! I'm genuinely concerned. Lance says you've been having some emotional issues."

Alex squinted at the man. "You're...asking how I'm doing...err, why?"

Card looked at him. "Did your previous guardian not do that?"

Alex shrugged. The only people who'd consistently asked him about his day were Jack and Doctor Three. "Not really."

Card pinched the bridge of his nose. "Right. Moving on. Is there any way I can make this easier for you? I know having SCORPIA goons after you hasn't been the easiest."

Alex wanted to cry. Card was being...nice and he was just going to-not think about it. "It's a bit better now. It's pretty nice here."

Card looked relieved. "Good, good. Is Lance treating you alright?"

The man was looking at him. Alex was fairly sure this was a genuine concern. Why, though? "He's nice once you get to know him."

Card snorted. "In his way, I suppose."

Alex was feeling very much out of place. Shouldn't he be concerned for, you know, the real children? "I'm glad you seemed to be more grounded."

Alex fidgeted uncomfortably for several minutes. "You can go if you want. I was just checking on you."

Alex did his best not to run out of the room. This was a bit too much.

Alex went to his next ballet lesson a bit distracted. Allen was ferocious as she ripped into him. "Just how do you expect to be the best if you don't focus?! Do it again! And this time act like you mean it!"

Alex inhaled and forced Yermalov memories back as he began the movements again. This time, he made sure that every move was perfect. Allen blinked. "Better, but your movements are only technically perfect. Do it again. This time, try to feel the movements in your mind."

Alex tried not to sigh. He still had no idea what she meant by that. It must have shown on his face because Allen held up her hand to stop him. "When you fight people, what do you do? Merely execute moves you learned in class? I think not. Try to do what you do when you fight when you dance. This is normally where students learn both perfect movements and letting go."

Alex inhaled. "And why am I here?"

Allen blinked. "Because you don't let go, not fully. It's holding you back in combat."

Alex arched a brow. "I was taught that control was the answer."

Allen looked at him. "Yes and no. Your greatest potential lies in the line between passion and control."

Alex looked at her. "Mine?"

Allen shrugged. "It is different for everyone."

Allen looked at him. "Think of it. All your greatest victories, how did they happen?"

Alex would hardly consider all of his battle great victories, but decided to humor his teacher. "Well, I got angry and then made a fairly decent and usually explosive way to end the whole ordeal."

Allen gave him an approving look. "Precisely."

Alex felt something squick inside him at the thought. "Don't worry, I don't expect you to get it all in a day. This is why we start with dance, not combat. There should never be any hesitation when defending yourself, despite your emotions on the matter."

Alex blinked. "Okay?"

Allen looked amused for some reason. "Again!"

Alex barely withheld a groan. Why had he signed up for extra lessons again? The rest of the lesson had him vaguely confused. What on Earth was he supposed to be feeling? The only feelings he had consistently was his love for his family, the burning rage at everything that had gone bad in the past life, and a burning need to do something about this child soldier bullshit. Allen just looked at him quizzically. "What were you feeling for that last bit?"

Alex blinked. "Anger."

Allen nodded. "We'll start from there next time."

Alex sighed. At least he was on track for learning to dance en pointe. The slow work of perfecting all the techniques first was fairly different from combat training. Ballet was a precise art. You aimed for perfection and grace. Combat was more of a savage "good enough" type scenario.

Lance met Xander outside the classroom. "How'd it go?"

Xander sighed. "About the same as usual."

Lance knocked him on the shoulder. "Cheer up, she's an absolute crab to everyone."

Xander blinked. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

Larry rolled his eyes. "Your buddy Kenny boy is back. I thought you'd be happy."

Xander perked up. "Really?"

Lance chuckled. "Yup."

Larry ruffled his hair. "C'mon, kid, let's go see your friend."

Lance had no real love for any of the other students, but he knew Xany liked them, so they got to live. The kid seemed to like most of the good eggs and avoided the bad eggs. Lance called those good instincts. The fucking twins were fucking creeps and nothing Davis said would convince him otherwise. At any rate, they were having a celebratory luncheon. Lance found it rather hilarious that they were having a party to celebrate a successful assassination, but the shrinks said it was a better way to do it, so they went along with it. "Why are you coming?"

Good, good. Xander being a suspicious little fuck wasn't nice, but it would come in handy. "Well, they turn these things into parties and I want cake."

Xander gaped at him. "We're having a party to celebrate the death of a person."

Larry chuckled. "Yep. Hilarious isn't it. We're supposed to be the good guys here."

Xander just rolled his eyes. "I feel like the child assassin thing negates that."

Lance ruffled the kid's hair. "What moral high ground, am I right?"

Xander scowled at him, but he was fairly sure that it wasn't him the kid was angry at. Xander inhaled sharply. "This is fucking creepy, Lare."

Larry gently patted the kid on the shoulder. "Just have some cake and try to relax."

Xander held out a hand. Lance took it. The kid was cutting off his circulation, but Larry was glad the kid considered him comforting. They walked slowly to the party. Xander's face slowly schooled itself into a neutral and vaguely pleasant expression. Lance had to hand it to the kid. He was right though; it was kind of creepy if you thought too much about it. Here they were, teaching kids to celebrate premeditated murder. Lance had voted against this stuff. He got overruled a lot though. Xander's smile didn't reach his eyes as he greeted Kenneth and congratulated the man. Xander was fake-cheerful for the entire party, mostly sticking with the younger kids to make sure they didn't eat too many Cheeto puffs. "If you eat too much of them, you'll sick up."

Eric glared at Xander and stuffed another handful into his mouth. Lance choked back a laugh. "Don't tell me how to live my life."

Xander pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, eat more if you want. I've got ginger chewies for when you start to feel nauseous."

About ten minutes later, Eric was puppy-dog eyeing Xander for a ginger chewie because, shocker, he was feeling nauseous. Larry choked back a laugh at Xander's expression.

Alex walked toward Lance. "You could have stepped in any time there."

Lance grinned. "Oh, I was having far too much fun watching that go down."

Alex retorted. "Lance, you cruel, cruel man."

Lance playfully whacked him and handed him a slice of cake. "Would a cruel man steal you this from the back of the cake?"

Alex gave him a look and hid his cake slice behind his back when Ms. Davis approached them. "Lance."

Larry gave her an innocent look. "What?"

Ms. Davis glared at the man. "I have one kid who nearly ate himself sick and two cake slices missing from the back of the cake. Don't think I didn't notice."

Lance retorted. "Are you blaming me for your shitty supervision? Last I checked, you were in charge of the pure innocent young'uns."

Ms. Davis' eyes flashed. Alex knew it was time to clear off. He made sure to keep the cake concealed until he was out of Davis' line of sight. Kenneth walked up to him. As far as Alex could tell, the man was happy. "Stealing my cake before I even taste it?"

Alex grinned shamelessly. He was trying to ignore just how creepy the entire thing was. "Yes."

Kenneth chuckled. "This is why I like you. You cut the crap when it comes down to it."

Alex was pulled into a hug. He tried not to panic. "Here's your thing back. Thanks."

Kenneth slid the tracker into his pocket. Alex returned the hug. "You're welcome. Come see me sometime soon, we need to talk."

Alex couldn't, in good conscience, let Kenneth die to Card's machinations. Even if it put the whole thing at risk.

Author's Note: Sorry it's late! I'm in my last month or so of school, so it's a bit chaotic.