Chapter 69: Meet-ups and Machinations

Kenneth came to Alex's place fairly late, at least by most students' standards. Alex was used to being a bit more sleep-deprived than most of the other students. "Xander."

Kenneth stared at him for a good long while. Alex slid the files over to Kenneth. "You have a right to know."

Kenneth opened the files. Alex had, of course, memorized the names of every single student and their recorded fates. Kenneth looked up at him after the first two pages. "I think I have a good idea of what you're trying to tell me."

Alex slid the file back into his desk, slipping it back into a compartment he'd carved. "Xander."

Alex arched a brow. "Kenneth."

Kenneth leaned in. For a second, Alex thought the man was about to kiss him, but instead, a hand rested on his shoulder. "Thank you."

Alex sighed. "You're welcome."

The eyes met his. "I'm going to need to make some plans now, but thank you."

Alex grabbed Kenneth's hand. "Can I hug you?"

Alex frowned. "Er, yeah."

Alex was suddenly pulled into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

The man heaved a sigh. Alex lightly hugged him. This was awkward. There were like five whole people who had told him 'thank you' in the past life. He didn't know how to accept the thanks. "Anytime. It's just...not right, you know?"

Kenneth ruffled his hair. "You know, I had my doubts about you, but you're alright, Xander."

With that, he left. Alex felt confused and angry. Kenneth just reminded him of everything he hadn't had in the past with MI6 and it made him want to scream. The seventeen-year-old had more professionalism than the grown-ass agents he'd interacted with. The seventeen-year-old. That, and Kenneth had thanked him for his intelligence work. Alex felt the rage burn. How many times had he gone on suicide missions he hadn't signed up for only to be criticized? For fucks sake, Blunt had said 'thank you' once. Tulip hadn't been much better. Sure, it probably would have pissed him off, but it was the principle of the matter. Was a simple courtesy too much to fucking ask? Alex shoved all of the memories of Three thanking him to the back of his mind. The man occasionally even gave him symbolic little thank you gifts. Shudder. Alex resisted the urge to swear and began to pace. Fenrir began to follow his pacing, letting out little whines. Alex groaned and tried to get Fenrir to calm down. "It's okay, boy, I'm just anxious." Alex froze as his door opened. "Can't sleep?"

Alex sheepishly brushed the hair out of his eyes and looked at Larry. "Kinda."

Larry shook his head. "C'mon, then."

Alex padded out of the room, Fenrir following close behind.

Lance sighed. "So, what's keeping you up at night?"

Alex sighed. "I just - sometimes it's the little things, you know."

Larry grinned. "Do you wanna talk about it or do you wanna do extra knife practice?"

Alex grinned. "I hate you."

Lance ruffled his hair. "Good, good, it means I'm doing my job."

The arched brow told him it was his move. "Knife practice."

Larry grinned. "I thought so."

Alex went after the man with enthusiasm. It was nice to just have at it and not hold back. He was, of course, going to lose. His size put him at a distinct disadvantage, not to mention that Larry had been doing knife work for over thirty years. Lance pinned him. "Nice and fast, yeah."

Alex grinned. "Can we do it again?"

The man's eyes glinted playfully. "Sure thing."

The next swipe narrowly missed his face. "Cutting is close, aren't we Lance?"

Larry grinned. "Don't get distracted."

Alex directed his next swipe at the man's torso and was promptly disarmed and in a chokehold. It was a fairly loose chokehold, but Alex still felt himself panic and swipe at the man's arm. Lance swore loudly and dropped him. "Jesus, kid. Are you alright?"

Alex rubbed his throat. "Yeah, sorry, I just-"

And handheld up made him pause. "Naw, it's my fault for not asking. It should have occurred to me that chokeholds might not be entirely neutral for you."

Alex was drawing in breaths. "Sorry about your arm."

Lance waved him off. "Eh, it won't even scar that hard."

Alex still felt a stab of guilt. The man looked at him. "So, what's bothering you?"

Alex sighed. "Kenneth thanked me."

Lance gave him a weird look. Alex rolled his eyes. "Mind out of the gutter, Lance. It just made me realize that I haven't been thanked very often."

Lance ruffled his hair. "It's okay to be angry sometimes, kid. You just gotta realize when it might be affecting how you do your job."

Alex blinked. "Err. Thanks."

He felt like something was missing. "Can I... have a hug?"

Lance looked thoroughly amused. "You only ever gotta ask." Alex was gently pulled into a hug. He leaned into Larry's chest and felt a small amount of warmth towards the man, who was now carefully keeping away from his neck. Alex wasn't entirely sure how long they were standing there but was still somewhat sad when it stopped. "C'mon, kid. It's time for bed now." Alex slept like the dead that night.

Charles Brandon entered South America looking nothing like his real self. The disguises had worn away at some of his features. He was looking forward to staying in one place for a bit. And getting his real hair color back. It would be fairly easy to get a job with the appropriate local crime syndicate. Charles knew that he would likely not get close to Alex unless Maddox engineered it somehow. Plus, Maddox had been a little vague on the timeline. There had to be enough time for him to get himself established in the area, but not enough time that he got noticed. This was going to be fun. Not. Charles wondered vaguely how Alex was doing. Probably not too well if a war was about to break out. The kid seemed to always be right where the trouble was at. Brandon knew that the kid's family had probably encouraged it and felt a slight sinking sensation in his chest. They'd probably gone and screwed the kid up for life, goddamn it. Goddamn them all to hell. He inhaled as he got to his current room, arranged via Maddox. The computer seemed to take care of a lot of things. Charles vaguely wondered why Alex wasn't just on the run. Because he isn't a coward. Charles sighed. Sometimes his inner monologue wasn't exactly fun. Because he's going to try to fix things. What does it say about the rest of the world that a twelve-year-old is going to try to fix it all? Charles occasionally wondered whether this was what depression looked like. Then he promptly shoved that thought in the back corner of his mind. You're going to let a child fight a war. Charles hissed. He hoped that Maddox had arranged for a new identity somewhere in this room. Charles felt his phone buzz as he sat on the bed. The beginning of a headache was forming behind his left eye. He sighed loudly as the phone buzzed again. Charles got up and checked the texts. Fuck, didn't that Winston guy ever fucking quit? Leave him alone, he moved across the entire planet, for fucks sake. Charles sighed. He'd get money tomorrow. The new set of papers was in his hotel drawer, stuck inside the bible. It was somewhat ironic that his papers would be in the bible, given that they were chock-full of lies, but Charles just chuckled. Perhaps Maddox had a sense of humor after all. This was going to be interesting. Charles inhaled slightly. At least Maddox took care of most of the advertising of his services on the deep web. It would be hell to figure out that portion, as well as the finances of the underworld. He was a doctor, not a computer scientist or a hacker. Plus, the multiple identities stuff had to be a killer. Then again, having all of the computer stuff in the house probably cut down on the costs. Charles rubbed his face and wondered whether he was going to get a regular dinner or a networking dinner. He was hoping for a regular dinner.

Winston Yu drummed his fingers against his desk. It was mahogany. This fact brought him no satisfaction, though it usually would have. Charles Brandon seemed to have vanished into the wind. Like a ghost. Then again, there were some agents who did and could do that. But why would a member of the intelligence community spare him? The man might have had no idea who he was. As far as Winston could tell, the man was essentially a wanderer who stayed in a place for a short time, practiced medicine, packed up, and moved. It was mind-boggling. What was the point of moving after you established yourself in the area? Shouldn't someone stay? Make more money? Have a steady job and income? "He's in South America."

Winston inhaled. Well, shit. Brendan was poking around that area. So were the CIA and a certain child with unfortunate parentage. Winston didn't think it was a coincidence. "What do we know about the situation there?"

The man blinked. "It's slowly destabilizing, sir. There will be open warfare within the next five years."

Winston drummed his fingers against the report. "Sooner."

The analyst swallowed. "Sooner, sir?"

Yu got up. "Sooner. Charles' time is extremely valuable. Medical skills are in short supply on the legal grey area side of things. They wouldn't have called him if the war was five years away. I would change that estimate to a few months at most."

The analyst swallowed. "Yes, sir."

Winston paused. "Who do we have in the area?"

The man paled. "Nile."

Winston sighed. "Heavens, no. Do we have anyone useful?"

The analyst twitched. "No. The CIA weeded out anyone too high-ranking. The local cartel is also good at weeding out any double agents."

Winston frowned. "Why are we blind on nearly a third of a continent?"

The man gulped. "It was decided to be a waste of resources with minimal returns, given the infighting."

Yu sighed loudly. "I expect updates as best we can get via Nile."

The man paled visibly. "Yes, sir."

Winston pursed his lips. "Draw up the appropriate paperwork for his reports."

The man scurried off after being dismissed. Ever since Howell had been murdered, Yu hadn't paid much thought to the rest of his operatives. He didn't have a second-in-command. Nobody suitable had come along. Winston, by far, preferred young British operatives, and SCORPIA had maybe a couple of dozen. Of those, none had proven to be particularly extraordinary. Well, excepting John Rider. The traitor. Winston hardly blamed him, but the betrayal still stung. Winston wondered what Charles was doing. Probably getting situated in South America. Well, he was going to find Charles. And then Charles was going to be taking up steady employment whether he wanted to or not.

Belinda Mordant considered the direction her life had recently taken. Larry, though she doubted that was his real name, was handsome enough, she supposed. The main point here was whether or not it would take away from her and Alex's goals or Alex's development. Belinda often found the man both amusing and sweet. Larry was far from an intellectual, but he had his brand of charm that included bringing her small nice presents. Larry didn't seem to care all that much about her history. It had been a pleasant surprise. The man had cracked a joke that if he was a god, he would have wanted all the most experienced prostitutes as a sacrifice. Belinda had lightly smacked him. The man knocked on her door. "Come in."

Lance held out a hand and she rose from her bed. "So, erm, have you thought about us being official?"

Belinda blinked. "What happened to your arm?"

Larry looked a little sheepish. "Er, I did a chokehold on the kid and he reacted badly. You, uh, might wanna talk to him about that."

Belinda felt a wry smile on her face. "You're an idiot sometimes, Larry."

Larry grinned. "But I'm your idiot. At least, I hope I am?"

Belinda smirked. "Alright, then. You get to break the news to Xander and Michael."

Larry groaned. "Sounds delightful."

Belinda flicked some blonde strands out of her face. "Just do it over dinner. I doubt those two will mind over much."

Larry huffed. "Easy for you to say. I just don't want them to feel like they're playing second fiddle to this."

Belinda sighed. "We'll have to be very clear on that front, especially with Xander."

Larry sighed. "Please, please, tell me this won't fuck that up. I like him."

Belinda blinked. The moonlight reflected in Larry's eyes. "It will be fine, Larry."

The man embraced her. "I like you, a lot, you know. But the kids come first."

Belinda smiled softly. "Agreed."

Lance pressed his lips to her collarbone. "Are you okay with this?"

Belinda stroked his hair. "Yes."

Alex Rider woke the next day feeling fairly refreshed. Fenrir snuggled into him as his alarm went off and let out a little whine as Alex got up. "It's South America, Fluff, how are you cold?"

Fenrir let out a loud sigh. Fenrir huffed. Alex sighed and pet his giant fluffball. The wolf made a sort of huskier purring noise. Alex got dressed in between petting the fluff, who whined loudly as Alex left the room. Alex felt his lips twitch. "You're a brat, Fenrir."

The wolf let out a loud sigh. Alex full-on laughed at that. The wolf could open doors if he wanted to. Fenrir was a fucking drama queen sometimes. Alex stepped into the dining room and saw everyone seated. There was a nice breakfast spread out. "This feels like bribery."

Lance rolled his eyes. "It's called breakfast, kid. I know your last guardian was terrible, but I do hope you know what breakfast is."

Alex flipped him off and started grabbing food. "Uh, huh. So what revelation is in store for today?"

Belinda smiled angelically. Alex almost panicked on the spot. "Lance and I are dating, Xander."

Alex rolled his eyes and felt a sense of total relief almost overwhelm him. "Is that all?"

Michael snorted into his morning coffee. Alex took a sip of the coffee and gagged. "Ew. They burned the grounds. Again. I'm getting some tea."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Picky, picky."

Alex glared. "Oh, shut up, Lance. You don't eat pickles, so you can't talk."

Lance huffed. "That's different."

Alex grinned. "Sure it is."

Belinda cut in. "Before we digress into the usual morning food preference debate, Lance and I want you to know that this shouldn't affect our relationship with either of you. I will still maintain patient confidentiality and Lance will still prioritize his mentorship role in your lives."

Alex blinked. "That's nice of you."

Lance grabbed his arm. "I meant it, kid. I'm not my fucking mother. I'm going to put you first."

Alex took a sip of tea. "Mhm."

Lance sighed. "I can hear the cynicism rattling around in your head."

Alex arched a brow. "This is more of an I'll believe it when I see it scenario."

Lance huffed. "I guess I can't blame you."

Belinda stirred her tea. "Did you feel ignored more often when Ian began his relationship with Mr. Crawley?"

Alex blinked. "Well, yeah. It was much easier to pull stuff, especially in the first couple of months."

Belinda arched a brow. "Did you feel more ignored when Lance and I started our relationship?"

Alex scowled. "I guess not. You lot still fucking caught and lectured me like usual."

Lance grinned. "Exactly! I'm still going to lecture you when you run off into the wilderness."

Alex sighed. "I almost prefer the stinging disappointment of being ignored."

Lance grinned. "Too bad!"

Alex glared. "I hate you."

The man's eyes danced. "Good, it means I'm doing my job." Alex rolled his eyes. "Manners."

Alex finished his tea with a giant gulp. "Yeah, thanks, Dad."

Alex slapped a hand over his mouth as Larry chuckled and ruffled his hair. "You're welcome, Son."

Alex groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I'm never hearing the end of that, am I?"

Lance grinned. "Absolutely not. Now finish your breakfast and brush your teeth."

Alex felt an odd sense of contentment as he entered ballet class with Ms. Allen. It took him a second to realize that he was happy for this first time in nearly a year. The woman's eyes narrowed. "You seem to be in a better mood today."

Alex blinked. "Is that a bad thing?"

the woman pursed her lips. "Not necessarily, but it might affect what we go over today."

It took Alex a second to realize that she was doing her best not to ruin his mood. Alex grinned. "Just do your usual, Ma'am."

The woman lightly smacked him. "My usual is my worst."

Alex felt himself still smiling and she told him to wipe the stupid lovesick grin off his face. He was put through his usual paces in that class. "Faster! Like you mean it!"

Alex grunted as he did his best to go faster. Even for him the turns and jumps were pretty bad. He was easily seeing how normal people could completely ruin their joints like this. The woman whacked him if he even went slightly out of form. "You need to be perfect. Dancing en pointe will kill your joints otherwise!"

Alex inhaled and rose again. The rest of the class paused without incident. Alex was breathing hard again. The woman was glaring at him. "What? Did I get worse?"

The woman shook her head. "Your technique is almost perfect."

Alex arched a brow. "But?"

The woman shrugged. "We're back on the first issue. You need to put more emotion into your dancing."

Alex sighed. "What are you suggesting?"

The woman sighed. "I want you to read through some ballets and pick a specific role and a specific part of the role that you feel resonates with you."

Alex shrugged. "I can do that."

The woman snapped back to her usual self. "Good. Now cool down and get out of my classroom."

Alex still felt happy. He knew Allen was just...like that.

Ian Rider stared into the distance. It wasn't the same without Alex around. Crawley was watching him. "Ian?"

Ian blinked. "Yes, John?"

The man laid a hand on his shoulder. "Are you doing alright?"

The internal affairs investigation had just concluded. It had been a bit rough. Ian inhaled. "I'll be fine, Crawley."

John raised an eyebrow at his partner. "That's a crock of shit, Ian. Do you want to try again?"

Ian huffed. Damn it. "Not really."

John gently took his hand. "It's okay to miss Min-er-Alex, but don't let it take over your whole life."

Ian pulled him close, cuddling him. "I'm trying. It's just not the same without him."

Crawley huffed. "No, it isn't. I'd be more worried if you didn't seem to miss him at all. At the same time, I'm worried about you."

Ian grinned. "Aw, John-"

Ian was smacked lightly. He blinked. That was not exactly what he'd expected from John. "Don't start that crap. You can be honest about your feelings with me."

Ian paused. "Alright, then. I miss him, John. I miss him so hard that it hurts to breathe. Some days I don't want to get out of bed because I feel like it's all my fault he ran away and joined a drug cartel. Maybe if I was better at the whole parenting thing, he wouldn't have done it. Some days, I don't want to get out of bed because I feel like a failure. On top of that, he went and joined up with a crime cartel. I don't know if he's okay. He doesn't call. He doesn't write. I hear about him through the news of murders he commits. I don't know where he is. I don't even know if he's alone in the world. There's a SCORPIA assassin in the area that Patrick says he threatened off, but when can I trust a single word that comes out of that man's mouth. The KGB or whatever the fuck they're calling themselves these days is involved and so is another intelligence agency. For all I know, Alex landed himself in some random black ops prison and I'm never going to see him again. Plus, there's the usual mission bullshit."

Crawley sighed. "I'm sure Alex is going to be fine. Card would have probably offered a trade if he had him imprisoned."

Ian leaned into John's chest. "I hope so."

Crawley's arms wrapped around him. Ian felt a headache beginning to form. "It's going to be okay, Ian."

Ian began breathing deeply against the man. He smelled good. "I love you, you know. It's just that there are other things on my mind."

Crawley's arms tightened around him. "It's okay, Ian. I love you too."

Ian clung to the man for a bit. "You don't think badly of me for worrying."

John was lightly pressing a kiss to the crown of his head. "No. I'd think a lot worse of you if you didn't worry about your twelve-year-old nephew running around with a crime cartel."

Ian leaned into the touch. "Good, good."

Brendan Chase sighed at the latest bit of paperwork. Yu wanted fucking what? Reports from Nile? The man he'd personally denigrated in front of the entire board multiple times. He inhaled. This was not helping his tendency to develop migraines. Who the hell was Charles Brandon?! It sounded like a cruddy alias he'd created for himself back in the Cold War. Brendan read the full report on the man. First, he goes and kidnaps Alex Rider. Then, he goes on the run. Not that Brendan disagreed with these life choices. Ian Rider was almost universally considered a terrible guardian by anyone with common sense. Including himself and Doctor Three. They would normally not have bothered looking into a home life that deeply, but it was John Rider's son and the kid had wandered off and committed mass murder at the ripe old age of twelve in a room full of witnesses. Also, Ian Rider, while not John's level of skill, was still a decently competent and very deadly agent. "Nile."

The man always picked up by the third tone. "Yes, sir."

Brendan made sure his tone said it all. "Major Yu wants updates on a man called Charles Brandon."

There was a pause and what Chase was pretty sure was a muffled groan. He didn't blame Nile at all. "Major Yu?"

Chase blinked. "Yes, Nile."

The man sounded almost crushed. "Can those reports be written?"

Chase heard the pleading in the tone. "The Major only accepts perfect spelling, grammar, and punctuation. The English version."

Chase heard what he was pretty sure was a muffled "Oh, fuck." He was just going to ignore that. "Got it, sir. I'll, uh, just get started on the executive summary."

Chase felt a stab of pity as he hung up on Nile.

Nile grinned as he burned down yet another bar. This was fun. And not overboard from the boredom of a surveillance assignment. The smoldering remains of the bar were pretty. Nile scowled as he headed back. He hated reporting to Winston Yu. The man was so incredibly grating that you wanted to punch his teeth in. Plus, he was obsessed with everything British. The man had frequently called him an idiot. It was just frustrating. Nile opened his hotel room to find Patrick there. "Oh, no."

A gun was pointed at him. "Oh, yes."

Nile took a tentative step forward. "What do you want?"

Patrick smirked. "On your dining room table is dinner. There is also an envelope. Deliver it to the post office."

Nile looked at him. "I'm not your errand boy."

Patrick smiled angelically. Nile wanted to punch his perfect teeth in. "Would you rather be making that little phone call to Major Yu?"

Nile huffed. He'd rather eat a live octopus again than do that. "Well, no."

The lights flickered off and Patrick was gone by the time the lights returned. "What is with that family?"

The darkness had no answer for him. Nile looked at the dinner on the table. There was a crisp white envelope. Wait a minute. If that was going to Alex, then he could poach the address off of there. Clever, Patrick, clever. It probably ran in the family. Should he eat that dinner? Probably not. Was he going to anyway? Yes. Plus, if he died of poison after delivering the letter, no more Winston Yu reports! Nile took a careful bite of the food. It was fucking delicious. And he was hungry. Nile texted his regrets to the Major. So sorry. Important messages to deliver in person. Nile then shut his phone off. He wouldn't put it past the man to call him anyway. Welp, he was just going to enjoy his dinner and then meander to the post office. Tragic that he would miss the absolute pleasure of Major Yu's call window. Nile looked at the letter. You could steam letters open, right? This had to be good. Nile inhaled before turning on the tea kettle for the first time in his hotel room. He was just dying to know what Patrick was writing to Alex. What did those two talk about anyway? Whoops, I'm sorry your relatives slashed you, please come home? Nile grinned as the kettle boiled. One of these days, his curiosity was going to kill him.

Alex opened his letters from Nile and Patrick. His grandfather was surprisingly supportive of his recent life choices. Alex had expected more swearing and "get the fuck out of there" and less "call us if you need help." It was nice, even if he suspected that his letter had been gone through. Nile had sent him a letter of his own. The handwriting was...kind of abominable. It was kind of funny. Tom had sent him a Big Ben postcard and told him how Mandy and company were doing. Alex smiled softly. He missed Tom. Nile was his usual brazen self. Alex figured the man was kind of bored. Michael opened the door. Alex quickly hid his letters. "How is it going?"

Alex shrugged. "Fine."

Michael looked at him. "You're holding the book upside down."

Alex blinked and righted it. Damn it. "Extra challenge."

Michael huffed a laugh. "Sure."

Alex gave up the pretense and put the book down. "Is there something you needed?"

Michael shrugged. "Well, I wanted to watch the fireworks from the roof. Wanna join?"

Alex shrugged. "Sure."

It was far from the oddest request he'd ever gotten. Night fell slower. Alex wondered what day it was. Time passed fairly quickly between his espionage shenanigans and regular classes.

Michael was on the roof. Alex sat in the chair next to him. The party was happening below. "I'm sorry about what happened."

Alex's eyes flicked the Michael. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Michael sighed. "I was old enough to know better. You were a very young kid."

Alex looked at the man. "It doesn't matter, in the end."

Michael looked at him. "I think it matters."

Alex tilted back in his chair. "I'm not mad at you."

Michael looked at him. "You will be, one day, I think."

Alex blinked. "On the path that led me here, you are the least to blame. My family did more to set me on this path than anything else."

Michael blinked and extended his hand. Alex took it. "You know, I hate fireworks."

The first one went off. "Oh?"

Michael's hand tensed around his. "Reminds me of the time I got bombed."

A second boom filled the air. "Are you going to be okay?"

Michael ruffled his hair. "I appreciate the concern, but it's not your problem."

Alex scowled. Michael arched a brow at him. "We make our own choices, Xander."

Alex sat back down. "As long as you're sure."

Michael looked at him. Alex gave the man a helpless shrug. Michael hit him upside the head. "You get that children aren't supposed to care for their guardians, right?"

Alex grinned. "No nursing home for you, then."

Michael whacked him as he cackled. "You and I both know I want a shovel to the head if I break a hip at that age."

Alex kept laughing. "I'll get you a bullet, I'm not that cheap."

Michael lightly shoved him. "I'm serious, you little twerp."

Alex wiped away tears of mirth. "I know."

Michael gave him a very skeptical look. "Look, kid, I know you mean well, but you don't have to do everything on your own. You've got us now."

Alex gave Michael a look. "It's going to take a while for me to get used to it."

Michael pulled him into a hug. "Eh, c'mere."

Alex raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you drunk?"

Michael looked at him. "Uh. No."

Alex leaned into the hug. "This is nice."

Michael pulled back after a few more seconds. "Did you not get hugs?"

Alex glared at Michael. "Well, not very often."

Michael looked at him. "Are you comfortable with hugs?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Yes."

Michael held out his hand. "Wanna join the party down below?"

Alex snorted. "Not really."

Michael gave him a mischievous smirk. "Well, let's go do something more fun. It is a holiday, after all."

Alex followed the man off of the school bounds and into a car. "So, where to?"

Michael grinned. "Let's go for a drive first, hmm?"

Michael gunned the engines the second they were off school property.

Larry was considering confronting the kid about his tats but decided against it. It wasn't like he was the poster child for good life decisions. He'd slip the kid a card for a good artist once they started stretching out. Thankfully, tattoos eliminated some of the more interesting options for the career. Larry couldn't really say he was sorry about that. Michael had taken off with the kid for a few hours. Brotherly bonding time. He'd been hoping they would get along. Belinda was waiting for him in the living room. "Enjoy the party?"

Belinda was rather sarcastic. "Bunch of hyper children isn't my scene."

Belinda's lips twitched. "I gathered as much."

Larry sauntered over to her. "So, do you think Michael and Alex are getting along?"

Belinda smirked. "I believe their mutual interest in chaos and pyrotechnics should see them through."

Lance shrugged. "Eh, the boys are going to be boys."

Belinda swatted him. "What? They probably won't set anything too important on fire."

The woman rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless."

Larry grinned. "But you like me anyway."

The woman retorted. "It's your stunning good looks, I assure you."

Larry laughed. "I can live with that."

Belinda seemed more amused than anything else. Larry offered his hand. Belinda took his hand. "Do you have something you want to ask me?"

Larry raised an eyebrow. "I can't just hold your hand?"

Belinda huffed. "Mhm. Sure."

Larry was trying not to look too hopeful. "Do you want to get some late-night dinner?"

The blonde looked at him. "Second dinner?"

Larry grinned. "It's always time for steak!"

Belinda started laughing. "Alright, then."

She was still chuckling as she went to grab her bag. "What's so funny about that?"

The purse was slung over her shoulder. "You're such a man, Lance."

Larry shrugged. Women. Oh, well.

Antonio was patiently waiting in town. Alex's allies were somewhat less reliable in his books than the child himself, though they had done their part. He was surprised at how quickly Alex had gotten the information. Then again, according to Tulip Jones, he'd managed to locate a terrorist hideout in less than two weeks and a genetically modified scorpion that MI6 had previously lost to unknown thieves. Antonio had carefully positioned his men in the restaurant. Alex would probably notice. Hopefully, he wouldn't panic and draw. That would be messy. Miguel had wanted to come; however, they were discussing business and he wanted to leave his son out of it. It might be selfish, but Alex seemed better suited to the business anyway. Antonio inhaled softly as he saw Alex. The child did not look great. There were dark shadows under his eyes, which were wide. Antonio wondered if Alex knew that he instinctively swept the room three times in a row. The twitch as he saw Antonio and reached for his weapon before stopping himself was particularly awful. What was the CIA doing to the children? Alex bit his lower lip before striding towards them. Antonio felt guilty. He knew what they were doing. Assassin training for children couldn't be pleasant. And, yet, he'd let Alex go anyway. A brilliant gifted child who really should have been sent to university instead of a deep cover espionage assignment. Then again, Alex had chosen this. Antonio watched the child's brown eyes harden into fire and steel as he approached. It was the fire and steel they both shared. Antonio wondered sometimes what had made Alex Rider before. The keen intelligence sharpened into tactics. The sleek, graceful movements that whispered of a deadliness to those who were in the know. The cartel leader wondered whether the others had noticed. His lieutenants had suggested more guards, but Antonio was unsure of the true reasons behind it. Alex's face had lost some of its roundness, but Antonio was fairly certain that it was due to natural growth and not malnutrition. Alex stepped forward and sat at the table. His face arranged itself into a pleasant mask that didn't reach his eyes. He looked haunted. Antonio made a mental note to look up symptoms of PTSD. "Welcome back, Alejandro."

Alex paused as they entered the restaurant. Antonio was there. Alex glanced in askance at Michael. "We're here for him, don't worry."

Alex mentally sighed as he approached the table. Antonio's gaze was fixed on him. He sat down. "Welcome back, Alejandro."

Alex blinked for slightly longer than necessary. "Antonio."

The man tapped his water glass. "You did a good job."

Alex felt his lips twitch. The amusement he derived from the fact that a drug cartel leader thanked him more than MI6 ever did was probably juvenile. "Thanks. How is the planning?"

Antonio gave him a look. "Why don't you let me handle that for now?"

Alex forced himself not to jump as the man laid his hand on Alex's. "Alright, then."

Antonio was very relaxed. "Plenty of your men here, I see."

Antonio looked amused. "Naturally. You will, of course, have veto power for our operations."

Alex sighed. Antonio tightened his grip. "Are you alright?"

Alex bit back several emotions. "Fine for now."

The cartel leader eyed him. "I read over your constitution. Your ideas are revolutionary."

Alex blinked. "Not really. It's high time the people in this region were elevated to being able to govern themselves."

Antonio flipped through the papers. "We'll have to move fairly quickly after your extraction."

Alex sighed. "I know. It'll be about a two-month window before shit hits the fan and we have to have a real war."

Antonio sighed. "Let us hope that a swift removal goes as planned."

Alex sighed. "Let's."

Antonio flipped through the rest of the plan. "We might need more people. The armies in our countries aren't exactly the greatest."

Alex blinked. "See, I think there might be a way to fix that."

Antonio arched a brow. "Oh?"

Alex paused. "You know how there are other child assassin schools? What if we poached people from them?"

Antonio eyes him. "That's a big if. And likely too ambitious for our timeline."

Alex rubbed his eyes. "We start with who we've got and then add them as we go?"

Antonio nodded. "That will likely work better."

Alex flicked his water glass. "Why don't we have dinner?"

Alex twitched. "Only if Michael can join."

The man nodded. "Of course."

Antonio ordered for the three of them. Frankly, Alex was just glad to not have to make another choice.

Nile was finally reporting to Winston Yu. He'd done his best to wiggle out of as many phone calls as he possibly could. Even written reports were better than calling that petty asshole. Nile sighed as the clock approached the time he was meant to call the man. Perhaps he could pretend to be sick? He could make himself vomit to make it more realistic. That would probably encourage Yu. Nile had heard some nasty rumors about the man. Nile inhaled as the phone rang. "Nile?"

Nile grit his teeth. "Yes, sir."

The Major sighed over the phone. Motherfucker. "Any news on Charles?"

Nile was tempted to ask whether the man had a crush on the wayward army doctor. "As I stated in my report last week-"

He was cut off. "Yes, I read your report, thank you. I was hoping for a more...personal note."

Nile suppressed a groan but rolled his eyes at the wall. If it wouldn't get him shot, he would have put the phone on speaker so he could flip it off. "And what does that mean, sir?"

Yu's tone turned dry and patronizing. Fuck him. He wasn't a goddamn asylum patient. "Hmm. Does he seem happy? Is his new job fulfilling him?"

How the fuck was he supposed to know that shit? He watched Charles from afar. It wasn't like they were drinking buddies. "I've only seen him from twenty feet away, at closest."

Yu's tone sharpened. "Well, why don't you work on that?"

Nile felt his eye begin to twitch. Yu knew full well that he didn't do the subtle stabby intelligence shit. "I might spook him with the swords and the SCORPIA aura, you know."

The man's all too gleeful tone came in through the phone. Nile wanted to chuck it through the wall. "Well, you have a disguise, don't you, Nile?"

Nile sighed. That petty motherfucker. Nile hoped Alex stabbed him. "Er, yes."

Yu's tone was extra patronizing. "Well then, how about using it."

Yu acted like he ever left for assignments without it on. "I currently am."

Yu made a soft noise tsking noise on the other end of the phone call. "Then approaching him sans swords should be elementary."

Nile blinked. "And how do you suggest I do it then, sir?"

Nile was just barely able to resist spitting the words out. He should try harder not to crack a molar. "Why, injure yourself, of course."

Of course. The sadistic bastard. Nile couldn't keep the words from coming out. "I'll get right on it, sir."

Fortunately, Yu was not familiar with the concept of sarcastic subordinates, so he didn't catch an execution order. "Please do. And try not to die. Your training was hideously expensive."

Click. Nile breathed a sigh of relief. Fuck. He hated this assignment.

Alex woke up in a very familiar dream setting. "Grim."

The man blinked. "You shut me out."

Alex lifted his head. "I did."

Grim sighed. "I would say I'm sorry, but I'm incapable of actually being sorry, Child."

Alex shrugged. The black garden didn't look as pristine as before. The benches were worn, the vines were slightly overgrown, and the pavilion needed work. "Why is it...like this?"

Grim shrugged. "It is your mind."

Alex huffed. "That's not an answer."

Grim looked at him. "Yes, it is."

Grim held out his hand. Alex took it. He was expecting cold and clammy, but the hand felt neutral. "I was expecting it to be cold and clammy."

Grim snorted. "I am a primordial. My flesh feels as I wish it to."

Alex blinked and paused. Grim stopped gracefully beside him. "Do primordials have, like, sex?"

Alex immediately slapped a hand over his mouth. Grim looked amused. "Yes and no. We can have intercourse. But it's a bit different on our end."

Alex blinked. Well, he wasn't being blasted to dust. "Uh, what do you mean?"

Grim arched a brow. "Our essence touches as well as whatever forms we take."

Alex flushed. "Er, sorry."

Grim looked amused. "Oh, not to worry, you sweet summer child. Best question I've been asked in centuries. Plus, nobody bothered clarifying that tidbit to your ancestors."

Alex huffed. "Why not?"

Grim smirked. "My relatives are a little more prudish than I am."

Alex looked at him. "Prudish? You've all fucked thousands of people."

Grim snorted. "Mortals don't count, Shortstack."

Alex gaped. "How does that not count?!"

Grim patted him gently on the head. "It's considered akin to how you would see masturbation."

Alex huffed. "Except you get people pregnant."

Grim's eyes danced. "Yep, but no diseases."

Alex rolled his eyes. "I assume you called for something."

Grim shrugged. "Well, yes, but I was having so much fun with this conversation."

Alex crossed his arms. "Grim. Get to the fucking point."

Grim gave him the side-eye. "I believe I just did."

Alex attempted to whack Grim, who took the hit without batting an eye. "One, this is a dream. Two, I don't feel pain unless I want to."

Alex crossed his arms. "That's so unfair."

Grim full-on laughed at Alex. "Life isn't fair. But you knew that already."

Alex glared at the primordial. "You had a message?"

Grim sighed. "When the time comes, kill Tom Card."

Alex blinked. "Why?"

Grim sighed. "Your future looks much brighter with him dead."

Alex glared at Grim. "I don't kill people just to make my life easier."

Grim looked at him. "Listen here, you little shit, I'm trying to warn you that Card is going to go after people you care about after you betray him. So, end him, got it?"

Alex felt his eyes widen. "Really?"

Grim snorted. "Yes. Really."

Alex huffed. "What if I don't?"

Grim looked at him. "Then you're going to be choosing between which loved ones to save, now aren't you?"

Alex arched a brow. "I don't trust you."

Grim's eyes glowed green. "As well you shouldn't. Why don't you ask Larry about Card's usual revenge schemes?"

Alex glared at Grim. "I will."

Grim's eyes flared. "Good. Now, get out."