Chapter 71: Reactions and Realizations

Alex had been expecting that his television appearance would have an impact. He had not been expecting his phones to blow up with literally hundreds of messages from friends, family, and various acquaintances who all had their own opinions. Nile seemed to be frantic about the fact that he made a live television appearance. Ian seemed to be torn between concern and yelling at him for being incredibly reckless and destabilizing an entire continent. Tom and Jack were more concerned about him getting gunned down in the street. Lance pranced into his room. "So, everyone's got an opinion, eh?"

Alex groaned. "Yep."

Lance chuckled. "You'll get used to it."

Alex sighed. "How are my ratings?"

Larry snorted with laughter. "You're through the roof kid. Don't worry."

Alex arched a brow. "Oh?"

Lance chuffed. "People are protesting at anything mildly related to America. It turns out child soldiers are a big no-no around here. Or, at least, getting caught with child soldiers is."

Alex rolled his eyes. "I'm sure."

Lance sighed. "I'm sure your propaganda disguised as vampire comics probably helped." Alex had mostly written them to de-stress. They had accidentally ended up being published and were one of the better grossing series in South America and fairly popular in a lot of other countries. Lance fanned himself with a glossy comic. "I'm curious, who does the art?"

Alex flushed. "Tom does the landscapes. I can't draw buildings to look whimsical for shit."

Lance grinned. "That's cute."

Alex turned a darker shade of pink. "Shut up."

Lance smirked. Alex rolled his eyes. "Tom is in England."

Lance did a falsetto and clutched his chest dramatically. "Oh, Xany, of course, I'll illustrate your anti-CIA propaganda. It's so roman- I mean as your completely platonic bestie."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Tom has liked art almost as long as he's known me."

Lance huffed. "Uh, huh. And I'm saying you two are good for each other."

Alex sighed. "You know, we've been friends for ages."

Lance huffed. "That's how all those ridiculously long marriages start!"

Alex rolled his eyes. "We're friends!"

Lance huffed. "You took him to Paris!"

Alex blinked. "Friends!"

Lance growled. "You shared a room."

Alex huffed. "As friends!"

Lance gave him a look. "You stole him a shiny golden shield worth millions of dollars!"

Alex flushed. "Tom likes shiny things! We're friends, goddamn it."

Lance grinned and muttered under his breath. "Uh, huh, hopeless is what you are."

Alex crossed his arms. "Is there a point to this?"

Lance scoffed. "I'm trying to help you be happy, sheesh."

Alex scowled. "Well, then, help me with this paperwork."

Lance snorted. "I'm stocking your drawers with condoms."

Alex felt himself blush. "LANCE!"

The man laughed as he walked out. Alex ran his hands through his hair. They were mates. Tom had gone to Venice with him in the past life. It was fine.

Winston Yu glared at his analysts. "Presumed dead, you said?"

The head analyst gulped. "Yes, sir."

Yu paused. "Presume harder next time."

He pointed to the television. "In our defense, he was missing for months."

Yu looked at the man. "I'm not sure about you, but Alex Rider looks very much alive and well to me in the nice television broadcast he just sent out worldwide. So, unless he miraculously rose from the dead, I would get on analyzing his television appearance."

The man swallowed. "Yes, sir."

Winston walked out. He had more important matters and colleagues to attend to. Chase greeted him in his usual manner. Winston had picked the restaurant. It was British, of course. "So, you saw the news, then."

Winston gave the man a dry look. "I'll say. Young Alexander is taking after his namesake."

Chase gave Winston an amused look. "Looks like the CIA is in for a world of shit."

Winston arched a brow. "Language. What do you think about giving darling Alexander a little bit of a helping hand?"

Chase arched a brow. "You want to send in combat squads?"

Winston Yu arched a brow. "Nothing so gauche. The Russians are already helping him, I would guess. Perhaps we should take a leaf out of the CIA's book."

Chase looked at him. "What did you have in mind?"

Winston stirred his tea. It was imported from London. Lovely stuff. "Perhaps a few consultants are in order."

Chase tilted his head. "Not a bad idea. What are you and I getting out of this?"

Winston Yu looked at him. "Alexander is a resourceful child, I'm sure he'll find something of interest. Besides, what we want here is Alexander. The continent is beside the point."

Chase sighed. "Fair enough."

Winston bit into his eighth sandwich. "Arms deals?"

Chase sighed. "Don't you run a fair amount in the smuggling arena?"

Winston gave the man a look. "Come now, don't make me do all the work."

Chase sighed. "Are you planning to let him go on his exchange trip?"

Winston Yu scoffed. "Of course! The connections will be good for him. Besides, I don't think you'd appreciate me ruining all of your hard work."

Ian Rider stared in horror as his nephew appeared on the South American section of the London news. Alex. Made the news. Crawley watched his nephew intently. Ian would have been concerned, but he knew Crawley was trying to get a feel for the politics of the situation. Alex had just publicly declared war on the CIA black operations division. And he had done it in style. Ian watched as Jack and Tom almost stared a hole into the television. Tom spoke first. "He looks so, um, fiery."

Jack rolled her eyes. "Alex has always been very passionate about what he considers to be justice."

Ian huffed. "That's nice. But should he be leading a revolution at the ripe old age of twelve?"

Tom's eyes glinted. "Look on the bright side, Ian, you made sure he was educated enough for it."

Ian exhaled. "That's not the point."

Jack and Crawley both looked at him. "Ian, you can't talk."

Ian crossed his arms. "I may have done stupid shit when I was twelve, but I never destabilized an entire continent."

Crawley rolled his eyes. Tom piped up. "Maybe someone should have destabilized that continent before Alex."

Ian twitched. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

Tom retorted. "And you propped up the regime that used literal child assassins."

Crawley inhaled sharply. "Alright, no more politics for today."

Jack sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. They were quiet until Tom went to bed. Jack looked at Ian after the door closed. "I don't know what you two do for a living and I don't want to know."

Ian opened his mouth. "Shut up and let me finish."

Ian closed his mouth. "But here's what I'm going to tell you. Whatever happened before Paris, whatever you did or said, Ian, Alex decided to run off and try to make the world a better place. He's decided not to answer any of your messages or he's not getting them. Maybe you should think about why that is. In the meantime, I'd start looking into therapists. I'm not sure whoever you hired has enough qualifications as it is and I'm not sure someone who ran off to South America to help a twelve-year-old take over at least a third of a continent and who decided to assist him in a deep-cover mission should be doing his therapy anyway. So, for once in your miserable life, act like a parent and start looking."

Ian opened his mouth. "I-"

Jack glared at him. "I'm not done. I'd start drafting your apology and some way to make amends. You have a lot to make up for."

With that, the redhead got up and left him in the room with Crawley. His boyfriend sighed. "It's a friggin' mess, Ian."

Ian leaned on the man. "I know. Can you-"

Crawley huffed. "I've been on it for a while. I'll start making lists for you and Alex."

Ian pulled him in for a hug. "I love you."

John patted his head. "I love you, too. God help me." God help us all.

Tulip Jones was not stupid. She'd known that Alex Rider was anti-establishment and with an incredibly low tolerance for what he considered corruption. He was also incredibly intelligent and resourceful. She kept the scorpion he had somehow retrieved in a cage in her office as a reminder. They had just barely got out of the Internal Affairs investigation. She had been confirmed as Alan Blunt's successor by a thinner margin than she would have liked, but it was hers now. Alex had then gone gallivanting off to South America and caused the entire intelligence community an enormous headache. Tulip had no idea why Sarov still wanted the mass-murdering little shit in his country, but he was welcome to it. She had summarily given her vote to remove Alex from Interpol's most-wanted list. Tulip's office phone suddenly rang. Oh, goody, it was Tom Card. "Jones."

The man sounded irate. "Did you send him?! Was it you?!"

Jones sighed. "No, I'm afraid I've never had much say in what Alex Rider does or does not do."

Card sounded irate. "He's one of your goddamn citizens. Why haven't you burned him?"

Jones coughed. "And let him loose on the rest of the world?"

Card snorted. "Clearly you couldn't keep him contained."

Jones retorted. "Obviously, you couldn't either. Xander Onassis?"

Card coughed. "He picked the name."

Jones snorted. "Dramatic little thing, isn't he?"

Card huffed. "And here I liked him."

Jones rolled her eyes. "Liking someone and being able to betray them are not mutually exclusive for operatives, you know that."

Card sighed. "He was charming."

Jones rolled her eyes. "You should meet the rest of his family."

Yes, Ian, John, Helen. They had all been far too charming for their good. "It's a shame."

Protect him, Tulip. Tulip felt a jolt as she realized that Card intended to have Alex assassinated. "Are you sure gunning down South America's new darling child is the best move? I mean, you already have an issue with optics."

Card let out a long sigh. "It's not up to me anymore. I'm a failure as far as the committee is concerned. They went over my head."

Jones mentally groaned. Politicians. "Oh?"

Card sighed. "Yup. On the bright side, SCORPIA is refusing to take the contract."

Jones felt another jolt. "SCORPIA? Refusing a contract?"

Card chuckled. "Perhaps they don't want the bad optics, either."

Jones sighed. Or perhaps Nile and Gregorovich had taken the gamble and petitioned the board to spare Alex so he could be their apprentice. "One wonders."

Card sighed. "At any rate, I should go. I believe I should check on the more salvageable bases."

Jones felt her headache beginning to get worse. Perhaps a visit to the doctor was in order. "Good luck."

The man laughed and hung up on her.

Patrick Beckett had never been prouder or more worried about his grandson. Alex was doing beautifully. He ignored Marion's scoffing at the speech. Besides, he had only been a few years older than Alex when he had first led an army. Admittedly, it had been an army of augments. And he'd been an adult. But still. The family had plenty of newsworthy generals and Alex's choice was a fine one. Darian was oddly quiet. Patrick had taken to watching him after he noticed Alex paying special attention. Patrick would be the first to say that he ignored the man more than he should. "So, what are we going to do?"

Ah, there was his younger daughter. "We are going to do nothing."

Marion hissed. "He's on the news!"

Patrick huffed. "I made the news back in my day. The public has a short memory."

Marion tossed her hair. Darian rolled his eyes. "Sis."

Marion turned towards him. "Don't 'sis' me. He's fucking twelve."

Darian shrugged. "You took him on a murder mission."

Marion flipped him off. "That's different from organized warfare."

Darian shrugged. "You all had no qualms about shipping me off to-"

Patrick raised his hand. "Enough. As I was going to say, we will do nothing. I will continue correspondence. Darian will be taking a nice trip to South America to offer his assistance in military matters."

Marion glared. "His useless ass?"

His son looked as though he'd just been slapped. "Your brother is not useless. He has the valuable military experience that you lack. Now, bed, all of you."

The four left him alone in his living room. Patrick opened a new bottle of scotch. This was going to be a long dramatic few years. Thankfully, his iron grip on the rest of the Black Circle would last for another good two decades or so. They wouldn't try much after what happened at the last challenge.

Dear Alexander,

I saw your actions on the news and in my reports. It is a good and right thing you are doing. I am impressed that your first media appearance went so well. I enclosed mine for a source of amusement, as it did not go nearly so smoothly as yours. On a more serious note, I would advise you to tread carefully. The politics of South America are nearly as deadly as those in the courts of old Russia. Keep your allies close and poison closer.

I am glad my birthday gift came in handy. I hope that you won't mind receiving another once you come to Russia. A boy your age in Russia would be getting quite a few gifts. I only had one son and he was lost to me over a decade ago. I should congratulate you on receiving your scholarship. The school you were accepted to is one of the most prestigious in the country and I think you will like it. You are fluent in the language to the standard of diplomats, yes?

I am quite impressed that you managed to finish all of the medical texts I sent. You are a busy young man. I am more than happy to purchase texts on tactics and battle instead of just recommending them, child. I have more money than most people will make in their entire life, though I choose not to indulge in the opulence of my fellow "barons". Educational materials are a necessity, however, as is the private school I will send you to in Russia. Your friend Amanda, while questionable in the wardrobe, has better taste in overall life choices.

All the Best,

General Alexei Sarov

Alex had been ignoring Yassen's texts for long enough. He was sure the man was getting antsy. Yassen tended to be trigger happy as it was.

- A

Answer my texts!

-C

Yassen let out a sigh of relief when Alex finally responded to his texts. The boy was going to give him a stroke at this rate.

-C

You know, I have a war to run, civilians to appease, ex-CIA agents, and cartel people to keep the peace with…

-A

Alex could practically feel Yassen about to blow up on him. The poor man probably wasn't used to chaos on his level.

-A

And whose fault is that? You could have had a nice, quiet, life as my apprentice, but, no, you had to go and start a revolution.

-C

Yassen felt his eye twitch as he prepared himself for Alex's next snarky reply. Perhaps playing his hand this early was a mistake.

-C

There were enslaved children! And corrupt CIA assholes! Is that another adoption offer I'm hearing?

-A

Alex grinned. He loved poking Yassen. It probably wasn't great for his life expectancy, but it sure was fun.

-A

Your soft heart will be your downfall, little Alex. Incidentally, who else offered to adopt you? Pure curiosity, I assure you.

-C

Yassen would never admit to holding his breath while waiting for a reply. He did need to know his competitors. It would help him secure his adoption.

-C

Nice try, you homicidal near-sociopath. I know full well they'll end up face down in a ditch. Don't worry, you're still my favorite. ;)

-A

Alex knew that there was a wide grin on his face. Yassen would probably have a heart attack as it was.

-A

You're a little shit, Alex.

-C

Yassen glared at the phone. Alex was a chaos incarnate. In a very cute, deceptively small little frame.

-C

I'm the best little shit. That's why you love me!

-A

Alex wanted to laugh out loud. Winding Yassen up as payback for the whole killing Ian thing in the past life was probably a little mean. Especially since he'd sent at least four trained agents to the mental hospital.

-A

Goodnight, lapochka.

-C

Yassen smirked as he typed out the term of endearment. He could picture Alexander's facial expression and it was hilarious.

-C

Goodnight!

-A

Alex gaped at his phone. Sweetheart?! Sweetheart?! Alex had almost screeched at his phone. He wasn't sweet! He'd show Yassen. Perhaps a few extra stunts in Russia-politics land.

Darian was surprised when he opened the window to where Alex was staying. Alex was in a bed by himself. His nephew was awake at his entrance. "Darian?"

Darian grinned. "The one and only. You didn't think we would abandon you forever, did you?"

Alex's expression suggested he did think they would abandon him, but Darian ignored that in favor of plowing through this. "Uh, huh, what do you want?"

Darian flicked his nephew. "Tsk, tsk, so transactional. For all you know, I could be here for a visit."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Now? In this family? I don't think so."

Darian sighed. "Once you're done with your little justice crusades, I'm going to take you on a real vacation."

Alex crossed his arms. "Uh, huh. So, why are you here?"

Darian rolled his eyes. "Well, you see, I'm old. This has the benefit of me having had a career in the army. I'm here to help."

Alex closed his eyes and sighed. "Are you sure about this? It's kind of a mess."

Darian shrugged. "Least I could do after abandoning you to Ian for all those years."

Alex mentally groaned. "I don't think Ian is quite as bad as all of you make him out to be."

Darian snorted. "And we think he's worse than you let on."

Alex promptly hit him with a pillow. Darian snorted. "My, oh, my whatever would you constituents say? Such immature behavior."

Alex laughed. "C'mon. I suppose there's not much point in me going back to sleep anyway."

Darian huffed. "Sleep is important!"

Alex shrugged. "This coming from the guy who showed up from a sixteen-hour flight."

Darian sighed. "Point taken."

Alex dragged his uncle out to meet Antonio and Lance. The two men seemed to be trying to glare the skin off of his uncle through sheer willpower. "This is my uncle, Darian."

Lance walked up. "Your douchebag guardian?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "No, and Ian isn't that bad. This is my maternal uncle."

Antonio's eye twitched. "And where was he all these years?"

Alex felt a bad headache coming on. "Deployed?"

The drug dealer inhaled sharply. Darian cut in "Why don't you run along, kid? I think we adults need to have a little chat."

Alex glanced at the three of them. None of them seemed to be budging, so he left.

Lance was not best pleased when three SCORPIA agents seemed to appear in his apartment. "I'm assuming you didn't fly out all this was for a five-way."

He had been already in a piss poor mood because of Uncle Child Abandonment. "Deployed" his ass. There were exceptions for when kids had no other options for guardians. Larry didn't count Uncle Asshole as an actual option. "No."

Lance sighed. "Well, I'm assuming you're not here for my bounty, otherwise you would have killed me in my sleep."

Belinda stirred against him. He tightened his grip on her. "Indeed. We're here as security consultants."

Larry grabbed his pillow. "Security. Consultants."

The woman looked far too cheerful. "Isn't that what they're called around here?"

Lance groaned. "I hate my life sometimes."

The three operatives looked far too amused. "And which meddling asshole do I need to send a thank-you note?"

The operatives looked taken aback. "Mr. Yu is only looking out for Mr. Rider's best interests."

Lance was skeptical, very skeptical. "And I suppose the fact that there are two British shinies in the area has absolutely nothing to do with this."

The third one spoke. "Absolutely none, Mr. Larson!"

Lance muttered a few swears under his breath. Uh, huh, sure. Anyone who knew about Yu knew about his unhealthy obsession with Great Britain. "I suppose you'll want to meet the kid, then."

The three exchanged a glance. "It can wait until morning."

Lance sighed. "Why are you approaching me?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Because Antonio is an extremist and we need you to vouch for our cover stories."

Lance paused. "Antonio might buy your cover, but the kid has been trained to spot SCORPIA operatives since he could walk. Good luck keeping it from him."

The woman sighed. "Convince him to keep it a secret from him."

Lance shrugged. "Ug, this is going to be a mess. First the Russians, then the other uncle from Mossad shows up, now SCORPIA throws in the goddamn dice. It's going to be a miracle if we don't have an internal civil war, you realize."

The three glanced at each other and shrugged. "Orders are orders."

Lance put his pillow over his head and groaned into it. "Why don't you tell the kid that? And did I mention the fact that we have a bunch of CIA defectors?"

The woman's lips twitched. "Trying to scare us off the job, Larson?"

Lance's grin was rather feral. "You bet your tight little ass on it, sweetie."

The woman drew her knife and brandished it at him. "Try something, CIA, I dare you."

Lance snorted. "I'm happy with my current girl, thanks. She's a little less stabby and knife kink isn't my thing."

One of the men stifled a laugh. "Ug just got to sleep. I'll deal with you fuckers in the morning."

Absolutely none of them was thrilled about that prospect.

Brendan Chase paced his office as Nile gave his report by phone. "-And then all of the bases got attacked! They got annihilated too!"

Nile paused in his report to let out a little huff. "Are you alright, Nile?"

Nile shrieked and Chase instantly regretted the question. "THERE WAS A MASS SLAUGHTER AND NOBODY INVITED ME! I feel left out."

Chase took a deep breath. Must not strangle the deranged lunatics who work for him. "There are politics involved here, Nile. If you knew someone on the inside, they were probably trying to keep you out of trouble with me and the rest of the board, you know. We have an alliance with the CIA that would be put into jeopardy if you had-"

Nile interrupted him. "I WAS LEFT OUT! THERE WERE EXPLOSIONS!"

Chase sighed. "It was for your good."

Nile huffed. "I am a SCORPIA ASSASSIN. We can do whatever the fuck we want."

Chase counted back from ten in his head. "That's not actually how it works, Nile."

Nile scoffed. Chase would admit that they let their favorites get away with quite a bit, but there were still rules. Like not busting their odd, somewhat fraught, alliance with the CIA. Nile made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a whine. "Am I not good enough?! Is that why I don't get to join in?"

Chase resisted the urge to groan. Damn Rothman and her psychological manipulation crap. "I'm sure that's not it. You're just, um, very distinctive, Nile. I'm sure your friend still loves you."

Chase hoped that was the right thing to say. Nile huffed on the other end of the line. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I feel lonely. How come the three consultants get to join in?"

Chase sighed. "Plausible deniability. Nile, why don't you talk to your friend about this?"

There was a long pause. "He'll probably laugh at me."

Chase sent up a prayer to whatever gods would take his, admittedly slimy, soul. "Just. Talk to him."

Nile huffed and hung up. Chase was sorely tempted to sign him up for extra private lessons with The Countess. Really.

Tulip Jones signed the final form that would allow Alex to go to Russia with no small amount of spite. Since Sarov saw fit to hand him what had to be highly prized top-secret technology, Sarov could deal with his goddamn antics for a year or two. Perhaps the old Russian crab would get a better handle on him. Crawley slinked into her office. "How's it going?"

Tulip huffed. "I think I did less paperwork for top security prison transfers."

Crawley smirked. "That's what you get for letting old Soviet generals kidnap mass-murdering spy children."

Tulip rolled her eyes. "Some people gloss over the mass-murdering bit."

Crawley huffed. "Alex is a nice kid."

Tulip arched a brow. "Yes, which is why your mind immediately jumped to him when I mentioned mass murder."

Crawley crossed his arms. "We've all authorized or carried out worse, you know."

Tulip fixed him with an unamused look. "You're compromised."

Crawley huffed. "If that's how you want to play it, I know you and Ian fucked, too."

Tulip groaned. "That wasn't meant to be antagonistic."

Crawley snorted. "Yeah, it was."

Tulip pinched the bridge of her nose. "Since the age of ten, Alex Rider has smoke bombed our office, possibly committed an act of terrorism on British soil, possibly attack a SCORPIA board member, killed six people that we know about, and committed a confirmed case of arson. In the past year, he stole from the Louvre, joined a junta, and masterminded the most successful attack on US intelligence in the history of the CIA. Sarov can deal with the little shit for a while since he seems to be under the impression that Alex Rider, chaos incarnate, will behave for him."

Crawley shrugged. "I wish him the best of luck."

Tulip snorted. "You're hoping he destabilizes Russia, more like."

Crawley grinned. "I'll take it. I mean, Mini is great."

Tulip just gave him a look that questioned his sanity. "If you say so."

Crawley scoffed. "He's a nice kid if you manage to interact with him without starting a bickering match."

Tulip sighed. "I regret nothing."

Crawley looked at her. "Why are you doing this?"

Jones blinked. "Well, I'm hoping if we manage to stick Alex in a program he enjoys and volunteered for, we'll get a quiet year."

Crawley just gives her a pitying look. "Mhm, keep telling yourself that, Tulip."

Tulip tried not to groan. "You're not helping."

Crawley shrugged. "You know, you hired me because I tell you the truth, not because I'm sparing your feelings."

Jones gave him a warm-ish look. "I know. You're a good man, John."

Crawley looked at her in askance. "Most of our enemies would call me a holy terror."

Jones looked entertained. "If only you practiced your marksmanship as much as your wit."

Crawley rolled his eyes. "My handgun is good enough and I can't snipe with the bum knee, as you very well know."

Jones sighed. "A pity. At any rate, do you think it will work?"

Crawley looked amused. "I think that either way, Mini is going to surprise us."

Jones seemed to wilt a little bit. "I was afraid of that."

Nile tried not to bite his lip as he dialed the phone number he knew belonged to Alex. Part of him hoped that he wouldn't pick up. Alex picked up on the third ring. "This isn't Yassen."

Nile huffed. "I certainly hope you didn't get us confused."

Alex giggled at that. "A bit hard to do Nile."

Nile began chewing his lower lip. Why was this so hard? Normally he just blurted out whatever he wanted, regardless of what the other person would think. It had gotten him a reputation as a blunt moron in SCORPIA. "Er, well, I was wondering, uh, why didn't you-"

Alex cut him off, thankfully. "Call you for the fiery explosions?"

Nile huffed. "Well, yeah."

Alex sighed. "It was not a question of your skills. You're very good with weapons, Nile."

Nile perked up and then deflated again. "Then why wasn't I invited?"

Alex chuckled. "Well, for starters, politics. If a couple of SCORPIA operatives show up here and there, your bosses get plausible deniability. If you show up, they're in the awkward position of either disavowing you and admitting that little old me stole you from their clutches or breaking off their alliance entirely."

Nile groaned. "I knew being a second-in-command was more trouble than it was worth."

Alex laughed. Nile felt a bit lighter. It was nice to bitch about the job he'd been conned into competing for. "Don't let them hear you say that."

Nile huffed. "And why can't the bosses cop to sending me?"

Alex sounded amused. "Nile, you're really bad at politics, aren't you?"

Nile glared at the phone. "Maybe?"

Alex sighed. "First off, openly throwing in their lot with me might be enough to get them officially declared a terrorist organization, which is a lot of headaches for everyone involved. They also would be openly admitting to interfering with the sovereignty in a country. It's one thing to rig an election; it's another to declare it openly to the world on live television. That would mean the United Nations might also declare them a terrorist organization. Which is an even larger headache for the board."

Nile scoffed. "So, what I'm hearing is that the only reason I wasn't sent was that the board was feeling lazy."

Alex cackled over the phone. "They wouldn't want to give up their cushy lives and be outlaws in truth. I mean, that's not all, but-"

Nile cut Alex off. "Alright, enough with the politics, I'm getting a headache."

Alex quipped back. "Are you sure it's not the stress?"

Nile huffed. "Oh, fuck you, aren't you running an army?"

Alex giggled. "I have help, though."

Nile grunted. "What's this I hear about Yassen being your favorite?"

Alex sniggered. "I have to tell him something to keep him from murdering you, you know."

Nile crossed his arms. "I can take him."

Alex's tone turned dry. "Can you now?"

Nile gave his phone the evil eye. "Now listen here, you little shit-"

Alex put the phone down as three of SCORPIA's operatives entered the room. He had drawn and clicked the safety off before he realized what he was doing. "What the fuck, Lance?!"

Lance hastily raised his arm. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! They're on our side."

Alex arched a brow. "Oh, really?"

Lance sighed. "Look, I know your uncle abandoned you in warzones, but I'm not Ian. Have some trust."

Alex clicked the safety on. "Fine. Start talking."

The woman stepped forward. Alex wondered if they had picked a redheaded woman who vaguely resembles Jack on purpose. Probably. "Mr. Yu has instructed us to assist and advise you in raising your army."

Alex took a deep breath. He couldn't send them away without being rude. It would be a very grave insult to the man, who was an insane fucker. "Right. How are we explaining this to Antonio? He's not going to want another cartel around."

The man at the back rolled his eyes. "It's taken care of."

Alex was tempted to throw up his hands. "What do I call you?"

The redhead gestured to herself. "Marie. And those two are Justin and Gary."

Alex rubbed his eyes at the names. "Fine."

Alex smiled. It was more teeth than joy. "You three are going to be working with my uncle Darian."

Lance groaned. "Oh, come on."

Alex glared at the man. "Shut up."

Alex smiled. "There will be a lovely ice-breaking dinner at six sharp. Don't be late. If there's a single fight, I am going on another murder spree, got it?"

The adults exchange a glance. "Good. Now let me get dressed."

Alex sighed as they filed out.