Chapter 8: Trouble in not-so Paradise

Alex had an itchy feeling, like there was going to be major trouble today. The two weeks in the jungle had been going fairly smoothly. Ian had said there was about another two of three days of walking until they got to wherever it was they were supposed to be. The trees seemed normal looking as far as he could tell. He didn't see any motion in the trees, but just because he didn't see it doesn't mean there wasn't something there. After all, he was fairly certain Yassen was still there and he had yet to spot the man. He was used to have the knife in him by now. He knew he would feel it missing- if Ian decided to take it back. Alex hoped he could just keep it on him at all times. Then again, Ian had implied that it was now a permanent wardrobe addition and taught him how to take care of it. He decided he would dwell on it later.

Ian Rider had noticed that his nephew was extra jumpy today. At least, more jumpy than he usually was since the new version of Alex had appeared. He decided to be on his guard, just in case Alex knew something he didn't (he supposed that Alex knew what the change was, but was still not going to ask). Ian was puzzled on how to deal with his nephew ever since he came back from his last mission. Alex just felt more equal somehow. He was totally going to be around his nephew more, since he had clearly missed something big. Jack Starbright was helpful, but not observant the way he was and would probably not pry too deeply. He supposed it could be the fact that Alex knew he lied, but it felt like something more to Ian.

When Alex felt a tingling sensation right where he had been set, he decided to hit the deck. He knew he could totally pretend to have tripped later. Just as Ian followed suit, shots rang out through the trees and over their heads. Alex decided his paranoia was completely justified. He was already going over possibilities as he got into a thicker section of the brush and Ian followed. He and his uncle were completely concealed by the time a couple of burly Hispanic men came running through the trees. The guy who appeared to be in charge of the 'merry' band started swearing at another one of the men. Fortunately, Alex and Ian were fluent in Spanish, so he understood them perfectly.

"I told you, you f-ing idiot. Nobody is here. Nobody knows about the base. You obviously saw some animal."

"But sir, I could swear-"

"No buts, get back to work and shut up."

The other two groan. The captain and 'Jumpy' walk back first.

"Man, we always get the crazy ones. I swear the general does it on purpose."

"Knowing him, he probably does. Not much anyone can do about it though."

"We should so get paid extra for putting up with Munez."

"You and I get paid enough, besides do you want to ask for a raise?"

"Fair point. We should head back before the captain notices we stayed back a bit."

"True, he gets grumpy and he is already pissed."

They both leave and their footsteps fade into the background as they crunch through the jungle.

Ian got up first. He was glad he copied Alex when he first dropped like a rock. He was still agitated at the fact that they had just been shot at. He noticed Alex was still hidden. "Alex?" He asked softly. "Yes, Ian?" He jumped at the equally quiet voice that came from behind him. "Are you alright?" Alex decided to not be snarky with his concerned uncle. "Fine, Ian. You didn't get shot did you?" Ian wanted to scream in frustration. He was sincerely fine after nearly dying from being shot at by mercenaries. He sounded sincere. Ian could tell if his nephew was outright lying. He should be panicking or going into shock now, though. "No, Alex. I am fine."

Ian decided then and there that he was going to teach Alex to shoot the day they got home. He thought that the age restrictions on gun ranges were a load of shit anyway. Not to mention he was looking forward to showing Alex the basement no one but him knew about and the features that his office had. Actually, the house had a few rooms upstairs no one knew about either. He kept weapons, practice ranges, his home security, and a whole bunch of files- just in case. He didn't trust his employers as far as he could throw them (five to ten feet dead weight). He decided to turn back the present and continue on the hike, moving much more carefully than before.

Alex notice Ian got up before he did. The men could have doubled back and spotted him! He was glad neither of them had gotten shot. He was tense and had a feeling that their troubles were only just beginning. Alex noticed Ian going into a stealthier walk and followed suit. If his uncle had looked back, he would have noticed Alex fading in and out of the shadows, just like a certain assassin. Alex had also resolved to practice his shooting and 'acquire' a gun. He knew that a few gangs nearby boasted of having them. It shouldn't be too hard to confiscate one- what would they do, report him for stealing an illegal firearm? He decided to concentrate on his surroundings and listen for the crunching of patrols.

Yassen Gregorovitch was furious. He was far too experienced with gunfire to panic at the sound of it. Besides, he was wearing a ballistics vest. He preferred his chest without holes thank you very much. Rider had not only brought his ten year old nephew on a dangerous assassination mission, but also managed to cut through a warzone. Not to mention, his nephew had the better reflexes of the two (just where Alex learned to disappear in and out of sight like that, he didn't know). Yassen was contemplating revealing himself to Alex at some point. It wouldn't make a difference because that moron of and uncle of his had already introduced him to and took him into black-ops. Now, Alex would be condemned to have at least half a life in the shadows- more, if he was as curious as he seemed to be. He was going to see this through, no matter how agonizing it was to watch. If Rider got shot or killed due to his own incompetence- well, Alex would need an adult in his life. Yassen figured he couldn't do worse than Ian Rider at parenting/training. How hard would training a kid be?

Death knew he was in deep shit. Fate was pissed enough to actually monitor the kid he had brought back to life. The kid had also just been shot at. He supposed Fate wouldn't consider the dreamless sleep enough of a boon. Fate would also crucify him if anything happened to the kid's dear loved ones. Not that he had planned for serious harm to either one of them. He was serious about the kid getting to save them; he wasn't a complete bastard, after all. Death didn't think the kid would appreciate advice via dreamland, so he kept away for now. He supposed he could send a dream or two if the kid got off track. He did want Blunt off the map, after all. Off the map in a permanent way.

Alex was puzzled at Ian's lack of questions. He supposed it was just not the man's habit. He knew the man would want answers, though. Alex figured that Ian would investigate him for a few days before he went back to work- it was what he would do. Alex was wondering what to tell Tom. Tom would want answers at some point, but he didn't want to burden or explain to his friend. Besides, Tom (even with his awful parents) was an innocent- one he would not bring into his world just because he wanted a friend. He wouldn't tell Jack, unless something drastic happened either. He was also sleeping in a tree tonight and would insist his uncle do the same.

Ian decided that Alex's idea of sleeping in a tree was completely practical, so after they had eaten; they picked one that had sufficient brush to conceal them both. They used the vines (after making sure they weren't poisonous), as a sort of makeshift rope. Alex was uncomfortable with the fact that they were probably near where a Yassen had concealed himself. He figured the man was probably sticking to the trees to stay hidden, at least during night time- no way he would make himself vulnerable by sleeping on the ground, like they had. He thought sleeping near Yassen was asking for trouble. Alex was exhausted, however, and quickly fell asleep.

Ian had trouble sleeping that night. He felt the guilt from endangering Alex begin to eat at him. He really hadn't thought that Alex would actually get shot at. He hoped Alex wasn't permanently traumatized. Strangely, he was glad Alex was there. It was comforting to know that he was with his last relative and he had missed having company on his missions, though only Alex's. His partners had been atrocious. Ian was also troubled by the fact that Alex seemed adept at dodging gunfire and glad that he didn't panic, unlike some people. He winced as he remembered that partner number two (after Jones) had gotten shot after panicking under fire. The guy was permanently injured and now worked some sort of analyst job. He sighed and tried to sleep some more.

Yassen was, in fact, in the tree across from them. He watched Alex sleep from afar. The boy didn't appear to be suffering too horribly, despite the gunfire. He decided it was best to turn in and ponder his approach when his focus wasn't consumed by being in a warzone in the jungle. Lack of focus got you killed.

The next morning Alex woke to the disconcerting feeling of being watched, in addition to be in a tree. He decided to look around before climbing down. Alex saw a flash out of the tree across from him. When he looked closer, he recognized the outline of a man in between the leaves. He went very, very still at that. At least, he thought grimly, he knew for a fact that he was being followed. He decided not to do anything at the moment. Alex figured that pushing an assassin out of a tree was a bad idea, even by his standards. He decided not to light a fire, just in case more trigger happy mercenaries were nearby. He decided to get out of the tree to; his muscles weren't used to the strain of hiding in trees, even with the extra conditioning.

When Ian woke with Alex out of the tree, he felt a stab of panic. He was immediately relieved when he looked down and saw Alex below, carefully checking for anyone nearby. He had probably already eaten, too. Ian decided to quietly descend the tree. He was still opting to investigate Alex's school when he got back. He decided to make their way to the final checkpoint today, in hopes of getting the mission done tomorrow. He was really sick of the jungle.

Yassen knew Alex had spotted him. He had actually planned for it. He wanted Alex to know they were being watched. Part of him also liked the idea of putting Alex more on edge, so he would be more cautious. It reminded him of the games he had once played as a child. Not that he was sentimental in any way. Sentiment gets you killed. He followed them to what he assumed was the final cabin- even MI6 would not be arrogant enough to put one closer to the base. The man who ran it was dangerous, after all. Yassen knew they were only ordering this assassination because of the CIA. The man had interfered with a weapons shipment meant for a team and MI6 had a better chance at sneaking someone in and had been sought out for a favor to be repaid at a later date. At any rate, the man was going to be shot and the base destroyed. He didn't care either way, of course. If the job had been any tougher, SCORPIA might have been contacted. He figured he would inform them of the base's destruction by Rider as a professional courtesy. He had appearances to maintain. He would leave Alex out of it- there was no need to bring him up.

Alex Rider had had about all he could take of the jungle. He hoped they had some sort of path out of it that went faster than two weeks of hiking. When they got to the shack (he was not calling that a cabin), he noticed there was a trapdoor. He supposed the outer part was so that no one would want to go in. As they went under the trapdoor, he was relieved at what he found and slightly alarmed.

The place reminded him entirely too much of the 'bank'. It was a stark grey and almost entirely bare along the hallways. The doors were glass and he could clearly see a bomb detonator, along with what was clearly a 'suitcase'. He decided not to dwell on the fact that Ian was going to deliberately going to blow something up- he had blown up plenty of things in his life. He also decided not to closely look into the fact that his uncle had a firearm. He decided to get some sleep and enjoy the fact that they had a shower.

Ian Rider was feeling slightly guilty for dragging his nephew for two weeks of jungle hell that most grown men wouldn't survive- even with him. He decided that they would go somewhere nicer for the next vacation. In the meantime, they would be training at home when they got back- Alex was getting weapons training. He decided not to take his nephew when he blew up the base- there was no need for Alex to see that part of his job quite yet. Ian wanted to keep Alex from seeing or causing death as long as possible.

Yassen Gregorovitch knew that there had to be some sort of underground compound because he had lost sight of Alex when they went in the shack. He knew that Ian Rider would probably succeed in shooting his target and blowing up the base. The only reason he was staying was that if the man somehow failed, Alex would need a way out (preferably in a way that didn't involve the gangs or his uncle's employers). He would ensure that Alex got back safely and then he would go on his next job, hopefully not ever running into Alex on a mission until he was grown- hopefully not ever.

Ian had stayed up until he knew Alex was asleep. He took his gun, his 'suitcase', and the detonator. Ian didn't really want to let Alex know he was going out. He slipped out under the cover of darkness and let the thoughts of what he had to do take over. First, he went through the fence and onto the property. He disabled the door alarm with a few slices from his knife- identical to the one he gave Alex. The General's office was in the third floor- he liked to work late.

The General was a careful man. He rarely left the security of his base, especially after the incident with the CIA- they were notorious for having their enemies killed. His soldiers patrolled the area and he was sure nothing less than an army could survive a frontal attack. Unfortunately for him, the forces he had opposed almost never outright attacked- they used subterfuge. The General didn't even think to reach for his gun as he heard the door handle turn.

Ian Rider knew he'd found the General. The man had just enough time to look shocked before the gun went off three times. Heart. Head. Neck. Ian preferred to triple-cap people whenever possible- it kept them from coming back from the dead. The office was totaled. Blood and gore ran down the walls and the still-warm corpse. On the desk was a rapidly forming pool of blood. Ian grimaced as he walked out- he didn't like it, but it had to be done. He was out before they noticed a thing was wrong.

By the time Ian got back to the cabin, he noticed that the sun was beginning to rise. He mentally cursed as he remembered Alex's new and shorter sleeping habits. Ian really didn't want to explain why he was covered in blood and ash and had been out all night. Bad enough he had had to use his knife on a guard on the way out. No way would Alex buy that it was animal blood either. When he opened the trapdoor, Alex was standing there waiting for him, a foot lightly tapping the ground. Well, shit. At least Crawley had set up an extraction, because he had a feeling that another two-week hike would be very awkward. The helicopter would arrive in two hours.

Alex had awoken to Ian being gone. More specifically, he had woken to a large muffled explosion and Ian gone. He would have panicked, except he was pretty much used to the situation by now. Alex had also wanted no part in the assassination, despite being worried for his uncle's health. He knew now all he could do was waiting. He tried being patient, but it was really not a strong suit. Eventually, he was rapping his foot under the trap door. He tried to tell himself that Ian was trained and would be fine- it wasn't helping. Alex kept thinking of how the other agents had been trained and how most of them had died miserably anyway. At the point that Alex was about to go insane, Ian finally came through the trapdoor. He was covered in blood and soot, but Alex couldn't care less. Ian was fine- he let the relief spread through him. He walked up and hugged the man; he didn't care if Ian was covered in cow manure, it was Ian. Living. Breathing. Ian. He politely ignored the man's stunned expression as the embrace was returned. Alex didn't care if the man thought he was insane. Ian was alive, that was what mattered. Besides, he remembered wanting to be held after missions. It was a nice thing to come home to home-ish anyway.

Ian was shocked. He had no words, although he was getting a warm fuzzy feeling from Alex hugging him. It had probably been years since that had happened. He was covered in blood and soot- shouldn't Alex be running in the opposite direction? He was just glad that Alex didn't realize or didn't give a shit he had just killed someone and blown up a base full of people. Ian supposed he should be troubled by the fact that his nephew didn't care about what he had just done, but he was just glad to have someone at his side again.

At Ian Rider's return, Yassen Gregorovitch left, knowing that Alex would be safe for now. He had another job and transportation lined up. He vanished into the jungle and snuck down to the nearest water body, a river. He boarded a boat and quietly left South America, a ghost disappearing without a trace. Yassen would keep an eye on Alex every so often. What else were breaks for?