Chapter Fifteen: Secrets and Lies

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful, and Alex got to work on his Russian in class. He also texted Yassen almost every day; it was quickly becoming a habit. Ian surveilling the school had been really what had done it. Alex needed something that was his own and private. Alex could never remember not having secrets. Tom was as good a friend as ever. Whenever he got bored or frustrated with his peers, all he had to do was remember exactly what he got up to at night. He could feel the teachers watching him. It was anyone's guess as to why. It felt like the time that the lab had burned down and everyone knew he got away with it. Alex broke down in Friday and decided to ask Tom about it. "Why is does everyone seem to be watching me?" Tom fidgeted and refused to look at him. "Tom, come on man." Tom flushed a little bit. "Well, you are kind of on unofficial watch. You're really serious now and…um don't be surprised if you get called to the counselor's office, ok?" Alex sighed. "Thanks, mate." Tom was looking at him as though he was trying to see through him. "You'd tell me if something was wrong, right mate?" Alex gave him the don't be an idiot look. "Of course, Tom." Tom gave him a relieved smile.

Sure enough, after lunch Alex was summoned to the school counselor's office. Alex decided being polite to the woman probably wouldn't kill him, so he knocked on the door. "Come in, Alex." Alex went in and sat down at the desk. He had never in his life seen a mental health professional, except SCORPIA's, so he had no idea what to expect. "I'm Mrs. Taylor, your school mental health professional. Do you know why you are here?" Alex was puzzled. "No ma'am. I am not a discipline issue and my grades are above acceptable. I don't bully people and I have Tom to talk with." The woman gave him a faint smile. "You aren't in trouble, Alex. Actually, from all reports you seem to be the model student." Alex was feeling less and less sure about being here. "Then why am I here?" "Your teachers have become concerned about your lack of interest in other things, Alex. You have also suddenly withdrawn from most of your peers and seem somewhat less happy with your life in general." Alex wondered why the hell anyone would care this time around. They hadn't seemed to in the past or was it the future? "What's the point of this then?" They thought he was depressed?! What the hell?! Taylor was not really giving him the vibe she would let him get back to class anytime soon. Alex mentally added dodging the school counselor to his list of things to do. He did not need people nosing around his life. "An evaluation of sorts. If you really are just fine, then we won't be seeing each other again." She handed him a giant packet. "This is, of course, confidential." Unless MI6 wanted to see it, was the thought that popped into Alex's head. He reluctantly began to fill it out.

Alex felt pretty confident as he essentially lied through his teeth on the evaluation packet. The woman would probably not be able to help him anyway because people who talked about time travel got sent to the permanent section of the psych ward. After he finished, she let him go to class. Alex was relieved that he hadn't missed the whole thing. The rest of the day was spent with him wondering what was going on. The feeling of being watched was definitely making him paranoid. Alex took a different route every day, since habits got you killed. This particular route wasn't very safe, but Alex was feeling restless enough to actively go into the less...high income areas of London. Nobody bothered him anyway, and he was feeling like doing something reckless. Besides, this wasn't that bad anyway. There were almost no people there at this time of the day. Alex decided to focus on his surroundings and quit trying to justify himself, when he heard a whimper. It didn't quite sound human, so against his better judgement he went into a completely empty alley. He froze when he saw the blood, but let out a breath when he realized that it wasn't quite human. It was dark and red, though, so it was probably a mammal. He heard another faint whimper from the garbage piled in the corner of the alley.

When he carefully removed each piece, he found what looked like a puppy. It had pointed ears, dark grey fuzzy fur, and the most pathetic blue eyes he had ever seen in his life. Alex cursed his own curiosity and knew that he was taking the puppy home. "Well done, Rider, you can kill people, but apparently a puppy is all it takes to soften your resolve." This was not something he wanted to explain to anyone (Ian and Jack), especially how he found it. What kind of sick fuck would hurt a dog anyway? He decided to stop by Tom's house for the first aid kid. His parents wouldn't question the missing supplies; they were too busy arguing. Tom and Jerry seemed more like the sucker for animal types and was likely to keep his new pet a secret anyway. The tube ride was a tense one for Alex. Pets were not really allowed and he kept expecting to be stopped and asked about what he was doing. Thank god for the British attitude for minding your own business, because he wasn't stopped. Alex knew he probably looked filthy, which would help, but still. When he got to Tom's house, he knew the parents wouldn't be home, so he knocked on the door. It was immediately answered by Jerry. "What's up kid?" Alex put on his most pleading look. "I found this dog and it's injured. Can you and Tom help me patch it up and keep it a secret?" Jerry shrugged. "Sure mate. Tom!"

The boys patched up the puppy after giving it a bath. Jerry stated at it for a solid minute. "Um, Alex, mate that is either a wolf or it really looks like one." Alex hadn't noticed, but in truth he had thought it was a husky. Actually, he was unwilling to give up his new pet, though he probably should. After its bath, he knew it was a wolf. How it got to England was anyone's guess. "Probably a husky mix. Who ever heard of a wolf in England, anyway? Aren't they extinct or something?" He felt a flash of guilt as he remembered Ian's pleas to telling him to be careful, but ruthlessly squashed it. Jerry took another look at it. "You're probably right, mate, but let's get him a collar and you some dog stuff." They all, thankfully, had regular allowance. The trip to the pet store went well, especially since Jerry was old enough to pass as the responsible adult brother. Alex packed all of the stuff in his bag and held the (now sleeping) pup under his jacket. "You two should come over to see him, so he gets used to other people." They both brighten visibly. "Really, Alex?" Tom asked. Alex returned his smile. "Really, Tom." He checked his watch and breathed a sigh of relief. Since it was Friday, Jack and Ian wouldn't be home until late. All he had to do was get there before they did and no one would know the difference.

When Alex got home, the house was still dark and he breathed a sigh of relief. Ian would probably make him get rid of his 'dog'. His new plan was to convince Jack to keep it after Ian went on one of his 'trips'. For now, he would be getting up super early to find a place he could build a shelter for if it got too big for the house. Alex knew he had to read up on wolves and cracked open the first books he found in the library. He had made the pup a small bed in his closet. From the books, Alex found out what he would have to do to raise the wolf cub. It was a boy. He supposed he should name his new pet. The blue eyes made him think of Yassen, but he didn't think the man would appreciate having a pet named after him. Alex eventually decided to name his new pet Fenrir. He strongly doubted anyone would get the reference, except Cossack. It was going to be an inside joke with himself. This was such a bad idea, it was almost funny. Alex decided to flip on the news. When he saw the headline, he almost burst out laughing. It would only happen to him. Damn, his luck was bad. At least he could count on Tom, Jerry, and Jack not to make the connection.

The headline was about an escaped genetically altered wolf cub. Apparently, it was still immature enough to not be able to tolerate sedatives, so Nano robots were not yet an option. It was supposed to have an accelerated growth cycle that slowed down after it matured. It would already be able to eat raw meat. Fenrir would also be almost horse-sized in a few weeks and supposedly vicious and uncontrollable. Alex strongly doubted that part; it was a common scare tactic used with people. Besides, the puppy seemed fairly harmless and no way was Alex returning a puppy to someone who hurt it. He was sure he was a better owner than a black-ops subdivision. Finders' keepers. Fenrir was his. Well, he would have to teach it to hunt and find a way to get raw meat, but still. How hard could secretly owning a dog be? He heard Jack and Ian coming in for the night and carefully put the books on his desks. A pet was the last thing he needed on his schedule, but he would keep the fur ball if it killed him. He checked to make sure his closet door was closed and Fenrir was ok before he went down to greet them.

"Hi, Jack and Ian. Doing ok?" They both look at each other and sit down. Jack had put the groceries on the table. "What is it now, you two?" Ian sighed. "The school counselor called today, apparently she wanted to check on you and tell you that the evaluation came back all clear. You won't have to see her again." Alex had a feeling that it was far from all. "Isn't that a good thing?" Ian sent him a penetrating look. "She also said she thought you lied out your ass, but couldn't prove it." Alex snorted. "I'll bet she didn't put it that way. She is a professional after all." Ian shot him a glare. "I'm paraphrasing." Jack was giving her concerned parent look. Alex sighed and gave his best shot at looking nonchalant. "And?" Ian met his look. "She thinks we should send you to a professional." Alex was now fired up. "Why? There is nothing wrong with me." Alex refused to go to any kind of therapist. He was fine. Ian gave him another piercing look that said they would be talking about this after dinner. Jack quickly interjected to prevent the storm that was about to come in the form of a family argument. "Dinner is ready and the groceries are put up." There was an awkward silence over the entire table. Once they were all done, Ian basically summoned him to the office and locked the door behind him.

"Alex, I'm worried about you." Alex mentally groaned. Cue the well-intentioned, but unfortunately ineffective adult intervention of some sort. "Umm, thank you? But isn't it kind of your job?" Ian gave him the driest look he had ever seen on the man's face. "Speaking of my job, you get the therapy benefits." Alex returned his look. "Because I totally want your boss to know my secrets." Ian actually grinned. "I know, right, it would totally never happen right?" Ian looked reassured by the little joke. "Not the only thing I wanted to talk to you about, anyway. I want to show you something." Ian flicked a switch behind the bookshelf and the notepad came out. He typed into it.

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam.

Alex's Latin was rusty at best. "What does it mean?" Ian looked way too excited about this. "I find a way or I make one." The metal tube appeared almost out of thin air and Alex followed Ian in. This had better be good. Ian was practically bouncing. When Alex saw what was at the bottom, his mouth fell open. "Welcome to the basement. It's a family secret, so the only ones you can tell about it are your kids someday. It has everything you'll ever need to survive the outside world and so much more." Ian took him on a tour of the place. It was actually pretty awesome. There was an actual compound beneath the house that he hadn't known about, at least there was this time around. It was one of the few times Alex wished he had been more curious instead of less. The weapons room and the computer room were his new favorite parts of the house. He did wonder how Ian got so many firearms when they were supposed to be illegal in England, but he decided not to ask this time around. They even had a spot to send biological samples for analysis. Alex decided to settle the question about his dog once and for all when Ian left him alone. Innocent until proven guilty, right? Or at least it was in America.

Ian took him to what was obviously a target range for knives and guns, continuing the tour that Alex was careful to listen to. "You can practice here, as long as you are responsible about it. Also, don't carry the firearms anywhere near the airport without my help. The paperwork would be a nightmare if Jones finds out I gave you a firearm." Ian had finally stopped after about half an hour. "So what do you want to do first?" Alex really wondered sometimes if Ian had used his position in the government to get custody of him. It was better than Ash, though. He decided to humor the man. "Let's use the gun range, Ian." Ian was looking just a little too excited to have a shooting partner. "Which gun do you want to use first?" Alex had learned instinctive firing, so he would probably be decent with all of them, though he wasn't sure how the skill would translate. Alex just sighed and picked up the Sig first. Ian handed him the earmuffs. "You wouldn't believe how bad for your ears this is." The man then stepped behind him and steadied his aim and minutely adjusted his stance. Alex decided to go for the middle and inner rings. He steadied his breathing. This was a world away from the last time he had fired a gun. He fired. Faster than he ever had before. The kickback wasn't actually that bad. After the first shot, he was fine. Alex knew his wrists would probably be sore in the morning.

Ian sauntered over to the target after he put the gun down. "Not bad, actually this is the best first try I've seen." Alex almost cursed. Aside from his first shot, he had made a perfect circle in the innermost ring. At least he knew Ian wouldn't recognize his skill for what it was. If Yassen ever saw him shoot, it would be a long, awkward conversation. With a beating afterwards for not trying his best. Then again, Alex was glad for the excuse to practice in private. Getting straight bulls eyes on his 'first' time shooting would be begging for question or a position as MI6's youngest sniper. Alex picked up the other guns and fired a round off on each. He was about to pick up the Sig again when he felt Ian's hand on his. "Why don't you stop for now and see how sore you are tomorrow?" Alex supposed that was the real difference between Ian and every other training he had. Ian actually cared if he was sore the next day. Alex complied. He didn't really like actually shooting the gun that much. It was still kind of fun, especially when the targets weren't people-shaped and he wasn't being watched by an organization that would kill him if he failed the class.

Ian Rider was glad he had taken Alex down there. Now they could spend time together when he was home. Alex's shooting was actually above the required standard for certain parts of the army, but the minimum wasn't really his goal here. They would practice until Alex was at least as good as he was. It was actually kind of fun teaching someone who wanted to learn. Most of the agents he got assigned were either too proud to take advice or irreparably bad, in his opinion. Maybe they had the right idea, having Jones influence the school curriculum the way she did, but still, the part of him that liked having the truth was irritated at the alterations. At least he could monitor Alex's education, which was really the only one he particularly cared about. Ian decided to fill out the last of his paperwork and return to work to see what Jones had for him. She said it wasn't particularly urgent, but Ian was getting restless. Ian had also noticed Alex adding things around the house. He wasn't stupid, after all. Ian was sure whatever Alex added to the house to make it more secure would be fine, even though it was already pretty state of the art. He should probably check the plants, though. The last thing he wanted was the neighbor's dumbass kids poisoning themselves by eating some of Alex's plants.

Meanwhile…

Cossack triple-checked the messages on his phone just to make sure. It was really unnecessary, but he was kind of hoping Alex needed something. Anything. The flimsiest excuse for having to cut his current annoyance short would be wonderful. Hell, he would take searching for Ian Rider and rescuing Jones over this. Needless to say, he was regretting his choice to allow the current head of Malgasto to saddle him with a student. It had started a few days ago, when he came back from his assignment in Spain. When he walked into the class and saw what he had to choose from, he had wanted to bang his head against the wall. He was currently annoyed by the man's breathing. Actually, it was more the situation, but Marc would never make more than a middling level of assassin. You needed to start younger for the kind of training it took to make him what he was. Nile had really been the last truly promising student he had seen, though his thoughts treacherously brought Alex to the front of his mind. Stealthy, secretive, young, and already comfortable with… He shut down that part of his mind before it could finish. Alex had a guardian and was currently unavailable. It would not do to dwell on what he couldn't have.

The text message came in an hour later than normal. Yassen knew it probably meant nothing, especially since it was a Friday. He had been in the middle of explaining something to Marc for the fifth time when the text finally came. He wasn't really paying full attention to the lecture subject anyway, since he knew it by heart. He cut off mid-sentence to read the text, and felt the annoyance ease off ever so slightly.

Sorry I'm late, Ian took me shooting. I also have a new puppy. I'm trying to figure out how to keep Fenrir a secret for as long as possible. He has special dietary needs. Advice?

-A

Alex hoped he wasn't interrupting anything. Yassen had an actual job with odd hours, among other things. Besides, his wrist was actually kind of sore and he had snuck the sample of the dog's blood and hair into the machine when his uncle hadn't been watching him closely.

Don't mention it. I wasn't doing anything terribly important. What kind of dietary needs? And it depends.

-C

Cossack felt a stab of amusement and wondered what Alex got himself into this time. It immediately vanished when Marc asked him who he was texting. The man really was vastly overconfident. Cossack sent him an eviscerating glare before returning his attention to the phone.

Lots of raw meat. I can use a gun, knife, and snares, but I think people will notice me dragging bloody carcasses around. I've already gotten two offers for psychological help. They seem to think I'm partially insane for some reason. Wouldn't know why.

-A

Alex couldn't hold back his smirk. He just hoped the assassin was bored enough to play along. Besides, he could always point out that the lab tests hadn't come back yet.

You are if you think I'm going to tacitly endorse you having a wolf as a pet. What were you thinking?

-C

Cossack couldn't help the faint twist of his lips that Marc was probably just observant enough to notice. Really? He had left Alex alone for a week. Oh well, this should be fun.

Don't be prejudicial. It could just be an unfortunate, adorable, fluffy husky mix. Wolves are extinct in England. The lab tests haven't come back yet. Besides, I couldn't resist. Haven't you always wanted a pet of your own?

-A

Cheeky brat. Cossack supposed it was part of the appeal, though. Alex was really bad at being remotely safe. He had, of course, heard about the escaped specimen. Somehow if trouble was in England or within fifty miles of Alex Rider, it would inevitably find him.

Fine, you can keep your wolf. Don't complain to me when it bites your leg off. As for the meat dilemma, a local butcher should have something appropriate as a cast-off cut. If not, you can always claim you were trophy hunting with your uncle. As for the last question, no I have not.

-C

Cossack felt an unexpected stab of jealousy towards Ian Rider. At least he got someone talented to train. He was better at shooting, far, far better. Oh well, Cossack supposed he could offer Alex lessons if the overprotective (rightfully so, but still) agent ever decided to leave the country again. His thoughts were interrupted once more by his student. "Is it your girlfriend?" At that, he had a student to punish, after this, of course.

Thank you, Yassen.

-A

He was becoming dangerously fond of the brat. It would be inconvenient if he ever had to work against him.

You are welcome, Alex. Now, I have a student to punish. Goodnight.

-C

Alex shuddered at the thought of being punished by Yassen. He wondered what the guy had done to deserve it. Alex had a feeling that it did not involve anything remotely fun or legal. Then again, you kind of surrendered all your human rights when you became a terrorist. He hoped whoever it was hadn't annoyed the man too much.

Cossack froze all the emotion out of his face. It wouldn't do to seem remotely human. He silkily advanced on Marc, who had just registered that he had made a mistake that might be his last. The man froze on the spot. He kept his tone perfectly even and quiet. "Firstly, had you payed attention, you would know I do not believe in having a significant other. Secondly, who I talk to is none of your business. In fact, if you ever question a board member in such a fashion, you will most likely be shot on the spot." Cossack predatorily moved to invade his personal space. "And thirdly?" At least he kept from squeaking. His fright was abundantly clear. "At least you payed attention to that part of my lessons. Thirdly, you will be personally learning why it is a bad idea to annoy me. For your future reference, I just happened to have studied under Dr. Three." Marc made a move to escape that was utterly futile as Cossack struck. With one move, the man was out cold. Cossack sighed as he tied him down and began to get out a few tools. He was explicitly told not to murder the man, but they didn't say anything about what state he had to return in.

Three days later, Marc returned to Malgasto looking considerably worse for the wear and with a more than healthy fear of Yassen Gregorovich. Yassen was still irritated by the whole thing and as he went into the eating area of the school, he was greeted by Dr. Three. The man had always been particularly fond of people who showed the same proclivities as himself or who had potential. "Yassen, do sit down." He inclined his head in greeting and sat. "Doctor. Good afternoon." Yassen decided beginning to eat was probably the best thing to do. While he was in favor with most of the board, it didn't hurt to let them do most of the talking. "What was your problem with Marc?" Yassen had been expecting the question. Malgasto graduates were treated relatively well. "He was mediocre at best, highly overconfident, and overly casual when I took on an important matter over the phone with a client. Thankfully, it was by text or it could have caused damage to my professional reputation." Alex wasn't technically a client, but Yassen was at his disposal. He saw the Doctor's expression tighten ever so slightly. "Is further action warranted?" Yassen didn't really care, but he supposed he wasn't genuinely that irritated at the man. "Not at the moment. He seems to have learned his lesson after I had a talk with him." The doctor's expression seemed almost fond. "I'm sure he did." The man seemed to weighing whether to ask him a question. "Out of professional curiosity, are you considering an apprentice outside of our school? It certainly seems like it, considering your standards and attitude currently." Yassen weighed whether or not to answer the question. "I have seen a viable option, but I wish to further observe him before I decide if it is worth my time. I may pick him and I may not." The doctor seemed pleased that his guess had been right. It was a half-truth at best, but Yassen wouldn't have given the board members a fully truthful answer anyway. They had long ago stopped being able to see through his lies. Alex would entirely be worth his time, but Yassen wasn't sure he wanted to remove him from a currently much better situation. He would be watching and waiting.

Yassen had nothing better to do while waiting for an assignment, so he would be staying at the school for the next few days. No one would question multiple phones for him. It was not unusual for him and Nile to carry as many as five untraceable phones. He kept to the few areas without cameras when texting Alex. It would cause unnecessary questions. Besides, if they found out who he was considering, one of them might 'helpfully' kidnap Alex for him. They seemed particularly eager to get him to train a protégé. He was getting up there, for an assassin. Most likely, he would retire within the next four or five years. It would be imprudent not to do so. Yassen didn't really have the patience for any other long term student. There was a reason Nile was the one to regularly mentor students and not himself. His temper was particularly bad. Three seemed to be seeking his company out routinely. He supposed the man would occasionally enjoy a conversation with a non-board member who wasn't utterly terrified of him, but couldn't think of any other reason the man would want to be around him. Once again, the man seemed to be looking for him. This time, it was on his walk back from texting Alex.

"That one isn't a client." The old man was almost meddling at this point, but Yassen supposed he could indulge the man's curiosity, for now. If he became dangerously curious…Yassen was a world-renown assassin for a reason. "No, it isn't." He would never win a competition for conversationalists. The doctor decided not to pry and instead walk beside him. "What is he into?" Yassen bit back a smirk. The man had an obsession with trying to find him someone he wouldn't murder for a student. "He is more into the information business than my usual company." The man studied him for a bit and seemed to realize he was only going to answer whatever he was asked. "You are not exclusive to our business." Yassen smiled thinly. "I will inform you of any relevant details, should any arise." The doctor had always been pragmatic. Most of the board respected his abilities and his privacy. Oh well, he already had another assignment in Switzerland. He would leave for it in the next few days.

Meanwhile….

Tulip Jones was actually shocked to find Ian Rider working from home and actually being responsible. The man had literally caught up on almost a six months of paperwork in a week. She had gotten used to ignoring the fact that he usually just ignored the written reports, among other things. He was their top agent by a long shot, not as good as John, but good enough. It was the reason she hadn't sent him on assignment. That and the fact that nothing was terribly pressing at the moment. She supposed she was enjoying the lighter load, too. Incidentally, the new education initiative had not required that much work on her part. The only thing she had needed to do was pass on the idea and the falling rates of recruitment to certain parliament members and they had done the rest of the work themselves. Politicians were far from difficult to manipulate and anything education was an easy sell. Who didn't want to educate children, after all?

She had unofficially made Alex Rider her newest project. Jones got the feeling he would be closer to Guy Fawkes than a member of law enforcement. Besides, it was never too early to look for an intelligent successor. Frankly, she didn't understand his open antagonism towards the government. Alex seemed skeptical of serving a greater cause, though she understood how some people could have reservations about the less savory elements of the job. She got the feeling that he genuinely resented the intrusion upon his life. Younger people usually wouldn't think twice about signing up for the job. Spying was supposed to be every boy's dream after all. Tulip just couldn't figure out why he would want to have any kind of contact with Gregorovich or why he would protect the man at risk of going to prison. His reaction to the photos had shown that he was unafraid of the man, but why wouldn't he just turn him in, then? Alex Rider was definitely hiding something.

Alex took Yassen's suggestions. The fondness he felt for the man didn't excuse the fact that he was Yassen, but he was already comfortable ignoring the squinch of guilt that came with ignoring the man's actions and being deliberately unhelpful to law enforcement. Part of it was spite and Alex knew it. They didn't deserve to catch him. Alex knew that part of him was angry enough at MI6 to let innocent people die. Actually, part of him wanted to walk into the bank and blow it up, but the saner half of his mind told him it wouldn't help anything. The tests had come back positive and confirmed what Alex had already known. His pet was an altered Canis Lupus. Ian was out of the house. Probably debugging the school, but Alex had learned his lesson that nothing was private there. The puppy was already grown obscene amounts. It also ate mainly raw meat and Alex didn't have the heart to try to make it eat dog food. So far, Fenrir had been really quiet and the most he had ever done was nip a few fingers and shred a few socks. He seemed to be recovering. Alex guesstimated that he had another week before he was fully healed.

Alex decided to take stock of his life as he brings his new dog outside. He had convinced Jack that it was just a friendly stray he was looking after. Alex hated lying, but knew he would not be able to convince either of the two to let him have a dog at the moment, separately however... He took it on his runs with him. Fenrir could easily keep up after the first few times. The wolf seemed to enjoy the runs as much as he did. Alex decided that he was going to invite Tom and Jerry over for the weekend. He was ahead of the schedule he had set for himself. In truth, he could set up the email now, but he had no use for it. He had enjoyed the coding so much that he was going to keep up with it and the languages for now. Alex estimated that he had another six months or so before his Russian was fluent. The training was a new constant in his life, but he was ok with it. Alex wondered what he was exactly supposed to do with his life afterwards. He would never be normal, but he couldn't stand the idea of being a spy. The SAS was an option. He could be a doctor or a diplomat, but somehow he couldn't quite merge the idea of a normal life and his skills. Also, it was...boring. The life he had wanted seemed empty and lifeless when compared to black operations. Alex really wondered if it was a choice between a job he hated and a life he could barely stand.

The thoughts went away during the day. With Tom and Jack he was just Alex, another kid from London. By himself, he was more and less. The way he had been raised didn't leave a lot of options. Smuggling? Alex supposed it was thrilling enough to excite him, but it wouldn't get anyone's attention. Part of it seemed nice. He could live on a boat and dictate his cargo to a certain degree. No one would blink twice at another smuggler who was a decent shot. Alex wasn't really sure how he would break that to Jack and Ian or his teachers. It wasn't exactly something you could bring up on career day without getting sent to the counselor. Alex knew he could go for the homeless bum act, too. Maybe just sail around and help random people? Ian would have his hide, but it sounded nice. He could move to South America and live in the jungle. Alex knew enough to survive. Once he had wanted to be a football player, but now he wasn't sure. With Edward and the others, he had been dying slowly day by day. It wasn't their fault that he couldn't be normal anymore.

That night, he dreamed of raining fire. It wasn't the usual kind of nightmare. It was like watching a horror movie on mute where everything goes up in flame in the end. It was oddly beautiful with no screaming or pain. The flames devoured the world and only ash remained. At the moment the loneliness would have drowned him, he suddenly felt like he was on fire. The flames move slowly up his legs and arms while he was paralyzed. Burning and burning, but he still didn't feel pain. It was at his chest now and the flames had almost reached his heart. In real life, his lungs would have stopped working and been charred into submission. Just as the flame was about to reach his heart, he woke up. Alex realized he was breathing heavily and sweating. A dark, furry mass was at his feet. Alex ran his hand through the wolf's fur a few times to calm the speed of his racing heart. He sure as hell wasn't sleeping after that. It was three o'clock in the bloody morning. Alex heard a faint rustling downstairs and decided to leave his pet to check downstairs.

To his relief it was Ian. Alex decided tea was in order. He politely ignored his uncle and set the pot on. It was way too early to worry about whatever shit was going on at MI6. Alex really didn't care right now. He had to go to school in four bloody hours and right now he couldn't care less. Ian was drinking coffee and had been staring at him since he had walked into the living room. Alex was not really in a tally mood, so if the man wanted a conversation, he would be starting it. "Nightmare?" Came the ever so soft question. "Sort of. I'm definitely not going back to sleep, though." Soft, warm brown eyes found his. They were like chocolate now, though Alex knew they normally resembled the frozen tundra. "Do you want to talk about it?" Alex bit back an acidic reply. Ian was trying to help. "No." Ian sat down next to him. "Do you need to talk about it?" Alex was not ready for bloody mind games this early. "What do you mean?" Ian gently rubbed his back. "Sometimes what we need and want are two separate things." Alex was tired, really tired. "Fine. I was dreamed I was burning alive." Ian froze for a minute and then kept rubbing soothing circles on his back. "You can stay if you want." Alex was grateful. He felt himself slowly settling down next to Ian. Alex's eyes were involuntarily closing and he felt himself drifting off.

Ian Rider payed no mind to his brand new side ornament. Alex was safe here, right next to him. Ian had the occasional nightmare himself. Burning alive had never been featured, but he was sure it was enough to make any grown man cry. Poor Alex. His nightmares usually featured Alex dying a gruesome death and having him here helped his already sleep deprived nerves. Actually, he knew that he was going to be snappish the whole day, even with his coffee. It was already seven and Alex should technically be on his way to school, but Ian didn't want to wake him up. He had already called in sick (his first voluntary sick day ever) and his boss had been so concerned he had barely convinced her that an ambulance wasn't necessary. She had sent him the files to read up for his next assignment. Ian had just decided to veto school for Alex for the day. He was under enough stress as it was. He also went ahead and politely informed the school psychologist that Alex had witnessed his first ever death and was currently seeing someone to deal with it. They had all been very understanding.

It was about noon when Alex woke up again. To Ian's surprise he looked alarmed when he saw the time. "Shit! I'm late." Ian let himself laugh. "I already called in sick for us. You're eons ahead, anyway." Alex groaned. This was how the legendary illness rumors had begun. "What did you tell them? That I have Me no like school-itus." Ian snorted. "No, I told them you saw a violent murder and currently seeing a professional to help you get over the trauma. They were very understanding." Alex was not really happy with the teachers all knowing about his personal issues. "Did you at least tell them to keep it quiet?" Alex did not want half the school gossiping about him again. "I'm sure they will be discreet." Alex was sure they wouldn't be. Adults. "Who did you tell them I'm seeing, since I'm not actually going to anyone?" Ian smirked. "Crawley will cover for me." At least it wasn't Blunt. Alex knew for a fact Crawley was better at the day-to-day lies than him. He remembered his 'immunity disorder' all too well. Honestly, you would think the head of MI6 would be a better liar. Then again, Blunt could have been trying to cut out any other kind of future prospects. Alex barely resisted the sliver of white hot rage he held directed at the man that demanded he do something. Instead, he stuck his tea in the microwave and mentally rearranged his schedule for the day.

Alex returned his focus to the present and realized he hadn't heard whatever Ian had been asking him. "Sorry, what did you say?" Ian looked very concerned. "I asked if you were alright now?" Alex blinked. "Yes, fine. You could have left me alone, you know. Jack is still around here right?" Ian rolled his eyes. "I'm leaving in a few days, anyway. What kind of guardian would I be if I left you alone after that?" The one you were before, was the first thought that Alex had. He knew it wasn't really fair to blame his uncle for his future mishaps, but it still stung to have been left in the dark. Alex saved himself from answering by taking a sip of his reheated tea. "So what was your dream about?" Alex sighed at the obvious subject change. "Like I said, I was burning alive." Ian just gave him a look. "Details, please." Alex described his dream in depth, knowing full well Ian wouldn't let it go until he did. Alex felt a little ridiculous about it, but if Ian thought it was important, then he would humor the man. He really felt much better now that he had over ten hours of sleep. It was fine, really. Alex didn't see what the huge deal was. There had been much worse incidents with the Pleasures and nobody had said a word to him, although he had been the school outcast. Alex had not really had the drive to improve his image. The worse-off he looked, the lower the chances of the CIA getting ideas. Alex knew he couldn't exactly out that trick now, but it was a good one to keep in mind. Alex plopped himself down to begin the make-up assignments. The school work for the week took him only three hours, although he had an unfair academic advantage considering his increased knowledge base and concentration due to his mental age.

Three boring hours later, he was done. The teachers had been surprisingly thoughtful and sent the whole weeks' worth of work, just in case. He triple checked his French essay for mistakes and gave up on killing time by pretending to do work. He snapped the laptop closed. "Finished." Ian gave him a don't be an idiot look. "Then start on the next days'. It was Alex's turn to give him the look. "I meant for the week." Ian just sighed. "That school isn't really a challenge for you is it? I mean you are already studying extra subjects and you got a week's worth of work done in three hours." Alex shrugged. "Not really, no." Brooklands was not a challenge, unless you missed most of the classes. Even in his original time, Alex had still had plenty of time for extracurricular activity. Alex just assumed his uncle preferred he go there for mysterious adult reasons. Ian had insisted the place was better and more challenging than private school. Considering what he little he had learned from James at Point Blank Academy about them, he agreed. Apparently, as long as you paid and weren't disruptive, you generally passed. Your grades could be terrible, but they would still pass you. That was the impression he had gotten, at least. Of course, the source had been fairly biased, so he should probably fact check it at some point. Ian seemed to be thinking for a long time. "Would you take assignment meets from me? I mean they wouldn't be due or anything and you could work on them whenever, but I feel like you should have more of a challenge in life. Clearly, making you stick to regular curriculum is a waste of time." Alex was kind of surprised. "Sure, I wouldn't really mind much." The closest he had had to this last time was practicing Karate.

Alex knew he shouldn't really be taking on extra work, but he didn't really want to be bored either. He didn't really mind doing a few things that were clearly related to Ian's work, though. It could give him hints as to what was going on. The first subject was on Guantanamo Bay. The idea was to write a five page summary on varying public opinions on it. Alex also (rather cynically) suspected that Ian might be trying to change his mind on certain subjects, but it was a topic he was passionate about. Alex refreshed his current knowledge on the place with a few news articles any primary sources and then began to write.

There are a wide variety of opinions on torture or so called 'enhanced interrogation techniques'. Therefore, any place of their usage is sure to be controversial conversation topic…

Alex made sure to source his documents and triple check his spelling and grammar. This was more like writing for a newspaper than a report, but Alex didn't really mind. He tried to keep most of his opinions about it to himself, since the idea of the paper was that it was for academic purposes. Alex also decided that keeping copies and retyping old papers he had written in his future was not a bad idea. They always had some kind of paper in government to write about controversial items. His teachers also would assign an essay of a certain amount of words in the language classes to encourage using the language in a way they saw fit. Alex could use the practice translating his papers into other languages would bring.

Alex decided to wait a bit to hand the paper off to Ian. He wanted to translate it first before he got another one. It had also given him an idea. He could write down every bit of technique and things he had picked up in Special Operations as a sort of guide. It would help him not to forget it, but also give him a way to process his memories in a way that would not be overly suspicious if it was found. SCORPIA and MI6 had textbooks and written materials. It shouldn't be too hard. Plus, he could layer the files to make them password protected by multiple passwords that only he would know. He could also write about his trips and help keep his story straight by starting a kind of log. Alex found the idea of making a textbook particularly hilarious; since he was ten, but he felt that it was a good idea. It wasn't like anyone would actually read it, anyway. Alex postponed the idea for now. Ian had finally left him alone and he could go to his room and sneak Fenrir out for a walk while Ian was in his study. The wolf was so quiet, the only way Alex could tell it was there was the fact that he could just sort of tell when anything was in the room with him. He didn't know where the sense had come from. Probably paranoia, but it was nice to know when he had company. He vaguely wondered what Yassen was up to, but decided against texting him before the usual time. Alex wasn't really wanting to at the moment, but there was no reason not to do his daily exercises. Alex was holding himself to Gregorovich's standards and the man would only be prevented from his usual exercises by injury.