Chapter 24: A Letter from Russia
*Nebraska is landlocked.
Alex woke up with the feeling he'd forgotten something, which he had, of course. The day started out as normal before Ian casually announced Alex would be homeschooled until further notice. Surprisingly, Jack and Jerry were the ones who immediately protested. Tom seemed to know better than to argue, at least for now. Jack seemed really upset. "Ian, are you serious?!"
The man raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I am. I take Alex's education very seriously."
Jerry decided to cut in. "Um, I hate to interrupt, but what about his social development? Friends and stuff are important too."
Ian shrugged. "Well, you'll be here, besides I'm sure Alex will turn out just fine."
Jack sighed. She really, really questioned the man's sanity at times. "Why?"
Ian figured there would be some sort of resistance. "Alex has a family reunion in Afghanistan to prepare for." With that, he left for work.
Jack felt like screaming sometimes. "That man, I swear-" Alex cut her off. "It's fine, Jack." Jack sighed. "I guess only Tom and Jerry are going to school. In the meantime, do you know anyone named Alexei Sarov?"
Alex forced his voice to sound casual. "Oh, yeah. We met at that giant party thing Ian took me to. Why?"
Jack handed him a letter with neat, aristocratically beautiful cursive. "Looks like he sent you a letter."
Alex just couldn't wait. What was it with him and blonde, older, Russian men? Honestly, did he have a tattoo on his forehead that he didn't know about? No, but I can give you one. Shut up, Death. Aww. Having a bad day? You might even start swearing next. Alex thought of the fire alarms at his school and fixed his mind on reproducing the sound perfectly in his mind. Aww. Fine. I'll leave you alone, for now.
Alex took the envelope. "Thank you, Jack."
He turned to his friends. "Don't burn down the school without me."
Then, Alex went back upstairs. He hadn't expected Ian to have already have withdrawn him, but he supposed he could work on his mandarin. And email Smithers. And maybe work on all his other activities. You should read your letter. Thanks a lot, Death, I gathered. I mean first, you grouchy swat. Ok, no need to get pissy, Grim. Alex cut open his letter with his new and (now much more appreciated) letter opener. It was written in the same elaborate cursive.
Dear Alex Rider,
It seems only yesterday that we were talking in the halls of your people's' government. As you can see, my English is fairly proficient. I was glad to meet you, despite the aggravating circumstances and underlying tensions. I have heard you made a brief stay in the hospital (from my sources). I hope your misadventure was not too severe. The investigation you were rather dragged into has been concluded with the death of the perpetrator. The political implications of the assassination of the culprit have been far-reaching and beneficial to everyone, in the long run, however, they put both parties in an awkward spot. Needless to say, we will most likely not be meeting face-to-face for some time. I am well and attempting to consolidate my position in the government, as well. As you probably know, Russian governments historically have a rather tenuous history with their popular generals. The current president is, shall we say, nervous. He is a believer in old Russia, not the new shade we currently live in. I think you would have loved my country as it once was, at the height of its greatness. This brings me to the reason I am writing to you. I once had a son, named Vladimir. You look so very much like him. I thought I was seeing a ghost, at first. He is long dead, but you are living. You speak Russian. You are even active as he once was. Would you write to me? I haven't a family left to speak of, so perhaps you will humor me. I know you are not my son, but you are so much like him. I would discuss anything that would not compromise my work and perhaps we could be friends, even a world apart.
I hope this letter finds you in good health,
General Alexei Sarov
Alex raised an eyebrow. Well, it was surprisingly non-creepy, all things considered. He supposed the man simply was lonely at this point. Alex felt really, really sorry for the man. Watching the living almost-clone of your son in front of you had to be excruciating. Alex sucked in a breath and let it out in a huff. Ian really was going to murder him when he found out. Letters weren't exactly the most subtle. He penned a reply in neat, Cyrillic letters.
Dear General Sarov,
I hope your plans are going well…
Alex pasted the stamps on the envelope, carefully wrote out the address and decided to take Fenrir for a walk. He pinned a note to the fridge and caught the leash Fenrir had thrown at him when called for a walk. The post box was on the way to the park. Alex knew that the faint twitch at the back of his mind meant trouble was going to fall upon him, but he decidedly was prepared. To the park they went. He ran into Tara and Dr. Stein almost immediately. Oops, sorry, Ian. "Hey, guys."
Tara flipped her hair. "Who are you calling a man?"
Alex grinned. "And ladies, I suppose."
Tara flipped him off. "At least I'm not currently hormonal enough to drool at anything female."
Tara smirked. "True. Just wait a few years, though."
Alex felt his lips twitch. "To what do I owe the supposed pleasure?"
Tara rolled her eyes. "You know you like me, brat. Besides, who else do you know who plays with fire?"
Alex sighed. "Good point."
Tara looked almost a little too eager at this point. "Think your guardian can spare you for an afternoon?"
Alex grinned. Ian was going to murder him, but he had a feeling this would be worth it. "Why not?" Fenrir seemed to think these two weren't a threat. If they were, Alex could always poison them. Tara skipped alongside her two companions. Alex and Frank exchanged amused expressions. When they got to the apartment on the dingier side of town, Alex's theory was confirmed. Tara locked the door behind them. "So what are we doing today?" Fenrir sat beside him.
"Learning to build awesome colorful car bombs!" Alex barely resisted laughter. She reminded him of Tiger from Winnie the Pooh. A demented, terroristic Tiger.
Frank rolled his eyes. "Oh, bother, try to stay calm, Ms. Graves."
Alex almost cracked a rib from trying not to laugh at the mental image. "What are they for?"
Tara grinned. "You'll see. No fun in building, if you can't watch it go boom." Alex was glad he'd memorized the diagrams Smithers had given him. Tara was still smiling as she lay the materials on the table.
Several hours later…
Alex had no idea terroristic bomb build-offs could be this fun. It was almost comical how Tara bounced around the apartment quivering with anticipation. "This is going to be awesome!" Tara apparently couldn't wait to blow up whatever it was. Alex hoped so, considering he'd just remembered that he was still supposedly grounded. Suddenly, his phone rang.
Alex picked it up after the first tone. "Rider."
It was Ian. "Alex, you haven't gone to a German mountain range have you?"
Alex snorted. "It was once, Ian, once."
The faint hint of a warning was in his uncle's voice. "Alex."
Alex rolled his eyes. "No. Why are you calling?" Alex knew full well why. "Fenrir's walk is taking a really long time, isn't it?"
Alex sighed. Honestly, he'd forgotten his excuse. "Yes, Ian, yes it is. I'll see you at dinner." Alex hung up. "Hey, Tara, time to go."
Tara was wrapping the 'packages' in brown paper. They left and made their way to an abandoned car lot. Apparently, they were committing some sort of insurance fraud. Tara placed the rather plain-looking packages in various spots and had everyone back away from the area. Alex figured he just wouldn't report this. The government was going to be the one footing the bill and after the suffering, they had caused him, Alex was more than willing to watch them have to pay for damages. The explosion was really colorful. Alex suspected that they were intentionally colored the way fireworks were. It was kind of awesome to watch. Especially because it was a car lot - he hadn't really liked them much since Cornwall. Unfortunately, he also smelled like gunpowder and explosives. Looks like Fenrir was going to take the blame for him falling in a puddle. Ian was paranoid enough about letting him out of the house as it was. The mud should cover both of them up nicely. Alex made sure that both of them were almost completely covered before knocking on the door.
Ian opened it. "Alex, why didn't you just- What happened?!"
Alex raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought we had a few more years before the blindness sets in."
Ian rolled his eyes. "Not the time for antics, Alex." The man was already grabbing towels.
"I fell in the largest, most muddy puddle you've ever seen in the dead of winter."
Ian sighs. "A rather difficult accomplishment, considering that the parts of town you're allowed in are all frozen over."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Now, Ian, really? I could be getting hypothermia."
His uncle smirked. "Nope, we have at least twenty more minutes."
Alex blinked. "IAN!"
After both Alex and Fenrir had a bath, it was time for dinner. Alex was just glad that his plan involving freezing muck had worked. It wasn't fun to bathe in the stuff, but he'd had worse. Jack and Ian had just looked more amused than anything else. Thank god nobody suspected anything. The news came on minutes later. "There was a curious explosion today in a deserted parking lot. The police have reported no casualties or witnesses. Anyone who knows anything is urged to come forward…" Ian looked at him.
"What?" Alex looked perfectly innocent.
Ian sighed. "It better have not been you."
Alex protested. "Oh come on, there are actual terrorists who do this kind of stuff. It can't all be me."
Ian gave him a long measuring look. "I believe you, for now."
Alex rolled his eyes. Paranoid git. Not that he didn't have a point, but still. Jack sighed. Jerry and Tom just looked at him. "Oh, come on!" He wondered if Ian was rubbing off on them. At least Tara and Dr. Stein were going to be out of town for a while. Alex would hate to see them arrested, especially since they hadn't murdered anyone. Unfortunately, a certain assassin would probably be harder to convince.
-A
Out with it.
-C
-C
With what?
-A
You would honestly think Alex could come up with something better than that. Cossack knew that Alex looked after his own neighborhood, like any good spy or criminal. Besides, Alex tended to like things that went boom a little too much for his liking.
-A
Whatever lunacy drove your city's most current explosion.
-C
And it was lunacy. Combined boredom and recklessness. Alex probably needed a more challenging curriculum, after all, bored students were students who had time to do stupid shit. Cough. Blowing stuff up for no reason. Cough.
-C
Why do you think it was me? It could have been someone else. Plus, who said I knew how to build bombs?
-A
It was worth a try. Maybe Yassen would buy it?
-A
I would be very shocked if you didn't at least know who did it.
-C
Why did all the adults suddenly think he was omniscient? He wasn't a god (Hi, Death). They probably had more people in their little information networks than Alex ever had. It wasn't his fault trouble found him. Admittedly, he sometimes went looking, but it wasn't all the time.
-C
Why does everybody blame the innocent ten-year-old?
-A
Cossack snorted aloud for the first time in years. Innocent his ass. He had a section of beachfront property in Nebraska* for whoever believed that. In the meantime, the story behind this had to be good…
-A
Innocent, my ass. Do I need to buy a plane ticket or are you going to confess?
-C
Alex rolled his eyes. This was completely unfair. And under duress, totally under duress. Actually, he normally wouldn't mind seeing Yassen again, but pissed-off Yassen was a different story. On second thought…
-C
Keep your hat on. This is totally duress!
-A
-A
Noted. Now, confession time, yes?
-C
-C
So I met these two people in a convenience store on the dodgier side of town. They were talking about explosions and I kept them from arguing about the ratios for the chemicals in 'welding' and pointed them out to the nearest home and gardening store.
-A
Cossack was rarely wrong about these things. He decided he'd translate into law enforcement for Alex, just to prove his point.
-A
Aiding and abetting. Possible conspiracy charges. Do go on.
-C
-C
Then we met again at a park and Ian got curious, but I figured they were comparatively harmless and told him as much. Then, we met again when I was walking my dog. Ian withdrew me from school so I had the day off.
-A
-A
Why are you getting withdrawn from school?
-C
-C
Apparently, it's not challenging enough. And I have to prepare for the family reunion in Afghanistan this summer.
-A
Cossack could agree with that. If Alex had time to wander off with terroristic sociopaths, Alex clearly needed more things to fill his time with. On the other hand…
-A
You haveother relatives?
-C
-C
On mom's side of the family. They're apparently Mossad fanatics from what I gather was supposed to be a subtle warning from Ian. Also, one of them murdered a family member.
-A
-A
Fantastic. Continuing with the bombing.
-C
Note the sarcasm. Alex might get 'kidnapped' sometime before summer then. He supposed letting Ian Rider teach him until then would be an advantage. He wondered if Alex would come willingly.
-C
So I decided to go with them, having nothing better to do.
-A
-A
I am starting to see your uncle's point.
-C
-C
And we kind of had a bomb-building competition. Fortunately, I know most of the basics. It was kind of fun if you don't mind the smell and colorful explosions. After that, we went to the (clearly deserted) parking lot and had at it. You should try it sometime, it might improve your mood.
-A
-A
I have better things to do with my time. And a job. And bosses who frown on unnecessary property destruction. And a need to avoid the radar of certain authorities, which you should be doing too.
-C
-C
You're pissed, aren't you?
-A
-A
No, Alex. Merely, irritated. Your actions were reckless, your timing was exceedingly poor, and you did not even surveil two unknown operatives before joining in on their destruction spree, which could have ended badly. Not to mention, your uncle will probably be suspicious.
-C
-C
How's the cow farming going?
-A
Cow farming? Oh, oh. Alex had figured it out. Well, then, Cossack may as well keep him updated.
-A
Well, thank you. Your help was appreciated. I will keep you apprised, though you need not worry about my health.
-C
-C
Hypocritical much?
-A
-A
Alex, I am the adult here.
-C
-C
Fine. But don't get shot and wear a bulletproof vest.
-A
-A
Goodnight, Alex.
-C
It was almost touching. The worry that Alex Rider held for him. The sad part was, it was probably nicest thing people had said to him in years. It would be nice to have a partner who cared enough to watch his back. Cossack sighed and checked his rifle a third time. For this, he was effectively freelance, even if Three was backing him. Rothman's bulletproof glass wouldn't hold up under the caliber of gun he had, although it was complete overkill on a person (it would do the job, however). This was no time to get sentimental. Rothman needed to be taken out. She would look out the window and admire the view her house provided her with one final time this week. If all went well, she would be the only casualty, even if Yassen had long ago stopped caring about such things. Yassen stripped the rifle one final time. Scheduling would be tight tomorrow if he didn't want to contend with her security team and Nile. He studied Korean for a while before going to sleep. You could never know too many languages.
Alex was studying Mandarin Chinese and trying not to worry about a certain assassin when Ian came into his room.
"Alex, this needs to stop. You need to stop."
Alex blinked and snapped his textbooks shut. "Shouldn't you have knocked? And you might wanna specify."
Ian sighed. "Fixated on privacy much? And I mean your activities. Attacking your school. Provoking assassins. Blowing parking lots up for fun. These things get you attention. Not the good kind, either. It's why I'm withdrawing you from school. Clearly, you're bored and bored students are students who have time to do stupid shit." It was what the army and MI6 said about these things. The last thing he wanted was to have to break Alex out of max security run by his boss.
"I understand that part, but what about your job? You can't just homeschool me for the next few months until July."
Ian shrugged. "You'll come with me. Mind you, you'll have to follow my instructions and I'll probably be a lot stricter, but otherwise it should be about normal for us. If it's really dangerous, I'll tell you to stay inside." Alex sighed. Ian would probably know best, but now he had two adults to worry about. Ian continued. "Thing three. Is there anything you want to tell me? Anything at all?"
Alex really hated that look. "No, Ian." Alex had just barely refrained from saying no, sir. That wouldn't have ended well. It kind of reminded him of when the Sarge asked if he wanted to report anyone.
Ian sighed. "Right, about your family-"
Alex interrupted. "Mossad fanatics?"
Ian shrugged. "My best guess, yeah. Try not to worry about it right now." Oh, yes, right now. That was reassuring.
He wondered why Ian was caving this easy. And why he hadn't met these people the last time around. "So what do you want to know about your relatives?" Right, he was talking to Ian now.
"Why didn't we meet or even discuss them before?"
Ian sighed. "I didn't really want you around them. Your adopted cousins aren't the most stable and the 'adults' are … not exactly the best influence."
Alex sighed. "I'm still kind of mad at you."
Ian sat down on the bed. "Alex, when I keep secrets from you, it's usually for your safety, not because I like to."
Alex ran his fingers through Fenrir's coat. "I know."
Ian looked relieved. "By the way, we are heading to Mexico."
Alex figured it was time to polish his accents with Spanish, anyway. "What is it this time?" Ian grinned. "Drug cartels, what else?"
Alex rolled his eyes. "Stereotyping Ian, really? Besides, the food should be decently priced."
Ian shook his head, wryly. "Stereotypes exist for a reason, besides this is the part where I tell you that if I catch you anywhere near drugs, you will live to regret it."
Alex actually snorted. "No worries on that front, Ian. I like my brain cells intact."
Not to mention, if Ian didn't murder him, Yassen would. "Also, we're going to discuss your schedule since your test results came in."
Alex perked up. Ian's lesson were always much better than school in his opinion. "Right, so, you'll have your daily workout, four hours of languages, regular school condensed to three hours every other day and lessons in what I deem important academic subjects for three hours on the other days. You can have the rest of the time off, but I expect you to monitor your own sleep and keep it reasonable."
Alex shrugged. It was pretty much what he had in mind, though he would have made an allowance for his personal projects as school. It wouldn't cut into his time that much. As for the address changes, he'd already told Yassen and Sarov…could probably find him, if Alex was being honest. Alex was almost curious to see whether he did. Ian figured since Alex could probably keep up with most college students, the lesson plan was appropriate. Also, Ian was going to spend more time on his hand-to-hand, which would include Alex's morning workout. "When do we leave?"
Ian shrugged. "In a two days. Work on your Mexican accent until then. With me, your lessons will be in Spanish for the week, minus when you are learning your other languages." Ah, well, at least it would be interesting.
Ian Rider knew it was wrong to search Alex's closet space while he was walking Fenrir, but he was curious and worried for his safety. Ian carefully removed the hollowed section of the wall, no need to let Alex know he'd been here. He opened the case he recognized from the basement. The first and second drawers were entirely full of books. Ian picked up one of the ones on explosives. And turned to the first page. Alex had annotated it. The notes ranged from pure snark to helpful shortcuts. Ian chuckled at a few of them in the first couple of chapter before replacing the book exactly where he'd found it. The poison book was next. What? He wanted to know what Alex had to say. Next to the passage on the ones that discussed the best ways to send someone into cardiac arrest and the CIA. His favorite note of all time appeared:
The number (of poisonings) is actually closer to a few hundred than fifty. Confirmed, maybe? At this rate the CIA should just change its motto to: A heart attack can happen anytime, anywhere.
Ian actually laughed at that one before closing the book and moving on. He found the notes in the same place they were last time, along with a new addition to beautifully written cursive. It was from Sarov, because, of course, Alex would keep something like this to himself. At this rate, Ian figured he should just lock Alex in the basement if he wanted him to be safe. Except with Ian's luck, Alex would find a new way out of there. Ian decided to check Alex's stashes in the basement. Ian knew he kept the actually dangerous stuff down there. Ian easily found the explosives and poison. The new gun and knife were only slightly harder. Ian decided not to ask where Alex had gotten them. He was sure he really didn't want to know. He felt like he hadn't found everything, but with the door opening and the sound of Alex entering the house, his time was up.
Alex felt pretty good about the past few days, even though his lesson were back to being really challenging. It was better than being bored. He knew Ian was probably going to break into his stuff sooner or later. He made Sarov's letter easy to find, in hopes that Ian would think that was it. If Ian found Yassen's phone on him or his stuff, it wouldn't be pretty. Ian was a good teacher, but Alex suspected it was only because they were related. From the few interactions Ian had with other agents in front of him, Alex figured Ian wouldn't have the patience to teach anybody else. He and Yassen really did have a lot in common, it was a shame they couldn't get along. Alex heard chuckling in the back of his head. Oh, they could. And how would that be, Grim? If their precious kiddie got kidnapped, hmm? Hell, no, I am not getting kidnapped by a drug cartel. It should at least be terrorists. Snort. Fine, we can leave that for later then. Or you can cook up your own little scheme. Heaven help you if they find out though. Wouldn't that be your job, Grim? Don't tempt me, Lexi. I might have to send you through time again. Wouldn't want to end up as an actual ninja assassin, now would you? I thought you said you were in trouble because of this. Such concern, Lex-Lex, I might think you cared. But yes, I'm in trouble, as in, who gives a shit if I get in more, trouble. Besides, it could be fun. Didn't they die a lot? I believe I've proven I can bring you back. Don't you have paperwork to fill out? Alex fires back, a little too innocently. Yes, pest, I do. Have fun on your field trip. Err, thanks. Is that a warning? You're smart enough to figure that out on your own Lexi. By the way, check the packages on your way in. You'll find something interesting. True to Death's word, there were two packages addressed to 'Firecracker, Young' on the doorstep. Alex managed to turn his snort into a cough. Tara really did have a crooked sense of humor. He gave Fenrir the packages.
"Take these to my room while I talk to Ian, ok?" The wolf lets out a little woof that Alex took to mean yes. Thankfully, Ian wasn't in the doorway. Alex made a mental note to burn the evidence as soon as possible.
Alex locked the door behind him as Fenrir raced up the stairs and opened his door with a massive paw. Alex wasn't even surprised. He was supposed to be really smart. Alex was surprised that the dog managed to figure out he wanted the packages under the bed, where Ian wouldn't immediately see them and closing the door, once he'd hidden them. Alex shrugged. He knew his fur ball was epic. Ian came into the kitchen a minute later. Alex figured he'd been in the basement. Jack, Tom, and Jerry weren't due for another hour (traffic was bad today).
Ian raised an eyebrow. "That wolf really likes your room."
Alex snorted. "So do you."
Ian rolled his eyes. "That walk was much shorter."
Alex rolled his eyes. "You notice I'm completely dry, right."
Ian smirked. "And not conspiring with sociopathic black-ops mercenaries to blow up the jointly owned property of the CIA and MI6. Nice try, Alex, but I found park footage of you two walking together yesterday. Don't worry, it is erased now. Congratulations! You are the youngest person to make my guilty until proven innocent list, ever, in fact." Well, shit. Ian smirked. It really hadn't been that hard to find. Luckily, he wasn't green enough to report all his findings to Jones.
"It was an empty parking lot."
Ian raised an eyebrow. "Above ground, yes."
Alex was almost scared. "What was underneath?"
Ian gave him the: I'm about to start watching you shower look. "A thankfully bomb-proof joint training base." Oops. "My going theory is that they were paid to test the defenses of the base either knowingly or not." Double shit. "Do I need to have you surveilled or are you going to start telling me these things?"
Alex sighed. It could be worse. "I'll try to let you know before I do something stupid."
Ian gave him a look that seemed as though it belonged on a sabretooth tiger. "I hope so."
Alex breathed a mental sigh of relief. "I'm going to be at the bank tomorrow and the next day to pick up some paperwork. I trust you'll study on your own?"
Alex nodded. "Yes, Ian." Dinner was tense, especially with Jerry and Jack trying their latest approach to convincing Ian to put Alex back into the formal education system. Tom kept his mouth shut. Alex knew better than to argue with Ian once the man made up his mind.
Alex kept his anticipation for what was in the packages to himself. He didn't want Eagle-eye (cough, Ian, cough) getting even more suspicious. Ian was currently watching him like creepily staring was going out of fashion. Not that he didn't have a point, but Alex was getting decidedly twitchy under his stare, which was resembling his death glare.
Ian smirked. "Guilty conscious?"
Alex was getting snappy. "Screw you."
Alex got the feeling Ian was passive-aggressively getting his revenge. "That would be highly illegal and more than slightly incestual at this point, but you've got good taste at least."
Alex promptly spewed his water and gaped at Ian. Jack looked scandalized and Tom and Jerry were shaking with suppressed laughter.
Jack seemed to recover the ability to speak the English language. "IAN RIDER!" Alex knew that was his cue to bolt and Tom and Jerry quickly followed. The yells of Jack were barely muffled by the door of the living room before the three boys promptly started laughing.
"Your face… gasp… was priceless." Jerry said in between laughs. Alex grinned; it was actually pretty hilarious.
Tom grinned. "We know you two are definitely related."
Alex rolled his eyes. "And you just now figured that out, Tom? No wonder you're almost failing Spanish."
Tom affectionately cuffs him, his eyes sparkling with humor. "Definitely related." The brothers say at the same time.
"Well, Jerry, you know it's time to think about moving out when that happens." The older boy chuckles ruffles Alex's hair and heads off to his room. Alex was smiling as he wished Tom a goodnight and hugged him, sauntering off to his own room, with Jack still lecturing Ian on age-appropriate jokes at top volume. The lecture would probably last at least another hour, so Alex felt safe opening his packages from Tara, after jamming his door shut (Ian could easily pick locks - Alex remembered that lesson very well). He sliced open his first one. It was a blue phone that Alex recognized as untraceable. It came with a note that Alex would hide in a different spot because of compromising information.
Dear Alex,
I feel bad about not saying goodbye, but I feel like you already know that it's how the world works sometimes. This phone has both of our numbers just in case. You can use it for other people to. The texts should be pretty safe and the calls are untraceable, so long as you keep 'em under four minutes. I feel like I should have warned you our little jaunt could piss off some real dicks (CIA and MI6), but try not to catch any more heat and you should be fine. We weren't told who or why, but you don't last as long as we do without being able to figure out a few things. Good luck and stay crooked.
Cheers,
Tara
P.S. The other package is your share of our payment. It seems fair. Clean, unmarked, non-sequential American dollars. Use the Swiss banks. A big hint you are attacking an agency or any dangerous organization without being directly told is that the price is suspiciously high. $1.5 million, even for a bombing in a civilized country, is too high (for someone of our relative criminal rank).
Alex cut open the package and counted. $500, 000. Holy shit. He sincerely hoped no one ever found out about this. They might get charge him with income tax evasion. The train to Switzerland only took a few hours. He could take his 'schoolwork' with him on the train. The Swiss wouldn't ask questions, particularly if he acted like it wasn't his money (rich relatives were a thing). He would be back before anyone noticed if he acted like he left Fenrir's walk until the end of the day. The 'dog' could come with him and who would question a kid with a backpack and a dog? Alex got the train tickets ready on his computer. It would almost be too easy. Deeeeeeath-y, can I trust this? Death snorted. Yes, pestilence. For criminals, those two are oddly honorable. Alex shrugged. It never hurt to check. In this case, I agree, Snoopy. Always check the fine print. Always. Speaking from experience, Grim? Yes, brat. Now sleep, as much I as enjoy plotting with you, you are still mortal. Alex rolled his eyes. You would think Death would be less … Human? Alex wasn't sure what he expected, but this definitely wasn't it. The primordial was surprisingly helpful, considering all the stories he read about mythological beings. Most of Death in it were remarkably tragic. If Death was the Death, then were there others? He mentioned fate and his 'co-workers', so Alex supposed there were others. Alex wondered vaguely if he would even make it to eleven. Shit seemed to have hit the fan as it was. Then again, there wasn't anything truly life-threatening that had come his way yet. Strictly speaking, his life wasn't in danger. Ian was, with his missions. Jack, Tom, and Jerry hadn't been attacked. Nobody had died in the stunts he'd pulled (minus one terrorist-dude, but who cared about him?). Alex began to clean his recovered knife; it didn't really need it, but it was soothing. He slept surprisingly well that night.
It was almost too easy to pull off. Alex got on the train and was careful to make sure he wasn't surveilled. He left the phone Ian had given him at home, knowing the man could track him with it. He wondered what his uncle would do if he came home with another untraceable phone and proposed it be his new one. Probably go ballistic. Ah well, it would probably be a few years until he got off Ian's shit list. Alex was now the proud new owner of Alec Pierre's new bank account. The bank hadn't even required a real name, just that he remember his ID number, a password, and biometric information. The employees hadn't batted an eyelid. He suspected he wasn't the first odd customer they had. Alex had almost enjoyed his day trip and even gone for a bit of shopping on his way back. It was chocolate for everyone. Jack probably needed it and well, chocolate made everything better, right? Alex got back before Ian and the rest. The ten-year-old had decided not to mention this to Yassen. Something told him it wouldn't be a good idea. Now, time for his personal projects. He'd done the schoolwork early, so he'd have time. Smithers should have replied by now. Alex had even started his anonymous email account and set them to go off in a few years with enough time for the intelligence agencies of the world to intervene (he held off on Sarov's and Invisible Sword for now) if they chose to. If it came down to it, he could preemptively assassinate them. A small part of Alex balked at the idea. Another part knew that he wasn't going to let anything bad happen. There were quite a few variables to consider, as well. Ian got home last after dinner was over. Alex had expected it, after all, he knew how long briefings and reading files took. Ian looked at his chocolate bar, looked at Alex, and gave him one of the most intense quizzes of his life (Alex got it all right, he had done the work, just not at home).
Then he sat down and shrugged. "I won't begrudge you the occasional day off Alex."
Alex sighed. "I didn't want to ask for one so soon after the break. Besides, how did you know I went to Switzerland?"
Ian smiled wryly. "This brand of chocolate can only be bought there, in a particular shop. Your father got it for me on quite a few of his trips." Well, damn. How was he supposed to know that?
"This exact bar, in fact."
Alex groaned. "I was trying to be nice."
Ian gave him a soft, warm smile. "Thank you, Alex."
Alex was confused. He wasn't in trouble? Ian was weird sometimes. Ian felt a wave of nostalgia after opening his chocolate. It was like John had come back, after all these years. You and your chocolate, Ian. I could buy you something else. No, John, he liked this very much. You remind me of Helen and her cravings, sometimes. If you're sure… He'd swear Alex was channeling the man sometimes. And other days, he cursed his brother's decision to even think about reproducing. It tasted exactly like he remembered it. He hadn't had a bar since John's funeral. It hadn't felt right and he could hardly justify a trip to Switzerland just for a specific kind of chocolate he liked. Jones would have a fit. Crawley would just give him a look that suggested he belonged in an asylum. Blunt would just suggest a month in solitary. That seemed to be his solution for most things, anyway. Punch a diplomat? Month in solitary. Prank war that gets him by accident? Month in solitary (he pitied that intern). Break your cover on purpose? Month in solitary. Ian himself had been threatened with it a couple times. He enjoyed the memory snippets of him and John before SCORPIA as they came by. For the first time in a few years, he felt like he was going to sleep well. He vaguely wondered what Crawley was up to. Or if his boss was going to bother with security this time around. Jones and Blunt said they watched his nephew, but he felt like they might slack on the job if it suited their purposes. Then again, they did have a country to look after. He hoped they put Crawley on it. Alex would be devastated if anything happened to his friends or that shaggy wolf. The papers for Alex were drawn up. Ian Reiter and his son Alex Reiter were going on holiday to Mexico.
Jerry was puzzled by the Rider family dynamics. They seemed to be an ever-shifting pool of who was in charge. Some days it was Jack, others it was clearly Ian, and there were days Jerry would swear Alex was in charge, except he wasn't. Jerry figured Alex had done something to get them out of that house, but it couldn't possibly have been legal. Court hearings took time and evidence and witnesses and money (not that Ian Rider didn't have enough of it). Whatever it had been, Jerry was very grateful. His plan was to stay here until he finished school and get a house far away from here. He already had a job and some money. It was enough for a good start in a country far away from England. Tom, he would leave with the same parting advice a friend had given him, get a job and start saving. Alex wouldn't kick them out, but he wasn't sure about the kid's uncle. Something seemed off about that guy. Really, who withdrew their kid from school only a week after they got back from holiday? Also, who did it to homeschool their kid on business trips? The man seemed very fit for a banker, to (not that there was anything wrong with that). The housekeeper seemed more family than staff and it was very clear that she had done most of the work raising Alex the past few years. Why would that have changed? Then there was the fact that no asked any questions in the house. Alex went missing and came back (presumably Ian found him), but no one brings it up? Then, the fact that they let two kids move in indefinitely no questions asked (the house had more than enough room, but still…). Also, what kind of caring relative half-assed raising their kid like that? The man seemed to care about Alex...when he was there. From what Tom told him, Ian Rider had a habit of disappearing for days on end. Oh, well. Jerry knew enough to leave it alone, but he kind of worried about what it had done to Alex, especially when he was a younger kid. I mean his parents were clearly shit, but what did that make the uncle? Bad at parenting?
Tom knew enough to not ask questions. Alex didn't talk about his unusual home situation, but it clearly wasn't easy. At least no one here got hit and the screaming seemed to only happen for a good reason. Even Tom had to admit that joke was a bit raunchy for an adult with ten-year-olds in the room. Most would have at least tried to mind their language. Ian Rider hadn't set much in terms of rules, at any rate. Nobody had to do outrageous amounts of chores and the guy seemed decent enough, if a bit closed-mouthed. Maybe that was where Alex had gotten it from? There was always food on the table or packed for lunch. Jack payed attention to everybody's day-to-day needs and asked how school went. Ian seemed to make the money and...Keep Alex in line-ish? He was polite at the very least, but Tom got the feeling the man was both stubborn and dangerous when he wanted to be. Ian Rider seemed just a little too quiet and a little too absent to be anything else. Of course, that could be where Alex got it from. Secret family of ninja maybe? Those two had to do something cool in their super-secret lessons Alex insisted were just harder versions of school. I mean come on, who talked about biology or whatever for a whole day? Plus, where else would Alex learn his magic voodoo powers from. School definitely wasn't it and he was pretty sure disappearing wasn't part of taekwondo lessons. Seriously, nobody walked that quiet. It was like watching a panther. A friendly panther that helped him with homework and scared off the school bullies. Well, he knew better than to ask. Alex was strangely quiet when the strangeness of his uncle came up. On the other hand, weird was better than whatever his parents were. Wrong? Horrible? He was glad the fire had happened. It was way better than the alternative and he figured his parents would just leave him here and argue about whose fault it was. Alex was the best friend ever.
Jack Starbright let out an inelegant huff as she finished the last of the dishes. While Ian Rider was within his rights to homeschool Alex as he saw fit...she was worried. When she had come to the house just over three years ago, she'd found a seven-year-old that was remarkably self-sufficient and remarkably lonely. Alex had seemed almost desperate for any kind of approval, but now he seemed...different, haunted. She blamed Ian Rider for that. That and what she called the Rider family stubbornness. And maybe that assassin guy who kept putting dead bodies in front of Alex. Yeah dude, that wasn't creepy at all. What was that the assassin version of Merry Christmas, I got you a present? Charming. Not. She would be petrified if she was Alex. At least he had the dog and his friends now. From what she gathered their home situation was best avoided and she was more than happy to take care of those two for as long as necessary. Now she worried that Ian Rider would undo all of her work in making Alex relax and have an actual childhood. That man had almost unreasonably high standards. Then Alex met them. It was totally unfair to him that he would have to keep up with that amount of knowledge. She'd seen the test results. Dear god, what had he done to make Alex learn all that this quickly? It wasn't natural. Alex had the study habits of a college student and the trouble magnet habits of...she wasn't really sure. None of the books she'd read or people she knew had to deal with the things Alex did. There weren't any books on how to stay safe from your childhood stalker assassin (she sincerely hoped not, anyway). There weren't any resources on how to help your kid go back to having a fun childhood and stop being at the university level. Alex refused to talk to mental health professionals. Jack was just worried he would burn out or something. She sighed and decided to talk to him about it when she got the chance. They were leaving soon, weren't they?
When Alex started packing, Fenrir tried to jump in the suitcase and dug his claws in. "Damn it, fur ball, I don't want to leave you behind."
The wolf was now giving him pathetic puppy eyes. "It's really hot in Mexico?" He tried. "You can sleep with me tonight?" The 'dog' sat adamantly in his suitcase. "Fenrir…"
Ian was snorting in the doorway. "It's not that funny."
Ian smirked. "It really is."
Alex glared half-heartedly at Ian. "Why aren't you helping?"
Ian was still wearing a positively shit-eating grin. "Your mutant, your problem. Besides, this is way too much fun to watch."
Alex rolled his eyes and went for one of the other suitcases. It was promptly ripped out of his grip by a massive wolf paw. Alex glared at his pet. "Really, dog, really?" Ian was cracking up in the doorway.
Alex scowled at his uncle. "Your face'll get stuck like that, you know."
Alex scowled even harder, checked that Ian was clear of the doorway, and promptly slammed the door shut. The door didn't quite muffle Ian's snorts as he went back to pack his own suitcase. Fenrir was stubbornly sitting on both suitcases. "What do you want?" The wolf walked up and sniffed him, before pouncing on him. Alex was promptly pinned by his wolf. The luminous yellow eyes stared into his own brown ones. His pet promptly rolled him over before nipping him on the neck and rubbing his mouth on the sides of his neck. Right, he had extra scent glands in his mouth, like a cat. The wolf eased off of him. "Satisfied furball?" The wolf harrumphed and looked very self-satisfied. "Yeah, yeah, you're the only pet for me. Can I pack now?" The wolf huffed before plopping itself on his bed. Alex wondered if Fenrir was going to find a way to track him to Mexico. That would be fun to explain to Ian. No, Ian, I didn't have him smuggled illegally into the country. He followed me, I swear.
Jack watched Alex pack with a wince. She would miss him. The shaggy carpet he called a dog had put up quite a fight. Jack may have accidentally let it slip that Alex was leaving without him. Oops. That little scene had been hilarious. And she'd never seen a dog who could move that fast before either. The poor dog would probably get lonely. Plus, it only ate raw meat. Spoiled, overgrown rat. She was pretty sure it ate better than most humans. Not to mention, it got to snuggle with Alex. Being jealous of a dog was pretty pathetic, but Jack had realized she wasn't above it. Oh well, it would pass. "Alex, may I come in?"
Alex opened the door and smiled. "Sure, Jack." The furry rat was on his bed, again. Watching him pack and look pathetically mournful.
It turned its large pleading eyes on her. "Sorry furball, not my decision. You'll have to try Ian."
Alex grinned. "Isn't he adorable?"
Jack snorted. "Sure."
Alex gave her a wan smile. "Relax, he's a big softie. You could probably pet him if you wanted."
Jack sat on the bed and experimentally stroked the dog. It really was soft. It eyed her warily but seemed to realize that it was what Alex wanted. "Alex...are you sure you're OK with this?"
Alex sighed and placed the last shirt in his suitcase. "I'll be fine, Jack."
Jack motioned for him to sit down next to her. "If you say so, Alex. Just remember, you have a home here, with us."
She ran her hands through his hair. "I'll miss you, Jack."
Jack hugged him. "I'll miss you too, trouble. Be careful with those Mexicans, huh?"
Alex gave her a look. "I'll try." There was a long pause where the two of them sat together, doing nothing. "Um, you can stay… if you want, I mean."
Jack smiled. Why not? "I do." The three of them slept so intertwined you couldn't tell who was who.
When Ian got up at three in the morning to wake Alex (Tulip had gotten him a flight a five o'clock in the frickin' mourning, he suspected revenge on her part- there were two other perfectly good flights he could have taken that were at nicer times), he was surprised to find Jack, the wolf, and his nephew in the same bed. Fortunately, no one was there to see his surprise. Ian took a moment to regain his composure before gently waking Alex, who silently untangled himself. The wolf was up to and Jack sighed before rolling over and going back to sleep. The 'dog' gave him the evil eye before it joined Jack back in bed. Alex shook his head sleepily before becoming completely conscious. He grabbed his bag and went downstairs. From the trips before that were this early, Alex knew they would get breakfast at the airport. Ian and he crept silently down the stairs. The shadows seemed to flicker around the two of them, as they both stepped into them. Ian and Alex moved completely silently through the entire house. They avoided all the creaky steps and Ian silently locked the door. Alex felt like he'd passed some kind of test. Ian shot him a reassuring grin, but Alex couldn't help the ominous feeling that washed over him. Nothing good ever came of following the whims of Alan Blunt. Nonetheless, he followed Ian into the car, through the airport, and onto the plane. He watched the sunrise from his plane window. It was one of the few non-cloudy days and the sunrise was truly beautiful. The airport had been eerily quiet and empty. The plane was very quiet, too. The people didn't seem to be quite up yet, not that Alex could blame them.
Author's Note: Jesus Christ readers, I'm so sorry it took this long. I was building up my chapter bank and forgot to post. Plus, college is being demanding and, well, shit happened. Next time I take longer than a month, somebody PM me. Please. On that note, I hope you like the chapter.