Chapter 33: Greetings and Goodbyes

The last week had been spent on different types of code-breaking. The night exercises had halted and they got firearms and strategy training. The mess had been cleaned up within the day, except for the occasional embedded wood chip. Alex barely got time to himself to text Yassen or call Jack. All in all, it was fun of the spy variety. At least he knew tons of different ways to blow stuff up. His relatives didn't actually seem too bad, but then Alex remembered. The first couple of days. He and Ian packed to prepare to go. Alex waited until Ian went up to sleep and the pulled his cousins aside. "What is it?"

Alex sighed and took out his organized crime phone. "If you ever need help, call this number. Give it to the others after I go. For non-critical stuff, just write letters, OK?"

Jason and Lilly looked puzzled. "Got it."

Alex handed them the note. "Burn it when you're done. Don't tell Ian. Goodnight."

Alex went inside to go to bed but was yanked into the kitchen by Marion. "That was nice of you."

Alex removed his arm from her grasp. "Not really. I'd do the same for all of you."

Marion smiled slightly. She looked sad and oddly distant. "The guardians and leaders are always the first to go. Goodnight, Alex."

Alex groaned. The sanity of his relatives was in doubt. He wondered what had made them so...intense. Lilly and Jason seemed pretty normal, but they were adopted. It could have been the war or Mossad, he supposed. Alex had no idea what kind of mental conditioning they used. There were times that they didn't seem to comprehend normal ideas of society, but he supposed that was why they made their home in a warzone. Marion seemed just a little off. He would guess interrogations was her actual specialty. Darian was...paranoid, if Alex was being honest, he seemed kind of spy-y and assassin-y, gramps had probably been some sort of general. Alex would peg Jason as either assassin or soldier. Lilly would probably end up as either an explosives expert or in interrogations, like Marion. In other words, just your normal, average, everyday family (not!). Alex decided to go to sleep. It would be a long couple of days.

Gordon Ross was pleasantly surprised after he concluded his assessment. Yassen had almost managed to act like he had social skills and his apprentice would make a wonderful addition to their elite operatives after her training was wrapped up. He had been surprised about the age, but SCORPIA would consider Rhea a full adult. Sixteen and already pleasantly deadly. She seemed to have gotten a bit of Gregorovich's antisocial tendencies, but since she could still manage a polite greeting that sounded semi-sincere it could probably be let go. He began to type up her profile as he thought about the oddness of the whole thing a bit more. Gregorovich refuses to go near SCORPIA recruits and gets his own apprentice. What kind of person 'just happened' to meet potential child assassins and owed Yassen Gregorovich a favor? Alec Pierre apparently. Rhea had heavily implied that he wasn't all there so to speak, but SCORPIA could handle a certain level of crazy if you were competent enough. Gregorovich had said and he quoted: 'Dear Alec's unique mental process allowed him to find me an apprentice, but in turn makes him unsuitable for SCORPIA.' That told Gordon absolutely nothing useful. Was he on the autism spectrum or something? That didn't make sense. Manic/depressive? There was no way Cossack would put up with either. Maybe he had issues with organizations? That could be it. Gordon knew from first-hand experience that some organizations were not exactly employee friendly, if you had the option to voluntarily choose your career in the first place. He could've been forced into service and then gone freelance. Ross wondered if he was projecting. But still, who the hell wouldn't fit into SCORPIA? They could handle lunatics, you know.

Ian was waiting for him in the morning of the way back. Alex was surprised when they were alone for the journey. "Where do you want to go?"

Alex considered it for a moment. "At the moment, home."

Ian tilted his head. "We can do that. I did promise you a nice vacation, though."

Alex gave him a look. "You usually pick that sort of stuff, though."

Ian gave him a droll look. "Right, can I think about it for a while?"

Ian shrugged. "Sure. We can even plan the one for next Christmas or summer together."

Alex felt a faint smile appear. "That sounds nice, Ian."

He wondered if the man would take him to some more exotic locations if he asked. Probably. China would be nice to practice his Mandarin. He'd heard good things about Japan and Indonesia. Alex had a personal thing against Australia (ASH, cough), so that was out. He'd been to the US recently. South America had the Amazon, but he really didn't want to do any more jungle survival trips for a while. Greece could be interesting, but he didn't really want to chance running into the nutter who wanted to ruin the America-Great Britain alliance. Siberia contained a very vengeful Zeljan Kurst. Plus, snow survival was worse than jungle survival in his opinion. Not to mention he already owned a very possessive wolf, who would probably attack any wolf he inevitably adopted. Ian would be grumpy if he brought back another pet, too. Really, Fenrir wasn't that dangerous. The guys at MI6 were just a bunch of paranoid animal-abusing twits. Thailand and Cambodia were also out. Mongolia was not the kind of place one went on vacation in. Hawaii, maybe? Alex actually enjoyed beaches when they weren't full of murdering lunatics. Cuba was definitely out with Ian's job and the paranoia about spies they had there. There had been yet another attempt on Castro recently, if the man was telling the truth, at least. Mexico was definitely out and so was civilized South America, unless he wanted to mess with the CIA and the cartels. Antonio would also insist they meet up. Ian would then either have a stroke or go after the man with reckless abandon. Alex decided he had a while to decide this sort of thing and kept turning over different spots in his head for most of the way home.

The trip back from the family reunion had been hot, dry, and uneventful. Alex was really relieved to be back home. It was, once again, three in the morning when they returned. Alex was greeted by a joyful howl loud enough to wake the entire block and promptly tackled by Fenrir. Jack walked out in her nightclothes. "I'm glad you're back in one piece."

Alex grinned as Fenrir messed his hair up. "So am I."

Crawley came out in a full suit a few minutes later to greet Ian. "Thank, God. Jones was ranting forever when she heard you went to that shithole."

Alex grinned, still pinned under Fenrir. "I'm sure she was contextually mentioning the lack of army, human rights, and the tenuous political stability in an entirely professional manner."

Crawley rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't be laughing if you'd seen her send agents to counts sloths in Siberia."

Alex tried to nudge Fenrir off. It wasn't working. "Aren't they native to Africa?"

Crawley smirked. "Exactly."

Alex turned his attention to the horse-sized wolf. "Are you going to get off anytime soon, furball?"

The wolf promptly sat all the way on top of him. Ian smirked. "Looks like a no. I told you pets were a bad idea."

Tom and Jerry walked into the hall moments later. "Yeah, Al, everybody knows horse-sized dogs are weird."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Like you were complaining when you helped me fix him up."

Tom and Jerry both snorted. "You and the giant dangerous animals, Alex. You have a problem and this is your intervention."

Alex snorted. "Tom, you're not funny."

Tom grinned. "Aw, then why are you laughing?"

Alex managed to nudge Fenrir off of him. "To spare your delicate feelings, Tom."

Tom rolled his eyes. "Sure, Alex, just keep telling yourself that."

Ian sighed. "Bedtime, everyone. It is three in the morning."

The crowd in the halls dispersed. Alex and Tom headed towards their rooms. When they got up the stairs and the hall was clear, Tom grabbed Alex. "It's been lonely without you. Welcome home."

Alex embraced his friend. Tom shot a hesitant look at him when they got to his room. Alex shrugged. "You can stay if you want." The dog followed them in. Needless to say, the bed contained two boys and their dog that night.

Jack smiled and headed down to her room. All of her boys were home and the darn dog still liked him better. She was out before her head hit the pillow.

Ian and Crawley ascended the stairs together. "Ian, you went to a warzone."

Ian sighed. "Crawley, the crazy relatives would have burned down half of London if we hadn't gone. They did it with three cities in different years to prove a point."

Crawley groaned. "That's called a credible terror threat you call in."

Ian shrugged. "We're back now, besides, I get to pick the location for the next ones."

Crawley rolled his eyes. "Well, that's a relief. They might burn down somewhere actually important, now. I know how you like to travel."

Ian grinned. "Well, I can't exactly stand them up."

Crawley grabbed Ian's arm before he could turn into the hall with the master bedroom. "You better make nice with Jones."

Ian shrugged. "Not like I haven't done worse and come back. Besides, I'm not getting any younger."

Crawley glanced around the hall. "Oh, I wouldn't say you're old."

Crawley shot what he hoped was a subtle look at Ian's frame. He swallowed and attempted to ignore the current thought line. What he really wanted to do was shove Ian up against the wall and have at him. Ian just gave him the heart-stopping, smoldering look, complete with a smirk. "Why Crawley, I would swear that was bordering on not safe for work."

Crawley mentally moaned. Yeah, like he wouldn't just let Ian do him. This was so unfair. "Oh, but, Ian, you can do all your not safe for work activities with me any time."

Ian was close to letting his control snap. They were oh, so close to his bedroom. Everybody thought they were screwing anyway. Ian brushed his hand experimentally against Crawley's cheek. He turned his voice to a sultry purr. "You know, Crawley, I just might."

Crawley felt whatever was left of his restraint leave him. He yanked open Ian's bedroom door pulled Ian in and locked the door behind him before yanking Ian into a kiss. He hadn't done it before with a man, but it was way better than kissing his ex-wife. Ian pulled off his tie and began to move his mouth onto his neck and, Oh that was nice. Then, Ian began to move onto his chest. His shirt came off before Ian paused. "Do you want this?"

Crawley reached for Ian. "Hell, yes."

John Crawley felt like purring when he woke up in Ian's bed. It had been everything he imagined and way better. He was ever so slightly sore, but it was well worth it. He shot an admiring glance at Ian's half-covered form. The brown hair, faint tan, and lightly corded muscles drew him toward Ian again. He checked the clock. God damn it. They were supposed to be a work soon. Or rather, he was. Ian could show up any time he liked. "Ian get up."

Ian didn't stir at all. Crawley leaned in and traced his lips lightly over Ian's collarbone, letting his teeth lightly scrape the man's neck. He felt the man shift under him and grab the back of his head, pressing them together. "Ian. I have to work."

Ian ran his hands down Crawley's back and huffed out a breath. "Fine, you tease, but first I'm going to kiss you good morning."

Crawley was then treated to the most delicious, conscious-thought melting kiss that was bordering on morning making out instead. Not that he was complaining. Ian let him go and smirked. "Have a nice day Crawley."

That voice alone was almost enough to get him off. Looks like his morning shower was going to be slightly above freezing. Ian grinned like a Cheshire cat when Crawley went to take his shower. At least he wasn't going to be the only one eager to leave the office anymore. Ian tried not to smirk as he imagined Crawley trying to explain his excessive amount of hickeys to Jones. What could he say? He liked marking the man up as his now. Besides, Crawley was nice to have in bed. He'd had a few people here and there, but not anybody he could've been with long-term. Ian stretched out in bed and decided to get up. He walked into the bathroom. Ian went to the sink but then decided to feel the shower. Icy. Crawley gave him a suspicious look through the shower stall. Ian smirked. "Cold showers are bad for you, Crawley."

Crawley groaned. Having naked Ian in here was doing the exact opposite of the effect he was trying to achieve. Ian flicked the water on to a nicer temperature. "Why don't we find out why shower sex is considered a health hazard by the safety department?"

Crawley let out a moan as Ian stepped in and began to neck him. Any coherent thought promptly vanished as Ian lightly pushed him into the wall and stepped forward.

Alex Rider was one of the more observant people on the planet. When Crawley came down later than usual with about three visible hickeys he just sipped his tea and got on with his life. He grinned as he realized he could tease Ian about his now existent sex life. Not to mention Crawley. The others were sitting at the breakfast table and wrapping it up. "Long night, Crawley?"

The man rolled his eyes. "Real mature."

Alex grinned. "Oh, but I think you and Ian were being the mature ones last night."

The three people behind him promptly choked on their breakfast. Jack turned bright red. "Do you want some breakfast to go?"

Crawley mentally facepalmed. Saved by the housekeeper. "That would be wonderful, Ms. Starbright."

Neither of them could get Crawley out the door fast enough. Jack looked at him. "Whaaat?"

She kept glaring. "Fine, fine. I'll leave him alone after the usual death threats I give your dates."

Jack looked satisfied. She ruffled his hair affectionately. "You always were such a sweet boy."

Tom promptly choked on his pancakes in an attempt to keep from laughing. Jerry thumped him on the back. "Sorry, Jack, he does that at breakfast sometimes. I tell him to take smaller bites."

Alex withheld his own laughter at Jerry's lie. Then again, most of his pranks this time around had been on the school instead of Jack or her dates. Jack walked out of the room to brush her teeth, leaving the boys alone. "So, how have you been?"

Jerry shrugs. "Better. The parents didn't even show up to contest custody. Got stuck arguing on the way to the court and walked in after the judge ruled in Crawley and Jack's favor."

Alex smiled. He was glad that at least one of his friends was no longer in a dangerous household. Besides, Tom and Jerry were fun to have around and he didn't see any problems with using his special skills to help himself personally for once. Being an assassin might be over his line, but helping out friends and family definitely wasn't. He just wanted to keep everybody safe.

Nile was puzzled. The only electronic references he could find to anybody named Alec Pierre was a bank account in Switzerland and a few papers in the French legal system for a French-British national who was supposedly in his early twenties and didn't have so much as a parking ticket. No voting records either. A fake, then, but one the man had probably had professionally done. Not that he was surprised. For someone who was evasive the way that man was, Nile was surprised to find any details. Then again, people must have some way of contacting him. Yassen might have him on speed dial, but the rest of the world either knew him by a different name or was more terrified of him than SCORPIA. Or they were all actually loyal to their organizations. It had happened with a few assets for both sides before. If you had someone really good, you tried to keep them a secret for as long as possible. Nile sighed and prepared to orally submit his findings. Right now, the Doctor and Mr. Chase wanted this kept secret and out of the SCORPIA database. Probably because they wanted to have Pierre to themselves when they did find him. Nile would be the first to admit he was curious about their decision and the man himself. He mentally groaned as he went up to meet Mr. Chase. The door closed quietly. "Report, Nile."

Nile was more relaxed around Chase. He was much calmer than Rothman. "As I said in my written report, sir, we found next to nothing outside an account and an ID."

Chase looked almost hungry for something. He sharpened. "Very, well. A challenge. Send a message via the bank. He shall get it eventually."

Nile shrugged. "You aren't taking the drastic approach?"

Chase had no reaction except his reply. "No, Nile, this is one where we play the long game. Mr. Pierre clearly does not want to be found and must be approached delicately. We will be using the gentle approach."

Nile shrugged. He was paid to follow orders. "Yes, sir." Chase sighed as Nile left. In truth, he wasn't all that put off. People who had a backbone and the skills to evade SCORPIA were rare. It was nice to have a challenge for a change. People who folded at the first threat were convenient, but very boring.

Alex Rider had decided to take the risk of investing in stocks he was pretty sure would do well in this timeline. Consequently he decided to visit the bank in Switzerland. His account was still firmly anonymous and he had papers from Yassen to deposit as well, just in case. He supposed this would be his backup ID, just in case. Especially since he had activities he didn't really want ascribed to Alex Rider. Alec Pierre on the other hand… At any rate, he decided to go to Switzerland during one busy afternoon in which Tom and Jerry had been ordered to visit their parents. Ian and Crawley were distracted. Jack was supervising. Alex was taking himself and Fenrir on a train to Switzerland just as dawn broke. He decided to take his work and get Ian some chocolate. He wondered what to get Crawley. Chocolate couldn't hurt, right? He'd left everybody a nice visible note on the fridge, just in case they got worried or something. Fenrir had been delighted to visit the train station. Alex was surprised to see a certain deadly assassin he was all too familiar with on the train. Nile. He looked as young and fit as ever. Alex tried not to stare in abject horror and quickly cracked open one of his textbooks, which just happened to be the Dari one. To his horror, Nile decided to be social. "Nice dog."

Alex fought to keep his tone neutral. "Thank you."

Alex figured he was just being his usual self. "Dari is a bit advanced for you isn't it?"

Alex sighed. "My dog likes the taste of perverts, you know."

He was trying to head Nile off. The man would normally take a hint. To his surprise, Nile laughed. "I'm just being friendly, kid. I prefer adults, thank you."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "At six in the morning with an unaccompanied minor?"

Nile shrugged. "The adults didn't seem very interesting. I'm a young guy. You're awfully suspicious, aren't you?"

Alex shrugged. "Just don't offer me candy and we'll get along fine." Nile snorted.

Nile mentally sighed. This train trip was guaranteed to be quiet and dull. He almost preferred a chaotic assassination. Then, he saw a blond kid, with brown eyes. He walked what looked like a giant wolf onto the train. Who the fuck let a kid that small out this early with a giant-ass dog? He tried to be social. He'd had a rough childhood. Sue him. "Nice dog."

The dark, suspicious brown eyes met his for a minute, before hastily averting to the textbook they both knew he wasn't really reading. "Thank you."

The reply was tense. A premise of manners. Every inch of the kid was telling him to get lost. He remembered when he was like that. Nile decided to try again. "Dari is a bit advanced for you isn't it?"

Well, it was. And frankly, it was impressive. That and even with the kid trying to get shot of him, he had a sort of aura that drew you closer and pushed you away at the same time. It reminded him of Rothman, a bit. It wasn't seduction per say, but Nile was willing to bet the kid could be charming. "My dog likes the taste of perverts, you know."

Nile laughed. The kid had a good sense of what to avoid, then. Dead wrong about why, of course, but Nile was amused. Still, he couldn't have the kid shutting him down easy. "I'm just being friendly, kid. I prefer adults, thank you."

The kid gave him a look so reminiscent of Gregorovich it was about to give him flashbacks. "At six in the morning with an unaccompanied minor?"

Well, he had a point. Still, this was better than a conversation about banking or some other boring shit that normal people did. He shrugged. "The adults didn't seem very interesting. I'm a young guy. You're awfully suspicious, aren't you?"

The boy shrugged. "Just don't offer me candy and we'll get along fine."

He snorted. This was just precious. The fact that a kid had more common sense than adults made it better. "So why are you here?"

The kid sighed. "Bank visit. My family likes to start young."

Nile supposed the younger the better. The kid returned to his book. "I'll leave you alone, then."

The kid eyed him darkly and scowled. "Good."

The rest of the ride passed in silence, with the dog occasionally growl at him if he opened his mouth. They both got out and walked to the same bank. The kid eyed him nervously. "Should I get a restraining order?"

Nile rolled his eyes. "You're rather jaded, you know. I have business here, too."

Alex knew that, thank you. He knew he should have chosen a less dodgy bank, but what other choices did a ten/ eleven-year-old have? Alex withheld his sigh and decided to let Nile go first. "Nice of you."

Alex rolled his eyes. "It means I don't have to turn my back to you."

Nile seemed to let it go and went first. The staff escorted Nile to the back after a low, but heated conversation with one of the tellers. Alex sighed and waited his turn. He just hoped the bank wasn't about to be held up. Then again, if SCORPIA did that they could start an international gang war. Maybe Nile legitimately only did his banking here? Then why would he be arguing with the teller? Alex sighed and decided he was being paranoid. Criminals had to keep their money somewhere and safes were for paranoid, comparatively small-time, drug dealers. Alex decided to wait until Nile left. Yes, he was paranoid, but SCORPIA was an international crime syndicate. Besides, his appointment wasn't until later. Stocks apparently required a broker, even if you had a complete say in what you bought or sold. The bank said having someone front for you was a good way to prevent awkward questions and maintain anonymity. Alex had just went along with it. Swiss banks were known for their strict privacy policies, even with intelligence agencies. It was one of the reasons Alex had selected them in the first place. The downside was that about half the people that used the bank were international criminal wanted by Interpol that were in various levels of disguise. Alex tried to arrive during early morning to avoid the worst of them. Sadly, his appointment was at ten, so he would be here for a while. Leaving the house that early had been about avoiding asking for permission more than being on time. Alex tried not to jump as he recognized several suspicious figures go in and out of the bank. Did these people have any legitimate customers? Then again, he couldn't actually talk. After the third group of dodgy eastern Europeans and what he was pretty sure was the leadership of a Yakuza sect, Alex decided to see if he couldn't get his appointment moved up.

He went up to the teller and asked in perfect Parisian French. "Is there any chance my appointment can be moved up, miss?"

Unfortunately, Nile picked that time to walk out of his meeting for whatever the hell he was doing at a bank. Nile raised an eyebrow but exited the bank in short order. Alex mentally rolled his eyes. Nile had better things to do than stalk eleven-year-olds. He was being paranoid. The teller finished checking her records. "Sadly, no. Yours is the first of the day and the brokers do not come in any earlier to start up the stock exchanges. After your account begins, your broker is available twenty-four seven."

Alex sighed but smiled politely. "Thank you for checking anyway."

He sat down and cracked his science book open. It was a basic freshman biology book for a university student. He figured he needed it after trying to get through the medical textbooks. The basics were covered before students actually specialized in medicine for a reason. He read about a quarter way through his textbook before he was interrupted by his appointment. It was pretty easy to understand, mainly because it was within his expected vocabulary range. He had been about to attend college when he was sent back after all. "Your broker will see you now."

Alex rose gracefully from his chair and slid the book into his book bag. "Thank you, miss."

He walked past yet another criminal gang. Triads, maybe? They could be legitimate businessmen, but with those guards and the illegally altered automatic handguns, Alex sincerely doubted it. Alex sighed and stepped into the first of many financial meetings. The man didn't ask too many questions, just took his list of stable companies and starting companies with a shrug. "The top half will give you a small and steady return. The bottom half will be riskier."

Alex shrugged. "I know. Good day."

He stood to exit. "Wait. This note was sent by a rather urgent request by another client."

It was a blank envelope. It had a silver scorpion on the back. Alex felt his pulse begin to race. "May I view this in private?"

The broker got up immediately. "Of course, sir. I shall get investing. Good day." Alex waited until the door shut and took out his disguised knife. He slit open the envelope. It was neatly typed.

Dear Mr. Pierre,

I hope the letter finds you in good health. I am a high-ranking member of SCORPIA, which I'm sure you've heard of due to your association with a certain assassin. I would like to meet you and discuss your current employment options. Your skills are quite unique from what I've heard and you are such a hard man to track down. At any rate, I'm sure you'll find a way to contact me. Please do RSVP.

Brendan Chase

Alex bit back a wave of hysterical laughter. SCORPIA wanted to see him, again. High ranking member? Yeah, he supposed that was technically true for a member of the executive board. Well, it had been nice being back to life for this year. He could read in between the lines just fine. Chase wanted to meet him and Chase was used to getting what he wanted. Maybe Chase didn't want to scare him off? Yeah, he'd run if SCORPIA outright approached him. Alex had an anonymous email account and the ability to disable cameras in any public computer area, if they had any. The man would probably kill him on the spot if he ever met Alex in person. Yassen. Yassen could deal with these people. He had been doing it for years. Alex nearly cried with relief. Confronted with the people responsible for the deaths of himself and his entire family was extremely nerve-wracking. He still had no idea why they had decided to kill him in the last timeline. He was out of the game for a year! This time, he'd only been half-assedly in the game for a year. Alex hadn't even done a single mission attributed to him (although, that was probably a plus in his favor for SCORPIA). Alex mentally moaned. Now both Alex Rider and Alec Pierre would need to avoid any actions that would reach SCORPIA's ears. He needed a new alias again. Well, he could probably convince Ian it was for purely educational purposes. Ian would help him forge his papers this time. Would he go for half-Russian or half-German this time? He'd already gone for the half-French angle. Between Smithers books and future knowledge hacking the electronic systems for citizenship stuff was a piece of cake. Alex had been practicing. He could also set up an anonymous email pretty easily. He wondered how Yassen would suggest he reply. He probably shouldn't wind up SCORPIA, but it was kind of tempting. Alex went through the rest of the day on autopilot. The house was empty, since everyone had stuff to do, so it was just him and Fenrir that day. Just as well. He was sure Ian would have noticed something if he'd been here.

Alex had tried not to sound too panicky. He was sure he wasn't succeeding. This was about as long as he could stand to wait before telling somebody about the letter he got from Brendan fucking Chase. He hoped Yassen would have answers.

-A

How was your day?

-C

Cossack figured SCORPIA would have gone after the obvious bait by now. They never could resist an asset acquisition. Besides, they had laid a false trail for a reason. SCORPIA would have kept badgering him and maybe gotten something real. They needed to stay ahead on this.

-C

Oh, it was just fucking wonderful. I ran into Nile on the early train that nobody interesting freaking rides. He is way too friendly, by the way. Figured out my shady bank is holding money for half of the world's criminal organizations. Obviously dodgy ones, by the way. Oh, and I got a letter from BRENDAN FUCKING CHASE, the guy who partially runs the terrorist organization that KILLED MY PARENTS.

-A

Alex felt like hyperventilating, even though this had been the plan. He just hadn't been expecting this so soon. How in the fuck had they found him that fast? It was fake him, but still. He really hoped Ian never found out he was toying around with SCORPIA. He would actually be grounded until he was thirty.

-A

Calm down. This was the plan. Besides, you knew there was a risk getting involved with me.

-C

Cossack hoped Alex would forgive him one day. But they had a plan. Besides, Ian Rider had taken his nephew into a war zone. Yassen was through with waiting. Cossack would lie in wait for the day that MI6 attempted to close its overlarge jaws around him. Then, he would take Alex. It was clear that nobody would leave him alone and that Alex couldn't stay out of trouble if his life depended on it. First, he'd try to remotely remove some of Alex's morals. It would make his eventual partner and successor's life easier.

-C

Yeah, I did. I'm definitely not meeting him until I have to. How do I reply?

-A

Cossack would have cheered had he not been trained out of most of his emotions. This was going to plan. But first he had to keep Alex from getting prematurely recruited and brainwashed by the executive board. And they would take him, even as a child, if they realized just how skilled he was. Not to mention Yu's unhealthy obsession with anything British. The man would take him in a heartbeat and have Alex as his completely loyal second-in-command. Cossack decided to focus on his current plot.

-A

Polite, but firm, no. Nothing anyone can trace you by. Chase can be contacted by either electronic or physical mail, but if you don't respond you will be killed for disrespect.

-C

Alex mentally groaned. Why couldn't he have just ignored Yassen or his need for an apprentice? Now he had to watch out for a ton of other interests. Well, those had kind of been his fault to. He couldn't really help his curiosity and magical criminal attracting pheromone. Besides, he had Fenrir, at least.

-C

How long should I wait? I don't want to seem like I have a ton of time on my hands or get shot for taking too long. Plus, Chase seems like the persistent type.

-A

Cossack sighed. At least Alex didn't seem to suspect his other motives for helping him. Rhea's training would be done soon and he would let SCORPIA and her handle the rest. Yassen was sure Alex had next to no peers for his age and abilities.

-A

Two weeks or so. You don't want to seem overly connected, which would make the recruitment more aggressive. Chase is playing nice for now, as you can tell. His current goal is contact. Eventually, he will push harder for recruitment. The board tries to handle these things delicately.

-C

Oh, joy. He had time, but how much? Plus, there was no way he was actually going to join SCORPIA. They were as high on the hell no list as MI6. Alex might take the CIA, but he'd prefer not to. They tried to follow the rules, at least Byrne did.

-C

How much time do I have?

-A

-A

Potentially years, if you play this right. It helps that you did not directly or indirectly seek out SCORPIA. They want you, not the other way around. Be sure to play up your mentally unsound side. Plus, they don't want to risk offending whoever your main employer is by forcibly taking you without knowing who they are.

-C

Alex breathed a sigh of relief. They'd be a bit like MI6, except with less snarky jabs. He just had to convince Chase he was an absolutely batshit middle-aged operative. Hopefully, SCORPIA's army of shrinks wouldn't figure out it was an act.

-C

Thank you. I'll get started. I'm sure you'll hear about the letter from somebody on your end.

Cheers.

-A

Alex decided on the anonymous email approach. He didn't want to give anybody a handwriting sample or an envelope. He would send it from an anonymous account from a library computer that would die a sudden software death if someone tried to track it. The cameras would fritz out for the hour while he was there and the hour of the meltdown, should it occur. He sighed and began typing a draft.

Dear Mr. Chase,

Thank you, but no thank you. I'm quite satisfied with my current position, particularly since it involves not being on a wanted list. It seems I have a peculiar allergy to them and it seems contagious to other people on said lists who come near me, often to lethal levels. I'd hate for anything untoward to happen. It would be such a shame.

Alec Pierre

Alex sent it later in the week, but still wondered if he'd gotten it right. Was it too hostile? Too Polite? Too jokey? He was going to get a complex at this rate. Besides, it would certainly appeal to what he knew was SCORPIA's twisted sense of humor. They did love oh-so-clever plots and tongue-in-cheek jokes. Besides, Alex was curious to see the reply he got. Mind games with paranoid ex-spies turned mercenary were so much fun. Taunting letters to SCORPIA? He was in. This might shorten his lifespan, but oh, well. Besides, if nothing else, Ian might get a few laughs out of this after his premature death. He was already saving this in records Ian would be sent if he died under suspicious circumstances. He'd burned SCORPIA's original letter shortly after memorizing it, but entered a copy in his contingency records, just in case. Should he add Crawley to the list? Smithers? They had their loyalties elsewhere, but he knew that they would at least try to find out who did it. Chase. He didn't know much about the man. It was probably the point. He knew that Yu wasn't a confirmed member of the board for anyone but him yet. Alex was confident he'd never met the man in the past life. At least it wasn't Three. The good doctor had an odd way of being able to read people perfectly. That would be bad. Alex shifted his thoughts toward the present. At least now he had a feel for the style of the board members. Now, he would just wait for a reply and continue his vacation with the family. They'd all taken their chocolate bribes quite nicely and not said a word about his weird trips to Switzerland. He'd gotten a few concerned glances, but nobody said anything. He suspected they were gearing up for another family talk soon. Joy. Ian was always suspicious, but then Alex was always technically up to something, so he couldn't complain that much. He'd handle it.

Brendan Chase had been surprised to find his fax machine typing out a message he wasn't expecting that morning. Not knowing who it was, he eagerly awaited for it to finish, half-expecting some emergency with his various enterprises, raids did happen after all. He had a number of operatives who knew his fax number for intelligence purposes as well. It had been about two weeks since he'd had Nile deliver the message for Pierre. The fax seemed to be short. Well, that was odd. SCORPIA had standards for disaster reports and intelligence reports. Most were five pages long for the summary. No point in dithering. He'd always hated when people at ASIS did that. He was a decisions kind of guy. He picked up the fax and barked out a laugh as he finished reading it. He didn't get much for entertainment these days. Board politics didn't count. There were days he wished his operatives had a sense of humor or the guts to prank him. Being in charge of a vast criminal empire tended to leave a lot of people scared shitless of you and a lot of your mildly psychotic operatives taking your jokes literally. He'd had to cut back on some of the sarcasm. Damn, Three had to see this. Pierre was hilarious. Allergy to wanted lists, his foot. Lethally contagious, huh? This guy was definitely hostile. And mildly insane for threatening him, but oh, well. Time to grab Three and set the analysts on this. He would turn that no into a yes. Plus, the guy had tracked him down online. That took skill or connections.

Alex sighed as he walked down to breakfast. He figured something was up. The people who lived in this house all got up at different times, normally. Ian was seated at the head of the table. Jack, Crawley, Tom, and Jerry were all seated. Leaving him the spot at the opposite head. Ian spoke. "Good morning, Alex. Have a seat. We need to talk."