Chapter 35: Australia

Hey guys, a quick note. Some of the scenes (one in particular), I got ideas for from another fanfic, The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Fan moment. Call it my tribute to the author. I love their characterization of Yassen (and other characters). I meant to put this in, but I forgot. I don't want anybody to think I'm idea poaching.

Ian Rider got the call from the bank about mid-way through the first semester of the school year. Tom was doing OK. Alex was doing Alex and being frustratingly opaque. Crawley was attempting to cut him off from both investigating Alex and searching through MI6's old files in search of a traitor from back when John died. Ian realized that Crawley had a point and that he was obsessing, but Alex had asked him to find the person who betrayed his parents. After a quick search of his files, he realized that less than ten people knew about John and Helen. Himself. Crawley. ASH. Jones. Blunt. Helen's family (three people at the time, her mother had been dead). The nanny. He immediately crossed himself, Crawley, and Jones off the list. As much as he'd like to rule out his own boss, Blunt was ruthless and John had (in his eyes) outlived his usefulness and was full of classified information combined with a deadly skill set. ASH was a possibility. Helen's family was probably also ruled out, but Ian couldn't be sure. Then again, they had adored Helen, even if they didn't approve of her husband. Most likely, they would have just gotten rid of John and then ever-so-kindly offered to take Helen and her child in. Crawley and Jones were very fond of John and himself. The nanny had been thoroughly vetted. It was maddening. Crawley grabbed his laptop out of his hands. "Enough is enough, Ian."

Ian knew he was whining. "But Crawley-"

Crawley interjected. "You're no closer than you were five hours ago, besides you have a new mission."

Ian got up. "Where?"

Crawley smirked a little. That always got his attention. "Australia."

Ian rubbed the back of his neck. "Why?"

Crawley sighed. "ASIS wants help keeping an eye on negotiations with a nasty snakehead."

Ian groaned. "What about Alex? I don't want him near any bloody human traffickers."

Crawley looked vaguely triumphant. "I convinced Jones to send me as your back-up. I can watch Alex while you snoop around."

Ian grinned. "If I didn't like you already-" Crawley decided the best way to shut him up was to kiss him.

When Alex got home from walking Fenrir and visiting his base, he knew something was up. Crawley was tense; Ian was practically humming with excitement and Jack was glaring (Jerry had moved out about three weeks into this school year). Tom was nervously eating his dinner as though he expected someone to start throwing plates. Alex let Fenrir off the leash. "Ok, what's going on?"

Jack glared at Ian. "It seems you're going on vacation to Australia for a few weeks, sweetie."

Alex sighed. Fenrir whined. Tom began eating at a faster rate. "Ok. Tom, give Mandy my greetings."

Alex grabbed his plate and headed up the stairs to pack. He suddenly wasn't that hungry. Fenrir looked at him with wide pleading eyes. Alex just handed the wolf his entire plate the minute he got upstairs and shut the door. He messaged Yassen. Well, he'd call Mandy and Jack and Tom. He sighed and began opening his drawers. Tom came into the room. "Not hungry?"

Alex grimaced. "No, not really."

Tom put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Alex wasn't sure why this was bothering him so much, even though it opened the ASH can of worms. "Don't let it get to you."

Alex sighed. "Thank you, Tom."

Tom helped him pack in silence. There wasn't much more that needed to be said. They both went to bed rather gloomily. Alex felt Fenrir come in. Then, he heard arguing, at first he had to strain his ears to hear it. Jack and Ian, of course. "Ian you can't keep doing this. Children need stability."

Ian's deeper voice answered back. "What about me? Aren't I in his life now?"

Jack sounded frustrated. "Ian that isn't enough. Every time you go somewhere you separate him from his home, his peers. The few who are allowed to meet him at any rate."

Ian exhaled loudly. "He seems fine to me."

Jack snorted. "Fine? Fine?! There's more to life than being fine! Besides, appearances can be deceiving. Do you have any idea what he goes through every time you uproot him?!"

Ian's voice was still even. "No, but I'm sure if he had an issue-"

Jack interrupted. "You would be THE LAST person he would tell. He thinks he has to be perfect for you and you just let him head on the path to self-destruction!"

Alex rolled over. He didn't want to hear anymore. Fenrir huffed and lay a giant paw over his head.

Yassen Gregorovich was not best pleased at Ian Rider's next choice of destination. It was the home turf of not one, but two executive board members. Brendan Chase took a great amount of glee in hiding right under the nose of his former employers. Winston Yu took pride in having a perfect British home in the outback and being undetected as a SCORPIA board member. Then, there was ASH to consider. He'd murder the man himself, but it would leave him without an alibi. If Alex hadn't gotten him Rhea, he would be in England, kidnapping himself an apprentice. Drat, it was probably why the brat had done it in the first place. He debated on what to send Alex. Reverse psychology? Tell him sarcastically to get in all the trouble he wanted? Have an associate kidnap him for a few weeks? Rhea noticed his tension, but wordlessly sat down and ate dinner without asking. She was learning well. A few more weeks would see her transferred to the island. Yassen was not about to rush this because of personal feelings. He sighed and pulled out his phone.

-A

Don't do anything rash. Don't kill anybody. Don't go near ASH. If you even think about drawing attention, I will personally come after you. There will be one mole, two intelligence agencies, and two board members present. Do not, I cannot emphasize this enough, draw attention.

-C

Alex's eyes widened at the message. Yassen was serious. Well, he was glad he had such wonderful things to look forward to. With the way his luck was, the airport would spontaneously combust and he'd be the subject of an international manhunt from both sides by the end of the week. He would try, though. Being unnoticed. It was more for Jack's sake at this point, but he knew SCORPIA wouldn't hesitate to target his and Ian's family if something went wrong. As much as he wanted to sabotage the negotiations between yet another intelligence agency and criminal organization, he knew doing so would draw fire like nothing else.

-C

Fine, I'll behave. Even if I have wonderful heart-stopping poison just waiting to be put in ASH's tea.

-A

Yassen sighed. Alex knew just how to tempt people. Ian Rider's negotiation lessons at work, most likely. Now he was torn between egging Alex on and wanting him to stop for his own safety. Killing ASH would cause a commotion. On the other hand, Alex poisoning ASH would be perfect poetic justice. He snapped the phone shut before he could text something he'd regret if Alex did in fact murder the man.

Alex sighed. He refused to be held responsible for anything happening to ASH if the man didn't have the good sense to stay away. He might not want to actually kill him, but Alex could go for serious bodily harm. Maybe something nice and even more debilitating. Yassen had done a great job of screwing him up on the inside, though. Alex grabbed his bag and sighed. This trip was going to be rough. He'd packed extra gear and some of Smithers' stuff. He remembered the man's warnings about the Australians. Funnily enough, Smithers was the only one in all of MI6 who'd even thought to. Alex really was fond of the man. Other than Jones' more than slightly creepy warning at the beginning of his 'career'. Looking back on all of those missions, or at least the early ones, he'd begun to suspect a pattern. It would have benefitted MI6 even if he had died. Was that why he'd gotten a soldier's training for a spy's job or did they just suspect he'd really need the parachute training? He supposed he would never really know. Alex decided to pack some innocuous-looking, but more dangerous creations. He'd managed to squeeze in some magnesium strips with the beef jerky. With any luck, customs wouldn't check too closely. He went with his snack theme and piled in some of the more powerful stable explosives. Nothing as obvious as C-4 blocks. Eleven, not stupid. Along with his standard weaponry, he had just enough explosives and poison to get him on weapon-trafficking charges. Alex triple-checked that everything looked harmless enough to pass airport security before zipping both of his bags shut. Fenrir sniffed his bags and whined. "Yeah, yeah. I'll try to be back soon."

Fenrir attempted to hold his bags hostage while Ian and Crawley just looked amused. "Thanks for the help, you two. Such wonderful, upstanding members of society."

Alex laid on the sarcasm a little thick, but then he was grumpy. The two just snorted and got into the car.

Since they'd actually gotten a decent flight this time, the airport was crowded. Alex casually made his way through customs, attempting not to break a sweat. The flight attendant looked a little concerned. "Alright there, sweetie?"

Alex gave a smile that was probably closer to a grimace. "Yeah, just a stomachache."

It was true. He was now seriously regretting his decision to skip dinner that had resulted in him eating a larger breakfast than normal. Ian and Crawley just looked at him. "What?"

Ian waited until the hubbub was appropriately loud and there were no flight attendants around. "Do you know something we don't?"

Alex smirked and said in a lowered voice. "A lot of things Ian, but I'd friggin' tell you if something was wrong with the flight."

Crawley just watched the interplay with the air of someone resigning themselves to execution. Ian grumbled. "Just checking. Bad enough we have to work with the Australians and our second least favorite private company."

Alex sighed. The Australians were siding with one of SCORPIA's rivals because someone on the board was an ASIS traitor. The reason MI6 was there was that they'd had experience with dealing with large criminal organizations. Alex was sorely tempted to blow the lot of them up and whoever SCORPIA had there for good measure. Ian was giving him a long searching look. Well, Alex was going to warn him about ASH no matter what. "I'm not discussing more on the bloody plane, Ian."

Crawley was currently slipping MI6 standard six-hour sedatives on both their drinks. It was the only way he'd get a peaceful flight. Ian looked put out. Both downed their water in one go before shooting Crawley a betrayed look and passing out shortly after takeoff.

Alex woke up with a headache and the knowledge that Crawley had drugged both of their waters. He went through the adjoining door he found open, shut it behind him and grabbed towels so the sound would be muffled for the hallway. Ian and Crawley shot him bemused looks. "What. The. Fuck. Crawley?"

Crawley sighed. "It was the only way to get any peace and quiet during the flight. Besides, even I do weird things under stress and both of you looked sleep-deprived."

Alex growled. "You bloody well drugged our water."

Crawley shrugged. "Details, besides you two needed sleep to discuss your issues like actual adults."

Alex grimaced. "Fine. I won't murder you in your sleep with a pillow after all."

Crawley snorted. "What is it you wanted to tell us anyway?"

Alex sighed. He wondered where to begin. "Well, I was doing my own independent research into my parent's' death, and-"

Crawley interrupted. "You what?!"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Research. Dead parents. Traitor we don't know about."

Ian began to pace. "You could have been discovered."

Alex rolled his eyes. He couldn't help himself sometimes. "Moving on from your well-meaning, but grossly interfering concern."

Ian and Crawley glared at him. "My best guess is ASH for our guy."

Ian froze mid-pace. "Why?"

Alex wondered how to phrase it. Then he remembered the story ASH had told him on the plane. "For one, he would have been the most vulnerable to manipulation. Think about it, Blunt could have threatened me or mom if he wanted dad back or lied about a threat by terrorists to us. Same with Jones. Mum's family would have just sent Marion to execute you and Dad. You and Crawley are out and the housekeeper fainted at the sight of an open wound. Plus, ASH had just gotten injured and demoted because of the whole Malta deal. He was injured; he was going to be in pain for the rest of his life, and Blunt emotionally scalped him just after he got out of the hospital."

Crawley and Ian exchanged a look. "You know, he does have a point, Ian."

Ian sighed and started pacing. "Plus, ASIS has had a problem with leaks from around the same time until now. Everybody knows that."

Crawley sighed. "What the hell are we going to do?"

Alex shrugged. "He isn't the best at undercover. I mean, Blunt had a point when he said that ASH would never be as good as dad. How do you people normally trap traitors and do we want to go through official channels?"

Crawley and Ian exchanged a look. "Not really. I should, though."

Crawley groaned. He was outnumbered. Alex was smart. Ian was fast. "Ian! You're already in trouble for extrajudicial and unsanctioned killings as it is."

Alex got an evil grin on his face. He could get revenge on the Snakeheads and ASH. "Whoever said he had to disappear? We could just pin it on the triads or something."

Crawley sighed. "We should really take this to Ethan Brooke and Jones."

Ian growled. "They had their bloody chance and they failed. It's our turn."

Alex shrugged and looked at Crawley. He knew the man hated negotiating with crime syndicates, but he had to be careful not to drop into blatant manipulation. "It'll probably fuck up the negotiations, too. ASIS tends to shoot first and ask questions later when an agent dies."

Crawley looked a lot younger for a second. "I'm in."

As it turned out, murdering an intelligence agent and pinning it on the triads was actually a lot of planning. ASH had a tendency to disappear for several hours (heaven knows how Ethan Brooke never got suspicious, but it wasn't their problem). Ian and Crawley had been reluctant to let him help with the planning and outright refused to include him in the execution of the plan. It was only after he figured out a way for the 'triads' to get past the man's home security that they let him help at all. Crawley seemed a little unnerved by his ability, but Ian would look almost mournful when he thought Alex wasn't looking. Alex sighed. Well, at least he could keep his promise to Yassen. Sort of. They had quickly figured out it would be easier (and more plausible) to get to ASH in his home. He tried not to overhear Ian and Crawley talking that night, but he couldn't help the hotel walls. "Ian, no normal kid can do that is what I'm telling you."

Ian exhaled. "I know. Do you think I didn't notice? He's better than I am and we both know it."

Alex rolled over to listen better. The next part was inaudible, but they both got slightly louder after a few seconds. "What's your point, Crawley?"

Crawley sighed. "I don't really know, Ian. It's almost like not all of John died that night, but they really are different."

Ian sounded suspiciously soft. "Do you think I don't know, Crawley? Sometimes, it's like my brother is still around and then Alex will sometimes be his own person."

Crawley groaned. "Alex isn't your brother."

Ian sounded snappy. "I know that Crawley."

Crawley sighed. "Do you? Because sometimes I really do wonder who you're talking to when the two of you speak. Mission planning?"

Ian sounded pissed. "He offered to help. We actually needed his help."

Crawley sighed. "I'm not trying to fight you Ian, but if the choice was between permanently scarring your nephew and vengeance for your brother, I sincerely hope you would choose Alex."

Ian sounded close to tears. "I would and you know it."

Crawley's voice turned gentle. "Sorry, it was kind of over the line."

Alex held his breath. "No, it's just...I do forget his age sometimes."

Crawley sounded bitter. "Don't we all?"

Alex felt himself freeze in shock. Of all the people to defend him, Crawley would have been lower on the list. It did kind of confirm Jerry's suspicion about Ian not being totally mentally healthy, but Alex had pretty much known that already. Black ops were not exactly conducive to mental health and that was without having family to worry about (aside from Jack, his had been dead). Alex figured it might be because of him and Ian being together or maybe it was the fact that they had an actual relationship that wasn't work based. That and Crawley was the lonely workaholic type. Just living with him would encourage attachment due to the fact that Crawley had been alone. Crawley was also reasonably socially adjusted, and was probably going to be inclined to become attached to anything that resembled companionship (case in point, him and Ian versus the man's abstract loyalty to his bosses). Alex had read the man's file. Divorcee and no friends. That and the fact that the man had originally been an intellectual. Intellectuals didn't do fanatic loyalty. Crawley knew full well who he was working for and had accepted the fact a long time ago, but it didn't mean didn't eventually want something for himself, like (cough) a family. Alex considered Ian for a bit. Now that he knew the man better, well...Ian wasn't exactly whole. He had to wonder if the man had kept his distance last time around because he wanted Alex to have the impression of stability. That and it was clear that Ian was still not over his brother and sister-in-law's death. The revenge plan, for one. Alex would be the first to admit that it wasn't the product of an entirely stable and wholesome psyche. Namely, they all wanted revenge. Alex suspected that none of them had really gotten over those particular deaths. He'd obsessively tore through what they knew about ASH's security until he found holes and then they'd plotted the man's death and partial dismemberment in minute detail. Yeah, he couldn't really talk. Their revenge was entirely selfish and had the distinct possibility of starting a conflict between ASIS and a gang. Alex felt bad for the possible future deaths, but he wanted ASH to die just a little more than he cared. It might have something to do with the way the man had forked him over to Yu, just a little bit.

When Cossack heard of ASH's death, he made a mental note not to look overly cheerful. He had been dropping his student off at Malagosto at the time in full view of twenty witnesses and a board member, a watertight alibi even by SCORPIA standards. The Doctor had shot him a speculative look, but hadn't said anything. Yet. He knew the man would take the first excuse to pull him aside. ASH had been valuable, if heavily disliked among the organization. Even after John Rider's treachery, he still had admirers of his skill. Frankly, the man had simply been more charming and ASH was considered petty, even by their standards. Three was calling him to the office. Joy. "Cossack, your student is at the top of her class by a wide margin."

Yassen sighed. "I expect her skills to remain acceptable."

The unspoken sentiment that the rest of the students weren't was very much there. "The board is delighted by your choice to educate a young individual."

Yassen was sure they were. "I'm sure you're just devastated about Anthony's passing."

Three had a morbid sense of humor. "Yes, Doctor, I fear the senior operatives might need grief counseling."

Alex's sense of humor was contagious, apparently. As was his impulsivity. To his surprise, Three's lips were twitching. "Oh, dear. Whatever shall we do?"

Cossack rolled his eyes. "I'm sure Dr. Steiner will rise to the challenge."

Yassen heard the man snorting as he exited the room. Nile stepped out from the shadows. "I told you I wasn't hallucinating."

The Doctor shrugged. "Cossack has always had a faint note of sarcasm."

Nile mentally slapped down the retort that it would have been easier on his nerves if he had known that before working with the holy terror. "Well, sir, I rest my case."

Three was actually fond of Nile. Every teacher had their favorites. Yassen and Nile both. Rhea was most likely ending up on the list too if he was going, to be honest. "Yes. How goes the investigation into the mysterious Mr. Pierre?"

Nile sighed. "We've hit a dead end and Chase is in contact."

The Doctor sighed. "Mr. Chase is one of the more personable members of the board. I do hope he doesn't allow his impulsivity to get the better of him."

Nile mentally sighed at the unsubtle jab. "His approach has its benefits, Doctor. Besides, what levels of instability do you take?"

The comment and question slipped out before Nile could stop himself. The Doctor seemed to ignore his retort and think of a reply. "It really does depend, Nile. You'll learn these things over time."

Nile took that as a dismissal. "Yes, sir."

Alex Rider heard of the death of ASH for the second time on the news. Of course, they listed him as a dead banker mysteriously murdered by a gang for unknown reasons. Ian and Crawley were using each other and him as their alibi. Ethan Brooke had not been best pleased with the man's death, even though a few days of Ian and Crawley snooping had let them leave evidence of ASH's treachery at his house. Alex had come down to four very grumpy-looking adults that morning. Ian and Crawley and Brooke and a guy who Alex presumed was the man's current assistant. "Why is the kid here?"

Alex crossed his arms. "The housekeeper was otherwise occupied, not that it is any of your business you nosy-"

Crawley cut him off. Alex realized he was still a little sore about the man's 'test' in the past life. "Alex, language and manners."

Alex sounded as sarcastic as possible. "Sorry."

Crawley exhaled. "Maybe go back to sleep?"

Alex shrugged. "Yeah, probably. I'm kind of tired because of the time change."

Alex turned around and went upstairs. He was actually tired from worrying all night about Crawley and Ian, but he wasn't going to say so in front of Brooke. He just hoped they'd done everything right. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in Ian and Crawley, it was just that...Well, Ian had died last time and Crawley had needed his help with something. Brooke felt vaguely amused. "Wonder where he got the language from."

The two MI6 agents rolled their eyes. "Shut up, Brooke."

The Australian took a particular glee in taunting his British counterparts. "Yeah, real mature you two."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Back to our point, Brooke, we were here the whole night with my nephew."

Brooke sighed. "Yeah, I figured; it's procedure to check anyway, you two."

Brooke decided it was best to leave after that. Hopefully, an investigation would shed light on the culprits, although the primary suspects were the triads. The kill style matched, but how would the triads have found out about Howell being SCORPIA's before they did and had time to murder him? Then again, it wouldn't be the first time the criminal underworld had proved itself ahead of legitimate intelligence services.

Alex came back a few hours later and with a lot more sleep. Crawley raised an eyebrow at him. "Something we need to know about you and Brooke?"

Alex rubbed his forehead. "Err, no. Sorry, I was kind of sleep deprived."

Ian snorted. "Well, at least there's that."

Alex grimaced. "Yeah, we'd be kind of screwed if Brooke turned out to be a turncoat."

Ian sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Don't even think of that, please. A high-ranking agent is bad enough."

Crawley decided to cut both of them off before it devolved into another age-inappropriate talk. "Alright, you two, no talking about death, destruction, or mayhem at the dinner table."

Alex grinned and widened his eyes. "But what else do we talk about?"

Crawley rolls his eyes. "I don't know. Your schooling, maybe?"

Alex snorted. "I'm outrageously ahead of my peers and currently studying the pre-med track, along with languages and self-defense."

Crawley muttered under his breath. "Yeah, and you're not full of yourself at all."

Alex sighed. "I didn't mean it like that, but we did just have a family meeting."

Ian grimaced. "Was I really gone that much?"

He hadn't noticed how used to talking to him just over once a month Alex had gotten. Alex twitched. Was he supposed to answer that honestly? His face must have told the two of them enough because Ian suddenly looked guilty. Crawley sighed. "I sure you were really trying, Ian."

Ian sighed. "I was, but the job just kind of took over, you know, especially as I got promoted."

Alex could empathize. MI6 and a normal life were nearly impossible to balance. "It's fine."

Crawley ran his hands through his hair. "I honestly don't think either you or Ian really knows the meaning of the word."

Alex awkwardly tapped his fingers against the table and avoided looking at either of them. Maybe Jerry did have a point. And what would he know? The darker part of him whispered. After all, none of them had to be you. He quashed the thought down and ditched both of his guardians for his room as fast as he possibly could.

Alex knew this was a bad idea. The bad idea part should probably have been capitalized, but he wanted to be outside. That and people went out alone all the time in Australia. What were the odds he'd run into the four or five people he wasn't supposed to meet? Pretty low, right? Alex put on all of his weapons just in case. He walked outside at approximately one o'clock in the morning. His dog would have made a nice addition to the walk, but Fenrir was in England. The moon was full in the remarkably clear night sky. There was a slow dead silence that was occasionally punctuated by the breeze and a few chirps, whirs, and hisses. The wilderness was beautiful, even at night. Then again, there was nobody around and that was how he wanted it to be at the moment. No guardians, no people, and he was going to patently ignore his problems at the moment. The moonlight cast a silver glow on the leaves of the plants. Now that he wasn't running from megalomaniacs or trying to break into their ludicrous compounds, he decided to stop and appreciate nature. He walked for a few hours at a slow meandering pace, not bothering to take in the landmarks. The terrain became slightly more treacherous, but he didn't mind the challenge. Suddenly, he instinctively froze and slowly drew his knife. Wonderful, it was a snake. If Alex remembered correctly, it was one of the more poisonous ones. The head was still, but the snake itself was coiling, preparing to strike. Alex slowly moved into position. The snake struck in a speedy blur, but Alex was faster. In a flash of steel, the head was removed. Alex resisted the impulse to throw up as he watched the decapitated body writhe for a few minutes before stilling and collapsing to the ground. He was still gagging when someone stepped out from the bushes. Fuck. It was Nile, of all people. Great, he wanted to talk, too. "Nice slice."

Alex sighed. Some things didn't change. "What do you want?"

Nile countered with a question of his own. "What's a French kid doing here?"

Alex sighed. "I'm on vacation."

Nile raised an eyebrow. "In the middle of the school year?"

Alex wondered why today was the day Nile chose to be a nice human being. "I go to an unorthodox school."

Nile looked very skeptical. "Your guardians are okay with this?"

Alex wondered why Nile gave a shit. "I have unorthodox guardians."

Nile just looked weirded out. "Okay. Do you want help getting back to your unorthodox guardians?"

Why was Nile doing this? Seriously, the guy was way too nice for a terrorist. "I'll be fine."

Nile shrugged. "How about I come with you anyway?"

Alex scowled. "How about I get a restraining order?"

Nile sighed. "I'd feel bad about leaving a kid to the outback."

Alex kept on scowling. "Fine." Nile breathed out heavily and walked beside him.

Nile had a daily morning workout. It helped him deal with the stress of his job. That and it had the added benefit of keeping him fit for it. Since Brendan Chase, whose security he was currently in charge of, liked to start early, he started his workout just before dawn. The combat teams would survive without him in charge for a few hours and they had standing instructions, anyway. The sun had just about risen when he came across a kid. A closer look told him it was the kid from the train. He hadn't gotten a name. Then, he noticed the snake that came out of nowhere. To his surprise, he felt a jolt of alarm and quietly began to draw his knife. With a flash of steel and a movement at a speed that he didn't think should be possible for anyone, especially the kid, the snake was decapitated mid-strike. Well, he was officially unofficially interested. The kid was gagging, but not throwing up. Nile decided to step out of the bushes. "What do you want?"

The kid looked annoyed. Nile wasn't really sure himself, quite frankly. Not that he would say so. "What's a French kid doing here?"

Why wasn't he in school, where children belonged? "I go to an unorthodox school." What school would that be? The crime syndicate school of how best to murder your enemies and take out the competition? "Your guardians are okay with this?"

He was trying, he really was. "I have unorthodox guardians."

Was that the street code for complete nutjobs? Nile wondered why he cared. "Okay. Do you want help getting back to your unorthodox guardians?"

Drug or sex traffickers, maybe? Or just really eccentric? "I'll be fine."

Yeah, because an eleven-year-old wandering the Australian outback for hours on end was totally fine. "How about I come with you anyway?"

The kid scowled. Yeah, he would have been suspicious too. "How about I get a restraining order?"

Nile sighed. The kid might trust him sometime in the next ten years, sometime. Maybe. If he was really lucky. "I'd feel bad about leaving a kid in the outback."

Nile would feel bad about leaving this one alone in the outback, at any rate. "Fine."

Since the kid let him come, he wasn't about to push it. Though truthfully, it was only this kid he'd feel bad about abandoning. He didn't normally care about people that much or mind killing them. The kid predictably ditched him the minute they got to civilization. Nile just sighed. He was debating the merits of stalking a kid versus guarding his boss. Damn. He was guarding his boss. This was what he was paid for. Now, he had an extra-long workout to report to his boss. Chase would take it, mainly because he'd had to work with Gregorovich in the past year. Apparently, several other second in commands were still in therapy when not on assignment. Yeah, maybe they should quit trying to meddle with the assassin. Not that he would say so to their faces. He liked breathing.

Alex's guardians had been less than pleased with his disappearing act. When he said that, it meant Ian and Crawley were currently extremely pissed. In his defense, he had really forgotten to leave a note. Alex still wasn't quite used to having people actually care where he disappeared off to. Besides, he'd come back in reasonable time for breakfast. That particular statement hadn't particularly helped his cause. He'd decided to conveniently not mention meeting Nile again and the snake whose head he had in his backpack to collect the venom from. It was extremely venomous, as it turned out - the guides for tourists had pictures to go with their information. Waste not, want not. Ian had then walked in on him mid-venom collection. Yeah, he was so going to be grounded. Crawley sighed. "Killing snakes for their venom is antisocial."

Alex sighed. "It attacked me first."

Ian sighed. "I'm pretty sure taking that home is illegal."

Alex was feeling hungry and sleep-deprived. "I'm pretty sure your job is illegal."

Ian sighed and handed him breakfast. He finished removing the venom from the snake's head and sealed it off. Alex was careful to wash his hands before eating his breakfast. "Why were you out anyway?"

Alex sighed. "I couldn't sleep."

Crawley and Ian exchanged a glance. "Any reason in particular?"

Alex drummed his fingers against the table. "Not really."

Ian gave him a pleading look. "Alex."

Alex sighed. "I'm tired now."

Crawley sighed. "Not really the point, kid. In your family, sleeping problems mean other problems."

Alex avoided looking them in the eyes. "I just needed time to think."

The two men let it go, for now. Alex could sense the upcoming awkward family discussion.

Yassen Gregorovich was summarily summoned by Brendan Chase and Doctor Three, again. Three started. "Cossack, do come in."

Yassen sighed. They had definitely stepped up their meddling into his life in the past couple of years. Cossack was pretty sure quite a few of their second-in-commands had needed therapy. "Dear Anthony was executed this week."

Yassen barely resisted a snort. Even Yu hadn't liked the man. Nile was in the corner. "I take it you have a point you are getting to."

Chase sighed. "Unpleasant business that, but we do need to investigate. It doesn't do to leave these things unresolved. Bad for business."

Yassen shrugged. "My usual pay will do."

Chase paused. "We'll send you with a partner."

It wasn't a request. Rhea wasn't ready. "Nile will do fine."

He took a vindictive pleasure in hearing the man attempt to suppress a sound that was halfway between a squeak and a choke. Three just looked a little too pleased with the result. Yassen had figured Nile was with the board anyhow. At least the man wasn't that much of a royal pain in the ass and he actually tried to be helpful. The two men exited. Nile seemed to be paranoidly twitching. "So...so, why'd you pick me?"

Yassen huffed. "You were there and you aren't a pain in the ass."

Nile paused. "Why are they sending us instead of intelligence?"

Yassen shrugged. "They want us to execute the most convenient fall guy, not necessarily the actual culprit."

Nile just looked at him. "How long have you been at this?"

Yassen shrugged. "Twelve years, give or take my training."

Nile sighed. "Is there something you need, Nile?"

Nile rolled his eyes. "A social life, apparently."

Yassen's lips twitched. "I am afraid you are on your own there, Nile."

Nile actually laughed. "You could act nicer, you know."

Cossack rolled his eyes. "Over your cold, decomposing corpse, perhaps."

Nile figured it was a lost cause and decided to shut up.

Jerry Harris was pleasantly surprised to find out that Alex was completely right about his loving Naples. It was warm, sunny, had cheap housing and a rather large amount of exciting sports groups. He'd decided to teach English and was doing okay in terms of making a living. Jerry had chosen his hobby over his furniture and it showed, but he didn't much care. The beach was quite something and there was sun almost every day. Jerry picked up the phone. "Hey, Jerry."

Jerry smiled. "Alex. You were right, you know."

Alex grinned. "I usually am, but about what?"

Jerry shook his head. "Naples, man. You know, the place you suggested I live."

Alex chuckled. "Yeah, I'm glad you like it."

Alex was. Jerry deserved to be happy. "Thanks, man. How's it going?"

Alex felt his smile fade slightly. "Ian took me to Australia for a few weeks. The wilderness is amazing."

Jerry chuckled. "I'm sure. How many toxic animals have you run into?"

Alex grinned. "Only one snake tried to bite me so far."

Jerry snorted. "Only one, huh. I'll be holding my breath."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Scandalous exaggeration, Jer, scandalous exaggeration."

Jerry hung up on him. Ian walked into his room and took a look at his study set up. "You do know that you can't read four books at the same time, right?"

Alex was feeling particularly belligerent toward his uncle. "You know some people have different study styles, right?"

Ian heaved a sigh. "Alex, I'm worried about you."

Alex rolled his eyes. "It was only one night, Ian."

Ian looked at him sharply. "No, it's not. It's been almost every night this year. You only sleep six hours a day and you should be sleeping ten or twelve."

Alex shrugged. "I thought that was teenagers."

Ian resisted the urge to facepalm. "No, that's everybody."

Alex resisted the urge to tell Ian about a certain assassin who managed just fine with four. "Your point?"

Ian sighed. "We'll just have to make sure you sleep."

Alex sighed. Damn, they were going to be watching him from now on.