Chapter 36: Fire and Fury

Behind his jovial and calm demeanor, Ethan Brooke was furious. It was his job to root out traitors. He'd failed that. It had been his job to reign in the triads, who seemed to have discovered intelligence before he did. Evidently, they had no issues with flagrantly murdering an agent, even if he was a SCORPIA mole. The Brits hadn't seemed surprised enough at Howell being a traitor to not know anything, but he knew he'd never get it out if Blunt, even if they had. They had suspicions with no concrete evidence. Then there was the fact that those two had brought a kid along, even if he was nowhere near the negotiations. If that wasn't a blatant violation of MI6 policy, he'd eat his shoe. The two men had been far too cheerful to hear that the negotiations had fallen through in favor of the investigation into the Triads for his liking. That and the little shits refused to own up to it, claiming they'd been framed. Framed, his ass. They did still have to investigate, though. Brooke had decided he was conveniently not going to mention that SCORPIA operatives had been in the area. If the Brits or the Triads ran into a problem, they could deal with it. That and Blunt had pissed him off by sending Ian Rider. The guy was the epitome of a loose cannon when he wasn't his usual silver-tongued self. He would bet good money they either had something to do with Howell's death, the tapes, or both. Something about this was just a little too clean. He wasn't sure what was making him suspicious, but even if he knew for a fact Rider had something to do with it there wasn't much he'd be able to do to the man. The British were notorious for protecting their own. He'd bet Rider's back authorization paperwork was extensive (fudging the books to make it look like it was sanctioned). That and something about the kid was off. He didn't know anybody who voluntarily got up before five in the morning: kid, adult, or in-between. The whole thing reeked of an under the table operation, but there wasn't much he could do without extensive proof. Jones would side with Rider on principle and so would Blunt. Then, Blunt would have him buried just for giggles. Vicious bastard. Brooke remembered what the man had done in the Cold War just fine.

Nile was once again twitching. Cossack was being more antisocial than usual and that really said something. He knew nobody had liked Howell, but Cossack seemed to take having to investigate the man's death by what appeared to be a rival Triad as a personal insult. Nile sighed as Gregorovich returned from his exercise. He'd decided not to mention little blondie no-name to anybody. There was no way it could possibly end well. The SCORPIA version of internal affairs, the finance committee, was no terrifying. There were horror stories whispered around the island a few times. They didn't just investigate bank accounts either, despite the boring-sounding name. If he didn't have the rest of the snake's body in his freezer, he would have thought he was getting stress-induced hallucinations. Hey, it had happened before to saner operatives, admittedly, they had been on antibiotics with known side-effects, but still… Nile knew keeping the frozen body of a dead snake was not a good coping mechanism, but he really was very much stressed. He checked that it was there at least twice a day. Unfortunately, today was the day Gregorovich caught him at it. "Why is there a dead snake with no head in your freezer?"

It was a valid question, but Nile couldn't really think of a good answer that wouldn't get him mandatory psychiatric leave (or an execution, if they thought he was too much of a risk). "Um, I can't decide whether it's worth the bother of eating it or not?"

Nile was mentally hitting himself for that reply, but it was short notice and he had to live with Yassen. Gregorovich stared at him for half a minute. Nile did his best not to fidget or run away screaming. You know, perfectly normal reactions to seeing Cossack. "The answer is no, Nile. Snakes are a pain in the ass to clean and cook."

Yassen approached him slowly. "Nile?"

Nile delicately paused in his task of putting the snake back in the freezer. "Yes, Cossack?"

The man looked amused. "The trashcan is the other way."

Nile twitched. This was bad for his paranoia. Darn, it looks like he wasn't keeping Slither the biting snake anymore. "I knew that."

The man huffed and walked toward his bedroom. He suspected the assassin was laughing at him. At least they had separate rooms.

Yassen Gregorovich was not happy with his current status of having to bullshit an investigation before murdering a bunch of Triads. It wasn't the murder he minded, but the tedium of board politics. He was really looking forward to not having to deal with the board as much as he used to. Plus, they'd assigned him a partner...again. Nile seemed to be dealing better than most of the people in SCORPIA would with the combined pressure of him, the board, and Chase's security, but considering most of them would be gibbering lunatics at the thought of daily interaction with him that wasn't really saying much. Although, lately the man seemed extra nervous. Yassen wondered if he'd have to turn in yet another colleague for psychiatric treatment. Most people just didn't do well around him. Then, he walked in on Nile with a headless frozen corpse of a tiger snake. Well, he supposed there could be a valid reason for this, but it was unlikely. "Why is there a dead snake with no head in your freezer?"

Yassen had never been good at subtle conversation, though he understood it. He was the type to be blunt. "Um, I can't decide whether it's worth the bother of eating it or not?"

He stared at the man and wondered if he was joking. Probably not. It was definitely a lie, but they were not eating that without a food shortage, thank you very much. "The answer is no, Nile. Snakes are a pain in the ass to clean and cook."

He approached the man slowly. Best to check for signs of psychosis. "Nile?"

The man was not going towards the trash can. Best not to let the man keep the snake corpse. They tended to get accidentally thawed and stink up the place. "Yes, Cossack?"

Ah, the man looked terrified. He tended to have that effect on people. "The trashcan is the other way."

Nile twitched. Yassen made a mental note to try not to take out his frustration on his coworker. "I knew that."

Yes, the man was definitely close to a mental breakdown. Now, how long would it take Chase to notice? This could be interesting, unlike his assignment.

Nile decided that since he was already mid-mental breakdown, he would go for another hike at night. Maybe Blondie would be out. Nile knew his obsession with Blondie was bad news, but the kid was probably the only interesting thing in his life that wasn't a threat as far as he knew. He decided to get in his sleep now so he wouldn't be exhausted on top of everything else. The alarm was set for about the time he suspected Blondie started his walks. He sincerely hoped he never had to explain this to his bosses. No, Mr. Chase, we don't discuss anything of import. No, I'm definitely not a pedophile. Yes, I'm a trained operative, but I somehow forget to ask his name each and every time we meet and he accuses me of being a creep. No, I don't know anything about his background. Yeah, he could definitely see that conversation ending so well. Not. Besides, he had no idea why he kept running into the kid in the oddest places. It was weird. A bit like the stories his mother had told him before his family had been killed. They had been full of magic and gods and fate. Then again, he didn't believe in such things. Blondie was definitely becoming his new obsse-hobby. Hobby is what he meant to say. It was definitely a hobby and he was still putting his work first. Against his better judgment, he set out into the semi-wild for a walk at sort of midnight. The darkness fell over the desert like ink. The only light was from the moon and the stars. The desert was cold at night. The pace he set would allow him to stay warm and out of most people's sight. Nile put on his bullet-proof clothing and weapons. It wasn't Blondie he was worried about, but you could never be too careful. The sigh he withheld was a pure habit. Next to no people were up at this hour. Unbeknownst to him, he was being followed by his senior partner.

Alex Rider, for all intents and purposes, was currently ignoring his guardian's rules in a fit of pique. He would blame his (currently nonexistent) hormones if anybody asked. After sleeping way in on his guardians' insistence, he was not exactly tired enough to sleep at night, even after completing his daily workout. He'd had to hide that from Ian and Crawley after they insisted he take the day off. That and the fact he'd sat in silence for a solid six hours staring them down had convinced them that grounding him was the best answer. Here he was, sneaking out into the sort of wild trail he'd gone on yesterday. It was a terrible idea since he knew Nile and probably SCORPIA was nearby, but the worst that could happen was dying, right? And he couldn't even do that. Sure enough, the tell-tale glint of metal in the shadows flashed in the corner of his eye. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Nile seemed to flash into existence. Alex thought that Yassen did it better, but wasn't about to say so. "Isn't that my line?"

Nile's lips were faintly upturned. "Only in a cheesy-ass American movie. I'm seriously considering that restraining order, you know."

Nile was smirking against his will. "Oh, but then you'd have no one to meet on your walks at six in the morning and three in the morning."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "On the contrary, I, unlike you, have friends and hence company on my walks when I want it."

Alex wondered what possessed him to cheek one of SCORPIA's best assassins like that. Nile hadn't had anyone besides his bosses stand up to him in years. "You're rather impertinent."

Alex grinned. Best to roll with this now, right? "Yeah, and you don't seem like a pedophilic creep, not at all."

Nile sighed. "What is it with you and rape? If I was going to, I would've kidnapped you by now."

Alex snorted. "You could be one of those weirdos who try to be friends with the kids first. I think it was called grooming or something."

Nile sighed. "And you've been watching way too much Cops."

Alex rolled his eyes. "I'm not allowed to watch more than one hour of television. Besides, it just government propaganda and propaganda sponsored by various groups of dubious morals."

Nile mentally groaned and tried not to laugh at the same time. "You're a jaded little brat."

Alex widened his eyes innocently. "And you just now realized that? No wonder your boss takes pity on you and lets you wander the wilderness."

Nile mentally bashed his head against an imaginary wall. He'd walked right into that one. Alex checked his watch. "Yeah, I have to go now. I'm kinda not supposed to be out here."

Nile went after him. What? A rich kid with actual disciplinary consequences. Maybe he wouldn't grow up to be a complete shit. "You actually get grounded?"

Alex snorted. "Yeah, but I break out of the house sometimes."

Nile rubbed the back of his head. "You won't get eaten by a kangaroo on the way back, right?"

Alex sighed. "Kangaroos are herbivores. And no, I won't get myself clawed by a cassowary on the way back. Bye."

Yassen eavesdropped on the conversation and was torn between amusement and alarm. Did Alex know how dangerous encouraging Nile's obsession was? Sociopaths were not safe, to begin with, and Nile was a trained killer on top of that. Plus, Alex was his. Then again, Alex might not realize that his telling Nile to get lost was actually encouraging the man, especially by contradicting the statement with his actions. Nile had most likely been drawn to Alex due to the nature of his (and Alex's) training. Any elite operative in SCORPIA who interacted with Alex would clearly be able to see something was different, even if they didn't consciously realize why. That and the fact that it was most likely that Alex had decapitated the snake they had in their freezer. Nile wouldn't keep the body of a snake he'd killed himself. Nile was already sure of his skills. Now, Alex on the other hand...Yassen could see why someone would want physical proof the event actually happened. How Alex managed to look perfectly harmless when he was partially trained as a killer/ intelligence agent was anybody's guess. Yassen suspected it had something to do with his mentality. At any rate, it was probably best to scare Nile off. Yassen appeared from the shadows and felt a grim sense of satisfaction as the man jumped. "Nile. Stalking children are we?"

Nile mentally moaned. He knew he shouldn't have done this. He was going to die. "For fuck's sake, man, it is not my fault that Blondie and I keep meeting. He needs a new guardian."

Cossacks lips twitched. "No shit, Nile. It is not our concern, however."

Nile sighed. "I'm just curious is all, really."

Cossack mentally rolled his eyes. "Curiosity gets you shot by the executive board. Shall we get back now?"

Nile sighed. Looks like Blondie would not be followed today. It was probably for the best anyway. Blondie was taking up more of his attention span than a kid probably should.

Brendan Chase wondered what workout regime could possibly involve hikes at three in the morning. Then again, if he had to share a floor with Cossack, he'd probably ditch the place as much as possible. His two operatives entered the room. "Report." Nile started. "Intelligence communities are blaming the Triads. They uncovered the fact that Howell was a mole, but not who his handler was…"

The report continued for a few hours. The two prepared to leave shortly afterward. "Nile, do stay back a minute."

Talk about near heart attacks. Nile didn't visibly react. "Yes, Mr. Chase."

Chase sighed mentally. Most people were simply not equipped to handle Gregorovich for any significant length of time. Nile was acting like a skittish cat. "Is everything alright, Nile?"

Contrary to popular belief, the board was not entirely uninterested in the mental state of their operatives. Mainly because the training was expensive and having your operatives go insane mid-assignment didn't end well. "Yes, sir. I'll be glad when this is over, though."

Chase found himself chuckling. "Nile, it's okay to be a bit nervous around Gregorovich. We keep him around to be a breathing nightmare, you know. I've already made your appointments with our psychology department."

If Nile had any hair, he'd be running his hands through it. "Thank you, sir."

Well, it could have also been a plea for help, but Chase was not really the best at feelings and coworkers. Chase sighed. He did actually like Nile. As much as he let himself like any of their elite operatives, anyway. "No problem. Just try to keep a sleep schedule of some sort and don't freeze any more dead snakes."

Nile sighed. "I just…"

Chase cut him off. "It's okay. Cossack tends to drive people looney. I remember when one of Kurst's people started going off the rails."

Chase chuckled at a memory. Kurst hadn't found it nearly as amusing. "Anyway, just ask for separate floors if it's too much. I'm sure one of the dozen guest rooms should work."

Nile shrugged. "I'm good for now, sir."

He'd stick this mission out and then take a long, long assignment after a month of vacation in a different hemisphere from Cossack. You could almost mistake Chase for being kind. Almost.

Alex managed to silently break back into his own apartment and get a few hours of sleep without Ian and Crawley being the wiser. He reminded himself not to look overly smug in the morning at breakfast. It was kind of fun, he reflected, taunting Nile like that. Probably not fun for his life expectancy, but it definitely made things interesting. Besides, he still felt like his grounding was completely unfair. It wasn't his fault that walks at three in the morning were the only thing that helped his insomnia due to a variety of stressors. Besides, he needed to study and train. How else would he be able to survive if people decided to come after him? One day off probably wouldn't kill him, but he wanted to take them on his own terms, not Ian's. Alex could be quiet as long as he felt like it. It was one of the few things he'd learned about as a kid but then forgotten about when he got older. Silence, he could live with. It made him uncomfortable and he disliked having dead silence with company, but he could live with it. There had been a few things that he hadn't told Jack about. He remembered when he was five and Ian had been gone unexpectedly. The housekeeper before Jack had left and he'd spent nearly three months in total silence. The only noise had come from the outside world. He'd lived like that until one of the neighbors had taken pity on him. Her name had been...Anna? Alina? No, it had been Anmar Khoury. Ian had discouraged him from keeping contact, but he wondered if she'd remember him. Alex remembered her address quite well. If it hadn't changed, that is. He got up after realizing he wasn't going back to sleep. Breakfast was in two hours, but he figured that he be fine since he'd gotten a total of twelve hours in the past few days. Alex grabbed a blank sheet and took a deep breath before composing his letter.

Dear Ms. Khoury,

I'm not sure if you remember me or not, but we knew each other almost six years ago to this day. You were one of the few adults that left an impression (a good one) and I just wanted to see if we could meet up sometime. I miss your chocolate chip cookies. Do you mind if I write?

Alex Rider

Alex figured that it didn't sound too lonely or obsessive. He sighed as he sealed the letter and decided to post it here. Alex slipped out the front door of his room and asked the hotel staff for stamps. Apparently, they'd even post the letter for you. Alex totally lied and said it was for his aunt, but he figured it would raise fewer flags than 'a nice lady I haven't seen since I was five'. Actually, he had decided that while he was in a letter writing mood, he'd send one to his relatives, Jack, and Sarov. Really, he was only bending the truth. The clerk at the front desk had commented that he had a very international family, but hadn't said anything else. Alex had snorted and agreed. He'd gone back up to his room and grabbed his textbooks that weren't confiscated and started reading them. Ian didn't exactly know about these ones and Alex didn't plan on telling him. Some were from Yassen and Sarov and others were from the base. Alex sent in his next set of questions to Charles, who was being surprisingly helpful and left a message on Mandy's answering machine (the time change meant that she and her family were most likely out of the house). It was a nice, productive two hours without Ian breathing down his neck and demanding answers. He packed up his secret textbooks and got dressed just in time for breakfast without being disturbed. Ian eyed him suspiciously as he sat down. Alex raised an eyebrow in a defiant expression that all but yelled bring it. Crawley sighed. Alex almost pitied the man. People caught in his and Ian's family arguments tended not to do too well. Then again, Crawley should have known what he was signing up for when he started dating Ian. "Can you two quit the Cold War until after we get back?"

Ian and Alex answered as one. "No, Crawley."

Crawley sighed again. Alex watched Ian walk away to work and then was suddenly inspired. "You're not really going to let him just join in with the Australians, are you?"

Crawley eyed him. "How would you know about-"

Alex cut him off. "Not important. Don't you want to make sure he doesn't get into trouble?"

Crawley sighed. Mini was just as bad. "Yes, but-"

Alex grinned. Crawley had never felt more trapped in his life. "Then, why don't we follow him?"

Crawley wondered why it was him some days. He hoped he enjoyed whatever it was he'd done in the past life.

Mini, as it turns out, was better than him at tailing people and not getting spotted. They made it the whole way to the Australian base of operations without being spotted. Crawley actually had a question. "So what about the park?"

Mini shrugged. "Oh, I totally made you. Ian said not to worry about it."

Crawley had never been more grateful in his life that Ian could call his nephew off (for the most part). He loved trips to the emergency room about as much as the next guy. "What now?"

Mini grinned that Cheshire grin of his. "Now, we go for a walk."

Crawley hated his life sometimes. The Australians may have well as posted a sign outside their office. They had a lot of people in the area that looked just a little too much like bricks to be your average civilians. Or so Mini claimed. Crawley had started tuning him out and internally panicking some time ago. Ian was going to have an aneurysm when he found out where Alex was going on his walks. Speaking of aneurysms, he just about had one on the spot when Mini walked up to a weird guy with a sword strapped to his back. "You know, the museum district is the other way."

Crawley mentally cursed the fact that Mini inherited his family's sense of humor. To his utter surprise, the man laughed. "You know, the place for wise guys is across town right?"

The other guy looked vaguely familiar. Crawley couldn't put his finger on it. "Aww, but I'm not the person violating common decency. You know Khopeshes are so far out of fashion they're ancient, right?"

The man snorted. "I'm surprised you recognize it."

Alex grinned. "Oh, I like swords."

The man smirked. "And you accuse me of misinterpreting such obvious signals."

Mini raised an eyebrow. "And you wonder why I joke about that restraining order."

Crawley, having just gotten the sword joke, decided enough was enough. "You cannot just walk up to strangers and say shit like that."

He half dragged Alex away. In the opposite direction of the creep and sent him a glare for good measure. "Oh, but Crawley-"

Crawley cut him off. "Don't but Crawley me. This is how you get in trouble…"

Crawley lectured him for a while, but he got the feeling Alex was tuning him out.

Nile was minding his own business, he promised. It wasn't his fault Blondie kept turning up. I mean, was he supposed to ignore that comment? Hell, no. Besides, Blondie was much more entertaining than watching an operation he knew most of the details of. Crawley, he knew that name. Crawley. It clicked. Agent John Crawley, MI6 fixer. They'd read about the two agents sent in to help the Australians, but it was different walking in the street near them. Who the hell was Blondie and why was John Crawley with him? The man had no children. There was the other agent, he supposed. Ian Rider. MI6's current favorite. A combination of a silver tongue and an explosive temper where his nephew's safety - His nephew. Blondie. Shit. He'd actually liked the kid. Alex Rider son of John Rider - the Hunter, Cossack's mentor, and former instructor of Malagosto. Why was the kid in Australia? Hell, he remembered the recordings of Hunter and the kid even looked like him. The eyes and the blond hair. The flash of steel that had decapitated one of the most deadly snakes on the planet. They said Hunter was charming. The kid was...Well, what was he going to tell his boss? He sighed. Yassen. Yassen would probably know how to bring this up without getting shot. Nile finished up his observations for the day. The Australians would hit the two main strongholds of the Triad they were dealing with. The first day would have one burned to the ground and the second the other. What the Australians didn't know was that SCORPIA would be attacking the second one on the same day they attacked the first one. He had the squads and report ready, but first, he had to see Cossack. "Blondie is Alex Rider."

Cossack whipped around and Nile was pinned to the wall by two knives. "You do not say such things without proof."

Nile tried to see if he had room to maneuver. He didn't. "I have it."

Yassen advanced on him. "And what do you plan to do with the information?"

Nile felt his pulse begin to race. "I don't know."

Cossack leaned in closer. "Nothing is best."

Nile was doing his best to keep a coherent train of thought. "What do you mean?"

The man in black sighed. "If you like him, bringing this to the board's attention will bring only both of your suffering. Then, there is the chance both of you will be executed."

Nile resisted the urge to scream as Cossack moved in and pulled the knives out of the wall and his clothes. The cold steel brushed his sides uncomfortably. "Okay, I won't mention it to anyone then."

Yassen put away his knives. "Good. Oh, and Nile?"

Nile twitched. "Yes, Cossack?"

The man's lips twisted into something that was between a smile and a snarl. "If we eventually report him due to a change in circumstances, Alex Rider is mine."

Nile did his best to exit the room in a dignified manner. Normal Cossack was bad enough. Territorial Cossack was outright terrifying.

Yassen Gregorovich waited until Nile walked hastily out of the room before breathing out a sigh of relief he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Nile had been easier to manipulate than he'd thought. It hadn't seemed to occur to the man that he could or would lie about the board's reactions to Alex Rider. Most likely, they would order that he be executed or (if they found out about his skills) they would order the execution of his friends and family and his apprenticeship to an elite operative. After which he would essentially be the board's property, assuming he survived. On the other hand, Alex really needed a lesson in telling sociopathic assassins to get lost (aside from himself, but he was only a near sociopath anyhow).

-A

You kept meeting up with Nile. Why?

-C

Alex sighed. Yassen was getting overprotective again. Besides, Nile wasn't the torturing type. Alex figured if he pissed the guy off there would be a sword sticking out of whatever fatal spot happened to be convenient. There really wasn't much to be afraid of, unless SCORPIA had decided to go after his family, again.

-C

The first two times, it really was an accident. We have the same shady bank, remember? The second time, I was out for a walk and bitey the snake lost his head. I keep telling him to go away, you know. The third time, I was mad at Ian and kinda getting back at him and the fourth time I was tailing Ian with Crawley and, apparently, Nile was too. Should I be worried?

-A

Yassen was trying; he really was. Alex just had some of the worst luck in the universe combined with no common sense, apparently. Oh, well. At least Nile wasn't going to report him to the board. It was a good thing the man was new, or he would have been a lot less pliable.

-A

You have way too many accidents Alex. Your uncle should lock you in the basement at this rate. After getting a therapist to teach you about healthy coping mechanisms, that is. No, your uncle is not slated for premature death at the moment. Keep your nose out of what the Australians have their mitts in, however. Let me just say that the Triads are going to have a really bad day soon. And Alex?

-C

Yassen wondered whether he should have paid more attention to SCORPIA's psychology lessons. Then again, he was pretty sure dealing with children was not the subject of any of them, particularly children who were almost fully trained operatives. How did he put this? Oh, yes.

-C

Yes, Yassen?

-A

Alex could not shake the feeling that he was in whatever qualified as Yassen's version of deep shit. The man was probably pissed. Alex knew that talking to Nile was a bad idea, but it was fun and he had just been so pissed at Ian. Plus, Alex could appreciate the comedic implications of threatening the man with a restraining order. The police couldn't help you if you pissed off an assassin as well trained as Nile. In fact, you were definitely screwed.

-A

I will not always be able to threaten SCORPIA operatives into silence about your identity and skills, just remember that.

-C

Actions had repercussions. Alex needed to learn this, but Cossack would prefer it not be through indoctrination into complete loyalty to the executive board. There was also the fact that Alex had an identity to fall back on, but if people ever connected Alex Rider to Alec Pierre, both sides would have a shit-fit.

-C

Nile found out and you didn't tell me?

-A

That was what got Alex's attention? He should have known, the boy was being trained as a spy by the adults - himself excluded. But it was under control and Alex's alias was still safe.

-A

It is under control and he knows you as Alex Rider, the child. Alec is still safely out of view.

-C

It had better stay that way, too. He didn't think Alex was stupid enough to trust Nile with that, considering his paranoia about that identity.

-C

Thank you.

-A

It was nice to be sincerely thanked for one's efforts, even if it was an eleven-year-old. Then again, there were things he actually wanted Alex to do. Like staying away from his coworkers and bosses.

-A

Thank me by staying away from known SCORPIA operatives.

-C

Alex's lips twitched at that. Oh, if only Cossack knew. Besides, it was just so fun to mess with the man's coworkers. Covertly, of course, it wouldn't do to get prematurely stabbed for being nosy. Plus, they deserved it for what they put him and his family through.

Ian Rider was preparing to lead his part in the assault on the Triads. It was now a black operation, never to see the light of day after it was over. It was going to be a long two days. He set out his body armor. The Australians had wanted a three-squad approach. One from each entrance and another from the top of the building. He would be parachuting in with his squad. Ian had called Crawley and told him not to expect him back for a few days. Ian did the final checks on his guns and then began to get dressed. Solid black, the heavy-duty armor on top and then the knives and guns strapped on. It was rare he participated in these things anymore. Technically, it wasn't his job anymore, but Brooke had insisted and Ian had agreed. Jones would have just agreed with Brooke and his personal feelings toward massacring Triads didn't really amount to much. He had once been a soldier, after all. The parachute on his back felt almost comfortingly familiar. He'd double-checked that too. He took a deep breath and sighed as his pulse began to race in anticipation for the jump and the rest of it. He slid the headset on and exited the room, testing the comms as he entered what passed for a tactical room. Ian knew that he could stop this now. Confess to the murder. But, he wasn't going to. This was for Alex, he reminded himself. They had their revenge and this was the price. Besides, he wanted to see Alex again and high-security prisons didn't allow visits. He toyed with the knife strapped to his thigh before snapping it back into place. The Triads were far from innocent, anyhow.

Cossack and Nile were preparing for an armed assault on the other base. The Triad's security for the two was nearly identical. They had four combat squads at their disposal. The board had deemed the Triads an apropos target. Cossack suspected it was Yu's influence. After all, the Triads was competition. It would be short, but bloody as far as takeovers went. By the end of the week, the story of ASIS and SCORPIA's vengeance would have spread through the appropriate circles. Cossack would be the sniper for the group and Nile would lead most f the squads on the ground. The snipers and Cossack had all found good places to shoot from. They would take out the guards, escapees, and any stragglers who happened to pass by. The squads, in the meantime, would be on the ground and do the majority of the fighting. Nile watched the blue-eyed man strap body armor on. "Planning on joining in?"

It was rhetorical. "You can never be too careful."

Nile shrugged. He supposed there was a reason Yassen had lived this long. Nile himself was going to be using both guns and his swords, once they got inside. Cossack made a habit of always carrying his knives, handguns, and some poison, just to be safe. He nearly always wore light body armor at the very least. They had to wait for nightfall to get in position. After the sun had set, Yassen began to scale the building he was going to be on top of. He made it up and assembled the rifle that had been left there. It was exactly to his specifications, not that he expected anything less. The other snipers were in place as far as he could tell. The pieces slide together in less than a minute. Yassen watched the ground teams arrive with a sense of detachment. "In position, ready when you are."

Nile voice came in over the comms. "Alright, we're good to go."

Yassen loaded the rifle and looked through the scope. His target was in position. "Beginning assault in three, two, -"

"One."

Ian Rider jumped into the open air at the signal. He waited for the appropriate altitude before yanking open his chute. There was one guard on the roof, which was fortunate because it was easier to take out one guy and the man didn't have the good sense to occasionally look up. Ian Rider landed in the gravel on the roof behind the man with a faint crunch. The man attempted to turn but was promptly stilled by the knife Ian flung into his throat as he rose to stand up. He was careful to be silent as he put the parachute away and tried to stay back far enough to give his fellow comrades a good landing area. They all landed on target. They gathered at the door on the roof and signaled the other teams in place. Explosives were carefully set up at the entrances. They tried to time the fuses. Boom! Boom! Boom! The three squads entered the building filled with stunned Triads, a few had drawn weapons, but most had frozen at the explosives. The shrapnel had caught a few of them as well. Ian tried desperately not to count the people he downed as he entered, the rest of the squad following him. After a few minutes, the firing died down. "Top entryway clear. Moving in."

Ian habitually counted his shots and was glad he'd brought extra ammunition. They had to clear the top floor and get out before they activated the explosives that would level the building. The next few rooms only had two or three people each, all of whom were promptly shot fatally by whoever entered the room first. After they had cleared the floor, they waited. It was awful. The sounds of gunfire on the other floors reached them and so did the smell of gunpowder and blood. Ian would be glad when this was over and they had blown the places sky-high. The signal finally, finally, came in. "All floors cleared. Set charges now."

Ian gave the signal. "Copy. We move out in fifteen."

The signal was sent back. "Copy that. We're out."

Ian moved quickly through the building and tried to avoid looking at the bodies as much as possible.

Shots rang out as Nile finished the countdown. The shots were close enough that it would seem like all the outside guards had been taken out simultaneously. Nile was in the building, leading the charge before the bodies hit the ground. The squads made short work of the base and Yassen could honestly say that he had to snipe fewer escapees than he expected. He could hear the sounds of both gunfire and close quarters combat. Nile seemed to be enjoying himself at least. He sighed and then gunned down a casual passerby who had stopped and stared. It was one thing to have it rumored that you took action. It was quite another to sloppily leave witnesses behind, even if you were wanted, terrorists. Cossack felt oddly peaceful on top of a building with a sniper rifle in hand. It was going to be a while before they got done, but the entire building and the people in it would be annihilated.