Chapter 53: Fresh Hell

Alex got back to his house at an almost decent time. He looked Ian dead in the eyes the minute Tom went to the table for a second breakfast. "We need to talk."

Ian paused in getting off his jacket. "Uh, sure. Now or later?"

Alex sighed. "After breakfast."

To his uncle's credit, the man was watching him with a very concerned gaze through the entire meal. Alex knew Ian tended to get anxious when he asked for help because it tended to be on major, stressful things. Alex closed the door behind him. "I saw Joe again, yesterday. He was eating at the same restaurant as us."

Ian was instantly alert. "And?"

Alex sighed. "He was eating with Brendan fucking Chase."

Ian sighed. "Are you accusing him?"

Alex huffed. "No. I just a little UPSET that I saw someone dining with the guy who murdered my parents, instead of, you know, catching them."

Ian gave him a warning look. Alex hadn't realized he'd stood. Ian's reply was in the tone of ice. "Do you think I like it any better, Alex? Watching John's murderers go free. Watching my bosses give them a free pass. Meanwhile, it's just two of us who seem to suffer. I want them to burn in hell and burn on the way there."

Ian had taken on and icily controlled manic rage. The man regained control of himself in seconds. "Why don't we pull it off, then? Just the two of us. Crawley doesn't have to know."

Ian sighed. "Too late. I was already warned off by Blunt. They have people watching the house and Chase."

Alex felt a dangerous, reckless idea coming on. "Well, we don't have to kill him, right now. We could just mentally torture him a bit."

Ian huffed. "I've been banned from interacting with him."

Alex smirked. "I have sleep gas and flash grenades."

Ian looked like he was in physical pain. "You're too young."

Alex gave him a look. "I'm not too young to die if he decides to send assassins to kill me tomorrow."

Ian took a deep breath. "Alright, you can come, but you can't tell Patrick. He'll see this as an open invitation to take custody of you and then have you go on Aunt Crazy's jobs."

Alex shrugged. "Deal. Now, I've got a plan. And a brick to toss through his window."

Ian sighed. "What does this brick say?"

Alex grinned. Only people from the island would appreciate the brick in its' full glory. "Your security is only as strong as your weakest bodyguard."

Ian looked at the brick. "This is the dumbest thing we have ever done."

Alex grinned. "But also the funniest."

Ian turned the brick in his hand and hefted it a bit. "Now, what was that plan of yours?"

Alex took the brick back. This was going to be a bit of a long talk.

Alex and Ian Rider were working as a team tonight. Alex gave Ian a half sort of grin as they waited for everybody else to go upstairs. Crawley had just eyed the two of them over a stack of papers and then had seemed to decide that he really didn't want to know. Ian had just given him a reassuring grin. Alex felt the anticipation thrum through him. This was pretty great. Ian has come up with the idea of putting sleeping gas through the ventilation of the car. That way they would just think they fell asleep on duty. Ian also knew the agency car designs way better than Alex. Alex was going to be the distraction. He knew he needed to do something eye-catching, but not bad enough that anyone would get out of the car. It was time to start his descent into deviancy. Officially. Alex hoped Ian wouldn't miss his lawn too much. Of course, Ian could probably get his grass replaced the next day. The gasoline can was surprisingly heavy. The liquid seeped out onto the wet ground. It was lucky that it had rained heavily recently. It lowered the risk of the fire actually spreading. Alex didn't actually want to burn down the house or the rest of the neighborhood. He decided not to burn any specific symbol into the lawn. The matches he always kept on him in case he couldn't use his lighter came. Alex moved away from the gasoline. He didn't want singed arms. Plus, he didn't want his eyebrows burned off his face. Alex opened the matchbook and pulled the first match out. He drove the match across the rough surface. A spark jumped off the match and the stick lit with a flame. Alex threw it straight into the center of the lawn. The flames instantly jumped to life, almost a foot high. Alex saw a shadow from the corner of his eye. The shocked faces of two men in the car were illuminated by the flames. The smoke felt sticky to breathe in and the gasoline reeked in the air. Alex started the timer on his watch. The flames should last no more than nine minutes. Long enough for the sleep gas to work. If the flames did last longer, he would put them out himself. They had fire extinguishers in the house. Alex sat next to the fire. The warmth washed over him. It was actually kind of pretty. The orange flames were only a few shades off from Jack's hair. Alex felt ill as he remembered the incident with Razim. The cold rage washed over. Not again. Never again. Ian gave him the signal a few seconds later.

Ian Rider wondered if it was a bad sign that he didn't feel guilty about gassing his fellow agents with sleeping gas made by his nephew. There was a not completely unsubstantial probability that they might either asphyxiate them or they could die from an allergic reaction. This was why he insisted on carrying out this part of the plan. What was Blunt going to do? Fire him? Hardy, har, har. Send assassins? Ian could easily take up to mid-level Scorpia assassins without too much personal injury. Plus, Ian wasn't exactly safe to piss off. Well, he'd call an ambulance if something looked wrong when they got back. Ian glanced at Alex. Alex looked...bad. Ian wasn't sure if doing this was the right thing, but this was Alex's idea. Alex silently went to his side at his signal. "You okay?"

Alex shrugged. "Yeah, fine.

Ian shrugged. Good enough for now. Ian felt Alex leaning against him. He ruffled Alex's hair. They both headed down the street. Ian handed Alex some gloves. "Still remember how to steal a car?"

Alex gave him a dry look. "How could I ever forget?"

Ian glanced around the road. "That one, do you think?"

Alex glanced at his uncle. "Really, the Rolls Royce?"

Ian shrugged. "If you are going to steal a car, you may as well go all out."

Alex snorted internally. Ian and his cars. They popped the hood together. Ian shone a light into the engine cavity. Alex got to work. This might actually be fun. Sort of. Lobbing bricks at Chase was probably not the safest of hobbies. Alex would totally point the finger at Ian if Yassen asked. Ian cheerfully started the car. "Do you have a car problem?"

Ian's gleeful look was a little alarming. "Wanna see if we can break the record for max speed on one of these puppies?"

Alex felt his eyes widen. "I'm never letting you get a racing car."

Ian laughed. "Don't worry, I'm already banned. But Smithers can make them go faster than the ones on the standard market anyway."

Alex wondered if Smithers knew what Ian got up to. Then again, Smithers gave him the bike. Ian predictably gunned the engine the minute they got out of a residential area.

Alex was thrumming with anticipation. He had a flash-bang ready. Ian was giving him looks. "Exactly how many of those do you normally carry with you?"

Alex let it plop back into his backpack. "Do I have to answer that honestly?"

Ian gave him the side-eye. Alex batted his eyelids and gave Ian a wide-eyed look. "It depends."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Enough to take down the whole block then."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

Ian just gave him a look of exasperation. "Brat, I will install an x-ray in the doorway."

Alex smirked. "No, you won't."

Ian raised an eyebrow. "One, x-rays kill. Two, incriminating evidence works on you and Crawls, too."

Ian sighed. "Alex, how am I supposed to parent you if you outmaneuver me at every turn?"

Alex gave Ian a look. "Then don't maneuver in the first place. Appeal to reason instead."

Ian sat back as they pulled into the parking lot. "We'll continue this discussion when we get back."

Alex pulled on his hood. Their clothes were loose enough to conceal their actual builds but tight enough not to get caught on random objects. They would be burned either way after tonight. Too much risk of evidence for threads. Alex knew the car would be burned out with thermite that he had personally made. Ian lit their first torch. The guards didn't really see it coming. The torches were meant to look like normal ones used by law enforcement. Ian flung it in their general direction. It landed nowhere near them. "Hey-"

Whatever they were going to say next was cut off by Ian launching a grenade at them. Alex had already dropped and covered his ears. The explosions still hurt his ears, but he imagined it wasn't as bad as what the guards were experiencing at the epicenter of the explosion. Alex had closed his eyes, but not soon enough to stop him from seeing the white-hot blast halo connect with their chests. Alex was up a second later. He tried not to look at the charred chests of the now-unconscious men. Scorpia goons, he reminded himself. It still didn't make him feel that much better. They were just in the way. The hotel was meant to be inconspicuous, which meant the protections were far lighter than they would have been otherwise. Or maybe Chase thought he was invincible. Alex gave Ian the brick. "Clean of fingerprints?"

Ian grinned and answered back. "Sparkly."

Ian then launched it through the fifty-year-old glass. Ian chucked a torch through the hole for good measure. Then, he grabbed Alex's hand in a grip that was just a little too tight and went into a dead run. They both made it and pulled out just in time for the back-up to arrive. Alex heard the yells as they drove down the street at a normal pace. Nobody would suspect a car that was not peeling out of there. Ian turned onto the third street away. They were going to torch the car and dump it in a pre-determined field.

Brendan Chase felt himself jump awake at the sound of an explosion. He was up and dressed in minutes. He was glad that he had kept away from windows when he saw the glass shatter. Chase made the mental note that all of his accommodations would have bulletproof or missile-proof glass from now on, no matter how safe MI6 claimed he would be. The flare came through his windows seconds later and set the carpet on fire. Chase sighed and grabbed the extinguisher. It was lucky that he chose the room where the extinguisher was in a weird spot that allowed him to keep low to the ground. Not. He really should have insisted on his own accommodations. This was second-rate at best and his sleep was officially down the toilet as it was. Lovely. At least the extinguisher worked. MI6 was sooo paying his hotel damages. His security team picked that time to show up. That was it, Nile was getting called back from vacation. And Nile's combat team. "Your response time was shit. What's the status?"

The team leader (Chase didn't bother remembering their names) stepped forward. "Two casualties and no sign of the perpetrators."

Chase felt his temper beginning to rise. "Are you telling me they got away?"

The man paled. "Yes, sir."

Chase sighed. "Give me your phone."

The man forked it over. Chase dialed the number. Nile picked up on the first ring. He loved competent people. "Sir?"

Chase felt a scowl wanting to appear on his face. It was close, but his face stayed blank. "Nile. Meet me in Venice with your team in the morning. Early."

The reply was short. "Yes, sir."

Nile's first new assignment was going to be using these twerps as target practice. He turned to the team. "All of you get out of my sight."

This was going to be a long night.

Ian and Alex proceeded to set the car on fire. It burned so hotly the metal was molten. The white-hot metal sizzled as it hit the dirt. The car now looked deformed, like a chocolate elf that had been left in the sun too long. The metal oozed into a small river and the inside of the car was thoroughly charred. Ian took his hand. "Time to go home."

Alex let it be. They walked to the train station. It was the last train to leave. Ian sat next to him on the train. Alex made a mental note to tell Maddox to delete the footage. They got off at the appropriate station. They had been the only ones in their cabin. Ian unlocked the door for him. Alex had already pulled out his key. Ian had just given him a look. Ian let him move ahead. "Where are you going?"

Ian shrugged. "Knockout gas, remember?"

Alex stepped inside but waited in the doorway. Ian was back in a few seconds later. The door was dead-bolted. "Alright, 'm off to bed."

Ian grabbed his shoulder. "No, you're not."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "This is important."

He made a move to start getting undressed. "Okay."

Ian grabbed his arm. "I wanted to talk, Alex."

Ian released his arm. "Alright then."

They went up to the office. "Are you okay?"

Alex shrugged. "Fine. A bit tired, but fine."

Ian just looked at him funny. "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

Alex gave Ian the evil eye. "I'm fine."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Right. Break into Belinda's house tomorrow morning."

Alex grinned. "Well, now that my illustrious guardian has told me to, I definitely will."

Ian whacked him across the head. "Child abuse."

Ian smirked. "No, but taking you on this definitely was."

Alex rolled his eyes. "You looked a bit off at the fire."

Alex gave Ian a slightly manic grin. "Brought back all the bad memories of burning myself doing stupid shit."

Ian grinned. "We can burn down a few buildings for fun."

Alex snorted. "I feel like burning down the bank would definitely put a screw in your job prospects."

Ian shrugged. "I mean, I've death-threated my boss, so probably not."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Why don't you spend your time more productively? Like, maybe start transferring your shit out of the bank in case you get double-crossed by your bosses."

Ian looked at him. "You know, I have other accounts and there is family stuff."

Alex sighed. "Ian everybody in the family has private accounts."

Ian's eyes snapped to him. "Everybody?"

Alex felt his lips twitch. "Yes, everybody."

Ian stroked his hair. "Congrats, don't do anything too illegal. Let me know if you have questions or something."

Alex felt impatient. "Can I ditch my clothes and go to sleep now?"

Ian laughed. "Sure."

Brendan Chase had decided to send the "Bank" a very nasty message via phone. Nasty grams were always fun. Hey, even he couldn't find and murder enough agents on this short notice. He was pretty sure they weren't behind the attack, but the brick was eating at him. Your security is only as strong as your weakest bodyguard. The fuck?! Why not just chuck a bomb through the window? He was carrying the brick.Your security is only as strong as your weakest bodyguard. Nile and his combat team were strong, almost stronger than anyone. He was going to meet Nile in Venice. What was this supposed to accomplish? Most threats were accompanied by some sort of demand. That was how it usually worked. Your security is only as strong as your weakest bodyguard. He was going to get a few extra ones and Nile's team was going in for more training. This was not going to happen again. He was still safe. Well, safe enough. Why not just kill him? Why poke the angry bear without finishing the deed and shooting it? Your security is only as strong as your weakest bodyguard. It was more assassin than spy. It was probably a chapter in one of their assassin textbooks. That was the thing, though. Scorpia didn't really have disgruntled assassins. People who failed got murdered and people going into the school were, at the very least, indifferent towards killing. Scorpia did have rivals, though. Chase had thought they were thoroughly stomped out, to be honest. Your security is only as strong as your weakest bodyguard. It was something Odair might do. Odair was dead, though. Everybody knew that. They may not have found the body, but there had been enough blood at the top of the cliff that he was dead even if he hadn't fallen/jumped off. Your security is only as strong as your weakest bodyguard. Pierre? Pierre might know who did this, but it wasn't his style. Pierre would have done something more extravagant (and probably involving dead animals). Plus, Chase had followed all the rules. He hadn't tried to track the man. There were no threats yet. The plane landed almost seamlessly. Chase had already given the order for this security team to be taken out. Incompetence was not something tolerated by Scorpia. Your security is only as strong as your weakest bodyguard. Well, he could always ask Pierre, right? He just wouldn't send Nile this time. The man had gotten himself banned from assignments in England for the moment.

Alex had actually managed to text Maddox before MI6 came sniffing at the street cameras. Maddox had deleted the footage implicating him and Ian. The computer had informed him that as far as it could tell, nobody had touched the footage. Alex was relieved. He wouldn't put it past SCORPIA to try to outpace MI6 to the culprit. It was just up their ally. Crawley was glaring at them the second the news came on with the fact that a hotel had been grenaded and a brick had been thrown through the window of an "upstanding foreign visitor". Upstanding his ass. The only thing Brendan Chase was upstanding in was crime. Jack just shook her head. "Some people."

Ian just gave Alex the "you better keep quiet" look. Alex gave him the "of fucking course" look. Alex decided it was time to distract Crawley and Jack. "Sooo, did any of you know that James is getting stuck in an arranged marriage?"

Jack's eyes flashed. "What?! That's outrageous. We're in the modern era, damn it."

Alex was internally gleeful but put on his best upset face. It must have worked because Jack was looking at him expectantly. "Oh, I agree entirely, but Jamie doesn't want to be disowned, so we're going to have to pin it on the girl."

Crawley looked thoughtful. "Drugs and sex?"

It was usually pretty standard. Plus, the more public the scandal, the less likely your contract was going to survive. Ian looked pensive. "Do we have a file on her?"

Crawley just gave Ian a look. "Is her last name Spencer? Yes."

Ian shrugged. "I was just checking."

Ian gave Crawley a significant look. "Time for nepotism?"

Crawley sighed. In for a penny, in for a pound. "Time for nepotism."

Yassen Gregorovitch knew which family to blame when the news hit, but not which member of it. Only Alex or Ian Rider would dare throw a brick through the window of an executive board member. Only Alex or Ian Rider would leave the job unfinished and not follow the brick with a bomb of some sort. Damn it. The entire board was in a sort of uproar. It was more puzzlement than anything else. But it also meant that all the high-ranking operatives had to undergo a psychological assessment. Because they had to rule out an inside job. Yassen would be less pissy about this if he wasn't one of the people who were "strongly recommended" an "optional" session. Optional his ass. He knew mandatory when he saw it thank you very much. Oh look, his session was starting now. Yassen knew he wasn't going to get away with strangling this one. It was difficult to fight the urge though. "Come in, sit down." Yassen followed the directions. The doctor seemed to be trying to pass for amiable. He was not about to be too cooperative with this shit show. The psychologist was giving him an expectant look. Yassen decided to sit there and wait. He was a sniper. He could wait for days, if necessary. The psychologist continued staring at him for a good solid few minutes. As far as Yassen was concerned, the psychologist could stare at him for the whole damn two hours. "You have been with SCORPIA for nearly two decades, correct?"

Yassen wondered why the man was asking him something obviously in his file. "Yes."

The psychologist let out a sigh. "Are you satisfied with your life?"

Yassen raised an eyebrow. "Fairly."

The psychologist paused. "Fairly?"

Yassen shrugged. "There are a few things I want, but I am working towards getting them. Otherwise, I cannot complain."

The psychologist tapped his clipboard. "Okay then."

They lapsed into silence. "Is there anything SCORPIA can help you with?"

Yassen gave the man a very, very dry look. "Unfortunately not. This requires...outside resources."

The psychologist paused. "A male apprentice?"

Yassen got up. "You overstep your bounds."

The man gulped and backed away. "Sorry."

Cossack glared at him. "Not sorry enough. The good doctor put you up to that one, I suppose."

The man coughed. "Er, well, you see."

Yassen moved toward the door. "Yes, I do. I believe this concludes our session. Have a nice day."

He was tempted to slam the door on the way out but refrained.

The psychologist, who was actually called Dr. Baker, sighed. "Well, it could have gone worse."

The wall predictably had no answer. He wondered why they had chosen him for this particular task. In general, Baker was not connected with the island or with the higher ranking operatives in general. But then they had offered him this position and he had been self-destructive enough to accept. Baker wondered if this wasn't a sign that he was going insane. Who voluntarily signed up to assess violent sociopaths? Apparently him. It wasn't that he found it interesting in a clinical sense either, but it certainly paid better than being a military psychologist. And, shockingly, had a lower probability of getting him strangled. It was strange, really. The fact that the military had less screening than a bunch of mercenaries run by a bunch of crime bosses, but this was the world he lived in. Then again, he had only really joined the military to pay for college anyway. Baker had been genuinely horrified at the things he witnessed from the military. If it wasn't ignoring hazing deaths or rape, it was ignoring PTSD from the battlefield. In the end, he had left the growing frustration at his lack of ability to change things. The fact that he was consistently overruled at every critical turn and then blamed for "not seeing it coming". Oh, he'd seen it coming. He'd even tried to warn people. But no, the general always knew best. At least here, they took his opinion seriously. Frankly, that was all he'd ever wanted. He'd gotten his doctorate, for Christ's sake.

Brendan Chase was not in the best of moods. The street camera evidence had been conveniently erased before either he or MI6 could view it. Frankly, the whole thing reeked, but they had no proof MI6 or one of her agents was behind it, so they couldn't really openly do anything. Then again, he would be one of the first to admit that SCORPIA excelled in petty little details. If the psychological assessment made their second-in-commands upset with MI6 and created friction in future cooperation, it wasn't his problem, now was it? He heard Yassen was especially pissy about the whole thing. Then again, the man had almost impressed Dr. Steiner with his ability to glare silently through an entire two-hour session, so Brendan was not surprised. Chase was privately hoping Yassen caught a bout of extreme pettiness and saved them the trouble of hunting down the culprit. Three had said it was probably unlikely, but a man could hope, right? Anyway, Nile had been called back from vacation, along with his combat squad. The man had made short work of that defunct security team and was standing in the corner, waiting for his instructions. "Are we hunting down the culprit yet?"

Chase did love the man's enthusiasm for hunting down and violently murdering people. "Well, no. They got to the camera before we did."

Nile looked at him. The man seemed to be trying to do some sort of calculation in his head. "That seems kind of sketchy."

Chase sighed. "Yes, that's why we did the mass psych evals. Look, Nile. The person is either in England or far, far away from England at this point so it doesn't really matter."

Nile gave him a look. "Why?"

Chase drummed his fingers on the desk. "Because. There were no demands to be made. Hence, we have nothing but this brick linking us back to the original attackers."

Nile frowned. "What about that melted car they found in a field somewhere?"

Chase paused. "What melted car?"

Nile turned on the television. Sure enough. There was a melted car on the screen. "Interesting. They got away clean."

Nile shrugged. "Maybe they burned it just in case like we do."

Chase gave him a look. "True, but we don't have disgruntled employees."

Nile glanced at the screen. "Competitors?"

Brendan shrugged. "Awful long time to hold a grudge."

Nile looked at him. "Not really, especially if they were like me except, you know, a different organization."

Chase paused mid-drum. "Fair enough. We'll add it to the list of possibilities."

Chase made a mental note. "Your team has more explosives drills in half an hour. I suggest you join them."

Nile left. Chase watched as he closed the door. They had already scratched him off the list of possible attackers.

Yassen was glad to be back in the relative (fake) privacy of his room. It was quiet at least. And, while people could wonder who he was texting, they would not actively ask him about it. SCORPIA tried not to let her operatives know directly that they were being surveilled. Cossack had many things to say about that, but he knew voicing those thoughts would be decidedly impolitic.

-A

Which of you two morons decided that the little jaunt with a brick was a good idea?

-C

Alex scowled at his phone. Sure, it wasn't the best idea ever, but neither he nor Ian was dumb. Besides, he had some ceremonial protesting to do.

-C

Hey, it was totally not me. Even I'm not that dumb.

-A

Yassen scowled at his phone. Oh, goody. It was the senior reckless moron in the family he should really care less about, not the junior one. Well, at least some of his message had sunk in.

-A

Oh, joy. It was your derelict guardian, then. Good to know.

-C

Alex gave his phone the evil eye. Even a twelve-mentally-eighteen him would admit Ian wasn't the best choice of parent figures. That did not mean Yassen got to say that, though.

-C

What? How do you know it was either of us? It could have been someone else. And Ian is a perfectly good guardian, what are you talking about?

-A

Yassen looked at his phone. Perfectly good guardian, his ass. Ian Rider would be his nomination for the least responsible guardian ever if there were such an award in existence. Cossack barely resisted the urge to sigh.

-A

Yes, like all the wonderful times he took you to war zones, shot mercenaries in front of you, and then acted like it was all okay. Or maybe the times you decided to leave your home for no apparent reason, I'm sure your relationship is perfectly fine. Or maybe the fact that he forgot your birthday twice slipped your mind. Nile and I remembered.

-C

Alex looked at his phone. Yassen was an ass. But he was one with logic on his side. Damn it, why did Yassen have to point these things out.

-C

Fuck you.

-A

It was not the most mature of responses, but Cossack knew it was kind of a low blow. He hoped he hadn't pushed Alex too far.

-A

Just think about it. And, you know, maybe decide what you want in a guardian. There seems to be plenty of volunteers.

-C

Alex glared at his phone. Damn you, Yassen, damn you. Fenrir was giving him a sort of glazed look. Alex had long ago stopped trying to keep the fluffy animal off his bed. Fenrir just looked so cute like that, even at his fully-grown pony size. Alex put his phone away. "What do you think, fluff? Get a pet snake?" Fenrir huffed at him. "I think Mandy would like a pet snake."

Tom chose that moment to bust in. "Yeah, but her mom would kill you."

Alex gave his friend a playful look. "Oh, but Tom, think of the possibilities."

Tom grinned. "You mean the possibility of Jack killing you if you tried to keep a snake here. Definitely one hundred percent, man."

Alex paused for a second. "James loves me, right?"

Tom looked at him. "Alex."

Alex grinned. "But, To-om. We could have a pet snake. Plus, I don't think his aunt would mind."

Tom rolled his eyes. "You're a corrupting influence that belongs away from our school."

Alex smirked. "Really, Tom? I'm the corruptive influence? Have you met our principal?"

Tom snorted. "No, because he stays in his shiny, marble-and-hardwood office all day."

Alex rolled his eyes. "It's fake."

Tom looked at him. "Of course you know that."

Alex huffed. "Oh, come on. It isn't that hard to tell the difference. His desk is obviously painted because woodgrain doesn't work like that in real life and the marble is fake because it failed my scratch test."

Tom looked at him. "When were you in that office long enough to do a scratch test?"

Alex glanced away. "I was curious and broke into the school after my second day. It was killing me not to know Tom, killing me."

Tom snorted. "Sure, Alex, because the desks' material is what troubles most students in their daily life."

Alex grinned. "But I know James will cave like wet cardboard, Tom."

Tom sighed. "Fine, just don't do anything too illegal to acquire the snake."

Alex gave Tom an innocent look. "Since when have I done anything illegal?"

Tom gave him a look. "Do you want the list in chronological or alphabetical order?"

Alex gave Tom a look of poorly disguised mirth. "You wound me."

Tom promptly threw the pillow of Alex's desk chair at him. Alex burst out laughing. Tom just shook his head. "I'll go to prison for you, Al, but I'll punch you in the face afterward."

Alex shrugged. "I can live with that."

Suddenly, their moment was broken. "Boys, dinner!"

Alex glanced at Tom. "Race you down!"

Tom's swearing followed him down.

Ian was giving them both amused looks when they got to the table. "How was the race?"

Alex shrugged. "I think it went well."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Just don't run down the stairs too often, my poor stressed heart occasionally needs a break."

Jack muttered under her breath. "Yeah, from work and suits."

Alex coughed loudly. "Sure, Ian."

Crawley plopped a file on the table. "Soo, this is kind of illegal, but here is what the Bank has on the lady's family."

Alex reached for the file. A glance from Jack stilled him. "After you eat."

Alex pouted. "Fine."

Ian gave him an amused look. "Ready to sink somebody that fast, huh?"

Alex gave him a look. "How would you feel if this was Crawley?"

Ian looked murderous for a second. "Okay, fair."

Alex inwardly smirked. Crawley just looked faintly alarmed. "Ian."

Ian gave the man an innocent look Alex recognized from his own face. "What?"

Crawley just looked at him. "Tell me you wouldn't."

Ian gave him a look. "No. You said not to ever lie to you."

Crawley kept looking at Ian. "Ian."

Ian raised an eyebrow. "John."

Jack rolled her eyes. "Good luck, Crawley. You'll need it. You should see some of the shit he pulled on Alex's behalf."

Ian gave her a playful look. "Worth every second of risked jail time, and I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about Ms. Starbright."

Jack rolled her eyes. "Sure he doesn't. And I'm a purple elephant."

Alex had downed his meal in just about record time. He wasn't really used to people caring if he actually ate anymore. It was odd. Edward had never really pressed too hard and Jack had been dead. Jack just shook her head. "There is no way I'll convince you not to do this, is there?"

Alex gave her a mischievous grin. "Of course not."

Jack sighed. "Get started then, and may heaven help us all."

Alex opened the file.

Tulip Jones was unsure of her path for the first time in a while. It was interesting how things turned out. She'd never imagined she would join a conspiracy related to murdering her long-time mentor and friend, but it honestly looked like it was shaping up that way. She was going to have to choose between Ian Rider and Alan Blunt. Tulip wasn't sure she was really going to survive the choice. She had thought all of her agonizing choices were done when she had lost her children in favor of MI6 and lost her husband to secrecy and lies. And when John died. She had dropped the investigation. It had hurt more than it should have to sign those papers. Tulip sighed. Ian or Alan? Her mentor or her brother-in-arms? Tulip knew what the correct response according to the agency was. She also knew what she wanted. Alan, well, he had changed. Ian hadn't at all. Still the same man, year after year, mission after mission. Tulip had wondered at the stability of his personality. Sure, maybe he was worse for the wear after certain ones, but he was still the same fiery individual she'd met that day in the job interview. The panther-like speed and reflexes. The dark, haunting brown eyes that had frozen a few killers in their tracks as he sliced through their throats. Tulip remembered when they worked together and he'd tried to get her into "Irish Hot Chocolate". She remembered John and Helen and her children and her husband. The man who now hated her with a burning passion. He had told her to her face that he despised her and fully blamed her for the deaths of her children. Then there was Alan, the man who had mentored her. The man who had promoted her, despite the blatant sexism in the field. Alan had believed in her. Maybe he had even been the first. Alan had been charming back in the day. He had almost managed to seem caring, but it had faded over the years. The warmth had turned cold and the grey had crept into the man. Tulip could still see Helen in her mind's' eye. The warm blue eyes and the flash of sun on her hair. Tulip.Tulip was long used to hearing the voices of the dead in her memory. Protect my son.Tulip shuddered under the force of the near full-on flashback. Then, Helen was gone, taking any warmth the office may have had with her. Jones felt her resolve thicken. She had failed her own children. The least she could do was protect Helen's. Sorry, Alan. A mother's love trumps all.

Alex Rider had a plan. It was probably a bad idea, but it would get James out of his engagement, which was all Alex really cared about in the scope of his plan. It would probably take years to execute in a way that wouldn't implicate him, but it would probably work. Ian would actually be doing the bulk of the work. The man wouldn't have it any other way. Alex had been unable to convince the man that he could do it on his own. Ian had also threatened to ground him (again) until he told Ian where the dealers hung out. Really, they weren't that dangerous. Ian had a different opinion. Alex had looked to Tom for support, but his friend had sided with Ian. In retrospect, Alex was pretty glad not to have to do the legwork himself - drug dens were not all that fun unless you were using - but it was the principle of the thing. Alex preferred to work alone unless he absolutely had to take a partner. Sadly, this time he had about five. Even if they were family he otherwise liked. If you didn't have partners, nobody could veto any of your plans. Especially Ian. Ian was kind of annoying when Alex wanted to get real adult shit done. He has considered sneaking off and giving the lady a poison that would make her sterile, but Ian had given him a look and told him if he sneaked off behind their backs he'd get a tracker implanted. Alex had sighed. Well, he'd just console himself by antagonizing Brendan Chase some more. With his illegal bank account full of blood money. Alex figured his coping mechanisms were probably unhealthy. He was honestly tempted to just take a contract killing from the man just to piss Ian off. Alex wasn't quite that level of angry yet, though. Maybe if Ian forgot his birthday a third time. Or maybe if Chase offered him something that didn't involve murder. Hey, he was twelve. It was almost time for that teenage rebellion. Or maybe he'd track down Nile's phone number. Playing poke the murdering sociopath was pretty damn fun, come to think of it. Alex decided a visit to Maddox was in order. Fenrir would be very glad for another walk and even Ian could think it was that suspicious if he was bringing the dog. Ian knew that Alex would not voluntarily endanger his pet. Ian eyed him suspiciously as he walked toward the door. "You aren't leaving the country, are you?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Not today. I might go to Switzerland tomorrow, though."

Ian sighed. "At least you are telling me now."

Alex shrugged. "The train is perfectly safe, Ian."

Ian just shook his head. "Have fun, Alex."

Alex walked to the bunker by himself. It was nice. He was still used to having a lot more time on his own. Even if he told people he was studying, they still tended to barge in after a few hours. Fenrir sat down. "Maddox?"

The hologram appeared in front of him. "Yes?"

Alex was glad he had met the computer. "Why don't people leave me alone more often?"

The computer whirred. "You do tend to come up with your risky plans and find trouble."

Alex scowled. "I don't do that all the time, though."

Maddox gave him a raised eyebrow. "Often enough. Besides, most twelve-year-olds crave companionship. It is you who is aberrant in this."

Alex sighed. "Don't I know it. How's the account looking?"

Maddox's tone was somewhat dry. "Congratulations, you can buy a decent house and perhaps a vacation home."

Alex shrugged. "It's a start."

Maddox just looked at him. Alex was starting to wonder if the computer had shorted. "You have another message from a certain Brendan Chase."

Alex smirked. "I know. Getting desperate, is he?"

Maddox's synthesized voice actually sighed at him. "I suppose it would do no good to tell you that this is a huge risk."

Alex shrugged. "Not really, Mads."

The computer retorted. "You are the mad one here, Mr. Rider."

Alex glanced at the hologram. "You can call me Alex, Mads. Mr. Rider is Ian to me."

The computer gave him a look. "Au, contraire, Mr. Rider. You will have to get used to it eventually."

Alex grinned. "Nah, I'll be Alex forever."

Maddox probably would have shrugged if he could. "I have been manipulating factors to our favor."

Alex grinned. "Keep up the good work, Mads. Maybe one day I'll actually be able to quit."

Alex wasn't sure he still believed that. But if it kept his family safe, it was worth it in the end.

Author's Note: Sorry it's late, there was a death in my family.