Chapter 56: Flame on

Alex lingered at the back door to Mandy's house. Tom would cover for him. It was nice to have his friend back. Alex just hoped Tom wouldn't get too mad at him for this. There was no guarantee that Tom would end up sharing his moral code. Alex knew that he wasn't always the easiest or nicest person to be friends with. He took a deep breath and went out the back door. His gear was back at the house, but Alex had already taken the initiative to scope out cars to "borrow". The hardest part would be breaking into his own house with Ian and Crawley home. Those two weren't top agents in MI6 for nothing. Ian had killer senses. Luckily, when he got there Ian did not seem to be at his window. Alex slipped into his house and disabled the alarm with a passcode. He silently walked towards Ian's office, careful not to hit any of the creaky spots on the stairs. Alex felt a faint pang of guilt but quickly tamped it down. It wasn't like he was planning on killing anybody. Besides, Ian had been going behind his back for years, if Alex's recollection and certain assumptions about certain events were correct. Sure, some of the people Ian had gotten kicked out if England weren't the best people to be hanging around, but Alex figured that his pyromaniac friend from state-mandated therapy was probably retraumatized by being forcibly relocated to America with his entire identity erased and replaced with somebody that was not him. Alex had been pretty furious with Ian after reading the man's account of the events that transpired two years after the man's death. Getting into Ian's computer had been easier back in the day. Alex wondered where Michael was these days. Probably still burning down buildings. Alex fondly recalled one of his first friends while running his hands over the equipment he planned to use to set his stolen car on fire. It had been Michael who taught him how to set anything on fire, even water. The older boy's eyes had reminded him of a blue flame. Sometimes of lakes, but mostly the fire in his soul. Alex had put his stuff into several bags that were neatly labeled. Thankfully, the house had so many travel bags Ian would know these were temporarily missing unless he sat down and actually counted them all.

The plan had been under formation for some time. Even at his sixteen-year-old, post killing his Malagosto classmates' hand-to-hand combat level, there was no way on earth he was going to be able to take down seven grown men by himself in a fair fight. Now, at twelve, he was at an even worse disadvantage. It was beside the point anyway. Alex was used to taking down his enemies with traps, not outright fighting, if at all possible. The first stage would be taking down the guards. Alex had deliberately picked the time of night when everybody but they were gone from the facility, but early enough that they would all come out to investigate if something was fishy. There was a trick to trapping people. If you made the "lure" to fast, they would run away. The "lure" in this case happened to be a flaming car. Alex had attached a flechette canister to the car that would be conveniently hidden by a giant fireball. The darts contained a very strong drug to knock out people. It had taken Alex an irritatingly long time to find a coating that wouldn't get denatured automatically by the heat. Oh well, he had found one eventually. Next was actually carrying out his plan. Alex had deliberately picked the sniper's car in hopes that the man would also come to investigate and get snared. He opened the hood with gloved hands and deliberately sliced the wires the way Ian had taught him. Next, he carefully placed the canister with his darts and glue on the car. There was no need to open the gate since he was already on the property. Alex waited a few seconds for the glue to dry enough and then took out the rest of his distraction gear. The storage for the flaming medium hadn't been that hard to find. Napalm was not that hard to make either. Ian had actually taught him that one. He was pretty sure this wasn't what the man had in mind for it. Alex glued that on the car as well. He had been surprised to find out that superglue was actually flammable, but he had done some rough calculations and he figured that it would last just long enough for his purposes. Plus, he couldn't really afford to do metalwork with all the noise it created, now could he? Alex waited for the glue to set and waited a few more minutes. He was still short enough that the car concealed him. Next, he had to start the car and the flames at roughly the same time. Alex lightly lowered the weight onto the gas pedal of the still-off car. Then he started the engine, flicked a match at the fireball, and dropped to the ground as he sent the car rolling towards the lab. Alex used the giant flare to get behind cover. He watched from behind the very convenient tree line. It didn't take long. There were five men approaching the car. Damn. All seven had probably been too optimistic. Oh, well. Alex had the second part of his plan in place for a reason.

He moved quietly enough in the shadows not to draw the attention of the other men, who were still slowly approaching the flaming car. Alex heard a thud. "What the hell?!"

Well, shit. The glue denatured faster than he thought. In a stroke of undeniable luck, the canister fell and rolled under the car before releasing. If this had been a SCORPIA compound, he would have been screwed. In SCORPIA, they wore full body armor. Unfortunately for MI6, these guards only had Kevlar on their chests and the darts exploded from the canister under the car, piercing both cloth and flesh. Alex heard the simultaneous pop of all four tires shredding and the screech of the darts that embedded themselves in the underbelly of the car. Alex hoped their legs weren't too shredded. They all fell to the ground, out cold. Alex winced. Maybe he should have thought this out a bit more. The human skull could be surprisingly fragile. Alex hoped that all attention was directed at the five guards and went back to screwing the gas canisters to the air vents. Now, normally, the vents would only go outward, but Alex had planned for that too. The gas mixture he used was far heavier than oxygen and the canisters were specially engineered to override the direct airflow. It would cause significant and very unsubtle damage to the vent system, but Alex figured that burning the place down was about as unsubtle as it got. One of his charming relatives had invented these. Alex was pretty sure they had been used for poisonous gas. Alex glanced at the now-out flames. The other two guards hadn't come out. Then, he flicked the on switch for all of them. "Maddox, release the snow leopard. Try to keep it away from me and, once it gets out, make sure animal services finds it."

Alex felt the buzz of his phone and figured it was Maddox giving him a reply. As much as Alex wanted a snow leopard, he would admit to not being prepared to handle a fully-grown one. The rest of the animals already had new homes set up in the basement. Alex just prayed the fish would survive the somewhat rough trip. The third and fourth bag were on his back. On was for the animals. The other was explosives. Alex slid his gas mask on and then got out his break-in gear. The explosives were less flashy than the ones he'd used earlier. Alex made a decent sized loop and then stepped back to detonate the explosives. The wall blew inward and would shower anyone behind it in debris. He was in.

The gas mask was unpleasant but would become necessary quite soon. Alex shouldered the backpack and put in a makeshift earpiece. He hadn't had the time or the skill in engineering (yet) to recreate the modern ones that had been useful. This one was basically regulated to beeps that Maddox could send and Morse code. One for human enemies. Two for the door his objectives were behind. Three for trouble in general. Morse for complicated shit. It wasn't the best of systems, but it would do for now. Alex drew his weapon, just in case. The riskiest part of the entire operation would be retrieving the animals and plant matter. The gas was quickly obscuring the place and its cameras. Alex knew Maddox would erase the footage and all of its copies as it was being made. He would not take the chance of someone being able to recognize him. Alex slowly walked through the facility as gas began to obscure his vision. He knew the way by heart. The way to the plant lab was met with no resistance. Alex slid his own version of Smither's device onto the door lock. There was a fizzing as acid chewed through the door lock. Alex hadn't dared use explosives. The gas he was currently flooding the place reacted badly to fire in any quantities. It wouldn't explode, per se, but it conducted heat a little too well for Alex to risk it. Alex pushed the door with a hole in it open. The moss was sitting innocuously in a terrarium. Alex took out a jar with a slim tool that was better at collecting moss than a standard combat knife. He made sure to get a good amount of sticky medium, hopefully, it would keep the plant alive long enough to survive express mail. Alex carefully stashed the jar back in his back. He heard a beep. Well, shit. He'd have thought the guards would be down by now. Alex eyed the plant knife. Alex didn't have a clue if damaging some of the moss would make the poison lethal. There was a single beep followed by two more. Person behind the door. Without further ado, Alex walked to the door and stabbed outward. The blood immediately flooded outward on the man's pant leg, the stain rapidly expanding. He didn't normally aim for lethal strikes, but this man had seen him and he really didn't want an eyewitness for either SCORPIA or Ian to find. Alex took a shaky breath and then stepped over the man's corpse. He glanced around, the gas almost totally obscuring his view and carefully pulled the tool out of the man's leg. The blood beaded up instantly and began contributing to the pool even faster than it had been. Alex gagged a little bit, but stowed the tool and made a mental note to burn or sterilize the evidence later. Now it was time for the animals.

Alex did not encounter the final guard on his way to the animal storage, for which he was very grateful. On the way had been the center for the facility. Alex had carefully laid the explosives for an implosion. The forest around him and anyone potentially in the woods would thank him for it. Besides, if he had created his bombs correctly, even the people in the parking lot would experience no further harm (well, maybe hearing loss). It was almost too easy. Then again, he was used to no plan, no blueprints, and no weapons, so there was that. Not to mention, he had assassinated the good majority of SCORPIA's executive board almost entirely single-handedly in his last year of life. And his teachers. And most of his classmates. That had taken planning and dedication. Alex walked through the steam-like mist. It would fill this part of the compound last because of the animals. Alex hadn't wanted to accidentally kill them. The Kevlar gloves slid on easily. The snakes were the easiest. Even if they tried to bite him, they wouldn't be able to puncture the gloves, and they were short because they were barely a year old. They were kind of pretty. Neither one even tried to bite him. Alex placed them in the hard-plastic tank and moved on to the scorpion. He was careful not to crush it. The gloves, he kept on - the antivenom of most animals was nearly as toxic as what it was meant to cure. Alex had been careful to lock all the cages, too. An escaped venomous animal would not be fun to explain to his friends or Ian. Next was the fish. Alex quickly shed his gloves into the bag and carefully laid the modified plastic tank down for the fish. The tiny glowing fish were pretty. Alex really hoped they survived the journey. He had brought a fishnet. Alex scooped up the fish and plopped them into their new temporary tank. The top was pressed down and the tank sealed shut with a faint click. Alex locked the final cage and placed it in his bag. They were configured so that the fish would get jostled the least. Alex put the bag on his shoulder and checked his watch. There was still a good fifteen minutes before the place would come down like a ton of bricks. Alex made his way toward the wall he intended to exit through. The last guard had still not shown up. Alex wondered if the man had been knocked out by the gas or was waiting in ambush somewhere. He could only hope the man survived the building implosion but was not about to risk being spotted and leaving a witness by checking on him. Besides, these guys knew what they signed up for, guarding a classified lab and all. Alex carefully set up the explosive on the wall. This time, it would explode outward. The debris would, of course, be mostly away from him. He stood back and pushed the button while closing his eyes and covering his ears. Fortunately, there was no ringing this time, but Alex mentally added earplugs to his list of supplies. Alex peeked around a still smoldering edge before exiting the building and walking towards the parking lot. It was still dark, and so far, there were no flames to illuminate his path. Alex made sure to stay by cover whenever possible, just in case.

The walk to the car concluded uneventfully. Alex let a faint feeling of relief wash over him as he strapped his bags in the backseat of the car. It could have gone worse. Now he just needed to get back the Mandy's without arousing too much suspicion. Plus, set the car on fire. He was pretty sure nobody would question his extra stuff. Alex took off the gas mask and put the car in drive. He glanced at the clock. It was six minutes until the implosion. Alex didn't waste much time getting out of there. After the first few empty roads, Alex stuck to the traffic laws. It would draw more attention not to. There were no police out and no sudden stops at this time of night. After he got close enough to Mandy's house, he pulled out his last round of explosives - also delayed detonation - and placed them in the car. Alex shouldered his bags and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Even with AC, he was dying in the three layers of clothes he was wearing. Alex grinned to himself. James and Mandy were going to be so pleased with James' new pets. Alex grinned and then broke into the (unlocked, but gated) backyard and knocked on the screen door. It was promptly jerked open by Tom. "Did you do it?"

Alex gave Tom a mischievous look. The final wave of adrenaline was hitting. "Yep."

Tom backed up a bit. "You're a little scary, you know that, right? Awesome, but scary."

Alex smirked. "Why don't you peak in the bag while I shower and change?"

Thankfully, the blood wasn't showing on the black he was wearing. Alex had put the jar in the other bag with his clothes and tools so Tom wouldn't be in danger of discovering. Tom looked at the bag Alex handed him with a mix of glee and apprehension. Alex locked the bathroom door and began to run the shower. He decided to shower with his clothes on to get the blood out. First cold water, strip, and bag, and then he'd shower for real. "Maddox?"

His phone answered him back. "Footage erased. Large cat apprehended. Facility imploded. Car is a molten slag heap. Anything else?"

Alex sighed and winced as he stepped into the cold water and began to scrub. "Keep me updated on the guards' condition."

The phone paused. "Are you sure, Master?"

Alex paused as the water finally ran clear. "Yes."

He turned the temperature dial up to warm and pulled his clothes off into a plastic bag. Thankfully, he had packed other clothing. He finished his shower and pulled out the bloody tool. It made a quick trip to the sink. Alex doubted anybody would question bloodstains in the sink and bathtub in a house with women if they got as far as checking the place with a blacklight.

Alex stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed about twenty minutes after he went in. "Alex."

Alex looked at Tom. "Want to introduce James to his new snakes?"

Tom bit his lip. "I kind of already did."

Alex laughed. He loved Tom. "How did it go?"

Tom looked at Alex. "I think he's going to start sleeping with them, Al."

Alex snorted. "Well, how are the others taking it?"

Tom rolled his eyes. "Mandy's so jealous. They're in the living room."

Alex went with Tom, careful to take his backpack with him. "So, how are the pets settling in."

Mandy gave Alex a playful glare. "You went pet shopping without us?!"

The rest of the animals were also laid out on the floor. Alex raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware that James' super late birthday present was your business."

Mandy made a noise that was somewhere between a moan and a gasp. Alex just rolled his eyes. James was currently curled around his new snakes in a very serpent-like fashion. "These are beauties, Al."

Alex ruffled his friend's hair. "Yeah, they're mildly poisonous, so learn your stuff, okay."

Gillian was currently cooing over the bioluminescent fish with Nigel. Alex felt his heart soften in his chest. "Do you two want them?"

Gillian looked up at him. "Really?"

Alex gave her a sheepish grin. "Yeah. There will be more of them soon. Plus, I'm away a lot and I hate to just dump more pets on Jack. I kind of just spontaneously rescued these guys from bad owners. I can get you the habitats tomorrow at my house if you want."

Gillian tapped the tank and the fish followed her finger. "No, I'll take care of it myself. Nigel can feed them during the day and set up the pump."

Adrian was looking at the scorpion with apprehension. "You don't see those on pet rescue ads a lot."

Alex shrugged. "Well, it's not exactly cute and fluffy."

Alex picked it up. "Don't worry. Ugly has a nice tank set up for it. I've got stuff for the snakes if you want it, James."

James shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

Alex stretched out on the couch. He was kind of tired. Mandy glanced at him. "Bed, Alex."

Alex blinked. "Fine."

He went upstairs and pretty much passed out the second he hit the covers.

Mandy glared at Tom. "You said he was safe."

Tom sighed. "He was safe. Alex safe."

Mandy groaned. "I swear to god, I am putting a collar on him when we go to Russia."

Tom laughed at the mental image of a very sulky Alex wearing a cat collar. Mandy huffed. "I'm serious."

Tom continued laughing. "You'd have to catch his ass first and Alex is fast. Like really fast."

Plus, Alex was probably stronger than Mandy, given the fact that Tom knew he exercised four to six hours a day. Tom would admit to admiring his friend's build and fitness more than a few times. Tom was tempted to ask to join Alex, but it seemed almost private or forbidden. Sure, Alex would probably say yes, but Tom knew Alex was one to need his alone time. Tom loved barging into Alex's life, but he knew Alex had his limits. Plus, there was that whole mental trip Alex had taken them. You were the best friend anyone could ever ask for. Tom felt himself melt a bit at the memory. It was the closest thing to "I love you" anyone had ever told him. Mandy continued to grumble under her breath. "Why didn't he tell any of us?"

Tom shrugged. "That's just how Alex is sometimes."

Mandy sighed. "Really? What were the two of you like when you met?"

Tom remembered that day all too well. The flash of blond hair in the light as Alex had gone off to face the school bullies. Tom had been pretty sure Alex was an angel that day. Or a really, really nice Satan. That opinion had been quickly revised after they had started pranking people. "Wild. And free."

James shrugged. "He's not wrong. You should have seen our wrestling matches."

Tom looked hopefully at James. "No, Tom. We broke furniture last time, remember?"

Tom's lips twisted into a pout. "Awww."

Mandy rolled her eyes. "Boys."

Adrian seemed grotesquely amused at the scene. "What? A bit of fighting never killed anybody."

Mandy just shook her head. "This is why men live five years less on average than women."

Tom shrugged. The years he had so far spent with Alex flashed before his eyes. "Worth it. Quality over quantity, you know."

Mandy threw up her hands. "I give up. Set all the fires you want."

Tom snorted with laughter. "No, that's Alex. I'm just the guy who carries the propane."

James rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm definitely saving up for bail."

Adrian was parked at the door frame. The man was nearing nineteen and it definitely showed. Tom glanced at the bulk. He wasn't that big but compared to the rest of the school filled with mostly kids...Tom shook his head. "Do you think Alex might go for men?"

Tom was snapped out of his reverie by James' question. "Honestly, I have no clue, James. He doesn't seem to like anyone we see."

James shrugged. "Oh, come on. He occasionally dresses up as a woman for fun."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Most of that was drama class. Don't stereotype, James."

James pouted. "Aww. You must have some idea."

Tom shook his head. "Nope. Maybe he just doesn't like people like that yet, James, not everybody starts liking people at the same time, you know."

James huffed. "Why did it have to be Meagan? I don't even like her enough to be in the same room for more than fifteen minutes with her."

Tom rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Alex has a plan."

James perked up. "Really?"

Tom shrugged. "Yep."

James leaned back, still cradling his new pets. "I feel much better now."

Mrs. Teller poked her head in, thankfully not noticing their new pets. "Bed. The lot of you."

Everybody got up. Tom grabbed the scorpion. The things he did for Alex. Tom quietly opened the door and placed the scorpion. Alex woke up anyway. Shoot! "What do you want?"

Tom looked at the creepy-ass scorpion again and decided Alex was getting a new bed buddy. "That scorpion is creeping me the fuck out. Can I stay please?"

Alex just sort of shrugged. Tom took that as a yes and slid next to his best friend in bed. It was nice and warm.

Alex woke up with Tom snuggled next to him and smiled softly. Maybe his best friend would have a better choice of dates this time around. Last time, Tom had started dating bitter old divorcees of both genders. They had been old enough to be his parents. Alex shuddered slightly. Most of them hadn't even been that good looking. Alex might understand if they were divorced and looked like, well, Yassen or Rothman, but that lot certainly hadn't. Maybe he could just set Tom's standards higher or something? Alex might have to ask Jack about it. He wasn't really sure how to. There weren't a whole lot of books on how to parent one's same-age best friend. Alex sighed and got out of bed. It was time to get dressed. Alex was suddenly struck by an idea. "Hey, Tom, do you want to go to Paris?"

That got Tom up pretty fast. "Uh, sure. When?"

Alex grinned. "In about a week or two."

With the money he had now, Alex could afford quite a bit. "Weren't you just worried about my grades in school?"

Alex gave Tom a grin. "One little week for Spring Hols traveling instead of studying won't kill them. I promise."

Tom had forgotten they had a week-long holiday for Easter, to be honest. Damn, he was turning into Alex at this rate. "Is Ian going to be okay with this?"

Alex raised an eyebrow at Tom. "Since when do I need his permission for shit?"

Tom gave Alex a smirk. Then frowned. "You should probably still ask, though. Is this just going to be the two of us?"

Alex looked at Tom. "Well, yeah. I might bring Jack, but I'd get her a separate room because she's a woman and all."

Tom shrugged. "You should invite Jack."

Alex finished getting dressed and turned around. Tom sighed. "Maybe let Ian know."

Alex huffed. "If I do that he's going to hijack my trip, Tom."

Tom rolled out of bed and got his clothes. "Naw, just tell him you want a real vacation for once and none of that hiking through the Alps bullshit."

Alex paused. "That's actually not a bad idea."

Tom gave Alex a playfully indignant look. "I do occasionally have them."

Alex gave Tom the smile he usually reserved for successful pranks. "Yes."

Tom felt something stutter in his chest and restart. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I like sports as much as the next bloke, but Ian's a little intense."

Alex wondered what Tom would say on one of their survival trips. Probably a lot of unflattering things about Ian's intelligence. Up to a certain point, camping was fun. After that, it was just a shit ton of extra work. Tom was getting dressed. Alex was triple-checking his bags to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Tom rolled his eyes. "Come on, Alex, there's bacon."

Alex grabbed his bag of bags. The extra ones had all been crumpled shoved into his duffel. The backpack had gone in pretty easy, too. The scorpion had been shoved in next to it. "Hey, Tom, any chance you'll take care of the scorpion while I'm gone if I keep it?"

Tom took a deep breath, looked at Alex's pleading expression, gritted his teeth, and sigh. "Fine."

Only Alex would get Tom to feed his creepy-ass pets. Tom wondered if caving like wet cardboard was a bad sign and then decided he didn't care. Alex was letting him touch his precious pets. That had to mean something, right? He followed the blond downstairs for breakfast. Ian was, of course, as unfashionably early as always.

Alex saw dropped his stuff near the door. Ian was turning down breakfast for the millionth time from Mrs. Teller. Ian looked relieved at seeing him. Hmm. Maybe the break-in had already made the news. Sure enough, a giant imploded wreck was showing on the television. Alex made sure to gawk appropriately. "Huh. Wonder who'd want to attack a lab. I'd have gone for the gold in the Bank of England, personally speaking."

Mrs. Teller gave him an amused look. "Some people just don't have common sense."

Ian just looked at him. "What? Gold is shiny."

Ian just shook his head. It took Alex a second to realize his uncle was laughing internally. Alex mentally rolled his eyes. Considering the way the man had eyed the diamond exhibit at the Hermitage, Alex figured Ian had no room to really talk. "Alright, time to go."

Alex was sad he couldn't get a third plate, but he probably didn't need it, nutritionally speaking. Ian seemed more impatient than usual. Alex couldn't really blame the man. A national lab nearby had been attacked SCORPIA-style. Ian drove as safely as always, but Alex could tell he was extra tense. "What's wrong?"

Ian's hands tightened almost infinitesimally on the steering wheel. "I'll tell you once we get back. In my office."

Tom was silent the whole way as if sensing that questions would not be appreciated in this context. Fenrir greeted Alex at the door. Ian paused and then let Alex feed his pet while hovering at his side. Jack wasn't even properly up yet. Alex brushed his teeth. He had a sinking suspicion that this would take a while. Alex plopped himself down in one of Ian's many office chairs. "So, what's up?"

Ian sighed. "We're almost sure the lab attack was SCORPIA, but they haven't claimed responsibility yet."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Yet?"

Ian shrugged. "Well, they usually do, but not always. This wouldn't be the first time they stole from labs, though. Research hogs, I swear."

Alex sighed. "So why am I here?"

Ian tapped his fingers on the side of the desk. "They ditched what we think is the car near your friend's house. We're trying to see if this is deliberate or not."

Alex looked at Ian. "Won't they include that in the nasty, taunting note?"

Ian shrugged. "I mean, you're not wrong."

Ian sighed and stretched out. "Alright, what do you want?"

Ian looked at him. "Can I ask you to restrain yourself to this country?"

Alex gave Ian a look. "No."

Ian exhaled sharply. "Oh, come on, Alex."

Alex sighed. "If you really want to, you can track my phone, but no."

Ian looked grumpy. "I'm getting you a subcutaneous tracker. This is getting ridiculous."

Alex gave Ian a look. "I'll just cut it out at the first available opportunity."

Ian let out a hiss. "Fine. Don't blame me when you get kidnapped."

Alex grinned. "Ian, if somebody kidnaps me, you should probably be more worried about them."

Ian shrugged. "If someone kidnaps you if you don't chop them in tiny pieces and leave them in a hole, I will."

Alex did his best not to roll his eyes at Ian being melodramatic. "Can I go now?"

Ian ruffled his hair. "Sure."

Alex opened the door and walked out.

Alex pet Fenrir before pulling out the backpack he normally took to Switzerland and jamming all of the evidence, the jar of moss, and the scorpion inside. Alex opened his desk drawer and pulled out some of the generic bugs he'd gotten for the thing before cracking open the box and sticking them in. Hopefully, Ugly the scorpion would eat them. Otherwise, Alex would have to try different insects and it would be a pain. Alex pulled out the snake tanks from his closet and left them and the first month of snake food on his bed. James had said he would come by later that day. Alex already had a box he'd ordered from France under another fake name ready for the package but had decided to mail it out of Switzerland with a box from France just in case. Brendan Chase had way too much money and time to waste on trying to find Alec Pierre in Alex's opinion. Stick an entire lab on analyzing the paper from his package? Why not? He had the money. Making Nile courier your letters was probably exceedingly expensive, plus it took him away from jobs he was actually qualified for. What? Was Chase hoping that Pierre would recognize the man and just walk the fuck up to him? Alex didn't know. Maybe Nile was there to play "spot the French intelligence operative" or maybe Chase was hoping Nile would just recognize something was off. Alex sighed before Sticking the flattened box and some tape into his backpack. It all barely fit and he'd have to carry his Mandarin textbook separately. Damn it. Oh, well. It wasn't like Ian didn't know what he was up to. Alex grabbed Fenrir's leash and turned around to see a fluffy grey mass already practically bouncing with excitement. "You like your walks, Fenrir."

The dog nearly shoved him over with an affectionate brush. Alex managed to hook the leash in the collar. "Are you going to behave today, dog?"

Fenrir gave him a wide-eyed look. "Sure. You gave me that look and then you dug up dead bodies."

Fenrir cocked an ear before all-but-dragging him down the stairs. "Naughty."

Fenrir huffed. "Fine. We're going."

Ian was waiting at the door. "Where are you going?"

Alex sighed. "A train trip. To Switzerland."

Ian looked very unhappy. Ian could cry him a damn river. "Please be careful."

Alex paused. "Alright then."

Ian was oddly reassured that Alex was taking Fenrir. The wolf was generally reliable while protecting Alex. Alex stepped past him out the door. Ian was tempted to follow him, but he actually had to do work that day. Tulip was actually making him do paperwork for once and Ian was really hating it. Although, going undercover as a banker for the thousandth time would not be that much more interesting. Ian was honestly preferring teaching Alex these days to his actual job. Ian sighed and then headed back upstairs. Alex, unaware of his uncle's musings, continued on to the train station. He delicately began building the setup to keep the moss alive on its' trip to Venice. It was tricky because you didn't want to dry the plant out or make it too wet. Alex presumed Chase wanted it as alive as possible. He figured a mini UV light and a water drip would do the trick. A few people eyed him while he was messing with it, but nobody actually asked what he was doing. The lid of the bottle did not want to pop into place, but it did eventually. Alex put it back in his backpack, sliding it in next to his excel spreadsheet. He'd decided to use the exact format SCORPIA taught her operatives for said report, mostly to make it easier for them to include reimbursements for his paycheck. Logistics had a reputation for making people's lives very difficult if your report got too fucked up, so Alex figured following all the guidelines was his best shot. It was pristine. Alex figured nobody could complain. He'd even checked the spelling and grammar. It was more than he'd ever done for MI6. Hey, there was always that one tightwad who would make your check late because you used the wrong grey shading on your columns or some bullshit. Originally, the sheet had just been to help him plan, but Alex figured it would make people's lives easier if he just gave them his excel sheet. See? He was nice. It was even in one of the five languages Logistics would accept without deducting fees. Alex personally thought most of them were bitchy little girls but wasn't going to say so. Alex got to the bank. Well, Chase already knew he operated out of there. Alex had a plan for the money, too. You could trace funds, after all. But not after Maddox was through with them. Alex resisted a smirk as he was left inside his vault.

Alex carefully finished constructing his box. It was tricky. From the outside, it looked like a normal cardboard box. The inside was a different story. It had a UV light and a water drip that was sealed to the jar. Alex hadn't wanted to chance anything contaminating the moss, so he had used the closest to sterile plant culture practices as he could get with an experimental form of transport. The structure was pretty good. Alex was confident the plant would survive the first-class mail journey. Alex stapled the expense report to his letter. It was in usual snarky form, but Alex felt like the letter rejection wasn't enough. On impulse, he took out a sharpie and wrote "Still Not Your Employee" on the jar. It fit, but barely. Alex wondered how the man would take the news. The letter attached was a prize of literature, in Alex's opinion.

Dear Mr. Chase,

For the time and effort it took to get your moss, it better ooze pure cocaine (operational expenses attached). Have fun, hopefully too much fun where you die in a lab explosion. Where was I? Oh, yes. If you ever keep information from me again, you'll get to see firsthand the difference between seven and seventy guards (It's only a death threat if you want it to be!). Also, while I might occasionally do jobs for you, I'm still an independent contractor, just so we're very, very clear.

The box and plant should hold up under transport. If not, well, the lab is kind of in pieces, so good luck. Kindly exercise caution when opening the box. It would be a shame if you dropped dead before I got my check. This account is fine, although you should probably use a different courier. Poor Nile, almost getting caught by the British. He'll probably appreciate the change of pace.

On a final note, good luck tracing my payments. You'll need it with the encryption I use. And when I say good luck, I mean it. It might be fun. At any rate, I'm going on vacation. Don't expect a quick reply. I would say die in a hole, but that would be rude.

Best Wishes,

Alec Pierre

P.S. You had better pay well. It was seven on one!

Alex walked up to the attendant. "I presume you have first-class mail services available."

He was trying to sound a bit snooty. The man looked at him. "Of course. Where shall we send this package?"

Alex paused. "The delivery instructions are going to be a bit tedious, but they need to be followed to the letter."

The man sighed. "But of course."

SCORPIA did have protocols for sending packages to the board. To be fair, Alex was pretty sure they had protocols for everything, but Alex had figured he could ignore some of the really odd, really specific ones and focus on the actually useful ones. Cough, sending mail, cough. Alex was ninety percent sure that the rule about murdering people with oranges was a joke, but he hadn't wanted to ask and risk somebody getting offended. Yassen was going to murder him if he ever got his claws on that letter, but Alex was pissed about the assignment. It had been hideously difficult to do without getting spotted or caught on camera. Plus, he still hadn't check to see who all lived through the massive amounts of destruction. "Send this. Use these instructions exactly. Don't tell them anything about who I am. Try not to drop it. It's kind of fragile and kind of lethal."

The man, to his credit, didn't react. "We know how to handle first-class mail, sir."

Alex shrugged. It would be on them if they fucked up and got shot. "Very well. Bill my account. Here are the address and instructions."

Alex left the bank at that. Fenrir was impatient on the train ride back. Alex decided to take him for a walk.

Alex stepped into the park along with his dog. To his surprise, Ian was there. Alex walked over. "I thought I might find you here."

Alex shrugged and undid the latch for Fenrir's leash. "It's Fenrir's favorite."

Ian looked amused. "And yours, too."

Alex sat next to Ian on the bench. "So, how's the paperwork?"

Ian gave him a rueful look. "Any chance I can sucker you into doing some of it?"

Alex leaned back. "If I do I want a real vacation. With Jack and Tom. You can even bring Crawley."

Ian looked at him. "I'd give you that without the paperwork, you know."

Alex grinned. "Yeah, but I want to go to Paris."

Ian considered it. "Yeah, why not?"

Alex felt a mischievous spark. "You could take Crawley to so many romantic places, you know."

Ian ruffled his hair. "Would you be okay with that, though?"

Alex shrugged. "I'll have Jack and Tom."

Ian smiled. "I'm glad you have friends."

Alex shrugged. "Can I show Tom some of the nicer parts of Paris? You know - the sites."

Ian shrugged. "Sure. We could meet up in the morning and everyone could go their own way."

Alex thought that sounded nice. Fenrir walked up to him. Ian looked at the dog. "You know, he's kind of cute."

The dog huffed. "My baby prefers ferocious these days."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Of course he does."

Ian got up. "Would you like dinner, Alex?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Eating out with perfectly good food at home? Are you dying or something?"

Ian threw back his head and laughed. "Hell no. I'm just being nice."

Alex was instantly suspicious. "Mmm. Hmm. What's the bad news?"

Ian huffed. The man looked indignant. "I don't only take you out when there's bad news."

Alex shrugged. "I'll believe it when I get through the night without you breaking some sort of bad news to me."

Ian sighed. "Alex."

Alex pulled his most innocent look out. "Ian."

Ian just gave him an implacable look that Alex knew meant Ian would only talk when he was ready. Alex mentally sighed. "Where are we going?"

Ian got up. "It's a new place, for you anyway."

Alex looked at Ian. "Oh?"

Ian shrugged. "Change in the car. You'll need a suit."

Alex looked at his uncle skeptically. "What's so special about it?"

Ian paused. "I took your father there when I found out he was a double agent and got my first paycheck from MI6."

Alex stared, aghast. "They didn't tell you?!"

Ian's lips twisted into a bitter half-smile. "They needed my reaction to be realistic, apparently."

Alex wondered if he would ever really know Ian. "That's awful."

Ian shrugged. "It's all over now, Alex."

Alex wondered if it really was. Man, the news must be pretty bad. They went to dinner. Alex had never been to a place like this with Ian before. It was more of a SCORPIA thing. The glasses glittered and an enormous chandelier hung from the ceiling.

Ian wondered how Alex was going to take the news. Hi, Alex. So, our family has these spinal injections that prevent most joint wear and tear from being in Black Ops which is why Patrick can still fight like he's twenty years younger than his actual age. They also keep you from losing the will to live, just in case, no matter what. Plus a few other effects I'm not going to tell you about and have to let you figure out yourself. It's the only way Aunt Crazy would give me these for you and I don't want my permission revoked. No, it's nothing too bad, they just enhance your tactical and healing abilities. You're just going to be sick and in agonizing pain for the next five days. Please trust the dodgy family medical practices. Yeah, that was going to go over really fucking well. Not. Ian ordered in French. Alex looked at him. "Cured Salmon?"

Ian glanced up. "Very good."

Alex flashed him a sort of smirk. "What's next?"

Ian gave him the barest of amused looks. "I have no earthly clue. After you pick the appetizer, the chef sets the menu here."

Alex shook his head. "Weird."

Ian shrugged. "Nah. The man is actually pretty good at gauging what people are in the mood for based on their appetizer."

Alex gave Ian a dubious look. "You'll see."

Okay, so it was one of the crazy novel places for rich people, but Ian wasn't going to tell Alex that. "Relax, it's good. Have I ever taken you anywhere bad?"

Alex thought about it. "No, actually."

It was then that Alex noticed they were the only ones there besides the staff. "Why is this place empty?"

Ian smirked. "Nobody comes here before eight. High dining and all that."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Crazy rich people."

Ian smirked. "Just wait until you meet the billionaires. They're the worst."

Alex laughed a little too hard at that. Ian didn't mind. He just really hoped Alex wouldn't end up hating him after this.