Chapter 64: Letters from Afar

Charles Brandon was surprised to get any messages from Maddox. He hadn't got any in ages. Then again, he'd always had the sinking suspicion that any post he took would be temporary. The phone had appeared in his mailbox, for the few months abroad that he'd bothered with one. It had an "M" on the case.

-B

Can you hear me?

-M

Maddox had done the math. Alex was going to need a doctor relatively soon. War was a tricky business. Charles had experience as a battle surgeon and a regular surgeon. And he was loyal to Alex.

-M

Yes. What's going on?

-C

Charles wasn't quite sure what to expect with the machine. It might have to do with Alex, but there wasn't much he could do from here. He was in the middle of rural southeast Asia.

-C

In the coming months, Alex will need a battled surgeon. A skilled one. Will you come?

-M

Charles inhaled sharply. Well, it sounded exciting. It would probably take a while to make his way back. Especially after kidnapping a kid who made it onto Interpol's most wanted. Charles didn't really much give a damn about the kid killing the leeches, but Charles would have recommended a bunch of car bombs or something.

-M

Do you even have to ask? Hell, yes. Besides, the kid needs more responsible adults in his life.

-C

Maddox was...relieved. Was that the right word? Any other arrangements would have been calculation intensive. Besides, Charles was his intended master. The CIA had been no match for him, given the fact that all of the classrooms had security cameras.

-C

Good. Make your way back. And be careful. You are really wanted now.

-M

Charles jumped as the decrepit printer started in the background. He slowly made his way over. It was bus tickets for two weeks from now. The bus only stopped in the village once a month. Charles figured it could have been worse. It would take him a while to get near an airport, though. Off to Alex he went.

Amanda Teller was excited. The enigmatic and, admittedly, sketchy man named Brendan Chase had helped her plot to bring Alex to Russia on the transfer program. He was so nice and charming and helpful. Plus, he actually knew who Hieronymus Bosch was. Chase was also a punctual man. Mandy sighed. She had a crush on a forty-year-old rich Australian criminal. Mandy was pretty sure she'd spotted a wedding ring during some of their encounters. Chase seemed to appear out of thin air at the university library she was currently occupying. Mandy jumped and inhaled sharply. "Easy, Amanda, we don't want you falling into a stack and disappearing."

Brendan was one of the few people she actually liked hearing her first name spoken by. "Mr. Chase."

The man flashed his pearly white teeth. Seriously? Mandy was cursing her hormones. Normally, older men were just gross, but he was so damn charming. "You should call me Brendan."

Amanda was afraid she would do something horribly embarrassing if she did. Instead she flipped her hair and replied. "Only when you call me Mandy."

The man chuckled. "So, which option do you like?"

Mandy sat back on the couch. "We're not poisoning the competition. It's so gauche. Besides, the investigation would be a killer."

Chase pouted. "Awww. Well, what are you thinking?"

Mandy resisted the urge to bat her eyes. He was married. Plus, she was only sixteen. "Hmm. You know that clause the Russian General dude stuck in about "moral suitability" or some such rot."

Chase perked up. "Venereal disease? That could be fun."

Mandy tried not to manically grin. It was unbecoming of a lady, according to her mother. Chase leaned in. "So, what are we going for? Permanent? Temporary? How are we going to give it to the guy?"

Chase was practically bouncing. Mandy whipped out the binder. "We already have that covered. See one of the guys, James Lewis, has already been treated for syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea."

Chase gaped. "How?"

Amanda smirked. "Well, going to cheap brothels and paying extra not to use condoms will do that to you."

Brendan facepalmed. "Seventeen-year-old boys are idiots."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "I know."

Brendan stretched out like a cat. "So, what's step two?"

Mandy grinned and tossed him a camera. "We catch him in the act."

Brendan mentally groaned at the idea of naked teenage flesh, but figured it was worth the sacrifice. "And then?"

Mandy grinned. "I think the old prudes in Russian won't like the pictures pasted all over the tabloids. Plus, they can access medical records if they need proof."

Chase grinned. Encouraging criminals was just so much fun. "Okay, would you like to go to a celebration dinner now?"

Mandy put up the files and camera. "Sounds great!"

The man known to most people as General Alexei Sarov was not surprised to receive a letter from Alex Rider, but was surprised at its contents. It had started off like always. Beautiful calligraphy and perfect Russian. And then abruptly took an unexpected turn.

Dear General,

I am writing to tell you that the address on the outside of the envelope is my new one. My current guardian went a bit too far in trying to pick which path I walk, only to find that I walk my own. This brings me back to our first conversation. Did we not once both complain of the corruption in the world? Did we not both believe that MI6 and the CIA brought about quite a bit of it?

I've decided to go my own way to try to clean house. They are sponsoring a bunch of dangerous interlinked drug cartels in South America. Recently, I've made my moves to try to unite everything under one head. Why? Simple. Under one leader, I can take control. I can force the cartels into legitimacy. I can help the citizens gain back the power they so rightly deserve. Quite simply, I've gone to war. Not a visible one, not now anyway. Right now, I'm still trying to gather more information, like all the books say.

How is it in Russia? I don't think it looks much better on your end. The real question here is how to consolidate power? As I recall, you're still quite popular. Maybe it's time to look for and cut out the infection before it spreads, no?

Yours in War,

Xander

The General sighed as he read the letter. Alex had taken a new name and gone to war. Sarov put his face in his hands. The boy who looked so much like his son was going to war even younger. He closed his eyes and inhaled. Undercover work was risky. It also tended to induce PTSD in the unconditioned. It wasn't as though he hadn't managed his own after the war. Alex seemed to want to end the conflict fairly quickly. There was one thing he could do. Sarov picked up the phone. "Minister? We are getting Alex Rider off Interpol's Most Wanted."

The man sputtered. "Alright, Alexei. Tell me you have a plan."

Tom Harris was surprised to get a letter from Alex. If anything, he expected Ian to be the recipient of such a thing. It was a short letter assuring Tom that he was fine. Tom got the underlying message just fine. I care about you. I haven't forgotten you. I love you. Take care of Jack. Tom let out a long breath. Should he tell Ian? It would give him an address to work with. Then again, Alex really did want to do this and Tom didn't want to be the guy who hindered his best friend because of a little danger. Maybe he should give Ian the letter, but be the dumbass who "accidentally" ditched the envelope (aka the thing with the return address). Tom took a deep breath and then memorized the address. He wasn't nearly as good as Alex, but when it mattered, he would remember. Tom closed his eyes and pulled out a lighter. With a flick of his thumb, he set the envelope on fire. And orange-red flame consumed the envelope. Tom let the last little bit fall as it burned completely to ash. For Alex. Jack chose that moment to throw open his door. "I smell smoke."

Tom flushed. "I...err...got upset and set a piece of paper on fire."

Jack sighed. "You poor thing. Alex used to do the same-"

Her eyes snapped to his face. "Alex?"

Tom picked up the letter. "Alex."

Jack gave him a soft, pleading look. Tom handed her the letter. She read through it. "Not much in there, is it?"

Tom sighed. There was a stab of guilt. He had covered for Alex. "No, but it has the part I care about."

Jack gave him a rueful grin. "And no 'I'm fine', huh?"

Tom laughed. It was Alex's trademark phrase for when you should really cart him off to the hospital. "Nope, not at all."

Jack grinned. "I'm tie-dying all of his undershirts."

Tom laughed. "Want help?"

Patrick got his letter from Marion's trembling hands. "It's from Alex."

Patrick blinked. He would have expected it to be Ian who got the letter. Nevertheless, it seemed providence had shone down upon him. He tore open the letter with ease. His casual movements belying his anxiety as he silently prayed this wasn't Alex declaring he never wanted to see any of them again. Patrick unfolded the page. It was a letter written in elaborate calligraphy that detailed exactly why Alex had run off. The writing instantly reminded him of Helen. The odd slant on the y's and t's. Marion was hovering. "Well?"

Patrick blinked. "He's decided to go on a personal crusade, it seems."

Marion huffed. "You'd think he would take me along. I've killed people for him!"

Patrick gave her a look. "That was his prerogative. Besides, perhaps he needs a more delicate touch on this one."

Marion glared at him. "I have a delicate touch!"

Patrick smirked. "Yes, with the scalpel during torture."

Marion snarled. "Are you going to share or not?"

Patrick's eye twitched in her direction. "I think I will be sticking the original in the safe. All of you will be permitted to view a copy."

Darian looked bored. "And why would that be?"

Patrick blinked before setting the paper inside a scanner. "It's the only letter I've ever received from my grandson."

Lily and Jason could be heard sighing. The young redhead was pacing in the living room. "Is he doomed or not?"

Marion tossed her hair. "I think not, have a little faith in your cousin, Lily dear."

Jason rolled his eyes at his adoptive mother. "She's got a point, Mom. Alex is twelve, last time I checked. I really don't think he should be playing games with CIA drug cartels."

Marion huffed. "He'll be fine, darling. I know things about Alex that would make your hair curl."

Darian and Patrick both looked at her sharply. Patrick's eyes flashed. "Children, kindly go to your rooms. It seems that your mother and I need to have a little chat."

Marion pouted. "Explain. Now."

Marion grinned at the memory. Black Ops with Alex was fun. "Well, you remember when Alex rescued me from the people in Japan?"

Patrick's unamused glance told her to hurry up. "As it turns out, Alex had an ulterior motive. You see, he discovered a plot to take over countries and, eventually, the world by replacing the sons of prominent people with clones at an exclusive boarding academy."

Patrick glared. "That was you two?! I got blamed for that and I wasn't even in the country!" Marion waited. "Continue."

Marion rolled her eyes. "Alex and I took care of it. He shot some guards and got us supplies and an escape route. I neutralized the clones."

Patrick's eyes seemed to bore into her. "And you didn't mention this because?"

Marion shrugged. "Alex seemed to want it kept quiet."

Patrick's smile was more irked than pleased. "Would anyone else like to confess to going behind my back?"

Darian considered mentioning what he'd told Alex, but decided against it. His old man had a foul temper. Plus, he felt like Alex deserved an escape route that nobody else knew about. Patrick began to grill Marion in earnest. He sat back and watched, wondering if Alex would, indeed, pull off what he wanted.

Alex was not awake, not truly. Grim was sitting on a park bench in his little mind-scape garden. "What now, Grim-o?"

Grim sent a half-hearted fireball at him. Alex plopped down next to the embodiment of death. "Brat. I'm trying to think."

Alex frowned. "About what?"

Grim turned a black eye on him. "Your relatives did a little ritual."

Alex groaned. "Yes, yes. You hate the family cult. However, I'm considering their request to grant you knowledge."

Alex perked up. "What kind of knowledge?"

Grim smirked. "All the cult stuff Marion wanted you to learn and Ian wanted to burn all knowledge of."

Alex immediately slumped again. "Griiiiim."

Grim glared. "Just for that, Shortstack, I'm more inclined to blast you with it either way."

Alex folded his arms over his chest. "I won't speak to you for weeks."

Grim shrugged. "I'll live."

Alex narrowed his eyes. "Look, kid, the knowledge is important. Besides, I'm willing to offer you the fun version."

Alex arched a brow. "The fun version."

Grim grinned. "I'll give you the memories of all of your relatives and ancestors discovering the stuff."

Alex gave him a look. "Wouldn't I still need a knowledge base."

Grim waved his hand. "You'd get it, but don't you want to see memories from your dearly departed mother and father?"

Alex felt as though he had been punched as he gaped at the primordial. Alex wanted to cry. Grim was offering him the one thing he'd always wanted. "That's not fair."

Grim's eyes flickered and his face softened. "Life isn't fair."

Alex felt raw, like everything in his chest had been torn. "Why are you doing this?"

Grim sighed. "Bitch, I'm not evil. Besides, I feel like you really should be able to see your parents practicing their religion."

Alex sighed. "Grim, you know I'm not going to say no to that. Hell, I once watched videos of my dad killing people because it was the only records I could find. There was nothing of my mother. I never even saw a picture until I went through Ian's drawers."

Grim grinned. "Good. Besides, it won't be so bad. You'll probably like some of them."

Alex glared. "In other words, the other half of them have massive amounts of gore."

Grim shrugged. "Yup. Your ancestor buddy Ambrosius was kind of a glory hound."

Alex looked puzzled. "What the fuck kind of name is Ambrosius?"

Grim grinned. "A very old Roman one. Now shut up and prepare for a memory blast."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Is there actually a way to prepare?"

Grim snorted. "Nope."

And promptly shoved a black marble-sized orb at him. "Swallow."

Alex stared. "Oh, don't give me that look. It's a dream, you idiot, you can't choke."

The great master had given him a hoo-man. A tiny one. But the great master had promised him the hoo-man would grow. Fenrir huffed. The hoo-man was slow to it. Its scent was familiar, however. The great master assured him that the hoo-man would eventually smell more like him. The scent was familiar and it reminded him of home, with the great master. It was the one that he followed whenever the scrawny hoo-man wandered off, as pups would do. He tilted his head in the air and inhaled. The hoo-man had gone the direction of the rising light. The howl colored the air to warn any big ones away. The hoo-man was his. And he was coming. Pack. The scent was easy to trace. The hoo-man was barely gone for two moons this time. Better to find pups before trouble found them.

There was a scratching at his window. Alex slowly got up. He opened the window to yellow, lupine eyes. "What the hell? Fenrir? How did you find me?"

The wolf huffed indignantly. Alex grumbled. "Fine, fine. Get in here."

The wolf gave him a look. Alex opened the window all the way. The wolf whined, but managed to just barely squeeze through. It looked pretty hilarious, but Alex stifled his giggles. The adults were asleep. Fenrir eyed his bed. Alex shut the window and got back under the covers, deciding to wonder about how Fenrir followed him later. "Get in, fluff."

Fenrir got under the covers. Alex promptly went back to sleep.

Alex woke to a scream. A very unmanly scream. Lance was standing in his doorway staring in horror. "Relax, Lance. It's my husky mix."

Lance clutched at his chest and panted. "Sweet Jesus, give a guy a warning next time."

Michael and Belinda barged in. "It's my dog."

Belinda looked thoroughly amused. Michael let out an audible sigh of relief. Lance sighed. "Right, we'll need to bring this to Card for approval."

Alex glared. "I'm not giving up my dog."

He grabbed his clothes and began changing. "Also, he only eats raw meat."

Lance glanced between Fenrir and him. "Are you sure it's a dog?"

Alex yanked his shirt over his head and pulled his backpack towards him. "Yes."

Belinda coughed. "Well, I'll take the dog to Card. You two get ready for the day. After all, it's not a good look if the dog affects Alex's academics."

That seemed to snap everyone back to normal. "Right. Everyone at breakfast in ten minutes."

The adults seemed to get ready pretty fast. Belinda sighed. "Does he have a leash?"

Alex sheepishly rubbed his head. "I left all the stuff and him with a friend."

Belinda sighed loudly. It was Michael who spoke next. "Is there really a point in a leash with that thing, though?"

Belinda snorted. "Good point."

Michael, Xander and Larry went to breakfast while Belinda went to Card's office. On Mondays, Card ate in his own office. Alex went to breakfast feeling a bit impatient. He was used to confronting his problems head-on or as they came. Lance's eye twitched in his direction. "Quit fidgeting." This got him several glares from the other teachers. Ms. Allen was, surprisingly, one of them. Alex would have expected her to be on the "no fidgeting" team. Alex tried to stop and managed to regulate it to a single finger tapping on the table. Virtually unnoticeable. The older students seemed to be eyeing him nervously. Not that Alex could blame them. He'd really only been here a week. It was possible that he was still insane. Lance looked vaguely amused. "Looks like it's mentorship hour."

Alex wasn't sure how he got through the rest of the day wondering about Fenrir, but he did. After the last class, he was called the Card's office.

Card had his dog. "Fenrir!"

The dog in question immediately sat at his side. Card sighed. "I suppose you can keep the dog. I do have a few questions, though."

Alex blinked. "Uh, sure."

Fenrir whined and wove in between Alex's legs, nearly upending the chair. Alex pet Fenrir. "How did your dog follow you?"

Alex genuinely had no idea. "He must have followed my scent."

Card's face was unimpressed. "You were brought here in a goddamned helicopter."

Alex shrugged. "Look, dude, I was as surprised as you are."

Card sighed again. "I suppose your fluffy pet will follow you everywhere."

Alex blinked. "I mean, probably."

Card rubbed his eyes. "The dog only eats raw meat?"

Alex looked a little sheepish. "Errr. Yeah."

Card flipped through some files. "Well, hunting class can donate to the cause. It's not like we eat entrails anyway."

That sounded hugely wasteful to Alex, but he didn't say anything. Fenrir fluffed up at the sound of entrails. "Has he ever attacked anybody?"

Alex decided to lie through his teeth. "Uh, no. Look, I know he's enormous, but he's a real sweetheart who loves people."

Card didn't look even slightly convinced, but let it go. "If you say so."

Alex grinned. Card pulled out a leash and collar. "You're responsible for walking him every-"

Fenrir yanked the collar and leash off the man's desk and plopped them into Alex's lap. Card started laughing. "Smart dog."

Alex gave the man the evil eye. "Now you've done it. He wants a walk."

Fenrir began whining and pulling on Alex's chair. Alex felt his chair being yanked out from under him and jumped clear, catching the leash and collar mid-fall. Card was now laughing uproariously. "Go walk your dog. Dismissed."

Alex began sticking the collar on Fenrir. "Alright. C'mon, Fluff."

Alex was glad to have his pet with him, even if it met missing out on hours of sleep. Fenrir seemed to tolerate the other children, but none of the adults. It had been two weeks in and he was already settled in. It was an odd balance that the adults seemed to be coming to. Lance was tolerated because he was just that good. Belinda was the real reason the teachers didn't riot. Michael seemed to hover on the edge of either contempt or pity by the adults, but nobody was going to touch the Lance/Michael dynamic with a ten-foot pole. Alex was glad. Michael seemed a little leery of speaking of their past relationship. It felt so long ago. The blue eyes seemed to follow him everywhere he went. Alex wondered if the man would ever approach him to talk about it. Michael's eyes locked onto him. "Xander."

Alex blinked. That name was surprisingly easy to get used to. "What's up?" Michael pulled him into the nearest empty classroom. "Okay, what the hell?"

Michael sighed. "This is harder than I thought."

Xander shrugged. "Look, bro, we don't really need to talk about it if you don't want to. Just know that I refused to speak to him for almost nine months after that stunt."

Michael breathed out. "Meet me tonight, alone. Lance has a thing for both of us." Alex rubbed his eyes. Lance was a huge bucket of worms in and of itself. Alex knew the man "occasionally" sold his services to the highest bidder. And by "occasionally", Alex meant almost as often as Yassen. Alex rubbed his eyes and felt the worry beginning to build. What now? Alex had a hard time believing that anything fucking Larry was contracted for was going to be a nice, peaceful chat. Michael grinned. "Relax." Xander gave the man a very skeptical look. Michael winked at him. "Sneaking out is all part of the fun."

Xander rolled his eyes. "If I get caught, I will kill you in your sleep."

Michael laughed his ass off. "That's the spirit, Al- I mean, Xander."

Xander rolled his eyes. "I need to go to class now."

A flash of Michael's teeth let him know they were good, for now. Alex was escorted to his last class. The one Card taught. "Xander, so nice of those two to let you join us."

Michael smirked at the man. "Well, you know, mentor's prerogative."

Card rolled his eyes. Michael left. "I swear to God, those two are sometimes not at all worth the trouble."

Xander sat down and opened his notebook as Card resumed the lecture.

Sneaking out of the compound was almost child's play. Alex met Lance and Michael outside the walls. "So, what's up?"

Lance grinned. "I felt like it was time for some action."

Alex mentally groaned. "You'll blow us all if we're not careful."

Lance grinned. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. Besides, I excused you from classes tomorrow."

Alex huffed. "No wonder my teachers were so grumpy."

Lance grinned. "Eh, fuck 'em. Actually, don't, though. Let's get started."

Alex was suddenly curious about what they were supposed to be doing in the dead of night. "Right."

As if on cue, a black craft appeared. "What the hell?"

Lance grinned and ruffled his hair. "Cool, huh. Special Operations gets the toys, Black Operations gets the real gear."

Alex eyed the thing skeptically. "Can it hold our weight, though?"

Lance scoffed. "I wouldn't take you on anything that hadn't been thoroughly tested by some disposable PhDs. C'mon."

Alex eyed the plating, but boarded said craft. He was not reassured by the eight-point seatbelts. "Uh."

Michael strapped him in. "The ride will be a little rough."

Alex felt his eyes widen. "We're going to be landing in a very cliffy area. Oh, I almost forgot this."

Alex felt a needle stab into him. "What is that?"

Michael's smile turned wry. "Anti-vomiting injection. They're normally used for astronauts."

Alex huffed. "I feel so fucking reassured."

Michael laughed and began strapping in next to him. "Try to sleep."

Alex scoffed. "In the Earth version of the vomit comet? Fat chance."

Of course, both Lance and Michael dropped off to sleep immediately. Alex was kept awake by the buzzing, thrumming of the plane. It was like riding a propeller plane, except worse. It felt like the aircraft was trying to shake itself apart. How were those two sleeping? Alex glanced at Michael and Lance. Fuck it, he was asking them.

The craft, whatever the fuck it was, landed sometime later. Lance and Michael were, of course, annoyingly well-rested and alert. "Doing alright?"

Alex glared. "Fuck both of you. How did you even sleep?"

The men exchanged amused glances. Michael answered him. "After sleeping through a few bombings, this is pretty quiet."

Alex grumbled as Michael unbuckled him. Michael ruffled his hair and then let him drop to the ground. Alex groaned. Lance glanced at him. "You gonna barf or nah? Michael was supposed to give you an antiemetic."

Michael huffed. "I gave him the injection."

Alex sighed. "I'll be fine."

They departed the craft. It took off silently. "They'll follow us from afar."

Alex brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Wouldn't radar pick them up?"

Lance shook his head. "Nah. It flies below radar."

Well, this was going to give him paranoia like never before. Thank you, Lance, he loved being an insomniac. "What are we doing?"

Lance glared. "You are 'observing'. Here's a gun, just in case."

Alex took the gun and cursed Alan Blunt for being worse than a literal alcoholic sociopath. Michael just stared at Lance like he'd grown a second head. "Are you seriously-"

Lance cut him off. "Shut the fuck up. You know nothing about what it's like to have killed by the age of twelve. Also, we both know he can use it. Look at him, he feels safer now."

Michael looked at Alex and gave an unhappy little sigh. "I don't like it, but it's fine."

Alex mentally groaned. It was Troy and Turner all over again. Larry opened the box further. "Also take this."

Alex was handed a flamethrower. "Lance, a back-up flamethrower?"

The man shrugged. "You never know."

Michael gave Lance a look that suggested he would dearly like to punch the man in the face. Lance handed him weapons. Michael's jaw twitched. "Thanks."

Lance clapped him on the shoulder. "Good man."

Michael's eye twitched. Alex was suddenly nervous. Alex slung the thing over his shoulder. Without his mutant strength and workouts, it would have been heavy. Michael and Lance both looked at him oddly. Alex shrugged. "Should we get going now?"

Lance stepped forward. "Follow me. And keep your voices down from here on out, unless you're dying."

They stepped forward into the darkness. Alex was very aware that he was blindly following two people he barely knew in a dark jungle in the middle of the night. Oh, well. MI6 had put him in sketchier situations. Cough, Afghanistan, cough. Alex blinked. He was adjusting to the lack of light, he supposed. The jungle was becoming much more visible. Though, this was better than the low-light vision he usually had in uninhabited areas. Alex wondered about that, but decided that it was nothing to worry about, especially since he had nobody to immediately ask or test him. Perhaps he should ask his relatives. Alex swiftly decided against it. He was still furious with all of them, barring his cousins. Lance whacked him upside the head. "Head in the game, kid."

Alex stared at the sheer cliff about fifty feet in front of him. "We're climbing that?"

Lance grinned. "Yep. We'll ditch the gear, though. Ship'll pick us up."

Alex blinked. "What about fingerprints?"

Lance huffed. "Special coating. Let's go."

After what felt like a decade of climbing, they were finally at the bottom. Alex glared at Lance and hissed. "And what was the bloody point of this?"

Lance huffed. "Keep your shirt on, shorty. Take a good look across from us."

Alex blinked. "It's a fucking cave."

Lance whacked him again. "It's what's in the cave, dumbass."

Alex groaned. "It better not be fucking underwater with fucking sharks."

Michael let out a huff that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. "That was oddly specific."

Alex grunted. "Don't fucking ask."

Lance blinked. "Okay then. You'll be happy to hear that the cave is above water and hopefully shark free. Shark corpses stink."

Alex automatically pulled out a gun. "The cave is supposed to be deserted."

Xander felt his eye twitch. "Then, the cave's guards can desert the business end of my gun."

Lance grinned. "That's the spirit. You'll stay here."

Alex glared. He'd been to this shitshow before. "The hell I will."

Michael sighed. "Kid, we'll be back in twenty minutes. Use the gun if anyone shows up."

Lance and Michael exchanged a glance. "We'll talk about this when we get back."

Alex grit his teeth. If these two died on him, he was going to ask Grim about resurrections just to murder them all over again. He pointed the gun in the direction of the cave, took a deep breath and waited. It felt like forever. Alex really did not want to get stuck in a jungle with no help whatsoever. The fact that he had come here in a craft, in the dark, and unfamiliar with the territory meant that he would be unlikely to find a way back. The minutes ticked by and Alex felt extremely twitchy. Suddenly, five shots rang out. Xander wondered whether to run into the cave, but decided to follow instructions, for once in his life. Lance and Michael came running out a few seconds later being chased by guards with batons. Alex didn't hesitate before firing into the lot of them. "Lance, you moron."

It was Michael. Lance all but pranced over to the dead bodies. "Head shots, Michael. Xany got head shots in the dark."

Michael elbowed Lance. "Later. We don't know if more of them are coming."

The two men looked at Alex. Lance spoke up. "Let's go kid. We gotta run."

Alex ran after them through the jungle. He wondered what the hell they were stealing and who the hell they were stealing from. They ran to a different, but still very sheer cliff side. Alex felt his sides beginning to ache. The black craft came for them. Alex felt his mouth drop open as it landed in a straight downward, ninety-degree, angle, mere feet from the very sheer cliff. Lance grinned. "I hear that feature was tricky as hell."

Alex sighed and then followed Lance and Michael back onto the damn thing. It was a long ride home.

The second they slipped back into their apartment, Alex tried to sneak back to his room. "Oh, no, ya don't. You need to talk."

Alex mentally cursed Lance into a very painful death in the back of his mind as his forearm was seized. "So do you, Lance."

Lance chuckled. "Ah, you're right, kid. But since you're younger, you get to talk first."

Alex huffed. "Oh, come on."

Lance actually laughed at him. Xander moodily flung himself on the couch. "First of all, headshots in the dark?"

Alex grumbled. "You have your skills, I have mine."

Lance shrugged. "Fair enough."

Michael grunted something that sounded like motherfucker. Alex politely ignored that. Belinda chose that exact moment to glide out of her bedroom. "You all reek of the swamp and gunfire."

Lance grinned. "Feeling concerned about me, Sugar?"

Belinda backhanded him. "Dream on, you pervert."

The blonde sank onto one of the couches. Lance grinned. "Oh, I will."

Lance plopped down next to Alex. "What's your deal with caves?"

Xander grit his teeth. "Bad experiences."

Lance gave him a look. "I assume there was an underwater cave with sharks."

Alex put his face in his hands. He hadn't even liked Turner or Troy that much, why was he still fucking sad. "Some people I knew decided to go cave-diving."

Lance interjected. "That doesn't sound so bad."

Michael elbowed the man. Alex sighed. "They left me outside, said they'd be back, and then got eaten by a shark."

Belinda sighed. Lance burst out, "Ew!" Lance was elbowed again. He coughed. "I could see why that might be problematic."

Belinda interrupted. "Xander, go to bed."

Lance huffed. "But- But-"

Belinda suddenly resembled a saber-toothed tiger. "Bite my ass, Lance."

Alex decided that going to bed was the wise move here. Lance and Belinda could be heard through the door. "You just undermined my authority-"

Belinda cut him off. "Listen here, you insensitive asshole-"

Michael cut them off. "Maybe keep it down? Xander is supposedly sleeping."

The sound cut off after that. Alex decided that he was going to sleep now.

The next morning saw Alex waking up on his own with Fenrir curled up next to him. "Hello, dog."

Fenrir fluffed up. Alex pet his fur back down. The door opened to a slightly hungover-looking Michael. "Can we talk?"

The door shut. Alex rubbed his eyes. "Sure."

Michael sat on his bed. "Don't let Lance get to you."

Alex groaned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Michael looked at him. "Last night, that was typically Lance."

Alex ran his hands through Fenrir's fur. "What do you mean?"

Michael ran his hands through his hair. "He set you up. You didn't hear it from me, but he set you up."

Alex put his face in Fenrir's fur. He wondered why he even felt betrayed anymore. "Why?"

Michael shrugged. "I don't know. He does the same shit with me. I don't even know what's a real fucking emergency anymore."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Why are you telling me this? It's not like I can request a new mentor."

Michael ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know. We used to be friends. Just...try not to end up like him. He enjoys it, you know, killing, murder, explosions, torture. He enjoys it."

Alex rubbed Fenrir's fur. "And this is the man Card chose to mentor me? Wonderful."

Michael sighed. "It's not all bad."

Alex just looked at the man. "What the fuck even was yesterday, anyway?"

Michael grinned. "Ah, that. We were stealing some intel from a rival agency."

Xander pet the dog. Fenrir was turning out to be great for his stress levels. "Which one?"

Michael shrugged. "I'll let Lance show you the rest. I'm supposed to tell you to come down for brunch now."

Alex rose from the bed. Fenrir woofed. "I'll feed you later, fluff."

Fenrir whined pathetically. "Fine, fine, you'll get some bacon."

Alex heard Michael chuckle as he left the room. Alex flipped the man off and then pulled on some clothes. Belinda was already at the table when he arrived. "Card wishes to have you examined by a doctor."

Alex huffed. "What? I'm fine."

Belinda snorted. "I have a medical doctorate as well as one in psychology. I can substitute if you prefer."

Alex felt a little sheepish. "Er, thanks. I would."

Belinda nodded. Lance broke in. "Wait. You're a woman, though."

Belinda looked at Lance. "Are you implying what I think you're implying?"

Lance huffed. "Look, I think Mikey over there can tell you all about predatory women and young boys."

Belinda walked up to Lance and slapped him. "I would never."

Lance huffed. "Bitch, I met you two weeks ago. How the fuck would I know?"

Michael interceded. "Why don't we ask Xander?"

Belinda tossed her hair. Alex jumped in. "I'm good with it."

Lance grunted. "Fine, fine."

With that little drama, no one noticed for another five minutes that Fenrir had downed the entire plate of bacon.

"You dog ate all the bacon!"

Alex shrugged. "Look, he's hungry."

Lance pinched his nose. "You and I are hunting for him later."

Michael opened his mouth, but was silenced by a glare from Lance. "In the meantime, I'm sorry for being a bit of a dick yesterday. I was really impressed, though."

Alex blinked. "It's good. I know you aren't entirely capable of empathy."

Lance sighed. "But I am capable of sympathy and compassion and I should have shown some."

Lance ruffled his hair. "C'mon, finish up. I want to go tromping through the jungle some more."

Alex finished his last bite of eggs. "Lance, you're clinically insane."

Twinkling blue eyes met his brown. "Ah, but you love me anyway."

Lance pulled out a letter. "So, this is what we were grabbing last night. It looks like '6 wants to start bumming around our little center of operations. Card says it's a no go for obvious reasons - namely this little school - so we had to give 'em a little bit of a massive failure."

Alex sighed. On one hand, it simplified things considerably if there were only two sides in the espionage war. On the other hand, he'd just gunned down MI6 agents. "Won't they say something?"

Lance grinned. "Naw. Two reasons. One, they'd have to admit to being here. Two, they have no idea if it's us, Antonio, or a rival cartel at this point. Also, they just changed leadership and ol' Jonesy won't want to look bad."

Alex let out a sigh. "So, what about the agents?"

Lance shrugged. "Their bodies get shipped back and their families get lied to, kid. It's a brutal little world, ain't it?"

Alex was repulsed by that entire description. "That's awful."

Lance cuffed him. "It is what it is, kid."

Alex gave the man a look that suggested he wanted to punch him. "I don't like it."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Save the angst for Allen, hmm?"

Alex got up. "Fine."

Lance leaned into the doorway. "You know. At the end of this, we're gonna need a leader."

Alex shrugged. "What's your point?"

Lance leaned in closer. "There's only one king and you're about to destabilize him. Just...think about it."

Alex glared as he began attaching his body armor. "What about you?"

Lance laughed. "Nobody likes me, kid."

Alex paused. "I like you. Sometimes."

Lance snorted loudly. "There's my point, kid. Like I said, think about it."

Alex finished attaching his body armor. "What now?"

Lance huffed. "Now, we hopefully catch something for your dog."

The next morning was slightly awkward. It was like his first day all over again. All the kids were on edge around him. Kenneth and Abigail across from him. The breakfast room was dead silent. Alex felt his lips twitch. "So, who died?"

Kenneth snorted loudly. "Looks like you're fine."

Abigail elbowed Kenneth. "Ken."

Kenneth replied. "Abby. You said it yourself you hated when we got treated like lepers after we got back from things."

Abigail tossed her hair. "Fair point."

Eric and Madison seemed to be creeping over to him. Alex was a little surprised, but it was a pleasant sort of surprise. The last time people near his age found out that he had killed at a very young age, it had ended with him having no friends. To his surprise, they dropped in the seats next to him and snuggled right up. Alex realized that they were really young at that point. He might be physically twelve, but they were physically and mentally their ages. Alex awkwardly put an arm around both of them. "It'll be okay you two."

Madison burrowed deep into his side. The bell rang. The two small children were refusing to move. "Uh, guys, we have class."

Madison pouted. "I don't wanna."

Eric was giving him an identical look. "I guess you'll both have to come to mine then."

Alex put one of them over each shoulder and began to slowly walk to class with the two of them clinging to him. Sometimes his mutant strength had benefits. Ms. Davis looked exceedingly amused at Alex's not-so-dilemma. He could throw the other two off of him, but didn't particularly want to. Xander was careful to sink into his chair in a way that would not jar either of them. "You've got some clingers."

It was Lance and he looked entirely too amused.