Chapter 66: Discoveries and Discussions

Note: This chapter has crossdressing by Alex for disguise purposes. I'm not sure how controversial that is in this day and age, but consider this your fair warning.

Nile had taken the private jet to South America after a short detour to threaten the PO box address out of the bank. It had been surprisingly easy, but Nile prided himself on being intimidating. Nile knew for a fact the "Alec Pierre" was Alex Rider, but wasn't going to tell his boss about it. Nile was mainly coming to South America for a free vacation and to ask Alex how he wanted to play this. Because he wasn't about to fork a snarky twelve-year-old over to his boss. Fourteen was slightly better, but not by much. It was time to track down Alex Rider. He decided to start with the mysterious murder of a small MI6 outpost. It seemed like Alex-as-Pierre's style. Go in, kill everybody, get out, leave no trace. Nile stepped off the plane and into the dingy not-an-airport. God, he hated humidity. It made his disguises that much harder. "Time to get started." It was weird being alone. He wondered how Alex and Yassen managed. Nile preferred having his combat team near him at all times. Nile summoned a taxi to the town the PO box supposedly existed in. It took about two hours to get there with traffic in Mexico. Nile had a newfound hatred of the cities. He spoke Spanish passably, but it gave him a headache. He was a swords guy, not a language guy. That was what short nerdy dudes like Yassen and Alex were for. Not that Nile would ever say that to Yassen's face. He liked breathing and having all of his internal organs, thank you. Nile walked into the post office. Fifteen minutes and several questions later, Nile felt like screaming. The PO box didn't exist according to this post office. The man had seemed very nervous while answering his questions. Nobody seemed to know where the set of PO boxes existed, according to the computer system. Nile was very grumpy. Of course, spy boy couldn't make hunting him down effortless; that would be too easy. There was a more direct route he could take. He'd poached one of Alex's numbers from the MI6 files. Nile doubted Alex's phone was connected to a battery at the moment, though. There was one other way he could get to Alex. Presumably, mail got to him somehow. Nile would try sending letters with and without trackers from different addresses. That should work. Maybe Alex would actually answer him.

Tom Card was unhappy to hear that a SCORPIA operative was here and looking for Alex's post office box. It was unseemly. He'd summoned Alex for close to the record number of times someone had been called to the office due to outside circumstances. "So, a man named Nile is looking for your post office box."

Alex's mouth dropped open and the kid blanched. Card thought that this was an entirely reasonable response. "Oh, no."

The kid looked like he was about to faint. Which was...also a reasonable reaction. "It's okay, he won't find you here."

Card occasionally wondered if hugging people was appropriate. HR said no, but sometimes life got in the way, y'know. "I'm really sorry! He's been stalking me for ages."

Alex promptly started crying. Card stepped out from behind the desk, mentally prayed that nobody would accuse him of being a child molester, and hugged Alex. The kid seemed inconsolable. "It's going to be okay."

Card awkwardly patted the kid's shoulder. Thankfully, Alex seemed to be calming down. Card used his other hand to open the drawer he kept the tissues in. "He put like five dead people in my backyard once."

The kid seemed to be winding down now, thank God. "Well, that's just creepy."

Alex giggled at that. "It is."

Card lightly rubbed the kid's back before releasing him and handing him tissues. "Right, well, I'm sorry for upsetting you, but I thought you should know."

Alex was wiping his face. "Um, what if he does find the compound."

Card looked at him. "This compound is very well guarded, don't worry."

A pair of big brown eyes looked at him. "Are you sure he can't get in?"

Card paused. "Alright, c'mon, I'm gonna take you on a little tour. I'll show you just how safe you are."

Alex perked up a bit. "Okay."

Alex could not believe that it had been that easy to get Card to show him every last security feature the entire compound had. He hadn't had to dredge up too many feelings from deep down to start crying on cue. Card had promptly dropped him off with Belinda. Alex started feeling mildly guilty about the whole thing. He was, at least, trying to be nice, other than the whole child assassin training thing. Belinda was looking at him, bemused. "You know, besides the whole forcing orphans to be assassins thing, he's nice."

Belinda gave him a look that suggested he was losing his mind. "Tom Card is many things, but he is not a nice man. Besides the 'child assassins thing', he runs an extension of the CIA that traffics in both drugs and people. He is an accomplished sniper. Card is well known for creating some of the best intelligence agents the world has seen and is not afraid to break adults or children for it."

Alex sighed. "He's nice to me."

Belinda arched a brow. "This is why you're unsuited to long-term cover. You get attached."

Alex crossed his arms. "I'm not a bloody sociopath."

Belinda paused. "No, you're not. While you do have some extremely sociopathic traits, you experience the full range of human emotion."

Alex sighed. "Nice of you to notice."

Belinda leaned back. "Do you often have problems with people...assuming certain things?"

Alex sat down. "I did before. I mean, I do."

Belinda took a sip of water. "You seem bothered by it."

Alex shrugged. "I guess I am."

Belinda shrugged. "For someone who claims not to care what others think, you seem to spend a lot of time trying to correct the image of yourself in their minds."

Alex glared. "I'm not my father and I'm certainly not Yassen. I dislike the comparison."

Belinda sighed. "Alex, you cannot control the thoughts or actions of others completely. You can influence them. You can kill them. But everyone has a mind of their own. You can only truly control your own actions."

Alex sighed. "What about what Doctor Three does?"

Belinda smirked. "Doctor Three is a man who delights in and studies the shattering of the human psyche. He can be resisted; however, I would advise you not to try to challenge him in the mind games arena."

Alex blinked. "What about what the rest of SCORPIA does?"

Belinda shrugged. "Everyone in SCORPIA has a choice. Sometimes the only other option is death, but there are always at least two options."

Alex sat down. "Why are you telling me this?"

Belinda smirked. "Why do you care about what people think of you?"

Alex sighed. "I guess...because it makes me more normal. Because my life once depended on being seen as normal. I think I let it become a bit of a mania."

Belinda paused. "Understandable. But keep in mind, our plan now depends on you being not normal. You'll need to shine as a cut above the rest. For once, you can feel free to let your talents speak for themselves."

Alex blinked. "Just think about it, Alex."

Alex could feel a headache coming on as he went to cuddle Fenrir in his room.

Lance came into his room after dinner. "I heard in the teachers' lounge that you had a rough day."

Alex groaned and put his face into his pillow. "Please tell me nothing from those meetings spreads to the student body."

Lance sat down next to him. "Officially, yes."

Alex sighed. "And unofficially?"

Lance grinned. "Expect Eric and Madison to be extra clingy tomorrow. The older two students are going to be warned."

Alex blinked. "They're not a match for Nile."

Lance looked at him. "That's why we're telling them. So they don't try anything stupid."

Alex flushed. "Right, sorry."

Lance grinned. "Poor Kenneth and Abigail are feeling ever so overprotective."

Alex groaned and flipped Larry off. "Lance, I hate you sometimes."

Lance grinned. "Good, good. Means I'm doing my job."

Lance poked him. "Quit sulking, you drama queen. We're going to do something fun."

Alex blinked. "Your version of fun or fun."

Lance grinned. "Actually fun. Break into your disguise kit, would you?"

Alex got up and opened the chest. "How far are we going to go?"

Lance shrugged. "We'll start slow. I know changing your appearance can be hard sometimes."

Alex looked at the man like he was crazy. "Dude, I've cross-dressed."

Larry looked at him and cackled. "Do you want to, though?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't mind it."

The man's eyes lit up. "We're gonna have some extra fun, then."

Alex had to hand it to Lance. As much as the man seemed to talk about stuff being "manly" or "unmanly", - Alex thought it was pure rubbish - he didn't say a word about Alex crossdressing for disguise purposes. The man gently placed a necklace around his neck after the rest of it was finished. "Have you ever done this before?"

Lance blinked. "No. By the time I entered the company, I didn't have the figure for it anymore."

Alex resisted the urge to touch his face. He wondered how women put up with this stuff daily. It was itchy and felt like drying mud. The eyeliner and shadow were the worst. Alex wondered why people had decided on glittering grey but decided not to question it. Belinda had helped him with the makeup. The woman stepped in. "Ready, you two?"

Alex rose. Walking and moving like this still felt unnatural, though he'd practiced with Gillian. Alex chanced a glance in the mirror. The girl that stared back at him bore a striking resemblance to his mother. He blinked. "You know, I always wanted a daughter."

Alex turned towards the man with an arched brow. "Why don't you have one, then?"

Lance looked at Belinda. "Never met the right woman, you know."

Lance offered Alex his hand. Alex took it. "Let's go."

Alex walked out with Larry. The man seemed a lot more protective of him as a girl than as a boy. He shot Michael a quizzical look. Belinda seemed vaguely amused by the entire thing. "What the hell, Lance?"

Larry patted his head. "Look, kid, I'm not letting you outside of my sight like this."

Alex just gave Larry an exasperated look. "There's a lot of dangerous people out there, Alex."

Alex just raised a newly darkened eyebrow at him. "Daad."

Lance shook with a concealed chuckle and said in an undertone. "You're doing perfectly."

Alex glared at Lance. The man just looked amused. "So, what did you want to do darling?"

Alex was going to enjoy this. "Let's go to the arcade."

Lance huffed. "That's not very feminine."

Belinda jammed her elbow into his kidney. "We're going to the arcade, dear."

Larry looked mildly afraid of her. "Sounds fun."

He talked to Belinda out of the side of his mouth. "Did you have to do that so hard?"

Belinda glared at him. "Yes."

Alex gave Belinda his most innocent look. "Did you game when you were a kid, Mom?"

Belinda rose to her full height. "Yes, I did. I beat all the boys' top scores in Asteroids."

Larry glanced at her. "Game on, dear."

Belinda looked at him. "Indeed."

Alex let those two have the machine as they tried to out-do each other and instead went to Michael. Michael seemed unsure of how to handle the situation. "So, which game do you like?"

Alex grinned. "Let's find a shooter of some sort."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I get to pick the next one when you lose."

Alex glared. "Lose?! I'm going to win."

Michael was amused. "You're on, Alex."

The two went off a bit for some friendly competition.

Nile was not having fun. He had visited every single post box that was listed in the city. It was exhausting. He just wanted to sleep. The letter plan had better work because he would be out of leads, short of asking Yassen to track Alex's phone. Nile leaned back. What was Chase expecting from him? Pierre/Alex was fairly stealthy when he wasn't in the middle of blowing shit up or killing people. You'd have to be, to ditch your MI6 guardian, Nile supposed. Nile grumbled. How the hell was he supposed to talk to Alex like this? It was annoying. Sure, he could break him out of that nasty-sounding CIA hellhole, but he figured Alex was there for a reason and really wouldn't appreciate Nile sticking himself in the middle of that little shit show. On some level, Nile was surprised that Alex hadn't been shot on the spot. He had murdered a room full of people or at least been entirely complicit in that little bit of theater. Jet had shown the video to her class. And any guests. And anyone she got alone for more than fifteen minutes. Yes, Jet, we get it. Then again, poison was rarely used for something high profile like that. Nile sighed and went back to his hotel and washed off the makeup with a sigh of relief. Wearing the combination of rubber and theater make-up was god-awful for him. Mrs. Rothman had used to needle him by constantly reminding him that it was his fault while he put on his disguise. Mr. Chase was surprisingly sympathetic. Nile thought that it was because the man wasn't a complete dick. Nile let out a contented little sigh as he broke into his supply of lovely little facemasks. They were so nice and he didn't care if they were supposed to be for women. Besides, the mask/makeup combination was terrible for his skin, which, frankly, needed all the help it could get. Nile was leaning back and contemplating a bubble bath when the buzzer for his room rang. He drew a knife and stalked towards the door. "I didn't order anything."

The woman blinked. "This was sent to you by an anonymous admirer."

Nile gingerly took the tray, still holding a knife behind the door. "Uh, thanks."

The woman left. Nile let out a breath and placed it on the table, backing away from the whole thing. It was a fruit bouquet. Odd choice, but okay. Nile grabbed a napkin and opened the card.

Nile,

We should have a little talk. I'll find you. Try not to die in the next three days.

Patrick Beckett

P.S. It's not poisoned. My grandson, Alex, would have a fit.

Nile stared at the card like it was about to catch fire. Despite being cautioned against such things, his fingers inched towards a chocolate-covered strawberry. Alex had a grandfather?! Oh, right. Yassen had muttered something unflattering in Russian about his "other" relatives. Nile had kind of forgotten that Alex's mother existed. Or would have family that might care about her surviving son. Details, you know. Ian Rider tended to hog the SCORPIA spotlight. The man didn't exactly keep a low profile, especially when he had a nasty habit of sending Malagasto-trained assassins back in pieces. Specifically, hacked to pieces with an English Broadsword and sent back in a coffin. Nile figured the postage rates for MI6 were astronomical if they got charged by weight like everybody else. Nile wondered what he would get if he searched SCORPIA files for Patrick. Probably not much, since there were next to no rumors about him. Nile pulled up the files on his computer and his eyes widened. Patrick was marked as "Extremely Dangerous, Do Not Engage". Nile read on about how the man had fought in quite a few wars and then developed a fighting style to combat the one Yermalov taught for Mossad, presumably as retaliation for his daughter's death, and taught until he was...seventy. That couldn't be right. The latest satellite photos made him look about forty or fifty. No way that man was seventy. Nile decided to do a reverse image search. Because why not. Nile stared at the screen. It had to be his father, but, man, they looked alike. It didn't help that the man was also named Patrick Beckett and fought in the first world war. Really, he'd swear it was the same fucking dude. But...that wasn't possible. Nile shook his head and erased the search history for the last bit. He was going to that meeting in full battle armor and with all of his weapons.

Patrick Beckett was a lot of things, but unprepared was rarely one of them. Nile was a dangerous man and, even with the genetic modifications, he was past his prime. Not that he couldn't beat Nile in a fair fight. It just wasn't worth the risk of Nile getting in a lucky hit or stab. Patrick sighed as he triple-checked his body armor. It would be hot for this part of Mexico. Plus, it was a special Kevlar-leather hybrid that offered more protection from stabs. Mostly, it meant there was an extra leather layer and more weight. Patrick sighed again. He was getting old for this. Patrick eyed his phone. Sticking a tracker on the elastic portion of Nile's disguise had been fairly tricky. Patrick parked. He got out and silently crept behind Nile. Patrick then made his move, dropping Nile. Nile immediately grabbed his sword. Patrick grabbed his wrists and pinned them and the man's legs. "Holy shit, you're strong."

Patrick blinked. "Thank you, Nile."

Nile tried to throw him off. Patrick had expected that tactic and clamped down tighter on the man's wrists. "You're terrifying."

Patrick replied almost without thinking. "No, I'm Patrick."

Nile tried to struggle against him. "Are you going to get off me?"

Patrick took out a pair of handcuffs and put them on Nile's hands. And then did the man's feet. "Eventually."

Nile smirked. "You're not my usual type."

Patrick snorted. "And you're not mine."

Nile glared balefully at the man after he was unceremoniously dumped in the car. "You said talk! Not kidnapping!"

Patrick shrugged. "This is a talk. If I was kidnapping you, I would have sedated you by now."

Nile stared at the man. "I'm starting to see why Alex hates family reunions."

Patrick hit the brakes, throwing Nile against the back of the front seats. "Don't be rude."

Nile groaned. "What do you want, then?"

Patrick shrugged and parallel parked before answering. "Alex seems rather...enamored with you and Yassen."

Nile gagged. "That sounds vaguely sexual."

Patrick glared at him. "I want to ask about your intentions towards my grandson."

Nile sighed. "Me and Yassen-"

Patrick cut him off. "Yassen and I."

Nile rolled his eyes. "Yassen and I just want a mcfucking apprentice, man."

Patrick sighed. "I've already lost one relative to SCORPIA and her operatives don't have a particularly long lifespan."

Nile sighed. "We'll protect him."

Patrick retorted. "Given that Yassen is a self-serving sociopath and you're not any better, I find myself not at all reassured."

Nile sighed. "Look, he ran away from home and I don't think he'll like yours any better. It's pretty much us or Alex being on his own."

Patrick glared. "That's the only reason I'm even considering letting you kidnap him."

Nile groaned as the car suddenly started again. "Now, I'm going to educate on our family's general guidelines for raising teen assassins who turn into successful adult assassins."

Nile blinked. "What about Yassen?"

Patrick slammed on his brakes again. "I have faith Yassen will read the literature I've helpfully sent him. You, on the other hand, have a bad track record."

Nile occasionally wondered why the world hated him some days.

Alex had had quite a bit of fun on his first cross-dressing adventure. But, he had a few questions. "What was that little overprotective bit about?"

Larry looked at Alex. "I acted how any American father would act with his daughter."

Alex opened his mouth and closed it. "Right. I can see why they all go apeshit in college."

Lance rolled his eyes. "It also helped you acting, didn't it?"

Alex huffed. "Yes."

Larry sat down. "You see, normally, adults don't abandon their children in public for hours on end."

Alex glared. "Fuck you."

Larry held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Look, I'm just telling you like it is. What Ian did to you isn't normal."

Alex gave Larry the side-eye. "Lance."

Larry blinked. "Look, kid, it's not my place, but you can't deny that you aren't exactly the picture of average anymore."

Alex deflated, suddenly. "True."

Larry poked him. "Don't look so down, Xany. Being not normal also has its little fun bits."

Alex swatted the man's hand. Larry sighed. "Kid, look, I may not be a good man or a good dad, but I'll try to make this as easy as possible for you."

Alex got up. "Thanks."

He was going to bed early. Larry sighed behind him. Alex just wanted to cuddle his dog and go to bed. Alex got to his room and frowned. Something was off. Then, he spotted a few letters on his desk. Huh, they must have gotten past the post office. The post office being Michael. He vaguely wondered if people read them. The letters looked sealed, but that was no guarantee of anything. Alex rolled his eyes. In the morning, he decided. He grabbed his bathroom set. Fenrir whined. "What is it, dog?"

Fenrir huffed and nudged his leg. "More pets?"

Fenrir nearly bowled him over. "More pets."

Alex sat on the floor petting his dog. Fenrir snuggled up against him, sniffing. "Yeah, yeah. I know I smell weird."

Alex had used a separate set of scents for his disguise. Fenrir tried to sit in his lap and just sort of slumped on top of him. Alex was still trying to pry his wolf off of him when Larry walked in and cracked up. Alex blinked. "What the hell, Lance?"

Lance wiped away a tear. "Oh, boy. You're deadly, but when you're cuddling your dog like that on the floor, you look like a normal cute twelve-year-old."

Alex fixed Larry with a raised eyebrow. It sent him into another laughing fit. "What are you even here for?"

Lance calmed down a bit. "I wanted to give you this."

It was chocolate. Alex felt a small bit of warmth for the man. "Thank you!"

Larry grinned. "You're welcome. Don't let the dog have any!"

Alex looked at the man. "Goodnight, Lance."

Lance looked at him. "Goodnight, Xander."

Nile was released by Patrick after one of the most unpleasant days he had in a good long while. He was covered in bruises. His wrists were raw from struggling against the handcuffs. Patrick was a fucking monster on a level with Yassen. Nile wasn't sure why he was surprised. Patrick cheerfully pulled up to his hotel. "We're going for a climb."

Nile wanted to cry sometimes. Patrick hoisted him up onto his back. Nile groaned. "I'm eleven stories up."

Patrick shrugged. "We'll be fine."

Nile groaned and clutched at the man. Shit. Shit. Shit. He was afraid of heights. "Patrick!" Patrick ignored him and continued scaling the building at a pace that was uncomfortably fast. "Patrick!"

The man continued climbing without pause as he answered Nile. "What?"

He wasn't even out of breath. "I'm...I'm afraid of heights."

Patrick answered him in that same cheerful monotone. "Try to keep calm, then, Nile."

Nile tightened his grip on the man. "Why couldn't we take the stairs like normal people?"

Patrick replied cheerfully. "Where would the fun in that be?"

Nile fought to keep his breathing even as Patrick went higher and higher. Please, please, please. Patrick climbed to his window and opened it, tossing him in. Nile felt something small and metal hit him. He groped for it. The handcuff keys. Patrick went back out the window as he stared at the man. "Well, you can try to follow me if you want. But climbing down requires looking down."

Nile unlocked his legs as Patrick started back out the window. "Have a nice day, Nile!"

Patrick slammed the window shut. Nile swore as he undid the handcuffs on his wrists. "Fuck."

Alex's relatives were all fucking crazy. No wonder he ran away from home. Nile heard his phone ring. "Yes."

It was Chase. "Where have you been and why haven't you been answering the phone?"

Nile sighed. "So, you know Patrick Beckett?"

There was a pause. "Yes."

Nile sighed. "He, uh, kind of kidnapped me for like twelve hours."

There was a pause. "Are you alright?"

Nile groaned. "Aside from mental trauma on par with Yassen, Yassen, and a shitload of bruises, pretty much?"

Chase sighed over the phone. "That man. Alright, take a few days to relax. Did he say why?"

Nile grunted. "Something, something. I'm on the same continent as his grandson?"

Chase sighed loudly over the phone. "He's getting bitchy in his old age."

Nile felt his breathing quicken. "You can say that again."

Chase's tone was gentler. "Get some rest, Nile."

Nile sighed with relief as the man hung up. He dug up his first aid kit and decided to shower. Patrick hadn't bothered removing his disguise before the car trip. It was lucky he brought spares.

Yassen had just received a package from Alex's grandfather. It contained several books the family had written on child operatives and continuing into adulthood. The aliases were anagrams of people with last names the same as Alex's father and mother. Yassen had read through and memorized them. He weighed the pros and cons of burning them. It was a pity, but he did not want the books to fall into, say, Doctor Three's hands. Yassen had been mildly amused at Patrick's note. Chase had not been best pleased with the news. In fact, the man was still in his living room. Yassen was a little annoyed at this point. He'd gotten this house to be away from his coworkers and bosses unless there was an emergency. Chase continued to pace, Yassen snapped his drawer shut. "Is there something you need, Mr. Chase?"

The man paused. "Sorry. I guess I'm wondering why Beckett picked Nile instead of you."

Yassen shrugged. "It was probably a mixture of factors. Nile is younger and more impressionable than I am. I have nearly a decade of experience with operations. Nile has about three. He technically outranks me, so it looks more impressive from the outside. Also, Nile is more likely to interact with someone who handcuffs him than I am."

Chase sighed. "Fair enough."

Yassen arched a brow. "The real question is why you're asking me questions that you already know the answer to."

Chase's eyes narrowed. "You occasionally have some unique insights."

Yassen sat back. Chase would tell him if he wanted to. "Why is my second-in-command having such a bad year?"

Yassen shrugged. "Perhaps his youth and lack of impulse control are working against him."

Chase's eyes found his. "Oh, really?"

Yassen looked back at the man with his usual deadpan. "Yes."

Chase sighed. "You know I could shoot you for that, right?"

Yassen arched a brow at the man. "If someone was going to shoot me for my commentary on Nile, they would have done it by now."

Chase seemed to back off. "What were you two arguing about?"

Yassen looked at the man. "It matters little, as the disagreement is settled now."

Chase sighed. "That's not what I'm asking."

Yassen narrowed his eyes. "It was a personal matter."

Chase sighed. "Fine. I guess I'll only hear Nile's side of the story."

Yassen knew manipulation when he heard it. "We were arguing over my candidate for an apprenticeship. I found him, he's mine."

Chase coughed. "I thought you were sharing."

Yassen smirked. "Think of it as me having primary custody."

Chase shook his head. "You had better not fight over this."

Yassen shrugged. "If we do, it would not be I who started it."

Chase left.

Patrick Beckett was not a nice man. He'd taken great joy in bullying the shit out of Nile. The climb had been entirely deliberate. He did his research before meeting people. Levi Kroll still owed him favors, although Patrick had been mildly suspicious that the man hadn't "charged" him for this one. Then again, once upon a time, Levi Kroll had been a student of his. Thankfully, that had been before he'd developed his anti-SCORPIA style. Levi had once asked him for Helen's hand in marriage. Patrick had said that it was her choice and Helen had turned him down, albeit gently. Patrick was now having lunch with the man. "I am truly sorry about Helen. John not so much, but she was something."

Patrick sighed. Levi wasn't the subtlest. There was something he wanted. "Your grandson, Alex, what is he like?"

Patrick frowned. "Stubborn, determined, ferociously proud, and not at the same time."

Levi arched a brow. "Sounds like someone I know."

Patrick's eyes narrowed. "No insult meant."

Levi sighed with relief as he relaxed ever slightly. "I'm curious, though." Patrick looked at the man. "Relax, Beckett. I know that if your precious grandson dies, you'll go psycho on all our asses."

Patrick leaned back in his chair. "Quite right."

Levi chuckled. "He could have been my son. If things had been different."

Patrick gave the man a look. "Did you not even try with other women?"

Levi shrugged. "I did before I got this."

He ran his hand along with the scarring on one side of his face. Patrick shrugged. "You could probably find a wife now."

Kroll shook his head. "Brendan Chase might be content with a trophy that may or may not kill him, but I want someone who loves me."

Patrick shrugged. "Good luck with that, Levi. Your position in life doesn't make that easy."

Kroll's eyes narrowed. "No need to rub it in. We are not in drill any longer."

Patrick snorted. "I've never been known to mince words."

Kroll sighed. "That is why I trust you. That, and you are a family man."

Patrick snorted. "You don't trust anyone."

Levi smirked. "Neither do you."

Patrick sighed. "Why am I here, anyway?"

Kroll arched a brow. "I can't just want lunch?"

Patrick leveled a stare at the man. "Fine. Fine. I needed a standing appointment to ditch one of my colleagues."

Patrick rolled his eyes. "You always were a petulant brat."

Levi rolled his eyes. "You are over a hundred years old, gramps."

Patrick narrowed his eyes. "Besides, the issue is mostly taken care of. Your grandson saw to that. Alec Pierre is a touch obvious for an alias. Not that I planned to break it to Chase."

Patrick sighed. "I'll talk with him."

Kroll's eyes danced. "Please don't. Watching Kurst tantrum was the most fun I've had in years."

Patrick smirked. "Then why are you avoiding lunch with him?"

Levi sighed. "He might flip the table. And I refuse to ally with him after this little episode."

Patrick rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't want to be banned from the only good Kosher restaurant in Italy, I suppose."

Patrick moved to pay the bill. Kroll caught his hand. "I'm richer than you now."

Patrick grabbed the bill with his other hand. "That's what you think."

Levi was left wondering which assets he'd missed after Patrick left the restaurant.

Tom Card was not a man who was pleased to hear that Lance had gone on an unauthorized outing with a child that SCORPIA had targeted. The man had been promptly summoned to his office. "Hi, Boss."

Tom Card snapped. "Don't "Hi, Boss" me! Do you have an idea of how risky that was?! Xander could have been killed! Or worse, taken alive! Do you know what Doctor Three does to CIA agents who are captured?!"

Lance held up his hand. "Look, Boss, we took precautions. Besides, the kid needed a day off or he was gonna have a mental breakdown."

Card snarled. "He could have had that day off in the base! Where we have guards!"

Lance glared at the man. "What kind of life is that?! What kind of life is that where you take away everything worth living? It's the small things, you know."

Card glared at the man. "I never should have put you in charge of a child, you irresponsible asshole!"

Lance glared. "I think I'm doing well."

Card growled. "If you call spreading your blatant gender stereotyping, getting a kid drunk, and then teaching a kid how to fly an airplane responsible, I've got some bad news for you."

Lance snapped. "Do you want a real person or a child assassin?! You can't have it both fucking ways! At least this way he'll have some fun before he dies a miserable death on a pointless mission for the CIA!"

Card snapped. "Get out!"

Lance retorted. "Gladly!"

The door slammed behind him. Card out his head in his hands. Damn it, Larry. He normally didn't like the man. Sometimes he had a point. The guilt sometimes ate at him. It was probably going to be one of those nights. Larry aka Lance was one of the best assassins they ever had. Sure, nearly nobody stationed in a shit hole was innocent of killing someone, but Larry was a whole different level. Card sincerely doubted it was the man's real name, but that was how his mentor had signed him up. Larry, it was. The man had to switch names a few times due to political issues in the CIA and other places. Card tended to use the names interchangeably. He tilted back and considered. Alex was interesting. Card would never admit to having a soft spot for the kid. Alex resembled his children at that age so much it hurt. His wife had divorced him and his children no longer spoke to him. They were grown now. Card sighed and decided to reach for his scotch now. It was one of those nights.

Alex woke up in the dream world opposite Grim. "I told you that I'm not speaking with you."

Grim glared. "The summer solstice is coming."

Alex sighed. "And I'm supposed to care, why?"

Grim looked at him. "I'm going to give you the memories on the solstice."

Alex blinked. "I thought you already did?"

Grim gave him the side-eye. "You'd know this if you studied the rituals, but no. This is why you're getting these memories. The orb I fed in your last dream was a piece of my power. This is why you can absorb thousands of memories not your own. Ordinarily, your mind would pop like a grape underfoot."

Alex sighed. "Why the summer solstice and not the winter solstice?"

Grim glared. "This is why I'm force-feeding you these memories, punk. The winter solstice is used for destructive purposes only. You know, cursing your enemies, sucking the life out of people, making poisons so nasty they're literally from hell. That kind of thing. Anything instructive, constructive, or healing goes during the summer solstice. Which you would know. If that dipshit Ian was smart. You're lucky Fate decided to ritually enhance you when you were seven, otherwise, I'd have to feed you energy for two years for this."

Alex stared at Grim. "Why is Ian so against all of this?"

Grim sighed. "He never really did like the mystical shit. Too much restrictive dieting for rituals. Blah. Blah. He had a bad run-in with his chosen deity. Plus, his dad made him do several rites. Honestly, he tries to ignore stuff that resembles a religion, mostly due to his experiences infiltrating radicalized cells in the middle east."

Alex squinted. "I feel like there's something people are not telling me."

Grim smirked. "You would be right. Sadly, it's not my place to tell you these things."

Alex sat back. "Oh, c'mon, Grim."

Grim sighed. "No."

Alex sighed. "Why am I here, if the stuff is on the solstice?"

Grim sighed. "Rituals need a specific time and a specific place. Also, you'll need to try to avoid consuming certain food as much as possible."

Alex squinted. "What do I need to do?"

Grim sighed. "You need to find a special waterfall. Your pet will help you."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "And what about the food?"

Grim smirked. "Your wolf will eat anything you're not supposed to."

Alex glared. "That doesn't sound healthy for him."

Grim glared. "Bitch, you have a hellhound. Fluffy little Fenrir could eat pure poison and he'd be fine after a few days."

Alex blinked. "Aren't hellhounds supposed to breathe fire?"

Grim snarled. "Not the young ones, you idiot."

Alex crossed his arms. "Hey, I'm not the one who decided to keep me ignorant."

Grim seemed to calm down. "Sorry. I'm not exactly...mentor material."

Grim approached him. There was a black marble in hand. Alex sighed.

The solstice was upon him before he knew it. Alex had been distracted between Fenrir stealing his food and organizing how to sneak out without his four overprotective adults stopping him. Fenrir gave him another look. Alex really couldn't tell the difference between which food and what he was and wasn't supposed to eat. Fenrir seemed to have that covered. "If this keeps up, we're going to do another round of obedience training."

Fenrir pouted. Alex's tone was entirely belied by the grin on his face. Abigail seemed amused. "It's more convincing when you're not grinning like a loon."

Alex rubbed his "dog". "I think he's just anxious because I'm a bit off."

Abigail smiled. "Where did you get him?"

Alex sighed. "I found him as a stray in an alleyway."

Abigail tried to pet Fenrir and was expertly dodged. "Sorry, he's not good with strangers and touching."

Fenrir let out a whiney noise. "I know, I know. You want a walk."

Fenrir let out a happy yip. "I have class for the next few hours, fluffball."

Fenrir flung himself on the floor and let out a loud whine. "Dog."

Fenrir continued. "Dog."

Alex glanced around to do a temperature check of the room. All of the adults just seemed amused. "Dog."

Fenrir looked at Alex. "What do you want?"

Fenrir huffed. "Bacon?"

Fenrir glared. "Extra dinner?"

Fenrir let out an angry yip. "More walk time?"

Fenrir popped up and suddenly looked happy again. "This is extortion, dog."

Fenrir sat on his feet. "Fine, fine, I'll take you out for longer, you fluffy rat."

Fenrir let out a happy yip and promptly scurried off. Kenneth opened his mouth. "Not a word."

The man blinked. "I didn't say anything."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "You were thinking about it."

Kenneth rolled his eyes. "Getting moody, are we?"

Alex gave the man a deadpan look. "How do you know I haven't always been like this?"

Kenneth retorted. "Don't worry, Xany, I'm here if you want a shoulder to cry on."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Fuck you, Ken."

Kenneth grinned. "There's the Xander we know and love."

Alex sighed. "I'd punch you, but I want dessert for the next month."

Kenneth patted his head. "There, there. Eventually, you'll go through puberty and be allowed to spar with the big kids."

Alex grumbled something under his breath. It was time for evening classes. He was not looking forward to Card's class. He always felt slightly guilty any time the man called on him or praised him. God, this was awful. It said a lot that he didn't like about his dad if his dad had been cut out and chosen for this sort of thing. Card kept him after class. "You seem to be feeling guilty."

Alex felt his heart jump. He fought down a choking sensation. "I feel guilty that I've caused so much trouble. You know, the whole Nile thing."

Card blinked. "Look, kid, it's not your fault some psycho from SCORPIA decided to stalk you. They're all sick in the head, just trust me on that one."

Alex blinked and forced back the choking sensation. "I...just feel like...maybe if I had...said or done something different-"

Card cut him off. "Kid, let me tell you something. Whatever happens, whatever this motherfucker decides to do, it's all on him. There's nothing you did or said that made him do this. You told him to go away, right?"

Alex blinked. "Yeah, I even told him I'd shoot him in the ass."

Card blinked. "See? Not your fault. He's the one not respecting your boundaries."

Card grabbed his shoulder. "I know you feel responsible. Try not to focus on it."

Alex was almost unable to speak. "Thank you."

He walked out the door.

Ms. Davis drew in a shuddering breath. So far, there was no record of the supposedly graduated students. Nothing. Not a one. There were dead ones. Davis rubbed her eyes. There were a few short entries in newspapers about deaths. Ms. Davis had eventually found them all in county death records. It was never more than three years after they graduated. Three years of freedom. As far as she could tell, none of them had gone to the press or done anything to warrant execution. She sighed and felt her head fall to the desk. How could they have all been so blind? Goddamn Card, goddamn him to hell. She sighed as she considered her options. Davis briskly returned the files at two in the morning. She was an adult and she had earned the right to no bedtime. In the elevator, she almost ran into Lance. "What are you still doing up?"

The man blinked. "I could ask you the same question."

Davis sighed. "I finished looking through some old files."

Lance looked at her more sharply. "Find anything interesting."

Davis pursed her lips. "I found reviewing the past enlightening."

Lance arched a brow. "I see."

Davis looked at him. "And you?"

Lance blinked. "Xander is missing. He left a note saying he had to perform some sort of family religious ritual. Look at the bullshit note!"

Ms. Davis glanced at the note. "How remarkably unhelpful."

Lance grumbled. "Little shit did that on purpose."

Ms. Davis gave the man an unamused look. "I'm sure it's important to him. Religion is central in some people's lives, Lance."

Lance huffed. "He could have at least let us come with him."

Ms. Davis sighed. "Lance, do you know what day it is?"

The man looked at her. "Yeah, I'm not on a bender."

Ms. Davis rolled her eyes. "It's the summer solstice, you dolt. Which means he's probably a pagan. Some pagan rituals are performed partially or fully nude."

Lance made a face. "I mean, I'd put up with that shit. There is a killer after him. I'd rather have a few weeks of awkward silence than him murdered in the woods just because he doesn't wanna be seen in the buff."

Ms. Davis rolled her eyes. "Yes, Lance. That's not how a teenager views it, though."

Lance blinked. "He's twelve?"

Ms. Davis rolled her eyes. "Don't be pedantic."

Lance sighed. "Sorry."

Ms. Davis grunted. "You know, you're not nearly as bad as I thought you would be."

Lance gave her a flat look. "Thanks. Thanks so much."

Davis sighed. Lance turned to look at her. "What?!"

Lance blinked. "Are you in or out?"

Ms. Davis blinked. "In."

Lance glanced at her. "Wanna come by our place and wait for the kid?"

Ms. Davis was amused. "Why not?"

Alex let out a sigh as he slid silently in through the window. Fenrir was being surprisingly cooperative, but Alex had his suspicions that his pet was far smarter than the average wolf. Fenrir slid in after him as Alex silently slid the window shut. His muscles were on fire and his head felt like one of the many times someone had tried to cave it in. Alex stripped out of his clothes and heaved himself onto the bed. He'd try to sort through the memories later. Alex had just gotten himself under the cover when Lance walked in and flicked on the lights. "Oh, fuck me."

Lance blinked. "You're not my type."

Alex blinked. "Am I in trouble?"

Lance smirked. "Yes."

Alex groaned into his pillow. "Can we talk about this in the morning?"

Lance looked at the kid. "It's in the morning! Four in the morning, to be exact!"

Alex swore into his pillow. "Go away and lecture me in mentorship hour, please."

Lance huffed. "Fiiine."

Alex was thankful when Lance left him alone and shut the lights off. Fenrir climbed into bed next. "Dog."

The wolf ignored him and draped himself almost entirely on top of Alex. Fenrir huffed and licked his face. "Fenrir."

The wolf's eyes met his. The golden ochre color of the wolf's eyes was oddly comforting. "Go to sleep, dog."

It came out in Ancient Greek. Well, he would deal with that later. Alex leaned into the dog and fell asleep.