Chapter Four

"That was so mortifying!" Blaine said as they got back to the hotel. Kurt giggled.

"It's not funny, Kurt! I insulted that poor girl, when all I was trying to tell her was I was sorry and I don't play for her team!"

Kurt laughed harder. "I told you to brush up on your Swedish! It was just lucky she realized from your accent that you were American."

"What happened?" Alex said, joining them in the lobby.

"A misunderstanding due to the language barrier," Kurt continued to laugh.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Well, at least Mr. I-speak-seven-languages-fluently here saved the day. Sorry, some of us aren't as capable of learning a foreign language as others."

Kurt took pity on him and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry, Blaine. In your defense, you do speak Italian much better than I do." Kurt turned to Alex then. "How many languages do you speak?"

Alex shrugged. "Twenty, and I comprehend another eight, though I don't speak them well. I'm with Blaine on Swedish. I can understand what they are saying, but it's easier for me to talk to them in English or Spanish."

"See, Kurt. Swedish is complicated. Anyway, how did your conversation with Simon go?"

Alex nodded. "It went well. He agreed to not only keep an eye on the prince, but to place the cameras as well. I get the feeling getting close to the prince won't be a hardship for him."

…

Wille sighed as he flopped down on his bed. Another awkward meal with his 'peers' had him wanting to pull his hair out. Walter and Henry had again been little 'yes men,' agreeing with everything Wille said, as if the two didn't have a brain between them. It had made Wille so self conscious he had stopped talking at all.

He stared up at the ceiling, wondering what it would be like to be just a regular, anonymous teen. He imagined having a normal conversation with another teen. So what if the image in his head was of Simon. Two normal boys could have a conversation, couldn't they? But what would they talk about?

Before he could come up with a topic of conversation, his phone rang. He smiled when he saw it was a video call from his brother.

"Erik! Hi! What are you doing calling at this time of night? Shouldn't you be having dinner with our parents?"

The crown prince laughed. "Dinner has been delayed by half an hour due to an unexpected visitor." He shifted the phone so he could see the person sitting beside Erik on the couch.

"Beatz!" Wille said, sitting up on his bed. "What are you doing there?"

"Well, father is away on a state trip, and mama's grandmother suddenly took ill, so she is flying to France to see her. She decided now would be a good time for me to visit my cousins. Imagine my disappointment to arrive and find my favorite cousin has been banished to boarding school!"

Wille laughed as Erik punched Jon in the shoulder.

"Seriously though," Wille said. "I've missed you! Midsummer was no fun without you."

"Oh, well, you know, princely duties and all that."

"Uh huh," Wille said. "And the VIP backstage passes to the Mercedes Jones concert had absolutely nothing to do with it."

"Hey, I was there representing the Crown." All three of them laughed at that. Then Jon sobered for a moment. "I've missed you too, Wille. I promise to come see you when I can, okay?"

"Okay. Make it soon, though. I'm going nuts here."

"As soon as I can. You stay safe, okay?"

Wille scoffed. "Yes, mother!"

They laughed again, before Erik and Beatz were called for dinner and they said goodnight.

…

Back in the states, Wes was multitasking, as usual, as he wrote up reports for the agency's government contacts, while simultaneously doing his pre-law homework. The nineteen year old was able to easily compartmentalize his mind, and being ambidextrous, was quite capable of doing both tasks at once. A knock on his office door was only a minor distraction.

"Come in."

He barely glanced up when Trent entered. The usually cheerful boy seemed a bit perturbed.

"Sir, there's something I think you should see."

That fully got Wes' attention. "What is it?"

Trent set his laptop on the desk between them and turned it to face the Asian man. "This just came through on my computer. Someone traced my hack into the international facial recognition database."

Wes read the file on the screen, frowning. "Can you find out who sent this?"

Trent shrugged. "No need. They sent their calling card. Basically, they 'invited' me to contact them in cyberspace at any time."

Wes nodded. "Have you verified this information?"

Trent nodded. "It's legit. This is some messed up crap, and MI6 allowed it to happen."

Wes agreed. "It's no wonder Alex wants nothing to do with them."

Trent looked uncomfortable for a moment before speaking again. "Sir, under the circumstances, do you think we can really trust this Alex guy?"

Wes sat back in his seat. That was a very good question.

…

Charlie sat at the drums in the music room at Truham, playing along to the indie rock song playing through his headphones, lost in the beat. He was supposed to meet Nick after rugby practice in about ten minutes to tutor him in maths, but hadn't wanted to wait by the changing rooms, where he would inevitably be taunted by Harry Greene and his rugby pals.

He became aware of the sensation of being watched as the song came to an end, and spun around in the seat, frowning at the boy casually leaning against the door frame, watching him. Ben Hope. Charlie sighed.

"What do you want, Ben?"

The brunette haired boy smirked at him. "I missed you, Charlie."

Charlie frowned, suppressing the shiver of disgust the sound of his name on Ben's lips caused. "I told you, I don't want to see you anymore." He gathered up his bag, sliding his drumsticks into the side pocket as he slung it over his shoulder. "I have to go, I'm meeting someone."

Ben stepped into his path, effectively blocking the doorway. "Come on, Charlie! I know you're scared, but we aren't going to get caught!"

"I'm scared?" Charlie growled. "I'm not the one who has anything to be scared of! Everyone knows about me already! You're the one who wanted to keep everything a secret! Just like you kept it secret from me that you have a girlfriend."

"You know I'm still trying to figure stuff out!" Ben shouted at him. "What more do you want, Charlie?"

He grabbed Charlie's arm, and Charlie acted on instinct, the lessons with Nick kicking in. He grabbed Ben's wrist, twisting it to break his grip, his now free hand coming up to put the arm in an elbow lock, and spinning him into the wall, face first, holding him there with pressure on his twisted shoulder.

"Stay the hell away from me, Ben!" He released the other boy, who slowly straightened, adjusting his jacket before turning to glare at Charlie.

"You'll regret that someday soon, Charlie. I had hoped you would see reason. I could have protected you."

"Piss off, Ben!" Nick's voice startled both of them. "He told you to stay away!"

Ben glared at them both a second longer, before walking away. Charlie took a deep breath, and felt the tension ease out of him. Nick turned and looked at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. How much of that did you hear?"

Nick blushed slightly. "Enough. Practice ended early, so I came looking for you. You were awesome, Charlie! You performed that move perfectly! I'm so proud of you!"

Charlie couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "I have to admit, that felt awesome!" They both laughed for a moment, and then Charlie picked up his book bag, which had slipped off his arm when Ben had grabbed him. "Come on, let's get started on your maths homework."

Nick groaned, but followed the younger boy.

…

Tao was frowning, a not unusual expression for him. What was unusual was the cause of the frown.

Elle was reading the file Wes had sent her, marked 'EYES ONLY,' which meant no one else was allowed to read it. That wasn't what had Tao upset, though. It was the way Elle was talking to herself. About Alex.

"Remarkable!" she said at one point. "Oh my God! He has to be so smart to get out of that!" she'd muttered with awe a few minutes later.

"I know that look, Tao Xu," Darcy's voice teased quietly from behind him.

He glanced at her over his shoulder, not moving from his spot where he could see Elle through her open office door.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he said, turning back to the door as Elle made another sound of sympathy.

Darcy laughed, moving to stand beside him, her blonde hair bouncing as she moved. "You're jealous!"

Tao scoffed. "Jealous of what, exactly?"

"Oh, I don't know," Darcy said, leaning against his shoulder. "The mystery blonde boy 007, perhaps?"

Tao scoffed again. "Why would I be jealous of him? He's not even here right now. He's in Sweden with Kurt and Blaine."

"So, why are you spying on the boss, who is currently reading the secret dossier on said teen spy?"

"I'm not spying on her." Tao said, defensively.

"Uh huh. So what are you doing?"

"I'm doing what any good second in command does. I'm monitoring my commander for any signal that they need assistance, and waiting for instructions."

It was Darcy's turn to snort this time. "Admit it, you like Elle."

"What? No! She's my best friend! She understands my unique taste in movies, laughs at my jokes, acts silly with me, has beautiful hair…"

"Ah ha! You do like her!" Darcy grinned.

Tao sighed, but ignored Darcy. There was no way he would ever admit out loud that yes, he had a crush on Elle. He'd known her since before she came out as trans, and he suspected he may have had the tiniest of crushes on her then, but after she transitioned that crush grew into full on infatuation. Did that make him pansexual? He didn't know, but he did know he never wanted to ruin their friendship.

"Is there a reason you are here bugging me, instead of developing some kind of clear plastic weapon that is undetectable to metal detectors, and can pass off as something ordinary, like a compass, or a yoyo or something?"

"Did that last year, remember? And compasses are too conspicuous nowadays. Every teenager has a phone, and phones have GPS, which brings me to why I'm here. I'm delivering a message. Tara said she managed to pinpoint where Siren's last transmission came from. She was here, just south east of London."

Tao frowned.

…

Simon felt a little guilty as he placed the minuscule camera in Wille's dorm room, but he reminded himself it was for the other boy's protection.

He wasn't sure Alex 'Friend' had been completely honest with him, especially after mentioning a top secret spy agency consisting of teenagers with the unlikely acronym G.A.Y.A.S.F. Who the hell had come up with that?

But the idea that someone might want to harm Wilhelm had brought out a protective streak in Simon that usually only came out around his mom and sister.

Wilhelm's initiation party was being held that night in one of the abandoned buildings on the edge of the school's property. Simon had dropped off the booze earlier, and been told to come back after the prince had been welcomed. He'd used that time to place the cameras. Once the last one had been placed, he headed down to the stables to pick up Sara.

By the time they reached 'The Palace,' as the students called the ramshackled building, the party was in full swing. Simon frowned when the first thing Sara did was grab a drink. He couldn't help worrying about her, not after seeing what addiction had done to their dad, but the whole point of bringing her here was for her to loosen up and have some fun.

He was distracted from thoughts about his sister though, when he felt eyes on him, and when he looked to the left, he saw Wilhelm watching him. He felt a little shiver at the way the prince's eyes moved over him.

Simon gave himself a mental slap, looking away from Wilhelm. Pt had to have been a trick of the flashing lights. There was no way the other boy actually liked him in that way. The prince was straight. Right?

He tried to ignore Wilhelm and focus on Sara and just having fun, but it was hard to ignore the way Wilhelm seemed to be the life of the party, throwing back drink after drink, making strange toasts, and dancing (more like flailing) outrageously. When Simon found himself standing next to Wilhelm at the refreshment table, he was relieved to see the prince drinking water rather than more booze. He also didn't seem to be as drunk as he'd been acting. Maybe a bit tipsy, but not as stumbling drunk. Had he been faking it?

He wasn't prepared for Wilhelm to speak to him.

"Hey," the taller boy said.

Simon suddenly felt nervous. "Hey," he replied.

"How are you doing?" Wilhelm asked.

Simon didn't know what to think. This was the second time the prince had gone out of his way to talk to him. "I'm good." He wasn't good. He was on the verge of making a fool of himself. "I gotta go." He started towards the building exit, needing fresh air.

Wilhelm caught up with him in the hallway. "Hey, uh, wait, wait!" Simon stopped when he grabbed his arm. "I was about to go outside and um…" Was Wilhelm blushing? Simon felt his heart skip a beat. "Do you want to come with?"

Simon didn't know why Wilhelm seemed to be interested in him, or why he felt so drawn to the young prince. Maybe it was the lost look in his eyes, the yearning to be accepted as he was. Simon could relate to that. Maybe that was why he followed Wilhelm out of the building.

…

Nick used his infrared scope to scout the building. They weren't expecting to find anyone there now that they knew The Crimson Mongoose had moved on, but they weren't taking any chances.

"Rugby lad in position. The exterior of the building is clear. Blackbird and Warbler, you are clear to advance," he whispered into his com. "Movie man, hold your position until they breach the main door. Be advised, one indistinct heat signature in the north west quadrant of the first floor. Ladyhawk and Bookworm, make your way to the rear of the building."

Once Kurt and Blaine, who had flown back from Sweden for this raid, and Elle and Isaac were in position, Nick scanned the building floor by floor once more, before giving the signal to breach the doors. Kurt and Blaine forced the front doors, and slipped inside, beginning to search in a grid pattern.

"Movie man, cover the entrance. Ladyhawk and Bookworm, wait for Blackbird's signal to enter."

There were several minutes of silence before Kurt signaled for the other team to enter. "I found the heat source, I think," Blaine whispered into the radio. "It appears to be some kind of incubator."

"Leave it for now," Elle said. "Bookworm and I will take the basement. You two check the second floor."

Fifteen minutes later the building was declared all clear, and the recovery team was allowed in to gather whatever evidence they could find. Elle, Tao, Nick, Isaac, Kurt and Blaine all gathered by the entrance as they oversaw the other team. Elle, Tao, Nick and Isaac all seemed a bit on edge.

"You do realize where we are, right?" Elle asked. Kurt and Blaine looked at her in confusion, but the other three all had grim expressions on their faces. She pointed to two large buildings down the road. "Those are Truham and Higgs. Our schools," she explained to the two American agents.

"That can't be a coincidence," Tao said.

Elle agreed. "I want a run down on every student and faculty member at both schools as soon as possible. If any of them could possibly be connected, I want to know. Anything even remotely suspicious, and I want to know about it. In the meantime, I want Charlie to examine all the equipment and chemicals we found in the building. I want to know what they could have been used for, and if they are dangerous."

Tao, Nick and Isaac, who never said much, all nodded and headed back to headquarters. Elle turned to Kurt and Blaine once more when they were alone. "I assume Wes briefed you two on our Alex dilemma."

"We're aware of the situation, yes," Kurt replied.

"And what do you think? Can we trust him?"

Kurt looked at Blaine briefly before answering. "So far he hasn't done anything to make me believe he is a danger to the mission. He is quite secretive, though. Never talks about himself or his past."

Blaine nodded his head. "My gut is telling me we can trust him, but I don't think he really trusts us yet. Maybe if we can break down his walls a little, get him to open up a little more, we can establish more trust."

Elle considered this for a few moments, and then nodded. "I'm relying on your judgment. Try and get him to trust us more. For all of our sake. I'll be sending a few more agents to Sweden to keep an eye on things. I'll send Isaac back with you tonight. The others will be there within forty eight hours."

Kurt and Blaine agreed.

…

Alex watched the two boys slipping away from the party with a frown. If someone was plotting to kidnap or kill the prince, this would be their perfect chance. The noise from the party would cover the sound of a struggle, and most of the kids were drunk anyway. Including, it seemed, the prince. Simon at least appeared sober, but any professional could take him out easily enough.

Alex felt guilt slipping through him. Simon was an innocent. He never should have put him in the middle of this. Just as Alan Blunt should never have dragged him into the lies and bullshit at MI6. Granted, he hadn't blackmailed Simon into it like Blunt had.

Shaking off his thoughts, he followed the two boys, staying aware of the environment around him as they settled in a semi secluded location, sitting against an old foundation. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but the prince appeared to be doing most of the talking.

Simon seemed content to let him talk.

Noise from behind Alex alerted him to the other boys intruding on the peace Simon and Wilhelm had apparently been seeking. Wilhelm heard it as well, and suddenly ducked even further out of view, trying to push Simon down with him. It was almost comical to watch, especially with Wilhelm noisily shushing Simon when he giggled, and mocked the voices of the boys calling 'Wille.'

The prince ended up forcing his hand over the smaller boy's mouth, effectively stifling his giggles, but causing him to wiggle, trying to get free. Neither of them seemed aware of how…intimate it all looked. Until Wilhelm looked down at Simon, and both boys froze, becoming aware of each other.

Wille suddenly yanked his hand back as if he'd been burned, but they continued to stare at each other, and Alex was certain they were going to kiss, forgetting about the other boys completely. But as soon as those other boys moved out of the area, Simon jumped to his feet and ran off.

That was curious. Alex would have bet money Wilhelm would have been the one to run away.