Alan Blunt was absolutely furious, and for the first time in his life, actually showing it.
"How could they do this without us knowing about it?" he demanded of Mrs. Jones, who was standing very still, the peppermint in her mouth forgotten.
"We're looking into it. Unfortunately, the answer doesn't really matter. It's been done. It's legal, and it's filed," she answered.
"Is there some way we can move around it?"
"I'm afraid not, Alan. If it was still in the works, then yes, we could have prevented it, but Daniel Martin had everything done before we even got a whisper of it. Like or not, he is now Alex Rider's adopted father."
"How can a SAS member adopt a child? Did Mr. Martin lie about his occupation?"
"No. And he has filed a legal will defining that should anything happen to him, custody of Alex will pass to Quinn Macfee. I suspect that each of K Unit has done similar wills, passing Alex between them until there either none of them left, or he is 18, which the court has accepted as responsible protective measures," she explained coldly.
"I want Mr. Martin brought in!"
Wolf sighed as he entered the Royal and General Bank. He knew what this was about, and was prepared to pay the piper.
Blunt's office was barren, as always, and equally, Mrs. Jones was standing in a corner of it.
For once, Blunt didn't play any games and got right to it.
"We've come across some information, Mr. Martin, that you are now a proud father?"
Wolf smirked. "Yeah, I'd introduce you to my son, but I think you've already met."
"This is no laughing matter, Mr. Martin," Jones dropped coldly. "This is very serious. Alex is not a normal teenager, and cannot be treated as such."
"He's fifteen years old! He needs to go to school, pass his exams, have a life."
"And what are your views on his current occupation?" Blunt asked.
Wolf hesitated. "I think Alex is capable of making his own decisions, and I won't interfere- much. But there are some terms that are going to be laid out."
"I hardly think you're in a position to make demands," Mrs. Jones clipped.
"I think I'm in a excellent position, now that I'm his father and all. I'm not some Guardian you can toy with. I have the security clearance to know what's happening with his missions, what's happening with him. If Dellaware tries to make another move, he couldn't be better protected. Come to think of it, K Unit is pretty much prepared to handle any backlash from any of his enemies," Wolf pointed out.
Blunt relaxed a little. They weren't losing their hold on Rider entirely. "And what are these terms?"
"He's an active agent. Whether you want to put that into paperwork or not doesn't matter. He deserves to be paid for what he's doing. Retroactively."
"Agreed."
"He's a kid, and he needs to finish school. MI6 will provide him with a tutor to help him catch up on any coursework he's missed. Also, he needs downtime after he's been injured, and proper care. He can't speak right now because of you, and the Dr. Welsh is starting to suspect some complications with his vocal cords," Wolf listed, surprised he was getting as far as he was.
"Agreed."
"Kid or no, he still puts his neck on the line every mission. He deserves the same treatment and respect as any other agent you have working here. He also deserves to have the same protection whenever he goes out."
"Agreed. Is there anything else?" Blunt asked.
"If he says no, it stays at that."
Blunt nodded. "We have some terms as well, Mr. Martin. I want your assurance that you won't influence his decisions either way. There will be no interference on missions from you or K Unit unless you are assigned to it. If, as it has happened in the past, you are on assignment together, he is to get no special treatment."
"Agreed," Wolf answered.
It was the best they could do. Both sides getting what they wanted. Only time would tell if the agreements would be kept.
AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW
A week later, Alex entered his house. He walked in with his head down, afraid to see the changes that Wolf must have made. Only two steps in the door and already it felt empty without Jack.
He missed her. More than he was willing to admit. But he also knew she had done what was right by her, and he couldn't fault her for that. It hurt, to have been abandoned by one more person in his life. His parents, his uncle, Sabina, his mates at school, and now Jack. It seemed like a never ending list and it only served to make him weary.
Shrugging off his melancholy, Alex forced himself to look on the bright side. He had finally, finally been discharged from the hospital, though he still hurt and still couldn't speak. He was coming home, to his house, rather than being sent to an orphanage. And if MI6 actually gave him time to heal properly, then he'd be able to catch up on his coursework.
He thought his lack of vocal abilities pretty much kept him benched until it healed, so MI6 would be leaving him alone for a while, at least.
He had been so deep in thought, that he startled at seeing Snake, Fox, and Eagle sitting at his kitchen table. It was then that he looked up and took in the rest of the room. Nothing had overly changed. With the exception of a few plates, mugs and a bread box, it looked the same as it had the night he left.
Curious, he went to look in the living room. It too, had remained the same. He explored each room, surprised to find Ian's office was now open, and ready for another to use it again. Upstairs, he hesitated at his uncles room. They hadn't changed it. There was a duffel bag sitting on the floor in the corners, with a few boxes, but nothing had been touched. Jacks room had been largely untouched, except that everything personal had been taken. The closet was empty, and all her pictures, books and posters were gone.
Saddened by her absence, he sat on the bed, running his fingers over the quilt. Would he ever see her again? He felt like his life was spiralling out of his control, and the worst part about it, he couldn't find it in him to care much about what happened to him. This was one more change, one more adjustment he'd have to make.
He was exhausted. The trip from the hospital and the flood of emotions when he entered the house has crashing down on him. He curled up on top of the quilt and closed his eyes.
Downstairs, the rest of K Unit had decided to give Alex some space, though each kept sending glances toward the stairs.
"How do you think he's handling all this?" Eagle asked.
"I don't know. He was never the most open kid to start with, and now with his voice- we'll just have to wait and see, I guess," Wolf answered.
They'd talked a great deal together about the situation they now found themselves in. And their was no question about it, they were completely united. In this, as with everything else, they would watch each others backs. This had not been lightly undertaken.
Even Wolf had found it discomforting to suddenly be the 25 year old father of a fifteen year old. But he'd made an agreement with himself. Cub didn't need a father, he needed more of a big brother and that was something Wolf felt he could provide.
The move hadn't been a pain. He and Snake had shared an apartment for years, but it had mostly only been walls to house their things and beds to sleep on. That part of the adjustment had been easy. Somehow, both men suspected it would be the only part that was.
"Has Dr. Welsh given you any idea on how long it'll take him to get his voice back?" Fox queried.
"He thinks that Alex might have dislocated a vocal cord, but they won't be able to tell until all of the swelling goes down. Providing he doesn't try to use his voice, that should take about another week."
Snake snorted. "He was a mouthy little brat at training, and then again at Point Blanc. I think we should indulge in his silence as best we can."
"Have you considered getting a housekeeper? You're not the cleanest person around," Fox pointed out.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence there, Ben, but yes, MI6 has hired someone, cleared by them, to come in twice a week. We've got everything set up. Now it's up to him."
Alex woke to something that smelled fantastically not like hospital food. It took him a moment to get his bearings, and he remembered he had fallen asleep in Jack's old room. He sighed. It was time to face the music. He just wished he had his voice back. It was really the only defence he had. He felt too open, to exposed without it.
He followed the smells to the kitchen, and found K Unit spread out, assembling dinner. He looked at his watch, surprised he had slept most of the day.
"Don't worry, Cub, you'll get your timing back on in a few days," Snake assured, having looked up and seen the confusion on the boys face.
Alex nodded, and made a gesture toward the food, lifting his eyebrows curiously.
"Chicken, carrots, potatoes, and salad. You need to eat a healthy meal right out of the hospital, but don't get used to it. Tomorrow night is takeaway," Wolf grinned.
K Unit chuckled. The table was set, and Alex realized there was nothing for him to do. He felt a chill, and shivered. Life was definitely going to be different.
Unfortunately, Snake had seen it. "Are you okay? Do you need any pain meds?"
Alex shook his head. He'd been prescribed pain medication by the hospital, but figured since he had gone most of his recovery without them, he wasn't about to start now.
It was as they sat at down for dinner that Wolf decided to lay the ground rules.
"I might as well do this while you can't argue, so here are a few rules," he started.
Alex smirked, and then slowly, deliberately raised his middle finger. Vocalization was, after all, only ten percent of human communication.
"I'm going to ignore that. MI6 has arranged for a tutor for you. Damon will be starting after you return to school to help you catch up. They've also provided a housekeeper that will come twice a week and look after laundry, and basic cleaning," Wolf continued.
Alex nodded. So far so good. He pushed his food around his plate a little more. It hadn't escaped K Unit's notice that he had only eaten a bite or so.
"Alex, is it too rough on your throat? I can make some soup, if that would help," Eagle offered.
It was then that Alex realized what Wolf had meant by getting used to K Unit. While Wolf had been the one to adopt him on paper, it was, in fact, the whole unit who had decided to adopt him. He frowned at the thought. He'd never liked being the centre of attention, and he'd gone from being very independent to suddenly having four guardians. It was unsettling.
He could see the others were waiting on his answer, and he shook his head. To prove it, he popped some chicken in his mouth, gesturing to Wolf to go on with the new house rules.
He did, explaining everything he had arranged with MI6, what would happen to Alex if anything ever happened to him, and most importantly, his own agreement to the terms Blunt had laid out. Some basic rules, mostly for security purposes. Leave a note when he went out. Never leave in the middle of the night without waking either himself or Snake first. Call either of the older men first should he want to bring a mate over. All little things that Alex could not only live with, but completely understand, given both his and their careers.
He sighed with relief when he understood they wouldn't try to smother him, or cut off his independence. As nice as it occasionally was to have someone there who cared about him, he would wilt under any kind of strict regimenting of his life.
"Alex, it's going to take some time to adjust to everything. We understand that, and I think you need to understand that means for us, too. We're not used to having a kid around, but to be honest, we tend to think of you as more a teammate than a charge. And you'll be treated as such. When you're injured, we coddle, and don't think for a moment it's because of your age. Trust me," Snake laughed. "You should have seen it when Wolf- I mean Daniel, got shot in the leg."
Alex nodded his acceptance. But then he realized he didn't really know their real names. How to ask? The others had launched in to funny stories about their previous injuries, and how the team had rallied to care for each other, and generally drive each other nuts.
He snapped his fingers, and immediately had all four men staring at him. He put his hand gingerly on his chest, and mouthed, "Alex, Cub". Then he put his hand on Wolf's shoulder, who was sitting next to him, and mouthed, "Wolf, Daniel." Then he pointed at Fox and shrugged his shoulders.
Eagle chuckled. "You know, for a kid with no voice, you're pretty good at communicating. He wants to know our real names," he explained to the others.
Fox laughed. "I'm Benjamin Daniels. You can call me Ben. Snake there, is Quinn MacFee, Eagle is Derek Costain, and you know Wolfman is Daniel Martin."
The meal continued as such, Alex mostly listening to the stories the other men told, and to their unique sense of humor. He also couldn't seem to get out of the odd reminder that in order to be digested, food actually had to go in his mouth.
He ate as much as he could, but he really wasn't that hungry. He had stood and gathered his plate to take to the kitchen when the phone rang.
The shock of the flashback that took hold of Alex made him drop his plate to the floor, while he put his palms up to his eyes, trying to push the memory out through his eyeballs, at the same time, without being aware, was trying to back into the wall behind him. He slid down, his knees up to his chest, shaking.
K Unit were on their feet in seconds, but Snake held them back. "No! Crowding him could only make it worse. Wolf, answer that damn phone!"
Wolf obeyed immediately, slow to make the connection between the phone ringing and Alex's condition that Snake had made in seconds.
Meanwhile, Snake was slowly approaching Alex, his hands held out in front of him as if to show he was unarmed.
"Alex," he coaxed gently. "You're here, at your house in Chelsea. You're safe. I'm going to put my hand on your shoulder to ground you, okay?"
Snake carefully did so, squeezing tightly. He knew it would hurt- the boys shoulders were still tender from being dislocated and the muscles deeply bruised- but he needed to bring Alex back from wherever he was.
His voice was gentle as he crouched in front of the boy, making sure to explain every move he made. He continued to murmur that Alex was here, at home, safe. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Cub's breathing became less panicked, and his hands fell away from his eyes, though he hung his head in shame, not willing to look at the others.
Alex cursed himself. It was the first time a memory had come on him like that. Normally, it only happened when he was asleep, and he hadn't been prepared for it to hit with the force it did. But he could feel the concern of the others, and took a deep breath.
He looked at Snake, who was directly in front of him, and nodded that he was okay. For a moment, he was eternally grateful he couldn't speak. Once again, it meant he didn't have to explain himself.
Snake was watching him with worry. "It's okay, Alex, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to the best of us, I promise."
Alex nodded again, and seemed to have gotten himself under control. He winced as he stood. His back was on fire again from being so tightly pressed against the wall, and his muscles were trembling with weakness, threatening to pull him down. But he resolutely ignored all this, and looked to Wolf, making the "phone" sign by putting his fist up to his cheek, with his thumb by his ear and his pinky by his mouth.
Wolf shifted uncomfortably. He didn't really understand what had just happened, and the phone call was not a good one. He didn't know whether he should tell Alex or not.
Alex obviously didn't need his answer. He nodded, and turned upstairs. He knew who it had been. Who it always was. MI6, and they wanted to use him again. There would be a car here to pick him up in about twenty minutes, and he wanted to get changed before that, since he had fallen asleep in his clothes.
K Unit watched him go upstairs, before releasing a collective breath.
"What the hell just happened?" Wolf demanded. He was glaring at Snake, but it was Eagle who answered.
"That was a flashback, a very vivid one, if I'm right. One sign among many others that the kid has PTSD."
"But he's just a kid!" Fox blurted.
"Look, I watched my grandfather go through it. The signs are all there, if you know what you're looking for. It doesn't matter how old he is, he's seen a lot. Jack's letter gave us a lot of facts, but not enough. I don't know Cub very well, but from what I can tell, for every gruesome detail he gave her, there were four he didn't," Eagle responded seriously.
Snake nodded. "This last mission must have sent him over the edge of his control."
"So he's unstable?" Wolf asked. He'd heard about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but had never had any real training or experience with it.
"No. Just the opposite. I can almost guarantee that we'll never see that again. He'll have learned to recognize the signs, and he'll learn the triggers. And it's his control over it that's going to eventually make him worse," Eagle answered. Come to think of it, he thought his grandfather would have liked Cub, despite his age.
"Who was it on the phone?" Fox thought to ask.
Wolf growled. "MI6. They're sending a car for him."
"Now?"
"Now."
"They wouldn't dare send him on a mission when he's like this, would they?" Eagle asked hesitantly, referring to Cub's lack of voice rather than the flashback.
"I don't know. But I'm going with him," Wolf answered with determination.
If Alan Blunt was surprised to see Wolf, he didn't show it. Instead, he directed Alex to sit down. Mrs. Jones was, as always, hovering around the chair, sucking on a peppermint. Alex thought he was starting to understand why he didn't like the smell or taste of mint anymore.
"Alex, I'm afraid I have some rather disturbing news."
Alex shrugged. So what is new.
"You know we weren't able to capture Troy Dellaware?" Mrs. Jones joined in. "We have, of course, been looking, but it was safe to assume he was no longer in Canada. We've tried using our contacts in SCORPIA, but they don't seem to have any knowledge of his location either."
Alex nodded, just to give some response. He wasn't overly concerned. Troy Dellaware was by far not the most dangerous SCORPIA member he'd ever encountered, or indeed, even among criminals he was rather low on the pole. He wanted to know what this all had to do with him.
"What has this got to do with Alex?" Wolf asked, as though reading his thoughts. Alex sent him a grateful look.
Blunt pressed a button and the screen behind his desk activated. "We received this message this morning, and we have confirmed that it's contents are, in fact, true."
Suddenly, Alex saw Jack's face on the screen. She was tied to an antique looking chair, staring defiantly at someone in front of her. The picture moved, and focused on Troy Dellaware.
"Hello good friends of England. I greet you from the Washington State. Miss Starbright here has been telling me many wonderful things to visit while I'm here, but I'm afraid business must come first."
Wolf had watched as Alex went rigid in his chair, his hands gripping the arms so tightly his knuckles were white.
"I want Alex Rider delivered to me. I have been informed he still lives, so please don't try to pull any tricks. Miss Starbright would have to meet a very unfortunate end, should you try. I will be waiting where it all began for two days. If he has not come, alone and unarmed, then I will be forced to kill Miss Starbright, and find another more persuasive method to get his attention. Cheerio, and do have a good day."
The screen went blank. Mrs. Jones turned to Alex.
"We've assumed that he means your beginning with SCORPIA, and we have agents standing by in Venice. That background on the tape has confirmed this."
Alex had understood immediately where Troy meant. He had also understood that this was a personal message to him. Troy would know that MI6 would assume Venice, and would also know that Alex would figure it out. If MI6 sent in a team of agents, no matter how careful they were, they would never get Jack back alive.
Troy might not have been the most criminally inclined member of SCORPIA, but suddenly Alex understood his value to them. Troy was an excellent profiler. He had been beaten by Alex once, and it would not happen again. There would be no games, no grand schemes, no chances. Alex would be shot, point blank, the moment he arrived.
He had to find a way to get there, and do it without MI6 on his trail. A single gadget would be Jack's death sentence. It was now equally obvious that Troy employed a leak in MI6. His every move would be followed so long as it had to do with the organization.
"We were hoping you would be willing to act as a decoy to bring him out in the open. You'd be well protected, I assure you," Blunt offered.
Wolf growled. "He can't speak, unless you've forgotten. He would be completely defenceless."
Alex sighed. He didn't like doing it, but he had to trick Wolf too. He gestured at Blunt's computer, and motioned typing. He was frustrated when, for an so called observant man, Blunt frowned at him. Pleadingly, he turned to Wolf and repeated his actions.
"He wants to use your computer to type," Wolf translated, watching as Alex pointed at the screen which had just been seen. "And he wants you to put it up where we can all read it."
Mrs. Jones immediately brought over her own laptop and placed it on Alex's knees. Immediately, he began to type.
"I HAVE TO GO. I CAN'T LET HIM HURT JACK. BUT HE'S EXPECTING US TO BE THERE. HE'S PROBABLY ALREADY GOT THE AREA SET UP AND SCANNED. IF YOUR TEAM GOES IN NOW, THEY'LL BE DISCOVERED AND JACK WILL BE KILLED."
"We can't allow you to go in alone, Alex," Mrs. Jones answered crisply.
"I KNOW."
"Then what are you suggesting?"
"SEND A DIFFERENT TEAM IN, AS CIVILIANS. GIVE THEM A DAY AND A HALF TO GET SETTLED INTO A ROUTINE THAT WON'T THREATEN HIM. GONDOLA DRIVERS, MARKETERS, THERE ARE A HUNDRED CAFS AROUND CA'VEDOVA."
Blunt nodded, secretly impressed. It made sense. "Then fly you in on the second day."
Alex nodded. He wouldn't be there, of course. He would be gone tonight. But they couldn't know that, and this bought him the time he needed. He would deal with the consequences of his deceit later.
"Are you sure you're up to this, Alex?" Wolf asked. He could see something in the set of the boys shoulders. Since Alex hadn't been able to actually talk to them, all of K Unit had began to become very familiar with his body language, and it was telling Wolf something wasn't right.
Alex nodded. "YES. I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE. IT'S MY FAULT HE HAS HER."
Wolf turned to Blunt. "Permission for K Unit to be one of the supporting units, Sir."
Alex typed furiously. "NO. K UNIT IS TOO CLOSE TO ME RIGHT NOW. THE LAST THING I WANT TO DO IS HAND TROY MORE AMMO. BESIDES, IF WE FAIL, THEN K UNIT IS THE NEXT TARGET, AND MAYBE WE CAN HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER IT IF WE CAN PREDICT IT. YOU GUYS HAVE TO STAY SAFE, BECAUSE LIKE IT OR NOT, YOU'RE PLAN B."
It was cold, and ruthless, but Alex needed K Unit safe. He knew he was right. Troy would target them next. He also knew that Wolf was very suspect of him now, and K Unit disappearing would ruin his plan as well as alert MI6 that not all was as it should be.
"Very well, then. Permission denied. Go home, rest up. We'll be in contact with you in 24 hours for an official briefing before you leave," Blunt dismissed.
Alex gave Mrs. Jones back the laptop and stood, turning to leave. He could see Wolf wanted to argue some more, but motioned quickly for him to come, his eyes clearly reminding Wolf of his promise to let Alex make his own decisions.
Mrs. Jones watched them leave. "That was a very mature response," she noted.
Mr. Blunt nodded. "Indeed it was, which is why I don't believe a word of it. He knows more then he's telling. Proceed with the plan, but tomorrow morning I want the Rider house under surveillance."