Chapter Nine

¨Why hello Cub!" a voice called through the previously quiet kitchen where Alex was lost in his Fifa game. ¨It´s been a while since I´ve saved your ass!" Alex smiled broadly as he recognized the older spy´s voice.

"Hey Fox," the teen smiled shyly as he got up to shake the older man's hand. "How've you been?"

"You know," Ben shrugged;" the usual. Been behind a desk for a while, so I can't really tell you any interesting stories; But I've heard you've been around huh?"

"You could say that..." Alex laughed. "I didn't particularly enjoy the third-degree burns that almost took my skin off a while ago. Hopefully whatever it is that we're doing will turn out better than my last couple of missions." Alex wasn't trying to appear self-pitying, be just hoped that with so many people in on this mission instead of just the young spy, the mission would turn out better than the last.

"Alex," Ben's voice was serious, his gaze a piercing examination of Alex's own. "You're not alone this time. I've got your back - this is going to go off without a hitch, and you'll be back at school before you know it." Alex grinned half-heartedly - he really couldn't believe what Ben was so sure of. He had been betrayed far too much by far too many people, he couldn't afford to get his hopes up. But he really did want to believe Ben - he'd had enough pain to last a lifetime.

"Gee Fox," Alex sighed. "I really hope so." Ben nodded, his face betraying nothing, and he sat down with a tired 'umf' on the other side of the kitchen table.

"Mr. Daniels," a kindly-looking older woman approached Alex and Ben. "Would you like anything to eat? We have some fresh coffee and fresh-baked Pan de Yucas - would you like some?"

"That would be fantastic, thanks!" Ben was famished – he had slept through the flight and hadn't eaten since London. "Man if this is anything like I remember; this is going to be the most delicious breakfast I've had in a long time…" Ben finished dreamily, and Alex chuckled in agreement. Before Alex could comment further, a shrill buzzer on the kitchen wall announced the arrival of the American detachment the gates of the Embassy.

"Er - "Alex was suddenly nervous; he was fine with Ben, but another group of adults – especially military-types – would most likely be bothered by his presence. "Do you – could you get that?" Perhaps Alex was more transparent than he thought, because Ben smiled reassuringly and gave him a pat on the back as he went to get the door. As soon as Ben left the young agent's line of sight, Alex felt the beginning of a slight panic attack; he hated surprises, especially ones that could possibly affect the outcome of a mission. What if the new arrivals were incompetent and got Alex and Ben killed? Or worse – what if they were such hardened killers that they would write him off immediately as a liability and would dispose of him the first chance they got? As Alex heard a multitude of footsteps, he forced himself to take a deep – albeit shaky – breath in order to pull himself together.

Once the American team caught sight of Alex, they froze. The point – man, clearly the leader of the group, raised an eyebrow and shot a questioning glance at Ben. Alex could feel the situation deteriorating; at least according to the men's facial expressions.

"Um," Alex was standing now, and he cursed the faint pink that was appearing on his cheeks. "I'm A – Alex Rider. Nice to meet you -"

"Alec."

"Marx."

"Mike."

The Americans had sounded off in order from highest ranking to lowest, and to Alex's dismay, their expressions remained stony and cold.

"Are – are you…" Alex's blush deepened as his voice broke – damn puberty! – "what are you, exactly?" To Alex's immense relief, the one who had identified himself as Mike finally smiled, even if it was a smug smirk.*

"We're Green Berets – I assume you've heard of us, correct?" Alex nodded – he'd never dealt with the Berets, but he'd read up on American Special Forces during his brief stint with the CIA. "The real question is: who are you?" Alex didn't miss the implied threat, or the way all three soldiers advanced on him subtly.

"As I said, I'm Alex Rider. I work for Military Intelligence, Section 6. You might know them as MI6, for short." Alex had to fight off a satisfied smirk as he saw the soldier's masks slip, revealing disbelief and surprise. "I've been on various missions for different intelligence services, including you CIA and the Australian ASIS. Any questions?"

Alex's rant ended to a stunned silence from the Green Berets. They looked gobsmacked – their mouths were opened in a very unprofessional way, their eyes wide an unblinking.

"Ahem…" Ben cleared his throat, hints of laughter in his voice. "If we're done here gentlemen, I assume you'll want to clean up. Let me show you to your rooms!" Alex couldn't hold back a laugh this time as he watched the soldiers follow Ben, their shoulders hunched slightly.

Maybe this will work out better than I thought! Alex thought as he settled back down with his iPhone.

"Er – Wolf?" asked Eagle, his voice shaking slightly. "It seems we've – um – missed our flight. Again." Eagle paled visibly when he saw Wolf's expression.

"Are you -" Wolf's eyes were huge, his teeth bared. He looked a lot more like his codename's likeness rather than a human, and Eagle was terrified. "This. Is. Your. Fault."

"Wha – bu- how is this my fault?" Eagle spluttered. Wolf growled and Snake rolled his eyes.

"Eagle, you decided that you needed a Pizza Hut run as our last flight was boarding. Then you went to Cinnabon. Then you went to the loo! It's definitely your fault…" Snake huffed, and went to sit back down at their now – empty gate.

"But I was hungry!" Eagle shrieked as Wolf charged him. "Arghhhhh!"

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things, but I won't be able to update for I while I'm afraid. Expect another chapter by next Tuesday, at the earliest. Thank you for reading, and please review! I would love to hear what you think of this story so far!

Have a terrific week, and a fabulous weekend!