Thanks to NienkevH for telling me about a mistake =)

And kudos to anime 166 for helping me out and for forcing me to write another chapter =)

Disclaimer : All characters in the Alex Rider series belong to Anthony Horowitz. Well, the whole series does.

Chapter 5 – Discovery

The next morning, four hours later, Cossack awoke feeling renewed. His watch vibration hadn't shook yet, but Cossack had slept adequately. This morning he would carry out his plans, and learn something new about Hunter. Cossack was saddened by what he witnessed last night. He trusted Hunter and respected him so much he surprised himself. It was almost like a reverence for Hunter, if reverence ever existed in the life of a secret agent.

Cossack sighed and picked himself up. He slept on the floor; sleeping bags were far too large and far too heavy for this assignment. He quickly packed up his tent, made of carbon nanofibresso it was bulletproof and waterproof. Scorpia's surveillance of other intelligence agencies was useful in unexpected ways.

Hunter was already setting up the fire when Cossack came. Cossack marveled at Hunter's speed, it was incredible, since Cossack woke up earlier.

"Here, I'll do that," said Cossack, taking the sticks Hunter was trying to create a fire with.

A flame came out and Hunter took out more canned food. The two agents ate rapidly; they gulped down the food like it was water. Hunter stood up to reach the items, but Cossack spoke first.

"I'll get the provisions, you start up on the compass," he said. Hunter nodded. The compass was one of his specialties, along with mapping and communicating with people from more than half the world. Cossack was very educated, but excelled more in his athletic ability. And he was, without a doubt, a crack shot.

As Cossack reached Hunter's bags, he found what he was searching for: a black notebook with some official files neatly tucked into it. He quickly put the notebook in with his belongings and carried everything.

Hunter figured out where they were, and they started heading south towards the "Commander's" location. He took his bags from Cossack. He noticed his pack seemed a bit lighter, but they went through two more cans of food, and he assumed it was the weight of the food.

Their second day of hiking through the rainforest had finally come to an end. Each assassin had many different thoughts on their mind, but they didn't discuss anything. They could not be distracted so early in their assignment.

Hunter was mentally going through his conversation with Blunt. He wasn't very fond of him, but Blunt was higher up and demanded respect through the grayness and bluntness of dealing with agents. Blunt always had the correct instructions if you followed through accurately, but one mistake, and you're dead, not that Blunt would mourn too much about it. Working with Blunt required more improvisation than usual, as long as you follow the instructions.

Cossack was pondering strategies on how to read through Hunter's notebook. Surely Hunter would notice soon it was missing. But the only time Cossack could read the contents of the notebook was when they rested. Cossack remembered the feeling of guilt he had when he took the notebook and put it with his bags. He shook it off. You can't feel guilty in this profession. Then Cossack had an idea…

They found another place to rest. Cossack set up both tents and put their belongings in each tent. Hunter started up the fire quickly this time and once Cossack came out, Hunter tossed him a can of food. Cossack barely moved to catch it. They both sat around the fire.

"So what do you think about this assignment?" Hunter asked, looking at Cossack.

"Is it always so eventless for so long?" Cossack asked.

Hunter laughed. "Yeah, you're lucky we don't have to do much surveillance, that's real eventless-ness."

Cossack shuddered, as the thought of watching someone every day in this habitat popped into his head.

"But when you make the kill and get the money, it's all worth it," concluded Hunter, with experience in his voice.

Cossack smiled, thinking of the fortune he could make in this business.

Later that night, Hunter went through his bags. That's when he noticed one of them wasn't his. No wonder it was a bit lighter. He sighed. That bag had some important information in it, and if Cossack would think to check inside it…Hunter didn't want to imagine the betrayal and rage Cossack would feel. But charging into Cossack's tent asking for his bag would seem suspicious.

Hunter then remembered the light on in his tent while he was rewiring the cell phone. Maybe Cossack saw the silhouette and decided to investigate. Hunter sighed again. If Cossack did this on purpose, then maybe he deserved to know the truth, no matter what the consequences.

Cossack took out the black notebook. His eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness and he opened the notebook. The first thing he saw was an ID card. But not for Scorpia. To Cossack's surprise, it was an MI6 ID card. Cossack felt outraged, and then tried to calm himself down. Maybe Scorpia sent him as part of surveillance. Hunter seemed to have experience in that subject.

But Cossack's hopes were shattered when he read the contents of the next few pages. They were detailed instructions telling Hunter how to fit into the Scorpia community. He even had a fake cover! Cossack felt uncontrolled for the first time since training started. The one person he ever trusted was…not on his side. The one person who Cossack felt a genuine connection to was against him.

Cossack felt like charging into Hunter's tent and demanding to know what everything was about, but he forced himself back into control. If Hunter was on the other side…. no…since Hunter was on the other side, he was dangerous. It would be better to confront him when they were on Scorpia property.

Cossack flipped through the rest of the notebook. On the last page, he found two pictures. One was of a wedding between him and his wife, Helen Rider. Cossack had heard of the wedding, but now he noticed the beauty of Hunter's wife. Cossack almost permitted himself a smile at how lovely they looked. Instead, he scoffed at a relationship for a secret agent. The second one surprised Cossack yet again. It was a picture of Hunter and him. It was taken recently while they were training, for Scorpia references. Underneath the picture, in Hunter's handwriting, was the caption, "My only friend?". Cossack was touched that Hunter thought of him as a friend, and not a colleague, like what most agents thought of each other as.

Cossack put down the notebook and sighed. What to do now…

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