Tom Harris was thoroughly ticked. He was also annoyed. One could even argue that he was homicidal. The Head Chef, really a joke title as what the man made was most certainly not food, was a jovial man who ran the kitchens in a precise and measured way. He was army after all. He was nice to Tom and thankfully asked no questions. It wasn't his temporary boss he had a problem with. No, it was everyone else.

No wonder Alex had called this place hell. The grueling training was what made it hell; the attitude was what made it the Ninth Circle of Hell. Tom had never before received so many glares from so many dangerous people. He ignored the trainees. Hell, he ignored the rest of the kitchen staff and the trainers. The Sergeant ignored him so it was easy to return the favor.

Before Alex had left he'd made it a point to give his friend some advice.

"Keep your head down and try to ignore anyone and everyone that you can. Be respectful and for the love of god, please try to act sane."

"I am sane," Tom said, arms crossed and pout fully in place. Alex lifted an eyebrow at him and the two entered a stare down until Alex rolled his eyes, repeated his 'advice' and left for the obstacle course.

Tom had tried to follow Alex's advice; he really did. K-Unit had more or less forced anyone who even looked like they were going to talk to him to shut their mouths and avert their eyes. The trainees knew the SAS men had already been in the field for over a year and thus acted accordingly. Tom had been shocked to hear that Alex/Cub/Tom's potential victim/best friend and his training unit had become almost the stuff of legend.

"Even with all the classified bullshit going around," the rather rotund chef said as he and Tom put pots and pans away after that night's supper. "You hear things."

"Like what?" the boy asked, curiosity piqued.

"People still talk about Cub," the man said. "Although most of it is just speculation. Every now and then you'll hear the Sergeant yell, "If Cub can do it, so can you." It takes the trainees some time before they figure out who Cub is but once they do it spreads like wildfire."

"Does this happen with every batch of trainees?" Tom asked, wondering just how many people knew that Alex existed but had never seen him.

"Yep."

"Couldn't the Sergeant get in a lot trouble for that?" Tom asked. If the answer was 'yes' he planned on an anonymous tip to Blunt. He was that vindictive and pissed. But the Head Chef just shrugged.

"We kind of exist in our own little world," he replied. "People talk. Not in detail or anything, but when someone does something incredible, word gets around. Cub's become a good story. K-Unit's more or less become legend."

"But why?" Tom asked, confused. "What has K-Unit done?"

"What nobody else would do," the Head Chef answered. Tom gave him a fully confused look, so the man went on. Sort of. "Cub."

"So wait, you're saying that K-Unit has all this respect just because of Cub?" That didn't seem right. The man chuckled.

"Oh, no, they'd have that respect with or without that boy. I'm saying that without Cub they'd be a normal unit. Respectable and good at their job. Cub forced them to step it up, just like the Sergeant uses Cub to get the trainees to step it up. They even use some of Cub's missions as lesson plans. Mostly what not to do, but still. Not everyone gets that kind of shout out." Tom was floored. He hadn't thought that anyone knew about Alex; much less put him and his missions in the category of legendary. He didn't fully understand it, but he wasn't one of them.

As a civilian and a kid he knew that the things Alex did were very much not normal and not easy. He hadn't considered the fact that because Alex did a grown up's job, and did it so well, that he'd be recognized for it. However, twisted that way was. Alex did things that these hard and well trained men struggled to do. And he did it as a kid.

"You know, we've heard about you too," the Head Chef said, cutting through Tom's thoughts with a proverbial machete.

"What?" he squeaked. He was too shocked to be embarrassed. The rotund man chuckled again at the look on his face.

"Eagle complained long and loud about the stunt you two pulled," he said. "I don't think he realized he was making himself look a little stupid but it gave everyone else a good laugh."

"What stunt?"

"The Paintball Incident," he said, amused look firmly in place. Tom flushed. Good God, he said it as if that was its name.

"We were bored," he muttered. The man let loose a hearty laugh at that.

"Yes well, it was certainly a comical story," he replied. "Especially the way Eagle tells it. Lots of gesturing and all. I have to say, no one really believed that you two boys managed to do all of that until Wolf confirmed it." Tom felt distinctly uneasy. That prank had been to embarrass K-Unit and give Alex a little revenge. He wondered why Eagle told people about it. He had the most reason to be embarrassed considering where'd they shot him.

What else did these people know?

"What exactly have you been told?" he asked. The man caught the uneasiness in the question and smiled warmly.

"Nothing too much," he said. "Like I said, people just talk. But be careful. The soldiers know better than to mess with Cub. He's already proven himself to be a damn good fighter. But you're unknown. They'll be trying to gauge you." That in no way sounded good. He didn't want to gauged. He wanted to be at home playing his X-box and wondering if he could convince Alex to sneak into the new R-rated movie that just came out.

"I don't wanna be gauged!" The horror was quite evident in his tone.

"You don't really have much of a choice," he said. "Don't worry. The worst that could happen is that you're not respected."

"You just said to be careful." Was this guy trying to confuse him?

"Uh, yes, be careful," he replied, with a little throat-clearing cough. Tom narrowed his eyes at the uncomfortable feel about him.

"Of what?"

"The means by which they gauge you." Tom gulped. That sounded downright scary.

"Harris."

"Wolf."

"How was kitchen duty?" The smirk fighting its way onto the man's face told Tom that he knew exactly what kitchen duty was like. The boy was just outside the door to their hut, leaning against the wall. It was beautiful here. Without all the light pollution he could see every star. It helped him think. Wolf was leaning against the doorframe.

"It was gross," Tom said knowing the man wanted an answer. Wolf gave an amused snort.

"Why did Eagle tell people about the paintball stunt?" he blurted. Wolf gave him a sharp look.

"Who have you been talking to?" he asked back.

"The Head Chef," the boy replied. "Why did he tell people?"

"Because despite how it makes us look, it is a funny story."

"It makes you look stupid," Tom said wondering if they'd made a mistake in doing it. It seemed that these guys thrived on respect.

"True," Wolf agreed. "But it's not like you got away."

"You're confused Wolf," Tom told him and ignored the small glare. "Alex getting caught was part of the plan and if I recall, you didn't catch me."

"Fine, you got away, but you didn't get away with it. We made you clean the car, remember?" Tom smiled. How could he not remember them watching the two friends clean the paint off of the car while Jack and Eagle flirted? Just to be mean, they'd made them clean the paint off the street too. Jack hadn't said one word in protest. Apparently, they'd deserved it no matter how much K-Unit had been fair game for it all along.

"I remember Alex's complete horror at Eagle and Jack." Wolf actually gave a small laugh. It had been a funny face. "What else have you told these people?" Tom asked suddenly, effectively wiping the smile off of Wolf's face.

"That's really about it," he said. "Everyone who passes through here now, more or less knows about Cub, but the only time you were mentioned was when Eagle started talking about Cub's accomplice. They wanted to know who that was. We didn't say your name. Just that you were Cub's friend."

"Does anyone know my name?" he asked, curious. He hadn't heard anyone but K-Unit say his name and that was only when they were alone. Not even the Sergeant had said it and he was starting to wonder if anyone actually knew it. Wolf confirmed his suspicions.

"No, I don't even think the Sergeant does but he hasn't asked either. We've just been calling you the Accomplice."

"I like it," Tom said, a grin on his face. "It sounds badass." Wolf just rolled his eyes and went back inside.

Tom was sweeping the mess hall the next day after he'd eaten his breakfast. The trainees had long left and there a small group of trainers in the corner that had nothing better to do at the moment but talk and drink coffee.

Tom ignored them as well as he could. They were giving him curious looks and he wondered what they were obviously itching to ask. He kept as straight a face as he could but it wasn't easy. He just wanted to crawl in a hole. He was scared.

This wasn't his thing and everyone seemed to know it from the Sergeant to the cook. He was here because he was being shot at because Alex had to be a superhero. It was stressful and already it was taking its toll on him. Tom wasn't used to high pressure situations like Alex was.

He was around Alex in the other boy's wind down time. Every now then he'd have to do something stressful like saying goodbye or deterring blackmailers, but this was just above and beyond him. He didn't like it. He didn't want to be Alex, no matter how much he respected him. He just wanted to go home.

As Tom made his way towards the trainers in the corner, sweeping as he went, one of them finally spoke.

"Hey, kid!" Tom turned to see a large man gesturing him over. Mentally cursing, he walked over as calm as could be.

"Yeah?"

"We were wondering what you're doing here," he said his voice sounding light and curious. "You're obviously not here to train."

"I have bad taste in friends," Tom deadpanned. They exchanged looks that plainly said they had no idea what he was talking about.

"You talking about Cub?" the man asked. They were giving him searching looks. He gave nothing away.

"Who else would I be talking about?" Tom asked. "Casper the Friendly Ghost?" Low level glares all around. He noted how he was doing exactly the opposite of what Alex had told him to do but he couldn't help it. He slipped into his crazy guise as an instinct. It kept teachers off his back. It kept the kids at Brookland from bothering him about Alex. It kept Alex's unit confused. It worked and more importantly, it was comfortable.

"Don't be a smart ass, boy," one of them growled. He had heard better growls from Alex before. He wasn't scared.

"Then don't ask questions," he replied. He turned to leave but wasn't even a step away when the first trainer's hand shot out and clamped down on his arm, spinning him back around to the now glaring group. Tom decided to call the man Clamper.

"Show some respect," he hissed. Tom looked him dead in the eye. Every survival instinct he had was telling him to run far, far away.

"Yes, sir," he said, putting an not-so-respectful emphasis on the 'sir'. It didn't pacify Clamper but he did release his arm.

"We've heard about you," another trainer said. He had dark skin and beady eyes. He looked a lot calmer than the others. Tom called him Zen.

"So I've been told," Tom acknowledged.

"You're not one of us," Zen said. "And you're certainly not Cub." Tom recognized this for what it was. They were trying to remind him that he was much more vulnerable than anyone else here. He knew he was too, but they didn't need to know it. He was now banking on the fact that they knew nothing about him.

"You know what they say about rumors," he said a smirk on his lips.

"No, what?" Zen replied.

"There's a grain of truth but not much else. I'm Cub's friend. I've slipped past K-Unit three times in one night. I out ran Eagle. What makes you think, I can't handle you?" He turned sharply, put his broom in the closet, and walked out, head held high.

Yup, Alex was pissed. Tom had suspected he would be. He hadn't quite expected the other boy to find out about it that quickly though. Apparently, one of the trainers who had never even spoken had told Eagle, who told everyone else. Honestly, that man was such a gossip.

Upon walking out of the mess hall, Tom had wandered for a while before running into Fox.

"Oh, I've been looking for you," he said with a smile. Tom was instantly suspicious.

"Why?"

"I want you to help me with one of the classes I have to teach." He'd refused to say anything more about it, so Tom was dragged to one of classrooms/large hut where he received a nasty glare from Alex. He was told sit next to the other boy, who was also helping, at the 'teacher's' table. Wolf and Eagle were standing in the back, there to watch. Snake was no were in sight.

Tom avoided his friend's eye knowing he'd probably be yelled at a little later for the stunt with the trainers. He couldn't really blame Alex; he'd practically challenged them to throw their worst at him. Alex's protective streak was rearing its head in the form of anger. It would have been endearing if Tom wasn't so worried.

Fox went and stood at the front of the room, resting a hand on the whiteboard's marker holder.

"All right," he said and instantly the room was even quieter and the focus was even sharper. "You are all here to learn what we can teach you. It's going to be a, uh, unique lesson. You'll probably be the only ones to have this opportunity so pay attention and appreciate it." Tom was fully interested. What was he talking about? "Today you're going to learn the finer points of manipulation of conversations. Tomorrow you'll learn about codes."

Tom slunk down in his chair fully embarrassed. Eagle smirked at his reaction. He was sure Alex was as well but he was scared to look. He was practically under the table by the time Fox was ready to introduce him. And unfortunately, it was as the Accomplice.

"Accomplice?" Fox said, trying to hide a smile and get the boy to stand up. It took a kick from Alex to even get him to answer.

"Yeah?"

"Care to help me out?"

"Not really."

"Get up, Tom," Alex said lowly. He did and saw the trainees looking at him with some doubt. Fox took two stools from the corner and placed them a couple of feet apart from each other in the front just to the left of the table. He sat down on one, facing the other and gestured for Tom to do the same. Tom, more than a little confused, did as he was bid.

Fox took a couple of note cards from his pocket and turned his head to address the group.

"I am now going to more or less attempt to trick information out of Accomplice here. Subtle manipulation can be just as effective as intimidation if done right. If your suspect refuses to be scared of you this is a skill you can fall back on. Mostly this type of thing is left up to the intelligence agencies but it's a good thing to understand and recognize. Learning it now will also you help you recognize if someone is doing it to you."

Tom wasn't quite sure how helpful he would be in this situation. This seemed like the kind of thing that Alex should demonstrate. He was the spy. Unless, they were going for what a civilian would look like doing it. But it still didn't make much sense to Tom.

"Accomplice," Fox started. Tom immediately cut him off. Fox wanted manipulation, he'd get it. Tom Harris style.

"Foxy," he deadpanned. Eagle stifled a snicker.

"How long have you known Cub?"

"Since the sandbox days," Tom replied knowing that giving that information away wasn't dangerous or compromising. Everyone already knew they were friends, what did it matter if they knew roughly how long?

"Where did you meet him?" Tom briefly considered the fact that K-Unit was using this as an opportunity to learn more about Alex because knowing the blond boy, he hadn't told them anything. So what did he know that K-Unit knew?

"School," he said. "Where I meet most of my friends."

"How close are you two?"

"Fairly." They'd seen him at the hospital and knew that he knew the secret. They'd have to be close.

"How close is fairly?"

"I'm sure you know. You've seen me around."

"Yes, we have," Fox said, his tone fairly empty. Tom tried not to squirm. He was absurdly glad his back was to Alex because otherwise he would have been glancing at him every few words and that would ruin the entire effect. "Whose idea was it to shoot us with paintballs?" That was an expected question and Tom gave Fox a weird look.

"Does it matter?" he returned.

"It does to us."

"It was my idea," he said. But it was Alex's plan. Although, he was pretty sure they already knew that.

"How long have you known about Cub?"

"Since the sandbox days," he replied, purposefully ignoring the true question. He'd known about Alex since they'd first met. He'd known about his job for about nine months. Details, Fox. Fox's eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized the mistake.

"How long have you known about his job?" he corrected. Tom glanced at the crowd long enough to see rapt attention.

"I knew before he told me," he lied. Point blank lie. "Point Blanc." Wolf stood up a little straighter. "Such a beautiful mountain."

"How did you figure it out?"

"I knew something was wrong," Tom said almost truthfully. "Cub keeps disappearing. You get suspicious. Eventually I just snuck into his house and overheard him talking to his boss." Point Blank lie. "It was right after Point Blanc." He wondered if he was going too far but figured that if K-Unit wanted to play, he'd play. Oh, and he'd win too.

"And that was the first conclusion you came to?"

"Of course not," he said lightly, waving away the craziness of that suggestion. "It's too crazy."

"But you knew?"

"All I knew was that Cub believed he was whatever it is he is," Tom replied. "I didn't believe him until later." He never said MI6 or spy. That would confirm things and if he confirmed it now he couldn't wiggle out of things later. Tom never liked to point blank confirm.

"What made you believe?" Besides the utter sincerity in his eyes? The base jumping into a science lab that blew up minutes later? The gunshot? The poisoning? How about you guys?

"It's classified," Tom replied enjoying himself immensely. This was fun!

"Not here it isn't," Fox said and if he had been under the threat of torture, Tom would have gulped.

"Yes, it is," he said. In all honesty, it wasn't, at least not in the sense they were thinking of. Tom could have explained that he believed Alex simply because it was Alex. Or at least he could have tried to explain it. But the word classified meant more than just state secrets. It was also a word they used to say it was a secret between them. Tom's latest crush. Classified. Alex's prank on the Headmaster. Classified. Sneaking out in the dead of night to get back at the latest kid with a grudge against them. Classified. Tom more or less writing Alex's term paper because the boy was trying to deal with his godfather's betrayal. Classified. Tom sneaking into Alex's room to sleep because he didn't want to deal with his parents. Classified. And he'd be damned if he was gonna spill.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Any other time and Tom would have stumbled over such a random question but he knew what they doing and what they were trying to make it look like. It was Tom's job to dance around these questions and never give a real answer without making it seem like he wasn't answering. It was Fox's job to try and trick the answers out of him. But even if the trainees knew it or not, this most certainly was not just for show. It was real.

"No," he replied. "She was a bitch." Chuckles from the crowd. "What about you, Foxy? Or do you swing the other way?" To the man's credit he didn't even react. Not even a flush.

"I have a girl," he replied and Tom immediately knew it wasn't true. He couldn't say why, per se, he just knew that it wasn't true.

"Sure you do," he said in a tone that plainly said he knew Fox was lying.

It went on like that for another ten minutes until Alex and Tom switched places. Alex was much better at it and managed to completely change the subject at times with just a simple nudge. Tom liked listening to him. Alex was a master at this.

Alex's 'interrogation' sounded more like a complicated conversation than a question and answer session. And it was during Alex's conversation that Tom figured out Fox's tell. He'd caught it the first time. It was just a slight change in his face. A subtle twitch of muscles really. Fox's eyes would narrow just ever so slightly. It was hard to see and in the right lighting would be impossible to see. In a torture session it wouldn't be visible either because it could be written off as a reaction to the pain. But Tom saw it. It was like he was making a conscious effort to make eye contact as it was one of the best signs of whether or not someone was being truthful.

Tom felt a perverse pleasure at knowing Fox's tell. Well, what do you know, he was learning.

The trainees quickly caught on to the lesson. Once Fox was done with Alex, he more or less convinced them that no, they hadn't caught all of the boys' tricks and tells, and then proceeded to prove it to them, citing that he had already known everything that came out of Tom's mouth. Or at least, he thought he did. It didn't matter if the entire crowd knew it, one enemy knowing it was enough.

Then Fox brought up things in Alex's conversation that not even Tom had caught and that the only reason he'd known was because he'd been told otherwise from a person who had no vested reason in lying.

Tom could honestly say that Fox hadn't quite caught everything and indeed they brought one more thing to the trainees' attention.

"Also, you should always be aware of what the other person is saying. You can get just as much information from them as they can get from you. For instance, Accomplice, do I have a girlfriend?"

"No, you were lying," Tom said instantly. Fox nodded.

"By throwing in questions for me to answer, Accomplice was able to figure out my 'tell'. This is good in case we ever decide to strike a deal. He'll know when I'm lying. Just like I'll know when he's lying." Tom shifted at the thought that the man knew he'd lied about how he'd become aware of the secret. But he should have expected it. The first couple of questions had all been stuff they'd already known so they knew it was the truth. Fox had known he would lie about Alex, for Alex and he was able to pick up on the change when Tom lied. The man now knew his 'tell' just as Tom knew his. "Body language is important. If you know how to read it, it's just another tool to keep yourself alive and get your job done." Tom thought that it was a very effective way to end the lesson.

That night there an exercise in the woods on search/detection and attack. Five teams entered in black combat gear and paintball guns. Tom helped hand out the guns and the ammo. He got there before the Sergeant and took the opportunity to use a cartridge he'd found that was only half filled. Eagle didn't appreciate being shot at but everyone else had laughed.

Even Alex, still annoyed at Tom for blatantly ignoring his advice, laughed for a minute. Tom doubted they would ever talk about it as Alex had yet to bring it up. With Alex, the longer he waited the less he was to ever bring up something again, which tended to work well for Tom. Alex really should have known better anyway. It wasn't like Tom was about to change his attitude for a bunch of pissy soldiers.

Alex and K-Unit entered last and were out of sight in two point five seconds. Tom counted.

Five minutes later it was raining and he and the Sergeant were in the jeep, watching the woods for Tom didn't know what. Cheaters?

"Does it count as cheating if you survive?" Tom asked suddenly. He could feel the look the man gave him. Tom was closest to the woods so the scary man was technically behind him.

"Excuse me?"

"You gave them all these rules but if the only way not to get shot is to ignore the rules, is it cheating?" he rephrased.

"The rules of the exercise are there for a reason," he said.

"But there are no rules on the battlefield," Tom said, repeating something Alex had once told him. He'd thought it was a profound statement until he'd heard a guy in a movie say the same thing. Although, it didn't negate the truth. Tom glanced over his shoulder to see the man giving him a weird look.

"What does that have to do with this?"

"You shouldn't give them rules to train them in a situation that in real life has no rules. The bad guys won't give a flying shit about how far in you can go or where you should and shouldn't shoot."

"We have rules because we're the good guys kid," the man said and surprisingly, he didn't sound pissed. "This is a timed exercise so there has to be a rule about where they can or can't go. Makes things move a little faster. We'll just have to hope that they understand that." There was a slight smirk on his face that suggested that he believed they were that smart.

"So, for now, if they ignored the rules it would be cheating?"

"I guess."

"What would happen if they did that?"

"They'd be binned." Binned. He knew that word. He also knew what it would have meant for Alex if it had happened to him. A way out.

"Can I tell you something?" Tom asked, avoiding eye contact by focusing on the woods.

"What?" the Sergeant replied snappishly. He probably thought it was going to be something stupid.

"Cub tried to get you to bin him," he said. The man's silence was all that told him the unflappable soldier was flapped. "He pick pocketed you; you didn't do anything. He knew you knew. He wouldn't just stop trying; it goes against who he is. So he had to do something else." Even if it hadn't worked or wouldn't have worked out as he'd thought it would, Alex had been desperate. Even then, he'd wanted a way out.

"Cub was good," he replied. "I wasn't about to bin him for that, no matter how much I wanted to. I thought it was a way to get Wolf to back off."

"Yeah he's a real bastard isn't he?"

"Language kid."

"Sorry, sir." They fell silent for a little while. "Be thankful you didn't bin him."

"Why?" Tom turned from the window to look the man dead in the eye. This was not something that should be left up to interpretation. This man wanted to use his friend as an example. He doubted they knew anything about Alex's more terrible missions and the repercussions that would have followed had he failed. The Chef had been too happy-go-lucky about it. As if they thought it some grand adventure.

Based off of what Alex had told Tom, that wouldn't have been the case if the name of SCORPIA had come into it. It was one of the only names Alex had told Tom without needing to be asked. That, in and of itself, sent red alerts in the boy's head.

"You'd be dead now, if you had binned him," Tom said. The man's face closed completely as he processed that. Tom turned back to the window as he added, more to himself than to the man boring holes into his head with his sharp eyes, "We would all be dead if you had."

Tom wondered what was going through the man's head. He'd give anything to know.

Fox's next 'lesson' was far worse than the one before it. Tom had known it would be the second the word 'code' came out of Fox's mouth. He knew then what would be asked of him and he didn't like it. His code; they were going to bring in his code. Great.

Once Fox was done explaining that personal codes were far easier to memorize because the person knew why a certain word meant something, he asked Tom and Eagle to join him up front. Tom's hands were shoved into the pockets of the army fatigues they'd given him, and he was staring at the suddenly interesting back wall.

"Accomplice, tell us how you came up with your code," Fox said. Like hell. Eagle already knew but he wasn't about to repeat it to these complete and total strangers.

"I was hungry," he said. He got strange looks. Big deal.

"And what does your code mostly consist of?"

"Food." The question was a bit redundant. What else would he be thinking of if he was hungry? The moon? Fox then explained that themes in codes made it easier to learn but not necessarily easier to crack.

"Accomplice, give us a code word we haven't been made aware of," Fox ordered. Copies of Tom's coded message during the Spitter thing and the message Alex had sent had been passed around along with their translations.

"Bacon," Tom said. He saw Alex hide a smirk.

"Does anyone have a guess as to what that means?" Fox asked. A couple of guys took a wild guess. The most amusing had been a simple, "He's hungry!" No one knew who'd said it which was probably a good thing.

When Fox gestured for Tom to give the real answer he said a simple, "Dog."

"Why?" asked one guy near the front.

"Because dogs like bacon," Tom said. "Haven't you ever seen those Bacon Bits commercials? I like dogs." The afterthought made him look even weirder but he hardly cared. It went on for another five minutes with Tom's words getting all the more suggestive.

When Fox learned that 'whipped cream' was not in fact a sexual reference but a threat of castration, they finally got the hint and let him sit down in the back. He'd said it with such a straight face that the only person who still believed that Tom wasn't naturally violent was Alex. Tom preferred it that way.

Eagle took over from there to explain when it was appropriate to use a code and when was not. Tom thought it was more of a 'well, duh' type of explanation. The best part of the day, which happened to be Sunday, was that afternoon. All six of them were on their back to the cabin for a while before dinner when Zen stopped them.

"MI6 called to say that the red alert's over," he told the boys. "A car will be here in an hour to take you home." Tom was so excited that he hugged the man before running the rest of the way to the hut shouting, "I'm going home!" He even jumped into a large puddle, not yet gone from the rain the night before, sending water everywhere and soaking himself.

"He's a strange one," the trainer said once Tom was out of sight. Alex gave him a smile trying to suppress his laughter at Tom's antics and the soldiers' faces.

"He's always been that way."

"He's awfully happy," the man noted. Alex nodded.

"He doesn't really like the people here," the blond boy said. "Also he probably really misses Chuck."

"Chuck?" Eagle said. "Who the hell is Chuck?"

"His X-box." If Alex had turned around to look at Wolf standing behind him, he would have seen the man shake his head in exasperation, eyes skyward as if asking, Why me? If Alex could have read minds, he would have known they were all thinking the same thing. Could this kid get any stranger?

But Alex didn't look behind him and he couldn't read minds. It wasn't as if he'd have understood why they were reacting like that anyway. It was all normal to him.

Well, let me know! :)