New chappie! Just so you guys know, this one is kind of sad but I thought it was time to explain a little more about why Tom is the way that he is. I'm also aware that it is summer so it's a little off to read about snow storms but bear with me. Hope you guys enjoy.
Tom Harris was a boy few would ever truly understand. He was a mystery in a sense. He would never be the enigma that was Alex Rider but he was still a riddle, a puzzle waiting to be solved. It wasn't because he had saved the world. It wasn't because he knew big government secrets. No, it was something else entirely that made him who he was. Something that was much too common but terrible all the same.
He was a good friend to those lucky enough to call him friend. He was a good student, good athlete, and all around good kid. But he was so much more than that and Tom could count with one hand the number of people who truly understood him. He liked to run around in the rain. He had a soft spot for stray animals and green eyes. He had a phobia of E.T. Tom was many things and he knew many things as well.
Most importantly, Tom knew life. He may have never seen the horror that Alex had but he knew it existed and therefore, understood it on at least some level. He knew that the haunted look in a person's eyes could be from many things but that it was always connected with some sort of pain. He knew people pitied pain and sought to wipe it out.
And that was why he forcibly removed that haunted look from his own eyes. He buried his own pain and concentrated on something else, like the cute girl in Chemistry class or the upcoming movie. Of course, his pain would never be like the pain Alex felt. Alex felt physical pain, and while that did leave a mark-seen and unseen-it was not the soul deep pain that Tom carried.
For Tom knew life. He knew that sometimes parents weren't all they were cracked up to be. He knew what it was like to watch a family member die and then to bury them in every sense of the term. And he knew love and hate in all its passion.
Tom had seen many a good thing die before his eyes. But he had seen good things rise from the ashes as well. And it was that, if nothing else, that drove him to call Wolf the night he left home for the first time with little intention of going back if the status quo remained.
When Wolf had received a call on his work mobile at two-thirty in the morning he had expected to be ordered onto a plane by the end of the hour. He was irritated beyond all measure to recognize the voice on the end as belonging to Harris, Cub's little odd ball friend.
Wolf could admit-though only to himself-that he didn't think the kid was all that bad. Somewhere along the insanity filled way he'd even grown to tolerate the irritating child. But that didn't mean that Wolf would ever be prepared for the amount of chaos Harris was about to cause; no matter how much it wasn't the boy's fault.
He'd been prepared to snap that he wasn't about to post bail for the kid when he'd heard a somewhat strangled sob come over the line. He was sitting up in bed, fully awake the next instant.
"Harris where are you?" he asked sharply, his voice demanding an honest answer.
"Near Brookland," the boy replied. "Wolf, can you come pick me up? It's cold."
"Why aren't you at home?"
"Can you please come pick me up?" Tom repeated.
"What happened Tom? Are you in danger?" Wolf asked as he tried to get his pants on with one hand. His mind was running rampant with thoughts of Scorpia and hostage situations.
"No, there's no danger," the boy replied tensely.
"Then what happened?" he asked. Something didn't sound right. If Harris wasn't really in any danger then why call Wolf? He'd be much better off calling Cub or even Jack.
"Nothin'" the boy mumbled. "It's really cold."
"Alright, hang tight," Wolf replied grabbing his gun just case the boy was lying for whatever reason. "Meet me in the parking lot."
The soldier quickly finished dressing, grabbed his car keys, and left the flat.
Wolf had barely stopped his car before the passenger door opened and Tom slid into the seat. The street light illuminated the kid's face and Wolf saw a split lip. The boy was holding his arm in a way that made the soldier think something was very wrong. The kid was in a thin hoodie and sweatpants, which wasn't nearly enough to fight off the cold. He was shivering terribly.
"Jesus, Harris," Wolf hissed. "Did you get in a fight?" Tom just nodded and reached over to crank the heat all the way up. "With who?"
"Nobody," the boy said and Wolf heard something strange in the tone. The entire situation was just screaming WRONG at him. "Thanks for coming."
"No problem," the soldier replied off handedly. Normally it would have been a big problem and if things hadn't seemed so off he would have been yelling at the kid by now. "What's wrong with your arm?"
"I don't know," Tom said and Wolf could tell the boy was in pain. He was near tears. "I think it's broken."
"Shit," Wolf hissed and put the car back into drive. He pulled out of the parking lot and made his way back to the main road.
"Where are we going?" the kid asked. Wolf contemplated ignoring the question just to show how irritated he was but he figured it might only make the situation worse. This was Harris after all.
"The hospital."
"Do we have to?" the boy asked and Wolf gave him an incredulous look.
"Harris, if that arm really is broken, it needs to be checked out," he said. "Besides, you look close to hypothermia. What the hell are you doing out in this cold in the middle of the night? And what the hell happened to you?" He very nearly shouted the last part of that sentence.
Tom didn't answer him. He just stared at him as if that would deter Wolf's temper and make him leave it alone. Whatever had happened, Harris clearly had come off worse and the soldier wanted to know just what kind of trouble the kid was in now.
But Tom just shook his head. "It was nothing." Wolf let out a very sarcastic laugh.
"Ha! This is hardly nothing," he snapped. "Dammint Harris!" He hadn't meant to be short with the boy, really, he hadn't. He was just frustrated. There was really no end to the frustration with this kid.
"Sorry," the kid mumbled which halted Wolf's sleep deprived temper in its tracks. Harris had never before apologized for anything. The boy liked to say that K-Unit deserved whatever stress the two friends gave them. Tom liked to joke and make weird statements. He had a tendency to point out the obvious even if it was plain rude to do so. Sometimes he seemed a little crazy but in a quirky kind of way. All of this, he did with a confidence that Wolf would have called arrogance on any other teenager. So for this boy to say 'sorry' for anything was a red flag.
And it was that one word that truly tipped Wolf off to the fact that something was wrong. Whatever Harris had been doing that had left him cold, wet, and with a broken arm and busted lip, it wasn't right. Something very bad was going on.
"Harris," Wolf said his voice much softer than before. "What happened? Why aren't you at home?" For just a moment, the boy couldn't hide what he was feeling. He looked lost and a little heartbroken. He shook his head and turned away from Wolf to stare out the window for the rest of the ride to the hospital.
When Wolf was allowed to see Harris he wasn't sure he wanted to. He had no idea where to go from here. He felt like he should call someone, anyone, to come down and help him deal with whatever had rocked Harris so thoroughly. He wasn't sure if he could deal with it on his own.
He had seen the kid being told that his best friend was possibly going to die and not even bat an eye. The boy had been through hostage situations, red alerts, and a number of other things any civilian, let alone a child, would have difficulty dealing with. But Harris would take it as it came. Sure he complained, long and loud, but Wolf had never really thought he meant most of it. Harris seemed content with simply knowing what was going on.
The kid was a rock, especially to Cub. He was the teenaged spy's only true friend and Wolf understood the reason for that. He also knew why Cub had chosen to let Tom get that close, not only to himself but to his secrets. Harris was a boy who could handle anything because he cared about nothing. Wolf would bet money that there were really only two people Harris loved or even liked. And it was those two people Wolf felt he should call.
But he didn't. For some reason Harris had called him and he doubted it was because he couldn't get a hold of anyone else. He didn't know what game Harris may be playing or what had happened but he knew it probably wouldn't end well.
After five minutes of internal debate and contemplation Wolf finally made his way back to where Harris was in the Emergency Room. He walked around the privacy curtain to find him with a cast on his arm and a thick wool blanket around his shoulders.
"The nurse said you wouldn't give them your address or phone number," he said by way of greeting. "She seems to think that I can coax it out of you." Tom looked up at him. The usual spark to his eye was a little dulled and he looked bone tired. Wolf felt inexplicitly saddened. This was not the Harris he knew and it certainly wasn't one he thought could even exist.
Wolf took a seat on the side of the hospital bed by the kid who turned his stare to his dangling feet.
"What happened Harris?" he asked for what felt like the millionth time. The kid swallowed hard past whatever lump was suddenly lodged in his throat.
"What's it matter?" he snapped. "It's not like anything is even going to change."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Wolf asked. Harris simply snorted and shook his head. Wolf had a sneaking suspicion that he hadn't really wanted to consider before now. However, the explanation that came to his mind was the one that fit the situation the best and if it was true, he needed to know. "Kid, are you afraid to go home?"
"You're so astute Wolf," the boy replied. Wolf was a little surprised he would just come out and admit it. "Honestly, I thought you would have figured it out earlier."
"Why are you afraid?" the soldier asked. "Don't want to be grounded for taking off in the middle of the night?" The man didn't really think that but he was so out of depth and the rough, somewhat mean approach was comfortable. Besides, Harris probably knew exactly what he was doing.
"Yeah that's me," Harris said with a small, humorless laugh. "Dead terrified of punishment. After all, it's not like I'm crazy or anything." Wolf couldn't help but smile, just a little.
"Is it broken?" he asked nodding towards the white cast. Tom nodded.
"Yeah, it wasn't too bad though," he said. "And they gave me this really great pain medication. I don't know what it was called but it's awesome." Well, it was comforting to know the kid was starting to come back to himself.
"Harris, I need to know what happened," he said. "Why were you not at home?" The boy sighed but spoke.
"My mum has a boyfriend," he said steadfastly refusing to make eye contact with the soldier next to him. Wolf had a terrible feeling he knew where this was going. "He's kind of like all the others she's dated since Dad left. He came back tonight a little drunk."
"And?" Wolf coaxed when the kid hesitated.
"He just went off on me. I was downstairs watching a movie on the couch and he just started shouting at me. He grabbed my arm and I kicked him to get him to let go. It only made him angrier and he punched me. Knocked me right off my feet and I hit my arm on the way down. That's when I took off."
"Where's your dad Harris?" Wolf asked more than a little angry at this unnamed boyfriend. He wasn't even sure if he liked Harris but to punch the kid for no reason was just plain wrong. Wolf wondered how long this type of thing had been going on. He knew enough from his own childhood to know that some women always tended to land the losers. It sounded as if Harris's mother might be one of those women.
"Oh, he's at his perfect house with his perfect new wife and perfect little baby," Harris snapped not even trying to hide his contempt. Whether it was at the man or the entire the situation was left to be determined.
"Has this happened before?" he asked and Harris nodded. "How long?"
"Um, I think she started dating him a few weeks before I met you guys," he said. "That's why I spend so much time at Alex's house." Wolf nodded in understanding. Some of the kid's crazy behavior was starting to make sense now. He was messed up.
"So, what do you plan on doing now?" Wolf asked.
"What do you mean?" he kid asked his brow crinkling in confusion.
"Harris you called me in the middle of the night to come pick you up after your mother's boyfriend beat you up," Wolf growled. "Do you really think I'm going to just let something like that go?"
"He didn't beat me up," Tom protested. "He got in one punch and the arm was an accident."
"Doesn't matter," Wolf replied steadfastly. "He easily could have beaten you up and you know it. That's why you're afraid to go home. If you were just pissed you'd already be plotting revenge."
"What makes you think I'm not getting my revenge?" Tom asked, with just a hint of conspiracy to his voice.
"What do you mean?" Wolf asked, reluctant to know what the kid may be planning. Tom leaned towards him as if he was going to tell him an important secret and dropped his voice.
"I'm sorry I scared you Mum," the boy said, laying on an utterly devastated tone thickly. "But he hit me and I got scared. Yes, Mum, I did thank the nice stranger who picked me up and brought me to the hospital. No, Mum, he didn't leave any information. Yes Mum, I know exactly how you can make it up to me."
Wolf stared at the kid, completely dumbfounded. Had he seriously just been used in some plot? It probably wouldn't be the first time but that still didn't negate the situation. The boy had had every intention of returning home, armed with a busted lip and a social worker. And to what? Make sure he never had another curfew? Tom smirked at him.
"Oh come on, Wolf," he said, his voice still low. "Did you honestly expect anything less from me? I plan on making the most of this pathetic situation. Why not make it fun?"
"What the hell are you trying to pull Harris?" Wolf hissed. "Blackmailing your own mother?"
"Please Wolf," Tom hissed right back. "Don't act so high and mighty. That man is the biggest loser I've ever seen. He deserves everything he's going to get for how he's treated my family. I'm no victim." The conviction in his tone sent shivers down Wolf's spine. Wolf didn't have any doubt that the kid could be vicious when he needed to be but this was so unexpected that even he was a bit thrown. When they trained you on handling unexpected situations they never mentioned being used as a pawn in some domestic brawl.
He didn't know if he should go along with it, actively help the kid, or put a stop to it. He couldn't, in good conscious, leave Harris in a violent situation. But he also couldn't help the boy scam the system, no matter how justified it really was.
He was kicking himself for not being more on guard the second he'd recognized Harris's voice on the phone. He knew how much of a manipulator the kid was, he should have known that something was going on. Something that was very different than what Harris was showing him. Given the chance, this kid could become the best con man the world would ever see.
When Wolf didn't respond, Tom reached into the pocket of his sweatpants and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He handed it to Wolf who opened it. It was a receipt from a restaurant; the very restaurant Wolf had been at for lunch earlier that day. On the back was an address and a phone number.
"Give that to the nurse," Tom told him. "Then leave and don't come back."
"What makes you think I'm going to go along with this?" Wolf snapped, not about to just give in to a demand from a teenager.
"Because Wolf," Tom replied, a smirk playing on his lips. "If you don't, this will just drag out. My goal is to get that arsehole out of my house, not get thrown into the foster care system. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
It was a well played move. Wolf had no desire to see Harris end up in any system. He stood up and flung aside the privacy curtain as he went in search of the nurse. He handed the paper and took his leave. He didn't leave a name.
Wolf never told anyone of what happened that night. He wasn't about to admit that he'd been played so easily. Also, he doubted Harris would want his situation broadcasted to anyone, much less the Unit. When he saw the boy next, it was at a dinner at the Rider house a mere week later.
"What happened to you Harris?" Snake asked as he spotted the boy on the couch watching a movie with Cub. His busted lip had healed almost completely but the arm still had a ways to go. Harris smiled brightly, a spark to his eye, and an excitement radiating from him that meant he had a good story to tell.
"A skateboarding accident," he replied. "I almost cleared the stupid bench but the landing wasn't very good. Broke my arm on the cement." And while the others laughed and poked fun, Tom gave the soldier a meaningful look. Wolf gave a small nod and the boy never brought it up again.
But the niggling in Wolf's gut wouldn't leave the entire night. It wasn't the fact that he'd helped put an end to a possibly volatile situation that bothered him so deeply. It was more of the fact that Harris's first reaction had been manipulation. He hadn't tried to cover anything up; he hadn't run to someone for help. The only reason the kid had called him was to use him as a tool and it wasn't sitting well with Wolf. It wasn't normal, it wasn't right.
But what in this group of people was normal? Most of them dealt with terrorism, assassinations, and war on a daily basis. What was so different about Harris, except he was technically a civilian? Clearly Harris had been through more in his life than any of them knew. Besides, what was one more secret to the parcel of them they already had? What was one more lie for the greater good? Wasn't this what he wanted? To make a difference in this world, to make it just a little better, no matter what the method.
So Wolf silenced his warning bells and shoved away that annoying niggling feeling and resolved to think of Harris as more than just some kid who didn't know the brutal truth of the world. He resolved to think of him as he did of Cub. Another screwed up kid in a screwed up situation. But unlike Cub, this one embraced every minute of it. This kid knew about life much better than Wolf thought he had. And that made all the difference.