The world had changed on the morning of the September 11th. The CIA were restructuring and reorganising after the terrorist attack in home soil, now sharing intel with the all the other agencies, to create one Department of Homeland Security. The CIA was still autonomous, still fighting in the shadows. The plot over the plutonium bought by Alexei Sarov was old news. News had filtered through that the Russian Federal Authorities had Sarov was under house arrest in Russia and the retired General was no longer a threat. Scorpia and its many tendrils were not an active threat to the US at the moment, still watched but with any active CIA assets. Intel was still passed to the analysts and discussed during the monthly meetings, but the fact Julia Rothman had died in a horrible accident in Turin was not relevant to CIA operations. The fact was noted by the Deputy Director of Covert Operations.
The rapidly shrinking Board of Scorpia was of personal interest to Joe Byrne. In July, Max Grendel had been eliminated by Julia Rothman as she briefly took charge of that criminal organisation. She controlled the largest number of known assets. Byrne was still worried about Conrad's connection to Sarov. Conrad was a known freelance operative formerly under Rothman's control, but he had died in Murmansk in August. By the end of October, Zeljan Kurst had died with his entire bodyguard team in Amsterdam. Winston Yu was missing, presumed dead and the Australians were in the middle of a serious internal audit over a deep cover mole within their ranks, reportedly Anthony Sean Howell. Formerly, MI6 and currently detained at the Australian Military base at in Arnemland in the Northern Territories. It was all interconnected, Byrne was sure it was all linked to the disappearance of Alex Rider.
Other news of note was the apparent suicide of the Russian Billionaire Nickolei Drevin, only weeks after the abduction and ransom of his son by a group of very suspect eco-terrorists. His space station had developed a serious fault and had broken up on reentry into the earth's atmosphere. His agents placed with Drevin Industries had been recalled and reassigned for internal threats. Byrne's time and budget assigned to more pressing matters. He sat and mused his makeshift information board in his office with all known Scorpia operative with links to all the clues about the demise of Scorpia starting with the death of Max Grenfell, but it must go back further. He did not dare ask MI6 for John Rider's file, after loosing Alex he owed them rather than expecting any favours in return. The use of the boy had been the perfect cover for Troy and Turner as a family but the two had died and Alex was in Russia, condition and status unknown.
...
Snow provided the perfect cover for the Assassin. He was well equipped for his hours watching the home of Alexei Sarov in the forest north of Moscow. He was dug in, well dressed and had a base in the woodland, an old shepherds hut, warm and cosy during the long nights. Yassen Gregorovich watched John's son. Little Alex was a prisoner here, but a well kept one. Yassen thought back to his own miserable existence, first as a street rat in Moscow and then as a slave for the murderer Sharkovsky for those two years after the death of his parents.
Here, Alex was educated, well dressed, he played sports, practiced karate and shooting. Alex was a normal boy, no longer at the beck and call of MI6, but Yassen did not trust Sarov or the Russian Authorities. He was in two minds. He could not offer Alex a normal life or stability. Alex laughed, smiled and was happy here in this gilded cage. The russian wondered on Sharkovsky and Sarov, alike, accept that Vladmir Sharkovsky had treated the fourteen year old orphaned Yasha like a dog and Sarov treated Little Alex like a son. Yassen stood, packed up all his equipment and decided left, his stake out over.
Yassen would buy a new identity, emerge from the shadows. He had the opputinity to reinvent himself. He had not just liquidated Rothman, Yu and Kurst. He had taken control of their financial assets. Levi Kroll had returned to Israel, to retire. Yassen had left the aging Dr. Three to either take control of the remains of Scorpia or to work as a freelance once again.
He would keep tabs on Alex. John's boy would grow up here, become a man. The Yassen would contact the young spy to give him a chance of freedom beyond Sarov's narrow world view.
...
Dale Christian was back at work after four months off after a motorbike accident in June. Three weeks in hospital, ten in a cast and five weeks intensive physio, to be able to walk again. His knee ached after sat for three hours going through his intray. All the cases with flags as urgent or active status were dealt with by his collegues in his absence. He noted a large envelop regarding an adoption in his post pile. It looked interesting and luckily the Russian's had provide had provided a translation. It was a first for Dale, he had never dealt with an adoption request from Russia before and he had worked for Social Services at Westminster and Chelsea for seven years.
He limped to Doreen's cubicle. "I've checked the system, we have no file for an Alexander John Rider. There is a request from Moscow Department of Family Services for an adoption. The hearing was four weeks ago. Their system means its approved by them. We just have the paperwork for our files."
"Sounds like a standard transfer of guardianship. Nothing to worry about it. Fourteen year old teenage orphan, death certificate of his uncle is included. Oh, no copy of a will or probate. May even relate back to the original will of John Rider. We don't have time to chase this. Its all in order, just file it, OK".
...
Alex was skiing hard, he had two kilometres to cover to the targets. This circuit in freestyle the next in nordic style. His last targets had all been perfect. He was an excellent shot with rifle or pistol. Just like the perfect Vladimir, long dead in Afghanistan. Alex pushed himself harder, up the slope, the fresh snow making it heavier going. Te whole winter was a long ski holiday, but here it was no longer part of Ian's master plan. No hint of Alex's return to operations. He was isolated, but kept occupied. He still missed Tom, but he had never confessed to anyone about Port Tallon, Point Blanc or the Triads at Wimbledon. He wondered if he would have told Tom the truth.
The next five shots were all on target, a kilometre to the end, then a steam bath with the General. Only Alexei was now his official father. The adoption paperwork had been sent to London. MI6 now knew he was out of the game. Alex was finally sleeping better. Maybe he could persuade Alexei to let him start to write to Tom as a penpal. Maybe that was a stupid idea. He was safe here. Better not rock the boat.