Thank you so much to everybody who has reviewed! I am so grateful for all of the helpful feedback. The encouragement got me writing so this chapter is far sooner than I thought. So thank you so much. And a quick warning: this chapter has some mentions of violence and some slight language.

Plotting

"So I'm just supposed to keep quiet about all of this?" Mr Bray said uncertainly. He couldn't understand how all of this had happened. Before he had just been a simple school teacher who tried to make sure that all of his kids made it into jobs or university (and kept out of prison) – now he had somehow been pulled into this shadowed and bitter world of spies where everything seemed so bleak. He could never have imagined that the government he had voted for could be so cruel and callous, so indifferent to their own laws. Worst of all was that he had no idea what to do; he had no real choice but to listen to Ben and Alex and follow their instructions to the letter. Feeling powerless was an unusual feeling for Mr Bray, and it wasn't pleasant.

"Until the time is right. You are a witness. We need to keep you safe," Ben said, trying to be reassuring. He didn't really manage it – he looked too tired to pull off being encouraging. The exhaustion had sunk through to his bones; it wasn't just the lack of sleep that was tearing him down, it was the complete loss in faith in what he had been working for during his entire adult life.

"And when will that time be?" Mr Bray asked.

"Soon. We can't afford for Alex to get sent off on more missions. He's in a bad enough state as it is," Ben responded, glancing over at Alex and his bruised face.

"I'm fine Ben," Alex said, a line that was well practiced by now. Nobody believed it, not even Alex himself (always believe your own lies Alex, or else they just sound empty. Believe them and they become truth).

"I can't believe they sent you after me after what happened to you. It's just atrocious. Even for an adult agent that would be absurd," Ben said, his voice appalled. He was still getting over the situation, still trying to comprehend what his agency had done.

"It's because I'm a child. We heal quickly. I do have a doctor-" Alex started.

"Don't defend them Alex," Ben cut him off. He didn't sound angry, more frustrated.

"I'm not. I'm just saying… I don't know what I'm saying," Alex said with a sigh.

"You should have just left me there," Ben said blankly, and he had a haunted look in his eyes. "They would have killed me, they should have just killed me."

"They wouldn't have killed you, Ben. That was the problem. I couldn't just leave you there knowing what they were going to do. I sleep badly enough as it is," Alex said wearily.

"I can't believe you sleep at all. You were with them for months. Christ Alex. I was only with them for a few weeks and every time I close my eyes-" Ben cut himself off. The two of them just stared ahead, lost in the shared memory of pain. To Mr Bray it was painful to watch; it was clearly an intensely private moment and he felt like an intruder.

"Soon," Alex clarified. He looked so tired and so alone; both Ben and Mr Bray felt an urge to protect him. But he didn't need their protection. As he always said, Alex could look after himself. But that didn't mean that he couldn't have a little help along the way.

"What are you going to do?" Mr Bray asked. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. Listening to the conversation had filled him with nausea – his head was spinning slightly. None of this felt real.

"Find some friends. Powerful ones," Alex answered vaguely. "Thank you for your time Mr Bray."

The head teacher understood that to be a dismissal, and he was glad to leave. He hurried away.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Ben asked Alex.

"Lots of people owe me favours," Alex pointed out. "But it's more that they won't want to go down with the sinking ship. If there not with me they're against me; that never turns out well."

"I can testify to that," Ben said with a small smile. "I think a lot of people can. But are you sure that you want this to work?"

"I've thought this through. All I ever wanted was a normal life; but now I realise I'm never going to have one. Even if nothing happened to me, I'm not normal anymore. I don't think I have the capacity to be normal. But I don't want to be a part of MI6 anymore. This is the only way to ensure that," Alex said carefully.

"But people will know. They'll know about you," Ben pointed out.

"Maybe it's time. It has to be an expose. I'm going to take down the top of MI6, all of those who did this to me. If I have to go down with them than so be it. It can be like bloody Moby Dick," Alex said savagely.

"It won't be easy. The press isn't kind," Ben said sadly.

"I've met nasty journalists. But luckily I know a journalist who I can trust. And he'll definitely be on my side."

"Edward Pleasure," Ben said shortly. "Are you sure MI6 won't see this coming?"

"That's the best thing about this plan. They would never expect me to go public. If I'm going after them it has to be in a way they wouldn't imagine. Last time a journalist sniffed around I went on a mission to get them to make him go away – they know that I want to stay private. And Mr Pleasure is a great investigative journalist; after all, he was the one who exposed Damien Cray," Alex explained.

"We're going to need a lot of help. This is going to be tough to keep secret," Ben said with a yawn. This short trip and conversation had drained him.

"By the time MI6 finds out it will be too late. They'll be at the centre of the biggest scandal since the Profumo affair. They are going down, even if it means the end of me." Alex said vindictively.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Ben muttered. But Alex wasn't listening. He had already started to walk off, his mind somewhere else. Ben sighed. He knew Alex was only focusing on this because he was trying not to think about what had happened to him – he didn't want to process it. But neither did Ben. So the both of them were committed, for better or for worse. The two of them were going to take this right to the end. With a small frown Ben followed Alex, letting him lead the way.

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