The internship proved that Smithers and his small team in Research and Development had Alex mostly making tea and filling in the forms the rest of the team did not want to. As a government concern there were forms for everything from Stationary requests, to lab time allotments and the various tedious risk assessments. Risks Alex was made aware of by being a sort of lab test dummy as well. It was mostly boring but with interesting asides. Smither's was entertaining and a good boss. The team worked well and everyone accepted Alex as Derek treated the kid like his favourite nephew.

The one perk of working for SIS was the membership of an exclusive fitness centre with pool. Alex arrived at 6:30 to warm up and swim, at 8:30 he was dressing. His shift was from 10 this morning so he had time to grab a coffee. Alex did not have a hangover but he had drunk a few glasses of champagne yesterday. The party the LOCOG offices had continued into the early morning. London was the venue for the Olympics and Paralympics in seven years. Alex had been invited to the reception as a double Paralympic medalist from London. He had taken Dylan as his guest as Aunty Sylvia said it was all far too upbeat for her. Alex had smiled as everyone had been amazed at their success.

Alex stood in the queue at cafe at the Albert Embankment and noted phones started to go off, messages to almost everyone waiting. Alex looked at his phone Bomb attacks near Kings Cross. The cafe emptied as everyone went back to work at SIS Headquarters.

Alex had worked double shifts, running messages, checking intel and filing. On his third day he got to go home as the general mayhem and paranoia settled to almost normal levels. The next day Alex was back into his R&D routine, supplying tea and coffee to the techs and the usual boring form filling when two serious looking gents turned up.

"Mr Fletcher-Smith, you presence is required upstairs."

Alex stayed silent as he was escorted upstairs, he had the distinct impression he was going for a stay of execution. "Dead man walking" the apprehension was a bit of a killer. He was shown into a plush office and the secretary buzzed them into the large office of the head of SIS, "M" was a woman Alex never expected to meet, not as a lowly intern. Alex expected it to be a one to one conversation but he walked in on a meeting of five gentlemen in a video conference and the very familiar face of Yassen Gregorovich on screen.

Alex's attention was taken up by his instructor and lover. "Hello Yassen" was out of his mouth before he checked himself and then added "Hi, everyone."

M was an unassuming looking woman, well groomed, short neat grey hair and in her late fifties. Alex actually did not known much about her, but he guessed not many did. She spoke with the clipped tones of the English Upper class but that did not mean anything. "Mr Fletcher-Smith or should I say Agent. We have a situation which called for a skilled interrogator. We contacted Mr. Gregorovch to employ his services and he tells us you passed his detailed instruction on such techniques and as he is not available you would be suited to undertake the task in hand."

Alex narrowed his eyes at Yassen's now obvious mirth. "Mr. Crawley at the Bank is well aware of my skills and lack of actual practical experience in that area."

Yassen then laughed, "Do not doubt yourself, Little Alex. You passed my instruction not once but twice. Most I selected for specialist training from Malagosto were nothing compared to you. You who can still defy me, even after all I did to you." Yassen then had a feral grin on his face, one which played along with a leering look and slow appreciation of his prey.

"We thank you for your time Mr. Gregorovich. We may be speaking again." The video link was cut and all eyes were on Alex.

"We have a situation. Four bombs and four suicide bombers, but there was a fifth device. The unlucky gentleman in question got onto a tube carriage containing two SAS soldiers just back from IRAQ. They spotted his strange behaviour and brought him in. The press are not aware of this and we wish to wring him dry. Scorpia based interrogation techniques and the few who can wield them are a hot commodity. Mr. Gregorovich stated he trained you fully on all the techniques perfected by himself and Dr. Three." The woman's gaze bored into Alex. "So can you bring one of my team up to speed or are you able to fulfill our pressing deadline."

"I take it usual techniques have been used, pychological, physiological and chemical?'

"Yes."

"In tandem or separate?"

This got a puzzled look from the older man with a cold calm expression. "We wish for answers not to kill the subject."

Alex snorted. "I'm not a doctor but it only takes the smallest amount of pressure applied in the right way to break someone. What are his phobias and beliefs? I take his threshold for pain and standard techniques is quite high."

The one who looked the most military snorted "Bastard is self righteous and a bloody martyr for his cause."

Alex smiled coldly "There are worse things than dying."

The military man looked at Alex fully. "Where did you serve? Afganistan or Iraq?"

"Neither, I worked for the Bank in 2001 when I met Yassen. We became close then, very close."

"A bloody traitor!" was ground out by the man on the right of M.

"Oh, no. Nothing so neat and tidy as just defecting. Yassen interrogated me for over two weeks in all. Scorpia instructed him to break then kill me. I told him everything I knew but since I knew fuck all to begin with, it wasn't much. Yassen liked my fight, my spirit. I'd been badly hurt and should have been a broken pile of sniveling captive but I surprised him as I always upping the ante. I ran with the idea if you keep your interrogators angry they get sloppy and you might escape. Well dying is an escape of sorts, isn't it. Yassen is never sloppy but I did get him very very angry. Not at me luckily. I was the one subject he never broke, well not completely anyway. I think I have several screws loose but I make the tea in sub-basement 3, I don't do anything important now."

M cut through Alex little rant. "So will you undertake this specialist task?"

"I will evaluate the situation, then I will advise if it warrants just that or get my hands dirty if needed. I take it you want no permanent damage to the subject."

"We prefer not to violate Great Britain's laws and international obligations."

"Pity." Alex said under his breath. "Its so much easier of you play hardball to begin with."

"Mr Donnelly, Please escort Mr. Fletcher-Smith to our evaluation centre."

"May I change first. My suit is designer and I don't want to ruin it."

Alex left with his escort before the discussion continued.

"You let an agent broken by Scorpia back into SIS. Are you mad?" was ranted at M.

"Gregorovich picked Alex up again last December. Alex and that russian's relationship is not normal to say the least. We prefer to keep Alex close. His working as a freelance or god forbid actually making his situation known to the press would be far worse than keeping him entertained downstairs playing with the R&D section."

"I'm missing something here. We normally make mistakes and embarrassments disappear."

"The Russians, the Americans and worst of all the Cubans would not allow that to happen. Alex is quite a popular boy with them as well as Gregorovich."

"I though that teen agent was disabled and was well practically insane." stated the third man who had so far remained silent.

"That was Alex Rider?"

"Yes, he's grown up to be a charming young man, hasn't he. Just don't mention Ian Rider or Alan Blunt in his presence." quipped M, before steering the meeting on to more pressing matters.