AN: Shorter chapter today, but we need to check in on Alex real quick.
Chapter 27: Survival Mode
Alex Rider squinted at the person he just pulled into his room. "Listen, Alex, I know we're in a weird spot right now, but I'm willing to put all of that behind us because we have bigger problems."
"Ella, we're in a 'weird spot' because you lied to me," Alex frowned.
Ella removed her hood, placed her ball cap on Alex's windowsill, and ran a hand through her hair. "What do you mean I lied to you?" Her brow furrowed. "Alex, seriously, we have more important…"
"Ella," he interrupted her, raising his voice, "Why are you even here? First, you lie to me, and then you just show up outside my window? What is your end goal?"
"Are we seriously doing this right now?"
"Yeah," Alex stared at her, "I guess we are."
"Agh. Fine," Ella put her head in her hands, "Say your piece. Quickly."
"Did you track me down just to yell at me?" Alex challenged.
Ella rolled her eyes. "I came here on business, actually, but please, take the floor," she gestured.
"Yeah, I will actually," Alex clenched his jaw, "I'm upset that you lied to me. After dinner in the Hague, you told me you couldn't stay out because you had work the next morning. Well, I walked past the restaurant you worked at to grab breakfast and say goodbye, but the restaurant was closed."
Ella laughed out loud. The sudden sound was jarring and piercing. "This is so absurd," she mumbled, shaking her head, "Is that why you're mad at me?"
Alex raised his voice "It is. After you ruined our friendship by berating me in DC, I really thought we had mended it. I didn't expect you to lie to me after all of this," he clenched his fists.
"Jesus Fucking Christ, Alex," Ella yelled back, "I'm sorry that I lied to get out of meeting you the next morning, but when I ran away from you after dinner, I went home to sob my eyes out. Mrs. Jones tried to blackmail me into spying against my own family and country during the most awkward dinner of my life. Do you seriously not get why I just wanted to get the hell out of there?" She took a few deep breaths, steadying her voice, "I was in survival mode because that was a horrible night for me. I was thinking selfishly, but given the situation, I feel it was justified."
"You couldn't have just been honest with me?" Alex returned, "Or, I don't know, text me at any point over the past three weeks?"
"Excuse me? The ball was definitely in your court. I run away in tears and I also have to text first? Whatever happened to checking up on people?"
"Why do you think I went back to the restaurant in the first place? I wanted to make sure you were okay in person. Instead of seeing you, I was met with a big 'closed' sign."
"Alex, this is the stupidest fight ever," Ella's voice was still steady, albeit much quieter now, "Can we please just talk about why I'm here?"
"Yeah, that's not for you to decide," Alex shot back, "Last I checked there were two of us."
"Alex," Ella's voice grew louder, "I see your point, okay? I'm not some monster. I had a shitty night because Mrs. Jones tried to make me betray my family and country, and I needed to be alone. I didn't text or call because I was overthinking the whole situation. I'm sorry for hurting you, but I need you to put this all behind us for five minutes because I come with important information." The room is silent for a moment.
"Maybe I was a little harsh about all of this," Alex finally conceded.
"Mhm. You also could have just texted me rather than making this a whole event."
"That's true too."
"Now, can I please tell you why I'm here?" Ella asked.
"Yeah, go ahead."
"Okay, but we have to get moving now. Do you trust me in a professional context?"
Alex thought back to Ella speaking Italian and charming Scorpia people. He thought of the time she distracted half of a party so he could get Todd Eldridge drunk. He thought of Ella taking pills in a CIA car. "Yeah," he said finally, "I trust you."
"Then please believe what I'm about to tell you. And while I'm doing it, pack a bag because you're not staying here anymore."
Ella watched Alex as he threw clothes and his toiletries into his own black backpack. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're on the exact same mission Mrs. Jones proposed to me?"
"You're correct," he said, packing a few gadgets in his backpack.
"Well, you'll be thrilled to learn that the entire mission is bullshit."
"Excuse me?" Alex stopped in his tracks.
"Keep packing and I'll keep talking."
"Tough crowd," he shook his head. Despite herself, Ella suppressed a smile.
"So I was visiting my Dad these past few days and I was telling him about what Mrs. Jones offered me. For the record, I'm still mad at her for that, but that is not what matters right now," Alex nodded, "Anyway, he started telling me how proud he was of me because 'this was a test' and 'I passed.' Turns out, Mrs. Jones told him she saw me in The Haag and my Dad wanted to have a little test of loyalty. He wasn't sure which side I stood on–"
"You mean like, England versus America?"
"Exactly."
"Aren't our countries strong allies? This isn't the bloody Cold War and I don't live in Russia."
"Preaching to the choir, Alex. Now keep packing."
"I'm done."
"Then follow me." Ella led him into the kitchen. She pulled a chair up to the kitchen sink. "Sit," she instructed. If there was one thing that Alex enjoyed, it was seeing where a previously boring day would take him, so he listened. "Now, shirt off," Ella commanded, pulling a few items out of her backpack.
"Excuse me?" Alex raised an eyebrow, "I thought you weren't intere–"
"It's easier and cleaner this way. Now, shirt off and lie your head back."
"I didn't realize you were so take-charge," Alex smirked. Clearly, it was the wrong reaction, because Ella tugged his shirt off and pushed his head back in one motion. "That isn't a bad thing!" he announced up to the ceiling.
"Please just be serious for five minutes," Ella shook her head, turning on the sink. She grabbed a glass from the dish rack next to Alex and began using it to rinse Alex's scalp. "So anyway, my Dad wanted to test me to see where my loyalties really were–as if I were working with any intelligence agency at all. He had some intern at the CIA fabricate information that America was spying on England with help from some foreign embassies. He made the mission the perfect fit for me: the disillusioned princess of the CIA who speaks a ton of languages. I have a working knowledge of pretty much everything you were sent to investigate. You may even say the mission fits me like a glove," Ella remarked, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves from her backpack. Alex rolled his eyes. "So I'm feeling pretty suspicious at this point," Ella continued, rubbing some Vaseline onto his scalp and hairline, "But it turns out Jones had an agenda of her own," Ella trailed off as she began mixing dyes in a plastic bottle, "Turns out that Jones knew you spent the night with me a few days prior and reasonably wanted to see what that was about. She thought that we were secretly dating and wanted to see 'how far I would go to spend time with you.'"
"Sneaky," Alex remarked. He felt Ella start to paint his hair with the dye mixture. The sensation was unfamiliar, as he had never used boxed dye before. Whatever, he thought and hoped for a natural color.
"Yep, typical intelligence agency bullshit. They both thought they were pulling a fast one over each other and me," Ella said, continuing to paint Alex's hair.
"So was I really just a pawn in all of this?" Alex asked, "Story of my life."
"Well, not actually a pawn," she confessed, pulling his hair a little bit while trying to separate it into clumps, "My Dad also takes umbrage with you for quote 'hanging around his daughter.' He has accepted we aren't dating but he still thinks you're going to convince me to join British intelligence and take me away from him or something. He threatened to 'maim you so you couldn't come around anymore,' once he is back from his vacation this Saturday."
"Holy shit?" Alex sat up suddenly and met Ella's shifting gaze.
"Dude, lie down," she implored, pushing Alex back down by his chest. The two locked eyes for a second and Alex felt his last breath get stuck in his throat. "Don't say it," Ella sounded a little flustered, "Just please lie back or you'll get dye everywhere."
"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Alex sounded distracted, "So you mean to tell me that your Dad set MI6 up, got me shipped over to his home turf, and wants to injure me so you don't fall in love with and run away with me?"
"Bingo."
"So what's the plan?"
"I fall in love with and run away with you."
Ella, of course, had been half-joking. While there was no love promised, she quickly outlined to Alex that they needed to get the hell out of the United States.
Twenty minutes later, the two of them were back outside. Ella had colored his hair and eyebrows jet black in the world's quickest dye job. While he was waiting to rinse the excess gel out, she had wet her own hair before expertly cutting off 6-7 centimeters. It went from underarm-length to falling just above her shoulders. Alex had to admit that he liked it, despite the five minutes it took her to do it.
Ella wore the same outfit as before and Alex was in a similar pair of jeans, a plain grey t-shirt, and a navy blue hoodie pulled tight around his face. They both carried a nondescript black backpack.
"Alex," Ella murmured on their walk to the DC Metro, "Pick a new name because we're officially off the grid. You will speak without an English accent and if anyone asks, we're dating, we're in college at the University of Virginia, and we're taking a road trip together this summer. You can call me Megan."
"Megan?"
"As in Rapinoe. She just won us a World Cup. It's the least I can do."
"Didn't the Netherlands lose?"
"Yeah, but the US won. Try and keep up," Ella rolled her eyes, "What shall I call you?"
"How about John? That's my middle name."
"Alex, that is literally my father's name."
"Right. Sorry." Alex was silent for a moment. "How about Beckett?"
"I like Beckett," Ella smiled, "Any significance?"
"My mother's maiden name."
Ella stopped in front of a building. "What's this?' Alex asked, trying to sound as much like Jack and Ella as possible, "I thought we were in an immense hurry to get on the Tube"
"Metro," she corrected, "And it's a post office, follow me."
Ella grabbed a medium-sized box and a bubble mailer. "Write down your home address," she instructed, handing him the bubble mailer. Alex complied. Ella began scribbling addresses onto the cardboard box. "Now, put your phone, passport, and anything else that has your name on it in the bubble mailer."
"Excuse me?"
"Alex, they can track our phones," Ella sounded exasperated, "Now, take the SIM card out, power the phone off, and put them both in the mailer," she instructed, doing the same thing with her iPhone. Her passport, Apple Watch, several ID cards, and a ring joined the pile.
Alex sighed, "Promise me you aren't stripping me of my identity before killing me?"
"If I was doing that, why would I send my own stuff to your house?"
"Touché," Alex conceded and followed suit.
Ella took an envelope off the shelf and scribbled a quick note. "This is so Jack isn't completely confused," she explained. After sealing their phones and IDs into the bubble mailer with the envelope note, she quickly assembled the box and scribbled something onto its inner flap. Alex took a step back and shut his eyes, wondering how his life got him to this exact moment. Ella placed the bubble mailer and a $50 bill into the box, taped it shut, and walked up to the counter to mail it.
"El–Megan," Alex questioned, "Do you really have a plan?"
"Yeah," she replied confidently, "We're going off the grid."
"Where are we going next?" Alex asked, already having grown tired of errands and his fake accent. Frankly, he was growing more and more nervous about this whole thing. Could he really trust Ella? She had offered him proof of what her Dad said, but Alex had, maybe regretfully, declined. After giving up his phone and passport, he had been feeling much less whimsical and trusting.
"My stolen car guy," Ella whispered, guiding him onto a train. The pair sat next to each other across from a mother and crying baby. Alex was starting to piece together Ella's plan, though he wished it not to be true. He resolved to just keep quiet to maintain some blissful ignorance.
Twenty-five minutes later, they arrived at their destination. Alex can tell they are no longer in DC. All he could see were sprawling suburbs that had seen better days and old houses crammed together. He turned around to get his bearings. There was no city skyline even in the distance and more than before, Alex felt like a fish out of water. He ran his fingers through his now jet-black hair and took a deep breath.
Ella, meanwhile, was already on the move. She walked fast through the streets of wherever the hell they were–somewhere called Hyattsville.
"Ella, where are we?" he whispered after he raced to catch up to her. Seeing as they were alone, he opted to use her real name. He liked 'Ella' a whole lot better than 'Megan' anyway.
"Maryland," she replied, "And we'll be there in ten minutes."
As they walked through a neighborhood that had certainly seen better days, Alex couldn't even find the strength to be scared. The few people that were outside watched as they went by, but Ella paid them no mind. Alex followed suit and tried to make himself surrender to the flow.
Ten minutes later on the outskirts of town, they reached a lot called Joe's Garage. It was a graveyard for cars. There were pieces of cars and scrap metal everywhere. Alex stepped over a shredded piece of tire as Ella walked up to the door.
Immediately, she was greeted by a tall white man with long shaggy brown hair. He had a full beard and mustache and wore a suit. A cigarette dangled out of his mouth. Alex prayed this would be his weirdest encounter today.
"Little Bella York," he grinned at her, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Joe, we need something so off the grid it has never even heard of Google," Ella proclaimed immediately.
"I think I have just the thing for you," he smiled.
Alex dragged his feet as Joe took them over to a dark grey 1999 Lincoln Continental. The car looked old, but not worn down.
"Does it run?"
"Does it run?" Joe mocked, his cigarette dancing between his lips. "I built this sweet girl all by myself, of course, it runs."
Ella rolled her eyes, "Can I at least take her for a spin first?" Joe tossed her the keys. She got in the driver's seat and motioned for Alex to follow suit.
Not believing this was his life, Alex just sighed and opened the passenger door.
"Ella, who is this guy?"
"I told you, Alex, he's my car guy. If you need something cheap and off-the-grid, you always come to Joe," she said, buckling her seatbelt. Alex did the same, allowing his thoughts to go to Ian Rider for a moment.
"And how do you know this man?"
"Joe is Oliver's American Uncle," Ella replied as if that were the most obvious thing ever.
"Excuse me?"
"Oliver's grandfather had a secret son here in the US while he was married," Ella said, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, "Once the Grandfather died, Oliver's Dad learned about his long-lost half-brother and Oliver and I met him a few years back. Now he's my stolen car guy."
"Of course," Alex said, staring straight ahead. Ella stepped on the gas and the car lurched forward faster than Alex could have expected. She drove the perimeter of the lot taking the turns quickly. After completing the lap, Ella swerved back into the middle of the lot and began dodging different obstacles. Her narrow miss of a pile of car bumpers is what finally pushed Alex over the edge. "God, what are you doing?" he exclaimed.
Ella slammed on the brakes, causing them both to jerk forwards in their seats. "Making sure this car can drive," Ella said slowly.
"You're driving around like a maniac!" he exclaimed.
Ella looked at him. "Alex, I am not trying to be a bitch right now, but what did you think I meant by testing out this car before we go off-grid?"
"And that's another thing. What the hell are we even doing here? Do you have a plan? How many weird hairy men do you know who sell rebuilt off-grid cars? What does off-grid even mean? Are we just on the run forever, because I did not consent to that?" Alex took a breath.
"Are you done?" She sounded bored.
"No, I'm not bloody done. You show up at my apartment during a mission after three weeks of radio silence. Then, you dye my hair, take away my phone and bloody passport, and drive me around in a franken-car like a lunatic. I feel like I'm owed a little more information."
Ella put the car in park and turned to look at him. Keeping her voice level, she said: "Listen, I've had a pretty shitty day and my head isn't really on straight right now."
"You've had a shitty day?" he challenged, "How about being told the CIA, who you've worked for multiple times, wants to permanently injure you? How about being told this by someone you have a very complicated relationship with and extremely mixed feelings about. How about…"
"Alex," Ella finally snapped, "I get that you're going through it right now. I felt every single emotion you're feeling currently within half an hour of waking up this morning. You are not the only one who is struggling here. I know it might seem chaotic, but everything I have done has been calculated and planned. I'm not an idiot."
"I never said you were an idiot. I just need a little more information," he said, raising his voice even more, "You're always putting words in my mouth and you're always playing the victim. Let me out of this car, because I'm done."
Ella turned away quickly, but Alex could already see the tears welling up in her eyes threatening to spill down her cheeks. She stared intently out the window at a cracked windshield leaning up against a light post.
"Ella, wait," Alex backtracked, his voice much softer, "I didn't–"
"Just go," she whispered, still refusing to even look at him. Her hands clenched the steering wheel as she fixated on the lot beyond the car window.
"Ella, please," Alex started again, but no more words came out.
Finally, she turned to face him. He watched a fat tear roll down her rosy cheek and splatter against the leg of her jeans. "Get the hell out of my car," she breathed, "I am risking everything to come and save your life, and all you do in return is berate me. Whatever we had here is over. Get back to England by yourself or don't. I don't care anymore. I won't be anyone's punching bag." Another tear streaked across her other cheek as she stared at him.
"What do you mean, you're risking everything?" Alex asked softly.
Alex heard the click of the car unlocking. "Out."
"I'm going to start talking, okay, Ella?" Ella continued facing him, but no more tears fell. "I'm sorry for taking my stress out on you. I truly am," he took a deep breath, "But I think you and I need to have a conversation. I think there is a lot going on under the surface that I need to know about before we go on some zany off-grid adventure. Maybe we should set some ground rules."
"I won't be your punching bag," Ella repeats slowly, "And I don't want to yell at each other anymore."
"No more yelling," Alex agreed.
"And there's a lot of family stuff going on right now that I don't want to talk about. I just want distance from it all. You can question me, and you can disagree with me, but you have to be fucking nice to me."
"Okay," Alex said slowly, "I'm sorry." Ella nodded.
"I know today has been tough on you, but we are now officially on the run from the US Government and more importantly my father. We need to stick together to get out of this country. Right now, all we have is each other, this car, and like $4,000."
"How do you suppose we get out?"
"I have connections. We need fake passports and I have a friend up in Maine who can hook us up. The second my Dad pieces together what has happened–and we have maybe three hours–all airports will be on lockdown. We need to leave this country with different identities."
"Why not just get a flight out now?"
"Your name and picture might already be on a no-fly list. It's kind of my Dad's MO. Besides, by the time we get to the airport and find a flight back to Heathrow, I imagine mine will be there too."
"And this is all so he can control you?"
"Controlling women happens to be my Dad's other MO," Ella mumbled.
"And what's your plan for after we escape to England?"
"I'm going to betray my family on my own terms, and it's going to be so much worse than anything my Dad ever has dreamed up."