Chapter Text
Alex and Charles were getting into position when Alex spotted his grandfather on the opposite building. Well, if he was grounded, he may as well be grounded after he did what he came to do. Alex prepared his supplies. The cars were just on time. Alex knew that as they hit spikes they hadn't seen. Patrick must have set them. Alex tossed a whole bunch of smoke grenades on them and then began to move in while Charles fired. Alex wasn't sure if it was him, Patrick or Charles, that was getting the fatal shots. Since they were uncoordinated, they often ended up hitting the same people. After the smoke cleared, Alex waited a few moments before deciding it was probably safe to approach. His grandfather was on the other side of the car, and, boy, did he look unhappy. "We will be discussing your disobedience and lack of regard for your own life later."
Alex popped open the first coffin just as Charles came with the car. It just happened to be Marion. Alex carefully lifted his aunt from the coffin and managed to get her in the car without help. Patrick had already gotten the others back by the time he was done with his aunt. Alex mentally cheered but also cursed his physique. "We need to clear off."
His grandfather eyed him. "I'll text you my hotel address."
After he got out of Japan and onto a plane to France. Patrick must have believed him. "Alright. Take care of my daughter."
Alex shrugged. "I will."
Marion was his best hope for stopping Grief, after all. Charles drove them to the next hotel. Maddox had gotten them registered for both of them, but Alex felt it wise to change. As they were not Japanese, they stuck out in the nearly homogenous population. Marion was already stirring by the time they got there. "Are you okay?"
His aunt cracked open an eye. Alex sent Charles a look. They had already said their goodbyes. A few minutes and Marion could walk on her own. Charles got out just before she started moving. He would take the car and dispose of it before disappearing. Alex held Marion's hand as she regained most of her motor control. Marion pulled him into a hug suddenly. "Alex. The others-"
Alex interrupted. "Are fine and with Patrick."
Marion was wrapped around him. "He took you?"
Alex gave her a half smile. "Not exactly. We can talk more in the hotel."
Marion grabbed his hand and they checked in together. They were quiet in the elevator ride up. Alex decided that room service was in order. Marion didn't seem to be in any shape to go out anyhow. She kept almost drifting off and starting herself awake. Alex got the food. It was a pretty standard meal for Japan. Alex had gotten that far in the guidebook. Marion was being surprisingly patient. He slid her meal towards her.
Marion seemed a lot better after she finished her meal. "So, what's going on?"
Alex huffed. That was just insulting. "I wasn't about to leave the whole rescue to Patrick."
He refused to. This was his family, too. She glanced around the room. "Where is everybody?"
Alex shrugged. Showtime. He needed help for this. Plus, this was the only time alone they had. The children were safe enough in London. It wasn't Afghanistan. "Patrick's with the others. Everybody else is in London with Ian."
Marion raised an eyebrow. "And the man you were with?"
This family would be the death of him. Then again, he would have questioned it, too. Alex snorted. He was not, however, about to throw one of his few allies to the sharks he called family. "We won't be seeing him again. This was a one-time thing. Plus, Ian would go berserk on him."
Marion smiled slightly. The child wasn't wrong. Ian was many things and extremely protective (when aware of a threat or perceived threat) was one of them. "True."
Something just seemed to register with her. "You two left my kids with Ian!"
Damn the family feud. It wasn't that bad. Alex sighed. "No, Patrick left your kids with Ian. Don't worry, Jack will look after them." Marion let out a slight hiss. Alex had a feeling dear old Gramps would be paying for that later and would find a way to make him pay at the next family reunion. "Besides, we have bigger problems."
Marion glared. "We? You haven't even told me what you want yet."
Alex was tempted to pray to a higher power. Then, he explained about Grief. This was nerve-wracking. He didn't actually know his aunt that well. Marion listened to him. "Why didn't you tell Ian?"
Alex gave her a look. "You believe me, then."
Marion smiled slightly. It was a distinctly feral, twisted look. "It's not completely out of the realm of technology or human nature."
Alex smiled. He was aiming for charming with a hint of pleading. "You won't let poor helpless me go to France all alone, will you?"
Marion melted instantly. "Of course not, dear." Helpless her foot, but she wanted to go with him. It was the mission and partner she had wanted for the past ten years. Marion sighed. She was tired. "We can plan in the morning."
Alex had just conveniently forgotten to text Patrick. He was so getting punished for this later, but the madman needed to be stopped. The old man would probably leave his not texting until morning.
Patrick Beckett was rarely surprised, but these past two days seemed to be the exception. Alex. He was torn between wanting to strangle the brat and wanting to reward him. First, his grandson had shown up at a rescue attempt he was supposed to be a world away from. Then, he'd had to answer Ian Rider's increasingly frantic messages. That man didn't seem capable of going twenty-four hours without knowing where his nephew was and what he was doing. Or even eight. That man had a certain stubborn streak. Plus, he refused to go to therapy for the loss of his brother. At any rate, he was thinking of his grandson. He'd inherited the family stubborn streak after all. The brat had gone and lied to him. Little shit. The address he'd been texted in the morning had been the hotel he checked out of. Marion had, for whatever reason, gone AWOL with him. Ian had been beyond anger and seemed to tantalizingly present him with the opportunity to watch the man have a stroke before he regained his sense of control. Damn. Patrick had so been hoping for it. Then, he would have custody of Alex. The man wasn't even good for keeping Alex contained long enough for the boy to grow up. Grr. Now they had no idea where either one of them was. He would just have to have faith in his daughter, Patrick supposed. Marion was ruthless in the defense of her family. Alex could be equally destructive in his own right. What on Earth were they doing? Why did neither of them answer the fucking phone? Marion and Alex had disabled the bugs and tracking devices. There had to be a good reason, but Patrick couldn't think of anything that would require keeping it from him. Darian had been as apathetic as usual and the others were in no shape to go chasing after two uninjured and highly trained members of his family. Nor should they. This was technically an internal matter. He needed to get them back home. Darian would just have to come back to the house and they would have to wait with Ian. It was infuriating. At the same time, it was touching that Alex would come all the way to Japan and rescue them. The news indicated that there were no leads and the surveillance camera footage and license plate numbers had conveniently vanished from all records. Patrick was impressed. Lacking in computer knowledge, his ass. Alex had better have a good reason for the stunt he was pulling.
Marion Beckett was on the plane with her nephew to France. It was unexpected, to be sure, but not unwelcome. Said nephew was currently sleeping away with his head on her shoulder. Alex wasn't old enough for his head to actually be heavy. It was nice to have him here, just the two of them. She had coveted this for so long, Marion wasn't sure it was actually happening. It could be a dream. Helen had just been gone for so, so long and there had been no body to bury. Alex's hair was such a soft pale blond. She knew running her hands through it would wake him and resisted the temptation. The child really did look so adorable and harmless asleep. Marion knew he was capable of murdering everybody on the plane if he wanted. She smiled and began to read her newly purchased book from her new backpack with her new personal items. The mountains in France would still be in frozen this time of the year. At least there would be plenty of snow sports. Their main issue was getting there. It was surrounded by snow on a mountain. Hauling both themselves and their gear would be exhausting and they would have to camp out of eyesight. A helicopter would be unfortunately ostentatious. Not to mention, her skills were not really good enough for a helicopter air battle, especially recovering from her little capture. They would probably end up having to head up on one of the supply helicopters and break-in at night. Unfortunately, the next one didn't launch for another two weeks. It was better than the month it would have been otherwise, but it left her feeling antsy. Marion was feeling under-prepared, but she didn't want to show it. Alex needed her, after all. Adults were supposed to be the confident ones. They would have to rely on stealth. Even then, it was twenty-eight on two. Twenty-seven if the surgeon wasn't there or didn't want to fight. Marion had seen worse odds but didn't really want a mass-murder for her and Alex's first mission together. Unfortunately, he seemed adamant on taking care of this himself. She should really sedate him and send him on a plane to London, but she didn't want to. This was just him and her and she had never liked sharing. Ah, the good old days when she'd threatened to gouge her brother's eyes out for taking her toys. The faint twist of her lips really said it all. She would do this with just Alex and that would be that. It brought a whole new meaning to blood ties.
Marion simply carried Alex out of the plane when he didn't wake up during the landing. Alex and two backpacks were not that heavy. She expertly carried him through customs and could barely contain her squeal of delight every time she was referred to as his mother. 'Twas what the fake papers she had gotten said, so she went with it. Truthfully, she'd envied her sister's ability to reproduce. She had been so, so angry when she'd had the news broken to her by the doctors. He wasn't hers, but, oh, how she wished it were so. A part of her was screaming at her to take him away and just leave everything behind. Her adopted children were wonderful, truly. Marion tried to keep a can on it, but she knew it was going to be difficult. Alex was the kid that could have been hers if she had ever found a man she could stand and had the ability to have children, but those were details. Marion carried him to the hotel room, as well. Alex had some very dark circles under his eyes. Clearly, he needed the sleep. Changing time zones probably hadn't helped either. Alex began stirring just as she was about to set him down. Curse her back for not being able to take his weight for longer. Marion really enjoyed carrying him around. She sat down with him in her arms. Alex clung to her, even when he was asleep. It was nice. Marion felt, rather than saw, her nephew open his eyes. The lashes grazed her collarbone. "Where are we?"
Marion kept holding him. "A hotel near where the mountain range we need to be in, dear. The supply helicopter takes off in this city."
Alex grimaced at the taste in his mouth. "What time is it?"
Marion glanced at the clock. "Late morning. Are you hungry?"
It was lucky how the flights and time changes worked out, she supposed. Alex shifted. "Yeah, kind of."
Marion smiled. "Well, after we shower, how about some brunch?"
Alex grinned. This was going to be fun. Minus the murder. "Sure."
Alex even had an idea of what to order. Delicious crepes never failed to put him in a good mood. It would be one of the few times he ever rushed his shower. Marion looked at the walking shag rug her nephew called a dog. "I suppose a trip to the butcher will have to be squeezed in. I hope you like snow."
The dog eyed her with its creepy yellow eyes. There was still a few inches of it outside. The rug- sorry, the dog- seemed to shrug before stretching and jumping on the bed. It seemed to take up the whole thing. Marion shook her head. "Furry rat."
The dog just looked at her smugly.
Alex felt like laughing himself sick when he got out of the shower to Marion attempting to get Fenrir off the bed. It was kind of hilarious. She was currently threatening him with dismemberment. Fenrir barely batted an eyelid before going back to sleep. Marion seemed to have given up on verbal threats at that moment and began attempting to subtly shove him off the bed. Alex just barely kept the shit-eating grin off of his face. Barely. Alex knew that his baby was not about to move until he had a few hours of sleep. "He's not moving."
Marion glared. "Isn't this your dog?"
Alex shrugged. "My poor, poor baby needs his sleep, too, you know."
Marion's unamused look was not nearly as terrifying as Yassen's. "I'll be out in fifteen minutes."
Alex shrugged and decided that texting Yassen was probably in order.
-A
Afternoon.
-C
Yassen glanced at his phone. Why had Alex gone to Switzerland, Japan, and France in a seventy-two hour period? That was more suspicious than his travel patterns and he was an actual criminal. Yassen turned on the news and felt his eye twitch.
-C
You better not have exploded that street in Japan
-A
Alex grinned. Time to blame it all on Gramps. That was what family was for, after all. Plus, if it was up to Gramps, it would have been all his fault anyway. He plonked himself down next to Fenrir and typed
-A
It was all the other family this time. Shocking, I know.
-C
Yassen felt his lips twitch. Well, Alex did have quite the overachieving family. Besides, he was sure Ian would have kept his darling nephew out of the real action. Although, he did have a few questions for Alex, come to think of it.
-C
Why did Alec send Chase a Grinch sweater and his family?
-A
Alex grinned. So, Chase had bitched about it to Yassen. Figures. Well, there really was only one point to sending a gift like that. Alex loved messing with those guys and it was absolutely hilarious.
-A
To confuse the ever-loving shit out of him. Why else?
-C
Yassen smirked. Alex was baiting Chase then. Shocker. It was only a matter of time until someone wrung the other's neck. Sending that was the operational equivalent of taunting someone in a game of tag.
-A
And here I thought you might be making a political statement. Congratulations, by the way. You now have the undivided attention of one SCORPIA board member. Quite the achievement, if you don't want to live until you're thirty.
-C
Alex grinned. Score one for team Rider. Sure, this might shorten his life expectancy considerably, but it was so much fun. Plus, Chase needed a few more grey hairs. He looked way too laid back for his job. Of course, Jones' picture could be a few years old.
-A
Oh, but Yassen, life is too short anyway. Besides, what would you do without me brightening up your life?
-C
Yassen glared at the phone. No sense of self-preservation. At all. Cossack wasn't sure why he bothered some days. He was technically on break, but actually about to go teach his apprentice.
-C
Avoid the extra cost of testing my resting blood pressure every few weeks.
-A
Alex laughed and knew that was the end of the conversation for a while. He snapped his phone shut and put it away. There was still a few minutes before he had to be ready to go. Marion was just getting out of the shower (he'd heard it shut off). Fenrir looked massive on the bed, which was a queen size. The room seemed to be made of wood and was quite warm, despite the fact they were using a wall heater instead of central air conditioning. The wallpaper was vaguely floral, but was either old or deliberately faded. The couch and bed were made of wood, as well. The walls seemed to be the old-school plaster type. The curtains were floral as well, giving the room an effeminate feel. The lock on the window was heavy, maybe even cast iron. The glass looked thicker than normal. The floors were actual hardwood with some carpets placed strategically on top. The desk and chair were made of some sort of dark wood. It was a nice, cozy sort of place. It seemed rather quiet for a hotel. Was the snow muffling the sound? There would still be more noise inside a building. It was quiet. Alex knew it couldn't all be the snow and the morning. This may not be London, but places with people should have actual noise. Actually, this didn't seem like a hotel. It was more like the timeshare James had moved into when he'd left his aunt and uncle's house to go to a different school. That was odd, why would he need to move out? Something about needing to manage estate soon. It hit him like a box of rocks. Alex felt like a terrible person when he realized that it meant Jamie's uncle and aunt were both close to dying in the last life and he'd just vanished off to America. He would do better this time. And maybe not argue so much with him all the time. Still, Jamie was fun to wind up, even as an adult. Alex liked him, though. Jamie was like having your own personal sparkler. A nice change from the posh politeness that seemed to permeate every corner of society. In the words of his former (current?) friend, sometimes you should really just flip people off instead. Alex felt a faint smile appear on his face as he thought of James. They would really have to meet up again soon, even if he was grounded.
Charles Brandon was on the run. It was exhilarating. He missed having some of his old life back. Sure the crummy places to stay were bad, but the medical issues he got to treat on the dodgier side of the law were a lot more interesting than fifteen diagnoses of the common cold like he'd had to deal with back at the clinic. Methamphetamine, guns, other assorted issues. Hell, even STIs at a brothel (don't ask) was better than treating the goddamn cold. It usually began with something along the lines of Hey, you know medicine, right? Charles knew that question would one day end poorly for him, the patient, or both. He met a lot of dodgy people. Apparently, the new (much stricter) laws on having to report gunshot wounds and drug overdoses to police had really clamped down on people's illegal treatment options. Most doctors weren't willing to risk their license for that sort of thing. It usually meant a lot of poor people in bad neighborhoods would die. The richer end of the criminal element could, of course, afford their own medical care. Brandon was just glad he had the foresight to take his tools with him everywhere. There was no telling how one would get surgical equipment in rural Malaysia. The current person that (he assumed) was in charge seemed glad to have him and didn't ask too many questions about why a European doctor was not in Europe doing medicine for rich people (comparatively speaking). People tended to pay him on the barter system, but Charles didn't really mind. The food was actually really good and the tools and local money came in handy. He wasn't that picky about his living conditions (so long as they were livable). Brandon had decided that getting out of Britain was best. Tulip Jones gave him the creeps and had already had the rest of his family murdered. Alex traveled a lot and there were only so many times you could visit the bunker before you got bored. He'd taken a few guides on medicinal plants around the world. The author had written under either a pseudonym or no longer used his real name. Even so, the books were enormously helpful and came with pictures accurate enough to show illiterate villagers who wanted to help. It wasn't all calm. It wasn't all cookies and sunshine. But, it was more real then he'd felt in a long, long time.
Nile was enjoying his Gregorovich-free vacation quite a bit. He was also deliberately ignoring his new Blondie obsession, for now. It was nice to just have time to himself for once. No people watching him. No weird requests from his boss at three in the morning. As much as he liked his job, vacation was always a wonderful option. SCORPIA could live without him for a few weeks. It was one of the good things about working for them. They had more than one 'top operative,' so your vacation and medical care almost never got cut short. Sure, they usually wanted you to be relatively productive, but you could crash for a few days and then start up whatever you wanted to learn. Nile was going for a scuba review. No one had ever said that diving had to be cold and miserable. He'd gotten a warm ocean, thank you very much. Cossack might swim in sub-zero oceans for fun (crazy the whole country, Russians), but he didn't. Climbing and other aerial sports were out. Nile had an unfortunate fear of heights after one of his (pre-SCORPIA) missions (for a drug cartel) had gone poorly. The CIA had decided that tossing him out of a helicopter a few times was the way to go and he hadn't been able to enjoy anything high ever since. He could climb and had before, but he couldn't seem to kick his fear of heights. SCORPIA had been the ones to rescue him. His fear had even gotten him the ranking of second in the class, although he'd outscored the others by far. Then Julia Rothman had taken him and killed his other classmate before they graduated. She had loved needling him about always being second in the class. God, how that messed up woman operated. He could admire the sheer fucking gall, but at the same time, being unpopular had gotten her killed. Nile had learned never to mess with a board member ever and that Rothman was kind of a bitch - not that he ever said so aloud. Even dead, calling another board member names could get you killed. It was not so much that they had fond memories of each other; it was more about the respect factor. Nile leaned back and attempted to relax on his vacant part of the beach.
Alex Rider was thoroughly enjoying his unexpected vacation in France. Marion was a lot more hands-on than Ian. She was also going nuts with the physical training, but it was kind of fun with her. Ian was very, very serious all the time. Plus, Alex wasn't paranoid about Marion questioning his skills too closely. She had only seen him a month in ten years, so she had little to no frame of reference. Marion was also taking him to see some pretty nice things. His aunt absolutely insisted he not try to pay for anything and had been quite amused at the fifteen minute argument that resulted in Alex feeling slightly put out with her. Her brown eyes had sparkled with amusement as she argued that as the richer adult of the group she should pay. Alex had retorted that he was currently a male family member, only to be treated to Marion's fifty minute Ian-esq lecture on customs around the world about who should pay when and why. When they weren't trying to take each other's heads off, they had a startling amount in common. Alex had nearly slipped twice and called her Ian. Luckily, she didn't seem to have noticed. Marion was being pretty nice, all things considered. Alex would have cut her some slack if she had a meltdown or two after almost being buried alive. But nope, she seemed completely fine while conscious. Alex noticed she wasn't sleeping all that great, but wasn't sure how to bring it up without getting stabbed. Marion was, shockingly, a contact sleeper. It was usually the opposite, but considering that he slept with a giant dog every night, Alex couldn't really talk. Marion had shaken her head and smirked, but allowed his baby in bed with them. Which was good when the heater conked out on them halfway through the night. Alex figured that was why she let him stay there in the first place. They'd both also gone skiing. Surprisingly, his muscle memory only needed a bit of a warm-up to kick in. They were currently on top of one of the more challenging slopes. "Ready to lose, Auntie?"
Marion's grin was rather feral as she answered back in equally fluent French. "Lose? I'm going to win, Sweetie."
Alex pushed off. She still weighed more than him, strictly speaking. "Race you to the bottom!"
Alex felt himself yell and the white began to race past him. The trees were beginning to blur as well. Alex pushed himself to go even faster, knowing his aunt was close behind. She shot past him when he moved left to dodge a tree, just barely avoiding said tree herself. Alex went faster himself, trying to make up for their weight difference. Marion had picked a path with more trees and ended up slowing down because of it. Alex just barely tied with her before a dude came up to them, huffing. "That was crazy, my dudes."
Americans. Well, he just hoped this went better than the last time he met them. As in, the time he died. Marion's tight grin was a little on the predatory side. The guy continued. "You guys training for the Olympics or something?"
Alex burst out laughing. "Nah, we're just on a ski vacation. You?"
The blonde grinned. "Same. I wish I could try out, but I tweaked my knee on a jump. Docky said not to ski for another week, but I figure I'm fine. What the old man doesn't know won't give him a stroke, yeah?"
Marion looked like a cat who had been dipped in water as the guy started drifting with them towards the snack bar. Alex was giggling internally. A very mature, manly giggle. Alex decided to interrupt the man deluge of facts including his medical details (Alex did not need that mental picture involving his tendons) and his many, many extreme sports hobbies. Good God, all they needed was whatever had gotten the man that amount of money. Parachuting is expensive. "Err, what's your name?"
The blond grinned. "Oh, sorry. I always forget that part. I'm Fynn."
Alex already had him pegged as the perfect irresponsible adult to call if he ever wanted to BASE jump again and Jerry wasn't available. "I'm Alex. The lovely lady is Marion."
Marion huffed. "Alex, sweetie, no matchmaking."
Fynn gaped. "I wouldn't say the kid is bad at it, ma'am."
Fynn shot his (admittedly attractive, bit still, gag) aunt's figure an appreciative stare. Alex gave him the evil eye, even as Fynn managed to stop himself from staring for too long. They got to the snack bar just as Marion seemed to be warming up to Fynn. Or rather, Fynn's incredibly fit physique. Marion batted her eyes at him. Oh, no. What had he done? Fynn was going to die. "Why, thank you."
I mean, he was a little talkative, but that didn't mean Alex wanted him dead in a ditch somewhere after his aunt was through with him.
After Fynn gave both of them his number and decided that the perfect way to cap off eating a bunch of food was skiing to the valley to order more food, Alex stared at his aunt. "You aren't going to murder him after you finish flirting, right?"
Marion burst out laughing. "Good heavens, no. It would be a shame to deprive other women of his athletic figure."
Alex grinned. "Well, being pretty clearly got him places."
Marion whacked him upside the head. "Just because he might seem vacuous, doesn't mean he is."
Alex smirked. "Well, he does a good job of it, don't you think?"
His aunt's loss of the argument was apparent. Marion rolled her eyes. "Well, dear, it can't all be guns and explosions."
Alex shrugged. "Just remember that nice little talk Gramps gave you, Fynn doesn't seem...inexperienced."
Marion rolled her eyes. "I am in my thirties, nephew dearest."
Alex grinned. "Cougar."
Marion placed her fork down with more force than strictly necessary, but her eyes danced. "Insolent brat."
Alex's eyes were sparkling. "Oh, but you love me anyway."
Marion snorted. "Yes. I blame Ian. It works wonders."
Alex smiled at her. "But Marion-"
Marion snorted loudly. "I still haven't forgiven dad for leaving my kids with Ian. They might come down with a bad case of patriotic fervor."
Alex felt himself laughing so hard at that he was actually crying. Marion smacked his arm. "I'm serious."
Alex gave her a look. "So am I. I don't think three whole days is long enough for brainwashing. Besides, Ian isn't the best at inspiring loyalty to one's country. I mean, look at me."
Marion huffed. "Well excuse me for being concerned. I just don't want my kids shipped off to get shot in some foreign war."
Alex rolled his eyes. Marion. "No worries. I'd help you kidnap them back from Blunt."
Marion ruffled his hair affectionately. "Good, Alex."
It was like having a crazy pet panther, really. You just sat back and watched people get eaten and hoped you weren't next. That, and Marion seemed to think kids were a cross between people and pets. She was definitely a little weird. Although, he did have an errant thought or two. "Wait, so are you meeting Fynn or not?"
Marion snorted. "After your bedtime and at his place."
Alex shrugged. "Wait, why'd he give us both his number?"
Marion smirked. "Perhaps he scared off all of his 'bros' by sleeping with their girlfriends."
Alex sighed. There were some mental images he really didn't need. They were already back at their place, at least. "Or perhaps he likes your mildly snarky company, who knows?"
Alex just stared at her as the door closed. Well, he had a few hours to himself. Skiing was kind of exhausting and the dinner didn't start until eight anyway. Alex figured he and Fenrir could take a nap together. Of course, his furball had other plans. Fenrir was valiantly trying to open the fridge and get to his dinner when Alex walked into the kitchen. He'd have noticed sooner, but he had to ditch his ski gear.
Alex chuckled as Fenrir sent him a hurt look. "Oh, fine, you furry rat. I'll feed you and then we can go out."
Marion hadn't wanted to take the dog, for fear of him getting injured. Alex actually figured the person crashing into Fenrir would take more damage but hadn't said anything. Alex sighed and began the rather arduous process of thawing several kilos of raw meat for his pet. The turntable was rather boring to watch, so he turned on the TV. "...And the motion for study abroad has passed in Parliament. The details include several trade concessions, particularly on…"
Ah, Ian was probably going ballistic at the moment. Speaking of Ian, he hadn't texted the man for a few days. Alex sighed and got out the battery. He'd have to keep this short. Ian could and would abuse his work powers to track him down.
-I
Alex if you don't come home, I'm going to be really upset.
-A
Ian must have been worried. It got progressively worse as Alex read the messages.
-I
Alex, you had better head home now.
-A
-I
Alex, Patrick called. It's nice to know you're alive. You better not be going on that raid.
-A
-I
You better be on the next flight back. And don't think your grandfather didn't tell me what you did in Tokyo.
-A
-I
Alex, the others are back, except Marion. Where are you going? What are you doing?
-A
-I
You must be with Marion. Please tell me you two didn't go your separate ways.
-A
Alex grimaced. This was going to be ghastly when he got back. Ian must have figured that even Marion was better than no adult.
-I
Alex, come on. One little text won't kill you. Unless it will.
-A
Alex felt his lips twitch a little. He could think of several times a text would have killed him. Oh, Ian. He must be frantic.
-A
I'm alive.
-I
Alex pulled out the battery again and ditched the hotel room. It was going to be a few more days before he could go home.
-I
Come home.
-A
Alex had no idea how much those words meant. Ian Rider knew the text was probably futile, but he'd run out of threats. The message was sent but not read and Alex hadn't kept the phone on long enough to be tracked. Darn it. Crawley sighed behind him. "Smart little bugger."
Ian felt his eye twitch. "Yes, a little too smart for his own good."
Crawley shrugged. "He'll be fine. I have faith in Mini and Aunt Crazy, survival skills-wise."
Ian groaned. "Why would he take Marion? It should have been me."
Crawley sighed. "Maybe he needed somebody whose morals were flexible or something?"
Ian huffed. "For what? Besides, my morals are plenty flexible, thank you."
Crawley just looked at him funny. "Are you jealous of Aunt Crazy?"
Ian pouted. "No."
Crawley raised an eyebrow. "Maybe."
John sighed. "Ian, we aren't getting anything productive accomplished. Besides, Tulip's little block failed."
Ian huffed. "The one time I need a political favor-"
Crawley cut him off. "There's only so much we can do without it being blatant."
Ian let out a very long breath through his mouth while pinching his nose. "Alright, who have we got the dirt on, so far?"
Crawley opened a file. "We have six people so far and two in the works. There is one volunteer, your favorite friend of Alex's."
Ian growled. "If Alex would believe it, she would have totally had an accident by now."
Crawley let out a long sigh. Ian and his over-protectiveness were legendary. "On a slightly related note, Brooklands' new teacher looks a little suspect on paper. I'm looking into it."
Ian gave him a slight smile. "Thank you."
Crawley shrugged. "No problem."
Ian reached for the third file. "Oh, don't look at that."
Ian smirked. "Now, John. My clearance is higher than your clearance."
Ian sauntered over after grabbing the folder. Crawley snatched it out of his hands. "Alex has been entered. Three times, actually."
Ian saw red for a few seconds. "What?!"
Crawley sighed. "Calm down. I'm looking into it. One of these is a recommendation from Sarov, writing as Mrs. Jones. One of these is written by Mrs. Jones as Alan Blunt."
Ian tried and failed to grab the folder. "And the third one?"
Crawley sighed. "Let's see. It was written by Amanda Teller as you."
Ian growled. "I'm going to kill the lot of them."
Crawley made pacifying motions. "Blunt must have put her up to it."
Ian glared at the wall. "Or she's making her move to take his spot."
Crawley sighed. "The analysts had her waiting at least four more years before she actively tried to oust him."
Ian growled. "The analysts couldn't find their asses with both hands."
Crawley unsuccessfully attempted to withhold his snort. That was a classic Ian moment. "Actually, they've gotten a lot better."
Ian gave him the evil eye. "John."
Crawley glared right back. "Ian."
Ian knew when not to argue with his coworker. "I managed to get him stamped as an alternate, but it had already gone through by the time I got to it."
Ian rubbed his eyes. "There better not be a need for one."
Crawley sighed. "I'll do my best, but if both Blunt and Sarov want this, it is out of our hands."
Amanda Teller had absolutely no regrets forging an entry for Alex as his guardian. Sure, it may be illegal, but she didn't think it was unethical. Alex wanted to go. Plus, she owed him one for that incident with the knife. They all did. It had taken her weeks to be able to forge Ian Rider's handwriting correctly. Forgery was not really her specialty, but she was willing to make an exception just this once. Besides, Ian Rider was a shitty guardian. The man even set her mother's radar off and her mother was an optimist who liked to believe the best of people. She knew Alex well enough to fill out most of the paperwork. Other parts, like medical stuff, she'd had to acquire through more dubious methods. Lucky for her, Alex kept a copy of his medical records in his room. Shrapnel wounds? Twice? Alex was so explaining those the minute she could get him alone. The physical fitness was not a surprise. Brain scans? What the hell? Amanda wondered how much she really knew about her friend. Fenrir was awesome, though. He'd shown her the drawers once or twice when she'd asked him (rhetorical questions). She was sad to have missed him this time around. Apparently, he'd gone to visit his sick aunt in the hospital and taken the dog with him. The only problem was, he'd done it without his guardian's permission or knowledge. Amanda knew he was in for a bunch of trouble when he got back, but couldn't really blame him. Who didn't visit relatives who got hospitalized? Amanda was starting to think that Alex's family took their grudge matches way too far. Not that she had any input. Alex was pretty stuck either way. Mandy was glad she could get him away from that lot for nine months. Alex had been marked as an alternate, but, honestly, what school program didn't have at least one sick kid happen the day of? The Russians, for whatever reason, would not take anyone suddenly horribly sick. Mandy figured they were paranoid about possible biological warfare and felt that MI6 was ruthless enough to infect one of their own underage citizens to spread some sort of ghastly disease. Or perhaps they were just worried about outbreaks in general? Who knew?
General Alexei Sarov had no regrets whatsoever forging a letter in Tulip Jones' name. All was fair in love and war and this was both. Alex was not meant to be stuck in Britain for whatever his family and country wanted him for. He belonged at school, perhaps at a special school for incredibly gifted children, but at a school no less. Not that he subscribed to such thoughts on most occasions. To be fair, he was almost certain the Jones woman could handle the political fallout should this ever come to light. Ian Rider was just going to have to suck it up. Plus, rumor had it the man was a terrible guardian who should have been deposed by social services for a while now. The British certainly liked to hide their scandals. Almost as much as his countrymen. The fact that Alex was listed as an alternate was passé. Sarov could easily arrange for one of the others to contract the Measles or Mononucleosis or something long-term and highly contagious, but not permanently debilitating. It would get a candidate disqualified. Russia was very strict about its standards and new limited entry policies. It wouldn't do to have outbreaks of diseases brought by foreigners. Plus, with a disease that was liquid transmission, the Russian half of the deciding votes would be far more squeamish about exactly how the disease was transmitted. Or at least, they would be publicly squeamish. He had no doubt quite a few of them were perverts of the worst kind in private. Sarov would be the first to admit that evidence of sexuality under a certain (admittedly low, for most civilized countries) age or homosexuality of any kind would be a disqualifying factor. Drug usage was a definite no-go. They had a big enough drug problem in Russia without adding to it. They had very strict rules for people with a history of civil disobedience. Mainly, they wanted to make sure there were no bomb-wielding maniacs and no protests organized. The students would also be independently assessed by top academics in each and every aspect of their education after their own country weeded through the applications. All in all, it was an extremely rigorous process. The countries had decided that the sovereign country had final say on whether students could enter the country or not. The UN had very strict guidelines on country and border autonomy, after all.
Marion Beckett was up earlier than her nephew. It was going to be Alex's birthday soon. He was kind of hard to shop for. Weapons? Meh. Alex didn't seem to care about clothes and he didn't usually want a gaming system. Inspiration came, shockingly, from Fynn. The man was very attractive and very athletic, but hadn't seemed entirely sensitive or intelligent. He was very nice, though. Plus, he'd insisted on coming along. "So, who are we shopping for?"
Fynn put his head on her shoulder and an arm around her waist. "Alex. I'm not sure what to get him."
Fynn seemed to think for a minute. "You know, the new James Bond movie is out. He mentioned he had a collection with all of them."
Marion smiled. Oh, it was perfect. Plus, it would irritate the crap out of Ian. "That sounds perfect."
Fynn bounced toward the movie store. It was nice to have someone energetic around. Darian was something of a drag, on bad days. Patrick was getting up there. Mind you, he was still a scary bastard. The children did not really count. Fynn was already bounding for the movie section of the electronic store. Marion decided to run after him. You were only on that ski trip to France once, right? Neither of them was particularly out of breath, even though they had darted through the store. Fynn had grabbed the movie just as she had gotten there. "I like a woman who can run,"
Marion smirked as he admired her figure. She could certainly do that. "Oh, but what happens when you want to watch me run and run with me at the same time?"
Fynn looked genuinely stumped for a minute. "Run with you and then watch. I still gotta build up my stamina for skiing again. You seem to have plenty."
The cashier glanced at the mother behind them with a scandalized expression and two children and let out a cough. "For skiing, I mean, uh...most people can't go more than a few hours, ya know."
Fynn had just noticed his surroundings. Marion was cackling internally. She raised an eyebrow. "And other athletic activities, geez woman."
Fynn looked torn between appeasing her and social norms. "Thank you, it's always nice to hear."
She phrased it so he knew he was off the hook he'd imagined he was on. Fynn relaxed immediately. They walked out of the store together. Fynn was eyeing her hopefully. "Is there something you want to ask me?"
The man seemed torn. "Erm, I...umm...Could we stay in touch? I like you and the kid a lot."
Marion was rather surprised. She hadn't anticipated that. Really, she'd gotten the impression that this was more of a casual thing. Most men thought the same thing when she told them up front she couldn't have kids. Fynn started fidgeting. "You don't have to."
Marion blinked. "No, I think it's a nice idea, Fynn."
It wasn't like he was asking to marry her or anything. Fynn gave her one of those innocent radiant smiles that made him look extra pretty. "Good. So what's for lunch?"
Marion laughed. Men in their twenties and food. "Why don't I surprise you?"
It was a good day.
Fenrir had led Alex into a barely-a-path in the nearby wilderness. The furball had abruptly stopped and begun to dig. "Fenrir, digging a pit near the ski resort is bad."
The wolf ignored him in favor of ripping more snow up. Great. It was probably another body. Marion was going to kill him for messing with her day. Alex actually didn't mind his aunt dating Sporty, so long as he wasn't forced to think of the details. Fenrir yipped after digging a huge amount of snow up. Alex didn't even think it was possible to dig that much up unless you had construction equipment. "What is it, boy?"
Probably a whole family of bodies. Great, just great. Why hadn't he gone with a normal dog? Oh, yeah, he was a sucker. Fenrir climbed out of the hole and all but dragged him over, letting out intermittent whines. It was a chest. Made out of metal and frozen inside a clear (he assumed waterproof) bag in a block of ice. "What the hell?"
Fenrir gave him the evil eye. The wolf was probably trying to be helpful, in his own not quite sentient way. Why was it always him and Fenrir that got into these things? "Fine, fine. I'll take it back. I'm going to be very upset if it's a dead baby."
Alex figured he had about fifteen minutes before the reception desk was populated again (they took an hour off in the afternoon and worked later into the night). Alex sighed and picked up the ice block. He was so glad he'd done some upper body training now. The muscle mass wouldn't build like a grown man's, but it had improved his ability to carry mildly heavy objects over pretty long distances. It would be a bit of a jog to be back in time.