In My Defense

Prompt: Self-preservation: the first law of intelligence. Written for Spyfest week 2. Due: July 15

Alex knew all along that you couldn't trust anybody in intelligence. There was no amount of money that could make him forget that he had been blackmailed into the job in the first place. That was why he didn't feel bad knowing that someone was eventually going to figure out his plan. He was, after all, the only agent who didn't do their banking with the bank. Tulip Jones had long ago crossed over into the category of an impediment to his freedom. A choice in his missions. Yeah, fucking, right. Lying bitch. He should have seen it coming, though. Fox was nice and all, but Alex knew his partner's allegiance was to MI6, to the law. Hah, they didn't follow the law. The bastards. Fox would find that out one day. Smithers was on the list of possible allies, but Alex wouldn't count on it, just out of sheer principle. Self-reliance and self-preservation. Ian had tried to teach him. Alex figured it had, ironically, been SCORPIA that succeeded. They had trained him. It had taken effort to find them, but never let it be said that he did things halfway. Then again, SCORPIA (and his own curiosity) was the cause of his current predicament. Jones had sent him after Walker, figuring it wasn't safe to tell him the man was alive and had escaped their custody once already. Ben had told him after they were captured. It could be inadvertent, but Alex personally doubted it. It was almost like Tulip was trying to get him killed. If Alex got back in one piece, he would be tempted to choke her himself and collect the bounty someone had pinned to her head. Why hadn't Walker just gutted him? That was the real question. Surely the man had heard the stories of people who procrastinated on the whole killing him bit. Speak of the devil. "Well, well, well, look who we have here. An MI6 stooge and a fellow blackmail victim."

Alex hadn't exactly told anyone at said workplace how he started working there. "Shut the fuck up and kill us already, Walker."

Alex spat out. "Aww, but Foxy here is now brimming with questions now. It would be rude to murder him without answering them first."

Alex's mouth still occasionally ran before his brain. "Weren't you in remedial etiquette?"

Walker smirked. Then brushed Alex's hair out of his eyes. "True. Not all of us can have poshy spy upbringings, now can we?"

Alex griped, now enjoying the banter. "I wasn't rich. We were upper middle class."

Walker seemed in no hurry to gut them since he was now playing along. "Says every rich person ever. Now, let's let Foxy have his turn. He probably feels left behind."

Fox was in fact very curious about how Cub and Walker knew each other. And about Cub in general. Jones refused to tell him anything but the most basic of information. Walker was very generously offering to tell him a few things. How could he ever refuse? "Blackmail victim?"

Walker walked over to Cub, who was dangling beside him and in equally rough shape, and cut his shirt open to examine the wounds left by his men. "Oh, your precious Cubby never wanted to be a spy. Jonsie had to threaten Alex's darling innocent friends, seeing as his family all tragically died."

Fox was going to momentarily ignore the slight sarcasm on the tragic part of the deaths. He was curious, sue him. Alex interrupted. "Wait, you never heard specifics on the island."

Walker got out a first aid kit with alcohol pads and started jamming them roughly against his back. Alex let out a hiss of pain. "Research, darling ex-classmate, ever heard of it?"

Alex let out another hiss as Walker all but jabbed a different spot on his back. "Bedside manner, Walkie Talkie, ever heard of it?"

Walker smacks him upside the head. "Ow, child abuse, really?"

Walker rolled his eyes. "Moving on, Foxy."

Ben shrugged. "Dead family?"

Walker smirks at the man. "Ah, yes. His parents were murdered by a SCORPIA mole and dear uncle Ian, who brought him up, was murdered by Yassen Gregorovich on an assignment for SCORPIA."

Ben stared at them both. "Sorry, Cub."

Alex glared at the man. "No, you're not. If you were, you'd quit asking."

Ben looked at him. "Blunt blackmailed you with your friends?"

Alex sighed. "He threatened to ruin all of our lives. End of story."

Walker smirked. "Damn, for a teenager, you're amazingly non-whiney."

His former classmate paused and then continued. "No. They tested Alex here after his uncle died. He was kidnapped and blackmailed into SAS training before resuming the mission his uncle died on, all less than a month after Ian's funeral. Don't you feel wonderful about bullying the fourteen-year-old about his non-existent family and entitlement?"

Ben looked horrified. "Why?"

Walker shrugged. "Blunt thought only Alex could do the job. Personally, I think he was beginning to go insane."

Alex let out a hiss as Walker got a particularly sensitive part of his back. "How do you know each other then? You're ex-CIA."

Walker snorted. "A bit dim, isn't he?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Walkie, I saved your hide so many times during survival training your comment is borderline comical."

Walker dumped the bloody bandages pads into the bin. "True, true, pretty boy. You did learn everything so fast."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Do you want to tell Foxy the story or shall I?"

Alex sighed. "I'm going to pass out soon, so you probably should."

Alex was exhausted and the fact that the pain seemed to be fading was probably a bad sign. Walker began telling the story. "Now, nobody except the executive board knows for sure whether Cubby was a spy from the beginning or not…"

Alex passed out shortly after that.

Walker was pleased with himself. He'd caught Alex and Ben Daniels. Daniels was definitely going to die for capturing him the first time, but Alex had options. Mainly because the little shit was the first and only person to ever really save Walker and expect nothing in return. If Walker didn't know better, he'd swear the instructors wanted the entire class to die. Then again, in SCORPIA, one never really knew. His former boss had been a dick and Walker had been so disgruntled that when the agency started making him go on more missions after the death of his only close friend, he'd started looking for a new job. His family was all fucking terrible. The coworkers he'd had and currently had would murder him in a heartbeat if it suited their purposes. Rider was special, even he could see that. The top of the class at fourteen. Meh, he was going soft. Daniels wasn't even bright enough to wonder why he had only treated Alex. Alex had probably figured it out, but Walker couldn't be certain. Walker shrugged. They were his prisoners. He'd forbidden all of his men from touching Alex after he'd seen who they'd actually found. They could have a field day with Daniels if they wanted. For the first time in years, he wasn't quite sure things would work out the way he wanted them. Walker wondered what it was about Alex that appealed so much. He'd met prettier men and women. The quips made you want to either burst out laughing or strangle the crap out of him. Walker grinned. Walkie Talkie, really? It sounded like a prison nickname for fuck's sake. Walker sniggered at the mental image. Yeah, Walkie Talkie the way all the crime bosses spoke to each other in prison. He sighed as he looked into the mirror. His plan mostly depended on Alex having a sense of self-preservation. Well, it wasn't like he couldn't invite the kid for dinner. He rubbed his eyes. Alex would make a nice partner. They could even eat together without worrying about the whole poison thing. If Alex wanted him dead, the kid could have easily killed him during training or after. It wasn't like his profile in the criminal world was non-existent. Walker sat back in his chair. Time to order dinner.

The invitation to dinner was so cliche, so normal that Alex had laughed after the guard had taken his positive answer back. Fox had just stared. "What on earth could you possibly find so funny right now?"

Alex just kept laughing until he had to stop. "He invited me to dinner. Everyone invites me to dinner, Fox."

Fox rolled his eyes. "Lucky you. Nobody does that for me."

Alex smirked. "That's because you haven't met any of the psychotic ones yet."

Fox grimaced. Alex was pretty sure it was meant to be a smile, but it didn't quite make it. "Nope, Cub. You're just special."

Alex shrugged. "You're just jealous."

Fox rolled his eyes. "Of what? You? No, I prefer my life with my relatives intact, thank you."

Alex winced and felt some of his stitches pull. Walker must have done them after he passed out from blood loss. That comment had hurt more than it rightfully should. "Fuck you."

Fox seemed surprised until he'd realized what he just said. "I didn't mean it like that, Cub."

Alex sighed. The man was going to die sooner than he was, anyway, if the stitches and lack of beatings and torture were any indications. Walker didn't care if Fox died. Alex tuned out the man's apologies in favor of watching his body language. It didn't seem that much different from Ben's normal body language, minus the clear pain the man was in. It was hard to tell if he meant the apology or not in this situation. He recalled all his memories of Fox. The man was quiet, if a little too socially well-adjusted, in Alex's opinion. Far too curious about his past and the man seemed to think he had a right to know. Fuck him. Actually, with the mood he was in, Alex would rather not. Fox hadn't even wondered at the discrepancies. Alex wondered if Walker was going to be as odious to eat with as the other crime bosses. Probably not. Walker liked talking, but with actual conversation, not just gloating or small talk. Walker was strangely charming at times. Alex supposed the CIA must have found the man at least convincing enough to hire. Then again, they all seemed rather procedure-ridden, anyhow. Ben was too. Alex still had yet to see any paperwork or inclusion in information that Agents were supposed to know. Plus, there was his distinct lack of gun or salary. Well, salary. Alex had illegally acquired a firearm a while ago. Jones was so opaque, Alex couldn't tell if she knew and was simply tolerating it or not. Or perhaps she had taken it as a signal that he was a threat and used it as a flimsy justification to send him on a suicide mission. Well, more of a suicide mission than usual and that was saying something. Alex had done a few of the modifications on that gun himself. Walker didn't mention the factor that MI6 didn't use his type of gun, so it couldn't possibly be any kind of standard-issue. Alex sighed as he was unhooked, led into a bathroom, and found a set of clothes waiting for him. At least it wasn't a suit. That would be hell to put on at the moment. The clothes seemed strangely androgynous. They must be American or something. Figured.

Walker was sitting in the dining room by the time they got there. "Don't bother trying to take any of the silverware. I actually know how much it supposed to be there, now."

Alex sheepishly puts the salad fork back where it belonged. Walker smirked. "Can't blame you for trying."

Alex sat down. "What did you want?"

Walker smirked. "A dinner guest and a few questions answered."

Alex sighed and saw the first course. It was a surprisingly normal-looking mushroom soup. "Must be a lonely life if you want five courses of my company."

Walker smirked. "Six. I'm having the fruit and dessert served separately."

Alex arched a brow as if to say that his point had been made. "Do you know how few people I can actually talk to?"

Alex snorted. "Yes, Walker, poor you. Making a decent amount of money off of mayhem and murder in an organization that could not give less of a shit what you do during your time off and offers decent protection to any people you might care about. Poor, deprived, you."

Walker's lips were twitching. "Aww, Ri-ri, you don't still have to go to school do you?"

Alex flipped the man off. "I'll take that as a yes."

Walker said as their bowls were taken away. "How are the housekeeper and friend?"

Alex sighed. "Dead."

They had been killed. Tom in a car accident that Alex had linked to a now nonexistent crime organization in case of mistaken identity. Jack had been shot and Jones was still not letting him have details. Walker sighed as their started was served. "Sorry about that. I heard Starbright wasn't ours if it makes you feel better. Leadership was pissed for weeks."

Walker neglected to mention that he was part of SCORPIA's new management. They didn't hold the same grudge against Alex that the old crowd did, but were cautious about him nonetheless. They were relieved Rider hadn't immediately decided that they were the culprits and gone on a warpath. The shrimp was rather excellent for the second course. Alex might not be tasting it, but that wasn't his problem. The next course was a personal favorite. "What on Earth is that?"

Walker almost laughed at his expression. "Fried pickles and fried okra." Alex stared. "You should definitely use the sauce."

The boy looked at him. "Crazy Americans."

Walker grinned. "Oh, you uptight British people. No fun. Besides, I could have served you fried Oreos instead."

Alex looked horrified. "As a third course? No wonder you got stuck in extra cotillion lessons."

Walker snarked back. "No wonder you hardly needed any."

The kid seemed to like it well enough. The main dish was next anyway. "What's next? Fried butter sticks?"

Walker laughed. "Already invented, but sadly no. I don't want to be the first SCORPIA agent to die of a natural heart attack. That would just be embarrassing."

Alex was smirking as the surprisingly normal main course came out. It was roast beef, mashed potatoes, and some very fancy salad. "Oh, yeah. Nobody would ever hear the end of it, either. You'd be added to D'Arc's list of deaths in infamy. What do you think gets you on the list, anyway?"

Walker shrugged. "I don't really know. Getting killed by ordinary objects?"

Alex shrugged. "There'd be more, then. Maybe the fact that it seems like an ordinary situation?"

Walker tilted his head. "God knows."

Alex smirked. "God gets a hundred and we get zero."

Walker cut into his meat. "That joke is older than both of us."

Alex was still grinning unrepentantly. "Oh, it's an oldie, but a goldie."

Walker rolled his eyes.

Alex remembered something. Walker was still playfully taunting him. "Don't quit your day-job, spyboy."

Alex smirked. "Ah, but Walker, nobody appreciated my comic genius."

Walker snorted. "Puns are considered the lowest form of humor."

Alex shrugged. "So what are we doing after dinner?"

Walker smirked. "I'd offer you dancing, but I know how many ways you can kill me while doing it."

Alex retorted. "Sorry, Walker, I don't like you like that. You'll have to try someone else."

Walker laughed. "Oh, but you do such a wonderful job on the girl's part."

Alex flushed. "I already knew the man's part for all the dances and I had to do something in that class."

Walker grinned. "Really, 'cause we all thought when you asked-"

Alex cut him off. "I meant an actual demonstration with literal weapons that time. Honestly, you people had your minds in a gutter way too often."

Walker smirked. "Sure, sure. You can come out of the closet any day now, you know."

Alex knew it was a lost cause at the moment. "Another reason to come to the dark side. Governments still have those nasty regressive laws, you know."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Weren't you getting to ask me more serious questions?"

Walker shrugged. "I don't know. You made me forget them."

Alex grinned. "Like I made you forget all those plants you were supposed to have memorized. How is it my fault that the sun was reflecting off my hair, again?"

Walker rolled his eyes as they brought out the cheese course. At least he knew that Alex liked the same kinds as he did, unlike Daniels. Poor sod knew nothing about Alex. "Tell me. Does Jones pay you to come up with these for a psychological warfare program or do you do it for free?"

Alex muttered under his breath. "You act like she pays me at all."

Walker raised an eyebrow. "They don't pay you and they made you join? That's fucking slavery, not just conscription."

Alex felt an awkward silence descend over them. "Come on, you should get at least fifty to a hundred thousand for each mission. You know that." Alex looked at anything but Walker. Frankly, he wasn't exactly proud of how he'd been coerced into being a spy. "Eh, it's not your fault, now have some brie." Alex just looked at him. "I'm told I'm not the most sensitive person on the planet, but at least I acknowledge it. Besides, would you rather be having this talk with Daniels?" Alex shrugged and took some of the French cheese. Walker continued. "All of your missions were technically classified as suicide missions. They sent you to die, Rider." Alex continued eating. "Where is your sense of self-preservation?! I know you have it. I've never met anyone who wanted to live as badly as you do." Walker seemed genuinely angry. "The goddamned hypocrites said they were against slavery and that we were there to fight injustice, not join in it!" Alex wondered how angry Walker was at his former bosses. "We were supposed to protect the children, not enslave them!"

Alex interrupted Walker. "Technically, it was all Blunt."

Walker was on a role. "Technically, I don't care! Byrne should have looked into this closer before he hopped on the bandwagon!"

Alex sighed. "Why did you even join them anyway?"

Walker sighed. "I was once an idealistic fool, too. Though, I like to think I wasn't nearly as insufferable as Daniels."

Ben was sometimes annoying about that sort of thing. God knew, if there was any kind of afterlife, Alex would be extremely annoyed if the word 'patriot' was anywhere in his eulogy. Alex didn't really want to talk about this anymore. "Is there a point you're getting to?"

Walker frowned. "Maybe. Why don't you figure it out? You were at the top of our class, remember?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Am I ever going to hear the end of that?"

Walker grinned. "Nope. I'll mention it at least once a day until I'm old and get taken out by the competition."

Alex just looked at him funny as the fruit came in. "One would think you'd be a little more mature, you know."

Walker grinned. "Being mature is adult code for being a boring, productive, and well-adjusted member of society. Neither of us fits, I would think. Besides, haven't you ever noticed that the adults who lecture people on being more mature or whatever are usually miserable pieces of shit?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "In other words, you're never, ever letting this go."

Walker speared a piece of mango. "Where would the fun in that be?"

Alex snorted loudly. "So what do you do for fun?"

Walker raised an eyebrow. "I thought this wasn't a date."

Alex huffed. "I'm already sorry I asked."

Walker was now trying to get a rise out of him. "Oh, the usual: fine dining, prostitutes, alcohol, and the occasional torture of rivals. I occasionally read a book. Your turn, classmate."

Alex sighed. "Soccer, the occasional drink, reading, you know, normal things."

Walker sighed. "You sound so wholesome; it's a little sickening."

Alex smirked. "Yes, and you should not be left alone with small children of any kind. They might learn to swear or something."

Walker choked on a piece of fruit. "Hey, I'm pretty nice."

Alex finished off the fruit. "Yeah, a pretty nice shot. Walker, you're an assassin who works for a terrorist group."

Walker huffed. "At least I'm honest. Speaking of which, who are they blackmailing you with now?"

Alex sighed. Walker acted like this was an episode of Dr. Phil. "A guy called my crappy education and non-existent other options."

Walker felt a twisted sort of amusement. "Well, I wouldn't call your other options non-existent."

Alex scowled. "Like what? Prostitution? Gross, man."

Walker rolled his eyes. "I was referring to mercenary work, but you know-"

Alex glared. "Walker, if you finish that sentence, I'm going to come up with a way to murder you with a dessert spoon." Walker would never admit pouting, but the expression on his face was probably close. Then again, dessert spoon murder ideas… "Walker, that look is a little creepy."

Walker huffed. "But Alex, how would you murder someone with a dessert spoon?"

Alex smirked. "I guess you'll just have to live with the disappointment."

The dessert was based off a Volcano from the Rainforest Café, but in an actual portion size one person could eat for dessert. Walker timed his sentence with the entrance of said dessert. "Well, at least I'll have ice cream to do it with."

Alex shrugged. Vanilla ice cream was always delicious. "Aren't you going to tell me your evil plan over tea?"

Walker laughed. "Are they all really that stupid?"

Rider shrugged. "I think they're just bored. The problem with cooking up evil plans involving cyborg penguins is that you have nobody to brag to."

Walker laughed. "Wait, really?"

Alex gave him the evil eye. "Yes, really. You do not want to know the nutters I've had to put up with."

Walker was still trying hard not to laugh. "I don't know; it might be entertaining."

Alex decided to try to convince Walker he wasn't that dangerous. "Are you really going to send me back to the interrogations room?"

Walker gave him a look. "That shit doesn't work on me. I've seen recordings of your little accidents, remember?"

Alex shrugged. "I wouldn't try to escape."

Total lie. Walker didn't believe him. "Bullshit. Self-preservation is the first law of intelligence." Alex sighed. "I could handcuff you to my bed, I suppose. I wouldn't be using it because I have to catch up on paperwork."

Alex rolled his eyes. "On second thought, chained to the ceiling is just fine."

Alex wasn't quite sure he trusted Walker that much or at all, really. He was a little more interesting than the creepy, insane bazillionaire he normally had to put up with, though.

Tulip Jones regretted sending Alex Rider and Ben Daniels after Walker without forewarning. The analysts had felt it best not to warn Rider, however. Those two had been captured. She received word from a few sources she wasn't entirely sure were reliable, but with the third check-in they had missed, Tulip was now certain that information was probably accurate. It had also come in with a recording of a rather disturbing dinner conversation between the two former classmates. Why on Earth had Alex saved his life? Walker was as much of a piece of shit as the others. There was nothing about that man worth saving. It just wasn't done in SCORPIA. If someone was incompetent, you left them just enough rope to hang themselves. Then, she'd had no idea that Alex was at the top of his class and (clearly) popular among his classmates. Well, he did have John's genes, she supposed. She couldn't tell if Walker was seriously flirting or not (the current theory was no - Tulip hoped the analysts were right). Plus, he knew way too much about Alex and was clearly obsessed with her top agent. Yeah, research her arse. Walker had clearly scoured the Earth finding details of Alex's missions. The casual banter and death threats were disturbing on so many levels. Overall, she had a hard time viewing the tape without wanting to throw up. Walker had pointed out their hypocrisy and Alex had mentioned what SCORPIA had that they had neglected to give him. Tulip didn't even want to know what would happen if Alex found out that they had ordered the hits on his two remaining loved ones. Tulip drew no pleasure from ordering their deaths or toying with Alex, but she had needed that particular syndicate wiped off the face of the planet after they got their hands on nuclear material. They were holding out on the 'perpetrators' of Starbright's death until she decided which target needed to be eliminated the most (they were waiting to have more information). More importantly, why was Daniels the only one getting tortured and why hadn't Walker killed the both of them yet? The former CIA agent knew exactly how dangerous the two of them were. Daniels had caught him and Rider had beaten him in every class.

Walker had been looking for an excuse to offer to turn Rider and he thought his spies might have just found it. There were files that seemed to imply that Tulip Jones was the one ultimately responsible for the deaths of Jack Starbright and Tom Harris. Walker decided to risk having his spies dig deeper. Rider would want definitive proof after the Rothman incident. If that was true, Alex might just bring him Tulip Jones' head on a silver platter. It would be a few days before he had anything definitive. Good. It would be enough time for Fox to completely piss off Rider by being an idealistic shit. Walker barely had to raise a finger anyway. The reports he'd seen from the SAS about the bullying, plus the timing of it all, was enough to set Alex off every time. Even more so if Daniels implied that it was in anyway Alex's fault for being conscripted in the first place or the man's usual insensitive remarks. It wasn't that Daniels was cruel, it was that he just hadn't suffered all that much under MI6. He didn't know his partner well, either. The man had also volunteered. There was also the fact that the man still acted like it was some huge favor the agency had done the kid. It wasn't a conscious act, but Alex could and would pick up on the attitude. Tutors, (really crappy) medical care, and keeping his record clean were really the absolute least they could do. Walker wondered if the kid suspected his employers at all. Walker would. Then again, he was considered paranoid by most standards. Paranoia kept you alive. Fox would also be quietly resenting his partner for the difference in their treatment. Maybe even suspect him of being a spy. The dead parents might kill that theory, though. Pity. Walker was doing his best to drive a wedge between them without either noticing what he was doing. The information he gave Daniels would be irrelevant anyway because he planned for the man to be a point he made or Alex's first kill. Walker personally doubted Alex would kill the man unless he had a direct hand in either death, but you could always hope. Alex would have the choice at the very least. Then again, Walker had no guarantee Alex wouldn't simply walk off after his vengeance. He was trying his best to get the idea of them being partners in crime into Alex's head without being too obvious. He'd seated them at opposite end of a round table and everything. Walker wondered if this would be the final straw, though. People could be driven insane. Walker figured he had more than enough money to pay for the therapy. Either way, he needed those files before he moved ahead.

Nearly three weeks into their captivity, Walker called him back into a meeting. Alex was feeling a lot snappier. He hated being confined. There was also the fact that all of his escape attempts had been foiled before they finished forming in his head. Walker knew exactly how to deal with him, unfortunately. It wasn't dinner, so Alex assumed this part was actually important. "What do you want?"

Walker sighed. "You said Jones was withholding information from you about Starbright's and possibly Harris' death. This is everything my sources could get about you in the MI6 database."

Walker would let Alex come to the same conclusions he had. They had gotten the financial records and everything. Walker found it personally sickening that they used the kid's own (laundered) inheritance to pay for the deaths of his friends. It was absolutely sickening to steal from your own operatives (not to mention one of the few things even SCORPIA didn't stoop to - upset trained assassins were the last thing you wanted), but this was some twisted shit. Walker had even gotten his hands on a copy of Ian Rider's will, which definitely contradicted what the bank had done. Alex didn't seem to be doing too well. About a quarter way through the documents, he started shaking. Walker had them sit on a couch for a reason. Alex managed to finish all of the documents before he was dry-heaving into a trashcan. The kid was sobbing. Well, shit. Walker wasn't exactly prime comforting material. Hell, Rider might even punch him for getting close. SCORPIA was of the position that hugs were the perfect opportunity to stick knives into unsuspecting victims, but he had to try. Walker delicately laid a hand on his back (after disarming - he didn't want Rider taking his weapons off of him). The kid barely flinched, so Walker figured he shouldn't prepare to dodge just yet. "Alex, I'm-"

Walker felt a stinging sensation on his chest before he realized he'd just been punched. To his surprise, it was followed by a hug. Walker awkwardly patted the kid on the back. He hadn't exactly been hugged a lot as a kid. "Why?"

Walker sighed. "Why do you think?"

Alex was still shaking in his grip. "They wanted people dead and didn't care about the consequences."

Walker was not sure Rider should be anywhere near glass or sharp pointy objects at the moment. The kid seemed to regain control of his breathing. "You believe it, then?"

The kid seemed to be thinking about it. "I suspected, but I wasn't sure. I didn't want to believe it." Walker kept his face relatively sympathetic. "This much couldn't be faked. I mean, I recognize Tulip's voice in the reports and several pieces are redundant. If you were trying for fake, you would have given me just enough evidence to put it together and no more." Walker lightly patted him on the shoulder. "What do I do now?"

Walker shrugged. "You have options."

Alex eyed him skeptically and went towards the sink. "Like?"

Walker shrugged. "You might escape eventually, especially with those paperclips I'm not going to confiscate."

Alex scowled. "If I see Tulip, I'm going to tear her head off with my bare hands."

Walker sighed. The paper clips were not all put back. Good. Alex would have the illusion of options. "Do you think Ben knew?"

Walker honestly didn't know. "I haven't got a clue, but nothing is going to stop you from confronting him when you go back."

They both knew Alex would. "You could go mercenary. Rumor has it, you've had all kinds of offers from other agencies and a few criminals."

Alex scowled. "The Russians were persistent."

Walker decided to openly offer. "You could work with me. I would give you any position you wanted."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "So, if I wanted to become an auditor?"

Walker sighed. He would be suspicious, too. "I would tell you it was a fantastic waste of your potential, but still pay for your fancy Harvard degree in accounting."

Alex eyed him skeptically. "You'd still be part of my staff, though. You get sick leave and stuff."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Why would you keep me around, then, if I was your auditor?"

Walker shrugged. "You could fight in a pinch, if and only if we were attacked. Plus, you're one of the few people who might resuscitate me, should circumstances require it."

Alex had, in fact, done so before. That was beside the point, though. "I want to go back to talk to Ben, now."

Ben Daniels knew something was wrong the minute that Alex entered the room with Walker. Alex looked furious. Fox could actually believe Cun was dangerous like this. "Did you know?"

Ben sighed. "Did I know what, Cub?"

Alex's eyes flared. "Jones had my friends killed. Both of them. With my inheritance." Ben felt the shock ripple through him. Alex seemed slightly more controlled. "No, you didn't."

Alex spoke at the same time he opened his mouth to deny knowledge of such things. Ben shuddered at the look in Cub's eyes. He was very glad he was actually innocent this time. "I'm sure she had a good reason."

Cub's eyes flared. That was the wrong thing to say. "THEY WERE INNOCENT! NEITHER OF THEM HAD SO MUCH AS A PARKING TICKET!"

Ben winced at the volume. He felt sick. Had Tulip Jones really killed two innocent people just to advance her cause? Yes, she would. Ben knew she was ruthless. God, what was he supposed to do? "I'm sure it was for a good cause."

Alex suddenly shifted. He seemed to ice over. "Yes, the good cause of having a trained assassin on hand."

Ban shuddered. This was worse than being screamed at. The sheer ice took him back. "I'm sorry."

Ben knew it was empty and wouldn't mean anything. Were mood swings that sever normal for a loss? Alex looked at him the same way Ben imagined him eyeing a mosquito. "I think that decided it."

Alex had made his choice. "Walker, come here."

Ben wondered what was going on. Alex said something in his ear. The man seemed unreadable. "What's going on?"

Alex smiled, but it wasn't a smile. "The second rule of espionage."

The End

Author's note: Sorry, this will be a long one. This story could be taken as a sequel to my other story: The Internship, but I don't consider it such and it is meant to be read by itself. I might write a proper sequel later on since I don't really count this at all. It can also stand alone, as it's own fic. It is meant to be ambiguous on multiple levels. The ending, of course. Alex's age could also be anywhere from sixteen onward. You can use your imagination. I'm sure I don't have to point this out, but I wanted to try to pre-empt any questions. And yes, I like to make Alex friendly with his ex-classmates. Guilty pleasure, you know. I also never understood why he forgave K-Unit on a seemingly personal level (professional, I can understand) in so many fics (and the actual series – call me spiteful, but I still haven't forgiven my bullies and it's been ten years).