Journey - REVISED EDITION

The Beginning of the End

Last time I checked, I was not getting paid for this, so no, I'm not Anthony Horowitz.

"Hold up. Say it again, but slowly." Eagle was flustered and confused, not to mention a little annoyed at Wolf's rushed words.

"Alex is Alex Rider, John Rider's son." Wolf spoke slowly, his eyes wide.

Snake's eyebrows went even higher on his forehead, while Fox just placed his face in his hands.

"John Rider? Like, THE John Rider? We're talking about the same John Rider here, right?" Any and all annoyance had just flown out the window; he was all shock now.

"What other John Rider do we know, Eagle?"

"John Rider, SAS legend, renowned MI6 spy, best track record since forever?" Eagle continued, not quite able to wrap his head around it.

"I don't think that's quite the case anymore." Wolf said quietly, leaning in.

"What do you mean?" Snake spoke slowly, not quite buying into it yet. He had problems not trusting people, but he hadn't always been like that.

"I don't know for certain, but I do know that there's rumors of a teen-aged terror running around the halls of MI6. His mission success surpasses everyone else's. He's never failed. Not even once. He's like a machine, no emotions, no mistakes, no conscience. He's ruthless."

Snake shook his head, face pale. "No. It can't be the same person. Cub was, is nothing like that. He's just a child."

Wolf leaned forward, pulling the passport out of his pocket. "Here. His picture, birth date, everything. It is the same kid."

Eagle yanked the booklet out of Wolf's hand, eyes swiftly scanning the page. An expletive fell softly from his lips, as tears welled up.

"What?" Snake asked, concern filling his features.

Eagle wordlessly handed Snake the passport, and dropped his face into his hands. Fox reached out, but pulled away at the last minute, when Eagle growled out, "Don't you dare touch me."

Snake breathed deeply, his hands starting to shake. "He's a bloody sixteen-year-old. Which means..."

"Which means he was barely fourteen when MI6 sent him to Brecon Beacons to train with us." Wolf finished quietly. He turned to Fox. "And you knew."

Fox flinched when the combined glares of the other three members were turned on him. "I didn't find out until later. And besides, I was told you met him again on a mission. Point Blank, was it?"

He'd shifted the tables. Wolf felt an anger rise up within him, a white-hot, pulsing fury.

Snake and Eagle regarded him with mixed expressions. Confusion, expectation, wariness, betrayal.

Ouch. That hurt.

"To be fair, I didn't know it was a mission at the time. I didn't know who he was. The school fit perfectly in his spoiled, rich kid vibe." Wolf stood up, unable to contain his irritation at Fox anymore. "You left our unit, our family, to join MI6, and for what? More money? Or was it to watch a kid, that you apparently had no idea was actually a teen-aged spy?"

Fox leapt to his feet, mouth twisted in a furious snarl, when Alex's soft voice stopped them.

"Please. Don't." He was slumped in the doorway, dark circles under his eyes. He looked utterly exhausted, but still his eyes were guarded and his body language closed off. "Don't fight right now. It's not improving anything and currently, the best thing we can do is wait for Falcon to come back. When he's finally here, then you can murder each other physically or verbally, I don't really care. So please. For my sanity as well as your own safety, stop trying to kill each other, because, God help me, I will not be held responsible for whatever happens if you continue with this."