Chapter Text
It was the nineteenth of May, 2010 when Alex came face to face with the assassin Yassen Gregorovich.
1 month earlier:
“Alex!” Ian yelled at the top of his lungs, “You’re going to be late!.”
Alex came thundering down the stairs. His tie was askew and one of his laces was undone.
“Have you seen my processor, Ian?” Alex asked. “It’s not on the table where I usually put it.”
“I keep telling you to put it away in your case at night, Alex, then you wouldn’t lose it.”
Sorry Ian, Alex signed.
“Sign language at school, speech at home,” Ian reminded him. “You have to keep up with your speech exercises to get the most out of your cochlear implant.”
“I can’t hear you when I don’t have it in,” Alex whined. “Can you please help me find my processor?”
Fine, Ian signed.
***
“You’re running late,” Wilby remarked.
“My apologies,” Ian said, “Alex couldn’t find his processor this morning and I was late dropping him at school.”
“Teenagers,” said Wilby. “I won’t tell Blunt you’re late. We have some intelligence that’s come in about a possible rendezvous later at an abandoned factory out in Brentford between Russian arms smugglers and their UK buyers. Could be an interesting lead in your investigation.”
“Of the actors in Ivanov’s death? Perhaps. I need to pick Alex up from school at four, when is the rendezvous taking place?”
“Eight approximately, from the intelligence we have. Shall I meet you there?”
“I’ll pick you up and we’ll go together, no sense in having two vehicles out of place around an abandoned building. We’ll check it out, leave some bugs if we can.
***
“You got in late tonight,” Jack said to Ian as he came in, “It’s nearly nine thirty. I already sent Alex to bed and you’ll be pleased to know that I got him to put his processor on his charger for tomorrow so there won’t be any shouting that might wake a sleeping university student in the morning?”
“Sorry Jack, I didn’t mean to wake you. We can get a bit too noisy when Alex doesn’t have his processor on.”
“Apology accepted. Go on, you look like the walking dead, you should head to bed too.”
“I can’t quite yet, I still have to write a few notes about that client meeting, but then I might just take your advice.”
“Remind me to never be in foreign investments like you,” teased Jack, “I don’t think I could take the midnight meetings and long trips abroad like you do.”
“Sometimes I can hardly take it either, being away from Alex for so long. But I know he’s in good hands with you, Jack.”
“You both are,” she reminded him. “Now finish your notes and go to bed, how tired you are in the morning seems to set the mood for Alex’s whole day. He’s very sensitive to the moods of the people around him, especially you.”
Ian smiled. “What would we do without you, Jack?”
***
Alex entered the gates of the School for the Deaf, looking around for his best mate in the circles of children gathered in the school yard.
His eyes came upon Tom, frantically waving to get his attention.
Tom! He greeted.
Alex! How was pizza and movie night with Jack and Ian last night?
Disappointing. Ian had some crazy late meeting at the office last night so he didn’t watch the movie with us.
That’s rough. Mum and Dad were fighting again, you know they get out of hand when they’re both using their voices and slamming their hands against things to get the other’s attention. I took my hearing aids out and went to bed early. Jerry can’t wait to move out, I feel bad for him being the only one in the family who can hear their arguments.
Ian can have him. He didn’t have time for a movie last night but always has time for my speech exercises. He was trying to teach me French yesterday.
A strobe light and loud buzzer went off on the side of the building.
See you in class, said Alex.
***
“Ian, may I have a word?” asked Alan Blunt.
“Good morning, sir. Would you like me to step into your office?” asked Ian.
“Please.”
He gestured to the chair in front of him. “Do sit down.”
A thousand things ran through Ian’s mind at that moment. It felt a bit like being called unexpectedly into the office of the head teacher at school. You don’t know if you should be worried or not, receiving praise or punishment.
“Now Ian, If I understand you have a fourteen year old nephew?”
“Yes sir, Alex.”
Blunt nodded to himself. “Yes, good. How would you feel about taking him on a work holiday to Venice?
“As a cover?”
“Something like that,” Blunt said. “I have a mission for two that I think might suit you well.”
“Oh? Who would be the second agent?”
“Alex.”
It wasn’t a very polite thing to do, especially in front of your boss, but Ian was so gobsmacked by the very idea of using Alex as an agent that he couldn’t seem to close his jaw that was hanging open in horrified shock.
“You want to use my disabled nephew as an agent?”
“He would be in no danger. He would join the catering staff and be on the lookout for the target, if he sees him, he presses a button. No further action from him.”
“Who is he on the lookout for?”
“Yassen Gregorovich. We believe he will be there to get close to the Duke of Bedford, possibly to complete a hit. If you or Alex see him, the Duke’s security can take preventative measures.”
“Gregorovich will be able to recognize Alex on sight, he’s a carbon copy of John.”
“A coincidence the boy on the catering staff looks like John. He’ll stay out on the serving floor all night, no harm will come to him.”
“I don’t have much choice, do I?
***
Jack was waiting for Alex at the school gates.
You know I am capable of taking the tube home alone, Jack.
I know. I needed to get out of the house.
"You’re getting better at BSL."
"Thank you. Now what’s the sign for grocery store?"
***
Ian had a lot to think about on the way home. Blunt was really baring his teeth now, asking him to take Alex on a job, as an agent. He’s fourteen and sticks out with his cochlear implant, it’s no good for an agent to be instantly recognizable.
He was almost home when he saw Jack and Alex coming out of the Tube station carrying bags of groceries.
“Jack! Alex!” he called, pulling to the side of the road to pick them up.
“Thanks for the lift,” said Jack, piling Alex and the groceries into the back.
Ian helped them to carry the groceries in from the car. Setting them down on the counter for Jack to put away, he said “Thanks for getting him from school, Jack. My meeting ran late.”
“I am capable of taking the Tube alone,” Alex reminded them, slamming his bag of canned goods on the floor.
“Alex…” Ian started.
“I have a brain you know!” Alex shouted. “I have eyes, and arms, and feet that work!”
“Alex, too loud,” Ian warned.
“Clearly, you can’t hear me either! Other fourteen year olds take the Tube alone no problem, but I’m not capable, too ‘broken’ to do it?!”
Alex stormed out of the kitchen.
“Alex!”
Upstairs, a door slammed.
“He’s growing up, Ian,” said Jack. She was leaning against the counter eating carrot sticks out of the bag. “You’ve got to let him fledge. In four years he’ll be an adult and he needs to develop life skills.”
Maybe Blunt had a point, Alex could do with some independence. He’d be watched all night but feeling like he’s able to do something by himself. Everything would be fine.