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Chapter Text

It was a slow day at school, but one that Alex could tolerate at the least.

His class currently sat in their science lab being lectured on how to identify certain pure substances, and how said substances can be both harmful and beneficial to the human body. It wasn’t too difficult of a class, but Alex had been away for a while on a mission and it was his second day back, so he had to catch up on all the stuff he missed. That was what he had to do, at least, but he just ended up staring blankly at the physics sheet in front of him while idly tapping his pencil on the large workbench. Tom took it upon himself to get Alex to work then and nudged the teen with his elbow.

“Dude, is the physics sheet really boring you more than Mrs. Fischer’s lecture?”

Alex looked up at him with an amused smile, “Yeah, I guess you can say that.”

“Do you need help with anything?” Tom asked quietly, “I mean, I’m probably as stupid as you are in that class, but I can try?”

“Sure, if you’re up for it,” Alex chuckled, “we can always say it was a team effort instead.”

“Nah, you know how this goes by now. I’m just gonna end up eating wafers on your bed while you do the whole thing yourself.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Alex shifted in his seat, letting his restlessness show for a second. His posture suddenly snapped up, back becoming straighter than a metal pole as his locket brushed over his heart.

Tom stared at Alex worriedly, “You okay dude?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah,” Alex sighed and lifted the locket out from behind his shirt, “this just brushed one of my scars.”

“Alright, as long as you’re not dying,” Tom nodded with a small grin.

“Of course,” Alex forced a slightly pained smile as he took the circular locket off and set it on the workbench in front of him, “now, about that physics sheet…”

“Mr. Rider, Mr. Harris! Is there something you two would like to share with the class?” Mrs. Fischer glared at the two of them from the front of the room.

“No ma’am,” Alex shook his head as Tom froze up, “Tom was just helping me with some homework, that’s all.”

“Well, I would prefer that to be done at break or after school instead of in the middle of my lesson.”

“Yes ma’am,” Alex grumbled.

“Alright then. Now, can anyone tell me the reason why distilled water can be bad for you?”

Alex tuned her out for the rest of the lesson, not bothering to even look at the slides on the screen. He knew half of this stuff anyway, and the other half wouldn’t be so complex that he couldn’t learn it on his own. Though, there was about half an hour until this class ended which meant only one thing: They were going to do a lab. He nearly groaned at the thought, and he knew that his suspicions were proved correct as the teacher started calling out names, putting everyone into groups. He turned towards Tom with a pleading look on his face, and Tom sighed.

“She’s pairing us with another lab since she doesn’t have enough chemicals prepared for everything. We’re just identifying what’s what, so it’s not too hard.”

Alex nodded, “Right, thanks.”

“Anytime…” Tom trailed off as he saw the two boys stalking towards them. William Smith and Peter Loverock; the infamous “bullies” of the class. Alex did actually groan when he saw them.

“Not these knuckleheads again.”

“I know, right,” Tom glared at the boys in disgust.

Peter slid his chair over to their workbench, “Well, isn’t this such a lovely surprise?”

“Shove off, Peter,” Tom snapped back.

“Hey!” William glared, though it wasn’t particularly frightening to the boys. After all, they’d faced worse, “You don’t get to talk back to us.”

“And why not? You do remember when Alex kicked the shi-” Tom corrected himself promptly, “kicked you to next Saturday and back?”

William scowled as he sat himself down, nearly slamming the tray of chemicals onto the workbench. Peter was quick to change the subject, and snatched up Alex’s locket, “Oo, what’s this?”

“Hey!” Alex’s eyes widened, though he kept himself relatively composed, “Give that back!”

“Hm… how about no?”

“Hey asshole,” Tom growled and tried to swipe for the locket, but it was pulled out of his reach, “he told you to give it back.”

“Oh no Wil, Tom swore, I feel so afraid right now,” Peter mocked, and William burst into laughter.

“Give it back,” Alex pleaded. He could probably kick their asses five ways to Sunday but decided against it as they were currently in a classroom setting.

“I wonder, is there anything important in it, or do you just like jewelry?”

“I just like jewelry, now give it back!” Alex tried to grab the locket as Peter teased his thumb across the latch.

“Well now that makes me even more suspicious,” the boy cackled, “what’d ya say, Wil? Shall we open it up and see?”

“I think we should, Peter,” the burly teen grinned at Alex’s bewildered look.

Alex reached out in one last attempt to take the locket, and this time, his fingers just brushed the metal before Peter opened it up, and Alex snatched it back. The opening, though, caused a small white pill to fall from the inside right onto the workbench between them.

Chapter Text

No one moved for a moment as they stared at the pill in shock, then William snatched it before anyone else could and called, “Mrs. Fischer! Alex’s doing drugs!”

Alex stared at the small pill in William's hand. He didn’t know whether to cry or to laugh because the teen was so, so wrong.

“That’s a painkiller you prat,” Tom spoke up for Alex as the teacher hobbled over to them, “It’s to help with Alex’s… illnesses.”

“Yeah, it’s not- not anything illegal,” Alex tried his hardest to keep himself composed. He wasn’t doing drugs, so he had nothing to worry about on that end, but at the same time, that wasn’t a painkiller. That was something far, far more deadly, and if anyone found out, he would probably be expelled from the school. Tom seemed to have his suspicions about the pill as well, but he was good at keeping it under wraps.

“What was this about Alex and drugs?” Mrs. Fischer inquired as she hovered at William’s side.

“We found this in his necklace,” William held it up, “We think Alex hid it in there for when he needed an extra fix during the day.”

“It’s not a drug, it’s a painkiller for when one of Alex’s chronic illnesses acts up,” Tom countered.

“A painkiller is a drug, Tom,” Peter smirked, “plus, how do you know that Alex isn’t addicted to the painkillers.”

“Because I hate taking them,” Alex grumbled.

Peter opened his mouth to say something, but the teacher cut him off, “Boys, stop arguing. I don’t believe Alex to be stupid enough to bring illegal drugs into the school, though this doesn’t look like your regular painkiller you’ll be able to pick up from the shelves of a drugstore.”

Peter smirked, and William looked smugly at the two boys in front of him.

“However, I am willing to give Alex the benefit of the doubt and believe that this is a prescription pill. I’m not going to give it back, though,” she turned to Alex, “Mr. Rider, next time you bring medicine into my classroom, please tell me beforehand, okay?”

“Yes ma’am,” he nodded. Peter frowned, and William piped up, “but Mrs., shouldn’t we at least check to see what it is?”

“Now William, I don’t think…”

“But it would be beneficial, don’t ya think?” Peter piped up, “identifying an unknown substance? If Alex has nothing to worry about, then why not do it? You could teach us a surprise lesson or something.”

“That is… not a bad idea Mr. Smith,” Mrs. Fischer spoke hesitantly.

“Yeah. You can show us how to do this professionally,” William smirked. Alex stared at the two boys in front of him. They were trying to ruin his life, weren’t they.

“Alright then,” the teacher nodded, “LISTEN UP CLASS, I HAVE AN IMPROMPTU EXAMPLE FOR YOU ALL! Look at the whiteboard, I’ll show you how this is properly done.”

Alex’s face paled significantly. He couldn’t let the teacher figure out what the pill was, he couldn’t let anyone figure out what the pill was lest he is compromised. Nothing could be done, though. He could faintly see the projector turn on as Mrs. Fischer carefully broke the capsule open, and the white powder poured onto the circular tray underneath. There was no way out of this situation. If he ran from the school, he’d be caught and blamed for something he definitely wasn’t going to do. If he got Tom to cause a distraction so he could throw the pill out then he’d be under suspicion for taking drugs. He honestly wished that the substance in that pill was some sort of illegal drug.

“Hey, dude,” Tom nudged him, bringing Alex back from his thoughts in time to see the teacher taking a pH test from the solution she made of the powder, “that’s just a painkiller, right?”

Alex said nothing as he watched the colour of the pH strip bleed to a dark blue. Too dark to be a painkiller for sure. He could see the teacher lookup questioningly, she knew it was harmful, then. She knew. She knew about it, so how long until he gets expelled? How long until MI6 interferes? How long until Jack and Tom find out what has to be done, why he had it in the first place? How long…

“Alex,” Tom’s voice snapped him out of it, “what the hell is in that pill?”

Alex couldn't bring himself to say anything as he stared at the board, wishing that the teacher didn't bring out the test. The test that would end everything for him, that would expose him for what he truly is.

“Alex, talk to me dude. What the hell is this?” Tom growled under his breath, and Alex saw the exact moment he was doomed. The paper bleeds red as Mrs. Fisher looks up in shock.

“This is… This is cyanide.”

Chapter Text

The whole class was silent for a moment, not unlike the silence before, when the teacher was explaining things, but this silence, it was heavy. It was the kind of silence you hear after being informed of a loved one's death or being told you are dying. It was heavy with tension, but very short before the class burst out into noise. Everyone was asking everything, shouting at the teacher or each other. Mrs. Fischer was staring at Alex with a face so pale she could’ve easily passed to the afterlife.

“Cyanide?” Tom hissed, “like, the poison cyanide? That cyanide?”

Alex couldn’t bring himself to look at Tom. He could just imagine the anger, the confusion, and the worry flickering across his face right now. Instead, he swiftly stood from his chair and marched out of the room.

“Hey, no- MR. RIDER, GET BACK HERE!” Mrs. Fischer yelled, but he didn’t stop for her, or even Tom as they yelled after him.

His brisk pace turned into a jog through the hallways, and his jog turned into a run, and he started going faster and faster but he just couldn’t stop himself. Faintly, he could hear someone, or maybe that was multiple people, yelling at him to stop running in the halls. The shouts were drowned out by his buzzing mind, though, and he couldn’t think of anything but the fact that they know, they know, they know; but they shouldn’t know. They never should’ve found that pill, and he never should have had it on him in the first place. He should’ve hidden the locket in his locker or he should’ve kept it under his shirt, scars be damned, just so exactly this wouldn’t have happened. It was all his fault, because they know now, and he was bad at keeping it a secret, bad at his job in general. What is MI6 going to say? Would they drop him because of this? Because he couldn’t keep it a secret without potentially endangering any of his classmates? Without potentially endangering his teacher? They certainly wouldn’t be impressed, and Blunt would-

“ALEX!”

He flinched, and looked up. Tom, it was Tom, and Tom was safe. Alex made to open his mouth and talk, but he felt like his voice was being held down with molasses and his limbs were swimming in honey.

“It’s alright mate,” Tom started softly, “don’t talk, just breath, okay? You’re hyperventilating.”

Nodding, Alex took a deep breath and realized that, yeah, he was breathing pretty quickly. He forced himself to slow down and think, taking in the scene around him. It seems that he has migrated to an empty classroom, and was hiding behind the teacher’s desk. Tom knelt in front of him, worry ever present in his tense face.

“You alright?”

“Uhm… yeah, I… I think so? I don’t…”

“Okay, slow down there, yeah? You’re a bit shaky.”

Alex nodded, and slowly forced himself to calm down before uttering, “They know…”

“What do you mean?” Tom asked quietly.

“I, uh, they found it, and MI6, the logical conclusion…”

“Was that you were going to use it to kill someone,” Tom cut him off, surprising Alex with his statement, “C’mon, Alex. They’re not gonna link it back to MI6, I’d be surprised if anyone even thought of bringing MI5 into this, much less MI6. You’re fine, mate, no one suspects anything.”

“No one?”

“Nope,” he shook his head with a strained smile, “though you’re gonna have to think up one hell of a cover story for bringing cyanide into class. Maybe we can say you were planning to slip it into Peter’s drink? God knows the bastard deserves it. And, hey, you’ll get expelled so you can focus more on whatever super-spy business you have going on.”

Alex huffed out a laugh, “yeah, sure. MI6 is not gonna be happy about this.”

“Yeah? Well screw them, man. They’ve done nothing but make your life miserable from the start.”

“Mhm.”

Tom sighed, and crawled underneath the desk beside Alex, resting his head on the wood and letting exhaustion fall over him. After a few moments, he finally piped up, “So… why do you… y’know?”

“Why do I have cyanide in the first place?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s for… interrogation.”

“Interrogation? What the hell is that supposed to mean? You’ve gotta give me something more than that, man. Are you, like, supposed to kill someone with it, or…?”

“No, I… well, yeah, kinda.”

“Oh? And who do you have to kill?”

“I, uhm… myself,” he whispered quietly. Tom froze beside him, and slowly, ever so slowly turned towards Alex.

“What?”

“I… uhm, if I ever get caught and interrogated, and I can’t- can’t stand it, y’know? If I… if I feel like there’s no way out except to give them answers then I…” Alex mock swallowed a pill before turning back to Tom, “uh, yeah…”

Tom stared at him for a good few minutes, hundreds of emotions morphing his face, until eventually it landed on exhaustion. He fell back against the wooden desk with a sigh and said, “glad the bloody thing’s gone then.”

“Wh- what? I kinda need that, though…”

“Why? Why do you need it? We both bloody well know that you’re a phenomenal escape artist and you’ve been trained against torture, so why…”

“Well, it was issued by MI6…”

“IT WAS ISSUED BY MI6?”

Alex hid his flinch by shifting slightly, “uh, yeah…”

“Does human life mean nothing to them? I mean, you’re the best bloody operative they’ve got and they’re just telling you to… to off yourself when you get caught? You’re a fucking kid, for gods sake! You shouldn’t have to deal with all of their shit, much less die for it.”

“I- I wasn’t actually going to use it,” Alex defended himself. He decided it was best not to tell Tom of all those times where he did consider it, though. All of those lower-than-low days where he was wallowing in his depression and self pity and couldn’t see a reason for his life to go on, a reason to give MI6 what they want, or those days in capture where his wrists were rubbed raw from the shackles and he was soaking wet from the waterboarding he had to suffer just moments before, or maybe it was because of the harsh whips this time, which would leave impressions in his torso for the rest of his life, making it impossible to even look at himself in the mirror.

Tom searched his face for any hint of a lie, but between the two of them, Alex always had the best poker face.

“Alright, fine,” Tom sighed, “but if they give you another one, you throw it out right away, yeah? I don’t want… I don’t want to lose you, Alex. I don’t think I’d be able to take it.”

Alex let out a small sigh of relief as he nodded, “Alright. Sorry that… that I didn’t tell you anything before.”

“It’s alright,” no it wasn’t, “I’m not mad,” just disappointed. Tom didn’t have to say any of those out loud for Alex to hear them in his tone.

“But Tom…”

“Just drop it, alright? You’ve told me now, and that’s good enough.”

Alex frowned, “I don’t… I don’t mean to upset you.”

“Yeah, well I am upset,” Tom snapped, before sighing, and sagging into the wood behind him, “sorry, sorry, it’s just… I’m not mad at you, well, I am, a little, but only because you didn’t tell me! I’m more mad at MI6 than anything.”

“Okay,” Alex sighed, “I’m sorry about that, but… I mean, I don’t really know how to make this better.”

“It’s fine, Al,” Tom chuckled, “you don’t have to worry about me right now, okay? I’m not the one whose cover nearly got blown. Now, about that cover story…”

And they stayed there for another fifteen minutes. Alex laughing at Tom’s crazy ideas for a cover story, and talking about everything and nothing at all. Eventually, though, Alex needed to face the world outside of the little cover of the desk. Especially when the PA system sprang to life, demanding, “Will Alex Rider and Tom Harris please report to the headmaster’s office. I repeat, will Alex Rider and Tom Harris please report to headmaster Bray’s office? Thank you.”

“Aaaand that’s our cue to leave,” Tom groaned.

“I suppose so…”

“You sure you’re up for this? I mean, you could always escape out the window. Or we could stay here if you like?”

“No, I…” Alex sighed, “I’ve gotta do this. They've probably already called Jack, anyway.”

“Right,” Tom slowly pulled himself up and stretched, before offering a hand to Alex, “ready to meet your doom?”

“Don't remind me,” Alex grumbled and took Tom’s hand, using it to hoist himself up.

“Right, let's get this over with,” he muttered before walking over to the door with Tom on his heels. His hand hovered over the doorknob for a few moments, before he pushed it open, and stepped out.

Chapter Text

The walk to the headmaster's office was long and filled with tension. Tom tried to break the silence a couple of times, though Alex’s nerves only allowed him to reply in short, clipped sentences, so it was mostly quiet. Alex did, however, contact Mrs. Jones before getting to their destination, sending her a quick text explaining the bare-bones of the situation and asking how he should cover for it. The only reply he got back was a swift sentence of: ‘Don’t say anything until we get there.’

“Mr. Rider, Mr. Harris, lovely of you to finally join us,” Mrs. Fischer’s voice broke the silence as they approached the door to headmaster Bray’s office. Alex frowned at her, and Tom gave her a tight-lipped smile. That was all the reply she got as she opened the door to invite them inside.

As they entered the desolate office, Alex was quick to spot Jack in one of the chairs, sat facing the headmaster, and Peter and William slouching against the wall across from the door. All heads turned towards them as they entered; Jack looked confused and worried, headmaster Bray looked curious yet stern, and both William and Peter wore expressions looking between scorn, contempt, and smug.

“Ah, boys, welcome,” the headmaster started, “please, take a seat.”

Alex slid into a chair beside Jack while Tom awkwardly sat in a smaller chair at a tiny table in the corner of the room.

“Alright, can I ask what's going on here? Did Alex get into another fight?” Jack glanced at Peter and William in the corner.

“No, Miss Starbright, that is not what we’re concerned about here,” Mr. Bray sighed.

“Then why am I here?”

“Miss Starbright, are you aware that Alex is in possession of the chemical compound: Cyanide?”

Jack froze in her seat, then very slowly turned towards Alex to study him for a moment. Not taking her eyes off the boy, she replied, “No, I was not.”

“Right, well do you have any idea how he’d come into possession of this poison?”

“No,” she shook her head and looked back at the headmaster, “no I don’t.”

Alex nearly sighed with relief right then, but forced himself to keep a straight face. He knew, logically, that Jack wouldn’t say anything about MI6 I’m front of so many people, but he was glad that she didn’t voice her suspicions either way.

“Well, regardless of how it came into his possession, the only thing important here is that he has it, and he chose to bring it into an educational facility.”

“Ah,” Jack nods, before motioning to Peter and William, “so what are they doing here, then?”

“These boys found the cyanide inside of Alex’s, locket, was it?”

Peter nodded, quickly smothering the smug look he sent Alex’s way.

“Right. They’re here because currently, they’re the only students who are aware that the cyanide was Alex’s.”

“Mhm… and how did they get Alex’s locket in the first place? He barely ever lets me or Tom see it, much less anyone else,” Jack questioned.

“Well, I don’t believe that’s relevant to the topic at hand…”

Jack narrowed her eyes at the headmaster, “It damn well is relevant. If those boys took Alex’s locket without his permission, then shouldn’t they be punished as well?”

“Yes, but…”

“No. No buts. If they've stolen something of Alex’s, then they should also be in trouble,” Jack interrupted him, “I’m not trying to get Alex out of trouble for bringing cyanide to school, because there’s no excuse for that, but if those boys did steal his, very expensive, might I add, locket, then they should be punished for that too.”

“Right. Boys,” the headmaster turned to Peter and William, “how did you come into possession of Alex’s locket?”

“We, uh…” Peter stuttered slightly, caught off guard. William piped up with all the confidence he could muster, “He gave it to us!”

“Bullshit,” Tom growled from behind them.

“Language, Mr. Harris!” Mrs. Fischer glared at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

“Sorry, what I meant to say was,” Tom cleared his throat, “William and Peter took Alex’s locket from him, wouldn’t give it back, and then threatened to open it, which you can see they did.”

“Mr. Smith, Mr. Loverock, is this true?” Mr. Bray looked at them pointedly.

“Yes sir,” Peter sighed, looking down at his shoes uncomfortably. William sent Tom a death glare that Alex thought was quite silly, though he said nothing.

“Right, we’ll deal with you two later,” the headmaster sighed, then turned towards Alex. After a few moments, he inquired, “Alex, may I ask what you were going to do with the cyanide?”

“No.”

Mr. Bray looked slightly taken aback by that. Jack glanced towards Alex, mouth open to say something, but Mrs. Fischer beat her to it, “Alex! That is no way to address the headmaster. He asked you a question, now show some respect and answer it.”

Alex rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh, and Jack turned to glare at the teacher. Mr. Bray frowned and responded, “Mrs. Fischer, while I respect you as a parent and a colleague, please refrain from scolding Alex while his guardian is here. You are not his parent, and Mrs. Starbright surely knows him better than you do, so it is her job to discipline him. Not you.”

Mrs. Fischer turned bright red with embarrassment at that remark, and stepped back to try and hide herself from everyone in the room, “R- right.”

“Good,” he nods, “now, Alex. I won’t ask this again, please tell me what you were planning to do with the cyanide, or else I’m going to have to defer you to the local authorities.”

“You’re going to send me to the authorities anyways, so why should I tell you anything?”

“Because you’ll get points for being cooperative?”

“Mhm… How about, no?”

Jack sighed, “Alex-…”

She was interrupted by a knock on the door. The headmaster raised an eyebrow and called, “I’m in a meeting, give me a few minutes.”

The door opened slightly to show a small, plump woman, who Alex recognized as the secretary, standing at the door, “Sir, someone’s here to see you.”

“Okay? I’m in a meeting, give me a few minutes.”

“No sir, I don’t think you understand-…”

“What don’t I understand?”

“They’re- they say they’re MI6, sir.”

Chapter Text

The room was silent for a while after that. Headmaster Bray’s brows furrowed as he stared at the secretary, who was getting increasingly nervous under his gaze. Finally, he spoke, “Alright, everyone out, we can continue this meeting later.”

“Uh, that will not be necessary, Mr. Bray,” the secretary informed him, “They say that they're here for Alex.”

Bray didn't even attempt to hide his surprise and confusion as he parroted back, “They’re… Here for Alex?”

“That's what they told me.”

“Alright… Thank you, Natalie. Send them in, please.”

She gave him a curt nod before vanishing behind the door. Bray surveyed Alex curiously, a hint of fear present in his eyes.

“What have you gotten yourself into, Mr. Rider?” he asked wearily.

Alex just gave a half-hearted shrug in reply. Only a few seconds later did the door click open, and Mrs. Jones and Crawley strode into the room. They stood, surveying everyone for a moment, before Mrs. Jones walked up to the headmaster with a painfully polite smile, and stuck out her hand.

“Tulip Jones. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bray.”

“The pleasure’s all mine,” he shook her hand, then nodded towards Alex, “You’re here for Mr. Rider? Is the issue with the cyanide bigger than we thought?”

“Yes, we are here for Alex because of the cyanide, though it’s not for the reason you think,” she nodded, “but before we get started, I would like to ask who they are?”

Peter and William squirmed under her scrutinizing gaze. Mrs. Fischer held her resolve well, though.

“These are the two boys who found the cyanide in Alex’s possession,” he pointed to Peter and William, then to the teacher, “and Alice Fischer was the person to do the tests, confirming that it was cyanide.”

Mrs. Jones looked between the three of them, before she turned to Crawley and whispered something to him. The man nodded, then barked, “Alright you three, you’re with me. We’ll let you in on the situation when we know what to tell you.”

Then, he opened the door and motioned them all outside. Peter sent Tom a mocking smile as he left, though William just looked at everyone there with disdain. Mrs. Fischer seemed much calmer than the boys, but Alex could practically sense her fear as she walked from the room. Finally, the door clicked shut, and Mrs. Jones smiled at the headmaster.

“Right, I'm here today to discuss the cyanide in Alex’s possession,” she started, “Alex is not in trouble here, and there are no foreign groups involved in this, so do not worry about that.”

“Then why are you here?” headmaster Bray asked curiously, “If there are no foreign threats, why come to this school because of cyanide?”

“Because, and to put this simply, we are the ones that gave it to him.”

Mr. Bray blanched, “You…”

Mrs. Jones nodded, “Yes, we are the ones that have issued it out to him, and, while it was unwise to bring it on school premises,” Alex frowned at that. They were the ones who specifically told him to bring the cyanide everywhere he went, “He should not be punished for this.”

“Right, um…” the headmaster cleared his throat, “If you don't mind me asking, why would you give Alex cyanide in the first place?”

“Because, Mr. Bray, Alex is one of our operatives, and it is of utmost importance that we make him feel safe and secure.”

“You gave the cyanide to Alex to help him feel safe? That’s your cover story?” Tom hissed, “I’ve bloody had it with you people.”

“Is there a problem, Mr. Harris?” Mrs. Jones held her resolve as she stared Tom down.

“Yes. Yes, there is a fucking problem-”

“Language, Tom,” Jack piped up.

“English,” he spat back in reply, before continuing, “there’s a problem, because you’re telling everyone that the cyanide was to help Alex feel safe, when really, you gave it to him so he would be able to off himself at any given moment!”

“What?” Jack craned her neck around so she would be able to see Tom better, “What do you mean by that, Tom.”

The teen opened his mouth to speak, but paused when he saw the death glare that Mrs. Jones sent him. Headmaster Bray prompted, “Yes, Tom. I would like to know what you mean as well.”

“Well, you see…” Tom took a deep breath, “MI6kindagaveAlexthecyanidesohecouldkillhimselfifheevergotcaughtandinterrogated.”

“Slower, please,” The headmaster paused for a second before he demanded.

“Well, MI6 gave the cyanide to Alex so he’d be able to, y’know, off himself if he was ever caught and forced to answer questions?”

Alex glared at Tom, feeling ever so slightly betrayed. The way he shrunk underneath Mrs. Jones’ glare was almost enough to make up for it. Mr. Bray blanched and simply stared at Tom, before his eyes trailed towards Alex and then Mrs. Jones.

“I was hoping you wouldn't find out this way-...”

“Or were you hoping that we wouldn’t find out at all?” Jack seethed.

“Please, Miss Starbright, let’s keep it civil here, alright?”

“Keep it civil? KEEP IT CIVIL?” Jack raged, “You gave cyanide to Alex so that he could kill himself with it, and you’re telling me to keep it civil? He’s a child for God's sake, why the hell would you-…”

“Jack,” Alex interrupted, “It’s fine.”

“No, Alex, this is not fine. Them giving you cyanide is not fine, and them telling you to kill yourself with it is definitely not bloody fine.”

“It’s not like I was going to use it.”

“Maybe so, but that doesn’t change the fact that-…”

“I said, it’s fine, Jack,” Alex sighed, “I wasn’t going to use it, and it’s also kinda mandatory that they give it to me.”

“But Alex-…”

“Just drop it, all right? There’s nothing that you, or anyone else can do about this.”

Jack frowned and gave Mrs. Jones one last glare, before turning back to the headmaster. Mr. Bray didn't look much happier than Jack; his brows were furrowed and his frown was accentuated by the dark look in his eyes.

“Mrs. Jones, please inform me of the reason you gave Alex the cyanide. The actual reason,” his voice was calm and smooth, but his tone betrayed his anger.

“I just told you what it was for,” Tom snapped, “And I'm sorry for being rightfully angry right now, but why do you need to ask her?”

“I would like to hear her explanation for this. The proper explanation,” he responded shortly. Alex resisted the urge to frown at the headmaster. There were cameras with microphones in this room and there’s absolutely no possibly way that Mrs. Jones did not know about them. If the Headmaster wanted a confession, then he certainly was not getting one in here.

“Tom… is correct,” Mrs. Jones sighed. Alex paused, was she really that stupid? No, that couldn’t be right. She had some sort of plan here.

“So you admit to child endangerment?”

“I admitted to that the second I had said Alex worked for MI6, hadn’t I?” she bit back.

“Touché,” the headmaster muttered, “still, why tell me this knowing I could easily go to the authorities, or Heaven forbid, the media with it? MI6 or not, you can be held accountable.”

Mrs. Jones gave him an icy smile in return, “Because, Mr. Bray, our division *is* the authorities. We protect this country, this government from outside threats, so they’ll eagerly turn a blind eye to any… immoral practices which happen, as long as nothing interferes with the quality and speed of the job.”

“The media still exists.”

“Do you know how crazy of a story this sounds? You’ll be blown off like all of the other conspiracy theorists and crazies out there. Then, I can assure you, my superiors will have you taken care of.”

“What if I have evidence?”

“Evidence? You mean the security feed? Those have been playing on a loop since Alex has gotten in here, and the microphones have all been disabled.”

That explains the carefree confession, Alex thought.

Mr. Bray frowns and Mrs. Jones sighs, slumping in her chair a little, “Trust me, headmaster, I don’t like this any more than you do. Endangering Alex is the last thing I want to do, however, he is our best field operative and my superiors don’t seem keen on letting him go any time soon. The cyanide is a mandatory precaution which all of our personnel are required to take. Whether they use it or not is entirely up to the individual.”

“Why tell me all of this?” he asked again, “you could have easily thought up a cover story or something instead of providing me with confidential government information.”

“Well, that’s simple. Alex… Alex is still a child. He has schoolwork and studies to do, and he’s going to be incapable of finishing his schooling if he continues working with us whether that be due to expulsion for excessive absence, or an inability to catch up to his peers. I was hoping you could provide him with the resources needed to help him keep up with his schoolwork, as well as support for what he’s been doing. I want him to have more trusted adults in his life, one’s who aren’t going to discredit his experiences.”

The headmaster thought for a long while after that. Tom was starting to get quite antsy, and he and Alex kept shooting glances at one another. Jack seemed to muddle over the conversation before, looking like she wanted to say something but not quite knowing how. Finally, the headmaster spoke.

“Alright, but on two conditions.”

Mrs. Jones nods, waiting for him to continue.

“One, no more cyanide. Alex shouldn’t have that on him during school hours, or at all. I can’t change what happens on missions, or what is legally or government issued, but while he is at school, or even at home, I don’t want him going anywhere near any type of poison.”

“I believe that can be arranged,” she nods, “and two?”

“Therapy. I want him to go to mandatory therapy.”