Where You Belong

Chapter 24

Nobody moved, everyone stared at the now unmoving body with blood pooling around. The airbase was quiet as the assassin lowered his gun, taking a few steps towards the body looking at it, as if to confirm the boy was really dead.

"You see this?" Yassen said looking at Mrs. Jones, "this is all your fault" he said simply, making the woman look away from the dead boy and back to the assassin.

She didn't say anything because she knew it was true, they were the ones to blame, they were the ones that brought a Child to play an adult game, the outcome had been predictable from the first day, but they choose to ignore it despite Alex pleads, they had put him on Scorpia radar, knowing full well what happen to people that attract too much attention.

"What are you doing?" this time she spoke when she saw Gregorovich ordering two Scorpia assassins to pick up the body.

"Scorpia wants to be sure, after last time they can't trust a bullet" of course he was referencing Alex's father, Scorpia had left the body behind not checking if he was truly dead, but this time Yassen knew what he has done, it had been him to fire the gun, he was just taunting them.

Mrs. Jones watch as they hauled the body inside the jet, leaving a red path on the floor.

They all watch without doing anything as the jet door closed and the plane promptly left

Mrs. Jones could only stare at the red liquid splatter on the floor, it was the only thing that was left from the boy she swore to protect. Already a hose was being prepared to clean the blood that stained the floor, no investigation would be needed.

"It's best if you leave, I will handle this" Crawley said making her turn in the direction of her car, her body moving automatically "Tulip" he called using her first name, something that he rarely did "it was best this way" he said referring to the quick painless death that Alex experience.

She only shocked her head before entering the car leaving the airbase, leaving behind the place where Alex Rider took his last breath. She silently drove back to the department, the last few events replaying over and over in her mind until it almost drove her insane

"Alex Rider is dead, Gregorovich kill him" was the first thing that she said when she entered Blunt's office.

The man stops what he was doing and looked at her, "he shot him right there, and took the body with him"

"It's not your fault, Jones, you can't let this affect you at such personal level."

"How could I not, Alex was just a child, he was my responsibility and I let him die. I let him down, Alan."

"Alright, it's best if you go home for the day and take a day off tomorrow" blunt finally said getting up, ordering someone to take her home

As soon Mrs. Jones open her flat door, Q came running meowing only to stop when it didn't see Alex. Mrs. Jones pick it up holding the cat against her, "it's just me Q, he's gone, he's gone and not coming back. And it's all my fault" she cried out to the cat, a tear coming out of her eyes. In years the agent hadn't cried, but seeing Alex die in front of her, broke her all over again, that is what you get for getting too close in her line of work.

A couple of days later she stood in the graveyard, a small funeral was organized for Alex. No one that he knew had showed up, they hadn't been informed and probably wouldn't be, so everyone that was there worked for MI6, maybe one or two were sad and shocked about the boy's dead, the boy that they didn't even know the real name, the boy they thought that was Blunt grandson. And that sadden Mrs. Jones even more, not even in his final moments Alex could have someone that deeply care for him, someone that would shed a tear and give a heartfelt speech in his memory.