I present to you the next installment of "The Damian Effect". I hope you enjoy and thank you for all of your support!

"Where's Dick Grayson?" were the first words out of the teenager's mouth. Gibbs glanced down at the child, a tan and slightly muscular teenage boy with dirty blonde hair. He looked about fifteen and he was British, judging by his accent. The fact the kid knew who Dick was made Gibbs on edge.

"I'm sorry, but who exactly are you?" he asked, motioning for Tony to get Grayson.

"A fairy godmother," the teen replied snappishly. "Now are you just going to stand there, or are we going to find Damian?" He ducked passed Gibbs and walked over to McGee's desk.

"Stop it right now," Gibbs ordered, grabbing the kid by the arm. "Who are you and why are you here."

"I'm here to help Damian, so if you don't mind—" the teenager angrily retorted, yanking his arm out of Gibbs grasp and spinning around to face a startled Dick Grayson.

"Now who are you?" Dick asked the teenager.

"I'm Alex, Damian's friend," the teen replied, "and I'm pretty pissed that no one called to let me know he was missing. I had to run into Tim to find out what was going on! And he wasn't very helpful about the whole thing," Alex grumbled.

"Alex who?" Dick asked suspiciously. "And how do you know Damian? He isn't very social."

"Rider. Alex Rider. I met Damian when he was in California. We bonded when we were kidnapped together. He got shot in the shoulder and I called Tim and his friends to pick him up in the park. Did he tell you this at all?" Alex inquired, an edge of venom to his voice.

"Yeah, and I was not happy to receive that phone call," Dick muttered. "Look, Alex, I'm sorry I didn't call you, but I really don't see how you can help. Stay the night and then I'll pay for your ticket home."

"I'm not going home!"

"Listen kid," Gibbs interrupted, "even if you could help, you can't. This is an investigation. That means no civilians allowed. Grayson is a cop, so he can be here. You are not only underage, but a civilian as well. Who let you up here?"

Alex ignored Gibbs question. "Look, I—"

"Hold on," Tony interrupted, "Boss brings up a very good point. How the hell did you get past security?"

"I have a badge," Alex tonelessly replied as he held it up for them to inspect.

"We didn't get a call…" McGee slowly said. At his words, Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, and Grayson surround Alex.

Alex looked at the four of them and gave a twisted smile. "You're not intimidating; I can take you. I'm not a normal kid."

"Gibbs!" a new voice barked, causing Gibbs and company to look at the source of the voice: NCIS Director Leon Vance. "Just what—" here the director stopped as he caught sight of Alex. He quickly came down the stairs to stand in front of the teenager.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he snapped at Alex, who simply studied the man in front of him. "Answer me—why did MI6 send you?"

"I'm through with them," Alex coldly stated. "I'm here for my own reason. Who are you and how do you know me?"

"I'm NCIS Director Leon Vance," Vance replied in a steely tone. "And I was on the USS Kitty Hawk when it picked up a teenage British boy in a space capsule. We were sworn to secrecy, of course, Official Secrets Act and all of that. But I have some clearance, so I was able to do some digging, Agent Rider. You're quite impressive. I don't believe you quit. So why don't you tell me the real reason you're here."

"I'm terribly sorry to inform you, Director," Alex emphasized the word with a sarcastic undertone, "and too break the news to you, but I am no longer working for MI6. After I completed my final mission and watched the only person who cared about me get blown sky-high, MI6 had nothing on me anymore. I live in the States now; I have no ties to Blunt or Jones."

"So why are you here?"

"This may come as a shock to you cold-hearted Heads, but my friend has been kidnapped. I'm here to try to get him back," Alex told the Director. Everyone was shocked at the tone that the whole conversation had been held in, but mostly they were still trying to process that the teenager before them was a spy.

Vance gave Alex an appraising look. Alex stared him back in the eye, neither flinching nor backing down. "Fine, Agent Rider, you're now assigned to assist Gibbs and his team and Officer Grayson. Anyone bothers you, send them to me."

"Thank you Director," Alex replied. Vance waited a moment, giving them all a hard glare, before going back to his office. On the steps, he seemed to think of something, as he turned to face the group below him.

"One more thing Rider," Vance said. "You had 100% success rate when we picked you up in the Pacific. That ever change?"

"Not in the area that you care about," Alex shot back. "All missions completed. All people didn't make it," he said bitterly.

Vance hesitated, "I'm sorry."

Alex gave a cold, derisive laugh; the team looked at him in shock. "Yeah, alright. Go back to your office Vance. I'm done with fake pity." Vance looked startled and offended, but Alex and already turned his back on the Director and was clutching McGee's desk like it was a life-line. Vance and Gibbs exchanged a look and Vance went back to his office.

"Um…Alex?" Grayson began, but Alex brushed him off and turned to face Gibbs. "I'm not a civilian. Shall we get to work?"

"Wait!" Tony interrupted before his boss could say anything. "I still want to know how you got passed security."

Alex sighed and rolled his eyes, "I pick-pocketed someone." At their surprised gasps, he huffed in annoyance, "You know it really isn't that hard."

Tim McGee was looking at the kid with amazement, Tony was grinning with glee. Ziva was studying the teenager, as was Gibbs, while Grayson assessed the boy in front of him. When it appeared no one else was going to make a move, Dick stepped forward.

"Hi, I'm Dick Grayson, and this is the NCIS team, lead by Agent Gibbs: Tony DiNozzo, Tim McGee, and Ziva David." As he point to each person, they nodded at the British spy.

"Great. Can we get to work now? I've been kidnapped before, and it's not very fun," Alex said, turning and missing the startled looks that they sent each other.

"What exactly did you do for MI6—" Gibbs began but Alex cut him off with "Classified."

"Don't you give me that classified crap," Gibbs ordered him. "You're on my team now—that means my rules. Understood?" Alex raised an eyebrow and him, but only nodded. "That means tell me what I want to know, got it?" Again, Alex nodded but said nothing.

"So," Gibbs continued slowly and deliberately, "you're going to answer my question, understand?" Another nod, this one accompanied by a huff and arms being crossed." I'm doing this so I know that we can trust you, alright?" Alex only rolled his eyes, keeping his "angered-teenaged" stance.

"Who taught you how to pick-pocket someone?" Gibbs asked.

"Uncle."

"Why?"

"Game."

"Parents?"

"Dead."

"How?"

"Is that really your business?"

"Yes."

"Plane crash."

"Was your uncle the one you watched die?"

"No."

"Who was?"

"Jack."

"Who?"

"My housekeeper. She was American, like you. She was like my older sister," Alex said quietly and softly.

"Where is your uncle?"

"Dead."

"How?"

"Assassination."

"What?" Tony interrupted, confused.

"Quiet DiNozzo," Gibbs ordered. "Why was your uncle assassinated Alex?"

"Occupational hazard of the job."

"What job?"

"Being a spy," Alex replied, the duh in his voice conveyed perfectly in his tone.

"Is that why you became a spy? To follow in your uncle's footsteps?"

The cold and derisive laugh came from Alex again as he fixed Gibbs with a cold stare, "Hell no."

"Why did you become a spy then?"

"I find that many in the spy business use alternative means to get what they want," was Alex's response. "Look, can this wait for another time? I'm kind of proud you're mad about the whole 'using me when I'm underage' thing, but now isn't the time to grow a heart about ethics. Let's focus on finding Damian, alright?"

"How many mission?" Gibbs asked. "Last question."

"Nine in a little over a year."

"And you're what, sixteen?" Tony asked, shocked.

"I'm fifteen," Alex tonelessly replied. "I 'retired' a few months ago."

"Just what the hell—" Gibbs began to exclaim, but Alex cut him off, round on the agents with fury in his eyes.

"Stop. Just stop. I don't have to explain my life to you. I don't want to explain my life to you. I don't want to re-live it with all of you. Can you please, just this once, leave it alone?" Alex pleaded, the anger in his voice replaced by a weary tone. Gibbs was about to argue, as he hated spies, and all of their government secrets. But the boy looked so weary and sad, that Gibbs decided to let it go—for now. He was still furious that MI6 had used a 14-year-old, but his anger and questions could wait for another time. He nodded at Alex, and relief lit up in the boy's eyes.

"We're sorry Alex," Dick said, pulling the child into a hug. Alex flinched at the unexpected contact, but gingerly returned the hug. Dick released him and smiled.

"Sorry about that, Alex," Grayson apologized, grinning sheepishly. "Damian hates when I do that to him, but I hate seeing people sad. At least you didn't pull a ninja move to get out of it," Dick added lightly at the end. Alex offered Dick a small smile, then turned to the rest of the room.

"So," the teen asked, "who wants to fill me in?"

So here's the beginning; I promise that it speeds up in later chapters.

I really hope you guys liked it- please please please leave me a review to let me know what you think or any constructive criticism you have. Thanks so much!