Declassified file for karai9
Author: jusmine984
Recipient: karai9/Neptunian Diamond
Title: Anything
Characters/Pairing(s): Alex, Jack, Wolf, Snake, Eagle, Ben, OMC
Summary: When Jack is kidnapped, Alex would do anything to get her back. Anything.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: All Alex Rider characters herein are the property of Anthony Horowitz and the Penguin Group. No copyright infringement is intended.
Warning(s): Language, torture, non-con
Word Count: ~8,200
Author's Notes: Probably not quite what you wanted, and I apologize for that, but I hope you enjoy it regardless. ^_^
Anything
"Pay attention," a smooth, cool voice said over the mobile when Alex answered the call, "unless you don't want to see your American friend again."
Alex froze in the middle of the sidewalk, ignoring the annoyed people sliding around him on the narrow cement. "Who are you?" he asked, hoping that this was just a nightmare, or somebody playing a prank on him. He didn't expect the man to actually answer, but he did.
"I work for Scorpia."
"And your name is?" Alex asked next, starting to walk again, faster. Maybe it was someone that he'd trained with. He might have some weaknesses for Alex to exploit.
"Not important, Mr. Rider." Considerably less informative than he'd been a few moments prior.
Alex didn't bother asking where the man was keeping Jack. He was a professional - he wouldn't let anything slip. So instead, he asked, "What do you want?"
"I want you to kill Tulip Jones - properly this time, mind - and Alan Blunt." The man's voice was casual, as if he wasn't ordering the deaths of two people.
"That's a tall order," Alex replied, masking his fear and speaking as casually as the Scorpia agent.
"Miss Starbright is a very beautiful woman, Alex," the man replied. "It would be a pity just to shoot her. I'm certain that she could provide some… entertainment first."
Alex could imagine the man examining a bound and gagged Jack - watching her, maybe even touching her - and his entire body went cold.
"When?" was all he asked when his lungs agreed to accept air again. His hands were tied - there was nothing else he could do.
Theoretically, Jack could be safe at home, but Alex highly doubted it. This man was either a psycho or he really worked for Scorpia. Either way, the odds were that he had Jack, and was perfectly capable of doing what he promised.
"Today would be nice," there was a smile in the man's voice now that he had Alex's agreement.
"That's impossible," Alex argued. There was absolutely no way that he could do this without a gun, and he would need more than a day - half a day, really. It was almost two o'clock already - to get that.
There was a brief silence, and Alex held his breath as he waited, hoping that he hadn't just killed Jack. Then, finally,
"Such a beautiful blouse that Miss Starbright is wearing. It almost makes me regret having to remove it." There was cruel innuendo and a touch of glee infused into the man's smooth voice, a hint of anticipation lifting the cadence of his speech.
Alex closed his eyes, swallowing harshly at the thought of the man touching Jack like that. "Tonight," he promised, and the desperation and despair was in his voice despite his best efforts to keep his tone cool and collected.
Alex could hear the smirk over the mobile. "I'll be waiting, then. Meet me in the park at the end of your road at one o'clock. AM."
Alex nodded numbly, remembered that the man couldn't see him, and replied, "Fine. Park, one. Got it."
He hung up and ran home.
---
It was times like these that he wished he'd paid attention all the times that Jack told him to clean his room.
He paused for a moment, up to his elbows in a pile of clothes. Even just thinking her name brought to mind horrible images of what the man could be doing to Jack at this very moment. He was all too aware that the man hadn't said that Jack would be unhurt if Alex followed through with his side of the bargain. Hell, the man hadn't even said that Jack would be at the park!
He swallowed, ignoring the stinging in his eyes, and the lump in his throat. He turned back to his searching. Now wasn't the time to fall apart. Jack was counting on him.
He searched the room twice over before admitting to himself that it wasn't there. He had figured as much - MI6 wouldn't have let him keep the gun. He was old enough to be sent into hostile situations, but heaven forbid that he be allowed to carry something to defend himself with.
He honestly didn't know what to do. Trying to buy a gun would take too long. He would have to make contact with a gang specialist, and even then, he would have to get enough money.
So his only plan was out.
Unless…
Alex ran back out of his room, down the stairs and out the door. He didn't bother to lock it; he didn't have enough time.
---
He knocked on the door of the flat. He waited for a minute, and was disappointed when the door was opened.
"Alex?" the man was confused. Alex could understand why - he hadn't exactly kept in touch with him.
"Ben, I need a favor." He'd been hoping that he wouldn't be in. Now he would have to actually ask instead of just stealing it.
Ben Daniels stared at him, taking in his panicked expression, and his small, restless movements. For a moment, Alex thought he was going to refuse. Then, "It's been a while," Ben commented casually, and Alex grimaced.
"I really don't have time for small talk. I just need a favor and then I'll be out of your way," Alex promised.
Ben nodded, accepting. "What do you need?"
"A gun. And bullets."
"Why?"
"Please."
"Don't you have one?"
"I need one, Ben. I can't promise I'll get it back to you, but I'll do my best."
Alex hated pleading, but if that's what it took to get Jack back, he would do it.
He would do anything to get her back.
Ben stared at him for a long moment. He sighed and nodded, reluctantly. "Fine. C'mon in."
Alex almost wanted to hug the older man but restrained himself to nodding gratefully. He was about to walk through the door when he heard a voice that made him freeze.
"How long does it take to pay the bloke?" The voice was deep, made growl-like by the loud volume.
Alex turned to run, but Ben grabbed his arm and dragged the resisting teen into the flat.
Alex had been reluctant enough to bring Ben into this, but them as well? The less people who knew what he had to do, the better. He'd been hoping that he could get his new mission over with without anyone knowing, but now suspicion would be immediately pointed at him.
Alex planted his feet and earned himself a growl from Ben. "Do you want that gun or not?" Ben demanded. "Then you can bloody well stop being a baby and come with me!"
Alex ground his teeth, but began walking for himself. He had no choice. No other way to get a gun, and nothing else that he could use to… finish his mission. He'd been planning on taking Jack and running anyway afterward. He'd just have to hide more efficiently than he really knew how to.
No problem.
They walked into the flat's living room where they found Wolf, Snake and Eagle sprawled on the couch, floor and an armchair, respectively, eyes all glued to the football match on the telly.
"Bring it over here - I'm starved," Snake said in an unfocused voice, waving his hand absentmindedly, and nearly falling off the edge of the couch, where he was precariously perched.
Ben cleared his throat meaningfully, but all he got in return was a "Hurry up!" from Eagle on the floor.
Alex reached out to stop him when Ben grabbed the remote off the back of the couch, but the older man evaded him. "I want to see this reunion," he said with a smirk, and decisively pressed the power button.
Three pairs of accusing eyes swung towards Ben, glaring until they noticed Alex.
There was a moment of shocked silence. Then Ben said, "I'll be right back," and left Alex alone with the rest of the unit.
Alex wanted to leave, just run out, but the promise of a weapon kept him firmly in Ben's flat. He forced himself to make eye contact with each of them, rather than looking at the floor like he would have preferred. They'd obviously recognized him, nothing else he could do but get what he came for.
Finally, Wolf cleared his throat. "Still alive, then?" he asked.
Alex grinned sardonically. "For now."
Snake frowned and seemed about to comment, but decided against it, and they reverted back to an uncomfortable silence.
Alex felt a desperate urge to clear his throat, or even jingle his keys in his pocket to break the quiet, but refused to let himself. That would be showing nerves, and if Alex had learned anything in his "career," it was that showing tells meant he was easy meat.
"So you still keep in touch with Ben?" he said before he could stop himself. They were till staring at him, and it was unsettling.
The three men exchanged quick glances before Eagle asked, guardedly, "How do you know his name?"
"And why the hell are you here?" Wolf added on, shrugging at the glare he received from Snake.
Alex wasn't sure how to respond. Was he allowed to tell them anything? Even if he just implied?
Ben walked back into the room before Alex could think of anything to say. "I assisted Alex on a mission," he said calmly.
"You assisted Cub? - Alex?" Snake asked disbelievingly, stumbling a little over Alex's real name.
"Yes," Ben replied. "He has special status. Anyway, will this do, Alex?" he asked, showing Alex a 9mm handgun.
"Thank you," Alex said sincerely, reaching out to take the gun.
"Wait a minute - if he's a higher rank than you, Fox, then why can't he get a gun from MI6?" Wolf asked, suspicion tingeing his voice.
Alex shrugged. "Blunt says that I'm too young for weapons," he replied, not entirely successful in keeping the bitterness out of his voice.
Ben's jaw clenched. "They don't let you defend yourself?" he asked, his voice tense.
Alex shrugged. "Doesn't matter anymore," he said, then quickly clamped his mouth shut before he could reveal any more.
Ben grabbed Alex's arm when he turned to leave. "‘Doesn't matter anymore'?" he repeated, his face worried. "What are you going to do with that gun?"
Alex jerked his arm away. "None of your business," he said, defensively. Too defensively. Ben's eyes narrowed.
"Look, if you think I'm going to let you leave, just so that you can shoot yourself - "
Alex stared at him, flabbergasted. "Believe me," he said, loudly over Ben's rant, "I have no intention of offing myself."
Ben at least had the grace to look a little ashamed. "Sorry," he said, unwillingly. "Not that I would blame you with this job."
"It's a pity I'm not trying to kill myself - you're doing a fantastic job of talking me out of it," Alex couldn't resist saying.
Ben snorted. "You'd better not be," he said teasingly, but with a hint of warning underneath.
Alex couldn't stop the small smile at that. It was nice to know that someone was looking out for him, at least. Despite himself, he wished for a moment that he could ask Ben to help him. There was no way he could ask the officer to do that though, no matter how many times the average MI6 agent wanted to off Blunt or Jones.
He started to thank Ben, but froze when his mobile rang. He tried to check his expression, not give anything away, but he dropped the gun as he fumbled for the mobile.
Ben reached out and snagged the gun out of the air, glaring at Alex. "It is loaded, you know," he rebuked him.
Alex ignored him, flipping open the mobile.
"Mr. Rider, I would advise you against bringing your friends into this," the agent said calmly, before Alex could even say hello.
"I have no intention of bringing anyone into this," Alex replied, as calmly as he could.
"See that you don't. Remember, one o'clock."
"Wait!" Alex said before the agent could hang up, all efforts at calmness tossed to the wind. "Can I talk to her?"
The agent laughed. "She's unavailable right now."
"How do I know you even have her?" Alex asked, desperately. He needed to talk to her, to make sure she was alright.
"You have my word, of course." The smirk was evident in the man's voice. "One o'clock, Mr. Rider."
Alex slowly brought the mobile down from his ear and closed it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking up, his face carefully wiped of emotion.
The men were watching him carefully. Ben broke the silence. "What's going on, Alex?" he asked, faux casually.
"Nothing," Alex replied coolly, holding out his hand for the gun. He wiggled his fingers slightly in a beckoning gesture when Ben didn't take the first hint.
"Didn't sound like nothing," Snake commented, just as coolly, raising an eyebrow.
"You know what they say," Alex shrugged. "Sounds can be deceiving."
"Who is she?" Ben asked after a pause, his voice gentle.
Alex hesitated, torn. He wanted to tell Ben - he couldn't explain quite why, just that he did. But he couldn't get them involved, especially now that the agent knew he went to them.
"We can help, Cub," Snake said quietly.
"No," Alex said, shaking his head. "No, you can't."
"Why not?" Ben demanded, stepping closer to Alex. He made sure the gun was still out of the teen's reach.
"It's my problem, I have to deal with it on my own." Alex's voice was curt, but the men weren't going to give up. Sometimes, he mused, the SAS were too determined for their own damn good.
"You don't have to do everything alone," Ben said softly.
Alex closed his eyes. "Yeah, I do. If I bring any of you into this, he'll hurt her"
"Who?" Ben asked, beginning to sound frustrated now.
"Jack. She's like my… honorary sister, I suppose. My uncle hired her as a housekeeper and nanny when I was small. He was away too much to take care of me."
"Your uncle was MI6?" Ben asked, surprised.
"Yes," Alex replied shortly. "I need to go now." He held out his hand for the gun, but Ben still refused to give it to him. "Look," Alex said, frustrated. "If you don't give it to me, he's going to kill her."
"What does he want you to do?" Wolf asked, almost casually.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that."
"Tell us, or you're not getting this gun," Ben promised.
Alex's jaw clenched. "I don't think you really want to know."
"Oh, I think we do," Eagle said, now sitting on the floor rather than sprawled out.
"He wants me to kill someone," Alex said finally, quietly. "Two someones, actually."
There was a long, shocked silence. Finally, "Assassinate, you mean?" Ben asked, his voice tight with something that Alex couldn't quite identify.
"I suppose so," Alex shrugged, hiding how much it bothered him.
"Who?" Wolf demanded roughly.
They weren't going to let it go. "Blunt and Jones." It was almost a relief to tell someone.
"The heads of MI6?" Ben asked, his voice rising, and Alex thought there was a hint of panic in there somewhere.
Alex nodded. He honestly didn't think he'd be able to say anything.
Ben closed his eyes and visibly worked to calm himself. "And how are you planning to do that?" he asked eventually.
"I guess I'll work it out," Alex said quietly. "This time I'll make sure there's no bullet proof glass in the way."
"This time?" Snake asked, an eyebrow raised. "When have you assassinated someone before?"
"Almost killed Jones. Scorpia told me she killed my dad."
"Oh, this gets better and better!" Eagle said, throwing up his hands. "Scorpia? What the fuck have you been doing, Cub?"
"I was with Scorpia for a while," Alex admitted, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "But only because MI6 had been lying to me!" he added quickly when the men stared at him. "And I defected back, anyway."
"We can talk about this later," Ben said at length. "For now, Alex, are you serious about this?"
"He seems to be," Alex said, leaving no doubt as to who ‘he' was.
"Are you sure that he actually has her?" Ben asked, starting an interrogation. "You didn't sound sure on the mobile."
"Fairly certain. She wasn't at home, and she didn't leave me a note or anything. She always leaves a note, because she knows I worry about her."
"Do you have any idea where he might be?" Snake asked.
"No." Alex shook his head. "No idea. All I know is that I'm to kill them today, and meet him in a part at one am."
"Not much to go on," Eagle commented, looking worried.
"And he knew you were here?" Ben asked.
"He at least guessed," Alex admitted. "He told me if I got any of you involved, he'd, well…" He grimaced and the men seemed to get the gist of it.
"Bastard," Eagle cursed under his breath.
"So he's watching you," Ben's voice was still thoughtful. "What would you be doing now if you weren't here?"
"Watching the bank, probably," Alex shrugged. "I don't know. I'd have to be doing something, but they wouldn't be home for hours now. I don't think it's even possible," he admitted, looking up.
"Doesn't matter," Ben said absently.
Alex blinked. "I don't think Jack would agree with you."
"Alex, you just said it: it's not possible. But we might be able to get to him and get Jack out of there."
"Really," Alex said sarcastically, trying not to let the surge of hope show. "And how would we find him? We don't exactly have enough people to comb the entire city."
"We could, though, if we called MI6." Ben said, but Alex was objecting almost before he finished speaking.
"Jack may be their bargaining chip, but they won't help me," Alex said.
"Bargaining chip?" Snake repeated quickly.
"Like I would work for them on my own," Alex snorted. "But it doesn't matter. They still won't help. Hell, they never even send me backup after they've promised it to me."
"Oi, what about Point Blanc?" Eagle said, sounding offended that Alex had apparently forgotten their help there.
"I signaled for the backup days before," Alex said shortly. "They didn't believe that I'd figured it out so quickly."
"And Australia?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not that your help wasn't welcome, but I would have preferred help before they sold my eyes," he replied, his voice dry.
Ben's jaw clenched. "They didn't tell me that," his said quietly, something restrained in his voice.
Alex looked away. "That was a long time ago."
"Six months is a long time?" Ben asked. "How many of these missions have you been on since?"
"A few," Alex hedged. "Can we get back to Jack, now?" he asked, frustrated.
"We're talking about this later," Ben allowed.
"We need to figure out where he is," Eagle said. "Any chance he'll be calling again?"
"I don't know. If I stay here any longer, there's a chance he might call again."
"Good," Eagle muttered, getting up and heading into what Alex assumed was the kitchen. He returned a few moments later with a computer case.
"Good job I brought my laptop today," he commented as he booted it up. "This way I can track the signal, and hopefully find him."
"In the meantime, let's discuss a plan," Wolf said, standing up from his chair again.
"Since we won't have backup" - Ben glanced at Alex - "we can't do a direct attack."
"No," Wolf agreed. "Four isn't near enough. We'll have to go stealth."
"Wait up," Alex cut in, glaring at the two men. "Four? I'm not just going to go back to school."
"You're too young," Wolf said harshly, dismissing him.
"If you don't let me come with you, I'll go kill Blunt and Jones," Alex said, his face set.
"You told us you didn't know how to get to them," Wolf said, frowning at him.
"I'll figure something out if I have to," he replied, glaring right back at Wolf.
Ben laughed. "Fine. You're in, Alex."
Alex nodded in satisfaction while Wolf made a disgusted sound.
Alex's mobile rang again, half way through the planning.
"Eagle!" Alex called across the room. "He's ringing me."
The soldier nodded.
Alex answered the phone.
"You're still at your friend's flat, Mr. Rider."
"I'm in the middle of negotiating for necessary tools," Alex replied coolly. "I can't complete the job until I can get to them, now can I?"
There was a disgruntled pause on the other end.
Alex looked to Eagle, who motioned for Alex to keep the agent on the phone. Alex nodded his understanding.
"Let me talk to Jack," he said, making his voice plaintive, younger, so that the agent would be less likely to think Alex was conning him.
"She's indisposed," came the curt reply.
Alex widened his eyes at Eagle. Hurry up! he mouthed.
"One o'clock, Mr. Rider," he reminded him again, and the repetitions were really starting to annoy Alex. How thick did the man think he was?
Fortunately, Eagle gave him a nod just before the agent hung up. He'd locked in on the signal.
Alex breathed a sigh of relief. "Took you long enough," he grumbled as he flipped the mobile shut.
"He's across town, in a rather posh neighborhood," Snake said, looking at the screen over Eagle's shoulder.
"My gran used to live there. All mansions," Eagle agreed.
"If he's across town, how did he know I was still here?" Alex asked, frowning. "Are there two of them?"
Ben shook his head. "He's probably monitoring the CCTV. Scorpia agents don't like to work with others."
Alex shot him a glance. He hadn't told them it was Scorpia. "How'd you know that?" he asked suspiciously.
Ben didn't even pretend to misunderstand the question. "I guessed," he said simply.
Alex frowned, but, really, it didn't matter at this point. "We'd better hurry," was all he said in reply.
Alex left first, heading towards the shopping district of London. If the agent was tracking him on CCTV, then he needed to lose himself in a large crowd of people before he could make his way to the agent's headquarters.
Ben and the others were to all head on their own ways and meet up eventually, near to their destination.
Alex bided his time, wandering around through the crowded streets, grateful that this was a Saturday afternoon and prime shopping. Although he did somewhat regret the latter the third time he was nearly knocked over by a group of women descending on a sale.
At about five o'clock, he purchased a new jacket and a hat. He pulled the bill low to shadow his face. It would kill Jack to be incautious now.
---
The park was small, but crowded, and K-Unit and Fox looked distinctly out of place surrounded by all the children running around.
Wolf looked especially uncomfortable, shifting away any time a child ran by. Snake and Eagle were watching him in amusement, grinning at each other when a small boy ran close enough to graze Wolf's leg.
Alex saw several parents sending odd looks at the group of men, and he realized in hind sight that maybe a park wasn't the best place for them to meet. He shrugged. Too late now.
"Let's go," he said by way of greeting.
None of the men argued, they simply stood up and followed Alex.
The house that Eagle identified as the agent's was a white brick monstrosity, easily bigger than three of Alex's own house. He couldn't help but stare, his eyes wide, though mostly in horror at the thought of trying to find Jack in there. It could take forever.
Alex waited while the others studied the house with their binoculars. This was really more of their area of expertise than his. He had plans, sure, but they usually ended up with him nearly dying. Hopefully the SAS were better-trained in handling this sort of situations.
Two hours of watching them conversing quietly and studying more angles of the house than Alex had thought existed, and Alex was twitching. He couldn't stop thinking that the more time they wasted out here, the more opportunities the agent would have to hurt her.
He couldn't stop the feeling that they were being watched, even though he knew that they were well concealed by the trees and hedges in the garden of the house next to the agent's.
"Are you ready yet?" he finally hissed at the men, unable to keep silent any longer. It had been dark for at least ten minutes now, and they still weren't showing any sign of actual action. If they didn't move soon, Alex was going in on his own.
"Yes," Wolf nodded curtly. "Are you?"
There was a distinct challenge in the man's voice, and Alex felt his temper rising. The man had been antagonistic and bitter ever since Alex had told them he was going in. He opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped by Ben's hand on his shoulder.
"He's just worried about you," Ben said quietly into his ear. "We all know what you can do, but it still goes against the grain to put someone as young as you in danger."
Alex clenched his jaw, but he nodded at Ben. "Let's go," he said shortly.
They slipped through the hedge between the two houses and ran, low to the ground, up to the agent's house.
When they reached the back door, the others stood back as Eagle did something complicated with the door, disabling the alarm. He nodded them in hastily, closing the door soundlessly behind them.
Wolf motioned briefly for them to split up: Snake and Eagle together, Ben and Alex, and Wolf alone.
They spread out to search for Jack, careful to be as silent as possible.
Ben and Alex had been methodically checking rooms for at least ten minutes when Alex felt the cold metal of the gun against his neck. He froze, holding his hands out to his sides.
"I told you not to involve your friends," a familiar voice hissed in his ear.
Alex saw Ben freeze at the agent's voice and look back to find Alex. There was fear in his expression when he saw Alex's tense face and the gun pressed to the side of his throat.
"Drop the gun and kick it over here," the agent ordered Ben. Then he removed Alex's gun from his hand and stepped back a few paces, keeping the gun trained on Alex as he bent to pick up Ben's gun.
"Move," he ordered, flicking his gun in the direction he wanted Alex and Ben to go. He escorted them down the hall.
He opened a door and beckoned them through. Alex gasped when he saw the other occupant of the room: Jack Starbright, tied up in a chair with a black eye, and dried blood trickled down her face from a cut at her temple.
She was conscious, but tired. "Alex!" she groaned when she saw him.
"Jack," he whispered, ignoring the agent and running over to her. He knelt in front of her and raised a shaking hand to her face, brushing away the dried blood. "I'm so sorry."
"All right, quite enough of that," the agent said, grabbing Alex and tying him to another chair. Ben was next, tied to another chair.
Alex looked around and saw that there were three other, empty, chairs in the room. They didn't all match, which one would expect from a house that was so obviously occupied by extremely wealthy people. That meant that the agent must have known they were coming before they entered the building.
The agent smirked at them. "Now if you'll be so kind as to wait here, I'll go collect your friends."
The door closed quietly behind him, and Alex immediately turned his attention to Jack. "I'm so sorry," he repeated, his voice quiet and hoarse. She looked terrible.
"I knew you weren't going to kill them, but I'd hoped you wouldn't come here, Alex," she replied quietly, her face pale.
Alex's breath caught in his throat, and he turned his face away.
"You were going to kill them," Jack realized, her voice rising. "Alex, how could you do that?"
"I didn't, okay?"
"But you were going to." Jack's tone booked no argument.
Not that Alex had an argument. He had been planning on killing Blunt and Jones, after all. "I couldn't just let him kill you," he said, his voice ragged. "I had to go to Ben to get a gun, and they wouldn't let me leave without them."
There was a pause. "Who are they?" she asked, her voice tired now, resigned.
"This is Ben, he's MI6. I've worked with him before."
Ben nodded in greeting. "Wish we were meeting under other circumstances," he said with a grin that didn't quite hide the fear on his face.
"Yeah," Jack replied distractedly, looking at Alex expectantly.
"There are three others here somewhere," Alex continued. "Eagle, Snake and Wolf. They're SAS. In the unit that I trained with in the Breacon Beacons. Ben was SAS, too, he transferred."
Jack nodded, and a silence fell over the room. Alex strained his eyes, trying to hear if the agent was coming. He hoped not. He hoped the others had realized something was amiss and gotten out.
Even as he thought that, he knew they wouldn't. Even if they thought something was off, they wouldn't leave without Alex and Ben.
Eventually, they heard a scuffle at the door, and Snake and Eagle were admitted. The agent left again after tying them.
He returned shortly with Wolf, who was glowering fiercely.
The agent turned to Alex after he finished tying Wolf. "Now, Mr. Rider, I'd like to have a word with you."
He untied Alex and gestured him out of the room with his gun, ignoring the protests from the other five.
Alex was tied to a new chair in the room next to the others. He tried to keep his eyes from the table that the agent had set up, but his gaze was drawn by the glint of lamplight on shiny steel knives.
The agent had a large collection, knives of all shapes and sizes, and Alex gulped, trying not to think about what the agent's specialty probably was.
"So… you wanted to talk to me?" Alex asked, keeping his voice steady, and casual in a way that was calculated to infuriate the agent.
The man merely raised a dark eyebrow, his blue eyes giving nothing away. "Why did you bring the others into this? No, don't tell me," he said when Alex opened his mouth to reply. "It's because you're a coward, isn't it?" he asked, his voice getting softer and softer until Alex had to strain to hear it. "You couldn't make yourself do it, could you? You're just a scared, hurt little boy, and you could never have saved Jack on your own."
Alex flinched hearing him saying Jack's name. It brought him out of his shock long enough to realize what the man was doing. The knives had distracted him earlier; the agent was leaning more towards the psychological torture than the physical.
Alex could deal with that. They were just words, after all.
But as the man continued, his voice soft and smooth, hypnotizing to listen to, Alex found that he was doubting himself more and more. He'd been positive that they could get out of this before. He'd been in similar situations before, though probably not worse. He'd survived so much, he could survive this.
But what if he couldn't?
He felt himself slipping under again as the agent continued on and on, the smooth cadence never changing, no inflections, nothing to jolt Alex out of his stupor. He closed his eyes tightly in an effort to block the voice out. It was almost working, but suddenly, the voice was closer, and accompanied by a sharp stinging pain in his right wrist, tied behind his back.
He cried out in shock and pain, his eyes shooting open to see the agent's face inches from his.
"Oh, do I have your attention again?" the agent asked, with a cruel, satisfied smirk. "I think I'll have to keep your attention, won't I?"
Alex clenched his jaw as the agent unzipped his jacket and shoved it aside, onto his shoulders. It wasn't completely off, because his hands were tied, but it gave the agent far too much to room to work with.
He automatically stiffened his muscles when the agent lowered the knife to his chest and dragged the razor sharp blade through his shirt, through to his skin. The pain was agony, white-hot and flaring, and Alex knew that clenching his muscles would only make it worse, but he couldn't help the instinct, couldn't stop his body from reacting when his brain was still focused on the agent's words.
Alex wasn't sure how long the routine of cutting and talking continued, but eventually he couldn't hold back the screams anymore, and his throat was sore, and he hurt all over, and there was no way they were ever going to escape, and he was going to die.
They were all going to die.
Finally, finally, the agent stopped, and Alex was gasping for breath. His head flopped back onto the chair, not even caring that it left his throat fully exposed. The sweat streaked his face and body, smearing with blood, and the tattered remains of his shirt.
The agent leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "How do I get to Blunt and Jones?"
Alex shook his head, unable to speak.
Grinning, the agent dug a thumb into a cut on Alex's chest. "How do I get to Blunt and Jones?" he repeated, a sick sort of pleasure pervading his tone.
Alex screamed, the tendons of his throat tensing.
The agent twisted his thumb.
"I don't know! I don't fucking know!" was in the scream this time, and the agent frowned.
"Surely you had a plan," he said, not sounding just as cruel, but not as certain now.
Alex shook his head, gasping as his vision blacked out momentarily. Blood loss, he thought hazily. "I did have a plan," Alex gasped out. "I found some help."
Not true, but the agent wouldn't know that. It felt good to have something over the man who was taking so much pleasure in hurting him.
The agent frowned and with one final twist of his thumb, he pulled it out of the wound. It was glistening red with Alex's blood. The agent cleaned his hands on Alex's jacket, leaving red streaks like badges of honor.
The man untied him and dragged him to his feet, snapping impatiently at him when he stumbled, the roaring in his head increasing.
The agent led him to the other room and roughly tied to him to his chair again. Alex dimly saw him leading Wolf out through a haze of agony.
There were several thudding sounds, and Alex looked up dimly to see the other four hopping their chairs towards him. They were all worried and horrified, especially Jack, whom Alex had always tried to protect. She'd not been exposed to anything like this before.
"Alex, are you alright?" Ben leaned in as close as he could.
"'M fine," he mumbled, his mouth having difficulty forming the words.
There was a choked sob from Jack. "Oh, god, Alex, I'm so sorry!"
"It's not your fault," Alex said as firmly as he could. "I'm fine. I've had worse."
"How does he look, Snake?" Ben asked quietly.
"He's in shock," Snake replied worriedly. He scooted his chair closer. "Alex, can you put your feet in my lap? We need to get them elevated."
It took Alex a few tries, but he finally managed to get his legs into Snake's lap.
"Can't you help him?" Jack asked, her voice strained and bordering on hysterical now.
"I can't do anything else while I'm tied up," Snake replied, frustrated.
They fell silent quickly when they heard a hoarse scream from the next room. Alex winced. Wolf didn't show pain, so it must be bad. Very, very bad. He swallowed hard as the screams reverberated through the room again.
Was this what he had sounded like?
Eventually, he fell passed out, from the pain and the blood loss and just plain exhaustion.
When he woke up, Jack was watching him worriedly. She sighed in relief when he stirred, like she hadn't been expecting him to ever wake up.
He looked blearily around the room. It was silent, all of the others subdued. Ben was missing, but the others were all there, and all bloody.
Snake shifted slightly and shuddered in pain, his face paling even more than it already was.
Alex was struck with the severity of the situation all over again. The others were all bad, but Alex was thankfully the worst. He'd gotten them all into this, the least he could do was get them out of here somehow. He'd have a better chance of that if they were all able to move.
"Are you all alright?" he asked, wincing as the words tore through the lining of his throat, reminding him again of how much he'd screamed earlier.
There was a series of slow nods, but he could tell that they weren't completely sincere.
Silence fell again, and they were able to clearly hear Ben screaming, the sound agonized and rough. Alex had to choke back screams of his own, remembering his own turn in the other room, and thinking about what he'd put these men through. It was his fault they were here, his fault they were hurt.
He tried to block out the screams with little to no success. They finally stopped, and a few minutes later, Ben was brought back into the room, pale and shaking, barely able to stay on his feet.
The agent secured him into his chair, and turned to Alex again. Alex forgot how to breathe when the man spoke. "Ah, just the boy I wanted to see!"
Alex was untied and forced to his feet again, and he closed his eyes, despair spreading through his body, weighting him down. He couldn't go through that again.
The other room looked exactly as he remembered it, and would remember it for the rest of his life, however short that might be.
He swallowed hard as he was forced down into the chair.
"Now, you wait here," the agent said. "I believe I promised you what would happen to Miss Starbright if you failed to kill Blunt and Jones."
Alex frowned, trying to remember what the agent was talking about. Was he going to hurt Jack?
The realization was cold shock deep within his stomach, and he froze, his eyes widening in horror. The agent grinned sadistically at his expression. "I'll be right back," he said, the cheery tone of his voice making Alex fear like never before.
He was left in a haze of panic when the agent left the room. His eyes roamed wildly over the room, trying to find something, anything that would help him save Jack. His gaze fell onto the table with the knives.
He shuffled his chair forward as quickly as he could, praying that the sound wasn't heard in the other room. Once he reached it, he realized there was nothing he could do. His hands were tied behind his back, nothing he could do.
He was still sitting there, panicking, when the agent returned. The man surveyed him for a moment, holding a struggling Jack with both hands. Finally, after agonizing moments when Alex thought he might kill Jack to punish him, he shrugged, seeming to decide that it didn't matter.
"You can stay there if you want," he said, nonchalance as only the unthreatened could be. "It must be killing you to be so close to saving her, but unable to," he continued, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Alex shuddered, watching Jack's panicked expression, her eyes huge and pleading Alex to help her, to save her.
He watched hopelessly as he dragged Jack into the room and slammed the door behind them. He threw her onto the floor and followed quickly. He ripped her pants down as she thrashed and screamed, trying to get away.
He held her tight with one hand, maneuvering out of his own pants with the other.
Jack screamed as he shoved into her ruthlessly, and Alex screamed with her. Yelling at the bastard to stop it. Suddenly, he didn't feel the pain anymore, all he felt was the rage, at the what the agent had done to him, to K-Unit and Ben, and what he was doing to Jack.
He turned his chair around, grabbing blindly at the knives on the table. He grasped one by the blade, not even feeling the pain as it sliced into his palms. He sawed at the ropes that held him in place, growling in frustration as the blood slicking his hands made the knife fall to the ground.
He grabbed another one, hissing with relief when it finally cut through the ropes. He stood up quickly, running quietly over to the agent and shoving the knife through the back of his neck, hard enough to emerge out his throat.
The agent shuddered, blood pouring out of his mouth as he tried to breathe. He was dead almost immediately, and Alex dragged him back, away from Jack. She stared up at him with terrified, distant eyes, not recognizing him, and trying to get away.
"It's me, Jack. Alex," he repeated over and over, as calmly as he could until finally he got through to her, the recognition and relief shining through her eyes.
She passed out, and Alex couldn't help but think that it was a mercy. He tore his jacket off and laid it over her, covering her as best he could.
He made it to the table before he turned back to look at her impossibly small figure lying on the floor, evidence of the day written into the exhausted and pained lines of her face. He swallowed hard. He didn't want to leave her, but he had to get the others.
He grabbed a new knife and hurried to the other room. K-Unit and Ben looked up at him in shock when he walked in.
"He's dead," Alex explained quickly, working to cut Ben free first. He was the closest to the door. "He - he raped Jack" - he stumbled over the words - "and I killed him."
The men's faces tightened and Eagle cursed under his breath.
"Are you alright, Alex?" Snake asked worriedly, studying the teen.
"He didn't do anything to me," Alex said bitterly. He would have been better if he had. But even as he told them he was fine, he knew he wasn't. He was losing still more blood from the cuts in his hands, and he could feel the pain now, sharp and agonizing all over his body, now that the adrenaline and rage were wearing off.
He felt his knees weaken and he sat down heavily, breathing shallowly. He passed Ben the knife and the man quickly cut Snake lose, so that the man could help.
"We need to get him to a hospital," Snake said urgently. "He's lost far too much blood."
Wolf nodded. "I'll see if I can find a phone," he said tiredly, wishing for his mobile.
Alex dimly heard the others moving around, and bringing Jack into this room, but he couldn't tell how much time was going by. He was a mass of pain, and he was so dizzy it was hard to breathe.
---
He must have passed out, he realized hazily as he woke up. He looked around in confusion for a moment before realizing he was in a hospital bed.
He pressed the nurse call button, and a young, brunette nurse appeared a minute later. "How are you feeling?" she asked him, efficiently checking over his vitals and making sure that his IVs were flowing correctly.
"How are my friends?" Alex tried to ask, but came out as only a croak. The nurse offered him a glass of water which he eagerly accepted. This time, when he asked her, he got the words out.
"They're all doing well, no complications," the nurse replied. "You can't see them yet," she added quickly, when Alex tried to stand up.
Alex groaned in frustration. "When can I see them?" he gritted out.
"Two days," she promised. "You have too many injuries to move without risking reopening them."
He thumped his head back onto the pillow. He winced at the stress that caused several injuries on his chest.
---
Two days later finally came, and a nurse wheeled him down to Jack's room. He didn't like to admit it, but he was grateful for the wheelchair. No way could his legs support him again yet.
Jack still looked exhausted, her skin pale even against the white of the pillowcase. She turned her head towards him and smiled weakly. "Alex," she whispered. "I'm so glad you're alright."
Alex tried to smile at her, but it came out as more of a grimace.
"I look horrible, don't I?" she asked with a small huff of a laugh.
"No," Alex lied, trying to reassure. "How are you feeling?"
"As well as can be expected, I suppose," she shrugged. "Could be better."
Alex picked up her hand and kissed it. "I'm so sorry," he mumbled against her palm.
"Hey, hey," she said gently. "Not your fault, Alex. Never your fault."
Alex smiled sadly at her. The gesture was nice, but he knew the truth. "I have to go see K-Unit and Ben," he said reluctantly. "Love you," he whispered back as the nurse wheeled him out of her room and down to Ben's.
All of the men were in Ben's room, all heavily-bandaged, but obviously there under their own leg power. They were talking quietly, not noticing when Alex entered.
"Cub!" Eagle was the first to see him. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I'm going to kill the next person who asks me that," Alex said, trying to joke, but feeling too tired.
None of them laughed, and Alex realized that they might be taking him seriously.
"We can take him back to his room," Snake said to the nurse, obviously dismissing her.
The nurse was reluctant, but Alex assured her that he would be fine.
There was an awkward silence where all five of them just watched each other.
"I'm sorry," Alex said quietly, finally breaking the silence.
"For what?" Ben said, more of a dismissal of the guilt than a question.
"I never intended to get any of you involved in any of this," he continued, not meeting any of their eyes. "But - thank you," he finished awkwardly. He tried to wheel himself back out of the room, but the thick bandages on his hands made it impossible.
He swallowed and finally looked up. The four men were regarding him with something approaching amusement. "What?" he asked defensively.
Eagle shook his head. "Cub, of course we had to help you. You are part of the unit."
Alex's eyes widened as he took in the other three agreeing with Eagle. "Oh," he said, almost inaudibly.
"We're glad you're alright, Alex," Ben said, smiling at him.
Alex smiled, somewhat shyly. It felt wrong that they didn't blame him, but somehow he couldn't feel too guilty about that.
Wolf stood up abruptly. "We have to get to HQ," he said briskly. "Our OC wants to talk to us."
Alex froze. "Are you going to get in trouble?" he asked, the guilt rushing back.
"Probably," Snake said easily.
"But it was worth it," Ben finished, standing up along with K-Unit. "C'mon, Alex. I'll take you back to your room."
"Thank you," Alex said when Ben helped him back into his bed. He hoped the older man knew that he was thanking him for more than just pushing his wheelchair.
Ben smiled slightly, and Alex knew that he understood. He turned to leave, but paused, and turned back around. "Could you really have done it, Alex?"
He knew exactly what Ben was talking about, and there was no doubt in his mind. He would gladly have killed Blunt and Jones for Jack.
"Yes."
Ben nodded slowly, and left without commentating.
Alex relaxed against the pillow, thinking about what had just happened. It was strange to think that he would have killed them without regret, and he had killed the agent with no regrets.
It was stranger still to think that he would now gladly do the same for K-Unit and Ben.
The End
Recipient: karai9/Neptunian Diamond
Title: Anything
Characters/Pairing(s): Alex, Jack, Wolf, Snake, Eagle, Ben, OMC
Summary: When Jack is kidnapped, Alex would do anything to get her back. Anything.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: All Alex Rider characters herein are the property of Anthony Horowitz and the Penguin Group. No copyright infringement is intended.
Warning(s): Language, torture, non-con
Word Count: ~8,200
Author's Notes: Probably not quite what you wanted, and I apologize for that, but I hope you enjoy it regardless. ^_^
Anything
"Pay attention," a smooth, cool voice said over the mobile when Alex answered the call, "unless you don't want to see your American friend again."
Alex froze in the middle of the sidewalk, ignoring the annoyed people sliding around him on the narrow cement. "Who are you?" he asked, hoping that this was just a nightmare, or somebody playing a prank on him. He didn't expect the man to actually answer, but he did.
"I work for Scorpia."
"And your name is?" Alex asked next, starting to walk again, faster. Maybe it was someone that he'd trained with. He might have some weaknesses for Alex to exploit.
"Not important, Mr. Rider." Considerably less informative than he'd been a few moments prior.
Alex didn't bother asking where the man was keeping Jack. He was a professional - he wouldn't let anything slip. So instead, he asked, "What do you want?"
"I want you to kill Tulip Jones - properly this time, mind - and Alan Blunt." The man's voice was casual, as if he wasn't ordering the deaths of two people.
"That's a tall order," Alex replied, masking his fear and speaking as casually as the Scorpia agent.
"Miss Starbright is a very beautiful woman, Alex," the man replied. "It would be a pity just to shoot her. I'm certain that she could provide some… entertainment first."
Alex could imagine the man examining a bound and gagged Jack - watching her, maybe even touching her - and his entire body went cold.
"When?" was all he asked when his lungs agreed to accept air again. His hands were tied - there was nothing else he could do.
Theoretically, Jack could be safe at home, but Alex highly doubted it. This man was either a psycho or he really worked for Scorpia. Either way, the odds were that he had Jack, and was perfectly capable of doing what he promised.
"Today would be nice," there was a smile in the man's voice now that he had Alex's agreement.
"That's impossible," Alex argued. There was absolutely no way that he could do this without a gun, and he would need more than a day - half a day, really. It was almost two o'clock already - to get that.
There was a brief silence, and Alex held his breath as he waited, hoping that he hadn't just killed Jack. Then, finally,
"Such a beautiful blouse that Miss Starbright is wearing. It almost makes me regret having to remove it." There was cruel innuendo and a touch of glee infused into the man's smooth voice, a hint of anticipation lifting the cadence of his speech.
Alex closed his eyes, swallowing harshly at the thought of the man touching Jack like that. "Tonight," he promised, and the desperation and despair was in his voice despite his best efforts to keep his tone cool and collected.
Alex could hear the smirk over the mobile. "I'll be waiting, then. Meet me in the park at the end of your road at one o'clock. AM."
Alex nodded numbly, remembered that the man couldn't see him, and replied, "Fine. Park, one. Got it."
He hung up and ran home.
---
It was times like these that he wished he'd paid attention all the times that Jack told him to clean his room.
He paused for a moment, up to his elbows in a pile of clothes. Even just thinking her name brought to mind horrible images of what the man could be doing to Jack at this very moment. He was all too aware that the man hadn't said that Jack would be unhurt if Alex followed through with his side of the bargain. Hell, the man hadn't even said that Jack would be at the park!
He swallowed, ignoring the stinging in his eyes, and the lump in his throat. He turned back to his searching. Now wasn't the time to fall apart. Jack was counting on him.
He searched the room twice over before admitting to himself that it wasn't there. He had figured as much - MI6 wouldn't have let him keep the gun. He was old enough to be sent into hostile situations, but heaven forbid that he be allowed to carry something to defend himself with.
He honestly didn't know what to do. Trying to buy a gun would take too long. He would have to make contact with a gang specialist, and even then, he would have to get enough money.
So his only plan was out.
Unless…
Alex ran back out of his room, down the stairs and out the door. He didn't bother to lock it; he didn't have enough time.
---
He knocked on the door of the flat. He waited for a minute, and was disappointed when the door was opened.
"Alex?" the man was confused. Alex could understand why - he hadn't exactly kept in touch with him.
"Ben, I need a favor." He'd been hoping that he wouldn't be in. Now he would have to actually ask instead of just stealing it.
Ben Daniels stared at him, taking in his panicked expression, and his small, restless movements. For a moment, Alex thought he was going to refuse. Then, "It's been a while," Ben commented casually, and Alex grimaced.
"I really don't have time for small talk. I just need a favor and then I'll be out of your way," Alex promised.
Ben nodded, accepting. "What do you need?"
"A gun. And bullets."
"Why?"
"Please."
"Don't you have one?"
"I need one, Ben. I can't promise I'll get it back to you, but I'll do my best."
Alex hated pleading, but if that's what it took to get Jack back, he would do it.
He would do anything to get her back.
Ben stared at him for a long moment. He sighed and nodded, reluctantly. "Fine. C'mon in."
Alex almost wanted to hug the older man but restrained himself to nodding gratefully. He was about to walk through the door when he heard a voice that made him freeze.
"How long does it take to pay the bloke?" The voice was deep, made growl-like by the loud volume.
Alex turned to run, but Ben grabbed his arm and dragged the resisting teen into the flat.
Alex had been reluctant enough to bring Ben into this, but them as well? The less people who knew what he had to do, the better. He'd been hoping that he could get his new mission over with without anyone knowing, but now suspicion would be immediately pointed at him.
Alex planted his feet and earned himself a growl from Ben. "Do you want that gun or not?" Ben demanded. "Then you can bloody well stop being a baby and come with me!"
Alex ground his teeth, but began walking for himself. He had no choice. No other way to get a gun, and nothing else that he could use to… finish his mission. He'd been planning on taking Jack and running anyway afterward. He'd just have to hide more efficiently than he really knew how to.
No problem.
They walked into the flat's living room where they found Wolf, Snake and Eagle sprawled on the couch, floor and an armchair, respectively, eyes all glued to the football match on the telly.
"Bring it over here - I'm starved," Snake said in an unfocused voice, waving his hand absentmindedly, and nearly falling off the edge of the couch, where he was precariously perched.
Ben cleared his throat meaningfully, but all he got in return was a "Hurry up!" from Eagle on the floor.
Alex reached out to stop him when Ben grabbed the remote off the back of the couch, but the older man evaded him. "I want to see this reunion," he said with a smirk, and decisively pressed the power button.
Three pairs of accusing eyes swung towards Ben, glaring until they noticed Alex.
There was a moment of shocked silence. Then Ben said, "I'll be right back," and left Alex alone with the rest of the unit.
Alex wanted to leave, just run out, but the promise of a weapon kept him firmly in Ben's flat. He forced himself to make eye contact with each of them, rather than looking at the floor like he would have preferred. They'd obviously recognized him, nothing else he could do but get what he came for.
Finally, Wolf cleared his throat. "Still alive, then?" he asked.
Alex grinned sardonically. "For now."
Snake frowned and seemed about to comment, but decided against it, and they reverted back to an uncomfortable silence.
Alex felt a desperate urge to clear his throat, or even jingle his keys in his pocket to break the quiet, but refused to let himself. That would be showing nerves, and if Alex had learned anything in his "career," it was that showing tells meant he was easy meat.
"So you still keep in touch with Ben?" he said before he could stop himself. They were till staring at him, and it was unsettling.
The three men exchanged quick glances before Eagle asked, guardedly, "How do you know his name?"
"And why the hell are you here?" Wolf added on, shrugging at the glare he received from Snake.
Alex wasn't sure how to respond. Was he allowed to tell them anything? Even if he just implied?
Ben walked back into the room before Alex could think of anything to say. "I assisted Alex on a mission," he said calmly.
"You assisted Cub? - Alex?" Snake asked disbelievingly, stumbling a little over Alex's real name.
"Yes," Ben replied. "He has special status. Anyway, will this do, Alex?" he asked, showing Alex a 9mm handgun.
"Thank you," Alex said sincerely, reaching out to take the gun.
"Wait a minute - if he's a higher rank than you, Fox, then why can't he get a gun from MI6?" Wolf asked, suspicion tingeing his voice.
Alex shrugged. "Blunt says that I'm too young for weapons," he replied, not entirely successful in keeping the bitterness out of his voice.
Ben's jaw clenched. "They don't let you defend yourself?" he asked, his voice tense.
Alex shrugged. "Doesn't matter anymore," he said, then quickly clamped his mouth shut before he could reveal any more.
Ben grabbed Alex's arm when he turned to leave. "‘Doesn't matter anymore'?" he repeated, his face worried. "What are you going to do with that gun?"
Alex jerked his arm away. "None of your business," he said, defensively. Too defensively. Ben's eyes narrowed.
"Look, if you think I'm going to let you leave, just so that you can shoot yourself - "
Alex stared at him, flabbergasted. "Believe me," he said, loudly over Ben's rant, "I have no intention of offing myself."
Ben at least had the grace to look a little ashamed. "Sorry," he said, unwillingly. "Not that I would blame you with this job."
"It's a pity I'm not trying to kill myself - you're doing a fantastic job of talking me out of it," Alex couldn't resist saying.
Ben snorted. "You'd better not be," he said teasingly, but with a hint of warning underneath.
Alex couldn't stop the small smile at that. It was nice to know that someone was looking out for him, at least. Despite himself, he wished for a moment that he could ask Ben to help him. There was no way he could ask the officer to do that though, no matter how many times the average MI6 agent wanted to off Blunt or Jones.
He started to thank Ben, but froze when his mobile rang. He tried to check his expression, not give anything away, but he dropped the gun as he fumbled for the mobile.
Ben reached out and snagged the gun out of the air, glaring at Alex. "It is loaded, you know," he rebuked him.
Alex ignored him, flipping open the mobile.
"Mr. Rider, I would advise you against bringing your friends into this," the agent said calmly, before Alex could even say hello.
"I have no intention of bringing anyone into this," Alex replied, as calmly as he could.
"See that you don't. Remember, one o'clock."
"Wait!" Alex said before the agent could hang up, all efforts at calmness tossed to the wind. "Can I talk to her?"
The agent laughed. "She's unavailable right now."
"How do I know you even have her?" Alex asked, desperately. He needed to talk to her, to make sure she was alright.
"You have my word, of course." The smirk was evident in the man's voice. "One o'clock, Mr. Rider."
Alex slowly brought the mobile down from his ear and closed it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking up, his face carefully wiped of emotion.
The men were watching him carefully. Ben broke the silence. "What's going on, Alex?" he asked, faux casually.
"Nothing," Alex replied coolly, holding out his hand for the gun. He wiggled his fingers slightly in a beckoning gesture when Ben didn't take the first hint.
"Didn't sound like nothing," Snake commented, just as coolly, raising an eyebrow.
"You know what they say," Alex shrugged. "Sounds can be deceiving."
"Who is she?" Ben asked after a pause, his voice gentle.
Alex hesitated, torn. He wanted to tell Ben - he couldn't explain quite why, just that he did. But he couldn't get them involved, especially now that the agent knew he went to them.
"We can help, Cub," Snake said quietly.
"No," Alex said, shaking his head. "No, you can't."
"Why not?" Ben demanded, stepping closer to Alex. He made sure the gun was still out of the teen's reach.
"It's my problem, I have to deal with it on my own." Alex's voice was curt, but the men weren't going to give up. Sometimes, he mused, the SAS were too determined for their own damn good.
"You don't have to do everything alone," Ben said softly.
Alex closed his eyes. "Yeah, I do. If I bring any of you into this, he'll hurt her"
"Who?" Ben asked, beginning to sound frustrated now.
"Jack. She's like my… honorary sister, I suppose. My uncle hired her as a housekeeper and nanny when I was small. He was away too much to take care of me."
"Your uncle was MI6?" Ben asked, surprised.
"Yes," Alex replied shortly. "I need to go now." He held out his hand for the gun, but Ben still refused to give it to him. "Look," Alex said, frustrated. "If you don't give it to me, he's going to kill her."
"What does he want you to do?" Wolf asked, almost casually.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that."
"Tell us, or you're not getting this gun," Ben promised.
Alex's jaw clenched. "I don't think you really want to know."
"Oh, I think we do," Eagle said, now sitting on the floor rather than sprawled out.
"He wants me to kill someone," Alex said finally, quietly. "Two someones, actually."
There was a long, shocked silence. Finally, "Assassinate, you mean?" Ben asked, his voice tight with something that Alex couldn't quite identify.
"I suppose so," Alex shrugged, hiding how much it bothered him.
"Who?" Wolf demanded roughly.
They weren't going to let it go. "Blunt and Jones." It was almost a relief to tell someone.
"The heads of MI6?" Ben asked, his voice rising, and Alex thought there was a hint of panic in there somewhere.
Alex nodded. He honestly didn't think he'd be able to say anything.
Ben closed his eyes and visibly worked to calm himself. "And how are you planning to do that?" he asked eventually.
"I guess I'll work it out," Alex said quietly. "This time I'll make sure there's no bullet proof glass in the way."
"This time?" Snake asked, an eyebrow raised. "When have you assassinated someone before?"
"Almost killed Jones. Scorpia told me she killed my dad."
"Oh, this gets better and better!" Eagle said, throwing up his hands. "Scorpia? What the fuck have you been doing, Cub?"
"I was with Scorpia for a while," Alex admitted, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "But only because MI6 had been lying to me!" he added quickly when the men stared at him. "And I defected back, anyway."
"We can talk about this later," Ben said at length. "For now, Alex, are you serious about this?"
"He seems to be," Alex said, leaving no doubt as to who ‘he' was.
"Are you sure that he actually has her?" Ben asked, starting an interrogation. "You didn't sound sure on the mobile."
"Fairly certain. She wasn't at home, and she didn't leave me a note or anything. She always leaves a note, because she knows I worry about her."
"Do you have any idea where he might be?" Snake asked.
"No." Alex shook his head. "No idea. All I know is that I'm to kill them today, and meet him in a part at one am."
"Not much to go on," Eagle commented, looking worried.
"And he knew you were here?" Ben asked.
"He at least guessed," Alex admitted. "He told me if I got any of you involved, he'd, well…" He grimaced and the men seemed to get the gist of it.
"Bastard," Eagle cursed under his breath.
"So he's watching you," Ben's voice was still thoughtful. "What would you be doing now if you weren't here?"
"Watching the bank, probably," Alex shrugged. "I don't know. I'd have to be doing something, but they wouldn't be home for hours now. I don't think it's even possible," he admitted, looking up.
"Doesn't matter," Ben said absently.
Alex blinked. "I don't think Jack would agree with you."
"Alex, you just said it: it's not possible. But we might be able to get to him and get Jack out of there."
"Really," Alex said sarcastically, trying not to let the surge of hope show. "And how would we find him? We don't exactly have enough people to comb the entire city."
"We could, though, if we called MI6." Ben said, but Alex was objecting almost before he finished speaking.
"Jack may be their bargaining chip, but they won't help me," Alex said.
"Bargaining chip?" Snake repeated quickly.
"Like I would work for them on my own," Alex snorted. "But it doesn't matter. They still won't help. Hell, they never even send me backup after they've promised it to me."
"Oi, what about Point Blanc?" Eagle said, sounding offended that Alex had apparently forgotten their help there.
"I signaled for the backup days before," Alex said shortly. "They didn't believe that I'd figured it out so quickly."
"And Australia?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not that your help wasn't welcome, but I would have preferred help before they sold my eyes," he replied, his voice dry.
Ben's jaw clenched. "They didn't tell me that," his said quietly, something restrained in his voice.
Alex looked away. "That was a long time ago."
"Six months is a long time?" Ben asked. "How many of these missions have you been on since?"
"A few," Alex hedged. "Can we get back to Jack, now?" he asked, frustrated.
"We're talking about this later," Ben allowed.
"We need to figure out where he is," Eagle said. "Any chance he'll be calling again?"
"I don't know. If I stay here any longer, there's a chance he might call again."
"Good," Eagle muttered, getting up and heading into what Alex assumed was the kitchen. He returned a few moments later with a computer case.
"Good job I brought my laptop today," he commented as he booted it up. "This way I can track the signal, and hopefully find him."
"In the meantime, let's discuss a plan," Wolf said, standing up from his chair again.
"Since we won't have backup" - Ben glanced at Alex - "we can't do a direct attack."
"No," Wolf agreed. "Four isn't near enough. We'll have to go stealth."
"Wait up," Alex cut in, glaring at the two men. "Four? I'm not just going to go back to school."
"You're too young," Wolf said harshly, dismissing him.
"If you don't let me come with you, I'll go kill Blunt and Jones," Alex said, his face set.
"You told us you didn't know how to get to them," Wolf said, frowning at him.
"I'll figure something out if I have to," he replied, glaring right back at Wolf.
Ben laughed. "Fine. You're in, Alex."
Alex nodded in satisfaction while Wolf made a disgusted sound.
Alex's mobile rang again, half way through the planning.
"Eagle!" Alex called across the room. "He's ringing me."
The soldier nodded.
Alex answered the phone.
"You're still at your friend's flat, Mr. Rider."
"I'm in the middle of negotiating for necessary tools," Alex replied coolly. "I can't complete the job until I can get to them, now can I?"
There was a disgruntled pause on the other end.
Alex looked to Eagle, who motioned for Alex to keep the agent on the phone. Alex nodded his understanding.
"Let me talk to Jack," he said, making his voice plaintive, younger, so that the agent would be less likely to think Alex was conning him.
"She's indisposed," came the curt reply.
Alex widened his eyes at Eagle. Hurry up! he mouthed.
"One o'clock, Mr. Rider," he reminded him again, and the repetitions were really starting to annoy Alex. How thick did the man think he was?
Fortunately, Eagle gave him a nod just before the agent hung up. He'd locked in on the signal.
Alex breathed a sigh of relief. "Took you long enough," he grumbled as he flipped the mobile shut.
"He's across town, in a rather posh neighborhood," Snake said, looking at the screen over Eagle's shoulder.
"My gran used to live there. All mansions," Eagle agreed.
"If he's across town, how did he know I was still here?" Alex asked, frowning. "Are there two of them?"
Ben shook his head. "He's probably monitoring the CCTV. Scorpia agents don't like to work with others."
Alex shot him a glance. He hadn't told them it was Scorpia. "How'd you know that?" he asked suspiciously.
Ben didn't even pretend to misunderstand the question. "I guessed," he said simply.
Alex frowned, but, really, it didn't matter at this point. "We'd better hurry," was all he said in reply.
Alex left first, heading towards the shopping district of London. If the agent was tracking him on CCTV, then he needed to lose himself in a large crowd of people before he could make his way to the agent's headquarters.
Ben and the others were to all head on their own ways and meet up eventually, near to their destination.
Alex bided his time, wandering around through the crowded streets, grateful that this was a Saturday afternoon and prime shopping. Although he did somewhat regret the latter the third time he was nearly knocked over by a group of women descending on a sale.
At about five o'clock, he purchased a new jacket and a hat. He pulled the bill low to shadow his face. It would kill Jack to be incautious now.
---
The park was small, but crowded, and K-Unit and Fox looked distinctly out of place surrounded by all the children running around.
Wolf looked especially uncomfortable, shifting away any time a child ran by. Snake and Eagle were watching him in amusement, grinning at each other when a small boy ran close enough to graze Wolf's leg.
Alex saw several parents sending odd looks at the group of men, and he realized in hind sight that maybe a park wasn't the best place for them to meet. He shrugged. Too late now.
"Let's go," he said by way of greeting.
None of the men argued, they simply stood up and followed Alex.
The house that Eagle identified as the agent's was a white brick monstrosity, easily bigger than three of Alex's own house. He couldn't help but stare, his eyes wide, though mostly in horror at the thought of trying to find Jack in there. It could take forever.
Alex waited while the others studied the house with their binoculars. This was really more of their area of expertise than his. He had plans, sure, but they usually ended up with him nearly dying. Hopefully the SAS were better-trained in handling this sort of situations.
Two hours of watching them conversing quietly and studying more angles of the house than Alex had thought existed, and Alex was twitching. He couldn't stop thinking that the more time they wasted out here, the more opportunities the agent would have to hurt her.
He couldn't stop the feeling that they were being watched, even though he knew that they were well concealed by the trees and hedges in the garden of the house next to the agent's.
"Are you ready yet?" he finally hissed at the men, unable to keep silent any longer. It had been dark for at least ten minutes now, and they still weren't showing any sign of actual action. If they didn't move soon, Alex was going in on his own.
"Yes," Wolf nodded curtly. "Are you?"
There was a distinct challenge in the man's voice, and Alex felt his temper rising. The man had been antagonistic and bitter ever since Alex had told them he was going in. He opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped by Ben's hand on his shoulder.
"He's just worried about you," Ben said quietly into his ear. "We all know what you can do, but it still goes against the grain to put someone as young as you in danger."
Alex clenched his jaw, but he nodded at Ben. "Let's go," he said shortly.
They slipped through the hedge between the two houses and ran, low to the ground, up to the agent's house.
When they reached the back door, the others stood back as Eagle did something complicated with the door, disabling the alarm. He nodded them in hastily, closing the door soundlessly behind them.
Wolf motioned briefly for them to split up: Snake and Eagle together, Ben and Alex, and Wolf alone.
They spread out to search for Jack, careful to be as silent as possible.
Ben and Alex had been methodically checking rooms for at least ten minutes when Alex felt the cold metal of the gun against his neck. He froze, holding his hands out to his sides.
"I told you not to involve your friends," a familiar voice hissed in his ear.
Alex saw Ben freeze at the agent's voice and look back to find Alex. There was fear in his expression when he saw Alex's tense face and the gun pressed to the side of his throat.
"Drop the gun and kick it over here," the agent ordered Ben. Then he removed Alex's gun from his hand and stepped back a few paces, keeping the gun trained on Alex as he bent to pick up Ben's gun.
"Move," he ordered, flicking his gun in the direction he wanted Alex and Ben to go. He escorted them down the hall.
He opened a door and beckoned them through. Alex gasped when he saw the other occupant of the room: Jack Starbright, tied up in a chair with a black eye, and dried blood trickled down her face from a cut at her temple.
She was conscious, but tired. "Alex!" she groaned when she saw him.
"Jack," he whispered, ignoring the agent and running over to her. He knelt in front of her and raised a shaking hand to her face, brushing away the dried blood. "I'm so sorry."
"All right, quite enough of that," the agent said, grabbing Alex and tying him to another chair. Ben was next, tied to another chair.
Alex looked around and saw that there were three other, empty, chairs in the room. They didn't all match, which one would expect from a house that was so obviously occupied by extremely wealthy people. That meant that the agent must have known they were coming before they entered the building.
The agent smirked at them. "Now if you'll be so kind as to wait here, I'll go collect your friends."
The door closed quietly behind him, and Alex immediately turned his attention to Jack. "I'm so sorry," he repeated, his voice quiet and hoarse. She looked terrible.
"I knew you weren't going to kill them, but I'd hoped you wouldn't come here, Alex," she replied quietly, her face pale.
Alex's breath caught in his throat, and he turned his face away.
"You were going to kill them," Jack realized, her voice rising. "Alex, how could you do that?"
"I didn't, okay?"
"But you were going to." Jack's tone booked no argument.
Not that Alex had an argument. He had been planning on killing Blunt and Jones, after all. "I couldn't just let him kill you," he said, his voice ragged. "I had to go to Ben to get a gun, and they wouldn't let me leave without them."
There was a pause. "Who are they?" she asked, her voice tired now, resigned.
"This is Ben, he's MI6. I've worked with him before."
Ben nodded in greeting. "Wish we were meeting under other circumstances," he said with a grin that didn't quite hide the fear on his face.
"Yeah," Jack replied distractedly, looking at Alex expectantly.
"There are three others here somewhere," Alex continued. "Eagle, Snake and Wolf. They're SAS. In the unit that I trained with in the Breacon Beacons. Ben was SAS, too, he transferred."
Jack nodded, and a silence fell over the room. Alex strained his eyes, trying to hear if the agent was coming. He hoped not. He hoped the others had realized something was amiss and gotten out.
Even as he thought that, he knew they wouldn't. Even if they thought something was off, they wouldn't leave without Alex and Ben.
Eventually, they heard a scuffle at the door, and Snake and Eagle were admitted. The agent left again after tying them.
He returned shortly with Wolf, who was glowering fiercely.
The agent turned to Alex after he finished tying Wolf. "Now, Mr. Rider, I'd like to have a word with you."
He untied Alex and gestured him out of the room with his gun, ignoring the protests from the other five.
Alex was tied to a new chair in the room next to the others. He tried to keep his eyes from the table that the agent had set up, but his gaze was drawn by the glint of lamplight on shiny steel knives.
The agent had a large collection, knives of all shapes and sizes, and Alex gulped, trying not to think about what the agent's specialty probably was.
"So… you wanted to talk to me?" Alex asked, keeping his voice steady, and casual in a way that was calculated to infuriate the agent.
The man merely raised a dark eyebrow, his blue eyes giving nothing away. "Why did you bring the others into this? No, don't tell me," he said when Alex opened his mouth to reply. "It's because you're a coward, isn't it?" he asked, his voice getting softer and softer until Alex had to strain to hear it. "You couldn't make yourself do it, could you? You're just a scared, hurt little boy, and you could never have saved Jack on your own."
Alex flinched hearing him saying Jack's name. It brought him out of his shock long enough to realize what the man was doing. The knives had distracted him earlier; the agent was leaning more towards the psychological torture than the physical.
Alex could deal with that. They were just words, after all.
But as the man continued, his voice soft and smooth, hypnotizing to listen to, Alex found that he was doubting himself more and more. He'd been positive that they could get out of this before. He'd been in similar situations before, though probably not worse. He'd survived so much, he could survive this.
But what if he couldn't?
He felt himself slipping under again as the agent continued on and on, the smooth cadence never changing, no inflections, nothing to jolt Alex out of his stupor. He closed his eyes tightly in an effort to block the voice out. It was almost working, but suddenly, the voice was closer, and accompanied by a sharp stinging pain in his right wrist, tied behind his back.
He cried out in shock and pain, his eyes shooting open to see the agent's face inches from his.
"Oh, do I have your attention again?" the agent asked, with a cruel, satisfied smirk. "I think I'll have to keep your attention, won't I?"
Alex clenched his jaw as the agent unzipped his jacket and shoved it aside, onto his shoulders. It wasn't completely off, because his hands were tied, but it gave the agent far too much to room to work with.
He automatically stiffened his muscles when the agent lowered the knife to his chest and dragged the razor sharp blade through his shirt, through to his skin. The pain was agony, white-hot and flaring, and Alex knew that clenching his muscles would only make it worse, but he couldn't help the instinct, couldn't stop his body from reacting when his brain was still focused on the agent's words.
Alex wasn't sure how long the routine of cutting and talking continued, but eventually he couldn't hold back the screams anymore, and his throat was sore, and he hurt all over, and there was no way they were ever going to escape, and he was going to die.
They were all going to die.
Finally, finally, the agent stopped, and Alex was gasping for breath. His head flopped back onto the chair, not even caring that it left his throat fully exposed. The sweat streaked his face and body, smearing with blood, and the tattered remains of his shirt.
The agent leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "How do I get to Blunt and Jones?"
Alex shook his head, unable to speak.
Grinning, the agent dug a thumb into a cut on Alex's chest. "How do I get to Blunt and Jones?" he repeated, a sick sort of pleasure pervading his tone.
Alex screamed, the tendons of his throat tensing.
The agent twisted his thumb.
"I don't know! I don't fucking know!" was in the scream this time, and the agent frowned.
"Surely you had a plan," he said, not sounding just as cruel, but not as certain now.
Alex shook his head, gasping as his vision blacked out momentarily. Blood loss, he thought hazily. "I did have a plan," Alex gasped out. "I found some help."
Not true, but the agent wouldn't know that. It felt good to have something over the man who was taking so much pleasure in hurting him.
The agent frowned and with one final twist of his thumb, he pulled it out of the wound. It was glistening red with Alex's blood. The agent cleaned his hands on Alex's jacket, leaving red streaks like badges of honor.
The man untied him and dragged him to his feet, snapping impatiently at him when he stumbled, the roaring in his head increasing.
The agent led him to the other room and roughly tied to him to his chair again. Alex dimly saw him leading Wolf out through a haze of agony.
There were several thudding sounds, and Alex looked up dimly to see the other four hopping their chairs towards him. They were all worried and horrified, especially Jack, whom Alex had always tried to protect. She'd not been exposed to anything like this before.
"Alex, are you alright?" Ben leaned in as close as he could.
"'M fine," he mumbled, his mouth having difficulty forming the words.
There was a choked sob from Jack. "Oh, god, Alex, I'm so sorry!"
"It's not your fault," Alex said as firmly as he could. "I'm fine. I've had worse."
"How does he look, Snake?" Ben asked quietly.
"He's in shock," Snake replied worriedly. He scooted his chair closer. "Alex, can you put your feet in my lap? We need to get them elevated."
It took Alex a few tries, but he finally managed to get his legs into Snake's lap.
"Can't you help him?" Jack asked, her voice strained and bordering on hysterical now.
"I can't do anything else while I'm tied up," Snake replied, frustrated.
They fell silent quickly when they heard a hoarse scream from the next room. Alex winced. Wolf didn't show pain, so it must be bad. Very, very bad. He swallowed hard as the screams reverberated through the room again.
Was this what he had sounded like?
Eventually, he fell passed out, from the pain and the blood loss and just plain exhaustion.
When he woke up, Jack was watching him worriedly. She sighed in relief when he stirred, like she hadn't been expecting him to ever wake up.
He looked blearily around the room. It was silent, all of the others subdued. Ben was missing, but the others were all there, and all bloody.
Snake shifted slightly and shuddered in pain, his face paling even more than it already was.
Alex was struck with the severity of the situation all over again. The others were all bad, but Alex was thankfully the worst. He'd gotten them all into this, the least he could do was get them out of here somehow. He'd have a better chance of that if they were all able to move.
"Are you all alright?" he asked, wincing as the words tore through the lining of his throat, reminding him again of how much he'd screamed earlier.
There was a series of slow nods, but he could tell that they weren't completely sincere.
Silence fell again, and they were able to clearly hear Ben screaming, the sound agonized and rough. Alex had to choke back screams of his own, remembering his own turn in the other room, and thinking about what he'd put these men through. It was his fault they were here, his fault they were hurt.
He tried to block out the screams with little to no success. They finally stopped, and a few minutes later, Ben was brought back into the room, pale and shaking, barely able to stay on his feet.
The agent secured him into his chair, and turned to Alex again. Alex forgot how to breathe when the man spoke. "Ah, just the boy I wanted to see!"
Alex was untied and forced to his feet again, and he closed his eyes, despair spreading through his body, weighting him down. He couldn't go through that again.
The other room looked exactly as he remembered it, and would remember it for the rest of his life, however short that might be.
He swallowed hard as he was forced down into the chair.
"Now, you wait here," the agent said. "I believe I promised you what would happen to Miss Starbright if you failed to kill Blunt and Jones."
Alex frowned, trying to remember what the agent was talking about. Was he going to hurt Jack?
The realization was cold shock deep within his stomach, and he froze, his eyes widening in horror. The agent grinned sadistically at his expression. "I'll be right back," he said, the cheery tone of his voice making Alex fear like never before.
He was left in a haze of panic when the agent left the room. His eyes roamed wildly over the room, trying to find something, anything that would help him save Jack. His gaze fell onto the table with the knives.
He shuffled his chair forward as quickly as he could, praying that the sound wasn't heard in the other room. Once he reached it, he realized there was nothing he could do. His hands were tied behind his back, nothing he could do.
He was still sitting there, panicking, when the agent returned. The man surveyed him for a moment, holding a struggling Jack with both hands. Finally, after agonizing moments when Alex thought he might kill Jack to punish him, he shrugged, seeming to decide that it didn't matter.
"You can stay there if you want," he said, nonchalance as only the unthreatened could be. "It must be killing you to be so close to saving her, but unable to," he continued, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Alex shuddered, watching Jack's panicked expression, her eyes huge and pleading Alex to help her, to save her.
He watched hopelessly as he dragged Jack into the room and slammed the door behind them. He threw her onto the floor and followed quickly. He ripped her pants down as she thrashed and screamed, trying to get away.
He held her tight with one hand, maneuvering out of his own pants with the other.
Jack screamed as he shoved into her ruthlessly, and Alex screamed with her. Yelling at the bastard to stop it. Suddenly, he didn't feel the pain anymore, all he felt was the rage, at the what the agent had done to him, to K-Unit and Ben, and what he was doing to Jack.
He turned his chair around, grabbing blindly at the knives on the table. He grasped one by the blade, not even feeling the pain as it sliced into his palms. He sawed at the ropes that held him in place, growling in frustration as the blood slicking his hands made the knife fall to the ground.
He grabbed another one, hissing with relief when it finally cut through the ropes. He stood up quickly, running quietly over to the agent and shoving the knife through the back of his neck, hard enough to emerge out his throat.
The agent shuddered, blood pouring out of his mouth as he tried to breathe. He was dead almost immediately, and Alex dragged him back, away from Jack. She stared up at him with terrified, distant eyes, not recognizing him, and trying to get away.
"It's me, Jack. Alex," he repeated over and over, as calmly as he could until finally he got through to her, the recognition and relief shining through her eyes.
She passed out, and Alex couldn't help but think that it was a mercy. He tore his jacket off and laid it over her, covering her as best he could.
He made it to the table before he turned back to look at her impossibly small figure lying on the floor, evidence of the day written into the exhausted and pained lines of her face. He swallowed hard. He didn't want to leave her, but he had to get the others.
He grabbed a new knife and hurried to the other room. K-Unit and Ben looked up at him in shock when he walked in.
"He's dead," Alex explained quickly, working to cut Ben free first. He was the closest to the door. "He - he raped Jack" - he stumbled over the words - "and I killed him."
The men's faces tightened and Eagle cursed under his breath.
"Are you alright, Alex?" Snake asked worriedly, studying the teen.
"He didn't do anything to me," Alex said bitterly. He would have been better if he had. But even as he told them he was fine, he knew he wasn't. He was losing still more blood from the cuts in his hands, and he could feel the pain now, sharp and agonizing all over his body, now that the adrenaline and rage were wearing off.
He felt his knees weaken and he sat down heavily, breathing shallowly. He passed Ben the knife and the man quickly cut Snake lose, so that the man could help.
"We need to get him to a hospital," Snake said urgently. "He's lost far too much blood."
Wolf nodded. "I'll see if I can find a phone," he said tiredly, wishing for his mobile.
Alex dimly heard the others moving around, and bringing Jack into this room, but he couldn't tell how much time was going by. He was a mass of pain, and he was so dizzy it was hard to breathe.
---
He must have passed out, he realized hazily as he woke up. He looked around in confusion for a moment before realizing he was in a hospital bed.
He pressed the nurse call button, and a young, brunette nurse appeared a minute later. "How are you feeling?" she asked him, efficiently checking over his vitals and making sure that his IVs were flowing correctly.
"How are my friends?" Alex tried to ask, but came out as only a croak. The nurse offered him a glass of water which he eagerly accepted. This time, when he asked her, he got the words out.
"They're all doing well, no complications," the nurse replied. "You can't see them yet," she added quickly, when Alex tried to stand up.
Alex groaned in frustration. "When can I see them?" he gritted out.
"Two days," she promised. "You have too many injuries to move without risking reopening them."
He thumped his head back onto the pillow. He winced at the stress that caused several injuries on his chest.
---
Two days later finally came, and a nurse wheeled him down to Jack's room. He didn't like to admit it, but he was grateful for the wheelchair. No way could his legs support him again yet.
Jack still looked exhausted, her skin pale even against the white of the pillowcase. She turned her head towards him and smiled weakly. "Alex," she whispered. "I'm so glad you're alright."
Alex tried to smile at her, but it came out as more of a grimace.
"I look horrible, don't I?" she asked with a small huff of a laugh.
"No," Alex lied, trying to reassure. "How are you feeling?"
"As well as can be expected, I suppose," she shrugged. "Could be better."
Alex picked up her hand and kissed it. "I'm so sorry," he mumbled against her palm.
"Hey, hey," she said gently. "Not your fault, Alex. Never your fault."
Alex smiled sadly at her. The gesture was nice, but he knew the truth. "I have to go see K-Unit and Ben," he said reluctantly. "Love you," he whispered back as the nurse wheeled him out of her room and down to Ben's.
All of the men were in Ben's room, all heavily-bandaged, but obviously there under their own leg power. They were talking quietly, not noticing when Alex entered.
"Cub!" Eagle was the first to see him. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I'm going to kill the next person who asks me that," Alex said, trying to joke, but feeling too tired.
None of them laughed, and Alex realized that they might be taking him seriously.
"We can take him back to his room," Snake said to the nurse, obviously dismissing her.
The nurse was reluctant, but Alex assured her that he would be fine.
There was an awkward silence where all five of them just watched each other.
"I'm sorry," Alex said quietly, finally breaking the silence.
"For what?" Ben said, more of a dismissal of the guilt than a question.
"I never intended to get any of you involved in any of this," he continued, not meeting any of their eyes. "But - thank you," he finished awkwardly. He tried to wheel himself back out of the room, but the thick bandages on his hands made it impossible.
He swallowed and finally looked up. The four men were regarding him with something approaching amusement. "What?" he asked defensively.
Eagle shook his head. "Cub, of course we had to help you. You are part of the unit."
Alex's eyes widened as he took in the other three agreeing with Eagle. "Oh," he said, almost inaudibly.
"We're glad you're alright, Alex," Ben said, smiling at him.
Alex smiled, somewhat shyly. It felt wrong that they didn't blame him, but somehow he couldn't feel too guilty about that.
Wolf stood up abruptly. "We have to get to HQ," he said briskly. "Our OC wants to talk to us."
Alex froze. "Are you going to get in trouble?" he asked, the guilt rushing back.
"Probably," Snake said easily.
"But it was worth it," Ben finished, standing up along with K-Unit. "C'mon, Alex. I'll take you back to your room."
"Thank you," Alex said when Ben helped him back into his bed. He hoped the older man knew that he was thanking him for more than just pushing his wheelchair.
Ben smiled slightly, and Alex knew that he understood. He turned to leave, but paused, and turned back around. "Could you really have done it, Alex?"
He knew exactly what Ben was talking about, and there was no doubt in his mind. He would gladly have killed Blunt and Jones for Jack.
"Yes."
Ben nodded slowly, and left without commentating.
Alex relaxed against the pillow, thinking about what had just happened. It was strange to think that he would have killed them without regret, and he had killed the agent with no regrets.
It was stranger still to think that he would now gladly do the same for K-Unit and Ben.
The End