I do not own Alex Rider. On to the story, because disclaimers are boring.
"What are you doing here?" Louis swallowed, his heart flipping over in his chest. It hurt to breathe, all the pain and loss of four years ago rushing back, leaving him reeling in shock, stumbling for a foothold.
Zayn opened and closed his mouth, his eyes wide in surprise, stunned into silence. He looked better, healthier, his cheeks not so hollow, his defined arms showing through the suit jacket. His hair was styled up into a quiff, no longer hanging limp over his eyes, like it had been last time they'd seen him.
Bitterness welled up inside Louis, making his jaw clench and hands shake. "Answer me."
"I was assigned to this mission to represent MI6 and assist the current guardians of the person of interest." Zayn replied, his Bradford accent thick as ever. His voice was cold and unfamiliar, and Louis watched with a sick sort of fascination as his former friend schooled his face into an expressionless mask.
Just then, Wolf came in carrying what must have been Alex, Snake not far behind him. The boy was noticeably thin, bringing back unpleasant memories. Louis swallowed, holding back his tears, and helped Snake clear off one of the beds.
"He's got a slight fever, but it's mostly dehydration. His body thinks it's being attacked so it's trying to expel whatever bacteria it thinks infecting it." Wolf said, as he gently lowered Alex down.
"Why would it think it's being attacked?" Lion asked from the doorway.
Wolf lifted up the teen's shirt, exposing white bandages wrapped around a small waist.
"Oh." Lion said lamely.
"Someone get me some scissors." Wolf commanded, and Lion left the room. "Don't just stand there, Panther. Put your bag down and do something to help. We don't have time for slackers."
Zayn's jaw clenched, and his shoulders squared. At that, something deep inside Louis twisted and slithered its way up, the pain of being left behind causing bile to gather in his throat. Zayn's gesture was so familiar to him...it shouldn't have hurt as much as it did.
"Fennec, get me the disinfectant from the bathroom, along with my kit. It's under the sink." Snake asked softly.
Louis turned from the room, heading across the hall towards the small bathroom the eight (Nine? Did Alex count as an adult?) men shared. He collected the items, and walked back into the room, just in time to see Snake finish cutting the bandages off the lad's chest, peeling them back to reveal an angry red wound, slightly puckered, the stitches showing up clear and even.
"It doesn't look infected." he remarked, ever the trouble-maker.
Snake glanced up, slightly surprised. "It's not."
"Then what's the issue?" Panther said from right behind his shoulder.
Louis tensed at the close presence of someone he had once considered a friend.
"He's too weak to properly heal as fast and as efficiently as he should. He's suffering from idiopathic pain, which, pared with exhaustion, and overexertion explains the fever. The pain is what the meds are for." Snake gestured with his head toward the bottle that had been tossed, abandoned, at the end of the bed. Wolf handed him a damp cloth and a disinfectant wipe, and Snake began to gently clean around the wound.
"But I though idiopathic pain was untreatable." Louis pursed his lips, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"It is." Snake didn't even bother looking up, but his voice said it all.
"They're just going to dope him up?!" Zayn grabbed the medication, anger clear in his voice.
"He's easier to control that way." Wolf responded, standing up. "If he's half-asleep and high, he can't fight back, or say no."
"And you guys are just okay with this? What kind of operation are you running here, anyway?" Zayn was livid, stepping up close into Wolf's face.
"Watch it, newbie." Wolf clenched his fists, and Snake didn't notice, so lost in his work.
"Wolf, was it? There must have been a mistake in picking your code name. Lemming fits a conformist better, don't you think?" Zayn spat, and Louis felt a small flicker of pride show its face at the outright disregard of authority. Zayn certainly hadn't changed much.
Wolf's face went beet red, and Lion left the room, presumably to go get backup in case of a fight. Which seemed very probable right now.
"You think you know everything about this situation, don't you? Let me tell you, I've been called worse by better men." Wolf spat back.
"I'm not insulting you. I'm describing you." Zayn replied, a fire in his eyes.
"Oooo, getting feisty." Louis smiled, his voice harsh and mocking.
"That's enough, Fennec." Liam's tired form appeared in the doorway, the only indication of his recognizing Zayn being a sharp intake of breath and a slight nod in the man's direction.
"I don't know about Wolf, but I think I can speak for the rest of us in the room when I say, what in the world is going on? If we're going to function as a team, we need to be able to stand each other. You three obviously have history, and whatever is wrong needs to be resolved. I can't have you fighting with each other, or with us, all the time. And asking for a replacement team is out of the option. So suck it up and deal with it or figure it out on your own time. This situation isn't a simple one, and there are lives already at stake because of incompetence." Snake said softly, but stern and reprimanding.
Liam sat down on one of the beds with a sigh, and put his head in his hands.
"Okay?" Snake asked.
Liam just nodded, and Louis felt a rush of guilt. He sat down gently next to Liam, as Snake continued to clean Alex's wound.
"Sorry." He said softly. "I overstepped my bounds and I'm sorry."
"It's not me you should apologize to." Liam's voice was muffled by his hands. Louis didn't say anything, but avoided Wolf's stare. "Look, I know this wasn't your idea, but I gave you the option of leaving and you stayed. So if you're stubborn enough to tag along, at least try and make an effort to respect your elders. You're not eighteen anymore. I can't keep cleaning up the messes you make." Liam looked at Louis with bloodshot eyes.
"I know." Louis whispered.
******************************
Snake really didn't like giving orders, but it was obvious to him that Wolf wasn't in a good enough mental state to be in command, so it was with reluctance that he temporarily took over the whole operation.
"Bear, you and Cheetah are on perimeter duty. Wolf and Fennec, surveillance. Lion, find Eagle. You two need to find some food for dinner. Zayn?"
The man in question raised his eyes, and looked questioningly at Snake.
"I don't know your code-name." Snake replied, trying to read this black-haired enigma in front of him.
"It's Panther."
"Right. I need you to tell me everything Mrs. Jones told you about us. I know questions are usually off limits when it comes to mission instructions, but as you can see right now, we aren't exactly manning a standard operation. If you have any questions, now is the time."
******************************
Voices brought Alex back from the depths of slumber.
"And that's basically it. I saw Alex on the side of the road and when Mrs. Jones called, I knew immediately it was him."
A pause. Alex tried to open his eyes, but the waves of sleep held him just under the surface.
"I just...I'm not quite sure what's going on here. I wasn't given much information about our charge, or your unit, which doesn't usually bother me except for the fact that there are now two units here, and clearly, there is more to Alex than meets the eye."
"I can't really say anything. It's not my place. If Alex wants you to know he'll tell you. I hope. As for the other unit, I know as much about them as you do, except for what little I know of their different duties within the unit, and what I've observed from their bond with each other."
That was Snake, a definite Scottish brogue coloring his words. Alex struggled to wake, but his bones felt so heavy and his eyelids refused to open.
"How does your unit know Alex?" The other voice again; not one Alex recognized. It was soft, clearly British, but Alex wasn't sure from what area.
"We met back in Brecon Beacons about a year and a half ago? That's where the SAS are trained and binned accordingly." A sigh. "He was about fourteen years old, and we treated him like trash, like he was less than nothing, even though he never did anything to deserve such treatment. For me, 23 days ago was the first time I'd seen him since. For others, well...let's just say that there are far more secrets in this unit than is healthy or safe, and most of it, is related to your employers, MI6." Snake sounded about as tired as Alex felt.
A pause.
"Why am I here?" It was said quietly, almost as if Snake wasn't meant to hear.
More silence.
"We lost a team member a year ago, went to be an agent for MI6. We received a replacement after coming back from a mission in Afghanistan, and we spent a happy three months together, getting to know him and how he works, and recuperating from our injuries. Then Alex showed up with our old team member, Fox, and suddenly everything got crazy again. Long story short, Falcon, that's our new team-mate, he went on a mission soon after we got Alex, so about two week ago, and it was supposed to be a quick in and out kind of thing. Just a simple safe-guarding of a politician who was traveling across the continent and wanted protection. Then they both went missing, and MI6 can't seem to find them. Alex's convinced that it was SCORPIA, and I didn't believe him at first, but early this morning, Fox went missing from the bedroom of our old safe-house, stolen right out from under our noses. There was blood on the floor and a note for Alex. It triggered some kind of reaction and every since that, I'm having a hard time believing that it's not SCORPIA."
"But why would they target Alex? What's he ever done to them?"
Alex's heart stuttered. 'You don't know the half of it.' He thought to himself, bitterly.
"A whole lot. Trust me. But I've said too much already. Any more questions?"
"Yeah just one. What do we know, or what am I allowed to know about Alex's current condition?"
"Physically, he's got a scar above his heart that causes some pain sometimes. I only know that because I've seen him grab at his chest periodically. It seems to be about a year old, maybe less, probably caused by a sniper rifle. He's got a fresh bullet wound in his stomach that caused some major problems. That wound is about three weeks old. And he refuses to eat, so he's malnourished."
A momentary pause, and Alex felt someone tucking the blanket more firmly around him, almost as if to protect him.
"Mentally? I'm not even sure the extent of the damage. He's got some form of PTSD, frequent panic attacks and nightmares. Falcon was the only one who Alex would let hold him, or calm him down, and since Falcon's gone... it's caused some issues." And then, quieter, "I don't think he has any family." More silence. "The day Falcon left, Alex had an episode and ran outside after the car, completely hysterical. He called for someone named Jack, begging them not to leave. I think he got reality confused with his memories, if indeed they are memories." A sigh. "Basically, he's really messed up, and I have a feeling that that's not even the half of it."
"So we've got our work cut out for us then."
A hand reached out and brushed through Alex's hair, gently massaging his scalp. Exhaustion took over, and the lad once again fell under the waves of unconsciousness, the voices fading away.
*****************************
Wolf really wasn't sure what his duty was anymore. He thought that following orders and obeying his superiors would be simple, black words on a white page.
But when it came to Alex, it clearly wasn't.
Wolf had so many questions that he knew he'd never find the answer to. Why was Alex a spy? Who started this whole thing? Where were Alex's parents? How was he still alive if all the speculations were true?
An irritated huff broke through Wolf's scattered thoughts, and he looked up, a scowl already forming on his face. Fennec scowled back, his eyebrow lifted in a silent question, almost as if he was taunting Wolf.
"You're in my way." The soldier commented, childishly. His voice matched his eyes, sharp and piercing. The soldier stood before Wolf, assault rifle in hand, hand resting on a cocked hip. Wolf rolled his eyes and moved out of the way, too lost in his own mind to think of a biting comeback.
Once again left to himself, Wolf continued the trek around the property, his ears straining to hear unusual noises. It was his duty to make sure the unit was operating properly, and while a leader for the overall group had never been specified, Wolf naturally took him upon himself. But it seemed that more time went on, the more it all fell apart.
So much of him had been pushed away, shoved into a corner of his brain, leaving space for his job, his duty to his country.
His duty. The words left a bitter taste in his mouth. Right now, his duty wasn't exactly ethical. He had to fix Alex, which, with the current predicaments, seemed impossible and had a 28% chance of survival. Everyone else Alex knew was dead. Falcon and Fox were missing.
Even if they managed to help Alex, why would they? Because of their duty, because it was their job, their "mission"? What would happen to Alex when they were no longer needed? Was he just going to be used all over again, trashed and thrown away for the next SAS unit to fix up? It wasn't right. This wasn't what they were trained for.
But it also wasn't Wolf's job to question his superiors.
His mind went back to several days prior, when him and Snake had discussed Alex. The Scotsman had basically said that MI6 was killing the teen. It really wasn't hard to see it. He needed an out, before there was nothing left to save.
He wasn't even of age. Wolf's stomach turned and he swallowed down the bile, a grimace on his face.
If they tried to help the kid, they'd be jeopardizing everything. They'd lose their jobs, they'd be hunted like criminals. What if the other members of their group didn't feel the same way Snake and Wolf did?
What did Wolf feel?
He wanted to help. Oh so badly, he wanted to get Alex out of danger and shield him from anything that could ever hurt him again. His chest ached at the thought of sending Alex back to MI6, back into the grueling work he'd been doing. The teen needed a family, needed love, needed affection, needed to know that he wasn't alone, that he had something to fall on, that he could let go and be himself.
That he was safe.
"Oh Alex." Wolf sighed, his heart heavy.
Only the rustling of the trees answered him.
******************************
Dinner that night was stilted. The teams ate in shifts, but the quietness of the house was eerie and tension sat heavy in the atmosphere.
Wolf was determined to get to the bottom of this, so he called a meeting in the surveillance room, to "discuss their next moves".
"Alright, everyone. I know you're probably confused as to what we have to discuss but Snake over here, our #1 resident medic brought this to my attention recently and I've been struggling with what to do. I figured, we're supposed to be a team, why not ask the others and see what they think." Wolf paused for a moment, looking up from the floor at the other who were standing or sitting in various ways throughout the small room. "Not many of you know the real story behind the charge sleeping upstairs and I think it's time we clear some things up."
Snake opened his mouth, uncertainty coloring his features, but Wolf interrupted him with soft words. "I know Snake, but if we're going to do this right, they need to know everything."
"Do what?" Eagle spoke up, hesitation in his voice, and Fennec set narrowed eyes on Wolf.
"I'm getting to that. Just please... let me finish. Alex Rider is sixteen years old, and he's been a spy for MI6 since he was 14. Don't ask how that happened, because I'm just as clueless as you, but what I do know is that his dad was John Rider. If you know anything about MI6, you know about John Rider." Wolf paused, and nodded towards Fennec who had his hand raised.
"Who's John Rider?"
Wolf internally rolled his eyes.
"He was one of the best MI6 agents on record. He helped infiltrate SCORPIA as a deep-undercover double agent, but soon after he got out, he died in a plane crash along with his wife. I didn't know he had a son." Panther spoke quietly.
"He did. Alex was only a few months old when both his parents were killed, and after their death, he lived with his uncle. I'm not sure of the exact timeline here, but my unit and I met Alex about two years ago, at Brecon Beacons, where we just assumed he'd been sent by rich parents to be brought under control and disciplined. Shortly after that, I met Alex again on a mission at a boarding school in the French Alps, involving clones and rich people's children. He helped me and my men sneak into the school, even though he seemed extremely reluctant to go back, and I didn't question anything, as the entire school fit right in with the persona that I had made of him. The next time I can remember hearing about Alex was when I sent him a get well soon card while he was in the hospital with appendicitis. Now, I don't think that's what he was really in the hospital for." Wolf broke off, his mind stuck on the white scar sitting above Alex's heart and all the lies he'd been spoon-fed about this whole business. "Basically, long story short, Alex's a spy for MI6 , and it's killing him. We can't find anything out about him or his missions and his medical file is pratically non-existent. The only person who knew him better than us is currently missing, so we can't ask him any questions. My guess is that any surviving family is either dead or doesn't want Alex, and that's why he's been carted off to us."
"That, or they know that we can't say anything that could give them away." Bear added.
"So what's your plan?" Cheetah spoke for the first time since they'd met, his rough Irish brogue only surprising Wolf a little bit, a sharp pang of sorrow in his chest at the thought of Falcon's own Irish acccent.
"I think we need to keep him away from MI6." Wolf paused a moment to let it sink in. "I know it goes against all our orders, and could very well cost our lives, not to mention our jobs, but I can't keep letting MI6 harm Alex when I know I could have helped him get out and have a normal life. Or whatever normal he might be able to achieve after all of this."
The room was silent, and Wolf wiped his hands on his jeans, suddenly nervous.
"Can...can we talk about it as a Unit and tell you what we think in the morning?" Bear's voice came out firm, but tired and a little overwhelmed.
"Yeah, yeah, of course. I understand that this is a lot to take in right now and I'm sorry that I had to spring this all on you like this. Let's sleep on it, and then we can finish this discussion in the morning." Wolf reassured.
The men nodded and began to stand up, and Wolf reached out, gently placing his hand on Snake's arm, silently asking him to stay behind.
"Panther, you and I are on first watch." Snake said softly, nodding in the agent's direction. "You can have a few minutes to do whatever you need to do beforehand."
Panther nodded and left, throwing a curious glance over his shoulder.
"What is it?" Snake asked, sitting back down, his brow furrowing in concern.
"I just wanted to apologize and say thank you. I haven't been the leader I should be these past few weeks, and you stepped in and took over without me even having to ask. You knew what I needed, and tried to help without appearing as if you were disregarding my authority. So... thank you." Wolf looked down, and then started to stand up.
"Wolf." Snake sighed, and his hand rested heavy on Wolf's shoulder, pulling the man back down into his seat. "We're a unit. It's my job to make sure you're okay, and step in if you're not. Don't feel like you need to apologize. We're a family and we're here for you." He wrapped the shorter man in a hug, and Wolf relaxed, the weight disappearing from his shoulders.
"You should get some sleep." Snake whispered as they pulled apart, his green eyes taking in the dark bags underneath Wolf's eyes.
"Yeah...alright. See you in the morning." Wolf stood up and left the room, Snake's echo of his goodbye following him out of the room.
Once upstairs, Wolf passed Panther, who was exiting K-Unit's room.
"Sorry, I had to move my stuff over since Alex is asleep in the other room. I also wanted to apoligize for earlier. It was childish and I shouldn't have said the things I did, especially considering that at least in my case, we're on the same page when it comes to Alex. Oh, and there's a secret door connecting the two rooms, if you weren't already aware of that. It's on the far wall behind the mirror." The young man said, before nodding in farewell and going down the stairs.
Wolf just stared after him, a little stuck on what had just happened. Shaking his head, he entered the bedroom, and found Eagle sitting on his bed, still not changed, presumably waiting for him.
"Can we talk?" The soldier asked, his eyes open and yet giving away nothing.
Wolf's stomach dropped. "Of course."
"Why didn't you and Snake tell me your thoughts about Alex, and why didn't you open up to me before telling everyone else? I'm part of our unit, and I know it's been hectic these past few weeks, but I'm still part of this, and I can't help but feel like you don't trust me or don't think I can handle it. I'm in this team because I can handle it, Wolf. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't competent. Don't keep things from me. We're supposed to do this together, and it's not going to work if you keep on leaving me out of the loop."
Wolf had seen a lot of things, had seen a lot of different expressions on the faces of his mates, but never had he seen Eagle looks quite like this. Desperate, confused, hurt.
He swallowed. "I'm sorry," he began, "that I never spoke with you about all of this. I shouldn't have pushed you away. I thought I'd be protecting you, but you're right. You're a grown man and perfectly capable of making those decisions for yourself. So I'm sorry." Wolf tried to give him a smile, but it was more of a grimace.
"Thank you." Eagle's voice was soft, but when he breathed in, the ragged sound of it did not go unnoticed by Wolf. "Let's get some sleep. And I hope that we're doing what's right. For Alex, I mean."
"We haven't done anything yet." Wolf watched his friend slowly get his bed ready, feeling disconnected, and out of joint, like the world was spinning around him and he was just trying to stay afloat. "We don't even know if the others will agree."
"They will." Eagle gave a small smile. "They're good men."
Wolf scoffed, finally getting up and starting his own process of readying for bed. "You always see the good in people."
"It's not hard with them. They've been through some crap, just like us. Some of them are more rough around the edges, but they're very loyal to each other." Eagle shrugged, climbing onto his bed, and pulling the covers around him until his head was barely visible. "Just get some sleep and stop thinking so hard. I can hear you struggling all the way over here."
"Shove off." Wolf chuckled, throwing a pillow at Eagle.
"Goodnight, Wolfie." He could practically hear the smile in Eagle's voice.
"Goodnight, mate."
I'm so so sorry that this took so long. I have no excuse, except for that I was stuck for like three months, and just recently figured out how to fix it. Good news is, I know where I'm going with this, so the updates shouldn't take quite so long. Thanks so much to everyone who has stuck with me through this, and for commenting, because honestly, the comments helped tremendously with writing.
Again, thanks so much and enjoy this longer chapter!
AgentAlexxRider101
"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." - John 7:24