Okay, so this is a companion story to 'One Tear of Sadness'. It is basically about how K-Unit was one of the units that went in to rescue Alex. Also, Fox/Ben decided to go back to the SAS. I do not own Alex Rider. But I do have one OC, Bernard Smithlusce. He works for SCORPIA, and was put in charge of Alex. Also, even though it's a One-Shot, can you please review so I know how you felt? Thanks! And it's a total of 1,473 words, not including the author's note or title. I'm so happy! Here it is:
What I Saw and How I Learned
K-Unit peered down at the building that the MI6 agent was in. They hadn't been told who it was, only that they had been kidnapped for revenge. Their job was to get in, find the agent, grab him and get out. Then there was a crackling sound as the radio sparked to life.
"Delta Team, this is Alpha Team, are you in position?" A voice asked. Wolf automatically replied. "This is Delta Team, we are in position, over."
"Good, get ready to move in. All other teams are in position. Over." K-Unit shifted, getting ready to dash inside. Then, "Delta Team, MOVE!" They moved, running over the open ground, ducking their heads as bullets sprayed overhead, and then blew the lock off of the door, pelting inside.
The four immediately skidded to a halt at the sight of a man standing in front of them. He was tall and had some muscle, but not enough to win in a fight against any of K-Unit's members. He had a small beard and brownish gray hair, with what looked like yellow eyes.
All in all, they realized realized, he looked a little like a coyote. Wolf, Fox, Snake, and Eagle took in the man's outfit- cargo shorts and a gray T-shirt- with raised eyebrows. But what he said next shocked them.
"Ah, K-Unit, isn't it? At least, you-" here he pointed at Fox "look like Ben Daniels, otherwise known as Fox, correct? And your unit is K-Unit, so I will assume that you are."
"How do you know who we are?" Wolf growled.
"So I assumed correctly, did I? I am very glad that I did. In fact, I have been waiting for you." He said, in that pleasant way that makes you want to throw up.
"Who are you, and how do you know who we are?" Wolf asked again, practically spitting it out.
"Well, my name is Bernard Smithlusce, but you may call me Bernie Smith, all my friends do."
"WE. ARE. NOT. YOUR. FRIENDS!" Wolf screamed at him, spittle flying. But Bernie Smith simply wiped his face clean and, smiling pleasantly, replied, "Why I know, but we may become them, isn't that right? And to your first question, it is because of this." He held up what looked like a photograph.
Fox immediately cried, "How did you get that? I gave it to-" Here he stopped short.
"Alex Rider." Bernie Smith finished. "I know, and I took it from him. And, you know, this is a rather nice picture of you and your 'brother', isn't it?"
Fox barely stopped himself from lunging at Bernie Smith. He had given that photo to Alex after the Snakehead mission, and had written on the back of it:
Ben Daniels/Fox and Alex Rider/Cub
2/5 of K-Unit
Brothers forever.
"Give that back!" Fox screamed. "It's Alex's, not yours!"
"Why, you mean that it used to be Alex's. You see, you'll find him here. But, at the same time, you won't find him." Bernie Smith told him, smiling the smile you would find on someone who was crazy. But not just regular crazy, the type of crazy people got locked up for.
Fox turned ashen, getting what he meant. At the same time, Wolf apparently had had enough of Bernie Smith, as he told the man, "You're nuts.", and promptly blew the man away with a bullet to the gut. Blood splattered over the floor and walls, turning the dreary room into a gray and red collage.
Almost immediately, Fox charged past them, pausing momentarily to snatch the photo and tuck it into his pocket before wrenching open the door that led to the next corridor. Snake, however, quickly grabbed Fox, turned him around, and told him, "Calm down, Fox, it's alright. Crazy Bernie over there told us that whoever this Alex is is here."
All the same, Fox shook his head and, if possible, turned even paler. "He's not here." He whispered. "At least, he is, but he isn't."
"What do you mean, Fox?" Eagle asked curiously.
Fox began to turn to him but caught a glimpse of a body lying inside one of the cells lining the corridor. "That." He choked, running to the iron-barred door and trying to tug it open.
Wolf grabbed the keys that were hanging from a hook on the gray walls and handed them to Fox, who fumbled with them for a few seconds before inserting one into the lock. Almost miraculously, it fit, and he pushed open the door and darted inside to the body on the blood-streaked floor.
Eagle turned around and threw up at the sight while Snake hurried in after Fox and Wolf hovered by the door, keeping watch. Eagle's mind kept going back to the sight of the bloody body. It was so badly beaten, he didn't even think Fox had recognized it, just thinking it was Alex Rider, whoever he was.
He shivered, thinking about the scorpion carved into the man's chest. Both legs had looked broken, along with both wrists. His ribs hadn't looked good either, as the man's stomach was covered with bruises and he was sure that he had been able to see bone poking through. In fact, he was certain that there wasn't a single bit of the body that wasn't bruised or bloody.
Snake gently reached over and rolled the man over, thinking that it may be of some comfort to him, but his heart lurched as he saw the man's mangled back. He would bet all that he had that Fox's friend had been whipped.
Then he remembered to check for a pulse. There was none. He looked up at his anxious friend, who was clutching the only injured part of the body that hadn't been afflicted by a weapon besides the actual person -the head- and, swallowing, told him, "I'm sorry, Fox, he's dead."
Fox stared at him, uncomprehending, before he bent over the man's head, crying silently.
"Who was he, Fox?" Wolf asked as gently as he could.
His unit mate looked up at him, tears streaming down his cheeks, as he replied, "A-Alex Rider."
"May we see the picture?" Snake asked, thinking they would be able to get more info out of it than Fox at that moment. Fox nodded and reached into his pocket, retrieving it and giving it to Snake.
The Scottish man looked at it in disbelief, then turned it over to see if he was wrong. He wasn't, as he looked at the familiar handwriting scrawled on the back that wrote out exactly what Fox had written one year before. On the front was Fox and the person he knew as Cub. Cub, or Alex Rider, had Fox in a headlock and the two were grinning at the camera, laughing at something that someone had said.
Both looked extremely happy, like they had not a care in the world. Fox was wearing a green shirt and jean cut-offs. Cub was wearing the same but with a blue shirt.
He looked at it a moment more before giving it to Wolf, who did the same thing Snake had done before handing it to Eagle. The fourth unit mate looked at it, then at the body, then back before handing it back to Fox, who pocketed it once more.
"That-that's Cub?" Eagle croaked, looking ready to throw up again. Fox nodded, "He-we did a mission together. He was the one who took down SCORPIA. And now they've gotten their revenge."
The four friends looked silently at their fifth, unorthodox, and dead unit member.
"He took down SCORPIA?" Wolf asked softly, leaning down to touch the bloody scorpion on Alex's chest. Fox nodded, "Yes, he went on several different missions, all successful. But now he's dead. He'll never go on another mission, never play with his best friend, Tom, or his guardian, Jack. He'll never eat or drink anything else, never play football or any other game. He'll never go to the movies or on his first date."
The man looked down, tears still in his blue eyes as he said, "You told me to watch and learn, Alex. That that was what kept you alive so long. And I'll do it. I'll watch and learn, starting now. But I'll do it for the both of us." Fox paused and cried for a few seconds before continuing.
"I saw what happened to you, and I've learned, Alex. I've learned what it feels like when you lose someone. I've learned that there are bad men in this world, and that they won't hesitate to sacrifice someone else for themselves. But, most importantly, I've learned that there is no one in this world who I wish was still alive than you."