Polycephaly

by. KayCelestine

.

Prologue

.x Sweet Sacrifice x.

"...Shrugging off visions of an early death"

It was one of those moments when you knew that something was off; that something was wrong. It was a feeling, nothing but a small feeling, but it shrouded about him, warning him. Ripping, digging, clawing, it tore at his soul, nagging his very being. It weighed on his conscience, granting him no rest. It surrounded him like an aura and covered him like a blanket. It was a feeling he knew all too well... it was the feeling of death. He turned to face the window, desperately hoping that the feeling would leave. He knew better, past experiences had taught him so. Once you felt this, it was inevitable. It was going to happen.

If anything, his surrounding appearances did not help. Looking through the window, he felt the feeling of dread cloud over him thicker than before. The nighttime sky rumbled; darkness shrouding the land. Rain fell to the Earth like bullets. It was a starless night. Any sign of the shining stars had been erased by the storm clouds. The sky roared; a flash on lightning mercilessly struck the earth. The forest shook and the waves roared, crashing against the boulders. For a moment it seemed, the world churned. Then it was still. A scary silence hung like a veil over the land. Even the world knew...

Under normal circumstances, no on would have ever ventured out in such a threatening storm. However, these weren't normal circumstances, these were far from it.

Sighing, Alex turned his attention from the volatile scene before him. It was a wonder they had not been struck down by lightning by now. Who had ever heard of flying a helicopter in pre-hurricane weather? This was suicide, but then again, everything they did was suicide. In actuality, this was the usual. The lives of the SAS were that. Sure they were the elite but they were also the lamb. It was there job to sacrifice themselves if necessary to complete a mission. It was their way of life, the only thing they had been trained to know.

"Ready Cub?"

Startled, Alex turned to see the caring face of none other than Fox. He was fully dressed in combat fatigue, his gun perched upon his shoulder. Alex shook his head slightly, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit anxious really." Alex leaned back against the cold walls of the copter. "I just want to get this over with and go home."

"Don't we all?" Alex and Ben turned to see Wolf sitting pessimistically in the corner. He sighed, flashing a tired smirk at Alex. "I swear, this bloody ride is going to lull me to sleep." Yawning he leaned back, relaxing.

"Oi, wake up! If you fall asleep we might miss our drop point."

Annoyed, Wolf opened his eyes to see an irrate Snake looking at him. "That's it, up!" Alex couldn't help but chuckle; for a group of elite military soldiers, they sure as hell acted like a gang of children. Fox scoffed, obviously annoyed at their childish behavior. "Honestly, what's with the lot of you? Act your age."

The two soldiers silenced immediately. Snake rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off. "This will not go well..." The three soldiers turned to the newest addition, Panther. His dark eyes were staring off into space, as if they could see the ill fated mission playing out before them. Everyone shuffled nervously, exchanging glances over what had just been said. Numbly, Panther turned to them, "We should have not accepted this mission..." His black hair contrasted menacingly against his pale skin in the storm, emphasizing his words.

As soon as it left, it had returned... the feeling. Alex could feel a lump forming in his throat. He had just recently gotten over his feeling of death and here was Panther reminding him. What was he to do? He felt his temperature rise as his heart started to pound. The rooms stood still, the only thing being heard was the whizzing of the helicopter blades and the thrashing of the storm. Alex wasn't sure how long they had sat there in silence; whether it was a few moments or minutes, but the silence was unnerving.

Wolf's voice pierced through the silence, cutting it like a knife. "What the bloody hell Panther? What the hell are you going on about now?" His voice was clear and enunciated, an obvious attempt to mask the uneasiness in his voice. He ran a hand through his hair agitated. "Bleeding mad. Always going on about some sort of bad luck or some shit like that," he mumbled to himself, scowling.

Panther simply ignored him, turning his attention back to the storm outside. "Be careful Alex," he warned, his voice void of any emotions. Alex tensed at this. Why him, he thought. Fox's fury blazed at Panther's words. It was natural; Fox had always been protective of Alex and this was no exception. It wasn't really that Panther was threatening Alex directly, or intentionally for that matter, it's just how he was. Panther was a sullen guy; the type of person you will never want to get stranded in any dark place with. His grim view on the world (or your current situation for that matter) could test anyone's sanity.

"Watch your mouth..." Fox threatened, his eyes glowering menacingly at the raven haired man.

Panther looked up, unfazed. "What?" he asked clueless, his eyes empty.

Fox scoffed; it was unsure whether this was for Panther clueless behavior or if it was simply disdain towards the pessimistic man; most likely both. While Panther could be the most attentive, he was prone to dream like trances which left him completely unaware of his words. Take now for instance, he clearly did not recall his warning to Alex. Rolling his eyes, Fox turned his attention to Alex. "Ignore him, right? You know what a dolt he can be a times," Fox said smiling. Grateful, Alex tried his best to smile for him, but that was not an easy task when he couldn't help but feel Panther might just be on to something.

"Lock n' load guys; 5 minutes to our drop site."

Fox and Alex turned to see Wolf and Panther putting on their parachutes. The once calm room was now filled with a flurry of excitement as the men hurried to get everything ready before they were to jump. Checking their weapons and supplies one last time, they prepared for a mission that allowed no room for mistakes. "Let's go," Fox said before joining the two men. Alex sighed, it was now or never. Desperately, he fought off the dark feeling that had returned full force.

Alex reluctantly got up, quickly finding his place among the men. If didn't matter if he had changed his mind about the mission; the only thing that mattered was he was already there, a few moments from go time, and there was no backing out now. He would have to hush the feeling and carry it out. It was foolish he knew, to have Panther influence him so greatly. A price so dear he had paid with his judgment. Alex hurriedly strapped on his jumpsuit and hastily grabbed his weapons. Any moment now they would be given the signal; under no circumstances could he afford to even mess this up the slightest... especially not this early on.

Now that all four soldiers were in position, Wolf gave the signal; thirty seconds to go. Reaching out, Wolf opened the copter door, preparing it for their jump. Alex shivered slightly as the rain and cold came flooding in. He wasn't prepared for the torrent of ice water crashing against his goggles and involuntarily he took a step inward to Fox. Fox didn't say anything, not even a glance, simply nudging him back in position. Alex fell back into position, but not before glancing in Panther's direction. Panther now looked like a real soldier; focused and prepared, not grim and dream like which he was a frightening amount of time.

Alex looked straight ahead into the darkness. His heart beat rapidly. How was he to get to the site if he couldn't even see in front of him? Suddenly, Alex felt the warmth of another hand in his. Looking up he saw Fox flashing him a quick smile before turning his attention back to the scene in front of them. Thank you, Alex thought. Now he only had to make sure he didn't fuck up and bring Fox down with him.

"10 seconds," Wolf called out.

Instinctively, all four soldiers crouched over preparing for the jump. Alex's heart was beating dangerously as he focused in on his mission. 5...4...3...2...1... GO!

It was almost magical, the jump. Alex felt his breathing shallow as he plunged into the dark abyss which was the sky. He felt the adrenaline surge through his being, intoxicating him. He seemed to be inwardly choking on the ecstasy. For a moment, he forget where he was. He was lost in the moment and nothing was interrupting him. There was no mission, no threat, just this. Losing himself, he submerged himself in the feeling. Alex vaguely thought is this was what suicide had felt like. An irreplaceable freedom from the burdens of the world. Take me...

"Cub!"

Take me...

"Cub!"

...I'm ready

"CUB!"

This is it...

Alex felt the sting of a hand across his face. Shocked, he snapped back to reality. His memory came flooding back to him; the mission, the feeling, the jump. He gasped, feeling the torrent of icy water crash against him. Alex was no longer in his safe haven, he was now plunging through a storm onto the ground below. He felt the pricks on his face warning him; he was going numb. Impossible... Then he remembered. The copter... he had been rushing and had forgotten to secure his face protector. No... a mistake so early... For a moment he panicked, temporarily flailing his hand. Feeling the secure grip on his hand, he remembered... Fox. Then he felt it, the hands gripped on his face. His face pulled up, looking directly ahead. Fox was holding his face, calming him. Relax... he mouthed. Alex felt his panic subside slowly. Fox looked at him, signaling that they were to be landing soon.

Alex felt his body thrust upwards as the parachute set in. Still secure in Fox's grip, Alex allowed himself to be carried. In a matter of moments they were landing in the forest. Alex winced slightly as he felt the branches nip at his flesh. It seemed to take forever, but at last Alex's feet felt the security of the ground. Shivering slightly, he looked up at Fox to make sure he was alright. Fox simply got straight to work securing the parachute. Looking around, Alex saw the silhouettes of the two men landing. They were close, only a few meters from them. Inwardly Alex flinched at the sight of Panther's dark eyes. Of all the things that were not cloaked by the darkness, it had to be his eyes...

"What happened up there?"

Alex felt Fox's hands on his shoulders, pulling Alex to him. Looking up, Alex saw the fear that were laced in the older soldier's eyes. He opened his mouth to answer Fox, but no words came. Fox looked at him, cautious. "Cub, are you all right?" For the sake of the older soldier, Alex tried once more. "I-I don't know..." he said meekly. "Nothing happened." Fox just stared at him. "Cub, don't..."

"Are we set?"

Fox and Alex turned to see Wolf and Panther a few feet from them. "Well..." Wolf questioned, eyeing them suspiciously. Promptly releasing Alex from his grip, Fox stepped back. Alex simply looked at Wolf, still en daze from earlier.

"All set," Alex heard himself say.

Panther glanced at him, "A bit disillusioned from the jump are we?" He nodded numbly, there really was no denying it.

From the corner of his eyes he could see Fox looking at him concerned. Alex knew that until he told him, Fox would be like that. Being like that, Alex knew that Fox was going to be a lot more protective of him. Shit... just what he needed, Fox essentially risking himself for him. Shaking his head, Alex put his best face forward. "I'm fine," he said, voice steady. The others seemed to have bought his facade, and if not, they simply chose to ignore and believe it.

Armed and ready, Wolf motioned for the others to follow him. "Go time..."

Alex felt the sharp twinges of pain slowly taking over his legs. He didn't know how long they had been walking, but he knew it had to be at least two hours. While Alex could normally handle this, the environment was seriously slowing him down. His body was slowly numbing from the cold and the icy rain hindered him greatly. The rugged terrain of the forest further slowed him down. Breathing steadily, he attempted to reserve his energy. He didn't have to look; he could feel the occasional glances of Fox's on his. He was worrying...Alex inwardly prepped himself, attempting to look a bit more steady. If there was one thing Alex couldn't handle, it was Fox getting injured because of him.

"We're almost there," Alex heard Panther say from behind him. Looking ahead, Alex could see the dim lights of the plant. He sighed, feeling his heart skip slightly. Calm down, what's with you today? Alex asked himself. He shook off any feelings of insecurity. He was Alex Rider, top MI6 agent. He knew what he was doing, he had done worst. All he had to do was get in, plant the chip, and get out. Simple. No fighting, no confrontations. Just a simple hit and run.

Alex glanced over at Wolf. "Ready Alex?" he had asked. Alex nodded, he was more than ready.

Looking ahead, he scanned the plant. There were guards stations all over; there was a large steel fence about a half of mile up with barb wires to complete it. There were 5 guards at the entrance and 2 guards every 25 feet apart on the fence. As with the guards, there were also a helicopter patrolling the perimeter, followed by searchlights. Shit... Alex wasn't sure he had the energy to be stealthy enough to maneuver around so many guards. Sighing, he ran through all the possibilities in his head.

"Oi, Cub. Come on..."

Alex snapped his head around, looking towards the voice. Turning, he saw Wolf's peeved expression.

"What? I was just thinking..." Alex said, confused.

"Think out loud. Got it?" Wolf answered annoyed. Sighing, Alex turned to the older men. "Here's the plan," Wolf began, "There's a cargo lorry coming in in an hour. We're going to meet it right here. Once it gets here, we hijack it and take their places. I have ID's for everyone here. " Simple enough... Alex thought.

"As for you Cub," he said, motioning towards the younger boy, "we're going to put you in one of the freights. You're still going to be dressed in their attired with your own ID in case someone spots you. Panther here will be bringing in said crate. This will help you pass through the X ray scanner's undetected," he said, holding up a device no bigger than a few millimeters. "Once in position, get out of the crate and make your way to Room 3-BL. There you'll use this to get inside the room..." Wolf held up a card looking key. "Once in, plant the device and make your way back to Panther and get back in the crate. He'll wheel you back into the truck."

Alex and Panther nodded. While the plan was very simple as long as Alex followed all his instructions carefully, he wasn't looking forward to having to be with Panther. The dream liked expression on Panther's face brought back the dreadful feeling. Damn you Panther... he thought angrily. Alex shrugged off his feelings in an attempt to quell his rising anger. Think positive he told himself. At least he was not with Fox, who would have been obsessing over him.

"Fox, me and you will be carrying the freights to the 5th level and there we'll put the interference. Panther, Cub, do not plant the device till you have our signal. It will freeze the camera for a second, that way you can plant the device safely. You'll have 2 minutes. So you need to work fast. Make sure no one spots you. " Wolf stopped, looking around. "Okay, I don't think we need to think anymore on it, it's a simple plan. So everyone, just do your damn parts." Wolf got up, turning to Panther, "I don't want any trouble from you, got it? Fuck anything up and I'll kill you myself." Panther sighed, nodding at him. "I won't..."

Alex couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Panther was the only one who could piss of Wolf simply by looking at him. Maybe it was Panther's dreamy persona clashing with Wolf's soldier like persona. Or maybe it was because Wolf liked to be in charge where Panther didn't give a shit and did whatever he wanted. Whatever it was, it was riot to watch them when they clashed. Absolutely nothing was better nor funnier than watching them fight. But as soon as they had started, they stopped, not bothering to get into their usual fight. Must be the fact we're on a mission... Alex thought.

"Now," Wolf said, looking at everyone, "we wait."

Could this be anymore boring... Alex thought, frustration taking him over. When Wolf had told them that they had to wait a hour, Alex had been slightly relieved, he would be able to get some rest. Unfortunately, he had forgotten about his little problem. The little problem of him being slowly eaten alive by hypothermia. Within a few moments of them settling down, Alex had found his thoughts pushed aside by the growing numbness of his body. They were small pricks, but he knew that they were bad. He desperately wanted to make a campfire, but that would have been stupid, not to mention life threatening. So instead, he resorted to curling up into a ball next to/on top of Fox. That had resorted in him being silently jeered by Wolf and even Panther; that had to be the only thing the two had done, sans missions, together. Aw look at ickle Cub crawling next to his daddy... Wolf had said, while Panther decided that... When they named him, they must have meant [Fox] cub. Fox didn't seem to mind, and though annoyed, neither did Alex.

Then came the wait. Wolf had told them that the lorry would come in an hour, he hadn't fully realized how long that would have been. He knew he fell asleep quite a few times on Fox, waking himself up within moments of snoozing off. The final time however, he fell asleep for good. It felt good to get some rest, but once the time started to draw near, Fox had woken him up. Even though it was still 20 minutes shy of the time, Fox had thought just in case they came early. Alex couldn't be annoyed, not when Fox looked annoyed for waking him up. So Alex had simply stayed curled up, fighting off sleep. The cold was doing a good job with helping him; it would have been better if it were still raining, but thankfully it wasn't. Alex would have surely died from cold sooner.

Yawning, Alex sat up. God he wished the lorry would hurry. Then he heard it, the sound that meant that lorry was drawing close. Speak of the devil... Within moments, all four soldiers were up and running, their plan being set into motion. Like planned, Alex went to stop them. Alex ran ahead of the others, being sure to get in front of the lorry before it was too close or had passed. He made it in time; the lorry was about a few meters from them. He immediately went into play, throwing himself into the way of the lorry as if he had been shot. As predicted, the lorry swerved, trying to avoid the fallen figure in front of them.

Alex lay on the ground, appearing lifeless.

"What the bloody hell?" he heard someone say.

"It's a bleeding kid," said another.

"Why is he here? What happened to him?" he heard the third one say.

"Shit, move him out the way so we can go before whatever got to him, gets to us," said a fourth guy.

It was quite foolish of the men to take Alex's fallen figure so loosely. Had they been thinking, they would have thought it quite peculiar for anyone, let alone a teen boy, to be here, in a remote location. In fact, they should have been suspicious. But if the thought had ever dawned on them, it was too late. As soon as they opened the lorry door to move him, the other soldiers went into play. Alex heard the muffled sounds that meant that his teammates were dealing with the men.

"Let's go," Alex heard Fox say to him over his shoulder. Getting up, Alex noticed that the three men were nowhere to be seen. "Great job," he said to the older men. They simply flashed him a smirk before getting dressed in the uniforms. "Here," Panther said throwing him his clothes. Alex examined the attire. Surprisingly, it was almost a perfect fit. Alex still didn't understand why there were four sets of clothing for three men. "Eh, spare," was all Fox had said. Getting dressed, Alex quickly went to join the men in the lorry.

"Oh no you don't," Panther said smirking. Shit... Alex thought, remembering where he was to be. "Let's go," Panther said, grinning mischievously.

Rueful, Alex followed Panther to the back of the lorry, inwardly cursing himself for being the smallest. He saw the cargo in which he was to hide, prepped and ready for him to slip in. Alex sighed, getting in.

"You better not hit any bumps," he threatened. "I'll try," said Panther, eyes glinting with mischief. "Here," Panther said, handing him the device that was to get him pass the security check before closing the cargo.

This was going to be a long ride... Alex thought as he felt the box being lifted up and put into the back with the rest. With a thud, Alex felt himself being thrown back as the lorry started to move. Bastard... he grumbled angrily.

Alex gritted his teeth as he felt the swerves of the lorry. With another thud, Alex was thrusted against the wall of the freight. A bump... asshole, he thought livid. He could almost see the sadistic smirks of the faces of Panther and Wolf. The damn sadists... Once more, Alex felt himself being thrusted to the other side of the freight. It was official, the bastards were not avoiding the bumps, they were most likely looking for them. If they kept this up, he might not be fit to complete the bloody mission.

With a final thrust, Alex found himself wound in a rather painful position. He didn't bother being upset; instead, he just sat there, trying to uncoil himself. After a few minutes, and surprisingly little to no bumps or swerves, he was able to sit comfortably. The way he figured it, Fox had either threatened the two sadists or simply taken over the wheel himself. Thank god...

Within a matter of moments, Alex felt the lorry slow down. They were there... Not too long after, he heard the approaching footsteps of the security guards. "Identification..." he heard someone say. Alex felt immediately froze, the last thing he needed was to even breathe too loudly and get detected. He sat there, listening to the men. There were a series of shuffling afterward, followed by a voice. "You can go." Phase one complete, he thought to himself.

Alex heard the footsteps of the men not retreating, but coming closer to him. The security checks... Alex quickly [and silently] activated the device before the men came. A small green light shone indicating that the device was working. Alex inhaled sharply at the feel of the freight being lifted up. "What the bloody hell? Christ, this one weighs a ton," he heard someone say. Inwardly Alex chuckled. Poor bastard... Perking up, Alex heard another man speak. "Open it up, then..." Alex stiffened, Shit, not good.

Alex heard the rustling that meant one of the men were fidgeting with the lock. He immediately went into overdrive; his mind raced, going through all possible plans. The shuffling intensified, until Alex saw the the tiniest glimpse of moonlight through the small opening. "Oi!" A noticeable thud could be heard as his head collided with the side of the gun. Alex nearly jumped when he heard the commotion. His chest heaved, That was close.

"What the fuck was that for?" said the man indignant that he had just been struck by a gun. "Don't play coy!" Alex heard another man say, well yell. "You know damn well you're not supposed to open them. Run them through the scanner and that's it! Don't even look at them too closely," threatened the second man. Alex sat still, grateful over what had just happened. Alex saw the man reseal the freight and felt as he was lifted up and onto the scanner. Once he felt the scanner move, he breathed out in relief. That was close... he thought, thinking about how he had nearly been discovered.

Suddenly, Alex's device changed from green to red. No... Is it-is it malfunctioning? Alex thought startled. Shit... why the hell is everything going wrong?! Panther was right... Alex sat motionless, attempting to think of yet another escape plan. "Okay, it's good," Alex heard someone say from outside. Huh? Before he could try and find a rational explanation, he was lifted up once more and placed down. As soon as he was off the scanner, the device changed back from red to green. Oh, Alex thought, realization dawning on him. It was green when it was turned on, but it changed to red when it was in use. He silently chuckled, Damn, I need to calm down or I'll lose my mind.

Alex felt his body fall backwards slightly as he felt the freight being wheeled. "Damn lucky bastard..." Alex near chuckled out loud at this. He knew that voice all too well. Panther... Relaxing a bit, Alex leaned back against the freight. Just as soon as he got comfortable, he was thrusted forward, his head colliding against the front of the freight. Fuck!, he thought angrily. It was slight and barely noticeable, but Alex heard it; Panther's soft chuckling. Bastard, he inwardly growled.

For the next 10 minutes, Alex was sure he would end up [if he hadn't already] suffering from a concussion. Panther, being the bastard he was, spared Alex no pain in hitting every single bump and crack in the floor. Quite a few times Alex nearly cried out and was so sure that once he had made a noise loud enough to be heard. Sure enough, someone had noticed it. "Did anyone hear that?" he heard from the outside. Unconsciously, Alex had stopped breathing, going into his quiet mode. Luckily for him, someone had made a similar noise and for the moment Alex was safe. I'm getting too old for this, Alex thought ruefully, despite the fact he was only 15.

With a few more thuds and crashes, Alex and Panther had finally reached their destination. Thank God... he thought grateful, sure that if he had spent another minute being wheeled he would have split his skull open.

Playtime was over; any moment now he would be given the signal. Alex prepped himself, preparing for the task ahead. Room 3-BL, Room 3-BL, Room 3-BL... Alex ran the room number over in his mind. Alex quickly ran a hand over his left pocket, making sure that the room key and the device were there. Key... check; device... Alex froze. Fuck, silently he ran his hands along the floor of the freight for the missing device. Shit, this was all Panther's fault. Alex prayed silently that he found the device before the signal was given. If not, he was, all in all, screwed. Alex's search became more and more frantic with each passing second. "Go..." Panther whispered softly, the signal had been given. Shit, shit, shit... Alex pressed his hands against the flooring. "Cub, now," he heard Panther hiss. How much time had passed?

Alex felt a cold surface against the tips of his fingers. Found it! Significant time already lost, Alex quickly [and quietly] dashed from out of the freight, mindful of not to be spotted. It was all blurred; the hall, the rooms. Room 3-BL, Alex thought once more. There... Just ahead Alex saw the room. Running, he quickly took out the key; not once stopping, swiping as he ran through the door. Alex saw a lone desk, there... Quickly, he ran towards the desk, planting the device on the bottom of the desk, right where the user would sit. Alex knew his time was near up. Already activated, Alex left the device and turned, poised to run back to Panther. Only there was a problem.

He didn't know when it happened, or how for that matter. After all, everything had been carefully planned and despite his late start, he was sure his time was not yet up. There was no way he could have been discovered. But there was. Because standing in the mouth of the door was three men, two workers and Panther. It was large knife, about 9 inches long and 1/2 inch thick; a weapon you really did not want to be up against. The knife however, wasn't for Alex. It had already found a nice little place to rest... on Panther's throat. Alex felt the lump in his throat form as he saw the knife resting on the Panther. Shit, shit, shit.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" the man holding the knife sneered. His was very built, his body looking nothing less than that of a body builder. He had the same cold unfeeling eyes that all the villainous murderers had. Alex heard the second man snicker besides him. He was medium built, with the same cold unfeeling eyes, except his mouth was curled into a sick smile.

Alex gazed into the eyes on his teammate. 'Go...' Panther's eyes pleaded. 'Leave...'

It would have been the smart thing, the military thing to leave. Necessary sacrifices they call them. Only Alex only fought like a soldier, he didn't think like one, and if there was one thing he wasn't going to do, it was leave a teammate. Even if that teammate had just more or less tried to bash his skull in.

Alex glanced around, trying to find a way to save Panther. He couldn't attack head on, they would just slit Panther's throat as he ran towards them. Alex saw a bar hanging over the door holding up a portrait. For a moment he contemplated throwing something at it; it was right over the men and would definitely hit them. But Alex still couldn't shake the feeling that it was still too risky. The men could either be surprised and freeze, or they could slit Panther's throat the moment he moved his hand.

"I wouldn't move if I were you little boy," Alex heard the first man say. "My hand might just..." the man pressed the knife closer to Panther,"...slip." Alex inhaled sharply as he saw Panther wince in pain as the small pebbles of blood started to form on his throat.

Alex never took his eyes off Panther, and Panther the same. It was quick, not even a slight nudge or movement. If anyone had seen it, they would have thought nothing of it. But in the eyes of Alex and Panther, it's importance was utmost.

It had happened so fast, the guards had no time to really process it. They just stood there, dumbstruck.

Panther had elbowed his captor, taking the man off guard and distracting them from Alex. Panther didn't mind death, but the idea that his young teammate could die had made him willing to sacrifice himself. But the one thing he hadn't expected was for Alex to use his "sacrifice" to save them both.

As soon as his captor had buckled, the other man had instantly turned his attention from Alex. Something he had used to his advantage. Seizing the moment, Alex grabbed a small clay figurine from the desk, throwing it at the weak point of the shelf above the door. As expected, the shelf buckled, falling on the two men, narrowly missing Panther.

Panther stumbled, confused, but Alex had no time for explanations. Swiftly, he grabbed the older man by the hand and dragged him out the door and through the halls. They had not gotten far when the alarm had rung out. Shit... Alex thought as he ran. He had no clue what to do. Alex felt his hand being pulled, causing him to momentarily stumble. Startled, Alex whipped his body around to attack.

"Stop!" Alex stopped right in time... Panther. He had forgotten he was holding Panther's hand. No time for explanations, Panther simply pulled Alex towards a stairwell. Why didn't I notice that? Alex asked himself. As they ran, Alex heard the yells of the men, as they began to catch up with them. The two burst through the stairwells, looking for anyway they could slow down their chasers while they ran. That's when Alex remembered it, the pen that Smithers had given him. It appeared to be a small silver pen, but that was hardly the case.

Holding his breath, Alex grabbed the pen from his pocket, twisting the cap twice. Suddenly, the tip of the pen started to smoke. Perfect!, Alex thought. He spun around for a quick moment, throwing it downwards on the stairwell into the oncoming men.

The pen did it's job flawlessly. The men continued to run, unaware that the smoke coming out of the pen wasn't really smoke. But Alex knew what it was, Smithers had warned him against it. It contained dangerously high levels of extract from Valerian. Valerian was a herb that was used as a sedative, however, when the dosage is too high, it causes slurred speech, staggering gait, poor judgment, and slow, uncertain reflexes. So it was no surprise that Smithers had chose that; it was could be useful when fighting.

The herb began to set it. The men slowed, eventually falling down the stairwell dazed and confused.

Smirking, Alex looked up at Panther, who smiling as well, motioned his head telling Alex that the exit to the stairwell was drawing close. Alex saw the dim moonlight coming from behind the door. He smiled, a warm feeling of happiness as he realized how close they were to being safe. All they had to do was make it through that door, and then scale the side. When Alex had activated the plant, it had automatically sent out a signal to their helicopter, disguised using the enemy's insignia. And when Alex had activated the pen, that had sent out an alert that they had been compromised. Within moments the copter should arrive. All they had to do was stay alive.

Panther burst through the exit, Alex following suite. Then a shot ran out.

Their joy however, was quickly ended. The sight awaiting them was not freedom, but their captive teammates. Looking to Panther, Alex gasped. There was Panther, lying against the wall, blood seeping through the corners of his mouth... he had been shot! He could still see that the man was alive, albeit barely. Alex ran to help him when another shot ran out. This one was meant to finish the job, killing Panther.

"Panther!" he felt like crying out. For a moment, Alex was frozen, eyes wide in shock. Looking at the broken figure of his teammate, he felt the wave of loss washing over him. He had not known Panther for long, but minus a few occasions, they had gotten along quite well. They had become close, bonding over the one thing they had in common, their loneliness. Panther had been the only one Alex could ever talk to about his life, and Panther the same. Slowly, Alex felt the loss turn to anger, surging through his veins like poison. Alex felt unshed tears fighting for their freedom. Panther...

"I wouldn't worry about him if I were you."

Turning, Alex glared, coming face to face with the man behind everything, the man that had just killed Panther... Richard Hale.

Hale had short snow white hair, his face lined with wrinkles, signifying his age. His cold blue eyes peered at Alex menacingly. He dressed expensively; donning a black suit complete with designer watch and the expensive shoes... and the custom made hand gun.

"How nice of you to join us?" he sneered. "We've been watching you for a while. At one point, I thought you would never come..." he laughed, a cold, cruel laugh. He signaled to the man next to him. "Kill them..." he said, pointing the gun towards Wolf and Fox.

The man looked only too willing to comply. He had a dark, olive toned skin. He looked to be Oriental, but the night covered him, making really hard to tell any features besides his dark, unfeeling eyes.

The man turned towards the captive men, but Alex was not going to let them die. He still had some tricks up his sleeves; he was Alex Rider after all. He cocked the gun, preparing to fire. Alex subtly reached into his pocket, pulling out yet another pen. But this one was different, unlike the last one that smoked, this one fired darts... sedative darts, to be precise. According to Smithers, the dart could out shoot the average hunting hand gun, something Alex desperately need right now.

With a flash, Alex fired the dart. He wasn't aiming, he just needed to do something to prevent Fox and Wolf from being shot. It worked, but barely. The man buckled, within a instant, all hell broke loose.

There had been four men on the roof besides the soldiers; Richard Hale, the guy with the gun, and the two men holding Wolf and Fox. As soon as the guy with gun went down, the other two had been caught off guard. Fox and Wolf had used this to their advantage, lashing out at the men behind them. As they fought the men, Alex jumped into action, going after the shocked Hale.

Hale stepped back, cocking his gun. By the time Hale had raised the gun, Alex was already there. Alex lashed out, using Kizami Zuki, the front jab. It worked, sending Hale's gun flying.

Alex heard the approaching helicopter. They had to take out the men before the copter arrived, or they would just shoot it down. Alex punched Hale, an uppercut, sending the aging man slowly backwards. Glancing from the side of his eyes, he saw Fox and Wolf fighting. They had their hands full, but they were slowly winning over their opponents. What Alex didn't notice however, was the man that had been lying on the ground was no longer there.

Alex delivered his final jab towards Hale, fury blazing through him; the image of Panther's lifeless body flashed through his mind. Furious, Alex jumped, delivering a jump kick towards the man, sending him plummeting off the roof and to his death. Right then, Alex was not thinking logically, he was just thinking about Panther and revenge. With a sick satisfaction, Alex watched as Hale collided with the ground below.

It was then that Alex felt it, the wind change slightly. Alarmed, Alex attempted to move, but was unsuccessful. The guy that had been on the ground had gotten up, and the first thing he had done was lash at Alex's neck. Thankfully, Alex had moved, albeit slightly, but enough to turn the fatal attack into a simply painful one.

Alex had stumbled, but quickly recovered, blocking the kick aimed for his face. Alex moved back, staying in offense. The man was a skilled fighter, nothing like Alex had ever experienced. It was impossible for Alex to go into offense. Alex blocked jab after jab. The man spun around, using a Mae Geri Keage, the snap kick. Using this to his advantage, Alex caught the kick, rather painfully, and twisted the man's foot.

He yelped, but not before elbowing Alex in the nose. Alex stumbled back, momentarily dazed. The man spared no time, lashing a series of punches and kicks at Alex. Unable to defend himself, Alex felt blow after blow, till eventually he was on his back. Alex felt the searing pain that ran through his body, and tasting the blood that had overflowed in his mouth.

From the corner of his eyes, Alex could see that the man had moved onto the already weakened Fox and Wolf. They didn't stand a chance. Alex watched helplessly as the man fought them. They were losing, Wolf could barely stand, and he doubted Fox could see anything through his bleeding face.

That's when Alex heard it, the approaching helicopter, and the men. They effects of the herb had worn off and now they were making their way to the roof. If the men made it, they would die. There was no reason to keep the three soldiers alive. The leader of the operation was dead, so now this was all purely vengeance. Alex had to do something.

Without thinking, Alex dragged himself off the ground, heading for the man. He saw the discarded and ran towards it. Reaching, Alex attempted to pick it up when he felt the foot on his hand. He yelped in pain. Fuck, fuck, fuck...

"Where do you think you're doing?" Alex heard the man sneer. He heard the incoming footsteps; the men, they were getting closer. It was now or never.

Gasping, Alex felt himself being lifted off the ground. With a burst of energy, he kicked the man. Who released Alex, stumbling back. Alex ran towards his teammates, who looked barely alive themselves. "Get on!" he yelled, commanding them to get on the copter. Using their last bit of energy, they got on and reached out for him. "Alex watch out!" Fox yelled, but it was too late. Alex felt the rough hands grab him from behind and the cold feel of the gun to his face.

He couldn't have known it was going to end that way, but he did know something was going to happen. The feeling... Never betray the feeling; something Alex had done. Something that had cost the life of his teammate, and he knew, his life as well. Either way, Alex knew he was going to die. He looked into faces of Wolf and Fox for one last time. It was a blur, the shocked and frightened looks on their faces. They were going to try and save him. No, they would die... At that moment, the door burst open, the men finally arriving. The copter lifted up, wanting to save the lives of the last two men. They had called after him, but he had to save them. He couldn't have them die.

With a final burst of energy, Alex grabbed his captors hand, taking control of the aim of the gun. It was the very same moment the man had pulled the trigger. The bullet soared through the hole, ripping into Alex and through the man behind him. It was single shot, but it had done it's job. Instead of one, it got two. The shot rang off into the night, taking the two souls with it.

That was the night. The night that Alex Rider died.

Oh my gods. I finished the preface o_0

Never thought that this would happen. For the last three weeks I had been laboring on this damned single chapter. But I did it. The longest damn chapter I ever wrote (and fittingly, the longest that ever took to write).

This is my first Alex Rider fic; I just had to write one. Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to be nice or anything ridiculous like that simply because it is my first story.

Luckily for me, a plot came out of nowhere and collided with my mind. Thus, Polycephaly was born. "Polycephaly" essentially means having more than one head. This deals perfectly with my story, metaphorically obviously. Took me forever to find the right title, but I finally found it :D

Well, time for the disclaimer:
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Alex Rider or the opening lyrics which are from Smile Empty Soul, "Don't Ever Leave".

Reviews are appreciated and flames are accepted.

R&R