A/N: Sequel to 'One Heartbeat Later'. I give thanks to my reviewers, because you guys have gave me the will to write this sequel! I hope you enjoy it!

Fox's POV

I looked at Cub's bloody body lying on the wet and muddy ground. My stomach dropped when I saw how bad his condition was; bones was sticking out of his skin and his eyes was closed. K-Unit and I ran over to him and knelt beside the young spy. Snake immediately started calling for a helicoptor to take Alex to the nearest hospital. However, I figured they would be too late. Cub opened his eyes and saw that we were there with him; he smiled. That smile fell slowly after a few seconds, probably because he was too weak. I looked up at Snake, who had finished calling for a helicoptor.

"What's the ETA?" I asked.

Snake shook his head, "Thirty-five minutes." He pulled some clean cloths from his medical kit and pressed them against Cub's wounds, trying to stop the bleeding, but being gentle so he didn't hurt him anymore than he was. "Cub? Can you hear me?" Alex's eyes were halfway closed and his breathing was shallow.

Wolf grabbed the radio from Snake's hand, "Give me that!" He pressed the button on the side, "Listen we need a helicoptor to those last coordinates right now!"

A voice came through, "ETA twenty seven minutes."

"We don't have twenty seven bloody minutes!" Wolf yelled into the radio, so loud I was afraid surviving enemies had heard him. "Listen, he's a K-Unit member now you better get you arse over here right now or I'll kill you myself!"

I thought back to what Alex had done to save us as I knelt by his side trying to get him to hold on to the little life he had left. "Come on, Alex."

After Cub had went inside the building to find the blueprints, we waited patiently for his return. I had known Cub for quite a while now, since we had been on a few missions together and both worked for MI6. However, he was still just a teenager thrown into missions too dangerous and traumatizing for even men to handle. It had disgusted me when they sent him on this mission with us, knowing what could happen to him, but they were the MI6; my stupid bosses and if I tried to get them to leave Alex alone, it wouldn't help at all.

All of us sat there and waited for what seemed like forever. Then, Eagle started talking. "Is it just me or has Cub grown since we last seen him?"

Wolf sighed, "Of course he's grown, Eagle. He's a lot taller than the last time I saw him-"

"No, not physically. I mean mentally." Eagle looked at all of us, " Think about it, most teenagers, heck even some men, would have been terrified to enter that building alone. Everybody knows you never mess with a drug cartel's business, but Cub acted like he had done this many times before. He's just too calm about the whole thing."

Snake grabbed a pain of binoculars, "Eagle, for once in your life you're overanalyzing things." He started looking at the building through the lens.

"So, I'm wrong? You didn't see the calmness then?" Eagle asked.

"I haven't even looked at the kid, much less his eyes. Eagle, Cub is the unofficial fifth member of K-Unit, he's nothing to us. I don't care how he gets his mission done as long as this place is brought down and we can go home."

Eagle sighed, "But-" That was when the alarms inside the building went off.

"You said you took down the cameras!" Wolf yelled. Before Eagle could answer, everybody had already jumped up with their gun in hand. "Let's go! We have to make sure we don't fail this mission!"

"You've been through worse than this! You can pull through, just don't give up! If you give up, nobody will bury you when we get back home!" It was a lie, but I believe everybody wanted to rest in peace, so it was worth a shot. His breathing was still slowing and I felt tears threaten to slide down my face. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, hoping and praying that Alex would live.

Wolf's POV

When I was told the helicoptor's ETA was twenty-seven minutes, I nearly went on a rampage. The back-up medical team was supposed to be only ten minutes away and they are twenty-seven! That's just ridiculous for somebody in the military! Controlling my anger, I walked back to where Cub lay on his back. The poor kid was as white as a sheet and the only color you could see was red. Snake was trying to stop the bleeding, but to no avail. The sight of Cub made my heart wrench as I pictured my own nephew lying there on the ground, dying with each passing moment. I couldn't stand the thought, but it still popped up in my head and I couldn't ignore it. For the first time in a while, I felt sorry for this kid. The kid I had bullied in Brecon Beacons, the one I took a bullet for, and the kid who had saved mine and my units life just minutes ago.

We charged through the door and killed all the enemies that stood in our way. We had to find Cub, he was the one with the blueprints and he needed to get out of this building alive. Bullets flew through the air, destroying our enemies as we headed up to the third floor where we assumed he would be. There were shouts coming from every direction, nearly deafening us, but we all heard the gunshot that rang out on the third floor. "Cub." I heard Fox whisper and we all ran as fast as we could up the stairs. We charged through the third floor doorway and stopped when we saw Cub held hostage at gunpoint.

The gunman looked up and pointed the gun at us; I didn't know what to do. There was nothing we could do, but I started to reach for my gun. If I was going to be shot, I was going to make sure none of my team mates would be injured. I was halfway there when I saw Cub hit the man in the jaw and the crack the sounded from it meant the jaw was broken. The blueprints fell out of his hands and Cub picked them up and threw them to the side in a wadded up ball. I wondered why he did that, but I was about to get my gun when I saw Cub looking at the gunman, his position, and then ours. Then, Cub put his hand to his watch and pressed a button. Something at the gunman's feet detonated and a small but deadly explosion threw Cub backward through the air. "Cub!" We all yelled, but that wasn't going to save the teen as he crashed through the window and disappeared.

I don't understand why he did that. Everybody in K-Unit had gave him hell when he was training with us, so he must have hated our guts. So why did he press that button in the first place? Why did he save the people he hates? Cub smiled at nothing and, seconds later, his breathing stopped completely. "Cub?" I asked, getting no response. Snake was trying to revive him, but it wasn't working. Ten minutes later, we all accepted the fact that he was dead. The helicoptor arrived five minutes after that, but it was too late. Cub was already gone.

Snake's POV

We put Cub on a gurney inside the helicoptor. Blood clots held back the blood that wanted to escape, but what good would it do now? Cub was dead; we couldn't save him. The only thing left to do now was report back to MI6 and tell them their agent ws dead. And of course there was the funeral. Even though I didn't really know the kid for long, I respected him, so I was going to the funeral if I am able to get on leave for a little while. I heard Wolf yelling at the helicoptor operators, but I wasn't going to hold him back; even though Cub would have died anyway, they could have arrived here faster than what they did. I looked down at the blood on my hands; Cub's blood. This was the second time I got his blood on my hands, but this time was going to be the last.

We all laughed at Double-O-Nothing as he crawled under low barbed wire. "Keep going Double-O-Nothing, you still have a bit to go!" Wolf yelled and laughed as the kid got stuck on a part of the barbed wire. The kid raised up to pull himself free of the sharp object; when he broke free, his head and shoulder hit the barbed wire and buried into his flesh. When he tried to pull himself free, he got entangled in more of the wire and stopped for a few minutes.

We walked alongside the barbed wire until we reached Double-O-Nothing. Blood was pouring from his forehead and it soaked through his uniform on his shoulder and back. He was trying to pull out the barbs by using his hand, but it was mutilating his hand as well. I grabbed a pair of wire cutters from my pocket and got on my knees in front of the kid. His teeth were clenched together and blood poured into his eyes. I shook my head and cut the wire off at the main ends to get him free. He crawled out from the side and sat down as he tried to get the wire out of his forehead. "Quit, you're only making it worse." I grabbed on of the barbs and twisted it until it came out; blood covered his skin. I took some bandages out of my pocket, since I knew I would need them, and wrapped them around the boy's head, getting blood on my hands in the process. Once I was done with his forehead, I made him take his shirt off so I could bandage his shoulder and back. He hadn't made a sound during the whole process, even when I poured rub-on alcohol on the wounds. When I was done, he muttered a quick 'thanks' before getting to his feet. We tortured him the rest of the day, but he never retaliated or said a word.

Now I looked at the kid we used to bully. His wet hair fell over his eyes and a small grin was on his face. He didn't look like the Cub I knew at Brecon Beacons, where we called him Double-O-Nothing. He was mature now, he had been ever since he went to that school on Point Blanc. When Wolf returned to Brecon Beacons, he told us what happened and who was there. I hoped then that Point Blanc was a one time deal, but it wasn't. I will always remember how he saved us for whatever reason he decided. Now, I just hoped the kid had a peaceful afterlife. He deserved a long break after all of this chaos he was involved in.

A Week Later At The Funeral

Eagle's POV

I watched sadly as they lowered the casket six feet into the ground. For in it was the body of a comrade, unit member, and a friend. If it hadn't been for Cub my unit members and I wouldn't be standing here today. I clenched my hands into fists and wondered why it had to be someone so young. Why couldn't it have been me instead? The sargeant gave us temporary leave to attend Cub's funeral and I was glad for it. While Cub had been at Brecon Beacons, we treated him poorly and unfairly becuase he was under the age of eighteen. Somehow, though, he caught up to us in every exercise and never gave up or retaliated against us. I believe that's what makes a real man. A real man has the determination to never give up and the courage to protect thos areound him. I heard the casket hit the ground six feet under and me and K-Unit started throwing the dirt back in the hole. When it was completely filled, a tombstone was placed in front of the grave. Everybody started to leave the cemetary and I was left alone with the rest of my unit. I tried to remeber a good thing about Cub, but I could only remember his death.

I watched as the explosion threw Cub through the third story window and he fell out of sight. When we reached Cub, I nearly vomitted. The sight of him was awful, but he was a comrade so I stayed with him until the stopped breathing and I knew he couldn't be saved even when Snake tried to revive him.

We all stood in front of the grave for a while longer until Wolf announced we needed to get back to Brecon Beacons. Wolf led Fox and Snake away as I read the tombstone one last time:

Here lies Alex Rider "Cub". A great friend, family member, comrade, and protector. All those that remember him, cherish the memories you had.

I touched the headstone lightly, "Good-bye, Cub. We'll see you again someday, after all we still have to repay you for saving us." I turned around and saw the others waiting for me. I ran down to where they were and walked back to the vehicle we were using, leaving our fifth member behind in the cemetary six feet under.