Denying the Inevitable

By Half an Inch

Ben Daniels kept a close eye on his partner as he shot another Scorpia assassin in the knees.

Mrs. Jones of MI6 had called them in, just to inform that a group of SAS men had been assembled to accompany them on their mission.

There had been roughly five units of four men each.

The mission had been to raid Scorpias headquarters, gather information, and then run like hell.

So far, they were on phase three.

Before they could safely get to the helicopter parked a mile away though, they had been spotted.

The men had immediately started shooting at the intruders, and Ben and Alex had no choice but to shoot back.

He knew the SAS men would have their six, but there was no way they were going to make it to the copter without getting killed or severely injured.

Ben glanced at his partner again. He wasn't there. Ben looked around furiously. Where was he?

A flash of blonde. Ben smiled, dodging a punch. Always the disappearing, he thought as he retaliated with one of his own.

Distracted as he was, Ben didn't see another Scorpia assassin sneak up behind him.

He heard a gunshot. Alex has my back. He smiled at the seventeen-year-old as the soon-to-be killer crumpled to the floor.

Alex smiled back, and then turned around to shoot at someone else.

Bens fight had led him a little farther into the woods and away from Alex. Ben wasn't worried. He could take care of himself.

The man whipped out his pistol, but before he had a chance to use it, Ben had knocked him out with an uppercut.

He wasn't expecting to engage in hand-to-hand combat, he thought as another agent picked a fight with him, but he really didn't have a say in the matter.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a sharp cry of pain. Ben would have recognized it anywhere.

Alex.

He vaguely registered himself viciously knocking the spy out, before running to his friends aid.

He found him a few yards away, in the middle of the forest.

Ben rushed to Alex's side. He looked horrible with his pale skin, the knife that was sticking out from his abdomen, and the blood pooling around him.

"No, Alex." The former SAS man mumbled as he tore his clothes into strips for a bandage. "Stay with me. We both know that none of us want to do mouth-to-mouth!"

Despite that, Alex just didn't seem to have the strength. He slumped down into the ground. Ben blinked back tears.

"Alex!"

The boy opened his clammy eyes. "B..ben?"

Ben applied pressure to the wound. "You're going to be fine. We'll find you help, and then we'll get you fixed up, and everything will be better."

Alex pushed the older mans hand away. "I'm not going...to make it... Ben."

Ben frowned, and swatted his hand away.

He pressed down with the wad of clothing.

Alex coughed.

And Ben knew. He knew that Alex wasn't going to make it, and that nothing could be done for him.

"Ben. Stop..."

Ben brushed a thumb down the teens cheek. "Don't, Alex. Please."

Alex gripped Bens hand. The pressure was hurting his arm, but Ben didn't comment. "I don't...have a choice." He whispered.

His grip slackened.

"No! Alex, please! Stay with me!"

Alex's pulse weakened. Ben knew he was losing him. He heard a rustle in the forest, and aimed his pistol at the intruder. He lowered his weapon when he realized that it was just an SAS medic.

Cheetah, Ben registered dimly as the man crouched down and took something out from his pouch.

"Ben..." Alex choked out. Cheetah looked up. "Im gonna call for back up. Stay here." As if they were going anywhere. The SAS man got up while plucking his radio from his belt.

As the chatter of radio interference faded away, Ben turned to look at Alex. He had closed his eyes and had a faint smile of contentment on his face.

"Alex! Don't you dare die at me like that, Rider! Don't. You. Dare."

But Alex seemed to have lost his strength. "Thanks... Ben. For everything." He muttered. Ben reached out and grabbed Alex's hand in a vice-like grip.

"Your welcome." The young spy's fingers slipped through Bens. That's how Cheetah found the two a few minutes later.

"He was just denying the inevitable. I'm sorry." He said.

Ben nodded silently and got up, determined.

He had a mission to accomplish.

For Alex's sake.