Chapter 3: Pride and Parachutes

(Alex is a troll and friendship is magical.)

It certainly wasn't a magic fix it, Alex found himself reflecting. You couldn't simply go from ruthless bullying (on Wolf's part) or being treated like a wall (on Fox, Snake and Eagle's part) to being best buddies. Still, feelings were slowly mending and a tentative bond was growing between Alex and K Unit.

The bullying stopped completely, for one, which was a given otherwise Alex would have seriously doubted Wolf's apology. Alex wasn't mollycoddled but he was no longer treated as an intruder. The other members threw comments to him during training, left an open space for him in their conversations and sat with him during meals. They were starting to work together as a team in their training which their instructors had commented on.

Alex had started to pick up little titbits about his team mates that he wouldn't have known before, like Wolf's hatred of pop music or Snake's pet hamster which he left in his younger sister's care.

The other units still gave him looks, but Alex's only real bully had been Wolf and K Unit's acceptance of him had led to some other units warming up to him a little. Nothing too wild of course, just small things like a nod after he completed an exercise well or a rare smile. So now that Wolf had backed off, things were relatively peaceful for Alex- minus the bone wrenching training, of course.

It was the last night for Alex in Brecon Beacons, having been told by the Sergeant that he was being picked up at the end of tomorrow's training exercise. K Unit had spent longer than usual staying up that night, making conversation and dragging Alex into a game of cards. It was unspokenly blatant that they were doing it for Alex, to spend their last night together as a whole unit before he left.

It was late when they finally dragged themselves to bed, having the sense to get some sleep as they were always forced awake inanely early for training. Alex blearily snuggled further in his blanket, feeling the most content he had been since Ian's death.

Suddenly he felt something thin and sharp prick his skin. Everything whirled about woozily before Alex blacked out.

A clinical white light was the next thing Alex saw. It hung over from an overhead lamp and Alex squinted his eyes against the blinding brightness. He tried to sit up but he couldn't.

What?

He tried again. His limbs were trapped, strapped down with leather belts as if he was a wild monster. Trapped, like a bird in a cage. Alex pushed harder but the restraints wouldn't budge. His struggle was halted by the sound of high heels coming closer. Click, clack, click, clack.

A pause. Then that oily hated voice said, "Alex Rider. Did you really think we would never find out? There's nothing we don't know about you."

Alan Blunt. Why was Blunt wearing high heels? Then Alex saw Blunt dissolve out of the shadows and into the lamp light and understood. Mrs Jones was beside him, she was the one who had made the click clack noise. Blunt had been silent, silent like an oppressive haunting ghost or silent like someone who dies in their sleep.

His words registered in Alex's mind and he froze. Did…did they know?

A smile pooled onto Blunt's face like an oil spill. "Your wings, Alex Rider. A most unusual case certainly. You understand that you had to be taken out, to keep the world safe from any threat you pose."

No, no, that wasn't true. Alex would never hurt anyone, he wouldn't.

Blunt carried on, "It's a matter of security that you be kept here Alex Rider. We must examine what is wrong with you."

But what about the mission?

"We never really needed you Alex Rider. We could have easily sent in an adult operative, disguised them as a guard or used hidden cameras. Your going was to punish Ian Rider for his failure. A death sentence."

This couldn't be happening. He felt strangely betrayed by a group he hadn't trusted to begin with. Alex renewed his struggles, jerking wildly but it was useless.

"I'll tell them! I'll tell the world how twisted you are!" Alex screamed hoarsely. Blunt titled his head cordially and said in a reasonable tone, "An ambitious statement Alex Rider, but you are staying here for the rest of your life. Have a good day."

The click click of Mrs Jones and her silent ghost echoed in Alex's ears like a bullet ricocheting in a tunnel's walls. White coated people appeared out of nowhere and their plastic gloved hands pushed him hard against the operating table. Needles were being stabbed into him, searing liquids injected into his bloodstream. Alex felt his body turn into rubber and couldn't move an inch when his restraints were suddenly unlatched. He was flopped onto his stomach. His back was being prodded hard before he felt it.

The tell-tale sharp point of a blade.

Alex's mind was whirring with alarm but his body still couldn't move. He could only lie with horror, feeling the tip of metal drag deep into his flesh, outlining his wings before pushingdown under and tearing the flesh out. They ripped out from his spine like tearing meat from a chicken leg, only Alex was screaming, screaming so hard-

Alex jolted up and would have fallen if it wasn't for the firm hands on his upper arms. He was panting hard and his throat felt sore. Alex's desperate gasps filled the air.

His cheek was also stinging.

"Sorry about that, Cub. You weren't waking up," Fox apologised. Alex unfurled himself and looked around him. Fox, still holding him with worried eyes. Wolf sitting by him on Alex's bed, his face drawn… Eagle, sprawled over his bed with the covers thrown off.

Wolf followed Alex's gaze and snorted. "Yeah, nothing short of an earthquake can wake that guy up."

Alex felt a smile tug on his lips before looking inquiringly at Snake's empty bed.

"He just went-" Fox began before the opening of the door cut him off. Snake entered and seeing Alex awake, walked over to him quickly.

"Here," Snake urged softly and a cold canteen of water was pressed into Alex's weak hands. Disorientation fading, Alex realised it had just been a dream. He sighed shakily because it was just a dream, he was okay.

He was still sitting there with the canteen in his lap, so Fox covered his hands with his larger ones and lifted the canteen to his lips. At the first sip Alex managed to grasp it tight enough and Fox let go. He chugged down the water, refreshing his throat and making his mind feel more awake.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Snake pressed and if Alex wasn't so shaken, he would have been alarmed at how caring his tough guy unit were being. Alex shook his head at Snake. How would he begin to explain that he had a nightmare that he was pulled out of his top secret mission by MI6, which by the way he was blackmailed into after his uncle's murder, because they wanted to experiment on his supernatural wings?

"Just a bad dream," Alex said quietly. Wolf shook his head.

"Must have been one hell of a nightmare," he muttered without any real bite. He yawned so wide Alex thought his jaw would unhinge and rubbed his face with one hand.

"Well get some sleep. Got to wake up in an hour or two," came his muffled advice before Wolf trudged back to his bed. A wave of guilt washed over Alex, embarrassed over waking up his unit especially on his last night.

"Let's get some fresh air Cub," Ben said suddenly. He nodded goodnight to Snake and guided Alex outside with an arm slung around his shoulders.

The sky was royal blue, some shades lighter than pitch black that showed the sun was on its way to rise. Alex and Fox sat down on the rickety wooden steps leading to the door. An agreeable silence rose between them as they both watched the sky.

"My dad's an arsehole," Fox spoke up first. "Drinks beer like it's water and used to beat me up all the time. So of course I ran away and joined the army as soon as I hit eighteen."

Alex shifted uncomfortably, unable to see where this came from. He wasn't really sure what to say for once. Fox carried on casually, "I used to have nightmares of him nearly every night. It's nothing new here, a lot of soldiers have some kind of sob story that makes sleep hard sometimes. The other guys in K Unit too…"

Fox trailed off before clearing his throat and adding, "Anyway, they're not my stories to tell. Let's just say they've had their own fair share too. So don't feel bad about it Cub."

Fox's eyes were such a genuine, earnest blue that Alex's lingering guilt and embarrassment ebbed and he gave a slow nod.

"That's good," Fox said. "You know…you're not a kid with rich parents, are you? It just doesn't fit, your belongings don't look that fancy and you don't seem the type. Trust me, I met plenty of stuck up snobs and they're nothing like you."

"Someone give the man a prize," Alex retorted and Fox chuckled.

"And to think one week ago no one would have thought you had one hell of a mouth," Fox teased, shaking his head. "But what are you doing here, underage, on an army training camp then? I mean the only other people who come here are MI6 agents…"

At Alex's silence Fox's face was filled with incredulous realisation. "But surely they wouldn't use someone so young…right?"

Alex raised an eyebrow pointedly and commented, "You're very perceptive. Looks like you're better suited for my place than I am."

He leaned forward until their foreheads were nearly touching and looked Fox dead in the eye.

"If you say anymore though, I might have to shoot you"

And with that parting line Alex went back inside, trying not to laugh at Fox's face.

Alex's last day found him on a plane ready to drop off K Unit and two others into the air from one hundred metres high. With parachutes, of course.

Unlike passenger travel planes, this military plane consisted of a single metal room with long benches fused into each of the two walls. Wolf had herded K Unit into the very back of the compartment, furthest away from where the back door would unfold to let the men jump.

Alex immediately sat himself at one of the small circular windows and pressed his face closer. If he had any inklings before about his sudden longing for heights, this was solid proof that yes, he had a slight obsession. Before, the very thought of jumping off a plane with a silk parachute would have made him nauseous but now he would have loved nothing more than to do said crazy act. His wings were a bigger influence on his body than he had previously thought and Alex wasn't quite sure what to think of that yet.

To his deep disappointment, Alex was just tagging along to observe to avoid the risk of injury before his mission.

Soon the green go ahead light was flashing and the door hatch lowered. The wind rushed in, embracing Alex and intensifying his longing to an aching burn.

Men stepped forward in pairs and dropped out of sight like toy solder figurines. Alex was confused when Wolf shuffled back discreetly, then took his sweet time stepping forward, then stood frozen at the door. Realisation flooded Alex- Wolf, one of the most macho men in the whole training camp, was scared. Oh, this was singularly precious.

He made his way to the other side of the plane. Wolf didn't move an inch at his new companion. Careful of Wolf's pride, Alex stepped a tiny bit closer and called over the din of the rushing wind, "Wolf?"

No reply. Wolf was as stiff as a frozen block of ice. Worried now, Alex knew he couldn't let Wolf get binned for not jumping after all they had been through together. With this in mind, and maybe or maybe not a sharkish grin on his face, Alex raised one heavy boot and propelled Wolf out into the open air with a merciless kick to his backside.

His strangled scream, fading rapidly as he plummeted down, was like music to Alex's ears.

Seeing Mrs Jones in the hangar made Alex shudder immediately, his nightmare from last night surfacing in his mind. The ensuing conversation and gadgets from Smithers made Alex feel like someone has dumped a bucket of ice water on him. It was an unwelcome reminder that this was real- he was really going on this crazy spy mission.

After Mrs Jones left, Wolf entered the hangar looking flushed and out of breath like he had rushed there to arrive before everyone else. His eyes quickly found Alex and he strode over.

"Cub look, what happened on the plane…" Wolf began, looking like the words were physically paining him.

"Don't hurt your masculine macho pride," Alex cut in. "Don't worry about it. It's no big deal."

"No, it was," Wolf pushed on stubbornly albeit with much difficulty. "I just, you're one of us now and you deserve to be treated right. So thanks."

Wolf grasped Alex's shoulder with his hand and a warm feeling pooled inside Alex's chest. His lips were pulling into a happy smile which Wolf mirrored with a rare quirk of his own mouth. Oh, Wolf was-

"Is that our great leader smiling? One hell of a sappy moment you're getting up to in here," Fox interrupted. K Unit was trailing in, covered in grass and dirt and looking at the pair with amused bemusement.

Wolf jerked back from Alex and his attempt at acting nonchalant made Alex snort. Fox gave Wolf a look that promised the moment was stored for future teasing material. He reached the pair and stood before Alex.

"You're going now, right Cub?" Fox asked.

"Yeah I'm going to be picked up," Alex replied.

"Here." Alex's hands were guided open and a piece of paper placed on them. "This is for you, so if you ever need anything you can know how to reach us. When we have off duty time, we're all living in London so you have to meet up with us. You're a part of K Unit now."

Alex looked down and unfolded the paper. It was lined, with four phone numbers scrawled down in four distinct handwritings. Next to each number was four forenames and surnames Alex had never heard before.

His unit had given him their ultimate sign of trust- their real names. Alex felt his breath hitch and looked at each person. There was open acceptance in each and every face- no, more than acceptance. This was friendship.

"Thank you," he said, simple but sincere. His eyes felt moist and all of a sudden he was being pulled into a mass of bear hugs and shoulder pattings. It was a huddle of parting words and goodbyes. Alex wanted to forget this whole mess, Ian's death and MI6 and everything, but once his life got back to normal he would keep this one good thing. He would stay in touch with his team mates.

A thought popped into Alex's mind which confused him.

"But wait, how do I know whose number belongs to who?" he asked. After all, they hadn't written down their code names next to each one.

Fox grinned and replied smugly, "Well, you'll definitely have to call all of them now to find out, won't you?"

And Alex laughed.