To answer any questions, this is set after Scorpia Rising, and Jack is dead. However, some other person became head of MI6 after Blunt was fired, but regulated anything to do with Alex to Mrs Jones, who is the deputy head. Sorry if there is any confusion - I am just arranging the details to fit with the vague plot. The characters might be a bit OOC here but that was the way I felt like taking the story when I wrote it. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Snapped

Alex walked into school the next morning, tired from all of the homework he had completed last night. It had taken him ages, especially because of all of the catch up work that the teachers had been setting him due to his absences. Trust MI6 to mess up his schoolwork - at this rate, Alex wouldn't even pass his GCSEs. Saved the world more times than he can remember, but not able to pass his GCSEs. Pathetic.

Alex saw one of his only friends, and made his way over to the tree that Tom was standing under. "So what torture have they got lined up for us today?" Alex asked, and greeted his friend. School was so boring for his classmates, and so Alex had to at least try and be normal. Little did they know that he loved the normalcy that school brought. Alex needed a huge dose of normal after what he had been through.

"Nothing actually," Tom replied, "We are being let off all day to go to this 'important meeting' about our trip to the SAS."

"All day?" Fantastic. Just fantastic. He would now have to listen for hours to information about the camp that he already had first hand knowledge of. Alex still couldn't believe that he was going back.

"Yep, all day. I don't know why it's going to take so long, but at least we miss lessons."

"Yeah," Alex murmured. Except missing lessons was very bad. He had enough catch up homework already, let alone the workload he would be getting today for missing lessons. If Alex was given a choice between going to this meeting or staying in lessons, he would take the lessons anytime.

Hearing the warning bell ring, Alex and Tom slowly walked to the room where the meeting would be taking place. Already inside the room were the other students who were picked to go on this 'trip.' Alex ignored the stares that they were all giving him, and sat down in a seat towards the back of the room, preparing himself for the worst.

As expected, Mrs Jones came in exactly on time and began her presentation promptly. She had everyone's attention (except Alex's) for the whole two hours - a small miracle in a group of teenagers - as she went through the information about the trip. Naturally, she was sugar coating the SAS, as the teenagers would not be so eager to go if they knew what it would really be like, but she suspected that they would not realise until it would be too late to back out and go home. Unfortunately, Alex would be able to see through her lies, because he had been there before, but she trusted him not to tell everyone, as he would have no excuse to say why he knew all of this, and Alex was not one to blow his cover lightly. She wouldn't do this if she had another option, but Alex needed this training. At least it was only for two weeks.

Mrs Jones reached inside her pocket for a peppermint, before remembering that food was not allowed in the classrooms at school. She saw Alex's smirk as he watched the deputy head of MI6 trying to hide her actions, and she was suddenly very glad that the rest of the group were not quite as observant as Alex - it was only a small embarrassment, but Mrs Jones hated being unprofessional.

However, unknown to Mrs Jones, someone else did see her slip. Alice wondered why the woman needed the thing in her pocket so much, as it was clear that she really wanted the mysterious object because of her body language. Alice brushed this thought aside though, as she had much more pressing worries to deal with. It was likely that the SAS men would know about her mum - they were trained to recognise faces - and there was a slim chance that someone might recognise her. Alice really hoped they wouldn't.

Sitting across the other side of the classroom, Alex listened as Mrs Jones described the trip. She had to have said some of the biggest lies that he had ever heard MI6 tell. "You will be staying in comfortable accommodation," and "You will partake in a series of exciting activities each day to improve your fitness," and finally the largest lie yet: "The SAS men are eager to take advantage of this new programme to help students with this amazing opportunity!" Alex had to hide a snort when that particular line was said. If the SAS were eager about anything, it would be either to give them the worst two weeks of their lives, or to get rid of them as soon as they arrived. It was all complete rubbish.

Everyone got let out for break, and Alex quickly went to find Tom.

"That had to be the biggest set of lies that I have ever heard."

"Really?" Tom replied, "Because it sounded pretty cool to me."

Alex laughed. "No, let's just say that within two minutes of getting to the place, you will be wishing you where anywhere BUT the camp."

"And why would I do that?" Tom rolled his eyes. "I can't wait to start annoying those army guys."

Alex stared in disbelief, and then smiled. Tom's stupid ideas made him remember how it was to be a teenager again. However, Alex had grown up a long time ago, and there was no going back for him. How Alex wished it was different. The things that he had seen...

"Well, it's your head their going to punch, so that's fine if you're happy with it," Alex replied.

"Wait what? Surely the SAS guys are not allowed to punch us?" Tom asked.

Alex admitted his mistake. "Probably not straight away... But they are allowed to give us combat training and then 'accidentally' punch us. Like I said, it's your head."

Back in the meeting room again after break, Mrs Jones showed a video and let the teenagers watch it. She was getting more and more worried, because the longer the video played for, the harder and more cynical she could see Alex getting. He didn't show it in his face, but Mrs Jones could see it in his body language. Alex had the posture and thoughts of a desperate man, and that was the thing that was worrying her. The boy was unpredictable in a normal situation, let alone one which he hated. Apprehensively, the deputy head of MI6 went to the front after the video had finished. "Any questions?" She asked. Mrs Jones wished she could skip this part, but it was necessary.

Alex watched as Mrs Jones answered some of the other queries from the students, completely ignoring his outstretched hand in the air. That video had been the last straw for him. Just seeing the lies that his classmates were being fed, and the manipulation in the air made him more angry than ever before. He could understand that MI6 would want to manipulate him, but innocent children? That was crossing an invisible line that MI6 had already been very close to crossing when they blackmailed him. Alex felt his anger snap his control, and relished in the fact that he didn't care anymore. He didn't care at all. Not one bit. Alex was determined to enjoy every last moment of this power, because nothing could stop him. He was a weapon that had been moulded by MI6, by the CIA, by Scorpia, and he was completely lethal. He could do anything he wanted, and no one could stop him. He didn't have anyone close to him anymore, because they had all been killed off by the people who had trained him. He was finally free.

Finally, there were no other hands up in the room except his. Alex just sat there, not making a sound, daring the woman to face up to what she had made. The weapon was turning against its creators. Mrs Jones made a show of looking at her list of names, and trying to find the right one, stalling for time. She quickly ran out of excuses. "What is your question Alex?"

"Why tell us lies?" Alex asked, his voice ringing loudly through the classroom. He was deliberately baiting Mrs Jones, and he could see that she was panicking. Ignoring the other fixated eyes on him from the other teenagers, Alex leant back and waited for the woman to find an answer. He didn't care what his classmates thought of him. Alex just wanted revenge. Why shouldn't he cause trouble for MI6 when that was what they had did for him?

"What lies?" Mrs Jones settled in asking him after a tense pause.

"What lies?" Alex repeated calmly. Everyone could see that he was dangerous, and started to edge back in their seats. A storm was coming, they were sure of it. There was obviously history here.

Alex felt deadly, and wondered why he hadn't done this before. He was going to have so much fun. "Let me see -"

"I'm afraid we have no time left," Mrs Jones interrupted quickly. She could sense the danger, and this situation was fast becoming a problem. She had greatly underestimated Alex's hate, and this was going to be costly.

"- you say 'comfortable accommodation,' I say that it is more like sleeping on the cold ground; the mattresses are pretty much -"

"Please stop now." Mrs Jones ordered.

"- rock solid. I heard you mention 'exciting activities,' more like tortuous trials in my opinion. But that is just the tip of the iceberg in consideration of the rest of lies you have told today -"

"Rider, stop this now!" Mrs Jones demanded, and then suddenly realised what she had done. A hush fell over the room, as everyone connected the dots. The woman in front of them clearly knew the mysterious teenager was, and more importantly, was ordering him around. They waited for the explosion that was surely going to come next from Alex.

The teenager in question slowly stalked to the front of the room, not caring about anything in the world anymore. Alex had finally lost control. He stopped right in front of Mrs Jones, who was starting to fear for her life, and paused, loathing filling his eyes.

"No."