Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.

WARNING: In this chapter everyone will be reverting back to the names they used at Brecon Beacon. AKA, Ben is yet again Fox and Alex is yet again Cub. It's because they're on a mission. Oh and I decided not to name the other member of K-Unit. They'll remain Wolf, Eagle, and Snake (respectively) for the rest of the story.

THE NEXT EVENING:

Sitting in a hotel room far outside London were four men. SAS soldiers to be exact; members of the K-Unit. Fox had taken up position at the window, hand holding the curtain back so he could see everything going on in the outside world. Wolf lay sprawled across one of the beds, still fully clothed and dozing peacefully. He'd driven the whole way here and was a little worse for wear. The last two, Snake and Eagle, were sitting on the couch playing some sort of card game on the worn table. They were all quiet, the two on the couch mumbling things to each other only occasionally and only if it had to do with their game.

Just then the door to the room opened and all four were standing facing the door. Their bodies were tense and they all held the SAS standard issue 9mm Browning. They all relaxed when they saw it was just a teenager with dark brown hair and even darker sunglasses shading his eyes. After he shut the door and locked it, he tossed the sunglasses on the table. He quickly shed the gray jumped he wore and placed it on the back of a nearby chair. Everyone began to settle onto the couch as the teen tugged off his shoes. When he'd finished, he turned to Fox.

"You swept the room?"

"Yes."

The body nodded, moving quickly and efficiently to run his fingers over every nook and cranny the small room had to offer, double checking his comrade's work. He stopped by the window, glancing out for only thirty seconds before closing the curtains. He moved to the door, shoving a t-shirt at the bottom, blocking out the light room the hallway. Then he sat in the only armchair, running his fingers through his hair.

"I found a way in as well as secured positions for you all. There will be a box in the lobby in approximately…"

The teen paused, glancing at his watch.

"-twelve minutes. Eagle is to retrieve it. I called in a favor and got the supplies we'll need."

Without another word, he stood and moved to the bathroom. Eagle moved to the door quickly, deciding to wait in the lobby.

"Cub?"

There was no response from Cub, as the teen had been dubbed, as he continued into the bathroom. The door closed behind him firmly and they all heard the audible click of the lock. A few seconds passed and then the shower started up. Fox sighed, running a hand thru his hair. Cub had slipped back into his spy training to easily for Fox. Though, perhaps he'd never stopped using the training. It had to be engraved into his body and mind by now, an automatic reaction. Snake had moved to the bathroom door and he knocked firmly once.

"Cub?"

"Yes Snake?"

"I need to check your bandages."

"When I get out."

The medic sat down with a slight huff, scowl on his lips despite the victory. At least Cub was letting him check the bandages now. Before it was just Cub assuring him the wounds were fine and then the teen would wrap them himself. Part of Snake wondered if the teen was ashamed of what he'd done, the lengths he'd gone to. Most of him believed it was his independent nature and the spy training. Never let a potential threat know you're injured. The medic thought perhaps he felt guilty, felt terrible for putting K-Unit (Fox especially) through such an ordeal. The tight group of friends had noticed everything Cub did seemed to be for other people; he rarely put himself first.

A few minutes later Cub walked out of the bathroom, towel slung over his shoulders. He was already dressed for tonight, wearing black jeans and a long-sleeve black shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing white bandages. His chocolate brown hair was back to blonde and hung in little clumps that still dripped water. Snake stood, making his way to Cub and gesturing him back into the bathroom.

Both Wolf and Fox scowled when the door closed behind them. Wolf knew it was to make Cub feel more comfortable but he didn't like not knowing what shape his teammates (they were his friends too, not that he'd ever admit it) were in. There were some muffled sounds from the bathroom, causing the two soldiers to lean forward. They could almost make out what was being said when Eagle burst into the room, carrying a box.

"Hey I got the b…what are you guys doing?"

The energetic brunette gave them a quizzical look as he set the box on the table in front of the couch. Wolf shrugged and walked over, moving to open the box. Fox grinned sheepishly.

"Cub is letting Snake change his bandages."

Eagle grinned excitedly, masking the unsettling feeling of Cub carving into himself, and moved to press his ear to the door. He tumbled forward as the door pulled open from under his cheek. Snake glanced down at him and sighed, walking over his comrade and sitting on the couch with the others. Cub came out of the adjacent room, pulling his sleeves over his arms and his bandages. Wolf began to pull items out of the box, placing them on the table. Fox picked one up and gave it a quizzical look. Then he turned to Cub, giving him a 'explain' look. Cub leaned forward, placing a hand-drawn map on the table, hands braced on either side of it.

"Here's what's going to happen…"

THAT NIGHT/AROUND 10PM:

The street was deserted except for a young couple making out on the bus bench. Eagle was sitting against the wall of the building Cub would be breaking into, under the cover of a homeless man. Wolf was in the park across the street, pretending to be passed out on a bench. Fox and Snake wouldn't arrive until the last 5 minutes of the operation, holding each other up as they stumbled 'drunkenly' to their car.

Cub had headed up the building 10 minutes ago. He would have another 15 minutes. The climb was time consuming, as he had to scale by hand with nothing but the foot holds in the brick building to help him. When he had told them the plan, Wolf was the first to argue it was too dangerous. Snake mentioned it could tear his stitches and Eagle was extremely fearful he'd lose his footing, which is why he got the position next to the building.

Fox was the one who talked them into agreeing, pointing out the teen was the only one who could fit through the window. Reluctantly the others agreed. Cub explained their positions and left the hotel room to build his alibi and cover. They hadn't gotten to talk to him since then, though the text to Wolf's phone (In position -Cub) had reassured them all to a certain degree. Now they had to wait and hope everything when as planned. They just couldn't believe he usually did these dangerous missions himself.

WITH CUB/ALEX:

He may have withheld some information from the K-Unit. They hadn't asked what story he was scaling up to so he didn't tell them. In fact, he wasn't sure why he was thinking about it at all. Okay, so maybe he was putting himself in extreme danger by climbing eight stories up the side of a building free-handed, with no equipment. Maybe he felt a little guilt taking Fox's trust when he wasn't telling the whole truth. He should be focusing at the job at hand.

Brown eyes flickered to his watch, which was in countdown mode. 10 minutes left. He had chosen the time frame carefully, after a day of observation and a quick hacking job into the mainframe. Even so, this was high risk for getting caught. The man, Robert Malyk if he remembered correctly (which he did) was in a meeting only two rooms over. There was a guard outside the room that could come in at anytime to do a sweep. Cub sighed, looking up and realizing he was in range of the window.

He grasped the sill with one hand and pushed himself up slightly. Letting go of the brick wall, he forced the window open. Grasping the sill firmly with both hands now, he repositioned his feet. With a strong push, he twisted his body so he was holding onto the sill and his feet were straight up. His body was in the firm position of a handstand for only a half-second before he agilely slid into the room feet first. He landed soundlessly on the plush carpet, right behind the desk.

Remaining crouched for a moment, he waited to see if anyone had heard him. When no one came in, Cub snuck forward. He was looking for a flash drive, black with an American flag on it. First he deftly ran his fingers over the desk, searching for any hidden compartments. Finding none, he ran both his gaze and his gentle fingers over the top of the desk, making sure not to misplace anything. He heard voices down the hall and they were coming closer.

They must have gotten out of the meeting 8 minutes early. Cub bit back a curse, opening the first drawer. Bingo! With swift fingers he grabbed the flash drive and tucked it into the bandages under his sleeves, so it was out of the way and secure. Cub shut the drawer quietly, hoisting himself out of the window. Quickly he attached the grappling hook to the window sill and lowered himself out, holding onto the rope as he began his hurried descent.

He was barley out the window when the door opened and then there was the sound of a gun being drawn. Making a split second decision, he let go of the rope (his lifeline) and grabbed his gun as he began to freefall. Before he even had it in his hand there were bullets raining down on him. One connected with his shoulder and he felt a flash of panic, the sniper attack momentarily overriding his senses. With deadly accuracy given to him by SCORPIA training, he shot the shooter in the eye causing a hellish scream of pain to resonate in the still night air.

It attracted the attention of Snake and Fox, who were just getting to the car. Personas forgotten, they pulled out their guns. Wolf leapt up, his own gun drawn. Eagle stood from the side of the building and looked up just in time to position himself so he could semi-catch Cub. They both grunted with the impact and fell to the cold, hard cement ground. Fox started the car and came to a stop next to them, Wolf climbing into the passenger seat. Snake helped Cub and Eagle to the car, slamming the door behind them. Moments later the streets were completely empty. They'd made it.

AT THE HOTEL ROOM:

Wolf helped Eagle up the stairs, seeing as he was a bit bruised from catching Cub. Snake had done a quick assessment of him in the getaway care and proclaimed two weeks of rest. His left wrist was sprained and his ribs (and ass, if he were being truthful) were slightly bruised. They would be sore for awhile. Fox was in front of them, holding open the door to their floor.

Snake followed the group, obviously lost in thought. Cub had stayed in the lobby to call in the mission's success and arrange transport. Soon they were in the hotel room, door closed swiftly behind them and Eagle placed comfortably on the bed. None of them bothered to undress, knowing transport would be there as soon as possible since the mission was of such importance.

Wolf sat in the armchair, eyes closed. Snake went to check on Eagle and Fox sat on the edge of the couch, fingers tapping as he waited anxiously for Cub. There was a knock on the door and Fox lurched forward, pulling out his gun and opening the door in the same swift motion. With a sigh of relief, he let Cub in. The teen walked to the couch, promptly collapsing into the cushions. Fox and Snake shared a worried look.

"Cub, let me make sure the stitches haven't come undone."

He said nothing, just nodded his consent. Snake kneeled before him, using gentle fingers to unwrap the cuts. Fox sat forward. He hadn't had a chance to look at the self-inflicted wounds before and he doubted he would again. Both cuts were about one inch long. Narrow and straight, it was obvious they were done by a steady hand with no hesitation. Black stitches held the skin together. Snake had told him earlier, as they pretended to get drunk at a bar, that they were healing nicely and would have minimal scarring. He believed Snake, who was humming lightly as he re-wrapped the wrists.

"You're lucky, mate. Under such stress, they could have torn very easily."

Cub didn't reply. Fox reached over, hand barley touching the teen's left shoulder before he had a gun pointed at the black-haired man, finger resting confidently against the trigger.

"Relax, it's just me…Alex?"

The teen's eyes were clouded and at Fox's reassurances he blinked owlishly.

"Ben? Where's Jack?"

The medic placed a hand on the teen's forehead, quite surprised to feel the heat even a few centimeters from his forehead. The kid was burning up. Snake sighed, running a hand over his face tiredly.

"He's delirious. Check for an open wound. Chances are it's in the first stage of infection."

Fox rubbed the bridge of his nose, pulling his hand away when he felt an unfamiliar wet feeling. His hand, the one that had rested on Cub's shoulder, had a few traces of blood on it.

"Snake…"

The K-Unit's medic looked over for a second and did a mini double take when he saw the blood on Fox's hand.

"His left shoulder."

Snake's brow furrowed and he began to pull at the black shirt. Fox helped him get the material off by leaning the teen forward. Fox talked softly to Cub, trying to keep him aware that it was only his friends; they were only trying to help him. Wolf had sat forward and was watching silently. He took the bloody shirt from Snake and tossed it into the trash.

Cub's torso was covered in bandages and they continued over his left shoulder, were there was a patch of red growing on the white material. Snake set about quickly unwrapping the material from the bottom up. As the bandages were pulled away they revealed bruised ribs and healing cuts from a previous date. After Snakehead, Fox was sure. The remaining bandages were tossed away and Wolf stood, a whoosh of air escaping his lips.

"The fuck!?"

Fox had gone pale and Snake looked like his namesake; tense and ready to strike. Why or on whom wasn't clear. If they thought the bruised and cut up sight of his torso was bad, the scar on his heart was worse. No, not on his heart but approximately a centimeter above it, Snake's trained medical eyes deducted. It looked to be barley a month healed. It might have looked better if there weren't multiple electrical burns on the surrounding area. The scar itself was puffy and the surrounding area was bruised black and purple. About two and a half inches above the scar was an open wound. Blood was dripping from it slowly. Snake eyed it.

"The bullet is still in there…we'll have to dig it out."

Snake moved to grab the needed materials for the quick fix. He just wanted to get the bullet out and then staunch the blood flow so they could get their youngest member to a hospital. Fox was sitting nearby, waiting to help. Wolf went to sit on the free bed, alternating between watching Eagle and watching his other three friends.

"Cub."

The teen opened his eyes wearily, quickly scanning the room and taking everything in.

"Transport here?"

"No. We need to get the bullet out of your shoulder."

The teen's brow furrowed but then he seemed to resign himself, nodding tiredly. He offered no argument when Fox carefully pushed the hair that was sticking to his forehead back. Snake pulled out a switchblade, pulling a nearby lamp closer so he could see clearly. Folding a towel and pressing it under the bullet wound to catch the blood, he took a deep breath to steady himself. He worked as efficiently as he could, blade enlarging the hole so he could find the bullet and remove it. Cub said nothing, didn't whimper, or cry. He merely sat, his breath shallow. He kept his eyes trained on Snake, muscles tense as though he was resisting the urge to run.

FLASHBACK:

"Alex, Alex, Alex. You've caused us a lot of trouble."

The man moved closer and his breath warmed Alex's cheek, causing him to tense. He couldn't see anything, the thick blindfold blocking any light. He had a terrible headache, though he didn't know if it was from the ringing in his left ear or from the cut on his forehead. The room was hot, despite the fact he was shirtless and drenched in sweat.

"We tried to kill you and you got away."

The man's thin fingers pressed on the scar above the spy's heart, causing a tight, clenching pain to engulf Alex's chest. Fear. There was a low chuckle and then the feel of cool metal replaced the fingers.

"Perhaps we can finish what the sniper started."

Silence and then hot, blinding pain. He didn't know where it ended, where it began. There was a background soundtrack of sinister laughter and Alex began to scream-

FLASHBACK END:

"Keep him still!"

Snake had just managed to find the bullet and had begun to edge it up with the tip of the blade when Cub had started to twitch. Within seconds it was full-on struggling. Wolf moved to grasp the teen's shoulders, pinning his upper body while Fox stilled his arms and twisting torso. Snake quickly pulled the bullet out, tossing both it and the switchblade onto the nearby table. With a firm hand he pressed the bloodied towel to the wound, cursing when it began to leak through. Fox ran to get another towel, replacing the saturated one. Snake grimaced as blood continued to leak out, albeit sluggishly. He was worried he had nicked the brachial artery* on accident due to Cub's sudden movement, which would be very, very bad. Indescribable bad.

"Wolf, see if transport is on the way."

The leader nodded, pulling away to make the call. Cub was still twitching and he was perspiring heavily, eyes clenched shut and body tense. Fox reached to push his bangs away and the teen whimpered, shying from the touch. The soldier was too worried to be offended. He sat diligently, waiting anxiously for the transport. Cub winced in his delusional state and Fox frowned.

This was the last mission for a long, long time.

END OF CHAPTER

Not how I pictured the ending, but I like it all the same. Oh and here is the following info:

*Brachial artery is the main artery in your arm. It runs from your shoulder to a little past your elbow…I'm pretty sure.

Hope the chapter was pretty good.

Review?

Eris-R-Renee