AN: Alright, so maybe I lied (ironic with the title of the story). After copious amounts of badgering by the residents on my floor (damn freshmen) I read back over this thing and actually…it isn't too shabby. It's by no means perfect but I'll give it another go.
Regular updates are not promised by any means. I have a whole floor of freshmen to supervise (God bless my soul) and the LSAT but I'm going to try really, really hard to finish this thing. Sorry, for the psych out. Still not sure about Jaded or Veracity, they were meant to be one shots but if inspiration magically strikes me I may take a look at them too.
On with the story, as usual I do not own any part of the Alex Rider Series and please read and review encouragement is always nice.
Veracity
Poker was a popular way to pass downtime at Brecon Beacons, a pack of cards and a flat surface weren't too much to ask for in a military base. Being stuck in the barracks was almost a guarantee of at least one game; K Unit was currently on their eighth. Ever since they had found out about the incident with Cub and relieved of their training rotation for the day the 3 men had been tasked with occupying themselves until they were released to go see their injured member, so far it was proving only moderately successful.
Snake cast a wary look at Wolf who had spent the past 3 hours poring over a thick, official looking file. The way the man was tearing through the pages made him almost think he was reading an epic thriller, even Eagle had been unsuccessful at getting the man away from it, earning him a firm punch on the arm instead. It was clear that something had changed from last night's blow up, and his instincts told him it had something to do with Wolf's mysterious summons to the admin barracks after the midnight exercise and his return with the file. It was high time for the unit leader to own up to what was going on.
"Snake, you in?" Eagle queried from across the table.
"Nah, I fold" he tossed his cards to the table and stood moving over to where Wolf sat.
"Anything interesting?" he only received a grunt back, a sign that Wolf was in full concentration.
Scanning the page he knit his eyebrows "Cub's file?" he snatched the folder from Wolf's hands and quickly began reading through the page before it was grabbed again by a curious Fox.
"Damn," the man said, hurriedly reading through the specs at the top of the page. He let out a low whistle "No wonder Sarge was in such a sour mood on the range this week, little brat beat Moore hands down."
"Damn it, Fox, give me the folder!" Wolf demanded reaching to take it but the young soldier spun out of the way.
"So that's what you've been going through over there, no wonder. Any reason you didn't want to share with the class?" Eagle mocked.
"Yes, Wolf," Snake turned, fixing the man with a sharp gaze "Any reason?"
The man grumbled something under his breath before replying "I was going to after I got all the facts straight."
"I'm sure," Snake sneered, plucking the file from Fox and handing it to Wolf. "I think we'd all like to know a little more about our favorite…agent."
"Where do you want me to start" Wolf queried, once again sitting on the bed.
The three soldiers sat on the bed across from Wolf, fixing him with intent stares "From the beginning."
Veracity
A knock came at the major's door, causing him to look up from the mountains of paperwork stacked neatly on his desk.
"Come in," Major Grigsby barked, casting a casual glance over at the clock, the man was a few minutes late but he was still more reliable than the bastards over at MI6. The flustered psychiatrist rushed into the room, carrying a hastily put together manila file.
"Sorry I'm late, Major, I had to run off to..." He began but was quickly interrupted.
"Save it, Hopkins, I'm not looking for excuses, just results. What can you tell me about Rider?"
The man strode forward and handed him the file, "Do you know much about either drug?"
"Why do you think I asked you to look it up, Hopkins?"
"Right, sorry, sir." The therapist sighed again "I'll start with Lorazepam then; it's commonly used to sedate hostile and aggressive patients in hospitals and psych wards. In this instance not only did it prevent Alex from escaping due to its sedatives but also kept him from feeling many strong emotions. While that's good and all I feel that Lorazepam was specifically used for the amnesic effects it has on patients when coupled with improper dosage and other medications, such as cocaine. The reason I believe that Alex didn't believe me about his switch over to Scorpia is that he honestly doesn't remember it. All he knows is what Gregorovitch told him."
The major stared silently at the man for a moment, taking in the information "So we take him off the drug how long will it take him to remember it?"
"I'm not a doctor, Major, however, all my research indicates that, with the over usage of the drug that Alex experienced, it will probably take over 6 months for him to recover his memory of the events of the initial month of his capture."
"Alright, how about the cocaine?"
"Well, sir, cocaine is traditionally a recreational drug. Used in this context it more serves to act as an agent of addiction for Alex to keep him with Scorpia. He may not fully comprehend it but I think his subconscious may register that as the provider for his addiction he…owes Gregorovitch some degree of loyalty. With the amount of time spent together I have no doubt that Yassen himself has forged that belief even deeper within Alex, contributing to his emphatic worship of the man." Hopkins finished and turned once again to the man.
"Okay so what we've got here is a pill that almost guarantees an obedient and loyal soldier if consumed in large enough quantities. Am I correct, Hopkins?"
"Yes, sir,"
"Maybe I should get some of those." The man mused sardonically, smirking at the audible gasp from Dr. Hopkins "Calm down, Hopkins, and learn to take a joke."
"Yes, sir."
"Very good, thank you for the report, doctor and be sure this file gets seen by the med staff." It was a clear dismissal and Dr. Hopkins obediently left the room.
"Meanwhile, I have some phone calls to make."
Veracity
Wolf couldn't mistake the significant look given to him by the nurse as she reluctantly let him into the room. Though, he supposed the yelling at the receptionist in the foyer hadn't helped. Cub may still be unconscious but that didn't mean he didn't want to visit the kid all the same. He took a seat in the empty chair, and locked eyes on the teen's heavily bandaged head. He winced, that one was going to hurt for a while, but in comparison to some of the other injuries the kid had received it wasn't that bad.
That file had done more than tell him about the kid's missions, it had opened his eyes. All the looks, behaviors, words they exchanged suddenly came into focus. Cub wasn't a sell out; he hadn't left for shits and giggles despite what the boy believed. There were countless frames of security cameras, pictures from other agents, and high res satellite images showing the boy's valiant struggles against Gregorovitch until the drugs set in.
The drugs were the most disturbing revelation in the file. Especially when it bled over to him receiving drugs even while here. Not only had Scorpia known where the boy was, they had gotten onto fully armed military training grounds. He now understood Major Grigsby's paranoia. MI6 was using Alex as bait to catch Gregorovitch and, his men and the other soldiers here would just be written off as a necessary expense to capture the assassin.
He buried his head in his hands, smoothing back his hair. Damn it when did life get so difficult? It had been so much easier when he could just hate the kid for trying to get him binned, for defecting to the enemy, anything but actually caring about someone who everyone viewed as a traitor. The heart monitor began to speed and Wolf looked up to see the young teen looking at him with sunken, desperate eyes.
"Wolf," he wheezed, throat raspy from dehydration.
"How're you feeling, Cub?"
"I've felt better" he responded wryly then the look on his face melted to one of uncertainty, he fiddled with his hands in his lap. His response was slow, as if testing every word before saying it, "Wolf, I know you don't like me...but, I need you to do me a favor."
"What is it Cub?" his tone was softer than he wanted it to sound
"I need my backpack, it's in the barracks."
"Why? You don't have any personal belongings in there." It was harsh but he knew exactly what the Cub wanted and it was the one thing he couldn't give him.
"Dammit, Wolf, I just need it okay?" the boy snarled trying to force himself up but his trembling limbs made him fall back to the bed.
Taking a calming breath the man locked eyes with the teen "Cub…Alex, we know about the drugs. They've been confiscated. We're going to help you get off them and away from Gregorovitch."
The boy seemed to fill with rage as he realized what the man had said, he fisted his quaking hands and glared up at Wolf, the heart rate monitor sped as the boy's breathing became harsher until the room erupted in the noise of Alex's pain filled scream, the dangerous beeping of the monitor and the scramble of footsteps bursting into the room.
"He's seizing!" a nurse cried bringing more doctors into the room.
"Get him out of here!" a doctor barked and another nurse pulled the man from the room, shutting the door behind him.
The nurse turned on him, crossing her arms.
"What the hell is happening in there?" Wolf demanded of her.
"He's going through withdrawals, soldier. High emotions trigger the symptoms sooner." The woman snapped.
"Fuck," was all the man could say before he was unceremoniously ushered out of the med barracks.
Veracity
The camp had been quiet since Yassen had begun his vigil, waiting for a moment when he could isolate his ward. But as the day drew on it was quickly becoming obvious that something had happened to Alex, not that he feared discovery, it was well known that Alex was with Scorpia. No, either they had found out about his meeting with the boy or Alex had been injured. The fights he had seen the boy engaged in seemed to indicate that may be the case, though there had been monitoring equipment strewn through the forest.
Scowling, the man paused in thought, either way he wouldn't be able to get access to Alex for at least a few days, if ever, unaccompanied and those drugs would only last so long. Yassen ran his hands through his hair as he again looked out at the camp. He was beginning to think that it was time to weigh his options.
He could break with Scorpia, recapture Alex, and wean the teen off the drugs himself. Or, he could follow Scorpia's orders; hope to get to the child sometime to get information and risk losing him. It didn't take much to consider which one meant more to him.
If he took Alex back they would be chased by everyone, never safe, not that they were safe to begin with but he knew how far the various government agencies were willing to go, Scorpia would spend any and all resources they could to kill or capture the two. The question was, if Alex was worth that much to him.
The answer was, and always would be yes. He had come this far.
With his mind made up the assassin descended the pine, If Alex did not emerge from isolation sometime tomorrow he was going in after him, they had been apart too long.
Veracity
I hope you enjoyed it, I know it doesn't have a lot of action but I promise there will be later.
Please Read and Review I appreciate any feedback I get!
