A/N: So yeah, another update. :) I'll post the next one on Wednesday, if I can. In other news, there is a third Alex-joins-the-SAS fic. But, I guess imitation is the greatest form of flattery, right? :D Of course, it's always possible that they came up with the idea independently and panicked when I posted, or just haven't read this fic. But, yeah…
Anyways, onto the chapter!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing you recognise.
-o-O-o-
The building seemed to be just a rambling old farm house, but Alex warned them against assuming anything.
"Most of the building will be underground," he informed them. "It's a complete labyrinth. In fact, you won't even be able to find an entrance on the actual house – it will be in the woods around somewhere and lead directly to the basement."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Panther.
Alex scowled at him. "Because it's the same at every base I managed to get blueprints for," he snarled. "Now shut up."
Panther seemed about to say something in reply, but calmed at a murmur from his unit leader.
"Any idea where the entrance will be?" asked Jackal.
"Normally there are two, one due North and one due South, approximately two hundred metres from the building," said Alex.
"Ok, so two Units go in, one at each entrance," suggested Bear, "and one stays outside as back up."
Rat and Jackal both nodded.
"It's pretty standard," said Rat. "It should work."
"How many men are we looking at, roughly," asked Jackal.
Alex shrugged uncertainly. "It's difficult to say. In a base this size there'd normally be about twenty guards, plus anyone who was using it as an outpost for a mission, but with the leader here... it could be as many as a hundred."
"We have to defeat a hundred men?" hissed Bear disbelievingly.
Alex shook his head. "No, nowhere near. That's the possible limit. It's more likely half that and they patrol in pairs so we'll never have to take out more than two at once. We should have the element of surprise as long as we're careful hiding the bodies. We've all been given tranqs, right?"
The others nodded.
"Ok, so I'd suggest D-Unit stay out here as Jaguar's probably still injured," said Jackal. Admittedly, Jaguar looked just fine, but Jackal couldn't get the image of him in the woods out of his head.
Alex shook his head, firmly. "I'm the best chance we've got of finding and capturing the leader," he said. "Otherwise we'd have to stay out here for another hour or so as I teach you the algorithms you have to use to find certain places."
Bear raised an eyebrow. "They use maths to find their way around?"
Alex nodded.
"But you didn't even take your GCSE's!" exclaimed Cobra. "You must have got lost all the time!"
Alex scowled. "Actually, I never did. Which is why I'm your best chance at actually finding the big boss guy."
"Ok," said Jackal. "We'll stay here. B-Unit go north and D-Unit south?"
-o-O-o-
They'd gone ahead with the plan. B-Unit and D-Unit had each been a hundred metres down their respective tunnels, having taken out two patrols a piece when Jackal ordered radio silence. Alex jogged down the corridor behind Bear with Cobra and Gull bringing up the rear. A further eighty metres or so and they came upon the first split in the corridor and Alex paused.
"That was about a hundred and eighty, right?"
"And five," said Cobra. Alex nodded. Cobra always counted the distances.
"OK, well then..." he paused and thought about it for a second.
"Left will lead us to the cells and training areas. Straight on to the meeting rooms in the main house and the high security areas."
There was a burst of static from the radio and Jackal's voice came through the radio. "B-Unit have found a junction. Do they go left or right?"
Alex took the radio. "How far have they come?" he asked.
A pause, then, "Hundred and fifty metres."
"Is it on the left or the right?"
"Right."
"Ok. Tell them to take it. It'll take them to the cells. Any directions needed, radio through."
"Where are you going?"
"The other areas."
"Descriptive," snarked Jackal.
"Over and out," smirked Alex.
He turned to his team. "They'll need help in the cells. Most of the guards will be there."
"But our objective is to find the leader," Gull pointed out.
"He wants to split up," said Cobra, frowning.
"Jaguar," said Bear, reprovingly. "We are trained in teams for a reason."
"We're trained to complete the mission in the most effective way possible."
"Not at the expense of our members! You'd be slaughtered on your own!"
"I won't be," he said, firmly.
"That's not a risk I'm willing to take."
"Stop it," snapped Cobra.
Both men turned to him in surprise.
"Listen."
"Is that... ticking?" said Gull.
Alex froze.
"Run," he snapped.
It took barely a second for them to react, running down the corridor. Alex made it to the junction, then paused. Something above him cracked.
He threw himself backwards as the ceiling caved in.
"Shit," he cursed.
"Bear! Gull! Cobra! Are you alright?"
There was a moment's pause, then Gull called back.
"Yeah, we're fine. Bear's a bit dizzy from a blow to the head, but it's not too bad."
"You got a radio on you?"
"Course," snorted Gull. "We had two between us and you only have one."
"Ok. I'll radio Jackal and warn him of booby traps. I didn't think they would have been activated. Look out for the black lines at the side of the floor turning to navy. It'll let you know they're there, at least. Go help Rat. They should have a way back out."
"Why is it you always seem to get the heroics," said Bear. He wasn't angry, simply annoyed and slightly amused underneath it all.
"Because I'm the best at them," said Alex with a smile and a shrug.
"Yeah, yeah," muttered Bear. "If you get yourself killed I'll never forgive you. Not so soon after the cliff."
Alex laughed. "Trust me," he said.
"Brat."
Alex laughed again and turned away, towards the heart of the complex.
-o-O-o-
All he could hear were his own soft breaths. They seemed explosively loud in the silence. He'd met eight men, all in pairs, on his way, two in the last five minutes. They were getting closer together. B-Unit had taken out four patrols before they reached the cells and then, with Alex's teammates' help, three more. That made a total of thirty six men, including the patrols D-Unit had taken out on the way in. He was sure there weren't many more left, or they would have met more by now, and they would have been more likely to patrol in larger groups.
But still, something didn't feel right. If he had this feeling on a mission for MI6 he'd think he was walking into a trap, alone and without backup. But he was with the SAS. They cared more for their agents than MI6.
"Jackal?" he whispered into the radio.
"Jaguar? What is it?"
"Can you get your unit closer to the house? I think something's going to happen."
"One of your feelings?" asked Jackal.
"Yeah, one of my feelings," said Alex, ignoring the faintly mocking tone. "Look, it just doesn't feel right, ok?"
"Ok, we're moving closer. We'll stay in the woods though. Less chance of being caught."
"Perfect, thanks Jackal."
"None of us want you to die again, Jag."
"Haven't died yet, Jackal."
"I dunno. I could easily kill you. I thought we were supposed to be keeping radio silence unless absolutely necessary?"
"Panther?" asked Jackal, surprised.
"Who else?" muttered Alex.
"Aren't you with your unit?"
"No."
"Why not?"
There was an awkward pause.
"Got separated."
Alex snorted.
"Smooth," he muttered.
"Yeah well you're not doing much better, Jaguar," snarled Panther.
"Children, please," said Jackal. "Can you at least try to behave like soldiers?"
"Panther, where are you?"
"Not a fucking clue. All these corridors look the same."
"Ok, what was the last turning you took?"
"Twenty five metres ago, the corridor turned to the left. Thirty metres before that the same."
"Ninety degrees for both?"
"Yeah. Now where the hell am I going?"
"The next opening on your right. It'll probably be a door. After that take the pattern of second left the first right."
"How the bloody hell do you do this, Jag?" asked Jackal.
"Practice," said Alex, wryly and then the radio was knocked out of his hands.
-o-O-o-
A/N: And now you have return of the cliffhanger! :D Ok, I might have lied a little when I said I didn't do them on purpose… but, it's always good to build suspense. I mean, look at TV programmes, do they ever end with the hero drinking a cup of tea, with all mysteries solved? I don't think so!
Btw, how would you lot feel about a sequel to this? I've got a vague idea in mind… assuming I don't change my mind about this fic and decide to kill everyone off, anyway!