A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in ages! Exams just took over my life, so I decided to do the sensible thing and write this instead of revising :P

Chapter 9

Alex was led down the corridor by the guards, Dr Three leading the way in front. A small, logical part of his brain argued that what he'd just said was exceedingly stupid—there was a reason why Scorpia trainees were only taught levels 1 and 2, and that was because those were the levels which sane people used—but overall he was so relieved that he'd been able to spare Tom. After all, Tom was only here due to Alex's stupidity and his reckless decision to visit his old house. Now Alex would have to face the consequences.

...

Back in the cell, Wolf swore loudly and colourfully. The whole reason why he joined the army was to protect kids like Alex from getting hurt, and here he was, sitting back whilst Alex did the brave thing and volunteered himself. He was distracted from his thoughts by Tom's voice, small and uncertain, asking a very good question.

"What did that guy mean when he said he didn't want to have the same guest twice? And how does Alex know who he is? Surely...surely Alex hasn't met him before?"

K Unit looked at each other. They'd vaguely recognised the man from their SAS training days, when they used to have lessons on the world's most dangerous terror organisations. Their fears had been confirmed when Alex addressed the man by his name, which was feared by all. Dr Three—international torture expert.

Snake, being perhaps the most gentle-mannered of the SAS soldiers, answered Tom's question.

"I don't think any of us really know how Cub knows what he does, but the general impression I've got is that they have met before, unfortunately. And...well, let's just say that that man is not the nicest person you'll ever meet. And the whole guest thing? I think it's his twisted way of tryng to make torture sound like a good thing."

"So...are you telling me that Alex has been tortured by him before?" asked Tom frowning.

"Well, your guess is probably as good as mine, but unfortunately it looks that way."

-Back to Alex-

Alex was led into a tiled room, told to take off his shirt, and then handcuffed to a ring in the wall, which was covered in something which looked suspiciously like dried blood. Considering where he was, the chances increased to practically 100%. His ankles were similarly cuffed to another ring. The guards left the room, taking his shirt with them and locking the door behind them, leaving Alex alone with Dr Three, who was over on the other side, examining a variety of cruel-looking instruments on a trolley and muttering to himself under his breath.

Eventually, the man turned around holding a whip, the ends of which had little barbs attached. Alex kept a blank expression, but inside he was trembling with fear. He'd heard about how these whips worked—not only was there the pain from the whipping itself, the barbs dug into the skin and were dragged through the flesh with the movement of the whip.

"So, Alex, ready for this?"

Alex fought to keep his voice steady as he replied, "Ready when you are, Dr Three."

"Good, I like someone with a backbone. Turn around to face the wall."

Alex didn't need to be told twice, obeying his instructions wordlessly. In another situation, he may have given some more lip, but he didn't want to risk Dr Three changing his mind and going to fetch Tom instead.

He was given a split second's notice by the sound of the whip whistling through the air, before it came down hard on his back. Alex gasped—the pain was even worse than he imagined. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Alex mentally prepared himself for the next blow, which came all too quickly. It was all he could do to remain standing and not scream out in pain—he refused to give Dr Three the satisfaction. The whip came down again and again, and Alex could see his blood splattering against the white tiles of the wall. After what seemed like an age, but couldn't have been more than ten minutes, the whipping stopped. Alex gave a quiet sigh of relief, which did not go unnoticed by Dr Three.

"Oh, Alex, I haven't quite finished with you yet. That was just the starter. You can turn around now."

Alex turned around slowly, trying not to aggravate his injuries, and saw that Dr Three had put down the whip and picked up some small spiked objects.

"These are something of my own creation," explained Dr Three. "Each little spike contains a seal, which will be broken in thirty minutes, releasing a deadly poison. I'm going to be placing these under your skin, so the only way to stop yourself from being poisoned is to aremove them. Unfortunately for you, pulling them out is even more painful than putting them in."

With these comforting words, Dr Three made his way over to Alex, assessing him and trying to decide where to place the spikes. Eventually, he started by putting one on the inner side of each of Alex's forearms, pushing the spikes into the skin. Alex bit his lip to stop himself from crying out, which was a bad idea as soon his mouth was filled with the coppery taste of his blood. Dr Three then bent down and rolled up Alex's trousers, before placing one in each of Alex's calves. With the last one, Dr Three smiled (which did nothing to reassure Alex) before putting a hand on Alex's stomach, just above the belly button.

"Ah, the perfect place. The skin is nice and soft here, which should make this more effective."

He took the spike and shoved it in roughly. The pain was unbelievable, and Alex couldn't help but let out a whimper of pain, before recollecting himself. Looking down, it looked as if some maniac had tried to give him a belly button piercing but had missed.

"Goodbye for now, Alex. I do hope to see you again tomorrow, I've got the perfect treat for you," laughed Dr Three, knocking on the door.

There was the sound of unlocking, before the guards entered, unchaining Alex from the wall and leading him back to the cell.

When he arrived back, he was thrust unceremoniously into the room, where he was caught by Fox before he could hit the floor. The guards laughed, throwing his shirt in behind him, before closing the door and locking it behind them.

Alex groaned loudly. Now that the adrenalin was leaving him, his back felt like it was on fire.

"Oh my god, Alex are you OK?" asked Tom.

"I'm fine," said Alex, "just a bit sore, that's all."

"Shut up, kid," growled Wolf, "we all know you're lying."

Snake switched into medic mode. "OK, guys, his back's obviously where the damage has taken place, so let's put him down on his front."

"No!" shouted Alex, well aware of the spike in his stomach. "You have to get the spikes out first." He then explained what Dr Three had told him about them.

"What did they look like?" asked Snake. "Were they slightly curved?"

"Yeah, I think so," answered Alex, trying to remember. "I think they were like hooks."

Snake shook his head. "This is bad. Normally I'd give an anaesthetic before trying to take something like that out, because the hook does more damage as it comes out. But, given the circumstances...Cub, I'm not going to sugarcoat this. It's gonna hurt a hell of a lot, OK?"

"Yeah, sure, just get it over with," Alex replied, psyching himself up.

"OK...Tom, roll up Cub's shirt and put it in his mouth, so he doesn't bite his tongue off. Wolf and Eagle, pin him down so he doesn't thrash about. Fox, hold his head in your lap so his back doesn't touch the floor—I don't want it getting infected."

Everyone did as they were told, arranging Alex so that he was comfortable. Then Snake prepared himself for what he had to do.

"I'm going to start with the one is your right arm, OK?"

Alex nodded, closing his eyes.

"On three. One, two, three!" Snake yanked as hard as he could, knowing that it would be better just doing it quickly than taking it slowly. Alex screamed out loud, this was the most pain he'd ever felt.

"I'm really sorry, Cub," said Snake, as he chucked the spike on the floor. Alex spat out the shirt in his mouth, panting hard.

"Don't worry, Snake, better out than in," he said, chuckling weakly.

Once he'd caught his breath, the shirt was replaced and the procedure repeated. The spikes in his limbs were all taken out, so there was only the one in his stomach left.

"That sick bastard!" exclaimed Snake, when he saw just how deep the last one was. "He could have damaged your internal organs!"

"Just pull it out, yeah?" said Alex, wanting to get it over with. He was exhausted from the pain, and he just wanted to go to sleep.

"OK. Everyone, hold on tight. This is going to be bad," said Snake. He braced himself, then pulled.

Alex screamed so loudly that everyone's ears were ringing. When it was out, he spat out his shirt, now looking the worse for wear, and started cursing in all the languages he knew. Some of the things he said in Spanish even made Wolf blush, and when the others turned to him, he refused to translate. Eventually, Alex exhausted his extensive vocabulary and slowly drifted off to sleep.

In sleep, Alex looked more his age than when he was awake, as his mask was down, revealing his emotions. K Unit, looking at him now, couldn't believe that this was the same boy who had fought Scorpia members on a daily basis. There was a small frown on his face, as if he was having a bad dream, probably due to the pain from his wounds. Now that there was a chance to relax slightly, they realised something that they should have seen at the beginning—there was what looked like an old bullet wound on his chest. Eagle was the one to spot it first.

"Hey, guys, what's this? Is it what I think it is?" he asked, pointing to the puckered red circle.

Snake could immediately see that it was what they were all thinking. "It's a bullet wound, definitely. It's so close to his heart...Alex is lucky to be alive! Such a wound would take weeks in hospital to recover from."

Tom frowned. "The only time Alex told me he was in hospital, he went on a mission after a few weeks."

"Bloody MI6!" exclaimed Snake loudly, his Scottish accent coming through more prominently in his anger. "They don't even let him recover from life-threatening injuries!"

"Snake, lower your voice, you're going to wake him!" hissed Fox. Under normal circumstances, Alex would already have been woken up by the noise, which just went to show how tired he was. Snake continued muttering angrily under his breath but kept the noise down, knowing that Alex needed his sleep in order to recover more quickly. The quiet eventually took its toll on all of them, and one by one, they all drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it in all its goriness! More torture coming up next chapter, but it'll be very different…See you soon!