Finally, here is chapter 10!

Certainly not my best one, but still: I hope you're going to enjoy it! :D

Chapter 10: Cage Of Fear

Impossible. This is impossible. That was exactly what he thought when he looked into the other's eyes. Maybe he had said it out loud too. Private didn't know, but the word 'impossible' was all he could think about. He was staring right into the eyes of his uncle. He shook his head. It was impossible, not supposed to happen. Uncle Nigel was not supposed to know about their activities, to get caught right into it. He was not supposed to be in a dark lair, filled with criminal minions and an evil man. Private backed away a little further from the cage, as he saw the dark cringes beneath the man's eyes. His uncle gave a small smile when he saw Private's shocked expression. "Private, it's alright. I know it all."

It's alright… How could something like this be alright? The only real family he had left, appeared to know that what he had tried to keep a secret for a long, very long time. He had always thought he had done a good job, nobody at school knew, none of his friends, if he had any, would have ever found out. But now, the uncle he only saw once so often, knew. Knew about their secrets, their activities. Skipper would try to kill them both, Private was sure about that.

He continued to stare at the hardened face of the man in front of him. His eyes lay deep in his skull, as if he hadn't slept in days and his white-gray hair was standing in every possible direction. The cloths of his uncle, normally as clean and British as one could imagine, were foul and even held some holes. After looking for a longer time, Private could see the bruises on the man's face, and the small cuts at the spots where his cloths were ripped open. All the traces were there to say that Blowhole hadn't been the most elegant host.

Suddenly, something in Private's mind told him that he should hurry up. Without further hesitance, he moved to the cage again and opened it. Uncle Nigel gave him a small smile, before throwing himself into the battle. Private looked at the man surprised. His uncle knowing the things they got into was one thing, but his uncle throwing himself into the battle next to Skipper was a thing he wouldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams. Private shook his head and looked at the other prisoners. Both female. Both persons he knew too.

Just like Nigel, they had wounds and bruises all over their bodies. Just like Nigel, their cloths were ripped and foul. But unlike Nigel, they seemed to hold fear. Private shook his head. Looking into the eyes of his uncle was a shock, but now standing there and looking in the eyes of his girlfriend… that was something he wouldn't have expected either.

"Cupid?" He asked her with wide eyes. The girl in front of him nodded and then walked towards him. "Private..." She said softly before hugging him tightly. She started to cry and Private, feeling a bit uncomfortable, looked at the other prisoner. Marlene, standing at the other side of the cage, gave him a small smile, but it couldn't erase the expression of fright upon her face. Private took a step in her direction, right into the cage. He extended his hand towards her. "Marlene… Everything is alright." He says, trying to get her out of the cage as soon as possible.

But she wouldn't move. How hard he pulled her hand, she wouldn't move a muscle. She just stood there, frozen in anxiety. Private took a deep breath and then looked around. There had to be a way, maybe somebody to help him. But everybody was fighting, except for him, Cupid and Marlene.

"Come on, Marlene!" Private said hurriedly as he glanced over his shoulder. It was obvious that their team wasn't on the winning side. Skipper, surrounded by several of Blowhole's minions, was pushed to the wall with a knife very close to his face. Rico seemed buried under a small pile of rocks. Kowalski was investigating some of Blowhole's devices. Apparently, nobody saw a threat in him doing so, since nobody was paying attention to anything the scientist. Private looked quickly around, searching for his uncle Nigel. He found him in the corner of the lair furthest away from him, fighting off the minions like a professional fighter.

Private couldn't help it, but he kept on staring in trance at his uncle. He never expected him to be able to fight, and now his uncle was fighting almost as well, as if not as good as Skipper. He wondered where his uncle had learned that. He had never heard Nigel telling a story about learning kung-fu or some other fighting techniques, only stories about finding exotic flowers in British backyards. It wasn't for then, that Private saw all the men coming towards the cage. The men surrounded them. They got closer and closer to them, and he took a step back, deeper into the cage. He was almost standing next to Marlene now, who was still frozen in fear.

Then, they pushed Cupid into the cage. She slammed against him, and Private managed to catch her just before she could fall to the ground. The slamming sound of the door of the cage being shut seemed to fill the whole lair. Failed. He had failed to free the prisoners and so failed the mission he got assigned from Skipper. He looked at the ground. Skipper had been right. He was a total failure.

And even though his girlfriend was next to him, Private couldn't find any happy thoughts in his head. It was all his fault. He had totally messed up the mission. Instead of freeing the prisoners, he was now locked with them. Private feared Skipper's reaction. He wouldn't be too happy for sure. He would yell at him, probably make him train twice as hard. But most of all, Private feared what was going to happen to him and the others now. What would Blowhole do with them, now that he finally appeared to be on the winning side?

Private had no clue. With his head in his hands, he sunk back against the steel bars of the cage.

Thank you for reading this far :)