A/N: Slight violence.
Alex was lifted to his feet and taken out of the room by himself.
"Where are you taking him!" Alex heard Fox snap before the door was shut behind him.
There was no blindfold to keep him from seeing his surroundings this time. The hallway was a bright white.
It reminded him of a hospital.
His hands had been bound again and the guards had the sharp point of a gun pressed into the small of his back. There did not seem to be any escape this time.
Alex was led down the corridor and around many corners. He knew he was getting farther and farther away from his unit with every step. If I did get away from these goons, I probably won't be able to find them, Alex thought.
He did know that the K Unit would want him to get away. They were not selfish, and these men wanted to kill Alex.
If he did manage to escape somehow and get out of the building alive, would he be able to contact MI6 before he was caught again? Scorpia wanted him more than they wanted the K Unit. They would definitely come after him. Would MI6 disappoint him as they had done in the past?
Alex bit his lip in worry as another thought about why not to escape entered his mind. Would the K Unit be hurt for his escape? Scorpia certainly would not be happy he escaped but would they take it out on Alex's friends?
Alex was better off not thinking about it. The chances for escape were slim; his arms were being held tight behind him. So tight that it strained his arms and hurt. Alex clenched his teeth to keep his expression pain free.
Alex was steered into a room. The first thing he saw was Captain as he entered the room. He looked at the man in undisguised worry. Captain hated him and he had promised to get back at Alex since he had injured one of his men.
Alex was thrown in the room and then left with alone Captain. The man smiled at him and the next thing Alex knew he was being slammed up against the wall. His head hit the wall with a dull thud and Alex gasped.
Captain smiled at him wolfishly. "You got a lot more where that came from," he whispered and his sour breath made the teen turn away.
With his fists clenching the fabric of Alex's shirt, Captain threw him to the floor. Alex landed on his side since his arms were tied and he was struggling to sit up when he was kicked.
The steel toe of Captain's boot dug into Alex side and he immediately curled up. He tucked his head as close to his chest as he could and pulled his legs up. Captain rained down kicks and punches onto Alex's body.
He never had a chance to protect himself. With his hands tied like they were and his lightheadedness, he was defenseless. And Captain took advantage of that fact with enthusiasm.
"Coward!" Alex bit out as the man stopped to take deep breaths. It was probably not the smartest thing to say in the circumstances, as Alex found out.
With a snarl of rage, Captain plucked him of the ground and punched him in the face. Alex stumbled backwards and almost fell except for Captain holding him up by the neck of his shirt.
"You're not going to get to me like that kiddy," Captain said punching him in the gut.
Alex glared. "Got you. Coward equals pain. Is that right…freak?" It was a stupid game that Alex always played when he was in dangerous situations. Make the bad guy madder then heck, they lost their concentrating then Alex got away. This time was different though, this time he had to save people at the same time.
But Captain brought back his fist and was going to give Alex a black eye to remember…but the door opened. "Stop," a voice commanded and Captain let go of Alex.
Without Captain to hold him up, Alex collapsed. He was breathing heavily when he was grabbed by two sets of arms. Blood dribbled from his nose into his slightly open mouth. Alex could not breathe through his nose anymore so he was stuck looking like he was.
"I think you made you point, Gable," a voice said dryly.
"I hope so, Mr. Rothman," Captain, who was apparently Gable, said. But then Alex brain caught up with his ears and his head swung to the door and his eyes widened.
The man in the doorway was not old. He was in his twenties and bore a stunning resemblance to his mother. "Rothman…" Alex muttered confusedly. The man in the doorway crossed his arms and stared at Alex. "I can see why my mother would underestimate you," he said.
His voice was smooth, his hair neatly combed and his casual suit fit perfectly. "Thought you were finished with Rothmans, didn't you, Rider?'
Alex did not speak and Rothman turned and left having the guards drag the teen behind him. What is going on? Alex thought before he was dragged into an office and shoved painfully into a chair.
Rothman was sitting in his seat and staring at Alex. The teen glared back but the blood still on his face made him look more pathetic.
"Julia Rothman said she did not have any children. Was she to embarrassed to mention you?" Alex snarled as he gripped the arms of the chair. He was full of pains; it hurt to even breath thanks to his bruised stomach.
Rothman did not take the bait but his lips twitched. "My mother was protecting my life when she did not mention me, Rider. Being a member of Scorpia is more difficult than you may think. Getting in is tough but no one gets out until they're dead. Too much information was revealed to her: hideouts, different headquarters, and private information only the best of Scorpia knew. If Mother had to leave the organization, they would have killed off her family as well. I did not exist so I could not be killed. Do you not see the brilliance of her mind?"
Alex raised an eyebrow. "She was a psycho," he said slowly. Rothman looked unsurprised.
"It takes someone stronger to understand how her mind worked," he said staring into Alex's eyes.
Alex just glared. "What do you want with me?" he asked. Rothman chuckled. It was not a happy laugh and Alex tried to suppress a shiver.
"My dear Alex," Rothman said as he leaned over the desk. His words just loud enough for Alex to hear. "I'm going to kill you."
Alex had been suspecting that but it did not make his heart slow down any. "This is a revenge thing?"
Rothman tilted his head. "Yes, It is. I want to kill you. You should be happy to know that you have caused Scorpia a lot of trouble. They want you dead, almost as much as I do."
"Why did you have to capture the others if it was only me you wanted?" Alex questioned. Rothman shrugged.
"They are just accessories, and I only wanted you. I sent someone out to kill you. He managed to burn down that excuse for a house but you were almost unharmed."
Alex nails were digging into the arms of the leather chair. He was furious. That 'excuse for a house' had been the only home he had known and now because of this man--it was gone.
Rothman sighed. "If you want something done right…."
"I hope you didn't have a hard time finding my location?" Alex snapped.
Rothman crossed his arms. "It was difficult but I had my men find you."
"All this time you were searching for little old me. I'm flattered," Alex drawled. The room was windowless and the door behind him was shut. There was no way to get out quickly if he needed to.
Rothman laughed this time with humor. "I'm not obsessed with you, Rider; I've had my hands full with a client. You will learn plenty more about that later."
Alex frowned. What does he mean? Alex questioned himself sharply. Was it a threat? He did not speak and Rothman mashed a little black button on his desk. "Send someone here to escort Rider out," he said.
A second later the door was open and Alex's arms were grasped roughly. "This isn't the end," he snarled at Rothman.
Rothman shook his head. "The end is a lot closer then what you may think." The man then chuckled as if he had told a private joke.
Alex was dragged out of the room and Rothman door shut with a snap.
………………………………..
He was thrown back in the room with the K Unit a few minutes later. Alex had landed on his side and his ribs complained with shooting pains.
The teen pulled himself off the ground with help from Wolf and wiped the dirt from his jeans. A hand was placed gently on his arm and he looked up, Fox cursed as he looked Alex over.
"Who did it?" Snake asked pulling Alex shirt up to look at his ribs. Frowning, Alex let the doctor for the unit look him over. "Captain," he said. "Or as Rothman called him, Gable."
Snake froze, Wolf's fits clenched, and Eagle blinked. Fox was the first to reply, "As in Julia Rothman?" His question was incredulous. After all, Alex had told them the mad woman was dead.
Alex shook his head. "She is dead, and it's her son. And he's just as nutty as his mommy."
Wolf shook his head. "I bet he's not happy with you," he said.
Eagle rolled his eyes. "I'm the one who is supposed to state the obvious Wolf-man."
Snake made Alex sit and he obliged happily. His legs were feeling weak, not that he would mention it.
The rest of the K Unit sat as well, surrounding Alex in a protective circle. "So, does he have some extremely cliché plan about how to bring you to death's door?"
Alex snorted at Eagle's question. "He said he's going to kill me, but not how."
Eyebrows crinkled in a thoughtful expression made the K Unit look at each other. "What is it, Cub?" Wolf asked.
"Rothman mentioned a client, said I would learn more about it later. Think that has something to do with the way he will try to kill me?"
"Sounds like it, but you never know," Snake said quietly. He pressed his fingers into Alex's ribs and the teen hissed.
Fox bit his lip. "Are they broken?" he asked.
Snake was already shaking his head. "No, just bruised badly."
Wolf was smiling wickedly and he got a questioning look from Fox. "Good, we're going to need Alex's help when we kick their--"
Alex cut him off with a laugh. "Ow," he muttered but there was a light grin on his face.
Snake helped him up, although it was not necessary. "Laughter is good for you, but maybe you should try not to until we can get out of here. Your ribs need to be bandaged and treated; they could still be cracked if they are not broken."
Alex leaned against the wall, "Thank you, doctor," he muttered a cheeky half-smile on his face.
"Brat," Snake said fondly.
"Such love and compassion," Eagle said with a mock sniffle.
"If you ladies would kindly shut up," Wolf said. They quieted. "Good, now how do we get out of this mess?"
They looked at each other blankly. The room was empty, even the ropes they had broken through were gone now. The door was locked. "Anybody got a hairpen?" Alex asked.
Wolf sneered while shaking his head in exsaperation. "I left mine at home," Fox said with a wink.
"His dolly's hair was really messy without them," Eagle muttered.
"They can't do anything to us that are worse then being stuck in a small room with you guys," Wolf said.
"He loves us!" Alex exclaimed in happiness and Wolf growled.
"Watch it, kid," he said. Voices from the hallway made them quiet; nothing could be understood through the door. Alex sighed and walked over to it.
Getting on his knees he peered under the door. Maybe if he could fit his fingers under the bottom. The door wiggled but there was no possible way to open the door by just wiggling it.
Sitting back on his heels, Alex turned. "I guess we just wait."
Wolf lay down on the floor. "Looks like we don't have a choice," he said.
A/N: Yes, I killed of Harley. Bad, bad author, I know, lol. The next chapter will be longer. Time to thank the reviewers!
Irish-hailsy, You have not given up because of this story? Aww, that's sweet. LOL, I know what you mean about the karate kicks. Why can't everyone just say Alex kicked the man in the gut? So much easier, lol. Aimed mischief, Thanks. green girl, Thank you for reviewing! swabloo, Cool, thank you. Gold is power, call me Richardson, kurleyhawk2, fattoad, BDP, Thank you for taking the time to review. Rasgara, PyschoWing, Lay of Tinuviel, Lol, thanks. BrazilianPrincess, OddlySane, Enda, Thank you Enda, hope I updated quick enough and you have not died in anticipation. XsuicideXkittyX, Bookflower, Gladiator? Would of been horrible for me, especially since I only know an inkling about it, lol. Thank you. ladylookslikeadude, rid3r chick, Yes, you're right. Harley had to go, and it adds angst, lol. mystery gal, Jusmine, Smart butt, lol. Yes, I love my cliffies, Harley had to go…but who knows. He may return. Might be a sequel, I make no promises. But I am thinking seriously about Faint Hearted having a sequel. CMT1992, Thanks! Jack of Trade, Hehe, thank you. Nyxelestia, Kayli, alex-rider-girl, supernatural love, Alyzabeth Tyler, Thank you. BelaBooTwilight, Grr, stupid subscription thingy. Oh well, thank you ever so much for reviewing! randomness, Lady Shadow of Time, I tried, glad it shows. Thanks. Jungle Jim, oirishgoddess, I was writing my HP story at the same time as writing this, lol. Sorry, I'll go fix it. Thasnk you so much! digiMist, You did not have to wait to long, but it will be two weeks before I update again, like usual. SheWeapon1 aka AD, (beams) Thank you! I'll try to get the next chapter better then this one. Rose-Aislin, There not the only ones in trouble…lol. Thank you for reviewing! Mizu1411, Wolf's sadistic twin…I might use that if you don't mind. Thank you! hylian-dragoness, I'm not telling, hehe. Thanks. kakashilover1357, I used to have a time limit, I feel your pain, lol. Thanl you very much for reviewing! LocoCocoCoca, Kaisaan, Yes, I hear and I agree. How they had guns, if I remember right they took one from the guards. I'll have to go check that and make sure it's not a boo boo. Yes, surprising Wolf is always fun. ninja woman, Thank you. SilentKiller1, Because I'm evil, (wicked laugh).