Disclaimer: I'm American. Well - technically, half German, half French. 'Nough said about that.

A/N: Not much to say this time except THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! =D You guys make me a very happy author! ...So happy, in fact, that I'm putting off my self-paced class once again, to work on this for you. =)

As always, italics are flashbacks. Except, ya know, where they obviously aren't. ;)

WARNING: Slightly-implied slighly-mature theme again. No one noticed last time, but better safe than sorry - and it's a little more evident than last time. It'll be very evident later in the story...

Chapter Thirteen – Give In, Give Up, Let Go

11:21 AM, Local Time – Royal and General Bank, London

"A valiant effort from quick thinking, Agent Daniels, but I'm afraid a general area still doesn't give us much to work with." Mrs. Jones sighed. "Do you realize just how many islands there are between New Zealand and Hawaii? Too many for us to simply search over…"

Ben sighed in frustration, sliding his finger over the screen of his phone. "It's a little more accurate than that, Mrs. Jones," he quipped. "It's somewhere about half-way between. Surely that narrows down the possibilities?"

"Not by enough to give us anything to work with."

"So that's it then. You're just going to give up? Alex needs our help, we are the only ones who can give it, and you're going to ignore the only thing he's ever asked for: back-up. The longer we leave him there, the worse he's going to be when we find him. If I have to go rogue, Mrs. Jones, then I will. But I refuse to leave him in the hands of The Amara."

Mrs. Jones rubbed at her eyes wearily. "I don't know how to tell you this gently, Ben, but The Amara is like nothing the world has ever seen before. If they don't want Alex to be found, then he won't be found."

"Really," Ben questioned, arms folding in front of him as he leaned forward, "then how had we found so many of their strongholds thus far?"

"Because they wanted us to," she stated.

Ben sat back, startled. "What?"

"We have found what they have wanted us to find, Ben. They want us to know who they are, so they have given themselves away – to a point. They want us to know what's coming because they know we can't stop them."

"That didn't stop us from finding Alex before. Somehow, I don't think they wanted us to that first time, either."

"Perhaps not, but leaving Alex there is our only chance to bring them down."

"You didn't see him on South Georgia Island." Everyone's attentions were immediately drawn to the black-haired soldier who hadn't said a word since the meeting had begun. "If you leave him there, he'll break," Wolf continued. "When we found him, he had no hope left – he had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to die, and even though we were right there in front of him, he still didn't believe he was ever going to escape that cell. You leave him there, he'll die, Mrs. Jones; he'll give up and the only thing you'll have succeeded in doing is killing a kid who never should have been involved in the world of espionage in the first place."

"He's right," Snake added quietly. "I'm not sure how much more he'll be able take – physically or mentally. Enough damage has been done; we need to get him out before they can do any more."

"That's why he's so useful to us, on the other hand. You see, damaged people are dangerous because they know they can survive – Alex knows he can survive," Mrs. Jones tried to placate.

"Does he?" Eagle asked barely above a whisper. "Again, you didn't see him on that island. He was bloody convinced he was going to die. Does that sound like he knows he can survive to you?"

Mrs. Jones inwardly squirmed. She didn't want to leave him there, really; but she also didn't have the resources to call for a search of so many islands. Not to mention that the teen had been known to pull out the unlikely, after all. Outwardly, she only reached for a peppermint. "The fact still remains that I do not have the personnel for such a search. I would consider pulling him out if we had an exact location, but we don't. And, since someone is obviously aware that he spoke to someone, they could have relocated him again by now, anyway. The only thing that phone call proved was that he is still alive. Like I said, we only find what they want us to find, so we won't find Alex."

"And what if they slipped up again, huh?" Ben spat. "They already have once, don't you see? Bouchard had a number registered to his own name. He slipped up. What if they slip up again? What if they keep him where he is and we sit here and do nothing about it?"

"That's an awful lot of 'what if's', Agent Daniels. If we ran on 'what if's' this country would be in shambles."

Wolf growled and then slowly grinned. "You're right. That's the SAS's job – to go chasing the 'what if's' you lot here at MI6 give us. If you won't do anything, maybe they will."

"Oh, really," Mrs. Jones replied blandly. "And they would listen to you lot… why?"

Eagle shared in the unit leader's grin. "Our old unit sergeant has been promoted a couple times in the past few years – the very sergeant who placed Alex in our unit when he was at the base four years ago. He now has some measure of authority, and I'm sure he would be thrilled to learn the real reason why Alex was at Brecon Beacons."

"Are you blackmailing me?"

Ben grinned. "Not any more than you ever blackmailed Alex into working for you."

"If you won't try to find him because of 'lack of resources' as you've stated a few times now," Snake added, also grinning, "then allow the SAS, that employs far more men, to do it for you. Don't think of it as blackmail, Mrs. Jones, but a simple solution. Either MI6 can find a way or a lot of unnecessary personnel will have to be brought into the loop of the fact that you were using a minor. Your choice, Mrs. Jones."

7:32 PM, Local Time, Two Days Later – Bora Bora Island, South Pacific Ocean

Alex groaned, not daring to even shift to a more comfortable position on his bed. Everything hurt; his head, his shoulders, his thighs, his feet… everything. There was blood coming from somewhere, too, but Alex didn't have the energy to find out where. Kaul hadn't been as physical as Bouchard had been, it was true, but that didn't make it any less painful. Bruises hurt just as much as blood, after all – maybe more, he mused, considering he didn't dare move right at the moment…

He opened his eyes upon hearing the door click open behind him, revealing the smiling face of one Sanjeet Kaul. "Have we learned our lesson yet, Alex?" the man taunted cruelly.

"I'm sorry," Alex answered sarcastically. "I didn't realize you were 'teaching' me anything – it seemed more like you were beating the tar out of me."

Kaul's smile fell fractionally. "Well, I guess I just haven't gotten my point across clear enough yet. I'm about to fix that, though, you see. You won't soon forget to whom you belong after this."

"I belong to no one."

"Right," Kaul scoffed. "Sure you don't. I'm sure cattle believe that, too – until someone comes along and burns their mark into the hide. Which is exactly what I intend to do to you."

"You don't scare me."

Kaul smiled. "Maybe not, but I would still wager that you scream when I burn my mark into your flesh. You will never be allowed to forget to whom you belong. No one will ever forget!

"Do you know the Hindi language, Alex?"

"No." Alex had to wonder at the subject change. Just what was he getting at?

"Ah! Let me enlighten you then! Not that you really have a choice in the matter. You see, boy, English is not my native tongue – Hindi is. I was forced to learn English by my father who was always insisting that someday it would be the universal language and I would have to learn it anyway. Obviously, it has come to great use these past few years as I have built up this fine organization! The Amara – has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? The Immortal! You see, Alex, long after I am gone, I will still live on – because people will always remember my name after we take over the world! I will be immortal! And you – you, Alex Rider – will never be able to forget because my mark will be forever burned to your being."

"And just what makes you think that you'll succeed?"

"Because I am invincible, Alex! It is the very meaning of my Christened name! From the very beginning, this was my destiny!"

He paused, turning as the door opened to let in two guards, one holding two pairs of metal handcuffs, the other very carefully carrying a black, metal pole, the end of it concealed in what looked to Alex to be a metal container of hot coals. "Ah! Perfect timing, gentlemen!" He turned back to Alex with a cruel smirk. "What fun we will have!"

Alex gulped, his mind taken from the room, once again.

Heat. Painful, searing heat. That was all his mind could comprehend. Pain – something digging into his side, red hot fire racing up his side. Someone's voice: "Welcome to Hell." No escape. Burning, burning, burning… No escape, no relief… Cruel laughter. Pain, heat, burning! Never ending…

7:51 AM, Local Time (8:51 PM Bora Bora) – Royal and General Bank, London

Mrs. Jones set the phone down in its cradle with a soft click. "It's settled then. The SAS can spare us twelve teams; any others will have to be MI6. What's the plan, Benjamin?"

"The signal was centered on French Polynesia, so I've made a list of all the islands within 200 miles* of the central island," he responded. "We'll branch out from there if we have to, but Smithers said that range should be fairly certain. Unfortunately, there are still seventeen islands, some of them fairly large. I took the time to see which have airports or at least airstrips of some kind and have paired some of the smaller islands together. Since not all of them have somewhere to land a plane, acquiring those with capabilities to land on water would be of the upmost benefit."

Mrs. Jones nodded. "I'll see to it to have a few ready and available to you when you arrive. How many search teams are needed?"

"The best I could do," Ben sighed, "was sixteen – and that's stretching pretty thin. Although, it would be much more of stretch if not for one thing: We know that Alex is in a building along the coast – provided they haven't moved him further inland, anyway. The search will go much quicker when they only have to search the coastline – in some cases anyway. Some of these islands are more like long strips of land that accidently popped out of nowhere, or are a collection of small islands. Those teams are really going to have their work cut out for them."

"I knew it wasn't going to be a quick task," Mrs. Jones stated. "The SAS teams will be briefed on the rescue in about an hour; I've already faxed everything through for them except what to what island each unit will be assigned – you can let them know that yourself whenever you please. You will all be boarding a Boeing 777 tomorrow morning at six o'clock sharp. Since we are searching numerous islands, after all, I went ahead and arranged for you to switch planes in Costa Rica to Lockheed C-5 Galaxies – don't give me that look, Ben; I did the best I could. I know they aren't the fastest possible, but they suit our purpose."

"We still need four teams…" Wolf mused, changing the subject.

She nodded curtly. "Three actually. I didn't count K-Unit in the number the SAS is sending to us. I already have a few agents in mind; three of them, along with Ben, will make a team. Any ideas, Ben, for the other two?"

The agent nodded. "There are a few other agents who already know about Alex; it would be easiest to use them so you don't have to spend time clearing new agents. Henderson, Smith, Jackson, Sorin… they all have worked with him before in some capacity. Trask, Adair, and Chadwick were in the original search for him when we went to Senegal, so they wouldn't need to be cleared, either."

Mrs. Jones tapped the names into her computer. "All of them are currently available. I'll send them an email right now." She tapped on the keyboard for a few moments before looking back up at the five men in her office. "We just need one more person."

Ben rubbed his chin in thought before sighing. "You might just have to –." He stopped abruptly, eyebrows rising. "Actually, I bet I know someone who would be more than willing to join the search… Someone to whom this search would be quite a personal matter." He grinned as the others frowned in confusion.

"Oh, yes," Ben muttered, still grinning. "I'm sure he wouldn't think twice!"

11:02 AM, Local Time (10:02 PM, London) – Bora Bora

Alex might have cried out as he was shoved roughly against the wall if he had still had a voice left after the night before. He tightly closed his eyes against the pain as Kaul's fingernails dug deeply into his shoulders – one of which was still angry and red from the branding iron the night before. He could feel the hard nails as they punctured his skin, small rivulets of crimson slowly forming from the crescent-shaped marks.

"Would you care to repeat that?" Kaul spat, only centimeters from Alex's face.

"N-n-no," he somehow managed to rasp out.

"That's almost a shame," Kaul spoke, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I do so love to punish you!"

Alex's stomach twisted painfully, making him want to vomit. "You're sick," he rasped. The grip tightened on his shoulders causing him to gasp in pain.

A demented laugh reached his ears. "Maybe so," he chuckled. "But I am also winning!"

"The call went through," Alex whispered, teeth gritted. "They're coming for me…"

"You really still believe that lie?" Kaul scoffed. "Even if they do, Rider, you won't be getting away from me again. Just like Bouchard got away in South Georgia, I always have a backup plan – and I won't have to leave you behind, either, like that old fool! Thank you for killing him, by the way – you saved me the trouble! You see, he had about outlasted his usefulness… I was going to dispose of him before much longer, but now, I guess I won't have to! See, Alex? You belong here, with The Amara! You have what it takes to be the best assassin the world has ever seen!"

"That's where you're wrong, Kaul," Alex whispered shakily. "I don't enjoy killing people…"

Alex stared down, shaking, at the lifeless body that was once Julius Grief. Oh, God… What had he just done? No… No, it wasn't his fault… Wasn't it? He pulled the trigger… And now Julius was dead. Oh, God… What had he just done?

That demented laugh again. "You can learn – after all, you're too good; you shouldn't waste your talent! What do you say, Alex? All of this pain can end with one, little word."

"I can help you, Alex," Sabina pleaded. "Just say the word, and it'll all be over! Please… all of the pain can end, Alex…"

"You're wrong again. The pain will never end – even if I did say yes."

"You can't help me!" he yelled back. "Don't you see? None of this can be reversed; what's done is done! And no matter how hard you try, you can't change it!"

"Then what have you got to lose, Alex, if you will be in pain either way? The answer is nothing! Nothing at all!"

"No matter how much I want it, Sab, I can't change the past!"

"I'm not saying that you can! But you don't have to live in the past, Alex! You can move forward! –."

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

She reached out and grabbed his wrist in attempt to stop his retreat into his room – and instantly pulled her hand away again as if she had been shocked. "A-Alex?" she whispered staring at her hand.

"So what say you, Alex Rider?"

9:34 AM, London Time – Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean

Ben sat wearily rubbing his eyes with his thumb and first finger. With a sigh, he gazed down at the papers in front of him. Sixteen units, twelve different sectors to search, less than six hours left to decide where everyone was headed from Costa Rica. M-Unit to Tikehua… C-Unit to Tuha'a… G- and P-Units to Uturoa… MI6-1 to Maiao and Tetiaroa…

"How's it coming?" Wolf asked from the isle. "The other groups are starting to get restless, what with not knowing where exactly they're going…"

Ben sighed. "Still trying to piece it together. Tell them to be patient, please."

"Ben? I'm honestly kinda with them. What is taking so long for you decide?"

"Just… We don't know where he is or what he's been through since he's been there. What if he doesn't trust whoever finds him enough to go with them? It'd be better if someone found him whom he already knows, but we can't plan for that since we don't know where he is…"

"We're just going to have to hope that doesn't happen. I know how you feel, Ben, but, like you said, we can't really plan for someone he knows and trusts to find him. If we could, well, we wouldn't need sixty-four guys for this search-and-rescue."

Ben frowned, scribbling quickly on a few folded pieces of paper. "Alright… This'll have to do. You take half; I'll take the other half. Each page has the unit and the place they're going."

Wolf nodded. "Right."

A few moments later found Ben plopping back down into his seat, but this time with his three other 'unit' mates to plot out their plan of attack once they landed. Around them, the other men were moving about to do the same, laying out maps of the islands they were headed towards.

'Hold on, Alex,' Ben mentally encouraged. 'We're on our way!'

"This time your heart said it's had enough
Sick and tired of everything that's so messed up
You don't wanna move on just playing games
Praying hard somehow that your life will change
When you feel like you don't know what to do
Stuck inside this maze you can't go through"

"Don't give up
Help is surely on its way
And don't give up
And the dark is breaking in today
And just keep on moving through these storms
And soon enough you'll find the door
Just don't give up
Oh, and don't give up"

~Calling Glory: Don't Give Up

A/N: Those island names that you can't pronounce? Yeah, real places. I looked it up. =P Same with the planes they're using... But the islands definitely took longer. And, yeah, I used miles in this chapter; previous I tried to stick to meters/kilometers because more international readers would be more familiar with those units. But after the first time of figuring out a good radius to use, I didn't want to redue it in kilometers. =P

Challenges:
- Significance of title, Give In, Give Up, Let Go?
- Is Mrs. Jones right that The Amara only let them find what they want them to? Or is she just looking for a reason to not to look for Alex?
- Why did Sabina pull her hand away (in the flashback)?
- Will Alex finally give in to Kaul?
- Who will end up finding Alex, if anyone?

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