Warning: Minor character deaths.
With Mrs. Jones following, Alex led the way to the run down building. The shrubbery bordering the windows had not been trimmed in a while, and when Alex reached out to pull open the doors, they stuck stubbornly until he gave an aggressive pull.
Stale air filled his nostrils as the door creaked open to reveal a dusty room that once may have been considered welcoming. The carpet that lay on the wood floor was purposely chosen to accent the pictures and cream colored walls. The effort someone had put into the building seemed to have gone to waste with only MI6 using it.
Low voices reached Alex's ears from the double doors up ahead. From behind him, a firm but not uncomfortable touch made Alex glance back.
Encouragement was not something that Mrs. Jones often expressed with her facial features, but the quick squeeze of his shoulder she gave him worked as well as any encouraging smile.
Now he only had to wonder; just how much encouragement would be needed for this meeting?
The door opened with a brief but sharp creek that while slightly muffled by the many people talking, was still loud enough to alert all in the room of their presence. Alex guessed there had to be at least twenty men from various stations, most (if not all) armed and ready for the mission at hand...no, that wasn't true.
A group of five leaned against the right wall of the room, where the light from several windows did not quite reach.
From this shaded area, they were peering at Mrs. Jones and Alex, cheap styrofoam cups in hand.
Around the largest table, that equaled a pool table in size, several heads previously bent over maps glanced up as a hush fell over the room.
Alex caught several slight movements; curious glances exchanged, the hands of some more paranoid men twitched toward the nearest weapons-and then, there was the sardonic and amused smirks that Alex was most familiar with from the men in the corner.
He suddenly hoped it was water they were drinking.
"Mr. Rider."
Alex thankfully tore his gaze away from the still smirking group. Holding himself up with a stance that said he'd been in a leadership position for a while, Staff Sergeant Patel greeted Alex with a respectful nod.
Alex returned it, stepping away from Mrs. Jones as the man gestured for Alex to join him at the table.
"These are maps of the surrounding areas, they span about fifty miles from the first town you rode into yesterday."
Having been taught how to read maps like the ones splayed out before him, Alex easily found the town the Staff Sergeant mentioned. From there he could trace the way back to Nathan's house, and the woods that he had escaped from.
"Are we doubling as a babysitter service now?"
Alex abstained from rolling his eyes, and surveyed the man. He'd lost the styrofoam cup, and only one of the men that had been drinking with him still stood by his side. His hair was longer than the usual required length, and Alex couldn't tell if his eyes were gray or blue.
The Staff Sergeant's reaction was smooth, with an ease that came from dealing with difficult people.
"No, Macleod. That won't be needed. However, having a guard for Mr. Rider would be to the benefit of us all, and since you are qualified and have voiced interest in his well-being, I'm sure you'll fit the job just fine."
Perhaps sensing that refusing to comply to Staff Sergeant Patel's authority would have resulted in grievous injury to his pride, Macleod nodded stiffly. Patel turned away, speaking in a low tone to Mrs. Jones, who had come closer without Alex even noticing.
What Alex did notice, was how Macleod was watching him.
It was not out of interest, but with a domineering coldness that said, 'So, I'm stuck being your guard, and I don't like it-but you are also stuck with me, and you can believe I'm going to make every moment of it hell for you.'
Exasperated, Alex glared right back. It seemed he had to have at least one person in his life that made whatever job he was placed with difficult. Had Mrs. Jones known about Macleod? Was the hand she had placed on his shoulder supposed to give him patience, or encouragement to open up a can of whip-ass on whomever stepped in his way?
Their conversation over, Mrs. Jones solemnly thanked Staff Sergeant Patel and moved towards the exit. The scent of peppermint wafted under Alex's nose as she passed him, not acknowledging him, though Alex determined that this was for his benefit.
Macleod was still watching, along with several others. Anything that Mrs. Jones said, from assuring him that K Unit would be found, to saying that she would be in touch later, might have been seen as weakness.
Though Macleod's apparent self-flattering opinion did not leave Alex liking the man, he did not want to make an enemy out of his new guard.
"Not to seem like a disrespectful prat, because you wouldn't be here if you hadn't earned it-but why exactly are you here?"
The inquiry came from an almost gangly man standing near Patel. His hair was cut so short, that Alex thought his head was shaved until the thin layer of blond hair caught the light from one window. His name tag read Avery, and Alex immediately liked him.
"He's a guide," piped up one of Macleod's friends, in a voice that suggested the question was the very form of verbal stupidity.
"You're not from around here," voiced Avery. His stance suggested offhandedness, with his shoulders slouched comfortably and hands tucked in his pockets. There was no trace of annoyance in his expression as he looked away from Macleod's friend, who at once seemed to become smaller in disappointment.
Macleod snorted in derision, he shook his head. "Seriously? You're not even native to the area?"
It was obvious from glancing at Staff Sergeant Patel, that Alex would have to stand up for himself.
The man had immersed himself in some document, but there was a slight lift to his mouth that hinted at amusement. He was listening, waiting to see if Alex would back down at the sight of all this opposition and curiosity.
"My unit is being held at a stronghold hidden somewhere in these woods," Alex said calmly, tracing the basic area with one finger on the map in front of him before meeting the eyes of all those that were listening. "I can't tell you how to get there, that's not my job. I'm here to get you in and out of there in the quickest amount of time as possible."
"I still don't understand how you came to know this...stronghold, in the first place," Avery said apologetically.
Alex hesitated; then, strengthening his resolve he told them just how he came to know this building.
"Me and my unit were captured, held captive and-" a pang of remembered pain struck Alex and he clenched his injured hand that rested atop the table before continuing. "We were tortured through various means for what seems like months. Our capturers got too cocky as time passed. We were tired, hungry and losing hope. Unwittingly, they gave me a chance to escape, and I took it."
There was a silence that seemed heavy with the grim nature of everything Alex was speaking. Even Macleod had his head bowed, staring at the burgundy carpet under his feet that was dusty with disuse.
"My unit didn't get the same chance-I don't even know if they're still alive. I memorized as many details about the building as possible. I can get you to them; if you're willing to help without continuously questioning me, or doubting that I've earned the right to help in any way I can."
Guilt fleeted over a few faces like shadows, and Alex managed to keep a facade of patience up while he waited.
Avery was looking around, showing enough impatience for Alex and himself by the way he was shifting his feet and frowning.
A dark blond giant, not standing close enough to anyone to tell who he was friends with, suddenly grinned. He rocked back on his heels, arms crossing themselves before he began to speak, as if giving someone a chance to speak up before he did.
"I can't speak for anyone else, but I was ready to get the hell out of here about five hours ago."
Avery mirrored the giant's grin, "Leave it to Groceries to be the voice of reason." His joke led to several laughs and smiles, though Alex was left out from lack of familiarity with the group.
"Ready to save people and then attack the nearest ice box, no doubt," an Irish accented man said. Alex caught Groceries trying to looked irate, but not being able to pull it off due to the grin that split his face.
"First thing first, men," the Staff Sergeant spoke up, "We've got four men out there, suffering even as you joke about what to do afterward. No one is attacking anything except for their assigned jobs. I'm not telling you off, but I want this mission to go cleanly and with not so much as a paper cut upon any of you, understood?"
Patel paused, and their were nods of affirmation and a chorus of respectful "Yes, sirs".
"Good, now suit up. We move out in fifteen." The men spread out, and Patel went to Alex's side.
"I've got a vest that should fit you. Though we should not need it, I'm not taking any chances, I've got a feeling Jones would skin me alive if you got injured just because I didn't arm you well enough."
This made Alex smirk, though Patel's words did not fit his own ideas of Mrs. Jones at all.
Along with the vest, there was also some cameo pants in dark green, and a pair of boots that Alex was grateful to see as he remembered running through the woods with all its brambles.
After pointing out a bathroom that he could change in, Patel moved away so Alex could have some matter of privacy. Alex almost reached the bathroom door before he heard Patel speak words that sent a chill through him, and caused his hand to freeze upon the doorway.
"Remember men, dangerous murderer Yassen Gregorovich may be captive as well, possibly in the same room with K Unit. We want him kept alive for interrogation if he's not already dead."
...
Finding Nathan's house was not near as difficult as Alex was beginning to think it would be. The streets all looked the same after they got out of the town. Old fashioned, not used often, and one had to travel for miles before anything besides farming animals and vacant fields could be seen.
Going on instinct had worked so far for Alex, and with a little help from Lapenski, who had lived in the town for about five years, they were confidently heading towards their destination.
Lapenski was on break from service due to a shoulder injury he'd suffered a few weeks ago, he had been requested to join the mission because of his familiarity with the area.
In particular, his familiarity with Ashwood Forrest that Alex had ran out of a few day ago. Even the name Ashwood sounded mysterious and slightly creepy, it fit, Alex thought.
He sat beside Alex during the ride, they were right behind the driver to give directions and behind them, sat a disgruntled but quiet Macleod. Besides Macleod, Avery leaned forward with his arms crossed over the top of Alex's seat.
"Sargent Patel mentioned Gregorovich was possible imprisoned with your Unit, before you escaped were you sharing the same space with him?" Avery asked.
Understandably, Alex hesitated about telling anyone anything about Yassen. To them he was a murderer, a cold-blooded one with no concern for humanity and without any matter of civility. While it was true that he had killed, and would probably continue to do so, Alex still felt a sizable amount of concern for the Yassen he knew. The part that had shown concern for Alex's own well being, the part that was almost affable and had saved Alex's life out of respect for his father.
While far from guiltless, Alex did not want to see Yassen injured.
"Sorry, I didn't meant to pry-I'm just curious about men like Gregorovich. His mentality interests me. I mean, I ran across him a few years ago, it was completely by accident. He had the chance to kill me, but he didn't," Avery shrugged.
Alex nodded, and then answered Avery's earlier question. "Yeah, I shared a cell with Gregorovich and my unit."
"Had you ever heard of him before? I'm kind of ignorant about how long you've been doing whatever the hell it is you do," there was some humor in the last few words, but no smile on Avery's face.
This time, Alex's emotions were clearly visible, though he did not know it until Lapenski peered at him worriedly.
"You okay, kid?"
Alex nodded his head in affirmative, "Yeah, fine."
They did not believe him anymore than Alex did when Ian tried to convince him that there was a Tooth Fairy.
"Um, yeah, I'd seen him before." Alex worried at the calluses on his hands that came from weeks of living like he had. "He-he killed my uncle."
This was possibly the worst thing he could have said to push any awkwardness out of the air.
"I guess you have a better reason to want him captured than anyone else here."
Alex shrugged, "I'm more worried about my unit...they'd better be alright."
It wasn't the complete truth; of course he was worried about K Unit, but his concern over Yassen was not just a slight worry.
As the vehicle pulled closer to the lone cottage that Alex had only left a day ago, the men gathered around Alex quieted. The seriousness of the mission laid heavily on all of them.
The thick line of trees that stood just beyond the ditch sent a feeling of foreboding all through Alex. He'd tried so hard to escape the citadel that was hidden in the woods, could he really force himself to go back?
The truth that ran immediately through his mind made Alex grit his teeth, of course he could force himself to go back, he had to.
Conceding to this point, and the imaginary images of his broken and bleeding friends, Alex turned his attention to the others.
They had all escaped the cramped quarters of the vans and were waiting for orders from the Staff Sergeant who stood by himself, surveying the woods. One of the men that had been drinking with Macleod earlier in the meeting hall joined Patel. He was taller than the Staff Sergeant, and bent down just slightly to talk with him. With their heads bent together, one pepper colored and the other a rusty red, they conversed for a few minutes.
The cottage was obviously empty, Nathan having already left for work-or perhaps meeting Alex had scared him badly enough for him to have left the country. Either way, from the partially opened curtains, Alex could see that it was darker than a tunnel inside.
"-leave you to it, Hansel," the Staff Sergeant said in a louder tone of voice to the rusty headed man who nodded and gave a respectful farewell.
"I'm taking ten of you with me, we're moving in on the target from a different direction," the second part of that statement was for Alex's ears who had missed the first part of the meeting earlier that morning.
He had not expected this. Some made up vision of them crashing through the woods, causing the sick bastards to flee had planted itself in his head.
"You can't," Alex said, and Staff Sergeant Patel raised an eyebrow. "What I mean is, I was told you can only get to the complex by helicopter-or walking through the woods."
"Ahh," Patel said shortly, before stepping closer to Alex and saying softly. "Son, they lied to you. More than once, and this is one of those lies."
He stepped away with an apologetic look. Their number of persons was seriously reduced as the other van pulled away with the Staff Sergeant following in a separate jeep.
That imaginary vision burst with an inaudible pop, and Alex frowned.
Macleod's little henchman, who Alex realized had weasley eyes to match his tone, had started trodding off into the woods. Though he had not managed to annoy Avery earlier, he quickly had Hansel stalking after him, anger showing in his face.
"Idiot!" Hansel snarled, jerking the other man around. "Weller, you're walking all over my tracks. You," he said slowly, "follow me, not the other way around. Keep that in mind, why don't you?"
Without waiting for an answer from a very embarrassed Weller, Hansel started walking further into Ashwood Forrest.
"Come on," Macleod grunted from where he had come to stand near Alex, not looking at him as if disgusted that he even had to be in his presence.
"Hansel's a professional tracker," Avery offered as Alex followed Macleod cautiously.
Alex nodded, stepping over the ditch he had fallen into exhausted beyond belief.
For the next forty-five minutes, Hansel proved himself to truly be professional. With watchful eyes that caught things Alex couldn't see, he led them to their enemies backdoor.
There was no cutting up, no insults or whispered conversations. Anticipation and the thrill of a nearby threat hummed in the air to an almost audible degree.
Macleod was a constant shadow. In the late morning sunshine, Alex could see his own shadow moving slowly through the trees making as much noise as any gifted thief. Then, tagging along behind like a bigger, more threatening thief, was Macleod. His earlier animosity was gone, currently pushed to the side to be used later.
Just as he remembered, the grounds of the complex were unwalled. No fences to keep them out, and if his memory served him right, there were no cameras either.
Hidden just inside the woods, the group of armed men surveyed the target. It was a new sight for all except one.
Alex grimly waited, he felt sick with nerves. His last conversation with Careen had started running through his head. "Having lived in what I would assume the earthly form of hell would be like for the last month or two, you should have realized no one here cares about your life."
Alex suddenly wished he had hit her harder.
"Rider, stay close to Macleod. We're not allowed to arm you," Avery sounded suspiciously annoyed at that.
There was a pause, and then with Groceries and Avery leading the way, they emerged from the woods. In a matter of seconds, they were at the door.
"The hall is lighted usually, but if they turned them off you won't be able to see a thing," Alex whispered helpfully.
Avery nodded and switched on the small but powerful light atop his gun. "Just in case," he muttered and then signaled Groceries in first.
The hall lights had been turned off, and even though he hated the way they glared-Alex would rather have seen them on, then be forced to wonder why they'd been turned off.
Did Sawyer warn them for some reason Alex couldn't comprehend? Had they fled and taken K Unit and Yassen with them?
Alex swallowed his fear as they moved down the hall, his shoes scuffing along the linoleum. The hall split into two, and Groceries and Avery looked askance at Alex who nodded towards the left hall.
When he had not been talking during the ride to the edge of the woods, Alex had been mentally viewing these grim halls, pulling out details to lead himself and the team through the complex.
There team split into two later on, as Alex directed them to where he thought most of the scientists and guards had spent their time. With the six remaining men, they traveled deeper into the complex, and it got colder and started to smell of mold and unclean air. Under his feet, the floor changed to stone.
"I'm getting sick of this already-and you spent more than a month in here?" The question was aimed at Alex, but Alex didn't know the name of the man who asked.
"You should have seen it before they remodeled," Alex muttered, and got no reply for his bad attempt at humor.
"Does this bloody tunnel ever end-"
"-I bet my radio signal is blocked off here."
Alex did not remember these dank halls being so long. For the sake of his own pride, and not to mention his friends that were depending on him, he really hoped he had not taken a wrong turn. It was so dark, even with the powerful beams of light, that Alex was hesitant with each step.
The longer it took, the more Alex worried. His teeth were gritted so hard that his gums were slowly starting to ache. The only thing he could hear was the slow, cautious sounds of breathing and footsteps.
"Where the fuck are they all at?" Macleod grunted. Alex glanced behind him and saw how Macleod's eyes shifted to the darkest parts of the hall, and how his fingers clenched at his gun.
Paranoia had started to set in.
Groceries noticed it first. Perhaps his nose was more sensitive, with a nickname like his, it certainly seemed possible.
He'd stopped walking, and Avery had raised his gun to point forward into the darkness.
"What is it, mate?"
Groceries' reply was grim, "I don't know, but I'm not looking forward to finding out."
They found out all too soon. The answer came in the form of a door that was partially opened. After exchanging signals that Alex tried and failed to decipher, Groceries ducked inside with Avery and another soldier following after.
The smell was stronger outside the doorway, but when Alex entered the familiar room-he was immediately overpowered by the scent. He saw Groceries turn away violently, his face puce. Gagging sounds followed, and it was then that Alex saw what the light of Avery's gun revealed.
In the very cell that he had inhabited a matter of days ago, lay what could only be human bodies.
They piled almost on top of each other, no respect given to them even in death. There was no denying it now, these were corpses.
Something was stopping Alex from looking away even though he desperately wanted to.
There was a rushing sound in his ears, bile in his mouth and a horrible pain in his chest-but he couldn't look away until he heard Avery yelling.
The raised voice made it through to him, and Alex blinked frantically trying to clear the image from his mind. Even with his eyes shut, he still saw them.
He barely realized he was moaning in denial as Avery shouted again, "Get him out of here, now!"
There was some startled movements as Macleod turned his gaze away from the sight himself, and grasped Alex's arm with surprising care.
"C'mon."
Shaking his head dazedly, Alex refused to budge.
"You can't help them now, you did your part by leading us here. Now let me do my part."
Again he tugged and Alex held his place. "Not until I know it's them for sure, I have to know-"
The lights of the complex came back on and the single light bulb in that cell sang with the buzz of electricity.
"God," someone muttered as the scene came into better view. Alex suddenly found he couldn't look away from Macleod's shoe. He could not look again-he would not look-
"We'll have someone look at them, until then, I'm removing you from the room as were my orders." With that being said, Alex was carefully but resolutely moved out of the room.
Sympathetic glances and respectful eyes turning away to look at the floor burned Alex's eyes until finally, he just closed them and trusted Macleod to lead him away.
...
He'd been waiting here where Macleod had left him for what seemed like hours. Alex leaned against the side of the van, sitting on the ground with one hand holding his head and the other useless in his lap.
They still had not told him anything.
One thing was blatantly obvious, the complex was empty. Abandoned before they had arrived with no sign as to where they could have went.
There was a plastic cup full of water sitting beside him. Alex couldn't even say who had left it there for him. Besides the cup, there was a flask of a liquid much stronger and more fitting for the situation.
Hansel had left that with a look full of meaning and a hand on Alex's shoulder that managed to convey everything he had not bothered to say.
The only one around now was Macleod who was still under orders to not stray too far from Alex. The long haired man stood at a distance, his back to Alex. Whether he was still angry about getting stuck 'babysitting', or giving Alex space in the the most literal way possible, Alex did not know or currently care about.
When Staff Sergeant Patel showed up beside Alex sometime later, both the cup and flask were lighter.
Patel did not make Alex wait any longer than he already had. "Those weren't your friends, son."
Alex didn't reply. No words could thoroughly show how relived he was, and yet how terrified he still felt.
"We found identification. First names were all that was given on most of them; Gove, Trey, Michael, I believe there was a Jerry. Then, there was also a Dr. Lenor. Do you recognize any of them?"
Alex nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know them-but you're right, they weren't my friends."
Patel nodded, a movement laden with seriousness. "We'll find them, son."
...
True to his words; they did find them.
Alex waited there, feeling more useless and sick with every passing moment. Dread that they would find more corpses seemed to sink into every pore of his being.
Avery had joined him at some point to relieve Macleod of his guard duty for a while.
Together they sat in silence. Though Alex had only taken a couple of sips from the flask, Avery had sniffed it soon after joining Alex, and then determinedly poured it out with a crinkle of his nose.
"Hansel won't be happy," Alex muttered.
"He'll get over it."
Nothing was said for a long while, the afternoon sun warmed their skin, though Alex was having a difficulty enjoying anything pleasant. Rubbing at his hands, staring at the ground and just hoping occupied him for many long spans of time. The complex was large, but surely they had searched it by now? Where were his friends?
Raised voices was what first alerted them. Cries for a medic had Alex sitting up straight, and Avery had already stood and moved away. He was back in seconds, grim but hopeful.
The speed in which Alex stood up had him leaning against the van with one arm, staring at Avery just as the man said what he'd been waiting and hoping so hard to hear.
"We found your Unit."
Author's Note: Hola mi amigos! The evil guards, and Dr. Lenor are dead-but who killed them? Hmm... For those who have stuck around during my absence to see how this story will end, I can't thank you enough! It's been a very busy year, and school is the most important thing on my mind right now as it is my senior year! It's apparently going to be grueling too, joy! (I start school Monday, wish me luck!) I never realized how bad peer pressure is until I started going to a real school after being home-schooled for all my life. I never cared before what I wore or if my hair was longer than average. I was blessed enough last year though, to get good grades and make a few friends, :)
I have not given up on any of my stories! My laptop died, it was very sad, I held a funeral. I've been writing in my e-mail account so that I'll have chapters to write no matter what computer I'm on, lol. I've started to write letters this summer to friends over the world, most of which are in Australia, (Aussies rock!) does anyone here do snail mail? :D
I posted a new AR story called A Fool's Revenge, it's complete so no hast to wait for the next chapter! Thanks for all the patience and encouraging reviews! I can't believe this story is finally coming to an end! How many of you have been here since the beginning? A show of hands! I was reading this story, and had to wonder...why did anyone bother reading this? *Grin* Honestly, I must have been a very grim, angsty fifteen year old to write some of this! Hahaha! Next chapter: They found K Unit-but are they all alive? Sawyer makes another appearance, so Alex still has a chance to kick his ass! Woo! Oh, and we see Nathan...poor, poor dear. No one liked him anyway-right?
Taking the time to review, favorite, and put me on alert is really appreciated! Also appreciated, is the fact that no one has dragged out the duck tape to stop my long author notes!