Alex opened his eyes when he heard a muffled curse. Without announcing that he was awake, he carefully shifted so that he could see the entire room. The man who had cursed was sitting with his back towards Alex. He seemed to have bumped his head. Alex slowly crept out of bed, not making a sound. He ignored his body's signals that he was too injured for these movements. He crept towards the man, ready to attack, using the wall to hold himself up. When he was within range, he quickly took the man in a headlock.

"You're dead," he whispered.

"Haha, very funny, Cub. Let go," Eagle said, pulling on Alex's arms. "It's too fucking early for this!" he moaned.

Alex let go, sinking on the matrass next to Eagle.

"You're the one who signed up to join the army all those years ago. You should've known that they are some of those whackjobs who get up at the crack of dawn," Alex schooled Eagle.

Eagle picked up a pillow and smashed it softly in the teen's face. Alex almost stumbled backwards, off the bed. He barely managed to save himself.

Eagle smirked.

"Get dressed, kid, or you'll miss breakfast," he said. Alex smirked back and quickly dressed himself, before joining Eagle on his way to the breakfast hall. It was slow going.

He was at Brecon Beacons, the training camp that had been the start of his career at MI6. He was here recovering from the injuries he'd sustained in Mexico. Jones had made arrangements with his school so that Alex was allowed to take exams at the end of summer. He had almost two months of summer holidays. At a suggestion from his boss, he was going to spend those six weeks here. She hadn't forced him to follow any of the trainings. It was basically summer camp for him, and he could use some of the time to catch up on his classes. Tom had been a great friend, as ever, and had kept notes for Alex. He was safe here, and he would be allowed to take his time recovering from the kidnapping and subsequent torture. The SAS psychologist on site had scheduled weekly meetings with him. She'd come to see him in the hospital as well and was fully aware of everything he had been through. Or at least as much as Alex had shared with MI6 during his initial debrief.

He was very glad to be out of hospital now. He'd spent a week in the hospital in Texas, before he was stable enough to be flown back to the UK. He'd spent another week and a half in a rehabilitation centre for soldiers injured in battle, though he'd been kept in isolation all his time there. Only his doctor and two nurses were allowed access to him. So, understandably, Alex was pretty glum after his stint in rehab. He was glad to be out in the open, surrounded by people.

Alex hobbled into the breakfast hall. He was using a cane to support his damaged leg. Every step that he took, hurt, but he never showed the pain. He simply wanted to work through it. Eagle made a plate for Alex, and the two of them walked over to the rest of the unit. Alex had been introduced to Bear, the man that had replaced Fox, the day before. It was only his second day here. Alex had arrived last night. This was the first time he'd been in this breakfast hall since he was 14. He had no illusions that he would be treated any different now than two years ago. Yes, he was older and more mature. But still way too young to ever be a part of the SAS. Some of his injuries were on display for everyone to see.

Obviously, they all saw the cane and the limp that accompanied it. Alex's arm and shoulder were bandaged up. He was wearing a standard SAS uniform with short sleeves, so the bandages disappeared under the shirt. No one saw that they extended all over his torso and stomach area as well. Alex felt like a mummy. After breakfast, he was scheduled to go to the infirmary to change the bandages.

"Morning, sleepyheads. About time you two joined us," Wolf said. He smiled at Alex. "I know you have summer holidays, but you're still at a SAS camp, so no slacking."

Alex gave him a salute and a "Yes, sir," much to the amusement of the others at their table. Alex grinned back and started scooping up his breakfast.

The start of summer also indicated a new wave of recruits coming in. Some of them were fresh-faced. Others appeared to be older, more experienced, perhaps. But all of them were new recruits, straight from the British army. All of them had to pass selection in order to become a member of the elite SAS force. Currently, there were several seasoned units at Brecon Beacons. Their troop was preparing for long-term overseas training and after that a four-month deployment. These units, like K-unit, were allowed to leave on the weekends. Many men had families to return to. Wolf and Alex had already decided to stay at Brecon Beacons. The drive to London took too long. Jack had promised to visit a few times over the summer, staying in a nearby town for a weekend.

The first of the recruits started entering the mess hall. They didn't attempt to sit at the table with the two seasoned units. They understood the rules. As long as they were recruits, they wouldn't be friends with the SAS units.

Many of them looked at the seasoned veterans' table, though.

"Looks like you'll be the centre of attention again, Cub," Cheetah said. He was the medic for L-unit, whose members were sitting at the same table as K-unit. L-unit had been there at Alex's recovery in Mexico as well. They had worked alongside K-unit to retrieve Alex and hand been one of the units that stayed behind to clean up. Unlike K-unit, who had shipped out with Alex, this unit had seen the aftermath of the place where Alex had been tortured. They'd found pints of blood that belonged to Alex, dried on the floor and the walls of the torture chamber.

"Looks like it," Alex sighed. With the cane at his side, he now had twice the reasons for people to be looking at him. His age and his medical file. He just couldn't catch a break here, it seemed.

"Don't worry, we've got your back, Cub," Snake said. Alex looked at him and smiled, before continuing his breakfast.

"What's on the roster today, Wolf?" Eagle asked. Wolf, as team leader, was always responsible for checking their unit's schedule.

"Same as yesterday. Some fitness exercises. We get to show the recruits how it's done."

Wolf smiled. He loved showing off in front of recruits. He would've loved it even more if Alex could show off his skills, but the teen was in no shape to do so. Wolf's smile fell a little as his eyes shifted to Alex. Alex looked straight at him. 'I'm fine', he mouthed, insisting. Wolf had made him promise to say something if he wasn't feeling good or if he felt any pain. Any more pain than he already felt.

Alex's unit sauntered over to the obstacle course after breakfast. Alex wasn't allowed to compete, but he would assist the officer in charge of the exercise. The new recruits were already gathered in front of the obstacle course. Right on cue, as K- and L-units arrived, so did the commanding officer.

"Welcome to the SAS, gentlemen. I want you to take a good look at your left, and a good look at your right. Most of these men next to you will fail in the next weeks. Only 1 in 10 survives to become an SAS soldier. There is no shame in quitting. There is no shame in giving up. Only the best of the best join our ranks. If that is not you, then you should apply your skills to a place that can use them. The army has many positions that don't require you to be the best of the best."

The 200 recruits looked around, realizing that 10 percent meant that only 20 men would survive the rigorous training. Only four new units would be formed at the end of training.

"You will spend the next 8 weeks thinking they are the hardest thing in your life. They won't be. We are merely preparing you for life in the SAS. As these men can attest, the rest of your career here won't be a cakewalk. So when you feel like you cannot handle anymore, quit. Because it will only get harder."

"He sure knows how to motivate people," Alex whispered to Snake. Snake smirked.

"It's important that they know very well what's waiting for them. Being a part of SAS is not easy, and not many can handle it," Snake replied. He looked at Alex.

"You know, when you turn eighteen, maybe you want to join the army? And then you could also apply to the SAS. See for yourself what all the fuzz is about," he said. "You've done parts of our training. Some here, some, unfortunately, in the field." He was referring to the torture that Alex had withstood mere weeks before. "But you've never completed a full training course here. I'm fairly confident that you would, though." He smiled at Alex.

Alex mulled it over.

"I don't know if this is the life I want. It's why I was so adamant about getting my A-levels. I need to have options when I turn eighteen. I need to know that this doesn't HAVE to be my future, if I don't want it to be," he said.

Snake nodded in understanding.

The officer had finished addressing the recruits. He was now looking at K- and L-unit, who had sprung to attention. Alex stood next to them, back straight, but not saluting. As an MI6 agent, he didn't have to salute to the officer. Though he was wearing a SAS training uniform, he wasn't SAS. The recruits had no idea who he was and why he wasn't saluting, but since their commanding officer didn't comment on it, they couldn't either. Alex did get a couple of dirty looks and sighed. As K- and L-unit moved to the start of the obstacle course, Alex made his way to the officer.

"Cub," the officer nodded. All of the senior officers had been informed of Alex' presence at the camp, as well as the rough situation that had landed him here. No one knew the details of what had happened to Alex, not even the units. Wolf knew more than the others but was sworn to secrecy by Alex's psychologist. She only agreed to keep him informed because of his relationship with Jack, which made him a pseudo-parent, and his place as unit leader.

Alex leaned on his cane as the units made their way through the obstacle course. It took about fifteen minutes to complete on a good day. The observation deck Alex and the officer were standing on, allowed them full view of the entire course. Later, when the recruits attempted to cross the course, K- and L-unit would monitor the course on the ground.

The well-trained units had no issues crossing the obstacle course. After all, they were preparing for a training exercise abroad. They were expected to be in perfect shape and finetuned to a T.

Alex could see how well Bear fit into the unit. It all went seamlessly.

The first batch of recruits was ready to complete the obstacle course. All of them were army trained, most had seen combat first-hand.

"What is the passing rate after these first few days?" Alex asked the officer.

"Hmm… roughly 60 percent fail phase 1. We lose most of the recruits during the beast, which is a timed march over very demanding terrain. People have died doing this. After phase 1, they go abroad for specific training. We're sending them to the jungle in Brunei this year. Should be fun. Are you coming along?" he asked.

Alex shook his head.

"No, I have exams to prepare for and I need to use the time to recover. Plus, I don't think I'm cleared to go off base yet," Alex replied.

The officer nodded.

"I think you'd like it, though," he said.

Alex smiled.

"Yeah, Snake said something similar earlier."

"It's not for just any reason we would say that, Cub. Many of us have seen what you're capable of. If even half of the stories I've heard about you were true, then you're an amazing agent. And knowing what you withstood these past few months," he said, indicating the cane Alex was leaning on, "just goes to show what an incredible asset you are. If only you'd been a couple of years older, I'd have given MI6 props for finding you. They made mistakes in the way they handled things, but the results could not have been better."

Alex almost blushed at the compliments. He shifted his weight a bit but winced when that brought on more pain.

"Woah, steady there, soldier." The officer put a hand on Alex' shoulder to keep him from falling.

"I'm alright," Alex said, nodding to the officer in thanks.

They watched as the drill sergeant yelled at the recruits.

"They're used to this part, or at least they're supposed to be used to it. Lots of yelling in the army," the officer commented. "Those who fail here, have no place in the UK's military and it's in fact a miracle that they ever got into this program. We rarely lose recruits during this part."

Alex looked at the faces of the recruits. He could tell that they were uncomfortable but pushing through their discomfort in order to become a part of the elite SAS. He understood why many wouldn't welcome him in the camp. As far as they were aware, he hadn't withstood any of the rigorous training they were going through.

Then he noticed something. One of the recruits had a glint in his eyes. Alex could see his mental struggle from far away. That one wouldn't last much longer, purely based on character.

"You're losing one," Alex commented.

The officer followed Alex's gaze to the recruit.

"Hmm…"

Not even five minutes later, the recruit dropped to the ground without getting up. The drill sergeant started yelling at him in particular, getting him to stand up. The man didn't get up.

"You have a good eye," the officer told Alex. Alex simply shrugged.

"I could see it in his eyes. He was ready to give up," Alex replied. "He'd never survive RTI anyway. Not if he gets that look in his eyes at this stage."

The recruit finally rose to his feet. The drill sergeant not so gently told him to pack his bags and leave.

"Maybe you should consider a career as drill sergeant," the officer joked. Alex smirked.

"I don't think I'd ever be able to stomach that. I usually dislike those people. Can't really see myself become one," he said.

They looked on at the recruits in silence. After a while, Alex' leg started to really hurt. He shifted his weight again, leaning against a pole. The officer looked at him sideways.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's my leg. I've been standing on it for too long," he said. The officer nodded, and to Alex's surprise, called out to a nearby recruit.

"You! Find me a chair and bring it here!" he yelled.

The recruit saluted and sped off. Within three minutes, he returned with the chair. Alex gratefully took it and sat down. The relief was instant. The officer nodded at the recruit, who returned to the training exercise.

"Thank you," Alex breathed. He gently rubbed his leg, silently cursing the weakness. The officer didn't respond, he merely nodded his head in acknowledgement.

The drill went on for two hours. Alex paid attention all the time. Each time a team managed to cut down on their time, he went over their movements in his head. By the time the drill was almost finished, Alex was confident he knew the best ways to get past each obstacle. He'd learned a lot through simple observation.

"Comfortable, cub?" Wolf smirked when he saw Alex sitting on the chair. Alex decided to forgo military protocol and whipped his middle finger at Wolf. It earned him a few laughs from the rest of the unit, and to his surprise, from the officer who had seen the obscene gesture.

"He's all yours, Wolf. Though I don't know what you did to have him act so disrespectful towards you. It must be his instincts," the officer said with a wink to Alex.

Alex nodded his head at the officer, and then used his cane to get up. It was obvious that he was in pain, though. Snake quickly sidled up to him for support. Alex looked at him gratefully.

With Snake's help, he hobbled of the platform. His cane provided much needed support, and Snake let go once they reached the ground.

"Oh man, I hate this," Alex whispered under his breath, thinking no one would hear. Alas, Snake's super ears had caught it.

"You'll be fine, Cub. Soon, you'll be able to get rid of the cane. Your leg will heal. The rest will as well."

Alex knew he was referring to his state of mind. While the therapy helped, he was still very subject to his surroundings. He had trouble being alone, but he also didn't like strangers. He definitely hadn't been here long enough to get to know everyone, so his mind was still in a state of vigilance.

"Sooner rather than later, I hope," Alex replied sulkily.

"You can't rush healing, Cub. That's why you're here; so we can keep an eye on you. In a couple of days, we'll start with your physical training again. In the meantime, focus on your therapy and yourself. That's what's important right now."

"I know. And I like my therapist. She's just… she's very confrontational. She wants me to relive every second of what I've been through."

"I know for a fact that that's not true, Cub. She wants to help you, but you keep shutting down on her. And on yourself. How are you ever going to get better, if you don't talk about how you're feeling?"

"But that's the thing. I feel fine!"

Snake looked at Alex, not believing him for a single second.

"No, you don't. You can't feel fine. Not after something like that."

Snake hesitated.

"Honestly, Cub? You're scaring us."

Alex looked at Snake, surprised.

Snake explained. "You act like you don't feel bad, or sad. But you don't feel happy either. You don't allow yourself to feel anything. I think that's scary."

"So you'd rather I cry, and act out? Because that's what I'll do if I allow any of those feelings to come to the surface."

"Yes, Cub. I do. Think about it. Talk about it with your therapist. You don't have to show your feelings out here. But at least do it with her. And if you don't want any of us to know something, we will never know. She allows me and Wolf access to your file, but only those parts you choose to share with us."

Alex nodded, mulling this over.

"Fine."