Authors Note

Sorry for the long wait, I've been having some computer trouble, you should see me now. I'm sitting in front of my mom's computer with my laptop on my lap saving things to a CD and transferring it to my mom's computer. Glad you all liked the last chapter! We're getting closer to having my favorite chapter posted! Hehe well just to let you know I absolutely HATE torturing Alex so there probably won't be anymore of that but I felt like there had to be something. And the last chapter was not to make him seem weak; it was meant to make him seem strong. And if you want you can just cut out that part at the end at Brookland, it was retarded and as LilLupin (Sorry if I got it wrong I don't have internet access right now!) pointed out it sounded like a bad TV drama. Review!

Disclaimer: Everything recognizable belongs to Anthony Horowitz.

DLS- Dirty Little Secret- DLS

Chapter 13

Few hours from where we left off. Scorpia, 'dungeons'

I don't know how long I was out for but when I woke up it felt like my whole body was on fire. As a throbbing pain made itself present in my head I remembered what had just happened. I groaned and tried to sit up but a gentle hand pushed me back down onto the cool floor.

"Wha…" I tried to say as my eyes flickered open. I could make out two blurry figures hovering over me but that was it.

"Shhh," a soft feminine voice soothed me. Mom… "It's okay, you're safe now," she softly assured me as she smoothed a hand through my matted down sweaty hair. "We'll take care of you…"

"Alex this might hurt a bit," I heard dad say to me, warning me softly. I vaguely saw him dip a cloth into a bowl of water next to him than he carefully and slowly lowered the wet cloth to my neck.

At first the cool water felt heavenly against my burning flesh as it wiped away the dried blood but than it connected with the open wound. I moaned in pain and tried to squirm away from their hold on me but they held me down firmly.

"Alex we need to get you cleaned up," my dad told me as he set to work on my arm. I groaned again as fresh pain sliced through my arm, just like the knife that had cut me. I squeezed my eyes shut and my mom was stroking a soothing trail down my cheek. Finally after what had felt like a million years my dad said, "There, the bleeding seems to have stopped for the most part. I've done the best I can but I'm no doctor and I don't have and medicine or bandages." He rang the cloth out over the bowl.

"Why…" I trailed off, my throat was dry but I tried again. "Why am I in here? With you…"

"That man came back down with the guards. They were carrying you and you were unconscious and covered with blood. The man just laughed at the sight of you before ordering the guards to throw you in here."

"Oh…" was all I could manage.

"Alex," dad said next. "Can you… can you tell us what happened?"

I paused for a moment. "They took me into a small room. That man was there and a bunch of guards and the… video camera," I shuddered.

"Video camera?" Jack said. "What do you mea…"

"I'm not finished; they tied me to a chair and took off my sweatshirt. The man took out a knife and… he cut me. He said he wouldn't stop until I gave some emotion on indication of the pain. They were showing everything to my school and Mrs. Jones and Mr. Blunt and Wolf."

I don't know if anyone said anything, I rested my head back on the comfortingly cool floor and concentrated only on the throbbing pain filling my body. I guess now I really can't be a model, I thought wryly as I pictured the scars that were sure to cover my body later in life. That is if I got out of here alive though. I closed my eyes to rest my burning eyes.

"Alex?" A voice gently prodded back into reality and out of my thoughts. I opened my eyes slowly to see mom kneeling over me. When she saw my eyes open she said, "We'd really like to hear that plan of yours…"

In spite of my pain I couldn't help the smile that lifted the corners of my lips slightly. "You'll see soon enough." I turned my head and glanced in the direction that I believed my cell was. "That is if they put me back in my cell, other wise I'll have to start all over." Somehow I had a feeling that I wasn't quite up for breaking the tines off of a fork again.

"Aren't you going to tell us?" Lily's light, girlish voice whined.

I was silent for a moment before I replied, "Nope."

"When are you going to get us out?" She asked next.

"As soon as I have some strength back," I answered.

"And how long until that happens?" She made it sound like she'd be waiting another 10 years.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. I heard Lily sigh. "But I'll tell you one thing; nothing keeps me out for long. I heal fast and I'm hard to kill."

"So we can go home soon?" Lily asked brightly and there was hope radiating off her voice. She sure didn't sound like she'd been locked up for 13 odd years or so.

I was silent for a moment as I thought about her words. Did I even still have a home to go home to? Undoubtedly I could never go back to my school, probably never my house either. "Well I'll get you out of here soon," was my carefully chosen reply.

Dad seemed to notice that I didn't say we'd all go 'home' soon. "Do you not want to go home?" he asked questioningly.

"It's not that it's just…" I trailed off. "I don't really think I have a 'home' to go to."

"What do you mean?" Uncle Ian asked me. "Did something happen to the house?"

"No but who knows if it's even still standing now? And I can't go back to my school, that one's a given. I'll probably never see my friends again either…" I trailed off. Man that would suck big time. I honestly can't picture going to a school without Tom, Dylan, Ben, Ty, Ky, Riley and Blake there.

Mom seemed to notice my hesitation. "Tell us about your friends," she urged me.

I smiled. "Well first there's Tom, he's my best mate. He was with me in Venice when I found Scorpia for the first time. I suppose you already knew about that right?" I asked awkwardly.

"We did," Uncle Ian confirmed.

"That's what I thought. Tom helped me sneak into the Widow's Palace, it was awesome, I'll tell you about that some other time. Than there is Tyler and Kyle, Ty and Ky for short, they're twins and the school's best pranksters," I laughed at the memory of some of the things they had done to the unsuspecting over the years. "There's Ben, he's the athlete, we were all athletes but he plays like every sport the school offers. Than there's Blake, Riley and Dylan, the girls in our group. Blake's the soccer star, Riley's the artist and Dylan's the musician, she's brilliant on the drums and the flute." Dylan played the drums and the flute, you can't get two more different instruments than those but she played them with grace, style and quite truthfully she rocked.

"So which one's your girlfriend?" Dad asked. "With my amazing looks you've got to have girls beating down your door."

I laughed with everyone else before saying, "I actually don't have one. A girlfriend a mean. I'm hardly ever at school as it is and most people think I'm a juvenile delinquent or a gang banger since I always come back injured in some way and nobody ever knows where I go."

"What about that girl Sabina Pleasure?" Jack asked.

I snorted but immediately regretted it when I jarred my neck and the wound there started to hurt again. I groaned, Scorpia really knows how to make you comfortable don't they? "I'd hardly call her a girlfriend Jack," I said. "First off she now lives in California in the United States and secondly she didn't believe me when I told her I was a spy. That is, not until she had a gun held to her head by Damian Cray and I saved her. That convinced her. But we were just friends." Well that was basically true. I mean I had liked her and all and we had kissed but just once and besides, I haven't spoken to her in months.

I tried to sit up but as soon as my stomach muscles contracted fresh pain lanced through me and I remembered that cut on my side. "Bad move. And lying back down… now," I groaned as I lowered myself back to the floor. Mom knelt down next to me and smoothed back my hair.

"Yeah, you might not want to do that just yet," dad told me.

"Now you tell me," I groaned through gritted teeth.

"John it's bleeding again," mom whispered and traced her long, slender fingers along my chest. I realized that I could indeed feel the blood trickling down my chest again. I felt like I was going to be sick as I remembered the man whipping the blade along my face to clean the blood off.

"We should clean them again," dad said as he reached over and pulled the bowl with water in it back over to my side. "It's the best we can do." He pulled the cloth back out and rung the excess water out over the bowl. My stomach churned as I saw the blood stained cloth and the red water dripping into the bowl. I clenched my eyes shut and took a deep, shuddering breath as I was hit with a wave of nausea. As the drops of cool water hit my chest I could almost hear them sizzle from the heat off of my burning chest. If these get infected I am so screwed. I twitched in pain but was able to keep still. After all, this was a walk in the park compared to before and I kept my mouth shut then so I could defiantly do it now to.

By the time all the gashes made from the knife had been cleaned my body was shaking in fatigued. Oh how I wished I could have a hot, home cooked meal, take a hot shower, put on my most comfortable pajamas and go to sleep in my nice, soft bed. But here I am anyway in my reality of cold floors, pain, suffering and disgusting food.

"Are you okay Alex?" I heard a new female voice say after I was silent for a few minutes. I'm pretty sure that it was my Aunt Susannah. "I mean besides the physical injuries."

I could have said that I was fine but what would the point have been? "Not really," I said honestly. "This sucks."

"It does," she agreed softly.

I felt guilty, here I was complaining about only a month when they'd all been in here for up to 15 years!

I was about to reply when a pack of guards burst down the aisle stopping in front of my parents cell, the one I was in. A figure emerged from the bulky forms of the guards and unlocked the cell door.

"Family times over," Mr. Jenkins said as he swung the door opened and the hinges screamed in protest. "Young Mr. Rider's cell is getting lonely without him." If I could see I would bet everything that I had that there was a smirk on Mr. Jenkins's face and that he was loving every second of this.

"Please," mom pleaded softly. "Don't take him…"

"Shut up you stupid bitch!" Mr. Jenkins exclaimed and lashed out with his boot clad foot and struck her in the shoulder sending her falling backwards. "And you," he snarled in the direction of my dad who looked absolutely livid and ready to pounce on the man. "Don't say anything if you want your wife to stay with you and your son to live a little longer. What is it with you Rider's and never being able to do things the easy way?" he spat.

He reached down and grabbed my arm where the gash was and yanked me up. My body screamed in protest and pain and my eyes watered from the sheer amount of fiery pain that came from where he was squeezing my arm. He pulled me out of the cell and slammed the door shut behind him. I couldn't support my body's weight with the little to no strength I had and almost collapsed. Mr. Jenkins jerked me up and pulled me to the entrance of my cell and kicked me in. I lay on the floor quivering from the sudden cold and Mr. Jenkins stood over me with a sick grin on his face.

"Now isn't this more fun than learning about Napoleon Bonaparte and his effect on France?"

"Every time you open your mouth something boring comes out," I said back.

This was apparently not the reaction Mr. Jenkins had been hoping for and he kicked me in the chest with his steel toed boot, but than again I had a feeling that he would have done that no matter what I said. The boot connected dead center with the gash on my chest and all the air was forced out of me as my chest began to throb and every throb sent a wave of pain over my body. It would subdue for a split second before returning stronger and more powerful than ever.

Mr. Jenkins seemed to soak in my pain like a sponge soaks in water. He let out a long, loud wicked laugh before turning on his heel and marching out of the cell. The door slammed with a bang that echoed off the bare walls.

When they were gone I collapsed onto the floor with a thud. I wished I had my sweatshirt or a shirt or something. It was really cold.

"Alex?" mom said frantically and pressed herself against the bars of her cell that faced mine. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you more?"

My reply was a groan; it was all I could manage.

They continued talking to me but I ignored them. The pain was so intense that I couldn't even comprehend what they were saying anymore. The cement floor felt strangely cool and comfortable against my burning body.

DLS- Dirty Little Secret- DLS

Middle of the night

When I woke up the next morning or afternoon or night or whatever time of day it was I felt stiff and sore all over. My limbs ached all over when I tried to move my arms and legs and even when I was lying still. When I finally managed to pull myself to a sitting position whatever had managed to start heeling while I was sleeping broke open again and the pain seared through my stiff body like a river.

"Alex?" Uncle Ian called out apparently hearing my commotion. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

"Like I was run over by a truck," I replied dryly. "And a bus and a train and than someone decided it would be fun to throw me off of a cliff and than proceeded to drop me out of an airplane, with no parachute. I can come up with more if you would like."

Uncle Ian laughed, "No that's quite alright, I believe I get the picture. I suggest you just relax today, don't move around a lot."

Boy oh boy did I ever have a fun and exciting, full of adventure day a head of me! Note the sarcasm. "If that man doesn't call for me again."

"I don't think he will," Uncle Ian said but I could tell that he was unsure about it and was just saying that to make me feel better.

"So what's everyone else doing?" I asked as I noticed the quiet. "Are they still asleep?"

"Yeah," Uncle Ian replied. "I think it's around midnight or so maybe early morning."

"Oh. When we get out of here I'm going to have some serious jet lag… well whatever. You get the point."

"Yeah I know what you mean." Uncle Ian paused for a moment before continuing, "So who's this guy you keep talking about named Wolf?"

"Wolf? I met him when I went to the SAS training camp for the first time; I was in his bunk, Unit K. He didn't like me much at first, awarded me the nickname 'Double O' Nothing'." I got a laugh from Uncle Ian at this. "He tried to get me 'binned' several times but I ended up saving his career in the end so that put us on good terms. Than he helped me out in one of my missions, the one at Point Blanc Academy. We became pretty good friends and both other times I've been to training camp I've been in his unit and he helps me out, like when I first went back after I was shot he helped me get back into shape. He's kind of like the brother I never had."

"I think I may have seen him while I was in training camp. He's younger right? Early to mid twenties?"

"Yeah."

"Well I think I remember him but you'll have to introduce me sometime when we get out of here." I noticed that he kept saying 'when' we got out not 'if' we got out. Well it was nice to know that I had someone's support.

"Sure thing." I had a thought that I'd occasionally wondered about before when I had first started working for MI6, "Hey Uncle Ian? What was your code name?"

Uncle Ian laughed, "My code name? Man I haven't thought about that in the longest time."

"Come on tell me!" I urged. "It can't be worse than mine. Mine's 'Cub', MI6 thinks they're just so hilarious."

Uncle Ian laughed again before replying, "Okay well my codename was Dingo."

"Cool, any particular reason?"

"Yes, the first assignment they sent me on was in Africa (a/n: there are Dingo's in Africa right? If not than substitute 'Africa' with a place that has them, it doesn't really matter and I'm globally/culturally/geographically challenged so I don't know where anything is!). I can easily see the story behind your name." I couldn't see him that well in the darkness but I could tell that there was a smile on his face.

"Yeah well mines obvious. What was my dads?"

"I think he should tell you that for himself, codenames are personal information."

"Okay," I agreed knowing full well that he was right.

Uncle Ian yawned and than said, "Well I'm going to try to get some sleep, you should to. You need your strength back if you plan on doing what you told Lily you were going to do."

"You're right," I said attempting to suppress a yawn but failing miserably.

Uncle Ian noticed this and laughed softly, careful not to wake the others. "Goodnight Alex."

"Night Uncle, it's really great to be able to talk with you again," I added.

"Same here Alex, though the circumstances are not the best I'm glad I've gotten to see you again. I'm proud of you."

I grinned, "Thank you," I said before I 'carefully' lay back down on my back. Carefully being the key word. "Yep that was me getting hit by a soccer mom in a minivan."

Uncle Ian chuckled, "Good night Alex," he said again.

"Night," I replied again before I settled onto the cold, hard floor. Soon I drifted off into a much needed, deep and refreshing sleep. Well as 'deep and refreshing' a sleep you can get when locked in a place worse than prison, it was more like hell.

DLS- Dirty Little Secret- DLS

Three days later

"Where is it?" I mumbled to myself as I felt around in the crevices in the wooden bench. My fingers finally found the cool metal; aha I knew it was here.

I pulled the fork out and than staggered stiffly to the cells door. I had followed Uncle Ian's advice, well somewhat, and just lay down for a whole day but that quickly got boring. Luckily, no one has been sent down for me since than. I was still really stiff and sore though but the gashes were beginning to show signs of healing back together but whenever I turned my head or bend down or pick up my arm they would all break open again. But I had regained some strength and was almost ready to break out.

I gripped the fork in my right hand as I slipped my left hand through the narrow bars. Once my fingers had located the key hole I moved my right hand next to it. I held my breath as I stuck the reaming one tine of the fork into the hole, if it didn't fit that was it. It was all over.

I let out my breath when the tine slid easily into the hole. I wiggled it around a bit until I heard the faint but unmistakable click of the lock opening.

"YES!" I exclaimed loudly in excitement.

"Does it work?" Lily asked anxiously.

"Yep," I said proudly. I pushed on the door and opened it a crack. Even that little crack admitted a shrill screech and I quickly closed the door again making sure it was locked.

"So when are we going?" Lily asked anxiously.

"Well, a few days maybe." She groaned. "Hey, I'm not ready just yet; opening the door's only the first part."

I had saved the butter from all my meals and had instructed the others to so the same. Judging by the noise the door made when only being opened a little we were going to need all the help we could get.

Just than I heard a commotion in the hall and it was getting closer to us.

"Alex," Alex I hissed at me in warning.

I leaped over to the bench as best I could and stuffed the fork back into its hiding spot before I dropped to the floor in the middle of my cell. Oh the pain…

I sat quietly trying to be invisible just incase they were coming for me.

Two guards came storming down the aisle dragging someone between. What struck me as off was that the person wasn't even struggling against them.

They stopped at the cell on the other side of me and shoved the captive into it. The guards turned on their heels and marched away without saying anything.

The new arrival stood up off of the ground after a moment and brushed himself off casually. He stretched and looked around his cell and his surroundings. He seemed very familiar, slightly on the short side, well built, muscular. He moved with a confidence, grace and ease that I was positive I'd seen before.

Almost as if he could feel my eyes on him the man turned and faced me. I'm almost certain that a grin spread across his face. A familiar, deep masculine voice said, "Hello Cub..."

A/n: I know it's short and not that great but I hoped you liked it anyway! I'll try to update sooner! Review!