Authors Note

I have just watched the trailer for Stormbreaker a zillion times, it's AWESOME! I can't wait for the summer! Alex Pettyfer is SO hot! Damian Lewis (Yassen Gregorovich, you gotta love that guy) isn't too bad either… ahem.

I hardly got any reviews for the last chapter, if something's wrong with the story than please tell me! Constructive criticism is a good thing, just don't tell me that I'm a horrible writer or something… but if you must than you must, knock yourself out.

Well now it is the time in every story when there are only like three chapters left. So sequel or no sequel? I had an idea for a sequel but I kind of am using it in 'Triple Threat' my new Alex Rider story, you should read it! But if a sequel is wanted than I could think of something, let me know!

Just for some pure randomness, you want to know my new favorite band? Panic! At the Disco. Damn they're good. I Write Sins Not Tragedies it the best song and the video is great to! The music is REALLY good, it's not like just guitar and drums, it's different than most bands music. The vocals are amazingly good to. It's really catchy. It helps to that every one of them is wickedly hot. So anyways you should really get their CD 'A Fever You Can't Sweat Off', it's really good. Panic! At the Disco is your new obsession, that's all there is to it. This band is going places and they are going to be BIG. The end.

Well I've just written a novel for my 'author's note' (I'm in a chatty mood today for some odd reason) and I could still write more but I'll spare you and so I think I'll get on with the chapter now. Hope you like it! Review! -Steph

Disclaimer: Everything recognizable belongs to Anthony Horowitz.

Dirty Little Secret

Last Time

"Cub?" Wolf's voice called out to me.

"Hold on," I said to my parents. I had been talking with them. I turned to face Wolf who was kneeling in back of the bars on his cage that faced mine. "What?"

Wolf's hands were loosely holding onto the bars in front of his body and a wolfish grin spread across his face as he spoke. "It's time."

Chapter 15

"What?" I asked slowly not wanting to get my hopes up right away and just end up disappointed.

Wolf's grin would have made even an actual wolf jealous and turn green with envy. "It's time Cub. Let's blow this joint."

"Yes," I hissed. I stealthily (a/n: that's my new favorite word so you may see it a few times in this chapter) crept over to the bench and pulled out that god damned fork. I inserted it into the door and than I remembered. "Damn butter," I said through gritted teeth. I was tempted to just bypass the butter and get the hell out of here but we have six cells to get out of and the noise of one door opening could wake the dead and the guards aren't that thick headed that they wouldn't hear that. I ejected the fork from the hole and dropped it into the pocket of my dirty jeans. I backtracked back to the bench.

"In a hurry Cub?" Wolf asked as he chuckled lightly.

"Pardon me if I don't want to stay in this hell hole any longer," I retorted as I smeared the butter on the doors hinges. The greasy texture was smooth and slimy under my fingers. The dirt and grit from my hands marred its once light yellow coloring, turning it a murky brown.

I felt eyes on me so I said, "If you want out than get the butter!" I heard commotion in the neighboring cells as the attendants scrambled to prepare for departure.

"Alex, Wolf, can you here us?" Blunt's voice sounded in my ear.

"Yes," Wolf and I answered in unison.

"Good. I suppose Wolf has already told you that it's time to make your escape than?" Blunt asked.

"Yes," I said as I stretched up to smear butter on the top hinge. From the slight stretch I felt the heeling gash on my ribcage strain against the crust it had formed as it closed back together but I was relieved that this time it didn't break open, again.

"Hurry and get everyone out of the cells," Mrs. Jones said this time. "There's no one near you right now but we don't know how long it will be until someone comes. There's no time to waste."

I went to work more diligently, taking Mrs. Jones's words to heart.

Once all the butter I had saved up over the weeks was gone and distributed equally among the two door hinges I fished the fork out of my pocket. I shove it into the key hole and fiddled around with it. I subconsciously held my breath, I knew it worked but it was nerve raking, those few seconds when nothing happened. When the lock finally clicked open I let out my breath and applied slight pressure to the door with my hands.

The metal door swung open slowly. A small squeak cut through the tense atmosphere. I cringed at the noise like it was a gun shot but I knew it wasn't loud enough to attract the guards' attention. All in all I thought I had done a pretty damn good job.

I stepped out of the door and closed it slowly behind me. I grinned it satisfaction as it clicked back shut. "I'm free!" I said gleefully as I looked around the dark, dank dungeon.

"Not quite yet Cub," Wolf said from next to me. I looked over in surprise and saw him standing next to me.

He held up something that looked strangely like a key, ridges and all. He grinned as he said, "It told you I had a key didn't I?"

"Right," I said as I moved to the front of my parents' cell. I jiggled the fork around and the lock clicked open. I slowly opened the door and was greeted with a mere squeak. I wanted to stay and see my mom and dad but I knew we had to hurry and that we had no time to waste so I moved onto the next cell in line, Greg's, Paul's and Lily's.

"Do you have everyone?" Blunt asked after I had unlocked the final cell, Uncle Ian's.

"Yes," I replied as I watched Wolf shutting each cell door slowly.

"Is everything set?" Wolf asked as he came and stood next to me.

"Yes," Blunt said. "Go up the stairs but be careful there are two guards guarding the top. Wolf," Blunt started, "You and Alex might want to go first."

"Kay," I responded and glanced at Wolf. He nodded. "Be right back," I said and I followed Wolf down the aisle.

Wolf stopped me at the base of the staircase. He turned to me and said in a low voice, "They're probably not paying much attention but you can't be sure. Just be quiet when going up the stairs. You get the one on the right and I'll get the one on the left. Just knock them out so they can't call for help." He paused and I could see him grin in the faint light. "We can do this Cub."

I grinned back widely. "Let's go," I said briefly. Fortunately, the stairs were made of the same cement as the floor in the, for want of a better word, dungeons so we didn't have to worry about wood creaking. I crept up the stairs, hanging one behind Wolf and hugging the right wall.

The stairs spiraled upwards, man I'm beginning to think that this is like some medieval castle or something.

Wolf put out a hand in front of me to signal for me to stop when we had just about reached the top of the staircase. I slowed and pressed myself flat against the wall. I noticed Wolf do the same on the wall opposite me. He motioned with his hand to continue moving. He started up slower than the last time, taking great care in where he placed his combat boot clad feet. I followed suit and balanced nimbly on the toes of my Converse All Stars. My bare back slid against the cold, rough stone of the wall as I slid along it. I could fell the rock pierce the skin in several spots but I ignored the pinprick and kept on moving forwards. What did a few more cuts and scraps matter to me anyway?

At the top of the stairs the wall jutted out a bit on either side and in the middle was the door. I pressed my body into the corner and Wolf did the same opposite me. Wolf risked a quick glance around the corner and his observant eyes took in what was to see in a matter of seconds before he pressed it back against the wall behind him. He nodded slightly at me, indicating that I should take a look now.

I steeled myself before tilting my head forwards the slightest bit. I peered around the door frame, the door was opened and leaning against the wall. Just as Blunt had said there were two guards guarding the top of the stairs. Well they weren't actually 'guarding' per say. They had their backs to us and seemed to be congregated around a handheld television or something that was emitting noise. There big, black military guns were leaning unthreateningly against the wall, well out of the guards reaches. I looked back at Wolf, laughing within myself, out of all the terrorist organizations in the world I would have suspected that Scorpia had better security.

In the glint of the light streaming through the doorway from the hall I saw Wolf's dark eyes dancing with laughter.

The guards shuffled around and laughed. I froze pressing myself as close to the wall as I possibly could, I closed my eyes and pretended I was invisible. After a moment I peaked around the door again and was relieved to see that the guards were still facing the other way, looking absorbed in whatever it was that they were looking at.

I turned my head away and glanced at Wolf. I nodded and he looked around the corner for a second. When he turned his head to face me again he picked up his hand and pointed at his chest and than pointed in the direction of the guard that was standing on the left. He pointed at me and than at the guard on the right. I nodded in understanding. Wolf held up three fingers in front of his body and steadily counted down.

3…2…1…

When all three fingers had been lowered Wolf crept forward through the door and I followed behind him. We stood shoulder to shoulder as we exited the stairwell and stealthily moved towards the guards' unsuspecting backs on silent feet. Any noise we made, which wasn't much to begin with, was covered up by the noise of the guards' entertainment.

As we came directly upon the black clad backs of the guards I balanced my weight on the balls of my feet before I lunged at the guard that I had been assigned to. He grunted in surprise and I immediately locked a hand down and over his mouth and his noise. He tried to throw me off of him and went for his gun but I used my other hand and with all the strength I could muster I pressed on the pressure point right at the end of his stubbly jaw. Almost immediately he went limp and toppled to the floor like a rag doll. As soon as he fell I lent down next to him and put one of my knees across his throat, applying a steady pressure. My precautions were not needed however, seeing as the guard was out cold. I stood up and brushed off my hands in triumph. I looked at Wolf and saw that his guard was also lying motionless on the ground. Their little television was left where it had fallen, blaring out the score of the rugby game they had been watching.

Wolf moved silently across the floor to the wall where the guns were propped. He grabbed one and slung it across his back before picking up the second and tossing it to me. I caught it easily but the weight surprised me. Well what do you expect? I instantly berated myself. You've been locked up and starved for God knows how long. You're obviously not going to be in shape right now!

I put the guns strap over my shoulders and gritted my teeth as the nylon strap irritated the gashes on my ribcage and on my neck.

"Well done," Mrs. Jones's voice said inside my head and Wolf's to I'm assuming since I saw him nod. "Now Wolf you stay and guard the door while Alex goes back down and gets the others."

I moved back to the doorway and Wolf positioned himself in front of it before I disappeared down the winding staircase. I trailed my hand along the wall as the light from outside dimmed and I was engulfed in dark.

When I ascended the bottom of the stairs I walked down the aisle to the group of people that I could just make out in the dim lighting standing at the far end of the room. They did not hear my approach and started slightly when they saw me standing in front of them but relaxed when they saw that it was me. I put my finger to my lips as a sign for them to remain quiet and than gestured for them to follow me. There footsteps echoed surprisingly loud against the barren room, seeming to bounce off the walls. It was a drastic contrast to my silent, undetectable footsteps. I noticed that my dad and Uncle Ian were walking much the same way as I was. I guess that once you were trained as a spy you were always a spy and the training never left you, no matter how long it had been since you put any of it into action.

We walked single file up the stairs, I led. Once we reached the top Wolf turned around. The gun was held at a ready stance in front of his body but he lowered it slightly when he saw that it was just me and the others but he still had it up a little. He moved to the side and we filed into the open room the guards had been in. the guards were still lying on a heap on the floor though I noticed that now they weren't breathing and there was a small but growing puddle of red blood surrounding them. I glanced at Wolf and he just shrugged before gesturing to his gun and than to me and than holding it in front of his body.

Following Wolf's example I slid the gun to the front of my body and raised it in front of myself.

"Where are we going now?" Wolf whispered suddenly.

"Go through the hallway off the left side of the room," Blunt's voice said in my head in a response to Wolf's question. "It's not the shortest way but there aren't any guards for a good while. Alex you led and Wolf will cover the back."

"Hurry," Mrs. Jones's frantic voice said next. "There isn't much time and surely we don't have any to waste."

I looked around the room for the first time and noticed that there were three hallways branching off of it. I headed directly over to the left side of the room and looked down the hallway. The floor was stone and the walls were lined with pictures of men, children and women. I gulped as I realized that they had to be all of Scorpia's victims, people they had murdered. I shuddered at the sheer number of photographs covering the walls and at the fact that stood out, painstakingly obvious in my head, that wasn't all of them. The other hallways must be 'decorated' much the same. There were lone light bulbs hanging from the ceiling that admitted a strange foreign glow but it was enough light to see by and for that alone I was thankful.

"Right now you're underground so you have to go up a floor to find a door out," Blunt told Wolf and I. Underground? Than how were there… the windows in the cells were fakes, 'teasers' if you will.

I led the group down the hall as fast as I dared. When we were about halfway down the hallway I could make out a turn in the hallway at the end.

"Stop there," Blunt suddenly said in my head. As ordered I stopped. I wasn't someone who particularly liked being ordered around by people but as a spy I had to live with it. Also, at times like this orders can save your life. I can't see what or who is around that corner or who may be watching us. Blunt and Jones were my 'spotters'. It was just like in racecar driving (a/n: I would have said NASCAR but do they have that in England?), the driver had a spotter that was positioned above the cars so they could see what was going on around their car and report it to the driver.

"There's a guard around the corner," Blunt said. I filled with regret. "Just one though," Blunt added. Well I guess that makes it a little better. "Alex, you're going to go ahead, do what you will. Wolf, you're going to come forward and take Alex's spot in front."

I waited until Wolf was standing by my side before I walked forward. Before I started forwards I raised my gun into a ready position knowing what I had to do. I stealthily crept along the wall. When I reached the turn in the wall I took a deep breath before I stepped boldly into the next hallway. I readied my gun and faced the guard.

The guard had been turned with his back towards me but on hearing the safety of the gun click off he turned around, a look of pure shock on his face as he took in the image of me, all 5 feet 8 inches of my bloodied and bruised body and my bare chest. I pointed the muzzle of the gun at the center of his eyes and before he could react I pulled the trigger. The bullet hit its intended target dead on and the guard fell to the floor. He was dead before he even hit the ground below him. He lay motionless, his cold ice blue eyes staring at the ceiling.

"Fine job Alex," Blunt said inside of my head. "Take his gun and give it to Ian. He'll be the most fit out of him and your father." I nodded and knelt beside the dead mans body. I shifted his body so that I could remove the gun. I was prepared to walk away when Blunt stopped me, "Alex wait. In the inside of his jacket there's an automatic. Get it and give it to your father." I knelt besides him again and unzipped the heavy black jacket he had been wearing. Sure enough, strapped to his side was a 9mm hand pistol. It reminded me of the one that I had had.

I rounded the corner and headed back towards Wolf. Everyone was standing silently against the wall. I silently handed the bulky military gun to Uncle Ian and he shouldered it without question. Than I handed the 9mm to my dad and he shifted it between his hands before settling it into his right hand. He smiled tightly at me before I rejoined Wolf at the front of the group.

"Wolf you take the lead now and Alex will cover the back," Blunt ordered us. "The hallway is now clear for a fair distance. I'll tell you when to stop."

As we set off down the hallway I frequently turned my head to check our back. As we passed the fallen guard I heard a few light gasps and Lily shifted into her father's side as she moved past the dead body that had blood seeping out of his head. I kept my gaze focused resolutely forward and refused to acknowledge the eyes that turned to me.

The hallway we were in now was practically a carbon copy of the one we had just vacated. There was a silence that was eerie and nerve racking.

After walking in the silence for a minute or two the hallway came to an abrupt end. The only thing there was a single metal door. I tried the handle and was not overly shocked to find that it was locked. I found the keyhole but saw that it was much too small for my fork to fit into.

"Through that door is a staircase. Wolf and Alex will go up the stairs. John and Ian will guard the rest; them being the most able bodied and have been trained by us. The lack of guards so far will be made up at the top of the stairs, there are ten guards." My heart sank. Ten guards? Two against Ten? That was cruel and unfair.

Wolf pulled something out of his pocket and I immediately determined it to be one of those special keys he had been telling me about the other day and inserted it into the keyhole. After a moment he twisted the key in the hole and than tried the doorknob and the knob turned freely under his hand.

I turned to my dad and Uncle Ian and said as soft as I could to them, "We'll be right back, till than you're in charge." They just nodded in response and remained quiet.

I stepped back to Wolf's side and he glanced down at me. "Have your gun at the ready," he warned me in a low voice. "There's nothing else we can do, we're too drastically outnumbered."

I nodded my head to show that I was ready and that I understood. Wolf pulled open the door slowly; it didn't make a single sound. Wolf disappeared into the darkness and I follow him, leaving the door slightly ajar. This staircase was much the same as the as the one leading up from the 'dungeons'. The only difference was that this one was slightly wider. This time we were able to climb side by side. About five stairs from the top we stopped and were faced with another door.

"The guards are on the other side of the door," Blunt told us. "They all have guns and from what we can tell they seem more on top of the game than the others. Be careful," was his final, very un-Blunt like warning.

Wolf took another one of those keys out of his pocket and inserted it into the narrow keyhole. After a moment he turned it lightly and there was the gentle click of the lock opening. It was so faint that I had barely even heard so I was willing to bet that the guards hadn't heard it over the talking and laughter I could hear coming from the other side of the door.

"Ready Cub?" Wolf turned to me and spoke softly.

"As ready as I'll be," I said through gritted teeth. "Let's do this Wolf."

Wolf nodded before turning back to the door. He slowly turned the handle. He paused for a moment, I took the time to take a deep breath and steel myself, and I noticed Wolf doing much the same. This time was different from the other two times we had been confronted by guards. Now the odds were two to ten and we no longer had the guarantee of winning.

Before he swung the door open Wolf turned to me. "Immediately when I open the door start firing your gun," he instructed me. "Don't wait; don't look at who you're shooting at. Just do it. It's the only chance we have to succeed."

I nodded numbly as I cocked the gun against my shoulder. My finger resting lightly on the trigger but it was ready to leap into action the second the door opened.

"3…2…1…" Wolf counted down. When he reached one he swung the door opened with all his might and it crashed against the stone wall behind it. As soon as I saw something other than the metal of the door I opened fire. The gun I was holding spat out the bullets at and alarming rate. Three seconds later I heard Wolf's gun join in with the racket mine was making. Five men fell and another three were hit but stayed up. We had eliminated half of our enemy before they even had the chance to react but there were still five men left to take care of.

The first to have his gun at the ready was the man standing closest to me. He raised it so that the deadly muzzle stared down my head. I frantically turned the spray of bullets my gun was emitting in his direction. One connected with the hand he had poised against the trigger and he screamed in anguish as the small but deadly piece of metal sliced through his hand. I don't know if it was the work Wolf or me but finally the man went down.

Four to go.

I risked a quick glance at Wolf and seemed to be holding his own well enough. There were two guards advancing on him so that left…

Two guards for me. They were advancing on me with their guns pointed directly at me.

From the other side of the room I heard a gun shot, a shout of pain and a thud. I couldn't tell if it was Wolf or not.

Returning my attention back to the guards that were getting ever closer I started firing at them blindly. I didn't think about where I was firing. I just did it, just like Wolf had told me.

One of the men went down, a bullet through the head.

I faced the remaining guard and was filled with a new determination as I saw that Wolf had just fired down his last man. I pointed my gun directly at his head and applied pressure to the trigger. The bullet connected with its intended target dead on, but it was too late.

The man had already fired his gun at me. I felt a searing pain through my shoulder and was powerless to stop the scream that ripped through my throat. I staggered backwards and slid down the stone wall, undoubtedly tearing my bare back up in the process.

I lent my head back against the wall and took a shaky breath. I was surprised that I was still able to do even that. Breath I mean.

I looked down and saw the bullet had sliced through my upper arm, the same one that had already been cut open by that mans knife. The gash had just been beginning to close up and heel but now it was blown open again and spilling blood down my arm. I wouldn't have been surprised if the bullet had shattered the bone in my upper arm. I looked back up at the wall opposite me feeling light headed and slightly queasy.

Wolf was at my side not ten seconds later. There was a thin trail of blood sliding down the left side of his face but other than that he seemed remotely unscratched. He gently lifted my arm and examined it. "Cub…" he started.

"No," I cut in, determination lanced through the pain. "Don't worry about me, I'll survive. Go and get the others. We don't know what's happened to them."

Wolf looked reluctant but nodded anyway. He disappeared back down the stairs and I was left alone in the room. It looked like a massacre had just occurred. I suppose in a way it had though.

"Alex? What happened? Are you okay?" Mrs. Jones asked frantically.

"We got all the guards but they shot me." Mrs. Jones gasped in horror. The sound bounced around in my head and it made me cringed. "It's just my arm though. I'll be fine," I added quickly.

I heard feet pounding up the stairs and Wolf burst through the open door, closely followed by everyone else. Their eyes all fell on me, me sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with blood seeping out of my arm. My mom made as to move towards me but Wolf stopped her. He put a hand on her shoulder and addressed the whole group, "If you do not already have a gun than get one." He turned to dad, "Keep the automatic John, but get another one to." Dad nodded and joined the others in picking through the bloody massacre.

Wolf bent down next to the body that was nearest to him and tore a strip of fabric from the black shirt the man had been wearing. He than knelt by my freshly injured arm and tied the fabric around the wound, tightly. I hissed in pain as he pulled it even tighter.

"I know it hurts Cub but I can't tell if the bullet hit any major arteries so I have to stop the bleeding," he told me as he double knotted the makeshift bandage to keep it in place. He than stood up and held a hand down to me. I reached up with my none injured arm and he pulled me to my feet. I groaned and slumped against the wall as the blood rushed to my head and my vision suddenly went foggy.

As I started to slid back to the floor Wolf grabbed my arm and hauled me back to my feet. The sudden movements caused the gun that was still hanging around my shoulders, to bump into my arm. I hissed some very colorful words in pain.

Wolf rubbed the back of his hand across his face and ended up smearing blood across the left side. He opened his mouth and looked like he was going to say something but he never got the chance.

Blunt's voice cut across my mind and it was the only thing I could think about as he frantically yelled into my head. "Get out of there!" he roared. "There are more guards coming down now! Take the right hallway!"

Wolf was all action as he assembled everyone by the entrance to the corridor to the right side of the room. From where I was standing leaning against the wall I could hear the pounding of feet and the shouting of orders coming from the left corridor. They weren't that close to us yet but with every passing second they gained ground and their movements and voices became louder. I felt like I was about to pass out but Wolf grabbed my arm and pulled me down the right side of the room.

We sprinted down the corridor and just as we whipped around the turn at the end of it I heard the noise of guns being fired into the room we had just recently vacated.

Wolf suddenly stopped his running and I slammed against his back. I groaned again as my arm was jarred. When I looked up to see why we had stopped I saw that we were faced by a group of three guards. All of them had big military guns pointed at us.

a/n: the most reviews I've gotten for a chapter so far is 8 so if I get 8 or more reviews for this chapter than I'll update by Tuesday, maybe before, if I don't get at least 8 than I'll update next Saturday or Sunday. I hoped you liked it and review!