a/n: I know, sorry for the long wait. I had finals this morning, I have two everyday until Wednesday. I also get home a 12 every day. I had some other stuff to do today before I started typing this but now I have about two hours before I go to the physical therapist. If this is not up until five or something tonight don't blame me, blame my physical therapist. It's all his fault :P hopefully this chapter is a little better then some of the previous ones. BUT just a warning, I'm ridiculously hyper right now, Spanish tests can do that to ones head, so pardon and weirdities in this chapter. Review!

And also, I ask that no one copies ANY of my work, please. I came up with it. if you would like to include an aspect of this story in one of yours then email me and ask. It's really not that hard. I know that my plot might be used in the future but it's mine, I don't own the characters (if you've ever heard of them) and anything that you recognize but I do own several characters and I do own the plot. But no copying, that's called PLAGIARISM. Yeah, so just don't copy… I have friends in high places –winkwink–

–Steph

Disclaimer: Everything recognizable belongs to Anthony Horowitz.

Dirty Little Secret

Previously—

"Say goodbye, Alex Rider," was what I heard. His voice was gleeful and eager

"Goodbye," a new voice said softly and the trigger of a gun was pulled and there was a shot. There was a scream of pain. Funny, I didn't feel any pain. Everything was hazy and blurry in front of my eyes but I felt no pain. Maybe this was what it was like to die?

But somehow, I didn't quite think that that was all there was to it.

Chapter 18

For a second, everything was silent. Then the commotion started, there was yelling and I could tell more people were arriving. There were more gun shots and more screaming.

At least, that's what I thought was happening. I was dead, right? Jenkins had just shot me. His gun had been aimed at my head, I heard the gun shot, no way was I alive. I was reliving my death numerous times.

Now I could feel the pain. If I was dead, why was I feeling pain? You're not supposed to feel anything when you're dead. Right?

A persistent shaking of my shoulders made the pain even more intense.

"Alex, Alex?" a voice reached me.

I opened my eyes and instead of seeing a white light or a big gate or whatever you see when you die I saw the playing fields of Brookland Prep. The class was still huddled together by the bleachers. I was still on my knees and my arms were tied tightly behind my back. My arm… that's where the pain was coming from. I wasn't dead.

"Alex! Are you okay?" I looked up, there was Wolf.

"Yeah," I croaked out. My throat was dry.

There was someone behind me and suddenly my arms were released from their bindings. I groaned as pain washed over me and I slumped forwards.

The beginnings of the all top familiar blackness were beginning to overtake when two hands attached to each of my arms and hauled me upwards.

"Alex, get up," a gruff voice alerted me. "Sleep later, walk now," oh, yep, that was Wolf.

"I'm not sleeping," I mumbled back. I was going for a heavy emphasis on the word 'sleeping' but that didn't really happen.

"Well then stand up by yourself," Wolf challenged and two hands let go of me. I feel against the other person that was supporting me.

I think the impact of the collision of our bodies helped me. I jumped forward, sadly o was still being held and my arm jerked. I bit back the pain and looked around, trying to hurriedly focus my blurry eyes. The place that had once been the playing fields of Brookland Prep were now teeming with men in black and holding guns of a variety of sizes.

Talk about an advantage in numbers. Scorpia had what? Seven, eight guys? Heh. MI6 must have about sixty.

And THEN, and only then did I actually remember what had just happened.

"Jenkins… he was… there was a shot…" I blurted out about fifty things at once.

Wolf laughed. Why the hell was he laughing? Did I miss something here?

"Look around, Cub," Wolf ordered me.

I looked around.

Oh.

Apparently I did miss something.

Jenkins was lying on the ground on his back a few yards away from where I was standing. His arms and legs were splayed, giving him the appearance of a starfish, just not really. His gun lay forgotten by his side and his eyes stared up into the suddenly sunny sky. His lips were still twisted into that ugly sneer and his eyes still glinted in glee. A red stain was rapidly staining the front of his black shirt. Blood dripped from a hole in his neck.

"Who? Who killed him?" I asked instantly.

"I did." I turned to face Wolf. He nodded his head.

I sat down on the damp grass with a sigh.

Wolf sat down in front of me.

"Something wrong, Cub?" he asked me in confusion.

"No. It's just that I've been locked up for… what? Three odd months or something? I've had a lot of time to device ways to kill Jenkins. A shot to the neck seems too good for someone like him."

"It is too good for him," Wolf readily agreed with me. "But," he continued more seriously, "if I had not shot him then you would be dead right now," he reasoned.

"Good point."

"Next time I promise you can kill the bad guy," Wolf joked.

"Gee, thanks."

Wolf jumped nimbly back to his feet and peered down at me. "Ready to go now? Or would you like to hang around some more? I have strict orders from Blunt to get you to the hospital ASAP, his words mind you, not mine."

I laughed lightly. I staggered back to my feet with great difficulty. I stood still for a moment, waiting for the dizziness to pass. Once I could see clearly again I blinked and looked around.

The rest of Jenkins's men were in much of the same predicament as their 'leader'. A tarp was rested over Jenkins's body and that made… five tarps. So I guess MI6 caught the others. Serves them right.

Armed guards were escorting the class that had been unfortunate enough to be on the fields for the whole thing back into the school. I refused to meet the curious eyes that stared wide eyed at me. And I could just feel the thousands of eyes plastered on my back. Weren't the teachers supposed to have the students come away from the windows when something like this happened?

"I actually have one more question," I said.

Wolf, who had turned his back to me and was yelling orders to people, ceased his yelling and turned back to me. He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "You always have a question, Cub." I glared at him, knowing full well that it was true. "Alright, spit it out," he ordered me. "I don't have all day and Blunt will have my head on his fancy little dinner plate if something else happens to you."

I rolled my eyes. "What's going to happen now?" I asked simply.

Wolf looked at me like I was insane. "Now. You see that truck over there?" he pointed to the street where a black Hummer was parked.

"Yeah…"

"You are going to get in said truck and you are going to the hospital where Blunt and Jones are waiting for you," he said slowly.

"No, I meant… you know," I gestured to the school behind me.

Wolf shrugged. "Jones will tell you… well actually I suppose Blunt will. Mrs. Jones is a bit… preoccupied at the current time."

My eyes widened. Now I remembered the nine people that I had recently discovered locked in the Scorpia dungeons and saved.

"You have another question," Wolf said.

I ignored him and just asked my question. "What happened to…" I thought about what I should call them, "…everyone else?" I finally settled on.

"They are at the hospital too," Wolf told me. "All the more reason for you to hurry up."

I followed Wolf as his long stride carried him to the Hummer. I jumped awkwardly into the soft, leather seats. The leather was cold against my bare and burning abdomen. Wolf got into the front passenger seat. He spoke briefly to the man sitting at the wheel and then the Hummer slowly pulled away from the curb, picking up speed as we traveled down the street.

I only looked back at Brookland Prep once. I knew I'd never see it, or the people inside of the old, red brick building, again.

I lent my head against the window in fatigue. The coldness the seeped through the glass and onto my forehead were gladly welcomed. I felt like I was on fire. I kept my eyes fixed on the back of the drivers head rest. I had a feeling that if I looked anywhere else that… well, the leather interior would be ruined, let's just leave it at that. And I refused, flat out refused, to even so much as glance in the direction of my shoulder. Can anyone say bloody mess?

The Hummer flew over a small hole in the road. The shock absorbers did their job well but the slight movement made my stomach queasy. I clenched my eyes shut and took a deep breath. The deep breath was "supposed" to calm me and ease the queasiness in my stomach, it was "supposed" to, it didn't work. I jammed my mouth shut and grinded my teeth together so tightly that my jaw began to ache after no time at all.

"Cub?" came Wolf's voice from the front of the car. I didn't need to open my eyes to tell that he had turned around in his seat to face me. His voice was filled with alarm. "Answer me, Cub!"

"What?" I moaned. Did the Hummer leave the road? I felt like we were floating in the ocean during a violent storm and I was in only a little, inflatable raft.

"Are you alright?" did he really have to ask?

"Just pea-peachy." My teeth were chattering now and I felt cold, very cold. But… no. I was still boiling hot, it was like there was a fire within me! But now I was freezing too. Is that possible? I was pretty sure that I was visibly shaking and my forehead was starting to sweat.

"Alex," Wolf said, using my given name for one of the first times ever, "what's wrong?" he asked me carefully.

I couldn't answer.

"Ale—" Wolf began again in a nervous sounding voice.

"Shock," a new voice interrupted. The driver, it had to be the driver.

"What?" Wolf fired back quickly.

"Shock," the voice that I presumed belonged to the driver repeated. "He's going into shock."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I was trained in medical care and diagnosis," the driver responded.

I moaned as the driver jerked suddenly on the steering wheel and we swerved violently. The tires screeched.

"Shit!" Wolf exclaimed.

"What?" I managed to croak. I had a feeling I knew what was going on. I did not like the image my mind created since I was unable to look forwards, no chance was I looking backwards. I'd stick with the insides of my eyelids for now.

"Nothing to concern yourself about, Cub," Wolf said quickly, lapsing back into my codename. "What do we do?" Wolf quietly asked the doctor. Wolf never asked for orders, he was always the one giving the orders. This was bad.

"I can't pull over," the driver said quickly and the car speed up and turned sharply. It's a miracle that the small amount of food in my stomach didn't spew. I felt it rise in my throat though. "I'll try to keep them off," he said quietly, probably in hopes that I wouldn't hear. I did hear. I felt even sicker then I did five seconds ago. "You get in the back with the boy," the driver instructed Wolf. "Lay him down on the seat, on his back," the driver instructed, thinking fast.

I instantly felt Wolf's presence; he was kneeling in the surprisingly wide space between the back seats and the front console. His hands gently took a hold of my shoulders and I let him push me down onto my back. I wasn't about to fight, it was a fight just to remain conscious.

"Now?" Wolf prompted the driver.

There was a pause as we sped up even more and crashed through something that I'd guess was a fence. The Hummer rocked dangerously; at least that is how it felt to me. I was about to loose it.

"Skin… uh, what's his forehead feel like?" the driver asked distractedly.

Wolf's hand, his cold hand, rested briefly on my burning forehead.

"He's burning!"

"What about his arms?" the driver continued.

Wolf's hand touched my forearm briefly.

"Freezing."

"Is he sweating? Clammy?"

Wolf paused a moment. "Yes, he's sweating heavily and he's clammy."

"Is he pale?"

"Very," Wolf answered instantly.

"Check his pulse," the driver instructed quickly. The Hummer swung around another hairpin turn that left me feeling sicker then ever.

Wolf's pointer finger and middle finger briefly touched my neck, side-by-side.

"Quick… rapid, weak," Wolf reported. His voice sounded very distant. Muffled.

"How is his breathing?"

"Rapid, shallow," Wolf rested a hand on my chest to be able to tell how I was breathing.

"Is it regular of irregular?" the driver asked.

"Irregular."

"He's in shock," the driver said grimly. Wolf didn't say anything so the driver spoke again. "Alex," he began, his voice was loud and clear and it took me a second to realize that he was talking to me, "you will be fine," he assured me. I didn't feel like I was going to be fine, I felt like I was dying. "Shock is a condition in which the blood circulation is severely disturbed, he comes from broken bones, burns or rapid blood lose. It can show up right away or hours later. The poor flow and circulation of the blood is making your breathing and pulse irregular and rapid. The temperature of your body has been affected by the blood disrupted flow and that's why he feels cold to the touch," now he spoke to Wolf. "I assume his face is hot because of the wound to his shoulder. You feel weak, nauseous and dizzy, he's feeling that now."

"Will he be alright?" Wolf asked.

"He needs to get to the hospital, and fast. Shock can be very mild or very severe, he's feeling it severe now," the driver said tightly as he presumably navigated his way through the pedestrian cars.

I knew what shock was, we had had health at school. I knew what the driver was purposefully leaving out and Wolf knew it too. When shock is severe enough you can… well… die.

"See if he responds to you," the driver said suddenly.

Wolf, from what I could tell in my unseeing state, bent over me. "Cub? Cub? Alex?" he questioned me repeatedly.

I opened my mouth to tell him to be quiet but I couldn't find my voice, all that came out was a strange gurgling noise.

"He doesn't respond to your voice, try touch," the driver suggested.

Wolf prodded my arm gently with his finger. My finger twitched slightly and the watchful eyes of Wolf caught the slight movement. He conveyed the information back to the driver.

"That's good," the driver mussed. "How great is the blood lose?"

"Pretty significant. He was shot in the shoulder earlier today, he's got cuts on his abdomen, neck and arms from a knife, which would have been several weeks ago and his wrists, are pretty slashed up and bloody," Wolf examined one of wrists.

"He needs immediate medical attention, I'm afraid I'm not qualified to treat him and besides, I'd need a refreshing course before I could do that safely. What hospital did you say we were going to?" the driver asked. We skidded to a stop and the large tires squealed powerfully in protest. Wolf braced his arm around me so I wouldn't fall.

"St. Dominic's," Wolf answered quickly. "It's where Blu… the boss ordered."

I driver likely shook his head in despair. "No, that's too far. We're going to Bridgeview (a/n: made it up), it's less then five minutes away, St. Dominic's is thirty minutes or more."

"I'll have to alert the boss then," Wolf said in resignation. "He won't be pleased but he'll understand. St. Dominic's would have kept the press and any unwanted visitors away. We'll have to do something at Bridgeview."

"We'll manage," the driver said tersely as the Hummer spun around and shot off in the opposite direction.

Wolf spoke quickly and quietly into the phone the driver handed him.

My stomach was more queasy then ever.

Picture a blackboard, I told myself repeatedly. A nice, big, black, blank blackboard. Needless to say that didn't work.

"Alex, stay with me here, you can't pass out," Wolf shook my shoulders slightly. I grimaced in pain but that was it. I still felt sick, horrible. Light headed, woozy, nauseous, hot, and cold, like they were talking to me from another world. But everything was muffled, padded now. It was like I was not there anymore; I could still feel everything and hear everything around me but it wasn't as… there anymore.

That was when I passed out.

Dirty Little Secret

Nobodies POV

Once the black Hummer raced back onto the main road, it lost its unwelcome and unwanted pursuers. For now, Scorpia was gone but they wouldn't be kept down for long.

The Hummer raced at high speeds on the roads, swerving through pedestrian cars that were traveling the speed limit. It skidded and slid through stop signs and stoplights with no regard for them at all. It was a miracle that there were no accidents; thank God for the small fact that it wasn't quite yet rush hour.

It was on skidding tires that the black Hummer spun into the Emergency Room parking lot.

A tall, slim man with gentle blue eyes and thinning brown hair leapt from the driver's side and the door slammed in his wake. He raced around to the other side of the Hummer and swung the door opened. Wolf climbed out, hauling an unconscious Alex with him.

The driver slammed the door shut and the two men ran as fast as they could to the Emergency Room doors. Wolf held Alex carefully in his arms, fully aware that his shoulder wound was bleeding again and soaking his shirt with the hot, sticky, crimson liquid. Wolf had one arm under Alex's knees and another across his back.

They burst through the doors to the Emergency Room, pushing past people who were slower then them, which was just about everyone present. Wolf disregarded the steady line that was forming in front of the reception desks and ran to the front, the driver was right behind him.

"Excuse me, Sir, but—" the receptionist, an elderly lady with curly white hair began.

"He's in shock," Wolf gasped, panting, drawing air into his lungs as fast as he could.

"There are people in front of you, Sir." Never once did her eyes fall to the bloody teenager lying limply in Wolf's arms.

Wolf turned red from the effort of not yelling at the idiotic woman. "He's had massive blood lose and trauma and he's in severe shock," he snapped. Wolf never was one for containing his anger. It was a good thing that he had left his gun in the Hummer.

The woman narrowed her eyes. The desk shielded Alex from her view. All she saw were two panting men. "If this is some kind of joke…" she began.

"It's not a joke," the driver roared.

Wolf matched the drivers tone in volume but surpassed it in fierceness. "The boy will die without immediate attention."

People were beginning to stare by that point. Wolf carefully held Alex so that he was shielded from public view.

The driver helped support Alex as Wolf fumbled for something in his pockets. He pulled a small, leather bound object out triumphantly and slammed it onto the desk with such a force that it would have been a miracle if it didn't leave a dent.

"Sir, what are you doing?" the woman asked warily. She probably thought that Wolf was a terrorist and was looking for his gun. She really should have been praising what ever she worshipped the most in the world that Wolf did not have his gun on him.

Wolf thrust Alex into the drivers waiting arms. The woman's eyes widened in horror as she took in Alex's appearance. He was deathly pale and covered in bruises, cuts and both dried and fresh blood. The wound on his shoulder was open and gaping. He was sweating and visibly shaking. Several people screamed.

Wolf flipped open the leather case and flashed the shinning badge inside at the thick headed woman. He was instantly glad that Blunt had reminded him to take it with him. "MI6," he said his voice full of authority. "Now," he said, he kept the badge out so that any who wished could see that it was authentic, "you are going to get the boy a doctor, NOW!" he roared. The woman jumped in surprise and began yelling into a phone for a doctor to come immediately. "If the boy dies," he yelled vehemently, "you will be held personally responsible," he warned the shaking woman. "Get that doctor down here NOW! You do not want to know what happens if the boy dies!"

"Ri-right away, Sir!" she stuttered in terror.

A hassled looking doctor in a long white lab coat skidded around the corner. "What is it, Marci?" he gasped for air, bending over with his hands on his knees.

Wolf approached the man, the driver followed with Alex safely in his arms. "MI6," Wolf said once again, showing the doctor his badge. The doctors eyes widened and his mouth formed an 'O'. He started in surprise when he saw Alex.

The doctor fumbled behind him and his hands came to a hospital gurney. The driver carefully laid Alex down on the thin mattress.

"Follow me!" the doctor instructed as he pushed the gurney that held Alex away at full tilt. They sped through a pair of double doors that two nurses in blue coats opened hastily when they saw them coming. The doctor was yelling left and right for people to fetch him things, to clear a room and for people to assist him.

Capable hands took over the gurney at the end of the hall, pushing it into a room. The doctor put his hand out to stop Wolf and the Driver from entering the room. Doctors went to work on hooking Alex to various machines and attaching an oxygen mask to his face.

"I need some information," the doctor demanded, his voice suddenly urgent and businesslike. "Name? Age?" he asked feebly, visibly uncomfortable under the cold stare that Wolf locked him in.

"His name is Alex Rider, he is fourteen," the doctor's eyes, if possible, widened even more. "He has suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder, extreme blood lose, trauma and he is in shock."

The doctor fought to form the words he wanted to say. Fourteen, gunshot wound… it was all too much for him to handle. "And who are you?" he settled on asking weakly instead. Something about the men before him told him that they wouldn't be overly willing to share the information on how the injuries came about.

"That," Wolf said firmly, his eyes darting to the room where Alex still lay unconscious, "is not important. What is important is that you get in there and make sure Cub is alright," Wolf didn't even think about his words and accidentally let Alex's codename slip, Cub felt more natural to him then Alex ever would. The doctor turned to enter the room but Wolf grabbed the front of his coat and restrained him. Wolf's powerful arms pulled the doctor close to him, their eyes were just about the same height and only inches apart. "I'm warning you now, doctor, if Cub does not pull through you will be ruined," he spat in the doctors face. The doctor was too stunned to do anything but gulp loudly. "See to it, doctor." Wolf pushed the doctor into the room.

The doctor had to catch the doorframe to ensure that he didn't fall on his face from the power behind the push.

He straightened up as one of his nurses yelled for him. He strode quickly over to the bed and set to work on saving Alex Rider.

a/n: DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN… you hate me for the ending, don't you? He-he. I thought this chapter was a bit better then previous ones. Hmm… that wasn't even going to happen. I was wondering on page three how I was going to make this chapter long enough. lol. This chapter was completely random, I had no intention of this happening. The next chapter WAS going to be the epilogue but not anymore. Review! –Steph