I'm so sorry- I was planning on having this posted, like, a week ago, but I didn't write it fast enough (which is why I'm going to update either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day- what do you think?). I have to say- thanks for the reviews! Sorry if I haven't replied to you. Replies will now be on my profile. Also, Blunt plays a mainish role in this story- more like as the villain, so there are more office/Blunt scenes to come.

A quick shout out to Armand and 3326freespirit who inspired the idea for having K-Unit (e pluribus unum), and Vivianne95 for this chapter's lesson.

(Slight warning- child pornography is briefly mentioned, but nothing graphic- at all.)

I do not own Alex Rider.

O-o-O-o-O

"The mission?"

"A success, sir. A few minor injuries, no casualties," Wolf answered crispy.

Alan Blunt nodded. "Good. And Alex Rider?"

Wolf glanced at Snake. "Our medic looked him over."

Snake nodded. "I did the best I could with the supplies on hand. I highly recommend one week minimum in the hospital, and at least another two weeks of resting."

Blunt studied the medic methodically. "I am sure Alex will be fine; he can take care of himself."

"Of course, sir," Snake answered coolly.

The other three soldiers (it was awesome having Fox temporarily back in the unit for now) exchanged glances. They could tell that Snake was angry- the professional tone mixed with cool countenance- and they knew a clenched jaw when they saw one.

There was a soft knock at the door.

K-Unit watched as a familiar teenager entered.

Alex looked weary for a moment, his face a sickly pale, along with the obvious sag in his shoulders.

Then he saw K-Unit.

He straightened up, suddenly radiating confidence as he pulled on a cocky smile, hands casually swinging by his sides, any traces of the weariness from the earlier fight now gone.

K-Unit blinked. It was the change was so sudden, almost as if he never had been tired.

"K-Unit, Mr. Blunt." Cub nodded to them each in turn.

"Alex, come join us,"

Although Blunt was seemingly welcoming him, Fox could see approval in his eyes- not a familial pride, but the satisfaction of owning and teaching a dog a new trick.

"Are you okay, Cub?" Eagle asked, brow furrowed with worry. "Snake said you would need a hospital."

Cub kept his tone light and carefree. "No need to worry about me- I'll be fine," he reassured them, before sending Blunt a quizzical look.

"On other matters... Alex will need protection for another five days, you can handle it, correct?"

Despite being posed as a question, K-Unit knew that it was a direct order.

"Yes, sir," they chorused.

Blunt looked at the boy. "Alex?"

The teen ducked his head respectively. "Of course, sir," he said quietly.

K-Unit stared. Even at Brecon Beacons, Cub had hated the word 'sir,' and now he was openly being respectful to a man he hardly knew?

Something weird was going on.

"Why only five days?" Snake questioned.

"His parents are coming back to England on Saturday," Alan Blunt explained.

Cub's breaths hitched, and Fox briefly saw a flick of pain in his eyes before it disappeared.

Snake squinted, as if deciding whether or not he was going to accept the answer, but let it go.

"I believe Mrs. Jones has the file you need," Blunt informed them. His eyes snapped to the boy. "Go get it, Alex."

The teen stiffened, and Fox wondered if he was going to refuse the direct order- but he didn't.

Alex visibly relaxed, tugging that strange smile back on. He stood quickly. "Of course, sir," the boy nodded sharply, and made a move to leave.

"Wait, Cub," the older spy ordered softly before glancing back at the powerful man. "That won't be necessary. We can easily get it on our way out."

Alex had stopped right next to the door; although he sent Fox a confused look, his attention was mainly focused on Alan Blunt.

Blunt completely ignored the older spy. "Leave, Alex," he repeated, voice hard.

Cob nodded professionally. "Of course, sir." He sent a reassuring smile to K-Unit. "I'll be right back."

The boy left.

"You are not to ask Alex any questions about MI6, or to tell him anything you know," Blunt commanded. "Alex knows very little about SO- keep it that way. As you understand, his personal data is classified."

"Yes, sir," K-Unit chorused

Wolf hesitated. "Is there anything we should be specifically protecting him from?"

"Alex comes from a rich political family- and thus, there they are political threats," Blunt drawled on. "His father's enemies will most likely specifically hire terrorist organizations or hitmen- they will not do the dirty work themselves." Alan Blunt stared at them. "You are dismissed."

Once outside the office, there was a moment of silence.

"Anyone else finds it odd that Cub knows how to get to Mrs. Jones' office when he's only been here once?" Eagle wondered aloud.

O-o-O-o-O

"What's that?" Alex peered curiously at the device Ben held in his hand.

They had been at the safehouse for less than fifteen minutes; Cub had come back downstairs after claiming a room. Ben smiled softly at the kid. "It's a bug-sweeper- it's protocol to search the room, even a safehouse, before we settle in."

The boy's eyes lit up. "Cool! So it's like, a spy gadget?"

K-Unit exchanged secret smiles. Cub actually sounded like a typical kid- excited at the mere mention of something remotely connected to spies.

Ben nodded, shifting the small box around the room. "Uh-huh," then, "Do you want to try it?"

Alex grinned. "Really? You'll let me?"

Ben chuckled. "OF course- as long as you're careful with it." But he knew Cub was careful- after all, they had trained together at BB.

"Thanks, Ben." Alex carefully took the device, holding it like some ancient relic, before going upstairs. "I'll be right back, I'm going to debug my room!"

Ben mentally reminded himself to double-check Alex's work, just in case.

But there wasn't any need- as the first thing Alex had done was thoroughly search it, already having found two.

The teen sighed, finally dropping the mask as he closed the door behind him.

He had recognized Smithers' work immediately- but even he knew he had to find a way to make sure MI6 hadn't planted any bugs on him.

Cautiously, Alex moved the device across his clothes, frowning when the machine chirped as it crossed his upper-back.

Ah. There.

Bingo.

It was a skin-toned patch right under the bandages for his chest. Smithers must've developed it to not trigger any nerves, because he didn't feel a thing when he tore it off. Alex studied it closely- it wasn't a listening device, but a tracker.

He didn't destroy it- he wasn't that stupid.

No, he had other plans.

The spy grinned wolfishly.

It was time for phase two.

O-o-O-o-O

"Why weren't you sent directly to a hospital, Cub?"

The rest of K-Unit froze, the poker chips and cards momentarily forgotten.

Snake never started conversations like this- he only gave small bits of advice and information, or commented here and there- valuable information, yes, but it was factual, short and to the point.

Cub shrugged, easily brushing it off. "A medic looked me over on the way here, he said I was fine."

"Why are you lying to us?" Eagle asked coldly. "You were unconscious while Snake patched you up."

The spy tensed. It had been a stupid mistake- one that would've gotten him killed in the field. He had merely assumed out of eight Units that had taken over Renè's training facilities, it would have been K-Unit of all of people to find him.

"I didn't want you to worry about me," the boy mumbled. "Besides, I hate hospitals."

"If you're hurt, you need to tell someone," Wolf reprimanded. "Understand?"

Cub nodded, inwardly musing. Even if he was hurt, he wouldn't dare tell anyone- he would get in trouble with Blunt if he let too much information slip.

"I still need to check them over- they may need to be cleaned again," Snake told him.

Cub hesitated, but finally relented. "Fine, but just... not alone."

Fox's eyebrows shot up.

Cub was embarrassed, but it had been necessary- ever since the child pornography mission a couple months back, he had made sure he was never in a vulnerable position with adults. Thank god, he hadn't been molested or anything... but all the kids who had; it had been merely luck that it hadn't happened to him. He inwardly shuddered.

"That's fine," Snake said softly. "Eagle, can you get the First Aid?" he directed the question to the soldier, who nodded, immediately leaving the room.

"Now?" Cub asked weakly.

There it was again: the slight hesitation. Cub was definitely hiding something, Fox deducted.

Snake nodded. "Now, Cub," he gestured to the couch, and Cub reluctantly sat on it as Eagle entered the room with the necessary medical supplies.

"Shirt off, Cub," Snake ordered quietly.

The boy stiffened, but grudgingly pulled the t-shirt off.

His torso was smooth, slightly lighter skin, his muscles toned. Oddly enough, the teenager had no body fat.

At all.

They hadn't realized how skinny he was.

Still, relief flooded into the soldiers- although there were several large bruises from the fight yesterday, along with his other injuries, Cub didn't seem to have any scars or remnants of previous wounds.

Snake sighed, satisfied. "Good, Cub. Your shoulder is healing nicely." And you don't have any previous injuries we don't know about.

"Yeah, we were, like, afraid you had a bunch of secret scars and stuff," Eagle joked.

Cub strained a smile. "Yeah, 'course not."

Snake continued to work in silence- but it didn't last.

"How much do you weight, Cub?" Fox questioned, knowing if he hadn't asked, another K-Unit member would.

"I dunno... maybe 75 kilograms?"

Snake shook his head. "You definitely don't weigh that much- and you need to be minimum 68."

Cub looked down.

"When was the last time you ate?" Wolf studied their charge carefully.

Cub raised an eyebrow in confusion. "With you guys... dinner, remember?"

"Before that."

Cub's tone was still relaxed. "The plane."

"Before that," Wolf repeated.

"They fed me right before the fighting started," Cub lied smoothly.

"You're lying."

The teen glared at Fox, who was leaning lazily against the wall, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Tell us the truth, Cub," Wolf ordered softly.

Cub closed his eyes, refusing to answer.

K-Unit sobered. They saw Cub's muscles visibly tense. It was like... like he was preparing himself for pain.

They weren't going to force it out of him- but had other people tried to do it before?

It was obvious silence was the only answer they were going to receive- and it was enough. And at least, although Cub wasn't saying anything, he wasn't lying either.

It was worse, when Cub opened his eyes, and he was almost... surprised.

Snake shook his head, getting back to work. It was when he peered more closely at the kid when everything went wrong.

"These are skin grafts, Cub," Snake said softly. "Why on earth would you have a skin graft transplant?!"

K-Unit stared.

Cub froze. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He had been lucky enough, on the mission right before Renè, to have an assignment that had required covering up his scars- some swimming competition. He had been somewhat confident until Snake had realized what there were.

Wolf shook his head. "I don't want to know- nor are we allowed to ask."

K-Unit winced. Right... there was that little warning from the head of MI6 telling them not to ask questions.

Fox narrowed his eyes, suspicious. What are you hiding, Cub?

O-o-O-o-O

As soon as he left Mrs. Jones' office, he opened the folder. It had the usual information- their cover, keys, addresses, etc. But... there was even cash, and some credit cards.

In the end, he took one of the credit cards, along with 100 pounds' worth of notes.

K-Unit didn't suspect a thing; after all, it was only an already-rich teenager of a powerful political figure... right?

O-o-O-o-O

Alex frowned, staring hard at the door.

Even locked, it wouldn't hold off an angry (or worried, he reminded himself) unit for more than a few seconds- he just hoped he would be back before they realized he was gone.

The spy had easily noticed their usual night check-up on him for the past two days- it had been hard, trying to act like a normalish teenager to let down their guard, and try to get them to trust him a little- it could only work to his advantage for what he was planning.

But he only had another three days- and five days total to properly plan out and execute his disappearing act.

For a while he had been ready and waiting for the right opportunity had come- and now here it was, right at his fingertips.

Blunt had recognized the importance of keeping him isolated while not on missions- a few days here, a couple days there- but not properly enough time to form trusting relationships to use- because that's all what they could be now. The relationships themselves were a hindrance- a means to be used against him... unless, of course, he could get something out of it.

He could.

And he would.

The one mistake on Blunt's part had been thinking Alex wouldn't try taking advantage of this particular situation- perhaps Blunt had thought he would pretend for a short while that he had an actual family; a (fake) family that would worry about him, care for him, even... protect him?

The spy chuckled dakly at the thought.

How gullible.

How childish.

Stalking towards the window, the teen cautiously eased the it open.

Alex hesitated- it was too much of a risk to jump; one for the noise, two for his recently-broken-but-kinda-healed-leg. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem- even with the risk involved, but... this was his one chance- and he wasn't going to blow it.

One of the first things he had noticed while studying the exterior of the house, was that the pattern of the bricks slightly jutted out, seemingly for decoration. Although Ian hadn't quite taught him to master climbing a sheer brick wall, the few centimeter handholds were decent, at least until he could jump without the risk of being caught.

Smirking slightly, the teen knew it wasn't over- he still had a task.

Alex set a brisk pace toward the edge of town- even in the dark of the night, there was still the (slim) possibility of cars driving by and seeing a boy run.

He met up with R in the usual alley- the one she used to meet with customers.

Alex had met R on a mission a few months back: she had saved his life by backing up his hastily-made-on-the-spot-cover. All in all, R was a decent woman- especially for a criminal.

It didn't matter how many times they had saved eachother from both death or prison- Alex didn't know her real name, nor she his.

It was perfect.

"I need a favor," Alex began.

R snorted. "It's good to see you, too, Travis." She raised an eyebrow. "Well? What is it this time?"

"A passport- and some fake papers," Alex, or rather, Travis explained. "I'm leaving the country this Friday- I need a fresh start, I was thinking France?"

R shrugged. "Shouldn't be hard to whip up something quick- you'll probably need something more permanent once you get there, but it'll work in a pinch. Besides, anything for an old friend, right?"

Yeah, a couple months meant he was an old friend- he really had been in this business to long.

"Sounds good."

R jerked her head to the door of her workshop. "You coming? It won't take long."

A few hours later, Alex was fifty pounds lighter (courtesy of MI6- oh, the irony) and one new identity richer.

O-o-O-o-O

"You're a good kid, Cub." Eagle smiled softly. "We trust you- and I hope you trust us. We got your back- we're not going to let you get hurt."

O-o-O-o-O

"Fox?"

The older spy glanced up from his book. "What is it, Cub?"

Ben studied the teen- he looked almost... embarrassed. The blush, the hesitation, the way he was avoiding eye contact, and that he seemed uncomfortable.

Yes, Cub was embarrassed.

"Well, um... I was wondering if I could Skype my friend?" Cub's eyes were hopeful.

"And you need a laptop for that," Ben supplied.

Cub shuffled his feet. "Yeah..."

The teen froze as Fox began to drum his fingers on the wooden chair.

Ben blinked, abruptly stopping the movement.

Alex relaxed.

Alex... relaxed.

Ben realized he was still waiting for an answer. "Of course you can borrow my laptop," he said smoothly, carefully filing away the time for later; he knew the basics of computers, and would be able to track Alex's movements to see if the timestamp matched.

The kid's face broke into a grin. "Thanks, Fox!"

Fox nodded, smiling as he quickly set it up for him, before Cub took the laptop upstairs to his room.

Ben closed his eyes.

Something was wrong.

It was like... Cub had been scared when he started rapping his fingers on the chair- it wasn't that bad a habit, just one Ben had developed when he was thinking.

"Maybe you remind him of someone," a voice said quietly.

Fox looked up at the soldier.

Snake had witnessed the entire exchange, seemingly reading his mind as he searched for answers on Cub's weird behavior.

Ben mildly hummed in agreement.

Cub was scared of something, and he was determined to find out what... or who.

O-o-O-o-O

Alex entered his room, his (fake) smile disappearing, along with his confidence level.

The wary and tired look returned, along with the slumped shoulders.

He didn't have much time- by the end of the week, he would either be out of the country on a mission or on the run.

That, and he knew Ben would later check what he had been up to on his laptop.

Wasting no time, the teen quickly accessed his Skype account, setting up the link that would later confirm a 47 minute, 18 second call to someone named Ryan Williams, a rich friend that would easily fit into his cover story as a son of a politician.

As a spy, it was necessary for survival to learn computer and hacking skills- one of the reasons he was still alive.

Luckily, it didn't take long to create and connect several proxies to cover his tracks.

Alex chewed his lip thoughtfully. Now was the hard part.

He accessed the credit card's bank account.

Yes, it had been easy to swipe from the file Jones had given him, but actually withdrawing the money.

The spy sent 15,000 pounds through several different offshore accounts, along with filtering it through a variety of shell companies before it rested, virtually untraceable, into an account MI6 had no knowledge of him owning.

The most difficult part had been creating the fake transaction, making sure the money would not appear missing until he was long gone; although it would only last a few days, it was enough.

And Alex was 15,000 pounds richer.

He only had one more purchase to make...

O-o-O-o-O

"You know you can always come to us, right?" Wolf put his hands on the teen's slim shoulders. "If there's anything you need to tell us- we're here for you. We're a unit. A team. You're part that, Cub."

O-o-O-o-O

Alex was ready.

Ready to run, ready to leave, and ready to get his freedom back.

There was only one thing left to do...

It was odd being back- back at his old house.

Ian had always insisted on being ready for anything- which mean having the necessary supplies at the ready.

It had been one drizzly afternoon that nine-year-old Alex had been digging a hole in the backyard- not to bury treasure, but to hide it.

Every year since then, Ian had made sure he had updated it.

True, Alex hadn't 'updated' it in nearly two years, but it would still be sufficient.

It was only a foot deep under, that Alex found the water-tight container containing a First Aid, nonperishable food, a hunting knife, some cash, a change of clothes that were useless, and, Alex smiled grimly, hair dye.

O-o-O-o-O

"Damn it! Are you sure?!" The man sounded worried, pacing the floor near Gate 23b, for a plane that would be boarding soon, headed for New York, the U.S. "Fine, I'll be right there." With that, he ended the call.

Bemused, a red-haired boy watched the man, along with several people who were waiting for the same flight.

"Hey, kid," the man nodded to him. "You want my ticket? It's first class, and I have to go."

The redhead blinked in surprise, before grinning. "Sure, thanks mister."

The boy was handed a slip of paper, before the man hurried out.

O-o-O-o-O

Alex Rider smirked, quickly heading toward the restroom.

Five minutes later, he walked out with a new hair color- brown.

It had been too easy to leave small traces of red hair dye in his old house, along with an empty package of red hair dye.

Of course, he had been careful to find a red-headed boy that was going on a flight to New York with the same built as him. Next, it was simple enough to buy a first-class ticket on the same flight, stage a scene in which he was an adult that would miss the flight, and merely make sure he gave the ticket to the said-boy. A bit complex, but the records would show a redheaded teenager by the name of Alex Rider, checking into a flight headed for America, while the real Alex Rider would be on his way to Paris under his new name. The only tidbits of clues were set for MI6 to find, and lead them on a wild goose chase.

It was perfect- as perfect as any plan could be, Ian had always drilled it into him that 'perfect' was merely a word, not a reality.

Staging his death would be ideal, but he didn't have the time or resources for that.

Alex Rider melted into his new identity, and the teenager boarded his one-way trip to France.

O-o-O-o-O

"Cub! Come down and get some breakfast!" Snake yelled from downstairs. "God knows you need it," he muttered under his breath.

"I'll go get him," Fox offered.

A minute later, Ben rushed down, visibly paler than before. "He's gone."

K-Unit sobered.

Wolf swallowed. All the talk about trusting, opening up, Cub had just upped and ran. "Any sign of him?"

Fox shook his head. "No, but there was no struggle- and he could have easily left hours ago. His rucksack is gone as well."

"Fox, try to track him- try to find anything that could lead us to him," Wolf ordered gruffly. "Snake, check the tube and bus stations, along with taxis." He turned to the last member. "Eagle, stay here if he comes back. I'll look on foot."

O-o-O-o-O

They searched for three hours before calling MI6- the amount protocol required.

"It's nothing that hasn't happened before," Mrs. Jones reassured them. "Alex has always been an... unusual boy." She smiled. "It was Alex's choice to run away- and he is used to getting his own way."

K-Unit nodded, but still inwardly rejected the statement- that wasn't the Cub they knew.

"With all due respect, ma'm, it was my responsibility as unit leader, and one that I failed," Wolf said quietly. "For that, I apologize."

"No need," Alan Blunt said dully. "We'll find him."

A ghost of a smile. Then, the chilling words:

"We always do."

O-o-O-o-O

As a spy, you rely on no one. You are used, and in turn, you use other people.

O-o-O-o-O

The first peek at K-Unit... not sure if I reached expectations or not- I know I should've had more Wolf and Eagle in it. Also, it felt rushed- I'll go through a re-write for this oneshot later.

So... tell me what you think. Loved it, hated it?