Ok, I know this took longer than usual. I've been getting the plot straightened out (aka, planned), if you want an excuse (reason, I protest). I don't feel like I deserve these reviews- but I love them all the same. And like, 59 reviews. 59 freakin' reviews. Thank you!
Individual review replies are on my profile.

Warning: This doesn't have much Alex in it- it's more of a developer for K-Unit. Sorry in advance! The writing might also seem a bit repetitive- I decided it would be a more realistic approach of K-Unit's reactions to- well, you'll see, I guess.

Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.

O-o-O-o-O

Numbly, Fox watched as Cub went over to the door.

He supposed he should stop him- after all it was his house. But still... he was trying to process all the (new) information they had just received.

Cub wasn't a rich son of a politician.

Cub was still with MI6 (the thought both irked and terrified him- he knew what they were capable of).

Cub wasn't healthy- from the obvious deprivation of sleep, to the starvation. He wasn't mentally healthy, either- that much was clear. Whatever he had seen and done had left deep mental scars that would forever be burned in his memory- and it wasn't past tense... MI6 were still hurting him.

And... Cub... MI6 had put a microchip, a tracker in the shoulder of a kid.

MI6 were treating Cub like an... animal. It was psychological trauma and abuse must have been causing horrific damage... Alone, the tracker would have forced him to become more obedient and submissive. But the tracker had been inserted a month ago- their first meeting with Cub had been two years ago.

Fox- and the rest of K-Unit- jerked out of their thoughts.

"Cub,"

The boy glanced back at them, unblinking.

He was... calm (the exact opposite of what the soldiers were feeling). He had accepted it, the fact that-

The door opened.

Suddenly, the room filled with MI6 agents.

K-Unit was up and out of their seats, doing their best to calm the same rage that they all shared- equal amounts of both frustration and exasperation, but not only that- the ugly truth, and the horror.

"Wait!" Fox shouted amiss the chaos. "You can't take him- he's hurt, and he needs rest and food."

"The heads want to see him," the lead agent snapped. "You'll do well to stay out of our way."

Wolf, their own leader, stood his ground. "Cub can't go back to MI6- not in his state."

K-Unit growled in agreement.

The agent rolled his eyes. "If you have a problem, go higher up in the foodchain." His gaze snapped back to the boy. "Our orders were to retrieve a rogue."

Time stilled.

A rogue.

A rogue.

A rogue... agent?

Cub wasn't- Cub was an agent?

But-but... Cub?

The tired gaze, the weariness, the eyes that had seen too much.

And- hell, Cub.

MI6 had broken him, shattered him.

MI6 had-

MI6 had-

A rogue.

A runaway.

An agent.

MI6 was using him.

MI6 was still breaking him, chipping him, piece by piece.

They were-

He was-

Cub was an agent.

MI6 was calling him a rogue agent... of course he wasn't a rogue. (He shouldn't have been an agent one in the first place.)

But still, he had run away from them- multiple times, it seemed.

Then-then they had put a chip in his shoulder.

A microchip.

A tracker.

A- collar.

Fox glanced at the rest of K-Unit, their shocked expressions mirroring his own.

"Cub isn't some rogue," Wolf snapped angrily, shouldering his way through. "He came to us for help."

The agents eyed him warily- neither side had resorted to force- yet. Still, hands hovered near their tasers and tranquilizer guns.

"When you obviously didn't help," Eagle cut in, loyal and protective of their unofficial member.

Snake glared coldly at them. "Not only that," he spat out, "but he needs to rest and recover."

The agents expertly ignored the pointed remarks that Cub hadn't been healthy- with MI6.

He hadn't slept enough.

He hadn't eaten enough.

(It was like- Cub acted like he wasn't allowed to sleep enough, or eat his fill, but that was utterly ridiculous... wasn't it?)

Fox was about to add another biting remark on Cub's condition, when a quiet voice stopped him.

"No, it's fine." The boy's eyes glossed over. "I'll go."

Wolf was ready to protest again, and go all-out, but he calmed himself. Force wouldn't work- he knew- not in the long run.

Not with Cub.

Grimly, Fox studied their unofficial member.

Shoulders hunched over, Cub had already accepted defeat.

He looked... obedient.

Obedient and submissive.

The words tasted sour- that wasn't Cub.

Not Alex.

So why did he-

Fox swallowed, glancing back at the teen.

Cub grimaced as more hands pulled his arms behind him, the familiar bite of steel locking into place.

"What do you think you're doing?! That's an injured child, he doesn't need handcuffs!" Snake ranted, frustrated, to say the least.

Fox froze.

Why did Cub look so... casual?

He acted like it-

Like it-

No.

No.

Grief washed over him.

And the fact that- that he was so casual about it... and-and it must have happened to him before.

It made his blood boil.

MI6 treated him like this- for god knows how long. They treated a teenage boy (Cub) like some sort of machine, or he would even go as far as to say, like, he shuddered... an animal.

They handled their 'agent' (there was no way it was legal- it wasn't healthy, and he doubted Cub did it willingly. But... MI6 wouldn't force a child into that sort of work... would they?) poorly, to say the least. The kid was clearly (understatement- beyond exhausted), and hungry- and how on earth had his stomach shrunk? And Snake was right- rogue agent or not, handcuffs weren't necessary on a child- especially with an entire team of MI6 agents watching (arresting) him.

But, the worst thing was, Cub was used to it. It happened often enough that Cub could act casual about.

It made him sick. How many times had Cub needed him? Needed them?

How many times had Cub 'adapted' to a situation, not being able to rely on anyone?

How many times had Fox should have been there for him? It made him angry with himself. They were a damn team! Cub was a member of K-Unit- they should have known, god, they should have known. They should have seen the signs when they had had five days with him! He was a trained spy, and they were all soldiers! Not only did it make him guilty, it made him determined to stop the people that had hurt him- and were continuing to hurt him. Hell, when he had found the people that had hurt him, they would wish-

Wolf regarded the agents warily- they wouldn't give up Cub without a fight. "Fine- but we're coming with you."

"We need to get this whole mess cleaned up," Snake said coldly, shooting another icy glare at the MI6 agents.

Cub looked doubtful.

That wasn't all- Fox saw Cub's eyes lingering around the house, and with another heartbreaking tug, at them, K-Unit. Yes, he went without a fight (which would have long ago been beaten into submission, he thought bitterly), but he was also reluctant. Cub now associated comfort with them, safety- something he obviously hadn't experienced in a while.

It was rather depressing on their part- the first time they had met, K-Unit had had their own problems, worrying and stressing over basic training. The next two occasions had both been missions- ones that Wolf and Fox hadn't known Cub was actually participating in. And their most recent meeting, Cub had been too busy planning and executing his disappearing act to let in a family, and relationship (and most of the knowledge) had been faked.

But Cub had come to them.

"I don't really have anywhere else to go."

He hadn't been exaggerating, then, if Cub had first turned to people had met only a few occasions in the past (almost complete strangers, Fox thought grimly).

Eagle sent the kid a reassuring smile. "It'll work out, yeah?"

Fox frowned as the boy turned away from them, ignoring K-Unit as the horde of agents led him to the van.

He didn't want any false hope, Fox thought grimly. Too many people had let him down in the past.

They all refused to take a separate car- K-Unit didn't want to risk it, wanting to keep Cub in their sight at all times.

The agent situated the teenager in the back of the truck, avoiding him like the plague.

Fox didn't miss how Cub's eyes darted to the van doors- the escape route, he guessed.

"Forget it, kid," another agent chuckled humorlessly, locking the cuffs to a metal loop attacked to the side of the car. "You're not going anywhere."

"Stop it," Fox snapped, unable to stand the abuse any longer. "He's just a kid."

The agent shrugged, moving back to talk quietly to his friends.

"You Ok, Cub?" Snake frowned, concerned.

"I'm fine," Cub muttered, but winced as the van hit an unexpected bump, jarring his shoulder (which looked like it had been recently dislocated, Snake noted suspicious. Not a good thing while he had his arms cuffed behind him). "I've had worse."

Wolf shook his head. "That's the problem."

O-o-O-o-O

It didn't take long to reach the bank.

The agents went tot he back entrance, where K-Unit barely managed to get a word in before the agents whisked the teenager away.

"Where are you taking him?" Eagle asked urgently.

The lead agent rolled his eyes. "Stay here until the heads can see you." He snapped his fingers.

Immediately, another agent was by his side, looking strangely eager and nervous.

She was new, Fox realized. A probation agent, no doubt.

"Yes, sir?"

"Stay here with them," he ordered brusquely, before following the rest of his agents down the hall.

Wolf calmed (only a bit) as Fox put a hand on his shoulder, reminding him. He got the message- they were in the enemy's lair; they needed to be careful- especially if they wanted to protect Cub.

The young agent looked slightly uncomfortable, shifting one foot to the other. Normally, any member of K-Unit would have gotten into a casual conversation, or even mild flirting.

But not now- not since they had faced the reality of how MI6 was treating Cub- they were worried for him. They definitely didn't trust the agents alone with Cub- K-Unit had seen the disgust, and almost... contempt they had for him. Plus, they could see that Cub had met the lead agent before- and it hadn't been on good terms.

One hour later, K-Unit had become significantly more worried, cranky, and impatient.

When was-?

Fox blinked at the sudden scent of peppermint.

"Mrs. Jones," he greeted with forced politeness.

Although she noticed the tense atmosphere, she didn't show it. "Come with me. Now."

Exchanging worried and confused glances, K-Unit followed her down the twisted maze of hallways and corridors.

They were in the basement, Fox realized. He had only been down there a few times.

"Are you taking us to Cub?" Wolf asked (they hoped so. Who knew what had happened to him in an hour? Especially here).

"No questions- not here."

K-Unit reluctantly agreed.

She came to a stop in front of a door (that had a suspiciously large lock); they looked curiously at it.

Cautiously, Mrs. Jones opened it.

It was an empty(ish) room.

Fox frowned. "What is this place?"

She smiled sadly. "This is Cub's room."

Eagle snorted humorously. "Could've fooled me."

"No wonder he doesn't like hospitals," Wolf muttered bitterly.

Looking around the room, Snake saw that he was right.

It was lightly carpeted with a simple cot in one corner; nearby was a cabinet that had obviously been hastily opened, revealing bandages and other medical supplies, and a bathroom could easily be seen as well.

But it was so... empty.

Bland.

It didn't look anything like what a teenager's room should have looked like.

There weren't any movies or video games- nor were there any Xboxes or TVs to play on them, or a laptop- and no electronics at all.

Where were the piles of homework that needed to be done? Or the posters plastered of favorite sports teams and artists?

"This doesn't even qualify as a bedroom," Wolf snarled in disgust. "Let alone a teenager's."

"This is barely a closet," Snake seethed, eyes angry. "How can you expect a teenager to live here?"

Eagle curled his lips in distaste. "This is ridiculous- he's not even here. Where did you put him?"

Mrs. Jones thought for a moment- she portrayed the expressions of one that was mildly surprised that Cub wasn't there, and was thinking of where he would be.

Fox took in the unused bedroom- because it clearly hadn't been used recently, in over a month if he could see the dust correctly (he could). The spy narrowed his eyes. "No one has used this room in over a month- where has Cub been?" What has he been doing? What have you forced him to do?

The woman held her composition, not paling, and not swaying on her feet at the horrid thought.

The soldiers silently filed out, Mrs. Jones leading the way once more.

She seemed more humane than Blunt- enough to that she seemed to be actually trying to help them (if could all be a front, Fox reminded himself. You must assume everything is fake). And K-Unit were too worried- keeping their anger in check would help them find Cub.

Fox swallowed when he realized where they were.

He hoped he was wrong. For Cub's sake, he hoped he was wrong.

The spy forced himself to remain calm, but still was unable to quench the growing rage he felt toward his employers. "You would put a child, here?" Ben hissed. "A child. A kid... in a holding cell?!"

Fists clenched; the anger rose another notch as K-Unit realized the significance of the sentence.

Snake closed his eyes. It was completely unnecessary- they had seen Cub's door, and how it locked from the outside, how it was windowless. No, it wasn't decent for a teenager to live there, but it was certainly better than a holding cell, it was definitely more humane- except K-Unit didn't know how much longer this abuse would go. As time went on, more and more ugly secrets about Cub were being revealed. Which begged the question... did they want to know more?

Yes, Snake thought immediately. The first step was knowing what to protect him from- and the things that had been used against him in the past. That way they could change their strategy, if need be... and actually protect him.

"I don't know," Mrs. Jones admitted. "Alan has used them in the past."

Jaws clenched. They shouldn't have been surprised- they shouldn't have. But the thought that-that Cub had been treated this way before, the actual verbal confirmation...

She intently studied the readouts on a small electronic feature on her phone.

"He's not here."

K-Unit didn't sigh in relief.

"Where is he?" Wolf growled.

Mrs. Jones sobered. "There's only one more place I can think of." She didn't offer any more explanation before they began to head in a different direction.

The spy's mouth went dry. That wasn't good. If Cub's 'room' (he refused to consider the pathetic excuse for a closet was a teen's bedroom) had been the first choice, and the holding cell had been the second... the third was going to be even worse.

They continued walking- urgently- for several minutes, before Mrs. Jones halted.

K-Unit looked uneasily at the room titles.

"Interrogation rooms?" Snake choked out.

"The hell you're interrogating Cub," Wolf thundered angrily, ready to tear the place apart- but he didn't. For Cub.

Eagle's face twisted to one of hatred. "You're interrogating Cub."

Not a question- a statement, one of confirmation.

Mrs. Jones didn't answer, peering at an electronic readout on her cellphone.

"Which room?" Fox hoarsely asked. "Which room?" He repeated, urgently.

"Come on," she lead through a door.

It was empty, a black screen blocking their view- concealing their view of Cub.

"We need to see Cub," Wolf look frustrated- they were on the wrong side. They needed to be with him, not watching him.

Mrs. Jones shook her head. "No, not yet. I have some explaining to do, first."

They needed to see Cub.

They needed to see what state he was in- mentally and physically.

They needed to see what MI6 had done to him.

But first... they needed to know the full story.

The entire truth.

They needed to hear the ugly truth- when it had all started.

They needed to know what exactly had happened that day... the day MI6 decided to train a dog.

O-o-O-o-O

Secrets are powerful- but even more powerful are the people that hold them. They will hold them over you; they will use them against you. Brace yourself, for they will also reveal them.

O-o-O-o-O

Any conspiracy theories I should know about?