God, this chapter felt rushed. And badly written- but at 5.2K, it's the longest yet. I apologize in advance.
FYI: Due to summer plans, Internet will be sketchy to nonexistent over the next two weeks. Estimated time for the next update is aprox. three weeks.
You are going to absolutely hate me after this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.
O-o-O-o-O
Last time:
"The human psych is such a fascinating thing," he murmured. "From human, to spy, to dog. After that, well, anything is an improvement, isn't it?"
O-o-O-o-O
Wolf clenched his fists, ready to snap into action. Beside him, the other soldiers mimed him- ready.
Ben remained composed- he knew how important it was. "What are you talking about?" he asked cautiously.
"We should go somewhere more private," Alan Blunt said as he led K-Unit out of the room, leaving Alex with the other agents.
"There will be four tests- of how loyal you are to Alex, and vice-versa. Each test will be specifically targeted at one member."
"What kind of tests?" Snake asked.
Blunt didn't respond, turning to the sniper. "Starting with Rodney, or Eagle, if you prefer."
K-Unit were beginning to feel uneasy. Something about all of this was unsettling.
"Upon entering this room, you will notice a variety of food," he continued. "It is in your best interest, and Alex's health, that you do not let him eat it- it is heavily sedated, and deadly if he falls asleep. You are not to physically hold him back; however, I have provided some assistance. And lastly, you cannot tell him it is poisoned.
"If you do not comply at all, Alex will suffer, and I will further limit him seeing you. After all is well and done, I will give Alex a choice of staying with you further."
The soldiers glanced at one another, uncertain.
Blunt had always bent the rules he had made- never playing fair- but he did seem to stick to the main concepts of his 'game.' Still, he had yet to win- they always managed to bring Cub back, despite his advantage of power and control.
"Fine," Eagle bit out. "I'll do it."
Fox narrowed his eyes. "Why only Eagle?"
Lips twitched. "Patience- wait your turn."
Before they had time to fully absorb that answer, the door swung open once more, revealing-
They blinked.
Whoa.
There was a lot of food.
Two large tables lined the walls of one wall, filled with a variety of cuisines and delicacies- spanning different cultures as well. European, Asian, American- it didn't matter.
Alex hardly gave them a second glance, eyes fixed intently at the tables.
Wolf frowned as an agent approached the teen, one of them holding a strip of pliable high-tech metal .
"What are you- ?" his eyes widened.
The boy grimaced as the metal clicked around his neck; the agent stepped back- not before tossing Eagle a small black device.
Fox swore angrily.
"Take it off," Snake hissed. "Now."
The agent ignored them- looking back at Cub and the shock collar with detached amusement.
And then it clicked into place.
"You are not to physically hold him back; however, I have provided some assistance."
Eagle curled his lip. "There's no way I would use that thing on Cub." The remark was pointed toward Blunt, yet fell on deaf ears as the man walked closer to Cub.
Fox stepped forward- only to be stopped by two agents that barred his way. The spy held his hands in a placating gesture, and the agents backed off.
This was bad- even if the four soldiers were able to take down the army MI6 had for a security team, there was no guarantee they could keep Cub safe through the midst of the chaos. Force wasn't an option.
"Alex,"
The boy's head snapped up, immediately stiffening- awaiting orders.
"Go eat anything you want from the table."
K-Unit saw the primitive instincts taking over- the barely contained eager for food. Hell, when had he last eaten?
"Don't do it, Cub," Eagle warned, even as the teenager went over to the tables, eyes hungrily taking it all in.
He stopped, frowning at them; confusion etched his features.
Eagle saw the question before he asked. "Please, Cub, trust me. You-" can't eat that food. Even if Blunt was lying, it wasn't worth risking it. Heedful of the warning, he forged on. "-you can't eat it. Later, OK? We'll get food later."
The teen looked back at Blunt, for confirmation.
Blunt nodded. "Go ahead, Alex."
Cub faced the soldier, eyes pleading with him- goddammit, he was starving. And he- he thought Eagle was disallowing him from eating, just like- like the others before him.
He was trying not to eat, waiting for permission.
Their permission.
Eagle was about to assure him that they would get him food, he just needed to wait.
The boy's eyes dropped to the device in his hand; fearfully, he cowered. "Don't- please. I won't-" Fingers grasped at the metallic collar.
Mouth dry, hands clenched into fists. "I wouldn't ever do that to you, Cub."
The spy - searched him for sincerity; hesitation, then- he bolted for the table.
"Shit." Eagle rushed forward. "Don't eat it, Cub, please."
The teen wasn't even listening. He hastily shoving a roll in his mouth, pausing only briefly to chew and swallow- before he was shoveling more food into his mouth.
Cub growled as K-Unit rushed forward, hands protectively going to the food he had already claimed.
Jaws clenched, they could only watch in horror as... nothing happened.
Snake bit his lip. If it was a poison that acted as a sedative- or perhaps a large dose, it wouldn't take long before it would come into effect.
Still... it wasn't a guarantee that the food had actually been poisoned.
Cub completely ignored their pleas, and was still trying to cram as much food in as possible. It didn't take long before he started slowing down- but not slow enough, as the boy threw it up only moments later.
The medic winced. Surely Cub knew that he should have eaten slower? Except... he seemed to be in a primitive mindset at the moment- survival first, health later. It worried Snake even further- what exactly had MI6 done to make him this way? They'd had two weeks... certainly enough time to perform this form of brainwashing- stripping him of his identity, detaching him from his previous memories and experiences, even making him almost completely emotionless. Yet... soldier sensed Cub would still react to pain- albeit not in the same way a normal human would. His reactions would be less human, and more animalistic. Blunt had found a way to control him with pain and fear. And the best way to do that, was by getting rid of his emotions altogether- molding him into the spy they wanted him to be: completely and totally obedient to MI6, owned by intelligence, and property of Blunt.
So what was the point in all of this?
Cub gazed at the food, then back at Eagle- no, the black box he held.
Just when they thought he was going to scarf more food down, his eyes glossed over, and the teen swayed on his food, before collapsing in a crumpled heap on the floor.
Snake quickly knelt down next to him, wary of the agents that would pull him back if did so much as trying to keep him awake. "I'm just checking his pulse," he explained calmly, hiding his fear.
Cautiously, he held the thin wrist in one hand- dammit, his heart was beating insanely fast. Which only meant... Blunt hadn't been bluffing- the food had been poisoned, and it was already taking effect. He had been half-hoping that the poison had been expelled when Cub had vomited... but no such luck.
"Cub, can you hear me?" he began urgently. "Kid, you need to stay awake, OK?"
The boy didn't respond, already beginning to lose consciousness.
"Give us the antidote- now," Wolf growled at the grey man.
"I already told you," his dry voice continued patronizingly. "If you keep him awake, he'll be fine; he only needs to be awake for a half-hour or so."
Fox bent down to shake him awake, tensing when two sets of hands forced him back. He could've taken the agents down- not easily, but not without too much difficulty... but he didn't- for Cub. Blunt would punish him because of them; he could, and would make him suffer.
"Eagle!" Snake snapped, turning sharply to him.
The soldier took a step back, horror in his eyes. "No! I'm not using that-that thing on him."
"It's fine," Wolf said grimly. "I'll do it." He reluctantly took it from Eagle, before pushed the single button on it.
And-
Nothing happened.
"Shit," Fox swore under his breath. "It's already been programmed to your fingerprints, Eagle- it'll only work if you do it."
Eagle set his jaw. "I told him five minutes ago that I wouldn't ever use it on him."
"He's going to die, if you don't do it," Snake reminded him harshly.
Eagle swallowed, staring hard at the black device Wolf had wordlessly handed back to him. "I'm so sorry, Cub," he whispered.
He pressed it-
The response was immediate... and heartbreaking.
Alex jerked awake, face contorted in pain; his eyes shot open, seeking the person responsible for the living fire that was coursing through his body, for the waves of pain that was being emitted by that dreaded shock collar- which he had quickly learned was worse, far worse than handcuffs or tasers ever were.
"What are you-" he panted, trying to catch his breath as it finally stopped. He looked in confusion at the soldier standing next to him. "Eagle? You- you said you wouldn't."
The soldier didn't meet his eyes. "Just stay awake, kid, OK?"
Eagle hated doing that to him, hated himself because he had to in order to keep Alex alive. The confusion that flitted on his face had been familiar- when Eagle had ordered him not to eat, even though it was obvious he had been starved.
But now... the confusion was gone, replaced by... betrayal.
Goddammit, that hurt. Eagle was as loyal as they came, but now-
Cub didn't trust him.
Couldn't trust him- not now, not ever.
The hurt, the pain, the betrayal- it all flashed through those world-weary eyes so quickly, before it too, was wiped away.
"Go to sleep, Alex," Blunt said silkily. "I don't know why K-Unit is doing this to you, but you certainly deserve rest... I'm sure you could use it."
"You were poisoned, " Snake explained, going against Blunt's direct orders. "You have to stay awake, alright?"
Cub blinked, looking from one to another- family or training.
Family or training.
The people he trusted (or used to, anyway) had told him to stay awake.
Blunt had said he could get asleep- god, he was so tired.
But... hadn't that trust just been broken? Or partially, anyway- they told him not to eat.
MI6 agents had done the same- were they any different...?
(No.)
Slowly, the drug took over once more, and his eyes drooped closed.
His eyes shot open several seconds later, gasping in pain as the electricity jolted him awake again.
The spy glared at Eagle, before curling on his side, almost defensively.
It then became a seemingly endless cycle of him fighting to stay awake... and losing, only to be shocked if he closed his eyes for over ten seconds.
Roughly a half hour later, he was finally allowed to drift off.
O-o-O-o-O
Wearily, Eagle put down that horrible black metal box. "Are you happy now?" he asked bitterly, mouth set in a grim line.
Blunt ignored him, studying the exhausted teen.
Already, people were coming to take the food away.
Fox's curiously- and dread- piqued when he saw a cot, identical to the one in Cub's room, being brought in by several agents.
"No, I believe it is your turn, Snake. Shall we begin?"
O-o-O-o-O
The boy shied away as strong arms pulled him to his feet, he willed the tiredness to leave him; it took a bit more effort than usual.
"Wolf?" he looked at the other soldier. "Fox?"
They both ignored him, continuing to lead him to-
His bed.
Snake was nearby, and Eagle- well, Alex didn't spare him a second glance.
But instead of setting him gently on the cot, and telling him to rest, they forced him to lay on his stomach and-
His eyes widened when he saw the glint of handcuffs.
Alex immediately lashed out, struggling against the hands that (too) easily held him down.
He would've been compliant if it were MI6 agents, but this was K-Unit.
They were supposed to protect him.
And here they were, hurting him.
He couldn't help feeling a sense of familiarity as K-Unit jerked his arms over his head, cuffing them to the railing of the cot.
It was- god, no, he didn't want to remember that.
O-o-O-o-O
He was still struggling (it was useless- damn those tasers), even as rough hands pulled him up, forcing him back in the cot on his stomach, damaged shoulder screaming agony as his arms were locked above him, handcuffed to the bar that acted as a bedstead.
The teen twisted about, eyes widening when he saw another person enter the room, holding a tray of medical supplies. "No! Please, I-"
Someone brought out a gag, and the boy was silenced, glaring as it tightened around his mouth.
He had an inkling of what they were going to do- but he couldn't be sure.
Danger! His instincts screamed at him. Threat!
The agents held him down as his shirt was torn off of him, and the Evil MI6 Agent came closer, and he saw the contents of the tray, it-it had-
Antiseptic.
A scalpel.
Bandages.
Needle.
Thread.
He took in a shuddering breath-
A small pair of pliers.
And-and he knew he wouldn't see it, but- a small chip, the size of a grain of rice.
The kind of chips used on cats and dogs, except it didn't just have information on a scanner- it was...
A tracker.
Because they weren't trying to take anything out.
They were putting something in, and they would specifically choose a place where it would be nearly impossible to find, or retrieve- and definitely not something he could take out himself (and they knew he didn't have anyone to take it out, let alone someone he actually trusted).
It wouldn't be hard- scalpels would easily make the cut, and needle-like pliers could insert things deep- he wouldn't ever find it.
The simple tracker would easily fix MI6's runaway spy- it was the end of his freedom, the end of any chance of him ever being free of MI6.
MI6 could, and would track his every move, and-and it was only another way for him to prove and confirm that they owned him. Blunt had already told him multiple times that Alex was their property, but inserting a chip like that, like he was some sort of animal, or machine that was used by MI6...
The worst thing was, it wouldn't even hurt that much- not painfully, anyway. It was ironic, really. His back had sustained far worse things, but this chip would leave the deepest scar, that he was-
Alex's breaths quickened, hyperventilating as the EMA bent over him with a scalpel.
The boy tensed, flinching as the blade cut two lines on his right shoulder, criss-cross.
He grew more frenzied, wild when the EMA switched out the scalpel for the pliers, his back arching away from the device that held the tracker; the spy heaved, trying his last desperate (useless) chance for freedom- but it was useless.
O-o-O-o-O
The teen began to hyperventilate- Wolf and Fox holding him down, Eagle hovering nearby, Snake moving towards him with a scalpel.
He flinched when Eagle bent over him, the knife in his hand barely brushing his back as his shirt was sliced off.
Turning his head to the side, Alex could make out the X on the back of his shoulder.
They wouldn't-
They weren't putting anything in, he tried to convince himself... right?
O-o-O-o-O
"You are going to wake up Alex, and bring him to the bed," Blunt began in a dull voice. "You will lay him on his stomach, and cuff his arms over his head, to the rail.
"You will hold him down- Eagle will cut off his shirt, and Snake will remove the microchip fro his shoulder, and replace it with this." He gestured to a tray of medical supplies, and K-Unit could see a small container that held a microchip.
"I am not a microsurgeon," Snake practically seethed. "I am not qualified for this- you need a professional- not a field medic."
Blunt turned a bored expression to the medic. "As you wish." His lips twitched, and he nodded to the agent beside him. "He will do it if you refuse to cooperate."
They all recognized the agent- the lead agent, responsible for making Cub's life a the Bank living hell for nearly an entire year. The man had more than willingly obliged to Blunt's requests of beating the teen up, treating him like a criminal- or worse- and, above all, instilling a sense of fear and distrust of agents and the intelligence agency itself. Cub feared him- they knew. They would never be able to forget the nightmares would awake, terrified- reliving the horrors he had endured here, including the day MI6 had put a chip in him.
Snake had a mental image of the lead agent eagerly gorging into Cub's shoulder, as the nightmare happened again- except, this time, they would be on the sidelines- helpless to do anything. Or worse, they would be holding him down, watching as Cub became confused as they were helping MI6, and hurting him.
They couldn't let that happen.
But... if Snake agreed to help with the 'surgery'... would that be worse?
Definitely not- Cub's health was the most important factor, physically and mentally. Even if they were in the same room as him... it still wouldn't be good.
"Fine," Snake bit out, glancing once more at the broken boy. "I'll do it."
O-o-O-o-O
As Cub writhed in the arms of K-Unit, he... wasn't understanding.
Didn't understand.
Why would they hurt him like this?
They were his friends, his-his family- the only one he had left.
It was ironic- just weeks previously, it had been Snake to wake him up, as he had been having a nightmare about this very same event- same memory. And now... they were the enemy- they were the ones doing it to him.
They had acted like they wanted to help him get away from MI6- and now, here they were, with the enemy.
"Be still, Alex,"
The boy froze at the harsh voice- one that he recognized all-too well.
He stilled immediately.
Blunt was a few meters away, an observer- but a powerful one.
The spy tensed when the scalpel slit open his skin, directly over the previous scar.
Again, he made no move when the pliers dug into his shoulder; he hissed in pain as the metal felt for the microchip.
Perception broke out on his forehead, but Snake remained calm. It was like removing a bullet, only smaller. He could do this. But if he failed- Blunt would set his own agent, too eager and inexperienced, on Cub- who would take pleasure in hurting him.
No, he was the one that needed to do this.
The soldiers had pointedly ignored Alex completely- under strict orders, of course- they all wanted to reassure him- and Cub needed that reassurance.
They wanted to protect him... but they hadn't been allowed.
No explanations.
No comfort.
Blunt was forcing K-Unit to abandon him... and was turning them against Cub.
Snake hadn't liked how Cub had obeyed instantly when blunt had ordered him to stop struggling- it wasn't natural, it wasn't even human.
The medic concentrated, hard, on finding the microchip- he hadn't even see an X-ray, and had only examined the scar previously.
The microchip had been proved dangerously close to the caracoid process, and it was a miracle he hadn't damaged Cub's shoulder permanently.
Thankfully, it was only bleeding minimally- easy to bandage once he was done, but it must've been - for Cub.
Finally, his pliers touched against something hard; he was able to clamp them around the microchip, and take it out.
"You- you're done?" Alex gasped out. "You took it out?"
Snake hated himself in that moment- seeing the boy's relief, his faint hope- god, how on earth had Cub managed to live with that thing in him, knowing that MI6- and Blunt- held so much control over him?
The medic didn't answer, hand already reaching for the 'updated' microchip.
"What are you-" his eyes widened when he realized what was happening... a second time.
Cub growled, straining against the arms that held him down- even as Snake held the pliers carefully to his skin.
Snake grit his teeth as he pushed the microchip back in- he didn't do it as deep as the person before him had, and it was definitely easier than taking it out, but still...
He continued working- quickly and methodically, applying stitches after cleaning the wound with an antiseptic salve, before placing gauze over it. But even if the physical wound healed quickly- the scars wouldn't.
Having your closest friends torture you... that memory wouldn't leave.
As soon as he was done, Snake and the other soldiers stepped neatly back, glaring at Blunt.
There was a moment of silence- Cub, still panting hard from trying to get away from the microchip, while Blunt examined him closely.
"Sit up," he ordered sharply.
The boy moved to obey, but his movements were slow due to the restricts of the handcuffs.
Too slow for the lead agent, and his patience wore thin; he jerked the teen up, twisting him around.
Cub's breaths hitched, pain etching his features while the agent smirked in satisfaction.
It wasn't the first time K-Unit had wanted to kill him- or Blunt, for that matter.
"You disobeyed my orders."
Alex looked down.
Wolf's knuckles whitened where they were clenched into fists. His orders- for Cub not to struggle while they tore into his back.
"You will be punished, or course," Blunt went on easily. "A punishment to fit the crime, don't you think? You felt that you lacked control- and you have none, really- and it is a rather bad habit," he mused to himself, almost cryptically. "I believe Agent Daniels could easily break that for you."
Ben's head snapped up. What the hell was he talking about?
The Director of MI6 merely gestured to a chair on the far side of the room.
Cub bit his lip, not resisting when the lead agent unclipped the cuffs, before depositing him into the chair; he felt his arms being wrenched behind his back, the the handcuffs' lock reengaged.
K-Unit was slightly confused- what did Blunt want for them to do now?
"Three minutes, thirty seconds- that's all I ask of you," Blunt murmured to Fox, out of Cub's hearing range. "If you do not do it, I will have another agent do double that."
Ben frowned, not understanding, when-
He was thrown a cloth, and he was suddenly in front of Alex.
Cub didn't meet his gaze, beginning to hyperventilate.
Hyperventilate? Why- ?
And then he understood.
Pure shock.
A hose, with water already spouting from it, was thrust in his hands.
There were different methods, of course- and the CIA had a reputation for the torture.
But... it had happened to Cub before- that much was obvious.
Waterboarding.
Blunt wanted him to waterboard Cub.
For thirty seconds longer than the average person could go without breathing.
He had started hyperventilating, because he was preparing himself- he knew that it would increase the air in his lungs, making him able to withstand.
But... if he didn't- he would drown.
There was raw fear in Cub's eyes as he moved forward with the cloth and hose in hand- there was no way to cheat, people were watching, and if he were caught, Alex would die- because of him.
Wolf had also been ordered to help- to hold him down.
Cub's head was tilted back, his jaw forced open.
Fox spread the cloth over his mouth and nose, and put the flowing stream over it.
O-o-O-o-O
Alex started hyperventilating as Fox drew closer- he knew what was going to happen, knew he would be helpless to stop it.
But... this was Ben.
Why would he-
There wasn't any time to think about that, as he took a deep breath before Fox fitted the cloth over, and water gushed in.
It was obvious, by the familiar way Ben did it, that he had done it before- had interrogated people before.
Had tortured them.
And here he was, doing it to him.
The water sputtered over, flowing into his stomach. He knew that if he attempted to breath in, he would only get water in his lungs, and he would drown quickly afterward.
His longest record was three minutes, sixteen seconds. Blunt knew that- he'd been there when the agents had tested him on it.
It had already been nearly two minutes, and his lungs were beginning to burn.
He had tried not to struggle- it only wasted precious oxygen, he couldn't afford that.
Still... the real question was how long Ben would do it.
Three minutes.
He didn't like how steady Fox's hand was- how practiced. He didn't like how Wolf was holding him down again, easily- again.
Three minutes, fifteen seconds.
He was at his breaking point, he knew- and Fox still hadn't let up. Blunt would let him be killed... right?
It was three minutes, eighteen seconds, when the first drops of water entered his lungs.
He gasped for breath, only receiving the cold water in his lungs. Desperately, the teen thrashed about, but was undeterred.
Cub continued choking down the water, and panicking- his eyes were wide, and he, again, tried to pull away- but Fox... his mouth was set in a grim line, unrelenting.
The spy was unaware he had been released, when it had hit three minutes, thirty seconds. Alex gasped for air, choking; he tried doubling over, but the handcuffs disallowed the movement.
For the next several minutes, he was vomiting up water, and coughing.
After five minutes, he had settled down; Cub growled at any of the soldiers that got too close, sending them hurt and betrayed looks.
He didn't understand why.
Why were they doing this to him?
O-o-O-o-O
Blunt turned to the lead agent. "You know what to do next."
The agent smiled grimly, and nodded.
K-Unit watched in dismay as he led the boy to the center of the room, where he was cuffed to the floor, arms behind him and handcuffs connected to a metal ring.
It was all-too familiar.
The soldiers hadn't been present when Blunt had set his agents on Cub, to 'teach him his place,' but now...
O-o-O-o-O
Cub scrambled backward as Wolf came towards him.
He knew what would happen next- it had happened before- but this was Wolf.
Surely he wouldn't- ?
The teen flinched back as Wolf struck him across the jaw- it would leave a bruise.
Wolf was a soldier- he knew how to fight. He knew the best places to cause pain in hand-to-hand combat... and Blunt knew he knew.
It was awful to obey that order- for Blunt to list a specific set of places to injure, and for him to follow through- and know that if it wasn't satisfactory, the lead agent would all-too willingly take his place.
He was brutal, and unrelenting- Cub didn't have time to prepare himself for the next hit.
The boy was helpless- chained down, at the mercy of... him.
O-o-O-o-O
Cub was overwhelmed- with the pain, the shock of betrayal, and his emotions- the ones he had been taught to get rid of.
Everything was happening so fast- and-and everything K-Unit was doing to him.
He couldn't keep up- he was so tired from the previous two weeks, and this, K-Unit torturing him, and those pent-up emotions that he wanted to go away.
And- the pain.
All of the pain.
He was being overwhelmed.
He couldn't do this anymore.
He wanted to let go.
To forget.
He didn't want to remember this- didn't want to be this person.
He hated this.
Couldn't experience this horrible life- if it could be called living.
This fight for survival... he was so tired of it all.
So he did- he... let go.
He withdrew, deep within his own mind- where he couldn't feel the pain.
O-o-O-o-O
Wolf glanced worriedly at the teenager.
He could survive this day- it was a harsh beating, yes, but it wasn't life-threatening.
But... something was off.
One moment, Cub was curled up as best he could, accepting the punishment- when he had stiffened.
As far as he could see, he wasn't unconscious.
It was like he had-
Wolf drew a fist back, but something stopped him.
Something was wrong.
"Cub?"
Blunt had warned him not to talk to him, but he didn't care- not now, when Cub was acting odd.
"Who is 'Cub?'" Alex asked in clipped, mechanical tone.
Wolf looked back at K-Unit- who looked puzzled as well.
"You may stop, Wolf." Blunt observed the boy, his eyes never leaving him. "Unlock the cuffs."
The agent did as he was told.
"Your name is Alex," the grey man stated, confusing the soldiers even more. "You obey me."
"Yes, sir," the boy continued in that same odd tone.
"Stand up," Blunt ordered.
Alex stood, showing no signs of pain or fatigue.
Fox frowned. This was different than the brainwashed Alex- this was... how to put it? Had he merely dropped his emotions again? But it didn't seem like that...
"Do you know who these men are?" the grey man asked, gesturing to K-Unit.
Alex looked at them. "No, sir."
"Attack them."
Without warning, he lashed out at Wolf, who was nearest.
Although he was caught by surprise, it was more confusion than anything- of Alex apparently losing his memory. However, he easily subdued the teen, being careful not to hurt him. "Hey, taking it easy- it's just Wolf, remember?" It seemed similar to what happened at the safehouse- or, Alex's old house. But... was it the same? Would it take Alex long to break him out of this?
"Be still."
At the order, Alex stopped.
"It's perfect," Blunt murmured. Then, turning to K-Unit: "I have you to thank, it wouldn't have been possible without your help."
Snake clenched his jaw. The nerve.
"As promised- Alex, would you like to go with K-Unit?"
"No, sir."
"What?!" Eagle exclaimed. "You can't just-"
"You can't do this," Wolf said firmly. "You said you would give Alex a choice, not some brainwashed version!"
Their protests seemed to go unheard, as Blunt seemed fixated on the teen. He turned to K-Unit. "You have no use for me, now. Agent Daniels, report immediately to Mrs. Jones- she will brief you on your next mission. Wolf, you are being reassigned as an instructor for the U.S. Rangers, and will be a liaison between the SAS and the U.S Army, effective immediately; you report to Fort Carson at 1600 tomorrow. Snake, congratulations, the Army has finally realized your potential and is now sending you for advanced medical training- further details will be sent to you at a later date. Eagle, you have been reassigned as a marksman instructor for the Marine Corps, effective immediately; you report to Paris Island at 1800 tomorrow. As for you, Alex..."
O-o-O-o-O
Get used to losing. You know you will- they control you; always have, and always will. Once you're in the game, there's no way out.
O-o-O-o-O
You know what the hardest part of writing this chapter was? Hurting Alex through K-Unit. Well, anyways, it'd be awesome if you dropped a review by!