Wow. It's been a year since I've started this fic. And... it's been quite a journey. I thank you all for reading, favouriting, following, and a HUGE thanks to the reviewers- your support has been frankly amazing. Anyway, know that I am not done with LoaS- yet.

And enjoy.

Guest- And I can't wait to write it ;)

heyo- Pretty much a last-minute decision for me, too. Weird how things work out like that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.

O-o-O-o-O

Alex stared dully at the targets he had just shot at. "Is that all?"

Yassen nodded, eyeing his results with a calculating eye. "Your time at Malagosto served you well."

The spy shrugged. "Even if I wasn't allowed to shoot at the SAS, they still taught me the basics- BB teaches instinctive shooting, too."

The two assassins sat in silence for a moment, both cleaning their weapons.

"That was your final assessment," the Russian said simply,

Alex looked up. "Did I fail?" He hadn't been exactly perfect during the rigorous testing- less weight during their desert runs and his speed, stamina, and strength were just never the same as the grown men and women he had been training with. His main weapons were stealth and surprise, thus hand-to-hand unarmed combat hadn't been ideal.

"You're remarkable for one so young," Yassen answered quietly. "It should be obvious that you will never win against a test of strength with people that are nearly twice your age. You're still learning. Growing. Maturing. But it won't be long before you have reached your full potential."

The boy nodded. "Of course." He hesitated, momentarily stunned by the sudden memories of being tested harshly by Blunt. "Are you going to send me on missions?" He would comply if Yassen ordered it- but he still dreaded them. Except he knew he owed it to the assassin- and that he had no choice but to obey.

Yassen studied him carefully. "The Nakket do things differently than your previous employer. Everyone is here by choice- the same goes for missions. Solo-ops are nonexistent- we always have back-up teams in place. We care about our own," the assassin pressed.

Alex glanced down. "Are you going to send me back to MI6?"

"No," Yassen said shortly, before moving to elaborate. "I owe a friend a favor. You are free to leave at any time, but MI6 would find you almost immediately."

The teen sobered.

"While you are here, you are expected to complete a mission at least once a month," he said in a warning tone. "Is this understood?"

The boy's features hardened. "Yes, sir."

Orders- something he was used to.

Yassen filed away his microexpressions, analyzing his reaction. "The briefing is in three hours, in conference room 3A, passcode 9736vnx. Don't disappoint me."

O-o-O-o-O

Fox switched on the skype call, three other boxes of footage showing the profile pictures- which were nonexistent- for the three other people he was currently face-timing.

Gradually, they were replaced with the live screens of his unit.

Wolf and Eagle were obviously in dorms- Wolf was teaching at the Naval Academy, Eagle at West Point, the U.S. Army Academy. Snake was in a similar room, but it was a student dormitory.

"Hey guys," Fox greeted awkwardly- if only they could talk in person.

"Skip the pleasantries," Wolf said brusquely. "Any updates?"

Eagle glared at the screen. "MI6 monitors all of our communication. Careful with what you say."

Ben nodded. "Right, well. MI6 has been scrambling to find Alex. Rumor has it he went MIA on a mission almost a month ago."

The other soldiers visibly tensed.

"Did they get a location?" Wolf asked. "Why haven't they moved in yet?"

Eagle and Snake both looked expectantly at him.

Fox bit his lip. "That's the thing..." he hesitated. "They lost his tracking information. Either it was jammed, or they took it out."

Snake looked sharply at the spy. "Where was the assignment?"

"What was his mission?" Eagle interrupted.

Ben sighed. "Complete annihilation of the Nakket." He quickly moved to reassure them. "He's safe, though- I've got a friend keeping an eye on him."

Wolf narrowed his eyes. "And just how much do you trust this 'friend' of yours?"

The spy pushed away all doubts. "Enough that I know he's better than '6."

O-o-O-o-O

"That wasn't part of the deal!" Ben yelled angrily into the burner phone. "You were supposed to protect Alex- not send him out to the field!"

"You don't understand the way the Nakket works," Yassen said smoothly. "Everyone here has to work to earn their keep. The board requires him to work just as any of the other soldiers- a mission a month isn't unreasonable."

"You're using him," the spy snarled. "That makes you as bad as Blunt!"

He sighed. "Like I told Alex, don't compare me to him. I have some sway in the meetings, but only just. Besides, it won't be long before you and the rest of your unit are here."

"Alright," Ben agreed reluctantly. "But we're sticking with the rest of the plan. Will it take long to break him out of his shell?"

"No," the assassin answered. "He's already progressing... but please prepare yourselves- it won't be easy; he doesn't remember you- nor does he want to."

"I understand."

Yassen hesitated. "You know what has to be done, correct? MI6 must go down, and Alex is the one that has to do it- otherwise they won't back down."

Fox bit his lip. "I know... but it will work. It has to."

O-o-O-o-O

Wolf stepped outside his room, into the fresh air.

Frowning, he subtly checked his watch. He hated it when someone wasn't punctual.

The soldier sighed as he lit his cigarette- it would be weird if the cameras showed him coming outside in the middle of the night for no good reason.

The hand paused, lit cigarette hanging limp in his fingers

Six men?

Wasn't that overkill?

No- it was a U.S. military base, and he was an SAS soldier.

The man made a show of looking around, 'searching' for the danger. "Whoever the hell you are, you have no authorization to-"

Wolf didn't finish his sentence, ducking the tranquilized dart that had been aimed where his head had been a moment before, and grabbed for the gun holstered at his side.

The six figures stepped out of the shadows, and the soldier allowed him to take them down- the angle and close range making it impossible to miss the tranqs that followed.

There was only one thing he was thinking about as he drifted into unconsciousness: it would be great to see his unit again.

O-o-O-o-O

Eagle could sense their presence the moment he stepped out of the bar- as a specialized instructor at West Point, his privileges greatly rivaled the cadets- especially with weekend passes.

That, and he knew when his drink had been drugged.

Tonight was The Night.

Of course, in his intoxicated state, he was in no way able to fight full-force. He knew he had knocked out one, and injured two of the six, but not until he had a few tranqs sticking into him.

His lips twitched as the darkness set in. One dysfunctional unit reunion, coming right up.

O-o-O-o-O

Snake inwardly groaned at the amount of homework he had; let alone studying for the test that had been announced in his previous class he was currently walking home from.

Normal security cameras didn't have infrared, so it was only grainy footage that showed a car pull up to the soldier.

Snake hastily dropped his pack; there wasn't a gun to pull from the holster than normally hung at his waist- the SAS has temporarily confiscated his Desert Eagle, and he was on a college campus with civilians.

His hand-to-hand combat skills were good- damn good. But that didn't mean anything when completely surrounded by six men that happened to be the good guys... with tranquilizers.

It looked like a hopeless situation- even as he launched himself at one of the men, trying to use him as a shield against the sudden swarm of darts that hit him.

Snake didn't like how they'd had to use real tranqs- but it would all be worth it tin the end. Even if he'd had to fake his own kidnapping.

'Cause it wouldn't matter soon.

It had been way too long since he'd seen his team.

Too damn long.

O-o-O-o-O

Fox's staged abduction required a bit more elegance- mainly, jamming all communications with his on-site handler and back-up team near the end of his assignment; while simultaneously having Nakket infiltrate and retrieve him just as he was wrapping things up.

The spy allowed smile as the plane had him dropped him off thousands of feet in the air, along with the team that Nakket had sent.

Fox had a few familiar faces greeting him as he landed.

And he couldn't help but grin like an idiot.

O-o-O-o-O

Remember who you are: you're a spy, not a soldier. Soldiers have comrades to rely on- you have no one.

O-o-O-o-O

Huh. I think that's one of the first times I haven't ended a chapter with angst. Next chapter- more of Alex and Yassen... and of course, the inevitable of Alex meeting the newly-acquainted K-Unit. This should be interesting.