Built for Espionage: Chapter Eleven
It was two days of meeting with everyone and anyone who had ever been in contact with Sasha before Yassen had a potential location of the man. One Katherine Cadman who had finally caved and given him the location of a house the other assassin would use while visiting London.
The only issue now was getting Alex out. Yassen knew that Sasha was expecting him, the man had out-front invited him, knowing the assassin would find their location. There would be no chance to test his environment, or even ensure that Alex was at the location.
He did the next best thing, gathering blueprints and a layout of the house was easy, he labelled every entrance and exit, every room or place big enough to hold Alex. He located the closest hospital or clinic to the house and further got a room in the hotel nearest to both the hospital and the house.
Now however, was his next issue. While he considered himself a well-armed and well-prepared person/assassin, being well-armed would be difficult. Sasha would know has goal to escape with Alex, and therefore it was expected that the assassin would strip him of any weapons he could carry. And there was no hope for him, solo, to be able to take the house in a surprise attack, let alone a spy's approach to infiltrate the house.
For the first time in a long time, Yassen was in the deep end.
'MI6 can't do anything' Confirmed Wolf as he stormed back into his room, where Eagle and Snake were waiting for him. Snake instantly whipped around to face him, a look of anger and disbelief.
'What do you mean they can't do anything, they're MI6, they're an expert international spy agency, they have everything. What couldn't they do!' He threw his body down in defeat, landing on Wolf's bed and burying his head in his hands.
'They don't know where Alex is, they don't know who has him, let alone Fox, and they're assuming Alex doesn't have any of his- and I quote, gadgets, and as Blunt said- they can't do anything' Finished Wolf, the man reaching for bar fridge in his room, grabbing a random small bottle of rum and taking a swing before either Eagle or Snake could say a word.
'What about the men who attacked us, surely the camera's caught something?' questioned Eagle
'They caught the whole attack, but the men- no on special, some personal guard hire service'
'Well then can't they track who hired those guys!'
'No, apparently those six that attacked us along with another two were left the business two months ago and haven't been seen since, not even by their families' Eagle joined Snake on the bed, a sigh leaving his lips as he watched the floor. Wolf leant against the bar fridge, watching his team mates, clearly Snake's mind was still running around trying to gather strings to find their two team mates.
'Oh god' gasped Eagle the man's head shooting up to meet Wolf's eyes.
'Alex his family, whoever his caregiver is- do they know?' Wolf's eye hardened, his glare wasn't aimed at either of his teammates, but they instantly knew something had happened, something to Alex's family.
'Jack was murdered five days ago, suspected that whoever has Alex, and Fox, killed Jack first to get her out of the way'
'What about the rest of his family, Alex needs a guardian to return to' Snake's words allowed Wolf and Eagle to remember that the man hadn't read Alex folder, that he didn't know that Jack was Alex's only carer, that she wasn't even blood related, that Alex was an orphan, that there was no one else- no one for Alex to return to.
That night, now four days after Alex and Ben were abducted, Snake read through Alex's folder, he leant about the boys family situation, he leant about his missions, about his position as an unrecorded agent for MI6. And only as the night became morning did the K-unit of SAS come to a decision.
They would rescue the boy, without MI6's help or approval, Alex Rider would never return to MI6.
Their plan wasn't a plan, there was none. But they had a goal- and what ever it took to get them there so be it.
Sasha Makedonsky was an assassin first, he was capable of torture and other methods to extract information second, and third and maybe the man's favourite, he was a sadist in every definition of the word. And unfortunately, K-unit had encountered the man before.
Before turning to assassination as a career, Sasha Makedonsky- or Alexander Solonik, had been a soldier in the Soviet Army and later a police officer in OMON police agency. How a man as twisted in the head and a sadist had been both enlisted in the Army and later a policing agency had often confused K-unit.
K-unit met Sasha under the allis as The Macedonian, he had been the leader of a drug smuggling ring. The SAS had been brought in the take down the entire business, every worker, every smuggler and especially The Macedonian. And living up to his allis, The Macedonian took to their battle wielding two guns, one in each hand, and with perfect aim managing to shot seven of their team.
Sasha had evaded police and specialised teams for another year before he was caught, however, it was no surprise when he escaped prison for the second time a year later.
Ben's mind continued to recount everything he knew about Sasha Makedonsky as he sat chained to the wall in Alex's cell. Said fourteen year old was sleeping, something Ben was glad he managed to do while injured and strapped tightly to a chair. Only yesterday they'd been branded and Ben was thankful when the only visitor they got today had been to bring Alex and he a small amount of food and water.
By now Ben estimated it to be late in the afternoon and was more than ready himself to accept sleep. However, it was rather difficult in his position. While Alex was strapped to a chair, he was able to more enough to cause to much strain on his latest wound. Ben wasn't so lucky.
His arms were tucked behind him and locked into shackles that were in the wall, the position wasn't too constricting given that he could loosen his shoulders and relax more, though that didn't help his brand that rested right beside another shackle (this one not being used) and therefore was pushing far too closely into his side.
He gave out a quite cry as his shifted his body and accidentally nodded his side against the open shackle.
'Ben?' His head shot up, for a second forgetting his most recent pain and he meet Alex's eyes. Both were able to see each other without much issue, Ben being chained at the adjacent wall to the door and Alex being strapped to his chair in the centre of the room facing the door.
'Yeah Cub, how are you feeling?' He wasn't a medic like Snake, but everyone knew the basics of field wounds and in his position he was doing the best he could at least for Alex's mind-set.
'A little dazed, but yeah I'm okay. What about you Fox?' Ben knew that was a bold-face lie, if his wound which was about half the injury of Cub's own brand was acting up and causing him more than enough pain, Alex's would be far worst.
'Don't lie to me Cub, give me the basics, I can see your arm isn't bleeding anymore, same for the cuts on your face, how does your…' He wasn't certain what to call the brand, and while he could just call it that- he couldn't. Alex was a kid, not even adults ever deserved to be branded and giving into the name, calling it a brand was just as terrible as the act.
Everyone and no doubt knew that branding on people was a sign of ownership, by branding Ben and Alex, Sasha had told them that he owned them, that there was no escape from because they were his property.
'The poker went really deep, I can see the indent- its permanent of course, and it's red and yellow and it makes me to sick to look at it. The pains still there, but I think its been slowly been going numb from the cold' After they'd branded Alex, right before Sasha and the man had left, Sasha had done one more thing to Alex before leaving. The strap across the boy's stomach was still unlatched, and so Sasha had unstrapped Alex's arms and while Alex was unconscious, lifted the hoodie over his head and off, taking it with him as he left.
As since Alex hadn't had his hoodie, and no shirt, Ben could only imagine how the cold would affect Alex if he stayed uncovered like that for too long.
Alex meanwhile watched his wound, the brand that moved each time he took a breath in and each time he gave one out. It was pulsing with fire and while the cold temperature of the room was helping, it was still unbearable. He wanted to release the tears that were building up since he'd woken, it wasn't just the physical pain of a few deep cuts and a brand, it was that Jack was dead, it was that he'd been the cause and more than likely Ben would be next. It was the pain of not knowing if they'd both make it out of here and for once in his life Alex felt like a child, he wanted to cry to go home, to hug Jack and to be safe.
Something he knew was never going to happen ever again. Jack was gone, she's dead he had to tell himself. If he lived through this he'd return to London and would be lucky if he was in hospital a month before MI6 had him on another case, another mission where people would die- and every person who died, it didn't matter if he pulled the trigger or not, it was his fault.
This was what his life was now, it was a loop. Mission, Captured, Kill, Recover, Repeat. He'd be lucky if he got much time to recover now as well, MI6 would take him out of his life every second they could. He wasn't going to get to return to Jack each mission, he'd never have parents who would greet him and love him. His life was never meant to be that, and so it never would.
'You know this isn't even the worst I've had it, I'm certain it's not the worst you've had it either.' He didn't want to say it was a relief to be in danger again, because maybe this time it would be the end- a month of torture; fine, as long as it was over at the end. As long as he didn't have to return to a life as painful as one without Jack, without anyone who loved him.
'The hardest thing is not being able to talk to someone you used to talk to everyday' Ben followed, catching the surprise in Alex's eyes at his words.
'Every time I get sent on an assignment, and especially if something goes wrong. The worst part is not hearing Wolf's stupid orders and frustrated voice, or Eagle's jokes and baking tips, or Snakes mother-henning and did you notice that he nearly always starts the morning with a hot chocolate- can't be normal and have coffee like the rest of us, no he has hot chocolate' Ben gave a chuckle at his memories of the first few months with K-unit.
'Cub did you know that we all met Wolf would prank any of us if we tried to sleep in, and still does. And Snake knew use all only one week before he made us each a mini med-kit with shit like band-aids and Panadol just because that's how caring and concerned he is twenty-four-seven. And god Eagle he was an angel, not shy or anything, but would never question an order, never spoke out of term, but after Wolf's third prank of him for sleeping in he decided it was his personal duty to the universe to drive Wolf over the edge everyday' While Ben was talking he'd been watching the door, not as lookout or out of concern, no just because he imagined his team bursting through that door any day now to save them. Finally, he turned to meet Cub's wonder filled eyes.
'And you wanna know the best part about each and every one of those guys, they're coming to save us. They're not here right now sure, but that's because they're working their asses off to get to us' He wide smile was aimed right at Alex as he finished, he knew Alex was a spy, that he was an experienced agent. But he could nearly guarantee that not once had someone tried to reassure him that someone was coming, someone was always coming to save him.
'Thanks Ben' Alex's eyes smiled at him, and the boy didn't like as pile and utter sick as he had earlier. Now he looked at Ben thankfully and Ben was more than happy to foul himself into thinking Alex was feeling better.
'We'll always be here for you Cub'
After another day to endless searches and inquires to help him get into Sasha's house without being detained and striped of his weapons, Yassen made his way up the stairs of his hotel. Each step, while going up felt like another defeat- and the elevator was nothing but a cheat.
When he reached his floor, the twelfth of a fourteen story building, and made towards his room, he wasn't bother by the elevator going off behind him. He wouldn't bother to turn to survey the person getting out because no doubt they were just some civilian.
And so, when suddenly he felt the presence of someone right behind him seconds before a gun clocked and someone spoke, well to say he wasn't quite expecting it was maybe an understatement.
'Show me your hands and turn around, slowly' A voice that he found strangely familiar ordered.
'Wolf what are you doing?' Cried another voice, this time though Yassen heard the approaching footsteps of two people, one who had just spoken and the other he assumed a partner or friend. And Wolf, the person holding a gun maybe a metre from where he was stopped.
Giving out a sigh, he turned- slowly and with his hands raised to his shoulders in more of an act of annoyance than surrender.
'Shit is that Yassen Gregorovich?'