Disclaimer: Alex Rider belongs to Anthony Horowitz

'The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it'

(George Bernard Shaw)

Laughter hadn't come easily to Alex after his rescue, but laughing is exactly what he found himself doing when talking to Laura. She was a contradiction all of her own, and she came and went whenever she wanted. Today, she had been hanging around with him, tracking him down at lunch and again as school ended. She reached out and touched his arm.

"I've got to go," she said apologetically, gesturing to one of the school buses.

He smiled at her, disguising his flinch, and said goodbye. She was nice to talk to when his friends were on holiday, but he tended to end up craving solitude when he was with her. He wandered over to where Ben was waiting in the car for him.

"Friend of yours?" Ben asked absently as he drove off. Alex looked back at the school buses, deep in thought.

"Of a sort," he said shortly.

Ben nodded, and silence reigned. Alex had been back at school for a few days and already he could feel the familiar school boy attitude sinking in – the 'I don't care how necessary it is, no one can make me like school' mindset. It was a nice change to hanging around with three soldiers and a spy, and it was definitely better than being in the custody of MI6 or Menarc, but God, school got boring after a while. Far too much algebra and Cold War, and not nearly enough excitement. It was the curse of the spy, he guessed. Even a relaxing break got boring very quickly when you're used to gunshots and chases.

"You're not planning to go anywhere tonight, are you?" Ben interrupted his thoughts when they pulled into the driveway. Alex reached across and undid his seat belt, shouldering his school bag.

"No," he answered curiously, "why?" Ben was reluctant to let him out of the house without a guard, but he'd never stopped him. Besides, Alex never went anywhere except to the park or Tom's house – it wasn't as if he had a lot of friends.

Ben didn't reply until they were safely indoors and the door was locked. "K-Unit are out tonight," he said in a low voice. "I'd prefer if you stayed with me as much as possible."

K-Unit? Out? Where would all of them possibly be going, especially when they were supposed to be guarding the house?

"To the Bank?" Alex guessed quietly and watched Ben nod seriously.

"They got the call earlier," he replied, then saw Alex's face and quickly added, "and I don't know what it's about, so don't ask."

"And you wouldn't tell me if you did know,"

Ben chuckled. "No," he confirmed, "I probably wouldn't."

Ales scowled, but couldn't fault Ben. Secrecy wasn't simply a habit for a spy; it was a way of life, and Alex knew how the lies and omissions could become completely ingrained.

"Anyway," Ben said, "we have extra personnel on guard today, but I'm taking no chances. Stay downstairs, alright?"

Alex nodded his agreement, feeling a flicker of unease at the extra security measures. He knew perfectly well that no amount of guards would truly stop Scorpia – or Menarc, whoever they were now – if they really wanted to get him. The absence of K-Unit would offer them a lovely opportunity, and he really didn't want to get reacquainted with them again. If MI6 felt a need for the added security, that probably meant there was a threat – after all, they wouldn't waste the personnel for no reason, not with the economy the way it was.

The evening passed slowly, with both Ben and Alex jumping at every noise. Dinner was tense and silent, both swallowing their shepherd's pie with difficulty, acutely aware that if Menarc attacked, it could be their last meal.

"What time are they expected back?" Alex asked quietly, breaking the heaviness of the silence with his words. Ben stood up, putting his plate in the dishwasher. Alex followed suit.

"I don't know," Ben murmured, looking around, and Alex did the same. Was it truly paranoia when you knew people really were out to get you?

"I'm going to hang around in the lounge for a bit," Alex said, not knowing how else to reply. He wondered what would happen in terms of sleeping if the others didn't come back that night. Then a thought occurred to him. If they didn't know when they were supposed to be back, how would they possibly know if something had happened to K-Unit?

"Ok," Ben agreed, grabbing some washing-up liquid and squirting it into the bowl. Alex stood still for a couple of seconds, wondering if he should help. Ben glanced at him, jerking his head towards the sofa. "Go," he said. "I don't mind clearing up."

Alex smiled in thanks, slumping down in front of the TV and turning it on low. He wanted to able to hear any intruders, or alternatively if the SAS soldiers came back. Ben joined him a few minutes later.

"You holding up alright?"

"Yeah," Alex answered, recognizing Ben's concern. "It's not exactly a new thing, being in danger."

Ben's face darkened. "I know," he said, and those two words hung between them, highlighting Alex's past experiences. Alex drew his knees up to his chest, reaching for the remote. He didn't want to revisit the old memories.

Suddenly there were footsteps outside. Alex froze, feeling Ben do the same next to him. Neighbours? No. Too close to be next door.

"Quick," Ben hissed, grabbing Alex's arm. "Get upstairs, now."

"No way," Alex replied immediately, keeping his voice low. The footsteps were getting louder, and they sounded heavy. "If it's Menarc, I'll be trapped upstairs."

"Fine," Ben said quickly, and unanimously they crept into the kitchen, hovering by the door where they would be able to see who it was the instant they stepped through the door. It was too late to run, now. If it was Menarc, they would have the house surrounded. The only way out was to fight. Alex slipped into a loose fighting position, ready for any intruders.

There was a jangle of keys and Alex straightened up, sharing a look with Ben. "Intruders with keys?" Alex said, an eyebrow raised. Ben smiled, his body relaxing.

"Unlikely," Ben agreed. "Shall we go meet them?"

Alex nodded, and they headed to the door, opening it just as the 'intruders' got there. There was a flurry of movement, and Alex was greeted by the sight of a very tense K-Unit, all with their arms raised and ready to fight. Alex guessed he and Ben weren't the only ones to be tense that night. The separation and security risk had put them all on edge.

"Ben," Wolf sighed in relief, putting the keys back in his pocket.

"Worried, were we?" Alex asked with a grin. It was easier to mock Wolf than admit how paranoid he and Ben had been.

"Shut up, Cub," Snake snapped, pushing his way into the house. Alex raised his eyebrows.

"Good meeting?" he asked sarcastically, looking at Snake's retreating back.

"No," Wolf answered shortly, also making his way inside. Ben caught Alex's arm briefly, giving him a warning glance. Even Eagle didn't say anything, simply following the others inside and flopping on the sofa.

"Tea anyone?" Alex said, deciding he may as well be helpful. He might get more answers that way, he reasoned.

"Please," Ben replied, and he got three grunts from the soldiers. Presuming that meant yes, he picked five mugs out of the cupboard and put on the kettle. Whilst tracking down some teabags, he heard murmurings from the lounge. Discretely, he moved closer to them, straining his ears to hear what they were saying.

"-tomorrow," he caught Eagle confirming.

"That's not a lot of prep time," Ben said, frowning. Alex wondered what they were talking about.

Wolf shrugged. "When do they care about that?"

Alex heard the kettle ping and cursed under his breath as they all turned to look at him. Innocently, he turned back into the kitchen and poured the water into the teapot. He heard Ben shush the others.

So, he thought, whatever they were talking about he wasn't supposed to know – not yet, anyway. If something was happening tomorrow, presumably he'd find out then. It would be hard to keep something involving all of them a secret when they were living in the same house.

He didn't say anything about their conversation when he handed them their tea. He sat cross-legged in front of the TV, subduing the wince that threatened to occur when the wound on his leg pulled at the movement. It had healed, but was still sore if stretched. He was still off PE at school, but had to admit that he was relieved by that; his sports teachers were scary.

"No disturbances?" Wolf asked, looking at Ben for an answer. Snake and Eagle were sat on the sofa, both quiet and distinctly pale. Alex had a feeling it was to do with the reason they were on leave.

"None," Ben said, shaking his head.

"Good," Wolf acknowledged. "The extra security will stay until tomorrow morning,"

Ben nodded. "Still too expensive to have full time?"

"Yeah," Wolf said with a scowl. Alex guessed they'd had a similar conversation before.

"I'm supposed to be one of their best agents," he interrupted. "Surely they can spare a few men?"

"Don't be cocky, Cub," Wolf dismissed. "You're sixteen."

Alex looked at Ben, raising his eyebrows. Ben smiled at him, shaking his head as if to say 'let it go'.

"I'm going to bed," Snake said suddenly, standing up and marching from the room.

"It's only eight," Alex called, but there was no reply. He shrugged, almost missing the dark looks Wolf and Ben exchanged.

"I'm going as well," Eagle said quietly, standing up. Alex had never seen the man look so serious, nor so . . . worried?

"You alright?" Ben asked softly, and Eagle nodded, quickly walking from the room. Alex heard his footsteps on the stairs a few minutes later.

"Where's he planning on sleeping?" Alex questioned in amusement, realising that there was only one spare room.

"There's a mattress on the floor in the spare room now," Ben answered, grinning at him. "He's not going to steal your bed, don't worry."

"As long as he doesn't," Alex said in mock anxiety. "I couldn't sleep on the floor," he exclaimed.

"Not a problem," Ben said, "Wolf's the one who has to sleep on the sofa tonight."

Alex laughed at the look on Wolf's face as he stared at the sofa.

"You have got to be joking," he growled.

"Unless you want to share a bed?" Ben asked cheekily and Wolf glared at him.

"What's to stop me going home?"

"The fact that it's your turn on duty tonight?"

Wolf growled again. His code name was a very apt description, Alex mused, smiling at the exchange.

"Guess I probably won't sleep tonight anyway then," Wolf said with a frustrated sigh. Ben patted his shoulder in pretend sympathy.

"Well, have fun you two," the spy said cheerfully, "I'm going to have a shower."

"'Night," Alex said, moving from the floor to the spare spot on the armchair.

Some time later, Alex yawned and stretched his arms above his head. Wolf, engrossed in a new episode of Criminal Minds, didn't look up.

"Good night," Alex wished him, slowly standing up. He glanced at his watch, realising that it was only ten o'clock and he was already exhausted. Oh well, there was little chance he'd sleep through the night so he might as well sleep when he could.

"'Night," Wolf said absently, fleetingly flicking his eyes up to Alex's standing form. Alex trailed upstairs, seeing Ben's shut door. Looked like Ben had gone to bed already – or was on his laptop. He debated having a shower, but figured he'd have one when he woke up; he was too tired now. He slipped his pyjamas on and slid into a restless sleep.

Blood. Red, dripping from the walls of the tiny windowless room. Yellow stars hung from the ceiling. He tried to reach them, feel them, discover what they were made of, but the ceiling moved – up, up, up – until he could no longer see it and there was only emptiness, colourless, blank space drifting in front of his eyes. The red had faded, replaced only by white walls and no ceiling. Then there was a scream – "Alex!" – echoing around and he spun, looking desperately for the source but there was nothing, just the voice, screaming over and over and he was completely helpless –

- Shit, Alex thought, waking up covered in sweat. That was a new one. There had never been nothing there; there was normally a body or a man (or woman, come to think of it). The emptiness had been frightening, the helplessness indescribable. He shuddered, swinging his body out of bed and traipsing downstairs. Sweat made his pyjamas stick to his skin uncomfortably, but all he wanted was a coffee. He'd have a shower later, at a more sociably acceptable time.

"-holding up?" Alex heard as he approached the kitchen. He froze, recognizing Wolf's voice. He had no desire to interrupt and was about to go back upstairs when another person replied.

"Fine," Eagle said shortly. "I just don't understand why-" his voice broke slightly and he stopped.

Alex moved closer, intrigued. Why what? And why was Eagle so upset? It had to be to do with the meeting at the Bank earlier.

"I know," Wolf replied heavily. Alex crept even nearer to the kitchen door, hiding just out of sight. He couldn't see either of them, and hoped that was true for them too.

"It hasn't even been six months since he-"

"Eagle," Wolf said, his voice quiet enough that Alex strained to hear it. "You know why."

"Yeah,"

"They think we have an incentive to get the information," Wolf continued, seemingly ignoring Eagle's reply. Alex wondered what he was talking about. What did they need to know? And what incentive?

"Because of Cub," Eagle stated slowly.

"Yeah," Wolf answered, and Alex started. Because of him? Information? Menarc, he concluded finally, his heart feeling heavy. What other information would they need that had to do with him? But Christ, that would be dangerous. By the sound of it, none of them were ready to be in action again – added to the fact that none of them were spies! It wasn't their job to gather information, only to act on it. So why not send Ben?

Oh.

He needed a minder, and individual protection from someone with something invested in him. Just as K-Unit were being sent (somewhere) to gather information because MI6 thought they'd be more successful as they cared for him, Ben was being kept behind because he'd protect him better for the same reason. Obviously, he breathed to himself. The only question was where K-Unit were being sent.

"I know it's stupid," Wolf was continuing, and Alex tuned in again. "We're short a member after Leopard-" he stopped suddenly, and Alex wondered who Leopard was.

"You can say it," came Eagle's voice hollowly.

"After Leopard died," Wolf continued briskly, "and we're not exactly in the best of shape, but we can do this, ok? We'll do it for Cub."

Alex felt his throat seize up. Leopard, dead? Wolf, sentimental? The overwhelming knowledge thrust upon him with Wolf's words nearly overcame him. Leopard must have been a team-mate, since the SAS normally worked in units of four. That . . . almost made sense, except: extended leave for a teammate's death? In the SAS death happened fairly frequently. It must've been more traumatic than a simple gunshot wound in a gun fight – as horrible as that sounded. Such was the life of an SAS soldier, where a gunshot is a simple death.

"Ok," Eagle said quietly, and there was the sound of a chair scraping back along the floor. Alex quickly crept upstairs, hoping that neither of them would catch him spying on them. He highly doubted either would appreciate him listening in on such a private conversation. He slid into bed just as he heard Eagle walking up the stairs. The footsteps paused outside his door.

"Night Cub," Eagle said in a low voice, before walking on again. Alex flushed, recognizing that he'd been overly cocky whilst listening in. They might not be spies, but both men were soldiers, and ones good enough to get into the SAS. He was stupid to think they wouldn't have heard him coming downstairs. Either way, he wasn't getting up again. That would just be taking the humiliation too far.

He lay on his bed for the rest of the night, flicking through pages on the internet, reading through textbooks and perusing the random fiction books in his room. Nothing held his interest for long, too caught up in the mystery of K-Unit, but the hours slowly passed. He didn't go back to sleep.

"You awake Alex?" came Ben's voice through the door at seven o'clock.

"Yes," he replied, getting up and opening the door. Ben smiled warmly at him and wished him a good morning before heading downstairs. He hurried into the shower, noticing that the spare room door was open and the room was empty. Eagle and Snake were either downstairs or out then, he concluded. He mechanically went through the motions of washing his hair and scrubbing his body, erasing the sweat from his earlier dream. Pulling on his school uniform, he towel dried his hair and headed downstairs.

"Morning," he said absently to Ben as he wandered into the kitchen and received an identical reply. There was no sign of any of the soldiers.

"Where is everyone?" he asked curiously, pulling some orange juice out of the fridge and pouring a glass.

"Gone home," Ben replied simply.

Sitting down at the table, Alex continued his questioning. "Why?"

Ben sighed in resignation, as if he knew the conversation would be coming but had wanted to avoid it. "They're getting ready before they go on assignment," Ben said at last. Of course, Alex had already guessed as such, but it was nice to have it confirmed. Now, if only he could find out more . . .

"Where are they going?"

Ben looked at him for a long moment, seeming to weigh up his next words. Alex held his breath, knowing full well that Ben might refuse to tell him, for both his and K-Unit's safety. "Iraq," he said finally, and Alex immediately frowned. Iraq? What was there, apart from Al Qaeda? He wouldn't have thought there would be two terrorist groups in the same country, especially one as unstable as Iraq, but then, what did he really know about how terrorist groups think?

"Why Iraq?" he asked, knowing that he was really pushing Ben but wanting to get as much information as possible.

Ben frowned and looked hard at him. "I think you can guess that," he answered vaguely and Alex got the message. It was connected to him, so therefore Menarc. If it wasn't to do with him, he wouldn't be able to guess. It was simple to communicate without outright statements when you got the hang of it.

Alex nodded, acknowledging Ben's cryptic words. "For how long?"

"As long as it takes." Ben shrugged. "MI6 have agreed to up our security permanently so we should be safe enough."

"Good," Alex replied, looking quickly at his watch. "Crap," he swore when he saw the time. "I need to go," he told Ben, grabbing a piece of bread and stuffing it in his mouth. He ignored the warm feeling that swept through his chest when he saw Ben's approving smile at his actions. He didn't look for Ben's approval, he thought sternly. He ate because he was hungry, that was all.

"I'll just grab the keys," Ben said, hurrying into the hall. Alex followed, picking up his school bag and hoping his books were in there. Ben appeared and they speedily left the house, Alex checking his watch all the way. He didn't want to be late, not when his form tutor had placed such trust in him.

"Are K-Unit, you know, coming back before they go at all?" Alex asked as they neared the school, refusing to meet Ben's eyes.

Ben seemed to understand what he meant. "They'll come home briefly to say goodbye before they leave, yes. They think that'll be around five, so you should be home by then."

Alex nodded, face slightly red. He didn't want to admit that he'd probably miss K-Unit quite a lot when they were gone, and he knew they'd be in a lot of danger whilst away. Not just from Menarc, but from every other dodgy person in Iraq as well – it wasn't exactly a safe place to travel to.

"Here we are," Ben said a couple of minutes later, stopping outside the school gate. "On time, too, I think."

"Yeah," Alex agreed, and thanked him for the lift. He walked briskly through to his form room, greeting his form tutor cheerfully and taking his usual place at the back.

"Cutting it a bit fine, Mr Rider," Mr Davies said, grinning at him.

"Sorry sir," Alex replied light-heartedly. Mr Davies liked to pretend to tell people off, but he hardly ever actually punished people. Most simply did what he asked because he was too nice to annoy.

The day passed achingly slowly, and Alex was aware throughout that it was getting closer and closer to the time when K-Unit would leave and risk injury or death, all for his sake. The guilt already was like a lead weight pressing over his heart, and they hadn't even left. It didn't matter that it was their job, he still felt responsible and he knew he'd feel even worse if anything actually happened.

Finally, finally, the end-of-day bell rang and Alex sprung up as soon as his teacher said they were free to leave. The biology teacher was young and relaxed and never held them after the bell, so he was outside and into Ben's car a minute or two after school ended. He hadn't seen Laura that day, but he was too preoccupied to care.

"Good day?" Ben asked as they drove off.

"Alright," Alex replied, shrugging. He stared out of the window and wondered how K-Unit were feeling – nervous, probably. Eagle especially didn't seem to be coping well, although with Snake and Wolf it was harder to tell. Wolf just appeared to act normal, but his concern over Eagle showed how everything wasn't all right.

"The others are coming in fifteen minutes or so, then leaving at half five," Ben offered as they walked into the house.

"Ok," Alex replied. He was about to go upstairs to dump his school stuff when he paused and looked at Ben, wondering how much of a sharing mood he was in. Ben raised an eyebrow at him as he stared.

"Yes?"

"What happened with Leopard?" Alex asked slowly. He knew that Ben would know, but that he would also be reluctant to tell him. With good reason, he supposed. It wasn't really any of his business.

Ben froze slightly, surprise written all over his face. Obviously neither Wolf nor Eagle had told him about the events during the night. "How do you know that name?"

"Wolf mentioned it," Alex said casually, deciding that telling Ben he'd been eavesdropping wasn't the best idea.

"You mean you've been listening in," Ben concluded, and Alex smirked. He should've known Ben would guess where his information came from. He didn't exactly make a habit of having heart-to-hearts with Wolf.

"Might have,"

"Alex," Ben sighed. "What did you hear?"

"Only that Leopard died less than six months ago, and it was probably traumatic," he answered, sitting down on the stair and watching Ben attentively. It seemed like Ben was ready to share.

"Traumatic is right," Ben said quietly. "I don't know the details, but Leopard was separated somehow and captured by insurgents in Afghanistan."

"And the others blame themselves for not being there with him," Alex summarised.

"Something like that," Ben said. "His body was found a few days later, left by the road on one of their regular patrol routes. It was nearly unrecognizable."

Alex shook his head slowly. Despite all he had seen and suffered, the maliciousness of some people still horrified him. It could so easily have been him left by the roadside dead. It was sheer chance he survived. "Found by who?" he asked.

"Eagle, first, I think," Ben said heavily. "Leopard was Eagle's best friend; they were very similar."

"So Eagle feels bad because of that, Wolf feels bad because he is the team leader and should have protected Leopard, and Snake feels bad because he's the medic and could've helped heal him if he was there," Alex guessed and received a confirming nod.

"'Feels bad' is a bit of an understatement, but yes," Ben agreed, moving into the kitchen and putting on the kettle. Alex got the idea that the conversation was over. Fine by him, he'd found out what he wanted to know and had confirmed his original guesses. He picked himself up off the floor and went upstairs into his bedroom, planning on hiding out there to mull the information over. He wasn't disturbed until ten minutes later when Ben called up.

"K-Unit's here!"

"Coming," Alex shouted back, heading down the stairs. K-Unit were there, sombre and quiet with heavy military packs and full army fatigues. He guessed they were going straight off to their assignment together afterwards.

"You alright, Cub?" Wolf asked, dumping his pack down and following the others into the lounge.

"Never been better," he answered sarcastically. "You?"

"Oh, fantastic," Wolf replied and Alex thought he could almost detect humour in that answer. Bizarre.

None of them mentioned K-Unit's impending assignment whilst they sipped at their coffees and teas, instead choosing to watch TV and reminisce about previous experiences. The stories were kept light and funny and Alex ended up laughing along with the retellings, despite not knowing the backgrounds.

All too soon though it hit five thirty and Wolf stood up, placing his mug on the coffee table. Everyone else followed suit and Eagle grew even paler, if possible. He wasn't ready for an assignment; anyone could see that, Alex mused furiously. He hated what MI6 did to people. It wasn't just him they abused.

"We ought to be off," Wolf said quietly.

"Ok," Ben agreed, traipsing after Wolf into the hall where the soldiers collected their bags. There was silence for a couple of minutes as people tried to work out what to say. Heartfelt promises weren't really their sort of thing.

"Good luck," Alex said at last, stepping forward to shake Wolf's hand and then doing the same to Snake and Eagle. He squeezed Eagle's hand in reassurance and felt a slight pressure back.

"Take care of yourselves," Wolf said seriously to Ben and Alex and they promised they would.

"You too, alright?" Ben told him strictly, glaring each of the soldiers in the eye. "We'll see you in a few weeks I hope."

"Definitely," Eagle said, speaking for the first time. "It's a date."

Alex smiled when hearing a little bit of Eagle's personality seep through. "Bye," he wished them as Snake opened the door, grunting goodbyes in his normal fashion. Slowly, they all filtered out and climbed into a car parked outside, presumably the one they'd arrived in. He had no idea where they were going from there, but he would bet his life that their assignment would be dangerous. After all, Iraq and dangerous were pretty much synonymous.

Ben shut the door behind them. Ben and Alex stared at each other, both desperately hoping that it wouldn't be the last they ever saw of K-Unit. The silence in the house threatened to overwhelm them, threatened to bury them deep within their own panic until they couldn't fight their way out. All Alex wanted to do was hide under his covers and sleep the weeks away.

Sadly, as everyone always knows, nothing ever happens the way you want it to.

A/N: Shorter than normal, but I wanted to get something out. My life from here on out is going to get hectic again after the summer, but I will try to get another chapter out as soon as possible.

If anyone has any questions regarding the British School system, feel free to ask! I forgot to say that last chapter :)

Thanks for reading, and please do review! It really helps to motivate me.

Dreams x