lots of reviews make for a quick update. Free time helps too :)
Thanks CunningMascara for being my Beta :) and correcting all my horrible mistakes – this chappie was a nightmare. Lol. hope you like it though.
Disclaimer: I'm working on it…give it thirty or forty years. He'll give in eventually.
After the kitchen door had closed, Alex signaled for Ben to leave the kitchen by jerking his head in the direction of the hall. He then turned to the rest of K-Unit.
"So you guys can help yourself to anything in the kitchen if you want. I won't be long."
Wolf looked at Alex curiously. He had never seen the kid quite so agitated before.
"Sure, but you still don't feel like telling us what's up then Cub? After all we did to get over here for you? We had to dress up as plumbers for god's sake!"
Wolf tried to keep calm. He was clearly irritated at being kept in the dark but at this moment he couldn't really do anything. Alex wasn't quite sure how to respond; thankfully he didn't have to though, as Ben poked his head round the door.
"Come on Wolf, give the kid a break. It's not his fault you aren't trusted when it comes to national security."
Even though Ben was only joking, Wolf looked slightly affronted at this comment. Without waiting for a response, Ben put a hand on Alex's shoulder and steered him out the kitchen.
"So, what's up? I know you wouldn't have been so secretive about this
meeting if it wasn't important."
"Um…where to start…" For once, Alex was at a loss for words. But he was never at a loss for words and Ben was now slightly anxious by this change in character.
"You okay Alex?" when Alex nodded, Ben continued, "Why don't you start at the very beginning – with the problem?"
"Sure, you ever heard of 'VIPER' though?"
"Viper? What, like the snake or something?"
"Um, ok, apparently they're some sort of terrorist organisation—a bit like Scorpia—and," he paused for a moment speaking quietly, "they want me dead."
Ben clearly hadn't been expecting this as he visibly jerked backwards.
"What?!?!" he exclaimed, "Does Mrs. Jones know this? Have these people contacted you? Have you seen them already? What have they done?"
"Ben. Quiet. They will hear you" he said jerking his head in the direction of the kitchen. "They haven't spoken to me yet, but they've taken one of my friends. They left a letter; they want me to hand myself over…today."
"Or what? Are they going to kill…your friend?"
"Tom. And no, I don't think so; they said more people will go missing."
"Have the police been contacted or have you spoken to Mrs. Jones?" Ben was deadly serious now—and Alex found him rather intimidating. Good thing they were on the same side.
"Can't. They're watching Mrs. Harris, my friends mum, and probably me too; which means they will know if we try anything." Alex paused and looked at Ben "That was why we had to meet secretly. I think the phones have been tapped so I couldn't call Jones either." He sighed. "I have no idea what to do Ben."
Ben looked sadly at the boy in front of him. Never before had he looked so defenseless or like the teenager that he was. It was just sad that he had been forced to live the life of an adult.
"You want me to speak to Jones for you? I can go today, but I think we ought to let the rest of the unit know what's going on." Seeing Alex's expression change, he sighed. Alex's guard had come back up again, his face gave nothing away, and his eyes narrowed. No longer did he look like a teenager. Ben suddenly realised what it meant; Alex didn't trust them, he didn't seem to trust many people actually. But Alex trusted him, and Jack; it made Ben smile a little. Alex reminded him of a younger brother. It was refreshing.
"Alex, you can trust them. They're here to protect you, and I think that they need to know what's going on; they can help. It won't do any good keeping them in the dark about this. They don't need to know all the details, you can tell them what you want, but they need to know what they're dealing with. Okay?"
Reluctantly, Alex agreed. He trusted Ben's judgment in this matter, and Wolf did want to know. It was probably logical that they knew what they were up against.
"Alright, but you're telling them—not me."
Smiling, Ben turned and walked back to the kitchen, Alex followed.
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Meanwhile, Wolf and Eagle were getting restless unlike Snake, who had simply accepted that that they were not part of the conversation. Whilst SAS and MI6 were often involved together, that did not mean that information was shared equally. Some classified information was exactly that; classified. Not even members of the SAS saw it.
"What the hell is going on?!" Wolf hissed, "First we're assigned to protect some high ranking agent, who just happens to be Cub, and now we're being kept out of the loop—and I can't hear a damn word of their conversation!"
He wasn't used to this sort of thing. He was used to being in charge – in control of the situation, dictating what happened. Here, he felt useless; and it infuriated him.Snake took this moment to speak "We probably aren't allowed to know—government business and all."
This clearly wasn't what Wolf wanted to hear as he just turned to Snake and hissed, "I don't give a damn what the government says we can or can't know. When a member of this unit is in danger—it involves all of us and we should know."Eagle was unusually quiet and Wolf didn't like it, it was unnerving.
"Eagle, what do you think?Eagle head suddenly shot up. It looked as though he had been dozing.
"Huh? What? What'd I miss?"Wolf sighed, "We were just talking about what's up with Cub. And how many times do I have to tell you? No sleeping on the job!"
For the first time since they had arrived at Cubs house, Wolf actually found himself smiling. Giving up, he sat down and began to contemplate the situation, running scenarios through his head. How the hell were they going to find out? It didn't seem as though Cub felt like sharing and he probably wasn't allowed. Talking probably wouldn't do any good either – the kid didn't trust them. Not that he could be blamed.
But maybe it was worth a shot, they did have a basic understanding and if they could help then…
His train of thought was interrupted when the kitchen door burst open, and
Fox came in.
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Jack had arrived at Gold-Hill Hotel, Mayfair, where Viola was staying. It was possibly the most expensive hotel in London and certainly looked it. Walking up the steps she could hardly believe that this was where her friend was staying. As she approached the main doors, uniformed butlers opened them for her.
Walking up to the front desk, she noticed the fine artwork adorning the walls and the grand interior. It wasn't expensive for no reason.
"Hi, I'm here visiting my friend, Viola Parkes, could you tell me which room she is staying in?"
The man behind the front desk did not answer immediately; instead he gave her
a once over. He clearly did not approve of her clothing – non-designer.
"Is she expecting you?" he drawled in an over-polite voice.
"Yes she is, she asked me to meet her here. Now if you would kindly…"
She was cut off as the receptionist had heard all he had needed
"Your name madam?"
"Oh, of course, Jack Starbright."
"I shall inform her of your arrival, Miss Starbright, if you will just wait one moment."
Jack grudgingly gave in and waited for the phone-call to be made.
Moments later, the receptionist placed the phone down again and turned to Jack.
"Miss Parkes is delighted that you were able to come." The receptionist informed her in most unenthusiastic tones. "If you will take the elevator to the Royal Suite, Miss Parkes is awaiting your arrival."
As soon as the words had left his mouth, he turned away from her and began to
examine a pile of paperwork. Recognizing the dismissal, Jack turned stiffly and looked for the elevator.
Had she turned back, she would have seen the man sitting at the reception desk stand and leave the hotel, removing a mobile phone and taking off his blazer as he crossed the room. Had she decided to investigate further she would also have found that there was no 'Royal Suite' as the man had told her, nor was there a Miss Viola Parkes staying at the hotel.Reaching the elevator, a man joined her. They stepped into the enclosed room together and he reached over to the buttons. He looked over at her with a questioning look.
"Which floor ma'am?" he asked politely.
"Royal Suite, whichever floor that is," she answered with a smile. The man seemed friendly enough.
The man smiled in return and pressed a button on the panel. This was the woman, the target. He had only seen one picture of her, but mistakes could not be made. Kidnap the wrong person – the bosses would loose the leverage and he would loose his life.
Her response had confirmed her fate.
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Alex lurked behind Ben as they entered the kitchen. Wolf was sitting at the table, glaring at them.
"And the verdict is…?" Snake said unhelpfully.Ben rolled his eyes at his teammate. "Okay, I've talked to Alex about it, and we're going to tell you what we're dealing with here…even if it is classified."
Wolf smiled a little at that. He was finally being told something of importance.
As Ben gave K-Unit the basic details of the story, their faces fell. Wolf's small smile had quickly disappeared to be replaced by an impossibly deep frown and even Eagle and Snake looked surprisingly serious. When Ben had finished telling the story he looked at Alex. Wolf too turned to the youngest member of the SAS.
"Cub, why didn't you tell us about this before?" Wolfs voice was scarily gentle.
Alex had never thought such a thing capable of the man; personally, he preferred the aggressive Wolf to the one now sitting in his kitchen. The silence following the question was purely awkward and Alex felt a need to speak."I didn't really think it was…important enough?" Alex phrased this as more of a question, since he himself was not sure, and he could really say that he didn't trust the man.
In truth, he hadn't really thought about it, and he certainly hadn't expected Wolf to ask it like he did. Unfortunately, he had still managed to say the wrong thing.
"What?! Not important enough?" Wolf yelled, "Why the hell would you think that a death threat and kidnapping was ever not important enough?!?!"
He looked away, attempting to compose himself. "Christ Cub. This is some serious shit and…"
Snake, who had had enough of his friend's aggression for one day, cut in.
"Wolf, I there's probably another reason for him not wanting to tell us. Heck, I wouldn't tell someone I hardly know that sorta thing."
Eagle also decided to contribute to the conversation "And you…erm we, weren't exactly the beacon for trust and friendship in the Brecon Beacons were you...we." Seeing Wolf's glare, Eagle quickly retreated to the corner of the kitchen with a cheesy grin plastered on his face.
Ben, in an attempt to avert disaster, quickly changed the topic, "Well now we need to sort out the problem. If the house is being watched then we actually have to appear to be fixing something. My suggestion is that we replace the sink upstairs. That should give us some time to plan ahead. Whilst you do that, I am going to Liverpool Street." Ben walked over to the back door and looked back at K-Unit. "I'm going to take the van, so you'll have to stay here. Don't go anywhere."
He said the last bit looking at Alex, who then felt the need to respond.
"Whatever would make you think that I would leave the safety and comfort of
my own home?"
Ben smiled at this; Alex still managed to inject some humour into an otherwise grim situation.
Just as Ben was about to leave, Snake had an idea. "Fox, since you're going out, you might want to stop by the warehouse and collect a new sink and some pipes – for the replacement."
Ben smiled again as he left and Snake turned to face the others, who were all staring at him with bemused expressions. "What? If we're going to do this, we may as well do it properly."
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Ben took a complicated route to the warehouse, just in case he was being followed. He had a brief conversation with Snakes cousin before loading a new sink and the appropriate pipes on the van. Rather than go to the headquarters, the Royal & General, in the van he decided that it was safer to go by taxi. Putting the overall in the
warehouse for later, he called a taxi. Approximately fifteen minutes later, he was standing outside a small coffee shop only a street away from the Royal & General. It was safer to walk there. Putting on a pair of tinted sunglasses, he removed his coat and briskly made his way to the old fashioned building.
After showing his I.D card to the receptionist, he made his way over to the small metal lift and pressed the button for the tenth floor; Blunt's office. It didn't take long for the lift to reach its destination. Stepping out he saw a stern looking woman in a gray skirt suit; Mrs. Jones, the person in charge of the special operations division of MI6.
"Mr. Daniels," Mrs. Jones stated when she saw him. "How can I help you? No
complications have arisen, have they?"
Ben preferred talking to Jones than Blunt. She, at least, showed emotion and clearly cared about Alex's welfare more than Blunt did.
"We have a problem." Ben stated. Jones nodded and showed him to a large office opposite Blunts.
"I think you ought to tell me before we speak to Mr. Blunt." "Viper." She stated, Ben having finished telling her the news. "A new terrorist organisation that we have reason to believe was set up by both Scorpia and the Chinese Triads. We know very little about it, but it has already caused great damage in the names of both the Triads and Scorpia."
She paused, unwrapping a peppermint and thinking about how best to phrase what she needed to say.
"It is possible that Viper has been set up to eliminate threats to their power, their reputation. Alex Rider is possibly the greatest threat to them currently, meaning that he is their prime target."
Ben looked at her questioningly "I thought that MI6 had come to an agreement about Alex; the Triads and Scorpia were going to leave him alone."
Mrs. Jones sighed. She had been avoiding this. "Yes, well recently Scorpia contacted us again. They refused the deal. Somehow they have found out a lot of classified information. They also know that revealing that Alex had compromised their plans would prove dangerous for our government. Using a fourteen year old boy is not something that is taken lightly in this country. In the meantime, all deals have been annulled; which leaves them almost free to exact revenge, they can't do it themselves but someone else can."
Ben was outraged "How can you sit by and allow Alex to continue like this? Were you even going to tell him that even now, as we speak, people are planning his death because his government – you – failed to ensure his safety. After all he's done…"
"Mr. Daniels, we are working on it. We were not aware of the situation, and from what I can gather, neither were you until an hour ago. We will do everything we can to return Alex's friend safely and reach an understanding with Viper. Until then however, we are rather limited. I'm sure that Mr. Smithers will be able to sort something out for Alex though. I'll let him know you're coming."Ben left the office silently pondering the information that he had just been given. 'So MI6 has failed, and Viper wants Alex dead,' he mused. He made his way to the lift again, and pressed the button for the basement; Smithers' hidey hole.
"Benjamin Daniels!" Smithers exclaimed with a radiant face, "It's been too long old chap. Now, Mrs. Jones tells me that young Alex is in need of some gadgets, so I think I ought to explain them to you." Smithers waddled over to a thin table in the middle of the room. On it lay several items, the first of which Smithers picked up carefully.
"Now this, old chap, appears to be a top of the line mobile phone yes? Well, it is." Seing Ben's surprised expression, Smithers continued, "but it also has some other rather nifty features. First, dialing 9 will call Mrs. Jones office directly. It can also be turned into a smoke bomb by simply calling 7."
Giving a small chuckle, Smithers put down the small phone and picked up the second device. "Now this watch, unlike the watch we gave him last time, is digital and works. Apart from telling the time, this watch can be turned into a small bomb by setting the alarm to the time you want it to go off. It's no good in a hurry, but it works when needed."
"Now, onto the piece de résistance as the French say. This," Smithers said, holding up a belt "has been developed specially for Alex's purpose. He was given a similar belt the last time we met. This one though is not equipped with a knife, Mr. Blunt did not approve. Now, before you protest, I was able to fit in some rather useful gadgets."
Oh my, a cliff hanger? Lol.
I hope ya like it - enjoy! and remember ... lots of reviews make for a happy writer.
Thanks to all the wonderful readers who reviewed. I will update asap, depending on how many reviews this chapter gets.
Heres something for you to answer if you have the time:
1. Do you think that Ben/Fox and Jack should have a romance?
2. Should Alex finaly get a gun (with or without MI6 consent)?
3. If another person close to Alex should be kidnapped - who would you like it to be?
Review replies for chapter 4 (sorry its late):
Ashadowofwings: Thanks, glad you find it interesting : ) Thanks for the advice - I'll keep it in mind.
mOOnlite-duskk: Good good. Glad ya like it. Let me know what you think of this chappie - and who you want to disappear next.
PsychoWing: Indeed, an evil man with a good reason for revenge. I felt that he would make it interesting.
Silver Queen: poor Tom indeed. At least he's alive.
CunningMascara: )
CMT1992: Glad you like it so far. : )
Gold is power: Hope you enjoy these next few chapters then - lots of K-Unit : )
utemia: Thankyou : )
Replies for reviews of chapter 5:
yotakehisuo174: Thankyou : ) hope this chapter answered your question then, you guessed correctly. I felt that plumbers were far more realistic and entertaining than pizza delievery boys. lol.
Gold is power: I can try. lol. depends on how much free time i have in the next few days. I hope to update at least once a week.
SheWeapon1: Lol. Poor unsuspecting Jack, it does seem that Alex will not see her - unless he hands himself over.( hint ).
mOOnlite-duskk: fast enough lol. Happy writers are inspired to write more. : )
cuppycakes: thanks : ) I love K-Unit fics and there simply aren't enough out there.
sperare92: Thanks for the amazingly detailed and long review : ) glad you have enjoyed it so far. I like you're ideas i'll see what happens but anythings possible. lol . you could always write your own version. i'd read it : )
CMT1992: depends on how much free time i have but...I hope to update weekly. Unfortunately, set update - dates dont really work for me so I can't even begin to predict when i can update next.
PsychoWing: you guessed correct. Sorry about the format though. : ) I'll see what i can do about that.
Master of Minds: Lol. a reviews a review. Glad you like the story. : )