"Should we wake him up?"
"No. He isn't our problem."
"Come on Leo, he's part of our unit now. That's about as much 'our problem' as it gets."
"Hawk has a point Leopard."
"Not you too Badger."
"See, even our voice of reason agrees with me. So, whose gonna wake 'em up?"
"Since you wanted to do it so badly, you can."
"Fine."
It was a blur. One minute, Hawk had been reaching towards the boy, the next he was pinned to the floor with said boy on top of him looking completely awake.
"Shit." Badger yelped scrambling out of bed. Glancing at Leopard he slowly began inching towards Alex.
"Hey kid, we aren't here to hurt you. We're S-Unit. I'm Badger, that's Leopard and the guy you're currently pinning down is Hawk. Just let him up, nice and easy." Alex complied. Straightening up, Alex offered a hand to a shell-shocked Hawk. Still blinking Hawk accepted it.
"Hello." Alex said in a monotone voice, as though nothing had happened. "I'm Cub." The rest just stared.
"What are you doing here?" Leopard said when it was obvious no one else was going to say anything.
Alex paused. Should he say anything? While the fog helped the pain and anything else from getting too close, it didn't hamper his thought process. Would there be consequences? Who cares? A small voice whispered in the back of his mind. Why should you care about consequences? What has MI6 ever done for you? Alex frowned. That was unusual. He'd have to look into it later. Coming back to reality (that was dangerous, he'd have to stop doing that.) Alex realized they were still expecting an answer. He toyed with the possibility of just staying quiet but that would be counterproductive. These men were likely to be made his permanent back-up, might as well have them know what was going on, after all, knowledge is power.
"I was assigned." The rest of the unit looked surprised, as though they hadn't expected an answer. Then why ask at all? An oddly clinical side of him asked.
"By who?" This time it was Hawk, who had gotten a good five feet away before asking.
"MI6." Alex replied, still monotone. The men glanced at each other warily.
"How old are you kid?" Badger.
"16." The men were back to staring. Alex almost wanted to sigh. These men weren't very promising.
"What the hell do you have to do with MI6 at sixteen?!" Alex stared back blankly.
"They recruited me. I work for them." Alex said quietly. Leopard narrowed his eyes. Just before he said something there was a pounding on the door. Glancing at one another, Leopard, closest, opened the door. A man in a suit stood there. Alex quickly took inventory. Gun in holster on right hip, right handed then, knife up left sleeve, garret around right wrist, one or possible two knives in pants and a few shuriken seemed to be hidden in his vest if the small indents were any indication.
"I'm looking for Cub." He said in a low voice.
"Identification?" Alex asked not moving from where he was. The man reached into his vest and Alex prepared to run or fight, whichever was best at the moment, though he appeared at ease on the outside. Pulling out a small card, Alex remained suspicious. He knew Smithers and his love for gadgets. Alex still remembered the explosive bubble gum wrappers.
"Yes yes, no worries m'boy! The gum is completely normal. It's the wrapper you should be interested in. One lick from you and KA-BOOM!"
For a moment the fog parted and Alex felt a smile rising, then it was gone.
Having walked towards Alex while he was immersed in his thoughts, the man showed Alex the card.
Metro Inquirer 6th
Joshua Brooks
Alex nodded at that. Following the man they left the barrack. S-Unit hesitated. Were they expected to go too? Alex paused in the door way and glanced over his shoulder.
"S-Unit, are you coming?" Alex didn't really care but if he wanted back-up for later missions, it would be easier to have them use to this. Alex paused. Wanted? What did he want? Did he want back-up on missions or did he just know that he should want it? Alex's head started to hurt. Shh, stop thinking about it. Just go back. Go back to sleep. You don't want anything. Wait, something strange was going on. Alex did have wants. He was sure of that. He wanted to go to school. Why? Because he was supposed to? No, it was a different reason. Because he wanted to be normal? No, close but not quiet. The rumors of him being in a gang and a druggie made that impossible so what did he want to go to school for…Tom. Alex looked up and screamed.
"Sir! We have a problem."
"What is it?"
"It's the subject sir, he's starting to fight the treatment."
"What? Why?"
"I don't know sir, something must have triggered a highly emotional response."
"Impossible. He was in his own house with the woman he had grown up with for weeks and nothing ever happened."
"..I think..I think that's why nothing happened."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, like you said sir, he was in the house he has always been in with the woman he grew up with. The reason the treatment worked in the first place was because he didn't want to remember painful things. That's how the treatment works. The more the subject wishes to escape pain, the easier it is to entice them into compliancy. Now that the subject is in a new environment, he probably doesn't feel as much of a need to escape."
"…"
"Sir?"
"Extract him."
"What?"
"Right now. Extract him right now."
"But sir-"
"We cannot afford to lose this project. Our employers would have our heads."
"Still this is a very delicate step in the process, too much stress and-"
"We can't think of that right now. If we lose Rider now then there will be no more chances. Bring him in."
"Yes sir."
When Alex woke up he had to stop a groan from escaping. His head was killing him. What the hell happened? Alex felt like his head was full of heavy cotton. It made it hard to think. Alex felt something seem to struggle against him as he tried to think.
What was the last thing he remembered? He was at school just before the mission in Portugal and then…and then what? Alex hit a blank. He couldn't remember. Alex suppressed the panic rising in him. Now was not the time to panic. When is it the time to panic? He thought with a snort. Opening his eyes he took in the room. Okay, white walls. Curtain, bed underneath me…I'm in a hospital? Why? Irritated Alex tried to sit up and gasped in pain. His whole body felt like it had been blown up and then sown back together. Well, that's why then.
"Hey, hey. Shit. Doctor!" Alex heard a voice call. Still gasping Alex couldn't respond. Clenching his eyes shut he held in a scream. Alex didn't feel the hands touch him, or the needle move into his arm, in a matter of minutes he was under.
"Doc, what the hell was the?" Badger asked, shaken. The kid had looked like he was being tortured.
"I'm not sure. You said he started screaming and clutching his head before passing out?" Badger nodded in confirmation. The kid had scared the living shit out of them. Cub, his name is Cub. Badger remembered.
"Well, it appears as though he may have had some severe head trauma. The scan we gave him indicates a burst blood vessel near his cerebrum close to an area that controls emotional responses such as well as pain."
"So basically…"
"He'll suffer." The doctor confirmed. "If that episode was anything to tell by, and none of our pain-killers are going to help." The doctor said bluntly. Badger paled and looked at the kid. Poor thing. This is gonna be hell for him. He thought studying the slightly scrunched up face. Even in sleep he was affected. Badger shook his head.
"Do you know when he'll wake up?" Badger asked. The doctor sighed.
"The brain is an amazing thing, as of right now, I don't see him waking up anytime soon, but who knows? I've seen this boy's medical record. He's survived a lot, maybe he'll survive this too." Badger looked up sharply. As the team medic it was important for him to know his team mates medical history and current state. Badger almost smiled at that. Looking at Cub he remembered that, one way or another, this boy was definitely on his team now. He remembered S-Unit's talk with the MI6 head Mrs. Jones.
*Flash back*
"WHAT?!" Leopard roared, openly glaring at the woman in front of him.
"You're telling me that that…that..kid is on our team permanently?!" Even Hawk looked slightly uncomfortable at this revelation. Mrs. Jones looked coolly back.
"I don't think you fully understand your position. 'Cub', as you call him, is one of our top ranked operatives with a 100% success rate on all his missions. In every aspect, except age, you are the children. He has been on more missions, saved more people, lost more people than you ever have and most likely ever will. That kid is your superior in every way." Mrs. Jones stood and walked to the door.
"You are to be his permanent back up as of now." She seemed to hesitate. "He really has been through a lot, to the point that, at sixteen, he is no longer a child. MI6 destroyed that. Take care of him." She said softly. As though she had said nothing she continued walking out. Badger looked back at Sergeant to see him sigh and gesture to the folders each unit member held.
"As she said, you are to be Cub's new back-up. You have all been given higher clearance to see some of his files. Not all mind you, he's still extremely classified and chances are these folders will only give you more questions than answers. Good luck." S-Unit saluted and left. They knew a dismissal when they heard one.
Badger shook his head. Serge had been right, those files only added to all the questions. He knew that Cub or Alex as he now knew him, had been on eighteen (eighteen and in two years. Badger wanted to hit someone) missions with 100% success rate, had no family except for a woman named Jack who had apparently abandoned him to go to America but was killed on a plane bombing on the way (the file said the kid still hadn't been informed. Badger couldn't help a twinge of pity for the kid), and was suffering something similar to PSTD according to the doctors. Badger frowned. He almost forgot to ask the doctor for his medical records. Standing up he took one last look at Cub. How the government could do what they had done to him chilled Badger to the core. He may not have seen Cub's medical record yet but, he had seen all the scares. If Badger was completely honest with himself, he was scared. Cub scared him. Badger didn't think he could still be sane after everything that happened and someone as dangerous as him…Badger shuddered. Walking quickly he went to find the doctor.
*In Alex's Dream*
"Alex. Alex!" Tom screamed. "Why didn't you save me?! I thought we were friends. I thought we were mates!" Alex covered his ears. No no no no no, that wasn't Tom. Tom would never say something like that. The real Tom knew how much Alex cared, even after everything. He knew Alex would always save him…so why hadn't he? Alex shook his head. He couldn't think like that, he couldn't give in.
Slowly Tom's face morphed. It was a horrifying sight. The skin bubbled and stretched, he could see the bone underneath in glimpses of white. The eyes rolled back and seemed to melt into his head. Alex stared transfixed, his hands falling to his sides. Finally the face stopped and Alex saw Jack. A rush of hope welled through him.
"Jack! Jackie!" He called, he didn't care that he hadn't called her Jackie since he was seven. He was just happy to see her. He knew she would never abandon him. Forcing himself to stand he started running towards her. Turning, she smiled at him and waved. Alex almost laughed in relief and started running faster. Alex noticed a figure come up behind her. Horror closed in on him.
"Jack, run! There's someone behind you!" This time he couldn't make a sound. Suddenly he wasn't moving either. The ground beneath him had become like quick sand. Panicked, Alex couldn't remember anything Ian had taught him about quicksand. Struggling he fought to get out as the figure approached an unknowing Jack.
"Jack! Jack, run!" He tried to scream again. By now he was up to his mid-thigh. Soon the figure showed his self. Alex froze, no longer struggling.
"Ian?" Alex asked weakly, his voice returning. Ian looked at him and smiled standing next to Jack. Jack smiled at Ian before turning back to Alex and waving him over again. Alex resumed his struggle. He wanted to be with them, he wanted his family back. Watching, he saw others join them. A man in military dress with the same sandy blonde hair and deep-brown eyes, had his arm wrapped around a beautiful blonde woman. They both had tears in their eyes and, despite the sad looks, seemed proud of him.
"Dad? Mom?" His lips asked.
Alex saw another person approach behind his father.
"Yassen?" He saw Ian give Yassen a mock glare before laughing. Soon they were all laughing, even Yassen. The assassin looked more at ease than he had ever seen him. Years seemed to drop from his face and Alex could see the teen his father had come to care for as a son. Alex smiled at them, tears in his eyes. His family, they were all there. Suddenly he was sinking faster. Alex, startled, looked back at his family.
"Help! Help me! Take me with you. Please!" He called. He saw them smile sadly and shake their heads. Looking down he didn't see a floor anymore. The ground had become transparent. Now he was seeing other things. Below him were people. People pulling him down. Some he knew, others he didn't. He recognized Mrs. Jones, Ben, Sabina, Wolf, Eagle, Snake, Tamara Knight, Joe Bryne, a few kids from school, even his friend James Sprintz from Point Blank. He could feel an invisible force now up to his neck. Looking up quickly he saw only one person standing where all the others had been.
Tom. The real Tom.
Tom looked at Alex and smiled. Alex stared as Tom looked pointedly down at Alex's feet and mouthed something to him. For a second Alex panicked. He couldn't hear anything. But then he realized he didn't have to. What Tom was saying was painfully obvious. Giving one last smile, Tom turned and started walking away. Alex saw a flash of light and could make out five figures before it was gone and Alex was falling into darkness.
Gasping Alex sat up in his gurney much to the terror of a particular SAS unit who proceeded to scream.