Alex shifted painfully, every small movement a reminder of what he had managed to survive- again. Somehow, it didn't seem fair that he kept living, while others seemed to always die in his place.

His room was dark, and lonely. Where was Jack? Had she really been that angry with him? Or was MI6 keeping her out? It had been two days since he had woken, and he knew without having to be told that his pain medications were being strictly curtailed. This morning, they had been cut off completely.

He lived in a perpetual haze of pain that blended night and day together. There was nothing else for him. He knew what MI6 wanted, the answers they were hoping to get, and equally, knew his pain meds would start again if he could give them.

Unfortunately, he felt like his throat was lined with razor wire and every breath that wheezed up was one more reason to try and stop breathing all together, and he didn't especially feel up to talking.

At that moment, Mrs. Jones opened his door, and he knew the choice had been taken from him. The fake smile of concern she offered him left him feeling nauseous.

"How are you feeling today, Alex?" she asked syrup sweetly.

He blinked at her, but refused to do anything else. She would get her answers today. MI6 wasn't willing to wait any longer, but he'd be damned if he made it easy for them.

"I know you're still quite sore, Alex, but we really do need to know a few things. Can you please try?" she persisted.

Alex closed his eyes. He was going to have to talk, whether he liked it or not. But he needed some information of his own first. He swallowed painfully, wincing, then whispered, "Jack?" which came out more like, j'ck?

"Very good. Was the mission successful, were you able to get Dellaware the password?" She asked, completely ignoring him.

Ah, two could play that game. "Jack?" he asked again, glaring at her. Come on, Jones, he thought, you know how this game works. I get one, you get one. Especially since he knew bloody well that K Unit had already been debriefed.

It seemed she did know how the game was played, because she sighed and sat down. "Miss Starbright has returned to Washington to be with her parents. I'm afraid she'll be staying with them for some time. Were you able to give Dellaware the password?"

Alex frowned. Had Jack stayed in Washington by choice, or had MI6 forced her to stay there to get an edge on him?

"Please, Alex," Mrs. Jones reminded him impatiently.

"Yes." His voice sounded as bad as his throat felt, and the word was barely distinguishable. And oh god did it hurt to talk! But she seemed satisfied.

"Do you know which computer Dellaware entered it into?"

"No."

"Why not?" Alex wanted to cry. He had hoped she would at least be content to stick with one word answers, but apparently not. It was one more obvious hint that MI6 didn't give a crap about him.

"We… left."

"How did you and K Unit escape?" Mrs. Jones persisted.

"Don't… know…. Out."

"Out? You mean you were unconscious?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Alex almost didn't answer, because he knew what she was doing. She knew the answers to all these questions, but wanted to work his voice so that he could properly answer the ones she didn't know. But it was best to get this over and done with now. Maybe then they'd leave him alone. Unfortunately, he wasn't stopping to think about the damage being done.

"Tortured."

"Yes, that was unfortunate. I have to admit I was surprised at your approach on this mission. K Unit describes you as almost suicidal."

"Had to… make him… believe… password… was… real…"

A monitor blared in alarm as Alex gasped for breath. He couldn't take anymore, he really couldn't. He wanted it all to end. A deep, hacking cough allowed him his escape as he passed out from the pain.

Tracy Swan lunged into the room at the sound of the alarm, knowing Dr. Welsh wouldn't be far behind. It had become extremely obvious to her that Alex Rider was a VIP patient. She was surprised to see a woman sitting calmly next to the patient, as though waiting for him to wake up.

"I have to ask you to leave, now, Miss," she instructed sternly as she prepared an oxygen mask for the boy, who was obviously in respiratory distress. Another monitor blared as Alex's heart began to palpitate.

Dr. Welsh entered then, and, to Tracy's astonishment, took a moment to assure the woman that he would inform her quickly of Alex's condition before once again requesting she leave. Which she finally did.

The two of them worked together to stabilize their patient, but Tracy's mind was still focused on what she had witnessed. She was worried, and suddenly knew what she had to do.

AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW

Wolf looked up in surprise when he saw the nurse from the hospital standing on his doorstep. Tracy looked very upset, and extremely uncomfortable standing out where she could be seen. He quickly rushed her in.

Snake, who had been sitting down for supper, looked no less surprised to see her, but his face quickly fell at seeing her disposition. "What's wrong?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know where else to come. Something strange is going on with Alex Rider. Yesterday a black woman was visiting him, and next thing I know, he's in distress," she answered. "Dr. Welsh didn't act at all like himself."

"How is Alex now?" Wolf asked, concerned.

"He's stable again, but she made him talk. Dr. Welsh did some tests, and it seems that his vocal cords have swollen drastically. If he hadn't gone into distress when he did, he very well could have permanently damaged them."

Snake swore under his breath while Wolf handed the woman a coffee. She obviously needed it.

"I'm breaking a lot of rules, being here, but you four seem to be the only people who care about him. No one else has been to see him, only the black woman, who won't even give me her name. I don't know what's going on, and frankly, I don't really care. What I do know is that a patient of mine is being threatened," Tracy went on, sipping her coffee.

"I'm sorry, we can't tell you-" Wolf started, but Tracy cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"I know, and like I said, I don't really care. What I want to know is what can be done about it."

And there it was. The question that K Unit had been asking themselves all along. And, sadly, had not been able to come up with an answer. They were as trapped as Alex seemed to be. Anything they tried to do would be blocked by MI6 before they could complete it, and they would all lose their jobs.

She read it on their faces, and sighed. "I have a friend in Child Services who might be able to help. I looked up his file, and it says his parents are dead, and he is legally in the custody of Jack Starbright. Where is his Guardian now?"

"She's no longer able to care for Alex," Wolf growled, not meaning to, but showing his personal feelings about it. "Without her, his Guardianship passes over to the Royal and General Bank."

Tracy smartly didn't ask the obvious question. "She needs to fill out and file the appropriate paper work, then."

Snake sat up. "What paperwork?"

"Well, legally, without her guardianship, Alex will be going to an orphanage, or emancipated. Since it's very obvious he can't care for himself, that leaves the orphanage. And if he's placed in the care of an orphanage-"

"He's available to be legally adopted," Snake finished in awe, following her. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it himself? He knew the system, had been through it. "Thank you, Tracy. If you'll leave the name of your friend in Child Services, I promise we'll do everything we can to help."

Wolf, who hadn't really been able to follow, was surprised when Snake walked her to the door, calling back for him to call the team.

"Wait, just what are you saying?" Eagle asked an hour later. They had arrived and been briefed on the situation.

Snake sighed. "Once Miss Starbright renounces any legal claim on Cub, he's supposed to go off to an orphanage. Now, what do you want to bet that MI6 is going to find a way to adopt him?"

"I still don't see how this helps. If anything, it puts Cub exactly where they want him," Fox pointed out.

But Wolf, who had been listening quietly, understood where Snake was leading them, and he'd been thinking about it carefully. Could they really? There were other fathers in SAS. It wouldn't be totally unheard of. And it would do Cub good to be able to talk about his missions with someone who might understand at least a little of what he went through. Nor would Cub's fear of having whoever he lived with targeted really matter. As far as protection went, you couldn't get much better than SAS.

But MI6 Agent Rider aside, what about the effect it would have on the boy himself? He remembered every word of that letter, and he felt Starbright might just be right. The only identity Cub really had was with MI6. Which meant they would have no choice but allow him to continue to go on missions.

But maybe, just maybe, they would be able to do it right. Force him to take the time to recover before he launched himself into something else. Get him someone to see, even if it was one of their own psychs, who had the highest security clearance. Help him keep up with school, and stop long enough to take care of himself.

They were buying time by throwing off their psychologists, but that couldn't last forever. Sooner or later, K Unit would have to return to duty. What would happen then? And was it fair to Cub to make him worry about them coming back?

He almost smiled with the thought. Well, fair was fair after all, since it would no different then them waiting and worrying the same, since Cub's missions seemed to be nearly as, if not more, dangerous then their own.

And for all the drawbacks to doing what Snake was suggesting, there was one serious positive to consider. At least they cared about him, would do their best to give him what he needed. MI6 would use him up, destroy him, and move on. Hell, the kid was fourteen, and already suicidal.

"I'll do it," he spoke up.

"Do what?" Eagle asked.

"I'll adopt him. It's the only way to keep him away from MI6. At least this way, they have a legal parent to deal with," Wolf answered.

Fox and Eagle were silent. Snake raised an eyebrow. He had assumed that once he got his friends to come around, that it would be him adopting Cub. Wolf volunteering surprised him.

"No offence, Dan, but do you really understand what you're taking on? Alex is going to be special needs while he recovers, and it's going to take a while. As extraordinary as he is, he's still a child," Snake pointed out.

"I know that. But I won't be in it alone. We'll have you guys. Look, MI6 doesn't give a damn about his mental state. And I know Alex has a lot of issues that need to be dealt with. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but it's better than the alternative," Wolf defended.

"We'll have to move quickly, get the paperwork in before MI6 knows what we're up to," Fox started planning.

"We won't have a chance to talk to Cub about it first. He's going to feel like he's being manipulated, again," Snake pressed. "He most likely won't be exactly grateful."

Eagle snorted. "Have you ever met a teenager that was?"

And that was that. They had work to do.

AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW AR FW

Two weeks after waking up, Alex was bored. He hated hospitals. He felt better then he had a long time. The removal of his pain medication had actually done him a favor, he thought. He was clear headed, and able to push himself a little more.

He was careful not to over do it. He wasn't stupid. When his muscles starting shaking, he was smart enough to take some rest. He was bitterly disappointed with how little it took to completely exhaust him, but that too, was getting better. A week ago he could barely sit up without collapsing. Now he could at least walk to the toilet on his own.

Pain had become a part of his life. He adapted to it as he always had. Now it only surprised him when things stopped hurting. But he was determined to get out of here as soon as possible, even if it meant going on another mission.

So he completed his PT, slept when he needed it, picked at his food, drank plenty of water, suffered through endless tests and check ups. and generally appeared to be the ideal patient. As soon as night came, though, he carefully crept out of bed, and tortuously completed as many of his Karate Kata as he could.

MI6 had left him alone since Mrs. Jones had come to debrief him. Probably because they knew he couldn't speak yet. His throat had eased a little, but apparently his vocal cords were going to take some time to heal. The guard outside his door was a constant, but never entered.

To test what noise level he could get away with, Alex had thrown his food tray across the room. The guard had rushed in, gun drawn, and he'd been able to see that it was an MI6 agent, dressed in a dark suit. Unable to explain why he'd done it, Alex had merely shrugged at the guard, and made shooing motions.

Other than that, the only other souls he saw were Doctors and nurses, though he liked one in particular. Her name was Tracy Swan, and she never asked questions, merely spoke to him, reminding him that there was indeed intelligent life out there.

Tonight he was just completing his fourth kata- the most he'd done yet- when a commotion happened outside his door. Uncaring, Alex thought to try and stretch a fifth one. He was concentrating so hard that he never heard Tracy and four men enter his room.

"What the hell?" Snake demanded upon seeing Alex up moving through the kata.

Surprised by the sudden intrusion, Alex lost his balance, and would have collapsed if it hadn't been for Eagle catching him, then helping him over to the bed. He closed his eyes and breathed through the pain the unexpected movement had caused, but then opened them.

Tracy Swan was standing with K Unit, who were all watching him with concern. He opened his mouth to ask what they were doing here, but no sound came out.

"We know you can't talk, Cub, but when you can, you are sure as hell going to explain why you're out of bed and doing kata," Snake informed him.

Tracy, the nurse, looked more worried than angry. "Alex, I know you hate it here, but that wasn't very smart. You need to take it easy, let your muscles heal. And one of these days you're going to tell me how you managed to turn off the alarms on your monitors."

Alex shrugged. The nice thing about not being able to talk was not having to defend your actions, he decided. But he was intensely curious to know why K Unit was there. He hadn't seen them since the cave. He looked at Tracy with curiosity, and moved his hand out toward K Unit in a gesture that clearly said, "what's going on?".

Tracy smiled as she reconnected the electrodes that attached him to the monitors. "A lot has happened very recently, Alex. We don't have a lot of time, I'm afraid."

Wolf nodded at the reminder. "Tracy, can you give us a moment?" He appreciated her help in dealing with the guard, but she couldn't be here for the more classified information.

Alex was surprised when the nurse smiled and nodded. He watched her leave, then turned a wary eye on K Unit. They had been through a lot together, but he wasn't about to forget what they had put him through before.

Once she was gone, Wolf made himself comfortable on the chair next to the bed. "I know you have a lot of questions that you're dying to ask, and I'll try to anticipate them as best I can, but you have to promise not to get upset. If those alarms go off, we're toast."

Alex hesitated, but nodded his agreement, clearly very suspicious of them.

"First off, I want to thank you for what you did for us, and for what you were prepared to do for us. We appreciate it, but please don't think anything we're about to say has anything to do with pity, or with some sense of debt," Wolf started.

"We were here, Alex," Snake could see the use of his real name confused Cub, but he moved on, "while you were comatose. MI6 kicked us out as soon as you woke up. Do you remember?"

Alex shook his head.

"Well, we were. We stuck by you the same as we would have for any other member of our team. And you are, Cub, a member of K Unit, more than just in name. You impressed the hell out of us in Canada, and we feel you've earned the right to the membership," Snake continued, stressing the word earned.

All four men frowned as Alex's shoulders suddenly slumped. The boy looked defeated, and miserable. It didn't take them long to figure out what had happened.

"Whoa! Don't do that, kid! Do not put us in the same realm as those idiots you keep having to work for!" Fox snarled, understanding that Alex had assumed that since he was getting pretty words, that meant they wanted something from him.

Startled, Alex eyed them cautiously.

Eagle nodded. "Right then, easing you into this isn't working, so let's try something else. First, I think you need to read something."

Wolf handed him a well folded letter, but Alex could tell it had never been opened. He instantly recognized Jack's hand writing. It took only a moment for him to scan the contents.

All four men had been uneasy, expecting some big emotional display. What they got was a small smile, one of deep understanding that shouldn't have been able to come from a fourteen year old.

Looking up, he saw the surprise and hesitation on their faces. He shrugged and carefully mouthed, "It's better this way."

"Well, do you understand what it means?" Wolf asked.

Alex nodded. It meant he was off to the orphanage Blunt had been threatening him with for so long, and it meant that MI6 would probably have someone like Mrs. Jones adopt him. He closed his eyes against the knowledge that Jack had just signed, sealed and hand delivered him to MI6 for 24/7 access.

"Yeah, we thought you might. Unfortunately, we've been around for a couple of weeks now, and we have to say, we don't much like the way you've been treated. No grace periods, no care after missions, and no thought as to your schoolwork, and therefore, no thought as to any other future you might have," Fox ticked off on his fingers.

Alex shrugged wearily. It was the way it was. There was no changing it. No changing him. He wasn't ready to put it entirely on MI6's shoulder. He had instigated a few of those missions himself. He hated being used, hated the job, but he also knew, after a few weeks of being alone, that he wasn't the type who could just sit back and let it happen, either.

"Look, what we're trying to explain is that we've found a way around it all. You don't have to belong totally to MI6. You're old enough to make most of your own decisions, Alex, but someone needs to be there to help regulate things. You need someone there who can help you after you missions," Eagle tried to ease in.

Alex sighed and tapped at his wrist as though he had a watch on. K Unit took the hint.

"Wolf wants to adopt you," Fox blurted out.

Alex sat, totally stunned. If he had been able to speak, he would have been rendered completely speechless.

"You'd still have the freedom to make your own decisions about MI6, and your missions. We're not doing it to smother you, Alex, we're trying to make it so that you've got at least a little freedom away from it. We can stay in the house you're in. Quinn, that's Snake, lives with me though. It's a long story, but he'd be moving in too." Wolf grinned sheepishly. "And you might as well get used to the rest of K Unit too. We're pretty tight."

Alex closed his eyes as a wave of dizziness passed over him. It seemed like too much to take in. Everything in his life had changed so suddenly. Could he do it? Could he really live with Wolf and Snake? A permanent over protective brother and a paranoid field medic?

"If you don't want to, that's okay too. We're just trying to give you some options. Do you need time to think about it?" Snake asked.

Did he? Could it really be so much worse if he ended up with Mrs. Jones or Crawley? Wolf was right. At least he would have some freedom away from MI6. He liked K Unit well enough. He didn't trust them, but then, he didn't trust too many people.

Alex shook his head. He didn't need time to think about it. No matter how he looked at it, it was definitely the lesser of the two evils.

"Have you made your decision, then?" Wolf asked gently. He knew how very awkward and embarrassing this had to be for the kid. And there was a lot of mistrust in those far too old, serious brown eyes.

Alex sighed, then nodded. He looked directly at Wolf, and nodded again, slowly mouthing, "Thank you".