Chapter 13: Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. This is the re-uploaded version of Chapter 12 combined with Chapter 13.

The peacefulness inside of the cage did not last long. An hour later Josh came back, five guards following obediently behind him.

Alex carefully passed John over to Ben before walking to the edge of the cage, coming face to face with Josh.

"Leave them out of this. Do whatever you want with me, but please leave them alone." Only Ben was able to pick up on the desperation that leaked into his voice.

"Why? I have plans for them."

"One of us has already escaped. Why not just lessen the risk by letting them go. If you let them go, you can do whatever you want with me. I'll do whatever you say."

"Please save your breath Alex. There is nothing you can say that will make me let them go. Now just come along quietly and I might loosen up on your friend's punishments." Josh smirked as Alex lowered his head in defeat. He did not protest as his friends were pushed back into their cages, John locked in with Ben. Alex stayed quiet as Josh's guards pulled his arms behind him with more force than necessary and basically dragged him out of the room, Alex tripping over his foot as it flared with pain.

The guards stayed close, hands wrapped around Alex's upper arms as they led him down the winding, white hallways. Alex kept his head down and his mouth shut, biting his lip to muffle the whimpers that so desperately wanted to escape with each movement of his foot.

Alex felt horrible for what he had done. He was hoping that Josh was telling the truth when he said that he would loosen up on the punishments, otherwise Alex would never forgive himself.

He was thrown out of his thoughts as he was pushed into a chair. His wrists and ankles bound by leather straps that the guard pulled tight, digging into Alex's skin and cutting off the circulation. Alex did not try to object. He was not going to say anything today. In the end Alex would only end up angering Josh which in turn would lead to worse punishments for everyone.

"I wasn't planning on bring you here for another week, but you honestly brought this upon yourself. Orsion, please come here, it's time to teach Rider a lesson. "

The man that stepped into the room was the man that Alex had come to know as Bear. He was big and burly. His brown hair was cut short, but still unruly and his brown eyes showed no emotion, except for a hint of excitement. Alex suddenly felt sick.

"I believe you know this man, Alex. You use to call him Bear, correct? Orsion works for me. I asked him to infiltrate the SAS, just for you. You should feel special. I sent one of my best people in after you." The smile on Josh face was like a slap in the face.

Alex sat in silence, keeping his eyes hidden and his face down. He had many sarcastic remarks he was itching to say, but he refused to give Josh any reason to hurt the others.

"Going to stay silent? Fine then. Orsion, please show Alex that silence will not help him."

And so the torture started. There were whips, knifes, electric pokers, and a lot of physical contact.

There were no questions, just pain. It was obvious this was just for revenge and not because they wanted information. They just kept going, whenever Alex felt himself drifting toward the peaceful darkness they would stop and give him a slap if his eyes stayed closed for too long. But as soon as they were sure he wouldn't pass out they started again.

Alex felt like they would, and could, go on forever. By the time they finally let him pass into that blissful darkness, it felt like he had been trapped in that room for years.

Josh had stood in the corner, observing quietly as Alex cried out when the pain became unbearable. They had been at it for about an hour before Alex first tried passing out. Josh would tell Orsion to back off, and whenever his eyes stayed closed longer then it took to blink, Orsion would slap him. Once Alex was able to stay awake, they would continue. After this happened three times, Alex had become silent, having lost the energy to make any noise. The occasional grunt would slip past his lips along with sobs that sounded as if they had been violently torn from his throat.

When they finally allowed him to pass out Alex's face was wet with tears. He was black and blue all over, and the spots not covered in bruises were either burned from the pokers, or bleeding from the knife.

They had been there for little over two hours. Even in unconsciousness, Alex was in plenty of pain, and Josh couldn't be happier. Josh waved his hand at Orsion, telling him to release the child and take him back to the cell.

Josh left the room right behind Orsion, careful not step in the blood left behind by the boy being dragged along by one arm back to his cell. He mental reminded himself to get someone to clean everything up.

They finally made it back to the room with Alex still unconscious, the shallow rise and fall of his chest the only indication he was still breathing at all. He was not going to wake up anytime soon. Orsion had not been merciful.

They entered the room with the usual bang.

Wolf had been pacing, lost in his thoughts. He stopped mid-step at the sound of the door. Snake was huddled in the corner of his cage, his eyes staring blankly ahead, also lost in his own thoughts. The first thing Snake saw when the door opened was the bloody figure behind the man he had thought to be a team mate. Ben was the only one in the present, busy listening to John talk about anything and everything. Allowing the youngest among them forget about where they were and the horrors surrounding them.

Orsion walked into the cage, throwing Alex's limp body in a corner before going around and opening the rest of the cage doors. He was quick to get out of the cage and lock the door before they had time to come out of the shock of his betrayal. Josh walked up to the bars, his hands behind his back and his face a mask of tranquility.

"Your punishment has been lifted. Alex on the other hand still has to endure the punishment given. If I find that any of you have given him food, the punishment will be reinstated. Your food and water will arrive shortly." With that he left.

As soon as the door had shut with its usual slam, Snake had jumped into action, immediately running to Alex. His medic instincts took over and he set to work the second he was squatted next to the boy. Snake pushed two fingers against Alex's neck, finding a fast but strong pulse. His breathing was shallow, indicating the massive amount of pain he was more than likely experiencing.

Bruises littered Alex's body, painting it black, blue and purple. There seemed to be a layer of blood covering most the boy's body, and cuts that ranged in severity continued to leak blood.

John had started crying as soon as he saw Alex. A bloody body that wasn't moving would scare anyone. The fact that John had become so close with Alex in the last few days (or was it weeks) only made the situation that much more terrifying. Wolf was quick to hurry over in order to help Snake. Ben sat with John, cradling the boy against his chest in a useless attempt to calm the boy, and keep his eyes away from Alex.

Ben felt sick. Who could do this to a child? It was barbaric. It was more than just these people's fault though, it was MI6's too. How could they hire, no blackmail, a child? They put him in danger over and over again in the hopes of getting some useless information. The people he was sent after usually turned out to be more dangerous than MI6 gave them credit for, putting Alex in more danger than originally planned. It might have been for the good of the country but it was still wrong. Nothing could make the exploitation of a child alright. The more missions Alex went on, the more enemies he made. He was no longer a child, MI6 had destroyed that part long ago. Alex acted like an adult. When his eyes were open, you couldn't help but see the haunted look, even when he was smiling. He was good at acting and lying when it was needed, but there was no faking the look in his eyes.

It took what was probably near two hours for Snake to patch Alex up as best as he could, given the current circumstances. Snake warned that when Cub woke he would be in a world of pain. The boy had gained what Snake could only hope were a couple very badly bruised ribs, at the worst they were broken, which could lead to severe consequences if moved around too much. The bruises that covered his body would be tender and sore, any movement would probably bring some kind of pain, and could most likely reopen any of the cuts that had finally clotted. The larger cuts, from both knife and whip, where wrapped in the cleanest cloth they could find. Wolf was still attending to one or two that needed the pressure in order to clot. Snake was thoroughly exhausted by the time he was done.

Snake had done the best he could, and that's all they could have asked for at that moment. He had lost a lot of blood and when this was all over he was more than likely going to need a blood transfusion. For now though, the only thing they could do was try and protect him.

Cub was moved into Ben's cell, placed on the small bed in corner, and covered with the stray jacket that had been used by John more often than not. The small rise and fall of his chest was the only indication that he was still breathing, even if it was shallow. John had eventually cried himself to sleep, cradled in Ben's arms. His small hands still clung to Ben's shirt, and dried tear tracks were evident on his small face. Ben held onto the small child fiercely, sure that they would not hesitate to take John next.

Snake sat nearest to Alex, ready for when he inevitably woke, prepared to hold the boy down if he woke in a panic, something that was common for those who suffered though pain in their sleep. It had been quiet for nearly an hour when Alex finally came to.

-Line Break-

When he woke all he knew was that he hurt everywhere, but his neck in particular radiated pain.

The sound of birds caused the small headache to grow into the beginnings of a migraine. When he finally sat up, he almost fell over. It was only then that he remembered. The fight, the halls, the paint, the doors, the guards shooting at him as he sprinted toward the woods. He had escaped. He had run as long as his worn body had let him before collapsing, after climbing a tree in the hopes of avoiding detection.

Now Eagle was awake, a dozen thoughts running through his head as he took in his surroundings. The fresh air was like breathing in new life after being trapped in that damp cell. The bird calls were no longer a pain, but a reminder of freedom. The pain reminded him was alive.

'And getting old,'he couldn't help but think.

When he was younger he had been able to sleep on the hard ground for days with no problem. He used to love camping, and he still did, although camping was a bit different now that he was part of the SAS. When he was younger he used to go camping with his dad and his friends, but now was not the time for a trip down memory lane.

He shook his head, bringing himself back to the present and the task he had ahead of him. He had to find his way out of the forest and to a phone. He needed to get his friends help. It was only a matter of time before Josh cut his losses and killed them.

He quickly jumped down out of the tree, only to stumble and fall to his hands and knees at impact. He had forgotten about the sprained ankle he had gained from trying to kick the glass door (a foolish stunt in all honesty) and he had probably only aggravated it further when he had been running through the forest. He waited until the pain subsided before getting up, pushing the residual pain away, and began lightly jogging through the forest, careful to avoid fallen branches and roots that might trip him up.

He didn't know where he was going but he knew better than to go back the way he came. He also knew he had to hurry. Josh was a loose cannon and there was not telling what he would do to them in his anger. They were all hurt, and it would be surprising if Josh hadn't punished them already. Eagle picked up his pace with that thought in mind. The sooner he found a town, or even just a house, the sooner he found a phone.

Seeing a break in the trees ahead he tried to go even faster, only to end up back on the ground with pain radiating up his leg. With a growl Eagle pushed himself back up and limped over to the wood line.

In the forest there had only been small, dim rays of light that found their way through the thick clumps of trees, but once he broke out from under the trees he was blinded by the brilliant sunlight. It was warm against his skin, and Eagle took only a second to appreciate it before getting back on task.

Spread out in front of him was a large field. In the distant Eagle could see hills covered in more trees. The field sloped slightly downward and Eagle could only hope there was a town on the other side, or a home that would allow him to use their phone.

Eagle kept to the tree line, following along the edge of the field, hoping it would bring him closer to civilization, but able to use the trees as cover if any enemies came near.

The sun was high in the sky, indicating that it was probably around noon. Eagle thanked whatever god was up there that it was not raining. The cold rain would do nothing for his already weakened immune system due the lack food and water he had to endure the past few days. That, and there was a rather long walk ahead of him. With a sigh Eagle set off at a fast walk in the hopes that what he was looking for was on the other side of the field.

-Line Break-

It hurt.

Everything hurt.

He didn't want to open his eyes, afraid of what he would see. He didn't want to go back to that cell, he'd rather remain in the blissful state of unconsciousness. He bit his lip, trying to keep himself cry out as his muscles tightened and the pain flared. His pain muddled brain was able to think of only one thing, John. He was probably scared out of his mind. Alex crying out in pain would probably only make it worse. So Alex laid there, hoping that he would just fall back into the darkness that Alex was starting to see as a friend.

"Cub? Can you hear me Cub?" The voice was loud and a headache made itself known as the words bounced around inside his skull.

"Come on Cub. Open your eyes." The voice was gentle but it was so loud. Alex felt something wet trickle down his chin. He was biting too hard, but that didn't mean he was going to let up. There was just so much pain.

"Alex? Come on, open your eyes. Please?" No matter what was happening around him, Alex would always know Ben's voice.

Alex shook his head, eyes still squeezed shut. He quickly regretted his action as his head started pounding and he felt nausea build. Alex knew he was acting like a child, but he couldn't seem to find it in himself to care. He had never been in so much pain.

"Please Alex. I'm right here, I promise nothing's going to happen." Alex felt fingers wrap around his hand. Alex quickly grabbed the hand and squeezed, hoping that some of the pain would just go away if he squeezed hard enough.

He felt the tears on his cheeks, stinging the cuts there, before he could even register that he was crying. Why couldn't he just pass back out?

"Please Alex." Ben basically begged. Ben never begged.

A few moments later and Alex slowly, very slowly, opened his eyes. Ben's face was in the way of anything else he might have been able to see. His eyes full of concern, his body tense, ready to go after anyone that tried to hurt Alex.

The poor boy had been through so much already.

"We're going to have to keep wakening you up every two hours, just in case, okay?" It pained Ben to say it. Alex probably just wanted to sleep, but the risk of concussion was just too high. It was one of the things Snake was worried about most.

When Ben had first laid eyes on Alex almost a year ago he had bags under his eyes. The first thing Ben had noticed when Alex had walked into the cell (only God knows how long ago) was how old his eyes looked and how dark those bags had gotten. It looked as if he never slept.

Alex gave a small nod, so small that Ben almost didn't realize he had nodded at all, and then his eyes slid shut. He was asleep in minutes, the look of pain seemed to be permanently etched onto his face, and his eyes moved under their lids in what Ben could only guess was a nightmare. Did the kid even have dreams anymore?

Ben wanted nothing more than to rid Alex of the pain he was in, emotionally and physically. He had to get Alex away from MI6 before he lost any hope of a real life, it was just a question of how.

It was almost half an hour later when the answer came to Ben. Alex was obviously in the throes of another nightmare. Slight slivers racked his body, though anyone else would probably think it was due to the cold that permeated the cell. Ben automatically began running his fingers through Alex's dirty hair, something his father did for him when he was younger and he had a hard time sleeping. Ben hadn't even thought about it. The effect was almost immediate as the shivers dissipated before disappearing completely. When was the last time Alex had someone there to comfort him during a nightmare?

That's when the beginnings of an idea came to him.

"Alex was living with you guys right?"

Wolf nodded the affirmative, Snake was in a corner, entertaining John with made up stories.

"He doesn't have a guardian then, right?"

"All we know is that his guardian left him, and MI6 thought that he could use more training." Wolf gave him a look, narrowing his eyes at his friend. "You're not think what I think you're thinking, are you?" He asked.

"I think…I think I might try to adopt Alex." He said softly, as he continued to run his fingers through the boy's hair, hoping that Alex might like the idea. Ben could help him navigate civilian life after so many years of spy life. Ben could try to give Alex the life he deserved.

That is if they ever got out of the hell they were currently trapped in.

A/N: I am not trained in the medical field so I apologize for any wrong information. I researched to my best ability.