15. The Puzzle Is Revealed

Gun, knife or hand-to-hand. Those were his options, but as much as he tried to make a credible scenario where he attacked and would somehow survive the ambush there was really no good scenario for him at all. The odds were against him, and the Boss and everyone else in the room knew that, so Alan was left with the only other option than those three. He had to fight with all three, and hope that he would come out alive, so that he could save Fermat and bring him back to his family.

So he did exactly that and leaped immediately into attack mode. First, using his gun and shot as many as he could without giving anyone of them a lethal hit, because he may have been trained to do such things but he was no killer as much as the organization hoped he would be. Then once he ran out of bullets, he threw the gun at one of the bad guys and simultaneously used his knife and body to take the rest one by one. Of course, that didn't mean that his attackers didn't attack him or injure him the slightest, because they most certainly did and quite harshly he like to add. The only thing that kept him going strong and alive was his will alone to survive and rescue his dear friend, but then again that was all the motivation he needed anyways.

Sure enough, the numbers of bad guys decreased. And finally the only ones left was the Boss, Vinnie and three other guys. Alan heaved for his breath, feeling the exhaustion and pain hit him like a fray train, but he was too proud and stubborn to show weakness in front of these people, especially when he had fought so hard not to be weak and obedient. The Boss had a smug smirk on his face as he clapped his hands, like he had watched a fantastic show and was now applauding him and the people he had hurt. It made him feel sick how someone could treat humanity at such a low level, but then again moral and humanity lessons had not been part of his training growing up. And he was certain that part hadn't changed since he left, especially considering how they operated and his few encounters with Vinnie and Renée.

"Still efficient and accurate as before," The Boss commented, as he took quick strides towards him. "You are even more impressive than when I first got ahold of you and brought you to the headquarters in France."

That comment made Alan feel really weird. He barely remembered how he ended up in the possession of an international crime organization, yet remembered just bits and pieces that he was Jeff Tracy's son and that he had a family, which led to the important question. How in the world did he end up with the Golden Cobra? And why did he or his family remember and tried to look for one another?

Almost like he read his mind, the Boss answered with taunt. "Don't you remember? No, probably not. You were only a small toddler back then, but I remember it perfectly. You were lying there in the snow, in your dead mother arms, almost buried alive by an avalanche. When I found you I just knew that you had a great potential, so I brought you back in order to harness you into becoming what you were destined to become."

How could he have known about his 'supposed' potential? He had been three years old at the time, at least that what he assumed based on the pieces of information Fermat had once in a while mentioned in the passing, but nonetheless there was no way anyone could determine someone's abilities unless they knew exactly what and how they were looking into. As soon as the thought struck his mind it hit him. That the Boss had known about him and his family before the accident, although he wasn't sure how specific the knowledge and relationship between the Boss and his biological family was, but there was no doubt that was the only option to how he had been chosen specifically by the organization.

"You knew who I was, where I came from, and for that reason you took me away from my family," Alan said, barely containing the anger that was building up inside of him. "So what exactly is your connection with my biological family?"

"Ah, so you know now that you're Jeff Tracy's youngest son, his fifth son with four older brothers with talents that makes them all almost inhuman."

Alan scoffed. He hated no getting direct answers, especially when it involved him and it was information he needed to know, but remained firm and asked once again to answer the question. That man had made his life a living hell, even after he thought he was out and free it seemed like he showed up again the moment he was needed, hence why Alan felt like the Boss owned him at least an explanation to why his life turned out like this.

The man continued to have the same expression on his face, not at all losing his cool in front of him, but Alan was no fool. He might appear like a non-action man, leaving the dirty work to Vinnie and his goons, but he was no angel either. That man was a demon. No, that's wrong terminology. He was a horrible person, who sold his soul to the devil in order to get power to cause terror and destroy the world.

"Indeed, I guess you have a right to know the truth," The Boss confessed, without sincerity. "I guess I should start with my connection with your deceased mother, Lucille."

Hearing that comment, along with the name, made Alan very much confused. "My mother? You knew my mother when she was still alive?"

The Boss once again didn't answer question, at least not in the direct manner that he wished for, instead began his storytelling about he and Lucille Tracy knew each other.

Fermat and Blaze had done the necessary preparations in order to bring on the cavalry and was on the way to find Alan, who Blaze reassured him was the one place where he heard murmurs about Vinnie and his goons were going to welcome Alan. And even though his new ally used the word 'welcome' it was most certainly not meant as positive or cheery as the word really meant. In other words Alan was going to be in serious trouble, which could potentially lead to him getting seriously hurt or worse dead, and that was an option Fermat was not willing to let happen to his friend.

However just as they were about to turn the corner and enter the huge room that reminded Fermat of a warehouse location, Blaze stopped him by placing his hand on his shoulder. When Fermat gave him a confused look, not understanding why the older teen stopped him, but Blaze held a finger to his lips in order signal to him that he had to be silent. It was then he realized why he was stopped from going any further. From the position where they were standing behind a wall they could see Alan and the Boss clearly, and Fermat almost didn't recognize his friend with the drastic change with his hear until he caught a glimpse of his face that is, but nonetheless the two of them were having a heated conversation. Fermat turned to Blaze, silently asking what they were going to do about it, but the older teen only shook his head and whispered quietly, "Whatever it is they are talking about it is for the best that you don't interfere, for your sake and for Alan's. Look, I got to go and check up on that bomb just in case there are some surprises that we need to know about, so do me a favor and stay here and without getting caught. Wait until Alan or me come and get you, all right?"

Fermat nodded, and Blaze immediately left him alone to do what he was planning on doing. But he couldn't find himself to worry about himself when his best friend was facing the monster that had ruined so much of his life. So his focus was turned on the scene that was playing that brought initially a killer tension that spread as far as to where he were standing, and his concern only grew as he listened in on the conversation and learned what the conversation really was about.

"Your mother, a strong and charming woman, but like me she was an orphan. Simply unloved and abandoned by her birth parents before she spent several years in the foster system."

Alan remained quiet, but kept a hard and cold gaze on the man as he continued to follow the Boss with his eyes when he began circling around him. The Boss looked actually proud how he managed to pull the strings with him and continued on with his explanation with insufferable smugness. "That's how we met. Two abandoned and unloved children, who went through pain and hurt from foster parents, foster kids and everyone else out there in the big world. We were close friends, close enough to consider each other family, just like you and that adoptive family you managed to secure yourself these last four years, and over time I fell in love with her."

That actually made both him and clearly Alan disgusted to hear. Seriously, this sadistic and cruel man who caused chaos and took pleasure in making peoples' lives miserable, was actually capable to be in love with someone? If that was the case then at least Alan's mother had the brains to not end up with such wicked man, but that left with the question who exactly was Alan's mother that apparently played an important in how Alan ended up in this horrible life that he was forced upon.

Alan awkwardly shifted on his feet, "If you loved her so much, why did you decide to make my life a living hell? Or should I simply ask if you killed her while we're at it?"

"Now, Alan. You think I would kill the woman I loved," The Boss expressed hurt, fake no less if you knew where to look, and both Fermat and Alan did since their expression showed that they didn't buy his act for a second. "The accident that happened was indeed an accident, but saving her from dying…well that I can admit was partial due to my influence."

"What?" Alan looked heartbroken. Apparently hadn't expected that answer to come out as blunt and insincere. "Why?"

The man stopped in his pacing around him and began a different course. Walking straight up and personal, close enough to make a sneak attack if he wished it to happen. "This organization was actually her idea. After being alone and unloved for so long she wanted to create an organization that built on potential and abilities, harvesting and allowing them to grow to become anything you wanted to be. I just made my own personal twist on it."

Alan didn't say anything at first, but honestly who could blame him. What could he possibly say to express the emotions that he feels when he learned that this whole organization was created based on an idea from his mother and the source of all evil himself.

"So you allowed my mother to die, but from the kindness from your heart you decided you save my life," Alan commented skeptical, while raising one of his eyebrows in a questionable manner. "I find that hard to believe, so why me? Why not one of my other brothers? Why did it have to be me?"

The man smirked shamelessly. "I'm sure you are aware by now that you take after your mother, both appearance-wise and personality-wise. At least up till now before you colored you hair brown. Now, I can clearly see some resemblance to your father as well, the man who stole your mother away from me."

"I get it now…" Alan murmured quietly. "This whole time this was really about something else than creating an international crime organization."

With that last piece of information, the mysterious puzzle was finally complete. Now both Fermat and most certainly Alan knew why the organization was created, and why Alan specifically was chosen, kidnapped and trained to become a criminal. This was about revenge on Alan's mother and her family. He was punishing not only Alan by bringing him up in misery, but he was also punishing his biological family by taking him away from them and not saving the woman that he claimed to love when he had the chance. Everybody and everything else was merely a bonus in this sinister man's plan for domination over the world. What the hell were they exactly dealing with? Definitely not someone sane because honestly who could ever be considered to be sane if you let an innocent woman die and taking her child away from her family to train and make his life a living hell?

Alan felt like he was drowning. His head was hurting and everything else inside of him was working on smothering him from within. Learning the truth behind the origins of the organization, his mother and the fact that everything that happened to him had been a motive to punish his family. All because his mother fell in love with his father, that is truly a horrible truth to learn. Mostly because it left him with questions that could not be answered, seeing as his mother was dead and he didn't trust that sadistic bastard to be honest with him unless it worked in his favor, but despite that he knew that he had reached his decision.

Over the last few days and hours he had been questioning what exactly he was going to do with his 'old crowd', whether he was going to take care of the problem himself or simply allowing the authorities to deal with them. And as much as his moral compass told him to do the right thing and allow justice be served, he couldn't help but wanting revenge over what these people had done to him, to Renée and Blaze, for their entire childhood. He was sure that no one would have disagreed or blamed him if he killed them all on the spot, however just as soon that thought crossed his mind he remembered his mother. She had tried to protect him from an avalanche accident and had pure ideas regarding the organization, and if she had done all of that and more then he was certain that she wouldn't be pleased to see him taking the dark path and take revenge in cold-blood. Then his thoughts turned on what Fermat, Jem and Haley would think and as much as he had been a disappointment in many ways, he didn't want to disappoint them anymore by truly becoming the monster that the organization tried to turn him into.

That is why he took advantage of the ignorance the Boss, Vinnie and the few bad guys that were left standing had of the situation. They assumed that they would break him by relaying this heart-shattering information. Well, they had a different reaction coming and it was storming like a bitch. And this came in the form of him throwing the knife that was still in hand, aiming it at Vinnie and his goons, creating the perfect distraction he needed to misdirect the Boss's attention, and then took the opportunity to escape the same way he came from and shut the door behind him.

Once he was on the other side of the door he quickly rearranged the locking mechanism before destroyed the lock just to be on the safe, making sure they stayed trapped inside, at least from this end anyways. He had no clue if there were more exits, but at that moment he didn't have the time to think about that since the only plan that remained in focus was to get Fermat and then get the hell out of here. And apparently that first part didn't turned out that he didn't have to work that hard in order fulfill, because Fermat ran straight up to him and threw his arms around his neck.

Alan almost fell down on the ground, completely taken back by the force and appearance of his short friend, but he returned the gesture with a huge grin before they pulled back and he asked worried, "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"N-no." Fermat replied as he shook his head. Alan let out a relieved breath that he didn't realize he was holding in before he muttered regretfully over and over. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you ended up in the middle of this mess because of me."

Fermat tried to reassure him that this was not his fault and that he shouldn't blame himself for what happened, but those words immediately went in one ear and straight out the other. Nothing he could say would take away the immense guilt and regret he felt for putting his friend in danger. However he decided to not to think about it too much since they had other things to worry about than his guilty conscience.

It was just as they were about to make the move to get away that Blaze showed up with a grim expression on his face. Alan's first assumption was that his old companion and brother-figure was angry and upset with him like Renée had been, but he quickly found out that wasn't the case when Blaze went straight into it and said bluntly, "We have a problem."

"Just one?" Alan said sarcastically, as he folded his arms against his chest. "In case you haven't noticed just being here is a problem itself, what could possibly be worse?"

Blaze frowned sourly at him before he began explaining the bomb that had been planted on the site, the bomb that was meant for him. Apparently after they made sure Blaze made the bomb and put it in the right place, they booby-trapped it even further just to make sure that it would be executed and Blaze wouldn't be able to switch it off or at least wouldn't be able to shut it down without having enough time to do it. Hence why they had a problem, a big problem indeed.

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Thank you for the response I have been receiving, hope you guys like this chapter.

With school going on I can't promise when or how often I will be updating on this story, but I will continue it and write on it during the few moments I have time to spare and write.

Sorry by the way that this chapter was sort of written fast and probably badly written as well, but I needed to get on with the story. And also sorry that this chapter is shorter than usual, since I'm busy with pretty much everything, but felt obligated to at least update this story even slightly to get a move on towards the end. Which I'm right now estimate is about two or three chapters left, but then again I'm not completely sure at this point so we will see.

So anyways please, please, please continue reading and express what you think of my work because otherwise I might be dejected and more reluctant to continue and finish this story, which I really do want to finish.

With that said, please please please continue giving me reviews, favorite and/or followings, and the next chapter will be out as soon as its done.

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