This is the equivalent of a two part special. Chapters 3 and 4 in one go. I've been feeling lazy toward this story. I was just debating uploading the whole darn story but that was actually going to be more trouble so I didn't but maybe I will next time. As always review if you can find in yourself to do so other wise I won't fuss with you.

Oh and anything that pokes out at you as off (minus grammar mistakes I already know that this is probably filled with them) point them out to me.

"Hey Tom?" A boy named Jason called in a quiet whisper during Algebra. He was sitting in the desk next to Alex's empty one.

"Any idea where Alex went now? He was just getting regular again."

Jason was one of the few people among Alex's peers who had made a point of keeping an open mind about Alex and his frequent disappearances. He didn't really have a theory of his own but he didn't listen to the rumors that were in circulation either. He just stayed out of it for the most part. But he was still friendly with Alex when he was around. He was basically the type of guy who stayed out of people's personal business most of the time but didn't let it interfere with a friendship.

Tom wished he could have told him the truth. He was pretty sure that he was a trustworthy fellow. But he eventually settled for all that he could tell.

"I'll tell you at lunch break." He whispered back "But it's not good."

Jason was still for a second having not expected an answer. But then he acknowledged him with a grave nod wondering what had happened as he returned his attention to the class.

A little later Tom was sent to the office for complaints of a headache. Although he did have a headache it wasn't really bothering him; he really just wanted a moment of quiet.

Instead of going to the nurse, he stopped at the secretary's desk when Miss Bedfordshire called to him.

"Hello Tom," she knew many of the students by name but some more than others. Tom was mostly known for his volatile mum. But he did have a reputation as a good football player too. "You haven't gotten into trouble have you?" she asked

"No Miss B" Tom plopped into a nearby chair "It's just a headache."

"Oh," she answered understandingly "Now that you mention it you don't look too good. Life getting you down?" most people knew about the divorce he was enduring right now.

"It's Alex." Tom sighed "We were going to the park yesterday after school. Just to fly kites before homework but when he was crossing the street he got hit by a car. Now he's in pretty bad shape and Jack is beside her self with worry." He finally poured out "of course I'm worried too; he's my best friend."

"Oh my goodness," she exclaimed with a hand over her mouth "That's awful I hope he'll be alright."

Tom shrugged not knowing

"Things really haven't been good for that poor child since his uncle died. What with all these absences, looking like he's been fighting when ever he gets back. I was beginning to think he was either being abused or cutting school. It's only out of curtsey that he hasn't been suspended or expelled yet for the bogus excuses either.

"Oh no don't Miss B! Alex does want to come to school he just can't is all. He would be so sad if you expelled him." Tom exclaimed without thinking

"Then why doesn't he come? What's stopping him?" She asked surprised but Tom now realized that he had said too much again.

"I really should go back to class" he suddenly stood and Ms. Bedfordshire could tell that he was very uncomfortable so she let him go but her curiosity had been pricked.

Tom dropped down on the bench of an empty table during lunch break to eat alone. He'd packed his own lunch of roast beef on rye with a leaking thermos of chocolate milk.

He was just wiping up the spilt milk when Jason and a girl Tom knew as Elaine Campbell, came over to his table and sat down as well. After a full minute of silence Jason finally spoke, obviously annoyed.

"Well spill Harris; we didn't come here to watch you eat."

Tom glanced at him annoyed as well.

"Why'd you bring Elaine? I said I'd tell you. I'm not going to tell everyone because I don't want the whole school to be feeling sorry for him all over turning him into a pity case." Tom explained

"I'm not going to tell anyone." Elaine informed him indignantly "I care about him too you know; enough to want to know what's become of him. When I asked Jason and he said you knew, I came along to find out. What's the matter with him?"

Tom was quiet again for a good deal longer until Elaine was about to get up and leave in disgust before he finally spoke.

"He was hit by a car yesterday right after school, right in front of me." He began quietly obviously affected by what had happened.

The table was silent except for Elaine's gasp.

"You mean you saw him knocked down?" Jason eventually asked

"Yeah" Tom answered "We were on our way to the park but when he was crossing King's Rd over to my side, a car knocked him off his bike. He got badly hurt and the doctor said he was bleeding in his brain."

"That's horrible." Elaine voiced again "Has he woken up?"

"When I left last night Jack was still with him and he hadn't."

Jason looked at Tom curiously wondering why something about him seemed kind of off it also seemed weird that Alex could had been careless enough to get hit by a car while crossing the street.

"Was it an accident?" he asked wondering if maybe something had happened to cause a hit and run scene or something. His mind was somewhat clouded by the things he had seen in the movies but he didn't expect Tom to react the way he did when he answered.

"What do you mean was it an accident?" Tom asked indignantly trying for the umpteenth time to make sure he didn't say too much. "Of course he didn't jump in front of the car to be hit!"

Jason looked at him suspiciously "No need to get all mad, I meant did the car hit him deliberately?"

Tom tried a different tactic feigning surprise. "Why, do you think someone would do that?"

"I don't know. You tell me; you saw the whole thing." Jason answered. He and Elaine were becoming more suspicious of the whole thing. Tom just didn't seemed to be comfortable, not that a person was supposed to seem comfortable in this sort of situation but Tom seemed more nervous than sad and that bothered Jason specifically.

Jason had always made a point of minding his own business. But ever since Alex, who had been a now and again friend, started disappearing, coming back with flimsy excuses, bruises and a changed manner about him, Jason had begun to get curious. He never took much faith in the rumors going around but sometimes he got ideas which he kept to himself. Now and then when it seemed important he would asked about Alex but he never got a proper sounding answer and since he wasn't nosy enough to call at his house, he let the matter drop.

Now Alex was apparently hurt, which in itself was not cause for suspicion. But the way Tom was acting about one innocent question pertaining to the accident itself was setting off alarm bells in Jason's mind. Something was telling him that it my do someone some good not to mind his own business this time.

Elaine on the other hand was not what you could call a person who kept to herself, but she wasn't an overly nosy person either. She had actually taken an interest in Alex after watching him play a football game one Saturday when he had been around. For one thing she had been taken in by his good looks. But she also felt that he would be a cool guy to get to know over the summer. But then he had disappeared again.

Now that she heard that he had been seriously hurt, she intended to make it her business to find out about him.

Both children were beginning to think that his disappearances had something to do with this crash.

"Well was it or not?" Elaine pressed

After a while Tom decided to clam up to salvage some of Alex's privacy before something happened. "I'm not allowed to tell you about the crash itself."

Neither of them expected him to say that.

"Gee whiz Harris, who says so?" Jason demanded half irritated and half intrigued

Tom gave them an almost apologetic look and got up from the table having barely touched his lunch. He realized that Jason and Elaine weren't going to be fooled by anything else he said, might as well not say anything else.

"You can't do that Harris! You need to finish what you've started." Jason called as Tom walked away. "You can't leave us hanging like that." But Tom didn't turn around although he wanted to.

"Well at least what hospital is he in so we can at least see him?" Elaine asked running up to him. Tom thought about it for a second considering the consequences of telling her about St. Dominic's; a hospital for the important or privileged. He realized that that would cause even more suspicion so he just shook his head and ducked out into the hall knowing that these two were in on Alex's secret now whether he liked it or not.

Fortunately for Tom he didn't run into Jason or Elaine for the rest of the day and it being Friday meant that he had the weekend to think about what was happening before having to face them again.

"Alex can you here me? How are you feeling?" Alex heard someone call him from somewhere far away. He felt incredibly tired and weak as though he had just gotten over a sickness but had yet to regain his strength. He opened his eyes looking around for the source of the voice and found that he could not see very well because his right eye was held partially shut by a bandage around his head. Jack was sitting to his right surrounded by the white background of a hospital room looking at him with a worried yet hopeful expression. She was the one who'd spoken.

"Jack" he asked "Why am I here and why am I so tired?"

Her face fell and Alex felt distinctly frightened by it.

"Don't you remember the car on Kings Rd?" She asked sadly

Before he answered, Alex tried as hard as he could to remember because he felt that it was very important that he did, but nothing came.

"No," he reluctantly answered in a small voice

"It's okay" Jack comforted him but she seemed to be trying to reassure herself as well. "It's alright if you don't remember that. You probably wouldn't after what happened.

Yesterday after school you were hit by a car as you were crossing the street. You've been in the hospital since then."

"Oh" he responded looking around the room and at his bandaged limbs. "It was pretty bad huh?" He asked avoiding her eyes. He couldn't stand to see the disappointment that hadn't really gone away. He was pretty sure that the bandage around his head had something to do with his current lapse in memory. He was scared that he had amnesia and that Jack thought so too.

"Yes it was" Jack answered "Tom said that you took quite a bit of knocks before you actually stopped moving."

"Tom was there too?" he couldn't help ask. He nearly cringed when he saw Jack's face fall again. He really didn't want to have amnesia.

"You left with Jake to meet him" Jack answered growing more fearful as his face registered no recollection at all of what she was talking about.

"You brought Jake to meet me and he brought bagels and you said he was a friend from work." She was definitely ranting now hoping something would ring a bell "You called me your big sister and he pretended to believe you and then you remembered that you were supposed to meet Tom. Oh Alex," she exclaimed "You must remember something."

Alex thought back on everything that Jack had said but nothing was familiar. He wasn't even sure who Jake was. He was about to shake his head when he remembered that the only person who he knew whose name was Jake was Eagle. But he never used Eagle's real name and he was at a lost as to how he came to introduce him to Jack.

"Do you mean Eagle?" Alex asked carefully

Now it was Jack's turn to look confused. "What kind of name is that? No he said his name was Jake and he's met Tom too. He said he ran into you on the way home."

"Can you describe him?" Alex asked

"Um, he was tall with fair hair, greenish blue eyes and a handsome face. He was really fit too like an athlete."

Alex looked somewhat relieved "Oh that's definitely Eagle." Despite the look of confusion on her face he didn't elaborate.

He was quiet for a while wondering what Eagle was doing around here. Then after a small battle with sleep he asked "Does MI6 know?"

"Yes, the fact that you're at St. Dominic's alone says they know." Jack answered all the while wondering if she should tell him that it had been deliberate.

"I'm sorry I don't remember much Jack" Alex apologized sleepily "I hope it's not something serious because I don't want you to worry."

"Don't apologize Alex none of this is you're fault. You hear me? You just sleep and get all the rest you can but don't ever for a second think that this is your fault."

Alex nodded, his eyes closed now with exhaustion. "Thanks for sticking around Jack." He mumbled

She kissed his forehead "What else can I do Alex? I'm all you've got left." She whispered and Alex nodded very sleepily. A second later he was completely asleep. Knowing that he was mostly okay now, Jack left to take the opportunity to clean up herself and get something to eat before coming back.

Chapter 4

Eagle put his cereal bowl and spoon in the sink still feeling hungry but ignoring it just as he heard a knock at the door.

"Yeah?" he yelled pretty sure it was his unit

"It's Wolf,"

"It's unlocked" Eagle answered coming into his common room.

"Why didn't you just say so from the start?" Snake asked

Eagle shrugged as they all came in and closed the door. Fox looked particularly pissed off. He grabbed a chair with the hand of his unbroken arm and sat down on it backwards. Wolf took up an intimidating stance behind him with his arms folded and Snake stood stiffly by the door. All eyes were on Eagle.

"What's this that I hear about Cub in a shady car crash?" Fox demanded

"And what is it that you couldn't talk about over the phone?" Wolf added

"Shut up will you." Eagle hissed "This place could be bugged now for all I know and even if it isn't I don't want the neighbors eavesdropping."

Wolf nodded understanding. "This is the low down." Eagle started "Do you all remember the assignment about a fortnight ago up at that old church?"

"Yeah, with that blasted platform." Fox responded sourly

Eagle looked at him piercingly "That was Alex's doing. He was on-"

"What are you saying?" Snake interrupted "That he dropped the platform or-"

"Yes that's exactly what I'm saying. When I saw him yesterday I found out that we had all been on the same mission and he's the one who nearly dropped platform on you."

"Oh crap," Fox said quietly

"He was doing something for MI6 in Scorpia and we all know that what ever happened up there was a loss for them. Starting to see?"

"Kind of" Wolf responded "but keep going."

"The car that hit him yesterday was a black late model Mercedes and no one who saw what happened could mistake it for an accident. The light was red and as he was riding across on his bike, the car which was in the front row simply flew out and slammed into his right side. The car probably went from 0 to 40 in the six feet between it and Alex. Had he not been on his bike he would have been dead." Eagle looked at them meaningfully

"So you're saying that Scorpia did it intending that." Fox observed

"Yes," Eagle confirmed leaning back a little, "And Jones, that is Mrs. Jones, deputy head of Special Ops, pretty much confirmed it."

"How?" Snake asked

"She was trying to give me bullshit about an insider tip when I confronted her about the lack of protection. When I pointed out, based on what Alex had told me, that Scorpia could have easily pulled that off. She cut the crap. She said that Scorpia is actually their prime suspect but they don't have proof."

The men were silent as they digested this. "What I'm afraid of" Eagle continued "is that they'll find out that he survived and send someone to finish the job."

No one said anything as this was what was on there minds as well."

"And if MI6 knew everything you're telling us right now they should have anticipated this." Fox pointed out "and prevented it."

"Which simply means that they don't take his safety seriously enough." Wolf answered coldly

"If that woman said they were protecting him and this happened," Wolf continued "Then I have no faith in their brand of protection."

"Me neither." Fox responded

"My thoughts exactly," Eagle began again "Which is why I told her that until we saw better we would do what we could to protect him from another attack. Of course she refused but I can't see us not doing it. Up until I left St. Dominic's Hospital last night the only security they had in place were two guards outside the door."

Wolf hissed his teeth in annoyance

"I suppose we don't have a choice." He decided "At this rate its either we protect him as Eagle suggested or some fake doctor poison him in his sleep for all we know."

"Seems so" Fox agreed standing up "I wonder how the kid got into such a blasted mess anyway." He hissed his teeth "He's too young to be a friggin spy."

"What hospital did you say he was at?" Snake asked "We ought to pay him a visit. Speaking of, just how bad was it?"

Eagle sighed "He's at St. Dominic's and the doctors there he's in pretty bad shape. His right hand, arm and leg are broken not to mention several ribs on that side. Plus they suspect some brain damage because of a bleed in his brain."

"My God!" Fox exclaimed "it sounds like his whole right side is broken."

"Yeah" Eagle agreed pulling his hair out of his face. "He was in the ICU when I left."

"Does his guardian know the insides of the whole mess?" Wolf asked

"Yeah, she's actually pretty savvy to the whole thing. Alex introduced me to her just before the attack, and then the next time I see her it's in the waiting room of the OR. But she knows about his missions and that this was a result of one of them, revenge wise. I'm not sure she knows who's behind it though."

"We should go see him." Fox agreed with Snake

Snake nodded "I'd be willing to pay to find out exactly how did Cub get stuck in such a truck load of shit in the first place." He growled in exasperation

"Maybe we'll be able to find out something from him." Wolf suggested as they all filed out of the door of the flat.

"If he's awake." Eagle warned grabbing his keys.

When they had reached the recovery ward they spotted the guards stationed outside Alex's room.

"Do you think they're SAS?" Eagle asked

"Looks so," Fox answered "But you can't know for sure with out the beret."

The only resistance in the form of security that they encountered from the two men was to state there business, name, and to be pad checked for weapons. By the time they got into the room all the men were thoroughly disappointed by the measly protection.

Alex was the only one in the room since Jack had just left a little while ago.

He looked as bad as Eagle had described him except for his complexion which was more flushed that pallid. He was asleep as they had expected but he was shifting around so much it was obvious that he was uncomfortable.

"What the hell is a kid doing in Scorpia?" Snake demanded angrily finding a chair

Wolf was watching Alex closely, concerned by his feverish symptoms and the lack of a doctor despite the fact that this was the ICU.

"I don't think he understood the consequences either because when he was talking to me about it he didn't seem the least bit worried." Eagle added

"Of course he wouldn't; he's just a kid." Fox responded noting Alex's age particularly

"Guys, doesn't this seem weird." Wolf voiced still watching Alex's increased discomfort "If this is intensive care then a nurse should be in here every few minutes right? Yet he's obviously got a fever and I don't see any nurses.

Fox felt Alex's cheek, since his forehead was bandaged, to confirm what Wolf thought.

"He's burning up." He exclaimed drawing back his hand

Snake glanced at the mass of medical equipment surrounding Alex's bed to see if any simply displayed his temperature. He found it to be 104° F. "Isn't that high enough to raise alarms?" he asked

Wolf pressed the nurse call button to his right. They waited thirty seconds and nothing happened. They all glanced at each other in a moment of silent communication before Eagle darted out of the room to find a nurse followed by Wolf who went to questions the guards to see if anybody else had been in the room. By the time Eagle came back with two nurses and a doctor, Wolf had found out that the only people admitted since the guards had been on duty were Mrs. Jones, Jack, Eagle, Dr. McKnight and three different nurses. Also no one had been in the room since Jack had left twenty minutes ago.

"You need to call your boss." Wolf finally responded in disgust ",because its either someone step up security around here or else we need to get the kid out of the #$% hospital because someone on the staff is trying to use negligence to finish what they started."

The higher ranked of the two soldiers nodded gravely although shamed facedly. "Call Jones over here. I realize now that Cub isn't going to make it under her care." Wolf repeated heading back to the room.

He was ushered back out of the room by his teammates.

"One of the nurses on duty kept filling in his chart to make it seem as though he was being attended to, obviously an imposter." Snake explained

"This can't work," Wolf growled "he's in the hospital damn it and he's not safe." He was about to continue when Mrs. Jones appeared.

"Just what the doctors ordered." Eagle announced "The ones from hell that is." They all glared at her.

"Is that the best you could do?" Fox demanded "He nearly died in there."

"We're already investigating how the nurse staff was infiltrated and it won't happen again." She tried to assure them in a firm voice but she looked more ashamed than anything.

"You must understand that it's in our best interest to keep Alex alive." She added

Fox snorted

"That's what I call tough love." Eagle agreed

"I wouldn't want to see how the non favorites get treated." Snake observed

"This will not happen again." She repeated with a hint of indignation in her voice

"You got that damn right." Wolf stated in a very irritated voice "Because as Eagle told you we're going to be watching over him until you get your act together. Or else at this rate he'll be dead by tonight and we don't want that."

"And how do you plan to do that?" she asked coolly

"Until your people sort out some way to stop the attacks, we'll rotate him around us so we can keep an eye on him without him being in the same place for long." Wolf explained tersely "I think you should be able to come up with something in six days time right?"

Mrs. Jones put a peppermint in her mouth. "I'm sure you know that Scorpia isn't going to give up easily if at all." She said

"You think saving Alex is in your best interest." Snake suddenly snapped "Well let me tell you what's in your best interest. Your organization made this set up, of a kid preserving national security and sent him into places where he shouldn't be and gave him enemies he shouldn't have. I'd say it's in your best interest to clean up your friggin mess before you can't anymore. Make them stop or else you're going to find yourself in hot water."

No one wondered whether Snake was making a threat because it was obvious that he was. Mrs. Jones held Snake's gaze without turning away. "You do what you think is best and so will we; hopefully our methods won't be counterproductive. Just remember that we're to know where he is at all times." And with that she left to finish checking over the situation.

"I don't think he should start at Eagle's place." Snake began as they went to sit in the waiting area. "You've been on the scene too much."

"True, it would be best to…" Eagle paused and watched wearily as a nurse walked by "to start afresh."

"Besides I don't think you could take care of him." Fox added

"What do you mean?" Eagle asked

"We have to get him out of the hospital" Fox explained "We're going to have to hassle with the doctors to get him out of here by at the latest tomorrow morning. I don't think you can handle him when he's at his worst like this."

Eagle nodded reluctantly

"I think," and Fox dropped his voice to a whisper so that the other men had to lean in. "he should start at Wolf's place. Your fiancée is a nurse right?"

Wolf nodded

"Well we don't want to give her any burden, because this is a burden, but he's a part of our team and we can't leave him to the hungry wolves like that." After Wolf gave him an odd look he added suddenly "No pun intended of course. But what I'm saying is that if she's willing she could help you with the first day or two when he would have still been here. Then he can move on from there."

"I know that Rachel will be willing." Wolf confirmed "Our biggest problem is convincing the doctors that he's safer in our care."

His teammates nodded glancing at Alex's room in consternation.

Thanks Again and Enjoy. Good Night