I should warn you now that some details in this story may be wrong as I haven't read any of the Alex Rider books since I wrote the original story. I am just using what I wrote previously to guide me. I know I said I wouldn't update for 3-4 days but the first chapter was more a prologue and didn't say much. I would much rather leave you with this chapter for that length of time.
The entire unit was in shock. This was not the cocky rich kid they'd met in Brecon Beacons or the trained spy Wolf had helped in Point Blanc. This was a child who had been tortured and left in a cell half dead. All misconceptions and judgements that had placed on the boy vanished at the sight of him. No one deserved this, and every negative thing they had said to and about him left sick feelings in them.
Questions ran through each of their heads, ranging from 'what was he doing here' to 'how wrong were we?' None of these questions could be answered then and that was ok. The most important thing for all of them was that they get Cub out of there so they could be. It was the least they could do.
Their states of astonishment were broken by the sounds of footsteps. If they stayed there any longer there was the real possibility they would be caught and potentially killed.
"Let's go" Wolf commanded as he tore his eyes away from the injured boy. "Snake, you're the strongest of us all, you carry him" It was obvious Cub wouldn't be able to walk by himself. He'd fallen unconscious mere moments after he'd entered the cell. He wasn't even sure if he'd heard that they were there to rescue him.
Snake nodded and carefully lifted Cub into his arms, cradling him to his chest. The boy instinctively jerked away, his body's unconscious attempt to protect him, but Snake held on as tight as possible without hurting him. None of his injuries looked life-threatening but he had no idea of whether he had any problems internally. He was also light, far too light than a boy of his age should be and it concerned Snake. He could almost see his ribs and he wondered when the last time was Cub had had a good solid meal.
"Let's go"
There were two entrances to the cells and fortunately it sounded like the guards were approaching from the side opposite the entrance so they were able to get out the way they came. Snake attempted to keep Cub in as comfortable position as possible but there was no escaping the jostling as he kept up with his team mates. Occasionally Cub would groan in pain and Snake would try and go as slow as he could whilst still keeping up.
In a shorter amount of time it took to get in, they exited the warehouse and got into the car that had been parked a street away.
Wolf took the driver's seat and Fox got shotgun. Eagle slid in next to Cub who was placed between him and Snake. They rearranged the boy so his head rested on Snake's knees and his feet were over Eagle. Now on the way back, Snake was able to assess Cub's condition properly. He had a multitude of bruises and cuts and troubling burns on his shoulder and chest. There was also dried blood on his hair, both on the front and back suggesting head trauma however he wasn't sure how serious they were. He gently prodded Cub's ribs and frowned. At least two were broken which explained his laboured breathing. There was a particularly large gash that ran across his stomach and just onto his back. That was all the recent injuries that he could identify. There was also a scar on his chest that Snake knew came from a bullet. It appeared to be fairly recent and it deeply bothered Snake. No child should have a wound like that.
No matter if he was a teenager, the hurt and vulnerable state he was in made them realise that he was still a minor, someone who shouldn't be in this sort of situation. They all felt burning regret at how they had treated Cub in the past. They all wished that they had realised that Alex truly was being trained for dangerous missions, and that was something that was not ok. Wolf wished he hadn't been more concerned about Alex when they'd worked together and thought about how he as a minor shouldn't have been included in the mission at all. However, despite these regrets, the past couldn't be changed. The future, though, could and they were going to make damned sure they made it up to Cub. Wolf started that by stepping on the accelerator.
Alex was no stranger to nightmares. They came with the job. That didn't mean he every truly got used to them though and this new set was even worse than some of the previous ones.
He could feel the heat as the flaming metal pierced his skin. His lips let out a scream, he'd given up trying to be silent long ago since it made no difference, and his captors laughed at him. They laughed at him a lot as they were causing pain, it was their favourite past time.
"You're sick! Monsters" He choked out, his eyes stinging with tears he refused to let fall.
That caused another chuckle. "Now, now Alex. Didn't your parents ever tell you monsters aren't real? Oh, that's right. I suppose they never got around to that seeing as they're dead. Such a shame" This time the metal was placed on his chest and he wasn't lucky enough to black out.
K-Unit entered MI6 headquarters wanting some answers. They had just dropped Cub off at the hospital and now they were eager to find out why the hell he had been in that cell. Fox had attempted to tell them that it was unlikely Blunt would tell them anything except ask them to debrief, and that it probably wasn't a good idea, but no amount of persuasion would stop them. Realising everything he was doing was futile, Fox sighed in resignation. Admittedly, he wanted answers as well but he knew Alan Blunt far better than his friends and he could not see this end well for anyone. The best scenario he could think of was them actually getting through the debrief with only Wolf shouting.
They all waited anxiously in the elevator, with varying degrees of anger accompanying it, and they each dealt with it in different ways. Wolf stood stoically, Fox kept unclenching and clenching his hands, Snake paced a bit and Eagle's made him more hyperaware so his eyes were darting around a mile a minute as he took everything in. Last time they had been briefed through the Sergeant so they didn't have a chance to go in the bank and it was a lot different to what they were used to.
The elevator stopped and opened, revealing a dark blank hallway. It matched its occupants. Each step echoed and it wasn't welcoming in the slightest, most likely made to be that way on purpose. They were accompanied to the office door but before they went in the man held an arm out.
"Name?"
"Agent Daniels ID number 0103"
"Them" he gestured his head to the rest of K-Unit. Wolf had to restrain himself from asking what the point of this was when Fox had already been ID'd. If they were here to kill Blunt then this guy would have hardly been able to stop them getting in.
"We have just recently been on a mission and found something that concerned us. I'm sure Mr. Blunt would be very interested to debrief us and hear what we have to say"
Technically it wasn't a lie, just an omission of the truth. The truth that he doubted they'd get through debriefing at all.
The man nodded and allowed them through. Inside they were met with the blank face of Mr Blunt with Mrs Jones right beside him, sucking a peppermint.
"Ah, Agent Daniels and K-Unit. I was just about to call you but I see that is not necessary. I assume the mission went without a problem?"
"If by without a problem you mean he was lucky to still be alive, then yes, it did" Wolf said, his voice laced with anger. "What the hell was Cub doing in there?!"
Blunt raised an eyebrow. "It was an unfortunate incident and you can trust that those who should have been keeping an eye have been dealt with"
"He's just a child! He shouldn't have been in that 'incident' and he shouldn't be in hospital. What he should be doing is playing video games and going to school like everyone else his age!" Snake argued, stepping up to be beside Wolf.
Blunt's eyebrow was still raised. "I don't remember hearing these concerns when he was training with you at Brecon Beacons, or when he was working with you at Point Blanc" He looked at Wolf critically.
They all looked ashamed, Wolf most of all, but still determined. "That was different. At Brecon Beacons we thought he was just the son of some rich guy and I never really thought he was in that much danger at Point Blanc" Wolf admitted, wishing he'd really thought about the situation at the time. He had a lot to apologise to Cub for.
"Hey, that's a point. What do his family have to say about this?" Eagle spoke up.
Beside Blunt, Mrs Jones sighed. It was only a matter of time before the subject of Alex's family came up.
"Alex has no remaining family left" she said. "His guardian was killed as he was kidnapped"
"Shit" Fox sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Wait, so who are his guardians now then?" He had a bad feeling.
"That would be us" Blunt replied and Fox's heart sank. Yeah, not good.
"You?" Wolf gave a short laugh. "Are you kidding me?! Look at what's happened to him already because of you lot and that was without you being his bloody guardians! He isn't safe with you"
"And where would you propose he stay? He is a valuable spy whom trouble follows even without our help. It would be too dangerous to put him in an orphanage or with foster parents, not to mention I doubt he'd be best pleased with them. The most logical option is that he remain here where he will be protected" Blunt explained calmly.
"Between missions you mean and what's to say he won't get killed during one of those. This is no life for a kid!" Wolf growled.
"Ah, but that is the very reason he is one of our best agents" Blunt countered. "No one would ever expect a child to be a spy. His methods may not be traditional but he is has been very successful"
"I don't care. He shouldn't be put through this. He's a human being, not a pawn in your plans" Wolf replied.
"I'm curious to how you think you can change anything" Blunt said, slightly amused.
Wolf spoke without thinking. "He can stay with us" His eyes widened when he'd realised just what he'd said but he found he couldn't take the words back. It wasn't the best answer he could have come up with, certainly not the most practical, but anything was better than let Cub stay in a place like this alone, especially when recovering from his ordeal.
Thankfully his team mates backed him up, even if they thought his decision was pretty stupid and hasty, which it was.
"It would work. I am a trained medic and can oversee his recovery. I'm sure you would agree it is a much better situation as you wouldn't have to worry about him here and he would be more than safe with three SAS soldiers and maybe even an agent protecting him" Snake said, casting a glance at Fox.
It was a good job they'd kept the flat they had all shared since they'd first become a unit, Wolf thought briefly. It meant they had the perfect place to house Cub.
"You do realise you have jobs that require you to be out of the country. How do you expect to take care of a teenager?" Blunt asked.
"We currently have time off" Eagle said. "The duration of it is currently undecided but I'm certain the Sergeant would have no problem with it once we explain the situation. Also, wouldn't you say that looking after him is a job in itself? What if the people who kidnapped him try to do it again, especially considering he's so valuable" The word dripped with repulsion. "It can just be for while he recovers and we'll discuss what happens after once it needs to be considered" His argument was logical and reasonable and his team mates looked at him with appraisal. It's true, Eagle was the talker of the group, but he'd really outdone himself this time.
Blunt stayed silent and everyone waited in anticipation.
"Fine, as long as the Sergeant agrees. I do hope you realise what you're signing yourselves up to gentlemen. Agent Rider hasn't been known to make things easy"
Fox couldn't believe his ears. Blunt had actually agreed to let go of an agent, even if it was temporary. There was the question of whether he'd actually be able to stay as well though. Blunt was his boss now and it was up to him whether he could help.
As if reading his mind, Blunt carried on. "Agent Daniels, you have permission to stay behind as well and protect Agent Rider"
Fox had to smother a grin. "Thank you sir, and don't worry, we've been trained to handle a wide variety of things. What harm can a fourteen year old boy do?"
"What harm indeed" Blunt said dryly. "You have a lot of preparation to do I believe. You can be the ones to collect Agent Rider from the hospital when he's ready. Please don't try to kill him" Blunt dismissed them and they exited the room. Once out, they all grinned at each other.
"I can't believe he actually agreed" Fox said in disbelief as they went back down the elevator.
"Neither can I" Wolf confessed. The weight of his decision finally settled on him and a sudden burst of panic arose. "Oh shit, I don't know how to look after a teenager" He looked at his team mates and the realisation dawned on them that they don't either, and they looked back helplessly.
"We'll do the best we can. My cousin has teenage children. I can always call her up" Snake said, trying to keep a cool head about it. "We've said we would. We owe it to him. We have to do this now. For Cub"
The group looked at each other and nodded.
"For Cub"