Chapter 2 Answers
Previously
"Impossible" It can't be him, It just can't be.
*****Present*****
"What, why is it so impossible that this is my birth certificate?" I don't understand what the issue is.
"Guys will you please leave us alone for a minute?" the rest of K-unit get up and leave casting curious glances towards us.
"Where did you get that Cub? Please, I need to know." Snake is speaking in a much calmer voice now. His tone is low, comforting.
"I found it in my house. It's my real birth certificate, I'm adopted." I don't tell him what really happened to separate me from my biological parents. It isn't any of his business and I have already told him more than I ever really wanted to.
"Please don't lie to me."
"I'm not, why would you think I was doing that?" I was becoming more and more perturbed by Snake's intrusive questions. I'm confused. He didn't have any apparent reason for doing this. Honestly, now that I thought about it, he didn't even really have the right. It was me who was telling him all this information. Why was I doing this?
It felt right.
"You're not telling the truth. You can't be." Eyebrows scrunched and lips puckered, Snake had a look of powerful denial on his face. "The parents' names on the certificate are my wife's and mine. The boy's is my son who was taken from us almost 14 years ago."
"It would have to mean that you are my son."
"What! This can't be right. There's no way that you're my father." I'm speaking faster my voice is becoming more and more distressed as I spoke. This situation was impossible. I knew that the person who claimed to be my father wasn't biologically and thank god for that warning, because who knows what would have happened had I found that out of nowhere. But I was still overcome by how utterly small the percentage is that this would happen. Not only knowing them, knowing who they are but also, him being the only one to see these certificates? It was so unlikely, I just can't let my hopes be brought up.
"You mean to tell me that you weren't lying about that being your birth certificate?" Snakes voice is beginning to falter and he sits down beside me on the bed. I almost wish he had done more. Maybe put his arm around me, that's what parents do, right? I wouldn't know. I've never had one.
"No! Why would I? Why did you say that you were the father of the child on the birth certificate?" I can feel tears swell in my eyes, clouding my vision. I refuse to let them fall and appear weak. Those instincts are being brought up again. These instincts caused me to change and become emotionless. Now my only purpose is to be stronger. It's been a long time since I had one of them. I can't remember the last time I had one of these types of panic attacks. It destroyed me inside. It was destroying me inside. I was fighting not to let it come out.
"I wasn't lying Cub, I meant every word I said." He slowly reaches a hand out and brushes it through the top of my hair and then carefully grabs my chin to make me look him in the eyes. Looking into his eyes, I can feel myself letting go. Not in the bad way, but letting go of all those worries, those awful impulsions. His eyes were calming.
"You are him, aren't you. Your Collin, my son." He whispers this so softly that if I hadn't been right beside him, I wouldn't have heard them. He carefully embraces me and buries his face into my hair. I can feel his tears on my head, and for the first time since Ian's death I let my own tears fall. I've never cried so hard before.
"What happened to you? Where have you been?" Snake pulls away from the embrace as he asks me this, his hands still on my shoulders.
"I've lived with my uncle up until now. Or at least, I thought he was my uncle. He wasn't there much for me. He was away most of the time though and Jack took care of me. She was the housekeeper but was really more like a sister to me." I still can't believe that it's really him. It's too difficult for me to comprehend.
"I'm fine with you calling me Collin in private, but around the others please don't. It will just raise too many questions." I say this wearily, scared at what he might say.
His hands slide off my shoulders. "I understand, but I feel like the rest of K-unit deserves to know."
"No! Please don't tell them. I don't want anything to be made worse between them and me." I didn't want them thinking that I was trying to take Snake away from them.
"They need to know, besides I don't want Wolf to continue treating you the way he does. It will also help keep the other units off your case."
"Fine" I'm not happy with this decision. But I'll agree to anything at this point, I just don't want him to leave me. I want to make him proud. I'm being overwhelmed by feelings I've never felt before. It's engulfing me, overriding me. I'm confused, so confused.
He gets a new look on his face, one of suspicion. "I don't like the fact that you're here. Why were you sent here in the first place?"
"I..I.." To my relief, before I could answer, the rest of K-unit chose to make their reappearance. While Snake's distracted by their sudden reappearance, I slip out the door and take off running through the woods by our hut. I have to get out of here. I can hear Snake call out for me, but I don't stop running, I can't stop running. I soon stop and rest against a tree. My body burns. It feels good. I take off my jacket and wrapping it around me like a blanket, shielding me from the cold dusk air. I slowly feel sleep encase my body and I'm dreaming.
I wake up. I'm in a... hospital bed? Snake is asleep in a chair at the bedside, and I can hear the rest of the K-unit in hushed murmurs outside of the door. I can see Eagle glance through the window of the door and see me, awake. He says something to Wolf, who also turns to look at me. Eagle walks away and Fox and Wolf stay outside the door. They're waiting for Eagle to come back, I assume.
Snake begins to stir and slowly his eyes open and meet mine. He jerks awake and immediately sits up at the realization that I'm here, awake, in my hospital bed.
"How do you feel?" he says, concerned.
"Fine, I guess. What happened? How did I end up here?" I reply, motioning around the room.
"When you ran from the cabin and fell asleep in the woods, you got cold that could have become pneumonia if you had stayed out there longer. Once I found you, you were brought here and have been healing for about a day and a half now. While I was looking for you with K-unit, I informed them of our situation. Collin, I just need you to know, never do that again. You had me so worried. I know that we barely know each other, but you're still my son, and I really, truly am worried about you."
"What did they think?" I said, attempting to ignore his last point.
"We are happy for the both of you and would like to apologize for the way we have treated you." Wolf said this, as he and K-unit had just walked in. Eagle and Fox hung back behind Wolf, making it unanimous that Wolf as speaking for them, and that they had this planned out.
"Umm... its fine, I guess" I murmur, unsure of what to say.
"What's going to happen now?" This question had been continuously running through my mind while I was in the woods.
The room as silent for a few seconds before Snake decided to speak up. "First of all, you're not going to be training anymore. This is partly due to how sick you had gotten and because you are still recovering. It's also partly because I don't want you to. Secondly, we need to know why you are here Collin." Snake's eyes are concerned and determined. There are no chances of backing down from the subject at hand.
"Well...um..., "I started off, nervous," I guess it started after my uncle was killed a couple of weeks ago. He was an agent for MI6. I became MI6's ward after my housekeeper, Jack, went back home to America. Then they sent me here for training before I leave for my first mission." The white sheets on my bed suddenly look very intriguing as I refuse to look at the members of K-unit.
"Why would MI6 want you?" Fox is the first one to speak up.
"It's explained in a letter from my parents. It's in the manila envelope I had last night."
"When can I leave and go back to the cabin?" I suddenly bring up, hoping to distract them from the earlier topic momentarily.
"Tonight, if the doctor says that you are ready to leave. Otherwise you will be in here for at least another day." Snake gave me a sympathetic but stern look.
Suddenly, I remember that K-unit should be in some type of training exercise right about now.
"Why aren't you in a class or something now?"
"We had an hour to spare and decided to slip in here and see how you and Snake were faring." Fox responds to my question followed by Snake.
"I have been given the time off until you are out of here and back in the cabin and feeling better. Given the circumstances the sergeant is being a bit lenient on the rules and typical protocol until we have this figured out." Snake is looking at me waiting to see my response at spending some time with him.
"Oh. Okay, that sounds good."
Wolf suddenly speaks up, "We need to leave if we are to make it to the course on time." At this K-unit exits the hospital room with quick goodbyes, leaving only Snake and I.
We just stare at each other, neither of us quite sure what to say.
"So...what happened to my um...mother?" I wince, the question coming out rather awkward.
Snake looks at me wearily; I think that I have asked the wrong question. Something not so good must have happened. I don't like where this is going.
"I think that is a story for a later date, and one I'm not ready to tell you yet. How about we learn more about each other first?"
"Sure, where are you from?"
"I am from the small town of Peebles, Scotland. What about you? Or, where have you been living, at least?"
"I have lived in East London for as long as I can remember and I go to school at Brooklyn Comprehensive School. What's going to happen once I get better? Will things just go back to the way they were before all of this happened?" I am afraid of what I might see if I looked him in the eye. I honestly didn't want know. At the same time, I wanted to know so badly.
"I'm not sure what will happen, since I need to stay here. If all goes well and I can get all the paperwork straight, you might be sent to stay with some of my family until I am able to be released from duty." Snake pauses waiting to see my response. He looks almost nervous. I don't know why.
"Wait, you actually want me to stay with you. Why?" I'm truly shocked at hearing him say that he wants me to stay with him, it doesn't make any sense. I am a perfect stranger to him. We share similar genetic makeup, that's it.
"Collin, I want you to stay with me because you're my son. I learned that you were gone when I came home from my medical school class one day and found the police at my home. When I got there I learned that someone had broken into the house while you and your mother were home. She was attacked by them." Snake looked as though he were close to crying. "They had also kidnapped you. I looked for you for years; sometimes I still would go and look through different records for any sign of you. Now that I've found you again, I don't want to let you go." Just as Snake had finished explaining this to me there was a knock on the door and a doctor walked in.
"Cub, it seems that you are clear to leave. No strenuous work for a few more days at least, or you'll be back here soon enough." The doctor said this and then with a quick turn on his heel exited the room. I don't think he looked at me once. Doctors can be so cold hearted. Snake wasn't like that, though. He was different.
"I guess we will be leaving then." I slowly get out of the bed and pull my uniform back on, which had lain next to Snake. He's standing by the door waiting for me to finish getting dressed.
Snake and I slowly make our trek back to K-unit's hut in an awkward silence; neither of us is quite sure what to say. I am distracted by the hard pellets of rain hitting my face and begin to think about this new situation I find myself in. I wonder if I will still be going on the mission that MI6 wants me to go on.
"You won't be going if I have any say in it." Looking up, shocked at Snake's comment I realize that I must have spoken out loud.
"What?"
"You're 14 and you aren't going to go and risk your life on some mission, MI6 will just have to find someone else to go."
"That's what you think." I say this thinking that I am speaking to low for him to hear me.
"What did you say?" A questioning glance is being thrown my way by Snake.
"Nothing"
"No, I heard you say something what was it?"
"Fine, I said that's what you think."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that MI6 doesn't exactly take no for an answer, they have ways of getting what they want."
"How do you know this?"
"I just do."
"Collin"
"It's how I'm here. I said no to working for them and they threatened to take away my guardian's visa so that she would be sent back to America. That's when I was sent here the first time for a couple of days a few weeks ago, I went on a mission after leaving here and Jack, my guardian, decided that she didn't want to have to deal with the not knowing while I am gone. So with no guardian I find myself back here just waiting to be sent on another mission. So if you were to take guardianship or responsibility for my or whatever then they would just threaten something else with you, most likely your career." The sad look in Snake's eyes is beginning to penetrate my walls. The silence that was previously suffocating would now be a warm welcome, compared to this.
If I keep this up, this openness, then I will get too close and might actually begin to care about him like a father. I cared now, yes, but not as much as I could, or should. If I keep being emotional like this then he would be in danger and I could lose him, I won't let that happen. I can't let that happen. I need to draw back and make him see that he doesn't want someone like me for a son.
"I will not let that happen and don't worry about me it isn't you job to look out for me."
We were in front of the cabin now before entering Snake grabs my arm and turns me so that I am looking at him.
"Collin, I am sorry that I haven't been there and that I wasn't able to find you until now. I am going to try to make this right though, okay?"
He doesn't know what he's saying. He's going to regret this later, but for now I can see that I'm not going to convince him. I just nod my head and walk inside the cabin, leaving him standing there. The cabin is empty; K-unit must still be training. I go to my bed and start rummaging through my duffel, looking for the book that I need to read for school. I hear Snake closing the door behind him, as I lay down to read my book. He goes over to his bed and begins to sort through what I assume is medical supplies. About thirty or forty minutes later I hear him say "What did I do? Or what did I say? What's wrong?"
I look up at him, shocked internally, and shake my head, then return to reading my book.
"Then why won't you speak to me?" Shrugging my shoulders at his comment, and not looking up from my book, I continue ignoring him. I hope this will be the start to pushing him far enough so that he will just let go.
"Dammit Collin, look at me when I am speaking to you and if I haven't done something to piss you off then talk to me." The anger in his voice is gradually getting worse and by the look on his face he is starting to lose his patience with me.
"I know that you don't know me very well Collin and I don't know you either but at least I am not being outright rude to you. I know that this isn't the ideal situation to meet your father in but I can't help that and we need to get to know each other. I'm trying to do this right but it won't do any good if you are unwilling to give me a chance at being a father." The hurt that he is feeling is clear in his voice. K-unit once again decides to show their amazing timing and walk in while Snake is talking. This time it isn't me who leaves, Snake calmly walks out pushing past Fox on his way out the door and closing the door behind him. Fox quickly turns to go after Snake. Wolf stalks over to me.
"You selfish little brat, do you know what he has been put through since you were taken? He has not stopped looking for you and when he suddenly finds his son, his son ignores him and won't give him a chance even though Snake is trying and doing everything he can to get to know his son, who just keeps pushing him farther away." Growling at me he grabs by the arms and shakes me trying to get some type of reaction out of me. Snake and Fox stalk back in.
"Wolf, what the hell are you doing?"
Wolf releases his grip on me and I can feel the back of my head crash into the wall behind me. It hurts.
"Explaining some things to Cub here" Wolf says this while glaring at me.
"That doesn't give you the right to grab him like that, he's my son Wolf." At this Snake steps closer and whispers something into Wolf's ear that makes his glare falter, with a quick nod he turns and walks over to his bed to sit down.
It's only now that I notice that Snake has a stack of papers in his hand, he goes to sit at a small table set up in the room and begins to sort through the paperwork. Eagle decides to break the silence.
"What's with all the papers Snake?"
"They are custody papers that I need to fill out, to be able to have any rights over you."
"Oh, how did you get them?"
"While you were in infirmary I explained the situation to the sergeant and asked him to gather the forms to fill out, while you were sick."
"Oh."
"I should be able to get through most of these today and then the rest tomorrow. Having them approved and filed could take at least a couple of weeks."
"Okay then I think that I am just going to sleep some."
"That's fine."
*****At MI6*****
Alan Blunt was furious how did the little brat found out about his parentage? This was not supposed to happen, but there are certain privileges that come with being the head of MI6 and one of those is having many strings that you can pull to get what you want.
"Tulip, arrange a car to take me Brecon Beacons in the morning I need to have a little chat with someone."
"Of course"
If the boy thinks that he is going to escape his life that I have set up for him as a spy then he has another thing coming for him. Hopefully, after a little talk with the boy he will see the light in my way of doing things. If the boy doesn't agree with me then when his father is in a tragic accident, he will most definitely be agreeable.
Author's Note
I do not own Alex Rider sadly. I love hearing from my reader's and the more reviews, comments, and suggestions I get the faster I write. Keep reading and reviewing, I hope to have the third chapter posted in a week or so.