Chapter 3 Confrontations
Previously
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. Hopefully, after a little talk with the boy he will see the light of my ways. If he doesn't agree with me then, well, he'll be a little bit surprised when his father is in a tragic accident. He should certainly be most agreeable.
*****Blunt's POV at Brecon Beacons*****
After having talked to the sergeant about telling the K-unit about their newest member's situation, I left to go find Alex. I could talk to him alone about what might happen should he consider having any relationship with his father. There would be consequences, if so. I see him walk out of the K-unit's cabin, anger clear on his face. This could be used to my advantage. I have no idea what he is mad about, but people make poor decisions under duress. They can't think as well. Otherwise known as the perfect time to manipulate someone. He stalks off into the woods. Quickly, I follow him. Once I have caught up to him I call out his name. This makes him halt, and slowly turn around to face me. He doesn't look very pleased. I wonder why.
*****Previously in K-unit's Cabin(Alex's POV)*****
I awake to Snake gently shaking my shoulder, attempting to get me up. I look up at him.
"What." I growl.
"It's time for you to get up for breakfast. We need to live in about fifteen minutes." The agitation on his face is impossible for me to miss. Was there something I had done wrong? Just because I woke up a little bit late didn't mean anything, right? I didn't know, I couldn't. I had never had parents, I didn't know what was normal. Then again, nothing about this whole situation was normal.
Slowly, I get up and start changing. Unaware of all the eyes staring at me after I have taken my shirt off revealing the scars left from my last mission.
"Cub, what the hell?!" Fox is the one who yells this statement at me, after a moment of shocked silence, causing Snake to turn and see the scars covering my body. I freeze, panicking on the inside.
"Nothing." This wasn't going anywhere good. How could I have forgotten about all these scars? I feel exposed
"Like hell, where did you get those?" Snake is speaking to me in a calm voice that has an underlying tone of danger. That didn't make me feel any better. I was becoming hysterical, not that anyone else knew. I really had to get out of here. I really, really, had to get out. Snake was pressuring me, and I wasn't handling it very well. I could feel the sensation being brought up in me, where I lose all control. That couldn't happen here. That would bad. Very bad. But he was there, so very there. He was hovering over me and I hated it. I had to get away from this place.
"Why should I tell you? Because you're my father, is that why? So I should magically start to trust you just because you're my father. Yeah, I don't think so. You know, you aren't the only person whose life has been turned upside down from this. My life has been flipped even more than yours has. Until a couple of days ago I didn't even know that my parents, that I never knew by the way, weren't my real parents. That doesn't matter though, because I should be able to start calling you dad and taking on a name that I didn't know was mine until very recently. A name that I might not even want. Oh and let's not forget how I'm not supposed care about whether you adopt me or not, even though you are no more than a stranger to me. Well guess what, there is no way in hell that I am going to go along with this so easily." By the time I am finished with my little speech I am out of breath and feel relief flow through me as I let all of my anger go. The feeling is almost gone, too. I no longer want to break, to let go. But it's still there. The urge to just cut loose and fall. Then I look up and see the hurt on Snake's face. No, I can't let that affect me. He deserves it.
"Alex, I didn't mean to-" I don't hear the rest of Snake's sentence because I run out the door and stalk off into the woods, hoping for some peace, so that I could tear that feeling out of myself.
"Alex." I come to a halt and slowly turn around to see the face of the person who called my name, Alan Blunt. Oh joy. He has very good timing. Caught me in my best mood, he did.
"What do you want?" I'm blunt about it.
"I simply want to remind of your situation. You see, I have been informed of a certain familial realization that you have recently discovered. You will be going on your next mission Alex. If you decide not to, then your father might find himself dishonorably discharged from the SAS. He will be unable to find any work and will fall into a depression that causes him to take his own life in a tragic accident. I'm very good at predicting things like this, you know." Blunt says this in a mirthful tone, a serious look on his face. I can practically feel his joy at getting it his way. I look up at him, glaring. He had said it so confidently that there wasn't even a remote possibility of it being a bluff, so I couldn't call him out on it because it didn't exist.
"When do I leave?" I regret this already, but I already don't have a choice, and I don't feel like dragging this out any longer then necessary. I get straight down to business.
"It will be a week before we can send you."
"Fine." I watch him leave, but call out before he can disappear into the trees. "Oh, and Blunt? I want you to know that I'm not doing this for him or because you're blackmailing him." The slightest pause in his step is enough to tell me that he heard my comment. I stand watching after him and as soon as he is gone I walk over and sit beside a tree. I bring my knees up to my chest, burying my face into my knees. There's so much pressure on me. I constantly have to have a mask. Taking the mask off and letting everything go felt good. It wasn't the same as when I let go during a fight, then it's almost painful, the way I wake up in confusion, having no idea where I was and I am with someone hurt or laying on the ground moaning beside me. I wonder if that was part of the reason Blunt wanted me; because I could hurt someone without even knowing about it. Who was I kidding, of course it was. I don't want this life as a spy, never did, and I don't think Snake wants me to be a spy either. I don't even trust Snake that much, we've only just met. Why did I care what he thought about it? I wish that I could put blind trust into him and let him adopt me, but I can't. I can't let someone risk their life just for me. Snake would lose everything just for some worthless brat like me, and I'm not worth it.
"Collin."
*****Snake's POV after Alex walked out of K-unit's Cabin*****
All I can do is stand there, speechless, as I watch Collin walk out. I can hear Wolf talking to me, but I'm barely listening.
"Why are you letting him treat you like that? You haven't done anything wrong." I ignore him and finish getting dressed as quickly as I can. I run out of the cabin yelling to the rest of the unit that I'll meet them in the mess hall for breakfast.
As I walk out I see the person whom I believe to be Alan Blunt, the one who caused a lot of my problems in the first place, walk into the woods. I follow my gut and sneak after him into the woods. I have a feeling that Collin might be there. When Blunt stops walking, he is standing in front of Collin. I quietly go and stand beside a tree out of their line of sight but close enough so that I can hear anything that is said. The more I hear, the angrier I get. Him telling my son all of these things just for a mission. I won't stand for it, I am not going to let him keep my son from me or convince my son that it is better for the both of us if he stays away from me. After Blunt leaves I watch as my son curls up beside a tree at first I think he's crying, but then I hear him mumbling to himself about how he doesn't want to hurt anyone. Was he supposed to hurt someone for the mission? Slowly I walk over to him and kneel down beside him.
"Collin."
*****Back to Alex's POV in the woods*****
I look up to see Snake and I quickly wipe the emotion off my face and look at him. I see only concern in his face, even after all of those horrible things I said to him he still seems to care about me.
"Collin, don't believe a word he said to you." I look up bewildered, confused about what Snake is talking about.
"What?"
"I heard everything that Alan Blunt told you just now, and don't think for a second that I am going to let you slip through my fingers again because of the likes of him. I know that we have our issues to work out, but we need to make sure that you are safe first Collin, and then they will be worked out. That I can promise you. If you want me to start calling you Cub again I can, or I'll even call you your old name if that makes you feel better. Listen to me son, I would do anything for you I would even more from my home in Scotland if I thought you would be happier where you are living now." I can hear the truth in his voice and his statement. He honestly thinks what he is saying is true.
"How can you do all that though? If I defy Blunt then he will take away your career, I don't want that to happen to you because of me."
"None of that matters to me. I will make ends meet and everything will work out the way it should. Just look me in the eye and tell me that you don't want anything to do with me and I will abandon the adoption plans."
"I don't want to have to go on missions anymore, but I don't want to have to worry about you because you decided to try and look after me."
"Then don't worry about it. Just let me take care of everything, I can tell that it is difficult for you but I need for you to trust me otherwise this will only be more difficult."
"Okay."
"What was that?" I can see the look of shock and amazement cross over Snake's face at my response. If I am ever going to have a chance of getting out of Blunt's grip, then Snake is my chance and I am taking it. Maybe it will lead to the father and son relationship he seems to want so bad, and maybe it won't, but I don't see him letting me go anytime soon.
"I said okay. I will try to trust you more, just keep me informed on what is going on."
"Of course, thank you." He then grips me in a tight bear hug.
"Wait. Blunt is sending for me in a week, for my mission. What will happen then?"
"I don't know yet Collin, but I am not going to let you get hurt anymore and put yourself into that kind of danger." The firm tone in his voice assures me that what he is saying, he believes to be true. I don't trust him. I mean, I do, but I'm not disillusioned. I can hope and pray all I want that I'm getting out of here, but that doesn't mean I will.
"Come on then Collin, let's head back to camp before they come looking for us." Snake holds out his hand to help me up. He looks so happy, so proud and assured. I would hate to unveil the truth of the situation. Once we are both upright we begin walking to the mess hall for breakfast. An awkward silence falls over us, neither of us are quite sure what to say.
"What will I be doing today?"
"You will be staying in the cabin and resting, so that you can heal quickly." The sheet drapes back over us.
When we walk into the mess hall and grab our food, K-unit's eyes follow us the whole time. Once we have sat down the questions start flying at us.
"Where were you?"
"What took so long?"
"Are you okay?"
All these questions were thrown at us all at once. I bow my head and dig into the grub, ignoring their questions. Snake decides to grace them with an answer. Tuning their conversation out, I begin to think of Snake and if he was just saying things or if he was actually going to do something about my situation with MI6. I feel Snake tapping my arm, and looking up I notice that the rest of the unit is gone.
"If you're through, let's head on back to the cabin."
"Okay." I had forgotten that Snake was also allowed to stay with me until I was able to participate in the normal camp activities. I was fine with that.
"If you don't mind, I am going to let you go to the cabin and I will just meet you there later. I have some things to take care of."
"Sure, What is it?"
"I need to talk to the sergeant about the new information on our situation from this morning, see if he can give me any help."
"Okay then. I'll see you later." At this we part ways. When I am finally in the cabin I grab my phone from my bag and call Tom. Then I look at the clock, it's the middle of the school day. I shouldn't call him right now and texting won't be any good for this conversation. I chuckle a little imagining, Tom's reaction to everything that has happened to me in the last week. He overreacts to things.
Once again, I pick up my book for school reading and before I can get through this one chapter my eyes are drooping and soon I am fast asleep.
*****Later*****
It must be late because I wake up to K-unit loudly making their way into the cabin. I look at Snake and see him looking over some paperwork. This is when I come to the decision that if I want to know if I can depend on Snake then I will let him come to me, once he has a solution for our predicament. It's not like my pestering him about it will actually do any good.
*****Throughout the week*****
I keep waiting for him to approach me, and to come talk to me, but it never happens. Tomorrow I am being picked up and taken to go on the mission. He has less than twenty-four hours to figure out a solution. At this point though, I have lost almost all hope that he will actually come through for me.
If he hasn't by now then why would he?
Does he even care?
Author's Note
I know that some of you wanted a longer chapter but this one felt right to end here. I will try to update in a week or so but I am not sure, I have a lot of personal stuff to do. Please review or PM and tell me what you think and suggestions for the story.