A.N.: Short chap, not even to 2000 words. Sorry . BUT! BUT! Hold on, don't start yelling at me yet! I have a good reason! I was writing the novel for NaNoWrMo so my brain is kinda like a complete blank right now...

Oh and regarding a reviewer (Guest) 's question, I don't really have an update time set. I basically update whenever I want, usually once a week but more if I have too much time on my hand.

Disclaimer: Once upon a time, I own Alex Rider. It was really nice. Then I woke up.

Wolf was extremely annoyed. Actually, his annoyance level was beyond any descriptions he could think of. He shifted uncomfortably, trying to cover his feet with the short blanket. Short was probably an understatement. It wasn't short. It was extremely short and small for him. He blamed himself for not packing better before the selection trials. The night wasn't on his side as the wind howled their laughter and the tent rippled with it, taunting his cold legs and arms that weren't covered by the blanket.

Wolf wrapped the blanket closer around himself and tried his best to remain still, hoping that his body could warm up automatically if he stayed still. And of course, waking Eagle up, who was on the right side of him, was not a good idea. Though as much as he disliked Eagle's sleep mutter and the danger of wild flapping arms, he shifted toward Eagle slightly. To be as far away as possible from the person to his left. Namely a certain Coyote.

Alex watched as Wolf shifted away from him in amusement. He couldn't sleep, not with the throbbing pain everywhere. Whenever he closed his eyes, it returned. Almost half the pills were gone, swallowed, and the pain was still there.

Apparently, Wolf's blanket was too small for him, the way he kept on tucking his legs in and out and mutters of curses and swears. It wasn't his idea to sleep next to the one person who hated him the most amongst the unit. It was simply Fox and his annoying ideas. Something about the person sleeping at the front and back of the tent should be someone from the unit to avoid 'troublesome' consequences, whatever that was supposed to mean. And so, after long debates, to no avail, he was stuck between Wolf and Fox. Again.

Starting to get seriously annoyed of Wolf's constant shifting, Alex threw his blanket on Wolf, "Stop shifting."

Wolf froze then turned to stare at him. His gaze flickered to the blanket covering his frozen feet, "I don't need your kiddy blanket." He threw it back with almost reluctance though Alex did not see it.

Alex glared and placed it between their heads, "Your choice. I don't need it. I don't care if you freeze over or not."

With that, he turned to face Fox, ignoring the shiver as a soft breeze of wind blew through the tent. The coldness helped to lessen the pain, numbing it in the process. He dumped three more into his palm and swallowed them. He was probably getting addicted to pain killers. It didn't really matter as long as it doesn't slow down his reactions. The painkiller this time was, as the doctor told him and to his relieve, without anything that will make him sleepy. It was just a numbing tool.

Slowly, he fell asleep. His body and mind too tired to dream.

Alex was woken by a loud exclaim, a curse, then someone shaking him. He grunted and opened his eyes.

Fox was one that was shaking him like there was no tomorrow, "What is it, Fox? Earthquake? Sergeant? Late? Cleaning Duty?"

"You fucking ate half a bottle of painkillers!" Alex could see that Fox was trying his best to not explode and do something stupid like throttling Alex, "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"Where is the bottle?" Alex asked after a moment of silence, ignoring Fox's question

Fox thrust it in his face in anger. The remaining three pills clattered pathetically in the bottle as Alex caught it and slipped it into his pocket, "It is no big deal, Fox."

"No big deal?" Fox snorted in anger, "No big deal! Like hell it is no big deal! You should have just told me if you are in pain."

"They are not painkillers," Alex said, trying to tell Fox about the other three of the unit that were staring at them, "They are candies."

"I don't fucking care about them!" Fox yelled.

"What can you do if I am in pain?" Alex said as he sat up, pushing Fox off him, "And sorry, I don't date guys."

Fox was furious, "Half a bottle! Do you know what that means? You could have killed yourself!"

"Actually, I will overdose first, and then I will die." Alex corrected as he stood up, "But candies won't kill you, Fox. Now please excuse me, I-"

"Do you not care if you die?" Fox's quiet tone made him pause in his steps.

In a flash, Alex remembered death. The constant companion Death. Who killed everyone around him that he loved. Jack, Ian, his parents, heck, even Yassen. And it wouldn't hesitate to take another. He still remembered the day Jack died. The exploding of the car. Jack, with her determent, look on her face to save him. It haunted him yet he could do nothing about it.

"Coyote?" Fox's tone was hesitant, afraid that he had stepped on something he shouldn't have.

"Of course I care," Alex said, managing an amused smile on his face as he faced Fox, "After all, I am the one dying."

Pulling on his boots, he left the tent.

Unbeknownst to him, the rest of the K-Unit were staring at Fox intensely once he left, "Explain."

"Explain what?" Fox asked innocently as he sat down.

"You, Coyote." Wolf growled, "And that bottle."

Fox paused, unsure what to say. Alex definitely did not want him to tell the others because of his stupid reason of 'let them hate me'. Fox wanted the K-Unit to realize just who their 'Coyote' is. He wanted them to protect him. But doing that will risk the trusts Alex had on him and, probably, their relation as well. It was tensed lately and Fox had realized that since he came back to Brecon Beacon. There was something troubling Alex, and Fox was determined to help him out.

"I can't tell you."

"Did you mention Pain Killers?" It was Snake, the medic, who spoke up, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I was just joking," Fox said quickly. Maybe a little too quick to convince the others, judging by their expressions.

"Why is he taking pain killers, Fox?" Snake pressed.

Fox was torn as he looked away. Finally deciding that there was only one word that could help Alex without breaking his trust, he said, "Classified."

Gather around!" The sergeant yelled as soon as K-unit packed away their tents, "We have the second trial in half an hour!"

There were stifled yawns all across the area, leaving the sergeant tapping his feet in obvious impatience and irritation, "Three! Two! One!"

As if pulled by invisible forces, they hurriedly stood to attention in front of the sergeant, "Our second trial is the Long Drag. Just hearing the name, I am sure you understand how easy it must be." The sergeant said. If Alex didn't know better, he would have believed that the trial was indeed easy, "Twenty hours the max. Any longer you get cut. The end. No using existing trails. Use your lovely maps and compasses, as you all know how to. No relying on the soldiers because they will be going on their own. 25-kilogram pack for the hike is necessary, no lighter, and no heavier. A rifle, rations, water are the only things you can have beside the pack. A total of 64 kilometers. Very short trip. If you get lost, well, you just have to wander out." The sergeant shrugged unsympathetically, "If you are on the verge of death, I am sure you have learned the signals of SOS. This is a unit trial. Groups of four to five and don't act like school kids trying to pick your best friends. Three seconds and I want you to be in a group. If you aren't, then you are out."

"Three."

Alex watched in interest as the recruits snapped to attention and seemed to move next to someone close to them and trying to find their friends at the same time.

"Two, one."

Fortunately, all of them were gathered in a group before the one fell. The sergeant continued, "Trial start in five minutes. Go pack your things. No electronics if you snuck one in. I will personally weigh and check your pack so don't get any funny ideas."

"This really brought back memories," Eagle sighed as he watched the recruits hurrying to do their things, "Of the old, cold, harsh days where you only have rocks and grass to eat."

Snake shot him an incredulous look, "That's because you did not pack."

"Oh, remember that time we were grouped together?" Eagle asked, his eyes glittering in amusements, "None of us know each other and we were all very distant. It took a Wolf sliding off the side of the mountain and a hero to save our relationships and pushing it toward the great future!"

"Shut it, Eagle." Wolf grumbled, unappreciated of the memory, "And correction, I did not slide off the side. It is you who tripped, pushing me to the side."

"That is a minor detail," Eagle winked then leaped out of the way as Wolf's fist came down with a laugh.

"K-Unit!" The sergeant barked, "Are you finished with packing?"

"Yes, sir!" They immediately snapped to attention.

"It might rain today, so keep an eye out for everything." The sergeant said meaningfully, his gaze lingering on Alex just a little longer to make him uncomfortable.

"Yes, sir!"

"Good," The sergeant said before turning his attention to the rest of the units and the recruits alike, "All packed? Good. Now get going."

The start seemed so sudden that it took the recruits a second or so to realize the signal and hastily leaped onto the forest. Unexplored trails indeed.

Thanks for all the follows and reviews! I love you guys! ^ ^

So remember I mentioned this Fan Dance trial thing a chap earlier? It is actually real, just like the Long Drag mentioned in this chapter. I might have gotten their sequence wrong, but when I did the research, it said that the Fan Dance was the trial that was meant to get rid of the 'unfit' recruits, it is like a massive sweep. And the Long Drag is testing endurance. So yeah, I think the Fan Dance is before the Long Drag, sorry if I got it wrong.

I am not very precise nor detail about the process so I will probably get a lot of the informations wrong (I honestly don't think recruits are really that stupid and slow on uptakes, but hey, it is a fanfic). Just a FYI