A.N.: I was planning to procrastinate this chapter to Sunday (XD)... My excuse will probably be: I am dead in life. But here I am, so you're welcome~~~ ^ ^

I am sorry about the word count, I couldn't reach 4000 in this chapter T^T

"Eagle…" Alex hesitated, "I can only tell you that I know Cub."

Eagle blinked, waiting for the rest.

"But I am not Cub."

If Cub was that naïve boy who stumbled into a soldier's training camp a few years ago, then Cub was already dead.

"So you are not Cub…" Eagle looked a little dejected, "But how do you know Cub?"

Alex smiled slightly, "I had a small run-in with him a few years ago."

"I see." Eagle said then sighed after a moment of silence, "Let's go back inside, then."

Wolf glanced at Eagle. The man seemed strangely lost in thoughts. Wolf shuddered inwardly. Thinking and Eagle simply could not go in the same sentence.

"Did something happen after you dragged Coyote out?" Wolf decided to break the silence. The three members in the cabin looked up.

"Probably." Wolf narrowed his eyes at the vague answer.

"What did you talk to him about?"

"Cub," Eagle responded, "I talked to him about Cub."

Cub. Cub was the member that had joined their unit a few years past. Absently, Wolf wondered if he was doing well. There was a pause, "What about Cub?"

"He reminded me of Cub. Just a little." Eagle glanced at Wolf, "So I asked him if he was Cub."

Wolf frowned. Coyote and Cub… They didn't have much in similar, do they? "What did he say?"

"He said he isn't." Eagle replied, "But that he had met Cub a few years ago."

"Then what are you thinking about?" Wolf asked.

"Coyote told me he was going on a mission soon." Wolf felt like hitting something in frustration at the news. If J-Unit was getting a mission, that meant J-Unit would finally be out of this training camp and be on standby mode afterward while they were still stuck in here. He didn't know when the next mission would appear. J-Unit was lucky. Damn that Bear.

Wolf glanced sideways at Parrot. He didn't think his unit was ready for a mission just yet, to be completely honest with himself. They were a unit. They had to work together. Parrot simply cannot match their physics, their accuracy, or anything. Whatever training that Parrot said he had received, they were shit. Parrot was one true example of 'rich family' and 'connection'. But he was their last chance as well.

"What about it?" Wolf asked.

"Coyote didn't look too please about it." Eagle shrugged, "I was just wondering why."

"We should take care of our own unit first," Parrot was the one who spoke up, "Instead of thinking about another unit."

How ironic. Wolf felt like saying. Parrot was always trying to be the 'good guy' amongst them. He always 'encouraged' them, but the man himself did nothing.

"Team bonding is the most important thing right now." Parrot continued then he added after a pause, "Why don't we all talk about ourselves and ask questions to get to know each other better? My father believes that friends form if we talk more."

That guy is just so damn clueless in his act of the good guy.

"I will ask first then," Parrot said with an enthusiastic grin, "So Wolf, I he-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence when Wolf stood up abruptly, "I am going to take a walk. Lights out in a few minutes. I will be back soon."

Eagle and Snake nodded, going back to what they were doing previously. They both knew that Wolf was not a man of unlimited patience and with idiots like Parrots…

"Alright then," Parrot turned to Snake, "Snake, do yo—"

"Let me offer you some advice, Parrot," Snake said, not looking up from his bunk where he was looking at a magazine, "Talk less."

"What?"

"Smile more." Snake said with a small hint of amusement in his voice.

"Ha."

"Don't let them know just how much of an idiot you really are."

Parrot stay silent.

Alex heard the soft sound of his unit members made as they slept. After making sure that they were all asleep, he climbed out of his bunk, pulled on his boots and headed outside. The door closed behind him without any sounds. He knew he should be getting some sleep. In fact, the blurring of his eyesight gave concrete evidence. His chest pain had slowly faded away in the last few days and he was no longer dependent on pain killers. That was good, he knew, for he had run out of the medicine.

But the nightmares had not ceased. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Jack. Red. Sabina. And everyone in his past. Alex wouldn't admit it in front of anyone, but he was afraid. Afraid that if he fell asleep, they would come to haunt him. Afraid that he would accept their words, afraid that he would go insane from it. How he wished, bitterly, that he was back at Brooklyn like a normal student, worrying about late school works, gossips, and latest news around the block. How he wished that he wasn't here, that his parents and uncles weren't spies. But they were all wishes and hopes to change the past that would never come true. He knew he should accept the future, but he was just…afraid of it.

Alex scaled the tree quickly and sat on one of its branches. He leaned back. From there, he could see the crescent reflection of the moon on the rippling of the lake as the wind blew past by. He could see the light in the Sergeant's office and watched it goes black as the Sergeant left his office. He could hear slight chatters from the barracks by the soldiers as the wind blew past.

The mission was in three days. Alex didn't know what he should be expecting, he never did. He had never gone on a mission with anyone but himself. He didn't know how things would go different with a team and him not being the actual agent.

"We need an agent to go with a unit just in case Agent Belworth has turned against us. SAS soldiers are shoot to kill, they are not spies. We need someone who can get the information if the agent fails to."

"What if there is no information?"

"There has to be. If the agent doesn't have it, it is your job to find it."

The conversation with Mrs. Jones came back to him clearly. He was the hidden agent. They didn't trust Agent Belworth. But how did they know that they could trust him? Because they threatened him with J-Unit? His thoughts fell silent at that. That's exactly right. They knew he would do it because they threatened the lives of J-Unit. He clenched his fists tightly in his lap. They always resort to threats and blackmails. He had no doubt that Mrs. Jones would still send J-Unit in if he said he was not going. J-Unit would trust the agent blindly and fell into the trap if the agent really is against them. Alex couldn't take the risk of that. In the quietness, he heard footsteps and someone coming.

"You're still up." Alex looked down to see Bear peering up at him with crossed arms.

"So are you," Alex said as he made no move to get down.

"Do you ever sleep?" Bear asked.

"Yes, of course I do." Alex shot back.

"Like when?"

"Yesterday."

"You didn't," Bear shook his head, "You went out after you thought we all went to sleep."

"You were awake?"

"Of course."

Alex did not respond, waiting for Bear to ask whatever he wanted to.

"What are you doing?"

"Sitting on a tree," Alex replied dryly.

"You should get some rest."

Alex didn't know what to say, "I can't."

"Why?"

"Can't sleep." Alex shrugged, hoping that Bear would drop it.

"What's the cause?"

"I don't know." Lies.

"You can always talk to Leopard." Bear said, glancing up at him again, "He is the medic."

"I know." Alex said softly, "But believe me, he can't do much about this."

There was a long pause as Alex stared ahead at the lake. The water rippled from side to side as leaves occasionally landed into the water. It distorted the usual calm and smooth surface of the lake as another gush of strong wind blew by. The wind gradually lessened though the piles of leaves were left floating aimlessly on the water.

"Sometimes," Bear spoke up, startling him for he had forgotten the man's presence in the short pause, "It's better if you talk to someone, Coyote." There was no response.

"It's past curfew. You should come back in before the sergeant catches you." Bear said as he turned and left, leaving Alex to stare at his retreating figure before disappearing into the cabin.

Alex leaned back against the tree with a small sigh and stared up at the moon through gaps between the leaves. He was tired, yet sleep couldn't find him. He rubbed his eyes absently. The lake calmed gradually but occasional breeze sent it into ripples again. The cycle continued until he forced his eyes away and climbed down the tree. In the distance, the sun began to rise.

"Building assault today." The sergeant announced to the gathered seven units, "Additional to the normal breaking in into the Embassy, we will be adding hostage situation as well."

Alex listened with interest. This was new to him. He had only gotten so far to Killing House during his last time here.

"To new recruits," The sergeant said, scanning his eyes across the gathered soldiers as they stood unmoving with respect, "Building assault is something we do every two months in training. The training would require you to act swiftly without being captured. In today's assault, additional to the normal building assault, you have to rescue the 'hostage' being held captured within the building."

The sergeant passed as he led the soldiers took it in, "You will all have to create a plan from scratch for this assault. It is critical for you to work together when needed. The assault will include for you to take siege of the building as well as retrieving the hostages safely and unharmed. We will be using the Embassy building for the assault. I will give you five minutes to gear up and be back here. Dismissed!"

The soldiers immediately dispersed to their unit. Alex turned back to J-Unit, slightly puzzled at the assault.

Leopard, catching his expression, explained, "Building assault is very simple. We go into the building either from the rooftop by helicopters or from the ground by vehicles. The last time we did the practice assault, it was in an abandoned building near here. Even though we are doing it in the Embassy this time-"

"Embassy?" Alex asked, "A real one?"

"No, of course not." Leopard smiled, "It is what we nicknamed a multi-story building that we use for this assault training."

"Oh."

"As I was saying," Leopard continued, "The assault will include all the units to act together to siege the building and get it under our control. But this time, we will have to make sure of hostages' safety before anything else. The green jackets are usually the one we are put up against. They will be the 'guards' of the building. For this, I guess we will have the secure the hostages before the green jackets tranquilize them."

"But if it is an assault," Alex asked, "Can't the green jackets just put them out even before you arrive?"

"That's something else the sergeants had considered," Leopard nodded, "The hostages if the green jackets can bring them out unharmed and themselves alive, they win. So it is crucial for them as well to not 'kill' the hostage unless it is very necessary. We will be using tranquilizing guns for this though it is still a pain when you get knocked out."

"I see." Alex nodded.

"Here." Bear threw him a pack roughly, "That's yours. You will need it."

Alex unzipped the zipper and looked inside. There was a uniform, a pair of goggles, a pair of gloves, a radio and the tranquilizing gun with a few darts beside it.

"Put the uniform on." Bear instructed as the leader pulled his own on, strapping the front together and putting the goggles over his head. Leopard strapped himself in as well and waiting for Alex to finish. It took him a few seconds to figure out which goes where and things went smoother afterward.

They stood back in their group once again in front of the sergeant. The sergeant nodded his head curtly as he inspected them, "There will be a total of seven hostages. One from each unit. Those who are the hostages will step forward now."

Alex watched as one man from each unit stepped forward swiftly. He turned and wasn't entirely surprised to see Ferret standing out. He scanned the rest of the six hostages. Eagle was amongst them.

"Get in the vehicle." The sergeant jerked his head toward one of the two parked vehicles beside them, "The hostages will be going first. Ten minutes, then you will start."

A Green Jacket walked out of the vehicle, gestured for the seven soldiers to get on. Two more Green Jackets hopped on the vehicle. The engine started and it drove away after accelerating. Alex watched it go, wondering where it would take them.

"Soldiers, I will leave you to your planning." The sergeant said, "You have ten minutes, now nine, before the second vehicle is taking you to the compound. Your goal is to secure the hostages as fast as possible and take the building under you. The guns are all tranquilizing guns, they will not kill but they will knock you out. Once you are knocked out, you are considered dead. Anything against the rules will get you binned. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

"You now have eight minutes."

The soldiers gathered together. It was as if there were some understanding passed between them as the seven leaders of their corresponding units stood out.

"Alright," Wolf started, being probably the most experienced, besides Bear, in the training, "We will be splitting into our units when we go in. The Embassy have fifty floors. It is equally likely for the guards to hold the hostages on any of these floors. Each team will tackle exactly seven floors, not including the entrance hall. Two of the teams will tackle the first floor. Each one of you has a comm. Radio. Report to all unit leaders and wait for confirmation. The guards will undoubtedly be expecting us to be alert. They might be on the move as well so do not make your presence known. Whatever you do, do not shoot the hostages."

Alex realized with a start that Wolf was completely tensed and ready for battle. It was as if the assault wasn't a practice. It was as if it was real and that any mistakes could get them all killed. The man was a good leader. The soldiers nodded their head in confirmation as Wolf looked around.

"Anything else to add, Bear?" Wolf turned toward J-Unit leader.

Being two of the most experienced unit, Bear and Wolf were unquestionably given the commanding title.

"If the hostages are held in a room," Bear said, "Do not engage. Like Wolf said, radio in and wait for confirmation. At least four units should be going in if we are engaging with the guards. Make sure of an exit if it is a room situation. Beware of the guards. Make sure you know exactly where they are and how many they are. Do not make any mistakes. Understand?"

The soldiers nodded.

"Alright then, what units do we have?" Wolf asked, scanning his eyes around.

"B-Unit present."

"H-Unit present."

"L-Unit present."

"M-Unit present."

"N-Unit present."

"J-Unit Present."

"And K-Unit Present," Wolf added then he nodded slightly, "Since we all one member short of four, we will be combining units. Two units into one. There are seven units here, therefore, one group will have three units. When we arrive, B and H, take the first fourteen floors not counting ground floor. L, M, and N, take the next fourteen." Wolf paused then turned to Bear, "J and K will be taking the last fourteen as well as the ground floor. Once you finish and cleared, stay on your floor. "

"I will say," Bear spoke up, "That given the short time the guards had, they will probably be stationed on the first few floor up. But there is always the possibilities that they had taken the helicopters to the roof. I will advise those on the lower floor or higher floor to search more efficiently and stay alerted but the same can be said to the middle floor. There is always a chance that they have considered this path and decided to stay in the middle. Remember to always stay on high alert. Any mistakes and the hostages might die. The guards will succeed if they can bring at least one hostage out alive so they can kill six easily even if the result isn't the best. But our task is to make sure every one of them gets out alive. Clear?"

The soldiers nodded in affirmation.

"Get in." Wolf jerked his head toward the medium size truck looking vehicle, "Spread out and conceal yourself. We will be taking a slight detour of the route to not get spotted by the guards."

The soldiers took out the tranquilize guns and gripped it tightly, pulling their goggles over their head and strapping the radio onto the side of their uniform. They hopped lightly onto the back of the open vehicle that was painted to camouflage in the forest. The engine started. With Bear and Leopard in front, Alex followed them onto the vehicle. The top of the truck was covered with camouflaging material and so was the side. But the back wasn't. Except for a camouflage cloth that reached about halfway from the top, the back was open. J-Unit being the last one to go in, sat near the back, almost horribly exposed to their surroundings but Alex knew that with the camouflage and the tree that grew around the path they were stumbling through will hide them well enough.

His radio buzzed slightly as someone spoke through it. Alex unclipped it and turned questioningly to Leopard.

"We are doing a radio check." Leopard explained.

Wolf's voice issued a little unsteadily through the radio but soon it was stabilized, "This is Wolf of Kilo. How do you copy?"

Alex realized that all soldiers had their radio out. Wolf was probably testing the radio.

"Wolf, this is Bear of Juliet. Copy loud and clear."

"Good." Wolf continued, "Reply if you copy. Over."

Alex glanced at Leopard and Leopard replied to his unspoken question, "Wolf is testing the radio. He wants us to reply if we can hear him. We should be hearing twenty of them, not counting his own. Radio is critically important during any assault training like this."

Alex nodded and listened. The soldiers spoke to the radio one by one until it reached him. Him being the last one, "Copy that."

"Twenty." Wolf took over again, "We have arrived. Disperse. Take different entrance into the building. Radio for backup if you found the hostages. Out."

Alex jumped out of the truck and the rest of the soldiers followed. He clenched his gun tightly in his hand then lessen the hold again. As the soldiers gathered themselves, Alex took in their surroundings. The Embassy was a tall building. It was slightly battered on the side where visible cracks could be seen. The units crept low and ducked into the building one by one until it was just K and J-unit left.

"Alright, let's move out." Wolf signaled quietly.

Thanks for all the reviews and follows! T^T I am very honor to have people actually reading my story even though my updates are like really short and takes a really long time to wait...