Trouble Maker

Every mission starts with a phone call.

Alex rider had just gotten home from school when his work phone rung. He had furnished his uncles office and made it into his own after Jack had died. His first thought was to not answer it, so he did just that. He wasn't worried about getting fired. No, if they fired him, he would be cheering with joy.

After the third ring, he picked up the phone, and said hello, waiting for the monotone voice on the other end to reply. He knew exactly what would be ordered. They never asked, just ordered. The bank always used the same words every time. That was how the worst day of his life started, one phone call, nothing more.

"Hello, Royal & General Bank calling, we would like you to come in today at one to discuss some issues concerning your account."

They didn't even wait for his answer before hanging up. They knew he would show up, or they would send someone to take him there by force if needed. He shivered as he remembered the first time that had happened.

They hadn't even bothered to knock. And when he heard the front door creek from the rusted hinges, he adopted a perfect fighting position and attacked. He analyzed that there were about five of them, and all of them had about the same skill as he did. He knew that he wouldn't last long, but he wouldn't go down without a fight.

After about ten minutes of hand to hand, his strength and speed still hadn't decreased, but it was getting harder to keep track of all five of them. After a few more minutes, he felt a hand close around the back of his neck, close enough to squeeze the pressure point in his neck and knock him out. He stiffened and froze.

"Put your hands behind your head and get on your knees, slowly."

Slowly, he did as instructed, the hand never leaving his neck. He knew these were MI6, so they wouldn't kill him, but if he struggled he'd be knocked unconscious. That would mean less of an escape chance, and he really didn't feel like going on a mission anytime soon, not after losing Jack the last mission.

He remembered how they didn't even give him a chance of escape. They had cuffed his wrists and ankles. Then, they had drugged him asleep. He had lost consciousness after feeling someone throw them over their shoulder in a fireman's hold.

He definitely didn't want that again, so he got ready and went on his way to the bank. As he arrived at the bank, he walked up to Mrs. Jones in the waiting room.

"Hello, Alex." She said with a fake smile and kind voice. He merely nodded to her and followed as she led them to the elevator. As they entered, he noticed that she had unwrapped another peppermint and almost groaned aloud, but resolved his composure not to. He was getting tired of the sickly sweet smell.

He watched as Mrs. Jones pushed the button for the fifteenth floor, the floor his uncle's old office was on. Confused, he resolved to just follow Jones and find answers out when they get to their destination.

They walked down the hallway until they reached the door next to his uncle's office. Otherwise, the door that led to Crawley's office. Thoroughly confused by now, Alex followed Mrs. Jones into the office.

Walking in, he saw that Crawley was indeed inside of the office. As his eyes searched the room he realized that Blunt wasn't in the room. Somehow, Mrs. Jones seemed to sense his confusion and spoke up.

"Mr. Blunt had a meeting he had to be at, and I have more pressing matters to attend to, so I am afraid I will be leaving you here with Mr. Crawley."

He nodded his head in Jones's direction as she left and seated himself in front of Crawley's desk. When he heard the door click shut, he shot a glare at him. Still mad at him for shooting a tranquilizer dart at him on his first visit to the bank. He wasn't going to let that grudge go so soon.

Crawley, seeing his glare, had it in his right mind to look a bit sheepish to the trained eye. Seeing this, Alex let himself have a little victory smirk, and then started glaring again when he looked back at him.

When he saw Crawley was about to speak, he spoke calmly, "I am not going on another mission." Thus, he was ready for what was about to happen, he would argue, then agree to the terms via blackmail, but he wasn't sure what they had to blackmail him with now. Jack was gone. Either way though, he knew he wasn't leaving without a fight. What he wasn't ready for though, was this.

"Alex this is not another mission, I am here to make you an offer."

"Which is," he said skeptically, he wasn't sure if he should believe him. They had lied to him before, what made this time any different.

"We decided that if you agree to continue working for us, then we will give you full agent status, paychecks included."

"Will I get a gun?"

"Yes, you will get an MI6 issued Id card, gun permit and gun, life insurance, and you would get regular rest periods and leave."

"What's the catch if I do agree?" he said, stressing the word if. He wanted to make them know that he hadn't agreed to this yet.

"You would have to sign the Official Secrets Act, seeing as you haven't," at this Crawley paused. He knew there was more.

"And?" he asked

"You will have to have a guardian move in with you." He said, a little bit weary of him. Crawley could sense the explosion that was sure to come.

Calm before the storm

Taking a deep breath, he asked him if he knew his guardian would was definitely surprised at how calm he was, but Alex knew that he was about five seconds away from yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Yes, you have met him before."

"Who is he then?" he asked, his voice low and soft, making it sound deadly. Quickly, he stole a glance at the window, hoping to calm himself down, but that only made his anger rise to a boiling point.

"You will meet him when you arrive," was the only reply that he got.

Suddenly, he was out of his chair. He didn't know exactly what his body was doing; his mind was too clouded by anger.

"What! No way have I agreed to this yet!" Crawley had said the wrong words this time. He had in no way said yes to the arrangement, and he knew that they expect him to agree, or he would be blackmailed, and forced to do a mission without the benefits.

"I am not agreeing to this until you tell me just who my new guardian would be If I agreed to this." He was thoroughly pissed off by now; he wasn't leaving without knowing just who he would be living with.

"Alex, lower your voice and sit down. We will continue this meeting tomorrow, hopefully by then you have calmed down at least a little bit. Your new guardian will arrive at your house in an hour, and we expect for you to be polite, and not give him a hard time. A car is waiting for you on the way out." He said in what Alex thought to be a stern voice. No, he was not going to let Crawley boss him around as if he was his parent. That just pissed him off even more.

"NO! I will NOT sit down, I will NOT lower my voice, and I will NO WAY IN HELL have a new guardian." He was thoroughly pissed by now, and he was not going to just sit there and calmly allow what was happening.

He watched as Crawley reached under his desk and took out a tranquilizer gun, staring wide eyed at it he remembered what had happened in his uncle's office.

-The last file was simply labeled: STORMBREAKER. Alex was about to read it when the door suddenly opened and two men walked in. One of them was Crawley. The other was the driver from the junkyard. Alex knew that there was no point trying to explain what he was doing. He was sitting behind the desk with the Stormbreaker file open in his hands. But at the same time he realized that the two men weren't surprised to see him there. From the way they had come into the room, they had expected to find him.

"This isn't a bank," Alex said. "Who are you? Was my uncle working for you? Did you kill him?"

"So many questions," Crawley muttered. "But I'm afraid we're not authorized to give you the answers." The second man lifted his hand and Alex saw that he was holding a gun. He stood up behind the desk, holding the file as if to protect himself.

"No..." he began. The man fired. There was no explosion. The gun spat at Alex and he felt something slam into his heart. His hand opened and the file tumbled to the ground. Then his legs buckled, the room twisted, and he fell back into nothing.-

Once again, he heard himself repeating the same word he had said before he felt the dart hit him.

"No…"

"I'm sorry Alex, but you give me no choice. You still need to listen to orders; you may out rank me in agent status, but not in the chain of command," He said in a voice full of authority, and with that, the tranquilizer dart spit out towards him, but this time it hit his neck, probably to avoid damage to the bullet wound.

He crumpled to the ground, hanging on to the last bits of consciousness. Somewhere above him he heard a voice say that the sedative would wear off before his guardian came. He heard the door open, and felt somebody lift him up and sling him across his shoulder. Then he fell into darkness.

The best advantage one could have is the element of surprise.

Alex awoke to the sound of the doorbell ringing. His head was pounding, and his whole body ached. He groaned and tried to sit up, only to fall back as a wave of dizziness hit him. Deciding not to get up and answer the door, he fell back onto the couch.

Wait a minute, why am I on the couch on not in my room? The memories from earlier on that day came back to him in a rush. How long did Crawley say it would take for his guardian to get here, an hour? Yep. Sleepily, he slowly took a peak at his watch. The face showed that it was 5:14 in the afternoon. He had gone to the bank at around 3:30, so he had most likely been asleep for an hour.

"The sedatives must have been more affective mixed with the pain medication," he thought as he slowly sat up, not wanting to get nauseous and vomit over the carpet.

He stretched, starting to wake up a bit more now. Then, he suddenly froze, hearing the hallway floor creak. It was then he realized that the doorbell had stopped ringing. He slowly stood up, and made his way behind the couch, hoping to surprise the intruder. Then he wondered if it was his guardian. Oh well, better be safe than sorry.

Hearing only a small creak from upstairs now, he knew that the intruder wasn't an amateur, but he knew he wasn't professional either. The few small creaks he heard alerted him to the fact.

He waited until the footsteps had reached the living room before jumping out from behind the couch. He quickly brought up one leg, twisted around, and lashed out in a back kick. Almost immediately, he was back to balancing on the balls of his feet.

He waited for the intruder to retaliate, his arms up and ready to block, before noticing his attacker was still on the ground in front of the couch. Quickly, he body slammed him and brought one of his arms up to the center of his back.

"Who do you work for, and what do you want?" he asked, his voice deathly quiet. He waited for the man to speak, not releasing his hold on the arm, he had his other hand holding down the man's free arm. After catching his breath, the man replied, almost yelling.

"Cub, Get the hell off me!"

Hearing his code name, Alex still didn't relinquish his hold. He took a closer look at the so called "intruder" in the dim light. Recognizing him he let out a shocked call.

"Fox!"

He heard the door open from the entryway, but ignored it, more focused on his current situation.

"Yes, now let me up!"

Oh, he hadn't gotten off him yet. Oops. Then he felt a small grin working his way up, he could use this to his advantage. He had forgotten about the door already, keen on getting a little bit of revenge.

"What's the magic word?" he asked smirking, but still not getting up.

Fox growled and struggled. He was not going to give in to the little brat's request. No way in bloody hell would he. He had been trained in Resistance to Interrogation in the SAS and he wasn't about to let a little snot nosed kid get the best of him.

Alex, not hearing any reply, pulled the arm up a little bit hire into the center of his back. He wasn't hurting him, just showing him that he wasn't going to let him up until he answered.

He would be completely suicidal if he tried to injure the soldier. He already knew that he would be in for it just for doing this. If he was going to die, he might as well spare some time before letting him up.

Suddenly, he felt Fox's body go slack from struggling. He knew that he was trying to get him to loosen his hold on the arms, that way he could get out of the hold quicker. Instead, he decided to do the exact opposite and tightened the hold on his arms.

"Dammit Cub, get off already!"

He was about to reply with another sarcastic remark, but before he could a hand slipped around his collar and he was pulled into mid-air. He gulped, and started to struggle trying to kick the person holding him in the air.

After a few seconds, he was desperate to get down, and flung his head backwards. If it had connected, he most likely would have broken the person's nose or busted his lip. But be as it might, he only succeeded in pissing the man off more.

"Cub, if you would stop struggling I might just let you stand."

Alex, recognized the hard voice as Wolf, and gulped. He completely disregarded the order to stand down. If anything, his struggles just increased.

Growling at the brat's stupidity, he easily flung him across his shoulder. If the boy didn't listen, then he wasn't going to give him the privilege of walking on his own.

He didn't care what the brat's parents would have done. The boy needed to learn respect. He didn't care what it took him, but he was going to teach him some.

Alex, shocked at what had just happened, started to protest. How could Wolf just fling him across his shoulder and not let him walk on his own? He barely even knew him.

"Wolf, put me down!" he protested, and started to squirm.

"You should learn how to treat others how you want to be treated, and I have all year to teach you." Wolf retorted.

"Put me down!" he growled out, annoyed that Wolf was acting like a stupid bloody strict parent.

Suddenly, he was flung onto the sofa. He immediately tried to get back up, only to feel hands on his shoulders, holding him in place. He looked in front of him, and saw Wolf. His face was as red as a tomato and his ears were practically steaming.

He saw fox behind him, his face just like Wolf's. He was dead, he had just pissed off two highly trained soldiers, and one of them was his guardian. He looked up into Wolf's eyes and blanched. His eyes were flashing with anger and annoyance. He tensed, waiting for Wolf to start yelling at him.

When all else fails, look him in the eye and YELL!- Kaekoa

After about five minutes of uncomfortable silence, Alex finally had the courage to speak up.

"Wolf, what do you mean that you have all year to…" he started, trailing off as Wolf silenced him with a glare.

When Wolf saw that Cub was incredibly uncomfortable, he decided that they might as well start the conversation and crouched down so they could see eye to eye.

"What the hell were you thinking when you pinned Fox down like that?" he started, poking him in the chest to stress his anger and stopping when he saw Cub flinch and winced in pain.

Why would he do that, he had poked him in the chest at camp, and he hadn't even made a face. Was he injured? He quickly reeled that option out with the explanation that he's just a kid. Was he abused, possibly. He decided he would ask about it when they were settled in.

Shit! He had forgot to give Eagle the all clear! He quickly brought his walkie-talkie out and gave them the signal. He waited a few seconds to hear the front door open, and called them into the room.

He looked back to Cub. Seeing that he was a bit pale, he took it as nervousness and decided to take it easy on him.

"Cub, go to your room, I'll be up there in a bit."

As he saw Cub opening his mouth, most likely to protest, he raised his voice and glared.

"Now Cub!"

With that, Alex ran up the stairs to his room. He didn't care if he was a superspy. This was his home; he wasn't going to close off his emotions completely. He wasn't in spy mode here. He knew that, but he wasn't going to give them any information about his missions. That was personal.

Debating on what to do when Wolf asked about his chest, which he had already decided was bound to happen, he sat at his desk contemplating his options.

What was he going to do, deny it? Or would he just sit there and tell them the truth? Immediately, he threw out that idea. He wasn't just going to open up to somebody that made his life hell.

After a few minutes, he heard his door open and looked up. Wolf was standing in the doorway. He didn't look that angry with him, but it was hard to tell.

"Cub, I'll ask again, why did you tackle Fox?"

So, he was still angry, just not as much as before. He hadn't asked about his chest, so he decided not to mention it.

"Why do you think that you can just order me around my own house," Alex asked angrily, ignoring the question. He still wanted to know what wolf had meant when he said he had all year to teach him respect.

"Because I am your guardian, so I am going to teach you to have some respect."

"I need to learn respect, I don't just go barging into a person's house when they don't answer the door!" He was yelling, suddenly off the bed and on his feet. Only registering the last part of what was said.

"Firstly, we were following orders, if you didn't answer we were to find you and secure the house. If you had been attacked, then we were to contact MI6! Secondly, as I am your guardian, and I expect you to obey my rules. And lastly, when I order you to do something, you do it straight away, understood!" Wolf was livid again. They get sent out here to make sure the kid is okay, and to protect him, and he's just an ungrateful brat towards them. Alex stood stock still as he registered the rest of what Wolf had said. Wolf was his guardian? Great, he was going to be in living hell. He guess he knew all along, but he just kept denying it.

Meanwhile downstairs, Fox, Eagle, and Snake had heard the yelling and had rushed upstairs to stop Wolf from killing Cub. They saw Cub standing stiff and unmoving, in some state of shock, and Wolf a few feet away face red, and eyes flashing once again.

Eagle slowly walked over to Wolf and led the livid soldier out of the room. It wasn't that hard seeing as he was in a trance. As Eagle did this, Snake looked at Cub's shocked form, and sat him down on the bed. As they walked out of the room, Snake ordered Cub to be in the dining room in thirty minutes for dinner at seven. Then closed the door and left.

Alex just sat there, trying to comprehend what had happened.

When 7:00 came by, Alex was still lying down on his back going over once again what had happened that afternoon after he had come back from the bank, or was dragged back more like.

He had woken up on the couch, and someone had been knocking on the door. He hadn't felt too good, so he hadn't answered it, hoping that the person would go away. Then he heard the door bang open, and somebody barge in. He had hid behind the couch as the intruder explored the house.

Then, when he had entered the living room, he had tackled him to the floor. He had found out that the person was Fox. He had decided to take revenge. He had been caught by Wolf. Then, he had been yelled at by Wolf and Eagle and Snake had come in.

After that, he had been ordered to his room by Wolf. Then he had been yelled at more by Wolf. Then he had found out that Wolf was his guardian. Then he had been ordered to come down to dinner at seven. As of now, he was ignoring that order.

He stood up and idly dribbled his football in between his feet, trying to get his mind off of everything that was going on. He sighed and flopped back down onto his bed.

He wished that he had had a normal life. That his parents hadn't died. That Ian hadn't died. He wished that Jack hadn't died. He wished he could be like a normal teenager. Staying up late, going to parties, and doing homework at the last minute.

But he wasn't a normal teenager. He had been shot, every time he closed his eyes his sleep would be plagued by nightmares, he came back to school with bruises, and so he had eventually gotten MI6 to give him a tutor and had graduated early. Normal teens hadn't saved the world a countless number of times. He wasn't normal teen though, he was a teenage superspy.

He laid there for a few minutes, thinking about what his life could have been without MI6. His family would have been alive, and he would have had an average life. But then again, who wants to be a normal person. When he got the adrenaline rushes, he actually enjoyed himself. Everytime he reminded himself of the millions he had saved, he was proud of himself.

He was drawn out of his thoughts as he heard his door open. Looking up, he saw Fox and immediately plopped his head back down.

"Dinner's done."

"Not hungry." He replied, he really was starving, but he just didn't want to eat with K-Unit. He heard Fox sigh.

"Cub, just get downstairs, we want to talk to you."

He thought about saying that he didn't want to talk to them, but thought better of it and instead just shook his head.

"Cub, I expect you downstairs in five."

With that, he heard his room door shut and closed his eyes. Should he go downstairs or not? Deciding he didn't want to be manhandled, he slowly got up and walked downstairs. K-Unit were all sitting at the table.

He quietly sighed, deciding to get this over with sooner rather than later. He walked to the only empty chair, across from Wolf, and sat. He watched silently as snake passed him a plate of lasagna. He didn't look up to meet anybody's eyes. He was pretty sure that he wasn't about to be yelled at, but he wasn't prepared for the tone of Wolf's voice. It wasn't exactly gentle, but it wasn't that gruff either.

"Alex, I think that we need to set some ground rules." Alex's head shot up as he heard his name. He heard the unit chuckle and waited for an explanation. Snake decided to take that upon himself.

"Mrs. Jones told us."

Alex just nodded, knowing that MI6 would have given them at least some information. He just needed to find out what.

"Ok Cub, back to the rules. These are just the basics; the list will progress with time. Rule number one, when I tell you to do something, you do it without complaint. Rule number two, you don't go anywhere without telling me first. Lastly, rule number three, you don't go anywhere without a member of K-Unit. If you follow these rules we might just get along. If you don't, then I will give you the consequences accordingly. Are we clear?"

Alex once again opened his mouth to protest, and immediately snapped it shut as he saw Fox giving him a look. He looked back at his plate, trying to ignore the stares from the unit.

"Crystal." He whispered, still not looking at them.

"Cub, look me in the eye and tell me you understand." Wolf said, wanting to make sure he was telling the truth.

Alex slowly looked up into Wolf's eyes and said quietly,

"I understand."

The next day Alex awoke to his phone ringing once again. He was sprawled on his bed, lying on his stomach. He groaned and slowly stretched and reached for his phone. Flipping it open, he mumbled a quick hello and waited for the reply.

"Hello, Royal & General Bank calling, we would like you to come in today at one to discuss some issues concerning your account."

The phone clicked off and Alex stole a glance at the clock to check the time. As his eyes focused on the digital numbers, he cursed and flung himself off of the bed, rushing to get ready. He only had ten minutes to get to the bank. He had slept in for once, presumably exhausted from the previous afternoon.

As he finished fastening up his belt, he walked downstairs. Snagging a piece of toast and heading towards the door. He almost made it, but not before he heard a voice call to him from the lounge.

"Where do you think you are going?" Fox called.

Alex silently chided himself for letting his presence be known, then called back.

"I have to go to the bank, I'll be back in an hour or two."

Alex heard a long pause, as if Fox was thinking about letting him go or not. Finally, after a few minutes, Fox called him into the room.

"Come here for a minute, would ya?"

Alex slowly walked into the room, and saw Fox putting on his coat. He quietly shook his head. He wouldn't be able to bring Fox with him. They would just deny that it was headquarters, and he would have to leave and find another time to sneak back out. Before Fox could walk out the door, he called to him.

"Never mind."

Fox frowned, but didn't question it. He slowly took his jacket and hung it up, then sat back down. Alex, deciding he might as well wait for MI6 to show up, sat down to. He picked the remote up off the coffee table and flipped through the channels before settling on cartoons.

He sat for about half an hour, barely even paying attention to the television, and watched as Fox gradually grew more and more interested. He was just starting to lose focus too and sighed as he heard a tiny patter of feet walking to the door.

He was surprised when he heard a knock. He saw Fox's head snap up and announced that he would get it. He slowly walked up to the door and peaked out of it. He saw Crawley standing at his doorstep and slowly opened it.

"Good evening, Alex."

"Are we going to the bank, or staying here?"

He cut to the chase. Greetings were just a waste of time in this business. He saw that Crawley quickly stepped aside, indicating that he should head to the black sleek Aston Martin sitting in front of the curb. He gave a nod of his head and walked to it without looking back.

The ride to the bank was silent apart from the sounds of rush hour traffic. It took little over ten minutes to get to the bank, and as they walked along the sidewalk to the door, Alex nimbly avoided the spot where he had been shot. It had been redone of course, but Alex still remembered the exact spot the events had taken place.

As they reached the bank, Crawley held open the door, and Alex nodded his thanks before stepping into the lobby. Crawley led him over to the elevator, and up to his room. As they stepped in Alex seated himself in the chair out of viewpoint from the window once again. He wasn't about to make himself a known target for any sniper.

Sure, MI6 had upped the security since last time, but that didn't mean that it was infallible. Scorpia had gotten past security once, they could do it again.

Alex was shook out of his thoughts as he heard Crawley clear his throat, most probably to catch his attention. He turned his gaze away from the window. The same one he had jumped out of the day his dangerous and unofficial career had started.

He abandoned his thoughts and focused back on what Crawley had to say.

"Let's cut to the chase, would you like to have full agent status?"

Alex remained silent, knowing the man had not finished yet.

"You would have the same benefits as any other agent. You would get a gun, an official MI6 Id, access to all of our training facilities, back pay for all of your previous missions, rest periods, leave, and lastly you will have a regular pay, which might I add will be higher than average considering what your status would be."

"So, would you be willing to work for us officially?"

Alex contemplated this. He would get a large amount of benefits, and if he didn't take the offer, he would most probably be blackmailed into missions again. The answer was simple for him; he had a question first though.

"What would my status be?"

"If you accept agent status, then you will be MI6 top agent."

The answer was plain as day now. What else could he choose?

"Okay, I'll be an agent."

He waited as Crawley reached into his desk and pulled out a small stack of papers.

"Great, all you have to do is sign here now."

Alex read through everything, making sure that it was all correct, then signed the papers wherever Crawley pointed at.

He was officially Special Agent Alex Rider.

As Alex made his way home, he contemplated whether he should climb the tree next to his window, or go through the back door.

He knew that if he went through the back door, there was a chance that the rusty hinges would creak. But if he went through the window, he wouldn't have to worry about that and he would await the "rules talk" in the morning, and not that night.

As he neared the house, he quietly observed the perimeter, going in a full circle around it. He needed to make sure that there wouldn't be a lookout member out here. As he saw that the coast was clear, he snuck up into the backyard.

The tree's branches were only about a foot away from his window, but it would take a few minutes to get up it without alerting the members of the unit. He reached for a sturdy branch and slowly started to climb, testing the branches before resting his weight on them.

As he reached his window, he checked to make sure the light was off, how he had left it. He knew that if it wasn't, then he would be caught for sure. He slowly edged his way closer and started to push the window up.

He quietly cursed when he realized that he had forgotten to unlock it. He slid his hand into his back pocket and pulled his wallet out. Opening it, he took out his school ID card. He silently thanked the school.

Alex slowly slid his card under the window sill lock. He jiggled it a bit until he heard a click and tried to open it once again. He slowly climbed through the window, but as soon as his feet hit the floor, he knew he was dead. There had been a pressure plate installed into the floorboard sometime earlier.

A loud alarm sounded the second that his weight was put on the floorboards. He winced as Wolf and the others kicked open his door and pointed their guns at him. He slowly raised his hands and watched guiltily as Wolf angrily marched towards him, and quickly dodged when he realized that Wolf was trying to grab the scruff of his neck. He really hated being grabbed by his scruff, he was very sensitive to pressure there. Ian had known this, and used it to his advantage when Alex was rebellious. Dragging him back to his room to lecture him and send him on another "character building" trip.

After he dodged, Wolf snatched a hold on his left arm and pinned it in between his shoulder blades. Alex subconsciously leaned into the hold to release the pressure on his arm, and cursed himself again when Wolf other hand gripped the nape of his neck. Wolf slowly but surely lead him out of the door.

Alex waited for the pressure in his arm to decrease, but after a moment quickly realized that Wolf had no intentions of releasing the hold. He groaned as he realized they were heading towards the office.

They walked, or were dragged in Alex's case, towards the room with soundproof walls surrounding it. That meant that there was most likely going to be yelling, and when there was yelling from Wolf, there were probably going to be a busted eardrum or two.

As they walked in, Wolf let go of his arm, but kept a hold on his neck. Wolf dragged him over to the couch and motioned for him to sit down. He reluctantly did so, sinking into the pillows. He watched as Wolf turned around and grabbed the chair from the desk behind him and sat. He winced as he saw Wolf take a deep breath. His anger was radiating through the atmosphere.

As soon as he started yelling, Alex immediately tried to block out the sound. He sounded like a drill sergeant. No, wait, he sounded like a pissed drill sergeant. He sank deeper into the couch, for some reason hoping that the cushions would block out the noise.

He stayed like this for a few minutes, before deciding that it wasn't working. Thinking, he decided to try and meditate. Slowly, he started relaxing. How he could relax when he was being yelled at, he didn't know. Pretty soon when he was almost relaxed the yelling stopped. He was just congratulating himself for pulling it off, when he was yanked out of his meditation by an even more pissed Wolf.

"Bloody hell! Do you ever listen?" he asked, giving him a small but firm shake.

Alex avoided Wolf's eyes, which for him, was answer enough. He heard a low growl from Wolf, and soon found himself sitting in a hard chair. He looked up, and came face to face with…

A wall.

He turned around to look at Wolf, and when Wolf saw his questioning look, he relented.

"If you want to act like a little kid, then I'll treat you like one. You can sit there facing the wall for, say, thirty minutes. When the time is up, you wait until I say you can get up. Then we can talk about where you went and why you snuck out." He watched as Alex squirmed in the chair, uncomfortable at being treated like a little kid. Ian had never done anything such as this when he was little, always preferring to teach him lessons by dropping him off for days or weeks at a time in deserts or rain-forests and the like.

"If you turn around or constantly squirm, then the timer is reset."

Alex balked, did he think he was just going to sit here and take this?! "No way am I sitting here for half an hour! I'm not five."

"Then you shouldn't have acted like it, and if you won't sit there, then I'll let Fox handle your punishment. And just so you know, he's still pissed about you pinning him down. Not to mention you sneaking out behind his back."

Wolf paused for a second, thinking.

"I guess you've never seen him when he is angry, huh?"

Alex stiffened as Wolf leant down and whispered into his ear.

"Well, let me tell you this, you don't want to see him angry. He will make your life a living hell."

Alex knew Wolf was either telling the truth, or really good at hiding his tells. Discomforted at the thought of what Fox might deal him, he slowly sunk into the chair, but not before giving Wolf a glare and a sarcastic remark.

"Fox is about as scary as a bunny rabbit, Wolfie. Maybe that explains your unhealthy obsession with him, or maybe you just need some support to come out with it."

All Wolf did was firmly turn his head to face the wall, refusing to rise to the bait.

"I wouldn't be so sure of him being harmless, pup. You have thirty minutes starting… now."

With that, Wolf placed the phone on the table beside Alex.

29 minutes later…

Alex squirmed; surely it has been thirty minutes already. Deciding to check, he started to turn around, and immediately stopped as he heard a voice speak from behind him, It wasn't Wolf. It was Fox

"You turn around, I turn you over my knee."

Alex internally seethed, but quickly decided 4 SAS men against a weak teenager wasn't a fight he could win. He didn't want to risk that and turned back around in his chair. He shivered just at the thought of it. Slowly, he sunk down into the chair once again and started to count and recount the cracks in the wallpaper.

One…Two…Three…Four… Start over.

One… Two…

Alex sighed. How much longer until the timer...

Riiiing…Riiiing…Riiiing…

He waited as he heard someone walk up behind him. He closed his eyes, hoping against all odds that it was Wolf.

"Get up."

It was Fox. That's just great.

He opened his eyes and slowly stood up and turned around. Alex stood, staring right into Fox's eyes. He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing in them.

Did he see anger? Most definitely.

But he couldn't understand what else he saw there. Kindness? Care? Affection? It just made him more confused. Anger and Kindness are pretty much polar opposites. How could they both be there at the same time? He decided to just ignore it right now. He had plenty of time to think it over.

After a few seconds Alex lowered his eyes. He couldn't stand that look. It was just unnerving to him. Sure, he can probably save the world every other day, but he couldn't stand that amount of positive? emotion radiating from someone he knew, much less somebody he hated.

He looked back at Fox as he spoke.

"Go downstairs and sit on the couch. Tell them I'll be down there in a little bit."

He quietly left and walked into the drawing room.

Fox ran a hand through his hair and sighed. It seemed that he was already getting gray hairs. He had expected Alex to be a mature young man, not a rebellious teenager.

Sure, he was angry at him for his behavior. But that didn't mean that he wasn't worried about him. He just needed a few pushes into the right direction. But how he was going to get Cub to listen to him was going to be another problem. He just didn't seem to trust easily.

He sighed once again, and walked downstairs, preparing himself for the confrontation.

As Alex made his way downstairs, he wondered if he had a chance to make a run for it. He immediately decided not to, he didn't know what would happen when...if... they caught him. Alex slowly walked into the living room dragging his feet the whole way. He caught sight of two figures sitting on the couch, Wolf taking the arm chair for himself. Snake and Eagle sat on opposite ends of the couch, leaving two spaces in between them.

He looked around, trying to find a spot away from his unit members, but he knew that the only spots left were on the couch, right in between Eagle and Snake. He also knew that when Fox came down, he would have to sit right next to him, and then he would be sandwiched in between not two, but three, unit members. He promptly decided to remain standing, until Eagle patted the spot next to him and opened his mouth.

"Have a seat."

Alex slowly shook his head, and replied rather stiffly, "I would rather stand, thank you."

"Cub, sit down."

As he heard Wolf growl at him to sit, for once he obeyed, not wanting to anger the "Big Bad Wolf."

"Where's Fox?"

He heard the gruff question directed at him and quietly replied that he would be down in a minute. His thoughts lingered reluctantly on what he had done to deserve this situation, and as he thought about it, the more he tried to sink into the fluffy couch cushions.

He lifted his head up as he heard the wooden stairs make a slight creek. When Fox came into the room he slouched down farther than anybody thought possible, nearly sliding off the couch as he did so. Fox had stopped in the doorway and taken a look around, before his eyes settled on Alex.

"Sit up." He had said it quiet enough, but the anger in his voice seeped through Alex's bones, making him give an involuntary shudder. He slowly complied, trying to sink into the pillow behind his back as if it would protect him from Fox's wrath. Too bad it couldn't, especially not after the pillow was completely removed from behind him.

Surprised, Alex yelped out a small "Hey!"

"Sit up straight, Alex."

"Why should I?" he instantly regretted it as Fox's eyes flashed, and mumbled an apology.

Fox took a deep breath to calm him and sat down. He stared at Alex, trying to think of how to start the conversation. As he thought, Alex squirmed in his spot, wondering what his punishment was to be. Fox was thankful when he didn't have to start the conversation, and Alex started it for him.

"What are you planning on doing with me?" It was a small mumble, but everyone heard it, and Wolf was first to respond to it.

"To be honest, I have no clue what to do with you," at this Alex looked up," but I do have a pretty clear idea on what to do about your actions." Alex looked away again, but Wolf plowed on.

"First, you are grounded for a month," Alex's jaw dropped. Grounded! They seriously think they can ground him?! "That means no computers, video games, or playing with friends, etc. Second, you have a curfew, which is nine o'clock, nine thirty on weekends. And third, you have to apologize to Fox."

Alex fumed. He knew it was useless to argue with Wolf. That would just make him even madder. Instead, he flew off the couch and stomped up the stairs to the accompanied yell of "Dinner is at six, I suggest you're ready to apologize by then." He slammed his door shut and sat on the bed, head in hands. He sat there, thinking about what was said.

He couldn't live with them, or he would go mad. There was no way that he could do this, Wolf and Fox bossing him around, telling him what to do, and grounding him. Snake and Eagle pretty much ignoring him. Wait scratch that last one, he would rather them ignore him than boss him around…

He stole a peek at the clock and it blinked bright blue letters at him.

5:15

He had been sitting there for at least an hour, but he had come to a conclusion on what he would do.

He pulled a duffel bag out from under his bed, already full of clothes at ready for missions. He added a few bottles of water and some food rations to the bag and walked over to the window, stopping a few feet away.

He observed the floor, bending down and feeling lightly around. When he felt where the pressure pad had been placed, he carefully leaned as far as he could to unlatch the window and opened it. Now, how would he climb out without setting off the alarmed pressure pad?

He took out a broom from his closet, and unscrewed the bottom, leaving only a tall stick. He swung his duffel over his shoulder and backed as far away from the window as he could, broom stick in hand. As he reached the wall opposite the window, he ran at it. About three fourths the way there, he planted the stick into the wood floor, and jumped forward, flying out of the window, right passed the pressure plate.

He landed in his tree then climbed out and slowly headed to his destination. Tom's house.

Alex weaved through the streets towards his destination. Tom's house was just ahead, and he could see the light on. As he drew closer he heard angry voices yelling, and the sound of glass shattering. He winced. So, Tom's parents hadn't divorced yet. He sighed and mumbled, "It's bound to happen sometime soon."

He walked up the pathway to the door, and stepped up to the porch. As he reached to knock, the door was thrown open and a spiky haired teenage boy flew out. He nimbly dodged his best friend, and waited as he turned around wide eyed with shock. Under closer inspection, you could see that his back was laden with a backpack, and his mouth was crammed with a large piece of bread.

After getting over his initial shock he took a large gulp, and made a face as the, not thoroughly chewed, food made his way down his throat. Alex smirked, and waited for his friend to say something.

"Hey Al…" he trailed off as another glass shattering reverberated through the air. He winced again, mumbled for him to follow, and led him off the property. They walked in companionable silence for a while before stopping at the door to Jerry's small flat. Tom quietly knocked, and the cracked opened to reveal a messy head poking out.

Jerry saw his brother and sighed, "They at it again?"

Tom slowly nodded, and Jerry opened the door fully. He leaned against the doorframe, and looked to Alex.

"How 'bout you, kid?"

Alex tiredly rubbed his eyes. He stole a glance at his digital watch and read 6:30. He had gone through a long day, it was to be expected to be tired.

"Fight with my new guardian."

Jerry nodded, "Alright, you guys can stay here."

He stood aside and let them pass through, but as Alex started for the couch, Jerry intervened.

"Alex, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Alex sighed, but mumbled a small yes and followed Jerry over to the kitchen, taking a seat in the wooden chair closest to him. Jerry took a seat across from him and sat for a moment before starting the conversation.

"What's up with you and your new guardian?

"Nothing, It's fine."

Jerry took on a stern look, and Alex's first thought was, "That expression doesn't look right on his face."

"Alex, if it was nothing, then why are you here."

Alex winced, and quietly explained. Or at least he did somewhat.

"My guardian is in the army, and he thinks that I can't leave the house without somebody following me."

"He didn't kick you out then?"

"No, I think he's trying to do the exact opposite. He won't let me even go anywhere without him or one of his buddies trailing me."

Alex went quiet, and stared at his hands, clenching and unclenching them. Jerry, seeing him go quiet, sighed and got up.

"Well, there's some spare blankets and pillows in the closet at the end of the hall."

Alex mumbled a quick thanks and headed down the hall, gathering the things he needed and lying them on the couch.

"Oh, and Alex, I expect you to go back to your place by tomorrow."

Alex sighed, but nodded, he knew would have to go back eventually, but he could at least let them calm down before he did.

He had just started to drift off, sleeping on his stomach with the right side of his face pressed against a soft light blue pillow facing the door, when the door crashed open and he was tackled. He struggled until felt cold metal click against his wrists. He could hear Tom and Jerry stumbling out of their rooms. He saw a flash of silver to his left. He briefly wondered if it was a cop badge, then he heard the man speak, and instantly recognized him.

WOLF P.O.V at 5:15

"Come on Wolf, don't you think you were a bit hard on him?"

Eagle, who had been quiet for the most part of the conversation, had finally decided to speak up. Wolf growled at him in reply, but thought about it. Maybe he had been a bit hard on him. He sighed, and stood up to go check on him. He would just peek in and see if he was okay.

He jumped as he heard a loud thud and raced upstairs. He flung open the door and froze. The windows and drawers were all open, and there was a broom stick lying on the floor. He ran over to the window and looked out, anger building up as he saw a blonde haired figure racing down the streets. He growled again and searched through the doors, pulling out stuff like addresses and phone numbers. When he had a fairly large pile, he went downstairs and sat them on the kitchen counter.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was about time to call in a favor from his superior.

He scrolled through his contacts and found the number he was looking for.

Sergeant Matthew Reed

He clicked the call button and waited impatiently as it rang.

"Hello, this is Matthew Reed?"

"Hi, Sergeant."

"Wolf?"

"Um, yeah, I was wondering if I could cash in a favor."

"Anything after having my back in Afghanistan."

"… Are you in London right now?"

"Yeah, I'm on paternity leave."

"Wow, congratulations."

"Yeah, but you were saying?"

"Would you have any trouble tracking down a teenager?"

As the sergeant replied, Wolf could hear the playful smirk in his voice.

"Awww, is Wolf having parenting problems?"

Wolf grumbled a bit about that one, but he focused on the problem at hand.

"Yeah, he snuck out through the window." There was a short pause on the other end of the phone, and Wolf could hear a great barking laugh in the background.

"I'll be there in ten."

Wolf waited impatiently for the Sergeant to arrive. And when he did, Wolf was waiting for him in the driveway. The sergeant immediately went into action. He was dressed in formal clothes, light reflected off the medals pinned to his jacket, and badges travelling up his shirt's arms.

"Explain the details, and what direction he was going.

After Wolf explained all that had happened, the sergeant asked for his phone number. Wolf paused, and walked into the kitchen, pulling out the small phone number booklet he had found. He flipped to the first page and came upon Alex's number. He then passed the book onto the sergeant.

Reed nodded, then opened his laptop, typing the number in and tracking it.

After finding the address, he quickly wrote it down and found directions. He rose to his feet, gathered up his equipment, and headed out the door in search of Alex. Wolf followed, providing backup in case of a get away.

As he found the small flat, he quickly did a small sweep of the doors and windows. He had Wolf cover the back door, and took the front. He quickly sorted out his lock picking tools, when he had the latch unlocked, he waited for Wolf to give him the ready.

"Clear"

Pulling out the radio, he counted down from three.

"3…2…1… GO!"

The sergeant flung open the door. As he sighted the small blonde form raising himself up off of the couch, he tackled him. As he started to struggle, he pulled out his handcuffs and locked them onto the small wrists. When the struggling didn't diminish, and the body just seemed to wriggle more, trying to escape, he got frustrated and raised his voice.

"Cub! Stand down!"

Cub froze in horror as he recognized the voice as the sergeant from Brecon Beacons.

The sergeant mentally sighed in relief as the form underneath him came to a halt. He looked up and saw Wolf sitting with Tom and Jerry at the kitchen table.

He nodded to himself. Keeping the witnesses calm.

He looked back down at the small blonde head and stood up. Reaching down, he hauled the kid up by his wrists. As he wriggled again, he didn't hesitate as he raised his hand and cuffed him 'round the back of the head. The figure stilled again in shock, and he sighed aloud as he took hold of his elbow and led him out the door. As he reached his car, he opened the back door and-covering the kids head-gently pushed him into the vehicle.

When he was sure that the boy was fully inside, he closed the door and locked it, before walking to the driver's side and unlocking it. He got into the vehicle and twisted around to look at Alex.

"You're dead, Cub. You got a whole horde of angry soldiers after you."

Alex just looked away, shifting his weight so his hands weren't pressed against the seat. The sergeant sighed and reached out towards the cuffs. He carefully unlocked the one on the left wrist, and moved it to the bar that held up the headrest on the passenger seat. He watched as the kid remained silent and sighed once again. He would talk to Wolf before he took out all the anger on the kid. From the large bags under his eyes, he could see that the boy was most probably tired.

Maybe he would make Wolf lay off the kid for a while until he gets some rest. It might do him some good, and let them both cool down. He leaned back in his seat, waiting for Wolf to finish explaining everything to the two "witnesses". He looked up as he heard the handcuff's chain jingle.

He gave a small smile as he saw that the boy had fallen asleep. His head was slumped against the door, his feet curled up under him. As he observed the scene, he frowned. His arm was stretched at what seemed to be an uncomfortable position. He reached into the back and once again undid the handcuffs, but this time he didn't place them back on. Instead, he checked to make sure the child lock was on still.

When Wolf finally arrived, he opened the passenger door-an angry expression on his face- and sat down. The sergeant waited quietly for his reaction. The first thing he saw him do was take a deep breath, turn around, and immediately soften his features at the sight in front of him.

Wolf sighed and turned back around, he might as well let the kid get a little sleep. He could talk to him in the morning.

As they arrived at the house, Wolf opened the back door and gently tried to shake his charge awake. The keyword here is tried. The only response he got was a small groan. Wolf growled slightly, but calmed down and lifted the boy out of the back, carrying him bridal style. He frowned as he felt how light he was. That didn't seem like the average weight for a teenager.

He walked into the drawing room, heading for the stairs, and saw that the rest of the team was awake and waiting for him. The sergeant was standing behind him, and seeing the questioning looks from the soldiers, decided to let Wolf take his charge upstairs. Wordlessly, Wolf took a look at the light bundle in his arms and walked up the stairs. Laying the teen on his bed, he tossed the covers over him and pulled out a chair from the desk.

He sat and wondered what was going to happen to the kid when him and his unit came back to training in less than a month. Would he be going with, or would he be assigned a new guardian? He wouldn't admit it aloud, but he was worried. Sure, he got in a lot of trouble, but he probably just needed someone to guide him. He sighed and stood up, leaving the room.

When he got upstairs, the sergeant had just finished explaining what had happened when they were gone. It had been a long night and, after the sergeant said his farewells, they all went to their respective rooms for the night.

The next morning, K-unit sat at the dining table, waiting for their charge to awake.

"Why can't we just go up there and get him up."

"Eagle, he's barely gotten any sleep since we've been here."

Wolf was starting to get annoyed with the sharpshooter. They had only been sitting there for ten minutes and he was already getting on his nerves.

"Just sit down and shut up Eagle, that's an order. Clear?"

"But we're off duty right now, you can't give me orders." Eagle was getting pretty pissed. He was getting impatient, the kid could be hours before he woke, and they were just sitting there and waiting for him.

"Eagle, I am your team leader and you are my inferior, so I expect you to obey my orders whether we are on duty or not! Are we clear, soldier!"

Eagle, noticing his leader going into command mode, chose to reply with a smart answer.

"Yes, sir!"

Wolf nodded and turned, heading for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" It was Snake this time.

"Checking on Cub" was his only reply before he walked up the stairs, heading for the teenagers room. Only to hear a loud noise.

"Ah-Choo!"

Meanwhile, when Wolf and Eagle were downstairs arguing, Cub was in bed.

Groaning in pain as his head throbbed again. He had been up since eight that morning, and it was half past nine now. Next to him, in a messy pile, was a mountain of used tissues.

As his head emitted another painful throb, he sat up and loudly sneezed, increasing the violent throbbing in his head. He sluggishly moved his hand to his temples, massaging them to try and decrease the intense pounding.

As he let out another sneeze, one of his loudest yet, his door was gently opened and he groaned loudly at the sudden light that hit his eyes. He shut them tight, before diving for the edge of his bed as a sudden wave of nausea hit him. He leaned over the side, hurling up anything that might have previously been in his stomach.

Wolf slowly walked into the room and stood in shock at the sight in front of him.

Cub was leaning over the side of his bed, puking what little food had been in his stomach. His face was pale, and his hair was stuck to his head in buckets of sweat. He stood there shocked, before the smell knocked his senses back into him and he made a break for the door.

"Snake!"

His voice was panicked and there were millions of possibilities on how his charge has gotten sick, on how it might have been his fault. How it might have been something he had done, or better yet, something he didn't do. He stopped at the top of the stairs and yelled again."

"Snake! Cub is sick."