Close Protection - Chapter 7
Title: Close Protection, of a Sort - Chapter Seven: On Conversations Overheard
Fandom: Alex Rider
Pairing: Alex/Sabina sorta
Summary: Alex thinks he's done with espionage, but SCORPIA thinks otherwise. They target Alex and drag others in too. Now he's going to train with the SAS for his 'protection' so needless to say things look rough. Oh, and his class is coming too.
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): Language, acute angst, violence I suppose
A/N: Finally up on my livejournal now that I understand the html of LJ cuts since it didn't want to play nicely in the rich text editor ^_^
<< Chapter 6 Part 2
Chapter 7: On Conversations Overheard
He was following a fox through the forest. There was smoke and cries and everything was burning, burning. The animal was ever ahead of him, leading him, just a phantom glimpse of its tail, but he knew - he knew that he should follow it, that it was helping him.
He followed faithfully along, twisting and turning through the red haze and ash that seemed to surround him, suffocate him, until suddenly he lost sight of the creature all together.
Alone, he scanned the clearing, feeling the beginnings of panic set in when his guide was nowhere to be found. He was lost and abandoned amidst a blaze that seemed to be closing in on him. He called out but no answer came.
Despair and exhaustion overcame him and he sank to his knees, sensing the fires closing in, smelling the scent of burning wood and flesh, feeling the oppressive heat on all sides, the taste of acrid smoke thick in his mouth.
The flames kept getting closer and closer. His eyes watered from the smoke and his breath came in choking gasps. The fire was almost upon him now, lapping at the edge of the clearing. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. His lungs were empty. He couldn't breathe. He tried to move, tried to escape, but found he was frozen completely helpless.
Desperately, he managed to look up... and saw the fox. Its fur gleamed red in the light of the ever approaching blaze that was so close now, its snout fixed in a cunning smirk and its eyes - its bright blue eyes - staring straight at him, the hard, frigid depths boring into his own. He felt rage consume him as he stared at his betrayer, and in a final act of defiance, lifted his chin with the last of his strength. Then he fell back onto the ground, everything went white and...
Alex shot up in bed his heart racing. He gasped, sweating heavily, trying to bring himself under control, his eyes darting around the dark room disoriented. Slowly, he began to calm down. It was a nightmare, just a nightmare.
His pulse was settling back to its normal, even pace and he felt the panic begin to recede as he took deep, slow breaths. Just a stupid nightmare.
He lay back, clammy and sweaty, wanting to go back to sleep, but the adrenaline rush and the lingering unease was making sleep suddenly impossible as he lay there, gazing at the ceiling. His thoughts kept returning to the dream, which he couldn't quite remember. There had been a fire, and a fox or something. He shook his head. He was having nightmares about woodland creatures. God what next?
He suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to move. Blindly, he fumbled on the floor for his boots and stepped into them, grabbing the jacket of his uniform. Moving quietly but quickly, he left the barracks much the same as he had the night before, stumbling out into the camp.
The freezing night air was a shock, waking him up. Alex shivered, pulling on the jacket and hugging himself. Damn, it was cold. Walking aimlessly around the camp, he tried to remember his nightmare, but couldn't.
It was odd that he was getting them again. He'd had them pretty regularly after returning from Australia, but with time they had gradually gone away. Maybe it was because he was here, involved with MI6 again.
The pain from the cold had become less insistent now, dulling to an undercurrent. He found himself standing outside of the abandoned barn across the camp. He'd once been held there with the rest of K-unit during a training exercise.
He leaned against the cold wall of the shed, remembering. It had been the only time he'd felt at least somewhat a part of the team - the only time he’d really been a part of the group, helping them escape. Of course, it figured that it’d be when he was saving all their asses.
Wolf had even been civil to him...well, at least for a day. Then they’d gotten the dressing down of a lifetime for injuring the interrogators and for attempting to escape. The four men were given a warning - you only got one. The next time you fucked up, you got binned - one of the reasons Wolf’s hesitation on the plane was so career-threatening. Afterwards, Wolf especially had been twice as nasty as before. Now there was gratitude.
Alex sighed and pushed himself off the wall. Some things never changed - though admittedly, compared to his last visit, Wolf was being downright friendly.
He walked back towards the barracks, stuffing his hands in his pockets to warm them, and choose a more direct route through the main camp this time, which incidentally brought him right past K-unit’s hut.
Idly, he noticed the light was still on and he could hear the murmur of voices, though it was too low to make out the words. Shrugging, he walked past where the door was. It was partially open and the voices were louder now, though still indistinct.
Then all of a sudden he heard his name, in the way it’s possible to hear to hear your name and nothing else. He paused, uncertain for a moment, before his curiosity overcame his common sense and he moved stealthily to the door.
“...said that he lasted for nearly three hours before stopping. That’s pretty impressive,” Snake’s voice came from inside.
“Well, he does work for MI6,” another voice came, more than a little condescending. That was Eagle.
Alex rolled his eyes. Eagle really needed to meet the MI6 employees he dealt with normally. Blunt wasn’t exactly the fittest bloke around - not to mention Smithers.
Fox seemed to agree. “Hey now, working for MI6 doesn’t necessarily make you fit. There’s more desk jobs and lab work than anything else. Even most of the field agents don’t have to be in top shape. Very few people are actually involved in the real heroics. Though, Alex would be one of them. I guess you’d keep fit too if your assignments included Thai boxing to the death and kayaking down rivers chased by machine gu...crap.” He ended rather abruptly.
“Wait, what?” Eagle asked.
“Er, nothing?” Fox replied, sounding a bit wary. “Look, just forget I said anything.” Alex watched him cross to the bed and sit.
“Fox,” Eagle whined. “You can’t just stop now! What aren’t you telling us?”
“Classified,” Fox said, slightly regretful.
“But Fox,” Eagle pleaded, “How else do you expect us to find out anything about Cub? You’ve seen his file. There’s nothing!”
Alex tensed. File? They had his file? It was an uncomfortable thought, to say the least. He had no idea what it said, and having these people having access to potentially sensitive information, especially when he didn’t know what said information was...
Information was power, a lesson he had learned from Ian. Never tell anyone anything that’s not absolutely necessary. Especially people who you didn’t trust. Plus, just thinking about Wolf looking through his file....
Fox was talking again “...reason I can’t say anything. If it’s not in the file, then you’re not supposed to know it.”
“What is it with you withholding information?” Eagle demanded. “You wouldn’t even tell us what Cub said about earlier today! That wasn’t classified.” The word had a bitterly mocking tone, and Alex saw Fox tense. “Are you a part of this team or not?”
Fox’s voice came back quiet but forceful. “You will not make me feel bad about that. I already explained this to you. You have no idea what it’s like for him - he has so few people he can rely on! I’m not going to betray him like that, just because you’re curious. He deserves better than that.”
Alex was a bit taken aback. Fox had stood up to his unit for him?
“I don’t see why he wouldn’t just tell us anyway! What’s so bad that he doesn’t want us to know?” Eagle asked.
“I wouldn’t take it personally,” Fox answered offhand, leaning back and relaxing once more. “I doubt he truly trusts anyone. You can’t, really, when you do what he does. I never realised how lucky we were to be SAS. We have our units, and the regiment, and teammates, and people who wouldn’t dream of leaving you behind. They have no one. It’s every man for himself. Your own side can turn on you at any time. People you thought were friends betray you at the drop of a hat, or rather, when it becomes in their best interest to do so.”
Alex agreed silently. Damn straight. Look at Ash. His own fucking godfather was willing to sell his life to Scorpia.
“You can see why he might not feel particularly inclined to tell you all his secrets,” Fox continued wryly.
No shit.
“And besides, I doubt he trusts you of all people.”
“Well, why not?” Eagle demanded. “What’s he have against us? He doesn’t even really know us!”
“Well, we made sure of that last time, didn’t we?” Snake said, his voice cooler and sharper than the others, tinged with a bit of sarcasm at the moment. Alex spared a thought to wonder where Wolf was, but was drawn back in to hear Eagle’s reply.
“I suppose...but he trusts you!” Eagle exclaimed.
“Saving his life a few times tends to do that. Fosters a rapport and all,” Fox said lightly, before sitting up and turning serious. “Look, I don’t know exactly why he trusts me this much - god knows, I wouldn’t if I was him - but he is, and there’s no way I’m screwing with that. I - we owe him, all of us who had a hand in this hell he lives in, all of us who he’s saved again and again.”
“Fine,” Eagle huffed. “I accept your misplaced sense of guilt towards Cub-”
“It’s not guilt! Well, not really. I just ... I like him. You would too, if you got to know him. He’s funny, and he’s smart, and he’s brave. And I feel responsible for him on some level. I care about him. He’s like...a little brother, I guess,” Fox tried to explain.
Alex was touched. Fox seemed so honest. He couldn’t hold back a smile. So siblings it was then.
Eagle however, was less than impressed. “Whatever,” he said, waving a hand dismissively. “I accept your little issue with keeping his secret. However, this file business: we all know that the uber-classification system is just bureaucratic bullshit! There’s nothing in the file. We’re supposed to be training him, and we don’t even have information on his physical health or past experience or anything! We have his name, age, and eye colour. And I can’t even try to hack into MI6’s databases, because they can only be accessed from the building, and we’re stuck out here in the middle of fucking nowhere! It’s ridiculous!”
Alex saw Fox fold his arms, and looked ready to protest, but Snake cut in.
“I hate to say it, but Eagle is right-”
“Woah, you’re agreeing with me? Now this is a monumental occasion! Shall we erect a shrine, right here, in honour of hell freezing over?” Eagle exclaimed instantly, shifting his focus.
Fox rolled his eyes. “Oh grow up Eagle,” Snake said witheringly. “Anyways, I’m not blaming you, Fox. I understand you can’t tell us classified information. Eagle, you need to leave him alone. You know better than that.”
“I knew you agreeing with me was too good to be true,” Eagle muttered petulantly and Alex stifled a laugh.
Snake continued as if he hadn’t heard. “But the MI6 officers running Alex have seriously mixed up priorities. He has a breakdown from hand-to-hand combat, and I have no information on his psychiatric evals, nothing on his past mental health, not even anything about his past assignments and what they entailed. I don’t even have any records on physical injuries and such. How the hell do they expect me to do my job as his medic?”
He sighed, and Alex could imagine he was frowning. “Look, I know you have a connection with him and that you don’t want to hurt him, but his health has to come first. If there’s something I need to know to ensure his well being, I expect you’ll inform me.”
It was not phrased as a question, but Fox answered. “Of course,” he said, nodding once, decisively.
Snake nodded in acknowledgement. “But that still doesn’t change MI6’s responsibility.”
Alex saw Fox frown.
“I know,” the man stated grimly. “Believe me I know. There’s a lot of mixed-up things about the way they treat Alex.”
Alex raised a brow. He had to agree, but he wondered what Fox was talking about. He’d said he didn’t know many details, but Alex had to wonder... He watched Fox stand up and start pacing
“There’s something wrong when international security rests in the hands of a 14 year old, again and again. Don’t get me wrong, Alex is brilliant at what he does. But it’s seriously fucked up for them to use him at all,” Fox continued. “They don’t seem at all concerned with his safety - it’s disturbing, really. And I found out from Smithers they don’t pay him, or give him support services, or anything!” He paused turning to face the others.
“They not only use him, they abuse him?” Eagle asked wryly, the tone far grimmer than Alex had become used to.
“Exactly,” Fox nodded.
Eagle frowned. “Why don’t you do something then?”
Fox laughed, a harsh, barking sound, and Alex jumped, startled. “What something do you suggest I do?”
Eagle shrugged. “I dunno - tell someone, or... something...” he suggested vaguely.
Fox sighed. “I would, if I thought it would do any good. If I made a fuss, threatened to reveal information, blew the whistle, whatever - they’d shut me up as fast as possible, which, if I was lucky, would mean losing my job and having my reputation utterly destroyed - if I was lucky. They wouldn’t stop using Alex. The only way they would, would be if I managed to go public somehow. Then Alex would become a liability. Too many people in too many high places are involved with him. He’d have to be taken care of. Everything about him would be destroyed. If he’s lucky, they’d put him into deep cover essentially and send him away someplace, until they thought it was safe to use him again. If he’s unlucky - he’d be eliminated.”
Alex shuddered. They wouldn’t actually kill him - would they? They might treat him like shit, but they wouldn’t actually go that far. They hadn’t even tried when he’d defected and tried to kill Mrs. Jones. They were on his side.
But then Alex thought of Blunt sitting at his desk, coldly ordering agents off to their deaths, and he knew. If the time ever came when Alex became a risk, he wouldn’t hesitate to take him out. He shivered, suddenly freezing again.
Fox was still talking. “...I did manage to get him pulled out - what then? He can’t just go back to normal life. This life - it changes you. Think about how much you’ve changed and you’re adults. Look at the difference between him and his classmates. They live in a different reality from him. He can’t just forget and revert back. He’d never fit in. Because if there’s one thing you can’t do, it’s go back.”
Alex wondered what Fox would say if he knew how much he sounded like Blunt in that moment. It made him feel sick. It was one thing to know you were permanently damaged at the age of 14 and another thing to hear it from someone you liked and trusted.
There was a moment of solemn silence in the room. Alex watched Fox walk over to the bed and sit once again. He glanced around the room, his eyes landing on the open door. Alex tensed knowing it was too late to run...Fox’s eyes locked with his.
Alex froze. Damn, he was caught. What now? He hoped Fox wouldn’t get angry. They had been talking about him. He waited for the other man to make a move, fully expecting to be called out then and there.
But Fox surprised him once again that night. He didn’t react outwardly at all to his presence, but kept their eyes locked.
“So Wolf should be back anytime now from that meeting with the sergeant. He’s bound to be in a foul mood after meeting with authority,” he remarked, seemingly to his comrades.
The meaning was clear - get the hell out of here before an angry Wolf finds you. Alex hesitated for a moment, giving Fox a grateful nod. He was sure he caught a hint of a smile before he turned, hurrying away, not at all wanting to confront a pissed off Wolf.
It was only when he was back at the barracks, safely in bed, that he allowed the conversation to replay in his mind.
Fox - he was shocked really. He’d known Fox liked him well enough, but he hadn’t realised that he felt so strongly. He felt heartened by this new knowledge. He could trust Fox as much as he could trust anyone. The man was ready to stand against his teammates for him. That, more than anything, showed how strongly he felt. SAS men didn’t just do that on a whim.
Almost immediately Alex felt guilty. He’d put him in that position. It wasn’t fair to Fox... though he didn’t seem to mind overly much. And Snake at least would support Fox in this.
He’d been surprised at how angry they’d all seemed on his behalf. He knew MI6 was crap, but he didn’t understand why Snake or Eagle would care. It’s not like they knew him. And they didn’t even know half the shit his ‘employers’ pulled. It was almost disconcerting.
And then there was the possibility of MI6 murdering him if things went south. They’d do it - he knew they would, just like they never hesitated to take out any obstacle that stood in their way. In that respect, all the sides were the same.
It was their goal that made them what they were, not their methods. The intelligence community was very much subscribed to the idea that the ends justify the means. It really was the only way they could operate.
Intelligence work was dirty, messy, and immoral, but, as Alex had seen, it was a necessary evil no matter how distasteful it was a times. He just had to remember that first and foremost, MI6 protected Britain and if Alex stood in the way, he’d be removed just the same as anyone else.
It was a chilling thought. He needed to make himself indispensible - it was something to think about anyways. However, tonight - right now, he needed to sleep. He yawned, closing his eyes, and allowed the problems of the world to dissolve into black. Alex did not dream again that night.
The next day, Alex was woken up with the others before dawn by an over-enthusiastic Eagle who seemed to take wicked pleasure in provoking deep hatred from the teenagers by robbing them of their precious sleep with exaggerated cheerfulness. Alex always knew he was a sadist. It must’ve been an SAS requirement. He could see it now - somewhere on the evaluation, a little check-marked box next to ‘likes to cause pain’.
Groaning along with the others, he rose, moving quickly to dress and get outside. He remembered Fox’s warning from the day before. It was all too probable that Wolf would still be in a foul mood and Alex had no desire to cross that. Wolf had been surprisingly civil to him since he’d got here. The man wasn’t being friendly of course, but he hadn’t acted nasty at all the day before. Brusque and businesslike, yes, but Alex suspected that was just Wolf.
Consequently, Alex hurried his friends along, ensuring they were some of the first out. The boys Eagle had fetched the day before were also out quickly. Alex again wondered exactly what Eagle had done. Whatever it was, it’d been effective. Alex made a note to never underestimate Eagle. Emma was also out quick, with about half the girls - the ones with sense.
Unfortunately, some of his classmates were not as astute, and took their time as Wolf and the others stood waiting. Alex watched Wolf surreptitiously.
The man’s shoulders tensed and his scowl deepened minute by minute as he waited for the stragglers to show up. Alex winced in anticipation of the imminent explosion he was sure Wolf was balanced on the brink of. It would be spectacular, he supposed, if the anger, frustration, and impatience practically exuding from their fearless leader was anything to go by.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour, the last students arrived, thoroughly oblivious to the approaching storm...well apocalypse, really.
Wolf waited another minute before speaking. His tone was harsh, quieting the students instantly.
“I hope you enjoyed your lie-in,” he growled dangerously. “That was an absolute disgrace. Forty fucking minutes since you were woken up. Unacceptable!”
Alex could tell some of his classmates were shocked by the profanity.
“Tardiness costs lives,” Wolf spat. “And beyond that, it’s disrespectful. And I sincerely hope you aren’t disrespecting me. Believe me, that is not something you want to do.”
A shudder went through the crowd at the implied threat. Wolf definitely had everyone’s attention.
“I gave you warning yesterday, but it seems that didn’t sink in. So we’ll just have to try something else. No study period today. You’ll have to do your homework on your own damn time. Instead, you’ll train straight through. Consider it make up for the time you’ve wasted this morning. You’d better work damn hard if you want your break back any time soon.”
A groan went through the crowd.
“Shut up,” Wolf snapped. “If you want to fuck around, it’s your own fault. Now move it.”
Unhappily, the group slowly began to move off at a jog.
“I said move!” Wolf yelled. “And you’d better hope you perform better than that embarrassment yesterday.”
Wolf looked at Alex and jerked his head in a come hither motion. Alex read the silent command and obediently trotted up to him.
“You’re running with me,” Wolf informed him, eyes back on the departing mass. “We’re taking the Black Devil.”
Alex nearly groaned out loud. It was one of the most treacherous short routes, not to mention difficult. Steep grades, sharp twists, and even sheer walls to scale. It was every SAS man’s nightmare.
“Any day now, Cub,” Wolf said sharply. He was standing a few paces away looking at Alex impatiently.
“Sorry,” Alex muttered, jogging towards him, resigned.
The run was terrible. Alex suspected it would be miserable even with your best of friends - it was just that demanding. But with a moody Wolf ready to go off at the slightest provocation, it was bloody unbearable.
They ran in a tense silence punctuated only by their breathing and the fall of their feet on the trail. Alex was exhausted, but knew they still had a ways to go. It was about then he started to wish he’d gotten more sleep.
Any sensible person would have stopped for a breather by now, but Alex was running with Wolf. The man pushed on like a tank, barely slowing for the most treacherous parts, and Alex would be damned if he fell behind Wolf.
But the truth was he was not so used to this. He hadn’t pushed himself this hard since leaving the camp the first time, whereas Wolf probably ran this regularly.
They finally reached the last rock face they had to scale. Alex nearly gave up just looking at it. But Wolf never faltered, simply moving forward and beginning to climb, and Alex grudgingly followed. Still, he couldn’t help but slow while climbing. He’d rather reach the top later than fall and not reach it at all. Wolf could be as reckless as he liked, but Alex rather liked his neck, thank you very much.
He finally, finally, reached the top, all of his muscles screaming, and was very much surprised to see Wolf standing there, offering his hand. Stunned, Alex automatically grabbed it, allowing Wolf to pull him up.
Wolf dropped his hand immediately, and turned, walking off. Alex followed, a bit dazed. What the heck just happened? First Wolf was pissed off as hell, and now he was helping Alex. And he hadn’t snapped at Alex once though he was ready to implode. This was the second time now Wolf had helped him when he’d least expected it.
He glanced up at Wolf in front of him, noticing that most of the tension had left him. The man seemed ... lighter almost.
Alex just shook his head, bemused, and followed along.
Breakfast was a subdued affair. The morning’s dressing down combined with what Alex expected was a strenuous run for the others left them quite quiet.
And he suspected that some of his classmates still weren’t awake, Nick especially. His normally ADD self was barely talking at all.
By the end he had woken up to add some of his drawl to the meal. Thank god for coffee. He was certainly awake enough to make a scathing comment about the girls at the next table complaining about their makeup coming off. That at least got the table laughing.
After the meal, Alex walked outside with his friends to were those who had finished were congregating. Alex did his automatic cursory scan of the area, landing on Fox, who made a beckoning gesture when he saw Alex looking.
Alex frowned and excused himself from his friends. He had no doubt Fox was going to ask about the night before, and he really didn’t want to explain exactly what he had been doing eavesdropping.
He wasn’t disappointed.
“So, had fun last night?” Fox asked by way of greeting.
Alex looked at him carefully. He didn’t seem upset.
“Oh, loads,” Alex replied carefully.
“Do I want to know what you were doing out of bed, listening in?” Fox asked.
Alex shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk,” he said, instantly deciding to leave out the nightmare. Fox didn’t need to know about that. “I was going back when I walked by your cabin. I overheard my name and went to investigate.”
“Ah,” Fox replied neutrally. “And how much did you hear?”
Alex considered. “Enough,” he said at last, not entirely sure what he meant by that.
Fox seemed to accept it though, nodding.
“So... you’re not mad, then?” Alex asked.
Now it was Fox’s turn to shrug. “You’re a spook. I’d expect it out of habit if nothing else - and we were talking about you.”
Alex nodded. “What was up with Wolf this morning?” he asked eventually.
“Oh, we’re getting called in to HQ tomorrow. Wolf’s just pissed off about having to talk to the brass. He hates it. With a passion,” Fox explained.
“Yeah, but then he seemed ok after the run. He helped me up,” Alex added.
Fox grinned. “A good run always de-stresses Wolf. Plus, it was the Black Devil, right? That’s his personal favourite. It calms him down faster than anything.”
“Ah,” Alex replied, and they fell into a contemplative silence.
“Did you mean it?” Alex finally blurted, his mind on what he overheard.
“Mean what?” Fox asked, raising a brow.
“That...I was like your little brother?” Alex asked starting at the ground, feeling exposed and stupid.
“Oh. You heard that?” Fox asked. Suddenly his hand shot out, gripping Alex’s shoulder tightly, focusing his eyes up.
“Yes,” he said quietly, but firmly. “I meant it. I’m here for you. I promise.”
They shared an intense, searching gaze for a moment, evaluating each other.
After a long moment, Alex swallowed and nodded. “Thanks,” he whispered.
Fox squeezed his shoulder, before letting go.
“Now let’s go join the others. Snake and Eagle have some fun planned for you today,” he said with a smirk.
Alex stuck out his tongue at him and Fox just laughed.
The fun turned out to be a lesson on location and navigation skills with his friends. It really wasn’t that bad, except that Alex already knew the material. Still, he supposed it was useful review. Map reading was a vital skill, after all.
They started out with compasses and maps. Eagle though, added a bit of motivation. “If you do good, we might let you play with this,” he said, holding up a wicked-looking GPS unit.
They spent about an hour listening to Snake talk about compass and map basics. It would have been boring, except that Nick, who had navigation down cold, kept up a steady litany of comments.
Even the men were amused if the suppressed smiles were anything to go by, though Eagle did eventually tell him to just shut up already. Nick responded by saying Eagle was just jealous of his multi-tasking ability.
Eagle replied that he had excellent multi-tasking ability - he could target practice while punishing Nick for talking back at the same time very easily. That shut Nick up. For about ten minutes anyways.
After becoming confidant they could at least passably read a map, Snake sent them off on a scavenger hunt of sorts individually. Alex was the last to receive his map, and suspected it was less detailed and longer than the other ones. Having done this sort of thing many times, he finished rather quickly. Emma was the last back, a little more directionally challenged than the rest of them. She’d managed to get lost, and Snake had to go find her.
When they were all back, Eagle took over. “And now for the real fun,” he said, reverently pulling out the GPS units. With a cautioning of ‘Break this and die,’ he passed them out.
Eagle was obviously in his happy place as he instructed them in their use. Snake just looked on in amusement as Eagle did what was clearly his thing.
It was funny. He knew Eagle had always been the signals man in K-unit and that he was always in charge of the radio, but he’d never really pegged him as being much of a tech freak. Thinking back, there was that hacking comment the night before, and before that Fox’s talk about Smithers... He grinned. Oh, this was too good. Eagle was a geek.
Even Alex had to admit though the GPS units were quite cool. They were newer models than the ones he’d used, and he found it hard not to get drawn in by Eagle’s enthusiasm.
Sometime later, the lesson ended at last and Alex found himself vaguely disappointed. Playing with techie toys was certainly more fun than your usual SAS training. Sighing as he trudged off after Snake to the shooting range, he wished that all of his training could be as innocent and entertaining as his survival training with his friends.
Chapter 8 >>