Why Me? Chapters 5-6 Completed 5/17/2008
Title: Why Me?
Category: Books » Alex Rider
Author: Karai III
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T
Genre: Friendship/Hurt/Comfort
Published: 08-01-07, Updated: 05-17-08
Chapters: 8, Words: 26,645
[Continued]
Chapter 5
By the end of the week, the Italian doctors had deemed Wolf well enough to be released and at his earliest convenience, he was to see his doctor in England to discuss a plan to facilitate a full recovery. Alex on the other hand was still too unstable to be transported just yet. Wolf decided to go see him before he left for London while he waited for Santiago to return from where ever it was he'd went.
As he was making his way up the corridor on his crutches, he heard a good deal of shouting coming from Alex's room.
"Be civil? BE CIVIL!? Why would I want to be civil Mrs. Jones? My whole damn life is orchestrated by a heartless maniac and his sidekick, and you want me to speak civilly. It's all a freaking game to you isn't it." Alex was shouting. His words were slightly garbled because of his immobilized jaw but he kept on going anyway. "It's always 'If we use him this way, we'll get more done. If he dies we get someone else.' That's exactly what it is to you."
Wolf reached the door of Alex's room and looked inside the now open door just as the nurse was sternly telling Mrs. Jones to leave because she was endangering the life of their patient. Alex was wheezing heavily but the doctor was finding it hard to calm him down so he could pull an oxygen mask over his face when he knew so little English and the boy was still so angry.
When Wolf tried to enter the room the nurse said, "I'm sorry sir but you're going to have to come back when we have him under control. She started shooing him out of the room but Alex started yelling again; "There's no need for him to go anywhere, it's not him I'm mad at." He had to stop though when he was over come by a fit of painful hacking coughs that racked his whole body and left him drained when they passed. He lay still and finally stopped resisting the doctor who quickly slipped the mask over his face and checked over the various machines attached to him again, then he said some things to the nurse in rapid Italian.
She translated for Wolf "He insist on you being here so we won't argue but see to it that he does not remove that mask and that you keep his talking to none. If he has another fit like that, he could kill himself. Do you understand?" Wolf nodded while he worriedly looked at the tired, broken child lying there with half-lidded eyes.
After the two left, Wolf sat down at the edge of Alex's bed and looked at him for a moment.
Alex tiredly opened his eyes slightly and smiled sadly. "Not going to live am I?" he said sleepily
"Shhh, the doctors say you won't if you throw another tantrum like that but if you cooperate you will."
The only sound in the room for a few moments was the soft sound of Alex's wheezing subsiding. "I was shouting because I found out something." He wanted to tell Wolf about it but he knew he wasn't to talk so he was trying to get Wolf to ask about it.
"You're not going to catch me helping you hurt yourself."
"Blunt used us."
Silence
"You too."
Alex decided that Wolf's silence was an encouragement so he continued.
"Alan Blunt rigged the contest so that Jack would win because he wanted us to go to France. He knew Scorpia was doing something up here so he sent me like the naïve fool I am, to act as bait to draw them out. If I died in the process, it would have been an annoying but anticipated consequence. No pain, no gain right?" He coughed for a few seconds but forced it away and continued despite Wolf's warnings to rest.
"No I need to get this out even if you're not listening."
"I am listening Alex but you're agitating yourself to much."
Alex ignored him and went on.
"And then Mrs. Jones has the nerve to talk of a medal, for what? It's just not fair, why do I have to be abused so much? Don't I have rights too? Is it impossible for them to treat me like a normal operative?" As the previously suppressed cough claimed his voice again, Wolf tried to find something to say to ease his frustration. But, the coughs deepened and Wolf realized that Alex had bigger problems just now. While the coughs mercilessly racking his body, Alex tore the oxygen mask away from his face despite the great pain it caused his shoulder because the fact of the matter was he couldn't breath and as the coughing continued he grew desperate for a breath of air. Wolf slammed his hand down on the button used to summon a nurse and then watched in horror as Alex began to go blue in the face from lack of oxygen.
As it was becoming clear that no one was coming, Wolf took the initiative. He placed one arm firmly around Alex's bandaged back and then, reluctantly struck his chest at the point where his windpipe divides into the two bronchi, with painful but necessary force. The coughing subsided and he was suddenly able to breathe again, which he did in great earnest. However, the well-meant yet still cruel blow to his chest aggravated his wounds horridly and tears of pain and frustration stung his eyes.
He tried to turn away so Wolf wouldn't see them and think him pathetic or childish, but Wolf held his arm and pulled him into a brief but fatherly hug.
"It's okay Alex. Just let it go. Crying doesn't make a man weak, but it makes you human. Don't keep up the stress." he said as he gave him a reassuring pat on the back and released him.
Alex looked at Wolf for a moment and then he smiled, "Thanks Andros."
Wolf nodded, glad to see him better as he began to fall off to sleep. A few minutes later, the door slowly opened and Jack and Santiago walked in.
When she saw the tear streaks on Alex's face and the hard look on Wolf's own, she panicked.
"What happened?! Is he alright?" she looked at Wolf accusingly "What happened?" she demanded.
"Will you cool it Jack? I didn't do anything to him if that's what you think. He found out some things and they upset him."
Jack set the bags she'd brought with some stuff for Alex, down in the corner and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "What things?"
"That MI6 essentially used both of you to get him on this mission."
"What?!"
"What do you mean?" Santiago asked from his spot in the other chair.
"What I mean is that they knew Jack would have persuaded him to go on a vacation if she won the sweepstakes, so they made sure she did."
"But why would they want us to go?"
"So they could use Alex as bait to lure Scorpia into a trap with a chance at revenge. Then Alex would signal them and MI6 would take over yet Scorpia almost succeeded didn't they? I'm assuming that they expected him to die but he proved them wrong again."
Jack was in dismay. She sat stroking Alex's hand, tears filling her eyes.
"So if I'd just listened to him when he'd said it could be a trap, then he would have been okay right now?" she asked sadly
"I'm not saying this is your fault Jack. MI6 could have full well found a different way to get to him. I'm just saying, they are using every connection Alex has to the outside world to exploit his talents and we need to put a stop to it." the other two nodded and silence fell over the room until Santiago broke it.
"Aww, shit, C'mon bro we've got a plane to catch in a little over an hour." He walked over to Alex and ruffled his hair. "Take care of him Jack; no child deserves to be treated like that."
"I will." She said
"C'mon Andros."
Wolf looked at Alex once more before he turned to Jack; "When he wakes up, tell him I'll see him soon."
Jack nodded barely noticing as they left, as she was lost in thought about what to do.
On the plane back to London, Santiago noticed that Wolf was rather withdrawn. He seemed to be lost in thought and he wondered if it had to do with Alex.
"You okay Andros?"
"Yeah, I'm just thinking."
"It's about Alex isn't it?"
"Not so much about Alex in specific but what they did to him actually."
"I know, it's monstrous."
"It's worse than that. He's recovering from a bullet wound to the chest he got last month doing more of this crap and they disregarded that completely. That's why he was to go on this so called vacation in the first place, but it was all a trick. A plan to use him to the fullest."
Santiago was speechless for a moment, but only a moment.
"So how come this is happening to him in specific?"
"Well apparently this line of work runs in the family, but the family is gone now, so he's basically on his own. They bribe him with deporting Jack and sending him to an unpleasant boarding school if he resist, so he doesn't have much of a choice."
Santiago laughed harshly "This is outrageous." a thought suddenly struck him and he asked seriously. "You don't think he's making it up do you."
"No. I've considered that but I saw and heard the evidence for myself."
"We need to put a stop to this then."
"Yes, which is why as soon as we get back into London I'm going to have a talk with them."
"As soon as you rest off a bit, yes." Santiago partially agreed
For the duration of the conversation they'd been talking in low voices to avoid other passengers hearing, but now Wolf spoke clearly when he said; "No Santiago, on our way back from the airport, I'm going to stop and
have a unpleasant talk with them." he waited for Santiago to try and dissuade him again but he didn't.
"You're right, as long as we do land in the afternoon as planned, we'll talk right away." he said.
Wolf nodded approvingly and they went back to their respective activities.
Four hours later Wolf was sitting in Mr. Blunt's office, Jones and Blunt before him, but Santiago had been detained for another team needed elsewhere. So the brothers were parting again for the meantime.
"Well I'm glad to see you're alright Mr. Mendoza and congratulations on a job well done. Is Alex alright?" Mr. Jones said by way of a greeting.
"No he's not." Wolf answered coldly ignoring her congratulatory remarks.
"I hope you haven't come here to blame us for what happened to him." Blunt interjected noticing his expression and tone.
"That's exactly what I'm doing."
"We hardly did anything. Alex wasn't forced in anyway. Ms. Starbright didn't have to go and enter that sweepstakes in the first place neither did Alex have to go. Second, we did not lie when we said Scorpia wasn't in the area nor was the contest rigged by them. We actually sent you to protect him as a precaution. If you couldn't do that then don't blame us for your short comings." Blunt heartlessly explained.
If it weren't for the cast on his right arm, Wolf would have grabbed Alan Blunt by the front of his gray jacket and hauled him across his big expensive desk. As it was he still stood up abruptly and raised his voice.
"I am not going to stand hear and have you tell me that Alex brought this on himself or because you sure as Hell didn't give him free choice in this whole damn mess."
"Andros calm down please." Mrs. Jones entreated him and suddenly he remembered Alex yelling back when she had asked him to be civil, and he knew exactly how he'd felt.
He completely ignored her and continued.
"Let me ask you, did you or did you not use Alex to get the job done?"
"To see an opportunity and willingly let it pass is foolish and there is no place for foolishness in what I do."
"So tell me, if Alex had used his free choice as you say. Would the mission have gone so well?"
No answer
"You relied heavily on him yet you say he had free choice. What if he'd used it? That seems pretty foolish to me."
What's your point?" Blunt asked testily
"If you're going to have him work for you, then do it the right way. He's a child, he has to go school, consider that. Moreover, I don't think it would kill you to pay him for what he does either. Neither is it any harder to give him the down time he needs after he's been hurt on one of his missions."
"There is hardly any need to pay him, what would a fourteen year-old boy do with that much money? Spend it on cell phones and video games?" Mr. Blunt asked in a disgusted tone.
"He doesn't have time for that," Wolf answered in an equally disgusted voice "plus it would serve as a better means of recruiting him than bribing him with the deportation of his guardian."
Ignoring that Blunt continued "Besides if the need arises we have to use him again. I don't like admitting it but he is becoming our most effective operative. If we need him were going to use him." He said in a dismissing tone.
"When the wrong people know something, it can cause a lot of problems for others right Mr. Blunt?" Wolf asked deviously.
A look of contempt shadowed Blunts's face as he realized exactly what Wolf intended to do if his demands were not carried out.
"Do mean to blackmailing us into doing what you say Wolf?" Mrs. Jones asked disapprovingly
"Maybe." He answered sitting back in his seat
After a long pause
"Your request will be considered Mr. Mendoza." Mrs. Jones informed tersely him "You may leave now."
"Have a nice day." he said sarcastically as he left. He knew they would do as he said for fear of him speaking unless they planned to kill him and he wasn't exactly disposable yet.
"Here you go Alex, home sweet home." Jack said as she helped him into the sofa in the sitting room a week later and gave him the remote so he could watch television if he liked. But he said "Thanks Jack, but I don't really feel for any television right now. I'd rather just think."
"That's fine Alex. What ever you like, just relax and let me take care of you."
Alex shifted careful not to agitate his shoulders that were still VERY sore, and smiled "You don't have to feel guilty Jack. We were used and there isn't really anything any of us could do about it. You don't have to try to make up for it. You're great as you are."
"I know I couldn't have stopped it Alex but I still feel badly and would like to make it up if you don't mind, so tell me what would you like to eat?"
"Well, if you put it that way Jack, knock your self out. For some reason I feel for cake right now."
"Cake it is." She headed towards the kitchen to start. "Oh and Tom called, he wanted to know if he could come see you this evening."
"Sure, I'd like to see someone from the normal world for a change."
Later on, Jack and Alex sat eating chocolate cake that wasn't bad for a first time when the bell rang. Jack got up to open it and a moment later came back with Tom in tow.
"Well I'll leave you boys to your talk for now." She said as she cleared away the dishes.
"So I see you got busted again, latest mission?" Tom asked as he sat down at the other end of the sofa careful not to sit on Alex's foot. "I've never seen you this hurt before though, must have been really bad."
"Yeah, but I hardly did anything at all, if it weren't for Wolf I would have been dead now."
"You mean that guy from the SAS who hated you?"
"Yeah, but he doesn't hate me anymore, I don't think. Cause he said when he got some time off, we could maybe hang out."
"Cool. But does SAS get time off? I mean they're busy protecting the country and all?"
"Of course they get time off. When they shift the people around, some come on duty and some come off." Alex informed him mildly condescendingly.
"Oh yes right." After a brief pause he asked "So if you hardly did anything, how come you're so busted up?"
Alex grew serious at the mention of his injuries.
"I got tortured." He said grimly
Tom was incredulous. "You got tortured? By who?"
"The same people, Scorpia, who I was with in Venice.
"Wow, so do you mind talking about it or are you okay now?"
"I guess its better that I talk about it right?"
"I suppose. So what happened to your face, it looks like you ran into a butchery with your eyes closed and it sounds like your jaw is busted. "
"It is, Scorpia got one of their men called Dr. Three- he's an expert on pain and torture- to kill me. Since they were all pissed that I stopped there last plan, they had him bring in his torture equipment to take me out painfully. He said I would fight for the kind of death I would have; either have him torture me to death or have this other guy kill me in another God forsaken way."
"Gee-whiz Alex, are you sure you don't mind talking about it?"
"If I don't then I'm going to keep having nightmares about it for a long time, its best I get it over with."
"Alright go ahead."
"Anyhow the first thing he got was this mechanical spider thing with razor blades for legs. It got me in the face and I had to tear it off to get free. Jack said I had to get massive plastic surgery to fix it."
"What else could you have endured?" Tom asked in awe.
"Now that I think about it, I don't see how come I'm not dead, but after the spider thing was off, he threw this coil of some kind of spring loaded wire at me. It didn't hit me but when it hit the ground it sort of flew open so it slashed me up on my right thigh real bad. The doctors say if I ever want to be able to use it fully again I have to stay off of it for a week and then have intense PT to strengthen it and that still that wasn't the most painful thing."
"You're giving me nightmares and I wasn't even there. Then, through all this, where was the SAS guy?"
"His code name is Wolf and-"
"Do you know what his real name is?"
"Yeah but I'm not telling you."
"Oh alright, so where was he?"
"Well, first when we got captured he was shot in the leg and then they must have given him something to knock him out cause when I came around he was out, but either way he was tied up in the corner of the room with some of the same wire that Dr. Three cut me with."
"I bet you thought you were done for."
"Yeah. After that he kicked me in my chest right on the bullet wound from last time. Now that really hurt but it still wasn't the worst. I only got to hit him once after that when I tripped him so he broke his nose on the floor."
"Good!" Tom exclaimed
"But then he broke my jaw with a round house kick. By now Wolf was trying to get free despite the detriment to his wrist but it wasn't working. I realized that I should at least let him know that MI6 was on the way because I'd signaled them back we had been captured."
"Using one of your gadgets?"
"You could say that. Now the thing is I couldn't full well let the bad guys hear that back was on the way so, I had to get to Wolf to say it and Dr. Three wouldn't have that. Just so I couldn't get there, he cut up my back with some kind of super sharp knife and then he yanked my left shoulder out of socket. But since I kept on going-"
"You kept on going?" Tom's mouth was actually hanging open
"I had to. Since I kept going he had the guard stationed right behind Wolf, try to move him away so I wouldn't get any closer, but
Wolf took advantage of it and knock the guy clean across the room in to a wall."
"Dr. Three?" Tom asked hopefully
"No not him yet, the guard. But with the guard out the way he got mad. I couldn't really hear much any more 'cause all the pain was clouding my mind but I know Wolf did something that got him really mad cause he said something to him and then he slowly pulled my other shoulder out of socket."
"That's what hurt the most wasn't it?" Tom asked sympathetically
"Yeah I passed out then only to be awakened again by an injection."
Unbeknownst to the boys, Jack had been standing there for a while listening to what she knew Alex would never willingly tell her and the tears just came. She would never have imagined that he had been through so much; it was unthinkable. But she had learned her lesson thoroughly; never trust MI6 again.
"Then what happened? Did you get to tell Wolf about the back up?" Tom asked earnestly but Alex wasn't listening.
"I think he was actually crying." He mumbled thoughtfully "I know I felt tears and they weren't mine." A kind of frightened pained looked came over his face as relived the moment when he had lost all hope. It was a moment that would haunt him for some time.
"You okay Alex?"
A second later Alex seemed to remember where he was and his face cleared. "Did you say something mate?"
"I was wondering if you were okay. You kind of zoned out."
"I was thinking about something." he said vaguely
"Well did you ever get to give Wolf the message?"
"Yeah, I think Three must have left for something and then I told him and helped get his hands free, but I don't remember anything after that till I woke up in the hospital." It was clear that he didn't want to talk about it anymore so Tom let up.
"Wow, you really are something Alex I bet no one over at MI6 could ever say they endured anything like that. You should consider yourself a hero. Jack told me that there were a bunch of bombs that were to go off at some embassies but you and Wolf stopped it. That's a pretty impressive record."
"Thanks Tom, it's the reason why I told you about everything and no one else really; you always seem to understand."
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes until the phone rang and Alex yawned. "It's late I better get going."
"How are things with your parents?"
"As bad as ever. I usually sneak in through the back door and then they never notice I was gone. Only if I get back so late that they lock up for the night does it become a problem."
Alex nodded understandingly.
"Alex, it's for you." Jack said as she came over to hand him the portable phone.
"I'll see you around Tom."
"Yeah, see yuh."
Jack had a funny smile on her face when she gave him the phone like it was a joke but he took it anyway.
"Hello?"
"How's it going Cub?" a familiar voice answered.
"Wolf!"
"The one and only."
"I didn't expect you to call."
"Surprises generally work that way." Wolf laughed "So how are you?"
"I'm basically okay. Bored but okay. How are you, working again?"
"I'm fine, and no I'm not actually on active duty but I do have some work to do."
"Sounds like more fun that what I'm doing. Resting."
"Take it easy Alex, you need that rest."
"I know."
"Look I don't have long to stay on the phone but I just wanted to tell you; I spoke to your employers and you should expect to see a check in the mail in a couple days and a definite change in attitude from them."
"Really? You're the best, I never thought there was anyone who could stand up to them and get anything done. Are you sure they mean what they say?"
"Believe me I'm sure." Wolf laughed. Alex's earlier comment was not lost on him either. It was a kind of exalting feeling when you could make a child happy and get his gratitude in return.
"Thanks a bunch, I wonder how much I made over the past few months."
"A lot, just don't waste it okay? You want some left to do important things you know. Any way I'll see around, probably when you're well enough to travel. Take care of yourself. Bye."
"You to." Alex hung up the phone feeling different. He felt good and he had some things to look forward to. Life wasn't all bad.
Chapter 6
Jack opened the door to admit them. What Alex saw was a tired, pale, but pleased looking Wolf in a wheelchair being pushed by some one who definitely looked like a older version of him but with forest green eyes instead of hazel who was undoubtedly Santiago. "Well if it isn't the great Alex Rider. I for one am glad to see your okay little buddy and I haven't even met you before; you must have that effect on people." Santiago said causing Alex to smiled. Santiago spoke with a strong but passive voice not unlike Wolf's when he wasn't barking at someone. He parked Wolf close to the bed facing Alex and pulled up a chair next to him.
"Nice to meet you too," Alex answered "Santiago right?"
"You got it. How you feeling?"
"Well let's see, I've definitely felt better, but considering that not too long ago death would have felt WAY better, then I'm gonna say, I feel comparatively good." Santiago nodded amusedly. "Wolf on the other hand looked slightly guilty. "Um Alex… about what happened," Alex turned his bandaged face to look at him more directly. "Yeah I've something to say too."
Wolf shook his head "No, I'm older."
"Okay."
"When you started feeling sick, I…I should of called MI6 right away instead of getting you something to eat first , because" Wolf obviously felt as though by carelessness or thoughtlessness, he were somehow responsible for what happened. With his head held down that way, he really looked the picture of guilt. Alex was about to put an end to that, when Jack interjected. "About that poison Alex, the doctors said it was absorbed though the skin."
"The shower water." Wolf and Alex exclaimed in unison. Jack nodded and continued "If the water hadn't suddenly gone boiling on you as Wolf told me it did, then you'd have been out a lot sooner."
"So that's why.' Alex said thoughtfully "Should have guessed. Anyhow Wolf, about what you said." here his voice took on considerable force but, he overall spoke much more slowly than normal "I can't believe you think this is your fault! Who do you think you are superman? You did everything possible to avoid a disaster which you did."
"But I did not avoid a disaster Alex. Do you really think being tortured to within an inch of death isn't a disaster? Simply thinking things through would have prevented that Alex."
"What makes you think that Wolf? You heard Jack; I'd been doped for the taking since we left the building, not to mention followed, it was only a matter of time before I was out cold so they could take me easy, but they wouldn't have hesitated had they realized that we were calling in help. That concierge guy wasn't the only tail we had you know, but the others weren't a threat yet so I left them. But had they noticed you attempting to bring in reinforcements they'd have struck sooner instead." Here he had to slow down and talk more quietly and lie down; the screaming he'd done from the torture had weakened his throat considerably and shouting wasn't helping; besides prolonged sessions of forceful talking really do damage to an already busted jaw and his back was really starting to hurt.
"All I'm trying to say Wolf is that you did the best you could and I'm alive because of that, and I don't think I'm going to miss Dr. Three that much either, so stop beating yourself up, there aren't many people who could do much better." Before Wolf could get to object, Santiago stepped in "You should listen to him Andros, it's true, you did great and I for one am proud of it even if you aren't. You should have seen him Alex; he really cares about you more than he's willing to say to your face." Alex look at Wolf for a second "I know."
"You don't take off peoples limbs bare handedly while you've got a bullet in your leg, bleeding wrists and a broken arm if you don't care about the person you're doing it for, do you Andros?" Alex looked at Wolf with something close to awe. "Explain." he said after a moment. "Well, basically killed the Australian man."
"By tearing off his right shoulder." Santiago put in. Alex stared at a defiant Wolf. "And he deserved nothing less; you don't stand there and tell me that a kid deserves to be hacked to death or else you suffer big time. Besides he really killed himself with that pinky finger thing."
"Andros is really a formidable person if he happens to lose his temper; you don't want to be on the wrong end of it." Alex nodded
"And then Tiago killed the one-eyed man"
"You mean Levi Kroll?"
"Yep. Shot him right in the balls deliberately." Wolf grinned at his big brother mischievously.
"Well you don't expect me to have some one messing with my baby brother and all they get is a scolding do yuh?"
"I'm NOT your BABY brother man! I'm almost thirty years old for goodness sake can't it just be younger brother." Santiago simply shook his head.
"What about the black, Japanese looking man?" Alex asked eagerly.
Wolf shrugged "I don't know if he was in the building too, but come to think of it I did see some unknown body parts flying when the whole place blew so maybe."
Jack shuddered in her seat at the thought.
"So you see Wolf, you did even better than I thought. You got some nerve saying this is your fault. I don't ever want to hear you say that again; don't you see that you're a hero today? That's usually my role but I don't mind handing it over to you for a day." Wolf smiled but shook his head. "You wouldn't understand unless you knew what happened back when I was a child, then you'd see why I have to be so hard on myself." The brothers' faces took on a hard look following that statement; obviously it was not a nice story.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked quietly
Wolf sighed and began the narrative of a long sad story.
"I use to have another brother." he smiled sadly "Little Rai was about your age maybe a little older when he died." Alex noticed that Wolf refused to lift his and instead seemed fascinated in his hand, Alex had the distinct notion that he was crying and it shocked him. However Wolf's voice remained steady and clear. "But because of my carelessness, he died he was my best bud but I killed him."
"See now, this is where I have to take over. How many times do I have to tell you bro; it wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done." Alex was surprised by the force in Santiago's voice, he actually sounded angry. Wolf shook his still bowed head. "You just don't understand."
"NO! You don't understand. Look Alex; don't listen to him, that's what our parents ground into his head, what they wanted him to believe and its bullshit. This is what happened; back when I was still in university and Wolf and Rai were just teenagers; just 16 and 15 respectively, I'd come home for a week visit. I'd just come in that Saturday and right after greetings and stuff, Andros and Rai told me they were off to go hunting up at Bull Hole, as they used to call the forest higher up on the hill. I offered to carry them but Mom parents said no, rest from the flight over. She said that Mikey, a sort of friend of ours, was carrying them anyway. I should have insisted, since I knew that Mikey wasn't what you could call a reliable fellow, he was often drunk, but dad said he would check him personally before they left so I didn't.
Should have known better, he didn't even go see them off, just let them go out the door with a death trap." Wolf took over from Santiago and continued the narrative.
"On our way there, I noticed something wrong. The guy was just too bubbly to be sober but I didn't ask or make him pull over and we get although we could still have walked home. Nope all I said was slow down, but he didn't.
Now, we lived high up on this cliff with the forest behind us and there were a lot of those narrow, winding roads thousands of feet up that are deadly if you don't take them slowly which is exactly what Mikey didn't do. I remember Rai asking me if he didn't seem a little off his rocker and I tried to force him to slow down, but he didn't listen instead he turned around to sneer at me and went straight off the road.
He wasn't wearing a seat belt so he went straight out the window first thing. Then the car with us bumbling in it got caught by its rear axle on a outcrop of the cliff face and stopped, but if we didn't get out fast it would fall the rest of the way with us. We unbuckled and I made Rai grab me around the waist, then I climbed out the rear windshield. I'd just grabbed on to the ledge as the thing fell and I had Rai climb over me and get up there first. But apparently it wasn't stable because before I could start to pull myself up, the spot were he was kneeling just crumbled and fell away from underneath him. I just managed to catch his hand before he fell past me, but it was no use." Wolf lifted his head and Alex could just make out one tear of utter frustration at the way how he had not prevent the death of his brother on his cheek. "From the way I'd caught him there wasn't much to hold on to but I did my best. We hung for about 15 minutes like that waiting for someone to come but I doubted it. No one could have known that we were hanging off a crumbling ledge waiting to fall to our deaths."
"But I did." Santiago spoke now. "I'd been lying down on my bed thinking, trying to shake this feeling of doomed that had settled on me the moment they went through the door. But it only got stronger as the time past, until
I couldn't ignore it anymore, so I jumped up, grabbed my keys and left. A few minutes later I was at the sight of the crash feeling worse as the moments passed and when I looked over the edge I saw them my heart stopped for a good few seconds. I quick time got some chain out of my SUV that I used to tow friends' cars and laid down over the edge to pull them up."
"But it wasn't to be" Wolf continued "when I tried to lift Rai above me to reach the chain he started to grip my hand more tightly but instead he slipped from my grasp and fell. Fell the hundred and ninety-eight to the bottom."
"And after a second so did you. You know Andros, to this day I still don't know whether you fell or you let go."
"I let go." Wolf answered honestly
Santiago shook his head sadly and looked his brother in the eye for a few moments, then he continued "when we finally got to them at the bottom, Rai was dead, totally broken, there was no hope whatsoever for him, and Andros; he was so broken I was sure he would never walk again, with a broken back, badly fractured skull and just about every other bone in his body broken too. But he was still alive; unlike Little Rai, he had survived the fall. I don't know what I would have done if both of them had gone, but in the following months I felt like I had lost him too. The doctors did everything they could but despite it all he slipped into a deep coma for two months. To make matters worse our parents took Rai's death hard. Really hard, and they took it out on Andros.
Raimundo had been their favorite son and Andros the unloved one. Yeah, they made sure he had everything he needed and all but for no apparent reason they never liked him. Any extra affection going around or gifts time, birthdays; he'd be left out or giving some cheap little thing on account of him forgetting to do something or some other trivial offense. While Rai and I could get away with virtually anything, but what ever it was that we got we'd share it with him, especially Rai he was such a sweet kid." His face suddenly got stony and when he spoke his voice was angry "But when he survived and Rai didn't, they took it too far. They hardly came around when he was in coma and by the end of two months when he still proved unresponsive; they were ready to pull the plug. One day I was sitting there talking to you Andros like I always did; telling you all sorts of stories, when they just came in there with the doctors ready to do it. No consulting the big brother my opinion didn't matter I suppose or rather they already knew were I stood on the matter so they just ignored it, but I made them see other wise.
Flashback
"Santiago it's been long enough, we can't keep him any longer. The doctors say it is unlikely that he will ever wake so we must move on." "Listen to your self you selfish old hag, why? Why is it too late? Two months is two long to wait for the child to wake up? Why don't you just say it to my face; you hate him. You can't stand the fact that he lived while Raimundo died. You'd love to just let him go to satisfy your own wicked selfishness. Well let me tell you something; You may hate him and want to see him permanently snuffed out of you life just like poor Rai, but he would not have wanted to see his big brother deprived of a chance at life by his PARENTS! And neither do I. He's MY BROTHER, you hear me? My BROTHER! And gonna stand by him like a brother should and you're not coming anywhere near him. You understand? And when he wakes up he'll know that you wanted to kill him. Just kill him, like the murderous beast you are. Get out; just get OUT before I lose my self control."
End of Flashback
"The next day he woke up. The doctors said it was nothing short of a miracle and I know I cried like a little girl that day but I had him back; Rai was gone for ever, but Andros would live on I had a reason to live. It took him two years to heal. He had to relearn how to walk and dress and feed himself and everything else for that matter. But he was young and fit so he made it and despite everything they did, he went back home to stay with mom and dad until twenty-one to help them out and finish his education. But they just couldn't live with fact that he was there, alive and doing well. So they let him know it. They wouldn't stop pounding it into his head that it was his fault that Rai had to die that day. That if he'd been a lot more responsible, a lot more assertive and a much more self-less person, and let me assure that he is all of those things and more, then Rai wouldn't have die. And now he still believes it." He glanced at Wolf but his brother didn't interrupt. "Then one day I got a message on my answering machine. I still remember the whole thing word for word." His voice took on a theatrical quality as he articulated the message from years back.
"Hey Tiago, it's me. I was just calling to say I'm gone. I'm taking off to see what I can do with myself in the world. I know it was my irresponsibility that got Raimundo killed and I'm trying to atone for it, but Mom and Dad don't want to see or hear any of that. Today Dad lit in on me with the baseball bat because 'I am boasting the same selfish traits that got Rai killed.' I'm not trying to shunt the blame away from myself, but I know that I am not half the monster they make me out to be. So since they've made it clear they don't want me around, then I'll be on my way. See you around big bro."
As Santiago finished, Wolf smiled "You make a good imitation of an eighteen year old me." he said
Santiago laughed. "Well what do you expect, we are related you know."
"That's when thing got good." Wolf took over "Apparently Santiago heard my message sooner than I thought, cause he called me on my cell and begged me to wait for him to come get me which would be a few hours at best. But I did and when he got there, in the night, he suggested I come with him and join the military and he'd look out for me until I could get going on my own two feet. From then on, in all honesty life's been good; I always had this tendency to jump at the chance to do anything challenging including joining the SAS and I've just completed my 12 month probation. To tell you the truth this capture is something of a humiliation compared to what I've been trained for but I'll live it down." he paused to pull run his hand through his hair and then continued. "The fact of the matter is; you reminder of my little brother and I have no intention of being responsible for the death of another young child with a promising future again," he gave Santiago a look that warned him not to interrupt "understand? And the next thing is; you remind me of Raimundo a lot. Sure you can be an annoying little brat when you want to be, but despite my earlier inclinations, I've come to like having you around. So when that #$ half-beast attacked you, it wasn't the instinct of a trained bodyguard that took over, but more that of a brother, understand what I'm saying?" Alex nodded with a genuinely pleased smile on his face. He had earned Wolf's respect; and he was one of the few people Alex admired and respected.
"Thanks Wolf, that means a lot. Cause you see as of earlier this week, there were four people in the world who are alive that actually cared about me as a person, meaning my wellbeing not usefulness, but now I could say that there's five; You, Santiago, Jack, Sabina, Tom and Jerry."
"Tom and Jerry?"
"Tom's a friend from school and his big brother's name is Jerry, they often fuss about how screwed up their parents had to be to call them that." He was about to shrug but remembered his shoulders which strangely he still couldn't feel or move.
Santiago nodded in agreement. "I thought something was really wrong with you there saying that Tom and Jerry care about your wellbeing."
Alex would have laughed if it weren't for his aching chest. He smiled instead but it was broken by a face splitting yawn that left him wincing in pain from how wide his mouth opened.
Jack took over seeing how tired he must be and started to shoo them out of the room. "Okay you guys we've kept the poor child awake long enough." This was proved true when Alex was noted to be valiantly fighting exhaustion to say something else before he fell into dreamland. "What is it Alex?" Jack had to go up to his mouth to hear him since he could barely keep up a whisper.
"Wolf, he wants you."
Santiago pushed him back over to the bed and he leaned closer to hear; "When we're better, and you're not busy, do you… do you think we could get together sometime for … some sports or something?" His eyes were closed so Wolf couldn't read them but he could hear the eagerness in his voice. "I don't see why not, but how come you had to ask now?"
"Better to dream about than MI6 and missions."
Wolf smiled and ruffled Alex hair with his good hand. " I see, Well I think I might actually like that idea. Get some rest and we'll see."
Jack ushered them out of the room while Alex finally fell off to sleep with a rare smile on his face.
continue
Category: Books » Alex Rider
Author: Karai III
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T
Genre: Friendship/Hurt/Comfort
Published: 08-01-07, Updated: 05-17-08
Chapters: 8, Words: 26,645
[Continued]
Chapter 5
By the end of the week, the Italian doctors had deemed Wolf well enough to be released and at his earliest convenience, he was to see his doctor in England to discuss a plan to facilitate a full recovery. Alex on the other hand was still too unstable to be transported just yet. Wolf decided to go see him before he left for London while he waited for Santiago to return from where ever it was he'd went.
As he was making his way up the corridor on his crutches, he heard a good deal of shouting coming from Alex's room.
"Be civil? BE CIVIL!? Why would I want to be civil Mrs. Jones? My whole damn life is orchestrated by a heartless maniac and his sidekick, and you want me to speak civilly. It's all a freaking game to you isn't it." Alex was shouting. His words were slightly garbled because of his immobilized jaw but he kept on going anyway. "It's always 'If we use him this way, we'll get more done. If he dies we get someone else.' That's exactly what it is to you."
Wolf reached the door of Alex's room and looked inside the now open door just as the nurse was sternly telling Mrs. Jones to leave because she was endangering the life of their patient. Alex was wheezing heavily but the doctor was finding it hard to calm him down so he could pull an oxygen mask over his face when he knew so little English and the boy was still so angry.
When Wolf tried to enter the room the nurse said, "I'm sorry sir but you're going to have to come back when we have him under control. She started shooing him out of the room but Alex started yelling again; "There's no need for him to go anywhere, it's not him I'm mad at." He had to stop though when he was over come by a fit of painful hacking coughs that racked his whole body and left him drained when they passed. He lay still and finally stopped resisting the doctor who quickly slipped the mask over his face and checked over the various machines attached to him again, then he said some things to the nurse in rapid Italian.
She translated for Wolf "He insist on you being here so we won't argue but see to it that he does not remove that mask and that you keep his talking to none. If he has another fit like that, he could kill himself. Do you understand?" Wolf nodded while he worriedly looked at the tired, broken child lying there with half-lidded eyes.
After the two left, Wolf sat down at the edge of Alex's bed and looked at him for a moment.
Alex tiredly opened his eyes slightly and smiled sadly. "Not going to live am I?" he said sleepily
"Shhh, the doctors say you won't if you throw another tantrum like that but if you cooperate you will."
The only sound in the room for a few moments was the soft sound of Alex's wheezing subsiding. "I was shouting because I found out something." He wanted to tell Wolf about it but he knew he wasn't to talk so he was trying to get Wolf to ask about it.
"You're not going to catch me helping you hurt yourself."
"Blunt used us."
Silence
"You too."
Alex decided that Wolf's silence was an encouragement so he continued.
"Alan Blunt rigged the contest so that Jack would win because he wanted us to go to France. He knew Scorpia was doing something up here so he sent me like the naïve fool I am, to act as bait to draw them out. If I died in the process, it would have been an annoying but anticipated consequence. No pain, no gain right?" He coughed for a few seconds but forced it away and continued despite Wolf's warnings to rest.
"No I need to get this out even if you're not listening."
"I am listening Alex but you're agitating yourself to much."
Alex ignored him and went on.
"And then Mrs. Jones has the nerve to talk of a medal, for what? It's just not fair, why do I have to be abused so much? Don't I have rights too? Is it impossible for them to treat me like a normal operative?" As the previously suppressed cough claimed his voice again, Wolf tried to find something to say to ease his frustration. But, the coughs deepened and Wolf realized that Alex had bigger problems just now. While the coughs mercilessly racking his body, Alex tore the oxygen mask away from his face despite the great pain it caused his shoulder because the fact of the matter was he couldn't breath and as the coughing continued he grew desperate for a breath of air. Wolf slammed his hand down on the button used to summon a nurse and then watched in horror as Alex began to go blue in the face from lack of oxygen.
As it was becoming clear that no one was coming, Wolf took the initiative. He placed one arm firmly around Alex's bandaged back and then, reluctantly struck his chest at the point where his windpipe divides into the two bronchi, with painful but necessary force. The coughing subsided and he was suddenly able to breathe again, which he did in great earnest. However, the well-meant yet still cruel blow to his chest aggravated his wounds horridly and tears of pain and frustration stung his eyes.
He tried to turn away so Wolf wouldn't see them and think him pathetic or childish, but Wolf held his arm and pulled him into a brief but fatherly hug.
"It's okay Alex. Just let it go. Crying doesn't make a man weak, but it makes you human. Don't keep up the stress." he said as he gave him a reassuring pat on the back and released him.
Alex looked at Wolf for a moment and then he smiled, "Thanks Andros."
Wolf nodded, glad to see him better as he began to fall off to sleep. A few minutes later, the door slowly opened and Jack and Santiago walked in.
When she saw the tear streaks on Alex's face and the hard look on Wolf's own, she panicked.
"What happened?! Is he alright?" she looked at Wolf accusingly "What happened?" she demanded.
"Will you cool it Jack? I didn't do anything to him if that's what you think. He found out some things and they upset him."
Jack set the bags she'd brought with some stuff for Alex, down in the corner and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "What things?"
"That MI6 essentially used both of you to get him on this mission."
"What?!"
"What do you mean?" Santiago asked from his spot in the other chair.
"What I mean is that they knew Jack would have persuaded him to go on a vacation if she won the sweepstakes, so they made sure she did."
"But why would they want us to go?"
"So they could use Alex as bait to lure Scorpia into a trap with a chance at revenge. Then Alex would signal them and MI6 would take over yet Scorpia almost succeeded didn't they? I'm assuming that they expected him to die but he proved them wrong again."
Jack was in dismay. She sat stroking Alex's hand, tears filling her eyes.
"So if I'd just listened to him when he'd said it could be a trap, then he would have been okay right now?" she asked sadly
"I'm not saying this is your fault Jack. MI6 could have full well found a different way to get to him. I'm just saying, they are using every connection Alex has to the outside world to exploit his talents and we need to put a stop to it." the other two nodded and silence fell over the room until Santiago broke it.
"Aww, shit, C'mon bro we've got a plane to catch in a little over an hour." He walked over to Alex and ruffled his hair. "Take care of him Jack; no child deserves to be treated like that."
"I will." She said
"C'mon Andros."
Wolf looked at Alex once more before he turned to Jack; "When he wakes up, tell him I'll see him soon."
Jack nodded barely noticing as they left, as she was lost in thought about what to do.
On the plane back to London, Santiago noticed that Wolf was rather withdrawn. He seemed to be lost in thought and he wondered if it had to do with Alex.
"You okay Andros?"
"Yeah, I'm just thinking."
"It's about Alex isn't it?"
"Not so much about Alex in specific but what they did to him actually."
"I know, it's monstrous."
"It's worse than that. He's recovering from a bullet wound to the chest he got last month doing more of this crap and they disregarded that completely. That's why he was to go on this so called vacation in the first place, but it was all a trick. A plan to use him to the fullest."
Santiago was speechless for a moment, but only a moment.
"So how come this is happening to him in specific?"
"Well apparently this line of work runs in the family, but the family is gone now, so he's basically on his own. They bribe him with deporting Jack and sending him to an unpleasant boarding school if he resist, so he doesn't have much of a choice."
Santiago laughed harshly "This is outrageous." a thought suddenly struck him and he asked seriously. "You don't think he's making it up do you."
"No. I've considered that but I saw and heard the evidence for myself."
"We need to put a stop to this then."
"Yes, which is why as soon as we get back into London I'm going to have a talk with them."
"As soon as you rest off a bit, yes." Santiago partially agreed
For the duration of the conversation they'd been talking in low voices to avoid other passengers hearing, but now Wolf spoke clearly when he said; "No Santiago, on our way back from the airport, I'm going to stop and
have a unpleasant talk with them." he waited for Santiago to try and dissuade him again but he didn't.
"You're right, as long as we do land in the afternoon as planned, we'll talk right away." he said.
Wolf nodded approvingly and they went back to their respective activities.
Four hours later Wolf was sitting in Mr. Blunt's office, Jones and Blunt before him, but Santiago had been detained for another team needed elsewhere. So the brothers were parting again for the meantime.
"Well I'm glad to see you're alright Mr. Mendoza and congratulations on a job well done. Is Alex alright?" Mr. Jones said by way of a greeting.
"No he's not." Wolf answered coldly ignoring her congratulatory remarks.
"I hope you haven't come here to blame us for what happened to him." Blunt interjected noticing his expression and tone.
"That's exactly what I'm doing."
"We hardly did anything. Alex wasn't forced in anyway. Ms. Starbright didn't have to go and enter that sweepstakes in the first place neither did Alex have to go. Second, we did not lie when we said Scorpia wasn't in the area nor was the contest rigged by them. We actually sent you to protect him as a precaution. If you couldn't do that then don't blame us for your short comings." Blunt heartlessly explained.
If it weren't for the cast on his right arm, Wolf would have grabbed Alan Blunt by the front of his gray jacket and hauled him across his big expensive desk. As it was he still stood up abruptly and raised his voice.
"I am not going to stand hear and have you tell me that Alex brought this on himself or because you sure as Hell didn't give him free choice in this whole damn mess."
"Andros calm down please." Mrs. Jones entreated him and suddenly he remembered Alex yelling back when she had asked him to be civil, and he knew exactly how he'd felt.
He completely ignored her and continued.
"Let me ask you, did you or did you not use Alex to get the job done?"
"To see an opportunity and willingly let it pass is foolish and there is no place for foolishness in what I do."
"So tell me, if Alex had used his free choice as you say. Would the mission have gone so well?"
No answer
"You relied heavily on him yet you say he had free choice. What if he'd used it? That seems pretty foolish to me."
What's your point?" Blunt asked testily
"If you're going to have him work for you, then do it the right way. He's a child, he has to go school, consider that. Moreover, I don't think it would kill you to pay him for what he does either. Neither is it any harder to give him the down time he needs after he's been hurt on one of his missions."
"There is hardly any need to pay him, what would a fourteen year-old boy do with that much money? Spend it on cell phones and video games?" Mr. Blunt asked in a disgusted tone.
"He doesn't have time for that," Wolf answered in an equally disgusted voice "plus it would serve as a better means of recruiting him than bribing him with the deportation of his guardian."
Ignoring that Blunt continued "Besides if the need arises we have to use him again. I don't like admitting it but he is becoming our most effective operative. If we need him were going to use him." He said in a dismissing tone.
"When the wrong people know something, it can cause a lot of problems for others right Mr. Blunt?" Wolf asked deviously.
A look of contempt shadowed Blunts's face as he realized exactly what Wolf intended to do if his demands were not carried out.
"Do mean to blackmailing us into doing what you say Wolf?" Mrs. Jones asked disapprovingly
"Maybe." He answered sitting back in his seat
After a long pause
"Your request will be considered Mr. Mendoza." Mrs. Jones informed tersely him "You may leave now."
"Have a nice day." he said sarcastically as he left. He knew they would do as he said for fear of him speaking unless they planned to kill him and he wasn't exactly disposable yet.
"Here you go Alex, home sweet home." Jack said as she helped him into the sofa in the sitting room a week later and gave him the remote so he could watch television if he liked. But he said "Thanks Jack, but I don't really feel for any television right now. I'd rather just think."
"That's fine Alex. What ever you like, just relax and let me take care of you."
Alex shifted careful not to agitate his shoulders that were still VERY sore, and smiled "You don't have to feel guilty Jack. We were used and there isn't really anything any of us could do about it. You don't have to try to make up for it. You're great as you are."
"I know I couldn't have stopped it Alex but I still feel badly and would like to make it up if you don't mind, so tell me what would you like to eat?"
"Well, if you put it that way Jack, knock your self out. For some reason I feel for cake right now."
"Cake it is." She headed towards the kitchen to start. "Oh and Tom called, he wanted to know if he could come see you this evening."
"Sure, I'd like to see someone from the normal world for a change."
Later on, Jack and Alex sat eating chocolate cake that wasn't bad for a first time when the bell rang. Jack got up to open it and a moment later came back with Tom in tow.
"Well I'll leave you boys to your talk for now." She said as she cleared away the dishes.
"So I see you got busted again, latest mission?" Tom asked as he sat down at the other end of the sofa careful not to sit on Alex's foot. "I've never seen you this hurt before though, must have been really bad."
"Yeah, but I hardly did anything at all, if it weren't for Wolf I would have been dead now."
"You mean that guy from the SAS who hated you?"
"Yeah, but he doesn't hate me anymore, I don't think. Cause he said when he got some time off, we could maybe hang out."
"Cool. But does SAS get time off? I mean they're busy protecting the country and all?"
"Of course they get time off. When they shift the people around, some come on duty and some come off." Alex informed him mildly condescendingly.
"Oh yes right." After a brief pause he asked "So if you hardly did anything, how come you're so busted up?"
Alex grew serious at the mention of his injuries.
"I got tortured." He said grimly
Tom was incredulous. "You got tortured? By who?"
"The same people, Scorpia, who I was with in Venice.
"Wow, so do you mind talking about it or are you okay now?"
"I guess its better that I talk about it right?"
"I suppose. So what happened to your face, it looks like you ran into a butchery with your eyes closed and it sounds like your jaw is busted. "
"It is, Scorpia got one of their men called Dr. Three- he's an expert on pain and torture- to kill me. Since they were all pissed that I stopped there last plan, they had him bring in his torture equipment to take me out painfully. He said I would fight for the kind of death I would have; either have him torture me to death or have this other guy kill me in another God forsaken way."
"Gee-whiz Alex, are you sure you don't mind talking about it?"
"If I don't then I'm going to keep having nightmares about it for a long time, its best I get it over with."
"Alright go ahead."
"Anyhow the first thing he got was this mechanical spider thing with razor blades for legs. It got me in the face and I had to tear it off to get free. Jack said I had to get massive plastic surgery to fix it."
"What else could you have endured?" Tom asked in awe.
"Now that I think about it, I don't see how come I'm not dead, but after the spider thing was off, he threw this coil of some kind of spring loaded wire at me. It didn't hit me but when it hit the ground it sort of flew open so it slashed me up on my right thigh real bad. The doctors say if I ever want to be able to use it fully again I have to stay off of it for a week and then have intense PT to strengthen it and that still that wasn't the most painful thing."
"You're giving me nightmares and I wasn't even there. Then, through all this, where was the SAS guy?"
"His code name is Wolf and-"
"Do you know what his real name is?"
"Yeah but I'm not telling you."
"Oh alright, so where was he?"
"Well, first when we got captured he was shot in the leg and then they must have given him something to knock him out cause when I came around he was out, but either way he was tied up in the corner of the room with some of the same wire that Dr. Three cut me with."
"I bet you thought you were done for."
"Yeah. After that he kicked me in my chest right on the bullet wound from last time. Now that really hurt but it still wasn't the worst. I only got to hit him once after that when I tripped him so he broke his nose on the floor."
"Good!" Tom exclaimed
"But then he broke my jaw with a round house kick. By now Wolf was trying to get free despite the detriment to his wrist but it wasn't working. I realized that I should at least let him know that MI6 was on the way because I'd signaled them back we had been captured."
"Using one of your gadgets?"
"You could say that. Now the thing is I couldn't full well let the bad guys hear that back was on the way so, I had to get to Wolf to say it and Dr. Three wouldn't have that. Just so I couldn't get there, he cut up my back with some kind of super sharp knife and then he yanked my left shoulder out of socket. But since I kept on going-"
"You kept on going?" Tom's mouth was actually hanging open
"I had to. Since I kept going he had the guard stationed right behind Wolf, try to move him away so I wouldn't get any closer, but
Wolf took advantage of it and knock the guy clean across the room in to a wall."
"Dr. Three?" Tom asked hopefully
"No not him yet, the guard. But with the guard out the way he got mad. I couldn't really hear much any more 'cause all the pain was clouding my mind but I know Wolf did something that got him really mad cause he said something to him and then he slowly pulled my other shoulder out of socket."
"That's what hurt the most wasn't it?" Tom asked sympathetically
"Yeah I passed out then only to be awakened again by an injection."
Unbeknownst to the boys, Jack had been standing there for a while listening to what she knew Alex would never willingly tell her and the tears just came. She would never have imagined that he had been through so much; it was unthinkable. But she had learned her lesson thoroughly; never trust MI6 again.
"Then what happened? Did you get to tell Wolf about the back up?" Tom asked earnestly but Alex wasn't listening.
"I think he was actually crying." He mumbled thoughtfully "I know I felt tears and they weren't mine." A kind of frightened pained looked came over his face as relived the moment when he had lost all hope. It was a moment that would haunt him for some time.
"You okay Alex?"
A second later Alex seemed to remember where he was and his face cleared. "Did you say something mate?"
"I was wondering if you were okay. You kind of zoned out."
"I was thinking about something." he said vaguely
"Well did you ever get to give Wolf the message?"
"Yeah, I think Three must have left for something and then I told him and helped get his hands free, but I don't remember anything after that till I woke up in the hospital." It was clear that he didn't want to talk about it anymore so Tom let up.
"Wow, you really are something Alex I bet no one over at MI6 could ever say they endured anything like that. You should consider yourself a hero. Jack told me that there were a bunch of bombs that were to go off at some embassies but you and Wolf stopped it. That's a pretty impressive record."
"Thanks Tom, it's the reason why I told you about everything and no one else really; you always seem to understand."
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes until the phone rang and Alex yawned. "It's late I better get going."
"How are things with your parents?"
"As bad as ever. I usually sneak in through the back door and then they never notice I was gone. Only if I get back so late that they lock up for the night does it become a problem."
Alex nodded understandingly.
"Alex, it's for you." Jack said as she came over to hand him the portable phone.
"I'll see you around Tom."
"Yeah, see yuh."
Jack had a funny smile on her face when she gave him the phone like it was a joke but he took it anyway.
"Hello?"
"How's it going Cub?" a familiar voice answered.
"Wolf!"
"The one and only."
"I didn't expect you to call."
"Surprises generally work that way." Wolf laughed "So how are you?"
"I'm basically okay. Bored but okay. How are you, working again?"
"I'm fine, and no I'm not actually on active duty but I do have some work to do."
"Sounds like more fun that what I'm doing. Resting."
"Take it easy Alex, you need that rest."
"I know."
"Look I don't have long to stay on the phone but I just wanted to tell you; I spoke to your employers and you should expect to see a check in the mail in a couple days and a definite change in attitude from them."
"Really? You're the best, I never thought there was anyone who could stand up to them and get anything done. Are you sure they mean what they say?"
"Believe me I'm sure." Wolf laughed. Alex's earlier comment was not lost on him either. It was a kind of exalting feeling when you could make a child happy and get his gratitude in return.
"Thanks a bunch, I wonder how much I made over the past few months."
"A lot, just don't waste it okay? You want some left to do important things you know. Any way I'll see around, probably when you're well enough to travel. Take care of yourself. Bye."
"You to." Alex hung up the phone feeling different. He felt good and he had some things to look forward to. Life wasn't all bad.
Chapter 6
Jack opened the door to admit them. What Alex saw was a tired, pale, but pleased looking Wolf in a wheelchair being pushed by some one who definitely looked like a older version of him but with forest green eyes instead of hazel who was undoubtedly Santiago. "Well if it isn't the great Alex Rider. I for one am glad to see your okay little buddy and I haven't even met you before; you must have that effect on people." Santiago said causing Alex to smiled. Santiago spoke with a strong but passive voice not unlike Wolf's when he wasn't barking at someone. He parked Wolf close to the bed facing Alex and pulled up a chair next to him.
"Nice to meet you too," Alex answered "Santiago right?"
"You got it. How you feeling?"
"Well let's see, I've definitely felt better, but considering that not too long ago death would have felt WAY better, then I'm gonna say, I feel comparatively good." Santiago nodded amusedly. "Wolf on the other hand looked slightly guilty. "Um Alex… about what happened," Alex turned his bandaged face to look at him more directly. "Yeah I've something to say too."
Wolf shook his head "No, I'm older."
"Okay."
"When you started feeling sick, I…I should of called MI6 right away instead of getting you something to eat first , because" Wolf obviously felt as though by carelessness or thoughtlessness, he were somehow responsible for what happened. With his head held down that way, he really looked the picture of guilt. Alex was about to put an end to that, when Jack interjected. "About that poison Alex, the doctors said it was absorbed though the skin."
"The shower water." Wolf and Alex exclaimed in unison. Jack nodded and continued "If the water hadn't suddenly gone boiling on you as Wolf told me it did, then you'd have been out a lot sooner."
"So that's why.' Alex said thoughtfully "Should have guessed. Anyhow Wolf, about what you said." here his voice took on considerable force but, he overall spoke much more slowly than normal "I can't believe you think this is your fault! Who do you think you are superman? You did everything possible to avoid a disaster which you did."
"But I did not avoid a disaster Alex. Do you really think being tortured to within an inch of death isn't a disaster? Simply thinking things through would have prevented that Alex."
"What makes you think that Wolf? You heard Jack; I'd been doped for the taking since we left the building, not to mention followed, it was only a matter of time before I was out cold so they could take me easy, but they wouldn't have hesitated had they realized that we were calling in help. That concierge guy wasn't the only tail we had you know, but the others weren't a threat yet so I left them. But had they noticed you attempting to bring in reinforcements they'd have struck sooner instead." Here he had to slow down and talk more quietly and lie down; the screaming he'd done from the torture had weakened his throat considerably and shouting wasn't helping; besides prolonged sessions of forceful talking really do damage to an already busted jaw and his back was really starting to hurt.
"All I'm trying to say Wolf is that you did the best you could and I'm alive because of that, and I don't think I'm going to miss Dr. Three that much either, so stop beating yourself up, there aren't many people who could do much better." Before Wolf could get to object, Santiago stepped in "You should listen to him Andros, it's true, you did great and I for one am proud of it even if you aren't. You should have seen him Alex; he really cares about you more than he's willing to say to your face." Alex look at Wolf for a second "I know."
"You don't take off peoples limbs bare handedly while you've got a bullet in your leg, bleeding wrists and a broken arm if you don't care about the person you're doing it for, do you Andros?" Alex looked at Wolf with something close to awe. "Explain." he said after a moment. "Well, basically killed the Australian man."
"By tearing off his right shoulder." Santiago put in. Alex stared at a defiant Wolf. "And he deserved nothing less; you don't stand there and tell me that a kid deserves to be hacked to death or else you suffer big time. Besides he really killed himself with that pinky finger thing."
"Andros is really a formidable person if he happens to lose his temper; you don't want to be on the wrong end of it." Alex nodded
"And then Tiago killed the one-eyed man"
"You mean Levi Kroll?"
"Yep. Shot him right in the balls deliberately." Wolf grinned at his big brother mischievously.
"Well you don't expect me to have some one messing with my baby brother and all they get is a scolding do yuh?"
"I'm NOT your BABY brother man! I'm almost thirty years old for goodness sake can't it just be younger brother." Santiago simply shook his head.
"What about the black, Japanese looking man?" Alex asked eagerly.
Wolf shrugged "I don't know if he was in the building too, but come to think of it I did see some unknown body parts flying when the whole place blew so maybe."
Jack shuddered in her seat at the thought.
"So you see Wolf, you did even better than I thought. You got some nerve saying this is your fault. I don't ever want to hear you say that again; don't you see that you're a hero today? That's usually my role but I don't mind handing it over to you for a day." Wolf smiled but shook his head. "You wouldn't understand unless you knew what happened back when I was a child, then you'd see why I have to be so hard on myself." The brothers' faces took on a hard look following that statement; obviously it was not a nice story.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked quietly
Wolf sighed and began the narrative of a long sad story.
"I use to have another brother." he smiled sadly "Little Rai was about your age maybe a little older when he died." Alex noticed that Wolf refused to lift his and instead seemed fascinated in his hand, Alex had the distinct notion that he was crying and it shocked him. However Wolf's voice remained steady and clear. "But because of my carelessness, he died he was my best bud but I killed him."
"See now, this is where I have to take over. How many times do I have to tell you bro; it wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done." Alex was surprised by the force in Santiago's voice, he actually sounded angry. Wolf shook his still bowed head. "You just don't understand."
"NO! You don't understand. Look Alex; don't listen to him, that's what our parents ground into his head, what they wanted him to believe and its bullshit. This is what happened; back when I was still in university and Wolf and Rai were just teenagers; just 16 and 15 respectively, I'd come home for a week visit. I'd just come in that Saturday and right after greetings and stuff, Andros and Rai told me they were off to go hunting up at Bull Hole, as they used to call the forest higher up on the hill. I offered to carry them but Mom parents said no, rest from the flight over. She said that Mikey, a sort of friend of ours, was carrying them anyway. I should have insisted, since I knew that Mikey wasn't what you could call a reliable fellow, he was often drunk, but dad said he would check him personally before they left so I didn't.
Should have known better, he didn't even go see them off, just let them go out the door with a death trap." Wolf took over from Santiago and continued the narrative.
"On our way there, I noticed something wrong. The guy was just too bubbly to be sober but I didn't ask or make him pull over and we get although we could still have walked home. Nope all I said was slow down, but he didn't.
Now, we lived high up on this cliff with the forest behind us and there were a lot of those narrow, winding roads thousands of feet up that are deadly if you don't take them slowly which is exactly what Mikey didn't do. I remember Rai asking me if he didn't seem a little off his rocker and I tried to force him to slow down, but he didn't listen instead he turned around to sneer at me and went straight off the road.
He wasn't wearing a seat belt so he went straight out the window first thing. Then the car with us bumbling in it got caught by its rear axle on a outcrop of the cliff face and stopped, but if we didn't get out fast it would fall the rest of the way with us. We unbuckled and I made Rai grab me around the waist, then I climbed out the rear windshield. I'd just grabbed on to the ledge as the thing fell and I had Rai climb over me and get up there first. But apparently it wasn't stable because before I could start to pull myself up, the spot were he was kneeling just crumbled and fell away from underneath him. I just managed to catch his hand before he fell past me, but it was no use." Wolf lifted his head and Alex could just make out one tear of utter frustration at the way how he had not prevent the death of his brother on his cheek. "From the way I'd caught him there wasn't much to hold on to but I did my best. We hung for about 15 minutes like that waiting for someone to come but I doubted it. No one could have known that we were hanging off a crumbling ledge waiting to fall to our deaths."
"But I did." Santiago spoke now. "I'd been lying down on my bed thinking, trying to shake this feeling of doomed that had settled on me the moment they went through the door. But it only got stronger as the time past, until
I couldn't ignore it anymore, so I jumped up, grabbed my keys and left. A few minutes later I was at the sight of the crash feeling worse as the moments passed and when I looked over the edge I saw them my heart stopped for a good few seconds. I quick time got some chain out of my SUV that I used to tow friends' cars and laid down over the edge to pull them up."
"But it wasn't to be" Wolf continued "when I tried to lift Rai above me to reach the chain he started to grip my hand more tightly but instead he slipped from my grasp and fell. Fell the hundred and ninety-eight to the bottom."
"And after a second so did you. You know Andros, to this day I still don't know whether you fell or you let go."
"I let go." Wolf answered honestly
Santiago shook his head sadly and looked his brother in the eye for a few moments, then he continued "when we finally got to them at the bottom, Rai was dead, totally broken, there was no hope whatsoever for him, and Andros; he was so broken I was sure he would never walk again, with a broken back, badly fractured skull and just about every other bone in his body broken too. But he was still alive; unlike Little Rai, he had survived the fall. I don't know what I would have done if both of them had gone, but in the following months I felt like I had lost him too. The doctors did everything they could but despite it all he slipped into a deep coma for two months. To make matters worse our parents took Rai's death hard. Really hard, and they took it out on Andros.
Raimundo had been their favorite son and Andros the unloved one. Yeah, they made sure he had everything he needed and all but for no apparent reason they never liked him. Any extra affection going around or gifts time, birthdays; he'd be left out or giving some cheap little thing on account of him forgetting to do something or some other trivial offense. While Rai and I could get away with virtually anything, but what ever it was that we got we'd share it with him, especially Rai he was such a sweet kid." His face suddenly got stony and when he spoke his voice was angry "But when he survived and Rai didn't, they took it too far. They hardly came around when he was in coma and by the end of two months when he still proved unresponsive; they were ready to pull the plug. One day I was sitting there talking to you Andros like I always did; telling you all sorts of stories, when they just came in there with the doctors ready to do it. No consulting the big brother my opinion didn't matter I suppose or rather they already knew were I stood on the matter so they just ignored it, but I made them see other wise.
Flashback
"Santiago it's been long enough, we can't keep him any longer. The doctors say it is unlikely that he will ever wake so we must move on." "Listen to your self you selfish old hag, why? Why is it too late? Two months is two long to wait for the child to wake up? Why don't you just say it to my face; you hate him. You can't stand the fact that he lived while Raimundo died. You'd love to just let him go to satisfy your own wicked selfishness. Well let me tell you something; You may hate him and want to see him permanently snuffed out of you life just like poor Rai, but he would not have wanted to see his big brother deprived of a chance at life by his PARENTS! And neither do I. He's MY BROTHER, you hear me? My BROTHER! And gonna stand by him like a brother should and you're not coming anywhere near him. You understand? And when he wakes up he'll know that you wanted to kill him. Just kill him, like the murderous beast you are. Get out; just get OUT before I lose my self control."
End of Flashback
"The next day he woke up. The doctors said it was nothing short of a miracle and I know I cried like a little girl that day but I had him back; Rai was gone for ever, but Andros would live on I had a reason to live. It took him two years to heal. He had to relearn how to walk and dress and feed himself and everything else for that matter. But he was young and fit so he made it and despite everything they did, he went back home to stay with mom and dad until twenty-one to help them out and finish his education. But they just couldn't live with fact that he was there, alive and doing well. So they let him know it. They wouldn't stop pounding it into his head that it was his fault that Rai had to die that day. That if he'd been a lot more responsible, a lot more assertive and a much more self-less person, and let me assure that he is all of those things and more, then Rai wouldn't have die. And now he still believes it." He glanced at Wolf but his brother didn't interrupt. "Then one day I got a message on my answering machine. I still remember the whole thing word for word." His voice took on a theatrical quality as he articulated the message from years back.
"Hey Tiago, it's me. I was just calling to say I'm gone. I'm taking off to see what I can do with myself in the world. I know it was my irresponsibility that got Raimundo killed and I'm trying to atone for it, but Mom and Dad don't want to see or hear any of that. Today Dad lit in on me with the baseball bat because 'I am boasting the same selfish traits that got Rai killed.' I'm not trying to shunt the blame away from myself, but I know that I am not half the monster they make me out to be. So since they've made it clear they don't want me around, then I'll be on my way. See you around big bro."
As Santiago finished, Wolf smiled "You make a good imitation of an eighteen year old me." he said
Santiago laughed. "Well what do you expect, we are related you know."
"That's when thing got good." Wolf took over "Apparently Santiago heard my message sooner than I thought, cause he called me on my cell and begged me to wait for him to come get me which would be a few hours at best. But I did and when he got there, in the night, he suggested I come with him and join the military and he'd look out for me until I could get going on my own two feet. From then on, in all honesty life's been good; I always had this tendency to jump at the chance to do anything challenging including joining the SAS and I've just completed my 12 month probation. To tell you the truth this capture is something of a humiliation compared to what I've been trained for but I'll live it down." he paused to pull run his hand through his hair and then continued. "The fact of the matter is; you reminder of my little brother and I have no intention of being responsible for the death of another young child with a promising future again," he gave Santiago a look that warned him not to interrupt "understand? And the next thing is; you remind me of Raimundo a lot. Sure you can be an annoying little brat when you want to be, but despite my earlier inclinations, I've come to like having you around. So when that #$ half-beast attacked you, it wasn't the instinct of a trained bodyguard that took over, but more that of a brother, understand what I'm saying?" Alex nodded with a genuinely pleased smile on his face. He had earned Wolf's respect; and he was one of the few people Alex admired and respected.
"Thanks Wolf, that means a lot. Cause you see as of earlier this week, there were four people in the world who are alive that actually cared about me as a person, meaning my wellbeing not usefulness, but now I could say that there's five; You, Santiago, Jack, Sabina, Tom and Jerry."
"Tom and Jerry?"
"Tom's a friend from school and his big brother's name is Jerry, they often fuss about how screwed up their parents had to be to call them that." He was about to shrug but remembered his shoulders which strangely he still couldn't feel or move.
Santiago nodded in agreement. "I thought something was really wrong with you there saying that Tom and Jerry care about your wellbeing."
Alex would have laughed if it weren't for his aching chest. He smiled instead but it was broken by a face splitting yawn that left him wincing in pain from how wide his mouth opened.
Jack took over seeing how tired he must be and started to shoo them out of the room. "Okay you guys we've kept the poor child awake long enough." This was proved true when Alex was noted to be valiantly fighting exhaustion to say something else before he fell into dreamland. "What is it Alex?" Jack had to go up to his mouth to hear him since he could barely keep up a whisper.
"Wolf, he wants you."
Santiago pushed him back over to the bed and he leaned closer to hear; "When we're better, and you're not busy, do you… do you think we could get together sometime for … some sports or something?" His eyes were closed so Wolf couldn't read them but he could hear the eagerness in his voice. "I don't see why not, but how come you had to ask now?"
"Better to dream about than MI6 and missions."
Wolf smiled and ruffled Alex hair with his good hand. " I see, Well I think I might actually like that idea. Get some rest and we'll see."
Jack ushered them out of the room while Alex finally fell off to sleep with a rare smile on his face.
continue