This muse bit me with a vengeance some Saturdays back after watching an R flick with my mom. There was some torture, very mild- only finger breaking, but it gave me the idea for a torture fic. If you don't like torture, turn back now. The scenes are not gory because the torture is non-mutilating but it is torture none the less. The fic itself won't be long, maybe 14,000-15,000 words. This not chapter one it's a teaser to see how it will be received. If you feel like flaming I really don't care but those of you have nice reviews please do speak up. If I don't get a good response to this fic I'll just drop it. But regardless of how me saying this might make you feel, I'm really enjoying righting this even if no one else likes reading it.

About half of it is already written

Prologue

Thursday October 14 4:00 pm East African Time---Location: Bahrain

Information gathered through the investigation of three bombings in Liverpool, London and Manchester have initiated an investigation of a lead in Bahrain. Because of the nature of the zone, a combat ready espionage configuration was advised. After much disagreement, MI5 and the SAS reluctantly agreed to send K-unit in its entirety to investigate; Wolf Fox, Snake, Eagle and Cub. Alex was to portray a child witness under SAS protection en route to Jordan to testify against a fake offender with his older team members as his escort.

Now as their Envoy drove through the desert approaching the designated position to investigate, they were intercepted and violently captured by an unknown third party.

"Move! Get going."

Alex was maliciously shoved forward tumbling down a few stairs into Wolf who was just ahead of him in the steep, narrow stone stairway they we being led through. Wolf instinctively stopped to prevent Alex from falling any further. "You okay?"

"Yeah" Alex answered after a moment resuming their slow descent down into the earth. Because of the jet lag he'd been experiencing, Alex had been deeply asleep during the drive through the desert. When their-still unknown assailants- hijacked the vehicle, he had the benefit of an adrenaline burst to wake up and find out what was going on. But now that they were blindfolded and bound hands behind their backs, the lethargy was setting in again with a vengeance and he found himself struggling to stay awake.

When they finally stopped and allowed to see again, they were in a small stone room measly lit with a lone bulb swinging from a raw wire. Three men stood before them examining them with scorn.

"Where are you headed?" barked one of the men in a slight German accent. He was short and rather ugly with a crooked nose and yellow teeth.

Before Wolf could answer, Alex irritably snapped back. "You could have asked that before you dragged us down into your rat hole!"

The bigger, seemingly quieter, man promptly backhanded Alex to the unforgiving floor.

"Speak only when spoken to child."

Alex glared up at him as he wiped a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth. "You did ask something." he spat indignantly, uncharacteristically free with his tongue

Fox opened his mouth to tell Alex to cool it but thought better of it and decided he had to learn from now when to keep his mouth shut.

The man who had slapped Alex, picked him up by the collar of his shirt and shoved him into the wall behind him causing him to see exploding lights in front of his eyes.

"We didn't ask you anything because you're nothing but a child. You either learn to stay in your place or feel pain." He banged him against the wall again for emphasis. "Do I make myself clear?"

Alex closed his eyes to ease the dizziness he felt but didn't answer. The man eventually dropped him on the floor were he decided to sit for fear that he would throw up if he stood.

Crooked Nose glared at him before asking the men the question again.

"We were on our way to the airport with the kid, but I wonder what concern is that to you." Wolf answered tersely

"You don't get to make demands and expect them to be met like you're used to in America." Crooked Nose spat

"We're not from America." Eagle interjected disgustedly

"Dimwit" Alex added silently seeing that the man could have determined that from their accent.

"Whether your idea of rights is different from ours is of no interest to me." Wolf continued. "Your bullshit is getting on my nerves and if you don't have a good reason for having us here then we'll be on our way to catch our plane."

The third man, a fit medium sized build with dark hair and eyes, spoke up for the first time.

"Why didn't you speak up before we dragged you down here as you say?" he asked

"There was a friggin' gun in my face; was I supposed to tempt you to use it?" Wolf answered rapidly losing patience

"I see" the man answered. He walked over to Alex who was still sitting, pulled out a gun and cocked it at his head.

"So you will answer our questions if there is a gun in his face then?"

The members of K-unit stiffened at the sudden severity of the situation.

"Now the four of you are soldiers right?" the man asked, satisfied with their response

"Yes," Wolf answered tightly

"And why is the child with you?"

Wolf answered carefully "We are escorting him to Jordan."

The man scoffed and pulled Alex to a standing position beside him.

"Why does he need four soldiers to escort him to Jordan?"

"He is on his way to testify as a witness of a crime."

The man smirked as though he knew something and asked "And what is his name?"

Snake glanced at Wolf who shook his head.

"I said, what is his name?"

"Why do you need to know?" Wolf demanded

"You're about to ask yourself why didn't you just answer the damn question." He pressed the gun closer to Alex's head.

Wolf sighed "Michael" he answered cautiously

The man groaned and smacked Alex across the face with the butt of his gun, knocking him backwards and into Snake.

"Lie again and he'll lose his big toe. I know that his name is not Michael anything because my sources tell me that this boy," he took out a black and white photo of Alex in a suit in a upscale restaurant "is Alex Rider."

Alex glanced up at Wolf in concern who cursed under his breath.

"Now let me ask again. What are you doing in Bahrain?"

There was a long pregnant pause in which K-unit refused to answer.

"Fine, we'll find out from the boy himself, after all he's the spy." he began to lead Alex towards a very narrow dark passage way. "Blindfold them again and lead them out." he commanded

"No!" Eagle shouted as the leader was leaving with Alex "He won't know anything."

"Get Back HERE you coward!" Wolf yelled desperately wrestling against the burly man who was about to slip a black hood over his head. "You want information you have to ask us!"

The man paused and turned back to them. "You have already proven that you don't intend to answer." His moment of divided attention gave Alex a chance to strike. He had no intention of being led away into some hell hole away from his team to be interrogated by mad men. So he used the opportunity to kick the man in the knee as hard as he could and when he stumbled, he kneed him in the crotch. Then he quickly squeezed past him and back into the open room they had come from and stood between Fox and Wolf, hardly panting but definitely agitated. To put it simply, the prospect of going down that hallway alone with that man, terrified him and he decided that either K-unit came with him or else-more preferably- he didn't go at all.

The burly man tried shoving past Eagle, who had moved to stand in front of Alex, out of the way to grab Alex again while Crooked Nose aimed to shoot him in the leg but the leader came limping back into the room and signaled for them to stop.

"You all are very attached." he spat in a pained voice "Now it will cost you. ALL of you are going to regret it." he yelled "take them to a cell."

He glared at Alex menacingly as they passed. "You have no idea of the horrors that await you on the other side of that door." he hissed "When I'm through with you we will know everything you have to tell; EVERYTHING!" he screamed at their retreating backs.

There you have it a very short teaser for what is to come. Please let me know what you think. I know it's not much to judge from but it's the start.

On another thought it just occurred to me to promote the fic rating forum that I started some months ago. Since then we have grown and our archive of rated fics is growing as well, but no one seems to be using it. Perhaps you could drop by and drop a line about its outcome.

Thanks