Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. And this is the re-uploaded prologue. Enjoy.

Prologue

His arms burned and his shoulders felt as if they were going to dislocate at any moment. If he let go he would fall and die. The crocodiles snapped up at him, their sharp teeth glistening in the sunlight as if from some suspense movie, and it only made him more determined to keep his grip on the metal bar above his head, but there was only so long that his body would comply. The mad man stood on the platform above, laughing down at his helpless form.

His fingers were slipping! The sweat from the heat of the jungle made it hard to keep hold of bar, no matter how hard he wanted too.

"Aaggh…" He cried out as his fingers slipped, and he fell the 400 feet to the pit below. The crocodiles seemed to be smiling as he drew closer and closer, the mad man's laughter ringing in his ears…

Alex bolted up right, a cold sweat soaking his pajamas. He gasped for air, trying to calm himself before the panic attack could fully set in. He silently slipped out of his bed and to the small porch of the hut.

The cold air washed over him like a blanket, and his fatigue came back times ten. He slid down the outside wall, sitting on the damp wood beneath him. It had rained the day before and Alex wouldn't be surprised if it rained again today, the dark clouds were already rolling in.

The small burning in the back of his eyes warned him of the brimming tears. Bringing his knees up to his chest, he wrapped his arms around his legs, resting his forehead on his knees. He let the tears fall and soon he was shaking, keeping the sobs that wanted to voice themselves silent. All the pent up emotions slowly washing over him, much like the waves of the ocean washed over the sand on a beach. Slowly, but none too gently, taking pieces of the beach with them as they left, just like the missions took pieces of Alex.

Jack had died, and there no one left to hand him off to. He had been sent back to Brecon Beacons. K-Unit still liked to make his life hell, and Fox was no longer there. Bear had taken Ben's place in K-Unit, and while he may have been silent toward Alex, he was just as harsh.

Alex's vivid nightmares would wake him late at night, and it was almost impossible to go back to sleep afterwards. His bullet scar still pained him, especially after exerting himself for long periods of time, which was almost impossible to avoid. He refused to take the pain medication, no one in K-Unit even knew he had it, and that's how he wanted to keep it. Alex knew that he wouldn't have the meds with him out in the field, so he taught himself how to deal with the pain without them. He had nothing and no one. He was alone, at MI6's mercy.

It started to rain as the early hours of the morning crept into camp. He sat alone on the porch, lost in the abyss of his mind as others slept peacefully around him. He allowed the freezing drops to splatter across his clothes, dampening his hair, washing away his thoughts, until his mind was empty and he was numb. He had always found the rain helpful.

By the time he returned to the dry inside of K-Units bunk he was soaked and it was almost time for breakfast. He quickly changed into his day uniform, towel drying his hair.

2 minutes after he finished changing, Bear woke, the rest of the unit following suit. They dressed and it was relatively quiet, like most mornings. Wolf, Bear, and Snake wouldn't function until they had coffee in their system. Eagle was like a young child in the morning, complaining when Snake woke him, but after breakfast he was usually alert and as happy as a SAS solider could get it.

Alex sat on his bed watching everyone run about getting ready for yet another day in the rain.

Soon they were headed to the Mess Hall, Alex trailing behind, while K-Unit talked about something that Alex didn't particularly care about, a usual morning.

They got the breakfast mush and sat at their assigned table, K-Unit completely ignoring Alex, and instead turned to the unit beside them for some friendly chatter. Alex took a couple of bites before throwing out the mush, as usual, before heading outside, and as usual, no one cared.

But today something unusual was going to happen. The normal routine that had been built in the last few months was going to be shattered. The walls Alex had built around him as he came to see this horrid place as his new home would be torn down. And nothing would be the same for him, or his Unit. Everything that was usual would be thrown out the window, and it was all because of one unusual teenager named Alex Rider.