Story Notes:

I am insanely excited to be posting this. Not because it's amazing and wonderful and epic and great, but because it's *finished* & also because I managed to make it all work out exactly as I'd hoped/planned. This is the final part of the Blood & Fire arc and start a few weeks after the end of You Can Run but You Can't Hide. The entire arc now clocks it at about 80,000 words ... Alex is my muse!

Posting will occur across the space of three weeks, that's approximately one chapter every 48 hours -- encouragement and chitchat is always welcome and will make this author very happy!

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Title: The Abyss of Revenge
Author: Anne Phoenix
Rating: R
Summary: Final part in the Blood & Fire arc. Having once again escaped Scorpia, Alex finds himself in a different sort of trouble. But if Alex is going down, he's taking everyone with him.
Warnings: Violence, m/m (blink and you'll miss it)
Disclaimer: Alex Rider fanfictions are based on characters and situations created and owned by Anthony Horowitz, various publishers including but not limited to Walker Books, Puffin Books, Entertainment Film Distributors (UK), and MGM/The Weinstein Company (USA). No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. All non-original characters and locations are used in a non-commercial, transformative manner and fall squarely within the Fair Use exception to the exclusive rights of the copyright owner.
Author's notes: Many thanks to hpstrangelove for beta reading!

The Abyss of Revenge
Chapter 1

Alex stared at the grey steel door. It had been about ten minutes since his physiotherapist had left the room. Cell. Which meant Alex had approximately another fifteen minutes until that idiot psychologist, Dr Berford, would knock theatrically before inviting himself in.

The physiotherapist, Steve, was okay. He didn't seem to have anything against Alex per se, and treated him as well as could be expected given the circumstances. Steve was clearly used to working with training injuries rather than field injuries, and he'd been surprised by the extent of the clearly intentionally inflicted damage sustained by Alex's knee. Alex had had to undergo surgery again, and he knew he was lucky to be walking without a limp. Age was on his side, Steve kept reminding him as he manipulated his leg and helped him strengthen the damaged tissue. Somehow, everything in Alex's life always came back to age.

Dr Berford, on the other hand, was an idiot.

Alex had already decided that Dr Berford wasn't actually a real psychologist, but rather some kind of psycho-tormentor employed by MI6 to get into Alex's brain and mess him up. Dr Berford seemed to think his interrogations were subtle, but they were ridiculously transparent. Sure, he went through the motions of helping Alex deal with death: Ian's death; Eagle's death; Spider's death; Alex's fear of death, or maybe Alex's lack of fear of death ... but Alex wasn't fooled. Dr Berford approached the subjects of Ian, Yassen and Scorpia too often for his visits to be innocent. That said, Alex mostly found it easy to deal with Dr Berford. He just said whatever the man wanted to hear, while never giving away anything MI6 didn't already know.

In contrast, dealing with Alan Blunt was considerably less simple. Alex had always imagined the man to be permanently stuck behind his desk, but it turned out that Blunt was not only mobile but also mentally athletic. He had personally taken over the interrogation of Alex, and continuously assaulted with never-ending strings of questions: trick questions, leading questions, accusations.

Alex tried to answer Blunt's questions as honestly as he could without incriminating himself, but he often felt as if he'd been talked into a corner. Several times he had almost lashed out in fear and anger. Blunt never seemed satisfied with any of Alex's answers. He used sneaky tactics, like using Alex's natural curiosity against him, taunting him with the potential of new information. One day Blunt had brought along the letters MI6 had confiscated after Alex's arrest.

Alex's heart had squeezed painfully as Blunt read out the words Ian had written to Yassen. "I know what it says. I've read it before," he'd interrupted, unable to hear another word, and hating himself for having been too childish to give the letter to Yassen.

"Do you know who the codename Kazak refers to?"

Alex had glared. "You know I do."

"It doesn't make Yassen Gregorovich a good person. Nor does it make Ian Rider a bad person," Blunt had started, and Alex felt now the same surge of rage he'd felt at the time. He'd screamed at Blunt, then. "I know that! Why won't you believe me? Yassen and Scorpia; they're all the same: terrorists, bastards. Yassen killed my uncle. He murdered him."

Because of you, he'd wanted to add, angry at Blunt's apparent disinterest. Alex would never be able to forget the genuine anguish in Yassen's eyes when they'd talked about Ian. Not that love made anything okay; but Yassen had saved Alex twice now, despite his true belief that Ian Rider had used and betrayed him without a second thought. And Alex had as good as confirmed that belief back in the Blackwell tunnel, just out of spite.

Blunt had always seemed to see right through Alex, for he'd smiled knowingly before putting the letter back down on the table between them. "How about the other letters?" he'd asked, looking down at the one addressed to 'Arshad Ahmedi'. And as much as he hated himself for it, Alex had felt a pique of curiosity. He hadn't had the time to even open, let alone read, the other letters during his stupid and hopeless attempt to run away from Scorpia and MI6. So he'd been genuinely curious as he'd listened to Blunt read the letter, and then felt a surge of disappointment when all it seemed to reveal was the existence of a large sum of money that Ian had promised a Scorpia informant. The tone was drastically different from that of the letters written to Alex and Yassen - cold, detached, professional.

"I've never heard of the guy," Alex had sighed. His eyes had kept creeping back to where Yassen's letter lay on the table and he'd wondered for the hundredth time since his incarceration where he'd be now if only he'd stayed with Yassen. "Nor that guy," he'd added, nodding to the letter addressed to 'Lexus'.

Blunt had smiled unpleasantly and put down the letter to the informant. "Ah yes. Lexus is a particularly interesting character, mostly because we have not been able to work out his real identity."

Alex had looked down, feigning disinterest, but inside he'd felt alert. Even the memory of it now accelerated his heart rate. He wanted to know everything there was to know about Ian Rider. So he'd listened carefully as Blunt had said: "Lexus appears to have been close to your uncle. Very close. As close, it seems, as Yassen Gregorovich." Blunt had stopped to watch Alex's reactions. "Like Yassen, Lexus is linked to Scorpia. Here," he'd handed the letter to Alex. "What do you think?"

Alex had accepted the letter with a trembling hand. He knew his uncle had been good at his job, but there seemed to be so much about Ian he didn't know. He'd started reading, ignoring the rush of sadness he felt at the sight of the familiar handwriting.

Lexus,

If you are reading this, it is likely that I am dead. Rest assured that there is no evidence of my part in your lives. I am not sure why I feel the urge to write to you, but perhaps old habits die hard. I miss you. Need closure. Perhaps one day you will be able to tell James about me. I am sure he will enjoy the story, even if he cannot remember it. I feel it's important you know that I would never have betrayed you. Regardless of where my professional loyalties lay, a part of my heart was always reserved for you. And it's for you that I will keep Chris' secret to the grave. For you and for James.

Love always,

Ian

Alex had almost forgotten how to breathe as he'd read his uncle's words. Nonsensical thoughts swam around his mind, each more confusing than the last. But he'd not been able to make head nor tail of any of it and Blunt had never brought the letters back after that day, possibly satisfied that Alex genuinely didn't know anything about their intended recipients.

Since then, Alex had had more than enough time to try to make sense of his uncle's words, but he felt like he was faced with the pieces of a giant puzzle that just didn't fit together to form a logical picture. Alex couldn't help but think that some of the missing information had to be in the final letter; the only one he hadn't been asked about, addressed to 'Christian Hale'. He couldn't stop thinking about it, trying to come up with plans to get Blunt to bring the letters back.

Alex was startled from his musings by the clank of the steel door swinging open. He sighed inwardly at the thought of another gruelling session with Dr Berford and turned to face his interrogator. But instead of the weedy figure of the psychologist, a much larger man had just stepped into the cell. He was well over six feet tall and had a huge, bulky frame. He was built like a tank and he was also very familiar to Alex.

"Snake! What are you doing here?" Alex was immediately on his guard. The last time he'd seen this man had been during their vicious fight in London. It hadn't been a fight he was winning.

"Get your stuff; you're coming with me," Snake answered, glancing around the room as though to double check they were alone. For a moment, Alex wasn't sure if he had heard correctly, but Snake's urgent expression told him it was no joke. "Seriously? Why?"

Snake shifted his weight and looked at his watch with a hurried expression. "We don't have time to discuss this, but you'd do the same for me, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have broken your knee either, so ..."

Snake flinched a little. He couldn't quite meet Alex's gaze. "I was told to bring you in, whatever the cost, Cub. You do understand that my loyalty lies foremost with my superiors?"

"What about now?"

"Now … let's just say you saved my life and I have reason to believe that yours might be in danger."

Alex remembered the gun pointing down at Snake's head, remembered calling off Yassen before he could pull the trigger. "I suppose I did save your life," he muttered. "But my life is always in danger. And ..." He hesitated, unsure whether he should mention the Scorpia tracking device or not. He still hadn't told MI6 about it. "I can't hide from Scorpia. There's not much point in me running away. It'll only get me in more trouble. They'll find me wherever I run."

Snake shook his head. "It's not Scorpia I'm worried about, Cub." He too hesitated for a moment, before suddenly blurting out: "As of today, MI6 have declared you a threat to national security. They briefed us this morning – you're officially a terrorist, and worse, they think you know more than you're saying. They want to know why Scorpia kidnapped you but then left you unharmed. The worst damage you sustained was," he looked guilty as he spoke, "your broken knee. And I did most of that. They also want to know why Yassen Gregorovich, a man that few have survived encountering, would leave a live witness to his presence in London: me."

Alex ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "That's not fair. I would never betray MI6. As for Yassen..." He stopped, confused. As for Yassen, he had no clue what was going on there. It never struck him as particularly odd that the assassin had not killed Snake. If anything, Alex had taken it for granted that Yassen would allow the SAS man to live when Alex had asked him to. It seemed to fit their pattern of interaction.

"What do they want to do with me?"

"It's like you said, Cub. Lock you up and throw away the key."

"This is not worth risking your career over," Alex insisted.

"It bloody well is!" Snake countered heatedly. A resounding knock on the door made them both freeze. As much as Alex appreciated Snake's sentiments, his help had come too late. And possibly that was a good thing. He looked up at the door, expecting Dr Berford to walk in, but Snake did not seem concerned. He nodded towards the door. "I'll brief you in the car, but for now, let's get out of here," he urged.

The door swung open then, and Alex's heart almost leapt to his throat when he saw Wolf standing in the doorway, his rifle armed and ready. Almost instinctively, Alex raised his hands, but Snake remained relaxed.

"Come on, double oh nothing, we haven't got all fucking day," Wolf hissed. Alex's eyes widened. Wolf sounded as hateful as ever, but Alex knew the man well enough to see that his anger was not directed at Alex for once.

"Why are you helping me, Wolf?"

"Don't even mention it," Wolf snapped. He looked annoyed, but there was also a glint of excitement in his expression. "And I mean that, okay? Don't fucking mention it."

Knowing he'd already wasted enough time, Alex followed Snake's lead and together they hurried out into the corridor. Alex knew the building where he'd been kept was part of a large military compound, but he hadn't realized quite how large until they reached open air. It looked like there were miles and miles of barracks ahead. Several soldiers were in sight and Alex took a step back into his prison.

"We'll never get out of here," he murmured. Every soldier here was armed … and they were all about double his size.

"Don't be daft," Wolf snapped. "Just stick with us."

With those words, Wolf strode away from the building. He walked confidently and Alex had to jog a little to keep up. Snake stayed behind them both, keeping an eye out for higher officers and nodding at fellow soldiers. Alex's heart was pounding so hard he was finding it difficult to breathe, but Wolf and Snake both looked as cool as cucumbers.

"You got babysitting duty?" a young black soldier called out, and several men laughed in response. Wolf scowled. "Want to swap places?"

The soldier shook his head and laughed again. "Not bloody likely. Don't do kids, me."

Alex heard them sniggering and then they had left the group behind. He hardly dared to hope that Wolf and Snake's simple plan might work – how would they get him past the main gates? If Blunt or Jones realized he was gone, then they'd shut down the whole of Credenhill if they had to. They'd put up road blocks; they'd close down the motorway; they'd turn the entire country upside down. His heart rate picked up again and he pressed closer to Wolf. How far would these two men go to protect him? Should he turn round and run back to his prison rather than risk further trouble?

Snake must have read his mind, for he suddenly stepped closer to Alex and whispered: "Just trust me, okay?"

Okay. He could trust Snake. He had to.

But he also knew that from inside his abdomen the Scorpia tracker would be forever sending out its deadly signal. How long before Scorpia decided to pick him up again to continue the training they had in mind for him. This time he wouldn't even have Yassen to … what, protect him? Look after him? Where the fuck was Alex going to go?

"Won't breaking out make everyone think I'm guilty?" he asked.

An angry spasm crossed Snake's face. "I told you: they briefed us this morning. As far as they're concerned you already are guilty. Officially, you've been working for Scorpia since they trained you. Officially, you're a danger to the general population and to the government of this country. They want you gone. You've become an inconvenience to them. The whole thing is fucked up. They're going to hang you out to dry and no one will know or care that you've disappeared."

A shiver ran down Alex's spine. He knew MI6 could pull this off; could make the world forget he ever existed while they did whatever they wanted with him. Bastards. Wolf stopped abruptly, putting an end to their conversation. A young dark-haired man was approaching – he was in military uniform, but Alex immediately recognized his psychologist. And of course Dr Berford immediately recognized him.

"What's this boy doing out of his room?" Dr Berford demanded. Wolf shrugged, feigning ignorance. "Physiotherapist ordered brisk walking."

Dr Berford tried to look friendly as he gazed at Alex. "It's good to see you on your feet, Alex. Stand down, boys. I'll take Rider from here."

Wolf shook his head, his dark eyes piercing. "I'm sorry, sir, but we have orders not to leave this kid's side for anything or anyone."

Dr Berford sighed irritably. "Fine. Then come with me. I need to speak with him."

Again Wolf stood his ground. "Physio ordered thirty minutes of brisk walking. We've not yet done ten. I'll bring him back in twenty."

Dr Berford looked like he was about to argue with Wolf, and Alex's heart thumped madly. But then the man scowled. "All right. You do your thing, soldier. Bring him back as quickly as possible. And be careful! He's dangerous!"

The warning made Alex shake his head with disgust. That man was on crack or something. For all that he wanted to assist Alex's emotional release, he came across as the least approachable person Alex had ever met. He'd rather confide in Alan Blunt. Well, maybe not quite…

Dr Berford finally moved on and Alex saw Wolf and Snake share a look. "Yeah, he's an idiot," Alex confirmed. Snake smiled a little. "Let's waste no more time."

They walked another five minutes until the chain link perimeter of the camp was only a stone's throw away, and finally Alex could see their destination: the main car park, filled with rows of green military land rovers. There were only a few soldiers here and they hardly looked up as Alex passed.

"We have about ten minutes before that idiot raises the alarm," Wolf said, picking up speed as they approached the parked cars. "It's enough time," Snake responded confidently, but Alex could make out a tinge of anxiety in his tone. Alex nearly had to skip to keep pace with Wolf's stride. "We're just driving straight out?" he asked, looking towards the main gate where a steady stream of cars was being waved in and out.

"I know the guy at the gate," Wolf muttered. "Told him we had an appointment with some lady friends right after our shift was over."

Alex blushed, but kept his stride as Wolf approached one of the cars. Snake had the keys and they were soon inside and reversing out of the parking bay with Alex huddled in the foot well behind the driver's seat. He concentrated on calming his breathing and folding into as small a space as possible. As usual, being only fourteen had its advantages.

"You stay down," Snake ordered, throwing a khaki blanket over him. "Just don't move. Whatever happens."

Alex could hear the gravel crunching under the wide tyres of the land rover and he knew that they had joined the queue to leave the compound. It should just be a formality. Wolf and Snake would wave at the soldier by the exit and then they would drive to freedom. Still, Alex felt more anxious even than when he'd been in Scorpia's clutches. At least then he'd had a pretty good idea of what the future had in store for him. Now he felt like he was starting a journey into the unknown. The car jerked forwards and stopped again. Alex imagined them getting nearer and nearer to the red and white barrier. And again. And again.

"Hey mate," an unknown voice almost made Alex jump. It sounded so close. Someone was standing right by the driver's window. He bit his lip and held his breath, too scared to even breathe in case the man heard. "You got time off again, eh, you dirty bastard!"

Wolf chuckled with the man. Alex felt the driver's seat shift as Wolf moved to talk to his friend. "Yeah. Me and this old Snake here have got ourselves some fun lined up, if you know what I mean!"

As they all laughed, Alex managed to quickly exhale and inhale. He held his breath again as the laughing tapered off.

"Off you go th— "

The man paused as something came crackling over the radio. Wolf's radio jumped to life at the same time. The message was the same: "Code red."

Alex's lungs were fighting for air, but he didn't dare give in. "What's going on," Snake called from his side of the car.

"One of the special guests has gone AWOL! We need to shut down the compound."

"Awwwe, man," Wolf exclaimed. "Now? Right now?"

The soldier sighed dramatically. "Hang on."

Alex heard footsteps moving away and breathed frantically as the soldier walked back to the booth by the gate. Then held his breath again when the man returned. "Yeah, they want all Special Ops on hand." He paused for a minute. "Shame you'd already gone for your leave before all this kicked off, eh? Off you go, lads!" He laughed as Wolf and Snake both loudly expressed their gratitude. The land rover jolted forwards again and they were off! Alex heard the barrier close behind their vehicle with a final clunk.

"Stay down Cub," Snake ordered before Alex had even started breathing again, all traces of laugher now gone from his voice. "It's not going to take them long to work out that you're already out of the compound, but I'd rather stay under the CCTV radar for as long as possible."

"Where are we going?" Alex asked. His heart was still thumping against his chest, but now it was more with the thrill of escape than with fear. "Heathrow. All being well, in five hours you'll be on a flight to New York. You'll have to look after yourself out there, but you have friends in America, right?"

Sabina. In San Francisco. Maybe Jack's family? "Won't they be checking the flights?"

Snake snorted. "Tomorrow, maybe. Today, I doubt it. They haven't got the manpower. Besides, in about ten minutes we're going to send them on the wild goose chase of a lifetime."

"I'll need a passport. And money," Alex blurted out anxiously. Lots of money.

"Sorted," Snake muttered. "You do still have some friends, you know."

Alex felt a rush of elation. Jack! It had to be! Feeling more settled, he tried to get comfortable in the foot well of the land rover. He stayed put for another ten minutes, wondering what Snake had meant by his cryptic comment about a goose chase, and then the land rover finally stopped and the blanket was pulled away, exposing him to daylight. The vehicle had pulled up on a motorway slipway. Alex could make out a sign in the distance: they were two miles from Hereford; forty-six miles from the Brecon Beacons. Familiar roads for any young soldier in Special Forces.

"He should be here any minute." Snake exchanged a nervous look with Wolf, but he needn't have worried. Within moments, Alex heard it: the familiar rumble of a helicopter overhead. "Your ride, double oh nothing. He's got everything you need to get out of here. Post-haste to Heathrow."

"What about you? How can I ever thank you …"

Wolf's teeth glinted. "I've set off every speed camera on the A438 and I'm about to set off a few more on the A465. We'll get a disciplinary for getting the fuck out of camp during an emergency, but we'll feign ignorance and they'll never be able to pin anything on us."

"I don't know what to say. I thought you hated me …"

The words blurted out before Alex had time to consider them, and he instantly regretted them. Wolf looked uncomfortable. "Don't say anything. Not now. Not ever. You saved Snake's life and that's thicker than anything, man. Now get the fuck on that ladder and get out of my sight."

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Chapter End Notes:

To be continued ...