Alex is training with the SAS. Probably before his missions, but it's a bit of another universe.

Rough, uncaring hands jostled Alex from his dreamless sleep. Alex looked up and saw a masked face in the dark, with cold, angry, beady eyes, gazing at him. Hands were on his shoulders, yanking him from the barely warm bed. As the much larger man pulled him outside, Alex noted that Wolf, Eagle, Snake, and Fox were all abducted before him - their beds were empty. But before Alex could examine the scene too closely, a bag was thrown over his head.

Two of his captors half-dragged, half-carried Alex out into the night, one on each side. He lost all sense of direction, but he knew they had gone some distance. Suddenly, the ground changed from dirt to concrete, and Alex would have fallen if not for the brutes holding him up.

Then he did. Rather, they threw him into a chair. He didn't have a chance to resist before he was thoroughly tied to the chair.

The bag was ripped off his head. Alex blinked, letting his eyes adjust to the concrete room's bright gray walls, lit by a naked lightbulb from the ceiling. It hurt Alex's eyes.

"What's your name?"

Alex jumped at the question. He looked over at the man who asked. His captors were wearing baseball caps with no identifying features, except that the shadow hid their features perfectly. Alex was confused and scared. Who were these men?

"I said, what's your name?"

Alex looked at the man who had spoken and decided to name him Shorty. He was only a few inches taller than Alex.

"Cub," Alex replied quietly.

Suddenly, Alex was no longer looking at the men. He was looking at a metal bathtub over his right shoulder. A split second after Alex noticed the buckets of ice by the tub, he registered the throbbing in his cheek.

He'd somehow missed the punch.

Shorty spoke again. "Your real name. What's your real name?"

For a long moment, Alex didn't answer, instead choosing to grimace showing how much the hit had hurt. Blood seeped into his tastebuds, coppery, tangy, but somehow flavourful. It reminded him of the time when he'd-

Smack. Alex blinked. Shorty'd hit his other cheek. For a moment, Alex's vision blurred.

But then Shorty's posture changed as Alex faced front again. "You want a go?" Shorty asked another one of the captors.

One of the imposing soldiers nodded. Alex promptly named him Broad. The man's shoulders and hips were as wide as the Earth and his limbs as thick as a river. At least, that was Alex's impression. In comparison, Shorty looked like he wouldn't do half as much damage.

"Something to think about, kid, when you're waiting," Broad muttered in a richer, deeper tone that was somehow more slimy than Shorty's. Alex wondered if these men had a personal grudge against him. Nevertheless, he swallowed and watched as Broad approached him. Alex saw the blow coming - a sucker-punch to the gut - but he was helpless, save for tensing to avoid internal injury.

With a whoosh, all the air in his lungs rushed out. It felt like he'd just been nailed by a truck. Then the chair tipped back and he landed painfully on his wrists. For a long moment, Alex lay there, gasping, trying to breathe through the pain. He closed his eyes.

A different voice Alex didn't recognise informed him quickly: "If you want us to stop, just tell us your real name. Got that, brat?"

Alex didn't respond immediately, trying to figure out what on Earth was happening. Four strangers had him tied to a chair, vulnerable. They wanted to know his name. But Alex had been told not to tell anyone who he was. Alex opened his eyes and jumped as much as the binding would let him. Shorty was in his face, their noses barely a centimeter apart.

"He asked if you got that, Cub." Alex nodded hurriedly. With a jolt, Alex realised Shorty had every intention of hurting him to get information. The man's eyes were as cold as liquid nitrogen, and his hatred for Alex spewed forth like laser beams meant to dice up Alex's will.

Shorty snorted. "Put him with the others."

Alex swallowed, almost certain that his face displayed the fear he was feeling. Broad walked around and looked down. From Alex's perspective, he was upside down. Then he grabbed the back of Alex's chair and proceeded to drag him out a door that had been behind Alex.

With his hands tied to each other behind the chair and his ankles bound to the legs, Alex didn't resist at all. He couldn't. But Alex saw.

The training camp was completely overrun by vehicles Alex had never seen there before. Men with caps on wandered about, some dragging people in their nightclothes, like Alex was. Alex shivered. The camp had been taken over.

Then the chair stopped, and the other three men watched as Broad untied Alex. Alex didn't bother trying to resist. He'd never overpower all four of the men.

"Stand up," Shorty commanded. Alex complied. He heard the chair behind him being moved, then picked up. A creak also indicated something was being open. Alex didn't even have time to throw up a block before Shorty brutally kicked him in the stomach were Broad had nailed him, throwing him backward into another room. Luckily, the floor was a dirt one, but a fire seemed to have started in Alex's abdomen. Unconsciously, Alex curled up into the fetal position.

"Ha!" Broad chuckled mirthlessly. "We'll crack you, kid. We will."

Alex wasn't paying attention to them, but they attacked him one more time. The chair they had brought was roughly thrown at him. The seat dug into his thigh before bouncing off; the back of the chair, his shoulder.

Alex let out a very shaky breath, choosing to breathe carefully. Each breath illuminated the embers in his diaphragm. He opened his eyes and saw he wasn't alone.

Wolf and Eagle were sitting on benches on the side of the room, both watching him with no expression. Alex turned his head to look behind him. Snake and Fox were sitting opposite, also watching him stoically. Interestingly enough, Alex noted, none of them appeared to be injured. No one spoke, either.

After a long minute, Alex recovered a bit. He uncurled slowly, very aware of the pain in his face, the burn in his gut, and the stares of the four men around him. Then he stood, wrapping one arm around his waist and forcing himself to breathe despite how much it hurt. With the speed of an aged man fading into wisps of decayed elderly, Alex righted the chair, pulled it against the wall opposite the door and between the benches his unit sat on, and sat down on it. Only then did he speak.

"What's going on?"

K-Unit looked at one another, seemingly deciding and debating with their eyes alone.

Frustrated, Alex barked, "Tell me what's happening!"

Snake replied quietly, "RTI - resistance to interrogation."

"The Green Jackets hate us because they're second-best," Fox muttered, "and we're the best."

Alex looked at Fox again, incredulous. Soldiers hurting soldiers. Absurd. Then Alex noticed Fox's appearance more closely. The man wasn't injured, but he was drenched. Alex remembered the tub and ice. "But they can't endanger our health."

"Accidents happen," Eagle answered. "Oh, they do."

Wolf glared at Alex, appearing to decide that Alex was recovered enough to endure more bullying. "And if you dare slip anything, Double-Oh-Nothing, we all get binned. We do this as a unit."

Alex nodded a little bit. Ignoring societal customs, he put his feet on the chair and curled up, covering his throbbing stomach with one hand and looping his other arm around his knees. He delicately rested his forehead against his bare knees, ignoring his cheeks. He was only wearing a T-shirt and boxers, like the other men.

Alex remembered watching a movie with Ian once. The good guy had been captured, and Ian had snorted when the man stayed up all night to see if he could get out. When Jack had raised an eyebrow, Ian explained, "He could have rested and been more alert the next time they came. Plus, it's boring. Why would you ever stay awake? And the stress you'd bring on yourself couldn't be good for your health." At Alex and Jack's blank stares, Ian added, "Of course, I'm just speculating."

Now it made more sense. Ian would have known what it'd be like to be captured, what to do. Alex decided to follow his advice. After a long while, Alex managed to fall asleep.

Wolf raised an eyebrow as Cub nodded off to sleep. "The hell?"

"He's stronger than he looks," Snake sort-of answered in a whisper, unlike Wolf. The man was extremely nervous, though his facial tension showed he didn't want to let it out. RTI definitely was not his favorite exercise.

Wolf snorted, covering up his anxiety. "He's a snot-nosed brat. We'll be binned because of him, you'll see."

Little did Wolf know how close he was to the truth.

Fox shivered. Wolf couldn't tell if it was because of the thought of being binned or because he'd been doused with ice water. "I think he's got the right idea, though."

Wolf snorted again. Maybe his codename should have been 'Pig'. "I'll take the first watch. I'll wake you if anyone comes." The others nodded and shifted to more comfortable sitting positions. Unlike Cub, they didn't curl into a ball. Wolf smirked as Snake slipped onto Fox's shoulder as he fell asleep. Fox awoke quickly, glanced over, rolled his eyes, and went back to sleep. Wolf noted that he'd very carefully not looked in Wolf's direction.

Sighing, Wolf stared at the door, awaiting their captors' return.

"They're back," a voice interrupted Alex's dreamless nap. Dazed, Alex looked up. It had been Fox who had spoken.

Apparently, Alex had slept through the other soldiers' interrogations and wake-up calls. Wolf had clearly gone - he now sported a split lip, bruises on his arms, and water all over his nightclothes. Eagle, who sat beside him, had an arm loosely wrapped around his waist. Snake had a superficial cut bleeding sluggishly on one cheek, and Fox had curled up like Alex.

A lock outside the door clicked as it was opened. The door opened slowly. Alex wished he were home with Jack. Shorty stepped inside.

"Well, well, well." A nasty smile appeared below the cap's shadow. "Look who's finally awake."

Alex looked around. Everyone was alert. Then Alex realised that he'd not only slept through the other men's departures and arrivals, but that Shorty was looking directly at him.

Oh, dear.

"Why don't you stand up, Cub?" Shorty sneered. It wasn't a question. But Alex answered anyway.

"I'd much rather stay here, thank you." The fake smile dropped off Shorty's face.

"Then, what's your name?"

For a long moment, no one moved as Shorty and Alex stared at each other like the rest of the world was absent. Then Alex broke the eye contact and stood resignedly. At least his cheeks and stomach were a tad less sore after his nap. He had no idea how long he'd slept.

Shorty tipped his head back slightly so that he could look down at Alex over his nose. He folded his arms. "No, not just you. You're a kid. Let's see how the others react to you."

A man from before who Alex hadn't named stepped in. "Wolf-man, right? I thought you might be a good candidate." Alex could easily see that Wolf's injuries had come from this soldier. At least, Wolf's glare seemed to shout so. "Kiss him."

Alex blinked slowly, not sure if he'd heard correctly. Wolf shared his incredulous sentiment, exclaiming "What?"

The unnamed man sighed. "Do you want me to have another go at you? I can promise it'll be even worse."

Shorty grinned maliciously. "It's not hard, Wolf-y. But make sure it's a good one - long, and deep." Alex swallowed at the emphasis the man put on the last word. Was he about to lose his first kiss to a man who loathed him?

Wolf let out a huff of indignant laughter. "You're not serious."

"Oh, but we are," the still unnamed man replied. Alex decided to name him Wolf-hater. It suited his attitude. "You've got ten seconds, or we'll take you both."

"No," Wolf answered. "No, I won't do it."

"Ten," Shorty began, stepping around Wolf and walking towards Alex. "Nine. Eight." The soldier stood in front of Alex, but off to one side so that Wolf and Alex could see each other clearly. "Seven." Grinning at Alex, he pulled out a strange looking device. It had two prongs on one end and was a half-foot long.

A stun gun. Alex's eyes widened.

"Six."

Wolf broke in, "You're not going to..."

"Five."

"...shock him, are you?"

"Four." Wolf was staring at the stun gun. On "Three," he looked at Alex. Alex could easily see he wasn't getting a kiss, but the alternative seemed worse to him.

"Two." Shorty moved to get closer to Alex, brandishing the weapon.

"One." Shorty reached out to shock Alex, but he wasn't prepared for Alex to try to defend himself. Using a well-practiced move, Alex ducked away from the now-glowing end of the stun gun and twisted around, grabbing Shorty's arm. He'd learned how to throw people much larger than himself from the SAS training, and now he was using it.

Shorty's feet smashed into the wall as he crashed down to the ground. He cried out, too, much to Alex's satisfaction. But before Alex could do anything further, Wolf-hater seized his upper arms and wrenched him outside. Alex peered into the room. To Alex's surprise, no one from K-Unit moved to stop Shorty from getting up. Wolf didn't even retaliate as Shorty pushed him aside and stood in the doorway, facing Alex.

"You little shit!" he shouted in Alex's face. He pressed the stun gun into the side of Alex's head - directly behind his ear - but didn't activate it. "You're going to pay," he hissed.

Suddenly, Alex hurt. He really hurt. He heard someone yelling and was dimly aware it was himself. He couldn't control his muscles at all after a moment and relied completely upon Wolf-hater's support as he tensed and twitched violently. His balance evaporated - an effect of the strategic placing of the metallic prongs. The yelling stopped as Alex ran out of air. He couldn't breathe. He didn't know which way was up or down.

Without warning, it stopped. Alex went completely limp, letting his eyes close while he took shallow, uneven breaths. He was still trembling from the shock's after-effects. Wolf-hater supported his weight entirely.

"That's enough." The words were garbled to Alex. He wasn't entirely sure who had spoken.

"You care about the child."

"I don't, but you could stop his heart if you shock him for too long." Alex's ears were ringing, but he thought it might be Wolf speaking. Or maybe Eagle. He couldn't muster up the strength to look at the speakers, let alone raise his head.

"Well, well. Why don't you join the party? I'm sure there's room enough."

Alex hit the ground, hard. Wolf-hater had dropped him. Alex was still twitching.

"You carry him. Let's go."

Alex still didn't know who was speaking. It was all muffled, but the ringing in his ears had quieted somewhat.

He didn't resist at all as two muscular arms slid under his knees and shoulder. He'd landed on his side, and the carrier gently pushed him onto his back before hefting him up, bridal-style. Alex let his head loll back, still unable to move independently. Then his carrier lifted his back higher, causing Alex's head to roll forward, hitting the carrier's neck. The man curled his arm around Alex and felt for his pulse. His hands were cold. Alex could have sworn the person was walking more carefully, so as to not jostle Alex.

Must be someone from K-Unit.

"You awake, Cub?" the person whispered.

"Hn," Alex hummed. He didn't feel like being articulate. The world was still spinning. Above him, his carrier cursed quietly. It probably would have been better if Alex were out.

They walked to the interrogation room. It was still dark outside.

By the time they'd reached it, Alex had stopped twitching, but he still didn't move. It felt like his energy had drained out of him, and his equilibrium was still spinning in circles like a compass beside a playful child's magnet.

Someone yanked Alex out of his gentler carrier's arms and dropped him into the tub he'd seen before. This time, it was full of ice water.

Alex sat up, sputtering, but he tipped over almost instantly. Everything was blurred and unfocused when he opened his eyes, and indistinct figures were standing around him. He managed to avoid going underwater again by hanging an arm over the side of the tub. His body was shivering.

"Tie them down." Alex heard rustling, but he couldn't focus his eyes long enough to see quite what was happening the other other members of K-Unit.

After the noise quieted down, a cruel voice spoke. It seemed like the world was stacking the cards against Alex. "Let's give Cub a bath."

Alex was flipped over to face downwards. His head was shoved under the water and held there.

Vainly, Alex struggled. But it was no use. He couldn't hear or see, and his limbs were uncoordinated. The tub impeding his attempts at hitting his captors, anyway.

It wasn't long at all before Alex lost consciousness. It slipped away like a rider into the night.

AN: You MUST read the missing chapter from Stormbreaker if you liked this. (It's a bit less... torturous? Can't quite find the word.)

This is a three-part fic. It's completely written, though I still have to edit a bit. Nothing's changing, plot-wise.

Just out of curiosity, who do you think spoke up for Alex? (ヒントがある!)