DISCLAIMER – I don’t own anything you recognise Alpha Force, John Middleton or any places, I only own the plot and some characters later on. Everything else belongs to Chris Ryan, the author whose characters I have borrowed. This disclaimer applies to all of the story. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to review, and I’ll reply as soon as I can. Thank you for reading!

Alex, Li, Hex, Paulo and Amber, otherwise known of as Alpha Force, were stuck. The five teenagers were stranded in an unknown place, with no supplies other than the clothes they stood up in. Or sat down in, in Paulo’s case.

‘That lazy good-for-nothing cowboy’ grumbled Hex in his mind, afraid to take out his palmtop which he desperately wanted to do, in case it got damaged. ‘No, better to be safe than sorry.’

At the same point in time, at the edge of Hex’s peripheral vision, a slender girl was creeping towards him, lost in mischief. Amber was sneaking up on the Londoner, not aware that he was used to suspicious behaviour. Just as she was about to pounce upon him, Hex turned and executed an almost perfect ju-jitsu throw.

“Oomph,” gasped Amber, taken completely unawares. Her long brunette hair was whisked back from her face with the force of the fall and Hex noticed how comical her expression was. As they were caught up in each other, neither realised that they weren’t keeping an eye on the most dangerous factor in their party.

“Yah!” screamed Li, sliding in between Amber and Hex. “I knew it! Hex and Amber, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I- - …”

“Not another word,” whispered Alex, his arm wrapped tightly around the younger girl’s mouth and his other arm stretched out to prevent the couple from strangling her whilst she was incapacitated.

Now, Li didn’t like being held against her will. Not at all. So, using all her skills, she whipped around in the Northumberland boy’s grasp and threw him over three metres away from her. Wheeling around, her long dark hair whipping through the air, hands raised in a offensive position, her sarong rapidly undoing itself from the force of her motion, Li flipped backwards until she stood on the edge of the group.

Paulo, watching this little escapade with amusement twinkling in his eyes, didn’t notice how Li was feeling. Alex did. Quiet Alex, his head firmly on his shoulders, saw the feral glint in the young Chinese teenager’s gaze, and resolved to make amends.

“Li – look, I’m sorry, ok? It’s just I thought it would be funn-“

“Not another word! You don’t understand! None of you do. You all think you are so perfect, and I’m the mad, strange one – but you’re wrong, you really are.”

Amber was completely confused with the turn of events, and twisted around to see her best friend’s opinion on the matter. Thus she was even more confused to see Hex laughing almost hysterically, clutching his stomach, pointing drunkenly at Li. Paulo, also feeling bemused looked at the girl and saw she was doing a little acrobatic dance, giggling along with the hacker.

“Li… ? I’m confused, babe.” Questioned Amber, bafflement in her expression.

“Oh-oh. It was… just so funny… your faces… you all thought I was going to come out with some… depressing story or something… ahh hah hah hah!” grunted Li, in between snorts of laughter.

“Yes, well – as enjoyable as that was – IT DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT WE’RE IN TROUBLE – BECAUSE WE’RE ALL STUCK!”

“Paulo? You alright mate?” Hex asked nervously, “I mean, you just yelled at Li! You two are, like, you know…”

The kind Argentinean drew himself up to his full height and was striding off purposely until a quiet voice pulled him back.

“P? I’m really sorry for acting so mean.” Li’s uncharacteristically shy tone brought tears to the eyes of the group, but didn’t stop Paulo for long.

“Yeah, well, maybe you should think of that first,” grumbled Paulo, returning sullenly to the group.

Alex, keeping one ear on the quarrels within his group, was surveying the area that Alpha Force was in. He couldn’t quite understand how the playful-but-work motivated group had become such a group of squabbling children.

“Everyone, listen up!” called Alex, before continuing in a softer voice. “Does anyone remember how we got here? I think something has gone seriously wrong.”

“Why would you think that, Alex baby? Is it maybe the fact that somehow I care more about arguing with my best mates than checking out where we are?”

“And that it looks to me to be a giant metal box, and therefore I can’t get any signal for my PDA?”

“Or that I wasn’t with you guys yesterday – I think it was yesterday, but I am now?”

“Yeah, because the last thing I remember is walking off the beach, to get ice cream for my family, in Tokyo.”

The gang weren’t too pleased with Alex’s attempts at a plan, because they were, after all, only about 15, but normally Alpha Force rarely argued. Something was definitely not right…

“Guys?... ” Li trailed off, her face turning a peculiar shade of puce. “I don’t feel too good… ”

Hex got up worriedly from his awkward position in Amber’s lap, as neither had noticed the way he had been sitting, so engrossed in the argument that had been taking place. The Londoner peered into the other girl’s countenance, noting how she didn’t push him back like normal. This set the boy’s mind working.

Alex was extremely bewildered. Nothing was going right. He just couldn’t focus his mind to working the way it usually did. The team would never clash like this! He didn’t even take notice of where they were, while typically the young Northumberland lad would be organising the team into groups, readying a camp, and preparing for any outcomes, was unaware of their surroundings. Li was ill, her energetic aura diminishing, and Paulo, who worshipped her just didn’t seem to care, and was even squabbling! ‘No more Mister Nice Guy,’ thought Alex snidely. ‘No! I don’t think like this. I wonder what’s happened.’

Even Amber couldn’t seem to be bothered about Hex almost sitting in her lap from the way Li had positioned them. She should, she didn’t show affection as a rule, but the daughter who had been scared of emotion since her parents had died and broken her heart, just couldn’t care less.

The Argentinean folded his legs, and sat gracefully. He was the medic of the group, and he adored Li. Why didn’t he want to go help her? His feelings had changed so much. Paulo racked his brains, trying to think of a reason why Alpha Force had changed so much in just a few minutes together.

Paulo jumped to his feet. “I’ve got it!” he crowed triumphantly. “I know why we are all so altered! It’s reversible, in fact, oh god, Li! I’m so sorry!”

“Paulo,” Li cried, tears dripping down her face with anger at Paulo, yet she couldn’t work up the vigour to shout at him. “Put us out of our misery. Please.”

“It’s because we’re growing up. It’s all a natural part of the process.” Paulo emitted smugly, a smirk on playing on his mouth.

“You pig! How can you be so unfeeling?” Li shivered, noticing she was only wearing a Roxy bikini with a purple glittery sarong tied around it. Where had she been? Why was it so chilly, her attitude towards Paulo, and the temperature as well, for that matter?

Amber saw the other girl checking herself out, or rather her outfit, and realised that she didn’t know what she was wearing. To her shock, her gaze revealed a thigh-length red satin dress, with a rather low neck-line and no sleeves. Where had she been? Why was it suddenly so cold?

Hex, his thought gears still in motion, spied Amber looking at her dress in astonishment. She looks nice, he thought, and then decided to see what clothes he had on. Gaping at his checked trousers, the sophisticated hacker also reacted comically to the diamond shaped pattern on his vest top. He was dressed like a golfer! Where had he been? Why had the temperature of this place suddenly dropped?

Alex could have laughed aloud at the expression on his best friend’s face. Why on earth was Hex wearing that? Why hadn’t he noticed before? The boy chuckled softly in his mind, before it clicked. He could be wearing the same. But… no…

Alex stared in disgust at the suit he was wearing. It was dark brown coloured with blue pinstripes and tailored to his size, accompanied by a similar waistcoat, and a white shirt. A long, tan coloured trench coat finished off this bizarre uniform. Pushing his hand into his pocket, he thought something was missing. Where had he been? Why did it feel as though all the heat had been drained out of their immediate area?

Upon looking at his body, Paulo felt good. He had noted the reactions of all his companions, and had expected to feel the same repulsion at recollecting his outfit, but he actually considered he looked better than normal. His charcoal-coloured muscle shirt paired with ripped jeans and black All Star converses was one of his favourite outfits. But – Where had he been? Why was he feeling cold?

The only other boy in the group had the reason for the strange emotions his friends were feeling. The intellectual computer ‘nerd’ as Amber affectionately called him, had figured it out. Alpha Force had contracted a lot of enemies during their time in service, as Alex described it, and Hex felt sure this was the work of one of the bad guys. Maybe a new drug had been tested on them, and they were being observed… Taking the initiative, the Londoner drew out his palmtop like an ancient sword from a scabbard, and sat down, a frown burrowed into his forehead…

Amber was starting to feel more like she generally did. Twisting on her back heel, the girl started toward Li, her closest girl friend, realising that Hex was the one that could get them out of this mess, but only if the whole team was feeling their best and they were all a close-knit ‘family’ again. ‘Family’, thought the rich Boston-based young woman, ‘they are the family I lost, and someone is hurting them, harming us. We need to fight back, but Li. Li. What’s wrong with Li?’

The girl in question, was doubled up in an almost foetal position. She felt as if any movement would turn her stomach upside down, and Li cried. She cried for the pain she felt, for the position the group was in, for the way she had upset her friends, and for the way she was distressing and confusing them. Most of all, she cried for crying – she never cried! Li was strong, the fighter of the group and here she was breaking down in tears. Abruptly, the girl felt strong arms lifting her up and cuddling her close…

Paulo breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of the teenager he loved with all of his heart, and who was in pain. He wouldn’t ever have expected to see her like this, but the others had obviously ‘expected’ too much from the youngest in their group. Just because she could take all of them down without even losing her breath, didn’t mean Li wasn’t vulnerable.

Stopping in her tracks, Amber changed direction quickly, trying not to lose pace, to look as if she meant to go to Alex all along. She thought Li and Paulo needed time to get their feelings out in the open. Crouching down next to the lad, she pushed aside his leg and grabbed his hand, whispering into his ear, glancing at Li and Paulo at intervals.

Nodding his head, Alex agreed to the plan…