K-Unit with Alex Rider in the film version of "Stormbreaker." Wolf is the man facing Alex in the center of the picture. Bear is the man with the scarf. Fox stands between Alex and Wolf. Eagle is lingering in the background.
| “ | You'll join K-Unit. We don't use names. I have no name. You have no name. If anyone asks you what you're doing, you tell them nothing. Some of the men may be hard on you. Some of them may resent you being here. That's too bad. You'll just have to live with it | ” |
—The Seegeant informs Alex Rider of the hardships he will endure under his time in the K-Unit |
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K-Unit is the name of an SAS squad Alex Rider trained with after being sent to Brecon Beacons for two weeks of training on orders from Alan Blunt in the novel Stormbreaker.
About
The group consists of four men in a billet, though Alex became the fifth upon arrival, and was generally ignored by the group for the entirety of his stay. The four men are codenamed Eagle, Fox, Snake and Wolf, with Wolf being the leader.
Upon Alex's arrival, he was given the codename "Cub", though was regularly referred to by the soldiers as "Double-O-Nothing". Only Alex's and Fox's true names are currently known, Fox's being revealed in Snakehead as Ben Daniels.
Stormbreaker
In the book ,they are seen doing various training, such as in an area known as the "Killing House". Alex is the subject of bullying from Wolf in particular, who's attack on Alex in the Killing House lead to the Unit failing the exercise. In a bonus chapter of the novel Stormbreaker named RTI, the group are dragged from their beds for a RTI (Resistance To Interrogation) exercise, in which Alex escapes the building they're locked in by climbing through a drain before causing the vehicle the interrogators are in to fall off a cliff and freeing the rest of his Unit. The group later do an airdrop from a C-130 Hercules, in which Alex saves Wolf from being binned (kicked out of the SAS) by kicking him out of the plane after the man shows fear of jumping. After this, Wolf is less hostile to Alex next time they see each other.
Point Blanc
Wolf appears in Point Blanc, as the leader of the assault force who storm the Point Blanc Academy. He is reluctant for Alex to return to the school, though he eventually agrees and is shot while protecting Alex from Eva Stellenbosch though he survives.
Snakehead
Fox later becomes an agent for MI6 and meets Alex in Snakehead, the two eventually leading a squad with the Australian SAS to storm Dragon Nine.
Never Say Die
Fox first appears in Never Say Die, in a meeting with Mrs Jones (now Head of MI6 Special Operations), John Crawley, Air Chief Marshal Sir Norman Clarke and a Navy intelligence officer discussing the disappearance of a US Air Force helicopter from an air show, stolen on behalf of the Grimaldi brothers.
He next appears, saving Alex's life after the Grimaldis try to kill him. Fox takes Alex to MI6 to work out the ex-Scorpia executives' plan. After this, Alex and Fox are sent out to what is presumed to be the target building, until Alex realises, almost too late, that the Grimaldis are going after a bus. They drive after the bus, only to discover that the helicopter has already picked it up. With no other options, Fox uses the patrol car's ejector seat to shoot Alex into the air, to hide on the bus's undercarriage and go to the Grimaldi twins' lair.
Fox's final scene is with Mrs Jones and Crawley, at MI6, with him trying to defend his actions. They are interrupted by a ransom video from the Grimaldis, in which they demand a ransom of £5million per head for the safe return of the hostage children; if the ransom is not sent in full in two days, or if a rescue attempt is mounted, all the hostages will be killed. The hostages are treated as a single unit; either they are all released, or they will all die.
Trivia
- In the film version of Stormbreaker, Snake is replaced by Bear, whilst Wolf, Eagle and Fox all keep their codenames.
- In the film, instead of the Killing House scene being used, the scene from the bonus chapter is used instead, but is changed somewhat: K-Unit fails a Night Navigation exercise and are locked up in an abandoned farmhouse, but Alex breaks them out by climbing up the chimney and ultimately causing the trailer of interrogators to roll into a lake. After Alex frees them from the house, the men show him a new level of respect, and when Alex leaves for his mission, the others have been "badged" (i.e. officially recognised as SAS troopers). Wolf gives Alex a metal SAS beret badge, and the two shake hands amiably.