Disclaimer: So not mine. My little sister (MentalLady, yes, my siblings are on fanfiction) wrote this first chapter and I've taken over this story for her.

Reviews from: None! First chapter so I have no idea!

A/N: Okay, first Alex Rider fic. This should be fun. Don't forget to review! Please?

It was the end of another school day and the students seemed to pile out faster than ever before. Laura Nickleson walked quietly out of the back gate and to the bike shed. Once she reached the iron gates, she saw that her bike wasn't where she left it. It was directly across the shed from where she had affectionately dumped it that morning. She walked over to the bike and bent down to look at the wheels. They had been deflated and a note was stuck to the blue seat. She picked the little envelope up, opening it as she did, and read it quickly.

I hope you didn't miss me!

Laura's head snapped up and she quickly looked around. The school was now empty from the 132 students that attended. Then she saw it – the white van. It was only a few meters away and slightly hidden by a bush. She quickly dropped the note and stood up. A strange man walked up to her from behind the car. As he got closer, she recognised his face. He had a knife loosely held in his hand. But how was he back from the dead?

Then Laura was running. All she knew was that if she stopped, it would cost her her life.

Alex Rider was running at about 16 kilometres per hour on a treadmill at an international spy fitness centre. All the MI6 spies were given a fitness test on a twice yearly basis. Alan Blunt had requested that Alex be put through vigorous training for a month to test his endurance. Blunt had promised that it was 'only for standard information purposes'. But Alex knew he was lying. He would be given another mission.

Alex's whole body ached from running thirty minutes straight at this speed. There was only a small distance left. His legs were clicked into the rhythm of running. If he pressed the stop button, Alex had no doubt he would still keep going.

"Eight meters left," his trainer called.

Tina Sondrea was a cheery lady. She was about six years older than Alex but was a head shorter. Tina had kind hazel eyes and soft brown hair. She smiled at Alex and turned to the wall clock to check the time.

"Finished yet?" panted Alex.

Tina turned back to him and gave him a thoughtful look. She peered at the screen on the brand new treadmill and checked the information.

"Just a few more steps... and... stop!"

Tina pushed a read button and the machine slowed. Alex jumped off and took a few large steps to a squishy armchair nearby. He really needed rest. Tina recorded the results on a clipboard and turned her attention back to the exhausted boy.

"You should probably sleep it all off. You'll need to take these to prevent pain," she handed him a bottle of pills. "And you'll need twelve hours sleep at the most. Any more and your mussels will relapse. I'll drive you home; you can't walk in this condition."

Alex was too exhausted to protest. His lungs ached from all the heavy breathing and could barely talk. A few minutes later, he was sitting in the passenger seat of a BMW. It was black with leather interior and very swish. The vehicle held a strong smell of newness. About ten minutes later, they pulled up at the front of the Rider house.

"There you are. You missed dinner!" a voice called from the front door.

Jack Starbright was Alex's guardian. She was the caretaker of the Rider household before Ian Rider – Alex's uncle – died. Her red, curly hair bounced around her face as she ran to give Alex a hug. She wasn't normally that affectionate but lately she had been worried about Alex. His frequent missing episodes – which were really just his training lessons – made her reach the edge. She sent him inside and chatted to Tina for a while.

Half an hour later, Alex was showered, fed and in bed. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Laura had been running for a while now and the assassin was still following her. Laura looked over her shoulder at him. He was tall, but badly built. He had an unusual facial expression and looked like a fish out of water as he ran. He was disgustingly ugly and his clothes made it so much worse. Yuck!

Laura turned around what felt like the hundredth corner and made the final sprint to the A.S.I.O. headquarters. Her body was aching but the pain was so intense she could barely feel it. She barged through a group of young children and dove through the door. Guards rushed over to her with their guns loaded. As the assassin walked in – he was sure never to walk out.

She shut her eyes tight as she heard a bang followed by a sickening thud.

Laura Nickleson was a short, 15 year-old. She had dirty blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and a unusually dark tan. She was probably an attractive person if she bothered to even do the little things like scrub the dirt out from under her nails, or brush her hair properly or stop wearing her best boy friend's clothes.

Laura had lived in the rural areas of Australia for her whole life. Not the type of country land that was so deserted that there was only one person per square kilometres, but the type where only a few children lived. The people of this town called it Cootamundra Valley but it really was Cootamundra Rural Town of Peace. Obviously, this was way too long.

Laura's mother had died when she was young and her father had mysteriously gone missing a few months later. Laura didn't care much. She had never known her parents and her foster parents were always away. Laura wasn't the type to care about much these days. She was raised by an old, retired karate teacher who was slowly going blind and death. Perfect government spy material.

Laura Nickleson wasn't your everyday teenager. She was different from all the others. She was a spy. Not your usual James Bond spy, but a sneaky one. She broke codes, spoke ten different languages and was an information retriever. She would creep into buildings and break files – if she was caught by a guard, let's just say she got off on the better side.

Laura had missed out on a lot of things that most normal teenagers had. Like parents, proper schooling, the opportunity to do sport outside school, and even the chance to make friends over a longer period of time.

This better be worth it! – thought Laura.

Laura was peacefully back at her foster parent's home, sleeping, when the phone rang.

"Hello?" she asked groggily, trying to open her eyes.

"Is this Laura Nickleson?" It was a British accented man.

"Yes?" she said, sitting up.

"We need to talk."

(Last edited: June 29, 2007 by RG)

A/N: Yes, I know it is a bit short but I haven't yet gotten the jist of writing and I actually didn't write this one. I will update as soon as I can!

RG

xox