Chapter 1

Alex rider stood in the office of Alan blunt, the chief executive of the special operations division of Mi6. Better known by some as Alex's employer, blunt glanced up at Alex as if noticing him for the first time. That was one of the many things Alex Rider hated about the world of espionage. You could never trust anyone or anything.

The old man did not smile but he gestured to the seat in front of him. "Take a seat Alex. We need to talk." As usual, blunts second in charge, Mrs. Tulip Jones stood to the side and she did not look happy with Blunt. That was how Alex knew his next conversation with the head of Mi6's special operations division would not be good.

Blunt sighed and it reminded Alex of a police officer about to deliver the news that a family member had died. Alex took a moment to glance around the room. As usual, Blunt had no indications of a personal life, a life outside this office and not for the first time did Alex find himself wondering about his unlikely employer. Was he married? And if so did he have children, if he did they would easily be the same age as Alex himself. Blunt opened his mouth.

"Alex, I'm afraid that what i am about to tell you will be quite disturbing but i am loath to admit you will not be surprised at all. We have found evidence that Scorpia intend to make another attempt on your life." Blunt directed the young spy's attention t the screen behind the desk and pressed a button. A face appeared on the screen. "Meet Scorpia agent Daniel Allen." Cold, green eyes stare out at them, framed by a fringe of neat brown hair. The face was chiselled and handsome. Alex stared at the face on the screen which seemed to stare back and realised with horror that the boy it belonged to could not be a day over 18. "What do we know about him?" Alex asked.

Blunt nodded to Mrs. Jones who stepped forward. She smiled slightly at Alex before beginning. "Daniel Allen. 16 year old Australian. Worked for the ASIS since he was 12, completed seven high danger missions. Just as good as you, Alex, near as we can tell went rouge last year. Killed a senior Agent and disappeared of the grid until six months ago. Since then he's been at several suspected high profile Scorpia targets. Three days ago he was overheard by one of our other field agents on a phone discussing a plot to take out, and I quote 'Mi6's most valuable agent' meaning you." Mrs. Jones stared at him pointedly.

Alex mentally shivered. So Scorpia planned to take another hit at him and by the sounds of it this time they weren't mucking around they really did want him out of the picture. For Permanent, unless Mrs. Jones Intel was very wrong, and he would stake his life it wasn't, this guy they had brought in to do the job was easily just as good as him if not better. He turned to Blunt. "So where does that leave us?" He muttered, still rather shaken over what he had learned from Mrs. Jones.

We want to get you out of the country so we're sending you over with work to America for a while. You'll be looking into a plot by the FBI to assassinate the president.

At the same time Alex rider, teenage superspy was boarding a plane to leave the united kingdom the rouge agent turned assailant under the employment of Scorpia, Daniel Allen was arriving in Heathrow. Exiting the plane he moved casually but swiftly through the airport towards the baggage area jut like any new arrival. He was of course anything but and he was here now that Alex had left to carry out his real assignment. What Mi6 were unaware of was the fact that the call their man had overheard had been faked. For the agency's real plan was to isolate Britain from the rest of the world. In a matter of days the president of the united states would be flying in on air force one. On that day Daniel and several other Scorpia agents would be waiting on standby at Heathrow airport. Snipers would, on his orders take out the Secret service guards and an mi6 man Scorpia had brought, and had placed on the President's staff would walk up to the president and shoot him in the heart. The plan had been approved by absolutely everyone in Scorpia. They could not afford to have any mistakes made on this operation. That was why he was here, in case Rider turned up and tried to stop them. It was his job to 'incapacitate' rider.

After ten minutes he found the car he was looking for and slid in the back to Scorpia agents sat on either side of him and as he nodded towards the driver who turned out of the park and drove off through London.

As they moved through the city streets Daniel thought of the things that had happened to him over the last few years. He, like Alex rider had had a spy in his family who was killed and had been drafted in to replace them. After completing Several high profile, high risk missions for the ASIS they stabbed him in the back just as his fellow agents were beginning to respect him. A high ranking officer had resigned his post and Daniel, after completing so many assignments for the agency should have been first in line for the promotion. At first he had been highly considered by his superiors in the race for the promotion. Then, a hot shot showed up. Rookie straight up off the block, daddy was friends with some important government official or other and that was it hey presto, sorry Daniel but you've been shafted.

After that he up and left, found a way to slip of the grid and just kept going. A friend of his higher ranked then he had been tracked him to Bali. He tried to hide, get him off his tail but he tracked him down to the roof of a building. Daniel told him he wasn't coming in, there was a confrontation and as he was trying to escape, Daniel mistakenly pushed him to his death. Following that little episode he disappeared again, and this time ASIS considered him rouge and extreme dangerous, R.E.D. He didn't bother trying to clear it up, he just ran and never looked back. After that Scorpia found him, they convinced him to work for them and set him up in some training facility. It had been in this 'school' that he had learned he had a natural efficiency for ending other people's lives. Once he had finished the training program, he signed a contract pertaining to his work for Scorpia, was sent on his first assignment and killed his first victim. Another 6 had followed that old fool and now Daniel had had enough of the killing. Once he had completed this last assignment he would disappear again, fake his own death and settle down, maybe somewhere in one of the whine valleys in France. After all he had the money and god knew he deserved to settle down. Ale he had to do was one more mission, make one more kill. He just had to kill Alex Rider.

The plane dipped in the air slightly and Alex felt the turbulence. Maybe while he was here in the states he could pop into Sabina's for a visit. After all he was supposed to be here for some light work and r&r. As soon as the thought struck him he sighed. He knew it wasn't possible, he was her friend, he cared about her and he had to protect her and the only way he could do that was by making sure he never saw her again. Sitting there in that seat he made the decision that he would travel to CIA headquarters in Washington, Take whatever assignment Joe Byrne gave him and when the situation with Scorpia had cooled down go back home to England and Jack.

Ten minutes later Alex glanced around looking for his driver when he noticed an American in a black suit holding a card with his name on it. Alex walked towards the man, who was obviously a CIA agent. The agent raised an eyebrow. "Alexander rider?" he inquired. Alex rolled his eyes at his full name and nodded. "Come with me." Alex groaned and attempted to keep himself from laughing at the monotone in which his driver spoke.

The journey to CIA headquarters took no time at all and only twenty minutes after his departure from the airport, Alex found himself standing in the bland and familiar office of covert actions director Joe Byrne for the third time.

"Alex my boy welcome" Joe said, smiling at him, and Alex couldn't help it, he grinned back. Unlike his relationship with Blunt Alex liked this man. "Take a seat" Byrne gestured towards one of two seats on Alex's side of his desk. Alex smiled slightly and lowered himself into the chair. "Thanks Mr. Byrne it's good to see you again" Alex replied.

"Well good to have you back. Now, to business, tell me, my boy how do you feel about taking a trip to China?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "China? Sounds interesting" Byrne nodded, briefly he explained to Alex the situation they were in. It seemed that the president was worried about the prospect of the Chinese using nuclear weapons, with that in mind he had asked the CIA to send the best available assets they could afford so that they could scope it out. Alex and another agent would be sent in to spy on the Chinese army and determine the threat level, if the president felt the need he would then either have them still or nullify any w.o.m.d they found.

Once that was finished Alex realised once thing was still missing. "Who's my backup?" he asked. Byrne smiled mischievously. "Wondered when you'd pick up on that. Alex Rider, meet your new partner". He gestured towards the door and, tilting his head, Alex's jaw dropped when he saw the one person he had been hoping to meet again.