All right, so this is a sequel to my story Scorpia Hunting. Alex is now 16, Yassen is his father, and life is good. There's a problem, though. There is a new company, similar to Scorpia, but they are called Pythia (stupid name, I know but it was the only thing I could come up with in five seconds, and it sounds kindov like Scorpia. Yes, I am copying Anthony Horowitz with the whole name thing). Anyway, they are a terrorist group. That's all I'm giving away for now. Enjoy! Oh, and I am going to be writing in only Yassen's POV again.
Disclaimer: curse all the people who make me do this again! I don't own Alex Rider. I do own Pythia, because I created them!
Oh, and I know the first chapter title is really lengthy. I couldn't think of anything else to call it, so…enjoy!
Chapter 1- The Not-So-Amusing Amusement Park
I see a corner coming up, and I slide sideways a little as I round it. I gain speed as I race along a flat strip of the track. Then I take a few more turns. I'm one lap away from finishing. I hear the roar of another kart in my ears. The smell of gasoline and burning rubber fills my nose. I ignore it; all my concentration focused on the finish line. I see another kart coming up beside me in my peripheral vision. I press the gas, but so does the other person. I take the next corner tightly; I feel the wheels of the car slipping on the ground. I feel the vibration of the karts engine through my whole body; a constant humming in my ears. I slowly pull ahead of the other driver. We're about 40 yards from the finish now; I'm going to beat him. He pulls up beside me; 20 yards away. He's gaining on me now. He's just barely ahead of me as we pass the finish line. We slow our karts, and we finally stop. I get out, and take off my helmet.
"Good race," I say, holding out my hand. He takes it, smiling.
"I really thought you had me there, Yassen," he comments, lifting his hand to whip some sweat off his forehead.
"That's the third time in a row you've beat me, Alex. What made you think I'd give up?" I ask him. He laughs.
It's been a whole year since I adopted him. He's 16 now; he's growing up quickly. I'm 37, but according to Alex I still look like I'm in my late 20s. That's fine by me; I don't care.
It's summer; he'll be a junior in high school next year. He's going to Brookland High again, just like when he was 14. His life is just like it was before Jack died. Every day he bikes to school, bikes home. He has homework; he hangs out with his friends…the only difference is that MI6 is no longer in either of our lives. That's in the past. Sometimes we talk about it, reliving memories about our past. Most of the time, though, we just enjoy the life we have now. He still calls me Yassen; it just seems natural to both of us. I know I'm like a father to him, but he's been calling me Yassen for such a long time; it would be a little strange if he started to call me 'dad'.
We're in an amusement park, having fun. It's about 2 o'clock in the afternoon; we'll probably head home soon. We've been here since about 9 in the morning. We walk around, watching people do things. There's a family playing miniature golf; there are people in the arcade, playing games. There's a man with brown hair and a brownish gray suite on who is walking a white dog toward us. I didn't know they allowed dogs here. Alex notices him as well.
"What is he doing here?" Alex mutters. The man continues walking toward us; not really looking at us, but definitely coming toward us with purpose.
"You know him? Who is he?" I ask. I'm getting a little nervous; my old instincts are returning quickly.
"Mr. Crawley. He's from MI6…" Alex trails off. MI6! I thought they were going to leave us alone. I thought we were done with that part of our lives.
"Hello, Alex, Yassen. Funny running into you!" he exclaims, stopping in front of us.
"Mr. Crawley. What are you doing here?" Alex asks suspiciously.
"Well, I'm just out on a nice walk with Barker. Nothing wrong with that is there?" he asks.
"The last time I met you when you were with your dog, you got me to do a favor for MI6 that almost got me killed; again." Alex says.
"This is different, though. I'm not going to lie to you; this is a big deal. It could affect the whole world, and it most likely will. There's nowhere else we can turn to; we need you." Mr. Crawley says.
"Whatever it is, it's your problem, I don't care, and I'm not getting involved." Alex says forcefully.
"Alex, you have no idea how important this is. At least here me out." Mr. Crawley is literally begging now.
"Is any of this going to directly affect me in any way?" Alex asks.
"I think it could definitely affect you directly," Mr. Crawley says.
"Fine, we'll here you out. I'm not saying yes, though." Alex says.
We walk over to a table, and we sit down. Alex and I sit next to each other, Crawley sits across from us. The smell of French Fries reaches my nose. The summer sun beats down on us; it's a good thing we wore sunscreen.
"There's this new company, called Pythia. They've only been around for a couple months, but they're very powerful. There have been several explosions, in schools, all around the world. Pythia has been involved in some way each time. The targets don't appear to be any particular type of school; there are elementary, middle schools, and high schools that they are attacking. We believe they are planning something on a much larger scale than this," Mr. Crawley says.
"Like Invisible Sword?" Alex asks.
"…Yes, but on a much larger scale," he says after a moment. "We believe they are going to do something similar to that, but with bombs, and not just one school," he says. "The problem is if we tell the schools, they won't believe it. We don't know what schools or when it's going to happen,"
"So you want me to help you," Alex says. He realizes how serious this is.
"No. We want both Yassen and you to help us," Mr. Crawley says.
Alex looks really troubled. He gets the fact that if he says no, it could affect him. He also realizes that this isn't just about him anymore. It's about all the children that go to school. It could be about the whole world.
"What do you think?" Alex asks, turning to me.
"I think we should help them. I've had experience with Scorpia; Pythia sounds similar to them. That means that they will think like Scorpia, too. If we want to figure out what they're doing, the first question we should ask is why are they doing it?"
"We don't know," Crawley points out.
"Well, they could be doing it for money. Revenge of some kind. To show the world that they have power…" Alex trails off, his eyes widening in shock. "If they wanted to show the whole world they have power, they would do this on a much larger scale than anything we've ever seen. That would mean having school bombings worldwide…that could be disastrous!" Alex exclaims. I realize he's no longer acting rebellious; this is in his blood, no matter what. He can't seem to get away from the world he was thrown into when he was 14.
"Alex, you might be on to something. We have to figure out how to stop them, though. That means sending someone in…like a double agent," Crawley says carefully.
"No. No, no, no! Absolutely not! I will not do that! I've been in that situation before; I'm not doing it again!" Alex exclaims emphatically.
"Is there another possibility we could consider?" I ask, gently resting my hand on Alex's shoulder. At first he tries to shrug me off, but he stops himself. He looks at me with a pleading expression in his eyes. I also see something else, something I didn't think Alex would be feeling right now; fear. Why is he afraid?
"Well…not really," he admits.
"Then the answer is no," Alex says. "I don't want to have to go through that again."
"All right, maybe we can find someone else to do it. Thank you for hearing me out," Mr. Crawley walks away from us, dragging the dog behind him.
Later that night, Alex and I are sitting at the table. The air smells like the chicken soup we've been eating.
"Why don't you want to help MI6? This isn't just about other people, this time, Alex. It could directly affect you," I question.
"I just…I don't want to relive what happened with Scorpia the first time I did something like this," Alex says, but I can tell that that isn't the real reason he said no.
"There's something more, though. I know there is. I can see it in your eyes. Are you afraid it will be dangerous?" I ask gently. I don't want to make it seem like I'm mocking him, because I'm not. I have emotions and feelings, even if I don't show them very often. I know what fear feels like.
"I know it's going to be dangerous; it's always dangerous. I'm just…I'm scared that something's going to happen to you. I'm scared that you'll die," Alex says, his eyes shining with tears. I realize just how much he loves me. Two years ago, he swore he would kill me one day. Now he won't do an operation that could save his life, all because he's afraid I might get killed.
"Alex…we'd both be at risk. Not just me, but you too. This affects both of us. If Pythia is going to do something even bigger than Scorpia did, it could be a global disaster," I say.
Alex thinks about this for a while. I wait patiently while he processes this. "I know," he says finally.
"So…what do we do about it?" I ask.
"I guess we don't really have any choice but to go to MI6 and tell them we've changed our minds," he says, sighing. He sounds tired; I know why. He really doesn't want to do this, but he finally realizes that it's the only choice.
"We'll go to the Royal & General Bank tomorrow," I tell him. He nods, looking defeated.
"Alex, you know how much I love you, right?" I ask him suddenly.
"Yes, I love you just as much," he replies. We don't usually talk about this, so whenever we do, it feels special somehow.
"Alex, I would sacrifice myself for you. I would die for you," I say with passion.
"And I would die for you, Yassen," he says, his voice cracking with emotion. He swallows hard.
"This isn't just about you and me, now. It's about the whole world. I have a feeling Pythia is planning something bigger than anything Scorpia could plan. If it's anything like Scorpia, than this isn't just going to affect one part of the world. They're going to try and create chaos," I explain. He nods again, not trusting himself to speak. There are tears in his eyes. The way he's looking at me…it reminds me so much of John. His dark brown eyes are filled with sadness; as if he thinks I'm going to die soon.
I walk over to his side of the table. He's almost as tall as me now; he's not a little boy anymore. I wrap my arms around him, holding him tightly. He leans his head against my chest; I can feel his tears soaking into my shirt. The smell of the go-kart track is still lingering in his hair. I can hear the slight humming of the air conditioner in the attic.
"Alex, no matter what happens, I love you. I always will. Even if I die…I'll still be with you, in your memories," I whisper in his ear.
He just nods his head, still unable to speak. Finally, he pulls away from me, blinking tears away.
"You all right?" I ask him. He nods and manages a weak "Yes,"
We go to bed late; we both stay up till about 2 o'clock, which is normal for me. He curls up on the sofa, leaning his head against my shoulder. We're sitting in front of the TV, but it isn't on. We'll do that sometimes; just sit and enjoy each other's company. After a while, I realize he's asleep. I watch him for a while; I can see the slow rhythmic rising and falling of his chest. His warm breath brushes against my skin. Carefully, so I don't disturb him, I move away from him. I pick him up gently and carry him to his bed, tucking him in. I'm just about to leave when he stirs.
"Yassen?" he asks sleepily, sitting up slightly. The sheets rustle slightly as he shifts.
"I'm here," I reply softly.
"I love you," he says.
"I love you too, Alex. Goodnight," I respond, smiling.
"Goodnight," he whispers, lying down again. The door creaks softly as I shut it. I walk to my room and go to sleep.
That's the conclusion of chapter 1! I hope you liked it. It makes me a little sad, but I don't know why. It's not supposed to be sad…oh, all right, maybe it was a little. Can't wait to write the next chapter!