Disclaimer: I do not own anything! All the characters belong to Anthony Horowitz.
-Prologue-
He was supposed to be dead. The bullet wound was fatal, but yet he was alive. Barely. He was told that the bullet had gone in and stayed in. He had had to have a surgery, and most of the surgeons available did not want to help. But in the end, the surgeons were won over. While recovering, there wasn't much he could do. He was confined to his bed and wasn't allowed to do much of anything, considering his surgery and past background. Laying in bed, he couldn't have heard the woman outside the door who was being forced inside by two men with guns.
-Chapter One-
Alex Rider was sitting on a bench in the park, thinking about his parents. Before he died, Yassen Gregorovich had told Alex that his father, John Rider, was an assassin hired by Scorpia to kill. That could not be true! Alex hadn't known his dad for long, but he knew that John Rider could not be a cold-hearted killer. He was thinking about his family because his teacher, Mr. Grey, had assigned them a project about family. How could he think about his parents without wishing they were alive again? Suddenly, his phone rang. It was from Jack Starbright, his friend and legal guardian since his uncle, Ian Rider, had died.
"Hi, Jack," Alex said.
Jack said, "Alex! Hi! Um, I'm at the hospital right now, so-"
Alex cut her off. "Why are you at the hospital? Did something happen to you? I'll be right there!"
Jack said, "Alex, wait! I need to-"
Alex disconnected the call. He hopped on his bike and pedaled off to the hospital.
Alex rushed into the hospital. The receptionist noticed him and looked at him questionably. He must be here for a family member, thought the receptionist.
Sure enough, Alex walked up to the counter and said, "Can you please tell me where Jack Starbright is?"
The receptionist nodded. "She went up to Room 312. It's on the third floor."
Alex nodded and ran off. He stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the button. The light lit up which meant the elevator was coming. Alex tapped his fingers on the wall. When the elevator didn't come straight away, Alex abandoned the elevator and opened the door that led to the stairs. He ran up the stairs until he got to the third floor.
Room 312. Room 312. That was what the receptionist had told him. He saw Room 308, Room 310, and finally. Room 312. He opened the door slowly and carefully. The first thing he saw was a curtain that covered half of the room from Alex's range of vision. Jack was sitting in a chair in front of the side of the curtain that Alex could see. She burst into tears the moment she saw him.
"Alex… Oh, Alex…." she sobbed. "I thought you wouldn't come."
"Jack, it's okay." Alex said. "I'm here."
"He's alive….Alex, you told me he died…" Jack sniffed.
Alex's hopes rose. Could it be? He pulled aside the curtain, hoping it was his uncle Ian Rider. Alex stared in horror when he saw who it was.
"Hello, Alex."