1- The Fall

AN: Hey guys :) This is my first Alex Rider fanfic; so be gentle :) I've had this idea ever since I read this scene in Snakehead last year. I've got tons of other idea's of alternate endings to scenes; and I'm ashamed to say that 9 out of 10 of them contain the infamous Russian assassin, Yassen. Much like John, I have a soft spot for him too. You should have seen the look on my face when AHorowitz killed him off; I was not amused. Okay, I'm just gonna shuddup now :)

Warnings: Mild swearing

He was splashing wildly, trying to escape his attackers as they chased him down the river. His left leg was raw red from scraping against the rough edge of the helicopter float. He ignored it. He had bigger issues right now.

[Like the assassins in helicopters behind me]

Suddenly a shot rang out, brushing his right shoulder. He swore, as he saw the familiar red liquid quickly soaking his damp t-shit. He heard a hushing sort of noise.

No. It was more like rushing. He frowned. [What th-]

The makeshift canoe flipped, leaving Alex capsized. He didn't panic too much; after all, Ian had taught him all the tricks of canoeing. But the attackers didn't need to know that, of course.

He held his breath, counting slowly in his head. Maybe they would think he was dead and turn back? He crossed his fingers. Soon the urge to take a breath became unbearable. Black spots obscured Alex's vision, as he gripped tightly onto the side of the canoe. He knew that if he didn't take a breath soon it'd kill him instead of the killers behind.

What felt like forever later, Alex heard the blades of the helicopter decrease in volume and the vibrations in the water lessened.

He flipped.

After taking a few spluttering breaths he glanced around and saw to his delight, he saw no lurking assassins in the dim sky. Just a small dot getting smaller and smaller. They were gone.

Alex let out an audible sigh. That had been too close. A sudden pain in his shoulder made him wince. Right, the bullet.

He frowned. That rushing noise was still there. Alex's eyes narrowed at the persistent noise and he searched the landscape looking for a cause of it. It sounded like it was coming from further down the … the river.

[No…]

He squinted and saw that in the distance there was no longer any land either side of the river. In his haste to get away from Major Yu and his freakishly freaky scheme to get Alex's organs; he forgot that waterfalls were common here.

[Bloody fantastic]

He had escaped murderous captors only to die by falling off a waterfall. And a big one at that.

Well, he couldn't let that happen! He immediately used his arms to try and pull himself onto the bank but the attempt was futile. The water was too powerful, the bank was too far away. And he hurt. A lot.

He hissed in pain as he moved his shoulder quickly. He stopped his pathetic paddling because deep down he knew; there was no escape.

He could see the waterfall approaching, as the land just seemed to suddenly just stop. If Alex hadn't been pulled furiously towards it in a life threatening situation, he might have admired the view. A sudden speck of rain on his head alerted him to the grey clouds above.

[Well at least the weather mimics my mood] He thought miserably.

It was approaching. His heart was beating faster with every meter he travelled. He swallowed dryly. This was it.

At last second, he decided to abandon the makeshift canoe; knowing it would only damage his legs further. Before he knew it the canoe had fallen off the edge. And then Alex fell.

Wind whipped through his hair and droplets of water drenched him within seconds. It felt somewhat soothing against his heated skin. But he didn't have time to notice this. He was falling down a massive waterfall. Speaking of which; how much longer would he be falling for?

A few more painful seconds passed before he felt himself several meters underwater, being swirled around in a vicious whirlpool. He felt like he was in a massive bath and someone had just pulled a big plug.

His head suddenly collided with a rough rock and the black dots from early came back in full force. He felt himself be pulled in and pushed out in all directions; with water falling heavily on top of him. A sudden wave of water caused him to back forcefully into a jagged stone wall. He screamed out in pain, but the water around his throat were like hands seizing his neck.

He was wearing down. That was the only thought running through his muzzy head. And the fact that he had to escape. All his energy was nearly gone. With all his remaining strength he powerfully swam what he thought was upwards, desperate for some air. He spluttered and flailed in the water, taking in a lung full of air before being sucked back into a foggy dark depth. He continued swimming in any way possible; determined to reaching anything.

He squinted through the water. Was that the side of a bank? He tiredly pulled himself towards it; fighting the ever persistent current. He felt himself break through the water and find air again; he gasped and breathed erratically. Red liquid dripped down his head, tinting his golden locks. Things were getting distant. His arms were now numb and …No…

He felt the current change; yet again. It felt as if cold, ice hands, had wrapped themselves around his ankles. He had no energy to fight. He looked up to the bank, through the murky water. He had been so close. Before he knew what was happening an arm suddenly caught his wrist, enclosing it securely. Alex looked up again, and saw a distorted figure. Alex always wondered why the water did that. Made things all wiggly, that is. [Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought…]

He felt himself be pulled out the water and laid gently on his back as the darkness returned. He happily welcome it, to escape from the pain.

This person didn't let him though. Some slaps to the face and chest compressions later Alex was coughing up murky water gasping for breath; collapsed on the muddy bank.

"Breath, little Alex" A familiar Russian voice soothed. He somehow registered that he should be trying to get away from this man. But he was tired. And he didn't seem like a threat for now. He let the darkness claim him, with no objection from the mystery man.

If anyone was wondering, this isn't going to be a slash, but you can still read it as one! Alex is far too innocent in my eyes. Besides; I want him for myself...