Alex smiled as he entered the room. "Smithers." He greeted the man in front of him.

"Alex!" Smithers beamed. "Good to see you back here."

"I'd say it was good to be back, but it would be a lie."

Smithers chuckled. "Still a little upset, eh? No worries. I have something here that will change that."

He pressed a button, and a picture behind him slid to one side. He grinned and pulled out two small objects.

"Blunt told me the mission you were on." He whistled. "Nasty work."

"Don't tell me. I want to be surprised." Sarcasm dripped form Alex's voice. He still hadn't heard what he was supposed to do.

Smithers nodded. "It's understandable for you to be angry, Alex. But this IS to save someone's life."

Alex rolled his eyes, but he could never really disagree with Smithers. "Whatever you say."

Smithers smiled and handed him the small object. "Scorpia will take this from you immediately. That is, of course, the idea."

Alex looked at the object, and horror filled his eyes. He swallowed. "That's a…"

"A gun, yes." Smithers agreed. "Scorpia will naturally want you unarmed. So, they'll take this from you, take it away and put it who knows where. But we know where it will end up." He looked at Alex. "Project 314."

Alex sighed. There it was again. He had to ask someone, and Smithers seemed like the most likely person to tell him. "Smithers, what IS Project 314?"

Smithers swallowed, and for once, Alex saw genuine fear in his eyes. It was hidden well, but it was definetly there.

"Don't worry about Project 314." He said, blowing off the question with a wave of his hand. "It's not important."

Alex rolled his eyes. "I'm supposed to protect this thing. How can I do that if I don't know what it IS?"

Smithers sighed and casually pressed a small button. Suddenly, his beefy hands were on Alex's shoulders, reaching across the small desk.

"Listen to me, Alex." He hissed. "Listen carefully, because I don't have much time."

Alex's eyes widened, shock filling his features.

"Dang it! You're just a child!" Smithers moaned, removing one hand from Alex's shoulder to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Just a child…" He whispered. "Just like HER."

"Her? Smithers what are you talking about?"

"EXACTLY!" Smithers's hand was back on his shoulders, his eyes locked on Alex's. "Not who, WHAT. She's not human, Alex."

Alex looked at him for a long time.

"Alex." Smithers's voice was urgent. "Listen to me. Don't take this mission. Please, if you value your life, stay as far away from this as you can. Run. Hide. Do whatever you have to, but STAY AWAY." There was real terror in his eyes.

He placed his hands back on the desk just as Mrs. Jones came in. "Is everything all right? We lost the cameras."

Smithers smiled, but now Alex could see how truly fake it was. "Oh. Sorry about that." He pressed a button. "My mistake."

When she left, Smithers would speak no further about his warning. Alex could imagine why. Obviously, he hadn't wanted the rest of MI6 to hear.

He turned over the conversation in his mind.

Just a child…

JUST LIKE HER.

Project 314 looked at the area around her.

All right, Blunt. She thought. Where is he? Where is Alex Rider?

She sighed. She couldn't rush him. It would just have to take time…

Time. She snorted. Everything took time. Why was it that when she needed time, he wouldn't give it to her, and yet when she needed something NOW, she had to wait patiently?

She swore. What was Blunt's problem? Couldn't he just help her?

She's just a CHILD!

Evan Smith's words rang through her mind. Was he right? Was she only a child?

Or was she something more?

Alex walked out of the room with one gadget. A gun. And he wasn't even supposed to use it. It was for Project 314.

But there was something else. Something MI6 didn't know about. Smithers had slipped it into his pocket.

It's a shame they would take anything else. He'd said when the cameras had come back on. I have this brilliant idea for a cell phone.

Another one? Alex had asked.

This one's different. It, of course, has a button to call MI6, the number nine, I believe it was? Yes. Nine. But it also acts as a lockpick, if you use the antenna. It will get you through almost any lock in three seconds flat. Even the ones you can't open yourself.

And then! If you press the number three button four times, then the call button… Well… He smiled. It becomes a stun grenade. Press the number FOUR button three times, it becomes a REAL grenade. The perfect escape, right in your hands.

Alex had smiled politely, and Smithers had given him a strange look as he'd left. As though he was sending Alex to his grave.

Maybe he was.

Alex tried not to shiver, but the thought was dominant in his mind. What if this was going to be his last mission? He swallowed.

He opened the door. Alan Blunt was sitting at a desk, on the far side away from Alex. He motioned for him to sit down.

Alex stayed where he was.

Alan sighed.

Alex raised an eyebrow.

Finally, Alan gave up. He handed Alex a piece of paper. "This is for you."

Alex took it from him. On it, there was a series of random numbers. No, only two numbers, repeated over and over in different sequences.

0110111000010110

1100110111001110

Alex didn't read the rest. It would have taken too long.

"These numbers won't make sense to you. But they will make sense to Project 314."

There it was AGAIN. What in the world was Project 314?

"Your job is to deliver that message."

"Without knowing what Project 314 is." Alex snapped.

"Unfortunatly. Now, we can get you in the area, but after that, it's your job to decide how you want to give it the message."

Alex sighed and folded the paper, sliding it in his pocket.

"How soon can I be there?"

Too soon.

Alex was in front of the building as quickly as MI6 could get him there.

He'd had no time to think of a plan. He didn't know what he was going to do.

He walked into the building, his eyes hard. It was a public place, and, for all he knew, it could be crawling with assassins or spies.

Those who worked for Scorpia.

At least he was still in England. That was good. He knew the area well enough. It was an advantage he could use. One that he needed badly.

His eyes darted about, looking for someone, anyone, who seemed even slightly suspicious.

He found someone.

He shivered. It was probably nothing. But there, just above her belt, there was a bluge in his shirt. A knife? A gun? He had no doubt.

He tried to get closer, making his way around everyone and everything necessary. He found a spot, close enough to hear and watch, but covered enough so that he wasn't seen.

It was a good thing he did. Because, at that moment, a young girl walked towards the man.

"Do you have it?" He whispered.

She raised a finger of caution. "Of course." She replied, her voice much softer than his.

Alex took a closer look at her, and a shiver ran down his spine.

Her hair was obviously dyed. It was bright red, unnaturally so. She had black eyes. She looked… artifical, almost. Her skin was unnaturally pale. And, at some point in her life, she'd had some sort of dental surgery, because her teeth were unnatural as well, filed to a point that made her look lethal.

He couldn't help himself. He was unable to move, pure fear paralyzing him.

And then those cold, black eyes turned, looking around the area, trying to see if anyone was watching.

Alex tried to duck. He tried to move. But he couldn't.

And then the impossible happened. Her eyes landed on him.

He'd been seen.