A/N; Sorry bout the last chapter guys. I must have forgotten to take off the ending. Guilty. Please review---I don't mind flamers. =)

Thanks to all my reviewers---I love you guys and especially to blackkat09 who gave me a whole new look at the story and helped me to adjust it to be more realistic.

Disclaimer- I don't own Alex Rider---belongs to Anthony Horowitz.

Chapter 2

Immediately a babble of voices greeted his words.

"How long have you been working for MI6 for?" "Did you actually want to be a spy?" "Are you okay?" "What's with the bullet wound? Were you really shot?"

"Have you been on any missions?"

Alex closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He could feel a headache coming on. He knew that this had been a bad idea. Opening his eyes again, he saw that everyone was looking at him.

"Silence," Alex said, reiterating the woman. At once there was quiet. Alex reached into his bag and brought out a laptop. He wasn't sure what kind of technology Mr Smithers had installed because he hadn't bothered to ask, but he knew it was brand knew. He typed out a short message to Mr Blunt and Mrs Jones that read;

'Situation compromised. Currently have two Scorpia agents subdued and bound. Requesting back-up as possibly not on their own, other cells infiltrating school is a possibility. Position compromised and class now know my status. Please advise on following action.'

He didn't need to sign his name. Smithers had said that this was a prototype which meant it could only come from him.

Meanwhile: On the floor at the front of the room

The woman moaned, a sound muffled by the gag that Alex had secured over her mouth. She blinked and opened her eyes and then winced at the throbbing at the side of her skull. How had this happened? It was supposed to be a simple hostage situation. They go in, capture the little kiddies with no resistance then demand money from the government and once it was received, let them go---maybe. There was going to be three cells in charge of the whole school for goodness sake! (A/N; A cell has 6 people in it) Why had they not been informed that Alex Rider was going to be here? Her mind flashed back to the day she was told about her mission.

"Your cell will be in charge of sector six," Mr Kroll had said, pointing to the eastern side of the school. "We have been informed that there is only one class going on in this sector at the time, in room 17. Simons has a list of the people in that classroom. Nothing special as far as we can see. One's father is a policeman, another's second cousin works for DGSE (A/N: French secret service) and another's grandfather has connections to the Mafia but like I said-nothing special. The best course of action is two enter the room, two watch these exits here,"-he pointed to the ones at the end of the corridor-"and two more here-he pointed to the emergency exit doors, situated halfway down the corridor on the right. Simons, please give them the report." The man named Simons stepped forward from his position, which was right beside Mr Kroll and gave her a thin, manila folder entitled 'Sector six, Room 17'. He then stepped back into his former position. There was nothing special about him. He was dressed in a black suit and sapphire blue tie, with black leather loafers on his feet. He had a tanned complexion, light ginger hair and dark brown eyes. Nothing extraordinary but Mr Kroll seemed to trust him so I was okay with him being there.

"May I enquire as if there is a time limit?" I asked, wondering how long it would take to tie them up.

"There is no time limit. However, I want them all unharmed. We can't have our new recruits hurting can we?" Mr Kroll said, smiling.

"No, sir. At once, sir," I said and left the room.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The man called Simons hurried down the corridor and into his room. He glanced at the sheet lying on his desk again. It was an exact copy of the report on the class that Amanda (1) and Neal had just received. Except this one had one more name on the list. Alex Rider. Simons sighed, then locked the door, gripped his hairline and pulled his face off. Ben Daniels sighed again. Somehow he had to get a message to MI6 about this. It was luck that he was assigned to this task. Fortunately, he had managed to wipe Alex's name off the records and lists, and place him in a school in Liverpool. Suddenly he grabbed the sheet and threw it in the bin. This was a brief flash of light and a muffled whoosh as the incinerator detected it. A few moments later it was a pile of ashes.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx-End of Flashback-xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In an MI6 office in The Royal and General Bank on Liverpool Street, London

"William, is Mr Blunt busy?"

"No, ma'm."

"Please inform him that I am coming up."

"Right away, ma'm."

Two minutes later, Mrs Jones walked into Mr Blunt's office on the fifth floor. He had his back to her but swivelled his chair around when he heard her enter the room.

"You wanted to see me?"

"This just came in from Alex," Mrs Jones said. "He's requested back-up."

Mr Blunt was silent, busy reading the print out of the email that Alex had sent to them a few minutes ago.

"It strikes me odd that both Scorpia agents were taken down by Alex. Usually they would have been better informed of the situation." Blunt paused, looking thoughtful. "How long has it been since we've have contact with Agent Daniels?"

Mrs Jones was a little taken aback by Blunt's change of subject but she tried not to show it. "About one week. Why?"

Blunt was silent and Mrs Jones could almost see and hear the cogs turning in his brain.

"I want you to send in Operation full backup to Brookland. And attempt contact with Daniels."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Back In the Classroom

After sending the email, Alex rifled through his bag for the emergency kit he knew he had put in there a little while ago, but had forgotten about in the aftermath of Scorpia's attack. Eventually he found it and opened it up, checking through each of the little bottles holding pills until he found the aspirin. While searching for it, he found some gauze which he wrapped around his injury after removing the strips of cloth from it. Frankly, he was amazed at the stuff Smithers had managed to pack in that little kit. It looked as if he had brought half the medical room plus more.

Alex shook a couple pills from the aspirin bottle onto his hand.

"What are you…" the boy that had asked the question took one look at Alex's expression and decided that it would be a good idea if shut up. Right now.

Alex swallowed the last mouthful of water left in the water bottle and swallowed the pills. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. MI6's reinforcements should be here soon. Gradually he could feel his headache staring to recede, so he tipped his chair forward, back into its normal position and opened his eyes, only to find the whole class staring at him.

At the SAS base, Brecon Beacons

"Sir, this was just paged through from MI6. They are requesting Operation full backup. Apparently there ahs been a hostage situation at a school."

The Sergeant barely grunted in reply.

"I'll put them on stand by right away, sir," said the SAS member and promptly left the office.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Unit K report to central office at 1500 hours," said the same recruit into the intercom system. It was lunch time at the moment and all units were eating and resting before their next activity. Wolf was sitting in a corner thinking about what he had just heard. Impatiently he checked his watch. It was 1357 hours. Beside him was Snake, Eagle and Leopard (Leopard being Ben's replacement).

"I wonder what they want us for?" he mused out loud.

"Probably something small and insignificant problem that they want to waste our time on," replied Leopard. Wolf gritted his teeth in irritation. Leopard's pessimistic attitude was staring to annoy him.

Back in the classroom

Alex zipped up the medical kit and put it back into his bag. The he fished around until ha found what he had been looking for. It had taken MI6 a long time to accept that he could handle a gun, but it seemed he had finally convinced them. He drew the Colt 55 out of his bag, checked it was loaded and strapped it to the holster he had previously fastened on his left calf. A few of the girls sitting near Alex gasped when they saw the gun and a few boys shot Alex envious glances which Alex returned with a cold glare, which none of the boys seemed to be able to, or want to, hold very long. These boys had no experience of the outside world---to them the gun was a thing of beauty and wonder---to Alex, it was something you could use to save your life,or end it with.

Fishing around in his schoolbag, Alex took out the exploding bubblegum packets (it had been so effective on its maiden mission that Smithers had given Alex almost a sweet store worth---in all different shapes and sizes. This one was Sweet Mint flavour, one of Alex's favourites), fifteen 10p coins (the exploding sort used on his mission with Snakehead), a various assortment of smoke bombs that could, blind, make your eyes tear up, throw up a freezing fog that he could escape through and other things like that. Smithers had also been delighted to provide Alex with another bulletproof windbreaker that resembled the one worn on his final encounter with Damian Cray, diamond edged shoe laces, another bottle of Zit Cream (the special kind), straws that spat out a sleeping darts when blown through (shown in Scorpia in Mrs Jones flat) and a case containing a silencer and numerous bullets.

Alex's class watched in a severe state of confusion as he piled all these items onto his desk and then began putting them on himself where appropriate. The windbreaker went over his head, gum and zit cream into his left trouser pocket, money and a few straws in his right, the rest he stuffed down the hem in his trousers after a little…persuasion (he ripped open a few stitches at the beginning of it). The smoke bombs he slotted into little nooks and crannies in the case containing the silencer and the bullets. Maybe it was his training, but Alex had to take a few out and shove them into the windbreakers pocket, keeping a few back just in case of an attack. He knew that he should be heading around the school right now, ensuring nobody was hurt, but he was unsure as to their numbers and doing something foolish like that would only get him killed---and what help would he be then?

Brecon Beacons

"C'mon, c'mon," Wold muttered impatiently, glancing at his watch for the third time in 5 seconds. He wanted to find out what was going on, so he could complete the mission and get back to relaxing. Spring break was a couple weeks away and everything was winding down. It was a big thing to have 3 days off your job for SAS men, and even then, six teams hand to be kept at base on stand by during the time period that the majority was away.

"K-Unit. Enter," the soldier that had been speaking over the intercom earlier was talking to them now.

Wolf thought that it was about time. They had reported to here at the allocated time---only to find out that the sergeant was busy taking a telephone call, and had had to wait for 30 minutes until he was finished. Wolf stood up, Eagle, Leopard and Snake right behind him, and walked into the office.

The sergeant started to speak almost immediately, a frown on his face.

"MI6 have requested our services. I just got off the phone to Mr Blunt and they're telling us nothing, but their must be something important at that school that they need because they requested full backup."

Wolf mused quietly. A full backup? That was when all teams went in---apart form three that stayed at base for ultimate backup (A/N; I'm making this part up but --- there was 64 teams on campus at the moment---that was the made up bit---soz I have no idea if that is true or not). Wolf looked around the room and saw Eagle frowning in concentration, having apparently not gotten it yet. Leopard's expression was perfectly composed, an emotionless mask. Snake was scowling and muttered something along the lines of 'fabulous', but a SAS soldier wouldn't say something like that---would he???

After judging that the men had all absorbed what he had just said, apart from Eagle, but then, an SAS man didn't have to be all brains and apparently, this one was not at home but the lights were on, engine running but nobody behind the wheel---that sort of thing, the sergeant started to speak again.

"Even though I'm unhappy doing this, I'm going to call a half backup, that means that you, along with 31 other teams, will leave base at 1700 hours. I'm giving permission for full gear up. Do you understand your orders?"

"Sir, yes sir," the men gave the automatic response that had been drilled into them and filed out of the room.

Once they were out of the office, Wolf turned to the other men behind and said, "What is going on? First MI6, repeat, MI6 ask us for help (it was well known throughout base that MI6 preferred to do things there own way, rarely if ever asking for help)---and then they call for a full backup. What do they have that they want at Brookland School???" he began to pace the width of the corridor.

"Maybe they've hidden some sort of secret weapon in the basement or something?" jokes Eagle, relaxing against the wall. Leopard leaned over, and with the ease of one used to doing so, cuffed Eagle hard on the back of his head.

"Ow," Eagle said and probed the back of his head gently and winced. "Leopard, you sure know how to pack 'em."

"Sorry," Leopard said without a trace of remorse on his face or in his voice.

"Alright," Wolf said and clapped his hands twice to get their attention. "You heard Sergeant. Let's get kitted up and then meet back here later, at 1650 hours."

"Kay," Eagle slunk off down the corridor that led towards the gun storage area.

"Wait up!" that was Snake, running after Eagle to catch up wit him.

"Later," Leopard said and departed down the corridor that led to the body armour storage room. Wolf, himself, sighed and walked off towards 'extras' as people on base termed it, but what was really just spare stuff that you needed such as knives, smoke bombs, silencers, extra bullets. The usual.

Back In The Classroom

Alex was beginning to feel a little annoyed. MI6 should have sent men in by now at least, and he was beginning to feel a little bit wary, the people on the floor were starting to wake up---in fact the woman looked as if she was wide awake and in a deadly rage. Suddenly, a wave of pain from his arm, and if it hadn't been for his strict training, Alex would have cried out at the amount of pain it was inflicting. There was no way a normal wound would have hurt this much, the blade must have been poisoned. Now all he had to do was identify which poison it was, and find a cure for it. This was when Miss Binnag's lessons were going to come in handy. He found the blade, lying underneath the desk and with a great effort, lifted it. His arm felt as if it weighed 1000 pounds and his vision was becoming cloudy. Groggily, he searched through the medical kit for the antidotes section. Finally he gave up.

"Tom," he called quietly, but it sounded like he was shouting in the eerie silence that was settled like a blanket over the entire classroom. Tom got up from his seat and walked over to Alex.

Alex showed him the antidote section that he had managed to locate.

"Search for one that is a cure to Sempathis Warrior," he said, recognizing the effects of the deadly plant far too late. (2)

Tom hurriedly searched for it and managed to find it, a small blue bottle that said, 'Take extreme care,' on the label.

"Found it!" he exclaimed proudly.

Alex was using all his willpower in focusing on what he had been taught in Miss Binnag's lessons.

"Tom, take off the lid and pour it into my mouth until I give you the signal to stop."

Only then did Tom look closely at Alex. He appeared fine at first glance, but at a closer examination he didn't look so good. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead and his eyes looked dull with pain.

"Alex?" Tom said, uneasy.

"Please Tom, just do it."

So Tom carefully tipped the contents of the blue bottle into Alex's mouth until his hand grabbed his wrist, telling him to stop. Alex closed his mouth and swallowed the vile liquid. Then shuddered at the taste and signalled for Tom to continue pouring. Three more mouthfuls later, the medicine was gone and he was starting to feel better already, his vision was getting clearer and his arms almost felt their normal weight again. He sat up straighter in his seat.

"Thank you, Miss Binnag," he said under his breath while packing away medical bottles and ointments spilt in his mad rush to find the antidote, back into the bag, but the whole class heard.

"Who's Miss Binnag?" a small bespeckled boy asked. Alex swivelled in his chair to face him.

"What's it to you?" he asked coldly.

The boy shrugged. "Just curious," he replied.

Alex considered him for a long moment.

"Fine," he said, in defeat. He'd have to tell them some time and it might as well be now, seeing as MI6 were on their coffee break or whatever.

"One at a time, you're only allowed to ask ten questions altogether and put your hand up!" Alex answered the boy that had just spoken. "Miss Binnag was my plant biology teacher on Malagosto."

Alicia put her hand up. Alex nodded at her.

"How long have you been a spy?"

"Ever since my uncle was killed…uh died." Alex being distracted, still waiting on MI6 to show, answered robotically, and regretted it.

Alicia opened her mouth in shock, "Your uncle was killed?"

"Are you sure you want to waste a question on the obvious?" Alicia closed her mouth. Alex took that as a no.

Robert, a quiet boy sitting at the back of the class, put his hand up (Alex had moved his seat up to the front by this point). Alex looked at him and he took that as permission to speak.

"Have you been on a mission?"

"Yes."

"Cool!"

Amy, a brainy girl with braces and thick glasses, timidly put her hand up. Alex nodded to her.

"How many missions have you been on?"

"Seven."

William put his hand up. Alex nodded to him.

"What did you have to do on your first mission?"

Alex thought about the question and how he could get around it.

"Surveillance."

Levi put his hand up. Alex looked at him.

"Did you really get hit by a bullet in your heart?"

"Two centimetres left of it." The class looked horrified at that.

Belinda raised her hand. Alex nodded to her.

"Have you really been into outer space?"

"Yes." The class was shocked at this one, obviously not believing what the man had told them before he was knocked unconscious. Alex heard someone say 'But that's, like, a world record!'

Callum put his hand up. Alex nodded to him.

"What secret services have you worked with?"

"MI6, CIA and ASIS." Looking at his classmates confused expressions, he explained in a bit more depth. "MI6 is Military Intelligence and sector 6 is Spying but I work for the section titled 'Special Operations' or the British, CIA is Central Intelligence Agency or the Americans and ASIS is Australian Secret Intelligence Service and I'm sure you can work out who they are."

Hannah, a short girl who also took Karate, put her hand up. Alex nodded at her.

"Do you get weapons or gadgets?"

"I get a few gadgets that throw up a smokescreen, blind or stun the enemy. I once had a jungle survival kit inside a belt and a mosquito lotion that attracted them." Alex smiled at the memory. "It was very effective."

Anna raised her hand.

"What was your most recent mission?"

Alex was still reminiscing the time when he'd dumped the mosquito lotion on the guards' clothes and answered without thinking.

"I had to infiltrate a snakehead."

One of the girls gasped, "You mean like a terrorist organisation?"

Alex looked at her, fully in the present now, and deeply regretting his mistake. "Yes. What's it to you?"

"My Dad's a cop and a few of his friends came round for tea and I heard them talking about a Snakehead. They said that one has recently been brought down, and that it was really dangerous and really strong."

Alex had been keeping count of the questions asked and he knew that they had reached the limit that he had set.

"Fun's over. Ten questions up," he said and went to check on the prisoners. (He had knocked them out earlier, just as the man began to wake up in fact). They were still both out cold. Alex sighed and moved his chair back to its original position.