Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series.
Philippe Delaroche looked across the French Square at his father's hotel. Delacour Hotels. Each one five stars, two in every country in Europe, one per American state. Worth billions and billions of euros.
Philippe turned around and started walking across the quiet bridge, watching the Seine bubble and flow beneath his feet. He smirked to himself. His father would never look here for him. Never in a million years.
The sky was a blotchy red, the sun sinking behind the large hotel as Philippe reached the other side of the bridge. He looked both ways along the road before he darted across. He moved slowly along the pavement, head down, hood up.
He heard the slightest patter of feet behind him and then nothing. He felt a dull thump to his head and he slumped on the floor, darkness flooding his vision. The last thing he thought of was would it hurt when he hurt the ground.
Needless to say, it did.
Alex Rider watched his teacher walk slowly around the large assembly hall, lips puckered. He eyed each student covertly and Alex suppressed the urge to scream and beat the table before him.
He looked back at the maths paper before him and groaned quietly. It might as well have been written in Greek. Alex turned the page and, finding a question he could answer, filled it in quickly.
The teacher passed him, tutting quietly at his despair. Alex let out an exasperated sigh and his head slumped forward into his hands just as the bell chimed, signifying the end of the exam. Alex thrust his paper and answer booklet at the teacher and slid out of his seat, dashing from the hall and out to the lockers.
He leaned against the wall, head tilted backward. Tom appeared from nowhere and grinned sympathetically.
"Hard, eh? I swear I forgot all the geometry we did" Tom said, grinning widely. Alex made a noise of affirmation and Tom smirked.
"Come on, let's get outside and get some air. D'you feel like getting lunch at the shopping centre?" Tom asked.
Alex nodded and Tom grinned.
"Great. I've got plenty of money if you need to borrow some, my dad just threw it at me this morning. And then my mum gave me a fifty pound note. Told me I didn't need to take his scraps" Tom chattered.
Alex sighed. It wasn't Tom's chattering that was bothering him, it wasn't even the enormous pressure of the exams. Something didn't feel right.
Tom kept up his chatting all the way to the shopping centre. All Alex had to do was say 'Yeah' or make a noise of agreement when prompted. Alex felt Tom steer him up to the food court and opened his mouth to make conversation when he felt his gaze drawn across the large, bustling hub of activity.
A girl about his age, maybe older, was leaning on the wooden barrier. She was good looking with dark blond hair and a slim figure. She was staring intently at her phone, biting her lip, texting furiously. Tom propelled Alex in the direction of Mac Donalds, taking him closer to the girl. Alex could now make out her glossy dark red lips and her copper gold eyes.
Tom noticed where his friend was looking and grinned.
"Should we go say hello?" he asked cheekily, a wide smile plastered on his face.
Alex began to protest but it was too late. Tom had already dragged him over beside the girl.
"Hi, I'm sorry but my friend here was wondering if you wanted to come with us and grab a drink?" Tom said, grinning.
The girl looked up briefly then back at her phone. She chewed her lip and then closed her phone over, smiling at Tom.
"Great! Looks like this is your lucky day! I'm Gabriella" she replied, tossing her phone into her handbag.
Tom beamed back, his smile getting even bigger.
"I'm Tom. And that's Alex" he said, jerking his thumb in Alex's direction.
Gabriella smiled at Alex and tilted her head to one side.
"Hmmm, I'm sure I've seen you around" she said, considering carefully.
Alex opened his mouth to reply when a hooded figure sprinted past, snatching Gabriella's bag and continuing, pushing through the crowd violently. Alex took one look at Gabriella, eyes swimming, and took off through the crowds, pushing people and weaving in and out, muttering an 'Excuse me' or two.
He hurried toward the escalator, eyes never leaving the hooded figure who had reached the bottom and taken off toward Marks and Spencers. Alex brushed past a couple and reached the end of the escalator, skidding and then sprinting off in the wake of the thief.
Alex pushed through a large queue for the cinema, ignoring the shouts an grunts, and ran full pelt into Marks and Spencers, giving a clerk the shock of his life. Quickly slowing to a stop, Alex moved through the shop slowing, knowing the thief was in the shop.
Alex crouched, hearing rustling noises around a display of purple 'Finest Arabian Silk' ties. Jumping out in an effort to startle the thief, Alex blushed deeply when he saw an ancient man look at him, eyes wide with fear.
Muttering his apology, Alex turned just in time to see the thief rush up the aisle and out of the shop. Alex followed, leaving the man staring after him. The old man looked around then tapped his ear.
"This is Nolan, Rider has taken bait, I repeat, Rider has taken bait" he said quickly, then going back to scanning the tie rack.
Alex swerved in and out, dodging a buggie, a pregnant woman and an overweight man. He was definitely gaining on whoever it was who'd taken the bag. The thief suddenly and swiftly veered off to the right. Alex did so as well and frowned slightly. That was the side exit that was closed down because of a burst pipe, the yellow tape glaring at Alex, reminding him.
Alex followed carefully as the thief burst through the doors and turned quickly, running along the side of shopping centre, eyes never leaving the thief's back.
Alex closed the ground between them rapidly and when he close enough to reach out and grab the thief, he flung himself, rugby tackle style, and slammed the thief into the ground, the impact emptying Alex of all the air that he'd had in his lungs.
The thief, however, rolled straight to their feet and turned quickly, a flick knife open in their hand.
Alex looked up and frowned. There was something about the way the thief moved that troubled him. The thief tossed the bag aside and pulled down their hood. Alex noted the scarf covering the lower half of their face. The thief ripped off the scarf, throwing it to the ground and Alex studied the face. It was a boy, no older than Alex but with eyes that scared Alex. They were eyes that were old, too old for their owner. Alex had seen the same in his own eyes before.
But these eyes were pale blue and hard. They didn't look like the eyes of a teenager. They didn't look like they'd seen love or joy.
There was something about the face. Alex couldn't place his finger on it. The chiselled features gave Alex an uneasy sense of recognition.
"Get up Rider!" ordered the boy.
Alex frowned and the boy extended his hand, smiling warmly, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. Alex stared at the hand and decided not to be rude, grasping it.
The boy pulled viciously, Alex flying to his feet and moving forward, his momentum propelling him. The boy snapped out his foot and Alex fell flat on his face, his cheek stinging.
"You're too trusting. Why would I knock you down and then help you up?" the boy said coldly, putting the blade of the knife back in and tucking it back into the back of his jeans. Alex frowned, swinging to his feet and delivering a roundhouse kick that would have hit the boy in the chest if he hadn't moved quickly at the last second. Alex felt himself being grabbed by the back of the neck, his arm twisted behind his back, and next thing he knew he'd been slammed against the wall.
"Now, you are going to stand here while I clean up out here. Then, we're going to walk back across the parking lot. I will snap your neck if you try anything" the boy said.
Alex felt the pressure let up on the back of his neck and the boy picked up the handbag, turning it inside out into a sports bag. He shoved the scarf into the bag and zipped it up. He slung it over his shoulder and then signalled for Alex to go first.
"Go to parking bay 315" ordered the boy. Alex started walking and heard the boy follow behind him. Alex took twenty steps and then quickly spun, kicking out and catching the boy in the chest. The boy moved back defensively and Alex started to run when the boy kicked out at his feet and Alex flew to the ground, this time his lip starting to bleed.
The boy pulled Alex to his feet angrily and punched him in the face.
"Now you've hurt yourself. You stupidity is to be applauded" the boy said, dragging Alex by the scruff of his neck behind him.
Alex pulled and struggled to no avail. The boy's strength was remarkable. Too strong to be natural.
The boy pulled Alex roughly and then slung him to the ground. Alex dazedly checked the parking bay number. 315. What was going to happen next?
Alex dimly wondered why there were no cars in this section of the car park. Why was no-one helping him? The side-door. He realised now the burst pipe was a fabricated excuse. This entire thing had been planned. Gabriella was a plant. But how could whoever had set this up possibly know that Tom would suggest the shopping centre that day? It was obviously a big operation.
"Sit there and keep quiet" the boy ordered, pulling the phone Gabriella had been using out. He tapped in a number and held the phone to his ear, eyes never leaving Alex's face.
"I'm here and I have Rider" the boy said.
He hung up quickly and Alex studied the face, positive he'd seen it before.
The boy ignored Alex, running a hand through his hair. The movement sent a tingle of recognition run up his spine. It was graceful, elegant. The movement of someone who couldn't throw a rugby tackle. Like an acrobat. Or a dancer...
Alex started. Of course, how could he have missed the resemblance. This boy was some relative of Yassen's, that much was definitely clear. Come to think of it, the mannerism was just like Yassen.
"Are you related to Yassen Gregorovich?" Alex blurted out.
The boy gave him a cold look.
Alex sighed loudly. Just as he was about to ask again, the screech of tyres silenced him. A black Mercedes with tinted windows pulled up beside the space and the boy grabbed Alex suddenly, roughly shoving him into the back seat. Alex caught his balance and noticed the boy didn't get in after him. The windows were so dark Alex couldn't see out them. This troubled him.
He looked around the car and noticed that it was surprisingly spacious. The passenger door opened and then the door Alex had come through and Alex shifted across to the opposite window to avoid being sat on by the man who sat into the back seat.
Yassen.
"We meet again little Alex" Yassen said, shifting in his seat and turning so he faced Alex.
"Unfortunately" Alex added.
Yassen ignored the comment. It was like water off a duck's back.
"You are very lucky Alex. You should be dead" Yassen said.
Alex felt the car begin to move.
"What, you're here to kill me? Who was that back at the shopping centre? That girl was in on it too, wasn't she?" Alex questioned, letting his questions jump out of his mouth.
"No, I don't kill children Alex. And yes, the girl was planted" Yassen said.
Alex digested this carefully.
"Then why are you here? Where are you taking me anyway?" Alex asked.
Yassen tilted his head to the left.
"You will see when we get there. But now Alex, I'm afraid I need to ask you to do me something" Yassen said.
Alex shrugged.
"Do I have a choice?"
Yassen's hand snapped forward and slapped something onto Alex's wrist. Alex felt his eyes grow heavy and he blinked sluggishly. His head was starting to hurt, a pounding striking through it painfully. Alex groggily felt himself slump backward onto his seat, head now filled with and intolerable buzzing. Alex's eyes fell closed and he felt his breathing even out and slow down. He heard his own heartbeat thumping in his ears and then silence.
The most beautiful sound of all
Another short chapter. Don't worry, the next one's on the way and it'll be longer and much more interesting.
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