ONE YEAR LATER

Alex Rider finally achieved what everyone felt entitled to: a normal life. Twelve months had passed since he had left London, and settled down in San Francisco. For the first time in his recent memory, he felt a sense of freedom, and he took full advantage of it. Over the year, he went surfing at Stinson Beach, went to the races at Sonoma, bought cheap Samurai swords in Chinatown, and (one of his favorite things) learning to drive.

And today, Alex would celebrate the one thing he felt like he had never had... A normal birthday. Over the course of his sixteen years, looking back, his uncle had always done something to groom him into who he was. Who he WAS, not who he is now. Today, he would have a fun day! Edward decided that he would take drive Alex to Novato to take his driving test, stating the driving test in San Francisco is much harder due to the steep hills. Afterwards, Sabina talked about wanting to watch the latest chick flick at the IMAX theater after he got back, so he had a full day.

"Alex! Hurry up, we gotta get to Novato by 2," shouted Edward up the stairs.

"I'll be down in a minute," Alex responded, quickly getting his black pair of Nike shoes on, then rushed down the stairs. What he saw at the bottom of the stairs ground him to a halt.

Outside of the front door, he saw a brand new Honda Civic coupe, in Navy Blue. "Oh my God!" Alex shouted, "What.. Why... How?"

"Well, my new book actually sold better than we thought it would," exclaimed Edwards, holding up a copy of the latest New York Times Bestseller List, "so I thought it may be a nice gift for you." Edward tossed a key to Alex. "You're driving."

Alex was speechless, so he just frantically grinned and nodded to show his thanks. He raced to the car and sat in the driver's seat. He took in a whiff of the new car smell, and let out a sigh of relief, not just because of the fact that he survived to his 16th birthday, but because it was a NORMAL 16th birthday! A year and a half ago, he would have never thought he would have survived to 15, but now he was 16, with MI6 in his rear view mirror.

Alex and Edward started driving towards the Golden Gate Bridge and the 101 Freeway towards Novato. They went over details about the rules of the road and making sure Alex remembered everything to ace the test.

They arrived at the DMV around 15 minutes before the test was scheduled to begin, and pulled into the testing parking area. Edward went into the office building to let the tester know they had arrived, and Alex just sit in the car, letting his thoughts run for a little while. Thoughts quickly flashed through his mind, of Yassen, of Ian, of Ash, and of Jack. Alex had a tear slip out of the corner of his eye, then silently dismissed the thoughts, as the tester walked to the passenger's side of the car.

"Well hello Alex!" said the tester, a brown-haired man who had obviously not showered today, "My name is Eric Jenkins, and I will be your ride-along for this test. I also heard from your father, erm, guardian, that it's your birthday today! You excited?"

"You have no idea, sir," responded Alex with a sly grin on his face, but his mind flashed back to his real father, John Rider. He had no true memory of the man, just pieces of a splintered puzzle that have been pieced together by all too many sources. The Assassin, the Spy, the Husband, the Brother, the Father. He heard all the stories, but sadly, he knew he would never get closure on who his father truly was.

"You okay Alex?" asked Eric, and Alex snapped out of his trance.

"Uh, I'm alright, just got a bit of nerves for a minute," Alex stammered. "Let's get this show on the road." Alex then started the driving test. Eric had Alex drive around a route that was the general driver's test. Edward had shown Alex the route a week ago, so he had the general idea of how the test would go. Alex spotted a black SUV following relatively close to the car, and had a quick flashback to when he was trapped in similar vehicles, and nearly caused him to barely overshoot a stop sign. Eric made a quick note on his clipboard, which caused Alex to worry a little bit, but he continued on.

At the end of the driving test, Eric let out a grin that seemed a size too big, and exclaimed "Congratulations! You passed the test. Actually, you did the best compared to any other person I've had today. Way to go, Alex!"

"Thank you very much," Alex responded. He walked into the DMV and received his temporary license. Looking at the piece of paper that read "Alexander John Rider: Class C Licensed Driver", gave him both feelings of happiness and sadness. Happiness because the piece of paper classified him as a normal teenager, sad because he had no biological family to share his achievement with. Alex was lost in thought and felt distracted driving back to the Pleasure's house on Broadway St.

Alex decided to walk to the AMC Theater on 4th street, to try to clear his head. This was one of the first times in a while that these thoughts had been so prevalent, and had thrown him for a loop. He just thought of it being nearly a year since his last mission, and with all the changes that had occurred, he still had a lingering thought that he would never truly be "normal", despite whatever happens from here on.

Another sobering thought entered his mind: what if he actually missed his previous life? What if, for some crazy reason, now that the life was behind him, he saw the appeal of it? Many people his age wished for the life he had, and he regretted saying yes to Alan Blunt two years ago, but the experience had infected his mind. What if he actually wished he could be return to that life?

Alex was then snapped out of his thoughts, with a feeling that he was being followed. He risked a look back, and saw a man in a hoodie, but couldn't make out figures. He walked a little faster, and a few blocks later, sneaked another glance and realized the man was still following him. Alex then decided to take a risk, turned, and sprinted down an alleyway and hid behind a dumpster.

Alex peered over the corner, and saw the man walking down the alley. The hooded man then did something that Alex both expected, yet still caught him off guard.

"Alex? Are you there?" asked the man. The voice was one that Alex had no recollection of, and sent his mind racing. Alex then waited for the right moment, and then rushed the man and pinned him against the wall.

"Who the hell are you?!" Alex cried out. "Why were you following me?"

"Alex, I am not an enemy," the man stated, in a startlingly calm demeanor, "Let me go, and I will explain everything." Alex felt a sense of genuineness in his voice, and quickly ran through his thoughts. He didn't see any sign of danger from the man, and if he did try something, Alex felt confident that he could disable him. Alex let him go and took a step back. The man then removed his hood, and Alex stumbled back. The light brown hair, starting to gray... the faint stubble... the weathered eyes. The face had definitely aged, but he had definitely seen that face... On the wall of his old home in London! Alex then heard the five words he had never thought he would hear in his life:

"Alex, I am your father."