I was aiming to go on a Thanksgiving posting spree. I hope three stories will suffice.

Read and Review

"What do you mean no visitors?!" Jack asked in a very loud voice "I'm the only one he's got. Why can't I see him?"

"His room has been quarantined; no one except authorized personnel in or out." The hospital staff member answered "I'm very sorry"

Jack didn't know what to say for a moment before whispering an automatic thank you and hanging up the phone. She slumped against the wall sliding to a sitting position by the end table in the foyer dragging her hand through her tousled hair; all of this grief because MI6 couldn't take no for an answer; all of this pain and grief for the two of them because MI6 couldn't leave Alex alone to live his life. She got up off the floor with the intention of going up to her room to give Mrs. Jones a piece of her mind from the privacy of her room phone.

Then the doorbell rang. She paused on the stair case but didn't move to answer it. After a moment it rang again. She went back down the two steps she had climbed and opened the door. It was Tom.

"Oh hi Tom, come on in."

"I was wondering if we could go and see Alex; I haven't seen him awake since the accident."

Jack sighed and led him into the front room. "No Tom we can't because for some blasted reason, they've put him in quarantine so no one can see him, not even me."

Tom's mouth hung open for a second. "What do you mean quarantine?! He doesn't have anything contagious; he was in a car accident."

Jack came back from the kitchen with two cans of Coke, Alex's favorite. "Except that it wasn't an accident." She reminded him.

Tom nodded " I still don't see how that warrants quarantine. Do you know who could have done it Jack?"

Jack sipped her Coke "I don't know for sure but I have a pretty good idea."

"Scorpia?" he guessed

Jack nodded "He told you?"

"Yeah, I was there with him for a part. Heck I even helped him some it was when he came with me to Venice. Though you could hardly call it helping since I didn't know then."

Jack nodded for him to go on.

"After some goon had tried to drown him and he escaped, I couldn't help but question how he looked. And because he was so overwhelmed not to mention glad to be alive he told me every thing about his missions."

"And you believed him." It was a statement but Tom answered it as a question.

"Well yes, it made sense and I knew Alex wasn't the kind of guy to make up stuff. He meant what he said." Tom paused for a moment "and you can tell he had been dieing to tell someone too.

Jack nodded "I was the only other person who knew and he either couldn't or refused to talk to me about it. But I know about Scorpia because they're so much worse. I understand that the person who killed Ian worked for them and that they killed Alex's parents too." Jack shook her head in frustration "They're a vengeful set and they were important enough for MI6 to tell me what's going on; they don't usually do that. I'm almost sure it's Scorpia."

"I didn't know they were that bad." Tom answered "But I know they're powerful."

"That's for sure," Jack agreed "They have the resources to do what ever they want."

"Boy he sure is mixed in it all with the big guys." Tom observed "How did it all go so wrong? I mean why didn't he just say no? Did he need the money or something?"

"No!" Jack exclaimed "He's never even gotten a check from them. They forced him into it and it's as if we can't get away from it now. It's always "if he doesn't do it then so many people are going to die that he has to."

Tom stared at her for a minute. "You mean they give you all the impression that if he doesn't do it then there's no one else who can; no grown ups?"

"In his situations yes, they even sent him to the CIA once for that same reason."

Tom shook his head in disgust "Man that's dirty."

"And now that he'd made them mad, these Scorpia people aren't going to give up are they?" Tom asked suddenly

Jack shook her head "Not until he's dead." She whispered

"I bet something happened at the hospital." Tom concluded getting up from the sofa "Either they had to step up security or…worse." He trailed off pacing around the room a little. "When was the last time you saw him?"

"I left this morning at about seven thirty after he woke up and spoke to me a little." Jack decided to keep his amnesia to herself.

"Did anyone else visit him before that?"

"No, I was there all night. If anyone else saw him it was after I left."

The doorbell rang.

"Maybe Jake did." Tom suggested eyeing the door.

"Maybe" Jack answered going to answer the door. "Who is it?"

"Friends of Alex." Tom heard the voice of Elaine say. "We heard he was hurt." Jack glanced back at Tom who nodded. She opened the door to see Elaine and Jason on the step.

"Hello Ms. Starbright, I'm Elaine Campbell and this is Jason Blackwell from school." Jack ushered them in and closed the door.

"Tom Harris told us that Alex was hit by a car yesterday why he was absent again. We just wanted to give you our condolence." Elaine explained. She was a pretty girl of medium height with long golden blonde hair and a soft round face. But her bright green eyes were hard as though she had a task she was dead set on completing.

Jason was considerably taller, about as tall as Jack. His clear gray eyes were deep set and sharp among his faintly Arabian features, contrasted highly with his jet black hair and they also seemed to be determined. When he spotted Tom coming out of the living room his expression changed from quietly polite to exasperated.

"Oh there you are." he said testily "What are you doing here?"

Jack glanced from one child to the other wearily. " Is this about Alex or not because I'm really not in the mood as you may imagine."

"This is about Alex ma'am." Jason answered "We didn't know him very well but we're kind of worried about him. It's not unusual that he's disappeared again but what is, is how Tom is treating it. We just asked him a question, being neighborly, and he acts as though I'm forcing him to reveal national secrets."

Tom coughed but said nothing.

"What's more" Elaine took over glancing at Tom "Is that when I asked him what hospital Alex was being treated at, he said he couldn't say. I wanted to see him so I tried finding him myself but no hospital around here has an Alex Rider registered in their system."

Jack led them into the living room. "Well you're certainly persistent." She observed "No one ever cared that much."

Tom took up a silent broody stance in the doorway to see how everything would go.

"Ma'am we just want to know what's with him. Alex always seemed like an okay guy until his uncle died. Ever since then he's been a mystery, a strange one at that." Jason insisted.

"And Tom makes it sound as though he's a part of some sort of conspiracy." Elaine added

Jack sighed, "What exactly did you tell them Tom?" She asked

Tom recounted the conversation they'd had, reluctantly including Jason's questioning and the way he had responded.

Jack pulled her hair out of her face sighing again. "This secret is too big to keep anymore. But I can't know who is trust worthy or not or even if Alex would want me to say anything." She thought out loud "I just don't know anymore."

"I don't think he would mind Jack, besides we can't send them away with nothing. I had no intention of revealing or suggesting anything but I had no idea that he would ask that. I couldn't fully well answer at the time. "

"I understand Tom but we have to be more careful." she turned to the other two "Sit down you two."

They both sat with out question wondering what the hell had they gotten themselves into but excited nonetheless.

"My biggest question and concern with the two of you is whether or not you're trust worthy. I mean can you keep an overwhelming and dangerous secret. I don't want you to rush and answer because as you can see it's not easy. You can't give people hints, make jokes about it, or anything of the sort. Trust me when I say it's not easy to keep from slipping up. Alex himself did, telling Tom and he has unintentionally given you all hints as well so I want you two to really think about it." Jack explained seriously. She knew she had their undivided attention by the way they were looking at her and she didn't intend to lose any opportunity to impress the importance of keeping this secret upon them.

"If you say yes and then mess up it could mean death for Alex because the wrong people could find out." By the time Jack had concluded her speech Jason and Elaine already felt overwhelmed. It sounded as though Alex had a very dangerous and shadowy aspect of his life hidden from most everyone he knew, very different from what everyone at school thought. It sounded dangerous, but to be trusted with that sort of important information, becoming a part of a little group who knew better than the everyday monotony of school life, who were more mature than that, was worth it.

After a full minute in which the room was silent Jason finally said "You can trust us." with all the conviction of someone who understood the gravity of the situation. Elaine nodded in agreement.

Jack gave them an intense look before nodding "I really hope I'm not making a mistake." she said quietly and then she began. "The reason why you couldn't find him is because he's admitted to St. Dominic's Hospital. It's a private hospital for the privileged, the military and people from the government. I've just been barred from visiting him and Tom and I think that its an extra security measure that MI6 have put in place to keep him safe." Jack droned on ignoring their astonished looks.

"The reason why he needs to be protected is because the car accident that Tom witnessed was an attempt to take his life by the same people who killed his uncle Ian."

"But wasn't Ian killed in a car acci-" Elaine began but she soon trailed off realizing the irony of what she was about to say.

Tom answered her unasked question anyway. "According to Alex who went to the junkyard himself for proof, Ian's car did crash after it was riddled with bullets, so he didn't die from the crash itself."

"So why did these guys want to kill Ian anyway?" Jason asked cautiously

"Because he was a spy and they needed him gone. "Jack explained "and now the same people are trying to get rid of his nephew too."

"Just because they can?" Jason exclaimed indignantly "Just because they've got a beef with his uncle?"

"That may be part of it but its really because Alex has been spying on them too and because he messed up their plans and lived to tell the tale they want him dead as well."

"Are you trying to say that Alex is a spy for the government?" Elaine asked skeptically

Jack stilled seemed uncertain even after she had come this far but she continued. "Yes, when Ian had died he hadn't exactly finished the mission. MI6 thought sending a kid undercover to finish the job would fool the enemy into thinking they were off the radar. They tested Alex and being satisfied they forced him to join."

Tom interrupted with a sudden revelation. "Jake must be one of the soldiers he trained with!" He exclaimed

Jack stared at him in confusion

"He said he wasn't a spy but that their paths sometimes cross; he must be one of the SAS men who Alex trained with before going to Sayle Enterprises." Tom explained

Realization dawned on Jack's face. "So Eagle must be his code name and that would explain why he called Alex 'Cub'." She mumbled to herself but although the others heard they didn't comment. After a moment she continued her narration.

"Anyway, although he didn't want to, they made him do it and since I'm not his legal guardian I had no say."

"That was his first mission." Tom took over "this is his fifth."

"And if MI6 doesn't do something about it these people-" Jack was interrupted by the bell again.

"Who is it this time?" she wondered irritably, heading to the door again but before she could repeat her question to the door she got her answer.

"It's Jake." She instantly brightened knowing he would have news.

"Come in," she opened the door and led him into the kitchen. Tom tried to hear what was said but a second later they went into the back room and closed the door.

He turned to Elaine and Jason. "Don't leave this room." He instructed them "He'll probably get mad if he finds out that you know and he's an SAS soldier." With that he left to see what could he over hear knowing that knowing that being in the SAS Eagle would probably be more discipline than violent but he said it anyway and his classmates obeyed not because of what he'd said but because they had so much to think about.

"It just seems so unreal." Elaine was the first to speak "I mean a fourteen year old working for MI6 spy on people; it sounds like stuff in books."

"Yet it makes sense," Jason countered "Where could he have been going to come back with all those bruises-we see them in the gym room- and official excuses. Official excuses that are verifiable yet don't add up. Plus how do you explain the car hitting him?"

"It could have been hit and run." Elaine answered still skeptical "Maybe Tom just thought it was deliberate."

"I don't think so. What about him being in St. Dominic's hospital. We know his uncle was no movie star and if he was in the military that doesn't mean his nephew would go to the same place. He must have direct ties in the government to go there automatically." Jason reasoned "Maybe he isn't a fully fledged spy but he's definitely a part of something big and apparently dangerous."

"Well yeah that's for sure. There's evidence of that. That's why most people think he's in a gang. I just don't think its right to use a kid like that; that's why I'm not sure if it's true."

"Who said the government only does what's right Elaine? This is important and we need to be opened minded. Besides even if we didn't believe we still can't tell we're sworn to secrecy."

"I didn't take any oaths." Elaine stated blandly

Jason felt a sort of terror in his chest that he hadn't felt before since he'd never had the opportunity to keep a secret this big. For a second he thought he had made a grave mistake in bringing Elaine with him to see Tom in the lunch canteen that day.

When Elaine saw the look on his face she laughed nervously. "I was joking you know?" Jason didn't seem entirely relieved.

"You didn't actually think I was going to tell anyone did you?"

"I don't know Elaine. You scared me there and I don't really know you."

Elaine looked surprised and hurt "I'm sorry Jason. I was really only stating that she didn't make us swear. But I would never tell."

"Okay," Jason eventually softened. A few seconds later Jack and Tom returned and they looked depressed.

Jack flopped into the sofa close to tears. "There was an attack at the hospital. The nursing staff was infiltrated and the traitor tried to kill him." She dragged her hands down her face and through her hair in a desperate attempt to not break down crying. "Jake just told me that he's going to be moved from the whole hospital altogether but I'm not allowed to tell a soul where he's going. One thing for sure is that its not another hospital and since he's still in severe condition that could be very bad." Despite her best efforts she started to cry anyway "No matter where he goes…" her voice was strained with emotion "There's a very, very real possibility that he could die. And…and I might not even be there with him." She sniffled wiping her eyes as Tom went to fetch her a tissue. "It's just so wrong." She whispered

Elaine went over to her and hugged her. "No matter what happens we'll be here for you Ms. Starbright." She said "We're all in this now."

Jack wiped her eyes again "Thank you and please call me Jack." She stood up "You should head home. I don't want your parents to ask awkward questions."

"Right." The three children got ready to leave

"Not a word." Jack whispered fiercely as they were leaving and each of them gave her a very sincere nod.

After they were all gone, Jack went to bed feeling the lowest she had ever felt in a long time.

Happy Thanksgiving