A/N: So it's been over a year since I updated and I am very sorry for that. I am sure that 99% of you never expected me to post again and have moved on or no longer visit this website. That makes sense. I can only hope that one or two people will see this and hopefully enjoy it. I must admit that the only reason I updated this story is because I am currently waiting on another author to update their fic, and I realized that I had inflicted frustration similar in nature on my own followers. This is my awkward way of saying 'sorry for the insane drag, I suck. If you want me to continue this story, let me know'. Thank you!

Alex Rider stared at his computer's browser window, poised to type, eyebrows furrowed. He checked the clock in the bottom right corner: 12:58 am. He had been in this position for over ten minutes as he contemplated the best way to either contact or gain information about Tom. Computer skills really weren't his forte. After all, hadn't Smithers always been there whenever he needed anything remotely tech related? Yes, of course, thanks to government resources. Something he didn't have.

There are thinkers and then there are doers. Which are you? Alex was most definitely a doer. Yes, he did come up with brilliant split-second decisions, but when it came to higher-level work, he found it much simpler to leave it to someone else.

There must be some way. Hacking was no good because Alex had no experience. Neither was typing 'friend of superspy tom harris + mi6 + life altering occasion + daily life' likely to turn up any results in a police database. How…. Of course MI6 would have a tracker on any searches including the worlds 'alex', 'rider', and 'teen espionage', so how was he supposed to get any information?

…Wait…

Wait a minute. Those keywords were about Alex and had nothing really to do with Tom himself. Tom Harris must be a common name- there's no way the government would be idiotic enough to track it.

Alex opened a basic search engine, not going for anything to special, not even a meta engine. Okay, so he knew a little about computers. He took a deep breath and typed in 'tom harris + england' and with a hurried movement clicked the button marked search. At first nothing happened, as his computer froze for a good thirty seconds. Damn Canada and their mountains! Their internet connection! Their snow! Their- the page loaded. He quickly scanned the page. About 19,100,000 results.*News for Tom Harris. AP News. Tom Harris' Prank on MI6 Reveals Illicit Government Activity. BBC News. Harris to Serve Time at SAS Facility for Crime. The Guardian. Will MI6 Suspension Weaken Defenses?

The list went on and on. Alex furtively scanned various news articles for almost two hours before he finally put his head down in exhaustion. This was too much. How could he help Tom? What could he do on the other side of the ocean, sitting helpless at his computer desk as his friend was dealing with true danger and hardship? Why the hell did I send that letter? One knock on the head, well more than one, and I've suddenly lost my right to think straight? I knew the risks. Shit.

Alex started mapping out all the possibilities. He thought and thought until he lost all concentration and was forced to accept the truth. As long as Tom was being kept in government hands, it would be almost impossible for Alex to help. Right now he needed to go to bed. In the morning he would try to contact someone from his past. He had tried to cut all ties, but he still had one or two American contacts, just for this sort of emergency. Yes. That is what he would do. Alex sighed and turned off his monitor, not noticing the news story that had just jumped to the top of his computer screen. Telegraph & Argus. 2 Seconds ago. Government Misplaces Harris: Foul Play Suspected.

Tom breathed in and out. In and out. He had finally regained consciousness and was afraid to open his eyes. He didn't want to know what terrible place he had been dragged to. Didn't want to deal with what was going on.

He felt- odd. That must have been from the taser. He tried to describe the feeling to himself, but couldn't hit the mark. The only thing it somewhat compared to was… exhaustion. It made sense, after the spasms his body must have endured as he was graciously knocked out. Exhaustion and the fact that his head felt like it was exploding. Migraine. Nothing like a severe pain in the front of your skull to prepare yourself for… it. The people who kidnapped him. The torture they would likely force on him. The surroundings.

The surroundings! Concentrate. Tom breathed in, gradually opening his senses. He paid attention to the hard stone under him. It was perfectly smooth- not natural. The rope bonds on his hands, not too tight but definitely present. Alright. He opened up his hearing, paying attention to the sh-uh-sh-uh-sh-uh sound above him. Probably some sort of torture device that they were preparing to use on him. He inhaled and smelled the sharp smell of too-strong air freshener. He concentrated as hard as he could, but he would be getting no more information until he opened his eyes. Do it.

With a final calming breath Tom opened his eyes to see- A smooth albeit scuffed wooden floor. He quickly scouted for exits, but there were no windows. The only way out of the room was from a door set into the wall to his left. The sound from earlier had originated from a plain beige ceiling fan. The air freshener was probably covering the stench from the stained and faded teal sofa at the corner of the room. He surveyed the area again. Floor, fan, sofa, locked door, graffiti. It was many words, spray painted onto the wall right in front of Tom. There was C-OR, C-OH, C=O, C-NH2, and plenty more. They surrounded the only word Tom could actually understand. Chromium.

A/N: What did you think? Worth continuing? Let me know. The words on the wall? Give me your best guesses. Love you all!

~Lady Zarobiti

*This statistic was actually the google hits for a search on a recent American murder case, because its very big in their news. I figured it would be somewhat representative of the hits on a MI6 story trending in the British press.