Scorpia
Blackness. Water. Moon. Those were the first things that Alex Rider saw as he awakened. He was surprised when he found himself on dry land. He sat up and spat out water. Looking around he realized that he wasn't on solid ground. He was on a large flat piece of metal. Wolf was next to him. and they were floating in the middle of the ocean.
"Wolf!" Alex was surprised to see the SAS man quiet in thought. "Where are we?"
Briefly Wolf outlined what had happened. The chopper had blown up. This was one of the doors. Fox was in the water, but he didn't know where he was.
"So, what are we supposed to?" Alex asked.
"You tell me." Wolf seemed unconcerned about their location.
"You mean you don't have a plan?!" Alex burst out.
Wolf was quiet. He seemed to be thinking. "There are three possible things that can happen to us. We stay here and drown, Alan Blunt sends men. Or we commit suicide."
"You're kidding right?"
"Well duh, we wait for 39 minutes if nothing happens. I have a plan."
"Why 39 minutes. Why can't you just say 40 minutes."
"Fine 40 minutes, you happy?"
XXXXXXXXX
A boat cruised towards Alex and Wolf. It was roughly twenty feet long, and was painted in cheap, white paint, and the deck was covered with oil and dirt. On parts of its body, the paint had been scratched off, and it was quite rusty. Overall, it looked like a cheap fishing barge out of the 50's.
However, this vessel was anything but that. In truth, it was packed with enough technology to go toe to toe with a military helicopter. Its worn appearance had been specially designed to give it an inconspicuous look. This is what made it so deadly: no one knew what it was before it hit them.
Alex had been quiet until he noticed it. Large searchlights were flashing across the water as the passengers on the boat attempted to spot their targets; obviously, himself and Wolf.
"Wolf," he warned. He didn't have to say anything else. The two ducked down. The very appearance of the boat was enough to tell them that this did not belong to British Intelligence, or even the Navy, for that matter.
"Get under water," whispered Wolf, and the two slowly slipped into the endless abyss of the dark Caribbean Sea. They would have to stay underwater for as long as possible, surfacing only when they needed to breathe.
Unfortunately, the boat had sent out divers. They carried powerful torches specially adapted to light up the dark water. Alex froze, knowing that movement would attract the diver's attention, and allow them to find him. He could only hope that they wouldn't notice the darker outline of his body in the water.
There was an eruption of bubbles some distance from him. One diver had noticed him. He could make out the figure of a man swimming towards him. He would undoubtedly be armed. And Alex realized with a shiver, that they were taking no prisoners.
He could see Wolf, a little way away. He was having his own difficulties. Three divers had picked him as a target. He wasn't wearing diving gear. As long as he was underwater, it was unlikely that he would be hit. But he would need oxygen…
With a sick horror, Alex and Wolf understood at the same time. They weren't using any guns, or knives. They were going to blow him up. Hopefully, it might be a stun grenade. But Alex knew that that was too much to hope for. There was nothing more he could do.
He feebly tried to swim away, but the grenade exploded behind him. He could see Wolf had already been hit. Then it was his turn. The sea turned into a boiling liquid, and Alex was gone.
XXXXXXXXX
When he awoke, Alex found himself in a comfortable looking room. He was lying on a queen sized four poster bed. Someone had changed his clothes. He was wearing a combat outfit. He wondered if it meant anything.
Just as he got out of bed, there was a knock on the door. It opened. A tall man, with Russian features stood in the doorway. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Zeljan Kurst, would you join me for lunch." Alex knew the name must be an alias.
"Lunch?! It's afternoon?"
"Why, yes Alex, follow me."
Alex was faced with no choice. He followed the man out of the room, and through a long furnished corridor. They stopped at the doorway of a dining room. Alex walked in, after Kurst.
The table was already set. "Sit down. Can I offer you some whisky? No? Well then I hope you eat meat, because lunch is prawn soup, and rat's tails."
Suddenly the man's cell phone rang. He got up, and moved to the side of the table. Alex only saw the man's lips move. Then he was back. Alex, I'm so sorry to interrupt our meal, but it's time to go.
Two men walked into the room. They were both wearing suits. Kurst nodded. They grabbed his arms, and dragged him out of the dining room.
"Goodbye, Alex. I'm sorry we didn't get to know each other."
What did he mean by that? Alex had a hunch that he was about to find out for himself.
There was a door in front of them. One of the men unlocked the door, and the other pushed him in. the door was locked behind him.
At first glance, the room seemed bare, except for, bizarrely, a tree and a river in the middle of the room. Then with a sense of horror, Alex saw it. It was seven feet long, and two feet wide. No he realized why Kurst had bid him farewell… he was facing a saltwater crocodile.