Disclaimer: Unfortunately, and very very sadly, I do not own Alex Rider. Nor do I for Sabina and Blunt and Mrs Jones and Jack and Tom and Jerry and... etc. All in all, I own none of the characters. ;)
Summary: This is just my two cents on what I think would happen after Scorpia. Kinda spoiler for those who haven't read Scorpia yet, so you might not want to read it before reading Scorpia. Yep.
Hope you'll enjoy! )
The Finale
The meadow was green and lush, with butterflies flying around in the sun. The river was as clear as crystal and it sparkled under the burning hot star. It was a beautiful day, but not beautiful for someone. She just simply had no energy to appreciate this scenery, even though it was probably her only chance in a train. She was exhausted.
She had cried herself to sleep the night before, and her eyes were still moist. She was tired. Most of her energy was wasted on the tears she had shed. No, she did not waste them, she spent them. Nothing was ever wasted for Alex.
Alex Rider. The thought of him brought tears to her eyes again. Her friend, though one whom she has only known for less than a year, was dead. He was gone, forever. And she would never see him again.
Sabina Pleasure drew out a piece of tissue and blew her nose. No, she told herself, I must not cry. I must stay strong. Alex wouldn't want to see me like this.
But she could not help it. Her thoughts went back to the day before when she learnt about the news. It was actually a happy day for her, as she finally had gotten the scholarship she wanted, but a phone call from Jack Starbright dashed it all. Not that she was complaining, instead she was glad that the housekeeper, and friend, of Alex had called her. She wouldn't want to be kept in the dark forever, till who knows when.
She had insisted on traveling alone from California to London. She said she wanted some time alone to think, and she had convinced her parents.
A single tear trickled down her cheek silently as she recalled the time spent with Alex. It was short, yes, but wonderful. Despite all the 'adventures' he had brought her onto, she still loved him greatly. To her, he was the best spy she had ever known.
'Twelve and a half. But don't worry, Alex. Another ten years and you'll be perfect.'
Ten years. Sabina chuckled. She remembered saying this to Alex when they were in France. She recalled devising a system for marking the French teenagers they came across for their looks. It was upon twenty, the system, and no one had passed the record of seven points, but Alex. He scored a twelve and a half, but he was not French, of course.
Ten years. Now these two words had a different effect on her. She started crying again. Alex no longer had ten years. And he needed no ten years, because he was perfect to her, right now.
'You can come to California. And I'll let you know if I'm ever in London.'
Those were the parting words they shared before she left for America. But it was a lie, something they both knew. They knew right then that they would never see each other again, and the words were only to soothe themselves.
Alex never had the chance to travel to San Francisco to look her up, no. He was busy, surely, with all the superspy-cum-M16 work, and not to forget the amount of schoolwork he has got to catch up with. At the thought of this, Sabina couldn't help smiling. Given his intelligence, he could have easily topped his class at school. But he had missed so much of school in just that one year; it was so hard for him to catch up, especially when he had probably attended school for less than a handful of weeks.
Soon the smile vanished again. 'And I'll let you know if I'm ever in London.'
She was already here, in London. But where was Alex? Gone. Murdered in cold blood, just like his father and uncle, John and Ian Rider. That was what Jack had told her through the phone, but she refused to say anything more. Murdered by whom, Sabina did not know. But if she did, she swore she would break the person's neck.
She half-expected Alex to sit next to her right now, assuring her that he was not dead, but alive. She broke down into tears. Alex… I'm here in London already, and I'm here to see you. Please tell me that whatever Jack said was wrong. Please tell me that you're still alive, and it was just a trick for me to come visit you. I'm here now. Alex…
As if on cue, Alex suddenly appeared by her side, comforting her, telling her not to cry. His smiling face was all she needed. She broke into a smile too. He beckoned her to come forward, to acknowledge his presence once again. Wanting ever so much to hug him again, she opened her arms wide and leaned over to him. But the moment they got into contact, he vanished without a single trace.
Sabina was startled. What had just happened? Where was Alex? And where had he gone to? Then realization dawned upon her bitterly. There was no Alex at all. It was just her illusion. An illusion… and nothing more. Alex was gone forever, and he would never come back again. He could only live in her heart. No more, no less.
Alex… The boy is dead. It's unbelievable. He was just so young… he didn't deserve to die like his uncle did. He didn't... 'sniffs'
I'll never see him again. Never ever. It saddens me just to think about it. After all, I've been taking care of him for so long, and now, he's just gone. Without saying a single goodbye. I just can't believe it. He ought to live, he ought to! 'sniffs' I may not be related to him by blood, but I love him so much… He is so lovable, huggable, kissable, admirable… everything! He would surely have many girls chasing after him if only he spent more time at school… 'chuckles'. But he didn't live long enough to have that happening.
He's gonna be cremated soon. I'm just gonna have one last look at him before they do so. 'sniffs' Look at him one more time. Look upon his face, one that I would never forget; one that I would bring to my grave along with me.
I'll just – Oh wait. It's that who I think it is? Yes, it's that darned man Blunt. How dare he come to here when he was the one who caused Alex's death? How dare he? Alex risked his life just for him and his stupid cases, and never once did he thank him or express his gratitude. And the same goes for that Mrs Jones. She always acts as though she were so concerned of him… my foot! She just puts on an act so that Alex will agree to the next mission they were going to send him on. And now he's dead. Aren't they happy? What are they still doing here? I'm going to chase them out, no matter what. They don't deserve to be here…
Did we really cause Alex Rider's death? Are we responsible for it? I don't know… I hope not. Alan says that we weren't at fault. He says that it was Nile who killed him. But I don't know… Nile has been arrested and taken into custody, but he has not admitted to killing Alex. I feel partially guilty. I think Alex's housekeeper is right. In one way or the other we did cause his death. But Alan… he refuses to take responsibility. 'Don't be silly. We can never be held responsible for his death. If we were to, doesn't that mean that we have to be responsible for all other deaths as well? His uncle? His father?' That was what he said. It was true, yes, but after all Alex was only fourteen. He didn't have to die so young if we didn't… if we didn't sort of force him to help us. So that makes us guilty.
I hope Alex doesn't take it to heart. I mean, we didn't expect Nile to , what, come to life again and took revenge? Actually, we wouldn't want that to happen either. It's not like we want Alex dead, no. That was one point that Jack Starbright made wrong. We loved him, or at least, I did, and I still do. He was a great asset to us, and more than that, he seemed exactly like my son. How could I not love such a wonderful boy?
In fact, I had already made Alan promise, never to let the boy take on such missions again, after he left the office that day. But how were we to know that the next minute he was shot? I really wished it didn't happen. There I was, trying to negotiate his freedom, but wasted my breath. He died. He no longer had to help M16 ever again. He had gained his freedom at a price – his life.
How he wished to be able to comfort both Jack and Sabina! Look at them… mascara running, snots dripping… they looked awful! But still, they were beautiful to him, no matter what. One was his friend who, though he had spent little time with, shared a lingering kiss… something that he would remember always. The other was also a friend, and a housekeeper at the same time. He missed the nagging and the constant advice Jack always gave. He missed the happy times he had spent with Sabina. He missed everything they had done for him. And most importantly, he missed them.
He let his eyes sweep over the whole place, and rested it on a couple. Okay, not exactly a couple, but there were two of them after all. The woman was crying, sniffling with a tissue in her hand. It was quite unusual for her to do that. Crying over Alex? That was something new. The man standing beside her… he had on that stony face as usual. Nothing surprising here – but wait. Were those red eyes he saw? Or were those eyes suffering from a rash? Alex chose the former, and it surprised him. Alan Blunt… the cool guy he knew. Never lost a temper, never smiled, never once cried. And here he was… with a tear-stained Mrs Jones. Incredible. He didn't know he had meant so much to them. Perhaps Blunt was saddened at the thought that he was no longer there to help M16? That would sound more natural… Alex didn't mind. And wait – Alex noticed something strange. Was Blunt's arm draped across Jones's shoulders? Yes, he did not see it wrong. He was right. He smiled. Perhaps there was more to these two than it seemed.
He looked over the funeral again. There was Tom and his brother Jerry at a corner. Jerry was popping peanuts into his mouth like nobody's business, Tom was staring into space, eyes red too, as though he had just cried. Then Alex chuckled. Tom and Jerry. How much it reminded him of the TV cartoon he used to watch when he was still drinking milk from a milk bottle. In this case, it seemed as though Tom was afraid of Jerry… after all, Jerry is the older. Tom and Jerry must have Looney parents. Alex laughed at his own little joke.
His eyes scanned the place again. He was surprised. It was the first time he had noticed the children and teenagers. There were about – his estimation – a hundred of them. He peered closely. No, he did not know these kids. Why were they here? They must be from his school, he concluded.
His gaze came to rest on a stout man in suit. Alex's eyes couldn't help widening in awe. He couldn't believe who he saw. The Prime Minister of his country? He must be dreaming! Blinking his eyes rapidly before staring at the figure again, he was awed. Was he really of such importance? Was he really that good and memorable? He couldn't help wondering if his name would be engraved on memorials and stuff… after all; he did help to save the world, didn't he?
Smiling at his achievement in his short but meaningful 14 years, he saluted. It was a tribute to everyone at his funeral. He was glad that he was remembered by so many people, especially Sabina who had flown from America all the way here. He could now go in peace.
Glancing at his body which lay in the coffin, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch. It was such a long time now, he had almost forgotten what he looked like. He decided he looked pretty good. He did deserve a twelve-and-a-half, though more would be greatly appreciated, of course.
Looking back at the people once more, he waved. He knew that couldn't see him, but was counting on the fact that those who were close to him could feel his presence. He had to go, but he would be by their side forever, watching them. But now, it was time.
Salutingonce more, he rose up to the sky. It was a long-awaited time for him, and he was looking forward to this all his life. A reunion finally. He was so excited and happy. He could get to see his parents and uncle again, in Heaven! How great was that?
End