Hidden Identity

Chapter One - Dreaded Awakenings

Darkness, emptiness, silence, yet a sense of peace… that was until the light shattered the deep darkness of the room. Alex Rider moaned and screwed his eyes shut, yet the bright light penetrated his eyelids and his eyes continued to burn. He tried to turn over but a tearing pain from his chest prevented him from doing so. He tried to sit up but failed miserably, his energy had left him, he couldn't move. The burning in his eyes was decreasing and he tried opening them again, he squinted in the light but at least he could still see.

"Hello Alex," a voice sounded from the corner of the room. Alex turned his head in the direction of the sound. The character was surrounded in darkness, a shadow formed across him, as if purposely trying to hide his identity. Alex knew that voice, he just couldn't quite remember whom it belonged to.

"Who are you?" His voice came out as a course whisper, but the man seemed to hear and leaned in, as if about to tell a secret.

"My name is not important, it's where I come from that is…" The man with the hidden identity whispered, "Scorpia…" Alex's eyes opened wide with shock and suddenly, he remembered everything. His father was an assassin, and he had betrayed the organisation, Scorpia. They had repaid Alex with a bullet to the chest.

He tried to cry out, but the man from Scorpia closed his hand over Alex's mouth. He felt a gun barrel digging into the side of his neck and he felt the man's lips touch his hair.

"You scream out and you die, friend," Alex nodded and he felt the gun barrel pull away from his neck. "Now, I'm going to be simple with you. You will not tell MI6 anything about our organisation. Doing so will result in a severe penalty. We will contact you with a mission, you must carry out this mission, and if you fail to do so, the penalty will be reinforced."

Alex fell silent at the man's words. He felt a wave of shock creep over his body. "What If I don't do what you want, killing me would only-"

"That's where you're wrong." The man didn't even need to hear Alex's response before replying. "We won't kill you, after our assassin tried to do so, we realised how useful you could be to us… providing we could make you do it." He let his words sink in before he finished, "We have your American friend, Jack Starbright, if you fail to complete your mission, she will die a horrible death, a death even you, Mr Rider, could not endure…"

"What is it you want me to do?" Alex gave in, he felt a tear well up in his eye. The man reached behind and without taking his eyes off Alex, he raised a brown plain envelope and held it towards Alex. Alex comprehensively raised his hand, he hesitated for a moment, then finally, after realising what would happen if he didn't, took the envelope. With trembling hands, he pulled the brown envelope open, inside was a single photograph. "You must kill the man in that photograph, then your friend will be released"

"What If they catch me?" Alex spoke, yet he already knew the answer. "You must deny all knowledge of this meeting, you must never breathe a word of us to anyone."

Alex turned his attention back to the envelope. He slowly reached inside and took hold of the photo, he slowly pulled it out with his thumb and forefinger. It was facing away from him, so the identity of the contract could still not be seen. He took it in both hands and turned it around.

Alex let out a sigh. He knew the man whose face was held in his hands. He knew the man who would have to die for his friend. He knew the man who had betrayed him so many times.

The man was Alan Blunt…