Chapter One
A Hospital Visit
"No pain. Just a sense of tiredness and resignation.
Alex Rider smiled and closed his eyes."
It was early morning. The sun streamed in through huge windows, falling across Alex Rider's face and shoulders. His fair hair was ruffled, eyes closed in sleep. He moved slightly, and the woman sitting by the bed looked up, face filled with worry. She watched him for a moment, then when he didn't get up, went back to staring into space. She was worried, wondering if he would survive the life-saving operation. Though she thought so. He was a fighter, after all.
A male nurse went to check on the boy in the bed. It was strange, he thought, that a fourteen-year-old boy had been shot. Luckily, the bullet hadn't penetrated his heart, and he would live. If he woke up.
The nurse stopped as he saw a girl walking towards the door. He knew no visitors were allowed in, on the woman's orders. He blocked her path, looking at her sternly.
"You can't go in there. No visitors allowed."
"Why not?"
"No visitors allowed."
She carried an air of superiority, and some smugness. He regarded her coldly, as an insolent teenager, nothing more. He didn't know the truth…
"Please, I'm a friend," she protested.
"I said, no visitors allowed, girl."
Mrs Jones, the woman sitting with Alex, looked up as she heard voices. She frowned, seeing the nurse at the door. Then her gaze moved over to the girl, and she just…looked at her, a little shocked.
"What's she doing here?" she muttered to herself.
The girl flicked some black hair back over her shoulder, as again, the nurse refused.
"C'mon," she pleaded, biting her lip. "I have to see Alex."
"No. No visitors. It's a strict order."
Jack Starbright turned the corner, her usually cheery face filled with worry. She held two cups of coffee, one for herself and one for Mrs Jones. Seeing the nurse and the girl, she sighed heavily.
"Excuse me," she mumbled, and the nurse moved from the door.
The girl took her chance.
"Um…Miss Starbright? Would it be okay if I saw Alex? I just wanna check he's okay; I'm a friend."
Jack looked the newcomer up and down carefully. She was tall and thin, with long straight black hair and pale skin, but blue eyes that sparkled with a wild and fiery spirit. The woman nodded slowly, much to the nurse's protests.
"Sure you can, honey. Come on in."
The girl smiled a little, opening the door, then following Jack. Mrs Jones stood up as they came in.
"There's been no change," she said, and Jack nodded again.
The girl saw Mrs Jones, and looked panicked.
"On second thoughts, I think I'll come back later," she said, turning on her heel.
"Oh no you don't, Miss Gregorovich. Sit down."
Blue eyes flicked across the woman's face, before she sat in a chair near Alex's bed. Jack seemed confused.
"Wait a minute…you know her?"
Mrs Jones nodded. "Miss Gregorovich..."
"Raisa," the girl interrupted.
"Raisa, here, is Yassen's daughter, and is wanted in several other countries. Mostly for murder."
Jack looked at Raisa, who just shrugged.
"They were all past it. They were gonna die anyway."
"Raisa, that's not the point. The point is that you're a dangerous criminal, and you've just come into an MI6 agent's hospital room when he's at his most vulnerable."
The girl sighed. "Get over it, already. If you must know, I came to warn Alex, not to kill him. I wouldn't work for Scorpia if they paid me. Which they've tried…"
"Warn him?" asked Jack. "Warn him about what?"
The girl watched her, a small smirk appearing on her face.
"To warn him about Scorpia."
"Scorpia? But, they think he's dead, don't they?"
Raisa shook her head.
"They know he's alive. They must've had surveillance or something. The sniper's dead; Alex, however, isn't. And, they're pretty angry, since Nile and Mrs Rothman were killed," she replied.
Mrs Jones nodded.
"And, of course, you'd come all the way back to England just to tell us this. Just for Alex's sake."
Raisa regarded her coldly.
"Scorpia killed my father. Maybe indirectly, but they did it all the same. I've been looking for revenge for a while, and if they're after Alex, I'll be able to track 'em down."
"By putting Alex's life in jeopardy?" Mrs Jones replied coolly.
"No! I'm not MI6, I wouldn't do that."
It was like a slap across the face for the woman, and she looked angrily across at Raisa.
"Raisa, you do realise that we're going to have to arrest you."
"What?" She didn't look surprised, just annoyed. "I've got to get this over and done with first."
"You can't just pick when you're getting arrested, you know. You get arrested when we say, not you," the woman snapped back.
Jack watched them for a moment, seeming a little shocked, then smiling mildly.
"So you're after Scorpia because they're responsible for your father's death. And you're helping Alex because…" Jack was still a little confused.
"I'm helping Alex partly because my father told me to, and partly because I figured I should."
"Yassen wanted you to help Alex?" Mrs Jones asked.
Raisa nodded. "He knew his father, remember. He looked up to him, even though he knew…some of the truth." She smiled a little.
"He knew the truth?"
"Well, some of it. He knew about Albert Bridge, and about the plane afterwards…he figured most of it out. I knew exactly what it was."
"How?" Jack asked, now interested.
"Well, I'm not stupid…and…I also had Mrs Rothman at gunpoint and questioned her. That's why Scorpia are after me too. They think I'm working for you guys. Don't know me that well, do they?"
Before Mrs Jones had chance to reply, Alex moved in his bed. He shook his head, as if trying to get rid of a bad memory or thought. The three watched him.
Alex woke, but didn't open his eyes. He could hear people…but they sounded far away, and he didn't know who they were. In fact, why was he here? Then, memories hit him hard. He remembered the gunshot, his mother and father…
The boy blinked a few times, opening those dark, serious eyes and looking around. He saw Jack, and gave her a small smile. Then Mrs Jones. He smiled at her too, though it was more serious, instead of a cheeky grin. When he saw Raisa, however, he did a double take. It was like looking at Yassen, and he stopped, and stared at her.
The girl giggled a little, looking back at him.
"Hi Alex," she muttered, smiling.
"You're…you…would you happen to be related to Yassen Gregorovich?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm his daughter. Raisa," she replied simply.
"He…he had a daughter!" he exclaimed, but she nodded.
"I'm living proof of that, Alex," she said.
Mrs Jones was suddenly aware of the nurse entering the room. Alex tried to sit up, but he shook his head.
"You have to rest; you've just had a major operation."
Alex nodded, and stayed lying down, until the man left the room. At which time, he sat up again.
"So why are you here, Raisa?" he asked, watching her.
"To warn you." She replied quietly. "About Scorpia."
