Chapter Three - "My name is Alex"

"My name's Alex Rider and I work here," Alex insisted. But the receptionist was not having it.

"Look, just let me speak to Alan Blunt or John Crawley!" The receptionist typed a few letters on her keyboard, stared at the screen for a few brief seconds and then turned back to Alex. "I'm afraid we have no one by that name employed here."

Alex sighed and leaned into the receptionist and spoke into her ear. "I am not stupid. I know this is MI6 head quarters. I work for MI6, I am an agent, and my name is Alex Rider..."

"Security!" The receptionist called. Suddenly, two well-built men started advancing on Alex. "Hey... guys... I work here, you must know Alan Blunt?" The two men were not listening. The first one reached Alex, and he had no choice... but to take them both out. He jumped into the air and swung his leg round, it crashed into the side of a guard's head. He slumped to the floor, unconscious. The other man drew a baton and swung it at Alex's head, the teenager flung his arm up, the baton crashed into his wrist and Alex used his other hand to smash into the attackers face. He turned back to the receptionist. "Now, where was-" A hand gripped his shoulder, he turned and found himself looking into the dull eyes of Alan Blunt.


The compound was fairly small. There were about five or six huts confined to an area about a quarter of a mile wide. Outside of the compound, jungles stretched out in all directions, there was a narrow winding river that ended about three miles into the island.

The largest hut was where the president was being held. He had eight guards watching him twenty-four hours a day. The compound was protected by a thirty metre tall wooden fence, which had men patrolling it at all hours. There was another hut that was filled with weapons. They were mainly made up of A.K. rifles and Desert Eagles and a few missile launchers... terrorist weapons.

There was another hut, which had TV broadcasting equipment in it. This was where the rebels had sent their first message. They were leaving it a few days for the U.S.A to make a decision.


Alex found himself sitting in Alan Blunts office. It was even duller than the man himself was. Grey walls. Grey desk. Grey carpet. Grey desk. All of his paperwork was neatly placed on the desk. Alan Blunt entered the room without laying an eye on the teenager that sat beside his desk. A bird fluttered to window and sat on the sill. Alan Blunt stepped to the window and pushed the bird off. He slammed the window shut and took a seat behind his desk.

"Thank you for coming Alex. I presume you already know the situation?"

"I know some of it."

"Well, to be brief. The president was passing over the Solomon Islands on his way to a meeting with me. Some rebels with extreme firepower shot it down. We now believe they are holding him somewhere on the south side of the island, and we need you to save him."

"Well... I thought out that part for myself..."

"Well, you've been briefed. Go and see Smithers for your kit."


The unfortunate man was wearing a tattered suit and sunglasses. He had the U.S. flag stitched to his jacket, he was a bodyguard to the president. He had been tied to a post that was located in the centre of the compound. A few woman were standing around him, throwing a white substance at him, he caught some in his mouth and it seemed to be salt.

Another man joined the woman, this one was holding a large stick. It was very thick, and it had blood on it. Suddenly, without warning, the man swung his bat at the bodyguard. He repeatedly hit the bodyguard with the stick until he was battered and bleeding. The woman continued to throw salt which stung his wounds.

One of the women approached him and took his hand. She bent down as if to kiss it, but instead, took his finger in her mouth.

What the hell is this? The man thought to himself.

The woman took the full length of the mans finger into her mouth... and then bit it off. The man howled in pain, the woman pulled the finger from her mouth and tore the flesh from it with her thumb and forefinger. She slipped the bloodied flesh into her mouth and swallowed it greedily. The other women began tearing flesh from his stomach and arms. The pain was numbing now for the man. A peaceful darkness began to consume him... all went dark and he felt nothing.


Alex knocked on the door. There was a muffled call and he pressed down on the door handle. He pushed open the door and stepped in, Smithers was sitting behind his desk, he had a pair of spectacles on and was fiddling around with something that kept beeping on his desk.

He looked up and a grin filled his wide face. "Alex! Jolly good to see you again" Alex smiled and sat down.

"Right, I have some great little things for you this time... I spent ages working on them."

He pulled a small white rectangular box from his draw and placed it on the desk. Alex saw that it was an iPod mini.

"You should know how to use one of these, so I'll just tell you which songs do what. Hysteria, by Muse, turns the iPod into a transmitting camera. We have people watching it 24 hours a day, so the moment you play that song you are transmitting video to us. Welcome to the Jungle, by Guns'n'Roses turns it into a tracking device, so if you ever need us, just play that song and we'll be there in half a jiffy. And last but not least, playing Mosh by Eminem will give you five seconds to run away from your iPod. It will explode."

"So that's why no one likes Mosh." Alex muttered.

"Now, I have been told that you are allowed a gun this time and I have-" He stopped at the excited look on Alex's face. "I have constructed a nice little weapon for you. It has a machine gun, a grenade launcher and a grappling hook... all in one! You just change the setting with this little switch here and then pull the trigger!"

Smithers handed the iPod and the gun to Alex. "I have one more thing to give you before you go, it is something I have been working on for a while. But you must only use it if you really need it" His voice had begun grave, his face drooped. "Blunt has told me you will be facing terrorists who, will eat you if you are captured..."

"Don't remind me."

"I hate the thought of you being eaten, old chap, so I would like to inject you with something, if you are captured, all you have to do is say 'ali baba' into a small microphone and I will activate it,"

Smithers stood up and waddled over to Alex. He pulled a syringe from his pocket and slid it into Alex's arm. He injected the toxin into his blood stream then leaned into Alex's ear. He placed a very small microphone into the inside of his ear and then stepped back.

"You're ready, good luck..."