A/N: Okay guys, I'm super sorry for the lateness of this chapter. My parents are the 'last minute holiday' type of people, and they decided take me and my sister on one a few days after the last chapter was posted. The WiFi here is a total pain in the backside here, and I'm lucky to even get five minutes on it without it going crazy. Well, it's supposed to be a retreat, so I guess I shouldn't be using mush technology.

Anywhoo…I want to give a BIG thank you to everyone who reviewed on my last chapter, and I would just like to say that I've read all of them, and if the WiFi didn't suck, I would reply telling you guys how much I love you and appreciate everything you've told me about the story or what I can improve.

I hope you enjoy the chapter and I would like to assure you that I WILL finish this story, as well as my other one. It may take a while, but I refuse to let it end midway. I know too well how annoying it is when a story ends in the middle, and you're dying to know what happens in the end. Haha, tell me if you guys are dying, and feel free to groan at me if I don't update.

I love you guys… :')

Chapter Four

Thirty seconds left. Alex was sure he was going to die- his luck had finally run out. There was no way out of the tank; he had searched several times for the keys and the only exit was where he had come from. Despite his situation, he was calm. There was no point in panicking as it would only cause him more discomfort.

"Twenty Seconds."

If the pillow that Jack was clutching had been a human, they would surely be dead by now. Her heart felt as if it would burst out of her chest any second. She wasn't a religious person, but she found herself praying. Praying to whoever was up there that Alex would make it out of this. Tears were starting to form in her eyes, but she refused to let them out. If she let them out, it would mean that she'd lost hope. That Alex would…she couldn't bring herself to think, let alone say the word. How could she live with herself if anything happened to him? The boy had been in her care for years now. He was like a brother. No. He was her brother. Blood didn't make someone family, love did. She loved Alex more than words could describe. Clasping her hands together she started to beg.

"Please…I need Alex. You can't do this…you can't take him away from me!"

The voice on the TV sounded.

"10 seconds."

Alex was numb all over. He was glad for it, it was better than the alternative. The boy in the tank closed his eyes, awaiting his fate. The person behind the speaker was counting down now. Ten seconds left until his air ran out. As he closed his eyes he started to recall the events of the past few days.

School was over and Alex Rider was glad. It had been a long day filled with the subjects that required most brain activity- Physics, Chemistry, Biology and a double lesson of Maths. He sighed as he rode his bicycle down an alleyway. He didn't normally take this route as it was always filled with druggies and smelled like urine. He was halfway through it when he heard people whispering. Ahead of him were two men who were definitely going to be trouble. Deciding to ignore them, Alex pedalled on. This was a mistake.

"Now!" one of the men shouted.

He had no time to react as the men pulled him off his bike, causing his to slam against the floor. He managed to get halfway up when he felt a familiar sound; the click of a gun just in front of him.

"Don't move. We're not going to hurt you," one of them said in a strangely calm voice.

It was always funny when people told you they weren't going to hurt you when they held a gun to your forehead. The gun was held steady in the man's hand- he was obviously trained. Alex got up slowly eyeing the gun. Deciding to use the art of surprise, he kicked forward knocking the gun to the side of the alleyway. As he was about to swing his leg back up and kick the man though, his leg was grabbed.

"You'll be perfect" the man smiled.

Alex felt something sharp inject into his neck. It all happened surprisingly fast and soon he found himself falling. His last moments of consciousness were spent clutching his forehead as it hit the wall on the left side of the alleyway.

Now, he was stuck here in a tank of freezing water about to die. Just great. How had he gotten here again? Oh yeah- he'd fallen through the floor. He remembered the diver giving him his mask and oxygen tank. Why did he bother giving him oxygen when they weren't going to let him live? The diver had just put the tank on his back and left him there to die. Honestly, how could people be so cruel?

"Five."

Only a matter of time left. He let the water take him wherever it pleased. That was when he heard it. He had to stretch his hearing out, but there was no mistaking it. The sound of metal against metal. How could he have missed it? The oxygen tank! Quickly turning his head, he saw it. The keys were attached to a hook on the oxygen tank. He felt like crying. It was painfully obvious yet he figured it out in the last few seconds. He would kick himself if he had the time.

Grabbing the keys and pulling it off the hook, he got to work.

"Two…one."

He took a deep breath, making use of whatever oxygen there was left for him. Lifting his leg closer to his hands, he put the key into the lock. There were three keys on the keychain. The first wouldn't fit into the lock, but he was lucky the second time. He heard the sound of the lock opening and relief flooded through him. He kicked the chain off his leg and started swimming up. He would see the outline of the floor he had come through. Why wasn't in opening? They had said if the unlocked himself they would open it. Starting to panic again, Alex wondered if he was meant to unlock himself during the time limit. Damn! They couldn't do this to him now. Banging his hands onto the metal floor, he felt his lungs begin to hurt. He breathed out and kept slamming his fists on the metal. It wasn't opening. He was starting to get light headed when it opened.

Two people were dragging him out of the water. He lay on the floor for a few minutes, savouring the air around him. He heard someone clapping. Looking up, he saw turtle standing over him applauding.

"Well done Alex."

A/N: Apologies for any grammar mistakes or anything that doesn't make sense... I tried to get this up before the internet crashes.

Lets hope this gets updated! *crosses fingers*

Oh, and I'll get the next chapter up a lot quicker :D