…

I am SO sorry it's unbelievable! It's been months. I've been a lazy fool. I suck. I don't deserve any praise, I deserve insults. Again I'm SORRY! Thank you for those of you who have reviewed and kept up with my story, I honestly love you and you deserve a better author than me! I've had AS Level exams last week, and a bunch of other stuff, and I know I should still find time to write for you guys, but my motivation has like dropped. I shall continue though. Here is the next chapter that I owe you guys.

(Did I mention I was sorry? ;A;)

Chapter Nine

The room in which Alex Rider lay was silent. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, in case someone was still in the room. It was only until he was certain there was nobody there that he lifted his eyelids. He lay on a bed- the most comfortable thing he'd slept on for a while. There was a blanket pulled up against his chest, and although the room was warm, he couldn't get rid of that cold feeling inside. It was not the kind of feeling that could be dealt with by simply snuggling yourself into a duvet, or putting on a coat. It was lodged deep within him- so deep he was unsure whether he would ever get rid of it. The horrors of the past weeks had gotten to him, and no matter how hard he tried to forget or ignore them, they were there.

There was a single source of illumination across from where the boy lay. It hung there on the wall, as if watching him, waiting for him to make a move. Alex blinked several times to adjust his eyes to the light, and sat up form where he lay. He heard footsteps outside in the corridor, but they walked past his room. There was a tray on a stool next to his bed, with a glass of water and some fruits. They were most likely drugged, so he didn't bother sampling them. Ignoring his parched throat, he got up from his bed, instantly regretting his decision. Pain shot through his leg, and he fell to the floor gasping, only to be greeted by more pain delivered by his arm. Oh yeah, he'd forgotten. Only days ago he had been strapped to a Breaking Wheel and had his bones crushed by a psychopath. Brilliant. Biting down the pain, he dragged himself up into a half-standing position. He tested both his legs, and came to the conclusion that his right was more damaged than his left. He took a few steps, making sure not to take anything too quickly.

Just as he was getting the hang of things, the door burst open. Standing in the doorway was Turtle.

"Ah, Alex. Glad to see you're up and about."

Alex didn't respond, he only stood there staring at the man across from him with more hatred than he could ever have believed possible.

"It's about time," Turtle continued, "I was getting worried. After all, you're due to make your next choice tomorrow."

Crap. Had it been that long already? There wasn't enough time left for him to find a way out.

"Are you just going to stand there and tell me things I already know?" Alex lied.

Turtle started at him for a while with curious eyes.

"I see you still have some fighting spirit in you boy. I would have expected a more…well mannered person by now."

"Well you expected wrong, didn't you?"

"Yes, it seems I did. Never mind anyway, you'll lose that spirit all in good time."

"That's what you think." Alex muttered under his breath, and was glad when Turtle didn't seem to hear the comment.

"You must be hungry. You haven't touched your fruit."

The loud growl from Alex's stomach was answer enough.

"Come with me." Turtle said, and walked out of the room. Alex followed behind, limping the whole way. Turtle didn't make any effort to slow down, but he didn't mind. He didn't want the man to think he was weak. It took five minutes to arrive at their destination- a small dining room with a round table in the middle. There was food laid out on it- thinly slice ham, and what seemed to be turkey, roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings. There was a small gravy boat in the middle of the table. The smell was delicious- he hadn't smelt something this good in weeks. Sitting down without being asked, Alex took one of the roast potatoes, dipped it into the gravy and stuffed it into his mouth. It tasted of heaven. It was warm and slid through his throat without hesitation. There was a glass of wine on the table, and although Alex didn't drink, he gulped it down. It was cool against his dry throat, and he hadn't felt this good in a long time.

"Help yourself, it's all for you."

It took him a full half an hour to finish his food, and he was sure he'd almost finished the whole bottle of wine. He tried not to drink more, but with each sip he took, the flavours danced in his mouth sending him into a sort of temporary bliss. Once he was finished, he looked to Turtle who had sat patiently opposite him watching him as if he were an interesting creature.

"What are you going to do with me now? Send me back to my cell?" The words came out slurred, and for a minute Alex wondered if he'd even made sense.

"No, I'm not. It seems a little harsh to put you back in that place in your condition."

Alex grunted. The man watched him being hammered half to death, yet he thought this was harsh?

"Where am I staying then?"

"Oh- you can stay in the room you were just in. You'll be provided with dinner later on, and then you'll be left to do what you please. As long as it's in the room I mean."

Alex thought about it- as hard as that was in his condition. He found it difficult to concentrate as his mind kept wandering onto other things.

"These two guards will lead you back to your room." With that, Turtle got up and left the room. Alex looked to where the man had gestured and say two men standing in the back of the room. He hadn't noticed them there before, and could hardly even see them now.

Standing up was more of a challenge than he had anticipated. The two men came to steady him as he was about to fall. He could make out through his blurred vision that one had black hair, and the other was blonde. The both looked rather young, and he wondered what they were doing working for these people. He was half lifted/ half escorted down the corridor. Before they could make it back to the room though, he felt a pounding in his head. Clutching his hair with his hands he leant against to wall waiting for the feeling to pass. It didn't though. It followed with a sick feeling in his stomach.

"Where's the toilet?" He shouted out to no-one in particular. "I'm going to be sick."

The men hesitated for a second, and then pointed to a door at the left of the corridor. Alex ran for it, ignoring what the men were saying to him. Sprinting into the toilet shutting the door behind him he threw up the food in which he had just eaten. What a waste he thought to himself as he regurgitated. There was a loud knock coming from the door behind him, but he ignored it. There was still a pounding feeling in his head, and he wanted nothing more than for it to go away. He wanted to throw up more, but there was nothing left in his stomach. The knocking was getting quieter, and Alex wasn't sure whether it was because they were giving up or because he was losing consciousness. Probably the latter. Just as he was about to pass out the door burst open and the two guards came rushing in. The one with the darker hair stooped down to look at him, and he couldn't help but notice the look of concern in the man's eyes. That's when he realised it. He'd seen this face before. He knew this man.

"…Wolf." Alex barely whispered.

Then there was darkness.