As Alex and Snake Eyes return to the Pitt, Alex has a wide grin on his face and Snake Eyes has a black gloved hand on the 16 year olds shoulder proudly. The ninja did the impossible. He got the stiff teenager to enjoy life again. Even though Tom gets him to lighten up, Alex remains pretty stone-faced during a mission.

xX Hell in the US xX

On the African coast, a man named Zeljan Kurst was enjoying the lovely view of the ocean. He sees one of his servants approach him with a cup of tea. Instead of saying 'Thank you' he grabs the cup swiftly causing the servant to grip the tray tighter. Zeljan had a massive criminal record, being wanted for in seventeen different countries, and being chief executive of the international criminal organization called Scorpia. Zeljan was in his early fifties, bald, and stone cold features. He quietly sips his tea as he contemplates his revenge against the one person that shut down Scorpia. Only problem is he has no idea where Alex Rider is currently located. Zeljan Kurst had heard of a group lead by Commander Cobra in the United States. He quietly sips his drink as he attempts to decide what his new persona that he will become. He had a different hair styles in a secret room of his house. He also had different weapons in a drawer underneath his clothes. He decides to become Zack Klan who was a business man in the south of France. Zack Klan had brown hair, blue eyes, and dressed in business suits every day. He puts the mug on the tray and walks with a steady gait to the villa that he had purchased. The villa had six rooms, a fairly large kitchen, a decent size living room, and a master bedroom. He enters the code to access the latest disguises.

xX Hell in the US xX

Alex couldn't stop smiling that day after the tickle fight with Snake Eyes. Everyone notices a different temperament with the young blonde. A song plays throughout the workout room as he attempts to do some training in order to keep his well trained body well prepared for the next battle. Jinx carefully watches him as he goes through many katas.

"You might as well join me," Alex's tenor voice remarks calmly as he finishes his latest kata.

"How did you know I was there?"

"You were exactly quiet. I heard your breathing."

"Oh," Jinx comments as her head drops.

"Hey don't worry about it. I've had years of training as a spy to detect other people."

"How long have you been a spy?"

Alex slowly curses himself and sighs, "You might as well take a seat."

"Why?" Jinx questions. She takes a seat across from him on the floor.

"It's going to be a long story."

Jinx looks at him with complexity.

"My parents were killed when I was very young," he begins and then shakes his head.

"What?" Jinx asks him.

"I shouldn't even be telling you this."

"Why?"

"Because it could get you killed to even know me." After Alex said this, he gets up and walks around a bit to decide what to do.

"Alright I decide I'm going to tell you everything but you must do one thing for me first."

"What's that?"

"Please ask Duke to disarm the cameras and listening devices in this room for an hour."

"Okay," she states as she darts off.

Alex stands there and thinks for a few moments.

Why did I let that slip out? I shouldn't have. Ugh. He throws a punch at a punching bag. It's chain clang as he walks away. Jinx returns no more than five minutes later.

"Done."

For the next half hour Alex when through his life explaining his friendships, what little he had, his parents, his uncle, Jack, and interests.

Xx Hell in the US xX

Zack Klan patiently waits outside the gate to fly to the States. As he approaches the gate, he hands his passport to the attendant and she clears it. Then he boards the 747, and takes his seat. Pulling out an old magazine he's probably read a hundred times, he flips through it. The flight is at least a twelve hours and he figures he might as well sleep for part of it as his plane takes off into the night sky. Sleep comes easily to him.

Xx Hell in the US xX

Alex pulls out his MP3 and scrolls through the list of artists until he finds Within Temptation's Lost from their new album "The Unforgiving." Sharon den Adel's voice blasts in his head phones.

"My hope is on fire. My dreams are for sale.
I dance on a wire
But don't want to fail her

Alex thinks of how his hope is like a fading flame even though he should have a lot of it. Everything he has done up until now wasn't his dream at all. One moment he could be stepping into a mission or walking up the steps into the school.

I walk against the stream
Fight for what i believe in
I run towards the end
Trying not to give up

He wasn't like the other kids, he had to fight to protect them, and they called him a druggie/psycho, basically anything they could come up with. He wants it to end and it will end when MI6 decided to stop using him. Everything is in his body is telling him to give up and he can't. Sighing as the next verse comes up.

She's lost in the darkness fading away
I'm still around here screaming her name
She's haunting my dream world
I'm trying to survive
My heart is frozen
I'm losing my mind
Help me I'm buried alive

Buried alive

Jack was always there for him but even now she seems to be fading away. When he's on a mission he sometimes he mutters her name under his breath in his sleep without realizing it. She's always in his dreams, hugging him and telling him everything will turn out alright. His heart has become stone and the only two people he cared carefully for were Tom and Jack.

I'm burning the bridges
And there's no return
I'm trying to reach her
I feel that she yearns

I walk against the stream
Fight for what i believe in
I run towards the end
Trying not to give up

She's lost in the darkness fading away
I'm still around here screaming her name
She's haunting my dreamworld
I'm trying to survive
My heart is frozen
I'm losing my mind
Help me i'm buried alive

Buried alive

I'm trying to revive what's already drowned
They think i'm a fool carrying her lies
Hope is awakened, gave way the mind
Because i thought that love would bind
I cannot revive what's already drowned
She won't come around

She's lost in the darkness fading away
I'm still around here screaming her name
She's haunting my dreamworld
I'm trying to survive
My heart is frozen
I'm losing my mind
Help me i'm buried alive

Buried alive

As the singer holds the last note everything around Alex stops, he feels like he's being watched as he listens to his music. Glancing around he notices someone watching him.

"What do you want?" he growls at the unknown figure.

"Well is that any way to greet a friend?" the voice hisses.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alex snarls.

"Are you sure?" the shadow inquires as he lightly pulls his jacket so a small scorpion shines in the light.

"No, I destroyed your organization months ago. Blunt even mentioned that he captured every single one of you bastards. How dare you show your face around here!" Alex hisses right back.

"You obviously should have killed me when you had the chance boy," he sneers.

Alex looks around and attempts to find an alarm. Seeing the red mark on the wall, unfortunately his enemy sees it as well.

"You won't get there in time."

"You want to bet?" Alex comments with a smirk. He takes off running and as he does a bullet is shot off. Alex dodges the bullet just in time and as he does a black figure attacks the man. He points to himself and then points to the man he's holding down. Alex nods and then takes off towards the alarm at a faster rate.

A/N alright I know you hate me for a cliffy but I felt it was right to do so. I was too busy battling with my demons to write for a while. I had a horrible boyfriend for a while and after he broke up with me it was really hard for me to get over what had happened. He was verbally abusive and just used me for money. He said he dated me for me but really didn't. It was really hard for me to write for a while due to the fact I had to get over it. If you read part of one of my other stories Transported: perfect? It explains a lot of what happened. Well hope you enjoyed the chapter. Will Alex get to the alarm in time or will it be too late for his new team mate?