A/N: If you squint hard, you'll catch a character I know you guys have all been waiting for… enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nada, zip. I don't own any Alex Rider books, unfortunately.

Karmic Balance

Chapter Four

It had only been a day, and already Alex was longing for the comforts that he usually took for granted. Not things like food or a warm bed – he already knew not to take those for granted, not after what Ian had told him about all those other kids in that country where they didn't have anything like that.

No, the things he missed were small and subtle. Waking up to find he could still taste something horrid and bitter on his tongue, he longed for his toothbrush to scrub it away. And he'd love a fresh change of clothes, too – his were starting to get stiff and crusty, dry from the mud they'd been splattered with from his games of football at school with Tom.

Tom… Now, there was something else that he missed: companionship. And not just any kind, either, but the friendly one – where they didn't tease you with water or kick you with hard, steel-capped boots that left blossoming bruises on his already sore body.

He cracked open an eye, heavy and prickling. He hadn't been able to catch even a wink of sleep; the cold, hard floor was too unfamiliar, and the constant, looming presence of a guard kept him at unease.

It was, of course, when Alex was feeling his worst when a small glimmer of hope came to him.

The guard was changing shifts.

That act, in and of itself, was nothing unusual – the guards had been rotating duty every four hours, to break up the monotony and to make sure everyone was feeling fresh whilst on the job – but this time, it was different. He'd seen the guy shift his weight from foot to foot for the past half hour with increasing intensity. And just now, Alex had heard him mutter, "Fuck it, any longer and I'll burst. Kid'll be fine until the next guy starts his shift…"

This was followed by the man quickly sprinting away, presumably to the bathroom.

Now, this is where you have to remember; whilst our Alex was just a little boy, he was also a sly, cunning one. And when he'd been given a morsel of food earlier, he'd managed to wedge both of his shoelaces between the door and its frame. It wasn't much, but it was just enough to stop the lock from sliding into place.

As soon as the guard had gone, Alex sprang to his feet – well, tried to; he didn't quite have the energy for anything like that yet - and slowly but carefully managed to pry the door open, quietly as possible. Luckily, the metal slab didn't scrape against the floor.

Alex was free – or at least, more free than he had been eighteen hours ago. Now, here is something else you have to remember: Alex was just a little boy. He hadn't yet developed a mature sense for sneaky-ness and subtlety. Which was why, as soon as he was out of his cell, he ran for it.

As he ran through the twisting, winding maze, adrenaline pumped through his veins. And then, the oddest, most unfortunate thing happened.

His legs collapsed beneath him.

He yelped, the fall knocking the breath out of his lungs as he gasped, trying to push himself back up while he still had the chance. As he struggled, he lost his head start; several guards swarmed him, tying his arms behind his back and one gave him a harsh punch for good measure.

The bitter taste welled in his mouth and he spat, blood mixed with his saliva. His head felt dizzy; the world spun and grew fainter by the second. But even as bile rose up his throat, he managed to focus in on something walking towards him – a woman? He thought she might have looked shocked, her eyes widening as she stared at his face.

He tried to stare back, but through the haze it was impossible, and felt himself slip into unconsciousness as her muffled voice questioned the men that held him.

Julia Rothman was at a loss for words.

It didn't happen often, and would probably never happen again. Still, the shock of seeing a young boy that resembled John Rider so greatly, falling into the throws of delirium, down on the ground and being roughly bound in rope by several large, muscled guards… It was unexpected, to say the least.

She stared down her upturned nose at the blond boy, who seemed to struggle in tilting his head to catch a quick glance at her. His energy spent, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he slumped, caught by the guard behind him.

"What on Earth is going on?" Her voice rang out sharply, and the guards – no longer preoccupied in containing the boy – noticed her arrival with wide eyes. The guard nearest to her opened and closed his mouth several times, reminding Julia of a helpless, clueless guppy, before she sighed and saved the guard some trouble.

"Never mind, I'll ask Marcus myself. Take me to his office."

The guard that had previously had trouble even starting to explain the odd situation to her blushed in embarrassment, and hurried to lead the way. She followed at her own pace, giving one last thoughtful look to the boy that was now unceremoniously slung over one guards shoulder and was being carried away to who knows where.

Her lips took a slight tilt throughout her meeting with Nichol, and once business had been dealt with, she asked the man a question she had been longing to ask since the incident in the hall.

"Why was there a boy out in the corridor?"

Marcus stiffened, his eyes wide. "I – what? A boy?"

"Yes. A small blond one. He was being tied up by some guards."

Marcus relaxed. The fact that Alex had escaped was news to him; he'd been in a meeting with Rothman, after all, and had ordered not to be disturbed by anything until the powerful woman had gone.

He paused, wondering how much to tell Julia. "He's just a boy. I've had him kidnapped – a bargaining tool for revenge against his uncle, who has caused me quite a bit of personal pain." His hand, subconsciously, idly stroked the ugly scar on his face.

"His Uncle? Anyone I might be aware of?" She was curious as to the man's identity; it might show a link to John, if her gut feeling was correct.

The man shrugged. "Perhaps. He's an agent for MI6 – Ian Rider, he's called."

Julia didn't let the slight shock show on her face. She gave him a half smile, "No, doesn't ring any bells."

That was a lie, of course. Church bells were thundering through her mind as she quickly made the connections; She'd known that John had a brother named Ian, and no other siblings. For Ian to be the boy's uncle… Well, that could only mean one thing, couldn't it?

After she'd left, and had made her journey back to her organization's base, a morbid amusement had arisen inside her, and the irony of seeing Yassen coming out of a debriefing at Scorpia's current headquarters caused a mad giggle to well up inside her, and spill from her ruby lips.

The assassin paused in his steps, and looked at her curiously. "Yes?" His tone was hesitant; the look Rothman had given him was half-crazed, half-gleeful. He wasn't quite sure whether or not he should approach her and see what had unbalanced her so, or if he should just flee in the opposite direction, duty be damned.

She giggled again, smirking wickedly. "Funny thing, running into you just now. I met a mutual acquaintance of ours earlier, you know." Her eyes looked passed Yassen and glazed slightly, her mad look of amusement turning foul.

Yassen frowned. What was she on about? Their only mutual acquaintances where the people they worked with – and why would they cause her to react like this…?

Julia quirked her lips, and began walking again, talking almost absently at Yassen as she continued on her way down the corridor. "You remember John, right? John Rider? Heh, his kid looks so much like him…" Her expression turned stony. He should have been mine.

As her back was to him, she didn't spot Yassen's wide-eyed look of surprise, quickly followed by a pang of worry and dread. The Russian knew that the only place Rothman had gone that day was to Nichol Marcus' base – which meant that she'd seen Alex there, which meant… Shit, he'd been kidnapped.

And Yassen knew that he had to do something about it.