*Disclaimer: In case you hadn't noticed, I don't own Alex Rider or any other character that comes from the series. I'm just using them in my original plot line.*

Chapter 13

Ed Shulsky felt like screaming in frustration. It had been simple enough to catch MI6 Agent Daniels, but his partner had given them the slip in the airport. Even the security cameras only showed a few blurs of brown hair. Not really enough to go on.

Almost every available CIA agent had been combing the streets of Miami for two hours and they had not found any trace of the agent. Well, they had gotten the request for back-up from Harrison, and then later an anonymous phone call from an untraceable number about the little scene, but other than that, nothing.

Harrison had finally woken up, but couldn't tell them anything. The agent had apparently gotten shot twice, once in the leg and once in the arm. Other than that, Harrison could only tell them the guy had brown hair and that he would hate to ever get on the agent's bad side.

To top that off, Agent Daniels refused to say a single word about his partner. The only thing that LEWINSKY had gotten out of him was that the agent would come to the CIA headquarters at some point in time on his own and that no one would be able to find him unless he wanted them to.

That was what LEWINSKY got out of him. The reason Lewinsky was put with that job was because of the rumors of him being violent and doing anything to get information went ahead of him and he could easily scare people into talking.

Ed really wanted to meet this Ben Daniels. Shulsky was certain that he would never meet an agent quite like Daniels. Mr. Byrne had informed Ed that Daniel's former partner, Alex Rider, had rubbed off on Mr. Daniels. This made Ed all the more curious about Mr. Daniels, as Ed had worked with the late Alex Rider before.

'No, don't think of him,' Shulsky commanded himself. 'It will only make you mad again.'

Shulsky still couldn't believe how MI6 could've been so ruthless as to use a boy in the ways that they had. And now that boy was dead. He hadn't even seen his sixteenth birthday. And MI6 still showed no emotion, no remorse.

Ed was surprised when he looked up to see that he was already at the CIA headquarters. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed. Ed Shulsky walked through the front doors and waved at the receptionist before passing through a door and down the stairs.

After checking that the ten men they had found in the park were secure in cells for questioning, Ed continued towards Mr. Byrne's office to give his report in.

Halfway there, he found a note lying on the ground. Curious, he picked up the note and opened it.

Ed Shulsky-

Long time, no chat! Well, I would advise you to hurry to Byrne's office.

We can chat there. And talk about ghosts from your past.

Ed was really confused now, but hurried towards Mr. Byrne's office.

Just as he rounded the bend, he saw a figure all dressed in black appear out of seemingly thin air and step up to Joe Byrne's office door. The figure raised his hand to knock, and Ed sidled up behind him.

"Don't turn around or try anything," Ed commanded while pressing his gun to the man's hooded head.

"I won't," came the reply. The voice sounded oddly young. "But I could if I wanted to."

Ed wisely didn't reply to that and instead ordered, "Knock on the door and when you hear a reply, open it and walk in."

The figure snorted, "So you stopped me from doing something, just to press a gun to my head, threaten me, and tell me to do what I was planning on doing anyways? Interesting. I guess you got my message."

"Knock."

"Ok." The figure replied and knocked.

'Come in' was faintly heard from inside the door.

The figure opened the door and stepped in.

"Who is this, Ed?" Mr. Byrne asked me.

"He's a guy who left me a very strange message and who I found outside your door. I have no clue who he is," Ed replied.

"Why do people always find it necessary to talk about me as if I'm not here?" the figure asked.

"I don't know. Maybe you're just too unimportant for them to give you a second thought," Ben replied to the figure.

"Obviously not," the figure shot back. "Who had 43 CIA agents combing the streets for them while you got an escort of two?"

"Touché." Agent Daniels replied.

Mr. Byrne had been watching this conversation take place and interrupted, "Yes, well, why don't you take a seat? I'm going to guess that you are Mr. Daniels' partner, seeing how the two of you know each other."

The figure sat and replied with a simple "yes".

"Shulsky, Lewinsky, why don't you grab some chairs and move over here while we get some info out of these two."

The two complied and soon the three men were facing Ben Daniels and his partner.

"So, first off, we know you're Agent Daniels, but what's your name?" Mr. Byrne questioned them.

"Agent Ryan Santos," came the reply from deep within the hooded face.

Mr. Byrne caught a hint of amusement on Agent Daniels' face and knew that he was missing something.

"What's your real name?" Shulsky asked, having noticed the same thing the head of CIA noticed.

"What makes you so sure that my name isn't Ryan Santos?"

"I thought you told us that your partner would explain everything once he showed up," Lewinsky said to Daniels.

"I did say that. And he will… eventually," Ben Daniels said with a smirk.

"Fine. My name is not Ryan Santos. It's Bernard Smith," the hooded figure answered once again.

This time Ben Daniels couldn't help but snort at that statement.

Lewinsky gave 'Ryan Santos/Bernard Smith' a withering look that said 'obviously not, now tell us the truth'.

"Maybe my name is Greg Purkis?"

"Or Keon Backer?"

"Or Will Greenfield?"

"Or Tom Hankensis?"

"Or Jonathon Vik?"

This went on for a couple of minutes before Ben Daniels couldn't help it any longer and started silently laughing. The three CIA men did not look amused.

"Or Kealie Jones?"

"Or Peter Hubgrub?"

"Or Trent Michaels?"

"Or Alex Rider?"

"Or Joe Smith?"

"WAIT! STOP!" Shulsky practically yelled. "What was that name you said?"

"Which one?" the hooded figure questioned.

"One of the last few you said."

"What did I say?"

"I don't know. You just said some name that is familiar to me. I just can't think of what you said."

"Was it Joe Smith?" the hooded figure asked.

"No."

"Was it Trent Michaels?"

"No!" Lewinsky stated, at the end of his patience. "You know perfectly well which name it is!"

"But you obviously don't."

Mr. Byrne just put his head in his hands. This was turning out to be a long day.

"Fine," the hooded figure replied while reaching up and pulling off his hood. "My name is Alex Rider. Nice to see you guys again."