Thanks for the reviews! So sorry for not updating (that's me shrinking away in shame right there). Read and review please! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize :
Chapter 6
MI6's crew hurriedly cast off as they climbed on from a rope ladder. Shen reached the deck first, hauling Kristen up and helping Alex as well. The Triads were jumping off their motorcycles, machine guns in hand.
"Tell the captain we're under fire!!" Shen shouted to a crew member, who ordered everyone to get down.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat. Kristen saw the bullets pierce the metal hull in a relatively straight line. Damn. They have good aim too!
The crew scurried about, keeping as low as possible as they tied things together so they wouldn't fall. Several bullets pierced the sails; small circular holes dotted the fabric.
"Fuck," Kristen swore. And she wouldn't shoot back at them—her pride wouldn't let her do that, not to mention Shen would kill her for sinking so low. MI6? Hm. Maybe. Depends if they even were armed, which she highly doubted.
The ship was moving away from port, going at ten knots an hour, which wasn't particularly fast enough. Civilians were screaming at the sounds of gunshots, even though they were all directed towards the ship. A bullet smashed right next to Kristen, causing glass to fly and sink into her arm.
Fuck.
She rolled over, crawling to the stairs. Concerned, the other two followed. Sirens were wailing; the only sign that police had heard about the shooting. A few more shots—then silence. The crew cleaned up the damage and one carefully took out the glass in her arm, pouring water over it and then putting a bandage on it.
Shen was still wary. "Tell the captain to hurry. I wouldn't be surprised if the Triads follow us."
The woman nodded, disappearing into the front of the ship.
"Goddamn!" Alex swore, near the back of the ship. Shen came running, Kristen following more slowly.
"What?" he asked.
"Please tell me that's not them," Alex responded, indicating the smaller, grey boat that was speeding towards them.
Shen's eyes widened, then he dashed after the woman to tell her. The ship was already speeding up thanks to the powerful engines. The crew shoved everyone under the deck to safety.
The ship sped up noticeably, now going twenty knots per hour, a good deal faster than the smaller boat that was following could. Yet, the guns kept pattering away as police closed off the docks and sent a motorboat out to catch the Triads.
One of the members turned and shot the two men operating the police boat—much to the shock of civilian onlookers.
Kristen could tell that the police were already helpless—by the way one of them attempted to shout orders that were never carried out. Another bullet smashed the wall dangerously near Alex's crotch area—he dove into her.
She landed on her back, acutely aware of the blood that was trickling out of the wound the glass had carved into her. His head was on her stomach—she scrambled away as fast as she could.
Shen whistled, grinning dirtily.
Kristen smacked him, and then winced as the bandage ripped part of the half-dried scab.
He glanced at her, concerned, before checking through the window that the Triads were far behind. They were; having turned back.
"Odd," he muttered. "Feng doesn't give up this fast."
Alex shook his head. "No…they'll strike sometime later. They'll be getting out of here--"
"To avoid the police," Shen finished. "And the publicity. I'll ask the captain to make as fast as we can to Malaysia, where we can get supplies, then get to England."
Kristen shrugged. "Alright."
The ship turned, and then sliced smoothly through the waves forward.
--
A few days later, they docked at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Three of the crew members went to buy supplies, the rest made repairs to the ship and stocked up on fuel. Kristen, Alex and Shen stayed aboard, making a report to MI6.
"So um, we have the list of people—blimey, that's huge!" Alex's jaw dropped. There were more than 5,000 Triad members across the globe—about a thousand in China alone.
Kristen shrugged.
Shen continued, "So we just give them the list of operations, where to find the members, etc?"
"That should be good enough," Kristen murmured. She'd gone quiet after the shard of glass had cut her; it hurt like hell on fire.
An hour later, they cast off, headed west towards Britain. There was nothing to do but wait.
--
Hours later, Kristen woke up as the ship crashed against heavy waves. What the…
Feet were pounding around on deck above, so she decided to investigate.
Kristen stumbled up the stairs, wondering why on earth they were going that fast. When she flung open the door, however, she swore loudly.
Behind them, another ship was following. And from the symbol on the front—it was the Triads. She gritted her teeth from the hard impact of something that the Triads had fired. Alex and Shen were already on deck, the first thrown to the floor.
"The Triads are like this?" he gasped, rolling to avoid a chair that went flying.
Shen nodded grimly. "The Triads aren't as large as the Mafia, or as rich and sophisticated as Scorpia. We—or, now, they, go in for brutality, ruthlessness and efficiency. Easily detected, but members aren't easily found."
The ship shuddered violently, and then surged ahead once more.
"Well," a crew member murmured. "HQ will be interested to know that."
"How many more days till we reach London?" Alex demanded of the poor man.
"Hard to say, perhaps two weeks, give or take," he answered.
Alex swore.
"Is it possible for us to reach MI6 with transmitters or something?" Shen cut in calmly.
"Well, yes, but it's uncertain if they will have the receivers on," the man asked.
Suddenly Shen looked powerful and angry, worthy of being leader of the Triads. "Just try for god's fucking sake! I'd forgotten about the deal we made with Levi Kroll!"
The other two snapped to attention, as more ammunition was fired at them.
"What the hell!! WHAT deal!?" Alex shouted while a few more holes appeared about his head.
Kristen turned around and snapped, "SHUT up Alex! NOT while we're trying to escape from the Triads!"
"What deal?" Alex persisted. "I need to know! Kroll is part of Scorpia!"
"Very good Alex," Kristen answered dryly. "I had NO idea Levi Kroll was part of Scorpia!"
Shen finally got his transmitter in form of a telephone and was pressing some buttons in an attempt to reach MI6.
"Request from vessel 314 to HQ…yes this is very important…concerns Triads…no!! No this is not a joke…Alex Rider is right next to me!"
Suddenly the woman on the other end went very silent.
"Open sesame!" Kristen said sarcastically.
"Who is this? Alan Blunt? Alright, this is the former Triads leader…NO we have NOT abducted Alex Rider and the crew…no, that is not me firing bullets…OK well it is the Triads chasing us across Malaysia…I did not give them the order to….ALEX get over here!" Shen shouted frustratedly while Kristen snickered.
"Verify the fact that I have nothing to do with the Triads now and I only want to deliver the information," he said impatiently.
"Hello?" Alex asked, picking up the telephone.
"Alex?" Alan Blunt responded. "Are you ok?"
"If the fact that we're being chased by the Triads around the coast of Malaysia and that we're dodging bullets here means we're ok, then yeah, we're dandy."
"Did you complete your mission? Where's Kristen?"
"She's right next to me, and yes, we have several things to deliver. Did you get the papers, by the way?"
"Yes, we did. We're working on sending them to the Chinese authorities and on convincing them that the papers are reliable."
"Good, because we went through some blood, sweat and tears to get them."
"We've made contact with the captain of the ship," Blunt went on, ignoring Alex's latest comment, "And you should be back in about eight to nine days. You also have permission to fire back."
"Well then, this should be interesting. We kind of have to go now, and yes, Shen is the real deal," Alex said as he hung up.
"Nice," Kristen said, concentrating on the reopened cut.
"Why'd you hang up?" Shen asked, slightly annoyed. "I needed to tell them something."
"Shen, just ask for a computer and I'll get it to them," Kristen said lazily, tracing the cut with her nail.
The crew member was already off and coming back with a laptop. He booted it up and handed it to Kristen, who hit a few keys and was in.
"Mm, so what did you want to say?" she asked.
"Triads' deal with Levi Kroll of Scorpia's executive board is due to being within a month…we're dealing with a coup of Chad to get to their oil. Scorpia is basically going to kill all of the leaders while they are in the capital—flattening the building with a man made tornado."
Alex looked grim while Kristen rapidly typed all of it in.
"Got it. Anything else?"
"No, it can wait. Since we have permission to fire, we should use it. Triads have a base in South Africa, where we'll need to stop again."
"Alright, tell the Captain," Alex sent the poor man running again.
Kristen yawned. "Is that it? Cause otherwise I'm tired…"
"Yeah that's all," Shen muttered. "Go ahead and sleep."
"M'kay. Call me when you need me," she wandered off.
Alex watched her go. How was it, for her, to be separated from her family, as if they were dead? How was it, to be blackmailed into crimes—much like he was forced to become a spy for MI6? How was it…to only be able to talk to Shen? At least MI6 had allowed him to stay in school whenever he could and see Jack...
Shen said quietly, "I'm worried about her."
He turned. "Why?" he asked curiously.
"She…doesn't let herself feel enough. I want to let her get her old life back…see her friends, family. I don't know if I can though. And I dunno if she would want to go back."
"How'd the Triads pick her in the first place?"
Shen shrugged. "She was a witness when we robbed a bank. They kidnapped her, sent her on a suicide mission and were amazed when she survived."
Alex nodded. "I see." Such a stroke of bad luck! Just to have seen a crime had thrown her into the underground world of spies and treason.
"What about you?" Shen asked. "I know you don't risk your neck willingly for MI6."
Alex shrugged. "Jack's visa is expired. If I don't do what they want, I'll be shipped off to an orphanage."
Shen nodded again, not seeming surprised. "Hey, where are we?" he asked himself. "Getting close to Seychelles?" He glanced at the ocean, then straight ahead disappointedly. "No, too early," he muttered to himself.
--
So sorry for the late update! I've been really busy, as well as been writing my other fics. This is the last time I have so many fics open.
Please review! Whose still reading?
Review Replies:
Moonlite-duskk: Thanks!! Again, sorry for not updating fast!
SheWeapon1: LOL thanks!! Will write as much as possible!