A big thank you to those that reviewed my last chapter. I have most of this story written so I'm going to post this chapter now. You can probably expect the next chapter in a couple of hours.

Thanks for the support and I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 2

Kidnapped

Alex knew that his uncle was going to be mad at him for leaving the curtains open while he was away, but he wanted the sunlight. The dim, artificial lights put a yellow glow on everything and made him wince at the color. It couldn't hurt, he figured, if he left them open just this once while he finished up his essay for English class.

To tell the truth, Alex was annoyed with how often his uncle was away on 'business trips'. He knew that there was something different about his uncle than everyone else. No other banker would ever come home with a broken arm, split lip, and hair die that could wash out with just a little bit of water.

Contrary to what most adults thought, Alex wasn't oblivious. He knew that his uncle was involved in something, something bad. Sometimes he wondered if, next time, Ian wouldn't be coming back. In was a justified fear of his. If is uncle was part of something dangerous . . . he might very well leave Alex alone with no one to turn to.

With both of his parents dead and hardly any friends because of how fast they moved from place to place there was really no one that Alex could contact for help if his uncle disappeared on him.

He hoped that was never the case.

Another clue that something wasn't right was how Ian was always pushing him to learn new survival skills, many of them Alex knew he would probably never need. Who needs to know how to make a natural sun-block paste out of desert plants when they haven't and probably never will need it?

It made Alex slightly jumpy. If there was someone after his uncle would they be after him too? Could he be in danger because of whatever Ian was involved in? He hoped not. From what he could see Ian was always careful, even if his rules for Alex were a bit harsh. Seriously, what could be wrong with leaving the curtains open on a sunny day? Or going outside to play without his uncle there to watch him? Sometimes Ian pushed his paranoia too far.

A board creaked in the hall and Alex's pencil paused, hovering over his paper. If he had been a cat his ears would have flicked in the direction of the hall. There was a creaky board there that always made sound no matter how little pressure you put on it. It never made any noise unless something was on it.

"I-Ian? Are you home?" Alex inwardly cursed himself for his shaking voice. His thoughts from before were making him paranoid, now.

But his uncle never got home from work early.

There was no response from the hall and Alex carefully sat up, listening for any out of place noises.

There, the low sound of breathing, near silent and almost impossible to hear unless he had been listening for it. It was one of the many things that Ian had taught him: Listen and observe before you act.

It didn't help with the feeling of dread handing over him though.

Several seconds passed, then a minute, and Alex forced himself to relax. On the outside he appeared calm but on the inside his mind was racing. What was he supposed to do? There were two strangers in the house, his uncle wasn't home, and they were well trained in the art of sneaking around.

Something clicked behind him and on instinct Alex dove to the side and off the couch. There was the thump of something hitting the couch but he only caught a glimpse of what looked like a small sleeping dart, which had been aimed for his exposed neck.

He didn't have time to examine the dart closer because at that moment he noticed the two darkly dressed figures positioned at the front of the hall. The one on the left had the small dart gun aimed at him and was already pulling the trigger. Eyes widening Alex dived again, though he knew that he couldn't keep on doing this.

The hall, the stares, and the front door were the only exits to the room he was in. The hall was blocked by the men in black; the front door would take too long to open and was in the perfect position for them to shoot at him. The stares, the only other option, lead up, and there was no where up there that he could get out . . . unless he jumped out of a window.

He wasn't that desperate, yet.

The man on the right cursed softly as his partner missed and lunged at Alex. Alex tried to dodge but the man was able to grab onto his leg. Falling to the floor with a thump he twisted and kicked at the man and managed to hit him on the side of the head. With a cry of pain and surprise he let go of the boy who scrambled behind the couch for shelter as two more darts hit there mark where he had been moments before.

The one who had lunged at him wasn't about to let him escape that easily, though, and blocked his dash for the stares.

The next few minutes were a blur for him as he attempted to fight off the much larger man with what little he had learned in Karate. It was over, though, when he felt the sting in the back of his neck and his world started to go foggy.

He had forgotten about the man with the tranquilizers.

As the last of his vision faded into black he wished that he had paid more attention to his uncle's warnings.

0~o~0

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