Much to Alex's relief, he wasn't taken alone. While Alex was merely held by his arms, K-Unit and Ben had their hands shackled behind their backs. They were directed through the building and taken into a room that looked like a small modernised gladiator stadium. It was square with raised platforms around the edge surrounding a bare wide expanse in the centre. There was a door opposite the one they'd come through and Alex assumed it would be where Hiro entered. Kameko was already there, standing on one of the platforms.

"Alex, how nice to see you again," she said pleasantly, too pleasantly considering she was essentially sending Alex to his death. "Hiro will be coming once you've been equipped."

An agent came in carrying armour and weapons. The armour looked ancient and bulky and the weapons provided looked like swords, with one being longer and slightly thinner than the other. Alex stood still as the agent applied the armour, which was actually lighter than it looked, and slid the swords in the sheath. The armour, though light, pressed on his injuries and Alex had to focus on hiding his discomfort. As this was going on, Kameko gave a running commentary.

"You are wearing traditional samurai armour. Unlike many other ancient armoury, the samurai armour was designed for mobility. It is both sturdy and allows the wearer flexibility. Did you know it was so effective that the US army based the first modern flak jackets on them? The weapons you are carrying are the katana and wakizashi. The katana is the most important, and longest, Japanese sword you will use. The wakizashi on the other hand is used to greater effect in close combat, often dealing the killing blow. You will have to look hard to find the weak point of the armour in order to strike Hiro but I'm sure you'll manage, won't you?" Kameko's voice had taken on a condescending edge that made Alex frown. He was at a great disadvantage here and everyone knew it. He just had to be grateful that he was at least provided with armour, not that he had ever worn something like it before. Though Kameko said it was made for flexibility, Alex still felt restricted and his movements felt sluggish as he checked where his weapons were placed.

"Feel free to test the weight of your weapons Alex," Kameko said. "Hiro is on his way."

Alex did as she said and picked up the katana. Kameko said this was the most important. The katana felt unfamiliar in his hands and he swung it experimentally. The force was more than he was expecting and he nearly lost his grip on it. He was fairly certain he heard a snort from somewhere which he ignored as he swung it again, this time knowing what to expect. Though it was uncomfortable, especially with the hilt pressing against the bandaged holes in his hands, and Alex would really rather have a gun or gadget in his hand, he thought he could cope. At least for a while.

With the katana tested, Alex did the same with the wakizashi and the lightness of it made it much easier to use. Alex would have wanted to just use that if it weren't so short and he knew he would even more at a drawback if he did so. Just as he was moving it around in his hand the opposite door opened and Hiro stepped in. Alex's first thought was that he was doomed.

He wasn't sure if it was just the armour, but Hiro looked to be three times the size of Alex and much wider. His armour also looked of better condition and Hiro walked comfortably in it. A mask covered Hiro's face so Alex couldn't really see what he looked like. Like Alex he had a katana and wakizashi but whereas Alex had had minutes to practice, Hiro probably had many years experience. He was going to need an awful lot of luck to survive this.

"Take your stances," Kameko said and Alex noticed how Hiro widened his posture and raised his katana. Alex copied him.

"Now, fight!"

Hiro didn't waste any time. He began charging at Alex, head bent and body leaning forward to gain the most momentum. Knowing there is no way he could take that head on, not in his weak condition, Alex waited until Hiro was only a few feet away before side-stepping and moving out of the way. It was then that Alex wished he didn't have the armour as his reaction times had slowed dramatically.

With agility Alex envied, Hiro quickly swivelled with his katana elevated. With little to no time left to dodge, Alex lifted his own katana and the two clanged at they collided. The force of the collision pushed Alex backwards and he put his weight on the leg stepped backwards to try and push the katanas away from him. It did no use, Hiro may as well be made out of bricks, and Alex only just saw the elbow in time before it nearly struck his chest. Alex dipped backwards and jumped out of the way of the wakizashi Hiro suddenly produced. Figuring distance would be best so that Hiro couldn't use the killing sword, Alex took more steps away until he was pressed against the walls of the platform.

"You can do this Alex!" Eagle encouraged from above, literally, and Alex would have felt better if it weren't for the grunt of pain he heard straight after. Seemed the tasers had made a reappearance.

Hiro, with a speed Alex would never be able to match, stalked after him. He swung at Alex and Alex blocked his attack much like he had before but instead going into a battle of strengths like they had previously, Alex slide his katana along Hiro's and went on the offensive. He pivoted his katana so it pointed towards Hiro but the attempted stab was blocked by Hiro's wakizashi.

Again, trying to keep his distance, Alex turned and ran to the other side of the room. When Hiro came after him this time Alex made sure to keep stepping backwards so the gap was too large for the wakizashi to reach him. As he was doing this he tried to find weak points in the armour but he couldn't see any. He knew a direct thrust should be able to pierce the armour but Alex wasn't sure he had the strength for that. There was a chance he could try and get a hit through the slim gaps between the different parts of the armour but that would require a lot of precision and for Hiro to stay marginally still to be able to do it. All in all, he was stumped.

Hiro suddenly went on the extreme offensive and started carrying out multitude of slashes in Alex's direction that Alex was forced to quickly dodge and counter. It was like Hiro had unlimited energy, there was no let up, and eventually Alex didn't dodge in time and the blade sliced across his arm, breaking through the armour and leaving a fairly deep gash in its wake. Blood dripped from the katana and Alex hissed in pain. He was lucky that it hadn't been his main sword-bearing arm, but it still hurt like hell.

Fortunately, the one good thing the injury did was send a burst of adrenaline through him which gave him the energy to side-step the lunge of the wakizashi that otherwise would have struck him right in the chest. Hiro kept on the offensive and the fight continued with Alex continuously having to flee and dodge, becoming more tired and tired as time when on. Thankfully he hadn't been hit again but the near misses were becoming closer and closer. If nothing changed he would be dead soon, there was no denying it.

Whereas Alex was growing tired, Hiro was becoming frustrated. His movements were becoming more frantic and unpredictable which while making them more likely to miss, made it harder for Alex to dodge. It was purely luck that Alex saw the incoming swipe in time that he could raise his own katana in time to block it. Unable to shove it away or slide of Alex and Hiro were stuck with their katanas together, both of them trying to push it towards the direction of their opponent. It was quickly coming closer and closer to Alex and the teen tried with all his might to keep it from reaching him. Sweat ran down his forehead and his muscles strained as they tried to prevent the blade getting to his neck. Eyes closed, Alex gritted his teeth and just hoped that something, anything, happened because if it didn't he was dead.

Closer and closer the blade came. It was only a few centimetres from his neck…millimetres, he could hear K-Unit shouting but with all his focus on trying not to die he couldn't hear what they were saying. He was seconds away from having his neck cut….3….2…

BANG

The ground shook and due to the surprise, Hiro's strength waned and Alex finally managed to land a strike. It barely made a scratch, but the surprise of the sting in his hip gave Alex the chance to move away and to see what was happening.

"What is going on?!" Kameko yelled, her hand pressed against her ear. "What do you mean a bomb? How could this happen, what were you-"

Another explosion interrupted Kameko but this time it was a much smaller one and it was right by the wall of the room. A large hole was created and it looked like Alex's luck had just returned.

"Go Alex!"

Alex turned to his K-Unit and Ben to find them shooing Alex out. Hiro, had gained back his bearing was now advancing on him, but he couldn't leave them-

"Meet us by the elevator!" Ben ordered. "Go!"

With Hiro rapidly approaching, it was Alex's only option. Keeping his two swords on him, Alex turned and ran. With luck, Hiro's bulk would make him slower than Alex and he could lose him quickly in order to find somewhere remove the armour. Because of the explosions there was a flurry of activity within the hallway but because everyone was so panicked they barely noticed Alex as he weaved past them all. He wasn't actually sure if he was going in the direction of the elevator, but Alex figured he could worry about that when he'd lost Hiro, who was having more of a problem getting through the Scorpia agents. He continued through the different corridors until a hand grabbed him and pulled him through an open door. A resounding click told him it was locked and even though it meant Hiro couldn't get to him, Alex still struggled - trying to escape the new danger. At least until the words spoken next made him stop.

"Alex, I'm not going to hurt you. It was me. I created the explosions."

Kirill released Alex and the teen gave him a confused look. "It was you? Why…"

"Take of the armour," Kirill said. "I will tell you why as you do so."

Alex started to do as he said and Kirill began. "I'm a double agent. Not for MI6," he clarified at Alex's surprised look. "But for myself. Scorpia ruined Yassen and got him killed. I never agreed with the things my brother did, we rarely spoke but he started contacting me more the year before his death. It was usually just check-ups to see how the other was but then Yassen started talking about a boy, the son of a man he used to work with. You, Alex Rider."

"Yassen spoke of me?" Alex asked, puzzled at why Yassen would bother.

"He did," Kirill nodded. "It seems you made quite an impression on him. Anyway, Yassen then died and I was angry. Angry that I had lost my brother, a man I used to look up to, to a criminal organisation. I wanted revenge, and so I sought it. I joined Scorpia under the guise of wanting to know more about my brother and they trusted me quickly when they saw my skills. I moved up the ranks rapidly until Kameko entrusted me with more valuable missions. My first was the capture of Alex Rider. I recognised your name immediately and I then knew you had to be protected, it is what Yassen would have wanted. However, I also wanted Scorpia to fall as well and my plan was not yet ready. I had slowly been corrupting some other agents who had become disillusioned with Scorpia but could not leave. At the time of my order I needed more people. That unfortunately meant I had to kidnap you, and kill your guardian. For that I am sorry Alex, but it was necessary."

Though Alex would never think Jack's death was necessary, Alex was willing to ignore that for now; Kirill was going to help him escape after all.

"The only thing I could do was make sure that the place you were kept was as unguarded as possible. It seemed I did not do that as well as I'd hoped, MI6 are really losing their touch. I was the one who sent the agent to the hospital. He was a newbie, inexperienced, and I sent him as a warning that Scorpia were still after you. I then made sure I was placed on the next kidnap attempt and that they couldn't reach us before your guardians arrived. Regrettably, I was not placed on the next mission due to my 'incompetance', so I could not stop her from sending in Carrige. That was why I convinced Kameko to give you the offer to re-join. I thought if you were in Scorpia you could help me. I should have known you would not but that is why I needed to hurry my plans. You're bleeding."

Alex had just removed the last of his armour and with the overload of information he'd been given, Alex barely noticed the change in topic. He looked at his arm and the gash was a bit deeper than he'd thought. It was still bleeding, but only sluggishly and there wasn't too much pain when he moved it.

"I'm fine," Alex dismissed. "So your plan was to cause explosions?"

"Yes, I needed to add one to the room you were in. I targeted the main control rooms first so all the cameras should be dismantled. The last bomb will be going off in," Kirill checked his watch. "Twenty minutes. When it goes off it will release a toxic gas that will quickly spread. One inhale is deadly so you need to get out soon. Here."

Kirill dug into his pockets and pulled out a small card. "This is what you will need for the elevator. Your friends should have one too but just in case take this. The one you went to is the most unused one so you should be able to get there with little worry. It is not too far. You need to take three lefts, two rights, a left and a right. Can you remember that?"

Alex nodded. "But what about K-Unit and Ben. I can't leave without them."

"They should be waiting for you. I made sure some of my men were nearby."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. I have other matters to deal with. Now go, but take your swords with you in case."

Though Alex wanted to talk more with Kirill, understand more, time was of the essence. He took the key card and shoved it in his back pocket.

"Will I see you again?" Alex asked, just as Kirill was opening the door and the man frowned.

"Doubtful, so I wish you luck Alex."

Even though this was Jack's killer, a man Alex had thought was the enemy only mere minutes ago, Alex replied, "You too."

The door opened and Alex ran. There were fewer people, Alex didn't know where they'd all gone but he didn't care. He followed the pathway Kirill had told him and the sound of hushed voices he recognised sent a smile on his face. He didn't care about not being heard, he sprinted across the floor until he skidded into the corridor the elevator was in. K-Unit and Ben, though looking a bit worse for wear, were all there and their faces split into grins at the sight of them.

"Thank God," Ben sighed, relief and happiness in his voice.

"There you are."

Alex only had time to register the new, accented voice before he felt a sudden sharp pain in his stomach. K-Unit and Ben's faces had turned white and Alex slowly looked down. A sword, tip glistening with blood, was sticking right out of his stomach. He barely just heard the echo of a gunshot before his body collapsed and his vision blurred and dimmed, sending him into an unconsciousness he wasn't sure he'd wake from.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and made this story their favourite. Only one more chapter to go. Hopefully I will get it out by the time I go on holiday but just to warn you I do have an extremely busy week next week.