Many many thanks to Suz, ppltlk2muchintxttlk, and O wingless one! I love you guys!! COOKIES FOR YOU!! Anyway, I was attacked in my sleep by plot bunnies, so that explains this chapter. It might be a bit OOC...so yeah...sorry..

Disclaimer: Hmm, I'm a girl, and I'm in school...I think that's good enough.

Xxx

Alex POV-ish…

School had just let out for the day, and Alex Rider followed Tom to a grassy area. He kindly refused to sit out on a game of soccer, instead just taking to the sidelines. He sat on a nearby bench, thoughts drifting immediately.

Only one month had passed since the death of his godfather, Ash. It seemed like years ago to him. Even the dinner with Sabina seemed ages. It was a lot to take in for a fourteen year old, even one like Alex. His godfather had betrayed his parents and him as well. Now, he was dead and Alex remained alive. It felt so much like a dream.

At least one good thing came out of this…Alex thought. M16 won’t bother me again.

Boy, if only he knew how wrong he was.

The shadow loomed over him like a bad omen. Alex knew who it was. He didn’t even have to look up. The shape was already familiar.

“Hello, Mr. Blunt.” Alex greeted. He stood to face the man.

Blunt had the same features Alex had always known. He wore the same gray suit and did nothing to his grayish features. But he couldn’t help notice he looked more aged. Not in the way people get older, but in the way that something he did took a toll on him and now it was coming back to haunt him.

“Alex, would you please accompany me for a ride?” His voice was monotonous as he led the fourteen year old boy to a car.

Blunt made it sound like a choice. He made it sound like he could walk away and join the game. Alex took a fleeting look at the field, caught Tom’s eye and sighed inside. There was no way he could escape this world. It would always find him somehow.

At Royal and General

The room was a dull gray with a fake plant sitting in the corner. Alex sat across from Blunt. Mrs. Jones had joined them, her face unreadable as ever. Alex wondered if she had been eating something with peppermint. The room stank with it.

“So, what do you need me for this time?” Alex asked.

“What makes you think we need your assistance?” Mrs. Jones answered.

“Well you sure didn’t call me up here to thank me!” He snapped back. “I’m not stupid.” He grumbled under his breath.

“Are you familiar with the company Itex?” Blunt said.

“Yeah, they make like everything in the world.” Alex furrowed his brow. He had seen the logo for the company so much; it was part of the background to him.

“Well, it seems that Itex may be teaming up with Scorpia.”

Every muscle in Alex’s body tightened. Twice he had to escape from their clutches. He had come close to death each time. “And?” He tried to keep his voice hard.

“They aren’t after you, I assure you.” Said Mrs. Jones. “They are formulating something called the by-half plan though.”

“So?”

“We want you to find out why Itex is working with Scorpia and what the ‘by-half’ plan is.” Blunt responded. “Itex seems to have a liking for kids.” (A/N: TO EXPERIMENT ON! Oh that line sounded weird….XD)

“What if I don’t want to help you?” Alex wondered aloud.

“That’s fine. We were expecting that. I’m sure after Ash you wouldn’t want to have anything to do with Scorpia.” Mrs. Jones remarked.

That was a low blow. The memory of his ‘God-father’ made hate swell up in Alex. The betrayal was still numb on him. Scorpia had known Alex would trust Ash. Alex had almost died because of someone his parents trusted. Someone who had killed them. Revenge was the word that popped into his mind.

“I’ll do it.” The three words he would regret later, he knew.

“Smithers will be happy.” Blunt said.

Xxx

Sorry it took so long to update. I had writers’ block and I had to read Breaking Dawn. The gadgets will come later, but if you have any suggestions, put them in the review I know you’re going to leave.