Where You Belong

Chapter 17

Alex took a few desperate breaths felling his throat burn from the strain, getting up right after, just as smug face was recomposing himself.

"You little shit" the man cursed at him while getting up, one side of the face completely covered in blood, as the wound on his head bled heavily.

Alex put some distance between themselves raising the gun pointing at the other man.

"What? Are you going to kill me? We both know you aren't capable of dirtying your hands" the man sneered at the boy. Apparently, it wasn't known that Alex had killed Rothman, something that the boy was happy about. He was not a killer contrary to what the world wanted, to what Scorpia and blunt thought, he wasn't a killer, he didn't want to be.

Alex opens his mouth to reply when suddenly a row of cars stopped around them at all sides, trapping them in a circle of black cars. Despite that, Alex hold of the gun didn't stagger, and as much he wanted to see what was going on his eyes didn't leave smug face that was looking as confused as he was.

Men got out of the car pointing guns at him. Alex's heart dropped, Scorpia had sent back up. "ARRÊT" one of them yelled "LÂCHEZ L'ARME."

Alex frowns in confusion, if they were speaking French, they weren't Scorpia, especially if Smug face was confused as he was. They couldn't be the police either since they lacked the uniforms and the cars. That left the French secret services, the DGSE.

Alex slowly raised his arms dropping the gun on the floor, and the moment he did that they came down on to both of them.

"Wait" Alex cried out as he was thrown to the floor "I'm not with Scorpia" he winced as they slap a pair of handcuffs on his wrists, reminding him of the hot pulsing pain that his wrist emitted. He didn't understand, didn't MI6 warn them? Didn't they know that Yassen had kidnapped him, that he didn't go willingly?

"I'm not with them" Alex yelled as he was pushed into a car, seeing smug face thrown to the car in front. Before he could say another word, a sack was thrown in his head darkening his world.

"Be quiet" someone said, this time in English.

Alex chooses to obey the order, he would only hope that when they put his name in the system, it would clear him, and he could finally go back home.

He didn't know how long they drive for, but it had to be for a couple of hours, he didn't have a clock to confirm, but when they finally stop, he was taken out of the car and handcuffed in an interrogation room, before the sack was taken out. He squinted his eyes having trouble adjusting to the sudden change despite the weak lighting in the room.

They left him alone, but the whole time he knew that they were watching him, having that chilling feeling in the back of his head.

Sometime later, a man entered the room sitting across from him.

The man sat there, observing him, not saying anything, so Alex decided to start "look, my name his Alex Rider, I was kidnapped by Scorpia, I just escaped, I was trying to go home."

The man looked at him before replying with a blank tone "Alex Rider is dead" the man said like he wasn't shaking Alex world.

"What? No, I'm Alex rider" Alex exclaimed pointing at himself with his cuffed hands.

"I can see that" the man said as if he was stupid.

At this point Alex was starting to get annoyed "OK, so let me go."

The man smiled when he said that "Alex, let me explain our version of the events" the man began "you disappeared a little over a month ago, you spent that time training in Malagosto and to complete your anonymity Scorpia faked your death."

"I didn't disappear I was kidnapped, and I didn't fake my death. Look call MI6, they will clear me."

"The Brits don't take kindly to Scorpia operatives, but if that it's what you want" the man raised his hands in defeat before leaving the room.

"Wait-" Alex called out, but it was too late, the man had already left.

Alex just stared at the door feeling defeated, with a groan he let his head fall in his arms lifting right up when he felt the strain on his wrist. He peeled the sleeve back a little wincing when he saw the state of his wrist, it was swollen heavily bruised in an ugly purple, it was most likely broken, great that was all he needed, it was highly unlikely that he would be given some pain reliever, considering that nobody even offered him a sip of water nor a bathroom break.

Thinking about that his stomach rumbled unhappily, it had been a long time since he ate, and his body was already making notice of his predicament.

Alex sat there for a few more hours, feeling sore of being in the same position, until the man came back this time bringing a few more agents. Nobody said anything as they came forward detaching the handcuffs from the table dragging him out of the room. They took him on an elevator exiting on a rooftop where Alex could see a helicopter waiting

"Where are you taking me?" Alex asked.

The man that was walking in front of him stopped making both of the agents that were holding him stop as well "I'm doing what you wanted, but don't say I didn't warn you. Brits do hate Scorpia."

After that Alex was dragged to the helicopter and strapped to a seat, someone most have taken pity on him hand put a pair of headphones on his head, although he could tell that his here disconnect from the others to prevent him from listening to their conversation, but at least he wouldn't end with a headache.

As the helicopter took off, Alex looked at his cuffed hands wondering why he was still being detained. If they were taking him to MI6, they should know he was not with Scorpia, MI6 knew the truth, unless they were trying to cover up using a minor on missions. It wouldn't surprise Alex, at this point.

Unknowingly to Alex back in London, people were having a different conversation. Mrs. Jones walked beside Crawley, having been called to Blunts office.

"The French called" he said as soon both of them sat down.

"What did they want?" Mrs. Jones asked, it was not unusual for the French to contact them, their close distance made it easy from threats to travel between their countries.

"Apparently, they detained a Scorpia agent with British nationality, they are flying him over in a few hours. I want both of you to handle the situation."

"Scorpia? Did they give a name?" Scorpia situation was still very fresh, they went quiet after the incident in Malagosto, so it was a little strange for them to detain an agent so quickly. Alex rider had done some damage to Scorpia, one that would be remembered along his fathers. Like father like son, Mrs. Jones thought sadly.

"No, you know how they are. They drop off is in the usual place."