Left Behind

Chapter 2

Julius Grief was expected to achieve great things in his future. He and his brothers all shared the same mission, carefully planned by their father to make the world a better place.

All of his plans had gone off the rails when the new boy—whom he had assumed the identity of—entered the academy. This boy would eventually destroy their plan. But Julius hadn't given up; his mission had simply changed. He would now live the life not of Alex's friend, the heir of the Friend Foundation, but the life of Alex Rider, the MI6 spy. Perhaps this change was a blessing; he could infiltrate himself, making it easier to save his father and siblings with all the inside information he could obtain. Then they could return to their original plan; his siblings still had a chance of succeeding.

Julius tried not to look at the faces of his brothers and sisters as he left the building; he couldn't bear to see them on their knees when the world should have been bowing down to them. "I will get you out," he promised silently. He wished he could reassure them himself, give them a sign that he would rescue them, but he couldn't risk blowing his cover. He was their last chance.

Once outside, he cast a final glance at his home as an agent followed him out. He managed to repress his disgust as the man wrapped him in a foil blanket. The man clearly knew Alex, but Julius didn't even know his name.

That was another problem; every piece of information he had from Alex was wrong. He had studied the life of Alex Friend, not Rider. It struck him that he didn't even know the full name, where he really lived, or who he lived with. For now, he would have to improvise and hope that the others would buy it.

He was taken to a helicopter, where a woman was already sitting inside, another unfamiliar face. "Are you okay, Alex? We lost you for a while," she asked with a hint of worry.

He only nodded slightly, not saying anything, turning his head away from the two inquisitive faces.

"He was unconscious for a while; must be in shock. The adrenaline is wearing off," the man who brought him said quietly to the woman. She didn't answer, only looking slightly guilty toward Julius.

"I will take him to get checked out. Don't take too long; a storm is coming. We will do the cleaning after it passes. Just apprehend the clones for now," she said before the door was closed, leaving him alone with her.

Julius gritted his teeth as he heard them talk about 'clones.' They would learn to respect them, to obey them. Julius would make sure.

But for now, he would play the role of the innocent boy traumatized by the events he had lived through. That would explain his different personality as he adapted. He wouldn't have to fake it for too long; he was on a limited timeframe. After all, they would eventually find the real Alex dead in the lab where he was created. It brought him a great deal of satisfaction to think of the bleeding body of Alex; it was the price he had to pay for ruining his father's plans.

Eventually, after an unbearably long ride, they landed on top of a building. The woman got out first, and Julius followed her out, only to come face to face with what appeared to be a couple of doctors waiting for them.

"Alex, you will go with the doctors to get checked out, before I take you to debriefing," the woman told him, directing him to the supposed doctors.

"I don't need medical attention; I'm not hurt," he said. He wanted to get out of here and find out where they were taking his family. Honestly, he didn't want to risk someone taking out some blood and finding out the truth. Because no matter how much his father perfected them, DNA was something that couldn't be changed.

"Well, you are still concussed, and you were unconscious for two minutes, so you are getting checked out," the woman said, fishing out her phone and typing something.