Two weeks passed and Alex life started to return to normal, as normal as it could be. Alex nightmares started to get worse, as the encounter with the assassin didn't help. But he was back to school and the fact that he knew that his 'bodyguard' was waiting at the entrance calmed his nerves, more that it should.
Alex didn't hear from MI6 again the only contact he had with the department was trough Ash, and the man didn't tell him anything, so he didn't know anything about gregorovich, but knowing mi6 they would only know where the assassin was when he showed up right in front of their face or killed someone and at that pace it would probably be Alex who will end up with a bullet in his head.
Alex couldn't help but wonder if what blunt said was true, perhaps Yassen did really take him just to use him as a distraction, because in the end that what Alex was used for a distraction, no hidden meanings, no second intentions, just a distraction to escape from MI6.
At this time, the assassin should half across the world, drinking a beverage while enjoying the sun, if assassins did that, if Alex had the funds, it was certainly where he would be, surfing in the hot Caribbean Sea, not stuck in rainy gray London, forgotten, and abandoned, felling a burden to everyone else that was left in his life.
"Alex, everything, ok?" Alex was startled by Ash, not even sensing him the room
"Yeah, I'm alright" Alex murmured looking back at the window, failing to notice the concern look on Ash face.
"Jack is ordering some pizza, go wash up, it will be here any minute"
Pizza, just like a normal dinner that they used to have, when it was the three of them, when his uncle was alive. Eating junk food that Alex always had to beg his uncle who hated greasy food, saying that it was bad for the health, and Alex always grinned when his uncle gave up on his demands. It always brought a sense of familiarity to Alex, comfort when eating pizza, it brought up his memories of when his life was perfect.
"No anchovies" Alex manages to say before leaving the room to go change his clothes, felling his mood lighting up a bit, who would have thought that the idea of food would have such an impact, it would have saved his therapist some time if she knew that. Just eat Alex, and forget about the international wanted assassin, that weirdly seems to know you, he could imagine her saying that.
Against Alex beliefs, not very far from his house stood a man inside a vehicle talking to his phone.
"I'm ready, are we clear to proceed with the plan?" was heard from the phone
"yes, remember your instructions, it's fast acting but doesn't last long"
"yes, sir"
"Alex, Pizza is here" the voice of his housekeeper echoed through the house, making him finish dressing in a rush.
Going down the stairs, Alex saw Ash putting the boxes of pizza on top off the table one box in each of their usual seats.
"Enjoy your meal, I'm doing one more sweep outside, to ensure everything is ok" Ash said before going to do his usual round he did every night, something that always made Alex at ease knowing that no one was outside trying to kill him or something.
Alex sat in his seat opening the box that was in front of him pleased to find his favorite pizza. Not even waiting for Jack to seat down he took a huge bit from his slice.
"you're eating like an animal Alex, at least grab a plate" Jack lecture him pushing a plate toward him.
"It adds flavor this away" Alex smiled at her with his mouth full, making her shake her head while trying not to smile
Back outside, ash stood in front of the entrance, observing the quite street that rarely passed any cars, when a scream inside the house broke his thoughts rushing back inside to see what was going on.
The dinner was going alright, he and jack laugh about stupid things forgetting the events off the pass few days, when suddenly Alex felt weird like he lost all his strength. Drooping the food on his hands he looks at jack unable to talk, falling down his chair.
"Alex" the women screamed, drooping down at his side trying to see what was wrong
At that moment Ash ran through the door rushing to his side
"What happened?" the man asked putting to fingers on the boy's neck to check his pulse.
"I don't know, one minute he was ok and suddenly he collapsed"
"Alex, can you hear me?" the man said tapping the unresponsive boy on the cheek "I need an ambulance at Rider residency, sixteen year old male unresponsive" ash said into a black radio that he took out of his pocket.
"Alright, let's turn him to his side" the agent quickly put the boy on a recovery position while they waited for the ambulance to come.
Not even five minutes later it could be heard a siren blaring down the streets, making ash get up from his position next to the collapse teen to go open the door. Not even a minute later he enters back again accompanied with a paramedic caring a stretcher.
The medic, was quick on his job, rolling the boy unto the stretcher, after checking for his vitals.
"Jack, it's best that you stay here, alright? I'll call you when I get some news" ash said to the emotional housekeeper as she tried to follow the paramedic back outside, pausing for a second she nodded towards the agent trusting in him to keep Alex save. She was so distressed that she didn't even blink over the fact that Ash enter the driver seat, before the ambulance was up in the road again.
Inside the vehicle, the supposed paramedic was busy restraining the young spy to the stretcher, before checking his clothes taking everything out off the pockets and looking for trackers.
It was after fifteen minutes into the journey that the boy started to wake up, now faster than the last time.
Opening his eyes, he was startled to find a very familiarity face looking back at him.
"yassen?" Alex said shocked to see the man in front of him, how did that even happen, what happen to Ash, wasn't he supposed to guard the house
"Hello, Little Alex"
Part off Alex thinks that what is happening is not real, that he his dreaming, that after he ate, he simply fell asleep while watching a show or something, but the rational part off him knows that his brain couldn't replicate something so real, he was caught like a fish biting the bait.
Pulling the restraints that were attached to the bed he was laying on just then he notices the rocking motion, and the interior of where he was, looking back to the clothes that dressed the assassin, he came to a conclusion, an ambulance, yassen kidnaped him in an ambulance.
"Do you think you will get away with this?" Alex manages the courage to speak only making the assassin shrug his shoulders giving him a measly reply "I don't see why not"
Alex knew he would not get anything out of Gregorovich so he tried another question
"Why are you doing this, why didn't you escape, you didn't need me"
"I'm not using you to escape, Alex, to do that I don't need you, besides I always keep my promises"
'Keep his promises' what did that mean, from the few encounters that they had the assassin never made any promise to him. As if noticing the confusing look on the boy yassen choose to refresh his mind
"I said to you that I would come back for you, but enough conversation we are arriving our destination" gregorovich said getting up from his seat and taking out of a cabinet some sort of a tin foil blanket, a shock blanket Alex remembered like the one wolf gave him at Point blanc.
To his confusing Yassen covered him with the blanket tucking at his sides covering his restrains, and to make sure everything remained in place he places two more straps on him, one on his chest and the other in his legs, restraining him even more.
"what the hell are you doing?" the teenager yelled out, trying to move in vain.
"Preparing for your trip, Alex, it's cold outside don't you think" the man responded as if it was some sort of joke, if it was funny dragging Alex away from his family, from his freedom. But before Alex could said anything the ambulance stopped.
Yassen immediately reaches for something on his side putting in Alex face, and immediately Alex smelled the sweet smell that was emitting, an oxygen mask the young spy realized his eyes widening, only not producing oxygen. Immediately he tried to shake the mask off, but the assassin held it firm against his face.
"Calm down Alex, it's just something to help you relax" the man said in a soothing voice as if he was talking to a toddler. Not long after, Alex started to get weaker, his breaths coming out slow and heavy and his eyes opening and closing slower. Realizing that the teen had stopped resisting, yassen put the elastic band around his head securing the mask into place and picking up what look like to be the container off the drug putting it on Alex side, as if it was taunting him.
Then gregorovich, put a face mask on along with a hat typical of the paramedic uniform, concealing his identity to the world.
At that moment the back door open and the stretcher was pushed out helping yassen taking the boy out of the ambulance. Slowly turning he head to the side to see where they were, and he was shocked to see what it looks like a private jet to his right, they were in an airport, they couldn't smuggle him out off the country using an airport without anyone checking on them.
On cue a man with a reflector dressed came right to them.
"Is this the medical transfer?" the man asked holding a paper
Medical transfer, Alex thought that's how they will smuggle him out and no one will look twice at them, just an injured kid
"Yes, his family wants him in his home country" yassen replied handing out more papers to the man, who nodded while looking at them.
Alex wanted to scream, jump out of that stretcher, and tell everyone he was kidnaped, and his kidnapper was a wanted man by the secret services, but he couldn't, he couldn't produce the smallest of sound, he was trapped in his own body, watching as he was rolled up to his doom.
All of his little hope he had left shattered as the guy nodded and gave him the good to go, and immediately his stretcher was picked up as they carried him up the stairs. Inside off the very luxurious plane, Alex looked at his second captor, shocked to find out who it was
"I'm sorry, kid, I really am" ash said, and he noticed the betrayed look on Alex face
"You did a very good job, the money will be transferred to your account" yassen said to ash, as he left the plane leaving him alone with his uncle murder. Moving forward yassen went to close the plane door, returning to where Alex laid now devoid of the mask and the hat, the assassin messed with the drug container again.
"The trip will be long, little Alex, it is best if you sleep through it" he said as Alex felt his eyes drooping, falling into the darkness as he felt the plane starting to move.
Back at MI6, Jones and Blunt stood in the latest office discussing details about an upcoming mission when the woman phone started to ring.
Excusing herself she moved to reject the call pausing her action when she saw who the caller was.
"Miss starbright is everything, ok?"
"What hospital did they take Alex, I tried to call Ash, but he didn't Pick up"
"I don't quite understand you, Hospital?" Mrs. Jones asked looking at blunt who leaned forward as to hear better the call
"Yes, we were having dinner when Alex collapsed, ash radio in for an ambulance" the woman on the line said almost yelling
"No one asked for an ambulance" Jones stated looking at Blunt "I'll call you back" she said hanging up the phone not giving jack a chance to respond.
"You and Crawley go, look for an ambulance, take a team with you" blunt said barking out orders while the two of them left the office.
"Smithers put Alex rider street surveillance camera on the screen, footage from one hour ago"
The moment the ambulance showed up on the screen, they all recognized the driver, no amount of cover could make him unrecognizable for MI6, and to everyone surprise Ash was the one to drive off.
"He is working for Scorpia" Blunt muttered. "Follow them, I want to see where they went" he said to the man controlling the cameras
They did not try to stay out of the surveillance, something that told them that they were certain that they could get away.
"The airport, go, we can still catch them"
Another lie, despite everyone effort they all knew that both the assassin and the boy were far by now, disappearing to the world, they could only hope that the next time that they saw Alex rider he wouldn't be holding a gun towards their heads.