Hello!

This is a re-write of an old Alex Rider/Clone Wars crossover. Unfortunately, I forgot the name of the old one already. I'd gone by TheDoctorCT-21-0408 then.

Maybe it was Cadet Rider?

For some plot basics:

In the Alex Rider verse, this takes place after Skeleton Key.

In the Clone Wars verse, this is right before the movie (think 'Hidden Enemy' as the starting point).

Diclaimers:

Alex Rider belongs to Anthony Horowitz.

The Clone Wars belongs to Disney.

The woman and her dog Sonny belong to me.

Alex Rider woke up, not for the first time, from a nightmare.

For the past several weeks, it had been the same dream: Sarov pointing the gun at him. The eerie last words of "Goodbye, Alex." And the deafening gunshot that sent the teen into a cold sweat. Working for MI-6 had brought plenty of stress and nightmares. Mrs. Jones had fussed at Blunt several times for giving Alex "PTSD" from his missions. The emotionless man only steepled his fingers and told Alex and Mrs. Jones to run along.

Jack certainly wasn't pleased about his nightmares, either. She tried to arrange therapist appointments for her young charge, but Alex refused each time. "I'm fine," he'd say, and stare into his bowl of cereal.

He yawned, stretching his sore arm muscles. Whipping the blankets off his body, he stood, brushing off the shaky feelings, and staggered into the bathroom to get dressed. A red shirt, cargo pants, Converse, and a navy jacket. Just in case he wound up in trouble, Alex grabbed a pocketknife from his dresser.

Jack wasn't in the kitchen. Confused, Alex looked around the flat for his guardian, but the housekeeper was nowhere in sight. "Jack!" he called, stumbling into her bedroom. The bed was made, everything was in its usual place. "Jack?"

He went back into the kitchen, taking the phone from its hook. Perhaps Jack was with a friend...?

A yellow sticky note was attached to the fridge door. Alex took the note, and read the familiar scrawl:

Alex,

Going to the supermarket to buy groceries. Be careful, and stay out of trouble.

See you soon!

Jack.

Alex set the note on the counter, feeling remotely stupid. It must've been the nightmares affecting his thought process. He needed some fresh air.

After double-checking the door, reassuring himself that it was locked, Alex set off at a jog. Chelsea was a scenic route, with the continuous rows of homes, and the trees lining the quiet street.

He passed a woman walking her husky, the dog proudly strolling along the sidewalks with its tail high in the air. The woman nodded in greeting at Alex, and yanked on the neon leash to keep her dog in check. He pressed forward, finally coming to a stop at an iron bench underneath a large flowering tree. The teen settled down, to relax and take a breath.

Maybe I'll run into Jack when she returns. Alex busied himself with his people-watching, wondering how many of the ordinary citizens were MI-6 agents. Then his thoughts returned to the nightmares, with the repeating theme of Sarov. The crazy old man always made an appearance, sometimes in a reenactment on the submarine, sometimes back at his old mansion. There were some dreams where Alex would be running, succeeding in escape from his guards, but Sarov always greeted him at the end.

"Sonny!" A female voice screeched, breaking him from his trance. He looked up, catching sight of the woman from earlier and her dog. The husky was barking, pulling on the leash its owner desperately held on to. Alex looked past Sunny, and noticed a man. He was elderly, with white hair and a properly trimmed beard. He wore a brown cloak, that trailed to the ground and drug through the flower petals. "Sonny, you stop that this instant!"

Sonny persisted, howling at the man, and struggling even harder to break free from the leash. Alex jumped up, and ran to the scene. The man's cape had been snagged by the dog, who growled loudly as it tugged on the fabric. Alex took hold of the leash, assisting the woman in her tug-of-war against Sonny. The combined forces pulled Sonny away.

"Thank you." The woman panted, dragging the husky down the sidewalk. "Bad dog!"

"Are you alright?" said Alex, as the man wiped dog slobber from the edge of his cape.

"I'm doing better. Why don't you run along, young man?" he responded, in a deep tone. "It's a lovely afternoon."

"I will." Alex turned to leave, but a flash of silver changed his direction. He spun around, but the elderly man was already crossing the street.

Alex returned to the flat, finding it empty once more. Jack's purse wasn't on its hook. Her shoes weren't by the door. There were no further notes on the fridge. She'd been gone for three hours.

Was it possible that MI-6 had snagged her? Maybe they wanted Alex to stop by, and the way they thought it'd work is if they captured Jack.

Alex snorted. These were such ridiculous theories. What next, the elderly man showing up at his door?

Ding dong!

Alex blinked. That was...unexpected. He ran to the door, and slowly opened it.

Sure enough, the elderly man was on the doorstep.

"What are you doing here?" Alex demanded. His eyes widened at a metal cylinder in the man's hand.

"Alex Rider. Am I correct?" He inquired, in the same deep voice as before. It held a certain depth to it this time, of a sinister nature.

"Get out of my flat." Alex growled.

"Now, now, I'm afraid that won't do." He stepped in a way, his cape in a flourishing swirl around his feet. Alex backed away, into an attack stance. But he never had the chance. An invisible hand closed around his throat, cutting off his air. Alex gasped, coughing and scrabbling at his throat to remove the hands. Nothing was there. His vision grew darker and darker, as the man's face twisted into a smile. His mouth opened, in a final farewell of words. Alex promptly passed out.

Dooku smiled again as the boy collapsed to the floor. He'd been correct in coming here, to this little planet of Earth. With this boy he'd be able to discard Ventress for a younger and more reliable charge.

He stooped down, lifting the limp body into the air. His ship was parked behind this row of houses. Just a few hours of hyperspace travel, and allowing the boy to adapt to his new home, and the training would begin.

Jack entered the dark flat, shifting the grocery bags in her arms. "Stupid traffic," she muttered, kicking the door shut. "Stupid flat tires. Tow trucks. I hope Alex is okay."

She went to the kitchen, and set her armload of bags on the counter. The American couldn't believe how her simple morning trip had turned into a long journey of replacing the tire on her car. Chelsea had been quite busy that afternoon, and the housekeeper was unable to return home until seven in the evening.

Alex would've gotten lunch. He could've called his friend Tom. He is okay.

Jack ran to Alex's room, knocking on the door. "Alex? Are you in there?"

No answer.

"Alex?"

Jack hurried throughout the flat, calling the boy's name. She looked for possible clues of Alex's stay at home, finding nothing. "Alex!"

She ran back to the kitchen, and grabbed the phone. With shaky hands, she dialed for the police.

Dooku has Alex, Jack is in a panic, and Sonny never got Dooku's cape.

Next: Alex wakes up, Jack screams at Blunt, and we meet the Republic!

Reviews are appreciated, but no flames, please. Thanks!