Chemical Exchange

Chapter One: Hostage

BANG!

The gunshot broke into Alex Rider's musings as his classmates quickly fell to the ground, hands over their heads along with Mr. Donovan, shaking with fear. While Alex had just remained in his seat.

After all, defusing a nuclear bomb and saving half the world from being contaminated by radiation that would continue to cause health problems for many generations to come, then rejecting the half-crazed Russian General as a father and watching him shoot himself, was a worst experience compared to simply hearing a gun go off.

The man that shot the gun had brown hair that was cut short; brown eyes; and badly in need of a shave, was wearing casual, faded-blue jeans with a red and white striped T-shirt. He surveyed the room, smiling, apparently satisfied with his work. With the fear he had caused within the group of kids and one teacher.

That was until, his eyes caught sight of an athletically built, 14-year-old teen with fair hair, sitting calmly at his desk.

The man looked at Alex incredulously. "Well kid, aren't you going to beg me for mercy and to spare your life?" he asked in a deep, gruff voice.

Alex merely stood up and started towards the man.

"Alex!" Tom Harris hissed. "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry Tom," Alex replied out the corner of his mouth and continued to the man, coming to a stop only when his chest was touching the tip of the gun.

"No, sir. I won't beg for mercy," Alex said to the man.

Man, this was supposed to be easy. Go in. Shoot a gun into the air. And hold a class of students hostage, long enough for his boss to make a point. But he wasn't counting on this. No-one was.

"My name is Alex Rider," the kid was saying. "What's yours?"

"Colin," the man blurted out, caught by unawareness.

"Nice to meet you Colin," Alex said pleasantly.

"You too," Colin replied. Geez, this was getting weird. Since when did a captive exchange pleasantries with his captor? Especially if the captor was holding a gun to his chest with the safety latch off.

Then again, unknown to any in the room, Alex Rider was not ordinary teenager, he was a spy that had worked for the MI6 on 3 separate occasions. His class mates were watching him in amazement.

Everyone in Brookland knew that there was something about Alex Rider that set him apart, but for him to act so differently to every other person at such an extreme action of hostage taking was absurd.

"So…Kid…" Colin started.

"Alex."

"Right…Alex. I have a gun pointed at your heart, and you won't beg for your life?"

"Hmmm. No!"

"Your life is in my hands kid!"

"Perhaps," Alex said with a shrug.

It was all Mr. Donovan could do to watch the interaction between Alex and the madman. Mathematics was one thing that couldn't help him in this position, but it was his passion. He would never be a genius mathematician, and he saw that potential in Alex.

Alex had been doing very well in school, high marks, and a quick grasp on new concepts, but ever since his uncle – Ian Rider – died, Alex had been away 3 times, returning with a doctor's not declaring that he had been sick, though Alex didn't look it. True, there were more bumps and bruises with each return, but he just didn't look sick. Well there was nothing he could do about it.

He had heard of a very gifted Professor of Mathematics teaching in CalSci College in the States, by the name of Charlie Eppes. Perhaps he could get Alex sent over there to work with Professor Eppes and enhance his abilities in maths. That way, Alex would surpass his fellow students in that area at least, so that his many absences wouldn't effect his learning in maths.

Mr. Donovan was planning to talk to Alex about this about this after class. That could wait. The most important thing now was to get out of this alive. So Mr. Donovan turned his attention back to the scene unfolding before him.

"Colin," Alex was saying. "Just as a matter of interest. Why are you doing this?"

"'Cause I am."

"Come on Colin. There's got to be a reason behind your actions."

"I won't tell." Colin's distress was becoming apparent in his voice.

"Won't or Can't?"

"Both!"

"Oh, come on. I'm just a teen. What can I do with the knowledge? I don't have a phone to call police with."

"They might." Colin gestured to the students behind Alex with his free hand.

"True, but they're petrified. Though the other classes may already have rung up."

"I won't tell." Colin was close to breaking point. He was the one with the gun. He was the one in charge. That was logic. But it was the kid that was in charge.

"You won't be able to stand it," Colin added.

"I can handle it Colin. Just tell me. Satisfy my curiosity."

"Fine. My boss wants to make a statement. He wants to control the government. He wants to manipulate the MI6 chief and Deputy. Happy?"

"Very." Want to manipulate Blunt and Jones? Alex thought. They're the actual masters of manipulation.

In the background police sirens began to wail, getting louder and closer, and finally coming to a stop outside Brookland School in London.

Colin swore, he was expecting police but not so soon…