Disclaimer: I don't write the Alex Rider books or make any money from writing this fanfiction.

It was three o'clock in the morning when the power went out on King's Road.

The street flickered off and the little light they had provided went with them. No one noticed. Later people would be told it was because of a car accident on an adjoining street. Only a few would know differently.

The inhabitants of the terraced houses that lay between the river and King's Road were deeply asleep. Even the one person who could have understood the danger was dead to the world.

Five minutes later, two fires started inside house number seven.

Just as planned.

From the road, a man watched. He saw tongues of flames lick at the downstairs windows.

The hired man nodded to himself and got into a sleek Porsche. He didn't really care if his victims died or not. He had his money and that was all that mattered. Swiftly, the silver car drove away without a sound. The man didn't look back.

His job was done here.

Inside number seven, Alex Rider sleepily kicked off his blankets. He felt so hot, even after the thick covers fell to the floor. He lay in bed; his sweat soaked clothes clinging to his body. In the back of his mind he knew something was wrong. There was no way it should be so hot. It was winter, for crying out loud.

Maybe Jack turned the heater up too far, Alex thought groggily as he stumbled out of bed and wiped the sweat from his head.

He glanced at the window next to his bed. In the back of his mind, he realized that the street lights weren't on. But he was too groggy to recognize this as important. Alex's hand jerked back from the door knob before he had touched it. The heat radiating from it was enough to tell Alex what was going on.

Fire, Alex thought with alarm.

Oh God, Alex thought with a swallow. The last time he had been in a fire he had barely survived, and this time he had more than himself to worry about. Alex didn't know if Jack was okay or not and it scared him.

The fire was right behind the door. He had to get out, and quickly. The fumes from the fire were snaking there way under the door and making it hard to breathe, and with hardly any oxygen, Alex was finding it hard to think straight.

He stumbled over to the window. After a great shove, it slowly creaked open.

Alex gasped in the cold winter air, using a few precious seconds to let it clear his head. The fire was blocking his bedroom door. It was too far down to jump. He'd have to climb down.

Ducking back inside, he grabbed his sheets. If it weren't for the pale moonlight, he wouldn't have been able to see them. He heard the flames crackle menacingly right outside his door.

Alex tied the white sheets into a big double knot around his bed post closest to the window. Quickly, he pushed the sheets out the window, he didn't think about the things he was jeopardizing as he awkwardly climbed out the window. Possessions could be replaced but his and Jack's lives could not. His only priority was to get help for Jack, and to do that he had to get himself out first.

His knees hit rough stone on the side of the house as Alex descended down his makeshift rope, and Alex heard a loud crash as his bedroom door fell in. Alex thoughts with riddled with panic.

The sheet wasn't long enough to reach the snow-covered ground, and Alex hung twelve feet above the ground.

He took a deep breath and let go.

The sensation of falling only lasted for a second before he hit the ground. The breath was knocked out of Alex and a sharp pain shot through his ankle.

Alex struggled to stand.

In fearful awe, Alex looked at his home. The bottom half was in flames. Smoke poured from his bedroom window and the sound of the sizzling flames was extremely loud. Snow melted rapidly around the burning building.

The kitchen window, a few feet in front of Alex exploded from the pressure and glass cut into his face and arms before he could protect himself.

I have to help Jack, Alex thought through the pain.

The roof of the neighboring house was starting to burn as Alex limped to the house.

He didn't run inside, instead he ran as fast as his leg would allow to the watering hose. The freezing water made Alex gasp as he quickly soaked himself and took his t-shirt off to wrap it around his mouth.

The gas from the fire was toxic, Alex recalled from a safety class he had once taken. That was why he had felt so groggy. Alex just hoped that his makeshift mask would protect him long enough to get Jack out of the house.

Alex shakily dragged the hose back to his burning house. The front door banged open as Alex threw his weight into it. Because of the bolt it took several more tries to get the door open. Alex dropped the still running hose in the doorway as he ran up the stairs. The water should keep his way out clear.

Flames surrounded Jack's bedroom. Alex held his breath before charging the door repeatedly. A few moments later it gave in to Alex's relief. There was no fire in the room, but the smoke was just as deadly and there was tons of it.

Alex ducked to the ground where the fumes weren't as heavy. He could see Jack's figure lying unconscious just next to her window.

Don't be dead, Jack. Please don't be dead, Alex thought in horror.

Alex lifted Jack's slight form into his arms. She was still breathing he noticed. More carefully, Alex made his way out. He was at the bottom of the stairs when they collapsed.

He managed to land on his side instead of his front, where Jack was cradled against his chest. Splinters of wood tore at Alex's flesh as he got off the floor, cradling Jack in his arms he escaped from the house and into fresh air.

He laid Jack far away from the burning house and checked her pulse. She was alive and took a gasp of clean air as Alex watched her with anxiety stretched across his filthy face.

"Jack?" Alex asked fearfully. She moved slightly and mumbled Alex's name.

Alex hoped that she would be fine by herself, he had to alert the neighbors.

Alex looked around.

Nobody came out from the neighboring houses, and most of the next door neighbors were in danger. Alex bit his lip. He had to get them out before they were trapped, and somebody needed to call the fire department.

Alex left Jack and ran to the neighbor's house which was in the most danger. The door to the neighbor's house was locked. Alex pulled his shoe off and threw it at the window. It broke with a crash and Alex continued to knock the remaining glass out of the window. Alex could now hear Mr. Grant's voice coming from the top floor.

Glass cut into his hands as Alex climbed through the window.

"Fire!" Alex yelled as he limped to the corded phone lying on a coffee table.

"Mr. Grant! Mr. Grant, there's a fire!" Nothing happened when Alex pressed the on button of the phone.

Dread climbed up Alex's back. Of course, there was no power, no way to alert the fire department.

"Alex? What…" Mr. Grant's voice trailed off as he caught site of Alex's filthy figure in the beam of his flashlight from the top of the stairs.

Alex dropped the phone and hurried up the stairs to the elderly man.

"The power's out and your house and mine are on fire and I need a cell phone," Alex explained as calmly as he could to the astonished man as he pulled him to the door.

Alex's pulse was racing and his head was pounding but he didn't want to scare the old man.

"Tom has a cell phone…" The man muttered almost to himself. After unlocking the front door and dragging the man out of the house, Alex ran to the next house.

Alex pounded on the door making his already bloody fists bleed anew.

"What is it?" Alex dodged past the angry man who opened the door in his bathrobe and grabbed the cell phone lying on the counter.

"What is the meaning of this? Get out of my house!" Tom Yanley screamed at Alex.

"Shut it!" Alex hissed at the man as his call was answered.

"Fire department, what is your situation?" said a calm female voice.

Tom listened as Alex explained his 'situation.' The anger on Tom's face quickly changed to fear as he listened.

After hanging up the cell Alex raced back outside without looking at Tom.

Mr. Grant had banged on each door along the street and people were coming out of there homes and alerting others to the danger.

Alex watched his home burn down with his neighbors. The neighbors were standing farther away from the burning building than Alex was. It was torture for Alex as he waited for the fire department to arrive. His legs were aching but he stubbornly stood. The house he had lived in for almost fourteen years was burning to the ground.

A soft hand touched Alex's arm.

Alex looked sideways at Jack who stood by his shoulder.

"How did this happen?" Jack asked tearfully as she looked upon the burning house. A neighbor had given her a pink bathrobe that clashed horribly with her red hair.

I can't tell her now, Alex thought. She'd freak out.

He shook his head. He was positive of who had done it and why, but now wasn't the time to tell his thoughts to Jack.

Scorpia never forgives. Scorpia never forgets, He thought grimly.

Alex shivered and it wasn't because of the weather.

Jack moved like she was going to hug Alex but stopped herself. Alex was glad; he didn't want Jack to try and comfort him right now. Right now he wanted answers.

Sirens announced the fire departments arrival with two ambulances right behind them.

The paramedics exited the ambulance, took one look at Alex and Jack, and immediately ushered them to an ambulance.

Alex sat next to Jack. He was glad she was near him. He could have lost her; it had been a close shot. A gas mask was placed over his mouth.

"Lost a lot of blood--second degree burns--possible concussion--"

The snatches of conversation he heard were not very informative and he couldn't ask anything because of the mask but apparently Alex was in worse condition than he had thought.

One of the paramedics was removing splinters of wood from Alex's almost bare legs and he didn't seem to care that he was causing Alex a fair amount of pain. He pulled out a finger-sized piece of wood without warning, and Alex saw Jack angrily screaming at the paramedic before he passed out from pain.

It was two days later that Alex impatiently sat in the waiting room of the hospital. His arm and leg were bandaged, but you couldn't tell it because of his clothes.

The fire had left its mark. The doctor had said that it would take a while for the burns to heal and had given Alex a bottle of pain relievers. Alex carried those pain relievers in his pants pocket right now. He was fighting against taking one at the moment. Right now the pain was bearable but irritating. Alex looked at his watch. It was 2:35 in the afternoon. He sighed.

He wouldn't have been so impatient if he didn't know where he would be going after he left the hospital. But he did know and he just wanted to get it over with.

Earlier Jack had received a very unwelcome call. Alex remembered thinking, that it was too bad that Jack hadn't left her cell phone in the fire instead of in her car. Jack had sounded bitter when she told Alex that somebody from M16 was going to come and pick them up. The driver would then take them from the hospital to the M16 headquarters.

Right now, Jack was talking to the doctor that had treated Alex and herself. She was just far enough that Alex couldn't hear there conversation. He had a feeling that it was about him.

A hacking cough had overcome Alex during the first day of his stay in the hospital. He hadn't been able to breath because the cough was so bad. The doctors had reassured Jack when the coughing fit had subsided that it was because of the fumes.

But Jack had been very worried and Alex didn't think that her worry had totally diminished.

"Ok, we're ready to go!" Jack exclaimed a few minutes later. Her face was overly cheerful.

Alex knew she was trying to make the best out of their situation and he was both grateful and sad. He was grateful because if Jack could keep up a cheerful mask, he knew he could. But Alex was sad because he knew that Jack shouldn't of had to keep up a happy facade. She shouldn't have even been in that fire and she shouldn't have to worry about him getting killed every time he went off.

As Alex and Jack exited the hospital, a black car pulled up in front of them. Though the windows were tinted, Alex could see that the man in the front seat was wearing sunglasses. The man was obviously waiting for Alex and Jack to get in. Jack shrugged at Alex, opened the back door, and slid in.

Alex heaved a sigh before sliding in after her. Alex noticed immediately that the driver was alone. The man had short cropped brown hair, dark glasses and an expressionless face.

The interior of the car was gray leather. Alex followed Jack's example and buckled his seatbelt. The man said nothing as he drove down the streets. Alex glanced at Jack and she smiled at him, but it looked more like a grimace. Alex almost laughed.

The driver wasn't driving towards the Royal and General Bank, where the headquarters to M16 was hidden. Alex was starting to feel apprehensive about that fact, when the driver spoke for the first time.

"Mr. Blunt and others decided that because of recent events, the location of M16 headquarters had to be relocated." The man's voice was rough and Alex suspected that he didn't speak often.

The man didn't provide any more of an explanation and he was quiet for the rest of the ride. So the headquarters location had been moved, Alex thought. It was about time. Alex had been shot in front of that building once and now, months later, they were finally doing something.

The car turned up a crowded street and slowly drove to the end. Alex read the name on street sign. "Stonewood," it read.

The driver parked beside a two-story antique store at the end of the street and got out. Alex and Jack followed. The building was a far cry from the old headquarters, which had had more then sixteen stories.

The windows of the store were displaying old china, tattered books and other objects on old lace. There was one thing all the objects had in common: they were unreasonably pricey. People passing glanced in the windows momentarily before shaking there heads and walking swiftly away.

Looks like an old lady's shop, Alex thought.

The lettering on the store sign was painted gold with 'The Treasure Chest' in fancy print. It did not look like a M16 headquarters should. But maybe, Alex thought, that's what they wanted. The driver held the door open for Jack and Alex. They didn't have a choice but to enter.

There were more antiques on display tables inside and in the middle there was one small table where a blonde lady sat. Alex recognized her as the same receptionist at the old headquarters.

Nothing's changed except the building, Alex thought.

"Alex, Miss Starbright," she greeted them with a formal smile as they came closer. "They are waiting for you upstairs. It's the last door on the right."

The receptionist pointed out the way to a plain wooden staircase.

Jack was looking at everything and taking in every detail, but Alex kept his eyes straight ahead. He wanted this over.

Alex led the way down a small and empty hallway to the last door on the right. He knocked politely before opening the door.

Mr. Alan Blunt and Mrs. Tulip Jones sat beside each other behind a metal desk. Mrs. Jones was as always, sucking on a peppermint.

Papers were scattered across the cold surface of the table which was highly unusual. Mrs. Jones stood up and offered Alex and Jack seats without speaking.

Mr. Blunt looked grayer then usual, Alex thought as the man leaned forward.

"Do you know why you're here?" Mr. Blunt asked Alex in a no-nonsense voice.

Alex was surprised that Mrs. Jones wasn't asking the questions as she usually did, but he answered anyway.

"Scorpia," Alex said. He didn't need to say anything else. That one word was enough.

Mr. Blunt nodded, stood up and walked towards where the window in his old office used to be before changing his course to the smaller window at the other side of the room.

Mrs. Jones answered Alex. "We've found evidence that seems to suggest that it was Scorpia who started the fire and there have been--other incidents."

"Other incidents?" he pressed.

Mrs. Jones nodded hesitantly and opened another peppermint. She stared at Alex for a few seconds before looking away and popping the mint into her mouth.

Mrs. Jones sighed, "Earlier this week the K Unit was attacked."

"Are they okay?" Alex asked. He didn't like the men he had trained with, but he didn't want them dead, either.

"They got away with no serious harm. Scorpia is attacking anybody who had contact with you, the K--"

"Sabina?" Alex asked worriedly.

"Miss Pleasure is fine." Mrs. Blunt assured him. "We got to her before they did."

"Good," Alex said. "Now, why am I here?"

Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones exchanged quick glances.

"What?" Alex asked bad-temperedly.

"Scorpia is determined to be the cause of your death," Mrs. Blunt said slowly. "They didn't react to our threat like we had hoped."

Jack snorted in a very unladylike way and crossed her arms. Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones ignored her.

"They want revenge." Alex said quietly. It wasn't a question and Mrs. Jones nodded in agreement.

Scorpia never forgives, Alex thought again.

"Yes, we think that it would be safer for the both of you if you were separated." Alex's eyes narrowed and Mrs. Jones hurried on.

"Miss Starbright could go back to America and stay with her family…"

Alex looked at Jack and she didn't meet his eyes. Alex knew that she had wanted to see her parents.

"Where would Alex go?" Jack asked.

"We have a secluded house waiting for him on the other side of town," Mrs. Jones said assuredly.

"It would only be until we come to an agreement with Scorpia."

Alex and Jack looked at each other in silent conversation.

"We will of course pay for the plane tickets to and back from America," Mrs. Jones said as she rearranged the papers on the desk.

Jack sighed and said, "We don't really have anything else to do, do we?"

Mrs. Jones shook her head. "The fire destroyed everything you owned. But I have brought you some clothes that are your size and any other essentials you may need will be provided."

Jack perked up perceptibly, but Alex hung his head dejectedly.

Was he ever going to have his say in these things?

Two hours later Alex watched as a yellow cab drove away from headquarters.

There's nobody on my side, now that Jack's gone, Alex realized.

Jack waved at him from the back seat until she was out of site. She was going to the airport and Alex was going--well Alex wasn't sure where he was going.

Mrs. Jones explanation of, "The other side of town." hadn't been very explanatory. So in truth; he had no idea where he was going.

If Alex had known where and with whom he would be staying, he would have turned and ran.