A/N

Alright, first things first I want to say that I inherited this story from Alvineju of Baron who got it from Gold is Power.

Before I start with the actual story would like to acknowledge the previous authors and give credit where it is due.

To Gold is Power: You started the story and I read it before and I must say that I really enjoyed it and that I am sad that you decided not to continue it. You had some great ideas, some of which have probably been lost with all the switching around of authors but I hope to do your original story justice. You had a lot of fantastic reviews and I would be ecstatic if I managed to get half that many.

To Stained Wolf: Stained Wolf was one of the original betas to Gold is power's 'Last Spy Standing' and they * came up with the name Last Spy Standing so I think that this needs to be acknowledged. Thank you Stained Wolf! It really is a brilliant title and I know who hard it can be to come up with a title.

*(I'm sorry I don't know if they are male or female so if you do please let me know so I can correct it. I feel like an idiot… btw I searched up the author name and it was female but I'm not sure weather or not they are the same person because it has been a long time and names can change.)

To Alvineju of Baron: Thank you for passing the story over to me! While I am sad that you are unable to finish it I am also kind of glad that I was given the opportunity and privilege of continuing it. Your story just inspired me and gave me lots of great ideas!

To the betas for any of the previous 'last spy standing' stories: I thank you for you hard work and I really do appreciate it. I've had to read the last two stories again and again to make sure that I don't miss things or make silly little mistakes and your work on the previous stories made things a lot easier for me.

To Amitai: I have decided to use the name James San Luca for Wolf because I really like it and I think that it suits him! I praise you for coming up with it and I will probably be disappointed if I ever find out what his actual name is because I will like yours so much better! :)

To the reviewers': THANK YOU! I have been through and read every one of the reviews for both of the previous stories (multiple times) and I have taken all of your thoughts, opinions, constructive criticism and praise under consideration when writing/editing the story because this is written mainly for the readers. I will make sure that my spelling and grammar is at a high quality as that is something that has been commented on a lot in the past and I want to make this as good as possible. Your ideas have been very helpful and they have influenced the direction that this story is going to take. So for those of you who didn't review I bet that you are kicking yourself now! :D (Hint, hint, I really do appreciate anything that you have to say so please review, even if it is just two of three words to say 'please update soon' or 'I really like this'. Every review is loved even if it is short and I especially love constructive criticism because it lets me know exactly what you are thinking. If I have made a mistake in spelling or with my grammar please can you point it out specifically so that I can go back and change it? I hate to read bad spelling just as much as you do!)

This story is now set after Snakehead. I know that Snakehead isn't the most recent book out but it just seems to fit with the timeframe of events in this story. Besides, that's the book that I just finished reading. :D

Hopefully you like my version of 'Last Spy Standing' and that it does justice to the versions that have come before. Like they say, third time lucky!

Ali Ranger51

Jack Starbright glanced up at the clock on top of the fire place. Half past one. The book in her lap lay forgotten about, as was her mug of hot chocolate. Her thoughts keep going back to Alex. Again. And again. And again.

It was mid January and it was Alex's first week back at school after the Christmas holidays. Thanks to a tutor provided by MI6 Alex had been able to catch up on his schoolwork enough to be allowed to pass into the next year, which was a relief. Alex seemed sure that this time he wouldn't be bothered by MI6 again but Jack wasn't nearly as optimistic. She knew that it was only a matter of time before Alan Blunt pulled Alex out of school and coerced him into going on another mission for them again.

After Alex's last mission she had gone to the bank to speak with Mrs Jones and to her surprise the woman had agreed to see her. In no uncertain terms she had told the woman exactly what she thought of MI6 for using a boy like Alex to do their dirty work. Couldn't they see what it was doing to him?

Jack knew that no matter how sympathetic the woman had seemed, she still had no qualms about using Alex again. Mrs Jones had even had the guts to write down a phone number on a scrap of paper and to give it to Jack. In case of emergencies she had said. Yeah right. However, despite all her misgivings about the MI6 agent's intentions Jack had still memorized the number. Just in case she had told herself.

Sighing Jack got up off the chair and placed the book, still open, on the armrest. The American was tipping her drink down the sink when she heard a small creak from the hallway. It was that damn floorboard again; she really had to get it fixed. Jack froze as the full implications of the creak hit her. There was someone in the house and she knew that it wasn't Alex, he was still at school and he wouldn't be sneaking around. Or if he was he would never have stood on the floorboard. He was too good to make such an amateur mistake like that.

Slowly Jack placed her mug on the bench and began edging out of the kitchen. Jack didn't know who it was or what they wanted but she assumed that it wasn't anything good. Both Alex and his uncle had made a lot of enemies after all.

There was a small click behind her which Jack realized had been made when the intruder had switched off the safety of his gun. It didn't surprise her that the intruder was armed.

Thinking fast Jack picked up the phone and dialled frantically. There was no point trying to run. She had no doubt that the intruder would be able to stop her before she made it into the street and Jack wasn't going to die running away.

As the phone dialled Jack held it to her ear and walked confidently into the hallway passage and began searching the small cupboard by the door.

"Tulip Jones speaking." The voice on the other end was cold and emotionless and just as Jack opened her mouth to reply she found what she was looking for.

"Yes!" Jack turned around holding a baseball bat and she swung it experimentally a few times, sandwiching the phone skilfully between her ear and her shoulder. "I have a problem, Mrs Jones. You see, there is someone in my house." As she spoke Jack moved to stand to the side of the doorway and raised the bat, standing feet apart and knees bent in a perfect batters stance. The bat was a lightweight aluminium model that she had brought for Alex this Christmas and it was top of the range. Jack gave a small smile as she tightened her grip and prepared to swing.

As the intruder heard her speak he realized that he had been made and quickly he stepped into the hallway and raised his gun planning to kill his target before she tried to run. He barely had time to register that the redhead wasn't trying to escape before something hit him in the stomach with all the force of a battering ram.

The man was heavily built and well muscled but Jack was angry and she had hit the man very hard. He gave a small groan before he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Miss Starbright, I need you to get out of the house. Some people are on their way now…"

Jack never heard Mrs Jones finish her sentence. Unknown to her there had been a second gunman and even as she had given a small cry of victory at taking out the first man the second had stepped up behind her and fired his weapon. There was no way that he could have missed, he was less than a meter behind her and he was highly trained. The phone fell to the floor as the bullet passed through Jack's skull, killing her instantly.

The assassin calmly picked up the phone and pressed the end button before stepping into the kitchen and placing the phone on the bench. Beside it he placed two photographs. One of the American housekeeper and one of a smiling blond haired teen. Alex. Next he pulled out two small cages, each containing a single live scorpion and placed these carefully on top of the photos. The message was obvious. Scorpia had taken out a hit on Alex and anyone associated with him. Jack was just a warning, Alex would be next.

As the assassin went to leave he pulled out his gun once more and shot his partner between the eyes. There was no hesitation, no emotion, just a calculated decision. He couldn't take the other man with him and he couldn't leave him there to be captured by MI6. Besides, the other man had failed. He had allowed himself to be heard and had nearly blown the whole operation. Scorpia does not tolerate failure.

Mrs Jones was standing rooted to the spot in her office. She was still clutching the phone and a half unwrapped peppermint lay forgotten on the table. This was bad. Very bad. The MI6 Special Operations Deputy Head threw her phone onto her desk before turning and sprinting from the room to find Alan Blunt.

Alex was bored. The last class of the day was math but no one was doing any work. It was Friday and everyone was looking forward to the weekend. Even the teacher wasn't bothering to try and calm them down. He was just sitting at his desk, eyes focused intently on the screen of his laptop and Alex could tell that he was playing solitaire. A group of four or so girls were sitting gossiping in the back and a bunch of boys were trying to get a paper dart stuck up on the light fitting. Alex had been talking to Tom about the new Halo game out on Xbox but the conversation had turned to what Jack was going to cook for dinner tonight. Tom was coming over to spend the night at Alex's house and Jack's meals were legendary. Jack hated to cook and she refused to make anything that took longer than 10 minutes to prepare and cook.

There was a knock on the classroom door and Alex saw his teacher quickly shut the laptop and he couldn't help smiling to himself. He stopped smiling however, when he saw who had just walked through the door. It was Mrs Jones.

Alex stood up and immediately began walking towards the door, leaving his stuff at the desk. Something was wrong, he could feel it.

Barely 20 minutes later Alex found himself standing outside the Royal and General bank of London and he hesitated slightly before walking thought the front doors. He hadn't used the front entrance since he had been shot but Mrs Jones had told him that they didn't have time to go around the back. Quickly he followed her to the elevators and up to Blunt's office.

As he stood in front of Alan Blunt Alex wondered what had happened. MI6 had never pulled him out of school before. They had always waited until he was home before ringing and 'requesting' that he come down to the bank.

"Alex, I'm afraid that we have a bit of a problem. Scorpia has decided to ignore our warning and they have issued a hit out on you. I have decided that it is no longer safe for you to remain in London. As soon as we are done here you will be taken to Brecon Beacons and placed back into K-Unit." Blunt was as unemotional as ever. Alex thought that he could have had a star career as a news reader for TV if he hadn't decided to work for MI6 instead. Then the reality of what the man had said hit him.

"What! What do you mean Scorpia is after me! I thought you had made a deal with them!" Alex was breathing heavily and his eyes widened as he began to realize the full implications of what had happened. "Jack, what about Jack? What if they go after her? And why Brecon Beacons? How long do I have to stay there for?"

Blunt looked Alex in the eyes and took a deep breath before continuing and Alex felt a deep sense of forbidding. "It seems that Scorpia had decided to go back on their agreement. Perhaps they believed that we would not hold up our end of the bargain and now they have forced our hand. You remember the deal we made don't you?" Alex did remember. MI6 had threatened to tell the world about him if Scorpia hadn't backed down. Blunt had believed that the threat of MI6 telling the world that Scorpia had been beaten twice by a fourteen year old boy would be enough to make them leave him alone.

"You're going to do it aren't you?" Alex was suddenly angry. Blunt didn't give a damn about what this would mean for him. The MI6 Special Operations head just didn't want to back down to a criminal organization like Scorpia. "After all I've done for you you're just going to tell the news about me and ruin my life! And to top it all off you're sending me back with K-Unit! I've had it! I'm sick of you pushing me around! You bully me and threaten me and use me until you get what you want and then you ignore me until you need me again! I'm not going to let you do it anymore! I'm going to go home to Jack and I'm going to go to live in America with her and if the CIA doesn't want me I'm sure that Australia's offer of citizenship still stands."

Alex felt, rather than saw, Mrs Jones tense behind him and he realized that there was something that they weren't telling him. He had just spun around to face her, furious, when Blunt started speaking again as if nothing had happened. "Brecon Beacons is the safest place for you at the moment Alex. Scorpia will be doing everything they possibly can to get to you and we simply can not allow that to happen. Whether or not you are willing to acknowledge it Alex, you are one of our top agents and we can't afford to lose you. While you are at Brecon Beacons you will be surrounded by the country's elite. The best and the brightest will be there in case something goes wrong, which I doubt that it will as Brecon Beacons is one of the most secure military training sites in the world."

Blunt held up a hand to silence Alex as the young spy had opened his mouth to argue before Blunt continued to speak a little more forcefully. "You will not be able to leave the country unless we authorize it and your stay at Brecon Beacons will be indefinite until the threat of Scorpia has been removed. I will arrange for someone to travel to Brecon Beacons three times a week to tutor you with schoolwork and you will be fully involved in all aspects of training, including firearms training. As for your American housekeeper, Jack…"

"I'm so sorry Alex. There was nothing that we could do for her. Scorpia killed her earlier this afternoon; that's how we learned that a hit had been taken out on you. I," Mrs Jones paused for a moment and took a deep breath before continuing. "I can assure you that Miss Starbright's death was painless. A single shot to the back of the head. She never saw it coming. I'm really sorry Alex. I wish that we had never gotten involved in this."

Alex turned and looked out of the large window that took up most of the east wall. He gripped the window frame so tightly that his knuckles turned white and when the world started to tilt alarmingly to the left Alex rested his forehead against the glass. He couldn't believe it. Jack was dead. His entire world had just gone up in flames and Alex realized that there was nothing that he could do about it, MI6 had everything planned out. This time there was to be no fancy escape, no suicidal plan that always seemed to work. Alex was trapped, well and truly. All that he could do was weather the storm and hope that he came of the other side alive.

A/N

Please review and tell me what you think! I apologize for anyone who found the long author's note at the start boring but I think that it was necessary.

This is my first Alex Rider fic and only my second fic altogether so I would really appreciate reviews telling me what I need to change and/or what you did/did not like. Hopefully I have everyone in character and this is a good start to the story. Originally I hadn't planned to change much from the original two fics apart from adding more detail and fixing minor mistakes but when I got to Jack I decided that I couldn't have her go down without a fight and things kind of spiralled out of control from there on. :D

I won't blab on for much longer, I just want to say thank you for clicking into my story and double thank you for reading on until the end. I understand how the big a/n at the start could have put some people off.

Ali Ranger51