The sound of the explosion echoed through the night, throwing it into sharp relief. Eagle, as a fellow demolitions expert, whistled softly, impressed, watching as flames licked up towards the sky and cast an ominous flickering pattern of light and shadows across the dark streets.

Fox groaned, grabbing his arm and dragging him after them as they fled, Wolf cursing under his breath as he helped Snake, Alex leading. "Who the hell is it this time?" the soldier hissed as they rounded a corner.

Alex shrugged, but her shoulders were tense. "Could be anyone." She held up a hand, suddenly halting, and they all shrank into the shadows, watching as several armed figures jogged past up ahead. "Any guesses as to what they blew up?"

Eagle craned his neck, peering in the direction of the blast. "Our hotel is in that direction, and the explosion looked right for a building…"

Fox swore. "The hotel? And I thought the French overreacted…" Wolf and Snake simultaneously winced as they recalled exactly how the French DCRI had responded to the news that Alex Rider was in-country with a unit of – for lack of a better term – deserters.

"So what, it's the KGB?" Wolf grunted, edging into a side-road, then signalling for them to follow.

"The KGB doesn't exist anymore," Fox replied absently as they began running again. "Hasn't since the end of the Soviet Union. It's something else now…"

"The FSB," Alex supplied. "But I wouldn't count on it being them. A bit too explosive for a standing alive-and-not-unduly-harmed order to bring me in, I think."

Snake blinked. "Alive-and-not-unduly-harmed?" he parroted, growling in frustration as his leg buckled slightly and Wolf had to grab him to keep him upright.

"Yeah, they seem really interested in meeting me, and probably think I might be more agreeable if they didn't shoot me beforehand or something," she replied dismissively, halting them again to hide from another patrol.

Eagle gave her a sidelong look, shaking his head in disbelief at her casual phrasing. "Or blow you up," he agreed, since her point was good. "So, not the Russians then. And since we're in Russia, that leaves is with what?"

Fox looked like he'd swallowed a lemon. "An unrelated attack, or SCORPIA."

"Shit," Wolf snarled. The others fully agreed. "Plan?"

Alex blinked as they all looked at her. She shrugged helplessly. "Run?"

AN: I think this is all of them, but I suppose that it's entirely possible that I'll come up with more. I hope it was worth the wait! anyone who's after a sequel to SIC... I'm still thinking about it. It might be a long time in coming, so don't hold your breath.