I don't own Alex Rider… yet. I hope you enjoy the story.

Alone

Alex Rider was all alone. For the first time since his capture nobody was hurting him, or shouting at him, or whispering threats in his ear. He was conscious and not drugged. He was completely and utterly on his own.

A single tear rolled down his cheek. It ran over the duct tape over his mouth and dripped down onto his bare chest, merging into the mass of sweat and blood as though it had never existed. It was the first tear of his ordeal – he had endured everything so far without losing it, without giving his captors anything to show them that they were winning. But right here, alone, tied to a chair, the helplessness of his situation had fully hit him and the tear had escaped from his shield of indifference.

Alex felt himself beginning to hyperventilate and he struggled to regain control. He calmed his breathing, trying to make sure that a second tear didn't escape from his wet eyes. These people didn't deserve any of his tears, and he wouldn't give them another. In fact, he promised himself this first tear would be the last.

He would get through this. After all, he had gotten through worse things; he had been shot in the chest for Christ sake. He promised himself that he would beat these people – they thought they were so clever, but they made mistakes. He just had to exploit one of those mistakes.

This new found resolve pulled Alex back into reality and out of his thoughts. He was alone. While this little fact had triggered a slight panic attack, it meant that he could act. Able to appraise the room more carefully now he wasn't worried about a fist in the face if he looked up, he saw that it was small and square, with no windows. There were small drains studded into the floor, which was splattered with his blood. The whole place stank of rust and urine. It was almost as if they were trying to be clichéd. This thought made Alex slightly hysterical and he had to overcome a desire to laugh.

As he held back the laughter he saw something promising. A bit of rusted metal on the cell wall behind his left shoulder. It looked like it was sharp. He flexed his wrists, feeling the thickness of the ropes. He winced at the sting it elicited against his rubbed skin, but smiled slightly despite the pain. He was pretty sure that he could get the ropes off if he could get in the right position. All he had to do was shift the chair over to the wall…

A sound outside shattered his scheme before it had even begun. They were coming back for him. Alex composed himself; he couldn't show any weakness in front of these men. The plan helped him to keep strong – all he had to do was hold out until they brought him back in here and left him alone, and then he could escape.

The door opened. Two henchmen walked in, followed by the Boss. Alex didn't know his name, hence his nickname 'the Boss'. The heavily built man wrinkled his nose at the smell in the cell. Alex hadn't been allowed to go to the bathroom so his trousers and the floor were soaked in urine; its stench filled the room, mingling with the scents of blood and sweat. One of the henchmen stepped forward and roughly ripped the tape off Alex's mouth. Alex winced slightly and looked up at the Boss.

"You need to work on your personal hygiene, Alex." The Boss sneered, "I know you're a teenager but this is just ridiculous."

"You should smell my classroom at the end of the day." Alex returned, rolling his eyes. His light humour made him feel braver, but he braced himself for the blow that it would cost. A second later it came – a punch across his face that snapped his head round.

"Manners, Alex. Anyway, you could definitely use a shower." The Boss continued, "As a caring adult I feel obliged to provide you with one." The Boss nodded to his men, and the three of them stepped out of the cell. Alex briefly wondered what was he meant, but an answer was abruptly provided. A huge jet of icy water whacked into his chest, soaking him and making him gasp in shock and pain. It was freezing and the pressure was so powerful that he knew it would leave bruises; it was as though he was being punched by an iron fist.

The water lowered in pressure slightly, and he began to feel relieved. But then it was brought up and against his face. Surprised, he left his mouth open and water rushed in, choking him. He couldn't breathe and he began to panic. He gasped for air but found only water, his whole body writhing around as he failed to get any air and started to drown. Just as he wondered if he was going to die they pulled the water away from his face and onto his legs and the floor. Alex spluttered and coughed, trying to expel the water from his lungs. But he wasn't granted a reprieve for long. The water was pushed back into his face and he choked more down. It was worse the second time; water was in his stomach and his lungs, burning him like acid. Black spots appeared at the edge of his vision as he gagged and desperately inhaled, only making it worse. When they finally brought the water away his rasping coughs filled the room as he once again found oxygen. Alex turned his head to the side and retched violently, watery bile spilling down him. He was wheezing so much that he didn't even notice as the water was turned off and the three men returned to the room.

"It's nice to see the room so clean." The Boss commented, alerting Alex to his presence. Even if Alex could have thought through the pain and come with a witty response, he wouldn't have been able to speak; he was still coughing. After the Boss spoke Alex retched again, more bile spilling out onto his clothes. The Boss wrinkled his nose. "I can't say the same for you." He nodded at one of his men, who untied Alex. Despite this, Alex didn't have the strength to move – he definitely didn't have the strength to fight. He coughed again, not looking up.

"Alex." The Boss was waiting for him to respond. Alex didn't say anything.

"Alex. Kneel down on the floor." The Boss ordered. It was something Alex knew had been coming; his capture involved hours of pain followed by orders. Failing to follow the orders resulted in more pain. He still didn't know what would happen if he followed the orders.

"Piss off." Alex ground out, his throat rough and painful. The Boss gave an overly dramatic sigh, but he was smiling slightly. He had wanted Alex to refuse.

"I think he needs another beating. Take him to the other room; I don't want more blood in here just after we cleaned up. Use the thin metal rods on his back, but heat them up first. We need to burn this disobedience out." The Boss told one of his men, but looking into Alex's eyes as he spoke. Alex held his gaze, glaring at the man, until he was dragged out of the room. Alex knew that he couldn't give the man what he wanted; it was even more horrific than this pain. He would just have to endure until he could escape, or help came.

What do you think? Should I carry this on? Please leave a review letting me know what you think.