Alex Rider: Deception

Alex- Chapter 19

With his head still spinning from the outrageous information that had just been forced down his throat, Alex allowed himself to be dragged from the dim room where he and Sarah had taken refuge. Sarah was an alien. That actually made sense. All the strange things she said and did added up when he attributed their source to aliens. Aliens. It felt weird to say, or rather, think. How was that even possible?

A violent jerk forward as a result of his exposed toe meeting a raised stone served to jolt Alex back to the immediate danger at hand. He cursed and limped on; the guards' only reaction was to snort once and shove him forward harder. 

The two men holding his arms pinned behind him were both taller and stronger than he, but they did not look particularly concerned in escorting a teenager to a holding cell. They had also failed to search him. He could feel the syringes bumping against his leg as he limped. He felt the small packet from Sarah in his other pocket, and hoped it wouldn't break.

"Do you know what's happening to me?" he asked the guard to his right. The guard was heavy set and dark, with a grubby beard covering most of his face.

"Don't know. Don't care."

"Please," he begged, trying to inject as much desperation as he could into his voice, "just tell me what's going to happen to me. Will I ever see my family again?"

"Not my problem."

But the guard to Alex's left relaxed his grip ever so slightly, and he let out a sigh. This one was only an inch or two taller than Alex, and they had the same sandy hair.

"Look kid," he began, and the guard to Alex's right looked up sharply, "I'm just doing my job. I got family that needs this money."

Alex looked at his feet. They were filthy, and it didn't help that the floor had changed to dirt again.

The guards stopped him outside of a metal door set into stone, and the meaner one took out a swipe card to beep them in. Beyond the door was a hallway, this time paved in concrete, and lined on either side with prison cells; there were perhaps a dozen total cells, but there didn't appear to be anyone in them.

A few lights flickered feebly in the hall, and Alex noticed one camera pointed toward the door. The grubby guard pushed him through the door frame, and turned to address his partner, "Think you can lock the kid up on your own?"

The other guard nodded mutely and followed Alex into the cell block. The door clanked shut. Alex only had to wait to be out of the range of the camera.

The minute he was past the camera he doubled over in an apparent coughing fit. The guard reacted exactly as Alex had hoped, and bent down to see what was wrong. Alex struck out.

He swept the legs out from under the guy and was on top of him within a few seconds, one glittering syringe in hand. He pushed back the sleeve of the uniform, jabbed the needle into the guard's arm, and forced down the plunger.

The poison worked quickly, and the guard barely had time to register what had happened before he was nodding off into paralysis. It wasn't long before the guard was safely unconscious, and Alex set right to work. He dragged the limp form into one of the dingy cells, grunting with the effort.

The guard's clothes hung around him like laundry drying on a line, but it would have to do. He balled up the socks and stuck them in the top of the shoes to prevent himself from tripping, then began the laborious process of putting his own clothes on the guard.

He worked as quickly as he could manage, but the entire ordeal must have taken 15 minutes, and he was worried someone would notice the guard's disappearance. He used the guard's key to swipe himself out, but hesitated int the hallway. He pulled out the packet from Sarah.

"To escape", she had whispered. But what did that mean? How could a packet that looked like a teabag help him escape? And moreover should he open it?

On the one hand, it might contribute something very valuable, but on the other hand, it could unleash God knows what and whirl him into outer space or something.

Finally he decided he would find Sarah first, then worry about the packet. He couldn't leave this place without her anyway. So he retraced his steps back to the room where he and Sarah had been captured. This time, there were guards patrolling the hallway. He pulled his cap down as low as he could and hoped that none of the guards took care to get to know their fellow coworkers.

"Where's the girl being kept?" he asked the nearest guard, trying to pull off an American accent. The guard looked him up and down, "Why do you need to know?"

Alex pulled out the packet and waved it in the guard's face, "I've been told to bring this to the place she's in. They need it for preparation or something."

"What is it?" the guard frowned, reaching for it.

Alex shoved it back in his pocket, "How do I know? I just do as I'm told. Take it up with the boss man if you want. Not my problem."

The guard chewed his lip for a moment, then gave a jerk with his head down the hall. "Down the hall to your left. Same room as last time."

Alex nodded to the guard then strode away. Funny, he thought, half an hour ago I was running away from this room. Alex swiped his card and let himself into the room, then struggled to keep a straight face.

Sarah was lying on the metal table again, strapped down in about ten different places, a red plastic tube trailed from her arm to a bag on a stand next to her. There was a nurse holding her wrist, Alex guessed checking her pulse, and a doctor was cleaning nasty looking tools in a tray on her other side. A guard stood watch over the proceedings. All three looked up as he entered the room.

"I have, uh, I was sent to bring this," he stumbled over his words, and drew the packet from his pocket.

"Hey, I know you!" the guard said suddenly.

"Crap." Alex mumbled, and stuck his hand in his other pocket, pulling out the second syringe even as he closed the distance between him and the guard.

Alex launched himself at the guard, striking at his neck with the heel of his palm, but the guard deflected it. The nurse was heading towards the door, so Alex veered off course and tackled him to the floor, pressing the syringe all the way into his forearm. He was knocked off balance by a powerful kick to his side, and Alex felt the wind escape his lungs.

"You freaking little kid! You think you can beat me?!"

Alex struggled to his feet, clawing desperately to get air back into his lungs. He could see the doctor moving for the door. With huge effort, Alex pulled himself up and charged the guard. The guard laughed and opened his arms, but at the last moment, Alex ducked under them, and brought his knee into the guard's groin. He collapsed like a puppet cut from it's strings.

The doctor was nearly at the door now.

"Stop," Alex growled, "and you don't need to get hurt." He pulled out the last syringe, "This stuff is not fun to deal with. Believe me, I've tried it."

The doctor's hand wavered at the handle, and that was all Alex needed. He rushed the doctor, stuck him with the needle, and pushed. The doctor slowly sank to the floor.

Alex turned his attention to Sarah. The tube was still pumping blood into the bag, and she was growing paler by the second. Alex had no idea how to reverse the process, so he simply pulled the tube out from her arm. He shook her gently.

"Sarah?" No response.

"Sarah, you need to wake up." There was still no response. He swallowed once and grabbed her wrist, using his two fingers to try to find a pulse, but he couldn't tell if he was feeling her pulse or his own still pumping adrenaline through his body.

He pinched her arm and called her name again.

Sarah's eyes opened a fraction of an inch.