Defeat (Book Attack Series: Book 9 - Alex Rider)

Chapter I

Chapter I

Maddie

I heard my breath come in sharply as my eyes shot open and I jumped out of the chair. I took a few minutes to adjust, but I soon found myself in a room that seemed vaguely familiar, like an awfully distant memory.

I stepped away from the wooden chair I'd awoken in and made my way slowly and cautiously forward. Each step echoed off the walls that seemed to exist, and yet they also didn't.

Because that's not confusing at all.

In front of me was an oversized monitor, almost like a television hooked up to a keyboard and computer. It sat on a cool glass desk similar to the one that sat in my room at home. In fact, the entire set up looked like home. The computer, the desk, the plush black office chair, even the books and work covering the desk space looked like it did at home.

However, the similarities stopped there. Everything else was dark; none of my bright blue walls were there as far as I could tell. To my left was a wall of what looked like gel, well above the height of a regular one story building and obviously much thicker than just any old wall. Electrical sparks seemed to zap across the gel in what seemed to be a random order, but I soon noticed the sequence it took; bottom left, top left, middle, top left, bottom right, bottom left, top right, middle, bottom right, top right.

Oh, how I wished I had Lucas's eidetic memory.

The thought of Lucas reminded me of a recent, yet temporarily forgotten memory, and I was surprised to find a blast of electricity go zipping to the middle of the gel, well out of the sequence I had discovered. Then I realize where I was.

Oh my god, I'm in my head.

The escape, the healing, the powers. It all came back to me in a flood and I was overwhelmed by the information. Sure enough, when I saw my reflection in the glossy monitor screen of the computer, I could see my new pointed ears and brown wings, and when I looked down, I found the tattoo of a gold circle with a red dot.

Max was right. These wings do kick butt.

I sat slowly in the plush office chair behind the desk, and before even a creak was heard, the screen came to life, asking me for a password. I looked at the information around the box, and I soon realized that there was only one attempt. I either got the password right, or I didn't, in which case I would stay trapped in my own mind forever, or until my death.

I'm not a big fan of those odds.

I prayed there had to be some other way out, and somehow I was drawn back to the gel wall. Despite the constant travel of electricity, or, more appropriately, "brain waves", the gel seemed to be my only other option out of this hellhole that was my mind.

I reached my hand into the gel, and then pulled it back. Nothing seemed to happen, so I reached a little further. This time, however, I was hit by a spark and remembered the most terrifying moment of my life.

A wicked laugh. A crooked, raised wand. That horrific spell. The blast of green light, then darkness as my soul was very nearly carried away.

I pulled my hand back again quickly, in fear of having to experience the moment another time. My breathing had become heavier and I spun back towards the computer as it spoke, "Password please."

I returned to the desk and sat, wracking my brain for what would be the correct password and definitely not appreciating the noise of the brain waves in the gel nearby. I smiled when I saw the small option appear next to the typing box: Password Hint.

I clicked it immediately, and what I read sent another blast of brain waves through the gel: My favorite fictional character.

For those who've met me, you know that the words "my favorite fictional character" are extremely vague to a person like me. It's like asking the CEO of the largest company in the world whom his favorite custodial worker is. Honestly, it's impossible to pick just one, if I had to.

No, I knew that hint. A combo. Three words with more than five letters meant that the password was a combination of three possible answers to the hint.

And I knew exactly which three.

I said a small prayer, laid my hands on the keyboard, and typed; H - A - N - M - I - E. Hanmie.

The computer loaded then triumphantly answered, "Password accepted. Transfer initiated."

Similar to many types of downloading software, the screen showed the percentage until completion and the time remaining. When I read the predicted time value, I cringed.

Estimated Remaining Time: 7 Hours 54 Minutes.

I let my head fall into my hands, "I hate the world."

·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·Author's Note!!!·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·

Soooooo as you may have noticed, my updates are now one chapter each. It's mostly because I feel like torturing you!

So all my bags got invaded by ants, so I had to clean them all out. Ugh. But I probably got rid of around 10 pounds in paper. So that's nice.

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~ Maddie