Chapter 7 - The fifth Member

Chapter 7: The Fifth Member

Holly arrived in the streets of Paris a few minutes later. She looked around desperately, searching for someone who could help her. Her hazel eyes fell onto a muscular boy of about 14 with fair hair and serious brown eyes that looked as if they had seen too much, sitting alone on the ground of a dark street that was almost completely vacant.
Holly, while shielded, walked towards him until she was right in front of the boy.

Alex Rider was sitting in a dark street way in Paris, watching the few people go by, wondering what it would be like to have their lives.
He was on holiday, and this was last day before he would have to head back to London. MI6 had promised that they would leave him alone as long as his holiday lasted, and strangely enough they had kept their word; he hadn’t received any news of anything suspicious going on, and it looked as if he was in the clear.
Unfortunately after 4 days, he was going back tomorrow and with no doubt he would be summoned to Mr. Blunts office a few minutes after landing.
Alex sighed as this depressing thought circled round his head, before being yanked out of his almost-trance. He had felt…a presence appear in front of him, as if from nowhere. Ideas of who or what it could be dashed in and out of his head, until resting on one idea- Scorpia had tracked him down. He sat calmly for a few seconds, his eyes closed, before pouncing up with the speed of a cheetah and roundhouse-kicking whatever unlucky being stood in front of him.

Luckily, three seconds before, Captain Short had silently cursed because the boy had closed his eyes destroying her chances of being able to use the mesmer on him, and had floated back two metres a few seconds before Alex had let out that kick. Holly had stopped in her tracks the second she had seen what the boy had done, and smiled, knowing that this was definitely someone who could help.

Alex stood in his fighting stance, confused, as his foot hadn’t hit anyone and looked around. After 30 seconds of not seeing anyone that looked as if they had tried to attack him, he let down his arms and just stood normally, breathing slowly.
Alex shook his head at himself and silently cursed what an idiot he had been. He was about to sit back down again, when he heard a strange voice. Not bad strange, but good. Friendly…

Holly waited until the street was completely empty before unshielding. She looked into the boy’s eyes and layered her voice with the mesmer.
“Hello. Tell me your name.” She said to him quietly.
The boy’s forehead furrowed as he seemingly fought against the mesmer.
“Who are you? Do you work for-“ Alex asked quickly, untaken by the mesmer for now. Holly cut in;
“Tell me your name.” She said with her voice coated with more layers of it.
Alex could feel the voice soothing his very soul, making him feel as if he would say anything, do anything as the mysterious voice asked. He fought against it, his teeth clenched, his body tensing. He assumed he had been hit with some kind of advanced truth serum and he wasn’t going down without a fight; someone he cared about could get hurt; it had happened before (Sabina getting kidnapped in Eagle Strike. Oh yeah, that was a spoiler…um… oops?).
“Tell me your name!” Holly said, getting impatient, layering her voice even more.
She watched as beads of sweat dripped from the boy’s forehead, all his strength being used to fight against her. Holly began to feel sorry for the boy, but then remembered her deal with Artemis and couldn’t stop now.
“Tell me your NAME!” She pressured, her magic draining because of this usually easily carried-out ability. (It says in the first book I think how the Mesmer can be carried out with even the tiniest drop of magic. Anyway, back to the story)
Alex found it hard to breath, and his body was screaming at him to give in, to release.
He let out a single word in an incredibly strained voice;
“No.” He then wished he hadn’t as it became harder for him to hold his strength after doing this.
Holly saw this and put on a few more layers of mesmer, before almost screaming as him;
“TELL ME YOUR NAME!”
Hold…hold…HOLD! Alex let out a small yelp as he felt his last bit of strength slip away. He fell to ground in a heap, defeated. He breathed slowly and was rasping slightly. As one tear fell from his eye he whispered pathetically;
“Alex Rider.”
Holly relaxed too, knowing that this mudboy couldn’t fight anymore. She took a deep cleansing breath before smiling slightly.
“So Alex, tell me if anyone is expecting you to be anywhere soon.”
Alex let out a few shallow breaths before replying;
“I’ve got all day, then I have to go back to my hotel.”
Holly could guess there was more to the story than this, thinking it was sweet the mud boy was trying to defend others, or perhaps just himself. Either way, she needed more.
That fear of Alex’s was confirmed, when the strange person (Holly) who had appeared in front of him asked him the next question;
“Is anyone expecting you at the hotel?”
Alex groaned then answered;
“Jack.” He then rested his back on the brick wall behind him and took a few more breaths, waiting for the voice to ask him something else, hoping that this was the end of the discussion; knowing it wasn’t.
Holly cursed herself again about the torture she was putting this mudboy… what she was putting Alex through.
“Jack who?”
Alex couldn’t fight anymore, and another tear fell from his eyes as he whispered to himself. “I’m so sorry…”
“Jack Starbright.” These last two words he said aloud.
Holly then said, slightly painfully:
“I need your help. Cover yourself in this foil and let me strap you onto this belt, then we’re going to go somewhere and you will help me all you can.”
She repeated this to make sure the message got through to him. Once her instructions were carried out (it was slow work I may add, on account Alex was trying to fight the mesmer during it, failing every try) she shielded, turned on her wings and flew off towards Artemis, Butler and Link, wondering if Alex would be strong enough to help them.

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