Long Way Home

Summary: (Recap) Alex and Ben have finally made it home-almost. They made it as far as the airport in England, but were unable to get out of it due to the terrorist group blocking the exits. After being forced to board a random plane in order to not be captured, Alex, Ben and the four Australian SAS guys find themselves on their way to Slovenia. And due to a mole inside of MI6, they can't just call up MI6 and ask to be picked up or anything.

Now they must find a way to get back to England by crossing through the countries, and possibly with a little outside help. But what happens when they are split up by an old enemy? Will one of them finally meet their end? Or is all not as it seems? A/N: And if I were you, I'd feel bad for Alex, because it seems that the entire world has now learned that he is still alive and has decided to take revenge.

Prologue:

A knock sounded on the door. The man felt a flash of annoyance before calling out 'Come in' in an emotionless voice.

The door opened slowly, and a timid head poked itself in, "Sir?"

"Yes, come in. What is it?" The man at the desk invited. But not pleasantly.

"Well, sir, there have been some reports-"

"Just tell me what they say."

"Well, um, apparently-"

"Just spit it out already! I haven't got all day!" The man at the desk practically shouted. Or as close to shouting as any assassin gets.

"Alex Rider has-"

"Rider? But he's dead. Scorpia killed him off a couple of years ago."

"Well, I guess he wasn't as dead as they thought. It appears he faked his own death and has been living under a different identity ever since."

"And MI6?"

"If our sources are correct, yes, they know he's alive. They've known all along. If it wasn't for the fact that Scorpia was destroyed in his supposed death, I would've said that MI6 planned it. They've known all along."

"I see. And where might Rider be residing as of now?"

"Sorry. I don't know where his residence is. I don't think that anyone knows."

"What a shame. I see that you will be unable to help me out after all. And there's not much use in someone without usefulness."

Recognizing what the assassin was implying, the man's eyes widened in fright and he started pleading for his life. But his protests died on his lips as he fell to the ground, lifeless with a bullet hole neatly through his forehead.

The assassin calmly called two guards to come and clean up the mess. After all, the blood would stain if left in the carpet long enough.

After the clean-up job was completed, he picked up his phone and ordered two men to his office. When they had assembled, he gave them each a photograph and began to speak.

"That boy, the one in the picture, is your target. His name is Alex Rider. I want you to find him and bring him to me-alive. He will most likely be in disguise as he faked his death a couple of years back and has been living under a new identity. I do not know whom he was posing to be. Any information you find will be relayed back to me. Try to find someone who had close connections with Rider. I would like to know how this mission is going, but you two are in charge. You will, of course, be paid, but the matter of how much depends on what condition Rider is in and how long you take to complete this task."

The assassin turned away from the two men and they immediately recognized the dismissal. They left without a word. The assassin smiled as he watched the sun rise above the horizon, "Soon, Rider. Soon."