Ark Angel

flexible. All Alex had to do was pull on the control bar and he could change direction instantly. With the late afternoon sun beating down on him and the palm trees rushing past, all his worries about Drevin, the CIA, Ark Angel and Force Three were forgotten. For the next two hours he was happy, finally enjoying the holiday he had been promised.
    After the two boys had exhausted themselves with the kite, they flopped down onto the sand and watched as the sun began its descent. It was still very warm. The breeze, blowing gently across the beach, carried the scent of pine and eucalyptus. From this part of the island it was impossible to see the launch pad and the two waiting rockets. A single grey heron perched sedately on the end of the jetty, its eyes fixed on the water, searching for fish. The sailing boats and motor launches bobbed up and down, jostled by the waves.
    Alex was lying on his back, enjoying the warmth of the setting sun. He glanced sideways and noticed Paul staring at his bare chest. The scar left by his surgery had healed quickly but it was still very red.
    “You must have really hurt yourself,” Paul said.
    “Yes.” Alex was reluctant to talk about his fake bicycle accident.
    “You’ve got lots of other cuts and bruises too.”
    Alex didn’t even look. Every time MI6 had sent him out on a mission, his body had come back with more souvenirs. He sat up and reached for his T-shirt. “I’m starving,” he said, changing the subject. “When’s dinner?”

    “Not for another hour. But we can grab a snack, if you like.”
    “No. I’ll wait.”
    Alex pulled on his shirt. The sun was a perfect disc, cut in half by the edge of the world. The sea had turned blood red.
    “Do you like it here?” Paul asked.
    “It’s fantastic. Really great.” Alex did his best to inject some enthusiasm into his voice.
    “It makes a real change to have someone like you here.” Paul stared at the horizon as if searching for the right words. “It must be awful not to have parents,” he went on. “But you don’t know what it’s like having a dad like mine. He’s got so much money, and everyone knows who he is. But sometimes I think I don’t even know him myself.”
    “Do you enjoy being with your mother?” Alex asked. He wanted to steer the conversation away from Drevin.
    Paul nodded. “Yes. I wish he’d let me see more of her. And it doesn’t help being on my own all the time. I sometimes wonder what I’m doing in the middle of all this. It would be a lot easier if there was someone else around.”
    Alex was feeling increasingly uneasy. Paul had no idea that his entire life was about to self-destruct and that he—Alex—had been sent here to help make it happen. In less than a week’s time, the CIA would arrest his father. All Drevin’s assets would presumably be seized by the American government. Drevin would go to prison.
    And what would happen to Paul? The story would be on the front page of every newspaper all over the world. He’d have to change his name. He’d have to begin all over again, adapting to a completely different life. Somehow he’d have to get used to the fact that he was the son of a ruthless criminal. A killer. But none of this was Alex’s fault. He forced himself to remember that. And Paul had a mother who’d be there to look after him when this whole thing exploded. He’d get through it.
    The sun had almost disappeared. A great shadow seemed to stretch out across the sea, and Alex watched as the heron flew off, soaring effortlessly over the palm trees. Paradise? Perhaps the bird knew otherwise.
    Alex stood up. “Let’s go in,” he said.
    They walked along the beach together, the waves lapping softly near by.

    On the other side of the island, another conversation was taking place.
    The head of security, Magnus Payne, was standing in a large office overlooking the launch site.
    Drevin was sitting on a leather sofa, reading the email that Payne had just handed him.
    “Alex Rider is an MI6 agent,” Payne was saying. “He may not be working for them now, but he has certainly worked for them in the past—and not once but several times. If they know he is here, it is quite possible that they have already approached him and asked him to spy on you. I have searched his luggage and found nothing. But that does not mean he isn’t equipped in some way.”
    Drevin lowered the email. “It’s not possible!” His fingers began to play with his ring. “A spy? He’s