Point Blank

they threw me in here.‛
    ‚You’ve been here for two days?‛
    ‚Yes.‛
    Alex shook his head. ‚I saw you having breakfast upstairs fifteen minutes ago.‛
    ‚They’ve made duplicates of us.‛ The other boy had spoken for the first time. He had an American accent. ‚All of us! I don’t know how they’ve done it or why. But that’s what they’ve done.‛ He glanced at the door with anger in his eyes. ‚I’ve been here for months. My name’s Paul Roscoe.‛
    ‚Roscoe! Your dad’s …?‛
    ‚Michael Roscoe.‛
    Alex fell silent. He couldn’t tell this boy what had happened to his father and he looked away, afraid that Paul would read it in his eyes.
    ‚How did you get down here?‛ James asked.
    ‚Listen,‛ Alex said. He was speaking rapidly now. ‚I was sent here by MI6. My name isn’t Alex Friend. It’s Alex Rider. Everything’s going to be okay. They’ll send people in and get you all freed.‛
    ‚You’re a spy?‛ James was obviously startled.
    Alex nodded. ‚I’m sort of a spy, I suppose,‛ he said.
    ‚You’ve opened the door. We can get out of here!‛ Paul Roscoe stood up, ready to move.
    ‚No!‛ Alex held up his hands. ‚You’ve got to wait. There’s no way down the mountain.
    Stay here for now and I’ll come back with help. I promise you. It’s the only way.‛
    ‚I can’t—‛
    ‚You have to. Trust me, Paul. I’m going to have to lock you back in so that nobody will know I’ve been here. But it won’t be for long. I’ll come back!‛
    Alex couldn’t wait for any more argument. He went back to the door and opened it.
    Mrs. Stellenbosch was standing outside.
    He barely had time to register the shock of seeing her. He tried to bring up a hand to protect himself, to twist his body into position for a karate kick. But it was already too late. Her arm shot out, the heel of her hand driving into his face. It was like being hit by a brick wall. Alex felt every bone in his body rattle. White light exploded behind his eyes. Then he was out.

HOW TO RULE THE WORLD

    ‚OPEN YOUR EYES ALEX. Dr. Grief wishes to speak to you.‛
    The words came from across an ocean. Alex groaned and tried to lift his head. He was sitting down, his arms pinned behind his back. The whole side of his face felt bruised and swollen, and the taste of blood was in his mouth. He opened his eyes and waited for the room to come into focus. Mrs. Stellenbosch was standing in front of him, her fist curled loosely in her other hand. Alex remembered the force of the blow that had knocked him out. His whole head was throbbing, and he ran his tongue over his teeth to see if any were missing. It was fortunate he had rolled with the punch. Otherwise she might have broken his neck.
    Dr. Grief was sitting in his golden chair, watching Alex with what might have been curiosity or distaste or perhaps a little of both. There was nobody else in the room. It was still snowing outside, and a small fire burned in the hearth. The flames weren’t as red as Dr. Grief’s eyes.
    ‚You have put us to a great deal of inconvenience,‛ he said.
    Alex straightened his head. He tried to move his hands, but they had been chained together behind the chair.
    ‚Your name is not Alex Friend. You are not the son of Sir David Friend. Your name is Alex Rider, and you are employed by the British secret service.‛ Dr. Grief was simply stating facts.
    There was no emotion in his voice.
    ‚We have microphones concealed in the cells,‛ Mrs. Stellenbosch explained. ‚Sometimes it is useful for us to hear the conversations between our young guests. Everything you said was overheard by the guard who summoned me.‛
    ‚You have wasted our time and our money,‛ Dr. Grief continued. ‚For that you will be punished. It is not a punishment you will survive.‛
    The words were cold and absolute, and Alex felt the fear that they triggered. It coursed through his bloodstream, closing in on his heart. He took a deep breath, forcing himself back under control. He had signaled MI6. They would be on their way to Point Blanc. They might appear any minute now. He just had to play for time.
    ‚You can’t do anything to me,‛ he said.
    Mrs. Stellenbosch lashed out, and he was almost thrown backward as the back of her hand sliced into the side of his head. Only the chair kept him upright. ‚When you speak to the director, you will refer to him as ‘Dr. Grief,’ ‛ she said.
    Alex looked around again, his eyes watering. ‚You can’t do