The second episode of Alex Rider's third season begins with a tense situation in the Prime Minister's office. A thumb drive, sent by the shadowy organization known as Scorpia, has arrived, containing a chilling digital video. The footage reveals the existence of the Invisible Sword, a weapon capable of wiping out millions in an instant. Scorpia's demands are clear: comply with their wishes, or face the catastrophic consequences of this weapon's unleashing.
Madam Secretary, fearing the worst, summons Alan Blunt, the head of MI6, to assist in this crisis. The demands of Scorpia are startling: they want Britain to forget about billions of dollars in debts owed by third-world countries, essentially forcing a financial sacrifice that could shake the nation's already fragile economy to its core.
Madam Secretary doubts the sincerity of Scorpia's threat, assuming the Invisible Sword is merely a bluff. However, Jones takes a different stance, regarding the threat as genuine and assigning Pritchard and Smithers to trace the source of the video. It's also revealed that Jones himself is plotting an exit from the intelligence agency.
Pritchard manages to locate the video in an abandoned office outside Hackney Downs. But when the SWAT team arrives, they find only a lifeless mannequin. Pritchard cautiously searches the mannequin's jacket and discovers a note. Her touch, however, triggers a devastating explosion, claiming her life in an instant.
Meanwhile, in Malta, Alex and Tom arrive at Julia's villa, hoping to find her. But she's nowhere to be seen. Instead, they stumble upon information about Casanto, a secret lab housed on a ship purchased by Kovacic with private funding. Realizing this is their only lead in tracking Julia and understanding what Kovacic sold to her, Alex decides to infiltrate the ship. Karla cautions him, warning that he stands no chance against any dangerous substances Kovacic might have onboard.
Alex sneaks onto the ship, his heart pounding as he searches for clues about Kovacic's dealings with Julia. But before he can uncover any secrets, Kovacic enters the lab, followed closely by Nile. It turns out that Nile has been sent by Julia to eliminate Kovacic and ensure that no evidence links her to him.
Without warning, Nile attacks Kovacic, setting explosives that will detonate the ship in five minutes. Alex attempts to save Kovacic but is captured by Nile. The assassin offers Alex a deal: he can take him to Julia if he wants to learn the truth about Scorpio and his past. As the clock ticks down and the ship teeters on the brink of destruction, Alex faces a critical decision that could change everything.
