Alpha Force - Characters

Characters

Alpha Force, the series' protagonists. The name originating from the initial letters of the members' first names, it consists of the five main characters in the series, all in their teenage years. Hex had come up with the name in the first book, Survival. Hex had also said that Alpha was the first letter in the Greek alphabet and Alpha meant a new beginning.

• Alex is a survival expert from Northumberland. He was taught about surviving in different situations by his father who is a member of the SAS. Despite being rejected from the Army in Red Centre, he still has hopes of following in his father's footsteps. He rarely becomes agitated with people and he always tries to find a logical solution to a situation. He always carries the survival tin that his father gave him and is very attached to it. He is nominated mostly as a team leader by the other four characters, due to his survival skills and experience in the treacherous conditions which he routinely faces. Alex never mentions his family apart from his father, who he helped in Rat Catcher, and mother, because of this it is assumed that Alex is an only child.

• Li is an Anglo-Chinese girl and a martial arts expert. With her parents being zoologists, she knows a lot about nature and animals in particular. She constantly wants to prove herself and is caring but always take the opportunity to do something exciting and a little bit dangerous for the adrenaline rush. She has a fiery temper and is quick to want to fight injustice. She has strong will-power and is not one to give up easily. Li is also a skilled rock climber, although she briefly goes through a phase of Acrophobia in Hunted. Li never mentions a sibling but it is conceived that she is an only child.

• Paulo (Paolo) is a laid back Argentinian who is a medical expert, has great mechanical skills, can drive many forms of vehicle, can capably pilot a helicopter and small plane, and has an affinity with animals, particularly horses. These skills come from him living on a large ranch in Argentina, where he is required to treat injured animals and/or utilize vehicles to get around the place quickly. Although he seems to be quite lazy, a new mission, an engine to fix or Li can always get him motivated. He is a big flirt and quite vain, but he is a well-loved character. Paulo is very affectionate towards Li and throughout the series there is an obvious relationship building between the two of them. Paulo mentions a few times throughout the series that he comes from a big family which seems to mainly consist of sisters, all being younger than he is.

• Hex is a skilled hacker from East London and is brilliant at code breaking, bypassing most security systems and cracking into computer systems. This also gives him the ability to work things out when others can't, which once caused him to recognise that a supposed accident was actually an assassination. Even though he seems a "couch potato", Hex keeps himself very fit by going to the gym and jogging. Although he is always called Hex, it is shown in Red Centre that his legal name is Melvin. Hex replies that Hex is his real name and that Melvin is what some idiot put on his birth certificate. He seems to be attracted to Amber, although his first love will always be his palm top. In the books there are mentions of Hex being a loner and an outcast at school. He also mentions that he has a younger brother who, as he says in Survival, nearly got thrown out of school as he was being picked on by a teacher.

• Amber is a rich girl, mentioned to be a billionaire from the USA - she's a navigational expert, having spent years on her parents' yacht, and is a skilled linguist. She is a diabetic and after her parents were killed on a secret mission she had little will to live; but Alpha Force gave her new motivation. She used to seem rather snobbish, selfish and act very spoiled but as the books progress these qualities lessen, although she can still use that snobbish attitude on a mission. Her supposedly selfish and spoiled nature was later revealed to be because of her urgency over her diabetes. After saving his life at the end of Survival, she develops a genuine affection towards Hex, despite their previous enmity in A-watch. Amber's Uncle John Middleton is a recurring character; providing a base, new challenges and resources for the team. Amber is the only character whose family background is stated, she is an only child whose only relative is her guardian, her Uncle John. Amber lives with her uncle and his housekeeper, Roseanne. Amber also cannot cook, as mentioned in Untouchable although Hex is surprisingly good at it.