Alex Rider watched the man stood behind his desk with an uneasy look. The man, who had an American-styled, Japanese-made phone to his ear, caught Alex's stare and gave him an apologetic smile, before going back to his conversation. Alex assumed the language was Russian, it sounded Eastern-European enough.
"Dah," the man said, wiping sweat off his brow and glancing out of the large floor to ceiling window, his gaze sweeping the grey fuzzy skyline of London. There was a few more moments of quick, terse conversation, then he clicked his phone shut and put it down next to a family picture.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting Alex. Unexpected phone calls are rather unexpected,"
"It's OK," Alex nodded, glancing at the family picture. Two pre-teen girls waved back at him from the edge of an expensive-looking white yacht, sea spray dappling the deck behind them, the sun glinting off their sunglasses and blonde hair. The picture had caught the leg of a white uniform-clad sailor just to the right of them.
"Now, Alan Blunt sent you to me, so that I can ask a favour of you,"
Alex took his gaze from the picture to the man in front of him, and tried not to quirk his eyebrow, "Favour?"
"Yes. I have a predicament. A wealthy client of ours, our main financier, is being terrorised by a group called Navy 66. They're refusing to cooperate and are hacking away at Sir Carbon's financial security. Small things at first, such as bugging his computers. Then it started to get nasty. They tried to kidnap his children as they left school. They shut down all of their systems for 48 hours in the Middle East. And all of this is effecting the way in which Sir Carbon supports us! Now Alex, I asked MI6 to help us on this, and they sent you. I wasn't sure a…a boy could handle this but after drafting in you two, I suppose I've been moderately convinced,"
Alex raised a hand to interrupt, "Two?"
"Oh, sorry, did I forget to mention? We have someone from another organisation working with you Alex,"
Alex frowned. He wasn't asked to work alone?
"He's a teenager, the same age as you are. Very talented, like you," he looked very strained, "You could work…um….well, together,"
Since he was sweating and had a pained expression on his face, Alex thought maybe there was something he wasn't telling him about this boy he was to work with, and maybe the relationship he promised wouldn't be exactly true to his word.
"So, I'll get him for you to meet, shall I?"
Mr Declan leant across his desk, his jacket flapping open to reveal a paunchiness about his stomach and dark circles under his arms. He hit the intercom button and said, "Could you send him in please, Dee?"
He let go of the button as the reply came through, in a happy, sing-song tone.
"Of course Mr Declan!"
Declan paused for a moment, then pressed the button again, and said, in a low, mumbling tone, "He hasn't broken anything, has he Dee?"
"No Mr Declan. Not to my knowledge,"
"OK," he said, in a slightly relieved fashion, "Send him in,"
The dark grey door behind Alex opened. Alex turned in his seat, blonde hair falling to bar his chocolate-hue eyes.
"Alex, this is Kai Koulikovsky. Kai, this is Alex Rider. The boy from MI6,"
Mr Declan made his way hurriedly around the table and stood just off the side as the two boys greeted each other. He beamed as they finished their greetings, as if he had expected something bad to happen.
"OK, OK, that's good. Sit down Kai,"
Kai sat, and Alex took him in through the corner of his eyes. He had a slender build much like Alex's, but was an inch or so shorter. His hair was dark and mussed up, as if he had just slept.
"Now boys. Plan of action. My boss wishes you to stay at the Opium Hotel. It's new and discrete, so you shouldn't be found out if…well, that's where you will be holding up. He wishes to use you two boys, because he knows that Navy 66 look for…helpers…amongst the youth. So I want you to get noticed by them. Become involved. And, ultimately, find out why they are doing this to Sir Carbon, and stop it,"
He paused, wiped some more sweat from his forehead, and then sat down heavily in his desk chair.
"We have a man in the field to help coordinate the operation. He's Italian. His name is Marco Avidecci. He'll meet you downstairs. Tall man, with brown hair. Usually wearing a football shirt,"
There was another, denser pause. Mr Declan smiled tensely, "Ok then. Lets get you to your hotel room. The rest of your information will be there,"
Outside the office the air was cooler. Dee smiled and waved goodbye to them cheerfully as they entered the elevator.
In the muffled silence of the padded lift, Alex felt a little uncomfortable. How was he supposed to work to achieve a mission when he had someone else along with him? Was he going to be able to do it?
He yawned and rubbed his face with his hands. Kai, leant against the back wall in the opposite corner, stared blankly into space, seemingly not aware of much. Alex glanced at him, then rubbed his eyes again. He was so tired. All that morning had been spent arguing with MI6 over his availability for the new assignment, then all afternoon waiting in that stuffy office of Declan's, only to come out in the early evening, now, with barely any information. And a partner.
Alex looked at Kai again surreptitiously but Kai seemed to be thinking too deeply to notice. The doors chimed and opened. They were greeted, almost immediately, by a tall, lanky man with an incredibly tanned complexion and a large, greeting smile.
"Welcome, welcome!" he cried, pulling Alex out of the lift. Kai followed, bemused, "I am Marco Avidecci,"
He was wearing an Everton football shirt. Alex, being a Chelsea fan himself, began to muse about Marco's choice of team, until Marco prodded him through the front door and the cool evening air of London smacked him in the face.
"Come, I will take you to the Opium. Is fantastic hotel, do not worry, no?"
He opened the door for Alex and Kai and they clambered in. Alex let himself flop onto the back seat. He was so tired, his body and mind screamed for just the chance to relax and sleep. Marco got in the front of the long, sleek black car and put his foot down. Alex gripped onto his seat and braced himself against the leather. His body will be in pieces before it got a chance to relax.
"I'm sorry boys, but the second room booked has sprung a leak. Whilst cleaning the bath, house cleaning flooded the entire room of soapy water. It has ruined the carpet. It will be cleaned up for you tomorrow,"
Alex blinked. No, no, no, no, no. He wasn't in the mood for this.
"Well, don't you have a room anywhere else,"
"One moment,"
The receptionist clattered at the keys of her keyboard. Alex wanted to rest his forehead against the cool marble top but took to settling the inside of his wrists on it instead.
"No, I'm sorry. You boys will have to share,"
Kai, who was stood a few paces behind Alex, turned his head sharply to the receptionist.
"Share?" Alex said, in a low voice.
"Don't worry," she said, in an understanding tone, "You won't have to share beds. Your suite, Mr Rider, happens to have two single beds,"
"OK," Alex said, resigned to the fate of getting to know his new partner in a more personal manner earlier than he expected.
"Fine,"
She handed over the card key. Marco handed their bags to the bell boy and nodded his head to them, "I will be outside here tomorrow morning at ten. If you want to go out tomorrow, just call me and I will start up the car, and I will take you. Sleep tight,"
Kai followed Alex silently into the lift. Alex wished the guy would talk some more. Maybe the whole thing wouldn't be so awkward then. But the other didn't seem to register the awkward situation. He leant back against the wall of the lift and seemed to switch off once again.
Alex leant over the bath, watching the hot water tunnel down into the large, circular white bath. He turned around and shut the door, catching a glimpse of Kai lying on his front on his bed, reading the file that Mr Declan and their separate organisations had left for them. He locked the door, and pulled off his t-shirt, letting it drop to the floor. He watched the water bubble frantically as the bath filled up, unlacing his shoes. In one whole day he had met his new partner, been given a new mission, and ultimately dragged back into the whole mess he had tried to get rid of. He looked in the mirror. There was a thin, angry red line slashed across his falt stomach, lightly tanned from the days of playing football with his friends over the summer.The scar was slowly healing from a past MI6 mission. He ran his finger along it.
Alex unbuttoned his jeans and slid them off over his socks. Yanking his socks off finally, and his remaining clothes, before sliding into the hot water. The bubbles skimmed over his skin, covering other marks of his previous missions. The hot water lapsed over hislimbs andhe knew a bath was what he had needed all day/That was better. Sinking in further he closed his eyes and tried to forget everything about MI6, his new partner, the mission, and life itself.
Pity he wouldn't be able to ignore it forever. Particularly his new partner, who was reading up on Alex in the next room.
AS: Heya. This chapter may be a little bit boring, and...well, kinda pointlessbut I am trying to build up the story. I'm not saying when this is set, because, simply, I dont know! It'll be probably just after Skeleton Key.
Dont worry, the second chapter will be MUCH more exciting!