This is a response to spinkle22's challenge.

Alpha Force meet again after 10 years… but some of them have changed dramatically.

The Reunion

"Alex, relax. It'll be fine." Mary Craig slid an arm around her husband's waist and squeezed it gently.

Alex pushed a lock of blond hair out of his blue-grey eyes. "I know, but I haven't seen them in ten years… and shouldn't they be here by now?"

Mary understood her husband's nervousness, but before she could say anything a man with brown hair stepped out of a polished black car and waved at them.

"Hex!" exclaimed Alex. "It's been so long…"

Hex nodded somberly. He looked just like the Northumbrian remembered him, but something had changed. This Hex was decked out in a black suit with mirrored sunglasses that made it impossible to see those bright green eyes, and the way he carried himself was different. His walk seemed more assured of himself, and he had the air of an accomplished fighter. Maybe…

But no. That was impossible. Hex worked in a bank now, designing software to keep hackers like himself out.

Before Alex could muse any longer, another familiar face appeared.

Li Cheong hadn't been changed at all by the years. Her small Anglo-Chinese face still radiated excitement and pent up energy. As she bounded over to the group, a grin lit up her face as she saw Mary.

"Well Alex, looks like you got lucky. I'm Li by the way."

"The names Bond, James Bond" joked Alex's wife.

Hex frowned. It was a tiny expression, so small that it was nearly impossible to catch. Alex saw it however, and made a mental note of the fact. Something was definitely different about Hex.

"How did you know she wasn't mine?" asked Hex, although he already knew the answer.

"It's obvious!" grinned Li, and for a moment Hex was caught in another time, another moment more than ten years ago.

"Hex would never willingly marry someone unless her name was Amber Middleton."

The old Hex would have protested, or made a scathing remark; the new one simply smiled to himself and flicked his eyes to look over Li's shoulder.

The world champion free climber and martial arts sensei looked back, but nobody was there.

The former hacker's smug look returned for a moment, but was quickly gone, Hex's face returning to its emotionless mask.

Another man walked up to the group, a tall Argentinean.

"Paulo!" squealed Li, throwing her arms around him.

Paulo returned the hug affectionately, but gave Alex a questioning glance.

Alex quickly caught on as to the object of his curiosity.

"Oh… Paulo, this is Mary, my wife."

Paulo held out his hand, and Mary took it.

"Nice to meet you Mary, I'm Paulo." His accent was almost flawless; hinting of a life spent traveling the world.

Paulo was a pilot, one of the militaries best. It had taken weeks of campaigning before his bosses would let him have this time off.

Alex envied him for that, remembering his childhood dream of being in the army.

Hex, surprisingly, was the one who broke the silence.

"Sorry to break the moment but we have to go now; Amber said she'd meet us at the hotel."

Amber was the successful owner of Middleton software, and had of course been the one to suggest and fund their little reunion.

They had all been eager when she suggested it, via a little used email connection.

It had taken a while for Hex and Paulo to let their bosses give them time off work, but the cogs had fallen into place and here they were, Alpha Force about to reunite for the first time in ten years.

Paulo climbed into the clean black car behind Hex while Li joined Alex and Mary in their battered land rover.

He looked curiously at all the extra features Hex seemed to have in his car, but he blinked and all the knobs and buttons were gone, replaced by an ordinary dashboard. Paulo wondered if he had dreamt the whole thing, after all he was still a bit jetlagged.

Yes, that must be it.

Hex reached over and turned the radio on, and the sleek black car zoomed out of the car park and into the streets of London.

Alpha Force was about to be complete once more…

So that's it, my first chapter. In the next one we'll meet Amber and learn a bit more about the mysterious Hex.

It'll probably be up soon.

But until then, adios!