Cub Airlines
Mr. Grey was watching the pupils more carefully than usual this year. The reason was simple; Alex Rider had gone to Paris – he'd chose this because it was close enough to London that they could be back again in less than an hour if Alex went missing, again. But much to Mr. Grey's relief everything went according to plan. The students at Brookland were returning for a few days before the term began.
Then everything went wrong and for once it had nothing to do with Alex. A man with white blonde hair, grey eyes which penetrated the cabin with an icy coolness had appeared. The two people who had run into the room were cowering behind an air steward's drinks trolley. Another cold eyed person came in after the trio. She could have been the first man's sister; long silver blonde hair and eyes like the winter sky. The couple now hiding behind the trolley looked fairly familiar to Mr. Grey. The woman had bright green eyes, long legs and a (if Mr. Grey wasn't in love with Marie-Jean, his wife) he'd have said fine curves. The man was tall, dark haired, with eyes as black as night, and strong cheek bones. They had come from the first class cabin. Mr. Grey could see instantly what was frightening the couple; both blondes were holding dangerous looking knives.
'Leave them alone,' Alex had jumped up out of the seat. Tom groaned from beside him.
'You,' Basil the male blonde assassin hissed.
Basil stared at the teenager before his eyes. Everything seemed to be going wrong with this mission. It started off fine they had killed the pilots and left it on auto plot which would do until they had killed the young actor and actress couple. Only the couple had ended up in the second class cabin. And who should appear but Alex bloody Rider. The least time they had met the teenage spy had stopped them. If they failed another mission they would be out of work; already there were those looking to take there place.
'Me,' said Alex calmly, 'Basil, Rosemary,' Alex nodded at the SCORPIA agents.
Brookland students and teachers, bar Tom, were staring at Alex in shock. How the hell did he know the blonde knife wielding psychos?
'MI6?' asked Marcus.
'Nah,' said Alex, 'you have ruined my holiday: no missions and no homework. You should be worried you've pissed me off – a very bad place to be! Didn't you learn with the bomb in Rome?' Then Alex answered his own question, 'you Mafia types never do.'
Alex's voice was so cold; his dark eyes that had seen to much far older than anyone of his age bored into the assassins eyes. The assassins looked mildly uncomfortable at being in such close proximity to the teenager who was well known as being the most lethal weapon in Britain. But all the civilians shuddered at his look wondering just who he was. And what the hell a teenager had to do with the secret service! A hostess chose this moment to appear not noticing at first the hostility or the knives.
'The pilots have been murdered,' she squealed terrified looking close to fainting.
Alex swore and sprang into action knocking the knives out of both assassins' hands. He then lashed out with the palm of his hand pushing fragments of Basil's nose into his brain. He fell down dead as Alex struck out with his other hand breaking Rosemary's neck. Again she died instantly. He then prepared to fly the plane to London.
'Shouldn't we tie them up?' asked Miss Bedfordshire.
'They won't be going anywhere,' replied Alex coldly.
'But the plane ...' trailed off the frightened and confused stewardess.
'I fly,' was all Alex said not liking to give information about himself.
Alex disappeared off to fly the plane. The stewardess first sent the actor and actress back to their cabin and picked up the steward who'd been accidentally knocked unconscious in the commotion. She then bent over the assassins.
'They're dead,' she whispered.
'A-Alex,' stuttered Miss Bedfordshire.
'Spy,' sighed Tom hating knowing that Alex had killed before and would kill again.
'This is your Captain speaking. I am sorry for the disturbance in your flight we will be landing in thirty minutes. Please do not panic it has been dealt with by Cub Airlines,' said Alex over the telecoms system sounding like he was quite enjoying himself.
'Is he enjoying himself?' asked a disbelieving Jessie Thomas.
'That's Alex,' Tom shook his head wishing he understood his best friend a bit better.
'So that's why he's always off "sick",' muttered Miss Bedfordshire.
'Would all passengers please wait for instructions before getting off! Do not be alarmed at the military; they are here to help,' Alex spoke with the authority his job had given him.
Brookland and the rest of the second class passengers were soon after the two first class people the assassins had tried to kill were out. They were guided to a private room were they were each given an Official Secrets Act to sign.
'What happens if we refuse?' asked Jessie Thomas and some of the others looked like they agreed.
'If you're lucky prison,' said Alex entering the lounge giving a nod to Ben.
'And if we're not?' asked Miss Bedfordshire a little scared of the boy she liked who turned out to be a lethal spy.
'My enemies aren't above torturing and killing children,' was Alex's reply. Seeing the children and teacher's frightened faces his eyes softened. 'This is to protect you as much as me.'
Nobody protested after this.