There was a crack, as the deck of the ship split, the fire beneath spilling through the gaps. Men, cried out as the boat lurched, tipping wildly in the storm, and defying all forms of normality. Gun shots rang out, almost muffled by the noises around it, barely casting any attention to the shape that the bullets followed.
The night paused as he jumped over the railing, watching as one bullet hit, driving him further off the boat and into the restless waters at the same moment that the fire finally reached it's target.
Not even the storm could dampen the explosion that followed, leaving behind nothing but floating shapes and flaming memories of the ship called the Adler.
Walter Sherman sat at the bar of the Ends of the Earth, bouncing ping pong balls across as many tables as possible before getting them to land in the cup at the other end of the room. Behind him, Leo Knox watched patiently, cleaning glasses as the heat of the day began to fall.
"I'm bored."
Leo sighed and rolled his eyes. "You are worse than Willa."
"Where is our resident thief anyway?"
"In her trailer." He muttered, turning and heading towards the kitchen.
Walter twisted his head towards the retreating man, before shrugging. "Nyeh, I'll call Isabel, she'll come play with me." He paused, thinking. "That sounded wrong."
Pushing himself to his feet, he turned and walked out the door, missing the exact moment when something thudded onto the decking that lined the river beside the drinking establishment. Leo looked up sharply, glancing around the room as though unsure of whether it was Walter playing a joke, before putting the glass back down and moving towards the back of the bar.
The silence pushed through the air, objects undisturbed in the pantry and kitchen as he checked, before giving up and moving back towards the bar. After a few more minutes cleaning, he sighed and picked up his book, lifting himself on to the bar stool with his nose already in the book.
"I'm still bored." Walter muttered, stalking back in to the chalkboard to write.
Leo didn't look up. "I thought you were calling Isabel."
"She said she's busy, arresting criminals and stuff. Maybe we should check on Willa."
The man sighed, closing the book as Walter settled next to him. On the board, two topics were written, and the two dissolved into their normal debates about what was better.
Isabel sipped through the straw slowly, watching Walter tap the table animatedly. "I thought you were busy?"
"I finished what I needed to do, and I thought I'd rescue Leo and Willa from your antics."
Willa rolled her eyes behind her magazine. "Oh joy, if only you'd been here earlier."
The lights of the Ends of the Earth swung as the breeze of the river swept warmly through the room. No other patrons were in the bar, as the night drew ever closer to its climax, and yet the four continued to sit and chat, laughing loudly occasionally.
There was a small noise, sounding underneath the music from the jukebox, causing Willa to look up.
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Walter called, not looking up from his cards as they sat around the table.
She frowned, twisting on her chair to look out into the night. "... Nothing, it doesn't matter."
"Nothing? Is this a distraction technique?"
Isabel rolled her eyes. "If it is, it's working on you."
"Is not.
"What do you call this-"
Willa's head whipped around again to face the window. "Tell me you heard that."
"Stop making things up." Walter muttered, looking out the window as well.
"I'm not making things up! Something out there is making a noise!"
Leo spoke up, acting like a mediator. "Maybe its an animal."
"That was so not an animal."
The group were quiet, listening, when there was a sudden thud on the deck outside. Each of them stood up, Isabel unclipping her service issue and moving to follow Walter who was breezing straight over to the doorway.
"Walter." She hissed, trying to catch up to him whilst moving silently. "Walter!"
Leo rolled his eyes at the careless behavior, but followed the man out into the cool air regardless. The night was darker than they'd anticipated, and it took a minute for their eyes to adjust to the contrast in lighting. Isabel was the first to notice the shape against the wall hidden by the outdoor furniture.
The raised her gun at the figure, moving slowly closer. "FBI! Put your hands where I can see them."
There was no movement, and the group stepped closer, Willa standing on her tip toes to see over the womans shoulders. The silence that stared back at them, left an uncomfortable tenseness in the air.
Walter shoved is hands into his pockets and moved next to the shadow, and moved to poke him with his foot.
Suddenly the whites of two eyes appeared and the figure moved, deftly sending Walter flying into the side of the shack and leaping to his feet at the same time. The shape flew, lunging at Isabel, who raised her gun again to shoot, only to find it missing from her grip. There was a crack and a splash as the full clip as thrown into the water beside them.
As Isabel stepped backwards, Leo moved, swinging at the head of the figure. They were dancing along the edge of the dock, moving further along the pier, the black man unable to land a touch on the shape as he danced deftly without fighting back.
All of a sudden, the shape paused as he moved, raising his hand to his side with a grimace. Isabel narrowed her eyes at the sight, shifting slightly to stop Walter from diving back into the fray now that he'd recovered.
From a distance, she could now see that the figure was a boy, not quite a man. He was tall, and muscled, and held himself in a way that she knew spoke of much experience in the hardships of life. It reminded her of the agents she's met that were in retirement due to old injuries; a tense awareness of everything, and a lack of care for their own well being.
"Leo!" She called out, causing him to pause and glance at her. The boy straightened, turning to stare at her with cold eyes, analysing her in the same way she had him. No doubt with more detail. His hand was still on his side.
She stepped forward slowly, only stopping at Leo's side. "My name is Isabel Zamabada. I work with-"
"The FBI. I know. You're studying at night for your future job, and sleeping with that man over there. His name is Walter Sherman, and he has a compulsion to find things after being blown up over seas. He's staying here, with this man, who feels he owes him something, and the ex-thief."
There was a minute of stunned silence, before the boy smiled sarcastically. "I suppose what you really wanted to know was my name."
Isabel shook her head slightly at the boy, astounded. Walter grinned from where he was by Willa. "Well, you got that right. And let me tell you, her studying does nothing to deter those wandering-"
"Ew! Gross!" Willa cut off, turning her head away and pulling a face. She glanced at the boy watching on, emotionless. "So what is your name then? You're kinda cute."
Leo frowned. "Willa!"
Walter rolled his eyes, pulling a tounge childishly. "You can't just say that about me and Isabel, but then go off and say about him being cute. Let me tell you, most boys are just interested in sex, so by saying 'ew' you're just turning them away. Now if you had more interest in-"
"Walter!" Leo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, turning to the two.
Isabel ignored them, still watching the boy who she knew was aware of it. "Are you injured?"
"You're observant." He replied, smiling slightly. "Never doubt yourself, Miss Zambada, know matter what happens."
She paused before replying, ignoring the arguing going on in the background. Leo had moved closer to the bar to talk easier, leaving the two standing on the pier. "What is that supposed to mean?"
He shook his head, lifting his hand from the black t-shirt he wore. His hand was red with blood. "You wouldn't happen to have a first aid kit would you?" He asked innocently, ignoring her question.
The woman nodded, moving towards the bar and gesturing for him to follow. The two passed the trio quietly, and the boy stood beside the bar as the woman moved behind it. The first aid box was big, and Isabel slid it on top of the bar with a grunt.
"So what is your name?" She asked, moving round as the boy threw open the box. He rooted round for a minute, before pulling out a pair of tweezers, a needle and a roll of gauze, a small reel of thread hidden in the centre. He then set a bottle of antiseptic up next to a disposable cloth, and looked up at the woman.
"Do you have a lighter?"
"A what?"
"A lighter." He looked at her, almost smirking. "You use them to light a cigarette. You know, fire comes out."
She paused, before leaning over the bar to reach for one. "Leo took it from one of the customers when they ignored the no smoking policy. Hasn't been back for it so.."
He took it with a grateful smiled, before pulling the long sleeved t-shirt off over his head.
Isabel gasped, eyes unable to settle on any one part of him. There were bruises and unhealed cuts and scars of every description. To add to it all, there was an open, bleeding bullet wound.
The boy chuckled at her look, and she raised her eyes to see the boy heating the tweezers in the flame.
"What are you doing?"
He snorted, before spreading the bullet hole with his fingers. "Got to get it out of me some way." He paused, looking up at her with a more honest smile before turning back to the metal in his side. "And my name is Alex Rider."
(A/N) I'm back! I know, it's been so long :D if you haven't watched the Finder, I would seriously recommend it. It's about a guy who has a compulsion to find things after he got blown up in a war. It's quite funny :D There is, unfortunately, only one season. Anyway, let me know what you think :D