Disclaimer: This is set a couple of years after the books. I don't own Alex Rider, and no offence to anyone who calls their kid Maybelline ;)

The exotic locations might have been a perk of the job, but after bouncing between the sweltering heat of the Australian summer and the icy temperatures in Siberia on back-to-back missions, Alex was glad to be back in the UK for his next assignment. Sure, he would've preferred somewhere flatter and warmer than the Peak District, but he'd take what he could get right now. And the scenery wasn't bad, though he would swap the silent mountains for bustling streets in a heartbeat.

He was already on his third coffee of the day, in a thermos flask he'd been given when he was dropped at 6am that morning. It was a simple surveillance mission (supposed to be, anyway) that he had to put up with occasionally now he was working for SIS full-time.

He was in position with binoculars and a Spy-pod from Smithers to listen in from further away over half an hour from the expected arrival of the targets: two people who had been exchanging suspicious envelopes over the past month. It should have been perfectly routine, but it was just his luck that a couple chose to come that way for an early morning hike and he had to scramble from the site and rush to different cover before they walked right over him - a surety if he hadn't heard them through the gadget before they came into view. The unfortunate catch was that it broke during the move. He'd have to get much closer to be able to hear what they were saying.

He waited until the hikers moved on and then slipped out towards the gate that had been agreed upon as the RV spot. There was a point nearby where the drystone wall had collapsed and he lay down so he could see through the gap, hopefully within earshot. This close, the binoculars were unnecessary, and he tucked them away - Smithers would kill him if he damaged those, too.

A stray stone was digging uncomfortably into his thigh but he forced himself to ignore it - the targets were coming into view and he knew that if he allowed himself to adjust that, he'd end up shuffling constantly and draw attention to himself. His heart was still pounding in his head after the quick move and he closed his eyes while getting his breathing under control.

"What are you doing?"

Alex jumped and almost swore, annoyed at himself for allowing someone to sneak up on him, but his instinct to remain silent overrode the curse. It was just as well - when he looked up he came he found that the speaker was a young girl, maybe six years old, with unruly curls and a smudge on her cheek that could equally have been mud or chocolate. He glanced anxiously at the targets, who luckily hadn't noticed them yet, but it was only a matter of time.

"I'm hiding," he decided to say. "Get down before you give away my position."

"Oh!" She lay down at once. "Are you playing hide-and-seek?" she asked in a stage-whisper.

"Sort of," Alex told her, "only I'm hiding and seeking at the same time."

She frowned. "Isn't that like spying?"

Alex's heart jumped but he forced himself to remember that she was just an innocent kid who had no idea that he was here on a real mission - hopefully, anyway, though with his luck she'd probably turn out to be the one masterminding the entire operation.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Mummy said that spying is wrong."

"Sometimes it is. But now it's okay because it's for a game." Alex was starting to feel slightly irritable now the panic had worn off, but he forced himself to be patient. "Where is your mummy, anyway?"

"She and Daddy went on ahead. I was exploring."

Alex realised that those must be the hikers who had passed by and felt worry stirring - that had been five minutes ago - but bit back his comment. The targets were almost within earshot.

"Are those the people we're spying on?"

"Yes," Alex whispered. "Now be very, very quiet."

She obeyed the instruction at first, but grew impatient quickly. "I like normal hide-and-seek better. This is boring."

"Shh."

She huffed and ignored him. "I want-"

He clapped a hand over her mouth before she could finish what she was saying. She glared at him in a way that would have given away her intentions, but he was too focused on the men and didn't see it coming.

"Ow!"

He snatched his hand back. So much for an innocent child. He felt far more annoyed with her now that she'd bitten him, dammit - hard, too.

"What was that?"

They'd heard him. His day was just getting better and better.

"I'll go check," one said.

Alex held his breath. The kid didn't have any such reservations, getting to her feet.

"I don't want to play this game anymore," she said, flouncing away.

"A kid?" the man said incredulously, turning to his companion and offering a half-shrug. He came closer and saw Alex.

"What are you doing down there?" he questioned.

"Uh, I was… birdwatching! With my sister." Alex dug out the binoculars and offered them up as proof.

"She said you were playing a game."

"Yeah well, she got bored, so we started on I Spy."

"Right. And that's your sister?"

"Yeah," he agreed. He glanced back and realised that the girl was obviously a different ethnicity. "...Half sister."

"Okay," the man said, but he sounded suspicious. "What are your names?"

"I'm Jack," Alex lied, "and that's Sarah."

"No I'm not. I'm Maybelline."

He shot her a look telling her to shut up and go with it, which naturally she didn't understand. Maybelline. Seriously, who named their kid that?

"Right, yep. Sarah's a nickname."

He actually thought, for a few precious seconds, that the guy believed him. The illusion didn't last long. He was pulled to his feet by the lapel of his coat and brought face-to-face with the man.

"Who are you and why are you here?" There was no mistaking the tone of voice.

"Geeze, did you forget to brush your teeth this morning? Dude, your breath stinks."

Alex took advantage of his momentary confusion and headbutted him in the nose. A short tussle followed, which somehow resulted in both the targets and Alex sprawled on the ground, though he'd never be able to explain how.

"You dropped this," Maybelline said. She was holding out a large brown envelope to the target that had been hanging back before.

"Yes, Maybelline! Give that to me!" Alex exclaimed quickly, jumping to his feet.

"Why?"

"So we can win the game. You want to win, right?"

"I stopped playing," she said, but she gave it to him anyway.

He ripped it open and scanned the contents.

"Give that back!" one man said. "Or I'll hurt Sarah."

Alex barely glanced at him. "No you won't"

"I will!"

"Nope. Your tone lacked conviction. Definitely a two if I were to measure how threatening you seem on a scale of 'a really adorable puppy' to 'about to mince me alive' - actually, no, I've seen some pretty scary puppies." He flipped through the documents - plane ticket, fake passport and other paperwork. "So do I get to know why you're trying to flee the UK?"

He wasn't really expecting an answer, but after a moment of silence the man began talking.

"I was being blackmailed. My boss - she wanted too much from me. I thought it would be better after the old one was sacked, but she could be just as ruthless when she thought it was necessary. To be fair, it usually was, but I can't keep doing it."

Alex stared, not quite believing what he was hearing. "And you work for…"

He licked his lips. "That's classified."

"Fine. Dammit! Just take the papers."

"You're letting me go?"

"No. You threatened to hurt Maybelline and I gave you what you wanted to protect an innocent civilian. At least, that's what I'm telling Jones."

"You're from SIS?"

"No, I'm a tourist with a passion for birdwatching." Alex rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm from MI6. Now get out of my sight."

The ex-intelligence officer took the papers before Alex could change his mind, but he paused when he reached the gate.

"They did the same to you, didn't they? And you're not even… how old?"

He got no reply, but the silence was an answer in itself. He shook his head. "Nevermind. Good luck to you, kid."

Alex watched him go. The other target regarded him suspiciously, but left without a word when it was clear that Alex had no desire to stop him.

The November sun rose, filling the sky with a pale orange glow, and he experienced an inner calm as he reflected on his choice.

"Maybelline! Where are you?"

The moment was shattered. Panicked parents. Great.

Two days later.

"So you're telling me your mission went wrong, all because of a six-year-old girl?" Jones frowned. "That was a rogue agent. You let a possible traitor escape!"

"Sorry," Alex said, trying to appear apologetic. He was a better actor than the operative, so he thought he was quite convincing, though he could barely bring himself to care. "Can I go now?"

Personally, he thought the mission had gone very right.

A.N. Thank you for reading! Please review, and I will love you if you point out typos that my 1am brain is too tired to find. This is a story for Spyfest, so if you aren't familiar with this event do yourself a favour and check out the Revival forum. Trust me, it's an awesome thing to be part of. You'll be able to vote for Week 1 stories soon as well, so go read the others if you haven't already. Much love, now let me post and go to sleep :P