Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series.
Chapter 1
Alex Rider stared at the blank face of the man in front of him. He replayed the sentence the man had just spoken over and over in his head. The cramped office with its view over London was completely silent besides the ticking of a boring white clock hanging perfectly on the wall. "We need you to do another job for us," was what he had said, almost as if it meant nothing, as if he was speaking to an ordinary person when really he was speaking to a fourteen-year-old boy. Alex wondered how the man could keep a straight face while looking at the obvious shock and disgust on his. "Why do you want me again?" was all that Alex could force himself to say.
"There is a new drug beginning to kill many people in the slums of Argentina. It is called paco, it is an extremely dangerous drug and in the last year its popularity has risen by 500 per cent. It can cause brain damage after only six months and is amazingly cheap at only one peso, the equivalent of 35 cent. This means that even children in the slums can afford it. I have prepared a briefing to fill you in on your mission."
Alan Blunt yet again stared blankly at Alex.
"What on earth makes you think that I'm going to go on another one of your crazy missions, you have nothing to blackmail me with this time," said Alex.
"I know." Blunt replied, "There is nothing stopping you walking straight out the door, so if you don't want to do it go on, I'm not going to stop you." Blunt slid the briefing across the tall desk towards Alex then sat back in his chair.
Alex didn't even stop to look at it; he just got up and walked straight out of the room.
Mrs. Jones the assistant watched carefully as the desperately needed agent called over a cab and got further and further away from the undercover MI6 headquarters. "Are you just going to let him leave like that," she asked furiously.
"He'll be back," Blunt replied.
"How do you know," she asked
"I just know," he said firmly.
Mrs. Jones opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. She knew better then to question Alan Blunt when he was sure about something.
Alex lay face down on his bed.
He had no reason to think about the mission he had turned down but somehow he couldn't get it off his mind.
He heard footsteps on the stairs. Then the door creaked open and Jack Starbright crept into the room.
"Are you okay Alex?" she whispered.
Alex didn't reply.
"You can tell me anything you know."
Yet again Alex remained silent.
Jack got up, turned around and left.
Alex couldn't stop thinking about the mission. He couldn't stop wondering about what it might have been like. Why did he refuse it, he hadn't even read the briefing.
All of a sudden Alex realized what was happening to him but he didn't quite understand it. It was as if he somehow was being overpowered by a huge urge to go on the mission, to be in the action, to be the hero again.
Alex sat up, pulled on his shoes, walked outside and got into a black cab.
"Where to?" the fat, bald cabbie asked.
"Liverpool Street," Alex replied.
