Before the Storm
Chapter One
"Hello boys!"
Jack Starbright's loud and cheerful voice met them as soon as they opened the door. Alex Rider ran down the hall of the London house and gave her a hug, and his uncle, Ian, dumped their bags on the floor with a grin.
"Hello Jack" he said. "House is still here then?"
"Of course!" Jack sauntered down the hall and gave him a demure kiss on the cheek. "How was your trip?"
"Oh, it was great!" Alex enthused, waltzing into the kitchen to find a drink. Jack followed, and took the carton of juice from his hand before he could pour it for himself. She motioned him to sit down and got a glass out of a cupboard.
"We climbed like…4000 feet" Alex continued. "It was amazing, you could see down the whole valley, and then we rafted back down the river…"
Jack exchanged a look with Ian, who had ambled into the kitchen and plonked himself on a stool. He unzipped his jacket and threw it in the direction of the living room sofa.
"So more extreme sports then?" Jack mused. She placed a glass of juice in front of Alex, who downed it in a few gulps. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Yeah!"
Ian laughed. "Yeah, we just can't stop can we? Next time I'll take you skydiving"
"Really?" Alex was wide-eyed.
Ian shrugged. "Why not? It's about time you learned. Unless you're scared of course…"
"No way! When can we go?"
Ian laughed again. His nephew was all he could want in a companion – enthusiastic, athletic and intelligent, he was ready for anything his uncle cared to throw at him. It was a joy to teach the boy things, skills that were not only a whole lot of fun, but which would possibly help him to survive one day. It didn't hurt that it allowed Ian to brush up on a few things too.
Of course, Alex might never follow in the footsteps of his family…
When his parents had been killed, leaving the orphaned child Alex all alone in the world except for a single uncle, Ian hadn't known what to do. Of course, the boy had to be taken in and cared for, but as a young man himself Ian wasn't ready for fatherhood. Far from it; he'd just started his own career as a secret agent and had no idea what to do with the boy, let alone how to look after him. Luckily Jack Starbright had been on hand and had taken over without asking any questions. Ian knew she loved the boy just as much as he did.
If she hadn't beenthere, he didn't like to think what that would have meant for his own life.
Speaking of which…
"Look, Alex, I have to be off early in the morning…" he began. Alex's face fell.
"Again?"
"Yeah, there's a meeting I really can't miss… you know taking this weekend off made me get behind with things…"
"Can't the bank do without you for four days?" Jack asked.
"I'm afraid not" Ian sighed.
"Well, I should have known" Alex said softly. "I mean, when was the last time you managed to spend a whole weekend with me?"
Ian's expression softened. "I'm sorry…there's nothing I can do. I mean it about the skydiving though. As soon as I get some more time off…"
"Yeah yeah" Alex said, standing and stretching his arms. "I'm going to unpack"
He left the room, and Ian heard quick footsteps on the stairs. He sighed heavily.
"That boy…"
"Misses you" Jack finished. She sat on the stool that Alex had vacated. "He's just a kid, and you're the only family he's got. You should try and be here more often"
"That's easier said than done" Ian explained. "I mean, I have to do my job. If I'm not there when I'm needed, I'll get fired"
Jack barked a laugh. "So you'll get another job" she said.
Ian shook his head. "What do you think pays for this house?" He waved his arms expansively. "Property in London doesn't come cheap y'know. And I still pay you the going rate..."
"I know! But still, you're always at some meeting or other"
"You're here" Ian raised his eyebrows pointedly.
"I'm not his cool uncle"
Jack jabbed him playfully in the arm and jumped up before he could retaliate. "Now, can I fix you something to eat? You look famished"
"I am" Ian smiled. "Look, I might be able to get some time off in a couple of weeks. If I don't see Alex before I go…would you tell him?"
"Tell him yourself!"
"I'm no good at that sort of thing!" Ian protested.
The fact was, Alex reminded him so much of his brother he found it difficult to say goodbye. Spending time with him was great, but he was always reminded of what had happened so many years ago. And, of course, the job didn't really allow for soft feelings anyway. A mission was a mission was a mission, no matter how many nephews waited at home.
"Well, whatever" Jack said. "How about steak?"
"Steak would be lovely" Ian said, and yawned. "I'm knackered"
"Food, then bed" Jack instructed. "Where's your meeting?"
"The lakes"
"Up north?"
"Yeah"
"Fancy. Anything interesting? Any major deals, unscrupulous bank managers, enormous bribes….?"
Ian shook his head. "No…no, it'll be boring really."
Seeing Jack's look, he smiled. "Seriously. I can't think of a more mundane way to spend the next fortnight. Well…unless I had to stay here and do laundry or something"
He ducked as a bread roll sailed towards his head.
"Sorry. Tell Alex I'll call in a few days won't you?"
After his perfectly-cooked steak, Ian Rider dragged his backpack upstairs to his room and dumped it on his bed. His enormous bed, he thought, regarding the room thoughtfully. It was odd really, how the room was so well-furnished and yet he hardly ever spent time there. The huge bed was normally empty, the en-suite bathroom was usually pristine and unused (unless Jack was spending an inordinate time in the shower and Alex was desperate) and the curtains were always half-drawn to keep out the heat of the day. The furniture consisted of bed, built-in wardrobe, dresser and comfy chair. There was even a window-seat. Tasteful prints lined the walls to act as focal points, and a large mirror stood on the dresser. Jack was responsible for most of it. The only thing Ian had chosen was the bed, because when he was home the thing he wanted most was an uninterrupted and comfortable night's sleep.
It had taken all day to choose the mattress.
Now, he unpacked his backpack, pulled another, larger bag from underneath the bed and started to transfer things over. From a secure space in the back of the wardrobe he pulled various gadgets and stowed them in the bag. Another hiding-hole behind the bed revealed a sleek handgun, which with its holster went into the pocket of the jacket he planned on wearing the next day. He put everything on the comfy chair by the bed.
Just as he was beginning to undress for a shower, his mobile rang.
"Hello?" he said, unable to keep a tone of annoyance from his voice. Should have switched it off... he thought.
"Ian? It's Blunt"
"Oh, hello. What can I do for you?"
"Just checking you're all set for tomorrow. Didn't want you falling down a mountain and us not knowing about it, eh?"
"Erm...yeah" Ian said. "I'm ready. I'm always ready" What's Blunt calling for anyway? There must be more than just checking I'm actually going on the mission...
There was a silence on the other end, followed by a female voice,and then Mr. Blunt could be heard clearing his throat.
"Right, well, I was just calling to let you know, really, that there's an undercover Agent at the facility you're going to tomorrow, and you're not to expose them, or get in their way or anything..."
"What?" Ian saw his incredulous expression in the mirror on the dresser. "You didn't mention this before..."
"Ah, well, we only just found out. Anyway, that's allI wanted to say really. Just, don't get in their way"
"Wait a minute!" Ian cried, sensing Blunt was about to hang up. "Who is this Agent? What are they doing?"
"Erm..." There was more silence, and then a female voice continued.
"Ian? We don't know who the Agent is, or what they're doing, but we know they're there"
Ri...ight... Ian thought.
"Hello Miss Jones" he said cheerfully. "That's some sterling information you have there. Could I ask where you got it from?"
"A source close to us" Miss Jones explained. "A very reputable source. They don't want their situation compromised"
"So...I'm to look out for this Agent, although if they're any good there won't be any clues that they are an Agent..." Ian frowned. "Hang on, what exactly am I supposed to do?"
Mr. Blunt was back on the other end of the line. He coughed. "Erm...Nothing. Just letting you know, in case..."
"In case?"
"In case..." Another cough..."Well, Mr. Rider, I think that's about all. Have a...ahem, a good night"
The line went dead. Ian stared at his phone for a few seconds, then shook his head to clear it.
"Barmy" he whispered.
Throwing the phone onto his bed in disgust, he pulled off the rest of his clothes, set hisbedside alarm for 0630,and headed for the shower.
A/N: Very short I know, but there is more to come. It's about time there was an Ian/OC, yes? Let me know if you think it's a good idea...!