It had been a couple of weeks since Alex had moved to San Francisco and, to be honest, he was finding the transition hard. A new school, a different lifestyle and a completely different country culminated in a rather large adjustment on his part. Thankfully, Spring Break had come and Alex had welcomed it with open arms.
The only downside was that Edward Pleasure had been called up to WashingtonD.C. to interview some war hero at the Marine barracks that Alex hadn't heard of. Liz and Sabina had jumped at the opportunity to tag along. After gushing for around an hour, they finally realised that they should ask Alex for his opinion.
That's how Alex found himself sitting next to Sabina in the back of the Pleasure's Range Rover, listening to his iPod. He had saved himself from their puppy dog looks by uttering the very teenaged phrase, 'whatever' as soon as the attention was drawn on him.
"We're here," Liz announced from the front seat. "This is the hotel we'll be staying in. Get ready to grab your bags."
Alex pulled out his ear buds and shoved his iPod in his pocket. He scanned his surroundings for anything suspicious as they pulled to a stop in front of the card reader at the entrance to the underground parking lot. In fact, he'd been secretly doing periodic checks for suspicious activity the whole time they'd been driving.
If the Pleasures had noticed his paranoia, they hadn't said anything. Then again, he was very good at hiding his emotions so it was even more likely that they honestly hadn't realised what he had been up to.
"Here we are," Edward pulled to a stop and flipped the handle for the trunk.
Immediately, they all exited the vehicle and slammed the doors behind them. Alex pulled out all the heavier bags and balanced them on their side so they could be pulled along. He grabbed his much lighter bags and threw them over his shoulder before stepping aside to let the others get their stuff.
"Alex, can you help me with some of my bags?" Liz asked him as she grabbed her large purse and backpack. The teenaged boy resisted the urge to roll his eyes and grabbed the woman's large duffel bag. With his free hand he grabbed the handle of her large purple suitcase so he could wheel it along behind him.
In the corner of his eye, he spotted Sabina struggling with her luggage as well. With Edward's injured leg, the man was barely managing his sole duffel bag.
"I'll come back for the rest of our luggage," Alex suggested. "Let's just go and check in for now. It's getting late."
The suggestion was welcomed with some visible relief on the Pleasure's part. Edward locked the car and hobbled along after his wife and daughter to the elevator that led up to the lobby. Alex followed them in just as Edward had swiped the card and pressed the button for the lobby.
When they arrived in the lobby, they weren't expecting the utter chaos that was before them. A Bride and Groom were smooching in one corner while a lot of men and women were spread out across the lobby drinking Champagne and talking loudly. Since a lot of them were dressed identically, Alex determined that the room was most likely filled with the couple's Bridal Party and their entourage.
"Do you need any help with your luggage?" a Bellboy asked them.
Alex gratefully handed the bags he carried to the young man, who put them on a large golden trolley. He informed the Pleasures that he was going to get the rest of their luggage and swiftly pick-pocketed the Edward's access card from his pocket. When he waved it in the air afterwards, he smirked as Sabina's father patted himself down in disbelief.
The trip down to fetch the remaining luggage was uneventful to say the least. It took him less than a few minutes to catch up with the Pleasures outside their hotel room.
Sabina whistled as he approached, "That was bloody fast!"
"What can I say?" Alex smiled. "I'm talented."
"Well, Mr. Talented, I could really do with my access card," Edward held out a hand. When the card was placed in his hand, the man narrowed his eyes, "Where'd you learn that particular skill?"
"Would you believe the internet?"
The man sighed and shook his head. Luckily for Alex, Edward hadn't bothered to pursue the issue any further. Anything relating to M16 and his spy skills bothered the boy. Somehow Ian Rider had become lumped in that category too. After all, everything he'd been through could have been easily avoided if it weren't for his Uncle.
"Well, Edward and I will be going to bed now," Liz addressed the teenagers. "Don't stay up too late."
"Actually, I'm also completely wiped out," Sabina said. As her parents retreated to the master bedroom, she yawned before scratching through the luggage, "I was going to set the alarm on my phone. Where is my purse?"
Alex's eyes widened slightly when he remembered the small, black bag in the hands of the bellhop from earlier. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Sabina. "Use mine. I've got a feeling you left yours in the lobby," he lied. "I'll go check."
He rushed out the door and had just rushed down the hall after the bellhop when he realised that he had forgotten to grab one of the spare access keys he had spotted sitting in a wooden bowl in their suite. Shrugging off the thought, he slid into the elevator just as it was about to close behind their bellhop from earlier.
"Why are you in such a rush, kid?" the young man asked as Alex nearly knocked him over.
Alex huffed, stood back and held out a hand, "Sabina's purse. You took it. I want I back."
The man flinched but quickly maintained his composure, "You must be mistaken, kid. I was only wheeling in your family's larger luggage. Maybe you should look properly before accusing me of theft. You—"
Alex rolled his eyes and casually leaned back against the railing inside the elevator. A smile slowly spread across his face.
"Why are you smiling?" the bellhop found the boy's sudden change in demeanour disconcerting.
The teenaged boy pulled out a phone from his pocket and scrolled through its contacts. "I was just wondering how Jenny, Amber and Tina would react to finding out that you have been frequently visiting a shady brothel on the other side of town."
"T-that's my phone!"
"You don't say!" Alex said sarcastically. The doors dinged open he looked down at his watch, "You've got twenty minutes to hand Sabina's purse to reception. If not, this little thing is going to be dropped in the nearest river – which if I'm right, is the Anacostia river."
Before the man could make a grab at him, the fifteen-year-old weaved through the crowded lobby and towards the front doors. As he passed the front desk, Alex nicked a business card and rushed outside.
After memorising the hotel's number, Alex ducked into the shadows and stuffed his hands into his pockets. The air was a little chilly but he could survive. He'd managed to get through much worse. In fact, he was looking forward to some time alone for once.
You know, he hadn't really thought about it, but since Jack… Since Cairo, he corrected, he'd been constantly distracted by something or another. Talking about distracted, Alex had absolutely no clue where he was anymore. While he was always vigilant in watching for tails and enemy snipers, the boy had forgotten to note the streets that he had taken.
"Oh, great," he groaned.
A light suddenly flicked on in a small warehouse to his right. Because the temperature was dropping rapidly, Alex thought it wise to stop ask for directions. He knocked on the door loudly and jumped up and down on the doorstep in an attempt to keep himself warm.
Alex cleared his throat as he knocked once again, "I know you're in there. All I want is directions. Then, I'll be on my way."
Due to the force of his knocking, the door gave way and swung open to reveal a sparse room. Not a person in sight. Since Alex was a curious person by nature he stepped into the warehouse and began to look around.
"Hello, anyone there?" he called out.
That was when something unexpected happened. As he stepped forward, the ground beneath him gave away and he found himself falling about six feet, give or take. He winced as landed quite hard on his side. With a sinking feeling, he pulled out the bellboy's now-crushed phone.
Alex pushed himself up off the ground and turned on the light on his watch. Thanks to a little tweaking from Smithers, the intensity of the light could be adjusted. As an apology for lying to Alex, the M16 Agent had sent him a tricked out watch, iPod and a large set of explosive earrings.
Apparently, the latter was purely to keep the hole in his ear from Point Blanc from closing up. Up till then, Alex had kept a simple black stud in his ear since he had no clue what to do with it. If it weren't for the awesome design he wouldn't have touched the things let alone worn them.
Alex sighed and shined the torch at his surroundings. He seemed to be in a tunnel of sorts. Since there was no possible way to climb back up to where he fell, the boy resigned himself to a little bit of exploration.