Chapter Two: Near-miss and New Ally
'So here it all goes. Down the plug-hole', thought Kyra
Dawn impishly, putting her all behind her lethal boxing-bag
strikes, oblivious of the deep open-palm welts her knuckles
were amassing. BLAMPH!! The electric-blue boxing-bag fl-
ew backwards, straining at its steel ceiling-tether as it strai-
ned for release. "Damn them!! Damn them and their lies and
justice crap", Kyra growled mutinously to herself, raining bar-
rage after barrage upon the unanimate target. BLAMPH!!.
Kyra dodged aside effortlessly, as the 'bag swung retaliat-
ingly forwards. Kyra then swept intricately into a swift series
of blocks, strikes and defense, pounding combo after combo
upon the creaking, defenseless boxing-bag of MI6 Training-
Stadium. Kyra's violet-purple eyes took on a haunted, crazed
menace, growing crazed with fanaticism and deep defiance.
Her copper-russet hair flew out behind her like an avenging
shade. An ominous creak of a high-above chandelier sounded
high above, but Kyra heeded it not in her fanatical fury now.
The newest MI6 continued to rain flurry after flurry of truly
devastating move-combos upon the solitary, solid boxing-
bag as high above, the crystal chandelier escaped its prison...
CLINK. CLATTER. "LOOK OUT!!", someone shouted hoa-
rsely, leaping at Kyra and dive-tackling her to the floor, as the
deadly projectile shattered into a million pieces upon the map-
lewood floor, mere metres from Kyra's last position, a few s-
econds before. Shaking furiously, Kyra looked up shakily,
skin-deep in the frigidity of aftershock as she surveyed the
near-accident-scene. It was not a pretty scene, she noticed.
In Kyra's terror-daze, she blurrily registered an extremely-
pretty girl with kind, emerald-green eyes and hair of burni-
shed bronze, sporting a confident grin. "You dolt!! See wh-
at would have happened, had I not saved you from yourself?
You're in serious need of a stressball, matey. We need to
get ya re-organised, so come with me. I'm George Thomas,
by the way", said the kindly new girl, her accent broadly British.
Still in aftershock, Kyra let George help her to her feet, then
felt a spasm of pain thunder up from her right ankle and near-
crumpled, unable to stop her gaze straying onto the diamond-
shards, lying broken and gleaming upon the maplewood floor.
Nor could Kyra avert her mind from their fallen beauty, or do
anything except allow herself to be borne away by the pretty
stranger, other than nodding occasionally in response to any
elusive, unlucid sound. As the two unlikely new friends reached
the Stadium door, they found their way blocked by Alex Rider,
who lounged casually against the doorframe, looking pretty
pleased with himself as he did so. "George. What happened
to her?", Alex asked George directly, purposefully shifting his
body to more effectively block any gaps, ignoring Kyra intent-
ionally. Alex's usually-tanned face was slightly flushed, his ex-
pression neutral and his eyes gleaming excitedly in triumph.
George sent Alex her best lok of vicious contempt. "She's
got a name, Ride-boy!! One I don't know yet, but a name
nonetheless! Get out of our way!!", she snapped acidly,
her tone containing an edge of diamond-sharp super steel.
Alex stepped aside lazily, his hands raised disarmingly, as
he grinned ruefully at George, his tousled brown-blonde
haired spiked attractively. "As you wish, Your Crabbiness!",
he retorted sharply, greatly wounded by his girlf's venom.
As George supported an extremely-shaking, staring-
blankly Kyra out of the Stadium, an incensed Alex called
out spitefully. His words followed George chillingly now.
