A/N: Okay, sorry it has taken so long for this update, but finals were really hard and stressful and to top it all off, I had my wisdom teeth cut out 2 days before Christmas. Sucks, I know. Anyway, I have to give credit to my two friends, Heather and Jennifer, for keeping me focused enough to update even if it is short. From now on, I will be writing longer chapters with less frequent updates. If you don't like that, please either vote in my poll or send me a review stating otherwise and why. Thanks to all those who have reviewed and/or favorite me! It's a real confidence booster that I appreciate greatly.
Chapter 1: Gadgets
I was led to an elevator at the end of the hall and Blunt's secretary pushed the down button. The doors swiftly slid open and Ms. Secretary gestured me inside. As the doors slid shut, I stole a glance at my guide. She had her brown hair up in a clip and wore a simple black skirt with a white top. As we came to our stop, she glanced at me and I could see the curiosity and confusion in her eyes, but, in this business, it was best not to ask questions, so she stayed silent.
I was led through the hall that would take me to Mr. Smithers office. Ms. Secretary stopped at his door and with a polite, 'Here we are Mr. Rider,' swiftly left to go back upstairs.
Since it would be rude to enter without knocking, (who knows what kind of gadgets Smithers might have rigged in his office) I gave three sharp raps and entered after hearing a 'Come in.'
In the office/lab, Smithers was leaning over a worktable fiddling with something. Swallowing my laughter at the sight of such an enormous man hunched over working on something that seemed to be half the size of one of his fingertips, I thought How does Smithers make such small gadgets with such large fingers?
Smithers gave a frustrated sigh, looking up to see whom it was that had come to see him. His annoyed and frustrated composure instantly changed to one of happiness and excitement.
"Alex, m'boy! Good to see you, though I'm sure you're not too happy about the circumstances. I must say, you took a while to get here. You haven't started getting out of shape, have you?" Smithers teased with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"It's good to see you too, Mr. Smithers, though you're right about the circumstances," I responded, glad that Smithers had lightened the mood a little.
"Of course, of course. Well, m'boy, I must say that I do believe I've outdone myself this time!" Smithers pushed away from what he was working on and crossed the room to another table. He waved me over and said, "Yes, these were a bit of a challenge. I had to come up with things that you would have with you in school, you see. This, "Smithers said as he picked up a normal-looking fountain pen, "is actually a more sophisticated version of those new FLY Fusion Pentop Computers(1). Anything you write using this on a special paper that I'm giving you will be sent directly to MI6. All you need to do is press down the end of the pen and write your message." Setting the computerized messaging pen aside, Smithers picked the next object in the queue of gadgets.
"Next, we have harmless looking post-it notes. They're actually modeled after the off-brand, but that's hardly worth any notice. They're quite normal, that is, until you peel one off, lick the back side, and stick it on any organic or inorganic surface. That's when you take cover and, about eight seconds later, the post-its will explode, leaving roughly a one-foot diameter hole in whatever it was you stuck it on. Just be careful that you only use one at a time. We wouldn't want you blowing up your school's science department again."
"If you had ever met the science teachers at Brookland, you would have wanted to blow the building up too. I may not have done it on purpose, but I didn't have any regrets either." I said with a small smile.
Smither's large body shook with his boisterous laughter. "Good to know that teachers haven't changed much at all since I was in school. Now, this gadget won't help you much in science, but it would come in handy in English." said as he picked up a slightly torn pocket dictionary. "This one is very similar to the Harry Potter book I gave you for Point Blanc. The only difference is that I have given you three reloads of the tranquilizer darts hidden in the spine instead of only one."
Looking at the next piece of technology in line, it looked to be an expensive looking watch. "This, Alex, is a Accurist Gents Strap MS780B. It has a stainless steel case, black leather strap, chronograph dial, and it's water-resistant. But any website can tell you all of that. What's different about this model is that if you turn the face in the combination 55-10-35, the watch will send out an emergency distress signal to Mr. Blunt, Mrs. Jones, and myself. All three of us will know exactly what it means and we will send in pre-decided SAS teams to come in as your backup, no questions asked. I know your backup hasn't been exactly reliable in the past, but Mr. Blunt realizes how risky this whole thing is and, with the Prime Minister breathing down his back, he isn't taking any chances."
"Now, you're going to need something to keep all of this in, yes? Well then, it's a good thing I have a backpack for you as well. Since I've been working on all of your other gadgets, I didn't have time to do much to this. The best I could do was make it bullet-proof and there are fingerprint scanners on the zippers so only you can open it. Also, if the same person tries to open it more than three times, they will be injected with a tranquilizer that should keep them out for at least five minutes, so you might want to warn your guardian not to try opening it."
"Thanks , you've done a great job. And don't worry, I'll tell Jack to keep her hands off of the backpack. 'I should probably warn Tom as well, so he won't try and sneak out my homework and end up unconscious.'
"Well, I'm glad you approve. Now, there's one more thing I have to give you. Blunt tells me he's authorized your weapons use. I was actually planning on giving you a weapon anyway, but now I don't have to do so under the table. This," said Smithers, holding up a handgun, "is a Walther Model P99 Quick-Action Compact Pistol. It's a 40 S&W caliber with single and double action. I'm also giving you a thigh holster, so make sure you wear baggy pants and don't change out for PE in front of other people. However, if you were to get caught, all you would need to do is show whoever it is the licenses and certifications that I've put in the front pocket of your backpack. If they were to call the numbers on the cards, they would get patched directly to the Bank and we will verify your clearance."
"Thank you, Smithers." I smiled, shouldering my new backpack, happy that Blunt had finally realized that I needed a weapon to keep myself alive through all these missions he was putting me through. With a wave, I turned to leave his office, thinking that perhaps this time, I might make it through without having to deal with all the near-death situations that were becoming the norm for me as of late.
Then again, maybe that was just wishful thinking.
Finally coming to the main lobby, I have to stop a moment before walking out the doors. It wasn't that long ago that I walked out of these same doors and only a few moments later shot by a sniper from Scorpia. Noticing the almost sympathetic look on the security guards face, I mentally shook myself before walking out into the London air. You're supposed to face your fears, right? 'I hope I never have to face the fear of my classmates knowing. They're the only piece of normality I can still cling to.'
And Alex would cling to that small glimmer of hope until it was completely shattered.
So that's the next chapter. I'm sorry it's so short but I'll hopefully be able to make the next longer. I also plan on posting a new story for Harry Potter soon so be on the lookout for that!
R&R
