Thank you to my first reviewers: lilmusicfreak, xoxoSephyoxox, and Deadly-Flame.

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Alex Rider At All.

Chapter Two: New Toys

The elevator doors popped open and Alex walked out down the hall to a door with a name plate which read 'Smithers' across it in silver letters. Alex knocked three times on the door and it automatically opened.

"Ah, Alex! How good to see you old boy. How have you been? Keeping out of trouble I hope." The man said delightedly, holding a remote control--to open the door, Alex guessed--behind the desk.

"No more than usual," Alex told him. "Mr. Blunt sent me to get--"

"Some new toys? Yes, I know, he informed me this morning." Smithers said standing up and walking over to a steel-door cabinet, and opening it up. "I've been working on some new things." Smithers mumbled as he picked up several objects from within the cabinet and walking back over to the desk to lay them out.

Smithers picked up a baseball cap. "Now this--"

"Uhm, just so you know, hats aren't really my thing..." Alex told him.

"Well, it'll have to be for a while." Smithers said, chuckling slightly. "This baseball cap has a tiny video recorder within it. See the little logo?" He pointed with a pudgy finger at a Cardinal's small beady black eye. "The camera is implanted in the middle of the eye."

Alex nodded, only slightly impressed. "And how exactly am I supposed to look at the video if it's in there?"

Smithers flipped the hate over and pointed to a small silver stud. "Just pull the stud out and press it into this..." He next picked up an MP3 player with a screen about as big as the palm of a hand. "Just use the controls as they instruct: play, pause--good for frame by frame viewing--, stop, rewind, fastforward."

Alex nodded. "Okay, easy enough. And next?"

Smithers picked up a cell phone and pulled it's antenna up to its fullest extent. "This, is a syncronized listening device. Press the 'talk' button and pull the antenna up. You can listen in on conversations from up to twenty feet away." The man then picked up a a small flashlight. "This--"

"Wait," Alex said, grinning bemusely. "Let me guess, that's for...making people go blind?"

Smithers gave him a 'don't mock me' look. "No. In this is embedded a small laser. Use it to get through any kind of metal, wood, carbonized steel...basically anything."

"Don't I get any guns this time? I'm old enough by now." Alex asked.

"Mr. Blunt still won't permit it." Smithers told him.

"Come on, you can just give me some stun darts or something, couldn't you? Or just a small pistol?"

"I seriously doubt you'd get through airport security with a pistol, Alex." Smithers said, then picked up a silver fountain pen. "I thought the 'stun dart' issue may come up, so I put togther this. It's not unusal for teenagers to carry pens with them."

"But a fountain pen? That's a bit...grandpa-ish, don't you think?" Alex asked.

Smithers gave him a stern look, "Take what you can get, Alex."

"Okay, okay," Alex said. "Is that all?"

Smithers nodded. "Yes, i'm afraid that's everything that will help you with this mission, or rather, that's everything I've managed to make since your last assignment."

Alex nodded and looked at his watch; Jack had told him to be home by five for dinner. Or rather the take--out dinner she'd picked up on her way back from the grocery. Jack never usually made anything that took longer than ten minutes to prepare. Alex put everything Smithers handed him in his backpack.

"Right, well, I have to go anyway. Thanks for this, Smithers." He said.

Smithers nodded. "No problem, Alex. It was my pleasure."

Alex gave a small wave and exited the room. He could feel his backpack was already several pounds heavier as he walked out of the elevator and towards the doors of the Royal and General Bank.

Several hours later that night, Alex was sitting up in his bed with the folder and its contents that Mrs. Jones had given him layed out in front of him. There was several papers with information on the girl he was supposed to protect, a page on her father, and the German criminal who wanted Mr. Storms' industry. Though he couldn't help but read the girls' profile through several times.

Name: Natalia Ryanna Storms

Age: 15

Gener: Female

Blood Type: A

Parents: Richard Storms (Father), Marianna Storms (mother) maiden name: Martinez

Siblings: None

School: Bruicks Prepatory Academy

Grade: 10th

After School Activities: Soccer, dance lessons (ballet)

Well, well, well, Balarina Barbie, Alex thought amusedly as he studied her picture which was attacked to the papers. Another paper was stapled to her profile with information of her family records. Natalia had light brown hair which fell to her shoulders and bright electric blue eyes. She had one of the whitest smiles Alex had ever seen. He thought she looked like an angel. Her father's profile, to Alex, seemed more boring than history class. It was filled with information of his industry's history and the several enemies he'd made of several already caught criminals. There was also a brief paragraph about Natalia's mother's family.

By the time twelve o' clock came around, Alex's eyes were half closed and he started yawning every few minutes. Finally, he put the folder back in his backpack next to his black duffle back which was filled with his clothes and other things he thought he may need. When he had informed Jack of his newest mission, she had not been the happiest person to be around. She ate her food moodily and went on and on about how MI6 was going to be the death of him. He didn't exactly like her saying that, however, it only made him that much more nervous.

Alex cleared everything off his bed, then climbed in and flicked off the lamp on his bedside table and slowly fell into a deep sleep.

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Okay, there's the 2nd chapter. I'm currently writing the next one.

Chapter 3 will be called 'New Aquaintences'. Review please!