Alex Rider squashed the urge to groan as she stepped into the lift on a busy Tuesday afternoon. Bloody underground headquarters crosses a good part of London, and she manages to always find the one lift with her Majesty's favorite double-0. Like always, he was dressed in his some ludicrously, expensive polished suit, and wearing that damn smirk.
"007," she said after pressing the fourth button from the right.
"004, lovely to see you again," he replied casually.
The young spy had met James Bond prior to her official initiation into MI6 when she was still working for Blunt. She had been on a mission in Hungary when things ended in a shootout. She may or may not have accidentally shot the other man before learning they were on the same side. The Double-0 had taken her back to headquarters, and she had been more than happy to tell M every detail about Blunt.
Did that meant she owed him? No.
She had repaid her debt eight months later when she pulled him out of a pinch is Singapore (Bond still claims he had everything under control). He still shows up on the most random of her ops, only to "save the day." It's getting quite annoying.
Suddenly, she sees a slight movement in the corner of the eye and realizes Bond has been examining her. Silently berating herself for allowing herself to be lost in thought, she turned to address the other agent when the lift jolts to a halt.
"Oh, you've got to be joking!" she exclaims.
She's just come back from being debriefed after a long mission in a cold, cold, location, and wants nothing more than to get out of the building and into her warm flat.
"Lockdown protocols. No cell signal. No communications. Do you think one of the newbies wandered into a restricted section again?" asked Bond.
"With our luck, it's likely an old terrorist organization looking to overturn the Queen," she replied.
With nothing else to do in this situation, she loosened the collar of her shirt and leaned against the wall.
James simply leaned against the wall adjacent to her, and continued to stare intently at her.
No gunshots or explosions could be heard. Hopefully, they'd be out of there soon.
Six minutes ticked by, and finally Alex had enough. After years of being lied to and manipulated, she preferred to take the direct approach in conversations with her coworkers.
"Why are you staring at me?"
"You're lovely to look at," replied Double 007.
"Bond. You've done nothing but stare at me since I entered this lift. You've also crashed no less than five of my missions. I don't know if you think I still owe you or what…"
"That's not it," he interrupted.
She blinked at him before continuing.
"Oh, than please enlighten me as to what I need to do so that you stop."
Something in her face must have given him pause, as he continued to stare at her. It might have been the fatigue, but it was probably the irritating look of suspicion that he saw. No one ever took this much time to interfere with her missions unless they were trying to kill her.
"You don't owe me. I know you repaid me for saving my life in Singapore and again in Moscow. But I owe you much more than that."
Floored, Alex straightened up and looked more closely at Bond.
"Bond, you don't owe me anything. Technically, I should still owe you for sending me to M."
"Alex," he said. She really looked at him now; he only ever called her Alexandra or 003.
"You are one of the first women and fellow agent to be unscathed by my life. You haven't tried to kill me or use me or manipulate me. You're honest; your sense of justice is unwavering. I'm getting too old to continue being an active agent. M will be pushing for my retirement soon, if I don't get killed in the field. But you are one of the few things in this agency that I will ensure lives on past my death."
The lights flicked to life above them, and the lift continued its ascent.
