It was the next Saturday, before Alex heard from MI6 again. He had gotten a phone call telling him that he needed to come into the headquarters.
And that was how Alex ended up sitting in Mr. Blunt's office again, much too early in his opinion. He studied his hands while waiting for Mr. Blunt to appear. Mrs. Jones was in the room too, looking at a document that was on the desk. She lifted up the first sheet and scanned it with a look of mild interest, the same kind, Alex noticed, that tourists had when they expected something a bit 'more' from a must-see landmark. Mrs. Jones was just looking at the document for something to do. She had read it before and there was nothing even mildly interesting in it, but she had continuously refused to answer Alex when he asked her why he was here and she was beginning to feel as uncomfortable as him.
Eventually Mr. Blunt came in and briskly walked to his desk. He looked at Alex and then at Mrs. Jones before he went back to Alex.
" As you know," He began, clasping his hands and resting them on the desk, "You have recently come into contact with the mercenary Grey Fox," Alex felt like rolling his eyes, talk about stating the obvious, " Now, it is not my intention to alarm you Alex, but in fact I have to admit that you are lucky to still be alive." He stopped for a moment to let this information sink in and to allow Alex to ask any questions, but none came, Alex was silent. Mr. Blunt looked at him for a moment and then continued, " Now, since Grey Fox has shown herself and has made her intentions clear, we have decided to take some course of action; I'm going to have to meet with her." Mr. Blunt opened his mouth to continue but Alex interrupted him.
" What has that got to do with me?"
This time Mrs. Jones answered. " Well, the thing is Alex, Grey Fox is known for her rash decisions and she hasn't exactly got the best name for being… 'Friendly' towards MI6 agents."
" So?" Alex asked, but he had a feeling he knew what was coming.
" We want- no we need you to come with us to meet her." Alan blunt said with such finality that no one moved for a moment until Alex stood up and said.
" No." He began to walk away when Mr. Blunt stopped him.
" You don't have a choice, Alex. You can't walk out that door." He said with his voice rising a little.
Alex glared at him. " Watch me." He said as he turned to face the door, but suddenly a bulky man appeared in front of him, blocking his exit. The next thing Alex knew was that there was a sharp pain in his neck and he saw the glint of the needle before he passed out.
Alex woke up with a sore head, hours later. He looked around him to find that he wasn't at home. Nor was he alone for that matter and more than that; it didn't seem he was on the ground either.
He was in a private jet, sitting near Mr. Blunt and Mrs Jones. He sighed feeling frustrated and helpless. He hated the way they treated him and they made him so angry sometimes… however, Alex noticed with a bit of shame, this wasn't one of those times; he didn't feel angry at all. He felt tired and weary and at that moment it occurred to him that he didn't want to do this anymore.
" Where are we headed?" He asked after a moment when his return to consciousness continued to go unnoticed.
Mrs. Jones looked up in surprise for a moment. " America. New York to be exact."
" Does Grey Fox live there?" He asked, not really interested but unsure of what he would occupy himself with if he stopped talking.
" No. But a very close friend of hers does and she spends a lot of time there."
" What if she's not there?"
" Then we'll ask around and look for her elsewhere."
" If you have a good idea where she is, why meet in person? Why not over the phone?" Alex asked when he decided that this whole situation was ridiculous and unnecessary.
Alan Blunt looked up from the book he was reading. " It's because she hates modern technology for the most part and she wouldn't listen to us if we did."
That raised another question. " Why does she hate technology?"
At this Mr. Blunt sighed and closed his book, his finger held in between the pages to keep his place, he looked up at Alex and met him squarely in the eye, giving him a look that he couldn't quite interpret. " There had been a long history of insanity in Grey Fox's family, especially on her mother's side. And taking her lineage into consideration I think that we have answered the question."
He opened his book again and began reading while Mrs. Jones busied herself by pouring a drink form the small drinks cabinet.
Alex sighed and looked out the window. All he could see through the clouds was water. It was very possible that this journey would be most painful.
Against his expectations Alex began to feel sleepy again and just before he drifted away he felt a stone of uneasiness lodge itself in his stomach. Another crazy person to deal with, perfect…
