Author's note: Sorry guys! It took a LOT more time to upload than it should have. I haven't had this bizarre life for a long time. In these days I had my birthday, a broken down computer, fever and school building up but finally, finally it's here. With the gadgets! Tell me what you think, and thank's for all those earlier reviews they made me happily happy. :) I'm not going to hold you up any longer than the disclaimer demands to make up my slow pace.

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider, or any other familiar characters, Anthony Horowitz does, though I own the right to be a really big fan of the series and strange gadgets.

Here you have it:

Chapter 3. The Gadgets and a Black SUV

Tom was nothing less than excited throughout next four days. By Friday his eagerness had spread to Alex and all the time they were together, just the two of them, they spent talking about the trip and throwing speculations to air how the match would turn out to be. Alex wasn't a big fan of neither of the teams, but the tickets from MI6 were for Spain's seats, so they both built as much a Spanish fan inside them as they could.

Blunt had even offered him a chance to change sides saying it wouldn't be that hard to trade the tickets to Netherlands' if Alex rather went there to support them. Alex had almost taken the offer just to see if the man could actually do it, but since he didn't wish to have any special show of the head of MI6's power, he had refused it. It would be easier to even try to stand against them if he didn't know what all MI6 could or couldn't do. He had never heard someone talking about getting new tickets to the World Cup in such short notice time, and even the offer gave out more of the power he hoped to see.

"Hey! Alex!" he had dozed off to his thought and ignored Tom's wandering whether or not he had enough money to buy all fan junk they were selling at the stadium. "You were dazing again. Is something wrong? Is it your part-time job?" Alex smiled at the name tom used to refer to his secret. "Yeah, a bit, but it's nothing important." He wasn't likely to burst Tom's little bubble with his worrying, at least not when his only proof was an unsure feeling.

"But if it's the junk you're worried, I can lend you some money. I have pretty much all I need already so I won't be buying anything there," he promised. He knew Tom would probably get more than enough money from his mom and dad if he asked them separately, this made Alex feel little better when he could consider this being a apologize in case his bad premonition showed up to be accurate. His words earned him a hard hand on his back.

"Really, Al, you're making it hard for me to ever pay you back." Suddenly Tom's face turned serious "Don't tell me..." Alex started, had Tom read his thoughts that well? "Don't tell me you're -" a glimmer lighted in Tom's eyes. "– a secret fan of Spain? You only just got the tickets and already have everything in your hands. Makes me think where did you got them from." A relief swept through Alex. It was Tom after all; right now his mind was fully concentrated on the match and being a fan in middle of all other fans. Not thinking too much of Alex's quietness because he often had a habit to wander in his own thoughts and Tom had had to more or less get used to it.

"I wouldn't call myself a fan. I got them from a… friend of mine who gave them to me when he heard I'd gotten the tickets."

"Wow, he must be a huge fan. Isn't he going?"

"He has work, I suppose." Alex didn't like lying to his only friend who knew even his biggest secret, but he didn't have many choices and telling straight didn't sound appealing to him.

"Work? Just how... Ah, he's one of them, right?" a realization lighted Toms face. Alex had no doubt who "they" were.

"Something like that," he only answered. There was no need to tell what Mr Smithers' job in MI6 actually was.

After school they both hurried home to get their luggage. For Alex's surprise there was a black SUV standing parked outside his home. They really put some effort in his short vacation, it was like Blunt actually tried to raise his suspicions. And surely enought, when Alex locked his bike a man wearing black from head to toes stepped out of the car. "Mr. Rider, I'm here to take you to the airport," the man stated the obvious. Alex didn't even bother to answer him."The plane takes off at 8 p.m. but it would be for best if you were ready to leave as soon as possible, there is no such a thing like being too early on an airport,"

"Yeah, just let me take care of couple things first," the tone the answer was uttered had no feelings behind it. He didn't like acting all that nice for a man who had just made him feel little offended. The way the man had used to talk to him had been that of a responsible adult talking to a kid whom he couldn't be sure to have figured these things out himself. Alex had met these kinds of adults several times before but that didn't mean he had to learn to like them or even accept how they acted towards him, if necessary he could always act according those believes.

When he had locked the door behind him, he took his cell phone and pushed numbers to call to Tom. "Hi, pal," he greeted when the call was answered. "I'm going to pick you up from Friend's supermarket in 30 minutes, be there."

"Pick me up? What do you mean, Alex?"

"You'll see, just be there." He could see Tom's face in his mind, bewilderment clearly showing in his face. He laughed out loud. Tom managed to speak out an agreement so Alex cut the line going to his room.

He checked that his suit case had everything he'd need in which after he took a plastic bag lying next to his bed and opened it to look once again that it contained all the things it had before; all his possession as a 'fan'. There was a flag that was tied to a hollow rod. When he screwed the rod open there were a blowpipe and three arrows filled with a strong anaesthetic that put a big man fast asleep.

There was also a scarf made steel reinforced nylon so that it was a lot stronger than normal nylon but still elastic so the scarf could be stretched as far as to ten feet and after that it returned to the standard length. Alex had tested this himself. You couldn't do a bungee jump with it but it could be used in many other situations, not including whatever situation MI6 hoped him to get involved with.

Of course there was also a vuvuzela which had some extra in it. There were coloured beams around it that seemed to be there only for superficial reasons, when they actually were transmitters – well the three yellow ones were – that sent their location to Alex's phone that had been little modified, too. When Alex had wondered why did it have to be a vuvuzela since those functions could have been put in many other devices, Mr. Smithers had answered: "I can't send you to the finals without a vuvuzela, can I? Besides there's an antenna inside it and there aren't that many things you can point upwards so that people won't look you strangely, that is probably something you don't need on your vacation. Eh, old chap?" It had made Alex wonder If Smithers would have remembered to tell him about the antenna if he hadn't asked.

And of course there was a game shirt with David Villa's name and number, though unlike most game shirts this one was bullet proof since he always seemed to attract people to point a gun at him.

He took his bags and went down the stairs heading to the living room where Jack was reading. "I'll be going now." Jack lifter her eyes from a book to Alex's. "Yes, you boys have fun but don't forget to call me when you get to the hotel," she reminded him. Alex gave her a warm smile and this time it wasn't just to calm Jack down, he was really getting excited. She smiled back at him standing up to give Alex a strong hug. She didn't seem to have any worries about this vacation at all, so maybe she either hadn't seen the car or then she just hadn't felt suspicious of it, he couldn't believe the latter was even an option when only ones driving cars like that were working for secret services or some other more or less similar organisation.

She was still smiling when Alex said her goodbye and walked out the house. It had been too long since she had seen Alex this happy and excited for something. Even when the boy – for reasons unknown – tried to hide it, she knew.