Chapter Four:
As Alex walked down the hall, he looked at each door to see which one was Smithers. Smith, Coche, Granite, Srehtims room of culinary science… Wait a minute! Alex stopped dead in his tracks as he glanced at Srehtims room. There was something familiar about that name… Thinking he should scan all possibilities, Alex took out his unscrambling device.
He scanned the front of the door with the device and watched it appear on the tiny screen. He watched as strange letter combinations flashed onto the screen. Once those combinations cleared, only one remained: Smithers. Alex shook his head at his own stupidity as he realized what Smithers had done. All he had done was spell his last name backwards. Alex knocked on the door. A tall man with a gun stepped out.
"Password?" he asked in a gruff voice.
Alex looked at the man in astonishment. "Excuse me?" he asked.
The man groaned. "I said Password?"
Racking his brain, Alex said the first word that popped into his head. "Meatloaf?"
"Wrong answer Bub," the man said as he pointed the gun at Alex's head.
"Wait, you don't understand!" Alex exclaimed. "It's me, Alex Rider. Mr. Blunt sent me to Smithers room." The man still didn't budge.
"That's what they all say! Now I'm gonna give ya till the count of three to tell me your business here! 3, 2…"
"Stop Pasha, its ok," Alex heard a voice say. "Let the boy in!"
Glaring, Pasha stepped aside and let Alex make his way into the office. Inside sat good old Smithers with a grin on his face.
"Ah, Alex Rider, I've been hoping to see you soon."
Alex chuckled bitterly.
"Be lucky you're seeing me at all."
Smithers grin faded.
"Ah yes, your last case was a messy one wasn't it? Well, let's hope this one won't be quite as messy. Now I have a few gadgets for you, but before I bring them out, I'd like to apologize for Pasha's behavior. He's new and still doesn't know all the rules."
While he was talking, Smithers roamed around the drawers inside his desk. At long last, he pulled out a big plastic bag. The first thing he pulled out of his bag of tricks was a bottle of silly string.
"This is the latest fad among kids these days isn't it?" Smithers asked him. Alex rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, for 7 year olds."
"I think we can make an acception to this rule" Smithers said. "Because if this comes in contact with human skin, it releases a pepper filled gas. It will blind your enemy for a full two minutes."
Feeling silly, Alex took the silly string and put it in his backpack.
"What else do you have?" Alex asked.
Smithers took out a pack of bubble gum. Alex eyed it.
"Umm Smithers, you already gave me that gadget."
Smithers nodded. "This gum is newly improved Alex. Not only does it crack open a lock and/or gun, but it also will help you see in dark tunnels."
"How so?"
"You see, if you want to crack a lock, you chew it two times. For cracking a gun, you chew it three times, but if you want to light up a room, you chew the gum four times and then throw it onto the floor. It will give you light for as long as you need."
"But how will I turn the light off?" Alex asked.
"That will be easy. Just jump once on the gum and it will go out like a light."
"Any other gadgets?"
Smithers nodded. "Just one more."
Quickly, Smithers took out an ordinary map. "Our satellites have been tracking something that appears to be Sticky Fingers Joe, but we can't be certain. This will help you at least get started."
Alex glanced at the map. Sure enough, there were several blue blobs moving across the screen.
"We believe these to be Joe and his accomplices," Smithers said. "Judging from their location, I suggest you start in London. Now Alex, do you still have our number on your cell phone?"
"Yes, Agency: 1800-ROY-GNRL and Yours: 310-795-0616."
"Excellent, good luck to you Alex and lets hope this case is better than your last one."
Hamburg Germany:
Meanwhile, Flying Falcon was watching the whole scene. He could not hear the words, however, since Smithers room blocked out all bugs. While watching, Flying Falcon grinned. Hopefully, Alex would soon be in their clutches.