Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.
The agent watched the boy from afar with a sense of sick curiosity. He had a nephew about that age. Brian played footie, hung out with friends, went to see films, and had barely above average scores in school. At first, the idea of using a child to play spy made the agent sick.
But that was before he saw how successful the boy was. He saw firsthand the incident with the balloon; heard rumours of stunts infinitely more impressive. The agent was no longer sickened. He was worried.
Because the higher you climbed, the farther there was to fall.