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Alex Rider sat in the waiting room of the Royal and General Bank. He twiddled his thumbs and dug his heels into the floor as he waited for Alan Blunt to call him into his office. The young teenager gritted his teeth bitterly. He was not looking forward to meeting the head of MI6 again.

He had been asked earlier that day by Mrs Jones to come in that day so he could be given a new mission to go on. Why in the world did MI6 plan on sending him to now? Alex knew within hours, he would be flown away from his homeland of inland to a foreign country, where he would be expected to stop some lunatic from causing chaos. Like his previous assignments, it was not something he was keen to do. He had told Blunt until he was blue in the face that he had no desire to be a spy - but the heartless head of MI6 would take no notice as he would send the youngster on some mission that he was lucky to complete in one piece.

Alex sighed, lifting up one of his strands of blonde hair. Just because his uncle had been a spy, why did he have to be one too? Following on his footsteps was not something he had planned to do in his life - so Blunt had dragged him through them every step of the way.

The office door opened. Alex looked up, expecting to see Mrs Jones about to call him in.

To his surprise, out marched a gentleman he had never met before.

The man shut the office door behind him. He had a handsome face and a broad body which was clad in a black tuxedo. He swung around, intending to leave the building, before spotting the young boy nearby - which caused the scowl on his face to deepen.

Alex squinted. He had never encountered this person around the Royal and General before - but he was certain there was something familiar about him. Where had he seen this gentleman before.

"You there!" The man snapped, pointing a finger towards the teenager as he marched grumpily towards him, greeting him with an unfriendly gaze. "Are you Alex Rider?"

Alex frowned suspiciously. "Who wants to know?"

"I'll take that as a yes!" Ignoring the request to identify himself, the man put a hand on his hip with a shake of his head. "So you're the famous Alex Rider! The one who Alan Blunt has told me all about!"

"Blunt has told you about me?" Alex asked with a confused stare. "What has he said about me? Nothing flattering, I expect, knowing him."

"Oh on the contrary, young Rider, Blunt had plenty of good things to say about you!" The man's expression grew more unpleasant as he directed it at Alex. "He believes you are such a worthy spy - which he why he's replaced me with you!"

Alex blinked. He was baffled by what this stranger was huffily telling him. Neither Alan Blunt nor Mrs Jones had told him about this gentleman. He had never agreed to work for them - and yet, here this man was, clearly resenting him for taking his job.

"I was the greatest spy MI6 ever had!" The man boasted, unable to keep his pride out of his voice. "I foiled criminals all over the globe, bringing them to justice and saving the world! That was my duty!"

"You're welcome to it..." Alex mumbled. "It's something I never wanted."

The gentleman wasn't listening. "All was great when my old boss was in charge - then Alan Blunt came along! I knew I was right to be weary of him taking over! What on Earth was he thinking when he decided to employ a child?"

"I've been wondering that myself since I started!" Alex hissed, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't be heard in the nearby office. "The man's clearly a sociopath to send me on these missions-"

"A bloody child!" The man burst out. "You should be going to school, not being a spy! That's a man's job!"

"Believe me, I want to go to school!" Alex insisted. "I don't want your man's job! You can have it-"

"What's so special about you anyway?!" The man looked over Alex as if he was something beneath his shoe. "Why'd Blunt pick you of all kids anyway?! Why'd he want you to be a spy?!"

"Because my uncle was a spy! He worked for MI6 before he was killed in action! Did you ever work with him? His name was Ian Rider."

"Nope, kid. I never worked with any Rider. I carry out my missions alone." The man took a few steps, preparing to leave - but not before giving a warning glare to Alex. "But take my advice, if you don't walk away from his spy life, you'll end up joining your uncle, six feet under!"

"What are you trying to say?" Alex frowned back to show the stranger he wasn't scared of him. "Are you telling me that for my own safety - or are you threatening me, because I took your job?!"

The gentleman narrowed his eyes, but before he could say anything, the door to Alan Blunt's office opened.

"Come in, Alex! It's time to brief you on your next mission!"

Mrs Jones' voice was Alex's cue to leave the man and enter Blunt's office. He was still not keen to see the head of MI6 and his second in command - but he was glad to get away from the stranger. He could feel his hateful glare directed towards him, making him quickly shut the door.

The man stood in the waiting room, gazing at the door which his replacement had disappeared through. He could hardly believe his job had been taken from him - much less so by a teenager.

"Well, if that kid gets himself killed on his mission, they'll just have to give me my job back." He told himself as he prepared to exit the Royal and General. "Then it's 'Goodbye, Alex Rider, welcome back, Bond ... James Bond!'"

The end.