Chapter 6:
Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider.
A/N: Hey every one. I messed up the levels of command. Her father was a colonel and now she's a sergeant major. I hope you're excited for another chapter of Cold Run. The title will be explained in this chapter a little so pay attention. This chapter starts off in England.
Alex tossed in his barracks bed. He was exhausted but he couldn't sleep. Something was bothering him. He finally made a decision and quietly got out of bed. He grabbed a duffle bag from under his bed and packed his things. He snuck out of the barracks. He showed his badge to the man at the gate and told him he was going to see Alan Blunt about something important. The guard nodded and let him pass. Alex soon came to a bus stop and waited for the bus.
When he got off the bus he was at the Royal and General Bank but he wasn't here to see Blunt he was here to see Smithers. Going in the correct entrance he went for the elevator and went down to Smithers's level. When he opened the door the large man was working on something.
"Alex!" said the surprised man, "I didn't expect to see you."
"I need gadgets and I need them now," said Alex sharply.
"Why? Blunt didn't tell me I needed to make you gadgets."
"Because this is personal. Dangerous but personal."
"Oh."
He said no more only rustled around in his desk. He pulled out what looked like a watch, a key chain that had a few keys on it along with a small plastic board that had his favorite band's logo on it, a cell phone, and a pack of gum. Then he went into the back room and brought back something. It was black and small.
"All right I was saving things for your next mission but you need them now," said Smithers, "The watch tells the time but it also has a panic button. Pull out the winder and push it back in twice to activate the switch. The keys are explosive. They won't make a big explosion just something large enough to destroy a lock. Take one off and it activates, you have fifteen seconds to get out of dodge. The logo is a carrying case for anything small, like evidence or a piece of paper. The cell phone works but also works as a taizer. The pack of gum is a super sticky compound that glues almost anything together when it dries."
"What about that?" asked Alex pointing to the black object.
"You're old enough now to use this even if Blunt still thinks you're too young," started Smithers, "It's a gun. It's small enough to sneak anywhere and it doesn't look like a gun so you can bring it on a plane. Be careful with it Alex and pray you won't have to use it."
Alex took the objects and looked at Smithers who had a serious look on his face.
"Thanks, I'll call you when I arrive at my destination," said Alex turning to leave.
"What is this all about?" asked the big man.
"Some one I met at camp with Wolf and the others. She's important to me."
Smithers looked at Alex with worry.
"Be careful Alex and I hope everything comes out all right."
Alex nodded and left .
Cam lifted her chin and planted his lips on hers. Max tensed then relaxed into him. He tasted like the mess hall food and sweat. His smell was that of cheap shampoo and Dove soap. She pulled back from him but held him close. He kissed her forehead then let her go and headed outside. Max stood there dumbstruck for two seconds before sitting on Cam's bed. She heard paper crackled. She dug her hand into the sheets and pulled out papers that were printed. She dismissed the pages as some work for his class. Getting up she went to her room. Stripping off her shirt she threw it onto the pile of clothes lying in the corner of her room. She pulled on a clean one and then redid her hair to make it look presentable. Tonight at the mess hall she was addressing everyone at the base. She needed to look like a sergeant major. She looked at herself in the mirror. She saw a girl that had gone through harsh things but was not diminished by them. She sighed and headed out for the mess hall. When she got there she went to the intercom microphone.
"Hello boys, this is your new sergeant major. As you all know my father was the colonel of this facility. His death was a great tragedy but we need to remember, we still have a job here. Do your best," she said when the noise had quieted.
The mess hall burst at the seams with cheers as Max left. She didn't feel hungry. As she fell asleep she wondered what Alex was doing at the moment.
Alex was at that same moment on a plane heading for DC. He had gotten his passport when he was little and no one questioned him because of his army duffel bag. Even though he was young he was treated like an adult. He wanted the plane ride to be over. Wolf must have noticed he was gone by now and they would be telling MI6 soon. But by the time they realized where he was going there would be no going back. He kept thinking about Max. Before he left he had told Jack where he was going so she didn't worry and she had given him money and food for the plane. He had also grabbed his uncle's books on drugs and a history of assassination. Alex had no idea where his uncle had gotten the books but had no desire to find out. He read them carefully, taking in all the information he needed. He had seen the paper work Max's father had hidden but could not see the connection between them. The something caught his eye in one of the drug books. It was a passage about biological warfare.
Biological warfare is something that has haunted the minds of people for years. But there has been a recent development in drugs that has let them become biological. The problem with this is that the drugs effects are three times stronger than that of most. And the drug can be used over and over again getting the same high with the same dose, because the drug evolves and changes. So to a drug report there will be no signs of the drug.
Suddenly the answer popped into Alex's head. He wanted all the more to get to Max as soon as possible.
A/N: Random I know but the above passage is not true to my knowledge it is totally made up for the sake of the story. All right back to the good stuff.
Max woke early the next morning and ate as fast as she could. She needed to go and set up her office and talk to the temporary colonel. She sighed and wished she could run the obstacle course at least once. She hated it when her father was alive but now she wished she could forget all about that. There was a knock on the door.
"Enter," she said gruffly.
A messenger came into the room. He stood at attention.
"Yes, what is it?" she asked.
"The autopsy report has come in, ma'am," he answered.
"And?" she asked.
"It seems your father died of asphyxiation. His bronchial tubes were closed all the way from a severe cold."
She nodded and dismissed the man. Turning to her bed she looked at a photo of her dad. Tucking into her arm she set off for her office.
Alex landed in customs and passed through effortlessly. His excuse for being in America was a vacation. He left the airport and caught a taxi to a hotel. Once in the room he sat down and tried to think of what to do next. He could sneak into the base and talk to Max. He could try calling the base. The second seemed to be less of a risk factor, but there would be a less chance of actually talking to her. Suddenly the peel of his cell phone slit the silence. He went over to his cell phone and saw that it was Wolf. Acting stupid he answered the phone.
"Get your butt back here!" Wolf screamed through the phone.
"No," Alex said calmly.
"Alex, she's not coming back. Let it go," said a calm voice, Snake.
"I'm not coming back till I talk to her, Get off my case."
"Where are you?" asked Wolf.
"Not telling you."
"Alex please."
"No."
Then there was voice out of range of the phone. Then without another word Wolf hung up. If Alex was thinking straight he would have gotten out of the hotel ASAP, but he changed into his night clothes and fell asleep.
When Alex woke the next morning and called for room service. While he was waiting he took a quick shower. When someone knocked on the door he answered and the hotel staff member came in with his food. They set the food down on the table next to his bed and he dug in. After a minute of eating he started to get dizzy. Alex started to panic, someone had put something in his food. He never made it to the phone. He collapsed before he even got there.
Wolf went through customs and walked into the DC airport pissed off. Alex had run off by himself to chase after a girl. Even though she was pretty it was obvious that she was not interested. After they had traced Alex's call they had called their friends in the CIA and asked them to retrieve Alex and detain him until he could be forcefully brought back to England. Wolf had told them to use any force necessary. While on the plane he couldn't wait to strangle the kid. The others had come with him but he didn't talk to them through out the whole plane ride.
Alex woke restrained. His hands were handcuffed behind his back. He was lying on his side on a hard metal cot in a white concrete room. There was a door with a small window. He saw there were speakers.
"Hey!" he called out, "Let me go!"
No one came no one answered him. He sat up as best he could. His head hurt and he guessed he hit it falling. He thought about Max and how he was going to get out of this situation. Then he remembered his keys. They were in his back pocket. He somehow worked them out of his jeans. The keys were pliable and he was able to calculate how much was needed to destroy the handcuffs. It would hurt, a lot, but it would free him. He broke off the piece and stuffed it into the small hole in the chains connecting the cuffs together. He counted down the seconds. When the thing finally blew he felt immediate pain in his wrists. But he pulled the rest of the key off and stuffed in the crack in the door. After another fifteen seconds the doors lock blew. He ran out and found a place to hide in a small cubby in the wall. He looked at his wrists were bloody and burned. He tore his shirt and wrapped his wrists with the shreds. He was dizzy from blood loss and pain. Just then someone he had never expected was standing over him.
"Hello Alex."
It was Cam.