Rider Meets Bond
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Alex Rider or the iconic figure, James Bond. They belong to Anthony Horowitz and Ian Fleming respectively. Tamara Knight is also a fictional creation of Anthony Horowitz's, from Ark Angel.
Chapter Seven: Blissful Ignorance
The phone rang once, allowing the sound waves to vibrate across the hallways and throughout the private residence. Certainly it would seem odd that the phone would ring, especially at this late hour of the evening. After all, one would easily expect the tenant to be in bed, resting after a day's of hard work. After all, the man whose phone had ringed certainly deserved his rest. After all, running the whole federal government along with having the nation's fate rest on the decisions which he made were truly a stressful situation to be in. The British Prime Minister sat up with a jolt, as though he had been electrocuted by the sound of the ringing phone.
The phone rang once more as the Prime Minister gathered himself and removed himself from the comfortable armchair which he had been resting earlier. The evening newspaper that he had been reading earlier was left aside, leaving it to fall to the heavily carpeted floor as he strode forward purposefully in hopes to discover whoever the caller was at this time of night, along with stopping that infernal racket which the ringing was providing. Only a select few people in the world had the following number and the Prime Minister was even surprised that someone would intrude in his privacy at this time of night. Having put that asides, this was a phone located in his private study! Only a matter of national crisis could the Prime Minister expect the phone to ring. Having said that, the Prime Minister began to fear the worse as he dreaded having to receive the call only for one of his numerous Cabinet staff to detail of a threat to the nation.
Sighing nonchalantly, he proceeded to quicken his pace; cursing inwardly for having located his phone so far away from his armchair. As he passed a portrait of one of his countless predecessors along with the cosy and quaint fireplace that had brought warmth from the dreary London weather, the phone had rang once more. Finally reaching the phone, he picked up the receiver and stated in a voice full with authority. "Prime Minister here. Who am I speaking to?" It took a moment for the Prime Minister to hear the voice clearly. In fact, the response to his question proved to be barely audible; even softer than a whisper.
"Am I speaking with the Prime Minister of Great Britain?" he asked with a quiet voice. Had the Prime Minister not been in his private study, he would not have been able to have heard the response. He detected no accent in the caller's voice as he proceeded to reply in a stern manner, fearing that this call was indeed a practical joke. "Yes, this is the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Now, who am I conversing with?" he questioned, authority ringing in every syllable of his words. Usually, he would expect one of his countless secretaries to deal with this sort of calls but the Prime Minister was intrigued to have this specific caller at this time of night, dialling to his private study. After all, it was against the law to make prank calls to the government, moreover the Prime Minister himself.
"You do not need to know of myself. I am a representative of a new alliance of terrorist groups. I am calling to converse with the British Prime Minister about the state of his appalling nation. You may think of us as Scorpia; but rest assured…Scorpia is merely an organization of the past. You should be fearful for your country, Mister Prime Minister, for we truly mean every word we said," the caller replied. The voice sounded collected and eerily calm as he spoke to the British Head of Government. The voice showed no fear, and merely dripping with sarcasm thrown at Scorpia. "What? What're you talking about? Who am I to believe that some fool of which who called me late at night to inform me of some non-existent threat? Listen here, you…" the Prime Minister stated, clearly outraged by the ludicrous claims by the caller.
"I'm afraid you're very much mistaken, Prime Minister. I am not calling to pull a practical joke on you. This is merely a warning that a new organization has been born. Soon, we'll even remove Scorpia and wipe them off the face of the Earth. Mark my words that ignorance is not bliss. We will make our presence felt to the world. This has indeed been a lively conversation, Mister Prime Minister. With that, I bid you a good night," the voice stated before the line went dead. Looking aghast and clearly confused, the Prime Minister replaced the receiver back onto the phone.
What had just been a quiet evening and a well-deserved break from work has proven to be otherwise. The Prime Minister's job was never ending and he knew it. First, it was Scorpia and now this. No wonder his predecessor did not seek for another election after his first term in charge. Walking back towards his armchair, he proceeded to take a seat once more. The evening newspaper now lay unattended to as it rested on the ground. The Prime Minister had more grave matters to attend to. Starting with a meeting with Alan Blunt the next morning. He needed answers, and he needed them quick.
Back in Rome, Jack Ryan had just finished debriefing both Alex and James about the going-ons and happenings around the world; especially the specific meeting in China. From what they gathered, it seemed that the other terrorist leaders had already lost all faith in Scorpia handling all threats to the world and decided to take action by forming another alliance. A knock came on the door as a young female agent swiftly walked into the room and greeted all three of them. She then proceeded in whispering into Jack's ears as he looked mortified. "Chaps, this is Tamara Knight. Miss Knight over here is our youngest operative. We hired her straight out of college when she was nineteen. Now, she's twenty five and I believe she's one of our best assets...Not that it mattered anyways, with you Brits," Jack said, eyeing Alex. "Anyhow…there has been an incident, up north. One of the border checkpoints has been attacked. The assailant, whom we presume to be Petrovsky probably paid a midnight visit and killed them all," Jack stated disappointingly.
For Alex, the incident would've probably been expected as the whole Italian nation was under red alert for the terrorist. Even so, he took the chance to escape and therefore he was still a fugitive on the run. It is now out of the Italians' jurisdiction to apprehend the criminal. "Argh!" Jack stated, yelling out in frustration as he slammed his fist onto the table. James looked neither unbothered nor surprised to the fact that Petrovsky had managed to slip out of the country and into the Swiss lush lands. Looking back at Jack, he proceeded to speak once more. "It'll be a little harder to persuade the Swiss to help us get him back. For now, he's number one on our list. Maybe Interpol will…" The rest of the words were drowned by his constant mumbling to himself.
Turning back to James, Alex saw that he was rather amused with the sight of the CIA agent. He proceeded to look at Tamara now, having noticed that she hadn't spoken to either British agent yet. Studying her closely, Alex realised that she had long light brown hair that came past her shoulders along with attractive cold blue eyes. She also maintained a serious demeanour and probably didn't take to socialising much. Even so, he couldn't help but feel intrigued by the new agent's body language. However, James' words prevented him from zoning out further. "Well, Jack. Seeing that the CIA has their hands full on this case…Why don't Alex and I pay a house call to those fallen comrades of Scorpia directors. Maybe they can lead us into the right direction and assist you in catching the 'Most Wanted' man," James stated.
Jack Ryan had proceeded to fall silent at his words as he pondered Bond's offer. After all, the CIA was beginning to feel the strain of having to work with limited number of agents, being in a foreign country. "Alright, you can help us…but only if we take credit for his arrest," he stated, offering his own terms into their agreement. Shaking his head, Alex looked in disbelief at the ways things were handled in the world of espionage. "Why not? I wouldn't want to bring such filth back into my country anyways. Now, you wouldn't happen to know where they're being kept hospitalised, would you?" he asked with a smile.
Jack looked over to Tamara, as if expecting her to speak. In truth, he had absolutely no idea where the grievously hurt directors were being hospitalised and treated. Taking a step forward, she proceeded to state as a matter-of-factly, "The Scorpia directors, Mr. Mikato and the Australian are currently being kept at the private wing of the Intensive Care Unit at Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo. They have the whole floor to themselves and I believe infiltration would be near impossible." Smiling, James replied in a cheeky tone, "Anything can be penetrated with the proper tool. I'm sure we've taken much of your time. Jack, always a pleasure and to you, Miss Knight. Nice meeting you," he stated before walking out of the office.
Nodding at either CIA agents, Alex proceeded to walk out of the CIA agent's office and followed James back to the Aston Martin. Neither were too keen to be hanging around with CIA agents anyways. They were usually over confident and full of themselves. As they reached their car, James unlocked the doors and both British agents entered the car at the precise moment. Buckling themselves, James ignited the engine and sped away into the night.
After they left, Jack Ryan proceeded to look over to his protégé with a curious outlook. "So, what did you think of our guests?" he asked. Tamara Knight, who had been admiring the Italian capital at night, proceeded to respond with a well-rehearsed answer. "They looked somewhat competent and I'm sure that their capable of accomplishing the task at hand." Nodding in agreement, Jack proceeded to state. "Well, competent they maybe…you better watch out for Mr. Bond though. I hear he's a champion in bed." With a smile, Tamara proceeded to leave Jack Ryan alone in his office to ponder his thoughts.
A/N: Once more, another chapter passes. Feedback would be appreciated.