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Smithers was as round and enthusiastic as ever when Kai and Alex were shown to his office. He stood up quickly and pumped Alex's hand, "Alex old chap, great to see you. Now, who have we here?"

"This is Kai, Smithers. Kai this is the gadgets expert, Smithers."
"Gadgets?" Kai smiled, as he shook Smithers' hand.

"And I've got some beauties for you two boys."

Smithers had decked them out with watches, Nintendo DS, baseball shoes, sunglasses and wallets; all modified to do a lot more than their original job. Seemingly innocent looking, they got through customs with ease.

Now, the plane was cruising at 30000 feet, a landscape of clouds spread out beneath them. The lights were off and the in-flight movie was trailing through its second half. They were heading to Moscow, where both the SRV and MI6 believed the centre for the most dangerous activities of the Beckett Circle took place. Alex and Kai were sat next to each other at the back of business class, with a handful of free seats around them. Up ahead a man Alex could only assume was a CEO of a bank was complaining about the wine. After the initial excitement over the leg space that they had, Kai had fallen asleep in a half foetal position in his seat, earphones in. Alex could vaguely hear the thin sound of music through them, but nothing to distinguish as to what exactly it was.

Alex leant back in his seat and started to wonder what to order for dinner, before he drifted back to the idea that there were other young spies out there. The whole notion seemed so strange; the fact that here, next to him, was a boy who had probably seen and experienced things he had. They were the same age, spoke the same language...he could have a proper friend who he wouldn't have lie about a huge part of his life to.

But then again, working together on a mission did not necessarily mean that they would become friends. The circumstances would be tough; what if they disagreed on a plan of action? Or if they just didn't get on? Could he live in such close spaces with a guy his own age who he couldn't get on with?

He mused ruefully over the varying possibilities. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Kai, and he wished the boy would wake up so that he could see what the likelihood of their getting on would be.

But they had been promised a thorough debrief and two nights in an expensive hotel in Moscow whilst a field agent worked on their background story. With any luck, that would be enough time to get to know the only other child spy he had met...

Kai woke just as dinner was being ordered. He came awake with a start, his feet kicking the seat in front of him as he jumped, despite the acres of space. He rubbed at his hair, looking ruffled and still sleepy.

Alex had learnt one thing about his new comrade so far; he didn't sleep very well. Heavily, but not peacefully.

"You Ok?" Alex asked, unable to hold back the smile. Kai's leap from sleep had caused an air hostess to nearly spill sparkling water all over a customer's lap two aisles away.
"Yeah. Sorry," he said, leaning back in his seat, "I was having a weird dream."
The boys ordered food and they sat back in silence, waiting. Alex mulled over some topics before starting with, "Where do you come from, in Russia?"
"I don't, really. I was born in Kosovo. I am Russian, but that's where my family were living. When I am in Russia I live in St Petersburg. It's nicer than Moscow. I'm guessing you live in London?"
"Yes, all my life. I've never been to Russia before."

Kai stuck a fork in the newly ordered chicken stir-fry, "You're not missing out on all that much. It's a great country if you want to do the tourist thing, but living there is different. So how long have we got left on the flight?"
"Nearly two hours."

Kai chugged some of his coke and frowned, as though calculating in his head, "When we get our car to the hotel we'll be hitting rush hour traffic. I'd save the bread roll for then; Moscow traffic is hell."
A silence fell over them again as they ate, Alex tucking into a 'rib platter' and Kai into his stir fry. As they were finishing up, Alex bit the bullet again.

"How old are you, Kai?"
"Uh, seventeen. Roughly. I'm not quite sure."
"You don't know your birthday?"
"I decided it was going to be on the 16th November, but I've never really known exactly. How old are you?"
Alex closed his mouth from the shock of the birthday comment and muttered, "Fifteen. How can you not know when your birthday was?"
"Kosovo wasn't really all that up to date on its administration; I was never registered as a new birth and when my parents died, the date died with them."
The silence this time was heavier. Alex put down his fork, "My parents died too."
"I know," Kai said, after a pause, "They gave me a file on you."

"I haven't had anything on you."
"It was just your date of birth, physical features and who your parents were."
"Well, they died in a plane accident, when I was a baby. So I don't really know who they were myself."
The out-loud acknowledgment of that fact stuck in Alex's throat.

"If it's any consolation, I don't know anything about my parents either. My Dad was an aid worker in Kosovo, I don't know anything about my mum. They both went missing when I was four. There's not much point looking into it; like I said, they weren't really big on the details when they had people going missing every day."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"My Mum was pregnant when she disappeared, so who knows. I may or may not have a younger brother or sister. How about you?"

"No. Only child."

It was roughly half an hour until they landed now, and Alex was pretty pleased that they had at least some ground covered. But there was one question he still had to ask.

"It was you that sent me that letter, wasn't it?"
"Yes."
"You wanted me to do this operation because we could both find answers to something. Answers to what?"

Kai pushed away his tray and settled awkwardly back in his seat, "It's complicated. But it'll get less so the more we get into the Beckett Circle."
"So it does have something to do with this mission?"
"Yes."
After that, Alex didn't want to ask any more questions. He sat staring darkly out of the window, watching as Moscow sparkled into view beneath the clouds.

"I didn't realise hotel rooms could be this big," Kai commented, tilting back his head to look at the painted domed ceiling of room 99. The concierge smiled pleasantly and positioned the bell boy to bring in their bags.

But there was something wrong, Alex thought, suspiciously.
Soon, Kai cottoned on too.

"Uh..." Alex started, looking at the concierge uneasily, "Where's the second bed?"

In front of the two boys was a large King-size sleigh bed, complete with four posters and a dark patterned canopy above. But there was only one, and the only other room they could see was a bathroom.

"I'm afraid this is the only room we have at the moment. There is a great business exhibition going on and we are fully booked, apart from this room."

The concierge looked to be pleading under his fixed smile that they would accept this without complaint.

"Great," was all Kai said, flatly. The concierge and bell boy whisked themselves away, wishing the two boys a pleasant stay, and shut the door behind them.

"Guess that's one way to get to know each other," Alex heard Kai mumble, dropping his bag at the foot of the bed.

"At least it's big," Alex placated. He sat down on it, and nearly sprang back up again, "And springy."

Kai toed off his shoes and leapt onto it, nearly flying off the other side, "Whoa, it's like a trampoline."

When the field agent came and knocked on Room 99's door, all he heard from behind the red painted wood was the sound of yells and thumping. He frowned, and knocked again. Testing the door to see if it was unlocked, he crept in carefully.

Both boys dropped to the mattress, as though the crumpled sheets, considerably drooping canopy and wild hair didn't give away as to what they had been doing. They smiled widely, with barely suppressed laughs beneath them.
"You must be Agent Rhodes," Kai said, making his voice sound surprisingly serious, "Nice to meet you."

He got off the bed, bare foot, and treaded over his discarded shoes and socks. He shook Agent Rhodes hand, and Alex followed suit quickly.

"I see you've started to get to know each other," the agent said, not sure what to make of two supposedly top-class young spies spending their free time playing trampoline on a bed of an exclusive Russian hotel.

"Yes," was all they said, levelly.

"Well, as you guessed I'm Agent Rhodes. I'll be giving you a debrief on what will happen after the next few days."

Rhodes was tall and wide, with tight muscles packed under smooth, alabaster-white skin. He had a dark hair cut like a marine. He had a thin but not unpleasant smile, and had seemed to have decided he was quite amused by the two boys' antics. There was a circle of plush seats in the corner opposite the bed, and he sat down in one, inviting them to join him.

"I worked for the CIA for ten years before coming to the SRV, and believe me, I had no idea anyone was using such young operatives. But I've read the files on you boys, and as much as I feel trepidation about sending you into the Beckett Circle, I've got to say you're the best candidates."

Alex wondered if he could ask for a copy of that file on Kai, as his intrigue was peaking again.

"So, basically, the Beckett Circle is like a high-class, more dangerous and more complex version of Fagin's group from Oliver Twist. It's concentrated on hierarchy and earning respect; it's how the adults in charge keep the kids from turning rebellious when they get through their teens. If you give someone a role with a fancy title, they're more likely to agree with you to stay in that position. Everybody likes to feel important.

It was hard for me as an adult to gain access to any of this information. They are not interested in recruiting adults to oversee things, they want young kids. Preferably boys. Girls are mainly confined to gun and/or drug smuggling; the boys to drug money collection and violence, and both can be involved in prostitution, suicide bombings, and theft.

We don't want you boys getting way over your heads in trouble; and we think we've found an opening for you. They typically employ young boys, but young teenage boys who are easy to mould are just as good fodder. They want people with no parents, a poor background, and usually a history of violence or at least some contempt of the law. And right now, they appear to be looking for new recruits for a thieving racket they are setting up. A lot of art is starting to exchange hands right now; it's the time of year when all the big auctions are sold. They want some help in getting this art whilst it's in transport. You don't have to seem too clever, or too worldly. They just want kids who aren't complete idiots who will follow orders from their Lieutenants. Once you are in there, then you can start to find out what we need."

He handed over a pack, one for Kai and one for Alex.

"Study these over the next few days. They are all the information we have on the Beckett Circle. Positions, how to earn respect, these kids even use their own language quite often. Their names are important, their backgrounds etc, but what we want to know is who are the adult operatives of the Beckett Circle. The ones who put their money in to fund the circle, the ones who organise which client gets which set of kids to do their bidding. How the money exchanges hands, who are their clients. Things like this are vital to bringing them down. Because like every other corrupt group in the world, they are backed and formed by very rich, very smart people who have a lot of legal and political help. Whoever they are, we doubt they'll come down easy."

There was a long pause, and both boys started down at their packs weighing heavily in their hands.

"What are our cover stories then?" Alex asked, flipping over the first page in the booklet, "Do we have to change anything about our appearance?"

Alex knew all too well about this type of thing from previous missions, and he never enjoyed that part.

"Apart from dirty clothes and muddy faces there's no physical changes necessary. Apart from you, Kai, we're going to have to cover up your tattoo."

Kai's eyes briefly flickered from Rhodes to Alex, and Alex saw his shoulders tense up momentarily, "Ok."

"Good. I'll let you boys get reading then. If you have any questions, call me on the number at the back. It's a safe line, no-one can get into it. I suggest you eat plenty, stay sharp and rest a lot. It won't be a picnic."

This is definitely to convince you to keep reading and look foward to the next chapter:

Kai and Alex spend their first night in bed together and Alex might even find out where Kai's tattoo is......

hehe