Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter! Read on!

Chapter 7

"Alex m'boy!" was the exclamation that the boy in question heard as he stepped out of the elevator into Smither's office. "How are things?" The burly agent clapped him on the shoulder – hard enough to make him stumble.

"Hey Mr. Smithers," Alex couldn't supress a grin; Smithers really was the only person in this building he could call a friend. "I'm doing well. How about you?"

"I'm peachy!" he laughed, motioning Alex forward and out of the elevator foyer. "Making gadgets for you is always so much fun! Really makes me think hard, ya know?" Alex laughed, and sat down in the chair Smithers had pulled out for him.

"I'm glad I make your job harder than it is, Mr. Smithers," Alex replied cheekily.

"Oh I'll have none of that, if you will," chuckled the older agent. When he spoke again, however, all trace of laughter was gone. "What have you gotten yourself into this time, m'boy? Colombia is a beautiful country, but it's politics are about as ugly as Blunt's armpit."

"Wel, it's not like I had much of a choice, you know. I never do," finished Alex. Smithers sighed, but then bolted out of his seat.

"Well!" he said buoyantly. "No use for moping! Let me show you what I've got!" Smither wobbled to a closet-like room deeper in his office, and came back with a big sack which he proceeded to drop in front of Alex. "Go ahead! Take a peek."

With a mounting feeling of excitement, Alex reached into the sack. The first thing he pulled out was an aluminum, Swiss-made watch. Just from the watch's weight and overall appearance, he could tell that this was no cheap rip off.

"Mr. Smithers!" he exclaimed. "Isn't this a bit too expensive to take on a mission?"

"Well, if you don't want to - "

"No no no," interrupted Alex quickly. "What does it do?"

"Well," began the agent. "It tells time."

Alex waited for Smithers to continue, but when he didn't, Alex was dissapointed. "Is that...all?"

"Of course not old chap!" laughed Smithers. "I wouldn't just give you any old watch. No – this little baby does a lot more than your ordinary time-teller. You see, this little knob on the left is actually a detachable GPS transmiter. When you take it off, you can stick it to any metallic surface. If you don't find such surface in your surroundings, you can remove the micro-adhesive cover that gives it the nice aluminum look. That'll really make the transmitter stick.

"The bottom knob on the left activates the transmitter, so don't forget to press it! That big button that says 'light' is exactly that- a light. But press it twice fast and three LED forward-facing lights will spew out of the top edge of the watch! These are powerful, industrial grade lights too.

"Finally, the two knobs on the right are actually two very, very powerful magnets. The reason the watch is a little wider than most is not just for style, Alex. These two knobs are the head of a hundred-foot long nylon and kevlar infused grappling hook. You can lug up to three hundred pounds on that baby. Of course, I would tie the watch to your belt to do that...wouldn't want to get your hand ripped off."

"Yeah," mumbled Alex. "That would be a bummer."

"Mhm," continued Smithers. "Now, this watch plays very well with your next gadget - "

Alex pulled it out, and gasped in amazement.

"Yup," said Smithers. "That's an iPhone 4. We have a very close friendship with Apple, so we get to use their toys to make ours. You see, this iPhone is not like any other. If you press the two top corners of the phone, the screen will detach and provide you with a handy storage space for something very small and thin.

"Also, the Fallout 3 Strategy Guide app that's installed already is actually a geiger counter- just in case. This phone is unlocked, and it uses MI6 communication satellites, so don't worry about using connections. And Mrs. Jones authorized me to give you a five-hundred dollar Apple Store and iTunes gift card, to use at your discretion."

"Wow..." breathed the teen. He had always wanted the phone, and couldn't have asked for a better gadget.

"The rest of the gadgest will be in your hotel room when you arrive. Now, I'm sorry but I have to show you out," sighed Smithers. "I've got a meeting in about seventeen seconds. If you'll just walk through that portrait, a slide will take you back to the ground floor and the lobby. It was great talking to you! Bye bye!"

After that experience, Alex decided that he really needed to put a slide in his house.

Three hours later found Alex at Heathrow airport, boarding a plane bound for New York. He spent the next ten hours mostly asleep, or playing with his iPhone. As soon as he arrived in New York, he got into a connecting flight to Bogota, Colombia. The airline, Avianca, treated him like royalty as he sat in business class. Five hours later, and he was through immigration and in the American embassy in Bogota.

"Good afternoon, Alex!" greeted a man he had never met. "I'm Michael McKinley, the American Ambassador stationed here. How were your flights?"

"Um," mumbled Alex. He was groggy and jet-lagged, and really wanted to get to bed. "A little on the long side, actually."

"I would imagine," tutted McKinley. "Well, you'll stay here in the embassy tonight, and tomorrow you'll meet the rest of your team."

"Okay..." yawned Alex. "Thanks."

"Your room is at the top of the stairs on the left. Have a good night!"

Eight hours later, Alex was sitting bleary-eyed at the kitchen table, where the Ambassador's kitchen staff were preparing a meal. It consisted of One large, half-foot diameter Arepa – a flat, plain, bread-like circle, covered with cream cheese. Also in front of the hungry teen were two scrambled eggs with corn, guava juice, and to top it off, home-made hot chocolate.

Alex thought that this was one of the best meals he had ever had, if not the best. But after a while, he forgot about the food. There was a rather more pressing matter on his mind – meeting his team. That time woulod come in exactly four hours. Until then, he would have to find something to fill his time. Sighing, he whipped out his new iPhone, and started a new Fifa 10 match.

Ta-da! I know it's a lot shorter than usual, but bear with me. Tomorrow I leave for another city in Colombia, so don't expect another update until at least next Tuesday. I'm really sorry about this crazy schedule, but traveling makes it really hard to update regularly. So - I hope you enjoyed this filler-like chapter! I was a little sad when I only got two reviews last chapter...kinda makes me feel that people have lost interest in this story. When you lose interest, I lose interest!

So pelase, drop me a line! Tell me what you think so far. Now now, be honest! Have a great rest of the week everyone!