Becoming Agent Rider

Home Security

Two people sat across from each other in the bland office of the Royal and General Bank on Liverpool Street with only a bowl of peppermints on the desk between them. They had been staring at each other for the past ten minutes, neither backing down. As Mrs. Jones waited for her deputy to bring in the last guest for their meeting, she examined the boy in front of her and was surprised to see the changes that the last month and a half had wrought. The teen was calmer, physically fitter, and even more observant than the last time she had seen him. Even though they had been staring at each other, Mrs. Jones knew that the boy had taken in all of their surroundings, aware of everything at all times. It was in the way that his muscles tensed at the slightest sound, the slightest movement. But even more noticeable was the lack of questions. The boy had always been quiet but he never held back on questions, particularly when the espionage world came calling, so it was disconcerting to not hear anything for once. As soon as she had intercepted Alex when he came out of the showers at Brecon Beacons, he had followed her into the waiting helicopter, neither saying a word. They still hadn't said a word, even after the half hour flight back to London. The silence threw her off and Mrs. Jones had prolonged it by keeping quiet as well. Besides the unsuitability of discussing confidential information outside of her office, and without the deputy or their guest, she wanted to test the teen. To see how much silence Alex could take before his innate curiosity became too much. Judging by the silence, these past few weeks had taught him more control and patience. He hadn't even fidgeted. Then again, she didn't think that she had ever seen him fidget. It wasn't normal for a child to act this way. She found herself wondering, again, if she was making the right choice.

Alex had a good idea of what Mrs. Jones wanted when he walked out of the showers and saw the head of special operations waiting for him. Like he told the soldiers, he had already guessed the reason for pulling him out of training early. With that in mind, he kept silent the whole way back and was amused to see a flicker of confusion in the woman's eyes. Fleeting enough that Alex almost thought he imagined it. But still there. With the continued silence from both of them, Alex studied Mrs. Jones in return, trying to figure out what her motives were. Because Yassen was right. Everyone in the intelligence community was always plotting something. And if there was one thing he had learned about Blunt and Jones, it was that they never did anything without a reason. Most of the time, if not all, that reason played into a long range game filled with carefully calculated moves. Ones that were five steps, even ten steps, ahead of their allies and opponents. So, although Alex had an idea of what the woman wanted, he still had plenty of questions. Why was he pulled from the camp without the soldiers being informed? He grimaced inwardly at the thought of the welcome he would receive when he went back after the mission. Alex could already almost hear Wolf and the sergeant screaming at him, demanding answers. Why the continued silence? Normally, the woman would have attempted some small talk at least. Although, her confusion at his own silence might have prompted some sort of test to be thrown his way. What were they still waiting for? The silence, and their staring contest, had continued after reaching her office. And the thing that had been bothering him since the last time he had been in this office, why did she give him those files on K-Unit? Other than the surprise of receiving any information at all, there had been much more information than necessary in those files. They were a glimpse into each of the soldiers' minds. A look into everything that went on behind the scenes of a mission. Alex couldn't help but wonder what this sudden willingness to hand over information to him meant. He intended to find out something about Jones' agenda by the end of this meeting though.

Three sharp knocks on the door sounded before two men walked into the office, interrupting Alex and Mrs. Jones from their musings. Recognizing the limping, grey-haired man and remembering Jones' request to get along, Alex smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Morris."