Operation Aotearoa

Chapter One

Alex Rider was not happy. Spending sixteen hours on a plane was already something the boy dreaded, but having a kid kicking your seat the entire trip filled his head with very violent thoughts towards a certain head of MI6.
The teen pushed his way through the sea of people leaving the terminal and made his way to the nearest bathroom. He was pleased to find the bathroom reasonably empty, except for two boys who couldn't be much older than Alex. The shorter boy had brown hair, and brown eyes. Little moles littered his face, and Alex could tell he would be very popular amongst the ladies. The second boy stood a little bit taller than the brunette, and had blonde hair, and was a little lankier than the first boy, but they were both very muscular.
Alex ignored them as he splashed water on his face, trying to wake himself up slightly after that horrid flight. Why did Blunt have to send him on so many missions? He barely left the Heathrow airport before he was sent back to board another flight. At least he wasn't alone this time, however he was sure that was going to become annoying at some point.
The teen looked at himself in the mirror and cringed at the prominent dark circles under his eyes. He was hoping to catch up on sleep during his flight, but he didn't even get that luxury. It's like that kid behind him had infinite energy that they felt the need to use within sixteen hours. Alex asked what he thought must be the mother of the child to get them to stop, but after blankly staring at him for a minute she returned to her book. He tried to tell the child to stop kicking his seat, just to get lectured by the mother about his manners, and not to be so rude to her child. Some people really knew how to get on Alex's nerves. He begged one of the guys accompanying him on the mission to switch, just for an hour or two, but they just laughed at him.
Alex felt like punching something. His mood is not a positive one, and it is only getting worse with his growing hunger and need for sleep. If anything else went wrong between now and the next time he got to sleep some unlucky person was going to feel the aftermath.
The peace of the bathroom was short lived when the two boys started making out. Alex left with a huff, feeling very irritable. Couldn't they do that somewhere else? Deciding he should probably get back to the rest of his group the boy made his way over to the baggage claim. He barely bit back a scream of frustration at the sight of two of them arguing already. This is why working alone is better.
Striding over Alex grabbed his bag that one of them already got off the baggage claim and stood next to his team. His team consisted of himself and a SAS unit of four, known as K-unit. The two arguing were the unit's leader and sharpshooter. The short black haired Hispanic man known as Wolf was throwing verbal abuse at the taller, honey brown haired man known as Eagle. Alex heard Wolf say something about Eagle being stupid, and decided to zone out, knowing that it was just one of their usual arguments, and nothing serious. The unit's medic and linguistics expert were nowhere to be seen, and Alex assumed they were sorting out some paperwork or something.
The teen decided to sit down on the nearest bench and observe his surroundings. The people that he and K-unit were supposed to be investigating hadn't arrived yet. MI6 got inside information that their plane would arrive at around 14.00, so they made sure to get Alex there before then. The time was 13.30, so they had some time to kill. Alex wasn't sure why they had to get to the airport before their targets, as they were booked onto the same flight as them at 15.00 anyway.
Sighing, the boy decided it wasn't worth anymore time thinking about. He lent his head back and watched the people around him. People of all different cultures were rushing around, trying to get to their flights on time, while others were waiting like him. The airport was quite an impressive sight, compared to the ones Alex had seen on his other missions. Massive wood carvings lined the inside of entranceways. The details were a beautiful sight, and Alex couldn't help but wonder how long it takes to make something like that. A sign to his right greeted those getting off of planes, welcoming everyone to Auckland. Alex had never been to New Zealand before, and despite not wanting to be on a mission, he was glad that he could add another country to his ever growing list.
Alex heard footsteps behind him, and he turned just in time to see the unit's linguistics expert, Fox, lower his hand to ruffle his hair.
"Hey little bro", the red haired man said, chuckling as Alex sent him a glare. The mission required them to have a cover story. Alex was the younger brother of Fox, tagging along on the trip Fox and his mates organised, his mates being Wolf, Eagle, and the unit's medic, Snake. MI6 didn't give them undercover names, so they just used their own. Alex stayed Alex, Fox was Ben, Snake was Lewis , Wolf was James, and Eagle was Connor. Why MI6 used a SAS unit for spy work is lost on Alex, but he is glad that he at least knows them.
"Don't", Alex warned, not in the mood for anything right now.
"Oh, come on, cheer up", Fox grinned.
Alex rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to be on this mission. It's already bad enough being the youngest, but pretending to be the younger brother of Fox? This mission is going to drag on. Alex thought it wasn't the brightest idea of Blunts to put him on this mission, considering the people they are investigating are agents of SCORPIA's, and if they see Alex they will most likely recognise him. It's like Blunt wants him dead or something? Every time he goes on a mission he almost dies, and yet Blunt keeps putting him in those dangerous situations. Maybe he actually hates the boy? Maybe Ian pissed him off before he died, and since Alex is the only one left in the Rider family he decided to take it out on him. It would make sense considering that Blunt never answers the boy's calls when he needs help on a mission, or gives him much time to recover after an injury.
Alex was removed from his thoughts by someone calling his name. "Mmh?", he moved his attention to Fox, who had a slight concerned look on his face.
"You okay Al? You zoned out for a while"
"Yeah I'm fine. Just tired"
Fox seemed to accept that answer and patted him on the back. "Only one more flight and then you can chill out"
Alex nodded and pulled out his headphones, subtly ending any more conversations. He connected them up to his phone, and pressed play on his liked songs on Spotify. He got new headphones as a gift from Smithers. They are wireless, and have some cool features to help on missions. He can use them to listen in to other conversations people are having on their phones, he can connect to radio signals and listen in to them as well, popping off the left earpiece will provide him with a stun grenade, while the right earpiece can detect any bugs. Smithers really was the boy's favourite MI6 worker.
A whole crowd of people started to make their way through the airport, and Alex realised that it must be the flight the agents are on. Looking around the airport he could see two people who fit the description they were given collecting their bags. A woman that must be nearing her mid thirties with blonde hair pulled into a tight bun was talking with a man around the same age. The man had thinning brown hair despite not being very old. He had a round face, clean shaven. He was wearing a simple black suit, and as a whole he was very average looking. So was the woman. An average looking couple was always good cover, and if Alex wasn't looking for them then he wouldn't have known they were anything otherwise.
The time was 14.15, so they still had time before their next flight. Alex decided it was enough time to go get something to eat. He didn't feel all too well during his flight, and spent all his time trying to catch some sleep that he missed the meals. Not that the meals are ever any good.
Seeing a McDonald's not too far away from where he was sitting he decided that would be enough to satisfy his hunger. Quickly notifying Fox where he was going and asking if anybody wanted anything he made his way over and joined the queue. Craving something sweet the teen decided on a McFlurry to quell his hunger. Reaching the counter Alex placed his order just to get told that the ice cream machine was broken. Not even New Zealand could escape the terrible McDonald ice cream machines! Too annoyed to think clearly and order something else the boy left empty handed and returned to his original spot on the bench. Crossing his arms and scowling Alex knew he was acting like a child, but he couldn't find it in him to care. He was just so sick of everything.
An announcement on the loudspeaker declared that flight NZ8746 to Whakatū, Nelson, was available for boarding. Standing up wordlessly Alex followed K-unit to the gate to their flight. After getting his ticket checked by an overly enthusiastic worker Alex found his seat. He was seated next to Fox this time rather than Wolf. Alex found that he had a better relationship with Fox than any of the other K-unit members. It was probably because he had worked with Fox on multiple occasions before he decided to go back to the SAS. Alex didn't blame him. If he had the choice he wouldn't stay with MI6 either.
Once everyone was seated the flight attendants went over the usual safety procedure. Alex tuned out the talking and leaned his head up against the wall, watching as people outside got everything ready for take off.
It wasn't long before they were in the air. Alex was actually feeling hopeful that he would be able to get some sleep on this flight. He looked behind him to make sure there were no kids and was relieved to find Wolf reading a book with Eagle already asleep leaning on his shoulder. Alex was certain that they had feelings for each other, but neither of them would ever admit it. They would make a good couple, even though they are complete opposites. The boy found himself thinking about the pair as he started to drift off. The edges of sleep were starting to creep into his vision when a high pitched squeal startled him awake. Sitting up he searched around for the sound, scared something had happened. It took his hazy mind to realise it was only a baby crying somewhere on the plane. Alex wanted to join the infant in crying. There was no way he was going to sleep with a bloody child howling the entire flight.
With a weary whine the teen dramatically flopped onto Fox's shoulder. The man put an arm around the boy and pulled him closer, rubbing his shoulder. The gesture was comforting, and even though Alex was slightly embarrassed about his behaviour, he appreciated having Fox there.
Sighing he relaxed into Fox. He really just needed a bed right now. Trying to ignore the baby crying Alex decided to focus on something else. His stomach decided that it would be best that he focused on how hungry he was. The teen let out another exasperated whine, and Fox just chuckled. Alex smiled slightly at how easily they slipped into the role of siblings. Not that he would ever tell Fox this, but ever since Jack's death the teen viewed Fox as some sort of parental figure. It was stupid, but he really enjoyed having Fox there. It made the teen feel like he still had something in his life. Shutting his eyes Alex let himself sink into Fox, and finally catch up on some much needed slumber.