Alex had to capture the man. He had to get this witness. He could testify and incriminate some of the most important criminals. As far as MI6 knew, no one else had been able to keep track of him since he started running. He had just sent an email requesting pickup.

Alex looked back at the edible photo in his hand one last time. "Saurohz Milkovich", it read, just below the picture. The man was tall, dark-haired, extremely pale, and muscular. In the picture, he was eating a steak. His girlfriend at the time was standing behind him; she was pretty but not gorgeous, blonde but not seemingly idiotic. Saurohz looked like a boxer, but he was known for liking and trusting kids.

Hence, Alex.

With a sigh, Alex hoped the pictured steak was the flavour of the picture and popped it into his mouth. It tasted like paper anyway. Alex decided that it wasn't one of his flavourite gadgets.

Alex stepped out onto the street and followed the directions to Saurohz's known hideout. It was a musty old crumbling shack, and it stood out like the chips in chocolate chip cookies in the city suburb.

When he got there, he rung the doorbell, but no one answered. Normally, Alex would have called MI6 and left it to them, but today he was just frustrated. MI6 had pulled him from school, and he still had a lot of homework. If he did this successfully, Blunt and Jones wouldn't waste his time with a lengthy debriefing (which he soon found was their rather-effective deterrent for failing minor missions). Alex hurriedly picked the lock and walked in.

Almost immediately, his attention was called to a splashing sound in the bathroom accompanied by muffled shouting. Someone was in trouble – probably Saurohz, knowing Alex's luck. Alex ran down the hallway, absently noting that in the quaint kitchen there were several empty bottles.

When he approached the door, he found out what was happening. "Saurohz, you arse!" a female voice screamed. "Why didn't you tell me! Why!" It sounded like Saurohz tried to respond, but it was stifled by another splash.

Ah ha, thought Alex. Angry lover. At least it wasn't some terrorist. But there was still the fact that Alex needed this witness, and he couldn't let him die. He kicked down the door.

The woman spun from where her lover was half-drowned in the bathtub. "Who are you?" she cried. Saurohz sat up from the water, coughing. He looked frazzled but grateful for Alex's unexpected appearance. "Are you one of his friends?" she sneered, referring to her boyfriend as if he were utter rubbish.

"No, I'm not," Alex said. "But I am here to take him with me so that he can testify against unsavoury people." Who are probably on unsavoury photos, too, Alex added mentally.

She looked enraged, and when she shouted again Alex caught her scent: alcohol. "You mean the terrorists he's been hanging out with?"

"Yes, exactly."

Saurohz started to speak for the first time. "They sent you for me? Are you kidding me?"

"No. If you need to see my badge, I have it here." Alex started to reach into his pocket, but the woman interrupted him.

"And now I find out you've been going to the government behind my back too?" she howled, still furious for Saurohz's lies. "AH!" she screeched as she shoved his head back under the water.

"Wait, no!" Alex cried, grabbing the woman's shoulder and pulling her away. "Stop drowning your sorrows!"

AN: I'm alive! Surprise!

I want to dedicate this story to Tigertopaz-Titanium Banana, who pointed me to a website that made me want to write for some reason.

I didn't get my beta-reader on it (sorry!) because I just wanted to write for the first time in forever, and I didn't edit it, either, so apologies for errors.

Don't feel obligated to review, and thanks for reading!