Ruby Redfort: try not to scream

Ruby cycled quickly through the streets of Twinford,  trying to forget what had just happened. What had she done? She hadn't just kissed any old bozo. It was Clancy Crew. Her best friend for thirteen years. Great. The Count was back, she was potentially crushing on her best friend and she had the most important exams of her life coming up in a few months. She turned her focus to where she was going and not where she had been. LB wanted to meet her. What for, she wondered. She had never met with LB outside of Spectrum before. Well, other than when Bradley Baker had just died.

When Ruby parked her bike outside the Twinford ice rink, she saw a car she recognised. It was LB's. The ice rink was one of the many entrances to Spectrum 8 and one of the closest to Ruby's house. She walked inside and it didn't take her long to find her boss. Loveday Byrd stood by the Spectrum entrance, looking at her watch.
"You're early," she muttered when she saw Ruby.
"Hello to you too," said Ruby sarcastically.
"I'm surprised. I would have thought you were too busy with Clancy." LB stared at Ruby unblinking.
"What?" exclaimed Ruby. "I have no idea what you're talking about," stammered Ruby.
LB looked confused. She had no idea what had happened in the tree.
"Relax Redfort. We need to get into HQ; I have something to show you,"

The two of them walked into Spectrum 8, not saying a word. Anyone who walked past them would have seen how similar they looked. Both had long dark hair, although LB's was often tied back. They were also very similar heights and builds. Both were very pretty and had beautiful long eyelashes. Ruby expected to be directed through to LB's office but instead they walked a little further down the hall until they reached a room Ruby had never been in before.

"This is the Red Room," said LB, turning to face Ruby. "We decided it's time you have your own office rather than sharing the Blue Room with Blacker. Besides, it's right by my office in case I need to keep an eye on you,"
Ruby smiled widely. "Really?"
"Why don't you go inside," said LB pushing the door open to reveal a room. Thankfully it was not fully red. The walls were white but all of the furniture was a perfect ruby red colour. Ruby smiled. Ironic that Ruby Redfort would be given an office with the name the Red Room. It was perfectly decorated with pictures of Ruby and her friends on the walls. One that stood out to her the most was a picture that had been taken three years ago. It was of Ruby, LB, Hitch and Bradley Baker. They were sitting inside Greenwood House working on the Casey Morgan mystery.

"I've always loved that photo," whispered LB following Ruby's eyeline.
"Yep. It makes me miss him," said Ruby, barely realising how sentimental and soppy she was being. A slim slither of a smile spread across LB's face.
"I didn't realise he meant so much to you Redfort,"
"More than I care to show sometimes," whispered Ruby, composing herself after her brief moment of softness.

Bradley Baker. Legendary agent of Spectrum 8, extreme genius and an all round great dude. He had died three years ago at the hands of someone best known as Marnie Novak. He had been presumed dead for a decade before he actually died and it had been Ruby who had found him. He had lost his memory and was living by the name Morgan Loveday. It was the fact that Ruby had found him that made her boss trust her. In Hitch's words, in LB's mind Ruby had found 'lost gold'. There wasn't a day that went by that Ruby didn't try to live up to his standards. For months before she had met the man, he had been a pain in the behind to Ruby. He was the best agent that Spectrum had ever seen and probably the best they would ever see again. After meeting him, Ruby realised what all the fuss was about. He was an amazing agent. It was due to this that Ruby decided to be the best agent she could possibly be. She had decided that if she managed to achieve even a quarter of the things he did by the time she died, she would be pretty proud of herself.

"Thanks LB," said Ruby. She meant it. Her own office meant she was going up in the ranks at Spectrum. Very few had rooms that were their own. To be precise, LB, Froghorn, Blacker and Hitch were the only other agents in Spectrum 8 with their own rooms. Although Ruby had never been inside Hitch's office, she knew he had one. He was LB's most trusted ally and probably the best agent in Spectrum other than LB herself. In fact both LB and Hitch could probably give Bradley Baker a run for his money.
"No problem, Redfort. It's getting late. I'll get Hitch to come and pick you up," LB turned and left the room, leaving Ruby alone with her thoughts. She decided that in the approximately five minutes that she had, she would explore her new office.

There was a really comfortable looking couch on one side and a red wood desk perfectly central. In the back she saw a little door, not so different from the one in LB's own office. Instead of a photo gallery, there was a sort of store cupboard with a drinks machine and some donuts. The shelves were piled high with books and files and in one corner there were some glass cabinets. These contained lots of Spectrum gadgets. Some of which Ruby has seen before and used. Others that she had only seen locked away in the gadget room. She marvelled at the amount of one of a kind equipment in front of her until she spotted a little piece of paper laying next to one of the cabinets. It was from Hitch.

It read: Most of these belonged to Baker. They are now yours. Use them well kid! - H

Ruby wanted to jump up and down with joy. She already had one of Baker's gadgets that she had owned for three whole years. The escape watch. But now she had almost every piece of equipment the legendary agent had ever used. Some of the things she recognised were also LB's. The little white fur on the hood of a coat. It had once been a cape but Hal in the gadgets department had modernised it for Ruby. It was a gift from LB as a reward for finding Baker. Ruby had only used it once when plummeting through the air to what would have been her death without this cape. It had a parachute inside and one tug on the drawstring inside the hood and you would be saved.

Ruby had just closed the door to the storeroom when Hitch walked in.

"Like it?" He asked, looking around.
"Love it," Ruby replied. "Although I'm not sure what's better. The gadgets or the donuts."

Chapter 6 done ✅ it took me quite a while to write this one so I hope you liked it xxx