Alan Blunt, director of MI6, uses this incident to blackmail Alex into investigating the deaths, of two billionaires; Michael Roscoe, and Viktor Ivanov. Their sons, both attend the same academy in the French Alps, Point Blanc, and MI6 plans to send Alex there undercover, posing as “Alex Friend”, son of a supermarket magnate David Friend. He is supplied with several gadgets, including an exploding ear-stud and a Walkman which is also an emergency signaling device and a diamond-edged saw.