Quentin James and the Undercover Agent

GENRE: FAMILY /ADVENTURE TAG LINE: Prove parents aren’t traitors. Learn spy craft. Understand girls. LOGLINE: Naïve and totally unprepared, Quentin James is taken from the only life he knows and placed within Edgewater, a School for Young Spies, where he must unmask the Undercover Agent and crack the encrypted message to prove the innocence of his parents. TONAL COMPS: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Kingsman QUENTIN JAMES (12) is a young boy on the outside looking in. His parents are important international spies, making the world a safer place, as they tell him often, and so have little time for him. For Quentin, making them proud is uppermost in his mind. So he bares the estrangement, forgives the forgotten birthdays, tries hard at school, and patrols the halls at night, emulating his parents by making sure everyone is safe. But he has a sense of detachment, of not belonging, of being on the outside looking in. He has no friends, nor any connection with the teachers. He is alone and lonely. It’s almost as if he’s invisible. He has his most prized possession, a puzzle book, and loses himself within its mental challenges to mask his loneliness. CLIVE CAPSTAN (13) Natural leader. With his easygoing and affable nature, Clive instantly connects with Quentin and the two become fast friends. Quentin continually looks to Clive for guidance on all things worldly, especially girls. VICKY DUNN (13) Pretty young girl with a winning smile, confident and outgoing, masking insecurities developed from her home life. IRIS THEAKSON-BLUE (13) Bluey to her friends. A bright, warm, intelligent, friendly girl with a black belt in martial arts and a knack for lock picking. UNWIN MACPHERSON (31) military, taciturn by training/experience and the school’s head of security. A solitary man used to a world of rules and order, totally unprepared for Quentin and his new friends into his life. THE UNDERCOVER AGENT Excited his parents are coming to Parents Day, Quentin tries once again to join in and play soccer with the other boys, but he’s not picked by either side. Disappointed, he is further saddened when his parents fail to show. Later, the boys are in the Common Room gathered around the Xbox, each trying their hand at a new computer game “Escape from Colditz” and failing miserably. Quentin stands on a chair at the back of the throng of boys, watching intently. Quentin’s mental ability to solve problems comes to the fore as, later that night, alone, he completes the computer game in one sitting, unknowing that it’s an MI6 advanced screening programme. Quentin’s world turns upside down. He’s whisked away to a new school, Edgewater, a new world, a new life, and one that starts dramatically as he and Unwin leave just in time, evading the one man, Mr Cole, who knows exactly who Quentin is. More surprises as Quentin learns Edgewater is an underwater base as they journey beneath the waves and surface within its moon pool, known only as the lake by the students. Quentin quickly makes friends thanks to Clive, including a new 3rd year, Tim, but just as quick enemies, thanks to his parents being branded traitors. Both of which Quentin struggles to accept and adapt to at first. With his quick mind and an enjoyment of puzzles and strategy games, Quentin finds his place amongst his peers as he tackles “spyience” lessons in Code Breaking, Mission Planning and Surveillance classes and slowly grows in confidence despite falling foul of Zachery and Miss Magenta, the History Teacher. Wanting to help Unwin, Quentin, on learning someone has broken into the Records Room, investigates, finds a piece of a coded message and gets a fright as he sees a pair of red eyes watching him through the window. He grows closer to Unwin. Events escalate During a field exercise with his friends in close quarter surveillance, Quentin spots the man who chased him that first night, and put their newfound skills to use, tailing him through the town to a bookshop where Quentin discovers his name, Mr Cole. Up on the battlement with Bluey, Quentin sees the red eyes again and gives chase, only to slip. Hanging by his fingertips, Bluey’s quick thinking saves him from certain death. He sees mysterious flashing lights, has his first kiss, an electric failing reveals to Bluey Edgewater is an underwater base and learns that Zachery has been sending messages during the night via the Intranet, Edgewater’s internal network. Quentin believes Zachery is the undercover agent. A passing remark about chemistry makes Quentin realise the partial message uses his father’s secret code. Quentin deciphers the partial message which warns of rogue agents in Belarus. Realising the flashing lights come from the old tower, Quentin and his friends stake it out and discover Tim is the undercover agent. Tim reveals his mission, to find the cipher for the code message, and begs for their aid. Deciphering the entire message, Quentin’s parents warn of a new world threat, a rogue organisation called I.O.N and instruction to investigate The Loch of Arthur, thus proving their innocence of Treason. Convincing Quentin and his friends to help, Tim signals the submarine in the lake, adding an extra single flash at the end only to be caught by Unwin. Quentin and his friends explain, alarming Unwin but convinced by Tim that they need to work together, agrees to help. Quentin and his friends sit their end of year Spyience exam, a complete mission involving, planning, code breaking, surveillance and more. As they leave the old factory, having completed their mission, they pass Zachary and his friends. Vicky wishes Zachary "Good Luck." That night Quentin realises that extra flash means Tim is pulling a double cross and heads to the old tower, where he overhears that Mr Cole is in charge, that Tim and Miss Magenta are working together, & they plan to kidnap him, using Vicky as bait. Quentin offers himself up to save her. Vicky, Clive, and Bluey with the help of Zackery race to save their friend. Zachary alerts Unwin, whilst Bluey, Clive, and Vicky board the sub, subdue the guards and rescue Quentin hoping to gain time by sabotaging a hatch. The plan backfires as water pours into the sub. Quentin panics, he cannot swim. Vicky calms him and together they all swim out of the sub, to the surface. The submariners, along with Tim and Miss Magenta, I.O.N agents all, are captured by Unwin's team. Excitement over, they head back to Unwin’s for debriefing and cake. Quentin joins Unwin, Mel and his friends on his very first holiday, off to the Loch of Arthur and his next adventure. * Whilst set in the exciting world of espionage, the story is about Quentin’s need for parental connection, friends, and to be accepted. It is about love, belonging, and having that sense of fitting in. Being ignored is lonely for anyone but an asset for a spy, so where better to be than at EDGEWATER, THE SCHOOL FOR YOUNG SPIES. Thank you for your time Simon