Death Waits For No Man – The Final Part

Epilogue

Thursday

The room is bright white and hurts his eyes, he brings his arm up to shield them and this pulls something in his right side. A voice says,

‘Oh look now silly you have pulled your stitches again, listen will you, stay still I have to suture them again now’

A female voice, caring and forceful, the kind that won’t listen to nonsense, it must be a nurse, with experience too, still it’s painful to open his eyes, as he falls back to sleep the nurse finishes the stitches.

The next time the light is easier on the eyes, its dusk and the light is fading, now his right arm is hold in position, a drip leading out of his left arm and around him machines whirl away, checking heart rate, blood flow and god knows what else. He has to move, his back feels like he has been there for weeks and he wants to move. Two old hands push down on his chest, carefully on the left side as Mathis says;

‘You better rest James; you took quite a beating out there’

‘How long have I been here?’

‘Two days’

‘Really feels like weeks’

‘Here James drink this, I almost forgot too, you have been contacted by the makers of that boat, you pushed it to 293 miles per hour and they want to congratulate you’

Falling to sleep again, Bond lays there until morning when he is woken by the female voice again, checking on her stitching and the health of her patient. He looks at her figure, in the harsh uniform she looks healthy, young like the girls he remembers, the nurse’s uniform smoothly round her breasts, he looks at her lightly tanned skin leading to the striking red hair, Bond looks into her dark green eyes, proud and caring; he takes in her hair, red hair and green eyes, James smiles.

‘And just what you are smiling at Mr Bond?’

‘I know a great little restaurant just down the coast from here.’

‘You presume I’m that kind of girl’ she winks and adds

‘I get off at 8 and the name is Luciana then she leaves without another word

Another voice cuts in; the voice has authority and reminds Bond of his past.

‘Bond I’m M’

‘M’s dead’ as the turns over to see the speaker, a tall strong man, much like M he remembers almost looking like a bear in stature. He says again ‘Bond I’m M, I was sworn into the office today’

‘And just as quickly the past is swept away is that right?’

‘No, I have long studied my predecessor’s actions and tactics and I intend to follow his steps, and it is with that I’m commanding you the station here in Geneva’

‘You want me to be an ambassador?

‘No MI6 and the Deuxième are running a joint venture and you are to be the commanding officer alongside Mathis, the purpose of this cooperation is the hunting of Berkut’s employers’

‘I thought it was the triads out of Hong Kong?’

‘True but we have reason for suspect another organisation, I believe Stanislav referred of their existence to you, this group knew highly sensitive information about M and yourself, we can only speculate how high their information and infiltration goes. That is why you and Mathis will be based in a neutral location.’

‘Do I have a choice here?’

‘Of course you could return to spending your time in hotel casino’s thinking about the past, I want you to have purpose again remember James, Death waits for no man, don’t you wait for him either.’

James Bond shall return in

Lightning Never Strikes Twice

Death Waits For No Man – Part 6

Chapter 5 - Revenge

2.05pm

The helicopter is still following Bond on the bike now, with the camera running, something that is discouraged inside MI6, no agent should bring so much attention to himself right now that is not important to Bond only killing Berkut drives him onwards. The car and bike speed up the Route de Chuade that snakes along the side of Rocher De Naye all the way to the summit. Bond gives fierce chase on the motorbike and quickly gains on the car that loses so much speed in the sharp hairpin corners has the road gains in altitude, the town of Montruex is left far below the two spies, scenery changes into woodland as both men race higher towards to clouds where one man will die today. As Bond gains on Berkut, gunfire blasts out over the engines of both machines, a man is leaning out of the Aston’s passenger window, carrying a pistol and firing shots quickly all off which miss bonds more agile BMW, the gun fire is not meant to hit, but to distract bond and it does not work. James knows he has to keep distance and once the car comes to a halt he will get his change, but no he knows there are two men inside the car and he doesn’t have a gun, just a blade that Mathis passed to him before entering the garage back at Geneva. The car turns wildly into the oncoming traffic and forcing James to move quickly and never losing sight of his target. High above him the helicopter is still giving chase of both vehicles. Is this is entirety of Stanislav’s escape plan, Bond is certain there must be more to this, what is waiting for him at the top of the mountain, is James heading straight into a trap? Bond is already outnumbered and outgunned, what advantage can he gain at the summit? The odds against him say that a direct confrontation will be the only successful method of taking down Berkut, James has to be smarter, follow at a distance, make him believe you are lost the chase, give him the upper hand and the arrogance of safety, he has already brought too much attention in the form of the following helicopter. That’s it, he needs that copper, Berkut won’t be looking for it and maybe there are weapons on board to even the fight in James’s favour. He feigns losing control of the bike once the helicopter is closer to him and once the aircraft lands, he smoothly reveals the dagger in front of the oncoming man, and again is pleased to the see the smiling face of Mathis.

‘Climb on James, we have a job to do and put that blade away, seems I have friends here in Geneva too.’

As the coppers leaves the ground and the two man shake hands again, Bond takes a gun from the rack on partition in the latest vehicle used by Bond in the past 20 minutes. The pilot of the craft has got a visual lock on the Aston Martin which now has slowed down and driving smoothly along the twisting mountain pass.

‘What is the plan James?’

‘He will be heading to the summit, and a change of transport there, that is when we shall strike, what weapons do we have here?’

‘This is an attack chopper, we can take them all out from a safe distance’

‘I want Berkut, and it will be close contact’

‘Understood, we can take the other man and the car out’

‘Leave the car that’s mine too’

‘You could just buy one James’

No answer as Bond leans out of the open door in the sleek black helicopter, watching the flow of traffic carefully and preparing himself for the kill.

‘I think he has lost us boss’

‘Don’t be stupid, we can’t lose him so easily, he has another way to follow us, you have to stay on guard and let me drive.’

Stanislav drives the Aston Martin along the road, the car is more than capable of moving faster here but a moderate speed is fine for now, Berkut knows Bond will wait to attack, men like these two have to be patient and look for advantages anytime they can, recklessness will get you killed in this profession.

He has made this personal for bond and the attack will be man on man, Stanislav measured up Bond at the hotel bar and see’s little challenge from the aging man, how he wishes to have faced him at the height of the great spy’s reputation, alas that is not to happen he will have to kill an aging legend. However he will not take chances and give Bond any opportunity for a killing strike, he has arranged for insurance at the mountain top.

The pilot watches the car park at the top of the mountain close to a stationary helicopter; the two men exit the vehicle leaving the doors open seemingly unconcerned about the fate of the car. Landing outside of view, Bond and Mathis leave the chopper after sending instructions to the pilot and taking a radio each. Both the agents have side arms and blades ready for the fight, from the chopper they has counted 5 men including the pilot of the chopper, this should be simple for younger spies, as it is there is not much challenge in taking out the 4 men with the element of surprise. The pilot of the attack chopper lifts off and follows Bonds instructions by maintaining a striking distance from the mountain top. Bond and Mathis wordless separate moving around the target under tree cover, until both men have two targets in sight, a brief transmission on the radio signals readiness to attack, Bond expertly takes out the former passenger of the car with a shot to the head and injures the chopper pilot in his left shoulder. Mathis counts two kills from his revolver and Bond strides up to Stanislav as Mathis circles around his back. Stanislav is not concerned, Bond understands why, on the mountain top there is another man hiding in the woods with a sniper rifle trained on Mathis, a small red dot can be seen on the heart of Mathis, and marking out the precise point of contact a bullet could take should Berkut give the signal.

‘James you came here to take me on and now I have put you in a tough situation, either you save your friend or you kill me.’

‘I should have guessed you would have back up’ replied Bond as he discreetly pressed a transmission button on the radio, a signal was sent to the pilot of the attack chopper to strike at the sniper previously spotted hiding in the wood, the explosion shook the mountains, as the trees where blasted away from where the concealed sniper once hide and the surrounding woodland burnt as Bond rushed to Berkut, all the anger he has felt of the past hour added speed to his legs and strength to his aching arms, the first contact made by Bond cracked open Stanislav’s nose, blood flowing down his suit, staining the shirt and falling onto the dirt beneath their feet. The following reply came instantly from Berkut as Bond’s first hit barely seemed to faze the man. A fearsome strike aimed at Bonds left knee, designed to bring the agent down and it did. Falling to a knelling position Bond prepared to strike again, Berkut was already bringing both his fists down to connect with Bond skull, he pushed forward into the Russians midsection, the leap took the wind out of Berkut and both men fall onto the ground of the mountain. Stanislav got a quick and well aimed knee into James’s ribcage, feeling and hearing something crack, Bond rolled away from him, as Berkut stood up straight, Bond struggled to do the same, the best he could do is bend to the right holding the contact point in his ribs. Berkut wasted little time; training in the KGB drilled into him ruthlessness in a fight, to take any advantage possible and never to waste any time. Bonds training told him the same but his experience told him an injured opponent gives the other fighter confidence and can be used to mislead and distract so when he held is right arm to his chest, Bond’s left hand had reached a rock from the ground, the well aimed but small rock flew into the path of the oncoming Berkut, hitting his left eye socket, or where it should be, the impact broke the skin covering his socket and behind the newly opened hole was his left eye. At a young age Stanislav has been told by doctors that his left eye was there but was useless, not connected to the brain, the doctors said they could open the skin but Berkut declined. Since then the eye has never been used and is still the same size it was at birth, a tiny child’s eye in a man’s body. Fluid runs away from out of the gap and mixed with the blood from his cracked and misshaped nose, in a furry at being humiliated by Bond, he screamed and lunged carelessly at his target in the air with his knife held in both hands, bonds arm flung up in defence and he held onto Berkut’s dagger, now only inches away from Bond’s right eye, as quick as bond has ever moved his right hand grabbed hold of the left eye, ripping it out, and brought a knee in Stanislav’s abdomen which forced M’s killer to let go of the blade and move away from James. Bond reached out for a foot hold on Berkut and got his right, with both his hands he crushed the agent’s ankle, feeling the tendons snap and hearing the Russian screamed out again. Berkut is down on the ground, he’s right leg damaged, left eye removed, and he will be furious right now, Bond has broken ribs, aching bones, and running low on strength this fight has to end now Bond cannot keep fighting. James has his own dagger in his left hand, a pistol in a harness and his right arm supporting his chest, he makes the final attack on his enemy. Berkut clouded by the anger and shame of his left eye, stands carefully resting on the left leg, knowing that he will have to end this fight with his fists and that his balance is affected now. Berkut aims his next attack at Bond right arm and the previous impact, bonds attack is directed at Berkut’s neck, Bond is going for a killing blow and Berkut is not, both men connect with their targets, Bond falls down still clutching his chest and Berkut goes down clutching his broken neck. As the light leaves from the Russians one good eye, James steps on the left eye, Bond falls down out of exhaustion and pain.

Death Waits For No Man – Part 5

Chapter 4 – Reputation

2pm

Bond has visited the members only area at various formula one race tracks before, a memorable time he had spent in the paddock at Monte Carlo with M, much at M’s insistence too, meeting Jackie Stewart at the height of his fame, he won the race that time in thrilling style and also was named as the drivers champion over the year. He has also been a talented amateur in the racing world, if his other duties had not demanded so much time and attention, then the skills could have blossomed into a career. In the pit Jackie and Bond shared a warm hearted drink before the race, Bond talked of his Scottish heritage and instantly Stewart was interested.

Bond too admired the fearless man, driving at speeds Bond has not and with a skill that would be useful in Bonds hands. Bond has always been a kind motorist and in his work speed is often essential for success, Jackie agreed to assist Bond to advanced training session once they were both in England. A session which Bond was more than pleased to partake, during the time on the race track Bond improved his driving skills immensely and Jackie said so, Jackie was not a man to mince his words either and with a fierce passion for all things automotive, saying that petrol flowed through his family. Bond got the feeling that he wasn’t the only agent to receive training from Stewart, Jackie was knowledgeable about MI6 and friendly with M, he smiled at the thought and the logic behind it.

Inside the pit lane garages at the race tracks teams of engineers worked on the machines up to the point before the race and often during too, littered around the garages were piles of spare parts and tools, the engineers were the kind of men who stand proud of their work and always share a congratulatory cigar once a job is done well. The scene presented in front of his eyes is not too different, just as he was entering mechanics were busy preparing the boat for its test firing. The machine had its first intake of fuel; just enough to fire the engine for 1 minute during which time a number of tests will be performed. After this any last minute repairs shall commence if required and then the tank shall be filled up to the specifications preset by the engineering team.

The boat itself is a marvel of perfect design, a similar feeling to the one Bond shared the first time seeing the Moonraker, here the boat is shaped like a bullet much alike to the Moonraker with two air intakes on either side of the pilots position and out runners to add buoyancy to the craft, although here it’s horizontal, suspended from the ceiling of the structure with the engineers wearing green overalls rush around it, tinkering with calibrations. The hull of the boat is much like that of vast majority of vessels and also rarely seen just like the undercarriage of a duck. The shape is striking, it is long and thin, with enough space for one man to sit and no passenger, the power is provided by the jet engine situated behind the cockpit, a fearsome looking beast, Bonds eyes follow the path of the bullet shaped boat to the wall behind which is scorched black.

Suddenly James remembers himself, and tried not to look too in awe of the machine, that would give him away he needs to control himself and focus on the task since every second counts here as Berkut is speeding away in front of him, just less than two hours ago he was sharing a drink with this man and now he is on course to share a bullet with him. Then the engine fired as part of the build up to the record attempt, a broadcast about the American boat was drained out by the eardrum shattering roar of the engine, James is familiar with engines himself but has not been this close to a jet engine and can only imagine the conditions when inside that cockpit. Jet fighter pilots need to have regular hearing tests before declared fit to control the planes and this is much the same, and then he is instructed by an engineer that the engine is perfect and it is time for the final fuelling and for James to enter the boat.

James is handed ear protection which is also a radio transmitter and mouth piece, the control team are expecting constant details about the running of the multi million pound super boat and the pride of Europe, more precisely both England and France is riding on the success of this machine. News is broadcast that the American boat has broke the speed limit and set the speed of 286.289 mph, the previous speed record is 285.213 mph and held by the American Lee Taylor just 2 years ago, he was due to be driving today and Bond wonders if he is dead and the concern passes after a second and he knows he must go faster to catch his target. The engine is switched off again, and the fuelling has been completed, then the hydraulic crane carefully positions the craft into the still waters of Lake Geneva and it’s time for Bond to come aboard his new vessel.

The machine fits him perfectly, it could have been designed for him, and he takes a second to view the controls of the ship, strangely simple on the inside, most importantly is the kill switch to the engine, this would be vital if anything were to go wrong when at there on the lake. Other controls are a jet fighter like stick for movement not the wheel he is used to or expected, he takes time to recall the help that Jackie gave to him about the force of the speed during turning and regarding breathing to reduce the effect of G on his body. This should be simple and straight forward trip, the only concern is catching Berkut. The engine is switched on and then the man Bond left in the showers burst into the structure followed by armed guards, bond must go now, the roar of the engine shocks the staff as the boat lurches forward, a wave covers the personal and Bond leaves the safety of the garage. Voices in his head yell at him over the radio and no response is given, Bond is on a mission and nothing can stop him from getting his target, his age, he condition, his sadness for the loss of his old friend all have to be put out of his mind now and only one thing matters, getting one bullet into Berkut mind.

He takes the boat as quickly as he can in the harbour, he knows he can open the throttle fully once out into the lake, the helicopter flies him trying to stir him off course and the instructions are still yelled over the intercom for him to return the vessel. He heads to the open Lake Geneva, viewing the mountains in the distance, as the boat passes the walls of the harbour Bond pushes down hard and releases the full power of the jet engine, the roar rings in his ears, his body is subjected to a massive force of acceleration that pushes him back into the seat, unable to breath because of the pressure no air can enter his lungs, easing up on the throttle brings air rushing back into his system and Bond feels the thrill and excitement he experienced with Stewart.

The speed was recorded then as 100mph and he is barely out of the harbour, guiding the craft carefully with the nose pointing at the gentle curve of the lake, he again lets the engine free and this time James if ready for the violent pressure, the machine is exhilarating, youth floods back to him as the thrill of the speed brings life back into Bonds world, reminding him of what he has missed for the past 4 years. Speeding to 200mph with little effort the machine powers Bond towards his meeting with Berkut as the hills around Geneva disappear in the distance behind him and in front the Swiss Alps grow out of the horizon. He follows the curve of the lake and now it’s the right time to break the record for England, over the radio he hears Rene’s voice,

‘James, Berkut stopped the boat at Montruex after that we lost him, you have to get there fast’

‘Roger that Rene’

‘James, break that record too’

The clouds can be seen covering the tips of the alps, and at the base of Rochers de Naye lies Montruex, Bond guesses that Berkut will have a vehicle waiting for as part of his escape until the mountains, which means he must get there fast, find a chase vehicle and he guesses that he needs to be there within 4 minutes to have any hope of achieving this.

The speed is reading at 220mph, small villages on the banks of the lake fly past and Bond has no time to see them, his vision is trained on the Alps, the boat is cutting through the lake with ease as the pin in the dial moves past 230mph, faster then bond has driven before, his eyes are straining to focus, his muscles forcing the boat to stay on the course, and acceleration beating his body with heavy lungs struggling to take air. The boat has reached 250mph in a matter of seconds and shows no signs of slowing down, so Bond pushes even harder, rage beginning to fill his mind as he thinks about the cowardly Berkut killing his friend with a bomb, no way for a great man to go, furious at himself for not seeing the signs this morning, Bond channels this rage to give his body more strength and determination that failure is not an option, he must avenge M and regain self respect.

Moving across the crystal clear waters, the wake of the boat rippling the once pristine reflections on the water’s surface as the boat reaches 260, cameras on the following helicopter recording the attempt and measuring the speed of the boat too. The voice over the radio is asking for information about the running of the boat, as back at the garage hopes are rising for the record to be set by a European, bond replies to the questions positively as the speed is now reading 275mph, just 10 short of the record and he has travelled half of the lake in the past two minutes, once the jet powers the boat to past 280 it begins to slow down acceleration, is this all the machine has, how much more can Bond get out of it, with all his strength focused into the engine, Bond pushes forward on the stick once more.

Growling the jet reaches 283mph, as bond passes markers which signal the safe breaking distance, Jackie told Bond these have a 20% added as an extra safety precaution so he knows he can make one final push before truly having to brake and that is what happens, as Montruex is increasingly visible the speed is recorded at 284 quickly moving into 285mph more is needed make the recorded attempt, bond stops looking at the speed and calculates the breaking distance, passing the limit at Stewart advised by another 10%, James pulls back hard on the brake, grinding the metal of the machine, as it cries out with pressure, Bond is crushed by the force, he pushes the kill switch, and the momentum of the boat is still carrying him forward, every bone and muscle in this body screams out at the stress of G and with the effort of pulling on the brake.

The boat is under control again, as James can relax his arms and glide the machine safely past the startled onlookers who had been watching and listening to the events over radios. The police are already converging on the boat, bond passes the American boat, which Berkut didn’t land properly and is basically a wreck. Quickly departing his vessel once it has run aground and ignoring the shouting over the radio.

He sees a tyre marks leading to a car speeding away in the distance, without a moment to spare Bond spies a biker parking his machine, swiftly running up apologising in advance to the biker he slams the helmet into the bikers head and takes the bike giving pursuit to the racing Aston martin in the distance. The disgust that Berkut choose an Aston is not lost on Bond, could this be another game, design to insult Bond, how much could the KGB and Berkut know about him, what is contained with the files there, the flow of information should be tight and how much danger is Bond in? Punching the engine of the BMW up the slopes of the mountain, now car can ever outrun a bike, Stanislav will know this as well as James does, so he will be using all the tricks he can to escape.

Death Waits For No Man – Part 4

Chapter 3 – Retaliation

1.40pm

‘Rene can you help me get past that security, how much power does you badge have here?’

‘Not enough for that James, the best I could do is distract them by keeping them talking with their commanding officers for 5 minutes at the most’

‘That will have to do’

‘What are you planning James?’

‘Don’t ask, I don’t want to think about it myself, I know that Berkut is inside that compound already, he mentioned about his organisation having access if that’s true, this is his way out of Geneva.’

As the car passes by the white stoned buildings of Geneva, scooters zipping around the city with children riding without helmets, the tram holding up the traffic, angry horns of the locals and from Mathis as well, seem to bounce of the beautifully designed walls, young women stand on the balconies of expensive apartments watching the flow of traffic and smoking alluringly Bond gives just a seconds thought to the possibility before returning to the task at hand.

The little powerful frame of the Fiat pulls up to the entrance to the marina, here millions of pounds of boats are safely and quietly moored to their tethers, almost still on the serine perfection of Lake Geneva, this was chosen a perfect location for the speed limit attempt to be held due to the size of the lake and the stillness of water. The conditions could not be more perfect for the record to be broken today as either of these two machines are more than capable of doing, there is a huge amount of competition of interest in this event, two competing machines are here today, one from the Americans and one from an Anglo-French consortium. The press build up to the event has been strongly in favour of the American machine, which is believed to have better engine Efficiency and more aero dynamic.

A crowd of eager onlookers have already formed a barrier close to the harbour to get a good view part at the time when the first machine is due to start the attempt. So far the police have not moved this people on or warned them about the event in the restaurant just across the water from the internationally important boats, but Bond is certain that the staff here will be on higher alert and that will make his task so much harder and the last thing he wants to do is get into a gun fight here, these people are innocent but he has no time and no authority to request official access. So to get past the security detail with bloodshed he will have to call again on his past experiences.

The pier houses a guard house which has direct radio contact with the enclosed garage where the boats are contained inside there; Bond can only guess how many more armed personal are watching carefully over the actions of the mechanics, the crowd and the water of Lake Geneva. It is a white covered temporary building with no external windows, one guarded door and presumable the fourth side of the structure will be open to the lake and that is where the boats will depart the safety of the building. In Bond’s opinion there are two options right now, the first being to enter the water on this side of the building swim underwater and emerge inside the structure and face unknown people. The other is to gain entry into that structure by deception through the much more conventional door method, once inside that way he can be afforded a certain amount of control, since after people are past the check no one inside the building should question his presence. So that leaves the last question of how?

Quickly looking at his Omega watch, Bond knows that in 20 minutes the first boat is scheduled to begin its first of three potential tries at breaking the record and the second boat will start 5 minutes later. The lake is clear of traffic for the whole afternoon and the helicopters and police patrols have been enforcing this throughout the day. So what is likely to happen in the next 20 minutes, the pilots of the boats will have to enter the structure if they are not there already, safety engineers will have to check the equipment and officials from the records committee also have to give the final official green light that both machines meet the regulations.

So where can any of these potential targets be coming from, they must be somewhere close to the building, Bond remembers reading about the intense physical demands that these boats will have on the pilot, and a training regime has to be followed right up to the minutes counting down the start of the event. No food can be taken and the body has to be prepared, so there has to be somewhere around here for this to happen.

Then Bond sees what he wanted to, quickly turning to his old friend, ‘Rene I have a way into that enclosure, follow me we must be quick’

Bond and Mathis confidently stride into the Hotel Le Blanc, and without exchanging words with the concierge head directly to the guest relaxation and gymnasium. Here Mathis begins to talk to a guard about directions and Bond walks towards the changing rooms, here he sees just one locker is being used so at least one of the pilots is already in the structure and he is guessing it’s Berkut. Bond removes a lock pick from his wallet and as he carefully works the tumblers on position and opens the locker, he removes the clothing inside and prepares to dress himself in the fire prove suit, picks up the helmet and places his own suit inside.

He waits for the pilot to enter the changing room by hiding in the showers James remains unseen by the unlucky man about to be struck over the head. Once the body goes limp Bond holds him and drags the still breathing man into the shower room, once there he uses his own tie to secure him against the pipes. This will not hold any body for long but that’s not the idea and Bond doesn’t need much time. He made a quick exit from the hotel, noting that the guard is also missing, that means hopefully that Mathis has been highly effective in dealing with him.

It is only a short walk to the guard house at the start of the pier and the expertly doctored ID card gives Bond instant passage onto the walkway. So another quick check of his watch and it is time for the first boat to emerge carried not the original pilot but the killer Stanislav Berkut and begin the slow progress out to the open water of the lake. Cameras flash, people cheer and the reporters are busy commenting on the first attempt of the day. Bond knows that boat will not be returning to Geneva today, and he fully intends to follow very quickly in the next boat and doing that will be messy. First he would have to persuade the engineers to start the engine; James has been around enough state of the art equipment to know that it’s never as simple as using a key, the Moonraker for instance, the number of checks and re check even before fuelling the rocket bored bond at the time. He would have to get into the machine; from there he knows none of the guards would be willing to open fire so close to it. These thoughts and concerns are not shown on his face and his stride is not broken during the long lonely walk to the next guard, he holds up his ID card and looks at the face of the uniformed man there and is momentarily surprised to see the silver haired Mathis staring back. A slow smile crosses both men mouths, as Bond is granted access inside.

Death Waits For No Man – Part 3

 

Chapter 2 – Retribution

1pm

Before Bond has time to ask or respond a deafening noise enters the quiet bistro, a flood of glass flows over the waitress and the barman, James and Rene are already on the floor as the flaming car comes to a stop just feet away from them.

‘That was my driver’

‘He’s not driving us anywhere now, that was no accident and somebody is out there waiting for us, do you have a gun?’

The barman is dead, pinned under the car and the young woman has cuts over her body and is screaming in pain and for help. Around them, tables and chairs lay in waste, water is spraying over the fire, and the front of the bistro is in ruins, tourists and motorists are fleeing the area outside. Bond and Mathis had rising to a crouching position behind one of the overturned tables with a view to the outside both waiting for the killer to show himself. The restaurant has been destroyed and Bonds day is spiralling out of control, just moments ago he was told his long time friend is dead and now someone has tried to kill him, this can not a coincidence and to find out more and just to stay alive Bond will have to call on training not used in the last 4 years and push his aging body harder than ever before.

‘I have a revolver, you take it James, when was the last time you fired one?’

‘Three years’

‘Right well, get used to it you won’t got two chances’

‘Why is it Mathis each time we are together in a restaurant a bomb is detonated?’

‘This is not a suitable time for your famous dry humour James’

Bond held the heavy six-shooter, getting used to the weight of the piece, learning the balance and preparing himself to fire like he used to, starting by controlling his breathing, lessons drilled into him through years of services for his country and his dead friend. He looks around the destroyed bistro waiting for the sign of entry, then instinct told him to turn around, it didn’t make any sense the car the fire the publicity of it all, everyone attention will be on the front of the establishment, this is a diversion.

Grabbing Mathis roughly by his collar and pushing both of their bodies to the floor just as a rain a bullets rip about the space they just occupied. Laying there Bond has a view of two pairs of legs, a clear shot through the rubble and debris calmly bringing his right arm forward and taking a deep breath to steady himself and counter the recoil of the pistol. He releases two shots from the old handgun, as the echoing sound and smoke dies away; he quickly stands up knowing that he has not executed a fatal shot on either of the assailants. He runs forward past the flaming car and screaming waitress with the revolver aimed careful at the two would be killers on the floor; both of them have been crippled by the bullet and would be lucky to walk again. Mathis walks around the other side and collects a weapon from one of the men and Bond does the same as Mathis covers him. Bond stands for a second as adrenaline races through his blood stream, training floods back to him as he hurries to secure the entrance that the two men made, once certain that no back up team was there, he returned to Rene still covering both bleeding men. James knows he has 2 minutes before the emergency services get there and he doesn’t want to waste any time with paperwork. This is a controlled hit on him, if someone got to M then someone can get to him, the more time wasted here means that man gets further from him. So he holds the revolver by the smoking and hot barrel and leans over one of the men.

‘Who sent you?’

Is barked at the bleeding man, without waiting for an answer Bond brings the gun forcibly down onto the man’s bullet shattered ankle

‘Tell me and you may walk again’

A second strike follows 3 seconds of silence from the man then he screams out in pain this time so Bond hits him a third time and the crack of bones shattering start a duet with the man’s cry of pain.

‘Now you talk’

‘Never’

Bond lets another bullet enter the man’s other ankle without another question or any hint of hesitation and another scream of pain is released from his lungs.

‘You don’t have time and I don’t have patience, tell me before you lose your life’

The look in Bonds eyes is calm and focused, behind the calm is a well of rage waiting to be released and held back by Bond himself as he knows rage gets people killed, right now he has fight for control and stay cold and professional. The expression on Bonds face and in his eyes tells the man on the ground there is no way out of this with his life unless he tells him a name, he cannot stall until the police get there and sees little options open to him now.

‘Berkut’

Mathis looks quickly up at James, and shouts

‘It’s time to go James we can still reach him; you know where he will be’

Sirens are moving closer and concerned public are beginning to enter the vicinity of the car bomb that destroyed Mathis’s Citroën and killed his driver, time is short and for once Mathis and Bond have the avoid the attention of the police. Swiftly and without instructions both men bring the weapons down onto the heads of the two attackers and leave the burning restaurant by the back door through the kitchen and past the bodies of the kitchen staff, their throats slit by the two hit men, the crimson blood pooling on the stark white tiled floor of the kitchen, inside the aptly named ‘Le Rouge et le Blanc’ as the fire reaches the fuel tank of the car.

Later the waitress is found alive and the burnt bodies of three men are found inside and from then on the building will have a reputation for death.

The pair move with speed and skill through the crowds amassing in the streets around the shell of the restaurant, even with their ages the two agents of M16 and the Deuxième, they can push through the throng of the public.

‘This city will be locked down within minutes once the police get into the bistro we have to get out now’

‘Berkut is at the hotel he said he would take me for a closer look at the high speed boat in the marina after lunch’

‘Berkut knows who you are now and that is not going to happen, if he ordered this hit then he must either already be out of the city or have an exit for when the merde hits the fan, if you pardon my French’

‘We need a car’

‘Don’t you have one?’

‘Yes, it’s at the hotel, we will be seen leaving and details reported to the police, that car will bring attention to us, do you have another team in the area?’

‘No just the driver’

‘My boss, the head of MI6 is killed and you come to watch me with just a driver, is the Deuxième short of agents now?’

‘James I came here as a favour and since I respect you, I hope you afford me the same treatment, I have a clean vehicle parked 4 streets away as insurance you understand, remember we are in neutral Switzerland and Deuxième are not official here it will take too long to get authorisation and we don’t have that luxury.’

‘Good man Mathis, let’s get it’

The aging men move as quickly as the people allow them and soon as they get away from the scene the flow of the crowds lets up, police cars are racing to the scene and uniforms are walking the streets. The police in Geneva work quickly and efficiently, Bond and Mathis reach the car, both men feeling the strain of the last 10 minutes in the heavy lungs and tired legs.

As the two men sit in the swiftly moving Fiat 500, a small car for both those men, but with a specially tuned engine which gets power to the wheels and that is what they need right now. Bond has a minute to consider the events of the morning. First he kicks himself mentally for not listening to his once well honed instincts about Stanislav Berkut; he picked up on the history of the man but did not see immediate danger. As the streets and tourists of Geneva flow around the moving car Bond wonders, is he so far out of touch that something so obvious passed him by, how easily it must have been for Berkut to have killed him right there, poison in the scotch, a swift stiletto to the neck or a silenced pistol shot and of those could have happened and Bond would have been caught off guard. Not again Bond told himself, and why did Berkut not take the chance, what game is he playing with Bond, what message is he trying to send here?

‘Ok Mathis time to tell me everything I don’t know’

‘Yesterday M was meeting with ex Governor Trench in Monaco to discuss issues with the triads in Hong Kong, the whole thing was reported as a private holiday and no details revealed regarding the nature of his visit or M’s attendance there. A car bomb much like the one we were so close to took up both of the men, at the scene was found a message to MI6 and more specifically to you.’

‘What did the message say?’

‘That the snake heads will not accept any interference in triad affairs from England, they are making a move to regain the colony and that as a symbol of their message they will kill the favourite spy of the nation, namely you’

‘So I’m just a message, nice to be remembered of course.’

‘James this is not a joking matter, if the triads want put an end to you just to give current double o’s warning not to enter Hong Kong then you are in immediate danger’

‘How does Berkut feature into this? He is military right, ex KGB? Tell me what Deuxième have had him.’

‘Yes, came out of the training programme with high standards, driven by his deformity, something he killed one instructor over and three other trainees. He has a slight chip on his shoulder about it and has pushed hard to achieve the highest commendations within the KGB until his disappearance 4 years ago.’

‘Four years ago, could that have anything to do with my brief visit behind the iron curtain?’

‘Indeed it does James, the KGB soon found out about Dr Gorner and once it was revealed that you, Britain’s greatest spy had been on soviet soil and escaped without detection, the higher powers brought it down heavy on the staff, the field men, just like our superiors would on us. Very tough questions must have been asked and it’s believed at that point Berkut vanished.’

‘So now you are telling me he is working for the Triads on a contract to stop MI6 sending men in by eliminating M and myself out of a personal competition and a feeling of regaining respect inside the KGB, this sounds wrong, there must be more behind it’

‘James, you know what it is like getting information out of Russia most of this is speculation, informed speculation it may be but that doesn’t change much, the facts are we know he is out to kill you and has already got within striking distance twice. If want more information we have to ask directly.’

Bond falls silent now to consider again that he has been so close to death and unaware, also to focus his mind and his body on what has to be done, old sensations came back to him in the restaurant and holding a gun again, is he regaining some of his former self, only time will tell. Once the car gets to the Harbour he will have to find Berkut quickly and use all the strength and skills his trade has provided him with.

Whilst Berkut may have been on the outside of KGB for the past four years, it’s clear the man has had a target in mind and spent every day since then preparing for this moment and the on the other hand Bond has not.

Death Waits For No Man – Part 2

Chapter 1 – Remembrance

Tuesday Noon

'Stanislav Berkut'

'What?'

'My name is Stanislav Berkut, what is yours?' said the newly introduced Stanislav

'James Bond, so you are from Krasnoyarskii with an accent like that'

'You have an excellent ear Mr Bond, yes indeed I am from Krasnoyarsk although I studied at your Cambridge and got a double first, would you care for a refresher James?'

'Why yes Scotch straight'

James leans against the bar with his back to the waiter and watches carefully over the room, in front of him seating sparingly are numerous couples and women flirting with the high rollers fresh from their games on the green felt, with chips in their hands and alcohol in their blood tomorrow both of those shall be gone and so shall the women. James thinks to himself about this, knowing from his own experiences in at royale les euax facing le Chiffe and at Blades challenging the cheating Sir Hugo Drax. Here he looks at the men with knowing pity and also recalls his own time when having that attention from the females, the thrill of the win and the weight of the chips in his hand with fondness.

Now he has a boss who sees him as a liability, a tool which once was sharp and completed jobs with ease, now is rusting and dull with age. In his beloved Mi6 there are now female agents almost equalling the men in number. He is on the outside of the agency now, younger agents will think of him as being over the hill and out of touch. Bond has something to prove, not to other 00’s, not to M but only to himself.

Out in society, drugs are entering into the public culture with pop bands openly using them, the youth have changed, Woodstock in America has become a legend, the first people had visited the moon and returned and a president had been shot dead and the Munich Olympics have been attacked by terrorists and unrest is felt throughout the middle east. All around Bond life is changing and he is not moving with it. For the last 10 years he has been taking part in less and less activities through his work, being confined to welcoming a desk and a future of viewing reports for other agents and spending time at gentlemen's clubs around London often accompanied by M.

In fact it has been 4 years since the Dr Gorner and Bond's first and last time in Russia, even then he was having second thoughts about his usefulness to M and how much longer he could keep up the lifestyle. So far what has he got to show for it all as he scratches the scar on his left hand, Ш a reminder of a mistake in his past and one he will never forget.

In the four years since the passing of Gorner under the boat in Paris, Bond has tried to keep a strict regime of fitness, not to the standards that an active agent would be expected but more than enough for his current position. He stands there wondering what would happen if he had to face any one of those agents of SMERSH or SPECTRE again right now, would his body stand up, would his reflexes be sharp enough to pose a challenge. Bond knows there are enemies out there, people who would like to end his life and maybe the only reason he is still alive is that he is no longer important or a threat to anyone anymore.

Stanislav returns with two drinks, and passes one to James, 'You look distracted Mr Bond'

'Oh yes, thank you for the drink, they have a good scotch here you know, one of the finest'

'Yes so I have been told' said Berkut as he took his coffee in one go

'What are you doing here in Geneva Mr Berkut; it is a long way from Krasnoyarskii if you don’t mind me asking of course?'

'Not at all sir, I am here for the competition, I represent business concerns and the runner of the race tomorrow will be a concern for my associates'

'Oh you are referring to the water speed attempt; I understand the Americans are hopeful with their machine'

'The smart money is said to be with them, indeed it is and may I ask you of the same question sir?'

This is the first time Bond has really looks at his new companion in the face, something which during the height of the training he would have done before the first words were spoken and for a moment he was taken aback both at his lapse in concentration and at the appearance of Mr Berkut. He was taller than Bond by half a foot and cast an impressive shadow, slender and carries himself well, bonds training told him that this was a man who has been trained in similar skills and arts which Bond also has been.

His face is classic Russian, with strong features, high cheekbones and narrow eyes, not that of the orient but noticeably different to James. His left eye however is simply not there, skin from Stanislav’s cheek flows up to his forehead covering the entire eye socket with skin. Something like this must have been a birth defect and which the man has had to live with since then, this however has not stopped the man from achieving some success in life as Bond sees the man’s watch, and can tell that he suit is not a cheaply made and is of similar quality with the one which Bond is wearing. Bonds reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out his cigarettes after offering one to Stanislav both men light up the Balkan-Sobraine made especially for Bond. After that he caught himself starring for a second at the face and almost like the man reads Bond’s mind, he says

'It’s from birth you understand, I am quite alright with it, some people prefer not to look, what do you feel when first seeing my appearance sir?'

'I see a man who is confident and successful in his life, a focused man intent on achieving his goals'

'Great answer Mr Bond'

'Thank you I thought so'

'Have you seen the boats yet?'

'No I was going to make a trip to the harbour after lunch'

'Great, my organisation has access to the machine, I will invite you have a have closer look than the public does if you wish?'

'That would be splendid sir'

'Great we shall depart at 1.30 sharp from outside the hotel, my driver shall take us there'

With that Stanislav left the gaming area of the hotel De le Piax without another word or any gesture of leaving, Berkut walked purposefully towards the exit, just like the men who Bond imagine he is to do. This left Bond alone with his thoughts about what just happened and a slight concern about the man from Krasnoyarskii. Something about the man reminded Bond of old feelings which right now he was unable to quite recall. He ordered another drink and lights a cigarette and let all concerns leave his mind about that man. Instead he walked to the sitting area outside of the bar which has a view over the entire harbour, from here James can see numerous boats of different sizes travelling through the waterway, can see the engineers busily working on engines and preparing the machine for demonstration later in the day.

Helicopters are patrolling the bay, the sound of the rotors filing the bay with noise, there TV crews setting up equipment around the location at key vantage points. Bond stood there stock still taking in the sights and all the time some slight smell of danger had crept into his head, there in the background something was calling out to him, something that his training would have picked up on if his senses were at their height, for now he will have to endure the uncertainty. Bond looked down at his new Omega watch designed to his specifications and collected from the store facing Lake Geneva, he has a strong feeling of pleasure looking down at the complicated face of his time piece. Remembering that this one is simply a watch without any of the special extras ingeniously crafted by the Q branch, it is an extremely expensive watch and that is all.

Bond begins to recollect colleagues from the past, remembering how many of them had made it to the semi retirement that he has, and he can’t think of one who is still alive or not still on active service, is he unique in this, as being the only agent who has survived the term of duty as a double 0? How many people who have served in the same way as James can say that they have lived, and what kind of existence is this, Bond is aware that he left loose ends in the course of his work and that people out there could be waiting for him?

At any point as he stands watching the activity out on Lake Genève, an agent of Blofield could stab him in the back. Those are the thoughts which Bond has to deal with each and every day, a certain level of alertness has to be maintained by him, but for how long and when can he ever tell himself that the threat is not there anymore. There can be no warning or letter confirming that he can relax and that no one will be waiting for him around the next corner, this is the curse and the lasting legacy of his lifestyle. More and more he finds himself starring out into the distance and forgetting the environment, returning to past events and excitement and wishing for some of the same feelings to enter his life again, to feel the strength in his old bones again, to feel the weight of a PPK tucked under his shoulder again. He was bolted out of the reminiscences by sirens blaring past the hotel; police and ambulance are racing south along the Quai Du Mont Blanc. With that Bond return to the bar, orders another scotch, drinks, pays and leaves.

Bond walks in the same direction as the sirens took only moments ago; his destination is Le Rouge et le Blanc, 5 minutes stroll from his hotel and facing the Rhône River. There he is greeted warmly by the maître d and is shown quickly to his normal table when seated the lunch menu is presented by an attractive young woman sporting a knee length red skirt, tight around her thin waist, a white blouse as is the uniform of the restaurant, hugging her figure and breasts. Bond stares at her for a second and takes in all the details, in this way his training is still shinning through and has never been sharper when measuring women. He looks again as she walks away with his order for vodka, watching carefully as she shakes her way skilfully between the tables and brings a smile to his cruel lips when she begins flirting with the bar man, the playful flick of her hair when he makes a joke, and a brief contact as the drink is passed over. This is the first time he has seen this girl, not a major thing but he felt he was familiar with all the workers here, quietly drinking the vodka, bond wonders again what would he have done years ago when presented to with such an example of youth, would he have let her walk away so easily. The question has no change for an answer as another man, who Bond had failed to witness walk into the restaurant, sat down at his table.

‘James, I’m glad I found you in time’

‘Mathis, it’s great to see you old friend, what have you been up to young man and what are you doing here? I’m sure you are missing your wife and your mistress.’

‘James I am here since my boss thought it was a good idea that I watch over you’

‘Rene, slow down just what are you talking about, would you like some wine?’

‘Ok just one, but James this is not the best place to talk’

‘Rene, I haven’t eaten, can this wait?’

‘No James this cannot wait, we should drink quickly we have to leave, and I have a driver outside waiting’

‘Are you going to tell me anything about this Mathis, call it professional courtesy so I know what I’m walking into?’

‘James, M is dead’

End of Chapter 1

I hoped you enjoyed the first full instalment of James Bond and Death waits for no man (even if it the title has been described as ‘not very bright’ :( ) and that the writing style is at least similar to Flemings, and if you wish to find out all the locations mentioned then check Google earth (i used it a lot during the writing all the shops, hotels, restaurants and road names are real, i wonder if that is advertising?) and historical events should put the story into a certain year. 

I went through quite a lot of research for this story even if it was wrote in about 8 hours spread over two days, once i started i couldn’t stop it and the story fall into place.  It is much different to the original plan and that i will keep for future reference :)

I even went to the point of photo shopping own face to better imagine what Stanislav Berkut would look like and right now i am still tinkering with little points in the story, when will i learn?

Death Waits For No Man Part 1

I have finished the 1st draft of my James Bond short tale, it shall be posted in 7 parts one each day this week.

So please enjoy the first part of ‘Death waits for no man’

Prologue

Monday

The espresso was delivered to the table at the same time each day, at 9.24 it had to be in the same place every day, a sleepy and exclusive road on the side of Mont Bataille just off the route de la tete chien.

At 9.27 a tall slender man, sporting a suit from Seville row and a panama hat would walk into the café with a newspaper under his left arm and without glancing at the staff or customers quietly talking amongst themselves in this secluded location in the hills of Monaco. He moves with the arrogance of the counts and carries himself well, the more experience staff are aware of what that means in this area. The waiters know about the man in so much that they know his routine and that it should not be changed. These instructions came from the owner and the waiters are wise enough not to question some orders. So as part of the instructions no money is ever to change hands and none of the barista's should ever talk to the man in the hat. His table was positioned in a private room at great expense on the second floor of popular cafe, facing out across the bay and with a view of Monte Carlo which is with 20 million francs according to the latest offer. His stay in the café will be brief always 7 minutes and his gaze will not leave the view once, even with the newest waitress dropping coffee in the lap of a female patron will distract him from the view. 9.34 And the coffee drank and the door closes quietly as the man has left again. Three minutes pass in the distance sirens can be heard in the harbour, as the staff move to see police and ambulance services converging on the Cathédrale de Monaco and with the help of binoculars the scene can be viewed easily from balcony. The radio was reporting that the ex governor Trench of Hong Kong visiting on a private holiday and another man had suffered an assignation attempt and it is unclear was to their current conditions.

The tall man never returned to the café and his espresso was left un-drank.

Chapter 1 will be posted tomorrow, and this is a Cathédrale de Monaco as mentioned in the story.