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.
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