This story is set after the end of Madlax, and there will be references to past Bond films. This story should therefore be considered to be containing spoilers for both franchises.

James Bond and associated characters are owned by Danjaq, L.L.C. and Ian Fleming Publications, based on characters created by Ian Fleming. Rights to the James Bond film series are owned by Danjaq, L.L.C., United Artists Corporation, and Columbia Pictures. Rights to James Bond print media are owned by Ian Fleming publications.

Madlax is owned by Bee Train Entertainment and Victor Entertainment. To the best of my knowledge, the English language version is owned by AEsir Holdings, L.L.C.

All other trademarks and copyrights are the intellectual property of their respective owners.

Certain companies named herein are fictitious, and as such any resemblance to actual business entities currently or previously trading is coincidental.

I would like to thank everyone consulted for advice, opinions, and general discussion before and during the writing of this work. Your encouragement has persuaded me to write on.

Hostile Territory

A James Bond and Madlax story

Chapter 1

The war in Gazth-Sonika raged on. Both sides were still oblivious to the fact that the war was, in fact, started by Enfant, a criminal organisation whose head, an enigmatic man named Friday Monday, started the war with the intent of bringing about a state of anarchy. Friday had believed that the true nature of humanity was a state of constant conflict, fuelled by a core of instinctive, competitive behaviour unrestrained by laws, morals, or ethics.

Sigmund Freud called it the id. Friday called it the human essence.

To achieve this end, Friday had attempted to use the power inherent in a trio of ancient books written by an ancient Asian civilisation that had lived in the area occupied by the country now called Gazth-Sonika. Bringing all three books together gave someone with what was known as 'the Gift' the ability to access another dimension, within which existed the two Doors of Truth and the Era. The Door of Truth, while allowing glimpses into the past, would allow Friday to spread the ancient incantations of this race across the world. The Door of the Era would allow him to effect greater changes in time and space.

The first time, he had been thwarted by Lieutenant Colonel Richard 'Madlax' Burton, a pilot with the Nafrecian Air Force. While he failed to spread anarchy throughout the world, he had succeeded in using this power to inflame already strained relations between the Gazth-Sonikan government and Galza, an antigovernment resistance group then on the verge of declaring open war on the government.

Twelve years later, when Friday regained possession of all three books, he would be thwarted by Margaret Burton, Richard's daughter, and a mercenary named Madlax, who, as it happened, was created by Margaret subconsciously due to her possession of the Gift and the proximity of the three books twelve years prior.

Friday Monday was killed and the books destroyed in a fire.

Even without the influence of the books, the war continued, in the twelve years following Friday's original attempt to access the Doors, and after Friday's death. It was in this environment that Madlax lived and worked, plying her trade as a mercenary performing security escort duty, rescue, and assassinations.

Madlax lived each day with the possibility of being arrested by the government – not only was she wanted for the deaths of dozens of government soldiers over her short career, she was also the killer of the Commander of the Kingdom Army, General Guen McNichol, and she had also been charged with the murder of a member of the royal family - Jaham Korslan, cousin to the king.

This was how Madlax lived – one day at a time, one job at a time.

Second Lieutenant Limelda Jorg, a sniper with the Elite Guard, Gazth-Sonika's internal security force tasked with protecting the royal family and the government, was tasked with finding Madlax by Enfant. After finding Madlax, she refrained from killing her, but she declared she would be 'keeping an eye on her' following Friday's death. Feeling betrayed by the Army, she, too, went freelance, selling her services as a keen markswoman and sniper. She still had friends in the Army, however, and as a result, she was able, to an extent, to keep abreast of Army developments, and she had limited access to Army weapons and equipment.

Her seeming obsession with the young mercenary named Madlax, while diminished, still remained, and she made sure to know what it was that Madlax was up to – once in a while. She had, after all, told Madlax that she would still be keeping an eye on her.

From the author: The story is set in mid-late 2011, a few months after the end of Madlax.

On Colonel Burton: Although he is known to be a member of a nation's military (or a member of a paramilitary unit) in Madlax, it is never specified which branch of the armed services he belongs to, or what capacity or role he serves in. I referred to him a pilot because:

1. His jacket – the one Madlax wears – is an MA-1 flight jacket, as formerly used by United States Air Force and Navy aviators. The jacket was also exported to Europe for use by European air forces.

2. The jacket has a patch on the breast, as opposed to the shoulders – to the best of my knowledge, only aviators do this.

3. His 'code name', Madlax, could easily be a pilot's callsign.

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