Death by the Book
December 1
3:00 PM
The woman, wearing a black two-piece bikini, moved seductively over
the deck of the cruise ship. She held two drinks in her hands, in the left a
pina colada and in the right a strawberry daquiri. She walked to a man
lounging in a folding chair. Her shadow covered his body, and he slowly
took off his sunglasses. He smiled and took the tall glass from the girl's
right hand. They exchanged smiles, and the girl eased into a folding chair
next to the man. The woman extended her free right hand, and the man
wrapped his larger hand around hers. They sat there for a few moments
while the hot sun basked over their bodies. They simultaneously took
sips of their drinks. The woman turned her head to the man and asked,
"How long are you on vacation, dear?"
"Until the fifth of January," the man replied.
"Why so long? Not that I mind," she said with a grin.
The man smiled back and answered, "I just finished a major deal with
my corporation. They were so pleased with my performance they
decided to give me an extended vacation."
The girl turned in her chair and said, "That's wonderful. That leaves so
much more time for ourselves."
The man nodded and took another sip of his drink. They silently stared
at the blue rolling sea before them. A few moments passed, and another
shadow fell across the man. The man turned to the shadow and saw a
man wearing white.
The man wore white shoes and white socks. He wore a white
two-piece suit, a white shirt beneath, and a white tie around his neck.
He wore a white fedora, and a white leather belt. The only thing that
contrasted with his whiteness was his pair of black sunglasses.
"May I help you," the man in the lounge chair asked.
"Your corporation is on the phone for you, sir," the man in white said.
"Univex?"
"Yes, Universal Exports...So, you are the infamous 007."
Bond, the man on the chair, was naked except for his own pair of
sunglasses and a pair of dark blue swim trunks. He narrowed his eyes at
the man in white and asked, "And you would be?"
"You can call me Mr. White."
"The name's Bond, Ja-"
"James Bond, yes, I know," Mr. White said. He pulled a pearl handled
Walther PPK from his suit coat's pocket. He began speaking as he
fastened a white silencer to the barrel of the pistol, "I know your
weapon of choice is the Walther PPK, and I thought it would only be
fitting to kill you with one."
"Yes, I suppose so. But before you kill me would you mind telling me
who you are and why you are out to kill me," Bond asked, stalling for
time.
"Normally I'm a hired killer, Mr. Bond. However, my business has been
lacking a little. Therefore, I thought I would assassinate MI6 agents 007
in order to boost my business. The girl has been with you ever since you
left England...she works for me," Mr. White explained.
"Then I've got nothing better to do than surrender," Bond said.
"Correct."
Mr. White raised the pistol and fired. Bond rolled away, off the chair,
and the bullet hit the woman in the chest. Her body dropped backward
and thumped on the ship's deck.
Bond stood up, grasped his chair in his hands, and overturned it. The
chair knocked Mr. White back, giving Bond a slim head start.
Bond raced across the deck of the ship, and Mr. White gave chase,
while stuffing the pistol back into his suit coat's pocket.
Bond ran into the ship's interior, he was panicked, weaponless, and had
no idea what to do. A professional killer was after him, and he was
defenseless. Bond picked up speed and, as he ran passed the other
passengers, they gave him puzzled looks. Mr. White was close behind,
Bond could feel it. He had to get to his room and get his own gun.
Bond pushed through a door and clammered down a flight of stairs as
quickly as he could. Just above he heard the echoes of Mr. White
coming down the stairwell after him. "Ka-chunk!" A silenced bullet
pierced the metal step just before Bond. The bullet was so close that
Bond yelped, and picked up his speed.
Bond raced down a carpeted hall in his bare feet. As soon as he saw his
room in view, he threw his body into the door. The lock broke,
splintered into a million pieces. Bond fell on the floor, but quickly picked
himself up. Mr. White was close behind, he knew it. Bond ripped his
closet door open and grabbed his black traveling case. He opened it,
threw up the false bottom, and grabbed his Walther PPK.
Bond looked up and saw Mr. White standing in the doorway, aiming the
pearl PPK. Bond fired an unaimed shot into the wall, and Mr. White
ducked away. Bond panicked in his room, he didn't know how to get
out of here and gain an advantage. A moment later an idea struck him.
Bond knew he had five bullets left, and Mr. White had four, unless he
had reloaded. Bond fired into through the doorway two more times.
Three bullets.
Suddenly Bond dove out of his room. He turned away from Mr. White
and began running down the hallway, firing his gun backwards.
Two bullets.
One bullet.
Bond burst back into the stairwell as one of Mr. White's bullets
smashed into the wall just beside his head. Bond flinched. He turned,
and began racing down the stairwell once again.
The chase ensued throughout the halls and stairs of the giant cruise ship.
Although Bond had no idea where to go he eventually lead Mr. White to
the back of the ship to the place where the ship's crew stored wave
runners. Currently, all four wave runners were docked. Bond ran to the
main counter, shoved his gun in the clerk's face, and yelled, "Give me a
key, quick!"
Shakily, the man handed over a key.
Bond boarded a wave runner, and blasted out the back of the cruise
ship. Mr. White followed Bond's actions, and, in moments, he too was
out of the ship, following Bond at full speed.
Bond moved across the waves, dipping and rising, felling warm wind
ruffling his hair, and cool water spraying against his face. Mr. White was
close behind. Bond had no clue of what to do now. He assumed that
Mr. White was close behind, probably lining him up in the pearl PPK's
sights. A bullet suddenly struck the back of the rubber seat, inches away
from Bond. He jumped, and unconsciencly turned the handlebars.
The wave runner made a sharp 180 degree turn, and came to a stop.
Bond held on to the handlebars with all of his might. He looked up and
saw Mr. White approaching, a grin on his face, and his pistol raised.
This is it, Bond thought.
Bond aimed his gun and fired. He saw Mr. White's body jerk
backward, and he saw Mr. White fire a shot into the air. The body
flopped backward into the water, creating a huge splash. His wave
runner turned to the right and capsized.
Bond accelerated and slowed over the area where Mr. White fell into
the water. He saw nothing beneath the crystal blue waters. Where the
hell did he go, Bond thought. He shook his head, and decided to go
back to the ship. If Mr. White did resurface he would have ammunition,
and Bond would have none.
As soon as Bond returned to the ship he was confronted by the captain
and a number of men. He tried his best to create a wild story about why
that man tried to kill him. The crew of the ship believed the story.
Later that day, while sitting in bed, Bond's cellular phone sprang to life.
He snatched it off of his night stand and answered, "Hello?"
"Bond, this is Moneypenny."
"Hello, Moneypenny, how are you this evening?"
"Terrible. Although it isn't very late in your part of the world, it is four in
the morning here in England."
"I'm sorry to hear that. So what's the call about?"
"Your vacation is being cut short, James. At your cruise's next stop you
are to find the airport and immediately come back to England. M needs
you for an important assignment."
"Can't he send 005," Bond pleaded.
"No, James," Moneypenny said with a serious voice. "He's dead."
December 1
3:00 PM
The woman, wearing a black two-piece bikini, moved seductively over
the deck of the cruise ship. She held two drinks in her hands, in the left a
pina colada and in the right a strawberry daquiri. She walked to a man
lounging in a folding chair. Her shadow covered his body, and he slowly
took off his sunglasses. He smiled and took the tall glass from the girl's
right hand. They exchanged smiles, and the girl eased into a folding chair
next to the man. The woman extended her free right hand, and the man
wrapped his larger hand around hers. They sat there for a few moments
while the hot sun basked over their bodies. They simultaneously took
sips of their drinks. The woman turned her head to the man and asked,
"How long are you on vacation, dear?"
"Until the fifth of January," the man replied.
"Why so long? Not that I mind," she said with a grin.
The man smiled back and answered, "I just finished a major deal with
my corporation. They were so pleased with my performance they
decided to give me an extended vacation."
The girl turned in her chair and said, "That's wonderful. That leaves so
much more time for ourselves."
The man nodded and took another sip of his drink. They silently stared
at the blue rolling sea before them. A few moments passed, and another
shadow fell across the man. The man turned to the shadow and saw a
man wearing white.
The man wore white shoes and white socks. He wore a white
two-piece suit, a white shirt beneath, and a white tie around his neck.
He wore a white fedora, and a white leather belt. The only thing that
contrasted with his whiteness was his pair of black sunglasses.
"May I help you," the man in the lounge chair asked.
"Your corporation is on the phone for you, sir," the man in white said.
"Univex?"
"Yes, Universal Exports...So, you are the infamous 007."
Bond, the man on the chair, was naked except for his own pair of
sunglasses and a pair of dark blue swim trunks. He narrowed his eyes at
the man in white and asked, "And you would be?"
"You can call me Mr. White."
"The name's Bond, Ja-"
"James Bond, yes, I know," Mr. White said. He pulled a pearl handled
Walther PPK from his suit coat's pocket. He began speaking as he
fastened a white silencer to the barrel of the pistol, "I know your
weapon of choice is the Walther PPK, and I thought it would only be
fitting to kill you with one."
"Yes, I suppose so. But before you kill me would you mind telling me
who you are and why you are out to kill me," Bond asked, stalling for
time.
"Normally I'm a hired killer, Mr. Bond. However, my business has been
lacking a little. Therefore, I thought I would assassinate MI6 agents 007
in order to boost my business. The girl has been with you ever since you
left England...she works for me," Mr. White explained.
"Then I've got nothing better to do than surrender," Bond said.
"Correct."
Mr. White raised the pistol and fired. Bond rolled away, off the chair,
and the bullet hit the woman in the chest. Her body dropped backward
and thumped on the ship's deck.
Bond stood up, grasped his chair in his hands, and overturned it. The
chair knocked Mr. White back, giving Bond a slim head start.
Bond raced across the deck of the ship, and Mr. White gave chase,
while stuffing the pistol back into his suit coat's pocket.
Bond ran into the ship's interior, he was panicked, weaponless, and had
no idea what to do. A professional killer was after him, and he was
defenseless. Bond picked up speed and, as he ran passed the other
passengers, they gave him puzzled looks. Mr. White was close behind,
Bond could feel it. He had to get to his room and get his own gun.
Bond pushed through a door and clammered down a flight of stairs as
quickly as he could. Just above he heard the echoes of Mr. White
coming down the stairwell after him. "Ka-chunk!" A silenced bullet
pierced the metal step just before Bond. The bullet was so close that
Bond yelped, and picked up his speed.
Bond raced down a carpeted hall in his bare feet. As soon as he saw his
room in view, he threw his body into the door. The lock broke,
splintered into a million pieces. Bond fell on the floor, but quickly picked
himself up. Mr. White was close behind, he knew it. Bond ripped his
closet door open and grabbed his black traveling case. He opened it,
threw up the false bottom, and grabbed his Walther PPK.
Bond looked up and saw Mr. White standing in the doorway, aiming the
pearl PPK. Bond fired an unaimed shot into the wall, and Mr. White
ducked away. Bond panicked in his room, he didn't know how to get
out of here and gain an advantage. A moment later an idea struck him.
Bond knew he had five bullets left, and Mr. White had four, unless he
had reloaded. Bond fired into through the doorway two more times.
Three bullets.
Suddenly Bond dove out of his room. He turned away from Mr. White
and began running down the hallway, firing his gun backwards.
Two bullets.
One bullet.
Bond burst back into the stairwell as one of Mr. White's bullets
smashed into the wall just beside his head. Bond flinched. He turned,
and began racing down the stairwell once again.
The chase ensued throughout the halls and stairs of the giant cruise ship.
Although Bond had no idea where to go he eventually lead Mr. White to
the back of the ship to the place where the ship's crew stored wave
runners. Currently, all four wave runners were docked. Bond ran to the
main counter, shoved his gun in the clerk's face, and yelled, "Give me a
key, quick!"
Shakily, the man handed over a key.
Bond boarded a wave runner, and blasted out the back of the cruise
ship. Mr. White followed Bond's actions, and, in moments, he too was
out of the ship, following Bond at full speed.
Bond moved across the waves, dipping and rising, felling warm wind
ruffling his hair, and cool water spraying against his face. Mr. White was
close behind. Bond had no clue of what to do now. He assumed that
Mr. White was close behind, probably lining him up in the pearl PPK's
sights. A bullet suddenly struck the back of the rubber seat, inches away
from Bond. He jumped, and unconsciencly turned the handlebars.
The wave runner made a sharp 180 degree turn, and came to a stop.
Bond held on to the handlebars with all of his might. He looked up and
saw Mr. White approaching, a grin on his face, and his pistol raised.
This is it, Bond thought.
Bond aimed his gun and fired. He saw Mr. White's body jerk
backward, and he saw Mr. White fire a shot into the air. The body
flopped backward into the water, creating a huge splash. His wave
runner turned to the right and capsized.
Bond accelerated and slowed over the area where Mr. White fell into
the water. He saw nothing beneath the crystal blue waters. Where the
hell did he go, Bond thought. He shook his head, and decided to go
back to the ship. If Mr. White did resurface he would have ammunition,
and Bond would have none.
As soon as Bond returned to the ship he was confronted by the captain
and a number of men. He tried his best to create a wild story about why
that man tried to kill him. The crew of the ship believed the story.
Later that day, while sitting in bed, Bond's cellular phone sprang to life.
He snatched it off of his night stand and answered, "Hello?"
"Bond, this is Moneypenny."
"Hello, Moneypenny, how are you this evening?"
"Terrible. Although it isn't very late in your part of the world, it is four in
the morning here in England."
"I'm sorry to hear that. So what's the call about?"
"Your vacation is being cut short, James. At your cruise's next stop you
are to find the airport and immediately come back to England. M needs
you for an important assignment."
"Can't he send 005," Bond pleaded.
"No, James," Moneypenny said with a serious voice. "He's dead."