Based on Ian Fleming's
James Bond, Agent 007
Games
by Donald Lawson
He observed the guards from his concealed position through a small eyeglass. There were three guards in all. They were heavily armed and very alert despite the late hour. Two of the guards were inside a small bulletproof building. The third guard was walking around the compound with rifle slung across his shoulder. He knew that there were five more guards, waiting inside another building, ready to react to any emergency. The guards were on a twelve hour shift and this particular shift was already nine hours into their work day. It was four o'clock in the morning and a light rain had just started to fall. The timing for the attack was perfect.
Commander James Bond of the British Secret Service had been watching this military compound for the last few days from his concealed position. He was lying under a blanket constructed of green and brown colored burlap straps that made him all but invisible. He had set up his observation post about 100 meters up a slight incline from the compound after inserting into the area three days ago. His target consisted of three nondescript buildings surrounded by a double row of chain linked fences and a lot of electronic detections systems. There was everything from motion detectors to infrared cameras. The interior of the compound was brightly lit from high powered lights overhead. Bond's mission was to single handedly penetrate the compound's defenses and obtain access to the underground bunker, accessed from the middle of the three buildings.
007's target was a United States Air Force communications/listening post. The underground bunker contained ten linguists during the day and two at night. The compound looked like nothing special to the casual observer. The only thing to draw attention to it was the vast array of antennas, ominous metal warning signs and the unusually high level of security. The Air Force considered this particular compound very secure. It was guarded by state of the art electronics and an eight man security detail. An Air Force Security Police Quick Reaction Force was also on standby with a ten minute response time. 007 had tested that his first night of observation. The compound itself was in the middle of a large Unites States Air Force Base which was in the middle of the Federal Republic of Germany. Nothing and no one should be able to get close, little less penetrate, the hardened bunker before a lockdown occurred and the Quick Reaction Force responded. Of course, the American Air Force had not counted on Agent 007.
Despite his seriousness, James Bond knew this his was only a training mission. Joint training exercises like this, or war games, between America and Great Britain strengthened the skills of the "00" Agents as well as tested the security of United States military installations. It was a win/win situation for both countries as far as training and testing security.
The rain started to come down even more heavily now. James Bond stretched his stiff muscles and went into action. He retrieved a civilian purchased air rifle, pumped the primer, looked down the fixed sites and silently fired a pellet into the fence line. There was no audible reaction but the guard inside the building could be seen immediately speaking into a radio. The roving guard answered his radio in turn, speaking into a handset attached to his shoulder harness. He brought his weapon to bear as he ran to the section of the fence where the pellet had struck. The airman went to a kneeling position behind a concrete barrier and aimed his weapon out towards the woods. After a few seconds, he took a pair of night vision binoculars from around his neck and scanned the sector. The guard was soon joined by two other Security Policeman, also armed with loaded rifles, who emerged from the end building. The remaining three Security Policeman also exited the building but took up positions on the other side of the compound. The guards had a set up an effective 360 degree perimeter. They stayed in this position, not moving at all except to scan the area, despite the pouring rain. After about five minutes, the guard inside the building again spoke into the radio and all the guards outside, in unison, got up and went back inside their guard building. The one outside guard continued roving the small compound.
Ten minutes went by. 007 fired another shot at the fence. Once again the guards ran out. Once again they went into their well rehearsed positions. Once again they stayed for about five minutes and then went back inside.
Ten minutes. Another shot, the same thing.
Ten minutes. Another shot, the same thing.
Ten minutes. Another shot. This time only the roving guard responded. He moved the beam of his flashlight around the wood line and continued to walk in the miserable weather, no doubt shaking his head at the waterlogged "state of the art" alarm system.
Ten minutes. Another shot. This time there was no visible reaction from the guards.
Ten minutes. Another shot. No reaction.
James Bond repeated this three more times, every ten minutes. To the guards, the fence detection systems must have seemed to be malfunctioning in the rain. Exactly ten minutes after his tenth shot, with the rain coming down very heavy, Agent 007 made his move. He abandoned his concealed position and sprinted towards the fence line. His legs screamed in protest from days of inactivity but he ignored them. He entered the brightly lit area of the compound just as the roving guard rounded a building out of sight. The heavy rain concealed his movements somewhat. He reached the fence line and started to cut the links with a small pair of hand held wire cutters. He cut from the bottom up, every third link. The roving guard was still on the other side of the building from his location. The noise of the rain covered 007's cutting sounds.
Bond made it through one fence in five seconds and started cutting the inner fence when the guard rounded the corner of the building closest to him. The guard froze in a moment of shock at seeing Bond, dressed in a black military style uniform, cutting the fence. His look of shock was replaced by a look of astonishment and disbelief as the guard fell to the ground unconscious, a green tipped dart sticking out of his neck.
James Bond returned the silenced and heavily modified pistol to his thigh holster and finished cutting the links of the second fence. He was now in the compound. He drug the unconscious guard around to the side of the building, removed the bolt from his rifle and tossed it over the fence. Bond then approached the building housing the two guards monitoring the alarms. He ducked under the thick observation glass of the control building (even though Bond doubted the guard could see out with the lights on inside) and approached the access door. Kneeling in front of the heavy door, Bond inserted a syringe into key hole and emptied its contents with a push. The lock smoked for a few seconds and Bond again drew his modified pistol. Satisfied the acid had done its job; 007 casually pushed opened the door and walked into the building. Two quick shots from his tranquilizing gun put the airmen to sleep before they knew what had happened.
Bond quickly removed the receiver on the telephone and placed it off the hook. He removed the bolts from the guard's weapons and tossed them over the fence as he exited the building. 007 then moved towards the building housing the five remaining guards. His weapon pointed at the door should any of them emerge. Once there, he retrieved a long wire, resembling a bicycle lock, from the cargo pocket of his black pants and wrapped it around the U shaped door handle and then around a drainage pipe outside the door. He hooked the two ends of the wire together. Now the guards were effectively trapped inside their own break room.
Ignoring the fact he was soaked from the rain, 007 nonchalantly walked down the stairs of the third and smallest building. At the bottom of the stairs was an overhang providing him and the bunker access door protection from the rain. He pulled the cord out from an overhead surveillance camera on the off chance it had a feed going somewhere besides the guard shack with the two sleeping guards. Bond studied the key pad lock for a moment and then sprayed a fine mist over the keys from a small canister he retrieved from his shirt pocket. The mist stuck to three of the numbers, causing them to take on a green shade in the light. These were the numbers used most often.
"Too easy." James Bond said to himself as he started pressing the three digits in succession.
465. Nothing.
546. Nothing.
645. Nothing.
564. A green light above the keypad came on and the door made a clicking sound. Bond quickly entered the bunker, stepping to the left of the door and crouching in a firing stance as his eyes adjusted to the lower levels of light. His arms were outstretched and the tranquilizing pistol was ready to engage any threats that might appear. None did.
From his surveillance of the compound, 007 knew that there were only two people in the bunker. He found one of them down the hall in the first room on the right. The Air Force captain was listening to a large set of headphones plugged into a machine Bond did not recognize. A second set of headphones lay on an empty chair beside the officer. The captain was too absorbed in his work to notice Bond approach. 007 taped the captain on the shoulder and as the captain looked up, Bond punched him in the jaw, knocking him unconscious.
007 heard a toilet flush and water running out of a sink from the next room. He quickly got into position outside the restroom door as the occupant exited. A major walked out of the washroom and froze when Bond's gun pressed into the side of his head. "Don't move." Bond whispered. The major either didn't hear the command or chose not to obey.
Major Chance Parmenter considered himself a martial artist. This was his chance to show off the skills he worked so hard at. He ducked his head and shot his hand up to push the pistol away in the same motion. This well practiced move worked perfectly as a dart shot harmlessly into the wall. Major Parmenter's other hand, now balled in a fist, shot in and made contact with James Bond's midsection, causing the "00" Agent to immediately bend over. Major Parmenter then followed up with a punch towards Bond's jaw. 007 saw this strike coming and turned his head away so the punch didn't quite connect with the trajectory the major had intended. It did connect however, and spun Bond's head painfully to the side.
Without missing a beat, James Bond recovered from the triple attack, grabbed the head of Major Parmenter and brought it down into his upcoming knee. The impact was tremendous and the Air Force linguist fell backwards. 007 casually retrieved his pistol from the floor and pointed it at his downed opponent. Bond rubbed his jaw and said, "Enough of these silly games now."
Major Parmenter sat up and raised his hands in defeat. He turned his head to the side and spat blood mixed with saliva as he muttered a profanity to himself.
After tying both officers to their chairs with plastic restraints, Bond exited the compound, picked up his cell phone and called his Air Force contact. He informed him of the successful takeover of the bunker complex and that the exercise was complete.
Within a half an hour, his contact, Major William Rice, along with the base commander, Major General Dan Smith and about 30 Security Police Officers joined James Bond at the new entrance to the compound, a gapping hole cut in the fence. Security Police vehicles were scattered everywhere, their emergency lights illuminating the rainy night. The general was yelling at the Security Police Officer in Charge as Commander Bond and Major Rice walked away from the chaos. Major Rice was just shaking his head and smiling. They got into Rice's official duty car as the rain started to let up and a glow on the horizon singled the start of a new day.
James Bond showered and changed into a nondescript polo shirt and pleated kaki pants, spending the rest of the morning in debriefings with Major Rice, General Smith and the chief of the Security Police and Intelligence detachments. After the debriefings, Major Rice then dropped Bond off at his hotel after a mediocre lunch which tasted like a five star meal to the starving "00" agent. He had been only eating energy bars for the last three days.
Inside his hotel room, Bond laid down for a quick nap. He had two weeks to conclude this particular exercise which he had completed in only four days. Bond intended to take advantage of some well deserved time off and do a little traveling in Germany before his return to England. He laid down and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Tracy Bond laughed and grabbed James' arm as they walked down the narrow street on the outskirts of Paris. A group of kids ran past them, laughing at the two lovers as they kicked a ball between them. For the first time in his life, a sudden, strong paternal feeling enveloped James Bond. He stopped and looked his wife in the eyes as he slowly bent down to kiss her. Tracy closed her eyes and tilted her head back. The kiss never happened. The phone beside his bed awoke Bond from his sleep.
"Go secure." was all that Bill Tanner, M's Chief of Staff, said in way of a greeting. Bond grumbled from being woken up from such a pleasant dream and pressed a button on his Q branch issued phone.
"Secure." Bond said to his old friend, instantly awake and alert.
"Bond, you embarrassed a lot of people down there. There're already some complaints about excessive force, damage to Air Force property, bla, bla, bla. Don't worry about it though. The yanks never did like loosing. Anyway, the reason I am calling is there's been a security breach. Just protocol really. During one of their many official complaints today, the American Air Force mentioned you by name on an open line. Of course, were referred to by your number in all of our official communications setting up this exercise." Bill Tanner explained. "How the Americans knew your real name and why they would use it on an open line is still being checked out. I just wanted to tell you."
"That's strange. No one in the debriefing this morning called me by my name." Bond replied.
"I just thought you should know. When should I tell M to expect you back?" inquired Tanner.
"Sometime next week." was Bonds' vague reply, his mind elsewhere.
"See you then James. Tanner out." Tanner signaled as the connection went dead. Bond hung up his cell phone and pondered the security breach. Had someone recognized him at the debriefing? Even if they had, they should have known not to use his real name. James resigned to address the issue to Major Rice in the morning. It was evening now and James Bond intended to enjoy a well deserved night on the town. He did his usual twenty slow push-ups followed by crunches until his abdominals screamed. He then took his usual shower, hot and then cold as he focused his mind on the night ahead, letting his subconscious work out the breach of security.
The Casino Hohensyburg, located in Dortmund Germany, is one of the largest in Europe. It took Bond 45 minutes on the autobahn to arrive there from his hotel, but the world class service of the Casino Hohensyburg made it well worth the trip. Bond let the valet park the grey 325i BMW he'd rented last week and he walked inside. He paused just inside the door and adjusted his cuffs. Not only did he take note of the exits as he always did but he took in the ambiance of the casino as well. One thing 007 liked about European casinos was the strict dress code. Unlike casinos in the United States, where you could show up in a bathrobe if you wanted to, players dressed up to gamble in Europe. There was still a sense of class in their gaming halls.
Bond was impeccably groomed and well dressed as always. He was wearing his black "Presley" style Church shoes. His black slacks and jacket were Brioni from Italy and his white shirt and bowtie were naturally from Turnbull & Assers, London. His Walther P99 was securely concealed under his left armpit in a well worn shoulder holster. 007 walked with his usual air of confidence and charm as he continued to look around the casino. Although it is not usually his game, he decided to try his hand at blackjack to warm up for the evening. The attractive brunette in a red designer dress with the empty seat next to her had a little something to do with his choice of what game to play first.
Bond sat down and was immediately attended to by an overdressed casino employee who exchanged his 5,000 Euros for the equivalent in casino chips. Bond then ordered a vodka martini from an attentive waitress. "Shaken, not stirred." he instructed as he looked around at the other players at his table. The waitress took a moment to look Bond up and down after taking his order, smiled to herself and left.
To his left was a large, middle aged German man in a light blue suit about two sizes to small and two decades out of style. He was oblivious to everything going on around him as he concentrated on the cards the dealer was shuffling and his meager stack of chips. His fingers drummed nervously on the felt table. To the left of the German was another empty seat which wouldn't be filled anytime soon due to the German's girth taking up half that space. To Bond's far right were an attractive young couple dressed up for an evening on the town. They were chatting, laughing and having a good time at the table. They spoke to each other in French, more interested in each other than in the game. Between the French couple and Bond were two other players, a man and a woman. The man was a serious gambler, Bond assumed, based upon his chip stack and stout demeanor. He was dressed in an expensive white tuxedo with a gold Rolex watch. His nationality eluded Bond.
The woman seated next to Bond was the player who really interested him. She was Italian with a slight tan which helped to complimented her brown eyes. Her black hair with brown highlights fell playfully down to her shoulders. Her red, strapless designer dress clung to her in all the right places yet was loose enough to stir Bond's imagination. Her only accessory was a small silver handbag she kept on the table in front of her. Bond tried to guess her age but couldn't. Her overall appearance was not exactly stunning but definitely very attractive.
Although Bond tried to make eye contact with his fellow players but no one looked at him directly. This unfortunately included the woman in the red dress. He did, however, catch her stealing a glance as he turned away to receive his drink and tip the waitress. She quickly looked back to the game as he turned back around. Bond smiled. This might just be a good night after all.
The blackjack dealer dealt the cards. Bond was dealt the King of Spades and the Six of Diamonds. The dealer's show card was a Nine of Diamonds. Bond asked for another card by nodding. The dealer flipped over the Two of Hearts making Bond's hand a total of eighteen. He opted to stay. The German to his right also held but with seventeen. The couple to his right hit on fifteen and went bust with a face card. The gambler and the woman in the red dress each held with sixteen.
The dealer flipped over his other card which was a Queen of Hearts. The dealer's cards totaled nineteen so the house won all the bets.
"Bugger." the woman in the red dress mumbled.
"I couldn't have said it better myself." Bond spoke out loud. The woman in the red dress giggled and turned towards Bond. Their eyes locked for a few seconds. Pleased with what she saw, she slowly smiled.
"Tonya" she said as a way of introduction. Her Italian accent was barely noticeable.
"Bond, James Bond." he replied and turned on his trademark smile.
"Well Mr. Bond, James Bond. I'm afraid your luck is about the same as mine tonight." she teased.
"Really? I think both our lucks are about to change, Tonya. And please, call me James." Bond replied.
"James?" Tonya flirted back. She looked down at her chips and then back at Bond and smiled. "Do you like games Mr. Bond, James Bond?" Tonya pushed all her chips onto the bet line. The total was over three thousand Euros. The dealer looked at her then looked across the table to the pit boss who nodded his head to accept this unorthodox bet. Tonya ignored all this and was staring at Bond, silently daring him to do the same. Bond smiled even wider. He liked this girl already.
Not to be outdone, Bond also bet his remaining chips by pushing them to the bet line. "The game is on then. All or nothing." Bond added. The pit boss also allowed Bond's bet. Both James and Tonya were smiling at each other, ignoring the dealer. As they silently flirted, their adrenaline rose in anticipation of the cards and the rest of the night. The other players at the table all declined to play this hand; their attention was drawn to the man in the black tuxedo suit and woman in the red dress. A slight crowd had also gathered to see this unusually high bet on a single hand of blackjack.
The cards were dealt. Tonya and Bond looked at their cards. Bond was given the Six of Clubs and the Seven of Hearts for a total of thirteen. The attractive woman in the red dress had the Queen of Hearts and the Nine of Hearts. The dealer was showing the King of Diamonds.
James Bond smiled at Tonya who stood with her nineteen. Bond signaled the dealer for another card. It was the Three of Spades. That brought his total to sixteen. After a moment of thought, Bond casually signaled again for another card. Tonya stopped smiling and whispered "No." to herself at the prospect of Bond going bust.
The dealer flipped over Bond's fourth card. Bond wasn't even looking. He was smiling at Tonya as the card was dealt and flipped over. Bond's fourth card was the Five of Hearts making his total twenty one. Some of the spectators exchanged words as the dealer announced Bond's "Twenty One." Tonya smiled at Bond, suddenly overwhelmed by his confident demeanor. The dealer flipped over his other card to reveal the Eight of Diamonds for a total of eighteen. They had both won!
Tonya leaped up and hugged Bond as the audience whispered amongst themselves and lightly applauded the high payoff and daring bet. "Join me for a drink?" Bond asked Tonya. She smiled and nodded in reply. Tonya picked up her purse and started walking towards the bar. As she walked off, Bond signaled for the overdressed casino employee who exchanged his chips earlier to take their winnings. He then generously tipped the dealer and walked away.
"Thank you sir." the dealer said to Bond's back as he prepared to deal the next hand to the remaining players.
"I knew you would bring me good luck." Bond teased Tonya as he caught up. "Red is my lucky color."
"Mr. Bond, are you flirting with me?" Tonya laughed as they walked to a nearby table which was close to the bar but far enough away to be private. As she sat down, Bond held out the chair for his lovely companion and the attendant brought the couple their winnings. Bond slipped his money into his inside coat pocket and discretely tipped the attendant who bowed and left. Tonya placed her bills into her small purse. Bond finished off his drink he had brought with him and turned to his new companion.
"Please allow me to…" Bond started to say.
"Excuse me Mr. Bond. You have a telephone call. They said it was most urgent." a casino employee apologetically interrupted. Perturbed, Bond looked up to the employee and back down to the flirtatious woman in the red dress.
"Please excuse me, Mrs.?" Bond asked as he stood up.
"Just Tonya." She answered with a devious grin.
"I'll be right back. Just Tonya." Bond teased as he followed the hotel employee to the wall phone. Immediately after leaving his newfound companion alone at the table, 007 was back on the job. He was alerted to danger and ready for action. He hadn't told anyone he was coming to this casino tonight. In fact, no one should have even known he was even in Germany. He was either followed here or this was a trap. The security breach earlier and now this unexpected phone call was causing his brain to work overtime. He walked behind and slightly to the left of the casino employee, scanning patrons along the way for faces he recognized or weapons. The phone they were headed to was on the wall in public view. Bond put his back to the wall and looked around the casino as he picked up the receiver with his left hand. His right hand was prepared to reach into his jacket at a moment's notice for his weapon. His mind was still working a mile a minute, taking in every detail of the casino. Bond did not recognize any faces or threats. He spoke into the receiver as soon as the casino employee was out of earshot. "Bond."
The voice on the other end of the line spoke English with a heavy German accent, "Mr. Bond. Listen very closely and do not interrupt me. See that lovely young woman you were just talking with?" Bond looked over at the girl in the red dress whom he knew as Tonya. Behind her was a large man in a cheep suit. In his hand was a piece of metal which looked like a small ice pick. "My associate is going to stab her in the back of the neck in five seconds unless you respond with the words, 'You're in charge.' One… Two…"
"You're in charge." Bond hissed into the phone as the large man moved towards Tonya. Just before he inserted the ice pick into Tonya's neck, the large man put his hand to his ear, hearing instructions out of a concealed earphone and backed away from the girl in the red dress.
"Excellent. Now another one of my associates is going to walk up to you. You will give him the sidearm I know you have concealed under your jacket." Just then, another large, ugly man in another cheep suit walked in front of 007 and stood facing him. He blocked Bond's view of the casino and of Tonya. Bond quickly weighed his options and reluctantly took out his P99 pistol and gave it to the man who hid it inside his coat. Bond took note of where. "And the surprise." the voice on the phone commanded. Bond again reached inside his jacket and pulled out a gold pen, handing it to the thug. The thug looked at the pen inquisitively.
"I wouldn't press the button if I were you." Bond riddled. The thug snarled in response, put the pen in his jacket next to the gun and walked away. Bond took a moment to look around the casino again. Everything looked in order with the exception of the large man behind Tonya. The thug with his weapons was now out of sight. Tonya took this moment to wave at Bond and he smiled back as if nothing was amiss.
"Who is this?" Bond spat into the phone.
"We will meet soon enough double oh seven. If you say another world without being told, your lady friend dies, yes?" Bond obeyed by not speaking but his expression was ice cold. "Excellent. Mr. Bond, you are going to walk out the front door of the casino and into a black car which is waiting for you. Do not signal anyone or do anything out of the ordinary. If you do not follow these instructions exactly, your innocent female companion will die." The line went dead.
James Bond hung up the phone and looked at the woman he had only known for a few minutes. He knew he was risking his life to save hers but he had a code of honor to live up to. He turned and walked out of the casino, purposely avoiding eye contact with Tonya. He did not see the puzzled, open mouthed, tilted head look she was giving him as he walked out the door. Outside, down the stone stairs, there was a black car waiting for him. The door was open. The thug he had given his pistol to was waiting by the door like a chuffer.
Bond quickly deduced that if the same thug he had given his weapon to was also driving him, then there were only three people he had to worry about; the two thugs he had already seen and the man on the phone. Bond walked down the steps to the car and paused by the door. He gestured for the thug holding the door to enter. "Ladies first." Bond joked. The response from the thug was a swift blow to the back of Bond's head.
That was exactly the response Bond was hoping for. Bond ducked without seeing the strike and the blow went harmlessly over his head. Bond grabbed the man's collar and slammed his head into the top of the vehicle. He then put the stunned thug's large head in the door frame and smashed the door on it. He repeated this action until the man fell to the ground. A few casino patrons looked his way curiously as they walked up the casino steps. Bond quickly retrieved his weapon and Q branch issued pen from the inside of the unconscious thug's jacket and ran back up the stairs into the casino. Halfway up the steps, he ran into the large man who had threatened Tonya exiting the casino. The man was startled to see Bond running back towards him instead of in the car. That second of hesitation was all that 007 needed. He hit the man who had threatened Tonya in the throat with a straight arm as continued into the casino. The man fell to the ground, grasping his neck. Inside, Bond swiftly walked towards the woman in the red dress who stood up as he approached.
"James, what are you…" She asked.
Bond interrupted her, "You're in danger. There are men here trying to kill me and they are also after you. Let me take you to safety."
"James…" Tonya began to tease. Her smile went away when she saw the look on James Bond's face. No longer the handsome casino player she was flirting with. She now saw the other side of Bond. The seriousness in his expression made her blood run cold. "O.K." was all she could whisper. Bond grabbed her arm and led her to a smaller exit from the casino. A commotion was starting at the main entrance where the thug Bond had downed was undoubtedly having serious trouble breathing. Once outside, Bond escorted Tonya down to the valet. As the valet left to get his car, he looked around, still clutching her arm. "Don't hurt me." she blurted out, obviously scared.
Bond realized he was holding Tonya tightly and let go. "It is not me you have to worry about. I am sorry to get you into this, but I have to ensure you're safe." was all Bond could say in way of a reply. For the next couple of minutes, both of them remained silent. A police car siren wailed in the distance, steadily getting closer. It was soon joined by another siren coming from the opposite direction.
When his car arrived, Bond quickly tipped the valet and ran around to his side of the car and left the casino. Within minutes, he was speeding along on the autobahn, passing cars on the left and right, putting as much space between him and the Casino Hohensyburg as possible.
About 5 minutes into the trip, his Q branch issued cell phone beeped from his pocket. He retrieved it, looked at the dial and frowned. "We're being tracked." Bond explained. As if on cue, a shot rang out behind them. Tonya looked over her shoulder to see three black vehicles steadily gaining on them. Bond downshifted and said, "Hold on!"
Bond recognized the vehicles behind them as either Mercedes or SAAB sedans. His immediate thoughts were to outrun the cars as traffic was becoming very scarce. Although a rental, Bond figured his lighter, faster car should be able to loose his pursuers. Bond smoothly moved through the gears as he accelerated. He stayed in the middle of the three lanes. After about five minutes of high speed driving, he was steadily loosing his pursuers. Bond hadn't seen the three cars in the last couple of minutes.
Just when things were looking good, the fuel light came on. Bond wondered to himself what he had done to deserve such bad karma. The one shot his pursuers had taken must have ruptured his fuel tank. 007 calculated he only had about another minute of fuel left. He turned off the lights and pulled into a small rest area. Hopefully his pursuers would miss him. If not…
"Who are you?" Tonya finally built up the courage to ask. Before he could answer, the three black vehicles sped into the small rest area and came to a screeching stop behind Bond's car. He had forgotten about the tracking device. 007 jumped out, drew his Walther P99 and shouted for Tonya to get down.
The first thug to exit from the vehicles was the first one to fall with two 9mm sized holes in his chest. Bond took aim on the second thug but had to take cover behind the engine block of the BMW before he could fire. More men had exited the vehicles and their superior numbers kept him pinned down with gun fire. From behind cover, he counted about seven different weapons. The woman in the red dress crawled out the driver's side door to crouch next to Bond. Shards of glass were scattered in her hair. The tires of his rented car were slowly going flat.
"You cannot win Mr. Bond!" A voice shouted as the gunfire stopped. "Give up now and we will let you and the girl live!"
"No!" Tonya pleaded to Bond. She knew they were lying.
007's answer was to stand up and take down another man with a double shot to the chest. He was, in turn, answered with a hail of gunfire. Again he took cover behind the car, next to Tonya. He was about to get up and fire again when he realized his opponents had flanked to the sides of him. He held his pistol up by the trigger guard as he raised his hands. "Get down on your knees!" was the only command he heard. At this point, Bond knew they had him covered and outmaneuvered.
"Don't worry." he calmly reassured the panicked Tonya as a blow to the back of his head made his world go black.
A noise woke Bond from his dreamless sleep. He was instantly awake and fully alert. He immediately assessed his situation. He was strapped to a wooden chair. His arms and legs were effectively restrained by a thin wire. He was indoors but the size of the room he was in was unfathomable. Overhead, the single exposed light bulb only illuminated the immediate area around Bond. Everything else was obscured in the dark.
The same voice Bond recognized from the phone call in the casino called out from the blackness, "Welcome Mr. Bond. I've been waiting for you. You and I are going to play a little game." Bond heard a scream he recognized as Tonya's in the distance.
"Let the girl go!" Bond commanded, suddenly realizing just how much it hurt to talk. He silently hoped there was no serious damage from the blow to the back of his head. Bond struggled to stay conscious as nausea and impending blackness and pain almost overwhelmed him.
Ignoring Bond's cliché outburst, the voice continued, "You have caused me much pain Mr. Bond. Tonight, I will share that pain with you." Agent 007 tried desperately to place the voice as he took in his situation, bleak as it was. After pausing for effect, the voice continued. "The rules of the game are simple Mr. Bond. I will ask you a number of questions. Some I already know the answer to. Some I do not. If you refuse to answer or lie to me, I am going to inflict pain the likes of which you cannot imagine. If you answer me truthfully, I will still inflict pain, but just a little bit instead. Easy, no?" James Bond wanted to ask him who he was but he thought it better to keep quite and let his capture keep on talking. The opportunity to escape will present itself. If not, he will create an opportunity. The voice continued, "The, how do you say, silent treatment? Well Mr. Bond, I know you are very confused so I'm going to enlighten you before we begin playing the game. Then it will be your turn to start answering my questions." The speaker finally walked into the light. He was a tall, well built man dressed in blue denim pants and a black, button down shirt. His sleeves were rolled to the elbows, exposing a steel watch and band. His hair was blond and professionally cut. He appeared European. Bond guessed him between thirty and forty years old. 007 had never seen this man before. "You don't know who I am, do you? You don't know me? Me! The man who finally defeated the famous double oh seven of the great British Secret Service? Let me introduce myself then. You, Mr. James Bond. Mr. hired assassin." His voice was getting louder and louder. "Killed my brother and my mentor. They were all I had in this world." The man paused a second to collect himself and continued. "Since then, I have been waiting patiently for this day." The man was only inches away from Bond's face now. "Mr. Bond, my name is Stamper. You murdered the only people I ever cared about. Now I am going to avenge them." He moved back and started to pace in front of Bond. "But first, I need some information from you. You see, not only do I demand payment for your crimes, but," he paused again, "I have bills to pay. You understand, no?"
It all came rushing back to 007. The megalomaniac Elliot Carver who had his wife murdered in Bond's hotel room by his hired assassin Dr. Kaufman. One of Dr. Kaufman's students was Carver's assistant, Stamper whom Bond had also been forced to kill. MI6 never had a file on Stamper so Bond was unaware of any siblings.
"So Mr. Bond, in doing my research on you in anticipation of my revenge, I must admit, I became most impressed. You've had quite an illustrious career. Of course, I'm sure I'm not privy to even half of it. In doing my research however, I saw an opportunity to make some money. You see, there are a lot of people out there who are willing to pay a lot of money for what you are about to tell me. I too, work in the obtaining information business. When I heard your name this morning from one of my handy listening devices, I knew the time was right for my revenge. And my payday." Stamper told Bond.
Bond replied with a tone of indifference, "I will not respond to torture, no matter how many dead mentors of yours I've killed. Go ahead and get your silly revenge over with."
Stamper bent over Bond again, inches from his face. "Oh, you will tell me everything I want to know Mr. Bond."
"Is your breath part of the torture?" Bond chided. 007 steadied himself for a strike which never came. Instead, Stamper stood up and walked completely around Bond, hands behind his back as he thought about what to say next.
"You are very funny Mr. Bond. Your file did not mention that." Stamper countered. Bond's attempt to unnerve his capture and provoke a response had failed. "And no. The torture had not yet started. Bring in my tools!" He yelled into the darkness. Immediately a man rolled out what looked like a medical table with all sorts of wicked looking metal devices on it. The thug placed the rolling table next to Stamper and then walked back off into the distance. "Oh, and Mr. Bond, I'm quite aware of your resistance to interrogation..." The thug returned into the light, this time dragging a chair. Tied to the chair was the woman in the red dress. The piece of duct tape covering her mouth was the only difference in the way her and Bond were restrained. Streaks of makeup stained her lovely face. Tonya's eyes were wide as she looked at Bond. "…so I will be torturing your friend here instead. The game you see, is to determine how much of her pain you can endure. Funny, no?"
"I just met her tonight, she means nothing to me." Bond immediately lied.
Stamper chuckled. "Mr. Bond, you make me laugh. This will be more fun than I had anticipated. You will divulge the information to me. It is only a matter of how much you want me to torture this lovely young woman before I kill her." Stamper countered again. The thug left the lighted area and Bond heard a door close. He filed the approximate location of the door into his memory. Stamper walked over to the tools and slowly looked them over. Bond took this opportunity to glance at Tonya. Bond winked at her. His gaze then returned to Stamper who had selected a long device resembling a corkscrew from the table. "Mr. Bond," Stamper whispered as he approached Tonya, "what is the name of MI6's NOC in China?" He slowly walked towards Tonya, paused and looked at 007.
"Listen to me..." Bond pleaded. As he spoke, 007 moved his gaze slightly past Stamper. The distraction worked. Without thinking, Stamper involuntarily looked behind him to see what Bond was looking at. There was nothing there but the moment was all 007 needed. He leaned forward onto his feet and launched himself, chair and all, into Stamper. Both men fell to the floor. Bond immediately rocked and raised himself back to his feet. Stamper was cursing in German and grabbing for the corkscrew he had dropped. Instead of launching another attack, Bond jumped up and backwards, away from Stamper. He landed hard on the ground. The wooden chair broke under his weight. Bond was seconds away from passing out from the pain but he was free. He remained conscious only through force of will.
Stamper quickly came at 007 with the makeshift corkscrew weapon. Bond put his hands out to protect himself, palms facing in and hollowed out his midsection as Stamper swept at him with the sharp torture device again and again.
Angered at his failure to connect with Bond, Stamper lunged. Bond deflected the blow aimed for his midsection to his side and moved in so he was chest to shoulder with Stamper. 007 ignored the weapon and grabbed Stamper's head, twisting it like a steering wheel. The affect was exactly what he had intended. Stamper spun to the ground. His evil looking tool bounced away into the darkness. As he fell, Stamper reached up, grabbed Bond's ankle and brought him to the ground too.
Stamper and Bond immediately recovered and they both dived at the table of tools. Each of the men grabbed a torture implement off the table at the same time.
Tonya looked on in horror as the two men faced off. Bond had what looked like a small carrying case for a syringe in his hand and Stamper had a large pair of pointed scissors. Stamper started laughing as Bond raised his hand to throw the small object. He stopped laughing when Bond, instead of throwing the device at him, threw it at the sole light bulb in the room, plunging them all into total darkness.
Tonya heard banging, scraping and other sounds she could not identify and then silence. Suddenly she felt the wire tying her to the chair being cut. A strong hand grabbed her arm and led her into the darkness. Tonya and her escort exited the into a hallway.
In the dim light of the hallway, James Bond pulled off the tape from Tonya's mouth quickly. It hurt a little but she was glad to get it off of her mouth. "What happened to that awful man?" she asked, her voice full of fear.
"Game over." was all Bond replied with and led Tonya down a hallway. As they approached the exit door at the end of the hallway, the thug who had delivered the tray and Tonya exited a nearby side room, a sandwich in his large hand. Bond let go of Tonya and grabbed the thug by the collar and neck, throwing him into the wall the same way he had done previously outside the Casino Hohensyburg. The thug hit the wall then the floor. He lay there not moving, obviously unconscious. Bond bent over him and systematically began to search his body. He found a large firearm in his waistband and checked the magazine. It was full. Bond then instructed Tonya to look away. As she did, she heard a strange snapping sound. 007 grabbed her hand and they continued to move towards the exit. Tonya noticed Bond held the pistol at his waist, ready to fire. Tonya looked back at the man Bond had searched lying on the ground, his head was twisted at an impossible angle.
Never in her life had Tonya felt more scared yet more safe at the same time. This casino player she was flirting with just hours before had saved her life and maybe worse. The only thing she was sure of was that she had nothing to fear from this man.
At the end of the hallway, there was a heavy exit door. Bond told Tonya to stand to the side of it as he quickly stepped outside, the weapon raised in a two handed stance. Tonya heard several shots ring out and moments later the door opened again. Bond motioned for her to join him outside.
Tonya saw two black cars and five bodies lying next to them in the alley outside. Bond kicked an arm out of the way as he placed Tonya in one of the cars. He closed her door and got in the driver's side and they sped off, leaving Stamper and his "associates" behind them. As if on cue, police sirens started wailing off in the distance. Bond quickly found another autobahn and accelerated into the night. The nightmare was over.
Back at his hotel room, James Bond gave a quick situation report to Bill Tanner over the hotel phone. The shower was running. Steam was seeping under the door of the bathroom. Bond sat on the bed, dressed in only a large, fluffy bath towel. White medical bandages were taped over some of his more badly bruised areas on his upper body. He had taken a long, painful shower a half an hour earlier. "I'll return to England for a full debriefing in a couple of days." he said into the phone.
"And the girl?" Tanner inquired.
"She's in good hands." Bond replied, looking at the bathroom door after hearing the shower being turned off. "See you tomorrow Bill." Bond then shifted his gaze to Tonya's red designer dress, torn and dirty as it lay across the back of a chair; a silent testimony to the night's adventures.
Tonya came out of the shower wearing a hotel bath robe as Bond hung up the phone. Her damp hair danced playfully around her shoulders. She spoke as she approached him, "Whatever shall we do now Mr. Bond? We have no more games to play." Her large, brown eyes and suggestive smile told Bond all he needed to know. 007 stood up and faced Tonya. She started to speak again and he put his finger to her lips.
"No more games." James Bond whispered as he gently grasped her head and kissed her full on the mouth. She responded in turn. He slowly led her to the bed and gently laid her down, still continuing their first, long, wonderful kiss.
"Oh James..." she purred and surrendered herself to him.
James Bond will return…