In this chapter, Cora shows her true colors as Gold and Belle try to stop what they thought was a nuclear bomb.

Chapter 9

The MI-6 helicopter swept over the pipeline and Belle was in awe at how long it was. Sure she knew how important this pipeline was to the Western part of the world, but it must have taken millions of dollars of negotiations throughout the land and different countries to even begin construction.

"There it is," suddenly exclaimed David from her right. "Hatch to the passageway."

Just ahead of them was a bigger structure, enclosing that particular part of the pipeline. The helicopter descended and Belle couldn't help but feel her heartbeat quicken as the weight of what they were about to do dawned on her.

The helicopter made its descent and the two men immediately went to work in opening the hatch. True enough there was a parked rig all ready for them at the hatch.

"Take the controls," ordered Gold as he helped her get into the pipeline. "And keep the speed up so the other rig catches up to us."

"I'll be waiting to hear from you," said David as he nodded to Gold who got on the rig next to her.

"Gotcha," replied Gold as he settled behind Belle. "You know how to drive one of this things?"

"Doesn't exactly take a degree in nuclear physics." remarked Belle as Gold turned to look at her, unsure.

He turned back and nodded to David as they started to move.

"Good luck!" called David as he closed the hatch and the duo were left in the dim lighting of the pipeline.

"You know when this is over, we should bury the hatchet." began Gold sensing the tension from the scientist. "Celebrate. A champagne dinner?"

"When this is over our bodies may be blown to smithereens." replied Belle, not turning to look at him.

"Alright then." answered Gold. A beat goes by and then his voice shatters through the silence once again. "Brunch."

Belle laughed and visibly relaxes at the way he tried to make light of the situation. She appreciated it. Might as well face death with a smile.

"They're in the pipeline." reported the remaining technician in the command center of the King pipeline. "They're on the move."

Everyone else had been evacuated, from the King employees to members of the team looking for the bomb.

"If there's even the slightest of chance, Gold will succeed." began Regina as all eyes were glued on the map of the King pipeline. "He's the best we have." Regina studied the screen, a slight frown on her face. "Though I'd never tell him."

"I hope you're right." replied Cora as they watched the two rigs speeding through the pipeline.

"Here it comes." announced Gold as he suddenly saw lights reflecting on a bend. The rig comes into full view, getting bigger and bigger by the second. "It's closing up. Faster!"

Belle complied as she worked on the controls, bringing their speed close to a 100 miles per hour. But the rig behind them kept up and soon it was less than a feet away.

"Sit tight!" called Gold as their rig shook as the other made contact. He cushioned the blow with his feet. He hastily climbs on board the other rig, helping Belle across.

Belle quickly works on the bomb as Gold tried to take the controls.

"No brakes!" called back Gold as Belle began working with her equipment. He shifted to the rig's control but got nothing as well. "The controls are jammed!"

"It's a tactical fission device." began Belle as she looked up at him. She laid below the device while Gold now sat opposite and above her, just before the bomb. "Low yield. Hold me steady."

"You've defused hundreds of these right?" asked Gold as he tried to steady her while the entire rig shook from travelling at a high speed through a winding pipeline.

"Yeah," began Belle as she took out more of her equipment, but paused to look at him. "But they're usually standing still."

"Yeah, well, life's full of small challenges." remarked Gold and knew Belle was rolling her eyes at him. He then spotted some scratches on the machine. "Have a look at this. Someone stripped the screw heads."

Belle's eyes widened as she pushed herself by her elbows to look at what Gold pointed out. "Someone's tampered with the bomb."

She easily got up and moved to sit in front of him, her hands steady as she dismantled the device and slowly took out the core.

"Look," began Belle as she motioned for him to take the canister for the core. "Half the plutonium's missing."

"So what are you saying?" asked Gold as they safely kept the core and Belle focused back on the device. "It couldn't go nuclear?"

"There's still enough explosive in there to kill both of us if the trigger charge goes off." explained Belle as she took her wire cutters but before she could do anything, Gold grabbed her hand.

"Let it blow." said Gold as he laid back down and used a knife to try and sabotage the rig, to get them to decrease their speed.

"But I can stop it." shouted Belle, not really convinced this was a great course of action.

"Let it blow!" shouted back Gold as his plan seemed to work and the rig slowed to about 80 miles per hour and still decelerating. "Trust me. Leave it."

Gold called for her to jump off the rig and they tumbled through the pipeline as the rig with the bomb sped away. When they finally stopped rolling around the pipeline, Gold got his bearings and instantly covered Belle as the bomb went off in the distance.

The icon for the rigs disappeared on the map as both Regina and Cora turned to the technician. But surprisingly it was Cora's own guard that started talking.

"Nolan's reporting." began the guard as he went to the tech's computer. "The bomb was a dud. But the triggering charge blew out a 50-yard section of the pipe."

"And Gold?" asked Regina but the guard just shook his head.

"No word."

"I'm so sorry." began Cora, walking to stand right in front of her. "But I have a gift for you." One of her men handed her a small green box. "Something that belonged to my father. He would have wanted you to have it."

"Perhaps this isn't the time." began Regina as she studied the box then looked to Cora.

"Please." said Cora. "He often spoke of how compassionately you advised him on the best course of action during my kidnapping."

Regina sighed. But opened the box just as Cora continued to speak. "It's very valuable, you know." Regina's eyes widened as she saw the lapel king that Graham usually wore...Gold was right. "I just couldn't let it explode with the rest of him."

Cora's men drew their guns and fired on the remaining MI6 agents and the poor technician that was left behind.

"I was very upset when the money didn't kill both of you. I didn't think I'd get another chance." continued Cora as Regina looked from her dead agents then back to the woman. "Then you dropped the answer right in my lap."

Regina swallowed as Cora walked over to stand right in front of her again. It had all been a trap.

"Gold. And as you say, he's the best you have." Cora sneered at her. "Or should I say, 'had'?"

Regina glared and slapped her hard. The guards made to move but Cora stopped them with a raised hand. She stood her ground as Cora rubbed her sore cheek but then she turned to one of her men.

"Take her to the helicopter."

The blast site, if you will, was pretty contained given the threat they had presumed it would be. Gold finally crawled out the broken pipeline and jumped out.

"Come on, give me your hand." He called back and was rewarded with a backpack being thrown his way. He caught it easily and placed it on the ground as Belle came to view. "Jump, I'll catch you."

Belle did so and Gold manage to keep them both steady even when pain shot through his not so healed shoulder.

"You're heavier than you look," he mumbled as he settled her back on the ground and rubbed and stretched his shoulder.

"Do you wanna explain why you did that?" demanded Belle, grabbing her bag and made to bash his head in with it. "I could have stopped that bomb. You almost killed us!"

"I did kill us." answered Gold, ignoring the tirade and began moving across the crater where the bomb had gone off. "She thinks we're dead, and she thinks she got away with it."

"Do you wanna put that in English for those of us who don't speak 'spy'?" began Belle. "So any new ideas as to why Cora King would blow up her own pipeline?"

"It makes her look innocent." answered Gold, much to Belle's eye roll. The man was sure quick on many things. "The explosion covers up the theft of the plutonium. It makes it look like a terrorist attack."

"But why leave this half?" asked Belle as she showed him the container with the plutonium.

"So there's enough to spread around to cover up the part they did take." replied Gold which made Belle slightly impressed. The man had thought this through from the short period of their car conversation to now.

"What will they do with the other half?" asked Belle, not really wanting to be left out of his train of thought. "It's not enough to make a nuclear bomb."

"You're the scientist," shrugged Gold as he studied her. "You tell me."

"I don't know." admitted Belle, not breaking eye contact with him. "But the world's greatest terrorist running around with 6 kilos of weapons grade plutonium can't be good. I have to get it back, or somebody's is going to have my ass."

Gold noded. "First things first." He took out his radio as he walked to higher ground. "Gold to Nolan. Do you copy?"

"By the way, before we go any further," began Belle, following him. "I just wanna know, what's the story between you and Cora?"

"We're strictly platonic. Now." said Gold and his tone made it clear that was all he saying on the subject. "Gold to Nolan. Copy?"

No response so Gold took that opportunity to study his companion. "What's your story? What are you doing here in Kazakhstan?"

"Avoiding those kind of questions, just like you." answered Belle smugly, giving him a cocky grin.

Gold shrugged but before he could say anything else his radio sprang to life.

"I read you, 007." came David's response. "Red alert. M is missing with Cora. Three men down. Await instructions. Out."

That was not helpful. Gold sighed as he dropped his arm with the radio. Things were playing out now and Cora has mistakenly shown her cards.

"What do we do now?" asked Belle, making Gold wheel around to look at her.

"There's one critical element here I may have overlooked." admitted Gold, looking far ahead in the distance.

"What?" asked Belle. "More plutonium?"

"No." began Gold as realization dawned on him. "I know I promise you champagne, but would you settle for caviar?"

Belle looked at him as though he had truly lost it. "What are you talking about?"

"Beluga." answered Gold, bringing his radio back up. "Beluga Caviar. David," he began towards the radio. "Pick us up and get my car."

"What part of 'await instructions' did you not understand?" came the annoyed reply from the other end and Belle had to smile as Gold rolled his eyes.

"If I wait for you and Sidney to decide on what to do it'll be the next century." replied Gold. "Do you want to save Regina or not?"

"Fine." replied David. "I left Sidney to inform Emma of the situation. On my way."