"Now, I'm going to ease this rope in a minuet so as you can breathe and when I do you are going to say two sentences. The first will be the state of James' condition, the second, well that's going to be how to get to him. Understand?"
Edward Carter, James' doctor, hung by his neck in the middle of the docks warehouse, his feet just touching a metal folding chair, the only thing keeping him from suffocating. The place was completely empty and looked like it had been that way for some time, dust and old boxers littered the floor and shadows seemed to dominate the whole building. No one seemed to work in the set of buildings on the far left of the dock and so Le Chiffre was certain no one would find them.
As he had said Le Chiffre released the other end of the rope ever so slightly letting Carter breath again and support his feet on the chair. The man took in a deep breath filling his deprived lungs, his face was red and sweat coated, veins bulging and his wrists were bound with duck tape.
"Please don't kill me!" Begged Carter.
"Oh now you see." Le Chiffre swooped to stand beside Carter. "That was not a very good first sentence."
With that Le Chiffre let a powerful punch connect with Doctor Carter's stomach causing a whimper and a cough from the bound man. Le Chiffre wasn't really one for physical torture, all the punching and threats, no he preferred the simple torture, less elaborate. However, the British government had taken the man he loved and were trying to bring back his memories, so to hell with simplicity, Le Chiffre wanted the man to hurt: to suffer. Le Chiffre had changed since leaving Montenegro since James had woken up, he was no longer the genius obsessed with getting money, saving himself and getting people to do his dirty work for him. No he had indeed changed, he had become the genius who was protective of the man he loved and would do anything for just one more second with him, because if James did remember Le Chiffre was sure a second would be all he'd get.
"Please!" Screamed Doctor Carter. "Why are you doing this to me? I'm just a doctor."
"Oh not just a doctor, you know far more than just the medical profession I assure you." Le Chiffre said and then let another punch shatter several of the doctor's ribs. "Answer my questions and I'll be kind, I promise."
"Bond...Bond has amnesia." Stuttered Carter.
"Good, now you're being helpful. Keep talking."
"I don't know if it'll last forever, he could remember at any moment or...or not at all." Carter took another deep breath, getting the air while he could. "He doesn't seem to want to remember." That brought a smile to Le Chiffre's lips. "Other than not remembering who he is, he's fine."
"So he''s still my James." Le Chiffre said quietly to himself, then looked up to the beaten doctor. "And now the second sentence, please. How do I get to him?"
Thanks to the threat of another punch Carter started talking again, fear thick in his voice.
"He's in a facility across town, in the basement. There's...there's only one way down there that I know of, it's used as a holding cell."
"Tell me, do you remember seeing any grates, any locked doors down there?"
"No, it's all concrete. The only locked doors are the holding cells."
"Are you telling me he truth?" Le Chiffre pressed ever so softly on the sight of Doctor Carter's broken ribs causing a yelp. "You're a doctor, tell me, what happens to your lung if I push this broken and sharp rib inwards?"
The doctor didn't answer and Le Chiffre wasn't surprised, he didn't need an answer though he knew exactly what would happen, knew it would hurt.
"So, are you telling me everything?"
Le Chiffre went back to the rope and tightened it again, causing Carter to choke once more.
"James' cell...th...there's a secret switch." That got the Albanians interest. "Yo...you can put in...in the c...code but if you d...do..don't push the but...ton underneath the pad the a...alarm goes...off. When...I g...go in, they...they prick my fi...finger, check my ID, they're all too...too busy to no...notice me. I'm unimp...ortant, I just do my job and g...g...get out, ple...ase don't k...kill me.
With that Le Chiffre formed a plan in his genius head, a cunning and simple plan.
"Thank you Doctor Carter, that is most helpful."
"I helped you. You s...said you'd be ki...nd, you p...promised." Doctor Carter looked so hopeful.
Le Chiffre walked over to Doctor Carter's things and pulled out the man's identification, he and the doctor were about the same high and reasonably similar in the cheekbones. Carter was grey-blonde but a little coloring would quickly change that, he could cover his scar and use contacts to send both eyes dark blue. Le Chiffre pushed the ID into his pocket and made his way back to Carter's side, running two fingers along a blood covered patch of skin, coating his fingers generously in it.
"Please, you s...said you'd be kind and w...wou...ouldn't kill...me."
"No I didn't. I said I would be kind. Dying quickly is kind don't you think?"
Suddenly Le Chiffre kicked the chair out from under Doctor Carter's feet and walked away leaving Carter struggling for air...begging but unable to speak a word of it, until as fast as it had started all movement, all noise...just...stopped.
XXXX
"Good morning, Doctor Carter."
"And to you."
An English accent was something he hadn't used since he was a child at boarding school, it has started as a way to annoy one of the boys who took it out of his Albanian accent. He was rusty but the security guard didn't seem to be paying attention to him. Carter was right Le Chiffre thought to himself he is completely invisible to these people, checked the identification yes but you haven't looked once at my face you stupid little man. How on earth has the British government survived this long? Or maybe this is just a less important facility, either way you worked for me and I would have killed you by now. Le Chiffre looked amazingly different with his hair grey-blonde and both his eyes a deep blue but there was no mistaking that he was not the man on the identification.
"You know the drill, blood sample please." Said the guard pushing a little place box towards him.
Le Chiffre rested his index finger on the groove in the box and let the small needle prick his finger, of course it was just the prosthetic holding the blood he had taken from Doctor Carter's beaten body.
"All good, Doc. Have a good day."
Le Chiffre nodded his thanks and made his way down the hall following the signs marked detention cells. It was all far, far too easy and Le Chiffre was just waiting for the catch. He had Kratt and Burke (who during a job insisted on only being called Havoc) working on the cameras, while Archangel, Gina De Marko, hacked into the subway system and stole a train. He could tell the moment she got in as many of the staff in suits vanished from the hallways, everything seemed to be going to plan. It can't be this easy.
The second he reached the holding cells door he looked up at the camera that watched the door, a silent command to Kratt and Havoc to open the door. In seconds the door gave a low buzz and swung open letting Le Chiffre vanish inside. The moment he saw the detention cells through the little windows Le Chiffre had one thought; this is far too white. It actually pained his eyes. He searched quickly, looking through every single window searching desperately for his sweet James. Hoping, no, praying. Praying to a deity he had never before believed in that the man he loved was unharmed. Le Chiffre had almost given up hope when suddenly in the last room was a curled up blonde form. The Albanian would recognise that blonde hair anywhere, he had found his James.
He looked up to another camera, a split second passed and then the door really had out done himself, Le Chiffre was impressed. The Albanian was just about to let it swung open when he remembered what Doctor Carter had said adn flipped the small silver switch. He stepped inside so as not to spook James but the blonde didn't look up he just stayed curled up on the bed, that wasn't the James he knew. Amnesia or not Bond was a fighter, it was innate, the man before him looked like he had given up.
"James?" Le Chiffre kept his voice light and calm.
Suddenly the motionless blonde spun around like he had been burnt, James looked tired and like he had cried for hours. No that was defiantly not his normal James. What have they done to you?
"Le Chiffre?" James sounded so hopeful, maybe he really didn't remember his old life despite the desperate attempts MI6 had made. "Is that you?"
It took him a second to remember that he had changed his hair color and style as well as that of his clothing and his eyes. Le Chiffre felt his heart clench with love seeing his sweet James and knowing that he was still loved.
"Yes, its me." Before he could go to the agent James threw himself into Le Chiffre's arms, holding onto him with every fibre of his being. "I'm here. Are you alright?" Bond nodded.
They stood there for a long moment, just holding one another. James buried his face into Le Chiffre's neck breathing him in and calming his body, his troubled soul. It was Le Chiffre that regained his ability to speak first, with arms wrapped around the blonde's waist he whispered.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
They pulled back and looked into one another's eyes basking in the love that filled them, Le Chiffre couldn't resist he and so he pressed a passionate kiss to the blonde's mouth, oh how he had missed the taste of him.
"What did you do to your hair?"
That was more like his James, smiling and trying to focus on the happier things.
"Long story. Come on, we need to go."
Le Chiffre laced his fingers with Bond's and pulled him along behind him as he climbed the detention cell stairs and waited for the buzz to let them back out into the main hallways. It didn't take long to get back to the office style halls, no one was around, Gina really knows how to keep people occupied.
The Albanian peeked around a teal painted corner to the reception desk where he had come in, the oblivious guard was still there picking at his nails and watching the cameras that Kratt and Havoc had looped almost ten minuets ago, there was no way that the loop could remain undetected for much longer and so with a glance up to one of the big white cameras that watched the length of the hall, the fire alarm sounded.
As they waited a few moments for a reasonably sized group of people to start to file out the front door, Le Chiffre stripped off his tan jacket and handed it James who slipped it on quickly, covering the white jumpsuit MI6 had put him in.
"Come on."
The lovers joined the small crowd, so close to freedom, they could smell the fresh air...
"Bond?"
Instinctively James look up his eyes suddenly meeting those of a man he had only met once before, average height with dark hair and matching eyes, something with a 'V', Villiers! The man wore a face of confusion until he spotted the man holding his hand, the expression quickly morphed from confusion to a combination of anger, concern and panic. He watched as Villiers dove over the main reception desk and slammed his hand down on a button behind it. Villiers actions were too late though Le Chiffre had James off and running before Bond knew his legs were moving.
The early afternoon air felt good on 007s pale skin, the solders that had appeared from nowhere with automatic rifles and what looked like a plan to kill Le Chiffre was not so good. The two men charged to the parking lot where Le Chiffre threw open the door to a black sedan and pushed James in before going around to the driver's seat and bringing the engine to life.
XXXX
"What!?" M screamed down the phone to Villiers making him repeat everything that had just happened a second time. "Where are they now?"
"Breaking every speeding law this country has as they race through London, Ma'am. We have units following them but this chase could get people killed."
"We stay in pursuit, Villiers." She ordered at the top of her voice. "I want Bond back and Le Chiffre's balls in a vice."
"Yes Ma'am." He didn't know what else to say. In that moment he couldn't have been more grateful for the hacker that had broken into the subway system and nearly crashed two trains because it had gotten him sent get a report for M. He didn't want to be in the same building as her let alone the same room. "Of course."
She had lost James to Le Chiffre...again.