DR: Well, here's the next part, where we get a peek inside the mansion...
007 gently eased the powerful Aston Martin down one of the many back alleys that riddled the city. With the sun setting quickly he knew that it was time to go to work.
He had worked his way across the town, constantly checking for pursuit. Bond knew that the Aston stood out from the rest of the traffic, but that could be used to aid him. Since the cult members would be looking for a big silver Aston, they would miss him completely.
Turning into another alley, Bond could see part of the wall that surrounded the estate that was the centre of the cult's activity. Despite the heavy security on display, Bond knew that he would get in. He had been dodging that kind of set up for most of his adult life.
Slowing to a crawl, he watched as two cult members walked along the wall, clearly on patrol.
"Now you see me," he muttered as he punched in commands into the Astons control panel. "…Now you don't."
As he entered the last command the tiny cameras, hidden within the bodywork, activated. They sent the images they captured to the projectors in the opposite panels, and the advanced computer system buried deep within the car sorted the images out into the correct pattern. From the outside, the Aston flickered in a series of rectangular patches over the entire car, and then vanished. Those with keen eyes might have picked out a moving distortion, particularly around the wheels, which were the hardest to hide. But in the dim light provided by a setting sun, the Aston was completely invisible.
Bond slowly moved out into the quiet back street. There was never much traffic around the estate: no one went near the place without a pretty good reason. He kept the speed down, partly to lower any noise getting past the array of sound dampers that kicked in when the stealth system was activated, but also so that the cloak could keep up. When he had received the 'Vanish', it's main designer 'R' had empathically stated that the stealth system could handle only so much speed before it was unable to keep up with all the data that was being fed into it. As such, Bond was forced to remain at a walking pace. He knew he could take it up to a slow jogging pace before the system began to fail, but that was riding the limits. So Bond cruised gently along, looking for the place to make his entrance.
After only two minutes, he had. Pulling over, he set the car to stand-by before stepping out. As he checked his sidearm, Bond glanced back at the Aston. He shook his head. Despite knowing that it was there, he was completely unable to see it. 'R' had out done himself this time.
Bond straightened his tuxedo without thinking as he crossed the road to the compounds corner. His experienced eyes had noticed that while the cameras were sighted along the walls, they couldn't cover directly below themselves. The adjoining camera posts covered these spots, since each post consisted of two cameras, each set in line with the wall. However the west wall was not as long as the eastern one, but the cult had not altered the spacing of the cameras to compensate. This created a gap in the coverage, allowing entry, provided you could climb nine-foot tall stonewalls.
Fortunately for 007, standard MI6 kit included ways to do just that. As he set to work, Bond noticed that the northwestern corner was cut at angle, and the stonework there was a slightly different shade than the rest of the wall. He understood now why there was the gap: the compound had once been square, but part of it had fallen into the sea, hence the new wall.
As he crested the wall, Bond got his first good look within the compound. Suppressing the urge to whistle, he gazed out the lush green growth contained with. A wide range of exotic plants were scattered around, many of which were normally seen in wetter climates. Massive tree ferns mingled with more traditional broad-leaved trees, and Bond noted a few conifers within the mix. The ground cover was thick, consisting mostly of ferns intermingled with patches of fresh looking lawns. A gravel drive snaked it way up from the main gates in the southern wall to the mansion itself.
And what a mansion it was. From his raised position, Bond could see that the building consisted of three main sections. The two side wings were both two stories tall, with a courtyard between them. Together with the main part of the building, which went up an extra story, they formed three sides of a square, with the fourth end closed off by a light wall and wide gates. Where each wing joined a round tower rose, a good six-seven floors high. Lights further back suggested another pair of wings at the back of the mansion, though smaller than the front ones. At each corner of the building small round towers rose, slightly taller than the main section, almost like turrets on medieval castles.
Bond frowned, pulling out his night-vision goggles. In the enhanced glow of the night-sight, he could see that the top floor of each tower was in fact a gun nest, mounting some serious firepower. It looked like three twin 30mm cannon mountings spread around the tower, each currently recessed behind it's own firing slot. The top of each tower, which bond had at first thought to be a simple dome, appeared to be more than they seemed. Bond could make out faint lines on the nearest, parallel lines that ran perpendicular to the ground…
'Gezz' Bond thought. 'This place is more fortified than a US base.' With closer examination, the light wall and gate running across the front of the internal courtyard looked more than strong enough to withstand even an assault by a tank. As he lowered the night-sight, Bonds eye caught a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. Quickly raising the sight again, he quickly focused on a man sitting in a lightweight tower within the garden, smoking a cigarette besides a .50 calibre heavy machinegun. Hidden within a cluster of conifer trees, it would have been very hard to spot from the ground… until it was too late.
"Fortress within a fortress." Bond muttered, marking the position of two more clusters of trees. The ground, which at first seemed lush and full of cover, was now a death trap. Those towers could oversee almost every patch of ground, and the ferns that covered it would only come up to a mans waist, providing no cover at all. Anyone wanting to get in without being seen would have to crawl on his or her belly, and the number of patrolling guards made that almost suicide.
Still, at least the sound of the fountain at the centre of the gravel turning circle would mask most low-level noise.
Bond sighed.
It was going to be one of those nights.
x x x x x x
Close to where Bond now crouched, a man strode along panelled corridors, his pale robes billowing around him. He had important news for his lord, and the lord had decreed that all news be delivered to him, in person.
Clark paused just before the last bend, straightening his robes before continuing. 'Why does he want us wearing these silly robes? I'm a scientist for gods sake, not a bloody priest!' Truth be told he didn't really give a damn about the rhetoric that Ra'kesh gave out: it was all nonsense. Besides, Ra'kesh himself had started the program that Clark and his team had been working on. Or rather, follow the directions giving out by Ra'kesh. Clark hadn't a clue what the snake like creatures were, but Ra'kesh watched over them like they were his children. Although Clark was all for the destruction of the decedent, corrupt system back in his homeland of the good all US of A, He just could not figure out how those butt ugly snakes were involved. Clark felt distinctly uncomfortable around them, as they seemed to radiate evil. He shook his head. Evil did not really exist; it was all a matter of perspective.
As he stepped into the Grand Chamber, Clark couldn't help but think that Ra'kesh was most likely one of the biggest hypocrites around. He denounced the Governments of most of the world as decedent, but the scene before Clark was the height of decadence. Ra'kesh sat – lounged really – on a great throne that sat on a raised dais at the end of the chamber. Surrounding him, at least a half-dozen young, nubile young women sat on cushions. All wore very little, and what little there was must have been designed to showcase their forms. 'Hell, they're wearing more makeup than clothing!' One was lowering a huge bunch of grapes into his mouth; a couple of others were waving huge fans in long, languid fashions. The others seemed to be little more than decoration.
Clark stopped at the first set of columns that lined the hall, the prescribed mark for those wishing to speak with Ra'kesh, and bowed his head as was required. Those who did not wait for his permission to come closer had better have one hell of a reason. Those who did not, never crossed that line again. It was said amongst the others that Ra'kesh kept people waiting, to weed out those who only came to fawn. Those with serious news would wait as long as required.
Clark however had never had to wait long. Although he rarely came up here, he was always granted a quick audience.
"Ah, Dr Clark." Ra'kesh boomed out, using that odd trick to project his voice throughout the hall. As Clark raised his head, he saw that Ra'kesh had straightened up and was looking at him. "Come forward and give me your report."
Clark strode forward before dropping to one knee at the foot of the dais. "My Lord, the last batch is ready." Even with his head bowed, Clark could hear Ra'kesh sitting up straighter. "We have finished conditioning them and they are all reacting to our triggers correctly."
"At last…" Ra'kesh growled. He stood up, before stepping down from the dais. Clark felt him gently place his left hand, wearing that strange, golden gauntlet he always wore on his shoulder. "You have done well, my learned servant." Clark did not really care for being called a servant, but he let it go. Ra'keshes temper was legendary.
"Return to your lab, and have all the batches prepared for transit to the Deep Level." Clark felt thrills of excitement, and fear, race though him. He had never been down to the 'Deep Level' before, but he had heard rumours. Stories of wild animals caged up for experiments, of strange creatures never seen by man before. He had seen vast numbers of livestock herded down there, but were did they go? The tunnels beneath this place could not possibly hold that many animals.
Ra'kesh turned to face back at his throne. "Return to your chambers, I will follow shortly. Once I have overseen the first step of our worldwide revolution!"
DR: Well, that's it for now. Don't forget to review!