Chapter 20: In the Line of Fire
Location: M'diq, Morocco
Evening, present day...
As the sun was dipping below the horizon, the heat of the Moroccan afternoon made way for the cold of the night as Jona lay on his stomach within the tall grass. They're location overlooked the SPECTRE controlled Fa'sia Fisheries building yet so far had seen no activity that suggested that the building was inhabited...plenty of security cameras though.
"Shoulda figured that Grant gave up that information way to easily," Jona muttered as laid his scooped assault rifle down.
"Maybe you just weren't trying hard enough," Bond commented.
"I should've broken his fingers, that would've made him take me seriously," he replied.
"What are you getting out of this?" Bond questioned, "What has M promised you?"
"I told her that I wanted a full pardon in exchange," he replied, "I'm tired of running."
"I really don't think that'll make up for all the people you've killed?"
"You do realize that Goldfinger ordered me to activate the Seismic Bomb that OCTOPUS planted inside of Hoover Dam, but I disabled it instead," Jona commented, "The body count I've racked up is considerably less then what it would've been if the dam was destroyed."
Bond was left silent and Jona allowed himself to smile as he picked up his rifle and slung it over his shoulder.
"By the way...good job on offing Xenia."
"So you heard."
"SPECTRE's got eyes and ears all over the place, I'm just glab the bitch is dead," Jona replied before radioing to the commandos, "Gold Leader, we're going in."
"Acknowledged. System has been hack, cameras are on a loop," the SBS leader reported.
Bond yanked his Walther out of its holster and slid down the hill after Jona, reaching the bottom of the hill five seconds after Jona had. The two sprinted to the safety of the side of the building, pressing themselves against the wall. Jona activated the MRI vision mode of his Golden Eye, revealing that the building wasn't as vacant as it appeared.
"Gold Team, be prepared to move in," Jona advised.
"Copy that," Gold Leader replied.
Jona removed the Tesla EM that he had confiscated from Grant and shorted out the electronic lock before pulling the scoped and silenced SPEC9 from his hip-holster and slowly pushed the door open enough to see the positions off all the SPECTRE guards.
"In position," Gold Leader reported after several minutes.
He gave Bond a quick glance who nodded in conformation that he too was ready as Jona stood up and backed up slightly. He delivered a kick to the door and swung his SPEC 9 in the direction of the closest guard who was patrolling on a catwalk, firing a single shot that sent the man tumbling to the ground below. A SPECTRE guard armed with an SMG immediately whirled around in response and brought his weapon to bare only to have two slugs put into his chest by Bond. More gunshots were exchanged on the far side of the warehouse where Gold Team had taken up position indicating to them that they had began their surgical strike. Jona took up his assault rifle again as he and Bond pushed further into the warehouse, weaving their way through the wooden crates scattered throughout when another guard attempted to attack them. Jona was the first to go on the offensive by driving the butt of the weapon into the side of the man's head and followed it up by driving it into his stomach. The Ex-00 seized the man by the should and slammed his body against a stack of creates, tearing his handgun free and coldly executed him by shooting him in the forehead. As his body slumped to the ground Bond and Jona continued their way to where the gunshot had been coming from and were suddenly accosted by another SPECTRE agent. He fired an SMG in their direction forcing them to take cover behind a stack of crates to avoid the gunfire. Jona immediately activated the Magnetic Induction Field and sent a crate hurtling towards the man, forcing him to dive out of the way lest he be crushed. Jona quickly dropped down in a crouch allowing Bond to fire off a pair of shots that struck the man in the shoulder and then the head.
"How did you do that?" Bond questioned, stepping over the body.
"What? You thought that his eye was just glass?" he stated smugly, pointing to his cybernetic.
"Black Market tech?" Bond asked.
"You have no idea," he replied.
After weaving their way through the stack of crates they found that the three SBS commandos had already mopped up what resistance there was.
"Couldn't leave us any?" Bond complained.
"Secure the area," Jona ordered, "I don't want to find any surprises and gather up what weapons you can find."
Gold Leader nodded as he and his fellow commandos departed for the assigned task, which left Jona to turn his attention to the mini sub that looked vaguely like a stingray that was suspended above the dry dock.
"What's the plan?" Bond questioned, "you know...when we get there."
"Gun down anyone standing between us and the central computer," he replied as he moved over to a nearby computer console.
"That might work in theory," Bond stated.
"...and in practice," Jona added.
"Only if you want to get shot."
Jona ignored that last comment and managed to activate the console, lowering the watercraft down into the dry dock. The Commandos returned within minutes of securing the area, weapons and ammunition confiscated from the bodies as they busied themselves with rearming for their raided of the Octopus.
"I woulda thought there'd be more security," Gold Leader commented.
"SPECTRE didn't consider the possibility of us infiltrating the Octopus...too brazen," Jona replied, climbing atop the sub, "and that gives us the advantage."
Location: Jamaica
Weeks ago...
The sound of a motorboat engine and crashing waves were the first things that welcomed Dr. Julius No back to consciousness. His throbbing head made it difficult for him to focus as he let out a moan and opened his eyes. He rudely discovered that he was unable to see as a burlap sack having be shoved over his head. He heard the engine slowly winding down, replaced with the sound of approaching footsteps until they suddenly stopped. He was fairly certain that his unknown kidnapper was standing in the doorway of the boat before the individual spoke.
"Time to get up," he said, grabbing him by the colour and hauling him to his feet.
He was half-dragged, half-carried out onto the deck of the ship and threw him to the ground, tearing the sack from off his head. Julius was instantly blinded by the rays of the sun that hung directly overhead and cried out in discomfort as he raised his bound hands in a fruitless attempt to shield his eyes. Within a matter of minutes his vision had adjusted enough for him to clearly identify his abductor; Jonathan Hunter. It all came back to him, Goldfinger had dispatched a team to assault Crab Key led by his favoured enforcer, the appropriately named GoldenEye. The fact that he hadn't killed him back at Crab Key meant only one thing; and he did want to think about what he was going to do to him. GoldenEye roughly grabbed him by the collar of his suit, pulling him to his feet and threw him into a nearby chair, chaining his arms to a table.
"Goldfinger will betray you...if he hasn't already," No stated, his voice horse.
"Oh please, I knew full well that he'd be tossing me aside once you're dead. I knew it from the very beginning," Jona replied, "and I've planned accordingly."
"Is that why I'm still alive?" he questioned.
"You still have answers to many of my questions," Jona replied.
"Do you really think I'd tell you anything?"
"Why not? You're a dead man anyways."
"And what would you like to know?"
"What was the real reason for this war? There's a bit more to this then you betraying SPECTRE."
"Oh...so you are suspect."
"There are more suited individuals within SPECTRE that Number 1 could've employed, Rosa Klebb or even Tov Kronsteen could've dealt with you betrayal, why was Goldfinger chosen?" Jona demanded.
"The fact that you know the identities of Number 3 and Number 5 leads me to suspect that you've not been as loyal as they've believed."
"I won't ask again."
"He had a personal stake in all this," he replied.
"The OMEN?"
"Ah...so you found out about it."
"Only because I hacked into your computer files during the raid, had to entertain myself while you were busy napping."
"Goldfinger was embittered by the fact that he wasn't made a member of SPECTRE's Inner Circle, he thought that by eliminating me that he could curry favour with Number 1."
"What makes him think that by offing you he'd get into the Inner Circle when he could've replaced Jacques Bouvar when he bit the big one months ago?"
"He's developed larger aspirations then simply being a member of the Inner Circle," No stared.
"He wants to take over the entire organization by usurping control of SPECTRE from Number 1."
"Good boy," he said with a smirk.
Jona turned away and stared out across the glistening water from the yacht that they were aboard in silence before speaking.
"Was the OMEN complete when you turned traitor?"
"Only the plans that Goldfinger and I developed," he replied, "I have since completed the device on my own following my departure from the organization."
"Well...all my questions are answered," Jona said, grabbed a machete from off a nearby seat.
He hid the weapon behind his back as he walked over to the side of the table as he raised it above his head and brought it down No's wrist joints. There was a spray of blood as Julius cried out at the sight of his wrists lying severed on the table before him. as GoldenEye planted his foot against his chest, sending him overboard. The water slowly began to turn crimson as No struggled to keep himself afloat, but with two missing hands it was fruitless.
"You took my eye, I take your hands," he stated coldly as he tossed the severed appendages into the water.
"You can't leave me here," No cried out.
"The hell I can't," Jona spat, "In case you've forgotten I vowed to kill you."
Jona immediately turned away from the side and headed to the yacht's bridge and started up the engine again and pulled away.
"You might wanna try swimming to shore," Jona shouted, "If you don't drown first then the sharks might get you."