Chapter 24: Crosshairs
Location: The Lair
Ten minutes later...
Jona sat within the hold of the Boeing Chinook, its blades cutting through the air as they approached the western dockyard. Enemy VTOLs that vaguely resembled a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey were already airborne, engaging in a dogfight with allied aircraft as the chopper continued through the air. An entire platoon of British SAS Commandos occupied the interior of the craft, eager to get the operation over with. Black smoke billowed into the air from the missile strikes that pounded the island's military infrastructure as they drew closer to the LZ.
"We're two minutes out," the pilot reported.
The Ex-Double 0 sat silently, twisting his hands out of nervousness before reciting at portion of a well known Welsh folksong.
Ym mhalas Llwyn Onn gynt, fe drigai pendefig,
Efe oedd ysgweiar ac arglwydd y wlad;
Ac iddo un eneth a anwyd yn unig,
A hi nôl yr hanes oedd aeres ei thad.
Aeth cariad i'w gweled yn lân a phur lencyn,
Ond codai'r ysgweiar yn araf ac erch,
I aethu'r bachgennyn, ond gwyrodd ei linyn,
A'i ergyd yn wyrgam i fynwes ei ferch.
One of the soldiers must've been fluent in Welsh since he knew exactly what Jona had been saying for he immediately began translating for everyone else.
The ash grove, how graceful, how plainly 'tis speaking
The harp through it playing has language for me
Whenever the light through its branches is breaking
A host of kind faces is gazing on me.
The friends of my childhood again are before me
Each step wakes a mem'ry, as freely I roam
With soft whispers laden, its leaves rustle o'er me
The ash grove, the ashgrove alone is my home.
"You speak Welsh? Where you from, soldier?" Jona asked in surprise.
"Cardiff, where do you hail?"
"Caernarfon," he replied with a smile.
"Gonna have to make this quick," the pilot hollered, "The LZ's pretty hot."
"Drop us off as close to the LZ as you can," Jona ordered, "don't take any unnecessary risks."
"Copy that," he replied.
They felt the aircraft begin to descend and Jona stroked the frame of the silenced MP5 with holographic sight as he peered out the window of the helicopter at the warzone below. The aircraft suddenly banked, narrowly avoiding impact with an incoming missile and continued on its flight path. Jona approached the loading ramp, rifle in hand as he jabbed his finger through the open door.
"All targets are hostile!" Jona yelled, "take no prisoners."
The British soldiers immediately charged out of the aircraft's hold and began firing upon the facility's hardened troops. The US Delta Force had attacked the Eastern Dock ten minutes before the rest of the fleet, drawing away the bulk of the Lair's defenses away from the Western Dock, allowing the British Strike Team to continue with reduced resistance. These weren't the troops normally stationed within the Lair, in fact that were attired in black combat armour with a gold-coloured bulletproof vest emblazoned with the logo of Auric Enterprises. It was clear to Jona that Goldfinger had successfully seized control of the Lair from Blofeld, either by eliminating the security forces or by turning them to his cause. The commandos were quick to eliminate any opposition, allowing Bond and Hunter to proceed into the complex without firing a single shot. Bond carefully scanned the motor-pool that they stepped into, shinning a mounted flashlight into the shadows, but finding the area free of hostiles. There were several tanks parked within the motor-pool, but there was one parked in the middle of the floor that was sleek and had a highly polished exterior. The whole thing screamed of high-technology and he could only image the weapons that SPECTRE had secretly developed.
"Looks like they've got more pressing concerns then guarding a couple of tanks," Bond stated.
"You'd think," Jona commented, spotting the tank, "Oh my god! I...think this might be the Platinum Tanks that SPECTRE was developing," Jona stated.
"How dangerous are they?" Bond asked.
"They stole Nanobot prototypes developed by Dr. Katya Nadanova," he explained, "They were originally designed to repair the electrical systems of Nuclear Reactors, through I heard they were attempting to weaponized them with fungal spores from the Louisiana Bayou."
"What would these modified Nanobots be capable of?" Bond questioned, growing more and more concerned.
"It would give them the ability to dissolve metal," Jona replied, "They were still performing research on them when Goldfinger I turned against me."
"So with them they could destroy say a dam...or a bridge," Bond said.
"Yeah...and that makes them a concern."
"How many of these Platinum Tanks do you thing they've managed to develop?"
"Without Dr. Nadanova expertise they'd have a hard time replicating the Nanobots," he answered, before speaking into his comm. link, "Delta Leader what's your status?"
"We're facing heavy opposition," the Delta Force Leader reported, "but nothing that we can't handle."
"Keep pressing the attack," Jona ordered, "Keep 'em occupied while we make our way into the interior."
"Copy that," replied Delta Leader.
"We'll wait for the SAS to fall back to us before proceeding," Jona suggested.
"What can we expect?" Bond questioned.
"It'll be like when we raided the Octopus," he replied, "just with Delta Force distracting the defenders."
The rest of the SAS Commandoes slowly began gathering within the motor pool as Jona approached the Platinum Tank and began climbing onto its surface.
"Um...what are you doing?" Bond questioned.
"Stealing the tank," he replied, "let's give them a reason to be afraid."
"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Bond asked.
"Oh please. This coming from the guy who chased Ourumov through the streets of Moscow in a tank," Jona snapped, "better we use it against them then have it used against us."
Bond rolled his eyes but couldn't argue with his train of thought and climbed atop the tank with several of the SAS commandos to assist with the operation. Jona slipped into the driver's seat and studied the vehicle's controls before starting up the engine.
"I want a shell into the cannon," he ordered, "I'm gonna used the Nano Shells on the door and we'll need the extra fire power while Bond takes control of the turret."
The topside turret was completely controlled from within the tank, keeping the gunner completely safe from harm and only required Bond to slip behind a set of controls.
"How do we know the Nanobots won't eat through the tank?" Bond asked.
"They're made of platinum and programmed not to target the material they're made from," he replied as he stabbed one of the buttons on the console in front of him.
Compartments on the outer haul of the tank sudden rose and opened up, unleashing a pair of canisters directly at the blast doors. The canisters detonated upon impact sending a cloud of green mist into the air and almost instantly holes began appearing on the surface of the doors. Jona didn't wait for the door to completely dissolve away and instead slammed his foot on the accelerator, crashing through it and tearing down the hall. The Lair's defenders were caught completely off guard and sent fleeing as 200 tons of metal came barrelling towards them, but were almost immediately cut down by the mounted turret that was controlled by Bond.
"I'll take riding inside of a tank any day," one of the commandos commented.
"Nothing wrong with having a bit of heavy armor at your disposal," Jona said.
They entered an intersection within the facility and the tank immediately became peppered by the ceiling mounted auto-cannons. Bond targeted those with the tank turret, blasting them from the ceiling as Jona studied the images from the exterior cameras. The Lair was a winding mess of corridors spread throughout the volcano and one could easily lose their bearings if they weren't careful. He rotated the tank in place, allowing him to scan down each hallway before selecting the one where several of the Lair's Guards had gathered. The Commandos fired the tank shell down the hallway, wiping out those who attempted to stand in their way, before Jona launched another pair of Nano Shells. The doors that barred their way instantly disintegrated as the tank continued through the facility unopposed, eventually reaching an area that was too narrow for the tank to fit through.
"We're near the Lair's core, but we'll have to proceed on foot," Jona said, climbing out of the driver's seat.
"Can't you fire a couple of Nano Shells and widen the opening?" one of the Commandos questioned.
"It was too dangerous," Jona replied, "I'd rather not bring the ceiling down on of heads."
Jona popped the hatch open and climbed out, followed by Bond and the SAS Commandos, and immediately approached an electronic keypad, switching to the EM Hack feature of his GoldenEye and unlocked the door into the core. As the door slid apart, Bond and Jona stepped into a large chamber with a wall of bulletproof glass that separated them from the cavernous chamber that lay beyond. There was a large cylindrical chamber directly in the center of the room with plenty of machinery scatter throughout. The door suddenly slammed shut behind them before the SAS Commandoes could step inside and their banging could be heard as they fruitlessly attempted to gain entry. Jona watched as several of Goldfinger's men stepped into the chamber, with guns pointed at them through the bulletproof glass.
UPLOADING DATA...
"Damn you! Can nothing end your miserable life!?" a voice shouted.
Bond watched as a tall man with blue eyes, short red hair, tanned skin, and dressed in a red suit suddenly stepped out into view.
"And you Mr. Bond you're becoming quite a nascence as well," he added.
25% UPLOAD COMPLETE...
"You mean to kill me, of course. But, unlike Dr. No, I have the upper hand, GoldenEye."
50% UPLOAD COMPLETE...
"Even as we speak, the airlock where you stand is being vacuum sealed."
The chamber in the center of the chamber slowly began to descend, revealing a piece of technology that Bond assumed was the dreaded OMEN.
"Soon, you'll feel delirious, and before long, you'll suffocate," Auric ranted, "and I will be most gratified, as you are the last impediment to my plan."
75% UPLOAD COMPLETE...
"I am impressed with the expert mayhem that you have dealt on my behalf. But, you are too powerful...and therefore, a liability
100% UPLOAD COMPLETE...
The device began to rotate, giving off a bright, blue glow that caught Goldfinger's attention as he whirled around.
"Th-the OMEN!" Auric cried out.
The glow grew brighter and Goldfinger whirled back around, planting a hand against the bulletproof glass while Jona watched on with cruel satisfaction in his eyes as a blast shield slammed down in front of them. Auric Goldfinger's cellular structure suddenly designating from the blast of energy, his final, agonizing thoughts were of having his own weapon turning on him.