BOND 36
The Rescue
The distance is just over 2 kilometres. Tricky at the best of times, but with the added wind pressure provided by the briskly cold weather, nigh on impossible. But Hunt's new wingman, the enigmatically-named 'Sebastian Tombs' makes light work of the task, picking off the last three guards stationed on the building's roof from the top of a distant tree with only two shots. Who is this guy?
We're at an abandoned railway station somewhere in the Pyrenees mountains. Hunt, Sark, Matt and myself are stationed just behind a nearby wall behind the back entrance waiting patiently for the coast to be cleared, whilst Q and Devon remain back at the rendezvous point inside an armoured RV with the engine running.
Coast now clear we proceed towards the side entrance to make our way in undetected. I'd half expected such an operation of theirs to be heavily guarded. But then I'm guessing they fully expected not to be discovered in the first place!
It takes Matt mere seconds to decode the security lock on the door, connecting what looks like an Xbox controller to its circuitboard. Pretty impressive stuff.
"Okay, we're in!" he says, holding the door open as we bundle past. "Sure hope your 'boy genius' has the security cameras locked, Holly. Especially after wimping out on being part of the ground team?"
|"Cameras are already running the loop, chump. Try focusing on what's ahead of you... don't want to risk rupturing a brain cell or two before the jobs even completed. Bedsides, I'm more use out here with a birds eye, than inside with a worms view." | quotes a disgruntled Q.
"Hold up, did he just call me a worm?" asks Matt, much to Hunt's chagrin.
"Seriously you two...?"
A large set of stone steps greet us, spiralling down towards a long dark corridor, the lights of which flicker continue to flicker on and off.
A handful of personnel, suddenly appearing from various side doors and are quickly dispatched with by Sark, proving himself considerably adept at using a set of Karambits, lethally curved combat knives, to silently take down in seconds.
Eventually we find ourselves at junction leading off into two directions. Hunt pulls out a PDA specially configured to track the heat signatures of the eight remaining captives and signals Sark and Matt to take the second pathway.
"Bond and I will follow the thermal trail towards the holding cell. Let's keep the frequency open, people. Remember, once you've located the control room, whatever cannot be salvaged must be destroyed. Feel free to utilise whatever extreme measures you deem necessary along the way. Good luck."
But we'll need more than luck to guarantee success with these type of odds. According to Hunt's Intel there were 12 initial agents from around the world captured and replaced with members of The Hand's criminal empire. Eight of those are believed to be stationed at this facility, leaving four unaccounted for. What if M was one of those four? There's been no mention of formatting a second search. And Q, what if he's-
"Bond, behind you!"
Hunt forcefully pushes me aside before firing two into a patrolling guard behind me, but not before taking a bullet himself in the shoulder. Damn it! Real sloppy Holly. Head's not in the game. Need to re-focus. Prioritise my thoughts with the task ahead, locating and rescuing the eight. Whoever they turn out to be.
"You... ok?" I ask him, sheepishly. It's a pretty dumb question given the wound he's now nursing on my behalf, but guilt compels me to say at least something.
"Am I alright? Was kinda wondering that about you!" he snaps back. "Picked a heck of a time to be sleeping on the job, Holly. I'm thinking maybe I picked the short straw pairing up with you!"
I'm stunned. Speechless. Never seen him like this before.
"Just pulling your chain!" he suddenly smiles, "It's a scratch. Nothing a few painkillers couldn't fix, right? Besides, you can dream on if you think you'll be getting rid of me that easy!"
He's hurt. But prides holding his tongue. But before I can respond, two more guards suddenly appear from seemingly nowhere. Immediately, I slide along the ground towards them to sweep one of off his feet so hard, his head almost cracks open as it impacts the floor.
Hunt follows up with the second, leaping in the air to kick his weapon aside, before taking him down with a swift spinning kick to the face. The angle at which his head violently shifts tells me he wont be getting back up. Ever. I catch his falling weapon and flip back onto my feet like an olympic gymnast.
"Don't say I never give you anything." he jokes.
"Gee, thanks daddy!" I quip. And rather awkwardly, too. Seemed funnier in my head. "How far are we from the location?" I ask, flipping the conversation.
"Just a few kilometres ahead. B-team, what's your status?"
|"Status? For one, slightly peeved at being called that!" replies Matt, "Other than that we've just hit pay-dirt. Just extracted the mother of all motherboards from their central computer. Guessing it'll have a level 6 encryption so may take an extra... what, 12 seconds to crack?"|
"Well if your done massaging your ego, maybe you can get round to setting up the detonations?"
|"Sark's already got it covered. Genius, out."|
"Explosives? W-wait... what if the missing four are still on the premises? What if..."
"'What if's' are hardly conclusive enough to risk jeopardising a mission. You know that."
"Ok, I count three guards and one lab coat."
"Eight friendlies, each with a hood over their head."
"Flash grenades'll do the trick. On three. One, two..."
"Three!"
Goggles on, we toss the grenades through a crack in the door and watch the 'fireworks' light up the room. Then we storm in for a clean sweep. Three head shots for the guards and a gut wound for the doctor, to keep alive long enough for questioning.
"Clear!"
"Clear!"
Immediately I rush over to them and begin frantically whipping off their hoods one by one. But each reveal presents me with a face I do not know. Except for the last, who is revealed to be none other than The Director of IA himself, Richard Harper.
"Holly!" he gasps.
"You know who I am, sir?"
"Yes of course, you're a sight for very sore eyes! Get me outta here!"
"There were four others! M was one of them. And maybe... someone else. Have you any idea where they are?"
None. I've never even seen these other seven people before. How many of us in total are there?
"Twelve. At least according to our intel. But that could be-the wounded doctor, he was just there a minute ago! Hunt, I'm after the rodent!"
"Negative. Not part of the-HOLLY!"
Sorry Hunt, but I need to find answers and they're sure as anything not coming to me! Hopefully, as long as I'm still in the building Hunt wont blow the damn thing to kingdom come.
The blood trail leads me to an office. Inside I can near the wounded doctor at his desk making a call to an unknown source. He's speaking German, requesting to be put through to someone called 'Davian'. Only Davian I know died back in '06 at the hands of Hunt's father.
["Comrade, please put the phone down and step away!"] I tell him.
["Too late, Miss Bond."] he tells, slowly lowering the phone. ["You cannot stop the coming storm!"]
He quickly takes out a hidden handgun from beneath the desk and turns it on himself before I can so much as yell 'stop!', decorating the office wall with his mind.
I cautiously approach the open laptop at his desk, hoping to maybe find some information on the whereabouts of the other four.
|"Holly, get that firm butt of yours out of there now! We've rendezvoused with B-Team and are making our way outside. Copy."|
"Okay, I read you, Hunt. I'm just... just...!"
I'm staring towards the flickering laptop screen at an image of M. The word 'Assigned' is emblazoned across his image in red. Slowly I hit the 'tab' key and begin cascading between every agent's image. After the final photo of Harper flashes across the screen, my heart begins to race.
|"Holly, I don't hear any heavy breathing? Where you at?"|
I hit the 'tab' key, one more time and my heart sinks.
It's Q's face. And the word "Assigned" might as well have been written in blood.
|" Damnit, HOLLY!"|
"Alright, I'm coming!"
I race back along the corridors, mercilessly putting a bullet in every face I don't recognise. The rage boiling inside of me, it's uncontainable. Its destructive. If something has happened to him, the real him, I'll lay waste to all who'd dare stand between me and the person(s) responsible.
Finally, I'm outside. As I rapidly make my way across the terrain towards the rendezvous point, a dozen or so armed men make their way out of the building to pursue me, raining bullets in my direction. One by one they emerge, and one by one they fall, courtesy of Tombs handy sniper-work once again at play. But I'm virtually oblivious to it. Like a furnace of vengeance burning with rage . And I will get answers.
"BLOW THE DAMN THING ALREADY!" I yell, and a huge eruption of heat and sound scorches the hairs on my neck, as the entire facility explodes in flames. And I keep running. Eyes burning with rage.
Finally I reach the truck to see Hunt and Tombs waiting outside for me.
"Where's Q?" I ask, wasting no time.
"Damn it, wish I could tell you! Little runt slipped away amongst all the commotion. At first the guys thought he went to use the john, but he never came back! I warned you about him, Holly... we cannot afford to wait-"
"I'll get him!" I say.
"Sorry, no can do! Like I said-"
"Damn it, Hunt...!" I pull him towards me and whisper. "Q's been compromised. Now, I need to end this. So give me 60 seconds and keep the engine running!"
Hunt gives me a disgruntled nod, dismissing Tombs rants of disapproval as I quickly head off in the direction of some nearby tress.
I take out my weapon. My heart rate is beaten so fast I cant even see straight. My hands, gripping the handle so tightly a numbness begins to sink in all the way up to my elbows. Do I question him, this 'imposter'? What'll he have to say that'd stay his execution? Probably beg for his life, spinning some yarn about possessing information I may find useful.
It wont work. It's too late for discussions.
"Holly."
I spin around rapidly, finger on the hair-trigger, heart pounding.
"I'm so stupid!" I tell him. "I should have known... all the signals where there but I chose to ignore them. I'm such a... blonde. You sabotaged my zipline in Tokyo, triggered the alarm in the server-room, and recently alerted The Shop that we were coming... thats why they moved M and the real you to another location, isn't it?"
He's not responding. Just standing there like a... scared wimpy idiot. Clutching that damn tablet of his close to his chest like it was a pacemaker. That... damn... tablet...!
"Do... do... what you must." he tells me, as he closes his eyes.
I hesitate for a second... then empty my entire clip at him until there's nothing coming out but air. A single tear streams down the side of my face as I turn to make my way back towards the others.
Now there's only Hunt waiting outside of the truck for me. He rests his hand on my shoulder, wiping away my tear before telling me;
"I'm sorry. You... forgot to take your com link out. I... heard everything. Don't worry, we'll find him. I promise, when this is over we will find him!"
I say nothing back because there's nothing left to be said.
I silently get into the truck as we drive back towards the plane.
To be continued...
ＵＰＤＡＴＥ / ＦＲＩＤＡＹ 20ＴＨ ＮＯＶ