CHAPTER 7
Same Day
10:36 pm
(+)? What did that mean? Bond was attending the party held by
Enrico Polana. It was a large and exclusive affair. Loveless had used her
advantages as the number two in the slave ring to get Bond on the guest
list. There was no sign of the thousands of slaves laboring about the
compound that Bond had witnessed earlier. He guessed that they had
been hidden away in their cabins for the occasion or were serving
cocktails and hors' devours to the guests.
Moving through the crowd, Bond mingled well, keeping an eye on Forester.
She was looking stunning in a backless dress, Bond looking his usual dashing
self in a white dinner-jacket. The jacket was reversable, for when Bond needed
to hide in the shadows later in the night.
One of the waiters offered him a cocktail and Bond turned it down.
Then Bond realized the face of the waiter, he was the man who Bond
promised would be rescued in exchange for his silence. The waiter
realized Bond, too. A flash of recognition came over his face that was
followed by a glimmer of hope.
"Don't worry, sir," Bond informed the waiter. More hope spilled over
his bearded face. Bond distanced himself from the man to avoid
attention. When ten feet away Bond glimpsed down at his Omega
watch: 10:37. Bond thought it would be best to reach his post. The plan
was supposed to be simple. He would reach the roof of a small,
neglected nondescript building that had a perfect view of the courtyard
in front of Polana's massive estate. On the roof there would be a folding
laser-sight sniper rifle. At 10:45 precisely, he would assassinate the
slave trader.
Once the man was dead and the mission accomplished, Bond would
escape through another neglected stairway and be escorted away from
the scene of the assassination. The rifle was to be left on the roof. His
exit strategy would the front entrance. How would he get the man out?
A plan started forming in his mind: Dress the slave in a tuxedo so that he
would slip out undetected. The hard part would possibly finding the
man. Bond resolved to find him in his sights. Problem solved.
He saw Loveless's two guards standing near the building he was to
assassinate Enrico from. Before he was close enough to be suspicious, a
man grabbed his arm.
"I do not believe you have meet the Honorable Enrico Polana, have you,
sir?" a friendly voice came from behind him. Bond turned to face the
speaker. To the speaker's direct right was his quarry: Enrico Polana.
Polana was a tall, muscular, olive-skinned man with a bushy mustache
and the dark brown eyes. He was dressed in ceremonially military
dress. In his right hand was a martini glass. The man had an unusually
warm and friendly smile for a man who was supposed to be a heartless
slave trader.
"How are you, Mr.?" Polana asked. He paused for a moment, waiting
for a response.
"The name is David Knight," Bond responded politely, unusually for a
man confronting his quarry. The man did not seem to register any
hostility. Bond wondered if the compound had security cameras for if it
had they would probably be searching frantically for him.
"I'd hate to be rude, padrone, but I really must be leaving. It was a
pleasure to meet you," Bond bid farewell to the slave trader. Before
anyone else could destract him, he rushed over to the building that served
as his post. The guards recognized him on sight for they opened the
concealed entrance to the stairway. Bond raced up the stairs to the roof
of the trashed building. He fixed the lapels and collars of his jacket to
create a night camouflage uniform. Concealed behind a group of crates
was the folding laser-sighted rifle. It took approximately thirty seconds
to assemble the sniper rifle. He stole another glimpse at his
wristwatch:10:44. he raised the rifle to his eyes and scanned the crowd.
Polana was standing by his private pool with a blonde haired woman in
a bikini. His watch starting beeping incessantly. Bond squeezed the
trigger and the sniper's bullet erupted from the barrel. Polana was hit in
the chest and as blood rushed onto his clothes he was pitched in the
pool. Bond quickly disassembled the sniper's rifle and returned it to its
hiding place. It was time to go. Bond searched one of the crates until he
found what he was looking for: A tuxedo. He was about to escape
through the stairs and then saw the guards rushing towards the building.
He leapt off the roof and recovered from the fall. When he got up he
raced towards the man he planned to keep his promise with. He
reached the man and he standing amidst the crowds of panicked guests.
He shoved the tuxedo into the man's arms.
"Here you are! Change into this suit over by the bushes and hurry!
Leave through the front gates," Bond instructed the now freed man. He
was surprised and the elated.
"Oh God! How am I to repay you?!" he offered. There was no time for
this.
"Don't think! Just run!" Bond ordered. He saw the man rush off into the
bushes by the walls of the compounds. Then Bond started to rush
towards the front gates. One of Loveless's guards jumped right in front
of him. He had his Leugar extended and pointed at Bond's forehead.
Bond saw something he never saw before: (+) was tattooed on the
man's right forearm. My God! Bond thought. That symbol must be an
identification of some sort! Bond looked around the corner of the
building and saw the other guard, this one had an assassin's bullet in his
forehead.
"You monster! Loveless trusted you! He trusted you! I trusted you!
What have you done, you turncoat?" Bond screamed.
"Polana wishes to see you. The man you shot was just his double, a
bodyguard. Nothing more. He knows that Loveless Forester hired you
to make an attempt on his life. You will both be shot at an opportune
moment," the guard snarled. Then an unseen attacker approached from
behind him. Bond was about to turn around when an assassin struck the
back of his skull with the butt of a rifle. A searing pain shot throughout
Bond's body as he crumpled to the ground and finally, mercifully,
passed out. The images of lovers from the past; especially Tracy, his
one true love and wife who was murdered only after a few hours of their
marriage by Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Everything went black, including the
image of the traitorous guard standing above him.
Same Day
10:36 pm
(+)? What did that mean? Bond was attending the party held by
Enrico Polana. It was a large and exclusive affair. Loveless had used her
advantages as the number two in the slave ring to get Bond on the guest
list. There was no sign of the thousands of slaves laboring about the
compound that Bond had witnessed earlier. He guessed that they had
been hidden away in their cabins for the occasion or were serving
cocktails and hors' devours to the guests.
Moving through the crowd, Bond mingled well, keeping an eye on Forester.
She was looking stunning in a backless dress, Bond looking his usual dashing
self in a white dinner-jacket. The jacket was reversable, for when Bond needed
to hide in the shadows later in the night.
One of the waiters offered him a cocktail and Bond turned it down.
Then Bond realized the face of the waiter, he was the man who Bond
promised would be rescued in exchange for his silence. The waiter
realized Bond, too. A flash of recognition came over his face that was
followed by a glimmer of hope.
"Don't worry, sir," Bond informed the waiter. More hope spilled over
his bearded face. Bond distanced himself from the man to avoid
attention. When ten feet away Bond glimpsed down at his Omega
watch: 10:37. Bond thought it would be best to reach his post. The plan
was supposed to be simple. He would reach the roof of a small,
neglected nondescript building that had a perfect view of the courtyard
in front of Polana's massive estate. On the roof there would be a folding
laser-sight sniper rifle. At 10:45 precisely, he would assassinate the
slave trader.
Once the man was dead and the mission accomplished, Bond would
escape through another neglected stairway and be escorted away from
the scene of the assassination. The rifle was to be left on the roof. His
exit strategy would the front entrance. How would he get the man out?
A plan started forming in his mind: Dress the slave in a tuxedo so that he
would slip out undetected. The hard part would possibly finding the
man. Bond resolved to find him in his sights. Problem solved.
He saw Loveless's two guards standing near the building he was to
assassinate Enrico from. Before he was close enough to be suspicious, a
man grabbed his arm.
"I do not believe you have meet the Honorable Enrico Polana, have you,
sir?" a friendly voice came from behind him. Bond turned to face the
speaker. To the speaker's direct right was his quarry: Enrico Polana.
Polana was a tall, muscular, olive-skinned man with a bushy mustache
and the dark brown eyes. He was dressed in ceremonially military
dress. In his right hand was a martini glass. The man had an unusually
warm and friendly smile for a man who was supposed to be a heartless
slave trader.
"How are you, Mr.?" Polana asked. He paused for a moment, waiting
for a response.
"The name is David Knight," Bond responded politely, unusually for a
man confronting his quarry. The man did not seem to register any
hostility. Bond wondered if the compound had security cameras for if it
had they would probably be searching frantically for him.
"I'd hate to be rude, padrone, but I really must be leaving. It was a
pleasure to meet you," Bond bid farewell to the slave trader. Before
anyone else could destract him, he rushed over to the building that served
as his post. The guards recognized him on sight for they opened the
concealed entrance to the stairway. Bond raced up the stairs to the roof
of the trashed building. He fixed the lapels and collars of his jacket to
create a night camouflage uniform. Concealed behind a group of crates
was the folding laser-sighted rifle. It took approximately thirty seconds
to assemble the sniper rifle. He stole another glimpse at his
wristwatch:10:44. he raised the rifle to his eyes and scanned the crowd.
Polana was standing by his private pool with a blonde haired woman in
a bikini. His watch starting beeping incessantly. Bond squeezed the
trigger and the sniper's bullet erupted from the barrel. Polana was hit in
the chest and as blood rushed onto his clothes he was pitched in the
pool. Bond quickly disassembled the sniper's rifle and returned it to its
hiding place. It was time to go. Bond searched one of the crates until he
found what he was looking for: A tuxedo. He was about to escape
through the stairs and then saw the guards rushing towards the building.
He leapt off the roof and recovered from the fall. When he got up he
raced towards the man he planned to keep his promise with. He
reached the man and he standing amidst the crowds of panicked guests.
He shoved the tuxedo into the man's arms.
"Here you are! Change into this suit over by the bushes and hurry!
Leave through the front gates," Bond instructed the now freed man. He
was surprised and the elated.
"Oh God! How am I to repay you?!" he offered. There was no time for
this.
"Don't think! Just run!" Bond ordered. He saw the man rush off into the
bushes by the walls of the compounds. Then Bond started to rush
towards the front gates. One of Loveless's guards jumped right in front
of him. He had his Leugar extended and pointed at Bond's forehead.
Bond saw something he never saw before: (+) was tattooed on the
man's right forearm. My God! Bond thought. That symbol must be an
identification of some sort! Bond looked around the corner of the
building and saw the other guard, this one had an assassin's bullet in his
forehead.
"You monster! Loveless trusted you! He trusted you! I trusted you!
What have you done, you turncoat?" Bond screamed.
"Polana wishes to see you. The man you shot was just his double, a
bodyguard. Nothing more. He knows that Loveless Forester hired you
to make an attempt on his life. You will both be shot at an opportune
moment," the guard snarled. Then an unseen attacker approached from
behind him. Bond was about to turn around when an assassin struck the
back of his skull with the butt of a rifle. A searing pain shot throughout
Bond's body as he crumpled to the ground and finally, mercifully,
passed out. The images of lovers from the past; especially Tracy, his
one true love and wife who was murdered only after a few hours of their
marriage by Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Everything went black, including the
image of the traitorous guard standing above him.