CHAPTER 15
Bond grabbed the plastique and the rest of his gear and went off to find
the diplomats. He used a climbing wire to propel down the wall to find
the window with the auction and diplomats. On the fourth floor there
was a large bank of windows looking inside to an immense chamber
filled with more than a hundred terrorists and others. Revolutionaries,
gangsters, drug lords, mercenaries, fanatics, and others all crowded
around a large circular table. Without hesitation Bond threw a plastique
explosive onto the armored window and climbed up to the roof. Ten
seconds later there was an explosion which rattled the entire mansion
and shards of glass erupted into the night sky.
Bond signaled Wade's chopper to the room with the terrorists. A few
moments later, the gunshots of the machine guns on the helicopter verses
the pitiful automatics of the terrorists filled the night. It was not a
competition. Wade directed his helicopter elsewhere and gave Bond the
thumbs up. He climbed down into the window and rushed past the
mutilated bodies of the terrorists. He lifted the assault rifle off one the men,
an Eastern Europe revolutionary by the looks of his remains. One of the
men was still alive and raised his handgun at Bond. Bond blew him away
before he could even aim. As Bond surveyed the grave yard, he realized
that Enrico Polanoa had escaped. He was still to be found.
Then he walked out the door and into the corridor, which looked like a
killing field with all of Polanoa's men strewn around the ground. Bond
stepped over the corpses and made his way to the stairs and down to
the third floor. He heard gunshots coming from another part of the level and
realized that the commandos hadn't yet cleared the third floor. He would
have to be much more alert as he tried to rescue the diplomats.
There was one guard at the base of the staircase. The man wasn't
looking for people coming down and since Bond was silent he was able
to take him out without much resistance. The gunfire only alerted other
guards and shouts came from other parts of the house. Bond didn't
waste any time looking around. Bond peaked around the corner and
searched for the room with the leaders. He was certain the diplomats
would be in a room with guards out front and with multiple locks. Such
a room was at the end of the corridor, with five guards and two locks.
Bond raised his key-ring and fired the flash and blinded the guards.
Then he put bullets in everyone one of them. There was no other guards
within earshot so the rest of the rescue would be fairly simple. There
were two titanium locks that Bond needed to cut. He fired up the laser
and started cutting. Two of Polanoa's guards appeared at the end of the
corridor.
Bond knew it was over. The two men raised their rifles and Bond shut
his eyes. Make it quick, he thought. Bbbrrraaattt. There was no searing
pain of bullets or the light. Bond opened his eyes and saw Felix Leiter,
with a submachine gun in his prosthetic arm.
"Fashionably late?" Bond quipped, happy to see Felix back in the field.
again. And what good timing, Bond thought. Then he resumed cutting the locks.
Ten more commandos entered the corridor and rushed over to Bond's
aid. The first lock was broken. Three more of Polana's guards came into
the corridor and were gunned down. Time was running short. The
second lock was broken. Bond pushed the door open and the
commandos rushed in after Bond. All of the diplomats lay on the floor
with their arms over their heads.
"It's okay! We're here to rescue you!" Leiter calmed the frightened
diplomats. The diplomats started shuffling out of their cell and the
commandos covered the diplomats. The commandos and Leiter
directed the diplomats upstairs to the waiting helicopters. Polanoa's
guards followed them. Many of the guards were cut down by machine
gunfire. Two of the commandos dropped to the ground and tumbled
down the stairs. Bond surveyed the carnage of the third floor. Polanoa's
men were scattered all over the place, slouched against the walls,
folded over furniture. The white walls everywhere were covered in
blood and bullets punctured the walls. Bond raced up the stairs,
followed by Leiter.
The fourth floor was also a hell on earth, complete with carnage. The
scene from the third floor repeated itself. Bond followed everyone up
the stairs. Five guards ran up right behind Bond, all armed with Kalishinkovs
in their hands. Bond spun around in a 180 degree circle on his foot and
opened the fire. The noise of his assault rifle drowned out the screams of
the men. Bond stood in place for a moment until Leiter tugged his arm.
"Come on! The HMS Defiant is waiting in the Mediterranean and in ten
minutes a Scorpius cruise missile will annilihate everything!" he warned.
Bond broke out of his trance and rushed up the stairs along with the rest
of the group. Bond realized that even though Leiter had been fed to sharks a
long time ago, he was still an active person. More of Polanoa's men
started rushing after them. Leiter ran out onto the roof. The night would
have been windy enough even without the transport helicoptors waiting
on the ground. The wind not only tore at Bond's hair and clothing, but
made it difficult to walk. The diplomats were having this trouble also, as
they shielded their faces while boarding the helicoptors. Bond started
shoving crates and barrels in the way of the door, creating a barricade.
No sooner had Bond placed the second barrel against the door did the
guards start trying to knock it down. Bond, Felix, and five other soldiers
pushed heavy crates and barrels in front of the door until they were
certain it would hold.
By the time they were finished, most of the helicoptors carrying
dilplomats had left. Two more helicoptors were waiting. Felix ran over
to the first one and jumped into the pilot's seat. Bond and the other
soldiers boarded the remaining helicoptor. The second one was
overcrowded so Bond forced to sit on the floor. Both helicoptors took
off and flew off to the British radar installation on the Rock of Gibraltar.
Gibraltar made Bond remember Richard Dodd 004, who died during a
training execise in the radar installation. It also made him remember the
anonymous assassin. Bond realized that it would be a long flight to
Gibraltar so shut his eyes and went to sleep.
Bond grabbed the plastique and the rest of his gear and went off to find
the diplomats. He used a climbing wire to propel down the wall to find
the window with the auction and diplomats. On the fourth floor there
was a large bank of windows looking inside to an immense chamber
filled with more than a hundred terrorists and others. Revolutionaries,
gangsters, drug lords, mercenaries, fanatics, and others all crowded
around a large circular table. Without hesitation Bond threw a plastique
explosive onto the armored window and climbed up to the roof. Ten
seconds later there was an explosion which rattled the entire mansion
and shards of glass erupted into the night sky.
Bond signaled Wade's chopper to the room with the terrorists. A few
moments later, the gunshots of the machine guns on the helicopter verses
the pitiful automatics of the terrorists filled the night. It was not a
competition. Wade directed his helicopter elsewhere and gave Bond the
thumbs up. He climbed down into the window and rushed past the
mutilated bodies of the terrorists. He lifted the assault rifle off one the men,
an Eastern Europe revolutionary by the looks of his remains. One of the
men was still alive and raised his handgun at Bond. Bond blew him away
before he could even aim. As Bond surveyed the grave yard, he realized
that Enrico Polanoa had escaped. He was still to be found.
Then he walked out the door and into the corridor, which looked like a
killing field with all of Polanoa's men strewn around the ground. Bond
stepped over the corpses and made his way to the stairs and down to
the third floor. He heard gunshots coming from another part of the level and
realized that the commandos hadn't yet cleared the third floor. He would
have to be much more alert as he tried to rescue the diplomats.
There was one guard at the base of the staircase. The man wasn't
looking for people coming down and since Bond was silent he was able
to take him out without much resistance. The gunfire only alerted other
guards and shouts came from other parts of the house. Bond didn't
waste any time looking around. Bond peaked around the corner and
searched for the room with the leaders. He was certain the diplomats
would be in a room with guards out front and with multiple locks. Such
a room was at the end of the corridor, with five guards and two locks.
Bond raised his key-ring and fired the flash and blinded the guards.
Then he put bullets in everyone one of them. There was no other guards
within earshot so the rest of the rescue would be fairly simple. There
were two titanium locks that Bond needed to cut. He fired up the laser
and started cutting. Two of Polanoa's guards appeared at the end of the
corridor.
Bond knew it was over. The two men raised their rifles and Bond shut
his eyes. Make it quick, he thought. Bbbrrraaattt. There was no searing
pain of bullets or the light. Bond opened his eyes and saw Felix Leiter,
with a submachine gun in his prosthetic arm.
"Fashionably late?" Bond quipped, happy to see Felix back in the field.
again. And what good timing, Bond thought. Then he resumed cutting the locks.
Ten more commandos entered the corridor and rushed over to Bond's
aid. The first lock was broken. Three more of Polana's guards came into
the corridor and were gunned down. Time was running short. The
second lock was broken. Bond pushed the door open and the
commandos rushed in after Bond. All of the diplomats lay on the floor
with their arms over their heads.
"It's okay! We're here to rescue you!" Leiter calmed the frightened
diplomats. The diplomats started shuffling out of their cell and the
commandos covered the diplomats. The commandos and Leiter
directed the diplomats upstairs to the waiting helicopters. Polanoa's
guards followed them. Many of the guards were cut down by machine
gunfire. Two of the commandos dropped to the ground and tumbled
down the stairs. Bond surveyed the carnage of the third floor. Polanoa's
men were scattered all over the place, slouched against the walls,
folded over furniture. The white walls everywhere were covered in
blood and bullets punctured the walls. Bond raced up the stairs,
followed by Leiter.
The fourth floor was also a hell on earth, complete with carnage. The
scene from the third floor repeated itself. Bond followed everyone up
the stairs. Five guards ran up right behind Bond, all armed with Kalishinkovs
in their hands. Bond spun around in a 180 degree circle on his foot and
opened the fire. The noise of his assault rifle drowned out the screams of
the men. Bond stood in place for a moment until Leiter tugged his arm.
"Come on! The HMS Defiant is waiting in the Mediterranean and in ten
minutes a Scorpius cruise missile will annilihate everything!" he warned.
Bond broke out of his trance and rushed up the stairs along with the rest
of the group. Bond realized that even though Leiter had been fed to sharks a
long time ago, he was still an active person. More of Polanoa's men
started rushing after them. Leiter ran out onto the roof. The night would
have been windy enough even without the transport helicoptors waiting
on the ground. The wind not only tore at Bond's hair and clothing, but
made it difficult to walk. The diplomats were having this trouble also, as
they shielded their faces while boarding the helicoptors. Bond started
shoving crates and barrels in the way of the door, creating a barricade.
No sooner had Bond placed the second barrel against the door did the
guards start trying to knock it down. Bond, Felix, and five other soldiers
pushed heavy crates and barrels in front of the door until they were
certain it would hold.
By the time they were finished, most of the helicoptors carrying
dilplomats had left. Two more helicoptors were waiting. Felix ran over
to the first one and jumped into the pilot's seat. Bond and the other
soldiers boarded the remaining helicoptor. The second one was
overcrowded so Bond forced to sit on the floor. Both helicoptors took
off and flew off to the British radar installation on the Rock of Gibraltar.
Gibraltar made Bond remember Richard Dodd 004, who died during a
training execise in the radar installation. It also made him remember the
anonymous assassin. Bond realized that it would be a long flight to
Gibraltar so shut his eyes and went to sleep.