Chapter Ten

New Assignments.

While M dealt with the local authorities about the mess Bond had made in the hotel, Bond was brought back to Goodhead, she explained that she went to investigate the thugs at Paris' hotel when she had been alerted that there was gunfire in a local hotel and that she had taken the assumption that it was Bond's, however when she arrived, everything was over and she had found Morales unconscious on Bond's floor.

"What about Gonzales?" Bond asked suspiciously, she frowned.

"A bellhop found him unconscious on the floor below yours…" Goodhead explained. "…he said he had been hit by something and he can't remember anything else." Goodhead finished, Bond sighed, he was very aggravated, he had no clue where Paris was, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Bring them both in here." Bond ordered, Goodhead nodded and left the office.

For a moment bond just sat there and thought about what had happened, he was angry, but he had no one to blame, he didn't blame Q this had never happened before and Q was investigating the problem, but it was so sudden and Bond felt so powerless. Bond managed to convince M that Paris was still holding valuable information and M was looking on ways to find her, but still she was gone now and Bond was still sitting here when he could be doing-

The door opened and Morales and Gonzales along with Goodhead stepped in, Goodhead sat across from bond and both of the men sat next to her.

"Did anything of you see anything?" Bond asked, Morales didn't react but Gonzales stirred.

"After you called us up Mr. Bond I went out into the hallway and before I could get to the stairs someone hit me." Gonzales explained. Bond frowned, he didn't like the fact that he trusted Gonzales so much, the little man seemed to exude truth, and Bond could tell there some admiration on the little man's side.

"What about you?" Bond asked. Morales shook his head.

"I didn't see anything until I got into the room, other than that it seemed as if everything was in order." Morales answered. Bond stood up and made no effort to mask his anger.

"So we've got no leads?" Bond stated more than asked.

"Well the security camera's tape in the building are being held until someone picks them up…" Goodhead explained. "…But M has asked me to stay here with Bond."

"I can pick them up." Gonzales said, he stood up and the bandage on his head finally was shown.

"No you're too hurt I'll get them." Morales suggested, Gonzales sat.

"Thank you Morales." Bond said, trying to ease his anger. Morales left. For a moment the rest of them just sat there. Goodhead tried to ease the tension.

"I'm sure we'll run into her again." She said. Bond waved it off.

"I was thinking about the car…" Bond explained, the reassurance in his voice wasn't completely convincing however Goodhead believed that Paris' kidnapping wasn't the only thing in Bond's mind. "…I've never had that problem before." Bond concluded, Goodhead sense he was leading up to something else but stopped short for some reason, Goodhead trusted bond's judgment though and didn't question it.

"I'm sure Q will figure out what was wrong with it." Gonzales offered as consolation, Bond nodded, his face lit up as something came back into his mind.

"I found some type of laboratory in Acosta's estate." He blurted, Goodhead and Gonzales looked at him with astonished eyes because the revelation seemed to be something Bond wouldn't forget to mention.

"What kind of laboratory?" Gonzales asked, Bond stood up.

"I'm not quite sure, but it seemed to be culturing something." Bond explained, his thoughts went back to the lab, he wasn't sure at all what the lab was being used for, and that white substance.

"Something like what 007?" M asked over the communicator, up until now he had been busy dealing with the local government to have Bond's, theatrical lack of a, rescue erased.

"I'm not sure M…" Bond said. "…there was some white substance." Bond instantly regretted adding that.

"Give a better description 007." M tried to remain calm, he was also upset with Paris' kidnapping, and now this, but he also understood Bond's frustration, or at least he understood it from a professional stand point.

"It was a paste of some type, but not terribly thick." Bond explained, the silence from M clearly identified the lack of patience becoming more apparent.

"007 you just described mayonnaise." M answered Bond's explanation.

"I didn't have enough time to get a sample." Bond excused himself.

"Could we go back an obtain one?" Goodhead asked.

"That would be risking our entire operation; we won't have the cover of a big race anymore." Gonzales answered.

"Agreed." M chimed in, Bond shook his head, this entire operation seemed to be based on vagueness, nothing was thoroughly explained.

"What should I do then?" Bond asked. Again a silence from M, but this time it was apparent that he was searching for an answer.

"We'll have to wait, monitor Acosta's actions, if he had anything to do with this kidnapping then he should provide some clues to where Paris is being held." M explained, Bond agreed but he didn't like the idea of just waiting for something bad to happen.

"So the wait begins." Goodhead sighed.

"Well in the meantime I have more information on this Petrovski character." M relayed.

"What did you find out M?" Bond asked.

"Q was right when he identified him as a bomb specialist; he indeed makes his own hybrid bombs and sells them at astronomical prices…" M shuffled through some papers noisily. "…Worked for the K.G.B before defecting five years ago, and he freelances, however he doesn't only make bombs but weapons in general." M went on.

"That would explain that gun you described in your room earlier." Goodhead said more to herself.

"…right, he isn't considered dangerous, in fact he has a reputation for being the opposite, he's a coward who uses any means to escape direct confrontation and uses his customers as protection until he finds someone new, he also is rumored to have stolen a suitcase bomb from the soviet union before his defection." M explained.

"How sure on that are we and if it is true what bearing would it have on our situation?" Bond asked.

"We're not one hundred percent sure on it and if it is true it would have a lot of bearing on your situation…" M said. "…I'm sure if Petrovski is working for Acosta, Acosta has more than enough money to accommodate him for it, for what purposes Acosta would need something like a bloody suitcase bomb is beyond me." M said.

"This could get very messy." Goodhead added in.

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions yet…" M tried to reassure the situation. "…it's not confirmed there are any suitcase bombs left in existence, the only one we've heard of was a identified from a description from 004 who wasn't able to positively identify it before he was killed." M explained.

"Still we should keep out eyes and ears open." Gonzales reinforced.

"Right, that's what your job is to do regardless." M said, Bond went to speak up but before he could Q interrupted.

"M tell 007 to come down to my lab immediately…" Q said. "…I found something rather interesting."

"I'll be there in five minutes." Bond confirmed, Goodhead and Gonzales followed Bond outside and to Q's lab.

007

Q Sat in a chair in his lab waiting for Bond to show up, Bond had promised to take no more than five minutes and he was ten minutes late when he showed up. Bond was surprised to see Q sitting in a chair, he expected to twist and turn or shoot some venomous dart or fire out the sides, but it didn't it was an ordinary chair, and Q was ordinarily upset.

"Your late 007!" Q snapped as bond and crew came down the steps. Bond ignored Q for the time being,

"What's wrong with the car?" Bond asked. Q walked over to the table and picked up a tiny rectangular object.

"This." Q minimally explained. Bond took it into his hands and examined it, as if he might be able to identify it and then passed in on to Goodhead and Gonzales.

"What is it?" Bond went on.

"It's a disabler chip..." Q explained. "…it's used to serve as a kind of override for things that tend to be hard for people to handle. Now it isn't sold its experimental, no one had really seen one, just heard about it, once activated it shuts down whatever its installed to, in this case your Lotus Esprit." Q explained.

"You said it used to handle things…" Bond said. "…like what?"

"Like a car, or a large piece of machinery…" Q explained. "…the soviets developed it to keep a handle on some automatic weapons, that interestingly enough, were never used either." Q went on.

"Weapons, like a rocket firing revolver?" Bond asked.

"Don't be ridiculous Bond!" Q interjected,

"Or maybe a handgun that uses shotgun rounds…" Bond added. "…it could serve as a sort of safety." Bond said.

"Well theoretically yes." Q said.

"Like that gun our mystery man used on me in my hotel room." Bond concluded. Goodhead nodded.

"I suppose but-"

"You say the soviets developed it?" Bond asked.

"Yes."

"About when?" He continued.

"Four maybe five years ago." Q explained.

"Petrovski." Gonzales connected the dots first.

"What, you think he might have made one of these?" Q asked.

"Yes." Bond simply answered.

"How do you suppose he installed it into your car?" Q asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but now we have a link to Petrovski and the kidnapping." Bond said.

"Now we have to find him." Goodhead grimaced.

"That won't be as hard as it seems." M interrupted.

"You found him?" Bond asked.

"No, even better…" M started. "…Acosta has been spotted leaving the country and heading to the Caribbean." M explained.

"Shall I intercept?" Bond asked.

"No let him go, you have clearance to go to Jamaica, where he's heading and pursue him there…" M ordered. "…Bond this is your chance, I'll send someone to assist you."