Chapter 17
The smell of smoke and the sound of alarms filled Bond's senses. The beating in his chest was not new, but the level of anxiety was making him lightheaded.
Bond wanted to faint, and or vomit. He could just make out Eve's voice as she screamed into her mobile. Her voice was high and panicked just like the feeling that enveloped him.
Tanner came out of the building covered in dust and smoke, tears tracking down his blackened face. Bond's heart constricted more. There was moisture on his face...echoing that on Tanner's. Eve openly sobbed now and she hugged Tanner.
Bond knelt down hovering wobbly over weakened knees as Q suddenly appeared and grabbed his shoulder, to steady him. Bond gasped for breath he didn't realize that he lacked as he looked at tears rolling down Q's young face.
It had taken Bond time to get used to this new Q. The young man was talented and he was well liked by all who met him, even with his attempts at a sober demeanor that seemed innocuous coming from such a nice person.
Bond stiffened. Nice people get hurt all the time and he's usually the cause of such disasters. There were crowds forming and investigators began to head towards them. Q grabbed Bond as Tanner pulled Eve over to the side.
"What happened?" Bond managed to get out. "M?"
"Bond...she was in her office, I had just left the outer office to leave her to get her rest." Tanner stammered.
"The gas was rigged. I found a surge and tried to stop the overload 007 but it was too late." Q said in a high pitched fast voice. He was in shock by what had happened.
Bond pulled away and dashed for the door yelling out for M as he did. Security tried to stop him but they were of no use. Bond bolted and beat his way into the building. Tanner followed him in and pulled him towards the lifts. Q and Eve followed as emotions continued to overflow. In the elevator Tanner hit the stop button and held his finger up to his lips.
Tanner took off his jacket and covered the camera within the elevator. He handed a letter to Bond and used his hand to demand silence. Bond read the letter sliding down to the floor of the lift to rest his head on his knees shaking. He handed the letter to Eve and she and Q read the note.
Tanner hit continue and they went up in the lift that smelt of smoke and despair, to the floor that once held M's office. There was a massive wet gaping hole in the building as wind blasted them as they entered what used to be the hall outside the lobby of M's office.
Bond surged to the office running his hand through his hair. There were helicopters flying around filming this and as the letter stated, they were being watched so an act was required.
Bond subtly looked to the left where he knew M's secret bedroom and private lift was located. That part of the building was still intact. Q disappeared and returned with a data pad to list off the damages as he in reality worked to block any incursion into the security system that was in lockdown mode and prevent outside listening to their conversation.
Q nodded to Tanner. "All signals coming in and out are now being blocked and logged for later examination.
"Good." Tanner said. "We were attacked by a hack into the system and a localized surge to M's office and the gas took over. M, Judith and Mallory and I were in the private lift at the time. I locked everything down but allowed the lift to descend to the parking garage. A delivery van left the garage within 10 minutes of the explosion as a decoy."
"They were in that van? Tanner, tell me they are alive!"
"They are but hours later they left in a company car with Mallory taking Judith somewhere that you and they would never look."
"Where?"
"I cannot tell you until we get who did this Bond."
"Really? Bond said annoyed. Bond moved into Tanner's face with all seriousness."
"Bond!" Eve yelled, emotions running high. "Let's go. You and I will end whoever did this."
"It was Franz. He wants to make me suffer. We need to draw him out. He is attracted to my suffering so I know where we can go."
"Where?" Q asked.
"Home."
Tanner looked shocked. "No...it was M's idea to head north. I wasn't to tell you but it was M who suggested it."
"What!"
"Come on Bond, let's go." Eve said. "Tanner and Q have back up ready for when we need it. If you can get word to Mallory tell him to take her somewhere else I will lead Franz into a trap."
Eve grabbed Bond's hand and pulled him back into the lift. "We need supplies and a car."
Bond smirked. "I have a car that can't be tracked." The two of them headed into the change rooms in the gym and got themselves cleaned up. They all kept go-bags at work and weapons were available as well. Eve took a sniper rifle as well as two pistols and a massive duffle of ammunition.
Bond gathered other weapons, enough to supply them all should Mallory not have been able to grab some before they fled and did not get diverted to a safe house.
Tanner and Q would propagate the lie that there were casualties in the explosion. Bond and Eve left their mobiles in their lockers and retrieved burner phones to contact Mallory and Tanner later.
The two agents left the building from the garage and walked a distance and called for a cab. They traveled to Bond's storage shed and retrieved his DB5. They were focused on making sure that there was no one following them, but were both incredibly relieved to hear from Tanner that Mallory got Judith and M to safety. Wherever that was.
"This isn't that comfortable is it?" Eve stated as Bond revved the engine and headed out of the garage.
"Keep complaining and I may have to eject you." Bond said with a smirk as he thumbed up the gear shift to reveal a big red button.
"Oh no! You wouldn't dare!" Eve responded as she crossed her arms in a pretend huff.
"Contact Tanner to say we've left and have Q spread breadcrumbs north towards Skyfall. He will know where we're leading Franz."
"What about M?"
"What about, M?" Bond replied confused.
"Don't you want to run to her and get them to come with us?"
"No. Mallory got them out and safe and I don't even want to know where he's taken them. It will be better this way. Less distractions."
"Ok...so where and what is this Skyfall?"
"It is the home I grew up in, in Scotland."
"We are really going north then."
"Yes and Franz will know exactly where. I just hope our reactions were caught on camera back at Vauxhall Cross so that he believes I've run home in despair, or that if he suspects he hasn't killed M, that she will be there waiting for me."
"He hates you that much does he?"
"Yes. I hope that you are ready, agent Moneypenny because Franz is going to bring mercenaries, and likely an army of them."
"What kind of defences do we have?"
"Just the old stone house and kirk." There should be some hunting rifles remaining as well."
"Good. But I still don't feel like we are protecting M without her here, not that she could fit in this car very comfortably."
"I would love to have her here as well but that would be putting all our eggs in one basket, now wouldn't it."
"I suppose you are right. What about you and M? Do you think…"
"No...I know. I think she will use this incident to fake her death publicly. She's given me indication that she is now willing to try. If that is the case, I will be retiring my number to be her personal bodyguard from this time forward."
"Bodyguard huh? I would not have dreamt that you would ever give up your position so flippantly."
"I wouldn't call it flippant that I finally have something worth living for."
"Sorry...I didn't mean to...imply... Well maybe I can be the next 007?" Eve said with a smile.
"Excellent idea. I will put forth your name if we survive this and you make your first sanctioned kill."
"Franz Oberhauser?"
"Yes."
"You don't want the honour?"
"I don't care which one of us does it... so long as he and all his men die. He has intentionally made my life a living hell since I was eleven, so he can get to hell first for all I care."
"What then?"
"What do you mean?"
"You...M...what will you do about M?"
"Convince the damn stubborn woman that I love her, and then we will live together until…"
Eve nodded. "Whichever one of you goes first. And the way you live your life that very well could be you."
"I know right. I basically told her that but she was still…"
"She is a stubborn woman, she's had to be to get to where she is."
Bond drove into them north into the countryside. "You should get some rest."
"Fine Bond but then I drive and you rest."
"Fine...speaking of stubborn women."
"Admit it. You love it."
Bond smirked as Moneypenny tilted the seat back and pulled her jacket around her more tightly.
M looked around the house. "Are you sure they will not look for me here?"
"My father's house should be far from the mind of these people who are after Bond more than they are you."
"Harrumph...Here I thought I was the target. That makes more sense than a jealousy rage against Bond."
"Mum come have some tea and sit by the fire." Judith said. M followed her daughter into the sitting room with a tray of tea that she'd prepared with the help of William Mallory.
Gareth had brought them to his father's home in Cambridge. Judith was trying to make everything seem normal but M and Gareth were both on edge. They did not bring guards and they changed from a company car to Judith's personal car to get this far.
The four of them sat and drank tea in relative silence. M's mind on where Bond was and what he was doing. How could Oberhauser manage to blow up part of MI6? They were in the lift when the explosion rang out.
Tanner was with them and he and Gareth had pulled open the lift doors when the building rocked, lights flickered back on and the smell of smoke filled the small space.
It was in those moments as they motioned for her to get out with them that M realized that she should just end it all here and now.
M shook her head and told them to grieve her publicly and then meet her in the parking garage where she would be hiding. To the world she would be dead. She spent the next hours waiting in the dark garage avoiding any security sweeps by lying in the back of one of the company cars.
M's hip hurt but the drugs the doctor had given her were helping and she must have dozed off because the next thing she heard was Judith saying, "I found her."
Gareth took the wheel and began taking them out as Judith lay in the back seat with a blanket over both of them making it seem like she was the only one there. They passed security with Gareth explaining that M's daughter was distraught and needed to get home.
What were they going to do now? Hide until they could smoke out all of this shady organization? Bond would think she died in the blast. Her entire office went up but she had been slow and forgotten something in the medical bay. That delay must have saved their lives.
Tanner would tell Bond. At least M hoped he would. Tanner looked despondent when she told him it was better now if she died to the eyes of the world. Tanner knew that their time together as a team was now over. The PM would be informed after the mission. M couldn't run the risk that the Prime Minster was clean is all of this.
Mr. White has once said that they had people everywhere and some in the top levels of government throughout the world.
M and her daughter sipped tea with the Mallory men. "Gareth you need to get back and lead the team. Judith you must go home and tell the family that I am dead."
"What! They will be…"
"I know. Only tell your brother the truth but not until I give you the all clear. Gareth you and Judith make a public funeral for me please and don't forget the press. The world must think that I died. Q gave me identification for my maiden name so from this time on Olivia Mansfield is dead."
Judith hugged her mother and cried, knowing that it would be a long time possibly before she would see her again. Gareth and Judith agreed to the plan and Judith drove Gareth back to where they had left the company car.
Olivia was left in the uncomfortable situation of staying in William Mallory's home as a guest for a few days until whatever Bond did concluded this mess with his old foster brother.
M began to clean up from the tea and William began to assist but M insisted and headed into the kitchen with the tray. As she entered the kitchen she heard a knock at the front door and William said…"I wonder who that could be?"
Understanding washed over M as panic registered from her head to her heart as it began to pound in urgency. "NO!...don't answer the…"
M dropped the tray loudly on the counter as she heard the door smash in with a thud as she turned back to the front of the house. Then behind her the kitchen door smashed in as M crouched down behind the island counter in the kitchen.
It would not be enough cover. M's time had run out again.
Men forced their way into the house, followed by a short man with blonde hair in casual clothing.
"Cuckcoo...cuckoo...M...come out...come out...wherever you are…"
To be continued...