Chapter 14 Dreams of France

The room was completely black. M had no idea where she was other than in a feather bed. The fact of witch was poking her legs as she tried to get the tangled covers off her.

Suddenly she heard a noise at the end of the curtained bed. Dear god what now?

"Who's there?"

"M?"

"Bond?" M pulled the curtains back and a sliver of light intruded from embers in a fireplace.

"M...there is a deadman in your chamber."

"Why doesn't that even sound incredible at this point in this crazed reality."

"M that is not incredible in real life if you think about it." Bond smirked but it was not in amusement. This man could have done something, anything to M.

"Tosh! That's enough out of you. Where are we and what do we think is going on?" M climbed out of bed wearing nothing but a small shift dress. Her white hair poking up all over and looking completely adorable.

A sudden pounding on the door shocked them as Bond moved to block her from view as men rushed the room.

"I've caught you both!"

"What!" Bond responded to the older gentleman he knew was M's deceased husband Nigel Mansfield.

"You're obsessed with her...d'Artagnan and she detestes you! You were sneaking in here to make her believe that you were me!" The man drew his sword as Bond searched for a weapon he could use for defence.

M pushed past him. "This is prosperous and I will not have bloodshed in my chambers. Nigel don't be absurd. Bond only found the dead man in the chair at the end of my bed." She stretched her arm out to indicate the dead man with a sword sticking him dramatically to the back of the chair.

Bond for his part had no idea if he was the one who had killed the man or not. If he was intruding on M's in any way it could have been him. The way they jump in and out of these dreams it leaves much of the instances before and after very dizzy and foggy.

"Nigel...who is this Nigel...another Englishman in your life? A friend of your late husband? This dead man wears English stye clothing, is he another of your lovers. It has been brought to my attention that you still go by de Winter and the code name M'lady when conducting your spying on behalf of England."

"No! Stop all this nonsense!"

"See m'lord she is a spy!" One of the men beside them claimed. "You must do what the Cardinal advised and have them both executed!"

Bond could see Nigel eye his wife with desire and regret which turned to anger when he looked at Bond. "This is all your fault! Why my wife? Why?"

Bond didn't know what to say but blurted out something without really thinking. "How could I not?"

M looked at him in shock as she searched his eyes for any trace of dishonesty. "Bond?" She touched his arm. "Is this true? Are you real?"

Bond looked down at her sadly. "Yes...it's me. We're traveling through these dreams together after the last one. I thought I would go to my death without admitting the truth M. Dreams have a way of showing your personal truth...how you really feel, and I can't hide it."

"The other James...throughout the dreams were drawn to me but I thought that was all just a reflection of my own desires."

"What about Nigel?"

"I've been trying to find him to say a proper goodby and to beg his forgiveness."

"Forgiveness for what?"

"Being a shit wife all these years."

"How sweet...now the two of you will die together as confessed lovers!" The image of Nigel spit out in anger. He wanted to kill them here and now but then there would be not pity for him from the King and court.

Bond held M in his arms. This was likely the last chance he would get. He leaned over and kissed her with passion laced with remorse, until the image of her husband tore them apart.

Nigel called for a shocked and crying maid to help M into some clothing to drag them to their death.

Bond still wondered if they would just wake up upon their death or if they would actually die. The maid went to work on M as Bond looked at the big bed behind her.

Damn he had really been that close...if only the husband had not burst in. Facing death was nothing new to him yet there was one experience he regretted not having and she was currently struggling with layers of period clothing.

Nigel or the dream representation of him slapped him hard across the face, seeing where Bond's eyes had wandered.

"You will never have her now!" He snarled into Bond's face.

Damn it all! Having her husband saying that directly too him made him even more angry for the loss of time.

"Nigel! Leave him alone. By the way you're dead. I regret that this is the way I must apologize to you but I do regret not spending more time with you and the children in the race for my career. However, you did enjoy the benefits of my occupation and wage."

"What are you talking about wife?"

"Oh...never mind. It's too late. It has always been too late. I loved you a great deal and you were a rock for me and my children. Thank you for that, now don't hurt Bond and don't kill either of us. This is all but a dream anyway."

Reality bent and there they were in a carriage being taken to their execution. The representative of the Cardinal sat learing at M when his face morphed into that of Silva's. He pulled a glowing orb out of his pocket.

"I suppose that you would be willing to do just about anything for this right now?"

"You bastard...you're dead regardless of appearance beside my also dead husband!"

"Yes but we will always be here!" Silva spat. "I have a place in your head and you will never banish me like you managed in China!"

"Yes but only in the bad dreams...not in the good ones Silva. This one is about to turn bad so it was only natural that you would show up!" M shoot back.

"You only have power because you exist in both our nightmares Silva." Bond said.

M looked perplexed. "Both?"

"You don't think him holding a gun to your head in my family kirk didn't give me night terrors?"

"James...I…"

"That's enough out of both of you!" Nigel said pointing a sword towards both of them. "There is a lovely crowd gathering to see the executioner take your heads!"

Q looked at the monitor as Mallory walked into the room. "What have we here?"

Q was furious. "What we have here is an enemy in our midst!"

"Look Q, I only asked Quinten to help because I knew that you were too busy..."

"I know about that! Haines is likely behind this entire thing."

"No he couldn't be...he had no idea and it's not like he could have made Bond steal the orb from your office."

"No...no...not what I mean. The power failure that happened the moment of extraction. I had them! They were waking and the secondary orb was functioning perfectly. No here is what I mean. Q 35...Steven Parker. He hit the electricity off...and he did it deliberately three times so that it interrupted the stream without causing the generators to kick in."

Mallory looked more closely at the screen in Q's office. "Have you run him through your system?"

"He was vetted. They all are."

Quinten finally spoke up. "Uncle...he hasn't been lately."

"Uncle?" Mallory questioned."

"Yes...he is my grand nephew...and he wasn't supposed to slip up like that at work."

"Sorry Q...I was just excited with what I found when digging into Parker's finances and personal life. It appears he's getting a divorce but has recently put a deposit down on a nice flat."

"That is interesting. When and how much money did he suddenly get?"

"There is a new bank account that has or had ten thousand pounds deposited yesterday."

"From where?" Q asked. "It could have been a settlement from the wife if she's more affluent."

"It was from a nearly untraceable account in the Cayman's."

"Nearly?" Mallory asked crossing his arms.

Q smiled. "My nephew here is a unique talent when it comes to hacking and that is why he is now a Q. Not to mention he is incorruptible and will not leave for greener pastures in the private sector."

"Really and why not?" Mallory asked.

"Uncle has supported my family for years and payed for all my equipment and education costs for my sister and myself."

"Sister?"

"Yes, she is a professor of computer science at Oxford."

"Quinn is wonderful an identifying new recruits for us. Indispensable for building this team." Q answered.

"What about this Parker then?"

"He was brought in at the request of Q 20, they were mates. Everything has been fine for the years he's been here. I think vetting should now be upped to a refresher every six months just to be sure. That is the only way we can identify problems before they happen from now on."

"Good idea Q. Now what do we do about Steven Parker?"

"I think I could work on his mobile but I will have to download the contents without notice." Quinten added.

"Do that and find out who paid him. M will want to know once she wakes up."

To be continued...