Bond drives into the parking lot of the Cryonics Research facility in a new Ford Mustang. He gets out, wearing a tuxedo. The sounds and lights of an on-going Christmas party come from the building as Bond enters. A Guard stops him, but Bennett sees Bond and comes over.
"Dr. Bond, what a surprise. I would have extended you a formal invitation if I had known you and Mr. Leiter were interested in attending. Where is Mr. Leiter? Isn't he coming?"
"He's visiting a close friend in the hospital," says Bond.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Well, in any case, you are certainly welcome to come in and enjoy our Holiday cheer."
"Thank you."
Bond takes in the room.
The Christmas event is crowded with beautifully dressed Party-Goers and a small army of liveried Caterers. There is a Band playing a danceable swing version of "Jingle Bells," and some couples are dancing to it. Bond's eye quickly finds Crystal, who is wearing her green gown to festively complement her red hair, which, tonight, flows down over her shoulders. "Do you mind if I circulate? I think I see an old friend," says Bond.
"Of course," says Bennett, though he seems a little puzzled.
Bond wades through the Dancers and taps Crystal on the shoulder while she is engaged in light conversation with a clutch of Party-Goers. "May I have this dance?" asks Bond.
When Crystal turns her head toward him she is smiling openly, almost laughing at something that her group has been discussing. Then she sees Bond and her expression turns to one of astonishment. Her mouth opens. "You!" she says. "How did you get here?"
"I might ask you the same thing," says Bond, taking her in his arms as they begin dance. They have to pace their conversation as they draw apart, turn around and come back together.
"I work here. I'm Dr. Glaublick's executive secretary. Do you know who Dr. Glaublick is?"
"I know of him."
"So, why are you here?"
"I happen to have business dealings with the upstairs facility, while I gather that you work for the downstairs one. Ordinarily, I imagine that your two worlds don't meet except on the backstairs," says Bond.
"Except we always share the Christmas party," she says. "It's much cheerier up here."
"I can only imagine," says Bond. "Tell me, though, I can't imagine how we happened to run into each other in Vegas. Can you?"
"Well, no, not really. Mrs. Bunting—she represents our financial backers…"
"The B&B Corporation," Bond supplies.
"Yes," says Crystal with some surprise.
"Go on," says Bond. "What did Mrs. Bunting do?"
"Well, it was unusual, really. Mrs. Bunting comes to visit so rarely and doesn't usually do anything fun, but a couple of days ago, she took several of us to Vegas, and, as a matter of fact, she was the one who pointed me toward the roulette wheel, which was odd, because I was inclined to play poker, but she insisted."
"Whoever this Mrs. Bunting is, she knows me well. I would play roulette over poker every time."
"Excuse me?" says Crystal, a mite bewildered.
"Is Mrs. Bunting here tonight?"
"Yes, but, more to form, she hasn't been upstairs enjoying the party. She's down in the lab."
"Do you think you could introduce me to her as well as perhaps give me a guided tour?" asks Bond just as the music ends and all of the Dancers stop dancing and applaud the Band.
"Why don't we all go down?" says a German-accented voice. Bond turns to see that it is Dr. Glaublick. The next thing that Bond notices is the small-caliber Belgian pocket pistol that Glaublick is pushing against his ribs.
"Let's," says Bond agreeably. "You stay here and enjoy the party," he says to Crystal.
"Not at all, 'DOCTOR' Bond," says Glaublick. "I think that she should be part of the guided tour just as you planned. Come, Miss Schenagel."
They set off together for the bank of elevators. Glaublick and his pistol sticking close to Bond on one side, and Crystal taking his arm on the other.
"'Schenagel'?" says Bond.
"My father's name," says Crystal flatly.
As the three of them descend in the elevator, Bond observes the number of each floor light up as they pass each lower level. There are only three sets of lights.
Nevertheless, Bond asks, "How many floors down are we going?"
"There are three levels below ground," says Crystal.
"Actually," says Glaublick, "there are five."
"What?" says Crystal.
Bond says, "You keep things close to your vest, don't you, Glaublick?"
"So long as I need to," says Glaublick, stepping back and exposing his pistol, which he now wavers between Bond and Crystal. "You will surrender your pistol, please."
"Not carrying one tonight," says Bond.
"Pardon me for not believing you. You will place both of your hands behind your head."
"Max!" exclaims Crystal.
"Sorry, my dear," says Glaublick, "but we can't afford to keep you in the dark any longer. Our real operation is about to be rolled up tonight. We were only waiting for Mr. Bond to join us and to become the final ingredient."
"'MISTER' Bond? Not 'DOCTOR'?" says Crystal, searching Bond's face.
"Quite true, I'm afraid," says Bond, "but if that disappoints you, you'll have to stand in line behind my Aunt Charlotte. Now, see here, Glaublick, what do you mean by referring to me as 'the final ingredient'?"
"You will find out soon enough, 007."
"Double-oh-what?" says Crystal.
"You can't imagine how glad I am that you aren't mixed up in this," Bond says to her.
"But she is fully mixed up in it now," says Glaublick. "Miss Schenagel, you will carefully and very slowly reach into his coat. Under the left armpit, I believe, you will find a pistol. You will also search his pockets for any other weapons, documents or devices, and give them to me."
Crystal does as Glaublick asks, but her pouty lips suggest her unhappiness with this assignment, particularly as she relieves Bond of his Walther PPK and, holding the grip gingerly between her fingers, gives it over to Glaublick, who now trains both guns on them.
"Thank you, Miss Schenagel," says Glaublick. "I knew I could not trust you, 007."
"I hope you can sense my remorse," says Bond.
Crystal also hands over a cloth that might be mistaken for a blindfold with thick eye patches.
"What is this?" says Glaublick, unable to touch it since he no longer has a free hand.
"Ear muffs," says Bond.
"Ear muffs? In southern California? For what purpose?"
"Well, they are very light ear muffs, but you never know when you might need them," replies Bond. "Why don't you let Miss Schenagel hold onto them. I'd like her to, for sentimental reasons." Bond adds, whispering to her, "You never know when they might come in handy."
"What have you," says Glaublick with a shrug. "It won't bring either of you good luck."
The elevator dings at the fifth level down, and the door opens. Using both guns in a gesture, Glaublick sweeps his hostages out onto the concrete floor of a cavernous room that is brightly lit, but in sickly artificial light, and filled with rows of enormous, navy-gray storage tanks. Four armed Commando/Guards in red Hazmat suits surround Bond and Crystal.
"How about that tour you promised?" says Bond.
"Certainly," replies Glaublick. "These are cryonic tanks, used for various experiments. That is really all you need to know for the moment."
"What's behind those doors down that corridor?" asks Bond. "They remind me of the entrance to a hospital operationg room."
"I don't understand," says Crystal, genuinely bewildered. "Why are all these tanks here?"
"Seems like a fair question," says Bond. "And where is Dr. Morewood?"
"He is right here," says Irma Bunt, approaching from the very corridor Bond was just asking about. She is pushing Morewood by his shoulder. The old man looks frail. The feel and smell of a cold draft of air seems to follow them from wherever they have been. Presently, a Surgical Nurse in a white winter coat, matching boots and white earmuffs, comes out of the swinging doors of the operating room, pushing a gurney that squeaks more loudly as it rolls toward them. She is accompanied by The Commando, the same one we saw kill Bob in the opening scene.
"Mrs. Bunting!" says Crystal. "What are you doing?"
"Never you mind, girl," says Bunt. "I don't wish to talk to you after you failed so miserably to lead 007 to his death. You were supposed to die in that Vegas hotel room yourself, for that matter, and you couldn't even do that!" She fairly spits the last remark.
"What are you talking about, Mrs. Bunting?" Crystal says with ever increasing alarm. Then she turns to Bond and adds, "Why does everyone keep calling you '007'?"
"It's his true identity, that's why," says Glaublick with considerable irritation. "Just as the lady you are addressing is not Mrs. Emily Bunting, but Irma Bunt."
"Or, more properly," observes Bond, "the former Mrs. Enrst Stavro Blofeld."
"So I was," says Bunt, "and so I shall be again."
Ignoring her last remark, Bond turns to Glaublick. "Am I right in guessing that you never really needed that rocket fuel you stole from upstairs? That was just a ruse. You obviously have access to more than you need. What you really needed was Dr. Morewood's talent in precisely regulating the temperature of liquid oxygen."
"Very good, 007," says Glaublick with a smile of satisfaction, "but I will bet that you have not yet worked out why."
"Not really," says Bond.
"Shall we show him?" Glaublick asks Bunt.
"Of course. It is past time," Bunt says. Her hand still guiding Morewood, she leads everyone around to the side of one of the tanks where all can see, through a small, reinforced window in the tank, the mounted head of none other than Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
Crystal lets out a scream.
"What do you say about that, 007?" Bunt says bitterly.
"Would it be comforting if I told you that he looks like himself?" Bond suggests.
"Enough with your tiresome bon mots, 007," she says. "You are about to become part of SPECTRE's greatest achievement, thanks, of course, to Dr. Glaublick, and with the reluctant assistance of Dr. Morewood." She warms to the subject as she continues her exposition. "We are going to attach the cryogenically preserved head of my husband to your body, 007. Of course, your own head will have to be removed to make a place for his. If you will permit me a bon mot of my own, I will say that this will be like the killing of two birds with one stone. Would you find that amusing, 007?"
"I might," Bond says, "though I would recommend that you work on your delivery."
"Rest assured that your head will not go to waste, 007," says Bunt. "I promise to cryogenically preserve it."
"If it's all the same to you…." Bond begins, but Bunt glances crossly at The Commando, who punches Bond in the gut. Two other Commando/Guards tie Bond's arms behind his back and bring him to what looks like a large incubation chamber with holes for gloved sleeves to reach inside and work.
Crystal rushes forward, trying vainly to interfere. "You people are insane!" she screams.
"Remember those ear muffs I gave you?" Bond whispers to her. "You're going to need them."
The Commando drags Crystal away, but then he lets go of her, leaving her next to Bunt and Dr. Morewood. Crystal clings to Morewood who puts an arm around her as much to comfort himself as her.
"I need the surgical nurse to stand by," Glaublich says. Then, to The Commando, he adds, "You, go into the operating room and bring back the surgical saw."
"Let me explain what is about to happen, 007," Bunt says. "First, we will put your head and neck inside of this chamber and freeze it so as to preserve the tissue. Dr. Glaublick will then use the saw to sever your head, which will be mounted in the tank in place of my Ernst. Your body and Ernst will be taken on the gurney into the operating room where Dr. Glaublick will reattach my husband's head to the cold stump of your neck. I admit that I have over simplified the process. I am sure that you can understand that Dr. Glaublick's work will require extreme care. It will be a difficult procedure as it involves a combination of thawing and surgery."
"But I am confident that I can do it," volunteers Glaublick.
"You had better," says Bunt. She nods to the Commando/Guards holding Bond. Together they bend Bond over and shove his head into an opening at one end of the chamber. It seals around his neck.