Rider Meets Bond
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Alex Rider or the iconic figure, James Bond. They belong to Anthony Horowitz and Ian Fleming respectively.
Chapter Eleven: You Only Live Twice
The dust had barely settled in the midst of the carnage between the legendary British agent and his apparent pursuers as he dwelled deeper into Rome's winding, gritty alleyways and backstreets. Barely a moment ago, Bond had just witnessed three Italian espionage agents execute one of their own in cold blood. Giuseppe's final words resonated within the fabric of his mind as he struggled to comprehend the relative treachery and defection that AISI had over the intelligence community. It had been an unspoken rule, a code of ethics established on conventions that active spies did not openly divulge confidential information relating to the operations of another foreign agency. John Rider's accomplishments had been unprecedented, one of monumental risks that few agents would ever dare undertake throughout their careers. Despite everything that he had to lose, he agreed to embark in his undercover quest to retrieve valuable insight in the inner workings of Scorpia. When John decided to call time on his quest, the call arrived at 007's desk from Alan Blunt's office for the immediate and effective retrieval of Agent Rider. In spite of Bond's legendary prowess amongst espionage circles, Alan Blunt deemed it necessary to involve the operations working group of the Joint Intelligence Committee in preparation for the intricate mission at hand.
Accordingly, the working group decided that Bond would lead an elite taskforce of seven men in Mdina, Malta for the immediate 'apprehension' of Scorpia's fabled assassin; subsequently ending his deep undercover assignment. Needless to say, the operation was a complete success that spawned from a successive sequence of events. The executive board was propositioned with the assassination of Caxero, the leader of a local drug cartel in exchange for the hefty sum of two million pounds. True to form, Scorpia were more than happy to dispense the services of John and his relatively untried Russian protégé, Yassen Gregorovich. Given the delicate nature of the operation, the taskforce were under strict orders not to discharge their weapons. In fact, Bond was cautioned by Alan Blunt to refrain from utilizing his license to kill unless the situation dictated for him to do so. Caxero's assassination was without incident as Yassen managed a clean sniper shot into the back of the drug lord's head, as he was in the midst of entering his vehicle. With everything going according to plan, John had been supposed to rendezvous with his Yassen at the country's border later that night. Unbeknownst to the young Russian, the elite taskforce had laid a trap that had been rehearsed days earlier under Bond's supervision.
As Yassen arrived at the border, he was subsequently greeted by his mentor at the immigrations border. In keeping with his façade, John had warned his protégé to expect trouble due to the relatively sparse traffic at the station. Earlier during the day, Bond had purposely advised the local authorities to divert traffic away from the immigration office to avoid civilian casualties. Just as planned, four men from the taskforce began approaching both assassins in a relatively menacing manner. On his mark, John advised Yassen to duck for cover whilst he unleashed a torrent of gunfire from a Heckler & Koch MP5 9mm submachine gun that had been purposely filled with blanks by Smithers. As if on cue, the four agents collapsed in a messy heap whilst John yelled for Yassen to make a break for it. The Russian needn't be told twice as he bolted for the escape car with John Rider on his flank. Just as Yassen dived into the driver's door, John released another hail of gunfire towards the two remaining pursuers that evidently ducked behind the pillar and out of harm's way. As the engine roared to life, John was about to join his comrade behind the wheel in their daring escape from their pursuers only to be tackled to the ground by Bond with his Walther P99 drawn and aimed at Yassen.
Needing no further encouragement, Yassen jammed his foot onto the accelerator and took off into the night with Bond discharging one bullet into the car's right taillight. In a mere matter of minutes, the operation was successfully concluded and John Rider joined Bond's elite taskforce onboard a RAF Hercules C3 flight back to the United Kingdom. Given the success of the mission without incident, the elite taskforce was highly commended for their heroic efforts in retrieving a fellow countryman. Additionally, the mission reinforced 007's already legendary reputation; both within the intelligence community and amongst Scorpia's executive board. For all his contributions to Queen and country, John Rider was offered a senior role within MI6 as chief operations officer whilst reporting directly to Alan Blunt. Unfortunately, the rest of John Rider's history remains fairly bleak as MI6's new chief operating officer's tenure was short-lived. In retaliation for the apprehension of their assassin, Scorpia sanctioned the kidnapping of Sir Graham Adair's son, George. Ever the true patriot, news of the kidnapping did not bode well with John. He refused to allow another man to endure torture at Scorpia's hands whilst he was allowed to live a long and prosperous life. This coupled with Sir Graham's close relations with Alan Blunt ensured that an agreement would be met with Scorpia for a trade.
At Alan Blunt's behest, the JIC approved the blueprints for the trade that would occur at Albert Bridge. It had been agreed that John Rider would come out of retirement from field work for one last time to accomplish the assignment. Unfortunately for Bond, he had been dispatched to Kiev on assignment. Consequently, MI6 arranged for Mrs. Jones to ensure a seamless trade with Scorpia. Once more, it had seemed that MI6 had managed the impossible as they double crossed Scorpia by 'killing' John whilst securing George Adair's safety. The rest would be confined to the pages of history as John led a relatively serene life with that of his young wife and infant son for a brief period in time. Despite constantly yearning for a return to his previous lifestyle, John displayed an aptitude for diplomacy in his refurbished role at MI6. In fact, it had been said that Ian Rider's ascendancy as a field agent would not have been as prompt had it not been for his older brother's mandatory retirement. There were even murmurs of John Rider eventually succeeding Alan Blunt at the top of the chain of command, should Blunt ever consider retirement.
Alas, adversity strikes those that least expect it. In his capacity as Alan Blunt's right hand, John Rider was responsible for conducting meetings with intelligence chiefs all over the world in Blunt's absence. Bond was willing to bet that John crossed paths with the AISI's director on occasion. In hindsight, it seemed almost unthinkable that MI6 hadn't suspected their allies within the intelligence community of divulging information to the enemy. John Rider's demise in an explosion aboard his private plane had set alarm bells ringing throughout MI6. Alan Blunt demanded for a taskforce to be established in turning over every nook and cranny to flush out the renegade agent. Inevitably, Commander Bond was elected as the head of the taskforce that had been assigned with the brief to eliminate said agent. Bond's investigations brought to light many allegations of treachery and treason within MI6. At the end of his investigation, Bond shortlisted three suspects that had likely defected to Scorpia's cause in his report to Alan Blunt. The order could not have been clearer as Bond was authorized to utilize whatever force deemed necessary to restore justice. With little options and a narrowing timeframe, two agents met their match when going up against Bond whilst the third decided to terminate his life on his own accord.
The police sirens could still be heard in the distance but they grew fainter with every step that Bond was taking. Despite all that, Bond could still not shake off the uncanny emotion that almost resembled guilt with Giuseppe's confession. Had he conducted a more thorough investigation, three lives might've been spared and they would've gone on to fulfill lifelong ambitions within MI6. Sighing in resignation, he wasn't looking forward to the moment he had to report back to Blunt. Nobody ever said that the life of a 00 agent was all about the glamour and the glory.
To the casual observer, the constant pacing outside a relatively upscale apartment block could be put down as a reaction to the fickleness of British weather. Adorned in a Nike hoodie, track pants and the latest Vans skate shoes, you'd be forgiven for assuming that he was akin to every other British teenager that loitered outside apartment blocks. A security guard had been dispatched earlier to quiz the boy of his peculiar antics outside the residential block. A polite and swift reply that he was waiting for a friend was provided and that seemed to satisfy the guard's curiosity. However, the guard was also able to detect the hint of an accent in his voice; something that he'd failed to recollect when queried by Metropolitan Police later that evening. Similarly, the apartment's security also failed to notice the very same boy having scouted the apartment block for the past week now. Yet, there would've been no way for security to have known that; despite the building's close-circuit television surveillance being state of the art and brand new. If they had simply categorized him with all the other miscreants that darkened the apartment's lobby, they'd be in for a shock as this adolescent was no other than Thomas Angelo, the son of the notorious Italian mafia boss. Even if security could later identify the boy with accurate detail, it wouldn't have mattered anyways as nobody in Britain had a file on him.
The apartment block was the residence of one John Crawley, an agent of MI6. Most would've assumed that the residents of MI6 assets would've been afforded greater measures of security following the debacle that ensued following Alex's failed assassination attempt of Mrs. Jones at her home. Yet, it would seem MI6 simply valued the lives of certain assets above others. At that moment, a relatively beat-up VW Jetta wagon could be seen travelling down the street and turning into the apartment's car park. Tommy had been tasked with notifying Lotus of the target's arrival at the destination. However, it was evident that Crawley's movements had been tracked from the moment that he left the Royal & General Building and travelled home. Being a man of routine, it had simply made Crawley an easy man to predict as Lotus was lying in wait for the British agent in the dim confines of the car park. As a man in his thirties with thinning hair and a blotchy face dressed in old-fashioned polyester suits and Mark's & Spencer's ties exited from his vehicle, one couldn't help but wonder if John Crawley's abysmal wardrobe stemmed from personal preference or an insufficient wage packet.
Having timed his responses, Tommy Angelo abruptly burst out loud and began convulsing violently in a heap in front of the apartment's lobby. Deciding to maintain the apartment's reputation and avoid rebuke from his supervisor, the same security guard leapt to his rescue. It was decided that the boy should be brought into the security guard's lounge whilst they called for an ambulance. At the very moment, Crawley could be observed entering the car park elevator in the company of a gorgeous petite Asian woman. Had the guards paid more attention to the monitor screens, they might've noticed the minor struggle that broke out in the elevator. Crawley's antics in close quarter combat simply betrayed his role at MI6 as that of a bureaucrat. He barely stood a chance and did not even manage to unholster his side arm. Within seconds, he was sedated and in the midst of being dragged into his apartment by a woman half his size. Once inside, she got to work with his personal computer and briefcase. Given the relative seniority that Crawley possessed, it was theorized that he would be kept in the loop with most of MI6's access codes and passkeys. Within minutes, the data had been subsequently transferred from the hard drive onto one possessed by Lotus whilst she pilfered through his briefcase with the deft fingers of a surgeon.
Once satisfied that they had received all that they had come for, Crawley was repositioned on his sofa as Lotus granted Yuri Zaytsev entry into the apartment. As a Captain in the Russian military, Yuri's sniping skills were never in any doubt. What is unknown to most people is that he boasts a profound knowledge of explosives as well, something that he put to good use in rigging the entire floor to detonate on his mark. The unmistakable wails of an ambulance siren could be heard as it arrived at the front of the apartment lobby, waiting to take the ailing victim. Coincidentally, it had also been arranged as a means of escape before the inevitable explosion. As the paramedics quizzed the security guards about the boy's condition, nobody noticed Tommy tampering with the CCTV system. As he is stretched out from the lobby and onto the ambulance, Lotus and Yuri could be found in tow and the ambulance streaked down the end of the street and made a hard left. Moments later, a loud explosion could be heard with the shockwave reverberating throughout the entire building as the fire sprinklers went off.
In minutes, the apartment block was surrounded by ambulances, fire trucks and police vehicles whilst the area was cordoned off by Metropolitan Police. Later that night, a stolen ambulance could be found off the motorway left abandoned with a bullet to the forehead of a paramedic slumped in the driver's seat. Fire officials would successfully extinguish the flames fifty one minutes after the alarm was raised. However, Crawley's charred remains would be beyond recognition save his dental records at the coroner's autopsy. When Metropolitan Police determined that Crawley had indeed perished in the resulting explosion, the call went out to MI6 who subsequently assumed command of the investigation. Further study into the CCTV archives would reveal missing footage, half hour prior to the explosion. It wasn't certain if Crawley's death was the result of misfortune or a deliberate act of violence. However, one thing was certain when Mrs. Jones briefed Alan Blunt about the accident the next morning. There were no such things as accidents in their line of work.
I understand that this chapter may seem a little dark in nature. Not everything is right as rain in the world of espionage. I borrowed elements from Snakehead about John's first escape from the clutches of Scorpia. Astute readers would notice that Ash's role as a villain is now simply Bond's role as a hero. Feedback is always appreciated.