One Year Later:
Mallory has James trailing a low level scumbag. The big fish is hanging out in a luxury resort in Southern France, Nice to be exact. It's nice to pretend he's on vacation, spending a week here watching the man and his associates. But it's all just the job and it's all that keeps him going at this point.
James has been watching him for over a week now. There is something going this afternoon in a beach cabana. James gets his swim trunks on and take a towel and his bag to the beach. This is where it will all go down. His escape route is out the back of the large striped beach tent with an opening facing the sea and a small part in the rear.
Inside there are chairs a table and a bar set up for entertainment, of the villainous scum who've rented it for the day. There are two servers from the nearby hotel that go in and out stocking the area with food, ice and drinks for the meeting. The two low level men who've set this entire meeting up, are in casual swim attire on lounge chairs in front of the tent.
As Bond stands on the beach looking around, it suddenly strikes him like a punch to the chest.
His dream.
This is the same beach.
Bond looks back toward the seawall and sees some motorcycles parked. Bond forgets the mission completely and runs up to the parked bikes.
There it is...an old silver Triumph.
What the hell! How can this be?
That dream has not been far from his thoughts in the year since Skyfall.
His mobile rings...Q...reminding him of something.
"Yes...fine...yes...later." Bond dismisses the man impatiently, as he heads back to the beach and the hut to watch for his mark to arrive.
An hour later and Alfonso shows up with three other men. Bond opens his bag and readies his gun and silencer, hiding it in his hand by draping his towel over his right arm. He begins making his way through the sand towards the hut while looking distracted.
Bond approaches the hut looking calm and collected. He needs to kill all these men, take the briefcase all without alerting the sunbathing tourists. It's not yet the high season here but it's still very warm and there are tourists around lying on beach chairs provided by the hotels nearby.
Bond opens the fabric flap. "Hello I was wondering if you gentlemen know where I could find a toilet." Six faces look at him in shocked confusion, giving Bond enough time to get off a series of quick shots.
Screams sound out as men fall to the sand. The servants leave quickly through the back screaming for help. It all happens in a rush of adrenaline for Bond.
This is what it means to be alive.
Alfonso sees the servants escape through the back and follows with one of his men who open fires at Bond.
James darts back out the front of the tent and runs in pursuit. The two criminal thugs run down the beach towards some boats for hire. The hired gun turns to shoot at Bond. Bond returns the favour and manages to hit the running man in the shoulder.
The man continues running and shooting at Bond. His shoulder dripping blood down his arm. He trips over a sunbather who rolls to her back because of the disturbance.
The man gets up and turns to shoot Bond. Having no cover he's likely to take a hit so James dives for the sand beside the lounging woman under the partial cover of a beach umbrella.
A shot sounds and the man falls to the ground dead. A bullet to his head. Bond looks over at the woman beside him holding a Walther pistol with a silencer in her hand. The recognition is instantaneous, yet disjointed in his mind. He freezes and stares at the woman he saw die a year ago in his arms.
"007 do get up and at least finish the job before someone else trips over me or shoots me."
"M?" Bond's face is a contortion of emotions. He reaches out to touch her. Bond's actually terrified that he's near death and living that dream once again.
"I'll wait here...go! Get him now 007 before he makes that boat!"
James doesn't know what to do or say, but he climbs to his feet and races after Alfonso.
Alfonso almost makes the boat...almost.
James can only think of getting back to M so he stops running, carefully takes aim, calms his wildly beating heart and takes the shot.
Alfonso goes down.
Bond jogs the rest of the way to the boat, to make sure he's dead. He checks his pockets removing small keys, his mobile and whatever cash he can find. It makes it all look like a robbery. The contents of his pockets may be helpful for the investigation once Q goes over them.
Bond leaves the body and runs as fast as he can back to M's umbrella.
The other body is still there. However, M's towel and bag are gone and so is she.
"FUCK!" Did he hallucinated the entire thing?
Bond makes his way back to the hut. The police are just arriving up at the sea wall so he has to make this quick. He grabs his bag from the hut and takes a bag of cocaine, tossing in on one of the dead guards.
The briefcase is gone. Bloody hell!
Bond takes his things and leaves out the back as the Police approach the front of the tent. James walks calmly away from the hut to the stairs on the seawall. He makes his way up to the parking area and glances around for M.
That old Triumph is not where it was.
To be continued...