For Rebaforever15 and ForeverMBond, I will do my best to post another chapter before I go on vacation :)
Jack and James were quietly discussing the rescue plans when Victor walked back into the room with a rather curious look on his face.
"What's up?" asked Jack
"I've just had an idea and I wanted to run it past you, keep in mind it's only an idea"
"Ok shoot...we're open to just about anything at this point" replied James
"We know that he wants M to suffer, that point he has made abundantly clear, but what if we gave him what he wants instead of trying to fool him" said Victor in a hushed tone
"I'm not sure I follow" replied Jack
"Sure he has M and her secretary, and no doubt he knows that she cares about the young woman, but what if I was to offer him a better option...say someone she truly loves? He may be willing to release the secretary to me if he had someone else she cared about more to take her place"
Jack just stared at Victor for a moment, pondering the suggestion
"It may be a better way to get in the front door" said Victor with a hint of optimism
"Just exactly WHO did you have in mind?"
"How about her husband" replied Victor as he looked directly at James
"But they're not married yet" protested Jack "And in any case we can't afford to have..."
"That just might work" interrupted James "IF you make him believe that you are on his side and you've captured me, he may agree to the exchange, and then we would only be rescuing one person instead of two"
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR EVER LOVING MIND!" shouted Jack "How would we ever be able to protect you and M at the same time?"
"I've already thought of that and I've got a plan" replied James as he quickly got up and went to the table to look at the floor plans again.
"Oh this ought to be good" snapped Jack sarcastically "Just what brilliant plan did you come up with in the last 45 seconds"
"Breadcrumbs" he said as he continued to study the plans
"Breadcrumbs?"
"Look, we can tell by the locators where M and Eve are being held, so finding them won't be much of a problem. I have the same locator in my arm, so one call to Q and you will be able to monitor me as well. Now as for the breadcrumbs, we are going to need a distraction once we get in there. Do you remember that box of plastic disks that Q sent?"
"Yeah" replied Jack cautiously
"They're actually very handy little bombs for lack of a better word. You drop them in strategic places and then with a turn of the dial on my watch, they explode thus causing a disturbance. Because they are clear, they won't be easily seen, so if we could drop these bad boys every so often when we enter the building, we just might be able to cause enough of a distraction to get to M"
"Just how big are these "Bombs" you're talking about?" asked Victor
"No bigger than a bottle top, but flat, and they are really more like sophisticated firecrackers, but they do the trick"
"It could work" replied Victor
"James, even if we could get you in there, you wouldn't have a weapon. How exactly do you intend to defend yourself? Throw these little bombs at them"
"No, Victor would have to wear my watch as I'm sure I would have to be restrained to make it look real, and then..."
"That could be easily arranged. We could rig a pair of handcuffs that you could easily slip out of, and one of my men could get you a weapon in all the confusion"
"You two seem to have forgotten one tiny detail..." said Jack as he came around the table "M. Just how do you plan to get her out without getting her shot in the crossfire?" He asked curiously
"She was an agent...we could get her a weapon so that she could..."
James and Jack looked at each other for a moment before they both said in unison
"No...Best to leave the shooting to us"
Victor did not quite understand their reaction and assumed they had a very good reason for not wanting her to have a gun, so he pressed on with ideas for the "New" plan.
M silently watched as Sergei paced around the room, becoming more and more anxious with every step.
"I would like to see Eve" she said again quietly
"And so you shall" he said, stepping to the door to summon his other prisoner
When he returned, he had a pair of handcuffs in his hand
"I can't afford to take any chances with you" he said, grasping her wrists and placing the cuffs on them
"Just where do you think I'm going to run?" she asked sarcastically as she stared at the cuffs
"I just want to make sure that in the event that you manage to escape, you won't be able to get far" he said as he kissed the back of her hand
A few moments later Anya arrived with Eve. M took one look at her and let out a gasp. It was obvious that she had been beaten by the angry bruises that were beginning to form on her cheeks, and her swollen lip and eye. As M started toward her, she felt Sergei's arm go around her waist, holding her back.
"Let me go to her" she said in a shaky voice
"You only said you wanted to see her, and you have" he replied as he held her to him
"It's alright M, I'm fine" said Eve in a rather defiant tone which only caused her to receive yet another slap across the face from Anya
M tried to break free of Sergei's grip, but she was held firmly in place as she watched her secretary nearly topple over from the force of the blow.
"Patience Anya!" snapped Sergei as he began to relax his hold on M "It is not time yet" he said firmly "Take her back"
M could not remember the last time, in recent years, she had felt so helpless as she watched Eve being dragged away.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked as she angrily turned to face him "We both lost people we cared about, so why are you punishing me"
"Because you killed her, and Anton was willing to let you get away with it because he cared for you" he replied sharply
"He didn't even know me, and if you recall she was shooting at me, what else was I supposed to do let her kill me?"
"Enough!" he shouted
"This isn't about me is it...it's about him. You wanted to make him pay for sending Lydia into harm's way and you thought be bringing me back you could make him suffer, but instead he ended up dead..."
"Once again at your hands" he snapped as he slowly began backing her up against the table
"And whose fault is that?" she said dryly
Sergei raised his hand to strike her, but stopped as he heard a knock at the door.
"What is it!" he snapped
"Sir, you have a phone call" said one of the guards
He lowered his hand and shoved M into the nearest chair as he picked up the phone.
M only had the benefit of being able to hear one end of the conversation, but whatever was being said was either amusing or intriguing to Sergei as a curious smile began to form across his face.
"It would seem that the life of your secretary is worth more to your people than your own" he said with a twisted smile as he hung up the phone and called for Anya
Anya appeared in the doorway moments later with a puzzled look on her face.
"My dear...we are going to have visitors" he said with a smile "Go and get the secretary. She is going to be exchanged for a much more preferable guest"
M's mind began to race as she tried to think who would be more preferable.
"I must admit that I wanted to make you suffer, and your secretary was the only person available, but in all fairness, your husband is a much better choice, don't you agree?" he said coolly
"My husband?" she replied as her eyes widened
"It would appear that there is more to you than meets the eye. My sources tell me that your latest partner is also your husband." he said rather arrogantly "I never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to take away the one person you truly loved as you took away my Lydia"
M stared at Sergei in disbelief. "What were Jack and James thinking?" she thought to herself. All she could do was pray that whatever plan they had come up with actually worked, as Sergei seemed to be becoming more unstable by the minute.
To Be Continued...