Michael "Len" Lennox was a good agent, not a double-0 but still a good agent. He was handsome and tall, hazel hair and chocolate eyes. A perfect specimen of MI6 agent beauty. He was smart, logical, and had just a hint of attitude but to M he still wasn't Bond. James was the only thing on her mind lately, she had a soft spot for him.

Villiers had sent Lennox to find James on M's behalf. Len spent two days in спрятанный going through the remains of Le Chiffre's house. It was mostly just rubble, bits of broken brick and wood. He was however, intrigued by one thing. Search teams had recovered bits of medical equipment, normally it would not have been overly surprising but it was all centred in the very back of the house along with scraps of a hospital bed. Search teams were confused but not Lennox he figured it out...James was in a coma.

"Villiers, put me on with M." His voice was almost inaudible over the snowstorm that had decided to start just as Lennox punched in the numbers.

"I can't Lennox, she is in a meeting I can't get her out of it."

"Well a message will have to fucking do." He was cold and really wanted to get to a warmer climate.

"What do you have?" Villiers was desperate for good news, he couldn't take an angry M for much longer, her voice was like knives cutting through him each time he had nothing new to report.

"The house is gone, its just a crater with a lot of crap in it. Although I have found evidence that suggests Bond had been in a coma or some sort of bed bound state for months. There is also a witness at the so-called airport who said he saw three men getting into a plane..." Villiers cut him off.

"Le Chiffre left witnesses?"

"I guess when you are running from a bomb you tend to be a little forgetful. Anyway three men Villiers, three not two, three. Le Chiffre we already know was one of them, another was quickly identified as Kratt, his bodyguard. As far as we can tell he was the only one Le Chiffre let live after Montenegro. The last was said to be blonde and approximately six-foot..." Villiers cut Lennox off again.

"Bond?" Villiers was ecstatic.

"That's my guess but it also means that 007 is awake."

"I will tell M. Keep looking, find him."

"Will do."

XXXX

M was pissed when she came out of her meeting and rightly so, she had lost Bond in Montenegro, three days later in Austria was Kate Baxter a month after that was Justin Hyde in Mexico and to top things off she had sent Lennox off to Russia as her personal Bond detector. It was safe to say that the superiors were not happy. M didn't care though, she would have Bond found one way or another, damn her superiors.

She stormed into her office late that afternoon her blood still on fire. M slammed down into her chair and started tapping on her computer keyboard so hard that Villiers was sure she'd be needing a new one before the day was out. He knew he needed angry chaotic M to be toned down to slightly happier chaotic M and so re risked speaking.

"M a little while ago Lennox checked in from спрятанный, Russia."

"And?" She seemed calmer but not enough for Villiers liking.

"And he says that there is evidence that Bond's been in a coma, that's why he had been off the grid but there's a witness that saw Le Chiffre," Her face physically hardened at the name, she hated him beyond reason. "and Kratt but also a man fitting Bond's description."

"He's alive?" M got as close to a smile as she ever came.

"It looks that way, and more importantly he is awake. Now that he is, it is likely that he will leave us a trail something to follow."

"Well that is Bond in a nutshell. Tell Lennox to keep looking."

"Already have Ma'am." Villiers was pleased with himself for talking her down.

"Keep me informed. I want 007 back...alive."

"Yes Ma'am."

XXXX

Lennox was pleased to get out of Russia, Len had always preferred the warmer climates, France was one of his personal favourites. His next stop after Russia was the Pacific looking over Le Chiffre's plane. To anyone who didn't know what to expect from Le Chiffre, the crash looked to be just that...a crash. Lennox knew better. They had done a good job of destroying the flight recorder, well he assumed that was thanks to Kratt. Kratt was efficient Lennox guessed that was why Le Chiffre let Kratt live. He would if roles were reversed.

It had taken days and days and then some more days but Lennox and MI6 had got a small shred of data. With that tiny bit Lennox had his lead...

...Rome...