James Bond 007 - No More Promises

Part 2 ~ Chapters 4-6

Chapter 4

A Street Fight and an Unexpected Meeting

The gunman gave chase. James Bond raced down the street and continued to drag Ophelia along with him, but he knew they could not outrun bullets and the next shot might hit home for one of them. He could not in good conscience continue to put this innocent girl's life at risk. He pointed to a large rubbish bin, "Get behind there, quickly." He told her sternly, "Stay down and don't make a sound. Don't come out until I say." Ophelia swiftly ducked behind the bin and tried to keep from crying out.

Bond froze where he was and slowly turned around with his hands in the air. The man approached, his weapon drawn, a menacing look on his face. "I'm sorry sir," Bond said, trying to sound like a confused tourist, "I don't have much money on me, but my billfold is in my jacket pocket. Please, don't hurt me, just take what you want and go."

The man snarled and approached; his gun pointed at Bond's chest. When he got just within range, Bond took his chance. He dove head-first into the stranger's midsection, fists flying into the man's stomach and chest. Startled and knocked off balance, the would-be killer dropped his gun and stumbled backwards. While the man was dazed, James Bond gave him a hard punch to the solar plexus. As the man gasped for breath, Bond bounded for the gun. Not fast enough, he took a hard kick to the chin, stunning him for a moment, then they both scrambled for the weapon. Bond managed to get his foot to it and kick it under the bin where neither man would be able to get to it without taking a severe thrashing from the other.

"Unless you have another weapon, I'm afraid you're going to have to fight like a man now." James Bond informed the villain as he took a step closer and punched the man in the jaw. The stranger fought back hard, striking James Bond in the gut, and sweeping him off his feet. Bond landed hard on his right elbow; a lightning bolt of pain shot up and down his arm. While James was down, the scoundrel desperately tried to find something heavy to hit him with, but James Bond managed to get in a quick and hard kick to the man's groin which sent him reeling. Seizing on the opportunity, Bond sprung up and charged at the man, battering him hard with his shoulder and knocking him to the ground. Sitting atop the rat, Bond pinned him to the ground by his shoulders and, unable to get much strength from his injured right arm, gave him two solid left-handed blows to the face. "Who are you?" He demanded. "Why are you shooting at me?" The man sneered, his lips and teeth covered with blood, and said nothing. "Answer me!" shouted Bond. Still the man said nothing. With his left hand, James Bond grabbed the man by the hair, lifted his head and cracked it hard on the sidewalk.

The man, half conscious, still had enough wits about him to sneak a hand into his trouser pocket and pull out a small blade. He stuck it into a shocked James Bond's side, twisted it sharply and shoved Bond off him. The man staggered up uneasily and scrambled dizzily away into the darkness, stopping once to vomit onto the street. In a moment he was gone, leaving only a small pool of blood on the walkway where his head had been, and a forgotten pistol under the garbage bin.

James Bond, clutching at his side, rolled over on the sidewalk, retrieved the gun from under the bin, and called for Ophelia. Sirens began to wail. The police would be there soon. Ophelia helped him to his feet. She was almost hysterical "James you're bleeding! I've got to get you to the hospital!"

"Never mind the hospital, it's a small wound and not all the blood is mine," James Bond managed between heavy breaths, "he just caught me off guard, that's all." He lurched unsteadily on his feet and shoved the gun into the front right pocket of his trousers. "We do need to get out of here before the police arrive though."

"I live nearby," replied Ophelia, beginning to calm down. "Come with me and I'll look at your injuries."

Ophelia unlocked the door to her flat on Johannesgasse and helped him inside. Her flat was a modern apartment on the third floor of a beautifully renovated 18th century building. She showed James Bond to the bathroom. He entered, took off his jacket and shirt and tossed them onto the floor of the shower. "There see, it's not that bad," he said. "The other fellow got the worst of it. I'll just clean it up a bit and be right as rain. Have you got any vodka?"