HOSTILE TAKEOVER

NINE

Chapter Seven

Briefing

 

 

 

The Dauphin landed at London Heliport and a car was waiting to take Bond directly to Vauxhall Cross which was about twenty minutes away, but the driver was not impressed when Bond insisted that they go to his apartment in Knightsbridge so he could shower and change.

As Bond walked into his lounge, he welcomed the familiar smell of home. He walked straight to the kitchen area and proceeded to look in his cupboards and refrigerator for signs of food.

He knew that he wouldn’t be able to function mentally and physically if he didn’t eat something soon.

For a moment he considered ringing to cancel his meeting, but he knew it was important enough to have him brought back to London straight away.

He usually ate very clean and healthy and stayed away from processed foods. He liked the phrase - If it’s got a TV advert, it’s bad for you, and he tried to stick to that.

As he opened his refrigerator, all that greeted him where two bottles of ’69 Dom Perignon and some pâté, but then he spotted several eggs, some ham and some milk which was still fresh enough to use in an omelet.

After he had eaten, he had a shave and a shower and lay naked on his bed for a few moments to try and recharge.

He could feel the carbohydrates and the protein beginning to work now as he felt more and more alert.

Before he changed, he rang the driver and asked him to go to the small store which was close by and purchase chocolate and bananas and bottled water for the short journey to HQ. After he had mumble something about dying slaves, he agreed if Bond would get a move on as they had a time schedule to keep.

The traffic was at a standstill as road works prevented them from getting there sooner which suited Bond as it gave him a few more precious minutes to compose himself and feel more human again.

When they eventually did arrive at HQ, Bond walked into the large meeting room and his feet echoed with each step. At one end of the room was M, the Minister of defense and two other people Bond didn’t recognize. Sat around a huge oval meeting table where his brothers in arms; Nine other men who almost made up the entire Double-O section.

Bond began to sit next to 003 who greeted him with a nod. Bond quickly scanned the room and he obviously recognized many of his counterparts, but some of the faces he had never seen before.

“Hi. How you doin’?” he said softly to the man sat next to him.

“Fuckers are getting younger each year.” whispered 003.

Bond grinned as his chair screeched as he pulled it into the table and the Minister of Defense stood and addressed his audience.

“If we are all here then?” said the Minister looking a little annoyed in Bond’s direction. “You may or may not know, but yesterday evening at approximately twenty three hundred hours, the French side of the channel tunnel, the…Er..Eurotunnel was attacked by a car bomb.”

Those that were not aware of the incident raised their eyebrows and glanced around the room for some kind of visual confirmation from their colleagues.

“The Bomb was onboard one of the car shuttle service trains in Calais and exploded just inside the entrance to the Tunnel.” said the Minister.

“You have all been recalled to London as a precaution, but some of you will be given very specific missions within the next hour or so. As of yet, we do not know how many people are dead, but the tunnel did not rupture.”