‘I said let it blow.’
She couldn’t believe what he was saying. His eyes shot to an inspection hatch that was illuminated by tunnel lights up ahead.
‘Trust me. Leave it.’ He grabbed her and wrenched her away from the bomb. ‘Get ready to jump.’
‘Jump? Jump where?’
As the rigs zoomed past the exit hatch, Bond leapt off, taking her with him. They tumbled along the pipe, choking for a moment in the dust left by the two vehicles. Bond sprung to his feet, pulled her up, and then they ran like hell for the hatch.
. . . 0:10 . . .
The wheel on the hatch was stuck. Bond used every bit of his strength to budge it. Come on, damn it! he screamed in his head.
. . . 0:05 . . .
It creaked and turned! They got it open and climbed out just as the bomb exploded, demolishing a section of the pipe. Debris rocketed in every direction. They felt the force in the ground beneath them as they rolled away from the hatch and lay face down with their hands covering their heads.
Back in the pipeline control centre, red concentric circles pulsed outward from the point of impact on the map. A monotone beep echoed in the large room. Everyone was frozen and shocked, Gabor had a radio to his ear, listening intently to Robinson, who was flying over the site. The others looked at him in anticipation. Finally, he nodded.
‘The bomb was a dud,’ he said. ‘But the triggering charge blew out a fifty yard section of pipe.’
‘How bad is the damage?’ Elektra asked.
He shrugged. ‘Difficult to say at this point.’
‘And Bond?’ M asked.
The alarm beep sputtered and died.
‘Nothing,’ Gabor replied.
M couldn’t hide the crestfallen expression on her face. After a moment, Elektra stepped to her and said, Tin so sorry.’
M nodded curtly.
Then, with a hint of a smile, Elektra continued, ‘But I have a gift for you.’
M blinked, thinking this was an odd thing to say.
‘Something that belonged to my father,’ Elektra said. ‘He would have wanted you to have it.’
‘Perhaps this isn’t the time . . .’ M began.
‘Please.’
She placed a small box in M’s hand and untied the ribbon for her.
‘He often spoke of how . . . compassionately you advised him on the best course of action during my kidnapping,’ she
said.
M opened the box. Inside was the original Eye of the Glens lapel pin.
‘It’s very valuable, you know,’ Elektra said. ‘I just couldn’t let it explode with the rest of him.’
M was horrified.
Elektra gave a small nod to Gabor, who drew his gun and shot M’s bodyguard at point blank range. The man’s chest exploded in a mass of red tissue. The other men surrounded M and aimed rifles at her.
M’s only reaction was to give Elektra a blood-curdling glare. So Bond’s instincts were on target after all. The change in Elektra’s demeanor was like night and day. She was no longer the frightened victim, the helpless daughter . . . Now she was back in control, a harpy with blood in her eyes.
‘You advised my father not to pay the ransom,’ she said. ‘MI6 . . . the great protector of the free world. And I thought you were like family, M. You were more interested in catching your terrorist than freeing me. And my father went along with it!’
‘We would have freed you with a little more time, ’ M said.
‘Oh, that’s rich,’ Elektra spat. ‘After I’d been raped and treated like an animal for three weeks? I was terribly upset when the money bomb didn’t kill both of you,’ she said to M. ‘I didn’t think I’d get another chance. Then you dropped the answer right in my lap. Your man Bond. It was so easy to use him to lure you here, just as you used me during my kidnapping. How does it feel? How does it feel to know that he was right about me after all? As you say, he’s the best you have. Or should I say had?’
M slapped her hard. The men lunged and restrained her.
Elektra rubbed her cheek lightly but otherwise revealed no emotion.
Take her to the helicopter,’ she ordered the men.
Gabor and another man took hold of M’s upper arms, but she roughly shrugged them off. Still glaring at the girl who had betrayed her, M held her head high and marched out of the room with her captors.
Renard received the call en route to Istanbul in Truhkin’s Land Rover.
‘It’s done, Elektra said. ‘Your plan was brilliant.’
He breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to hear her voice. ‘And what about Bond?’
‘You won’t be hearing from him. He was killed in the pipeline, trying to stop your bomb.’
‘That’s excellent news,’ he said.
‘I have another surprise for you when I see you,’ she said. ‘When will you arrive in Istanbul?’ He was glad that she sounded so happy.
‘It won’t be long,’ he said. ‘Hurry. I want to see you.’
‘We’re on our way.’
Renard rang off and turned to Truhkin. ‘Are you sure you know what to do with the plutonium we took?’
‘Sure, no problem,’ said the Russian. ‘We mould it into the shape of a rod with the extruder. I’ll use the dimensions that your man provided.’
‘How long will it take?’
‘A few minutes once we have the extruder. As soon as we get to Istanbul, I’ll start work. Are you sure the extruder will be there?’
‘Don’t worry, it’s coming,’ Renard said.
He was satisfied. Renard tried to relax as Truhkin drove, then glanced back at the heavy shielded case that was carrying their half-core of plutonium. Inside was the future of the world, he thought. At last, he was going to be a part of it. All his life he had attempted to make a difference . . . fighting for causes he believed in, inciting others to commit violence in his name, forcing governments to listen to him . . .
In two days, he would be dead, but Renard took comfort in the knowledge that his love would live on through the woman he was doing all this for. Some might say that it was hatred that was responsible for the destruction and loss of life that would result from his coming actions.
To hell with what they thought.
This was about love.
Bond and Christmas sat in the dirt, catching their breath. The sun beat down on them. The ruptured, smoldering break in the pipeline was not far away.
‘Do you want to explain why you did that?’ she asked. ‘I could’ve stopped that bomb. You almost killed us.’
‘I did kill us,’ Bond said. ‘She thinks were dead. And she thinks she got away with it.’
‘Do you want to put that in English? For those of us who don’t speak “spy”? Who is “she”?’
‘Elektra King.’
‘Elektra King? This is her pipeline! Why would she want to blow it up?’
‘Makes her look even more innocent,’ Bond shrugged. He knew he was right, but he didn’t know the whole story yet. He began to think aloud. ‘It’s part of some plan. They steal a bomb. Put it in the pipeline . .
‘But why leave half the plutonium?’ she asked, holding up the bag containing the half-grapefruit of material.
Bond’s mind clicked. ‘So there’d be just enough spread around in the blast to cover up for the half they took.’
‘But what are they going to do with it?’
‘You’re the nuclear scientist. You tell me.’
‘I don’t know,’ she said, thinking. ‘It’s not enough to make a bomb. But . . . Whatever we do, we have to get that plutonium back. I’m responsible for that testing centre in Kazakhstan. Somebody’s going to have my ass for this.’
‘First things first.’ Bond flicked on the radio. ‘Bond to Robinson. Do you read?’
The radio’s response was nothing but static.
Christmas took the opportunity to ask, ‘By the way . . . Were you and Elektra . . . like . . .?’