With a blizzard raging all around the alpine fortress known as Piz Gloria, James Bond finally had his nemesis trapped. With his father-in-law’s men heavily armed and awaiting instructions, he could finally have his revenge. Revenge on the man who killed his wife, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. It would bring him personal closure, yet cost him his position in the British Secret Service. He had ignored a direct order from his superior, M, to be in Havana that morning. And it would lead to a charge of insubordination, and instant dismissal from the only job that he had ever known.

But the prospect of making the person responsible for his misery pay the ultimate price was too great to pass up. So with his trusty Walther PPK trained on the forehead of the man standing in front of him, he was anticipating the satisfaction of pulling the trigger and ridding the world of a very dangerous individual. The true regret of the moment was that the fat cow named Irma Bunt wasn't there to die along with him. Neither Bond, not Draco, his father-in-law, had any idea of where she was hiding. But Bond swore that he would deal with her.

Blofeld turned around to face his executioner. Bond  had foiled his plan to unleash a virus upon the world that would have wiped out all crops and livestock. But Blofeld got his revenge, killing his new bride on their wedding day. But now he was trapped. Bond was surprised by Blofeld's demeanor. There was no panic in his eyes, no fear on his face, just calm. He raised his hands slowly, and that's when 007 noticed the object in his right hand. He immediately recognized it as a dead man’s switch. He had seen third world revolutionaries use crude versions of the device. But the one in Blofeld's hand looked sophisticated. He had to make a choice. Assume that Blofeld was bluffing in an effort to spare his life, or execute him and rely on his training to save himself and the men outside from near certain death.

Blofeld could see his enemy thinking. He told Mr Bond to choose quickly. A sneer formed across his face. Bond only had seconds to decide. Blofeld decided to use the opportunity to go into another long winded speech about world domination, except he never made it past the fifth word. The bullet from Bond's Walther penetrated his forehead, right between the eyes. 

Bond instantly rushed towards his fallen enemy and grabbed the device from his hand. He noticed that the button had been pressed, yet there were no explosions or deathtraps activated. It was just as Bond suspected. Blofeld had been bluffing.  Piz Gloria didn't explode, and he and Draco’s men were safe. 

Bond left the fortress, and he and the men made their way back down to the village at the bottom of the mountains. The weather was comfortable for mid January. The blizzard was one of those storms the Alps were famous for, sudden, and with no warning, and confined to highest elevations.

Bond and Draco’s men noticed that there was more activity from the police and military, but since they were in the country illegally, they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. So they made their way to an unmarked airstrip where a private plane was waiting to take Bond back to England. 

Once he was on the plane, and it was in the air, he noticed some paper and pens off to the side. Bond decided that he would resign his commission, rather than wait to be expelled. So he drafted a letter, and once he was in the office, he would give it to M’s secretary, Moneypenny, and have her type it up and hand it to the “old man”. 

Bond had regrets about what he did, but knew he would never be able to rest with Blofeld alive. He would always have to be aware of his surroundings, especially since his wife, Tracy, was brutally gunned down on their honeymoon. Blofeld would have meticulously planned any attempt on his life, and it would have distracted him from official government business. 

Flying under all radar, the plane reached England in less than an hour. The plane landed, and Bond exited, and got into a car waiting for him. It was his father-in-law, Marc- Ange Draco, head of the second biggest criminal organization in Europe, behind Blofeld's SPECTRE. But now that Blofeld was on ice permanently, Draco was now the most powerful underworld figure on the continent.

As the car drove away, 007 thanked Draco for his help in finding the recently departed Blofeld. And Draco thanked him for avenging Tracy, and he poured two glasses of wine, which both downed quickly. Once that was done, Draco informed Bond  that all communication satellites inexplicably failed, every one, no matter what government controlled them, and without warning. And not one government could figure out why. 

Bond asked Draco when that occurred, and his father-in-law responded earlier that day, and it made 007 think about the device in Blofeld’s hand, and he wondered if the button having been pushed was the cause of the problems. He thought it was certainly possible, and it would be Blofeld’s final act of defiance towards a world that had branded him public enemy number one. 

Bond asked Draco to drop him off at his flat. He needed to start packing for his expected holiday, and wanted to make sure his affairs were in order. And once in his flat, he grabbed a bottle of gin from his wet bar, and as he was pouring himself a glass, there was a knock on the door. He muttered a curse to himself. After all that had happened the last 24 hours, the last thing he wanted was a visitor.

Opening the door, his jaw dropped when he saw M and Moneypenny outside, and before Bond could ask them in, M charged past him, with his secretary in tow. This was highly unusual, M coming to see him. It had only happened on one other occasion, when time was of the essence. 

He offered drinks to his visitors. Moneypenny was about to accept, until she was cut off by M, who said that he would deal with Bond’s insubordination later, but right now, there was a catastrophic situation that needed to be handled with the utmost haste. He had Moneypenny hand 007 a dossier, and told him to proceed to Washington, DC, where he was to team up with his friend, Felix Leiter. Bond asked him if this had anything to do with the loss of all communication satellites, and M nodded. Bond knew that without them, Britain and her allies were defenseless against any sort of nuclear attack. 

Moneypenny told Bond that all modern aircraft that relied heavily on satellite navigation and communication were grounded, and it wasn't just in Britain. It was everywhere. Therefore, he was to go to MI6’s secondary airstrip, and he was to take the plane there. He would be making two refueling stops, one in Iceland and the other in New Brunswick. It would take him to the CIA’s secret airstrip in northern Maryland. Felix Leiter would meet him there. Bond nodded in acknowledgement.

And as M and Moneypenny were about to leave, Bond could feel M’s cold stare. He told his best agent that the situation was beyond critical. They needed to find out what had happened to their satellites. He also told Bond that he would be unable to communicate with MI6, so that he was doing this mission in the dark. And that failure was not an option. Bond said he understood. And with that, M and Moneypenny departed, and he got busy packing. A week supply of clothes, which was standard, and his trusty attache case, which saved his life on the Orient Express. The case had recently been modified and upgraded by Q branch. It was fitted with stealth technology made with a thin layer of lead, which blocked any x-ray image. But the true genius was the microchip implanted in the case which allowed it to project any image programmed to project on the X-ray image screen. Bond had left it set for clothes, and didn't feel the need to change it, since he wasn't going to a conventional airport. 

Once packed, he double checked his flat, making sure that he hadn’t forgotten anything, and left. He turned around the corner, and entered a private garage. He removed the tarp that was covering his Aston Martin DB5, and drove out to the airstrip. While on his journey, strange, auburn colored clouds formed all throughout the sky, and a steady rain started to fall. Bond thought that was a perfect representation of how screwed up things had become throughout the world. And as he approached the old aircraft situated at the far end of the field, he maneuvered the car into the giant carport next to the hanger. 

Walking out towards the plane, Bond felt the rain that had been falling. It was the coldest rain he had ever experienced. To him, it felt like sleet, but with much more of a stinging sensation that he could remember. But he boarded the aircraft, buckled in, and pulled out the dossier. He could hear the propellers start their whirring, then spin at tremendous speeds. Soon, the plane was taxiing down the runway. He read the dossier as the plane climbed off the ground. Once the plane stabilized, one of the pilots came out of the cockpit, and informed him that the craft could only reach an altitude of 20,000 ft, which meant that they would experience turbulence at some point. Bond said he understood. 

While he was reading the dossier, 007 began to feel extremely tired. It was a tiredness that he had never experienced before. And soon found himself unable to keep his eyes open. And as he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but think of his deceased wife, Tracy. He silently told her that the whole world was screwed up, and promised to visit her grave when the mission was over. After all, they had all the time in the world.

Bond woke up just as the plane was landing in Iceland for refueling. He tried to clear the cobwebs from his mind. He needed caffeine in some form, but with time being of the essence, he couldn't exit the plane and get back before it took off again. So he stood up and stretched his legs, and found enough of a clearing to perform 20 slow pushups. It made his muscles burn, and also served to wake him up. 

Once completed, he sat back down and picked up the attache case, opened it, and pulled out the dossier. He examined it in detail, making mental notes of key findings. He noted that the report was originally transmitted back to MI6 via Morse code. And then that method of communication was shut down. 007 knew that while it was a cheap form of sending messages, it was also easy to intercept, allowing the enemy a perfect opportunity to decode the Intel that was sent. 

But it appeared that the Americans suspected that all communication satellites had exploded. They didn't know why, or for sure, but a weather satellite, changing its position, caught the tail end of some unexplained event, and in the exact orbit as one the most advanced satellites ever built. 

The Americans didn't trust sending any classified information by Morse code, so sent a message that appeared unintelligible, but was really a request for a human asset to join the investigation. The inquiry was being led by his old friend, Felix Leiter. Leiter lost an arm and leg to a shark on his wedding day. Franz Sanchez was a major drug supplier to the Americas, and once he was captured, paid a corrupt DEA agent named Killion to spring him from his transport. Once free, he killed Della, Leiter’s new bride, and he payed Felix back by feeding him to a shark. 

But Bond dealt with Sanchez. It had become personal for Bond. But it was also the most satisfying, as he was able to manipulate the drug kingpin into killing his own men when he believed that they had betrayed him. And his favorite was watching Milton Krest get stuffed in a pressurized tank, and watching him explode. And just dropping his lighter on the spilled fuel, and watching Sanchez burn was a sight to behold.

And once Felix had recovered, he ran training courses for the CIA, instructing future agents on the fine art of espionage. And he was very good at his job. And Bond was excited to see his old friend. He just wished it could have been under normal circumstances.

The pilot came out of the cockpit and informed 007 that the plane was ready to take off. Bond nodded. He looked out the window and saw the same strange colored sky, and the rain that was falling there as well. He didn’t think too much about it. Rain in January was quite common. The pilot offered Bond a cup of coffee, which he gratefully accepted. Once the plane was back in the air, it was back to the dossier. He noticed that the CIA had no idea who was responsible, or any leads. Any possible suspects were under constant surveillance, and not one had the technology to pull something like that off. Bond immediately thought of Blofeld. He could have had the technology, but not the opportunity, as those satellites are built and guarded under the strictest security. But Bond kept thinking about the kill switch that was in Blofeld's hand when Bond executed him. He thought about immediately discounting Blofeld being responsible, but knowing his vast network of agents, he guessed that anything was possible.

Bond put the folder down and enjoyed the coffee. The caffeine was a vice that replaced nicotine, as he had quit smoking some years back. Coffee, alcohol, and women. The three food groups of his diet. He chuckled to himself. But he quickly turned his attention back to the matter at hand. He knew he needed to be successful, and as quickly as possible, because Britain was vulnerable without those satellites, and any rogue state could launch a nuclear missile and she would be defenseless.

By the time the plane reached New Brunswick, Canada, Bond was thinking about that kill switch that Blofeld held more and more. At first glance, one would think that he used it as a bluff. But 007 knew his enemy well, and knew that he never bluffed. His threats were real, and Bond knew better than anyone that he was capable of carrying out the most ingenious plans that could bring governments to their knees.

But he also thought that there was no overt end game if Blofeld was indeed responsible. If he believed that he was going to die, what purpose would he have in destroying the satellites? Governments could just launch new ones very quickly. Yet he felt like there was something else Blofeld was trying to accomplish, if he indeed was responsible. But he just couldn’t put a finger on it. 

And then he thought of Irma Bunt. She was Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s companion. Where was she? Did she have anything to do with what happened? When Blofeld died, he was alone. And Bond was sure it was him that perished, not look-a-likes surgically altered to confuse authorities. He tried that before. Still, this entire episode was puzzling.

About 2 hours after taking off from Iceland, and experiencing the turbulence that the pilot had warned about, Bond felt the plane begin its descent. They were approaching New Brunswick for their last refueling stop before going on to the United States. Once the plane stopped, and the fuel trucks were in position, 007 quickly exited the plane and went into the hanger. He saw the familiar auburn sky and the rain. He was beginning to hate the rain. Ever since he left London, it had been raining non stop no matter where he went. But he had things to tend to.

Spotting a bathroom, he took care of business and splashed water on his face. He wanted to be as alert as possible, because he knew that once he was with Felix, there would be no time for the usual bar hopping or reminiscing. Time was of the essence.

Back on the plane, he pulled the dossier back out as the plane took off. He went over everything again, then opened a panel on his case, revealing his Walther PPK. Ever since MI6 had all agents switch from Berettas to the Walthers, agent deaths had declined due to the outstanding reliability. But that didn't stop Bond from carrying a little extra firepower. He opened another panel, revealing a Ruger 9mm that he had custom made, increasing magazine capacity from 10 bullets to 22 without altering the size of the gun. He couldn't ask Q branch to modify the weapon, as it was considered unauthorized by M. But it had come in handy, especially when foreign adversaries searched him, and finding and removing the Walther, it made them relax, giving Bond an advantage.

Before he knew it, the plane was 5 minutes from its final destination. Bond packed everything up, and buckled in for the landing. Touchdown was smooth, and the plane taxied into the hangar. Bond exited, and saw his dear friend, Felix Leiter. They quickly embraced, then got into a black sedan. Felix had a driver, so he sat in the back with Bond. And as the car drove off, Leiter brought his friend up to speed.

By the time they reached Langley, Bond had a great sense of what the CIA suspected, and how they reached their conclusion. And once they went inside, Bond noticed a person that he had not seen in years. Anya Amasova, Agent XXX. And she still looked as beautiful as ever.

When he had last met her, she was a major in the Russian Army. Now, she was a full Colonel, in charge of a counter intelligence unit. And her reputation for efficiency was second to none. Only the best of the best lasted more than a year serving under her. But her unit was highly regarded. And if she was there, it was because the Russians were as in the dark as the rest of the world.

Bond smiled and said ‘Good morning, Colonel’. Anya replied ‘Good morning’ back to him, and gave him a smile. Ever since they terminated Karl Stromberg, and spent some time alone together, it had left 007 with a slight feeling of regret for not keeping in touch. He learned that she was his equal in almost every way, and it definitely piqued his interest in her, especially her courage in facing the hired killer known as Jaws.

But Bond was surprised that she was there, and so quickly. Amasova was anticipating his question, and told him that she was in Washington, doing an inspection of the embassy when normal communications were disrupted. And since she was unable to communicate with the Kremlin via a secure line, she reached out to the CIA for any information. So, she had spent the last 8 hours reading the files. She thought that the CIA theory of what happened to the satellites was interesting, but without proof, she wasn't going to come to any conclusions.

Bond told her that he couldn't fault her logic, and Amasova stood proudly when complimented by him. Leiter interrupted their little love reunion by reminding them, in his Texas drawl, that time was short. So he escorted them into a room filled with giant video screens, and turned the lights off, pushed a button, and played the video that they had. 

It was brief, and if one wasn't paying attention, it would have been missed. In the lower right hand corner, there was a brief burst of debris and particles that shouldn't have been there. But it was recorded. Bond asked him to play it again. Leiter restarted the feed from the beginning. Bond intently looked for the event, and once it appeared, he had Leiter freeze it there. He looked at the time stamp. He then converted it to the time it would have been in Switzerland. It aligned perfectly with his encounter with Blofeld. He turned and informed both Leiter and Amasova about his encounter with Blofeld, and the suicide switch in his hand that had been pressed. Bond had assumed that the switch was intended to destroy Piz Gloria and Bond in the process, but when nothing happened, he had assumed that Blofeld was bluffing. But what if he wasn't. What if destroying the satellites was part of his final plan?

Felix Leiter asked his friend what would be the follow up to destroying the satellites? If Blofeld truly had a plan, and this was a part of it, what would be the ultimate payoff? Satellites could be replaced, and quickly, so any disruption would ultimately be temporary. Anya agreed with Leiter. Her unit had eyes and ears all over, and yet, they heard no rumor, or whisper, that Blofeld was planning anything on a massive scale. So if Bond was correct that Blofeld was indeed the person responsible, then what would the second, or third part be? 

Bond said he didn't know the answer. But if you go by the methods of SPECTRE, then anyone could be a pawn in his plan. And with a world population approaching 7 billion, it would be impossible to pinpoint who might be part of the scheme

The meeting was interrupted by a man in his early 30’s, wearing glasses, and looking like a nerd from college. At least that's what Leiter thought of Brock Peters. Brock was the person that was responsible for monitoring any equipment that wasn't part of the modern CIA  operations, but still provided routine updates of information, which the agency deemed non essential. 

Peters apologized for the intrusion, but felt that he may have something relevant, but wasn't sure. Leiter told the boy to come on in and speak. The nervous man stated that he had observed three distinct anomalies. But before he got into what he discovered, he first explained everything. 

He told the three people in the room that years before, NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, had become interested in how space dust would collect just at the uppermost regions of the atmosphere, never penetrating far enough to burn up, but enough to create an extra layer of haze. They wanted to know the effects of the dust on surface temps, so they had placed sensors all around the globe, at both government installations and American businesses operating abroad. 

And then he got to some important facts. The sensors picked up dust the day before. But it wasn't concentrated over one area, like normal space dust, it encircled the entire planet. And what's more, it entered into the atmosphere, but didn't burn up like it should have. It settled in the troposphere. 

Leiter interrupted and asked him if he was sure the dust survived entering the atmosphere? Brock Peters confirmed. Measurements of the dust were consistent at all times. The young man stressed that it shouldn't be possible for that to occur, but it did, and he alerted scientists within the government about that finding, and they were studying it as he spoke.

The second thing was that for the first time in recorded human history, the entire planet was experiencing precipitation at the same time, even the deserts and Antarctica. Meteorologists we're unable to explain that phenomenon.

The third, and most unexplainable, was that analysis of the precipitation revealed an unusual makeup of the water molecules. It was like the structure of H2O was being rewritten. Which should be impossible. Scientists had been alerted to the findings and were hard at work trying to come up with answers, but so far there were none. 

Anya Amasova asked the young man about the water molecules, and how they were changed. Peters answered that scientists discovered that the molecules weren't stable. Some would become strong as a solid, while others were as weak as vapors. It was random. They were trying to isolate the cause.

Bond asked the man at what time did the precipitation start to fall. Peters told him that all the precipitation started around 12:30pm Washington DC time. Bond remembered his trip out to the airfield. It was about 5:30 London time when the rain started falling. He was starting to think that maybe it was all connected to the suicide switch in Blofeld's hand. But how? He did not yet have the answer.

Leiter pushed a button on the conference room table. Within minutes, lunch had been served. The best that could be done on such short notice were sandwiches, coffee, and water. Bond appreciated the fact that he could sit down and enjoy lunch, and have something to drink that wasn't luke warm. Anya thanked Felix for the hospitality. As a Russian Military Official, she was expected to be able to go days without eating, and drinking just enough to keep herself hydrated. That is what she learned during the survival course she went through up in Siberia. But she realized that time was short, and opportunities for meals might be limited, or worse, unavailable. Better to eat now than wish you would have later.

The lady that brought the lunch in served the food and poured the drinks. Bond took the glass of water and took a solid swig, drinking about half of it. He noticed a slight aftertaste when he finished. He assumed that the water tasted off due to his being exhausted from the lack of solid sleep the last couple of days, minus the hour or so on the plane.

Both Amasova and Leiter noticed the slight aftertaste also, though both thought nothing of it. Unless it was bottled, all the office water seemed to taste a little off. Nothing unusual about that. Probably the pipes affecting the flavor. 

Once they were finished eating, Leiter suggested that they get a little shut eye. There was going to be an update from the scientists at 6:00pm, and he thought that sleep would help them focus on the meeting. There were a couple of spare rooms down the hall, with beds already made. He suggested that they grab sleep when they could, because it may be impossible later on. Both 007 and XXX agreed. So they went to the rooms and got a few hours of shut eye.

Bond awakened two hours later, but he felt a little off. Normally, two hours of sleep would have been enough to refresh him, and allow him to function at peak efficiency for any task that needed to be completed. But this time, he was still feeling groggy, and his muscles and joints ached. He felt like he had been in a car crash. He knew he wasn't the 35 yr old ladies man anymore, but he never ached like this before without it being the result of hand to hand combat against an enemy agent, or one of their henchmen. He thought that maybe it was the result of climbing the side of Piz Gloria in order to get the jump on Blofeld, and the subsequent plane rides and lack of sleep. He saw Felix Leiter holding a tray containing three cups of coffee. Bond noticed his friend didn't look well. He was moving slowly. Bond asked him if he was alright? Leiter said he was fine. It was just a touch of early onset arthritis. The rain and general dampness was aggravating the condition. Bond told him that's what happens when he gets old. Leiter laughed.

And then they saw Anya Amasova walking down the hallway. She had a bounce in her step, and looked energetic, especially compared to Bond and Leiter. In fact, Bond thought that her figure looked better than it had when they were on their mission together. Her breasts seemed to have more bounce to them. Maybe she took her Russian made bra off. And this was her natural state. 

But her figure was unimportant at the moment. The meeting was about to begin. They entered the conference room. There were 4 scientists, 2 men and 2 women. They had files and the projector ready to go. And once Bond, Leiter, and Amasova were seated and ready, the briefing began. The first scientist, one of the females, started off by explaining that they had run several tests on the water molecules that had been collected earlier. One thing that stunned the experts was that no matter what type of purification test they ran on the water, be it chemical or Ultra Violet, nothing within the water was eradicated. Normal bacteria and impurities would be instantly destroyed by such methods. Now, the water that was collected during this rain event was impervious to any method of purification. And without the communication satellites to reach the world’s population, they were unable to alert the public as to the potential dangers of drinking tap water. So they had no idea of what the effects would be.

Bond asked if the molecules were still unstable. The lady replied that after the current testing cycle, there were two distinct sizes of molecules. One was much larger than normal, thicker, and indestructible. The other was much smaller, with a weaker frame, and easily breakable. She had no explanation as to why there were different sizes, because the laws of molecular chemistry said they shouldn't exist. The periodic table was constant. Objects could be large or small, but the size of their molecular structure was absolute. At this point, they had no answers. She had shown pictures of normal water molecules and the new molecules side by side on the screen, so everyone understood what she was trying to describe. 

The three agents looked at one another. They instantly knew that what they just heard wasn't good news for an unsuspecting population. Unless they could pinpoint the source of the mutation, for lack of a better word, then who knew how many people would be affected, or worse, dead.

The next one up was Brock Peters. He didn't look as energetic as he did that afternoon, but he gave the group a bit of news. Using the large screen he enhanced the video they had seen earlier. Playing it at slow speed, he highlighted the one thing that confirmed the American theory regarding the satellites. He magnified the frame at the exact moment the cloud of particles appeared. There was an object that appeared. It was a piece of metal with an American flag on it. It was confirmed to have been part of the satellite. And that was definitive proof that the satellite was destroyed. And if that one was, then the others were as well. 

But there was one more thing. When the satellite exploded, and the particle dust formed, an analysis of the angle of discharge led them to believe that dust was intentionally propelled back towards Earth. They didn't know how, but the evidence was beginning to suggest that everything was done deliberately. Leiter asked Peters if he was 100% sure. The young man said no, he wasn't 100% sure, but he would be willing to bet the life of his parents to state that it was fact. 

That was all the three agents needed to hear. Now they knew what had happened, they needed to figure out how, and for what reason. The three agreed that Blofeld was definitely responsible. But his ultimate endgame was unknown. Did he intend to wipe out the world's population? Or worse, leave a population unable to reproduce? They just didn't know.

When the briefing was finished, the three agents looked at each other. There were things that needed to be discussed and analyzed. But they were hungry. Felix told them that he could have food brought in to the conference again, but Anya suggested going to the restaurant that was frequented by members of the CIA. It was a place a mile down the road. Both Felix and James looked at each other and laughed. XXX was very well informed, which wasn't surprising, given her position in Russian Intelligence.

Bond thought that Amasova’s suggestion was a good one. He felt that getting outside and into a different environment would help them think clearly. He sometimes thought that M became a little stagnant with his orders to the agents because he was stuck in his office 95% of the time. It could cause even the best agents, the brightest scientists, the smartest politicians to lose their ability to think clearly and outside the box when they needed to.

They hopped into a black sedan. Felix drove. No need for a driver. They would be there in a minute, and he didn't want to tie up an agency resource for such a trip. Leiter parked the car. The three of them were happy that the rain had stopped. The sky was still a strange auburn color, but at least there was a slight breeze. It felt good against their faces. 

Once inside and seated at a table in the rear, they ordered drinks. Anya got her usual Baccardi on the rocks, Bond his martini, and Leiter a beer. Bond asked him if everything was ok. Felix said that he was fine. He had given up drinking after his injuries. He had seen so many great agents over the years suffer injuries that took them out of the field, and drown themselves in drink, rendering them ineffective and useless for desk work. He was not going to fall into that trap. He would have an occasional beer, and that was it.

Their drinks arrived. They raised up their beverages and toasted their friendship, then drank. Bond thought his martini was too strong. He would normally berate a bartender for such a drink, but his time needed to be focused on the case. Leiter thought that his beer tasted funny. He smelled it. It was no different than what he usually drank. But like Bond, he needed to stay focused. Amasova thought her Baccardi tasted sweeter and smoother than she was used to. It was the best she had in a while.

But as they were drinking, an image from the past invaded Bond’s mind. He was going to dismiss the thought, but something told him that it may be relevant to the case at hand. He said that he had a theory, but first asked the others their thoughts on the case. 

Leiter said that for him, it was the global rain event. Never in recorded history has there been such an occurrence. And since it left the top scientists at Langley unable to explain why, it left him with an uneasy feeling. 

Amasova replied that it was the water molecules. She let them in on a little secret. Soviet scientists had spent decades trying to manipulate the molecular structure of water, but without success. They thought that in a situation where the Soviet military was laying siege against an enemy, if they could affect the water supply, it would make them want to give up quickly. But every attempt ended with water the consistency of jelly. So they abandoned the testing.

Bond was about to tell them what was bothering him when the server came to take their order. Since the CIA was treating, both Bond and Leiter ordered the Filet Mignon, while Amasova ordered the Lamb, and with her drink finished, another. Bond and Leiter had only finished a quarter of theirs, which she thought strange. 

Once that was finished, he told his friends that he thought the particles being intentionally propelled back towards Earth was the most troubling. It revealed aspects of an inside job. Leiter interrupted him to remind him that the satellites were built under the strictest security measures, and that the scientists were vetted and investigated to no end. Nothing was found. It was then that James Bond spoke a name that put a cloud over Anya’s face.

Colonel Rosa Klebb. Only MI6 and The KGB, as well as Russian Military and Intelligence officers with the highest of clearances knew the story of Col Klebb. She was one of the most decorated officers of the old Soviet military, until it was revealed that she was working for SPECTRE and working against the government. She was deemed a traitor to Mother Russia, who quietly had purged her records and accomplishments from the history books. Anya knew quite well the penalty for even mentioning her name. But she understood Bond's point. That even those of supposed impeccable character could be an agent of Blofeld's. Bond asked Leiter if the CIA could conduct a reexamination of the personnel involved with the satellites. Felix said no problem. When they got back, he would assign a team. The CIA had all the records of everyone involved, because many were foreigners working on government visas.

The meal came, and Anya ordered her third drink. James noticed that his and Felix’s were only half finished their first. Bond wanted the martini, but it was too strong for him to do anything other than nurse it. But the steaks were delicious, even though the two men couldn't quite finish their food. Meanwhile, Anya not only cleaned her entire plate, she was eyeing up the food left on Bond’s plate, until she caught herself. It had been quite awhile since she had Western food this delicious. As much as she loved her native Russia, the food of the West was much more decadent, and satisfying.

The check came. Felix paid, and they were heading back to CIA Headquarters. Within a minute, Leiter parked, and the three walked towards the entrance. Once inside, both Bond and Leiter lost their balance and stumbled forward, with no apparent cause. Anya asked if they were alright. Both said yes, that it was probably the drink from dinner. But she grew concerned. She knew neither of them drank enough to cause that type of incident, and at the same time. 

Once they were back in the conference room, both Bond and Leiter began to feel extremely tired. Anya knew something was wrong, and left the room to get help. She returned within minutes with a female doctor, only to see both men with their heads down on the table, passed out. She grabbed an urn filled with water and splashed some on both of their faces, trying to wake them up. 

Bond was the first to open his eyes. Anya thought that he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, his eyes bloodshot and glassy. When Leiter woke up, he had the same look in his eyes. She and the doctor escorted both men to the infirmary. Vitals were taken. Both James and Felix had an elevated blood pressure reading, a slightly elevated pulse, but no fever, indicating the absence of infection. She asked the men if she could draw blood to do a workup, making sure that there were no pathogens in their system. Both men agreed. Once that was done, all three made their way back to the conference room, Bond and Leiter going against the doctor’s order of rest. 

When they were back in the conference room, Bond felt himself being troubled by something that he couldn't put his finger on. He excused himself, then found the doctor. He asked her if she had time to give him an examination. The doctor said that she would perform it, she just needed a few minutes to take care of something. Bond thanked her as she directed him to an examination room. 

Bond wasn't one to panic, or think that every ache and pain was the sign of serious illness. In fact, he had been berated by M on several occasions for failing to get his annual checkup and physical. Bond always felt as healthy as a young bronco, but ever since his final encounter with Blofeld at Piz Gloria, he had been feeling a little off. The tiredness, and being unable to finish his dinner and martini, plus the loss of balance and passing out later, concerned him. What if Blofeld released a toxin when Bond confronted him? It was very possible. The blood work would reveal more information. But an exam, especially from a young female doctor, wouldn't hurt. 

Within 10 minutes, the doctor returned, but she didn't look particularly happy. In fact, Bond thought that she looked worried. But she performed the exam. Measurements were taken. 182.88 cm (6’) and 12.5 stone (175lbs). Bond asked her if she did the measurements the correct way. The doctor said yes, and wanted to know why he asked. Bond said no particular reason, but the doctor wanted to be thorough, so she measured him again. The numbers were the same. Bond thought that wasn't possible. He took his physical last month, and he was 185.42 cm(6’1”) and 12.85 stone(180lbs). People just don't lose height like that. 

The doctor replied that her numbers didn't lie. What she measured him at was what he was. No doubt. She continued her examination. His reflexes were slightly off, but there were no abnormal lesions or bumps on his body. And his blood pressure and pulse were within normal ranges. According to her, he was healthy. Bond wanted to argue about her methods, but she was quickly called away from the room. Bond dressed and made his way back to the conference room. Felix and Anya had been going back and forth over the possibility that SPECTRE infiltrated the US Space program. And Felix was getting a little annoyed. 

Bond walked in at the tail end. He saw Leiter looking agitated, and Anya looking calm, the typical emotionless Russian. But he also thought that she looked a little more voluptuous. He thought that maybe his eyes were playing tricks, but to him, she was looking better and better. 

But Felix noticed an unusual amount of activity in the hallway, so the three left the room to see what was going on. Apparently, what had happened to Leiter and Bond after dinner had happened to several dozen of the male agents in the building. 

Female employees were scurrying back and forth from room to room. They were escorting the males to the infirmary. All of them looked exhausted and spent, like they hadn't slept in months. Anya pointed out that both Bond and Leiter looked the same when they saw the doctor. 

Bond looked at both Anya and Leiter, and quietly told them that he suspected that it was related to the destruction of the satellites, and whatever was released back into the atmosphere. She asked him why he thought that was the case, and he let them know about his checkup with the doctor. He was an inch shorter and 5 lbs lighter than the previous month. He used the American measurements to give Felix a better understanding of what he was trying to explain. He thought that maybe the doctor used the wrong calculations, but seeing the men from the agency in a similar condition as they were earlier, led him to think that the men would experience the same issue. He mentioned to Anya that she looked healthier, and a little taller, than when he saw her yesterday. She thought that he was joking, until she saw the seriousness in his eyes. All she could say was that it wasn't possible. 

Leiter had been listening intently to Bond, and he wasn't convinced that it was the truth, but at this point, he wasn't discounting anything. But remembering what James had said to Anya, he looked at all the activity going on, and thought that the women did look a little different. But he couldn't be sure that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, or if he was seeing what his mind wanted him to see. 

The men who were affected earlier were kept overnight for observation. Their blood was drawn, vitals checked constantly, and what seemed like a million questions as to what they were feeling just before their incident. Bond and Leiter walked through the hall, listening to their responses. After the second man repeated what the first one said, the agents realized that it was exactly the same experience as they had. 

Felix didn't know what to make of the situation, but he was beginning to think that James was right. Maybe not the shrinking part. That could be explained as a different methodology between the US measurement system and the British. No, he was probably right about it being connected to what happened with the satellites. But they still had no idea what Blofeld hoped to accomplish with his plan.

Towards the end of the day, Leiter and Bond were feeling that they had reached the point of total exhaustion, while Amasova was feeling energetic and spry. The doctor who had drawn blood from the affected men came into the conference room and asked Anya if she could take a blood sample, just to use as a reference. Amasova said no problem, and the doctor completed her task and left. XXX noticed both Leiter and 007 struggling to stay awake, and suggested that they all turn in for the night. That way they could start fresh in the morning. Both men agreed, and retired to their rooms.

Once she was sure that Bond and Leiter were asleep, Anya went into the infirmary to talk to the doctor. She needed to know more about the mutating water molecules, because as far as she knew, the Russians were the only country on Earth that tried to develop something similar. 

She asked the doctor if they had any water samples that she could examine under a microscope. The lady doctor gave her a culture plate with liquid on it. Anya took it and placed it under the scope. She had known about the Russian program since its inception, because she was tasked with engaging enemy agents looking for information. Basically a spy versus spy scenario. And she succeeded. No enemy agent ever got hold of the test results and lab work. She examined it, and was shocked by what she saw. The new molecular structure of the water droplets were extremely similar to what the Soviets had ultimately come up with, except these were stable. She racked her brain, and came up with a name. Irina Orlov, daughter of General Orlov, another disgraced military officer, who had stolen national treasures from the Kremlin Art Repository in an unsanctioned effort to explode an atomic bomb on a US Air Force Base in West Germany and start WWIII. 

Irina Orlov had disappeared after her father was shot and killed by General Gogol’s men, and her present whereabouts were unknown. Anya had a thought. What if she left the Soviet Union and went to work for SPECTRE, using their unlimited resources as well as fresh thinking on the matter, and perfected it? It was a terrible thought. Controlling the water supply could break a nation’s will, allowing for them to be conquered. Damn, she thought, she wished that General Gogol had kept her under surveillance. She looked at her watch, set to US time. 10:00pm. She wasn't tired, but went to her room anyway so she could concentrate on the problems at hand without noise distracting her.

Once back in her room, Anya pulled out paper and a pen, and wrote down what was known, what was suspected, and all the unknowns that she could think of. Satellites destroyed. Unusual reaction to mysterious rain. First name was Ernst Stavro Blofeld, which had a giant X through his name signifying that he was deceased. Next it was Irma Bunt followed by whereabouts unknown. And that was it for the known players. Next section had Irina Orlov, followed by a question mark, signifying a possible involvement, followed by rocket scientists, with no names associated as of yet. The CIA needed to reexamine their backgrounds. Possible sleeper agents, with a question mark at the end. The last section was location. Hundreds of countries, thousands of potential hideouts. With secure satellite communication impossible, and not knowing who could be trusted, Amasova felt that they were at a serious disadvantage. She put the paper down and laid on the bed. 

Next thing she knew, it was 6:00am. She got up and went to the bathroom. She was feeling strangely energetic, especially for that time of day. She felt as though she could hike through the snows and ice of Siberia without a problem. She also noticed her body in the mirror. It looked a little thicker. She thought it couldn't be. Too early in the morning and no coffee could cause the mind to play tricks. She dressed and made her way down to see the doctor, who was in the lab. The young physician looked like she hadn't slept at all. She saw Amasova, and said that when Leiter and Bond were awake and with them, she had news. 

Within minutes, both men arrived, trying to clear the sleepy cobwebs from their minds. The doctor asked if they could join her in the conference room, and they followed her. She closed the door. Simple short wave radio transmissions had been monitored from all around the country. Apparently, throughout the country last night, every male took ill, exhibiting the exact symptoms that Bond, Leiter, and every man at the CIA experienced. But what was even more curious, a lot of female patients showed rapid recovery from injuries and illness, and were well enough to give up their hospital beds for the men. Doctors were unable to explain any of it. It had everyone baffled. 

The three agents looked at each other with concern written all over their faces. This was the most troubling development so far, but they were floored by what the doctor explained next. The blood work results had come back. She looked at Bond and Leiter with a sympathetic look on her face when she explained that the cellular makeup of their blood was mutating, with the cells becoming smaller than normal. She didn't know what that signifying, but then she looked at Amasova and told her that the exact opposite was happening with her blood. Her cells were becoming larger. She ran the tests five separate times, and each result was the same. And the blood from the men at the CIA were showing the same effects as Bond and Leiter. She told them that she wished that she had better news, but she had to get back to her patients.

Once she was gone, there was a stunned silence among the three, as each tried to digest what the doctor had just explained in a calm, rational manner. But they knew that the situation was bad, since their perfectly tailored clothes where starting to feel a little loose for Bond and Leiter, and a little tight for Anya. In fact, 007 finally noticed that XXX was almost eye level with him, which was jarring, as he had always been six inches taller. Even Leiter noticed that she not only looked taller, but looked more well built and in better shape than when he saw her years before. What was happening to them? They all wondered.

Bond suggested eating breakfast, which the other two enthusiastically supported. Leiter made a call, and within minutes food, coffee, and juice had arrived. As they were eating, Anya told them that she examined the mutating water molecules that had been collected after the satellites exploded. The molecular structure was extremely similar to what the Soviets were able to achieve, but unlike the unstable samples from her country, these were stable. She suspected that Irina Orlov was involved somehow, because she was the leading Soviet scientist on their project. 

Bond heard the name, and asked if she was any relation to General Orlov? She was his daughter. Bond whistled. He had one encounter with the deceased general, and it wasn't pleasant. Anyone willing to detonate an Atomic bomb on a US Military base just so he could conquer Europe showed his depravity. And if his daughter was anything like him, well, it made Bond understand that the situation was truly dire.

Leiter had been quiet, eating what he could of his food and listening to Bond and Anya talk. He cursed his luck. Before his encounter with the alligator and subsequent injuries, he had pressed his superiors to let him take out Blofeld, only to be told that the Agency's priority was to keep an eye on the KGB. An opportunity lost, he thought.

As Bond was nibbling on his food, he asked Felix if the CIA ever destroyed the underground bunker beneath the old WhyteHouse Casino. He didn't know why he brought it up, but he suddenly had a thought. Leiter sheepishly said no. The CIA had inspected the complex, and found it to be of value. They started to convert it into a CIA Headquarter, to run operations over in Asia from the western part of the country. However, when the budget for the project was cut, they had to abandon it. But to his knowledge, it was still intact. He asked Bond why he brought it up? It's not like SPECTRE revisits old complexes. Bond pointed out that he killed Blofeld at Piz Gloria, long after it had been abandoned. It would be a perfect place to revisit, as many important tests on satellite components were done there. He asked him if he remembered Dr Metz, the US’s leading scientist on lasers that was actually working for Blofeld. 

Leiter knew all too well what Bond had referenced. Three nuclear accidents involving The United States, the Soviet Union, and China, with the threat of more unless an outrageous ransom was paid. Bond continued that he felt that they needed to investigate the complex again. With all the construction going on in and around the area, it wouldn't raise any red flags if certain vehicles were making their way through the desert. 

Felix and Anya agreed with James. The old Whyte House complex was definitely worth investigating. But as for how they would get there, Leiter knew that the CIA ran an off the books rail line, one that wasn't dependent on satellites. And it was a direct line to Los Angeles, but it could stop about a mile outside Vegas. That would be the best, quickest option. Felix told them that they would leave at midnight. He needed time to gather the personnel required to operate the train. It would be three engineers to power the train, and one person to cook food, as they wouldn't be able to stop off for a meal. He said that the three of them would be responsible for cleaning up after themselves, and there would be no Dom Perignon on the train, and gave James a smile. He suggested a tactical planning session after lunch, and then rest. The station was just off the CIA main building. 

After not being able to finish his meal, 007 sought out the doctor who had examined him earlier, and asked for another check of his vitals. The young lady complied, and gave him a quick once over. Bond's heart filled with dread when she measured him at 5’11” ,170lbs. She measured him again, and the numbers were the same. He had lost 2 inches and 10 pounds since he arrived. But he knew he wasn't the only one. He was sure that the men in the building were experiencing the same thing. Then he thought that if the men were losing height, the women must be gaining. 

He asked the doctor what her height and weight was, and the lady replied 5’5” and 120lbs. Bond asked her if he could quickly measure her, and she decided to humor him. 5’7” and 125lbs. The doctor had been concerned enough about the situation in the building, but wasn't prepared to discover that she was taller and heavier than what she was at her physical three days prior. It had to have something to do with the molecules of the water. But she didn't know how. Bond thanked her, and made his way back to Felix and Anya, informing them of the situation. 

They would normally think that Bond was pulling their leg, but they saw the seriousness in his eyes, and knew it was true. And they knew that whatever Blofeld had planned, it was happening, and they didn't know how to stop what they still didn't understand. But they had to prepare for their journey. 

Normally, Bond would be laser focused on the mission. He would plan for every contingency that may arise. But he was having trouble focusing on the matter. Thoughts of Anya kept creeping into his mind. He just kept thinking about how she was looking. She seemed like she was becoming sexier by the day, her figure becoming more toned and solid, her breasts firmer and bigger. He knew that he needed to think about his trip, but her image wouldn't leave his mind. Finally, he was able to force everything from his mind, allowing it to focus on the mission.

007 dropped by Leiter's room, asking if there were schematic plans of the complex that the CIA had on file. Felix told his friend that whatever diagrams there were, it was on microfilm, and stored in a secure location that only the President could access. The CIA was having too many leaks when the project was undertaken, and the only way to counteract them was to store them in one location with only one person who had access. 

Bond nodded. It was a good move. He asked Leiter if they had the list of scientists that work on the satellites. Felix made a call, then caught 007 off guard when he yelled into the phone about records disappearing. Felix slammed the phone down, and cursed as only he could. Bond got the gist of the conversation, and wasn't surprised. Whatever the plan was, the traces were being erased. Irma Bunt and Irina Orlov’s vanishing, and now the list. He wouldn't have been surprised to receive word that the people who did work on the satellites were dying mysterious deaths. It was right out of the SPECTRE playbook. 

Without the plans for the complex, lunch became a chat session, each of the three recalling their start in the “spy game”.  A lot of great memories came rushing back. But the conversation eventually returned to current events. Leiter had come to realize that Bond was right about losing his height, as he was noticing that Anya, as well as all the women in the building, were definitely a little taller than before. It was a little unnerving. Grown people just don't grow and shrink like they were, and yet, that fact was now undeniable. And once again, he noticed that he and James could not finish their meal, while Anya was eating the food remaining on their plates. 

It was clear to all three what was happening to them, and it was a safe bet that the people around the world were also affected. It had to do with the satellites exploding and the ensuing rain. But what concerned them, especially James and Felix, was that there would be no way to reverse what had already happened. 

The rest of the afternoon consisted of weapon checks and cleaning. Using a gun in the discharge of one's duty was only feasible if the weapon worked properly. Otherwise, it was an agent’s death warrant. Knives, likewise, had to maintain the peak sharpness of its blade. If it couldn't cut through flesh and wire, it was useless. 

With all the weapons prep out of the way, it was time for dinner. Once again, James and Felix couldn't finish, while Anya devoured not only her plate, but whatever was left on the two men’s. She felt embarrassed by the behavior. Not only was it very anti-Russian, it was also very unladylike. And yet, she could find no area of her body that was visible with fat. In fact, she noticed that her body was more toned than she remembered, and with her shoes and clothes getting tighter, she suggested a quick shopping trip to get new outfits. 

Both Bond and Leiter were feeling awkward with their slowly diminishing size, but knew that Anya’s suggestion was sound. If they continued to lose size, their ill fitting clothes would be a hindrance, and could get them killed. So a quick trip to the shops a half-mile down the road was now on the agenda. It felt surreal for the three of them. Bond and Leiter had to buy three pairs of pants, each with inseams 3 inches shorter than the other, and shirts ranging from large to small. Amasova had the opposite problem. She bought clothes that progressively fit a much taller woman, and all three had to buy appropriately sized shoes. 

Once back at the CIA, a final check was conducted, and the three departed for the train station. Boarding a four car setup, each took a seat. Soon, the engine car started pulling out. Leiter had to guess that it may be a 30 hour trip, as they would have to travel through heavily residential neighborhoods, and couldn't travel any faster than 40 mph, in case there were rail cars stuck on the line. 

Felix and James felt the exhaustion overtaking their bodies, and excused themselves to go to bed, leaving Anya all alone in the seated section of the car. She wasn't even remotely tired, and so turned her thoughts to the unknown that awaited them in Las Vegas.

With Bond and Leiter unable to stay awake, Anya sat down in one of the passenger seats. She closed her eyes and undertook the breathing exercises that she was taught during those Siberian training courses that she was required to take. This allowed her to clear her mind of all distractions. She made a mental note of everything that they knew so far, and pulled out her list of the knowns and unknowns that she had worked on earlier.

Eventually, her mind wandered to when she first encountered 007. She immediately thought him to be handsome and strong. But being on opposite sides of the Cold War, she was also distrustful at first. But he had saved her life on the train, and so her feelings thawed slightly. It wasn’t until she discovered that he killed the love of her life that she felt hatred. Sergei had discussed marriage with her, but never got around to buying her a ring.

However, once she understood that Bond killed him in self defense, her attitude changed. James Bond wasn’t the cold blooded killer that she had been led to believe, but a man of many contradictions. A government assassin who wouldn’t take an innocent person’s life, someone who was willing to sacrifice his life to rescue her from Stromberg with the US Navy poised to sink his base. He had a heart.

And then she thought of what was happening to all of them, and probably the whole population of the world. It gave her a little scare, as she didn’t know how far things would go, or how it would end. She closed her eyes again, and found herself dreaming of Sergei.

Bond woke up when he realized that the train had stopped. He immediately grabbed his Walther and a couple of spare magazines. He knocked on Leiter’s door, and went into the passenger section of the dining car. He shook Anya slightly, and once she opened her eyes, informed her that something was wrong, as the train stopped.

Bond made his way to the engine car. The driver informed him that there was a truck on the tracks up ahead. Bond asked him where they were. The engineer told him that they just crossed into West Virginia. Bond thanked him, and exited the train. He was joined by Leiter and Anya.

The three of them drew their weapons, and approached the vehicle with caution. They separated, taking positions 20 feet apart from each other. The sun was behind them, giving them a great view of the unmarked truck. The three of them stopped, and looked at each other.

Suddenly, the panels on the truck opened and a dozen black clad people wearing black ski masks exited the vehicle, each holding a machine gun. Bond, Leiter, and Anya assumed defensive positions back at the train. Suddenly, gunfire erupted, seemingly from all directions. 007 snuck under the engine car of the train and aimed at the ankles of the gunmen.

Four perfectly placed shots to the ankle bones, followed by another four perfectly placed shots to the head, and 007 eliminated four foes. Leiter employed a similar strategy, but aiming for the knees instead. He took out three. Anya placed eight shots directly into the foreheads of eight foes. It was a stunning display of marksmanship that she had never achieved before, and one that would have made Fransisco Scaramanga jealous. But another eight were down, leaving nine combatants still alive. 

Suddenly, three small explosions and the area was totally engulfed in smoke. Damn, Bond thought, smoke bombs. And the smoke was thicker than he knew it could be. He started coughing, and heard Leiter doing the same. But there was no sound coming from Anya. Bond immediately thought that she was in trouble, and leapt up from under the train. It was then that he felt a pair of very strong arms grab him from behind, taking him by surprise. 

He struggled to get free, but was finding it difficult. He felt one of his opponent’s arms release from his body, but even with his enemy using a single arm, he still couldn’t break free. He then noticed a knife coming towards him. Bond was able to block it, but found his arms giving ground as the knife was inching closer to his heart. While struggling with all his might, Bond instinctively kicked backwards, catching his enemy flush on the kneecap, and felt him fall to the ground. He then twisted the knife into his opponent’s neck, killing them instantly. 

He made his way to Anya, and noticed that not only had she vanquished her enemy without much stress, she took out Leiter’s as well. But Felix couldn’t escape the knife. It sliced deeply across his good arm, and it caused a loss of blood. Anya found cloth, and tied his upper arm as tight as she could, stopping the blood loss, and helped Felix to his feet. 

It was then they heard the truck drive off, so Bond decided to unmask their assailants. All but one were women, which surprised him. These attackers were tough and strong, and he had trouble freeing himself. But Anya drew the one male, and she dispatched him easily. As Anya tended to Leiter, Bond came to a realization that he may have glimpsed the future of himself, Anya, and Felix. He felt down at that prospect. Anya and Felix joined him, but before they could turn and head back to the train, they were thrown about 15 ft when the train was engulfed in a spectacular fireball and explosion. It took the three of them some time to get their bearings. Anya was the first one to her feet, followed by Bond. Leiter was still on the ground. 

Although Anya had applied a tight tourniquet to stop the bleeding after Felix was stabbed, there was still a good amount of blood oozing out. Both James and Anya knew that they had to get Leiter to a hospital quickly. They heard the sirens from the emergency vehicles approaching. The train was still in flames. Weighing their options, they decided that Felix’s best chance was to leave him for the ambulance. He was conscious and lucid, but was getting weaker. He told them that he would be fine. 

He ripped a section in the bottom of his right pant leg, and removed a wallet. He looked at Bond and Amasova and told them that this was all they would need. Both of the other agents looked puzzled, until Leiter told them that there was a note inside that would explain everything. And then he instructed his two friends to go.

Bond felt guilty about leaving his friend, but there was no other way. He and Anya set off towards a housing development about a mile from the burning train. Once they reached the residential area, they found an unlocked compact car. Bond hot wired the car, getting it started. As they drove off, Anya found a set of keys in the sun visor, and Bond just looked at her with amusement on his face. 

The car had a full tank, and they set off towards Vegas. Bond and Anya talked about Felix, and hoped that he would be alright. Then the conversation turned to the train. And they both realized that their as yet unknown enemy knew where they were going, how they were going, and when they were going. That meant that there was a mole in the CIA building. And it also meant that their enemy could quickly organize an operation like they just encountered, showing both of them that resources weren’t an issue. 

Bond handed the wallet Felix gave him to Anya. Opening it up, she saw what appeared to be an unmarked credit card, plus a couple of folded papers. One was a list with categories and names underneath. She put that to the side, and unfolded the other. It was a letter from Leiter, addressed to the two of them. She read it aloud:

                         ‘James and Anya, if you are

                         reading this, it means that I 

                         am either dead, or unable to

                         to continue. And it also means

                         that the agency had been

                         compromised. So I give this

                         wallet to you. You will find a list 

                         with categories and names that 

                         are totally unknown to the CIA

                         or other agencies. But these are

                         people and businesses I trust.

                         Also, there is a non-descript

                         credit card that only I and the 

                         The Agency Director know about.

                         It is valid, with no limit. I wish

                         well on your journey. Felix.’

Bond said that Felix thought of everything. Anya looked at the list. It had categories of diners, motels, gun stores, clothing stores, and gas stations, with the names of the owners and their addresses next to them. It also had the states in which they were located. Bond had briefly toyed with the idea of driving straight through to Vegas, but quickly realized that they would need sleep, food, new clothes, and more weapons. So after about an hour on the road, they decided that they needed breakfast. Looking at the list, they turned north until they found the name of the small diner on the list.

Bond parked the car, and he and Anya exited. It was then that he noticed that she was eye level with him. In the excitement of the morning, he never noticed that they were now the same height. But Bond didn't have time for self pity. They needed breakfast, and a relaxing moment to think. 

Once inside, they found a booth towards the back. After ordering coffee and their breakfast, the conversation quickly turned back to how their mission was compromised. And they knew that SPECTRE was behind it. They had eyes and ears all over the place, especially within the CIA. But since they didn't know who Felix had talked to in arranging this mission, the identity of the mole was still unknown. 

When the waitress came with their meal, Anya asked her if she had a map of both the state and the area. The waitress thought the request off, but returned with the items. Pinpointing their location, they saw that there was a weapons store and a clothing store near each other, and about 30 miles away. Both thought that was perfect. Bond had his Walther, but needed more ammo, as well as a backup weapon, plus new clothes. Anya needed the same. 

After the meal and a 30 minute drive, they had reached the first part of their destination. It was a gun shop. Walking in, they saw a middle aged man looking tired and a little frail. Bond asked him his name, and once it corresponded to the one on the list, he and Anya then introduced themselves. They informed him that they were friends of Felix Leiter, and that he sent them. The man behind the counter looked puzzled at first, then nodded. He asked them what they needed. 

Anya said she needed a 380 ACP with a magazine capacity of 15 and 6 spare magazines, plus a box of 1000 bullets. It would complement her Tokarev TT-30. Bond asked for a Ruger 9mm, plus a .357 Magnum, plus extra magazines for his Walther and Ruger, and clips for the Magnum. 

Once that was done, it was off to buy clothes. With reality setting in for the two agents, Bond bought 5 outfits, each one smaller than the other, while Anya also bought 5, but each one bigger than the other. Shoes were similarly bought by both. And with breakfast and shopping out of the way, they looked at Leiter’s list and saw a motel just outside St. Louis, Missouri. They would drive until then. 

When they were back on the road, Bond pointed out two obvious points to Anya. 1: she was getting taller while he was getting smaller, and 2: if the CIA had a SPECTRE mole, then so did Russian and British intelligence. In fact, every facet of every country's government probably had SPECTRE agents embedded throughout. They couldn't trust anyone that they didn't know. 

Anya agreed with the second part. She also tried to downplay the first point. She had noticed, but didn't want to mention it out of fear that she would hurt Bond’s feelings. She would normally think that was a very silly notion, but she understood that nobody had asked for something like this to happen. It was to be treated as a fact and not dwelt on. She looked at Bond and said that everything would be ok.

Bond and Anya both made very good time, reaching the motel by 5:00pm. Both were hungry, but Anya’s appetite was quickly outclassing Bond’s. After checking into the motel, they spotted a diner just down the road. It was on Leiter's list, so they knew it was safe. 

Taking a booth near the register, they both quietly ordered their meals. Anya could see that Bond was starting to look exhausted, which had become a familiar sight the past couple of days. She told him that she would take the first watch, and he the second. 4 hour shifts, then showers, breakfast, then on the road again. Bond nodded in agreement. 

Once the meal was over, it was back to the motel room. 007 collapsed onto the bed, and was out within minutes. XXX was feeling like she could swim the Bering Sea during a storm without issues. But without satellites to transmit TV signals, she occupied her time by doing push-ups and sit-ups. She needed to do something to keep her mind and body in peak condition. Eventually, around midnight, Anya laid in bed next to Bond, who was squirming, indicating that he was having a bad dream of some sort. She felt guilty about having to wake him, but it was his turn to stand watch.

After Anya woke Bond, he groggily got out of bed and went to the bathroom sink to splash water on his face. He couldn't decide what was worse, his losing height? Or the extreme exhaustion he inevitably felt as time passed the 9:00 pm hour. Spotting the coffee maker on the top of the desk, he made himself the strongest cup possible, feeling the jolt of caffeine through his body. 

Tightening his belt to the very last hole, he loaded his Walther and placed it inside his front waistband. Once his shoes were on, and Anya asleep, he quietly left the hotel room to do a perimeter check. He scanned the parking lot, and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, proceeded to walk the complex. 

Although he didn't see anything unusual, he got a strong sense that he was being watched. Again, he scanned the lot of parked vehicles and saw nothing that would raise alarms. But his feeling of observation wouldn't go away. Bond subtly blended into a tree lined area, and after watching for a couple of minutes, he still didn't see anything that would cause concern. But once again, his feeling of being watched wouldn't go away. But he completed a second walk around the motel and it's grounds, and finding nothing unusual, except for that nagging feeling in the back of his mind, returned to the room.

Anya was still asleep. Bond studied her body for a moment. With all the changes happening, he noticed that her body looked better now then when he first met her. Her muscles looked like they had more definition, and were noticeably toned. Her breasts were definitely bigger and more defined than before, her abs tighter, her legs longer. 

And then Bond thought about his physique. The taut, sinewy muscles had definitely lost some of their definition, his arms, waist, and legs were looking and feeling thinner than he remembered, and his height was 3 inches less than when he started this mission. He was also beginning to doubt that there would be a way to reverse the effects. Blofeld never concocted an operation in which a solution would be readily available, or overt in nature. No, whatever he had set in motion was without a cure. He was as sure about that as anything. 

Around 5:00am, with sunrise an hour away, Bond made one final patrol of the motel and its grounds. Again, the feeling of being watched was nagging his mind, although his eyes saw nothing unusual. But he knew his instincts and gut feelings were very accurate, so if he felt like they were being watched, then they were being watched. 

He made his way back into the room. Anya was awake and making coffee. With about 4 hours of deep sleep, she felt remarkably refreshed and energetic. Bond also noticed that he was looking up at her, not by a lot, but noticeable to both of them. She handed 007 a cup, and then took hers back to the bed. Bond sat down next to her, and told her that, although he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, he felt like they were under surveillance. He couldn't explain it, and had no proof, but he was sure it was true. 

He then did something that he had never done with her. He asked her opinion of what they should do. They were about 20 hours from Las Vegas, and he was sure they were being tailed. But they also needed to eat and keep the car filled with gas. Plus, they had to factor in that he was feeling extreme exhaustion by 9pm, and would be of no use if they were ambushed. 

Anya considered all he said, and said that while they needed to get to the old Whyte House, they also needed to maintain proper nutrition. And that meant stopping and eating, but so long as they were armed, and could ward off an attack, then everything should be fine. Bond listened intently. He agreed with her reasoning. It was very sound. They had both seen too many young soldiers and agents skip meals, then make critical mistakes because their energy level was non-existent. They wouldn't make that same mistake. 

Bond offered Anya the chance to shower first. It would be a way to not only wash the stain of the incident from the morning before, but would also help clear their minds. Anya accepted the offer, and was the first one to get cleaned. Bond followed. While he was getting dressed, Anya came up to him and whispered in his ear that she knew that what was happening must have been tough on him, as well as every other person on Earth. She then repeated something that she had told him earlier. If he ever needed to talk about what was happening to him, or the world in general, she would be there to listen. Bond turned and looked at her, and thanked her for the offer. Then he surprised her with a kiss, tentative at first, then with more passion. She responded in kind. And once the embrace ended, he realized how strong she was becoming. He didn't know if he could beat her in hand to hand combat, and that was a depressing thought. She had sensed the same thing, which made her feel a bit uncomfortable. But he quickly got dressed, and they both packed, paid the bill, and then were on their way.

They had stopped at a diner not far from the motel. Normally, it would be crowded at that time of the day, but with all that was happening, it was basically a deserted establishment. It was staffed by four women, and no one else. Bond and Anya walked in and took a table in which both seats had visual access to the entrance. Bond felt a little awkward, as the hostess and waitress were both as tall as he was. He quickly tried to focus his mind on the task at hand, but thoughts of being no taller than a woman's ankle kept swirling around in his head.

Once the food and beverages were ordered, Bond looked at Anya with some uncertainty in his eyes. He really didn't want to broach the subject, and he really didn't know how, so he just asked her how she felt about the changes happening around the world, and especially to her. The look she gave him reminded him of the first time he asked a middle-aged woman how old she was. It made her feel uncomfortable. It was a subject that she was hoping to avoid, but Bond brought it up, putting her on the spot.

She told him that she hadn't really thought about it, as she was focused on finding the people responsible and reversing the effects. It was a lie, as she kept thinking about how James Bond was a tall, strong, handsome man when she first met him, and now he was getting smaller by the day, while she grew. She felt so bad for all the men in the world, but especially 007, as she knew that working for Her Majesty’s Government was a job that he loved and took seriously. Now, with what was happening around the world, unless they could find a way to stop men from growing smaller, there wasn't much that men would be able to do. It would throw the world into some form of chaos, as traditional roles would most likely change, and quickly, forcing people to adjust to a new life without the benefit of understanding the what and why of the event. She told 007 that they would find out who was responsible, and how they did it, and find an antidote to reverse the changes. 

She could tell by his expression that Bond didn't believe the last part, and if he knew the truth, neither did she. But she was only trying to alleviate his growing anxiety, because she needed him to be focused on the mission. He held her hand, which surprised her as much as his kiss did, and she put her free hand on top of his and gently caressed it.

The meal had come, and the conversation turned to their encounter with Stromberg and Jaws. Bond thought it was kind of funny that someone like Stromberg, refined and sophisticated, would hire someone as brutish as Jaws. He thought someone from the same cloth as Fransisco Scaramanga would have been more appropriate, someone who would blend in with the surroundings and make them difficult to spot. But egomaniacs bent on world domination didn't always think things through. Anya agreed.

Bond could barely finish his one egg plate, while Anya devoured her steak and eggs breakfast. Once the meal was over, they paid and headed towards the car. It was then that Bond spotted a nondescript black cargo van parked just down from the diner. It didn't fit in with the surroundings. Bond immediately thought that it meant trouble was coming. 

Once inside the car, Bond told Anya about the van, and adjusted the car mirrors so that she could get a look. She asked him if he was sure, and he said yes, but that he was going to stop for gas, and if the van was also there, then he would be correct. He just suggested that while he was fueling up the vehicle that she should make sure all weapons were loaded and unlocked. She agreed.

Bond pulled into the first self-service station he saw. While he was operating the pump, the black can had stopped just before the station. It told him that he was correct in his assessment, and that trouble was brewing, and soon. He finished and got back in the car, driving off and into the highway west. He noticed that the van was mirroring their every move, so he told Anya to get ready.

Soon the van was creeping up on them, expertly weaving in and out of traffic. Bond had been trying to keep at least two cars in between his and the van, but with drivers getting off the road, that strategy proved ineffective. Soon the black can was directly behind them and speeding up. 

Both Bond and Anya felt the impact from the van ramming them from behind. Bond pressed down on the gas pedal, but the car’s four cylinder engine couldn't compete with the V8 in the van. Bond suddenly switched to the left lane and hit the brakes. The van’s weight made stopping quickly impossible. Bond approached the van slowly, until the back doors opened and machine gun toting assailants exited. Bond put the car in reverse and moved to the center shoulder, The van was backing up also, and gaining ground. 

The assailants opened fire on the car, destroying the windshield and front headlights almost instantly. Bond kept reversing until the car ceased to move, it's engine dead. 007 and XXX fired blindly out the gaping hole where the windshield used to be, maintaining cover as best they could. Soon, they heard a loud crash, and the bullets stopped coming. 

Peeking above the dashboard, they saw the black van, as well as it's occupants, totally crushed by another black van, slightly larger and wider than normal. Bond and Anya exited the vehicle, weapons drawn, unsure of what just happened or who had been driving the other vehicle. 

The door swung open, and exited one Dr Holly Goodhead. Bond was surprised. The last he had heard was that she had left the CIA to teach Physics at Georgetown University. He was still trying to process the just unfolded events when she told the both of them to get in. Bond ran back to the car and got the bag with the weapons, then entered Goodhead’s van and they drove off.

Once inside, both Bond and Anya noticed that it was no ordinary van. It was equipped with short range communication equipment, and they knew that it was impossible to intercept, due to extremely low frequencies. It also had a weapons locker, fully stocked, and steel reinforced panels that felt as solid as blast doors.

They both knew it was a CIA Tactical Operations vehicle. Bond and Anya made their way to the front, and asked what exactly was going on. Holly said it was very good to see him again, and explained that she got a phone call from Felix the day before, sometime in the afternoon. He spoke in code, letting her know that the CIA had been infiltrated, he didn't know who could be trusted, and that he and Anya were heading west towards Vegas. He wanted her to stop by the hospital, which she did. He handed her a list, and he let her know that he and Anya were following the list as to where they were staying and eating. And would need help. 

Bond said that he thought that she left the CIA. Holly replied that she did, but would occasionally do recon work for Felix, especially when foreign nationals of questionable backgrounds would be teaching at her school. It was his way of gathering Intel without it being obvious. 

Anya introduced herself and asked about the van. Holly replied that it had been decommissioned by the agency, and put into storage. Leiter wasn't sure exactly where, hence the journey beginning on the train. It wasn't until he woke up from his surgery that he remembered, and asked her as a personal favor to join them. He also filled her in as to what was happening, and who was responsible. She knew something was wrong as males were unable to make her class, while females had no trouble. And if what Felix had told her was true, it would make sense.

Holly asked him what the plan was. Bond and Anya both said that they were convinced that the remnant of SPECTRE was operating out of the complex built below the old Whyte House Casino. He mentioned that the CIA never destroyed it, instead choosing to convert it into a second headquarters, until funding was cut, and the project abandoned. Holly said that she didn't know anything about the project, to which Bond said nobody knew, except for a select few.

But once they got to Vegas, Felix told them where a secret entrance to the complex was located. Their best bet would be to penetrate it at night while it was dark, but he admitted that the plan was unworkable, because at some point around 8-9pm he would have bouts of extreme exhaustion and would be useless to them.

So he was thinking that if they entered just before dawn, while it was still dark and he had energy, it just might work. Anya had been quiet while listening to Bond and Holly talk, and was embarrassed that she felt a little jealous. She tried to push the feelings out, but was still feeling a tinge. 

They drove and would have made it to the Colorado-Nevada border, but an accident snarled traffic for a couple of hours. However, it allowed the three of them to work on their plan of attack once they reached their destination. Bond kept stressing that SPECTRE knew where they were going, and had already made two attempts to stop them, so they should be extremely vigilant and trust no one.

Both Holly and Anya agreed. 

Around 5pm, and 50 miles from the Nevada border, they decided to stop for the night. They were hungry, especially Holly and Anya, and James was starting to experience the tiredness that had been plaguing him for days. After checking into a motel, they went to a diner that was in Leiter's list, and had dinner. Bond was looking up at both Anya and Holly, but had grown used to his situation. Besides, he was extremely grateful that she showed up when she did, as he knew that he and Anya were in trouble. 

The meal was uneventful. Both Holly and Anya cleaned their plates, while Bond was barely able to finish his. But the food hit the spot. And once they were back at the motel, Anya said that she would take the first watch, followed by Holly, and then James. 4 hour shifts. Bond and Holly agreed, as he laid on the bed and was asleep within minutes. Holly finally saw what he had been talking about. She, like Anya, felt sorry for him. He was no longer the big, strong, suave agent that she met when she was spying on Hugo Drax, but was looking frail and weak. She felt sadness and sympathy towards him.

It was a beautiful, late winter’s day on the Mediterranean. The sun was shining as brightly as James Bond ever remembered. The seats at Marc-Ange Draco’s villa were packed with friends and family. Bond felt nervous. It was a very unfamiliar feeling. Even on the most dangerous of missions, nervousness was something that was foreign to him. But this was different. This was the day that Tracy would be his wife. He only hoped that he could be a good husband to her. 

The ceremony was over. The vows were said. The bride and groom kissed. Rice was thrown. The just married sign was on the back of the car. Bond escorted Tracy to her seat, then got in, and  started the car. Mr and Mrs James Bond were leaving on their honeymoon.

It was when Bond stopped to look at the view that he felt something was wrong. Tracy’s voice had gone silent. Bond reached the car, and saw the bullet hole between the eyes. He looked around and tried to scream for help, but no one was there. He then spotted Blofeld and Irma Bunt by a tree just laughing at him. He tried to run after them, but couldn’t. Looking down, he noticed that his feet were stuck in cement. He looked back at the two and noticed that Blofeld held a switch in his hand, and squeezed the button, yelling at 007 that he should embrace his future.

Bond woke up in a sweat. Anya was in bed, which meant that Holly was keeping watch. He looked at his watch. 3:45am. It was his turn to patrol. He made a cup of coffee. It was then that he noticed that his clothes were sagging. Time for the new ones. It troubled him that he had to do what he was dreading, but it was his new reality. Changing clothes quickly, he grabbed his Walter, made sure it was loaded, and tucked inside his waistband. He was struck by how heavy the weapon felt in his hand. It should have seemed light as a feather due to how long he had been using it, but it felt so different now. He cursed his fate, then prayed that he could hit the target he was aiming at.

It was then that he heard the motel room door unlock. He instinctively grabbed his gun, and was relieved to see Holly. He offered her a cup of the freshly made coffee, and she gratefully accepted. It was then that Bond noticed that she was taller than him, probably by about four inches. She was the same height as Anya, but he guessed that due to the changes taking place between men and women, they were probably about 6ft while he was no taller than 5’8”. 

She took the cup, then put her hand on his shoulder and said the same thing that Anya had been telling him. They would find a way to reverse what was happening. Bond looked up at her and said that they should be honest. There was no way to reverse this, because Blofeld made sure that whatever happened was permanent. It was how he operated. He just didn’t want to be as tall as her ankles, and winked at her.

She muffled a laugh at his joke. Holly understood that he was trying to make the best of what was turning out to be a very bad situation for him and every other man in the world. They had stopped Drax from creating a new master race, and now Blofeld was creating his own as a final finger to the world powers. 

Bond finished his coffee and started his patrol of the motel grounds. He didn’t have the feeling of being watched, so he was confident that they were alone. His first tour was uneventful, so he returned to the room. Holly was in the shower, and Anya was still sleeping. He looked at the Leiter’s list of trusted places, and noticed a diner just down the road. He wondered if it would be better to pick up breakfast and return to the room. That way they could eat and strategize in private before heading out. He would ask Holly what she thought when her shower was done.

Bond waited for Holly to get dressed once the water shut off. She emerged in a tight fitting gym outfit. It looked like any other outfit, but knowing the CIA, and Felix, there was probably more than met the eye. But he could definitely see the changes. Her body was much fuller and toned than when he first met her. Her breasts were definitely bigger. They were similar to Anya’s. 

Once she was settled, Bond offered his idea about breakfast. Holly considered it, and weighing the risks of remaining stationary at the motel, or grabbing the food to go and being mobile, she thought the right plan was to get the food to go. Bond agreed. They would call their order in and pick it up, then head to the highway. 

But first, 007 needed to make one more patrol of the motel grounds. By the time he would finish, Anya would be awake, and the route to Vegas should be discussed. Off Bond went. The patrol was quiet and uneventful, save for an old man walking his dog. At first Bond tensed, then relaxed when he saw the age of the man. Not suitable for SPECTRE, he thought. So Bond continued on his way. 

He returned to the room. Anya was awake and in the shower. Bond would take his after. But while he and Holly waited for her, he pulled out a map. He examined it. There was a troubling obstacle on the way, one that he didn’t see a way around. 

Anya finished her shower, dressed, and checked her weapons as Bond took his shower. Quickly finishing, he dressed and once the three of them were seated, he pulled out the map again. He told the girls that once they crossed into Colorado, they would be forced to slow down as they drove through the winding roads of the Rockies. There was no avoiding that. It would also leave them extremely vulnerable, because there would be no room to maneuver. Once they were on the road, they were left with no other option but to go forward..

Holly informed Anya of the breakfast plan, and while the girls were double checking the room, making sure that all their things were accounted for, Bond called the order in. A final check of the room, and the three of them were driving the short distance to the diner. Bond ran in to get the food, and Anya drove onto the highway. They would reach the Colorado border within the hour, provided there was no traffic. 

The three ate in silence. Once they were finished, and the state line in sight, the small hairs on the back of Bond’s neck were awakened. He knew that meant trouble. He told Holly and Anya that he had a feeling that they were about to encounter trouble. This put the girls on high alert. 

It was then that they heard a helicopter, and judging by the decibel level, it was flying low and close. Then the gunfire started. The van was strafed as the copter passed overhead, only to turn around and face them head on. The highway was sparsely populated, so Anya couldn’t mix in with traffic. 

The van took a direct hit of bullets, but suffered minimal damage. Holly said that the CIA claimed to have made it impervious to attack, but never got a chance to test it out. The van drove past the copter, which turned and kept firing. As the copter got closer, it climbed above them, then everyone in the van could feel the concussive effects of the explosives being dropped on either side of the vehicle. 

Anya tried swerving to keep the attackers off balance, but without any protection from overpasses or other cars, there was only so much she could do. Holly told James to press the red button on the side panel. Bond did, and a hidden control panel swung down. Holly told him to press the button on the far right. Bond did, and a scope appeared. Holly told him to just get the copter in the middle and press the fire button on the joystick. 

Bond waited and waited, until the copter was directly in the middle of the bullseye, then pressed the trigger, launching a small rocket upwards and soon there was an explosion overhead. The copter crashed into a field, engulfed in flames. Holly told him it was a great shot, and he nodded in agreement. Anya straightened the van out, and they headed towards Vegas, with the distant mountains eventually coming closer. 

The van needed gas, so Anya got off the highway and into a station. Bond exited the van and started pumping the gas. $70 later, they were back on the highway, with 007 driving. Holly gave Anya a rundown of the features of the vehicle, so that if anything happened to her, she and James would be able to use the vehicle to its maximum potential. 

Bond let them know that they were about to go through the mountains, and suggested that they get their weapons ready, which both female agents did.

Bond cursed the fact that he had to get behind a tractor trailer, meaning that an hour’s drive through the mountains would now take two. Bond kept his eyes on the road ahead, and dropped behind the truck far enough to see oncoming traffic. There was a removable panel at the back of the van, which allowed Holly and Anya to keep watch out the rear. 

A short time later, Holly and Anya spotted a black sedan weaving in and around traffic, advancing on their position. They let Bond know that they had company. James looked at the side mirror, and saw what the girls had described. He weighed his options. The twisting road made it almost impossible to go around the truck in front. 

As the car got closer, Bond told the girls to hold on as he moved left and sped past the truck, getting back in his lane just before another tractor trailer smashed into the van. Anya saw the car quickly follow suit, then once the truck was past, it moved into the oncoming traffic lane and sped up. As it got closer, it was able to get directly behind the van, and once again, the gunfire erupted. 

The van was being hit, but with no damage. Bond sped up, but so did the sedan. It pulled up to the side and swerved right, catching the van and forcing it to the guard rail. Bond struggled to maintain control, and swung back to the left. The sedan hit the van again, and Bond fought the steering wheel, trying to steady the vehicle. Once he had straightened the van and was back on the highway, he pushed down on the gas pedal, trying to coax as much horsepower out of it as he could.

As the sedan was making its way up on the left, Holly headed towards the front of the van, instructing Bond to lower his window, which he did. She then produced a shotgun shaped launcher, telling him that when she fired, he was to hit the brakes. The sedan was directly next to the van, and as it swerved right towards Bond, Goodhead told Bond now and fired into the car, filling it with thick smoke. The car never straightened out, and went through the guardrail, tumbling down the side of the mountain, killing all inside. The three agents watched the events unfold, then 007 stepped on the gas and continued on the long and winding road through the mountains.

It was sometime around 8:00pm, when they were about 30 miles outside Vegas, when they decided to stop for the night. Grabbing food from the drive through of a fast food place, they got a motel room. 

Once they were settled, they ate, and formulated a plan of action. They decided to leave about 4:00 am, since it wouldn’t take long to reach the old Whyte House property. The tunnel that Leiter described was about a 1000 ft from the underground complex, and they wanted to use the cover of darkness while Bond was able to function.

The plan was agreed to. Holly took the first watch. Bond volunteered for the second, which surprised the girls. But Bond told them that he was the only one of the three to actually be inside, and wanted to be awake enough to focus on the myriad of passageways that were there. He assured both Anya and Holly that he would be fine. So the girls agreed. Bond was the first one asleep, as was becoming the norm. Anya laid down next to him, and Holly began her shift. The next day was going to be long and filled with the unknown. They would have no idea of what to expect, except danger, which seemed to be the only constant on this trip.

Anya tried to relax her mind to the point where she would be able to get a little sleep, but it was no use. All those techniques she learned on those survival courses were proving to be ineffective. She didn't know why, and that was starting to bother her. 

So she got back out of bed, dressed, and went over to Holly, who was busy making mental notes of all the vehicles in the parking lot. There weren't many, and most seemed to be the kind that business travelers would use as they went from state to state. 

She noticed Anya coming towards her with a cup of coffee. Holly appreciated the offer. The two women, once rivals in the espionage business, had taken vastly different paths once the cold war ended. Holly had gone into academia, teaching classes in a variety of subjects dealing with astrophysics and jet propulsion technology. She also would occasionally help Felix Leiter with sensitive, off the books operations, keeping her in the game. Anya had moved over to the military intelligence sector, running a highly efficient and effective unit that would identify and eliminate threats to Russian national security. 

But as different as their backgrounds were, here they both were, facing an uncertain future thanks to the changes going on throughout the world. They both understood that whatever was happening was benefiting them and all females of the planet, at the expense of men. It made both a little uncomfortable. They looked at James Bond sleeping on the bed, and felt sorry for him. For all his wisecracking about Anya's driving or Holly's knowledge of rockets, he never hesitated in risking his life to save theirs. Now, he, along with all the other men in the world, were shrinking before their eyes. And yet, he still would be willing to risk his life to save them. 

Holly finished her coffee, and then went to do a perimeter check around the motel. The vehicles in the parking lot hadn't changed, so she was able to focus on the areas with trees and bushes, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Satisfied, she headed back to the motel room. 

Upon entering, she found that Anya had drifted off in the chair. Looking at her watch, she noticed that it was time to wake 007 up for his shift. Bond groggily got out of bed, and went to the sink to splash water on his face. Holly brought him a cup 

of coffee, which he quickly drank. The caffeine gave him a jolt, and helped clear his mind. It was then that he noticed that he was looking up even more at Holly, by about 6 inches he guessed. 

She put her hand on his cheek, as if to let him know that she noticed the same thing, but that everything would be fine once they discovered the cure for what was happening. She bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek and said that all was normal and quiet on her patrol. And with that, she stripped down to her underwear and laid in the bed, quickly drifting off to sleep.

Bond went into his bag and grabbed the Ruger 9mm. With his loss of height, weight, and he guessed strength as well, the weapon felt heavier and bulkier in his hand. He tried to maneuver it from hand to hand, but it was too uncomfortable, so he grabbed the smaller Walther and a flashlight. Both objects were starting to feel large in his hands, but they were  still light enough for him to maneuver the objects.

He went over to the window, and quickly did a scan of the parking lot. Everything appeared normal, so he made sure his gun was loaded and ready to be fired, then began his patrol of the grounds.

His first walk around was uneventful. Nothing was stirring, there was no activity in the lot, and there was ample light provided by the moon, which allowed him to see a fair distance. Nothing. He then reversed, and patrolled in the opposite direction. 

All was normal until Bond spotted what appeared to be an intoxicated woman walking along the edge of the motel grounds. She stumbled forward, and 007 went to offer assistance. Standing straight up, Bond noticed that she was quite a bit taller than either Anya or Holly, only coming up to her breasts. Once he was sure that she would be fine, he wished her a good night and went back to his patrol.

But something immediately made him sense something was wrong. He couldn’t remember any bar in the area, and the diner down the road was closed. He was trying to think of where the drunk girl could have come from when he heard heavy footsteps coming up behind him. 

He instinctively reached for the Walther, but it was too late. A large, powerful hand grabbed hold of his wrist, and with enough force to cause him intense pain and drop his weapon. He struggled to free himself, even using his free hand in the attempt. But it was no use. The hand still gripped his wrist tightly. 

He tried one more move to break free. Crouching ever so slightly, he sprang up and forced his head back, catching his assailant flush in the face, causing them to release his wrist. He saw stars, as he felt as if he just head-butted a brick wall. He turned around, and was shocked to see the supposedly drunk girl glaring at him with menace in her eyes. 

Bond instinctively backed up, only for the girl to be on him quicker than he anticipated. She reached for his neck, and he was barely able to deflect her muscled arm. He then tried to throw a punch with everything he had, catching her on the lower jaw, only for him to yelp in pain on contact. The punch had little effect. She grabbed Bond by the back of the neck, and with very little effort, applied enough pressure to render him unconscious.

Bond's limp body fell to the ground. The girl bent down and without effort lifted him over her shoulder and carried him to a black cargo van parked down the road. Opening the door, a voice from the driver's seat asked her if she had any problems. The girl responded that he was feistier than she anticipated, but he didn't present too much trouble otherwise. 

She placed Bond's unconscious body on the floor of the van, got in and closed the door, and the van drove off, heading west towards Vegas. The girl felt her face from where Bond head-butted her, making sure that her teeth were still intact. Satisfied, she just looked at the small figure on the floor and laughed to herself.

Anya had set her alarm for 4:00am. Waking up, she noticed that the room was empty, except for Holly on the bed. James was nowhere to be found. She immediately sensed that something was very wrong. She woke Holly, and told her what she was feeling. 

The women grabbed their weapons and flashlights, and immediately went out to look around the grounds, each starting off in opposite directions. Anya was carefully inspecting every inch of the grounds. She spotted the Walther and a flashlight on the ground, and called out for Holly, who quickly joined her. Looking at the weapon, she quickly scanned the surrounding area, and the darkness of the night should have made detecting any sign of struggle impossible. But both women had special, government issued torches, that allowed them to detect the smallest hints of a struggle, as well as any bodily fluids that may have been present. Both saw the same thing. There had been an altercation of some sort. 

The women looked at each other. Their hearts sank. They knew something happened to James, and with him in his diminished physical state, he was probably unable to ward off any attack. Both Anya and Holly looked at each other, and realized that they needed to get to Vegas, and quickly. They went back to room and quickly formulated a plan. Holly tried to remember the structure in the desert that led to the entrance of the underground tunnels beneath the old Whyte House complex. Once she did, both ladies removed any trace of their presence, paid the bill, and hopped into the van and headed west, not noticing a nondescript black sedan that followed them out of the motel parking lot.

James Bond and his new bride, Tracy, were walking along the White Cliffs of Dover, madly in love and admiring the breathtaking view of the Strait of Dover. The sun was shining in all its heavenly glory, warm and full of life. Bond looked at Tracy and told her that he loved her very much. She beamed a smile back at him that was as bright as the sun itself.

Suddenly, the clouds in the sky turned black as the night. The wind suddenly had the intensity of a North Sea storm. Bond looked back at Tracy, except that she was no longer beside him. He ran to the edge of the cliff and looked down, shocked to see her body floating in the sea, lifeless. He started to scream in agony, but no sound came out. Instead, he heard a familiar, yet strange, laugh coming from the distance, unable to place a face to the sound. 

He suddenly started to feel a sharp pain in his right hand and wrist, as well as the back of his neck. He opened his eyes. He noticed that the sun was starting to rise. He quickly tried to glance at his surroundings, only to feel a powerful object on the back of his neck. He tried to wiggle out from under whatever was holding him down, but to no avail. It was too heavy for him to do anything. But he could the vibration of the floor, and knew he was in a vehicle, most likely a van. 

His mind was clearing when the earlier events suddenly appeared. He was patrolling the grounds of the motel when he encountered a woman, a rather large one at that, when he was suddenly attacked and overwhelmed. And now he was in a vehicle, and moving. He knew that he was now a prisoner, but who's prisoner? His mind was still trying to piece together the parts of the puzzle when he felt the the boot leave his neck, only to feel a large hand on the back of his shirt, lifting him up with ease and placing him in the seat next to one occupied by the woman from the motel parking lot. 

Bond finally got a clear look at his attacker. He didn't recognize her, but he felt that there was something strangely familiar about her. Her face was pretty, but her body was broad. He looked around and tried to assess both his options and surroundings, only to feel the lady’s large hand on top of his arm, both to keep him in place and to let him know that he would not fare well if he was to try anything. His options extremely limited, he tried to use a different tactic.

Bond looked up at her and introduced himself and tried to engage her in conversation. The woman just looked at him and smiled, remaining silent. Bond tried again to get her to speak, engaging in small talk about the sunrise, and was met again with silence. He then turned his attention to the driver, asking where they were going. But like the woman sitting next to him, he heard nothing but silence. 

What Bond noticed in the distance was the outline of Las Vegas. He instinctively knew that they were heading to the complex under the ground of the old Whyte House. He was just hoping that Anya and Holly were on their way also.

Holly and Anya had just gotten on the highway, heading west towards Vegas with increasing speed. The lack of traffic at that time of morning meant that they would be able to make great time in getting to their destination. As Holly increased the speed of the van, she suddenly realized that there was a dark sedan increasing its speed behind them.

Damn, she thought to herself. She allowed herself to be tailed. She assumed that the car had been following them since the motel. She told Anya of the car. Anya looked back and spotted the vehicle, then made her way to the back of the van and searched for a grenade launcher. She didn't know who was driving the vehicle, but she was going to be ready for trouble. 

The lack of traffic had been a blessing at the beginning of the ride, as it allowed for unimpeded movement. Now, it was a liability, as there were no other cars to use as potential barriers against whoever was following them. Holly asked Anya for her advice as to how they should handle the situation. Anya thought for a moment. The car had only been following them up to that point. If there were going to be any sort of trouble, she felt that the unknown person or persons in the car would have made their move by now. She reasoned that once traffic increased, it would have been more difficult for any assailants to get a clear shot at them. 

She discussed her thoughts with Holly. The lady driving the van thought for a moment. Anya's reasoning was very thoughtful and probably spot on. It gave her an idea. She suggested to Anya that they pull over to the side, and just see what was going on. The last thing that they needed was to try and rescue James and engaging the enemy while worrying about whatever was in the car. Deal with it now, rather than later.

Anya agreed. Holly moved over to the right shoulder, and brought the van to a stop. The car did the same. Anya had switched weapons, putting the grenade launcher away and grabbing a shotgun. She handed Holly a .44 Magnum, and together, they exited the van and approached the car that had been following them. 

The car door opened. The ladies aimed their weapons, only to see two hands emerge raised. Then a figure emerged from the car, standing up slowly and in a non threatening manner. Both Holly and Anya were stunned at who the person was, not believing their eyes. They looked at the person, then each other in disbelief. It left them speechless,

The van was getting closer to the city. The large hand was still holding Bond in place. He was both apprehensive and curious. He was sure that he would finally learn the identity of who was behind the events overtaking the world, and what ultimate goal was, while at the same time expecting to hear that there was nothing anyone could do to reverse what had occured. 

The van entered the city. Bond noticed that there was very little activity on the streets. But what activity there was usually involved a taller woman harassing a smaller man. Bond thought that he was in the middle of an extremely experimental French film. The only things that were missing were a troupe of dancing mimes and Inspector Clouseau.

The van had turned off the strip and onto a side street, then pulled into what appeared to be an abandoned parking garage. The driver steered the vehicle into an area between two pillars, and once in position, killed the power to the van. Bond could feel the van shift ever so slightly, then heard a noise that reminded him of something locking into position. He then felt the van descending and watched the garage disappear from view, to be replaced with darkness. 

Bond strained his eyes to detect anything of interest, but could see nothing. He was about to ask the large woman next to him what was going on when he felt her hand leave his arm and grab the back of his neck. He struggled to remove her hand, but even using both of his, was unable to break free. Suddenly his body went limp, and he fell into unconsciousness. The van came to a stop. The door opened, and the driver told the girl to take Bond to the cell. The girl lifted his body without effort, placed him over her shoulder, and placed him in a cell down a hallway and to the right. She laid him down on a cot and turned and closed the door, leaving Bond to the cold, damp cell.

The man born Zbigniew Krycsiwiki was standing in front of Anya and Holly, hands raised and a pleading look in his eyes. Both women knew him as the professional assassin Jaws. But the killer they knew was a hulking brute who had metal teeth and no remorse or mercy when dispatching his victims.

However ,the man standing there, while still quite tall, was nowhere near the size of the man they remembered. In fact, to them, he looked a little on the frail side, wearing clothes that were 5 sizes too big. The metal in his mouth was replaced with pearly whites, the hair turned wispy and gray.

With their weapons still drawn and aimed squarely at their former enemy, Holly demanded to know why he was following them, and what his intentions were. Jaws asked if they could talk somewhere less noisy. Anya pointed him towards the van, never lowering her weapon.

The three entered the back of Holly’s vehicle, and once everyone was situated, Anya asked him to explain his presence. Jaws looked at her and said that he was only trying to find his daughter. ‘Daughter?’. Holly was incredulous, asking him how he was supposed to find his daughter if he was following them?

Jaws looked at both women, and saw disbelief in their eyes. He told them that he needed to explain everything from the beginning. Both Holly and Anya looked at him in silence, until Colonel Amasova told him to continue.

Jaws began by saying that after Drax was killed, and his space station was destroyed, he and Dolly safely made it back to Earth. The mention of the woman that captured his heart caused a confused look on Anya’s face, until Holly filled her in on the woman and her relationship with Jaws. Anya nodded.

Jaws continued, saying that they were rescued at sea, but not by the US Coast Guard or Navy. It was a highly classified Submarine that was under the command of an unknown government agency. They instantly knew his identity, but instead of killing him and Dolly, they brought him to their headquarters, and offered him a deal; he would work for them doing sanctions for an unspecified amount of time, and in return, they would give them both new identities, a new house, and finance for a year whatever business he wanted to work in.

So, after 5 years, the agency head thanked him for his service, and he and Dolly were then placed in Pittsburgh, where he proceeded to start a construction company under the name Jack Burton, which became very successful. Dolly had become known as Judy Burton. And in order to close the book out on Zbigniew Krycsiwiki and Jaws, they staged a plane crash out in the desert, on land they owned. They had a complete manifest of fake passengers, plus bodies from a morgue that they then tossed about the wreckage. They had their operatives in both the FAA and the NTSB, who quickly took the lead and steered the investigation to a satisfactory conclusion. Holly was able to follow along with his description of events, because she had noticed that there were forces building in the government that were trying to secretly implement such actions. It was the biggest reason why she left the CIA.

When it came to hearing Zbigniew Krycsiwiki, neither Holly, nor Anya, recognized the name he spoke, and seeing their confusion, explained that it was his birth name. So he continued. Once he and Dolly were settled, and the business was thriving, she had called him into the bedroom, where she proceeded to inform him that she was pregnant. 

They were ecstatic. And nine months later, a baby girl was born, Jennifer. And as she grew, two things became clear, she took after her mother with her looks, and she inherited a good deal of her father’s height, and almost all of his strength. 

Because of that, she had almost every boy ask her out, until one day, one boy went too far. Needless to say, he ended up in the hospital. And from that moment on, no boy would talk to her, for fear that they too might end up in the hospital. 

Because of that, Jennifer developed an attitude, and with her size and strength, became a bully to weaker males. This meant that she was kicked out of several schools. She eventually graduated and went to college, but that was when he and Dolly lost contact with her. 

It wasn’t until a month ago that they received a phone call from her. It was cryptic, as she said that soon her old world would come to an end, and she would be reborn into a new one. It upset them terribly, but her mom took it the hardest. Was she contemplating suicide? Was she mixed up in a cult? They weren’t sure of anything, so he used his contacts from his old life to search. 

About a week ago, he received a call saying that his daughter was in the Washington, DC area. He was making arrangements for airfare when the satellites went down, grounding most public transportation. So he had to drive from Pittsburgh to Washington. However, when he arrived, he got another call informing him that his daughter was out near the Colorado/Nevada border. He rushed there as soon as he could.

And when he arrived at the last town before the state line, he kept driving around in the hope that he would spot her. And then he did, or thought he did. He was driving east when he saw a woman who looked like his daughter talking with a man that looked like James Bond talking on the edge of a motel parking lot. But it was the size difference between the two figures that threw him off. He also noticed a black van parked just down the road. So he made a u-turn and when he got back to the motel, the man and woman were gone, as was the van.

He waited in the motel parking lot, in case the two people he thought he recognized reappeared. But it wasn’t to be, so he was in the process of starting his car and leaving when he saw Anya and Holly out investigating. Then he knew he was in the right spot. So when they left, he followed, hoping that they could lead him to her.

But something happened during his journey. He was growing more and more tired, and would need to sleep more often. But he discovered that when he woke up, he was slowly shrinking. He wanted to know what the hell was going on. Holly was skeptical of his story, like a true scientist. But Anya could read his eyes and other tells, and was sure he was telling the truth. So Anya filled him in on everything that had happened up to that point.

Jaws sighed. He should have guessed that Blofeld was behind whatever was happening. Stromberg and Blofeld had battled over his services for years. But he chose Stromberg because he treated him more like a son, rather than a nameless, faceless killer. 

Once Anya was convinced that Jaws could be trusted, she had a quick chat with Holly, and they explained that they were certain that Bond was kidnapped, and that he was being taken to Vegas. He was welcomed to join them, but Holly suggested that he buy new clothes. The last thing they needed was to try and get out of a tight spot, only for his ill fitting clothes to doom them all. 

Jaws agreed, and suggested that they stop at the first big and tall store they came across. The ladies both agreed, and then they drove off towards Las Vegas.

Bond was on his stomach when he opened his eyes. The room was dimly lit, although he could make out the shapes and objects in the room. Suddenly, the door to the cell opened, and 007 sprung up and tried to ambush his guard, ramming his shoulder into his opponent’s midsection, only for that person to remain completely in place, and Bond on the floor seeing stars, his shoulder nearly separating from the socket. He staggered to his feet and he was able to see the person in front of him. It was the girl from the motel. But instead of his eyes being level with the nipples on her breasts, like they were there, he noticed that he had to look up at them, probably by about 2 inches. 

He felt frustrated and angry, and then he suddenly kicked with as much force as he could, striking her knee, only for her to remain unfazed, and him seeing stars again and on the verge of tears from the pain. It was like hitting a 100 ton concrete wall. He looked up at her and noticed that she had a tray of food in her left hand which didn’t even vibrate in the least when he attacked. 

Suddenly, her right hand reached down and grabbed his shirt and lifted him up like he weighed nothing, and she whispered in his ear that little boys shouldn’t be playing with big girls. And then she sat him back down on the cot, and placed the tray of food next to him, giving him an evil wink, before turning and leaving, closing the cell door. Bond was stunned. He could never have imagined someone that strong and powerful. He felt weak and useless, and extremely sore.

Bond never felt more useless and weak. The enormous girl had stood in front of him, holding a tray of food. And even using all his weight and then element of surprise when he rammed his shoulder into her midsection, it had absolutely no effect. She didn’t move, not even a millimeter from her position, and the tray never wavered. It was like he never attacked her.

And his well placed kick against her knee only succeeded in causing him intense pain, while doing nothing against its target. With his leg and shoulder still hurting, he looked at the tray of food next to him, and decided to eat. He was absolutely sure it wasn't poisoned or drugged. Whoever was in charge, they wanted him alive. 

Once he was done eating, he stood up and inspected his cell. Basic and generic. But it made him wish that he had Q’s acid pen to melt the bars, like the one he had in Kamal Khan's Palace. Instead, he was now a prisoner, having to wait on his jailer to open the cell door. To him, life sucked.

Anya drove the van while Holly and Jaws discussed this situation. She asked a series of questions designed to subtly determine his true intentions. It was a technique that the CIA had developed when they debriefed a defector. This was an effective way of intercepting an enemy agent who claimed they were defecting, but in fact was a plant to weaken the government.

Once she was satisfied, Holly asked Jaws if he had any pictures of his daughter. If they were going on with guns ablaze to rescue 007, they wanted to make sure that Jaws’ daughter wasn't an unintended casualty. 

Anya drove across the Utah border. Vegas was still a day away. She asked them if they wanted to come up with a strategy. Bond knew the tunnels under the Whyte House, but he wasn't there, so they were going in blind. Holly and Jaws agreed. They had reached the town of Cedar City, and decided to stop for the night. 

Both Holly and Anya wanted to continue, but Jaws had gotten to the point where he couldn't keep his eyes open. They pulled into a motel parking lot, and Holly rented a room. 

They got settled. Jaws dozed for an hour on a chair, while Holly walked to the restaurant on the premises to get everyone dinner. When she got back, Jaws was awake, and drinking coffee, while Anya decided on a quick shower. 

Once everyone was settled, and the meal eaten, Holly pulled out a detailed map of Vegas and the area where the Whyte House stood. It was decided to leave about 3am, and get there by 5, while it was still dark. Holly tried to remember what Leiter had told her with regards to objects in the desert that could be used as landmarks in order to arrive at the correct position.

Holly pulled out the picture of Jennifer, Jaws’ daughter. Anya could tell how beautiful she was, and how tall and thick she was before any of the changes took effect. She would have been a formidable and dangerous opponent under normal circumstances. But now, with the changes going on, and her getting mixed up with Blofeld's organization, her menace factor increased ten-fold.

A watch schedule was agreed upon by Holly and Anya. They thought it best to keep Jaws’ involvement a secret. Anya would take first watch until 11, then Holly, and they would be on the road by 3. 

With Holly and Jaws both asleep, Anya started her patrol of the motel grounds. She looked at her watch. 9pm. It was dark, but not pitch black. Her first patrol revealed nothing out of the ordinary. So she returned to the room, and rechecked her weapon. At 10:30, she made her final patrol.

She initially found nothing unusual, but, on her return to the room, spotted a vehicle that wasn't there previously. It was a non-descript sedan. Anya drew her weapon and investigated the car. There was nothing about the car that screamed danger, but it gave her an uneasy feeling. 

Upon her return to the room, Holly was up and dressed. Anya relayed the car that had suddenly appeared, and the feeling she had. Holly told her that she would investigate when she did her patrol.

Holly checked her weapon, and once Anya was settled, left the room, and cautiously approached the sedan that was described. Although appearing quite normal, Holly thought something was off, but wasn't quite sure what it was.

She continued her patrol of the grounds, and finding everything in order, went back to the room. She looked at her watch. 12:00 am. She peeked out the curtains, and saw nothing, so she grabbed a quick cup of coffee. She grabbed the map, and stared at the area where the Whyte House stood. She examined the area surrounding the old building, and tried to remember what Leiter had told her. 

It suddenly came to her. About a mile to the Northwest of the property, there should stand a large rock that had cactus plants growing on the side. Leiter couldn't remember any other occasion where cacti grew on a rock. So they were to look for that. Then there should be a fake cactus plant off to the side. It was to be pushed in, and then the ground should lift up, revealing the tunnel.

Holly left for her final patrol at 2 am. Anya had woken up, and was in the process of sweeping the room, making sure all objects were accounted for. She woke Jaws, who stumbled groggily to the bathroom.

Holly noticed the sedan in a different position than previously. It reminded her of a getaway vehicle when they extracted foreign targets from guarded buildings. She immediately knew trouble was about to arrive. And like clockwork, three figures approached, each spaced about 15 feet apart. Holly drew her weapon, and crouched down. 

Aiming her weapon at the center target, she quickly fired off a shot, not only to force the approaching enemy into defensive positions, but as a way to alert Anya. 

Anya and Jaws heard the shot. She killed the lights, and while Holly had the gunmen distracted, sent Jaws to the van, while she exited the room undetected, and came up behind the attackers. They had started firing at Holly, and never noticed the large figure coming up on them. Anya easily twisted the neck of the first gunmen, killing him instantly, and shot with balls on accuracy through the side of the head of the second person. Holly then shot the attacker to her right, a direct hit into the heart. 

They walked to the van. They knew that the police weren't going to be arriving, as since a majority of them were men, they were probably struggling handling the gear that was now too heavy and unwieldy for them. So they made sure Jaws was ok, and got into the van and drove off towards Vegas.

James Bond woke up to the sound of the cell door being unlocked. He groggily sat up, noticing the giant woman who kidnapped him enter, followed by another female that he didn't know. This was a lady who appeared to be about 40, and she was taller than he was, but nowhere near as tall as the young girl. She barked orders in a thick Russian accent, telling him to stand up, and to get undressed. 

Bond told her that she was daft, until the younger woman easily lifted him up and positioned him in such a way as to make it impossible for him to move as she took off his clothes. Her tight grip rendered him immobile, so he just started yelling at her, demanding that she immediately release him and put him down. The girl just ignored his protests, removing the last piece of clothing, his underpants, with ease. Only then did the girl put him down, then handed him a different set of clothes for him to wear. Then both women left, locking the door behind them. 

Humiliated by the experience, Bond looked at the clothes. Black shorts and a gold top. They looked like something a little kid would wear. His mood grew angrier by the minute. 

James Bond was never one to give in to emotional outbursts, but he was on the verge of tears. Where he was once a solid 6’1” and 180lbs, he now guessed his height around 5’5”, with his weight about 135-140 lbs.

Add in the fact that some giant woman just easily stripped him of his clothes, and that he could do nothing to stop her, left him with a feeling of utter helplessness. He came to the realization that he could no longer defend himself against a woman, any woman, and suddenly he knew his life in the world would be filled with more danger than he could ever have imagined. Blofeld had finally won. His avenging Tracy’s death was for nothing. 

His thoughts turned to M and what must be happening at MI6. The old man always ran a type ship, but since he was probably suffering the same symptoms as every other male in the world, he would no longer be able to handle the job of overseeing the 00 program and agents. 

And what of Moneypenny? He would give anything to be in her arms at that moment, safe from a world that was rapidly becoming scarier by the day, not just for him, but for all men. He assumed that the 00 agents out in the field went underground, were captured, or worse, terminated. They could no longer perform their job, and as such were in extremely vulnerable positions. He cursed his fate.

Holly drove the van towards the Nevada border. Jaws and Anya were in the back. Anya looked at Jaws’ clothes, hanging over his limbs. She instinctively searched the lockers on the left, and spotted an industrial sized first aid kit. Opening it up, she grabbed the items she was looking for. A needle and sutures.

She told Jaws to straighten both his legs, then with the speed of the Flash, and the precision of a laser, hemmed his pants and shirt so that they were now able to fit him properly. She told him to take his shoes off, then found paper at the bottom of one of the lockers, along with glue. She wadded up several pieces into thick blocks, then glued them into his shoes, allowing them to fit snugly and securely. 

Jaws could now freely move again, and he thanked Anya. She acknowledged his gratitude, then checked all the weapons in the lockers. She handed Jaws a .40 Cal handgun, with 3 spare, fully loaded, magazines. She had a couple of rifles off to the side, plus a bag of grenades and C-4. 

Satisfied, she informed Holly that the weapons were checked and ready for use. Holly gave her a thumbs up, then let the two of them know that they were about to enter Las Vegas. 

As the van was about to drive onto the Strip, Holly suddenly made a right turn down an alley that led to a dirt road. The sun was just starting to crack the darkness of the sky. Holly drove for about five minutes, then stopped the van. 

All three exited the vehicle. Holly took her weapon, plus spare magazines, while Jaws offered to take the bag of explosives and the rifles. Anya asked him if he could handle the weight. Jaws looked at her like she was crazy, and nonchalantly reached for the fully loaded bag. He lifted the bag, but it took more effort than he realized, as it was a struggle to lift it over his shoulder. Anya noticed the trouble Jaws had with bag.

This thoroughly confused Jaws, who never encountered anything like that before. He was still thinking about it when Anya, realizing what Jaws must be thinking, interrupted his thoughts by explain that along with women slowly getting taller and men slowly getting smaller, their strength was also being affected. Men were rapidly becoming weaker, while women were getting stronger. It was another aspect of Blofeld's plan.

Suddenly, there was doubt in Jaw’s eyes, as if he realized the world was the scariest thing in the universe. He looked at both Holly and Anya, now only a few inches shorter than him, and his heart sank at the realization that life would indeed be changing for the worst.

Holly said that they should get moving. She had come to the rock Leiter had described, and pulling out a flashlight, saw the fake cactus plant off to the side. It took some effort, but the plant was moved, and the ground rose up, revealing a tunnel. And it was wide enough for the van, so everyone got back in and Holly slowly guided the van down the tunnel.

Jaws was glad to be rid of the weight of the bag. It caught him completely by surprise. He never had any trouble lifting any amount of weight, and yet, a little bag felt like a ton of bricks. He just shook his head.

The van continued down the tunnel, until it came to a wall that spanned across the road. Holly exited the vehicle and checked the wall. It was solid. That part of the journey was complete. She spotted a small tunnel off to the side. That was the path to take.

As Holly headed back to the van, she thought she noticed quickly disappearing lights further behind them in the tunnel. She briefly thought about staying in position and taking care of any threat, but she felt it was best to keep moving. 

Back at the van, she informed Anya and Jaws that the tunnel ended there, but that there was a passageway to the right that was their only option. Holly also alerted them to the possibility that they would have company following them. 

Anya and Jaws both understood and agreed that they should keep moving. They gathered what they needed from the van, and headed for the opening, but not before Holly punched in a code on the dashboard panel. 

Jaws had immediately grabbed the bag with the weapons and explosives. Anya helped him carry it like a backpack. It took him a few seconds to get used to the weight and balance himself. 

Then it was through the entrance. Holly grabbed her flashlight, and after a few moments, they came upon an old abandoned copper mine. Anya knew it wasn't the optimal route to travel, but they had no other choice. 

Holly led the way, flashlight in her left hand, gun drawn in her right. Jaws was behind her, and Anya, weapon locked and loaded, brought up the rear, paying special attention for any possible threats from behind. 

After walking what felt like a football field’s length, they came upon a fork in the tunnel. They dare not split up, but didn't know which one to take. Holly asked Anya and Jaws for their opinions. Neither had anything definitive to offer, so they decided to head down the left tunnel.

After about a hundred feet, they heard voices behind them. All three turned around. Jaws dropped the bag, drew his weapon, and made his way to a jut in the wall, offering him some protection. Holly hid behind a boulder off to the side, while Anya moved behind an abandoned tram  off to the other side.

The atmosphere was full of tension as the voices grew closer and louder. Guns drawn, the three awaited their visitors, until a wall came down behind Holly and another in front of Anya. 

Surprised, they looked at each other, then smelled an off putting odor. Jaws was the first to be knocked out. But Anya and Holly, due to the changing physiology, took a lot longer. But eventually, their world faded to black.

Bond was laying on the bench when the cell door opened, and in walked his captor. She had a tray with food in her left hand. She glanced at Bond, who asked her why he was taken prisoner? Who was behind this? The large girl just looked at him in silence. 

Bond tried to sprint for the open door, and thought he had moved far enough away from the girl to escape, until he felt a large, powerful hand grab his shirt, and, without any effort, force him back onto the bench, while still holding the tray in her left hand. Bond was demoralized.

Then the Russian lady from earlier appeared, and informed Bond that his friends had arrived. Bond sank even further into helplessness. It meant that Holly and Anya had been captured. She said the words without any hint of fear in her voice.

She then turned to the young girl and told her that they had a surprise for her. The giant girl looked at the older lady and smiled. She knew who it was.

Bond sat dejectedly on the bench, placed there against his will, by the girl with incredible size and strength. She was holding his tray of food in one hand, caught him with her other, never spilling a single drop, while talking to the Russian lady like nothing was happening. He could do nothing to counteract the woman. She was too damn strong. 

To make matters worse, while Bond was on the bench, two female guards carried in another man, and placed him lying down next to him. The young Giantess gave the guards Bond’s tray of food to take away, then she bent over, hovering above him in a menacing manner, while the older lady came over and told him that it was impolite to try and run. It gave her the impression that he was rude, and a guest should never be rude.

Bond’s spirit was nearly broken. He had been manhandled, forcibly stripped of his clothes, had his food taken away as punishment, and lectured like a little boy by his teacher. And to top it off, the girl in front of him was trying to intimidate him, and she was. 

The girl stood up, and then looked at the figure still on the bench and unconscious. She placed her hand on his face, then turned and left with the Russian. Bond didn't even bother to look up when the door slammed close.

Once the women were gone, he stood up and went to the door, and pulled on the bars. He knew it wouldn't make a difference, but it was more out of habit than anything. He turned to go back to the bench, and glancing at the man passed out, instantly recognized him, and he started to steel himself for the trouble that would most likely follow.

Anya and Holly woke up in a cold, damp cell. Their heads hurt, and their vision blurred. They stood up and struggled mightily to keep their balance. They both took deep breaths, and used techniques both learned, to regulate their bodies. Gradually, vision became normal, and the pain in their heads went away.

They asked each other how they were doing, when the door to their cell opened, and in walked the two ladies that had just left Bond to wallow in pity. Anya recognized the Russian, while Holly guessed that the younger, much larger, lady was Jennifer Burton. She had a very beautiful face, and a body that seemed a mile wide. The strength of Jaws, the beauty of Dolly. 

Anya and the Russian stared coldly at each other, then began a conversation in their native tongue. Holly had become proficient in the language, so she was able to follow along. 

Anya called Irina by name, and said that she wasn't surprised that she was involved in what was happening. Her coward of a father tried to undermine Mother Russia, only to be shot trying to escape into West Germany.

Normally, Holly would be shocked by what Anya had said, but she knew what her friend was trying to accomplish. Immediately go for the verbal kill shot, and see if your enemy can be rattled. If so, one could play mind games, and rather successfully, in order to manipulate them into a fatal mistake. 

But Irina remained calm, showing no emotion whatsoever. She coldly looked at XXX, and said if it wasn't for General Gogol thinking that she was good in the sack, Anya would have been nothing more than a glorified mail clerk 

That stung Anya a little. When she was recruited into the KGB, men who were rejected had subtly hinted it was because she was on her knees in front of Gogol. It hurt then, and fueled her ambition to be the best at everything she did. 

Irina knew that she hit a nerve. She continued that Anya couldn't even handle Karl Stromberg without the help of a man. This caused XXX’s blood pressure to rise.

Holly sensed her friend was in trouble, so interrupted with a question. What was the ultimate end for the plan in motion? Irina looked at Holly and gave a brief smile, saying that they would learn soon enough, then cryptically adding that James Bond, and others like him, won’t enjoy life afterwards. Then the women turned and left, slamming the door behind them.

Once Holly and Anya were alone, they finally noticed that they were in different clothes. Basic t-shirts and pants. That was it. It meant that they had been searched, and all spare and hidden weapons had been confiscated. 

Anya was upset, but it wasn't just Irina getting under her skin. She blamed herself for falling into Irina’s trap. As an experienced officer in the Russian military, and the head of Russian Counter Intelligence, she should have been able to spot the signs. Instead, she let her guard down and became sloppy.  And they were captured as a result. She cursed herself under her breath.

Jaws began stirring, which made 007 tense up and prepare himself for any trouble that might occur. He looked around for anything that might come in handy, but found nothing.

Jaws sat up, unable to focus his eyes, or even stand up. He tried to say something, but it sounded like nothing but gibberish. Bond cautiously approached his former enemy, unsure of what he would do if attacked. 

After a few minutes, Jaws mind and vision cleared enough to recognize 007, and raised his hands, but only to let Bond know that he meant no harm. He asked the secret agent where he was, and how did he get there.

Bond looked at him for a minute, then said he wasn't sure, but he had a pretty good idea that they were beneath the old Whyte House. As for how he got there, two women brought him in while he was  unconscious.

Bond asked Jaws what he remembered. Jaws replied that he, Holly, and Anya were in an old mine shaft when there was a funny smell, then his world went dark. 007 thought for a moment, then told him it was knockout gas. 

Bond’s next question to him was why was he there, in Vegas. Jaws explained everything about his life and journey up until then, leaving nothing out. 007 finally put two and two together, and said that he suspected that his daughter, Jennifer, was the one who kidnapped him. He described her height, very feminine face, and incredible strength. Jaws said that it sounded like his girl. 

Neither one could come up with a reason for why she would be involved in the situation overtaking the world, but involved she was. Bond sat next to his former foe. His natural inclination was to not trust him, but if both Holly and Anya were comfortable with him in the mix, then he had no other choice. 

Holly examined the cell door. Iron, though some of it looked rusted. Anya was still upset with herself for their predicament, and wasn't really paying attention. Holly remembered what was happening in the world, and taking a chance, grabbed hold of the bars. 

She pulled them towards her, but felt no movement. She reapplied her grip, and pulled harder. The iron shifted ever so slightly. She tried again, this time with maximum effort, and to her surprise, the door came off its hinges. They were free.

Anya wasn't really paying attention at first, but when she heard the door come off, she looked up. She asked Holly what happened, and Dr Goodhead explained what she did, and why she did it. Anya was extremely impressed, and both women left the cell in search of James Bond and Jaws.

Irina and Jennifer were in an office glued to a video screen. They watched Holly pull the door off. They looked at each other, and Irina said one word- excellent!

Anya and Holly made their way through a winding corridor until they heard voices. They stopped and listened. It was Bond and Jaws talking to each other. The girls, once they were sure there were no enemy personnel in the area, proceeded to the cell where the men were kept. 

Bond sensed a couple of figures approaching, and signaled Jaws to be silent. It was only after he saw the girls that he relaxed. Coming to the cell door, he then realized that his height loss was accelerating. He barely came up to the area halfway between Holly and Anya’s breast and neck.

And when Jaws came to the cell door, he too realized that he was a mere two inches taller than they were. He started to feel less like a man and more like a child, at least mentally.

But his feeling of self-pity was short lived, as both he and 007 just stood there and watched in amazement as Holly grabbed a hold of the cell door with both hands and lifted it completely off its hinges. 

Neither Bond, nor Jaws understood how the event they just witnessed was even possible. Holly could see the confusion on their faces, and quickly explained that as the people in the world were experiencing dramatic changes in their sizes, their strength was also changing, and rapidly. 

Still seeing the look of disbelief on both their faces, Holly walked over to Bond, apologized, saying that that was the only way she could prove her point, proceeded to place her hands under his armpits, and lift him straight up with almost no effort. Then she gently placed his feet back on the ground. 

Bond just looked up at her in stunned silence. He had just been deadlifted by a woman like he weighed nothing. It was at that moment when he truly began to realize how much different things were going to be throughout the world. He looked at Jaws, who realized himself that his incredible strength was now at a fraction of what it was. He doubted he could take either Anya or Holly in a fight. He felt impotent, just like 007 had earlier.

Anya snapped the men out of the feelings of pity that they had been feeling, telling them both to focus on the task at hand. Normally very sympathetic during the occuring ordeal, her voice was one of sterness and discipline. Both Jaws and Bond inadvertently snapped to attention, before realizing their actions. 

Anya led the way out of the cell, followed by Jaws, Bond, and Holly. The girls thought that the men would be safer if they were between them.

While all that was happening, Irina and the young girl were watching the video feed intently. As far as Dr Orlov was concerned, Holly Goodhead passed her test. Irina pushed a button, then she and Jennifer left the room, heading for the center of the complex.

Anya led the way. But she thought she heard a noise, and stopped, signaling for the others to do the same. She listened intently, hearing nothing. But she had a strong feeling that something wasn't right. She instinctively reached for her weapon, but it wasn't there, having been confiscated when she was captured. She cursed silently. 

Anya tried to peak her head out around a corner to see if she could spot anything, but saw nothing. It was then that multiple enemies descended upon the four of them, and from all directions. 

Holly immediately turned around and took on about three combatants, all trading blows that felt light to them, but would have killed a male instantly. Anya battles the three assailants in front of her, leaving two assailants, one for Jaws and one for Bond.

Both tried to put up some sort of resistance, but the assailants’ overpowering strength made it about as effective as tissue paper trying to stop a brick. 

While the girls were fighting off the enemy, they could hear both Bond and Jaws begging to be let go, and their voices were cracking, an indication that they were on the verge of tears. But neither Holly or Anya could help at the moment. 

Eventually, they overcame their attackers, but it took longer than they wanted. They had no idea where Bond or Jaws were, and couldn't hear any noise to point them in the right direction.

Normally under control of her emotions, Anya lost control and punched the wall. Her jaw dropped when she realized that she punched a hole clear through the brick. She looked at Holly, speechless. Dr Goodhead looked at her, and said she had been trying to tell her about what she discovered. 

Both women now possessed incredible strength, maybe 4 or 5 times that of what the strongest men had before the changes occured. Anya looked at her hand. No sign of any damage from the wall. But a gaping hole existed. 

Holly told Anya that she would bet her life that all women in the world were experiencing the same strength increase, as well as the inverse. Men were now weaker than 6 yr old girls. It was terrible to think about the consequences of that. All a man had to do was mouth off to his wife or girlfriend, and one little whack could result in his death. A terrible thought indeed.

But Holly told Anya that they needed to find Bond and Jaws, and the sooner the better. Anya got her focus back, and agreed. So the two of them set off down a passageway. 

They remained completely silent, hoping to hear any sort of noise that could give them a clue, but they heard nothing. They continued on, coming to a junction. Unsure of what hallway to take, and not wanting to split up, they decided to do the old Soviet method and go left. 

After what seemed like a hundred feet, they finally heard the sounds of activity in the distance. They cautiously approached a clearing, and when they looked, they saw forklifts and pallet jacks being used. It confused them, because it reminded them of a warehouse more than an evil villain's lair.

They started to move forward when they were stopped by twenty women, all holding machine guns, and all pointed at the two of them. With no better options, Holly and Anya raised their hands up, and allowed themselves to be taken prisoner again.