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.