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 Chapter 1: Passenger for Flight 154 quote:The man who entered the airport washroom had light hair, cut neatly to collar length. Stocky, and around five feet three inches in height, he wore crumpled jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers. A trained observer would have particularly noted the piercing light blue eyes, above which thin brows arched in long curves that almost met above the slim nose. Were you expecting enthusiasm from an airport janitor? quote:Once inside, the man slid the bolt and placed the suitcase on the lavatory seat, opening it to remove a mirror which he hung on the door hook before starting to strip as far as his white undershorts. Before removing the T-shirt, he slid his fingers expertly below the hairline at his temples, peeling back the wig to reveal close-cropped natural hair underneath. Holy poo poo, it's Tom Cruise! quote:Adjusting the mirror on the door, he now donned a white silk shirt, and knotted a pearl grey tie into place, before opening an oblong plastic box that had been lying held in place by the shoes on either side directly beneath the corset, socks, trousers and shirt, in the suitcase. Ludwig Leichner was an opera singer and student of chemistry in the new gaslight era of theatre. While theatrical makeup was originally a set of garishly colored powders to create exaggerated faces that could be easily seen under candle or lantern light, the invention of bright gas lighting brought 19th century theatre into stark relief even to the back rows. In 1873, Leichner established a cosmetics company in Berlin selling grease-based makeup that could be easily applied and kept from running on a sweaty face. It still created an exaggerated appearance by modern standards, but it was less messy and clownish than the 18th century product and could be applied with some more subtlety. quote:The man smiled at the unfamiliar face now looking back at him from the mirror, completing the new picture with a pair of steel-framed, clear-glass lensed, spectacles. Leichner's unproven relative apart, the unrecognisable person looking out from the mirror was a make-up expert and disguise artist in his own right. It was part of his stock-in-trade probably the least lethal part and he had studied under top men and women in Hollywood, as well as being almost encyclopaedic in the personal knowledge he had culled from all the famous works, such as Lacy's Art of Acting, the anonymous Practical Guide to the Art of Making Up, by 'Haresfoot and Rouge', and the other standard works by Leman Rede, C. H. Fox, and the great S. J. A. Fitzgerald. Not sure how practical the Practical Guide to the Art of Making Up would be for him, considering that the book was over a hundred years old by the time this takes place. quote:Now he closed the oblong box, removed a jacket, which matched the trousers, from the case, filled his pockets with an assortment of items wallet, passport, travel documents, handkerchief, loose change and notes and took a final look at himself in the mirror. He then packed everything with extreme care, clipped a gold digital watch around his left wrist and removed a final item from a pocket in the lid a tightly fitting cover, which, when slipped into place over the suitcase, gave it an outer skin: changing the colour from brown to a glossy black. Lastly, he closed up, slid the new skin around the case, and spun the numbered safety locks.  By 1980, digital watches had become an everyday item thanks to cheap electronics and LCD displays. A legitimately gold watch would still be as expensive as any gold watch, but a regular digital watch could be had for the equivalent of $30 or less. quote:Taking a final look around, the man checked his pockets and left the cubicle, completely unrecognisable as the person who had entered. He walked straight to the exit, then out, across the concourse, to the check-in desk. Wait, that's all we get for the first chapter? gently caress that, let's do the second one! Chapter 2: Thoughts in a Surrey Lane quote:James Bond changed down into third gear, drifted the Saab 900 Turbo into a tight left-hand turn, clinging to the grass verge, then put on a fraction more power to bring the car out of the bend. He drifted a what now quote:He was driving through a complicated series of country lanes backdoubles as London cabbies would call them following a short cut through the hedges, rolling fields and cathedral arches of trees threading the byways of Surrey. It was a cross-country route that would, finally, take him on to the Guildford by-pass and a straight run, on good roads, into London. Not only has Bond traded his Bentley for a Saab, he's moved out of London to a cottage in Surrey! What other changes could have been made to Bond over the years? quote:The week-end had been planned for some time, and, as the builders and decorators had just moved out, this was to have been his first free week-end at the cottage. Furthermore, he had planned to spend it with a girl friend of long standing an agile, superbly nubile blonde he had known as Bill Tanner, M's Chief-of-Staff put it 'on and off for years'. The fact that she lived only six miles or so from the cottage had greatly influenced Bond's purchase. On that Friday, he had completed a mound of paperwork in record time, not even leaving the office for lunch, so that he could get out of the hot chaos of London traffic in good time, before the normal Friday evening snarl-up began. Well, at least that's no different. quote:The countryside was at its best; the mixed fragrance of a perfect summer filtering into the car, bringing with it a sense of well-being and contentment something rare for Bond these days. Fleming's watch was simply a stainless steel Rolex rather than gold; I don't think it fits Bond's style to wear something as flashy as a gold watch. At least he's sticking to the lightweight worsted suits and Sea Island cotton.  Guerlain's Impιriale was the famous house's first eau de cologne, introduced in 1853 for the French Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugιnie. Like many of the toiletry brands covered in this series, Guerlain has since been bought by LVMH and gained some minor infamy about 15 years ago when Patricia de Nicolai, great-granddaughter of Pierre Guerlain, publicly spoke out against the company's longtime misogyny in banning women from the business of perfume and being denied the position of their in-house perfumer despite her talent purely on the basis of gender; she has since become the president of the Osmothθque, the famous French scent archive. quote:It was more of a purr than a ring. The red 'phone. His heart sank. Both here, at the cottage, and in his London flat off the King's Road, James Bond was required to have two telephones: one for normal use, though unlisted; and a second, red instrument a flat, angled piece of equipment, without dial or number punches. Called, in his trade, a 'wiretap trap', this secure, sterile, unbuggable 'phone was linked directly to the building overlooking Regent's Park, known as the headquarters of Transworld Export Ltd. Tanner's on the other end of the line. M has requested his presence immediately, with no other information and no way to weasel out of it even on a Friday night. quote:As he reached the Guildford by-pass, Bond remembered the sound of disappointment in his girl friend's voice when he had telephoned to say the week-end was off. He supposed that should be some consolation not that there was much to console Bond these days. There had even been times, recently, when he had seriously considered resigning to use the jargon, 'go private'. Argot changes. At one time the phrase would have meant defection; but not any more.  The "Halloween Massacre" began in August 1977, when the CIA began sending out memos encouraging staff to retire immediately with full benefits. When this didn't pan out, over 800 staff (including hundreds of agents) were abruptly terminated. The new CIA director, Stansfield Turner, wanted to shake up the agency. Jimmy Carter came into the presidency to find an intelligence community discredited by the Watergate scandal, controversial assassinations, and various human rights violations. Turner decided that the CIA needed to shift from human intelligence (HUMINT) operations to signal interception and scientific and technical study of other powers. The massive cut in staff caused turmoil within the agency, with staff leaving graffiti on bulletin boards and wearing anti-Turner shirts to work. As seen above, sometimes just a telegram would suffice. quote:'Trying to draw our fangs, James,' M had continued on that depressing day. Then, with one of those rare smiles which seemed to light up the deep grey eyes, M grunted that Whitehall had taken on the wrong man while he was still in charge. 'As far as I'm concerned, 007, you will remain 007. I shall take full responsibility for you; and you will, as ever, accept orders and assignments only from me. There are moments when this country needs a trouble-shooter a blunt instrument and by heaven it's going to have one. They can issue their pieces of bumf and abolish the Double-O section. We can simply change its name. It will now be the Special Section, and you are it. Understand, 007?' And with one paragraph, Gardner establishes our new conceit: the Double-O section may be gone, but M will have none of that! Bond is just his personal badass now! quote:'Of course, sir.' Bond remembered smiling. In spite of M's brusque and often uncompromising attitude, Bond loved him as a father. To 007, M was the Service, and the Service was Bond's life. After all, what M suggested was exactly what the Russians had done with his old enemies SMERSH Smyert Shpionam, Death to Spies. They still existed, the dark core at the heart of the K.G.B., having gone through a whole gamut of metamorphoses, becoming the O.K.R., then the Thirteenth Department of Line F, and now, Department Viktor. Yet their work and basic organisation remained the same political murder; kidnap; sabotage; assassination; the quick disposal of enemy agents, either after interrogation or as acts of war on the secret battlefield. Department V, formerly The 13th Department, was the KGB department dedicated to wet work: murder, kidnapping, and sabotage. You know, all the stuff James Bond does, but Soviet! quote:Bond had left M's office on that occasion in an elated mood. Yet, in the few years that had passed since, he had performed only four missions in which his Double-O prefix had played any part. A portion of his work was to kill people. It was not a facet of life he enjoyed, but he did it very well in the course of duty. There was certainly no pathological hankering after that kind of work. It was the active life that Bond missed; the continual challenge of a new problem, a difficult decision in the field, the sense of purpose and of serving his country. Sometimes he wondered if he was falling under the spell of that malaise which seemed, on occasions, to grip Britain by the throat political and economic lethargy, combined with a short-term view of the world's problems. My, my, doesn't this seem familiar? quote:He still kept in the peak of condition: each morning going through a rigorous workout of press-ups, leg-raising, arm and breathing exercises. There was a 'refresher' on combat and silent kills once a month, at the firm's training establishment; the weekly small arms shoot in the sophisticated electronic range far below the Regent's Park headquarters; and the monthly all-weapons shoot at the Maidstone Police Range. Twice a year he disappeared for a fortnight to the SAS headquarters in Herefordshire. Holy poo poo, what kind of Bond is this? quote:For the rest, the last few years for Bond had been the grind of an executive officer to M: planning paperwork, interrogating, de-briefing, analysis, dirty tricks and bugging operations, with his fair share of Duty Officer watches to stand. His only extra joys during this period had come from the purchase of the cottage and the new car. Depending on where in that 5-mile radius he is, Bond has moved a good 40-50 miles southwest of London into the countryside. Must have been serious about retiring. quote:The car was a different matter. With fuel costs running high, and the inevitability that they would continue to do so, Bond had allowed the beloved old Mark II Continental Bentley to go the way of its predecessor, the 4·5-litre Bentley.   Out of all the changes Gardner made to Bond, the switch to a Saab 900 Turbo, the "Silver Beast", was one of the more controversial. Communication Control Systems, Ltd. is a real company (now known as Security Intelligence Technology Group) and Gardner had tried to work realistic gadgets into its construction. So realistic, in fact, that Saab even produced a replica car (albeit with smoke generators instead of tear gas) for promotional tours! Despite the strange plots of the later books, Gardner was determined to make Bond feel grounded. He was now a private individual with limited support from Q Branch during a recession. There was no longer an unlimited expense account for missions or having whatever gear he needed airlifted into the field at a moment's notice. Bond was thus given one of the latest and greatest European compacts, an unassuming but nimble hatchback sold on the basis of its power and list of real world gadgets like heated seats, headlight washers, an air filter for the cabin, and "self-repairing" bumpers made from a honeycomb plastic structure that will slowly bend back into place when crushed by an impact. Despite the odd looks the Silver Beast gets when mentioned to film and classic book fans, car geeks approve. quote:The London Friday evening rush was almost over by the time he reached Roehampton; so the Saab was in Bond's personal parking slot, in the underground garage of the headquarters building, before seven-thirty. Especially since he no longer has a secretary of his own! quote:'Tell Commander Bond to come straight in,' M's voice snapped metallically from the intercom box on Miss Moneypenny's desk. Janet Reger, of course, is a lingerie brand. quote:Miss Moneypenny was still blushing as Bond disappeared into M's office and closed the door. A red warning light blinked on above the door as it clicked shut. She stared into space for a moment, her head filled with the after-image of the man who had just entered M's inner sanctum: the bronzed good-looking face, with rather long dark eyebrows above the wide, level blue eyes; the three-inch scar which just showed down his right cheek; the long, very straight nose, and the fine, though cruel, mouth. Minute flecks of grey had just started to show in the dark hair, which still retained its boyish black comma above the right eye. As yet, no plumpness had appeared around the jowls, and the line of the jaw was as straight and firm as ever. It was the face of an attractive buccaneer, Miss Moneypenny thought, shaking herself out of a slightly improper reverie, and wondering if she should have warned James Bond that M was not alone in his office. Meanwhile, 500 miles north of this scene, another door is being opened by our disguise artist from the first chapter. quote:The room in which he had been waiting was a familiar place to him now, after so many visits: book-lined, with a large military desk, comfortable leather chairs, the impressive cabinet containing, literally, priceless antique weapons a pair of chased silver flint-lock pistols, a matched set of American Kentucky hand guns, lavishly inlaid, a French wheel-lock with mother-of-pearl and gold wire stock decoration, a pair of cutlass pistols, and an Allen pepper-box with six revolving barrels. The artist of disguise knew the pieces and lusted after them on each viewing. The whole place had that air of solidity which comes with what is known as 'old money'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnirpFYdqrs Gardner does better than any prior writer except Kingsley Amis on his gun writing. The pepperbox is an example of the kind of gun only a legitimately knowledgeable writer would throw in: these were inexpensive handguns that used a cluster of revolving barrels to make them cheaper and easier to manufacture than a normal revolver. They were produced in huge numbers by companies like Allen & Thurber for decades before finally being rendered truly obsolete by the metallic cartridge (and Rollin White's patent expiring on bored-through cylinders for cartridges, which had caused many headaches for the Union in the Civil War), though they would hang on in small numbers into the late 19th century. Such a writer as Mark Twain joked about their inaccuracy in Roughing It quote:The person who entered the room was its owner, playing host now to the man from Dublin. They shook hands, almost gravely, the guest waiting in silence until his patron had moved to the large upright chair behind the desk. He did not speak until he was seated. A good sign of your villainous organization: making this poo poo up as you go. quote:The man behind the desk laid his hands flat on the leather top. 'So be it.' He nodded his head in a quick, birdlike, manner. 'You had no trouble?' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrGOhF5cJH4 quote:'There is much to talk about. Europe, I presume, is completely arranged?'
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Sep 9, 2020 18:22
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https://twitter.com/BBCBreaking/status/1304049905711943680
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Sep 10, 2020 20:53
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What a shame! "We'll have all the time in the world."
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Sep 11, 2020 01:17
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  Picked up a new book...
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Sep 11, 2020 03:19
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If thats what youre into at the moment look for the granddaddy of them all, The Expert at the Card Table.
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Sep 11, 2020 04:21
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Midjack posted:If thats what youre into at the moment look for the granddaddy of them all, The Expert at the Card Table. This is actually the book Bond reads in Moonraker! It's the 1973 edition (I can't imagine how rare a 1949 one is), but it's supposedly broadly the same except for adding in new games and methods that had become popular in the intervening decades.
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Sep 11, 2020 04:43
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it's always the James Bond thread.
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Sep 11, 2020 05:30
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Chapter 3: The Oppositionquote:Bond became more alert when he reached the far side of M's door. He was prepared for his old chief to be seated in his usual concentrated position behind the large glass-topped desk; but he was not expecting to find two extra men in the room. MI5, "The Opposition", is the counter-intelligence and security for British sovereign territory. Duggan and Ross already see M once a week at the Joint Intelligence Committee meeting and their "friendly" rivalry would normally preclude any meetings otherwise. There's something very strange about them suddenly showing up here. quote:M motioned Bond into a leather chair and looked a shade too benignly, Bond thought first at his two visitors, then at Bond. 'Our friends from M.I.5 have a small problem, Commander,' he began, and Bond noted with caution that M was treating him with almost military correctness. 'It is an interesting situation, and I feel you might be able to help; especially as it has all the marks of moving out of M.1.5's jurisdiction, and into our own area.' He tapped his pipe into the copper ashtray on the desk. For the first time, Bond noticed his chief had a file lying directly in front of him. It was thick and marked with the red Most Secret: Classified tags. Two small circles, on the top right hand corner of the white binding, denoted that the file concerned both European and Middle East connections; while a small sticker bore the words, which Bond could easily read upside down, 'Not for Brotherhood', which meant it contained information not to be circulated to the American service, the C.I.A. Not even a fancy self-destruct mechanism? quote:'I think,' M said, looking at the Director-General of M.I.5, 'it would be best if the two of you put Commander Bond in the picture. Then we can take it on from there.' Sharp....baby? quote:He turned back to Sir Richard Duggan, asking if they wanted him to continue. BOAC, the famous airline of Bond's travels, was merged by an Act of Parliament in 1974 into British Airways. quote:'He would, I think, be best described as an anti-capitalist.' Bond lit his cigarette and gave a small quick smile. 'The paradox has always been that, for an anti-capitalist, he appears to be exceptionally well-off. There is evidence that he has personally paid for, and provided, arms for a number of terrorist acts. He has certainly committed murder, in connection with two political kidnappings not to mention those who have died in bomb attacks inspired directly by him. A very dangerous and most wanted man, Sir Richard.' Despite British security services being on alert for Franco, his disguises were enough to let him slip through 5 times in 3 months without being nabbed. On his last appearance, they successfully trailed him all the way to the village of Murcaldy in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. quote:'And we're sure who it was he visited there,' Duggan smiled. 'Just as we're certain he's gone to the same place this time. I have two officers breathing down his neck. He came in from Dublin this morning and we were tipped off from there. He went straight to King's Cross and took the first train to Edinburgh rings the changes, you know. He'll have reached his destination by now. We expect further reports any time.' Obviously, it's rather alarming that an international terrorist has made what appears to be 5 visits in recent months to an internationally renowned/disgraced nuclear physicist. Because MI5 can't track either's movements legally if they leave British soil, they want Bond on the job. quote:Duggan deferred to M. 'Only if that is ah convenient. But I really don't think there's much time left on this trip. Anton Murik owns a string of race horses, which he has under training in England. Two are running at Ascot this coming week one in the Gold Cup. It's his one passion, apart from nuclear physics. Franco will either be gone by the middle of the week, or up at the Castle awaiting Murik's return from Ascot.' Once the two "Opposition" men are gone, Bond and M continue to talk privately. Bond thinks it's a simple matter of a terrorist working with a nuclear physicist to create a nuke, but M disregards that because of the relative ease with which a knowledgeable terrorist could create a crude dirty bomb. He thinks there's more possibilities if Franco is contacting a Scottish aristocrat. quote:'First,' M ticked off the index finger of his left hand with that of his right, the pipe jammed into the corner of his mouth, held tightly between his teeth as he spoke. 'First, it could mean that Franco is setting up a very sophisticated operation, and is soliciting Anton Murik's specialist help and knowledge. Second' the fingers moved 'it could be the other way around: that Dr Anton Murik is seeking Franco's aid on a little adventure of his own. Either of those possibilities is going to take more than five short visits from Franco.' And of course, M knows more than he let on. MI6 has already been keeping an eye on Murik for some time: he was kicked out of the International Atomic Energy Commission. quote:M took the pipe from his mouth, looking Bond straight in the eyes. 'Even his title Laird of Murcaldy is more than highly suspect, as Ross mentioned. No, I don't intend to send you scooting off to Scotland, 007. It's my job to see that you're properly briefed, and given good support and cover. The hell with "The Opposition" and their surveillance team. I want to get you as close to Murik as possible. On the inside; and before we get to that, there's a great deal you should know about the so-called Laird of Murcaldy.'
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Sep 11, 2020 15:41
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Gardner here retains the films' convention of having Bond himself do the exposition in an important meeting with M and others, rather than Fleming's preference for having 007 read some intelligence briefing, or use the omniescent narrator's voice.quote:For the first time, Bond noticed his chief had a file lying directly in front of him. It was thick and marked with the red Most Secret: Classified tags. Two small circles, on the top right hand corner of the white binding, denoted that the file concerned both European and Middle East connections; while a small sticker bore the words, which Bond could easily read upside down, 'Not for Brotherhood', which meant it contained information not to be circulated to the American service, the C.I.A. British use of "Most Secret" was in fact phased out during the Second World War to align with the American "Top Secret" classification and avoid misunderstandings.
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Sep 11, 2020 21:06
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*staggers in from goldmined thread* hello I read at least one of the Gardner books years ago - I'd read Fleming's originals, saw one of his at a local library, picked it up and read it. I can't remember which one it was but I remember a few scenes from it so hopefully I'll recognize it when you get there. I don't want to go look it up just yet. I don't think it was the first since I remember the ASP. I also remember thinking it kinda sucked so we'll see if that opinion holds up these many years later! e: yes there is the possibility I'm misremembering and it's a Benson book I remember being bad, but the timing seems right for Gardner and so does the ASP. Gonna be fun to find out anyway, right? Psion fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Sep 11, 2020 |
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Sep 11, 2020 21:12
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Chapter 4: Dossier on a Lairdquote:It was obviously going to be a long evening, and Bond thought he should not surprise May, his able and devoted housekeeper, by returning suddenly and late to the flat off the King's Road. Arbroath smokies are smoked haddock famously connected to Arbroath, Scotland. Not something we've normally seen Bond eat, and an especially regional Scottish dish. quote:The fact that Bond was only out of his office for a few minutes mollified M, who had refilled his pipe and was poring over the dossiers. Caustically he asked if 007 had managed to arrange matters so that they were not interrupted again. Anton's father left home at 18 to explore the world and never returned. He sent a letter home saying he had met and married an English woman in Palermo. Shortly thereafter, in 1920, a very pregnant young lady appeared at Murik Castle saying that her husband had been killed by Sicilian bandits. The newspapers did report on an "Englishman" being killed at the time, but listed his wife dead as well; the young woman claimed that was actually her maid. There's still suspicions even among Anton Murik's staff that he's not the true Laird Murik, but nobody's willing to say it out loud. M hands Bond Murik's dossier. quote:Anton Angus Murik. Born Murik Castle, Murcaldy, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland, December 18th, 1920. Educated Harrow and St John's College, Cambridge. First Class Honours in Physics followed by a Fellowship, then a Doctorate. So good that he was reserved for work under Professor Lindemann later Lord Cherwell scientific adviser to Winston Churchill; also worked on Manhattan Project (the making and testing of the first atomic bomb); Committee for the Peaceful use of Atomic Energy; International Atomic Energy Commission Ross and Cromarty is actually where my family comes from! My dad's side of the family is Scottish old money that's traced their lineage to at least the 16th century from what I recall. Reverend John Urquhart of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in NYC is an ancestor of mine! quote:Murik had resigned from this last position just two years ago. There followed a lengthy and impressive list of companies with which Murik was associated. Bond's eyebrows gradually rose higher as he read the list. Among other things, Anton Murik was Chairman of Micro-Modulators Ltd, Eldon Electronics Ltd, Micro Sea Scale Ltd and Aldan Aerospace, Inc. In addition he sat on countless boards, all of which had some direct application to nuclear power or electronics. Bond also saw that the firms included some specialist contractors with great knowledge of design and building in the field of nuclear reactors. That's more of an FBI thing, I think. quote:'Don't be flippant, 007. You have to look at the financial aspect.'   In March of 1979, just before Gardner began writing this book, the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor in Pennsylvania partially melted down. Operators using compressed air to clean out water filters accidentally forced some water past a valve that was stuck open and into an instrument air line. The turbines failed at 4:00 AM and the reactor began automatic emergency shutdown, but the staff had shut down all of the valves to the water pumps for maintenance without turning the reactor off and thus caused a buildup of heat as the control rods entered the reactor and the decay heat had nowhere left to go. A broken relief valve got stuck open and a confusing user interface led operators to falsely believe the valve had closed automatically; one thing led to another, confusion and poor procedures continued mounting, and it all spiraled until the nuclear fuel rod cladding melted and radioactive water leaked out of the system. While there were no fatalities and there doesn't seem to have even been an increase in cancer levels in the area from the release of radioactive gases into the environment, anti-nuclear activists were galvanized. Ralph Nader and Jane Fonda led a protest of 200,000 people in New York City and politicians attended rallies against nuclear power. The historic growth of the American nuclear power industry came to a screeching halt, and the deadly Chernobyl accident in Ukraine in 1986 would turn this into a worldwide phenomenon. quote:'So they cut off the money.' As far as M is concerned, MI5 has everything settled with following Franco. His job will be to follow Murik when he inevitably leaves the country. quote:First, he explained the obvious. With the castle and huge estate, the Laird of Murcaldy had immediate access to manpower. 'He's got gamekeepers, wardens, and every imaginable kind of servant up there, from drivers to guards: so, as far as the Laird's concerned, he has no real security problem. There is a central core of family, though. First, the doctor himself.'   Decent job by the artist! Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, was the highly influential newspaper man who turned the Daily Express into a media juggernaut. He had incredible power in the government through his friendships as high up as Winston Churchill himself; he was made the first Minister of Aircraft Production in 1940, then Minister of Supply, then Minister of War Production. His exact contribution to the war effort is still controversial outside of the loud public image he created. He was a hardcore Conservative imperialist who made himself a historian and moved to Canada in 1951 to become the chancellor-for-life and major benefactor of the University of New Brunswick, dying in 1964 just two months before Ian Fleming. Beaverbrook himself had a personal relationship with Fleming, beginning in 1957 when he approached Fleming to ask to serialize his stories as comics in the newspaper. They had a fight in 1962 that temporarily ended the comic when Fleming sold the rights to "The Living Daylights" to the Sunday Times, but they resolved their differences immediately before their mutual deaths and the comics would continue with the remaining Bond novels, then original stories until 1977. quote:The next print showed a woman, probably in her early forties, very fine-looking, with sharp, classic features, and dark, upswept hair. Her eyes were large, but not Bond thought innocent. Even in this image they seemed to contain a wealth of worldly knowledge; and the mouth, while generous, was not out of proportion, the edges of the lips tilting slightly upwards, in some ways softening the features.  quote:This time it was another woman, much younger, and certainly, if the picture was really accurate, a stunning girl. Blonde hair fell around the sides of her face in a smooth, thick sheen; while the face itself was reminiscent of Lauren Bacall as a young woman. This one had the same high cheek bones, the promise of some smoulder in the dark eyes, and a mouth made striking by the sensuality of her lower lip. Above the eyes, her brows were shaped naturally, in a kind of elongated circumflex. Bond allowed himself to relax in an almost inaudible low whistle.  quote:M cut short this reflex reaction. 'Anton Murik's ward. Miss Lavender Peacock. The relationship is not known. She became his ward in 1970, all legal daughter of some second cousin, the court report says. Father and mother both killed in an air crash. There's a little money several thousand which comes to Miss Peacock when she reaches her twenty-seventh birthday. That is next year.' That's not a real name! quote:Bond observed that Lavender Peacock was quite a girl, though he somehow thought he recognised her not just from her resemblance to the young Bacall.  Why is Mary-Jane the only one not to get a celebrity lookalike? quote:'Possible, 007. The girl's kept on a tight rein, though. In some matters the Laird is very old-fashioned. Lavender Peacock is treated like a fragile piece of china. Private tutors when she was a kid, trips abroad only when accompanied by Murik and trusted watchdogs. The Mashkin woman's toted her around a bit, and you may have seen her picture in connection with that dressmaking business. From time to time the Laird allows her to model but only at very special functions, and always with the watchdogs around.' Of course. Scottish. quote:There was a long silence. At last Bond took a deep breath. He had been looking at the triptych of photographs in front of him. 'So you want me to ingratiate myself with this little lot; find out why Franco's paying so much attention; and generally make myself indispensable?' Over the short call, M confirms with MI5 that Bond is on the job. Franco is at Castle Murik and they're ready to tail him if he takes off. quote:'Talking of cover ' Bond started.
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Sep 12, 2020 04:51
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Chapter 5: The Road to Ascotquote:Apart from the great golf tournaments, James Bond did not care much for those events which still constitute what the gossip columnists and the drones who pay lip-service and provide morsels for them call 'the season'. He was not naturally drawn to Wimbledon, the Henley Regatta, or, indeed, to Royal Ascot. The fact that Bond was a staunch monarchist did not prevent the grave misgivings he felt when turning the Saab in the direction of Ascot on Gold Cup day. Since when was Bond so concerned about the monarchy? quote:Life had been very full since the Friday evening of the previous week, when M had taken the decision to place Bond within the heart of the Laird of Murcaldy's world. I actually can't find any image to put here! My best guess is this is referring to Reverend Cooper Willyams, a clergyman and artist who served as the chaplain for Admiral Sir John Jervis, the Earl St. Vincent. The Battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797 was part of the Anglo-Spanish War, an extension of the French Revolution and all its complex political consequences. Cooper made a great many illustrations, the most famous of which were part of A Voyage up the Mediterranean in His Majesty's Ship the Swiftsure: With a Description of the Battle of the Nile on the First of August 1798, but my frantic Googling has failed to find this exact drawing of his. I've emailed the museum to see if they know of anything. quote:During the following weeks, Bond was to recall the battle scene, with its background of lowering skies and the British men-o'-war, trailing ensigns and streamers, ploughing through choppy seas, tinted with the glow of fire and smoke of action.  Oh yeah, Gardner did this too. quote:Within a week of her arrival, Q Branch had accorded its new executive the nickname of Q'ute, for even in so short a time she had become the target of many seductive attempts by unmarried officers of all ages. Bond had noticed her, and heard the reports. Word was that the colder side of Q'ute's personality was uppermost in her off-duty hours. Now 007 found himself working close to the girl, for she had been detailed to arrange the equipment he would take into the field, and brief him on its uses. Ah, so she's a better protagonist already! quote:At forty-eight hours' notice, Q'ute's team had put together a set of what she called 'personalised matching luggage'. This consisted of a leather suitcase together with a similarly designed, steel-strengthened briefcase. Both items contained cunningly devised compartments, secret and well-nigh undetectable, built to house a whole range of electronic sound-stealing equipment; some sabotage gear, and a few useful survival items. These included a highly sophisticated bugging and listening device; a VL 22H counter-surveillance receiver; a pen alarm, set to a frequency which linked it to a long-range modification of the SAS 900 Alert System. If triggered, the pen alarm would provide Bond with instant signal communication to the Regent's Park headquarters building in order to summon help. The pen also contained micro facilities so that it operated as a homer; therefore, when activated, headquarters could keep track of their man in the field a personal alarm system in the breast pocket. I've mentioned before how part of Colonel Sun was blatantly ripped off by Ted Bell for one of his books. Looks like more than one author thought nobody would ever read the non-Fleming books, because Quentin Rowan writing under the pen name of Q.R. Markham built his book Assassin of Secrets by ripping off an insane number of passages from other books, including a full 6 pages out of License Renewed!  As far as the gadgets, none are "real" items but they're all based on actual technology of the time. The most prominent night vision goggles available at the time of writing would be the AN/PVS-5, which was the main night vision device for American aviators from 1972 until 1990 and heavily used by ground troops until the single-tube AN/PVS-7 entered service in 1985. While very poor by today's standards, they were top of the line for the time of this book. Unlike the active infrared sight used in "The Living Daylights" on Bond's custom rifle (which used an infrared spotlight and a viewer to see what it illuminated, which anyone with similar equipment could also see), the AN/PVS-5 is a passive night vision design that uses a light-sensitive surface to pick up tiny amounts of infrared light and convert the photons to electrons, which are intensified and blasted against a phosphor screen to create a green image of what the sensor is seeing. It's not unlike having a live television strapped to your face, just with an infrared sensor rather than a camera. Unlike an active infrared spotlight, they aren't of use in 100% pitch black conditions without a single light source but the moon alone is enough for these goggles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzoe0-sPtl4 quote:As well as the time spent with M and Q'ute, Bond found himself in for some long hours with Major Boothroyd, the Service Armourer, discussing weaponry. On M's instructions, 007 was to go armed something not undertaken lightly these days. There's still some controversy over the facts regarding this malfunction. As Gardner says, a crazed man named Ian Ball cut off Princess Anne's car on the Mall road to Buckingham Palace and leaped out, firing a handgun at her bodyguard; he intended to kidnap her for millions of pounds in ransom to donate to the National Health Service. Beaton's PPK jammed and he, a reporter, the chauffeur, and a nearby responding police constable were shot and wounded, while Anne escaped through the other door of the car and was rescued by a passing former boxer, Ron Russell, while another officer subdued and arrested Ball. He remains imprisoned in Broadmoor Hospital to this day. Beaton claimed that his PPK simply jammed because the slide was blocked from fully cycling. According to a Walther Forum user, the gun and its magazine were on display at the Metropolitan Police's Crime Museum (formerly The Black Museum) and the magazine spring was crushed and heavily worn, preventing it from feeding properly; the museum claimed this was due to leaving the magazine loaded for 3 years and "wearing it out", but it's actually constant compressing and uncompressing that will wear it out. Either way, the Met's Protection Command and Special Branch abandoned the PPK for the Smith & Wesson Model 36 revolver. quote:Since then, Bond had done most of his range work with either the Colt · 45 which was far too heavy and difficult to use in covert field operations or the old standby · 38 Cobra: Colt's long-term favourite snub-nosed revolver for undercover use. Bond, naturally, did not disclose the fact that he carried an unauthorised Ruger Super Blackhawk · 44 Magnum in a secret compartment in the Saab.   The Colt Cobra is the lightweight version of the Detective Special that Fleming's Bond occasionally used, with an aluminum frame instead of steel. It had received a facelift with a ramp front sight and ejector rod shroud between 1971 and 1973, but was discontinued right as this book was being written. There's a new Cobra in production, but it's a completely different revolver using the name. The Cobra is much more infamous for being the gun used by Jack Ruby to assassinate Lee Harvey Oswald right after he shot JFK.  As for Bond's gun, hoo boy! The Ruger Blackhawk is a modernized version of the Colt Single Action Army previously seen in the hands of Scaramanga, with models made starting in 1973 having a transfer bar that transfers the hammer's energy to the firing pin rather than a fixed firing pin on the hammer (allowing it to be safely carried with the hammer down on a loaded chamber). Originally released in .357 Magnum in 1955, only a year later they quickly produced a .44 Magnum version after correctly predicting the brand new cartridge's coming popularity. While the single-action design and loading gate like the original SAA make it slow to fire and load, its frame is absurdly strong and it can withstand handloads that would blow up a lesser gun, letting it reach ballistics on par with a more powerful cartridge like .454 Casull. Note that you may find sources claiming Bond's car gun is a Super Redhawk. As you can see, it's a Blackhawk. The Super Redhawk is a modern double-action swing-out cylinder revolver introduced in 1987. I've already taken the liberty of fixing the Bond wiki! quote:Now, minds had to be clear, and decisions taken regarding Bond's field armament; so a lengthy, time-consuming, and sometimes caustic battle ensued between Bond and the Armourer concerning the relative merits of weapons. Ironic that Bond mentions inferior stopping power for revolvers, considering what he picks... quote:Eventually it was Bond who had the last word with a few grumbles from Major Boothroyd settling on an old, but well-tried and true friend: the early Browning 9mm. originally manufactured by Fabrique Nationale-De Guerre in Belgium from Browning patents. In spite of its age this Browning has accurate stopping power. For Bond, the appeal lay in its reliability eight inches overall and with a barrel length of five inches. A flat, lethal weapon, the early Browning is really a design similar to the · 32 Colt and weighs about thirty-two ounces, having a magazine capacity of seven 9mm. Browning Long cartridges, with the facility to carry one extra round in the breech.  John Browning, the greatest firearms designer of all time and inventor of the slide for automatic pistols, sold the rights for his designs to Colt for the Americas and Britain and FN of Belgium for continental Europe. Colt manufactured Browning's shrouded hammer designer as the M1903 Pocket Hammerless in .32 ACP (and later the M1908 in .380 ACP), but FN made a full size service pistol in 9x20mm Browning Long. These pistols saw some limited service in both World Wars and were manufactured under license by Husqvarna in Sweden as the m/07. The Swedish actually kept them in storage through the 1980s and briefly issued them at that point when their licensed copy of the Lahti L-35 (the Husqvarna m/40) began suffering cracked bolts from the higher velocity ammunition they standardized on in the 1960s. Eventually these old Brownings would be fully retired in favor of the Glock 17. Many of these pistols have been exported to the US and rechambered for .380 ACP. Calling this an odd choice for Bond in 1981 would be an understatement. While the gun is accurate and generally comfortable to use despite a poor trigger and sights typical of the early 20th century, 9x20mm is ballistically only on par with the .38 Special revolvers he's snubbed. The thumb safety is at least an improvement over the Beretta 418 he started with, but overall this gun is a poorer choice for a secret agent carrying a concealed gun for emergencies than just carrying a familiar Walther PP in .380 ACP. The 9x20mm ammo was also not used for any other pistols to my knowledge except the rare Le Francaise Type Armee, which would make ammunition harder to come by for field resupply than .32 ACP, .380 ACP, .38 Special, or 9mm Parabellum (add .45 ACP for American work). To say nothing of trying to get .44 Magnum ammo in Europe! Fortunately, later books would fix this by giving Bond much better handguns....except one. quote:Bond was happy with the weapon, knew its limitations, and had no hesitation in putting aside thoughts of more exotic hand guns of modern manufacture. If you want my take on giving Bond a rare, cool sidearm that's much more practical, I'd suggest the Walther P38K. It's simply a P38 with the barrel shortened as far as it can go, produced in small numbers between 1974 and 1981. It's more powerful while being about the same size, uses more common ammo and magazines (the design is still in use as the aluminum-framed P1 in the Bundeswehr at this time), and it has the double/single-action trigger with a decocker of the old PPK. quote:The Armourer knew 007 well enough not to have the pistol touched by any member of his staff; calling Bond down to the gunsmith's room, so that the weapon could be cleaned off, stripped, checked and thoroughly tested by the man who was to use it. If Bond had been scheduled to make a parachute jump, both the Armourer and Q Branch would have seen to it that 007 packed his own 'chute. In turn, it was the only way Bond would have it done. The same applied to weapons. While Bond is at work stripping and cleaning his outdated Browning, Q'ute wanders in. quote:Q'ute swung herself on to the workbench, after making certain she had chosen a clean patch of wood. 'The Armourer's giving me a weapons' course, when I'm off duty,' she told him. For the first time, Bond noticed Q'ute's voice had a throaty quality to it. 'I'm not very good with hand guns, and he says you are. He mentioned that the weapon was of an old type as well. Just thought it would be a good idea, if you didn't mind.' Still a better love story than Twilight. quote:Hell, he thought. Q'ute was a good nickname for her. Bond even slowed down the movements of his hands, allowing the process of stripping to become more obvious as he silently repeated the instructions: By love story, I meant Bond and his gun. quote:'What do you go for then, Q'ute?' Bond chuckled. No, not even the narration will stop calling her Q'ute. quote:Bond glanced up sharply, his eyes suddenly losing their humour and turning to ice in a way that almost frightened Q'ute. 'Someone tried to be clever a long time ago,' he said slowly. In the back of his mind, he remembered, quite clearly, all the circumstances which had led to the plastic surgery, that showed now only as a white blemish, after the Cyrillic letter III standing for SH had been carved into the back of his hand in an attempt by SMERSH to brand him as a spy. It was long ago, and very far away now; but clear as yesterday. He detected the break he had made in Q'ute's guard with his sharp cruelty. So long ago, he thought: the business with Le Chiffre at Royale-les-Eaux, and a woman called Vesper about the same age as this girl sitting on the workbench, showing off her shapely knees and calves lying dead from an overdose, her body under the sheets like a stone effigy in a tomb. Sir Alex Younger, the current MI6 chief, claimed in 2017 during a speech that the "real life Q" at the time was female. Obviously he didn't clarify further, and it could have been a coy reference to advances in technology by female scientists and developers. quote:As though to break the mood, she asked, in a small voice, 'What's it like to kill somebody? They say you've had to kill a lot of people during your time in the Service.' Not even going to go for a drone operator's detachment? quote:Bond completed the reassembly, ran the mechanism back and forth a couple of times, then picked up one of the magazines containing seven Browning Long 9mm. rounds that would shatter a piece of five-inch pine board at twenty feet. After an hour running through over half a dozen magazines, Bond decides he's satisfied with the gun's condition and returns to clean the gun up. With their work done, Bond asks Ann out to dinner. She promptly accepts. quote:Bond took her in the Saab. They went into Kensington, to the Trattoo in Abingdon Road, where Carlo was pleased to see his old customer. Bond had not been there for some time and was treated with great respect, ordering for the pair of them a simple meal: the zuppa di verdura followed by fegato Bacchus, washed down with a light, young, Bardolino (a '79, for Bardolino should always be drunk young and cool, even though it is red, rather as the French imbibe their rosι wines young, Bond explained). Afterwards, Carlo made them plain crκpes with lemon and sugar, and they had coffee up in the bar, where Alan Clare was at the small piano. Gardner's not giving me a break with this book! Trattoo was indeed a real restaurant at 2 Abingdon Road that opened in 1967. In 2006 it was revamped into L Restaurant, now doing Spanish dishes, before permanently closing. The site is now home to a Bio Fires store selling electronic fireplaces. Their meal is a light Tuscan/Umbrian vegetable soup, liver braised or sauteed in wine, and a light and fruity red wine. Bond's note on drinking red wine young and cold is indicative of slowly changing attitudes toward wine over the decades; the classic rules of "red wine with hearty meat, white wine with fish, serve whites cold and reds cool at best" are entirely based on pairing common wines with the classical European cuisine that was popular at the time, French especially. The rules break down rapidly when you get into wines with flavor profiles outside of Bordeaux and Chablis, or eat fish that's covered in a rich sauce, or especially try to pair wine with other cuisines like Thai or Mexican.  Alan Clare was a British jazz pianist and composer who got his start leaving school at 14 and playing in local nightclubs. After military service in WW2, he was part of the Nitwits band on The Goon Show and many of the actors like Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan would rehearse in his apartment. He continued with club and restaurant performances well into the 90s before dying in 1993 shortly after illness forced him to retire. quote:Ann Reilly was enchanted, saying that she could sit and listen to the liquid ease of Clare's playing for ever. But the restaurant soon started to fill up. A couple of actors came in, a well-known movie director with crinkled grey hair, and a famous zany comedian. For Ann, Alan played one last piece her request, the sentimental oldie from Casablanca: 'As Time Goes By'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BASy2kPnRE quote:Bond headed the Saab back towards Chelsea, at Ann Reilly's bidding. Between giving him directions, she laughed a lot, and said she had not enjoyed an evening like this for a long time. Finally they pulled up in front of the Georgian terraced house where Q'ute said she had the whole of the second floor as her apartment. The original Netflix and chill? quote:'Well, that's different,' he chuckled. 'I still stick to the etchings.'   David Hockney and John Bratby were prominent English painters of the 20th century, with Hockney drawing bright pop art and Bratby in "kitchen sink realism" style. Hockney is actually still alive and he hit the world record for the most expensive painting ever sold by a living artist, the above Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) for $90 million; he would only hold it for a year before being beaten by Jeff Koons with his Rabbit sculpture for $91 million.  This is an example of Biba furnishings from 1968. The London fashion house preferred a classic style and decorated their massive 7-story flagship store in an Art Deco fashion. While it was a major tourist attraction in London, the great financial expense of running so many departments with such elaborate furnishings and art displays led to its closure in 1975. A number of attempts at relaunching the brand finally succeeded in 2009 under House of Fraser, which original founder Barbara Hulanicki becoming a consultant for the brand in 2014. quote:Ann Reilly smiled back. 'All is not as it seems,' she giggled, and for a moment Bond wondered if she was not used to drinking: perhaps the wine had gone to her head. Then he saw her hand move to a small console of buttons by the light switches. Her fingers stabbed at the buttons, and in the next few seconds Bond could only think of transformation scenes at childhood pantomimes. Ann should get a job at Disney with these skills. quote:Bond frowned. 'But ?' The hologram is the only part of this that's complete fiction, but it would still be possible to make something akin to it in 1981 with a Pepper's Ghost effect (a reflection of something three-dimensional, like a person, on a sheet of clean glass). These are common theme park tricks for decades, such as the ballroom of the Haunted Mansion at Disney parks, and modernized versions using recorded footage and 3D models have been used everywhere from Disney and Universal theme parks to infamously reviving Tupac for a concert. quote:She was about to move away when Bond caught hold of her, pulled her close and into a wild kiss. She slid her hands to his shoulders, gently pushing him away. 'Let's see.' She cocked an eyebrow at him. 'I thought you'd have got the idea. You said the place was period dιcor 1960s. All I've done and I've spent many happy hours getting it right is add in a 1960s' fantasy: music, lights, the waterbed, scent, and an available bird with very few clothes on. I thought you of all people, James Bond, would have got the message. Fantasies should change with the times. Surely we're all more realistic these days. Particularly about relationships. The word is, I think, maturity.' Despite the book's continuation of Fleming's universe, Gardner was writing this in a time when the public perception of Bond had totally shifted to the film version. Parodies of the film version that bore no resemblance whatsoever to the literary Bond except the presence of a tuxedo, such as Carry On Spying and From Hong Kong With Love (which featured many legitimate Bond actors), had distorted the perception even further. Q'ute's trick is thus one that somewhat breaks the fourth wall for the reader. This version of Bond never had that kind of juvenile 1960s spy fantasy in his life, but his film equivalent did. Gardner is effectively telling new readers who are unfamiliar with the literary Bond he's reintroducing "Don't expect this to just be another Roger Moore film." quote:Yes, thought Bond, Q'ute was a good name for Ann Reilly, as she scurried around showing off the electronics of her fantasy room. 'It might be an illusion', he said, 'but it still has a lethal effect.' I'd like a book about this girl. quote:In his own flat the next morning, Bond was awake before six-thirty. The biter bit, he thought, with a wry smile. If ever a man's bluff had been called, it was by the ingenious Q'ute. In good humour he exercised, took a hot bath, followed by a cold shower; shaved, dressed and was in his dining room when the faithful May came in with his copy of The Times and his normal breakfast the favourite meal: two large cups of black coffee, from De Bry, without sugar; a single 'perfectly boiled' brown egg (Bond still affected to dislike anything but brown eggs, and kept his opinion regarding three and one-third minutes constituting the perfect boiling time); then two slices of wholewheat toast with Jersey butter and Tiptree 'Little Scarlet' strawberry jam, Cooper's Vintage Oxford Marmalade or Norwegian heather honey. The De Bry de Paris shop on Oxford is long since closed, but I don't know exactly when so I can't figure out if it was still open for Bond in 1980. quote:Governments could come and go; crises could erupt; inflation may spiral, but when in London Bond's breakfast routine rarely changed. In this he was the worst thing a man in his profession could be: a man of habit, who enjoyed the day starting in one particular manner, eating from the dark blue egg cup with a gold ring around the top, which matched the rest of his Minton china, and happy to see the Queen Anne silver coffee pot and accessories on his table. Faddish as this quirk certainly was, Bond would have been outraged if anyone told him it smacked of snobbery. For James Bond, snobbery was for others, in all walks of life. A man has a right to certain pleasurable idiosyncrasies more than a right, if they settled his mind and stomach for the day ahead. Bond is working his way up to one of the most complex thieves: the necklace flimp, removing someone's necklace without them even noticing. Similar moves were used to steal watches (and still are today) and it's a key part of Bond's plan. quote:Now, a signpost read 'Ascot 4 miles', and Bond joined a queue of Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, Daimlers and the like, all heading towards the race course. He sat calmly at the wheel; his Browning in its holster, locked away in the glove compartment; Q'ute's personalised luggage in the boot of the car, and himself in shirtsleeves, the grey morning coat neatly folded on the rear seat, with the matching topper beside it. Before leaving, Bond had reflected that he would not have put it past Q'ute to arrange some kind of device inside a top hat. She had been very affable, promising any assistance in the field 'Just let me know, and I'll be out with whatever you need, 007,' she had said with only the trace of a wink.  quote:Now he looked like any other man out to cut a dash in the Royal Enclosure. In fact his mind was focused on one thing only Dr Anton Murik, Laird of Murcaldy, and his association with the terrorist, Franco.
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Sep 12, 2020 19:37
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quote:Q'ute Jesus gently caress. We're going to need a horny counter on this book too, evidently.
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Sep 12, 2020 21:35
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1981 was a loooooooong time ago.
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Sep 12, 2020 22:12
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Chapter 6: Pearls Before Swinequote:There was only one part of any race course that James Bond really enjoyed the down-market public area. Alongside the track itself life was colourful: the characters always appearing more alive and real the day-trip couples out for a quick flutter; tipsters with their sharp patter, and the ebullient, on-course bookies, each with his lookout man watching a partner; the tick-tack sign language being passed across the heads of the punters, relaying changes in the betting odds. Here there was laughter, enjoyment and the buzz of pleasure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmIqSStMsa0 The Royal Meeting at the Ascot Racecourse is the British horse racing event. While it's not one of the biggest in terms of prize money or attendance, it has a cultural cachet as a summer tradition in Britain and an opportunity for the best thoroughbred breeders to showcase their animals. It consists of 5 days of events every June, with the third day featuring the most prestigious race: the Gold Cup. Uniquely, there are four "enclosures" for guests with increasing prestige and dress code. Most of the public will be in the Windsor Enclosure, which has no formal dress code except a ban on sports jerseys and is home to picnics and champagne and Pimm's Cup bars. The Queen Anne Enclosure is the most formal for the public and requires proper formal clothes (with a hat mandatory for women). The Royal Enclosure is the highest level and is strictly limited: first-time applicants today require a sponsorship from a longtime member of the Royal Enclosure, and invitations are sent out to request badges each year. At the time of this book, you needed to complete a formal application based on your references and prestige as a person. There's also the Village Enclosure today, added in 2017, which is slightly below the Queen Anne Enclosure in formality and includes bars and prestige dining options.  In order to be present in the Royal Enclosure, everyone must wear the most formal of clothing: women must be in formal daywear (either a modest dress or a pantsuit) and a hat with a solid base of 4 or more inches in diameter, while men must be in gray, navy, or black morning dress complete with a top hat. quote:His first action, on arrival, had been to check the position of Anton Murik's box in the Grand or Tattersalls Stand (another fact gleaned from one of M's expert sources). The Murik box was third along from the left on the second tier. China Blue has pathetic 25:1 betting odds. Not unlike in Diamonds are Forever, this of course means Bond is going to bet on Murik's horse. He finds a bookie, Honest Tone Snare, and places a £110 bet (over $600 in modern money) on China Blue, likely to the consternation of MI6's more recession-minded accountants. quote:'You got money to burn, Guv?' Honest Tone gave Bond a toothy grin. Only a small bottle? What a paragon of health! quote:On M's personal instructions, he had come into the Enclosure unarmed the Browning still snug in the car. In case of trouble, Bond carried only the small pen emergency contact device, and the replica Dunhill cigarette lighter which contained more dangerous possibilities than Messrs Dunhill would have approved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpbBFsj7p-0 While it has never been confirmed as an inspiration, A View to a Kill 4 years after publication of this book would use the exact same introduction of the villain: cheating at the Royal Ascot. In this case, Max Zorin (played by Christopher Walken at the peak of his career, before he became a parody of himself) uses a microchip-based dosage of performance-enhancing drugs at the right moment on the course. quote:Suddenly the short hairs on the back of his neck tingled, and he experienced a shiver of suspense. A man and two women were approaching China Blue the trainer turning towards them, hat in hand and a deferential smile of welcome on his face. Bond was getting his first view of Dr Anton Murik. Something Bond has clearly never done! quote:Bond narrowed his eyes, straining and never taking them off the girl. She talked animatedly, constantly glancing at Murik. Concern seemed to pass over her face each time she looked at the Laird, but Bond only took this in as a kind of side issue. He was looking for something more. Something essential to the whole scheme of insinuating himself into the Laird of Murcaldy's immediate circle. Something M had revealed to him in great detail during their hours of planning. Bond makes his move into the paddock, flicking his pass at the distracted official to get by. As the horses begin their trot out onto the field and the owners' groups head toward the exit, Bond slips into the group. quote:Bond sidestepped again, allowing himself to be overtaken until he could push himself in just behind Lavender Peacock. They were five or six paces from the exit, now jammed with people trying to get through as quickly and politely as possible. Bond was directly behind the girl, his eyes fixed on the box clasp and safety chain at the back of her neck. It was clearly visible, and, as he was pushed even closer, hemmed in by the crowd, Bond caught the smell of the girl's scent Mille de Patou, he thought: the limited edition, and the most expensive scent on the market. So exclusive that you received a certificate with your purchase.  Jean Patou's "1000" was created by Jean Kerlιo in 1972 to compete directly with Chanel No. 5, supposedly named after how many tries it took him to get it right. It's a highly complex and bold perfume with the oakmoss base that Kerlιo used a lot. Even today, in a likely cheaper formulation, a 2.5 oz. bottle costs $190. In 1989, it was even subject to a banned commercial showcasing its use for adultery! quote:There were enough people around, and Bond was well screened. Allowing himself to be jostled slightly, he now pushed his shoulders forward for added protection, and bumped full into Lavender Peacock's back. Bond's luck holds out: nobody noticed the theft, not even the wearer. He slips himself into the Murik box behind them. quote:They all had their backs to him as he knocked and stepped inside. Nobody noticed, for they seemed intent upon watching the runners canter down to the starting line. Bond coughed. 'Excuse me,' he said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh_6AL2Uv7I quote:Only one thing surprised him. When she spoke, Mary-Jane Mashkin betrayed in her accent that she was undoubtedly American something that had not appeared on any of the files in M's office. Originally Southern, Bond thought, but well overlaid with the nasalities of the East Coast. Assuming this is set in 1979 or 1980 when it was being written, the real Gold Cup was won both years by Le Moss, owned by Roman lawyer Carlo dAlessio. Immediately after this book takes place, massive investment from Middle Eastern millionaires and billionaires (like your classic Saudi princes) would lead to them taking over the sport. Later winners of the Gold Cup would include Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and the current Nizari Imam, Prince Shāh Karim al-Husayni (or Aga Khan IV) who is claimed to be descended from Muhammad himself. One of the biggest racing teams today is Godolphin, the private stables of the Maktoum family that rules Dubai. quote:'They're under starter's orders.' Lavender sounded breathless. They turned their glasses towards the far distance, and the start of the Ascot Gold Cup two and a half flat miles. The English monarch owns many thoroughbred horses as well, and Queen Elizabeth II in particular is a longtime fan of riding and watching races. Her horse, Tactical, just won the Windsor Castle Stakes at the socially distanced Royal Ascot this year! quote:Bond kept his glasses trained on the three horses behind the little bunch of four leaders who seemed set to provide the winners. Among this trio was the distinctive yellow and black of Murik's colours on China Blue. Past the 3/4 mark, China Blue suddenly gains speed far in excess of the other horses and begins to overtake them. At the last moment, a final burst of speed sends him across the finish line in first place. quote:Lavender was jumping up and down, excitedly clapping her hands. 'He did it. Uncle Anton, he did it.' Coincidentally, Anton Murik loves to hire mercenaries to run security at his estates! He informs Bond that they hold an annual miniature version of the Highland Games at his castle, and they just happen to be the following Monday! quote:Bond nodded, as Murik turned towards the ladies. 'We must go down, greet China Blue, and accept our just rewards. Mary-Jane, Lavender, you will be seeing Mr Bond again soon. He's kindly consented to come and stay for the Games.' chitoryu12 fucked around with this message at 20:52 on Sep 14, 2020 |
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Sep 14, 2020 20:48
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Chapter 7: King of the Castlequote:During the furious night drive north Bond had plenty of time to puzzle over Anton Murik's win with China Blue. Horses for courses, he thought. But that horse had not looked fit enough for any course. How, then, had it romped home at Ascot? The only possible explanation lay in the old trick of having China Blue pulled back by his jockey in earlier races not displaying his true form until the strategic moment. But perhaps the real answer would be found, with the others he sought, at Murik Castle. This marks the first time Bond ever eats porridge in the series! Guess he is showing his age.  Now known as the Grand Central, the Central was opened in 1883 as the front of the Glasgow Central railway station. After Thatcher won in 1979, the system of nationalized businesses (like British Rail and British Transport Hotels) were pressured to dissolve and sell their assets to private hands. The Central went through a chain of owners before closing and being sold and refurbished in 2009, removing the asbestos and repairing the structure. quote:After a lengthy study of the Ordnance Survey maps to plan the route, Bond went down and dined in the hotel's Malmaison Restaurant named after Napoleon and Josephine's retreat, and one of the best French restaurants in Scotland. Bond, however, had no desire for rich food that evening, and settled for a simple meal of smoked salmon followed by a fillet steak with a green salad. He drank only Perrier water. He was determined to do most of the journey by night travelling like one crossing a desert in secrecy.  The Malmaison was a classic French restaurant in the hotel, the kind where the entire menu is printed in French because of course anyone dining here would be educated and speak French! The space exists but has been modernized as the Tempus, which has a more international bent to their menu. A period menu I found indicates that Bond's meal was indeed available at the time, suggesting Gardner had been through here lately when he wrote. And look at that! Nothing but sparkling water! quote:He was on the road, with the bill paid, by ten thirty, heading north on the A82, which took him right alongside the waters of Loch Lomond. Early on the following morning, Bond stopped for a day's rest, at a village just short of Loch Garry having switched to the A87 that would eventually lead him as far as the coastal lochs, and those narrow roads with frequent passing places, around the western seaboard. At this same point in Goldfinger, Bond drank 4 shots of Enzian liquor, at least one beer, and a carafe of wine before going to spy on Goldfinger's operation. I'm not sure I can handle a Bond who doesn't do all of his major operations absolutely hammered. quote:Having concentrated on making the journey in good and safe time, Bond so far had not been able to savour the views or delight in the beauties of Scotland. Indeed, there had been no opportunity while doing most of his travelling by night. So now he lay back, adjusted the driving seat, dozing and eating as the sun slid across the sky and began to settle behind the trees and hills.  While the exact location of Murcaldy is not given, it appears to be in the general region of the village of Achintraid. quote:Murcaldy was situated on a small river at one end of a wide glen, the sides of which, Bond could see by the now risen and bright moon, were devoid of trees. Ahead, at the far end of the glen and above the village, the castle stood against the sky like a large outcrop of rock. As Bond surveys the area, he sees what look like freshly dug mounds off the side of the road. Deciding to ignore these for now, he makes the castle his top priority. That means heading off the trail and walking knee-deep in brush until he reaches the top of the rise overlooking the village and castle. quote:On reaching the top of the rise, Bond stretched himself out and looked around. He could see clearly down the glen to the village, but it was impossible to gain any vantage point above the castle, which lay about a mile away in a direct line, having been built on a wide plateau. Far away behind the castle he could just make out the jutting peak of Beinn Bhan breasting itself almost three thousand feet above sea level.  Gardner may have taken some inspiration from Balmoral Castle, which was originally a 14th century home before coming into the hands of the Royal Family in the 19th century and being replaced in the aforementioned "Gothic-style heap" method. The original building on the site was simply demolished. quote:Three cars stood in front of what was obviously the main door a wide structure with a pillared portico. The castle seemed to be set in the midst of large formal gardens, and the whole aspect produced a half-sinister, half-Disneyland quality. Craning forward, Bond could just make out the edge of a vast lawn to the right of his view. He thought he could glimpse the corner of a marquee. For tomorrow's Games, he presumed.Well, Dr Anton Murik certainly had a castle and, no doubt, acted like a king in it. I swear I've seen this guy before...  quote:Bond was in no mood for going quietly with anybody. He brought his head down hard, catching the big man on the forward part of his nose bridge. The man grunted, letting go of Bond, who could see the butt had been well placed. A small trickle of blood had begun to flow from the man's nostrils. "During my normal nighttime walk with night vision goggles?" quote:Caber muttered something which sounded belligerent, as Mary-Jane Mashkin spoke again, 'Not really. This track is a right-of-way through the Laird's land. We've been doing a little night hunting, and looking at the digging.' She inclined her head towards the other side of the track where Bond had seen the low earth piles. 'We've just started working on a new drainage system. Just as well you didn't wander that way. You could've stumbled into a pretty deep pit. They've dug down a good fifteen feet, and it's over twelve feet wide.' She paused, coming closer to him so that he caught the scent of Madame Rochas in his nostrils. 'You didn't say why you were here, Mr Bond.' Never mind. Even without alcohol, Bond is still bad at spying. quote:'Quite,' Bond nodded. In the darkness the men shuffled and Mary-Jane Mashkin gave some quick orders. There was, apparently, a Land Rover up the track a little way. 'Ill guide Mr Bond down and you follow,' she told Caber, who had calmly relieved Bond of the Nitefinder set. Finally, a return to kink in Bond! quote:'No need for formality here, I suppose,' said Bond as they came up to the main door with its great pillared porchway. He does that, yes. quote:'Get him to bring your luggage in, Mr Bond,' Murik smiled, and Bond repeated that it could wait. He had no desire for Caber to be messing about with the car.
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Sep 15, 2020 18:03
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James Bond is gearing up to face his toughest foe yet - delirium tremens!
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Sep 15, 2020 19:11
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Say what you will about the animals themselves but all the fashion and ceremonial bullshit that is built up around them will always make me laugh.
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Sep 15, 2020 19:32
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I have to say that compared to the sexist cynicism of Pearson's nonsensical book and the overly serious, schlocky and smarmy Wood novelizations, Garner's writing is a breath of fresh air. While not as good as Fleming at his best, (so far at least) feel like Garner gets many of the elements of Bond. Ann Reilly is more of a proper Bond woman, witty, with hints at her own story, and without constant references to her tits. The preperation for the mission, Bonds lack of Roger Moore-esque quips, and the characters introduced seem to be more interesting than the lazy pulp figures of the recent past. Even the spycraft is improved, with Bonds competence leavened by his gently caress ups, as opposed to the brazenness of Woods depiction, or even Fleming's poor handling in Man with the Golden Gun.
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Sep 15, 2020 23:49
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Gardner does have a lot of personal tropes and plot beats that he falls into, so it might get grating after a bit when there are constant double and triple-crosses and faked deaths, but nobody can say the plots aren't original. They also get substantially more violent than Fleming's!
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Sep 16, 2020 00:04
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Dr. Sneer Gory posted:I have to say that compared to the sexist cynicism of Pearson's nonsensical book and the overly serious, schlocky and smarmy Wood novelizations, Garner's writing is a breath of fresh air. While not as good as Fleming at his best, (so far at least) feel like Garner gets many of the elements of Bond. Ann Reilly is more of a proper Bond woman, witty, with hints at her own story, and without constant references to her tits. He's such a nerd though
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Sep 16, 2020 09:04
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Chapter 8: Virgin on the Rocksquote:Later Bond considered that, in all probability, he had expected the Victorian Gothic gloom of the porch way to be reflected in the interior of Murik Castle Landseer and deer antlers. He was, therefore, greatly surprised by the dazzling sight that met his eyes. This is a common misconception! There is actually one more recorded duel, in 1845, where Lieutenant Henry Hawkey killed Captain James Alexander Seton. In the case of this one, Lieutenant Alexander Munro challenged Lieutenant-Colonel David Fawcett, his brother-in-law, to a fatal duel for insulting his wife and arguing with him over the sale of property while he looked after it while Munro was gone. As was typical for the time, all witnesses (Fawcett included) denied any duel took place and tried to frame it as an accident to have plausible deniability. Munro was found guilty, sentenced to death, but had his sentence commuted to 12 months in prison.  Dueling pistols are designed for a specific purpose: to put both duelists on equal footing. They're generally very finely made but plain in style, sold in a case with all of the necessary accessories (powder measures, bullet molds, spare flints, etc.) to load both guns precisely identically. quote:Bond stepped back to view the hallway again. There were other illuminations, placed strategically over modern pictures which hung higher up the walls. He recognised at least two from Picasso's Blue Period, and what looked like the original of Matisse's 'Pink Nude'.  I'm guessing Gardner was an art guy? quote:Bond caught the smile on Murik's face. 'You're a collector of other things too,' he said. 'That looks like the ' Murik leaves Bond in the company of the ladies (who have changed into expensive evening clothes) to relax in the drawing room before dinner. On their walk, Bond hears a noise and catches a fleeting glimpse of Franco entering a room upstairs. quote:The room in which Bond now found himself was long and wide, with a high, ornate ceiling, decorated in the same bold style as the hall. The walls were a delicate shell pink, the furnishings designed for comfort, and mainly in leather and glass. The wall opposite the doorway had been transformed into one huge picture window. Even in this light, Bond recognised the tint of the glass, similar to that in the Oval Office of the White House, but in a pink shade and not the green of that elegant seat of power. One would be able to see out of this huge window; but, from the outside, the human eye would only be able to note light, without detail. It was undoubtedly bulletproof.  Talisker Distillery, founded on the Isle of Skye in 1830, is one of the most famous single malt producers. Until 1989 their main expression was 8 years old, but it has since been replaced by 10 years bottled at 45.8% ABV. I actually bought a bottle to drink while writing this! It's expensive (over $80 a bottle here), but absolutely worth it if you like complex drinks to put hair on your chest. This region of the Highlands tends to produce whiskey with more peat smoke in the flavor, albeit not to the extremes of Islay scotch to the south, with sweet, spicy, and slightly salty notes thanks to being produced by the sea. This book gives us the distinction of Bond's first glass of single malt scotch! As I explained in the previous thread, most scotch in Fleming's time was simply sold to blending houses to make a consistent and dull product ideal for export, and Bond stuck to plain brands like Haig and Black & White, always on the rocks and often mixed with soda water. Single malt scotch drank by itself instead of blending was virtually unheard of outside Scotland until after Fleming's death, being a much more expensive and time-consuming product to make; it was more profitable to use a continuous column still to produce cheap high-proof whiskey for blending than to dedicate a pot still to an individual batch. In 1963, Glenfiddich began actively marketing it for international export; this was a bold move, as single malt scotches are of a much more powerful and less consistent flavor than the easy blends everyone was used to. In 1981, when this book was published, a mention of Murik having Talisker would still be extremely Scottish. It's a relatively local distillery, a bit over 60 miles away by road from his castle, and the whiskey has a very strong flavor and noticeable alcohol burn when served neat like it appears Mary-Jane is. It wouldn't be until the 2000s that single malts were being produced by a large number of distilleries and common worldwide. quote:Lavender had seated herself on a deep leather sofa. 'Well, it's certainly nice to have someone else staying here, Mr Bond. Especially for the Games.' She looked him straight in the eyes as she said it; as though trying to pass a message. Yet, as he looked quizzically at her, Bond saw the eyes alter, the steady look faltering, her gaze shifting over his shoulder. That's a hell of an excuse. "Yes, I was spying on you, but only because that's what I do for everyone!" quote:Lavender asked what the strange glasses and headset might be, and Bond told her briefly that they allowed you to see clearly in the dark. 'Very useful for night driving,' he added. He's sort of beating us over the head with how Scottish this book is, isn't he? quote:'There now, Mr Bond.' Anton Murik gestured to one of the comfortable leather chairs. 'Sit down. Rest yourself. As you see, we're old-fashioned enough to be formal here. We dress for dinner. But, as you've arrived late, and unprepared, we'll forgive you.' After a bit of chatting and casual drinking, Donal comes in to announce dinner is served and Bond's Saab is parked next to Murik's Rolls-Royce. quote:They sat at a fine long mahogany table, polished and kept in magnificent condition, and ate with Georgian silver from an exquisite dinner service, every piece of which was rimmed in gold. The Lairds of Murcaldy had obviously lived well for many decades: the table silver and china would, Bond considered, have brought a small fortune in any reputable London auction room.  Cream crowdie, also known as cranachan, should be familiar to anyone who's eaten "overnight oats" or the like. At its simplest it's oatmeal, cream, and honey mixed together into a dessert gruel, optionally with whiskey to flavor and mixed with fruit (traditionally raspberries). The name comes from crowdie, a simple farmhouse cheese native to Scotland that would commonly be mixed with oats to be eaten; modern recipes usually replace this with whipped cream. Murik and Bond are thus correct in their reflections on it. Cranachan is one of many dishes originally eaten by the poor, from minestrone to brown bread to the contents of a charcuterie board, that is today commonly upsold in luxury versions. Sometimes you barely even get anything superior to a homemade version, but are charged several times as much. One place you would not find it, though, is the hotel Bond ate at in his Glasgow hotel! The Malmaison was strictly French. quote:He was not surprised when the port arrived and the ladies withdrew, leaving the two men to their own devices. The running of Murik Castle, it seemed, clung to the fashions of more gracious days. The servants there had been two muscular young men waiting at table under Donal's eye withdrew; as did the butler himself, after placing cigars, cutter and matches within the Laird's reach. Bond refused a cigar, asking permission to smoke his own cigarettes. Conscious or not, this is another thing that's specifically against Roger Moore's Bond. Moore was a heavy cigar smoker and even had a clause in his contract guaranteeing him unlimited Montecristo cigars on set. He regularly appeared with cigars in the films until Dalton took over and returned to cigarettes. Brosnan and Craig would completely abandon smoking for the character, other than a single cigar in Die Another Day in a scene set in Cuba. quote:As he drew out the old and faithful gunmetal case, James Bond's thumb felt the rough section around the middle, where it had been skilfully repaired. The thought flashed through his head that this very case had once saved his life, by stopping a SMERSH assassin's bullet. The evidence was in the rough patch, invisible to the eye, on either side of the case. For a second he wondered if he would have need of any life-saving devices in this present encounter with the Laird of Murcaldy. Just in case it wasn't abundantly clear which Bond we're following! The timeline gets fuzzier and fuzzier as the books go past a decade of writing, but at least at this point it's assumed that the events of Fleming's books took place about as many years ago as they did from Colonel Sun. Bond is going to be somewhere around 40. quote:'So, you took up my offer, Mr Bond?' The eyes assumed the grey and menacing lava flow look as Anton Murik faced Bond across the table. I see Gardner has the shrugging down. quote:'You must be good,' Murik continued. 'Only good mercenaries stay alive; and you did all the right things reconnoitring my estate, I mean. There may well be a job for you. Just stay for a day or two and we shall see. Tomorrow I may even give you a small test. Again, we shall see.' While Murik initially declines to explain further, he changes his mind and leads Bond to an unobtrusive locked side door. quote:They went down a cool, well-lit passage which terminated at yet another door, which Murik unlocked with a second key. A moment later they stood in a large book-lined room. There were three leather chairs facing a wide military desk and a cabinet containing some exquisite pieces of antique weaponry. On the wall above the desk hung the only painting in the room a large and undeniable Turner.  JMW Turner was one of the biggest English painters of the 19th century, specializing in landscapes and historical events. The above painting, The Fighting Temeraire, was voted Britain's favorite painting in a 2005 BBC poll and is now part of the new £20 note along with Turner's self-portrait. quote:Gently Bond drew the chair nearer to the desk. Murik was opening one of the drawers. He removed a small buff folder, opened it and passed two photographs to Bond. 'Tell me about these photographs, Mr Bond.' Bond said they were pictures of China Blue. This simple trick is actually a real one in horse racing. While having convenient twins makes it easier, horses can have their coats painted or bleached to adjust their appearance. One of the biggest horse racing scandals in British thoroughbred racing would actually occur in 1982, when it was discovered that "Flockton Grey" was swapped for a stronger horse, Good Hand, who was far too strong for the young horse competition he was meant for. The insane margin of victory (20 horse lengths ahead of second place!) was so obviously suspicious that bookies refused to pay out, and a veterinarian examining the horse found a distinctive scar that the real Flockton Grey didn't have when he was found at a stable. The owner, Ken Richardson, was fined £20,000 (plus another £25,000 in court costs) and given a suspended 9-month sentence and an unprecedented 25-year blacklisting from racing. Richardson was a crook at heart, though, and in the 1990s he would emerge again to take majority ownership of Doncaster Rovers Football Club. After running the club into the ground in a failed attempt to build a new stadium, he desperately hired several men to burn Belle Vue stadium for the insurance money in 1995. They were caught and Richardson received 4 years in jail, while the stadium was rebuilt and used until 2006 when a new stadium began construction. A possible boiler theft (!) caused a gas leak that blew the closed stadium to bits in 2007. The disgraced loser, Richardson, was left to return to running East Riding Sacks and making paper bags, because life is a comedy. quote:'Nobody's going to hear it from me.' As he spoke, Bond moved the chair even closer, taking out his gunmetal cigarette case and the package of cigarettes provided by Q'ute. The Laird of Murcaldy had just answered a prize question. The man was a cheat and a fraud. Franco was in the house, and, for Bond, that was enough. M had been right to send him: this was certainly no panic or fool's errand. With everything finished, Murik sends Bond off to bed so he's nice and ready to participate in the games tomorrow. All of his bags have already been taken to his room and Donal is assigned to lead him there. quote:As he left, Bond caught Lavender's eyes in his, warm, friendly, but with a lonely message hidden within. Of one thing he was certain, she was a living virgin on the rocks though he admitted to himself that he was being presumptuous about the first part of that statement. chitoryu12 fucked around with this message at 20:02 on Sep 16, 2020 |
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Sep 16, 2020 19:49
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Chapter 9: All Mod Consquote:The room was decorated almost entirely in black, with soft lighting hidden high up behind pelmets, where there must once have been ornate old picture rails. It took Bond a second to realise that there were two rooms and not one; for half of each of the bedroom walls and a large section of the ceiling was made of mirror difficult to distinguish against the black decor. This gave the illusion of more space; it also had the unnerving effect of disorientation. Donal spoke just as Bond confirmed, to himself, that an archway led from the bedroom into a bathroom. That's a terrible sense of decor! quote:'You did not leave the keys to your luggage, sir; otherwise I would have had your clothes unpacked and pressed. Perhaps tomorrow?' While this would be obviously suspicious if Bond was on camera, in his defense he is playing the character of a paranoid mercenary who even scouts his new boss's estate with night vision goggles before showing up. He'd probably be much more suspicious if he just went right to bed! quote:Returning the counter-surveillance unit to its hiding place, he pulled out the larger piece of luggage. Checking the locks, he once more used his keys to open the lid, throwing the clothes out in a manner that would have made the sinister and fastidious Donal wince. When the case was empty, Bond returned to the locks, turning the keys a further three times in each. At the final click of the right lock, a minute panel slid back in the far left-hand corner of the case bottom, revealing a small numbered dial. Now that his room is confirmed bug-free except his own, Bond takes a few minutes to put away his clothes and takes a look at the room. The bed, in particular, is the most bizarre seen in Bond canon yet! Two massive semi-circular padded panels surround the bed, embedded with TV screens, a Ceefax teletext system, a telephone, and a massive collection of cassettes of every kind of music and video cassettes of movies that only just left theaters. quote:Bond recognised the bed as the famous and exclusive Slumberland 2002 Sleepcentre, with some modifications, made probably on Murik's own instructions. He noted that the console provided sound and light programmes marked 'Peace Mood', 'Wake', 'Sleep' and 'Love'. Something Q'ute would have appreciated, he thought with wry amusement.  I am shocked to say that this bed is a real thing! It was a 1978 concept developed as part of a model of what the homes of the future looked like. It was a classic example of the smart home concept, integrating everything from business to entertainment to shaving into sleeping and waking. Slumberland hoped they could have it on the market by the 90s, but it never made it past one mockup. quote:It took a lot of will-power for Bond to leave the so-called Sleepcentre and investigate the bathroom which also had several intriguing gadgets, including a sunken whirlpool bath, and even a blood-warm lavatory seat. 'All mod cons,' he said aloud. As the conversation with Franco continues, it becomes apparent that Murik really has bought into Bond's mercenary claims. Murik is currently examining his background; M made sure to have a full cover set up of him as a Guards officer and likely SAS commando who left with a bad reputation. quote:Murik was still speaking. ' but I smell the need for money. Mercenaries are good earners, if they live, yet they all have that tendency to spend as though tomorrow did not exist. Or they turn to crime.' He's recruited Republicans! quote:'I agree. Though as long as they do exactly as they're told, there'll be no risk. That's the beauty of it. First, the fact that we only need to place four men in each station to secure themselves within the control rooms and take orders from me alone. Second, that they refuse to maintain contact with anyone outside no hostage-taking, nothing to distract them. Third, that I make it plain to the governments concerned that they have twenty-four hours only, from the moment of takeover. The twenty-four hours runs out then Boom: England, France, Germany and the United States have big problems on their hands for many years to come problems, if all the scientists are correct, that will not be confined to the four countries concerned. The death toll and damage could cover almost half of the world. This is the one time that governments will have no choice but to give in to blackmail.' Meltdown was the original title of the book by Gardner. He had a lot of difficulties over the years with publishers, especially on the American side, trying to change names to occasionally hilarious ones. quote:'There's one thing ' Not when the fuckers make such unfair clues! quote:'I told you, Franco. Let me worry. All is arranged, and I shall be quite safe. Nobody'll have the slightest idea where any instructions are coming from. Now, Franco, we are on schedule for Thursday, which is ideal. If you can really finish everything in America within twenty-four hours, it means you will be in a position to carry out the other assignment for me on Wednesday night. You think you can make that location?' If this were Moore's Bond, he'd be 10 seconds from being inside her. quote:Bond indicated the door. When Donal had closed it, Bond had realised there was some kind of automatic locking system. The noise following Mary-Jane's entrance had confirmed his fear. 'How do you get through that system? It's electronic, isn't it?' he asked. This might be the first time we've seen Bond awkward and uncomfortable with romance. quote:'James,' she whispered, her lips so close that he could feel her breath, 'wouldn't you like me to stay for a while?' Mary-Jane Mashkin, fully dressed, made up, and with her hair beautifully coiffured, seemed a handsome and attractive woman. Now, close to, with her body unfettered from corset or girdle, and the face cleaned off, she was a very different person. Skipping the drinks seems to be helping his cognition! quote:Her lips tightened into a petulant grimace that changed her expression into one of acid, unpleasant hardness. A lip curled upwards. 'I've made a fool of myself. Men used to flock ' It's like dating someone with BPD! quote:It all sounded very melodramatic, and Bond was becoming more and more convinced that Mary-Jane's presence in his room her thrusting, unsophisticated attempt to seduce him was an act designed for some other purpose. Her hand reached out to the door. Murik and Franco had finished their conversation when Bond was dealing with being molested by a weirdo, so he rewinds the tape to see what he missed. After some talk about planning and the use of an air rifle firing a gelatin projectile for assassination, the bug is suddenly knocked off the desk. The voices are now so muffled that the only thing Bond can figure out is something related to Majorca, and the weapon's planned use from a catwalk to cause a coma and fatal heart attack. quote:The whole thing was deadly, and Bond knew that M's worst fears were proved. This was no ordinary little plan but a full-scale, worldwide conspiracy of great danger. As for the contract killing, he could not even start to think how that fitted in. The weapon would be an air rifle, undoubtedly firing a capsule containing some quick-acting poison. As for the place and target, it was anybody's guess. The word palace had been mentioned, and the victim was a woman. Bond immediately thought of royalty. The Queen, even. Then there was the word Majorca. A meeting place, perhaps? These were things he would have to pass on to M as soon as possible. It even crossed his mind, as he carefully packed away the receiver, to trigger the pen alarm now, inside the house. But that could prove more dangerous than helpful. Murik had him neatly stowed away, and the place was a fortress. Stay with it for the time being, Bond decided.
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Sep 18, 2020 21:57
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chitoryu12 posted:a Ceefax teletext system Having a teletext-enabled television in the UK even in the mid-90s was a sure sign of a house with a bit of extra cash to spend on its TV (particularly if it also had Fastext red/yellow/green/blue buttons on the remote control). A system for embedding browsable-by-number text pages in a television signal, which could then be appropriately decoded by a sufficiently-advanced television, it was originally developed by the BBC as Ceefax in 1974. By 1976 there was a World System Teletext standard which quickly spread to Europe: the French, of course, developed their own Antiope system, the development of which led them naturally to the iconic Minitel. Teletext was never really a thing in North America from what I can work out, but there's a whole generation in the UK and Europe who'll get misty-eyed and nostalgic about playing Bamboozle, reading Digitiser, and "watching" the football (or local equivalents), to the point where there's a small but strong market for retro Ceefax-styled mugs and t-shirts. It died out with the switch to digital television from the mid-2000s. The BBC maintains a similar-but-different interactive text service on the Red Button, which has just had a reprieve from idiotic cost-cutters who know the price of everything and the value of nothing. The presence of a Ceefax-enabled television in 1980 is, of course, originally an indicator of unimaginable luxury, and now it's gone just the same way as that Doner Kebab in From Russia With Love. Trin Tragula fucked around with this message at 23:09 on Sep 18, 2020 |
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Sep 18, 2020 23:03
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Chapter 10: Dilly-Dillyquote:There was a little squeal as Lavender Peacock half fell into the room, and James Bond's arms. She quickly recovered, snatching at the door, but was too late to stop it closing behind her, with its ominous electronic click. How much perfume is this woman wearing to leave a trail? quote:'Miss Mashkin did play a scene of some ardour, but I fear she didn't go away contented.' I think if you Google those names and look at the name of his operation, you'll figure out his plan pretty quick! quote:Lavender inhaled deeply, then shook her head again. 'No, I haven't the privilege of being allowed to carry electronic keys. In this place I'm usually just as much a prisoner as yourself.' She gave a little smile. 'Don't doubt that you're a prisoner, Mr Bond.' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvAJUcbTJHU quote:Bond settled himself on the Sleepcentre, where he had a good view of his latest visitor. 'You still haven't told me why you're here, Dilly.' I wonder if Bond still has that gangster-esque look that everyone in Fleming's time saw. quote:'There's something very strange going on. Mind you, that's not unusual for this place. My guardian is not like other men: but you know that already. I should ask you what you know about him, I suppose.' Not the time, Bond! quote:'Probably too comfortable. No, James, I came to give you some advice. I said something strange is going on. It's more than that. It could even be something terrible, disastrous.' Has it ever been throwing your back out on a caber toss? quote:'No, but Another cigarette?' It isn't bloody obvious? This isn't exactly Fleming's Bond, but I enjoy seeing someone shutting down his awkward come-ons. quote:Firmly she moved her head. 'No. People've already got into a lot of trouble because of me. I just came as a kind of Cassandra, uttering warnings.' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiUnVFCLaco quote:Bond squeezed her shoulder and went back to the bed. For a time they were silent. Did she, he asked himself, have any inkling of what was really going on? Already his mind had latched hard on to the locations of Indian Point Unit Three and San Onofre Unit One. He knew exactly what they were, and the possibilities of Murik's involvement with them carried things into a nightmare world. Is she calling out her own cliched backstory? quote:'Yet you're willing to get me out?' This is a basic spycraft thing, Bond! Come on! quote:'Legally only for a short time. But I've lived here well for ever.' This sort of summarizing of dialogue is a really annoying choice a few authors make. I last saw it with William Control's awful three-part BDSM misery porn. Obviously it's okay if a character needs to catch someone up on the entire plot, or you need to keep something hidden from the reader with a third-person narrative, but there's no reason whatsoever to replace a single line of dialogue with a description of what was said in the middle of a conversation! quote:Bond said that was the last thing he wanted to do. Privately he also knew that it might be the only thing he could do. Triggering off the pen alarm from the castle roof if he discovered the full extent of Murik's plans might put a spoke into the Laird's wheel; but spokes can easily be mended. No, he told Lavender, if he discovered something really criminal going on, then he would get out and bring help. He added that he would be happier if she came as well, but she gave a stubborn shake of her head. Bond found it difficult to believe that a girl of her spirit would allow herself to remain in these circumstances. She really was a virgin on the rocks; or a damned good actress. Okay, yeah, her being in Bond's room is definitely a problem for him. quote:'And, if I touched you? What would he do to me?' "...someone half my age that I just met." quote:She pulled away again. 'I mean it, James.' Then she smiled, putting a hand up to his cheek. 'Not that I Well, perhaps I'm being selfish. If something sinister really is going on here, you're my one hope if they don't do for you at the Games tomorrow. I'll get you out, and you can bring in the storm troopers: rescue the damsel in distress.'  quote:'Some damsel,' Bond laughed. 'How do you get out of this room, then? Or are we forced to spend the night together in separate corners?' "Bundling" was indeed a courtship practice up until the Victorian times, when increasing prudishness led to even this level of separation in a bed being too close. It probably didn't help that plenty of young couples waited until they were alone and hopped over the side anyway; a full 1/10th of children born in colonial New England (where this was practiced) were born 8 months after marriage. quote:'I'm for that. I'm bloody tired as well.' Lavender stood up. 'I hope there's a spare bolster in that mobile gin-palace the Laird's provided you with.' Just use dialogue, man! quote:She did not hesitate. 'There's someone else here, but he's become a regular visitor. Anton calls him Franco, and we're all under instructions not to talk about him. When you turned up he was pushed out of sight; but I think he's due to leave early in the morning.' I'm sure. quote:'How does he come and go?' Lavender explains that because the lights occasionally malfunction, the technicians probably didn't notice the light flickering on and off in the night. Unfortunately, the electronic keys for the locks are only held by certain people so there's no way for her or Bond to simply pilfer one. After getting dressed, Bond dials the switchboard and plays dumb about not knowing why his door is jammed. Requesting permission to take some morning exercise is enough to get the door opened. quote:Within a minute they heard the locks fall back. Bond tried the door, and it opened easily. He kissed Lavender on the cheek, and to his surprise she reached up and kissed him quickly but firmly on the mouth. Then she was gone. Somebody fucked around with this message at 04:31 on Sep 22, 2020 |
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Sep 21, 2020 19:22
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RIP Hugo Drax: https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/21/entertainment/michael-lonsdale-obituary-trnd/index.html Edit: Ive also seen the conversation summary device used to show that a viewpoint characters attention was drifting from the conversation to his own internal thoughts or something happening in his line of sight but that doesnt appear to be whats happening here. Midjack fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Sep 21, 2020 |
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Sep 21, 2020 21:01
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Midjack posted:RIP Hugo Drax: https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/21/entertainment/michael-lonsdale-obituary-trnd/index.html God, how many people in these threads have loving died while I was doing them?
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Sep 22, 2020 04:34
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chitoryu12 posted:Is she calling out her own cliched backstory? Bond's basically wandered into a lovely gothic novel at this point. I'm just amazed she didn't come out of a secret panel. It's crying out for a woman-in-nightie-running-away-from-ominous-dark-house cover.
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Sep 22, 2020 08:58
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Chapter 11: The Slingshot Syndromequote:Later Bond was to learn that the four acres of beautifully kept grass which ran down the far side of Murik Castle bordered with shrubs, gravel paths and topiary work had been known as the Great Lawn for at least two centuries. You guys are gonna love the reveal about the codename. quote:Jogging around the castle, Bond slowly made up his mind. In spite of what he had said to Lavender, there were two clear choices. Either he could get out now and alert M with the information already in his possession, or stay, face the test and glean the full details of the plot. If he could make a good showing, it was possible that Murik would put more trust in him; maybe even reveal everything. That this final course of action was dangerous, Bond did not doubt; yet it was the path he had to take.  "Wicked" is right! Mary-Jane's BMW M1 was produced only from 1978 to 1981, the result of a failed deal with Lamborghini to produce a mid-engined racing car. Only 453 were made, all hand-assembled of fiberglass over a tubular chassis. The interior is very plain and lacking in amenities and all of them were produced in standard left-hand drive configuration, so Mary-Jane would have to be a serious speed freak to want one over a more luxurious automobile. quote:Returning to his toning up, Bond ran through his usual morning press-ups, sit-ups and leg raising. Then he cleared a space in the room and started that magic, dance-like series of elegant, deadly, movements which make up the first kata or formal exercises of Uechi's style of karate: the Sanchin which you see men and women performing in parks and gardens, during the early morning or evening, in the East. Bond's body moved in a smooth, prearranged pattern as he went twice through the routine. By the time he had completed the physical and mental exercises, Bond's body was soaked in perspiration. He stripped off, padded through to the bathroom and showered first under scalding water, then with an ice-cold spray. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7YDkZrJ-V0 Bond's martial arts set was kept somewhat vague by Fleming, reflecting the time period's lack of understanding of Asian fighting styles (remember how he describes Oddjob's karate training?). By the 1980s, however, the world had moved beyond the exoticism of kung fu, judo, and karate. Bond's specific style here is Uechi-ryū, an Okinawan art that focuses on a stiff, tough body and quick strikes, especially with the arms. A kata is a series of choreographed moves used to memorize perfect form, and you can see how much the practitioner in the video is tensing his muscles to shield himself from blows. quote:After a good rub down and shave, he changed into lightweight slacks with a matching beige shirt and cord anorak. He slipped his feet into comfortable Adidas sports shoes. Normally he would have preferred the soft moccasins, but, as a possible confrontation was imminent, Bond thought it best to choose reliable athletic shoes that would not slide or let him down. Quite the un-Bondian outfit! I don't think the original Bond even owned sneakers, let alone brought them on a mission to pair with a hoodie. quote:He filled the gunmetal cigarette case making a resolution that he would not smoke until after the test, whatever it might be and put it in the jacket, together with his Dunhill lighter. The pen alarm was clipped into the inside of the jacket, while Q'ute's version of the Dunhill was deposited in his right-hand trouser pocket. In another highly un-Fleming moment, Bond chooses to skip a large breakfast(!) to eat nothing but some dry toast and black coffee. quote:Both Mary-Jane and Lavender greeted him with seeming pleasure, and Bond had only just seated himself when Anton Murik came in, dressed, as befitted a Scottish laird, in kilt and tweed jacket, his pugnacious face all smiles. He also seemed pleased to see Bond, and the talk was easy, Lavender giving no sign of what had passed between them during the night. All three appeared to be excited about the Murcaldy Games, Murik himself particularly bouncy and full of good humour 'It's my favourite day of the year, Mr Bond. Even tried to get back here for it whenever I was out of the country. Landowners and people like myself have a responsibility to tradition. Traditional values mean anything to you, Mr Bond?' This is one aspect of Bond that did not waver until the modern day. Fleming wrote his character as loyal to the Crown to a fault and unable or unwilling to find a job that didn't involve killing for it. While the film Bonds dropped most of the complexity of the character (Moore especially), he remained a quintessentially British character with a Union Jack parachute and a cameo by a fake Margaret Thatcher (the real one will appear in this thread....). License to Kill was the only film to seriously break Bond away from MI6 entirely and even get pursued by an agent to be apprehended. One of the controversial elements of Craig's Bond has been his much reduced loyalty to the concept of England as a whole, perhaps in an attempt to bring the writing closer in line with expectations for modern action films. Except for Casino Royale, Bond finds himself fired by, suspended by, or retiring from MI6 in every film and either having to be dragged back into the fray by circumstances or going on an unauthorized mission. His loyalty is more personally to M as a surrogate mother figure until her death in Skyfall, and his motivations are often about either personal revenge or ensuring that something destructive on an especially massive scale doesn't happen. quote:'Even when it lets you down, Mr Bond? Or should I call you Major Bond?' Murik let out a small cackle of laughter. It's also refreshing after Wood's writing to have villains who don't instantly recognize Bond is a spy and keep him around despite multiple assassination attempts. quote:'We'll talk later, James Bond.' Again the laugh. 'If you're able to talk. I think your breath may be taken away by the Games. It's quite a show.' On the other hand, some assassination attempts are much less intentional! quote:Bond had no time to answer, for the man was gone, almost with a hop, skip and jump. So that was it: a bout with the giant Caber. Bond turned to the ladies, trying to be gallant, asking them if he could be their escort. Lavender said yes, of course; but Mary-Jane gave her enigmatic smile, remarking that she would have to accompany the Laird. He would, she said, have to 'make do' with Lavender. Bond could not decide if the remark was meant to sound belittling, but Lavender hardly seemed to notice, rising and asking Bond if he would give her a few minutes to get ready. Oh, as if you weren't trying to bed her last night? quote:'Oh come on, I was only joking.' She laughed again. I think this woman would have torn Bond to shreds if he accepted her offer. quote:The library backed on to the drawing room, and was decorated in light colours. Three of the high walls were covered with books, and there were library steps on fitted rollers for each wall. The fourth wall contained three large, bay windows, each provided with a padded surrounding seat. I think that's a typo in the book. It's The Mask of Dimitrios, a 1939 spy novel that Bond was previously seen reading on the plane in From Russia With Love. It was quickly adapted into a film in 1944 starring Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet fresh off the success of Casablanca. quote:Thumbing the volume to the letter W, Bond ran his finger down the lines of words until he came to Warlock. Rapidly he scanned the entry. It gave the usual definition 1: 'One given to black magic: SORCERER, WIZARD. 2: CONJURER.' Then Bond's eyes slid up to the derivations, and his heart skipped a beat. 'Old English wrloga one that breaks faith, scoundrel, the Devil.' Yeah, there it is. I guess. quote:He was replacing the heavy copy of Webster, when a sound made him whirl around, his hand moving naturally to the hip, where he would normally be carrying a pistol, in the field; realising a fraction of a second later that there was no weapon there. Bond is finally getting a real boss fight! quote:'Let me worry about Caber, Dilly darling.' Bond took hold of her hand and squeezed it. 'If you get no other message from me, can you come to my room tonight?'  The Scottish Games, or Highland Games, are a Victorian invention in their modern form. While many of the competitions and games date back a thousand years, the concept of a centralized event with kilts, caber tossing, and literal tons of beer and fried food emerged as a way to spread Scottish culture among Scottish diaspora around the world. They're now organized and held worldwide in a semi-standard format with many of the same games and traditional music and dancing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb0FU8rSisU Caber, of course, is named after the caber toss. The origin of this extremely simple athletic competition is unknown, with suggests being lumberjacks throwing logs into streams for transport or training for throwing a log as a bridge over a stream to in battle. The thrower merely needs to lift a 12.5 stone (175 pound), 19.5 foot pole and throw it so that it flips completely over, lands on the other end, and falls away from them. The straighter it falls away from you, the better your score. Easy, right? quote:Several people doffed their bonnets or bowed to Lavender, showing great respect. Bond also noticed that they glanced at him with undisguised suspicion. Out of long habit and caution, he tried to pick out the more dangerous of the Laird's private army the big young men with watchful eyes, quiet and careful, silent and alert as loyal Mafiosi. Of one thing he was sure: there were a lot of them. For the next couple of hours he remained with Lavender, watching with interest the traditional sports and dancing. The Kilt Mafia, armed with switchblades in their socks. quote:Eventually a crowd started to gather around an area at the castle end of the arena, and Bond allowed himself to be led towards it by Lavender, who whispered that this was where her guardian wanted him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3QoGKdUU9M Traditional wrestling in this is Scottish Backhold wrestling, in which the two competitors assume a standard grappling position and attempt to get their opponent to lose their grip or touch the ground with any body part except their feet. You might be noticing that most of the games here involve being strong as hell! Caber, unfortunately, does not seem like the kind of guy to do traditional wrestling. quote:Bond smiled once more, 'Oh, well,' he spoke casually, 'that puts a different complexion on it. Yes, Laird, I'll take a bout with your champion.' He's lucky these aren't the Irish games. quote:A buzz went around the crowd. Even though he had not yet been singled out, Bond could sense the hostility. He felt in his right hand trouser pocket to be certain that what he needed was there. Then he quickly slipped out of his anorak, handing it to Lavender. 'Look after this please, Dilly,' he said, grinning. If you think Gardner is playing up Bond's Scottish heritage, you clearly haven't seen Skyfall. quote:'Well done!' The Laird thrust his head forward in his birdish manner. 'Well done, James Bond.' Then, quietly to Bond, 'I didn't know you had Scottish blood. How splendid.' It seems like the rules for this match are "Whoever loses consciousness first loses." quote:Caber made a dive for him, but this time Bond fractionally beat him to it rolling clear so that Caber was forced to handspring back to his feet. He rounded on Bond, coming in fast again. Bond weaved, but it was no good; Caber performed a quick cross-ankle pick-up, sending Bond sprawling again. The "Ganges Groin Gouge" comes from The Secret Arts of the Fighting World, a 1963 book by Robert W. Smith under the pseudonym John F. Gilbey. Smith was a legitimate martial artist who served as a CIA agent in Taiwan as a liaison to Chiang Kai-shek's government (which had fled China after Mao Zedong's takeover and unification of the country and still the official diplomatically recognized government of China until 1979). While Smith was an important figure in introducing legitimate Asian martial arts to the west, Secret Arts was actually a parody book giving exaggerated moves along the level of something in Kill Bill. An entire chapter is dedicated to the Ganges Groin Gouge, in which the amazing power of the practitioner is able to disable an opponent with the calmest brush or lightest slap of the hand against the balls. Srim Baba, the teacher of this technique, doesn't even bother with any attacks except for rapidly waving his hand at your nuts until he makes an impact! The "nut-brown" description of the instructor comes directly from Smith's book, but the book was taken seriously by so many people that I can't tell if Gardner was making a sly joke or if he mistook it for a legitimate martial arts manual. quote:Caber grunted again, and Bond felt his shoulder freed as the Scot fell forward, rolling as he did so. Bond backed away. Caber was rising quickly, the pain of those two blows showing in his eyes. It was the moment for Bond to be most alert. He had hurt Caber who, like a wounded animal, was now enraged. That he had been willing to maim and mutilate at the start of the bout was clear to Bond. Now the big man would kill if he had to. Halothane is indeed an anaesthetic, which is no longer in use in the United States but still used in many developing countries. If anyone wants to replicate this stunt, I highly recommend against it: anesthesiology is a very complex and cautious discipline that requires carefully measuring a patient's body weight and drug tolerance to precisely deliver enough anaesthetic to knock them out for surgery while not accidentally stopping their heart. A dose that knocks out someone like Caber in one blast to the face would likely kill a smaller person. quote:Bond's hand was in exactly the right place to deliver the primary burst, Caber's mouth and nose being less than two inches from the hidden Dunhill as he flicked the flip-top. As he moved his fingers, so Bond prepared to roll clear. He had seen the lighter demonstrated and did not particularly want to get a whiff of the Halothane himself. A good way to figure out if someone is unconscious! quote:As he sprang back and away Bond returned Q'ute's useful little toy to his pocket. There were three more shots in that if he needed them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rjbrqcQ5Sw quote:David and Goliath, Bond thought, knowing that it would be a good idea to keep out of Caber's way once the former Champion had regained consciousness. He had successfully played David to Caber's Goliath, and Q'ute had provided him with the ultimate in the slingshot syndrome.
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Sep 22, 2020 20:12
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chitoryu12 posted:The Kilt Mafia, armed with switchblades in their socks. A-hem. The correct name is sgian-dhu.
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Sep 22, 2020 20:41
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Chapter 12: A Contract, Mr. Bondquote:Though Anton Murik had presented the major trophies for the Murcaldy Games, people seemed reluctant to leave. On the Great Lawn, groups still performed reels and strathspeys, while those who had not been good enough to enter the major competitions were now availing themselves of the equipment, and space, to practise or emulate their superiors in the arts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnFTMu85A2Q This book has more bagpipes than ever before! quote:The marquees and tents remained thronged; there would be many a sore head or upset stomach in the glen by the following morning. It was now just past six in the evening, and after an enthusiastic speech amidst much applause and cheers, the Laird had set off in the direction of the castle, motioning Bond to follow him. This guy seems to be purposefully channeling gothic horror! quote:The air smelled dank, and the stone stairs seemed endless, descending deeper and deeper underground until they came out into a flagged open space. Murik reached out to a switch hidden in the wall and the place was suddenly flooded with light. Huge arches supported the vaulted ceiling, which Bond thought must be as old as the original castle. There were two more doors, one on each side of the flagged space, while ahead of them another narrower passage continued. Murik nodded, 'That way leads to the old dungeons.' His jowl moved in a twitching smile. 'They are occasionally useful. To our right, a room which I do not like using. The old torture chamber.' He pushed open the door and Bond followed him in.  While some torture devices (like the iron maiden and Pear of Anguish) are believed to be Victorian inventions for sensationalized displays of the brutality of the medieval period, the thumbscrews and similar devices for feet were indeed real and used in the Early Modern period as late as the mid-18th century. quote:'Nor deal with your corns.' Bond shuddered in spite of the light-heartedness. In his time, he had suffered much physical torture, and its instruments were not unknown to him. Yet when he looked towards the far end of the room his blood ran cold. The walls there were tiled in white, and in the centre was an operating table. Cabinets along the far wall were of modern design, and Bond guessed they would contain more terrifying instruments than the brutal weapons of pain hypodermics and drugs to send the mind reeling to the very edge of madness, and possibly even the means of inflicting agony through electrodes attached to the most sensitive areas of a man or woman. A man, well-trained, might withstand the exquisite pain that could be inflicted by the crude implements of torture; but few would keep truth or secrets for long in the more sophisticated part of this, Murik Castle's chamber of horrors. I feel like there's not enough paperwork being signed to make this employment official... quote:Murik led the way out and across the flagged area to the door facing that of the torture chamber. He turned, smiling before he opened the door. 'My operations' room.' This is almost as bad as Bond running up to Emilio Largo and saying "spectre" over and over in front of him to see if he would crack. quote:The Laird's face darkened, then cleared into a seraphic smile. 'We have no need. The world provides them. They are all around us, sitting there ready and waiting to wreak disaster at the right moment.'  That's the sword more commonly known as a claymore. The Gaelic name simply means "great sword" and today commonly refers to a large two-handed sword with a distinctive forward-sloping crossguard with quatrefoils at the ends. This design was not standardized and swords of varying patterns were used in medieval Scotland for clan warfare, but gradually standardized on the above style. The claymore joined the Highland Games, tartan, bagpipes, and other distinctively Scottish forms of identity in creating a romanticized 19th century ideal of Scotland and Scottish heritage. The anglicized term "claymore" is a Victorian one, and many reproduction swords were made in the Victorian period for decoration. quote:Murik motioned him to the console table, gesturing to one of the comfortable leather swivel chairs behind it. He took the other chair himself and gave a throaty laugh. 'From here, Mr Bond, I control the destiny of the world.' Without sounding sarcastic? quote:'Let me tell you ' Murik launched into his own version of his brilliant career. Most of what he said corresponded with what Bond already knew, deviating only when the Laird started to talk about his final disagreements with the International Commission. In Murik's version, he had resigned out of protest. 'Those who fight for the abolition of nuclear power stations in their present form are right,' he said in a voice that had slowly been rising in agitation. 'Note, Mr Bond, I say in their present form. They are unsafe. Governments are keeping the truth concerning their potential dangers from the general public. Government agencies have tried, again and again, to muzzle people like me. Now they deserve a lesson. They say that the only way out of the energy crisis is to use nuclear power. They are right: but that power must be made safe. How is electricity made, Mr Bond?' And in fact, nuclear power on the whole has been far less destructive to the environment and public health than coal and oil! quote:Murik nodded, 'In many ways I agree. I do not go along with Professor Lovins when he says that using nuclear power to boil water is like using a chainsaw to cut butter though he does have something on his side: wasted heat. No, the problem, Mr Bond, is one of safety and control. Nuclear reactors, as they now stand throughout the world, put our planet and its people at risk ' Of course, Murik turned out to be correct. On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine suffered a meltdown. This is an accident in which a runaway nuclear reaction generates excess heat that can't be removed by the cooling system, causing the fuel to melt. This can leach into the coolant, or cause a hydrogen explosion or steam hammer effect that could destroy containment altogether and contaminate the environment with radioactive material. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xulAgMNK5Jk The Chernobyl accident, as famously dramatized in the miniseries Chernobyl recently, was caused by an accident during a simulated power outage for safety testing. An unexpected delay meant an unprepared night shift was on duty instead of the staff trained properly for the simulation, and a combination of human error and design flaws in the reactor caused an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction. The ensuing steam explosion and open-air reactor core fire caused massive contamination of the surrounding area for over a week. Over 110,000 people were evacuated from the exclusion zone around the reactor, leaving the city of Pripyat a ghost town to this day. 2 people were killed in the explosion, and 28 died of massive radiation exposure in the following months. It's suspected that at least 14 others died of radiation-induced cancer within the next 10 years and potentially up to 16,000 could have suffered an early death from cancer caused by the fallout across Europe. One thing that puts Murik's fears into perspective is that fatalities for these accidents is incredibly tiny compared to their apparent severity. It's very difficult to judge deaths that may occur years or decades after the fact as having been definitively caused by radiation (the Kyshtym disaster has an estimate ranging from 50 to 9000) and most of them only resulted in the deaths of a few people immediately exposed to the danger (or in the case of the 1961 Idaho Falls disaster, impaled to the ceiling by a launched control rod). On the whole, however, nuclear power is believed to prevent more deaths than it causes due to the extreme pollution caused by fossil fuels. It's estimated that a complete replacement of nuclear power with coal today could cause as many as 7 million additional deaths by 2050. quote:'Is that something to do with what they call the China Syndrome? I saw a movie with Jane Fonda ' Bond continued to play innocent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIGH1AfIS18 The China Syndrome was a 1979 thriller starring Jane Fonda as a reporter who, along with her cameraman played by Michael Douglas, uncover corruption in a nuclear power plant that threatens to cause a world-ending meltdown. It was released only 12 days before the Three Mile Island incident, boosting its popularity, but the science...leaves something to be desired. quote:Anton Murik nodded. 'A nuclear reactor produces its enormous heat from a core a controlled chain reaction, and as long as it's controlled all is well. However, if there is a failure in the cooling system a ruptured pipe, a shattered vessel, the coolant lost that's it. The core is just left to generate more and more heat; create more and more radioactivity ' Murik is correct in that a nuclear reactor can't detonate like a nuclear bomb; a nuke requires an extremely specific set of circumstances and steps all happening perfectly, and it'll fizzle otherwise. Even a nuclear bomb that was blown up by a conventional weapon would simply scatter its radioactive material everywhere rather than turning the base and its surroundings into a crater. Where Murik is clearly insane is that "China syndrome" is a completely fictional phenomenon created by the movie! The movie claims that the melting down reactor core is so hot that it would simply melt right through the floor, theoretically all the way through to the other side of the Earth, but more likely hitting the water table and blasting into radioactive steam that could "render an area the size of Pennsylvania permanently uninhabitable." In reality, even in the worst case scenario it would take days to melt through multiple meters of solid concrete and the core would solidify and cool in the soil. The Three Mile Island core only melted 15 millimetres downward before stopping. Murik believing in "China syndrome" is equivalent to basing your evil plans on the science of Star Trek. quote:Bond shook his head. 'No, I wouldn't blame you for doing that if your system is as safe as you say.' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX6PID8vOkY quote:During the long speeches about nuclear reactors, Bond had managed to steal two more glances at the large map. The American targets were ringed in red chinagraph. Now he had managed to identify the English and French locations. Heysham One and Saint-Laurent-des-Eaux Two. What was this man going to do? Was his brilliance so unhinged that he was prepared to expose governments or organisations he hated by sending suicide terrorists into nuclear reactor sites to manufacture disaster that might affect the entire world? Would his madness carry him that far? Meltdown of course. Murik's plan, of course, is not mere extortion. He wants the world to know just how dangerous nuclear power is, so he's going to arrange for a few little accidents all over the world. The money he gets will fund his own reactor design and save humanity! quote:'How?' Bond asked, convinced that a straightforward question would produce a reflex answer. But Anton Murik, in spite of the hysterical outbursts was not easily trapped. This is a lot more spycraft than Bond originally did. While Bond used covers on occasion in Fleming's days, it was usually a brief one that was barely questioned and he repeatedly used the same front even as he knew it was compromised. quote:'How ?' This is the level of cover a real spy needs to have. If you've got a fictional background, you need pretty much an entire personal history back to childhood and ancestry memorized and ready to go at any given time. Answers need to flow from you as flawlessly as if they're from your own life. Minor habits and quirks flesh you out and make you seem real. quote:Bond allowed his shoulders to slump forward, as though he had been defeated by some clever policeman. 'Okay,' he said softly, 'but how do you know all this about me?' Ah yes. Frank Olive Cheeseman. quote:'I don't think I've had the pleasure.' Amazingly, we're already halfway through the book! quote:'Sounds fair enough,' Bond said, wildly thinking that here was a heaven-sent opportunity for getting word out to M. But he knew full well the call would be monitored and intercepted the moment he tried any sort of bluff. It was on Bond's lips to ask what would happen should he fail and Franco escape, but he remained silent.  As a World War II commando, Gardner would have been intimately familiar with the "Bouncing Betty." S-mines were a major part of the Third Reich's defensive systems during the war thanks to their low cost and high effectiveness. When the pressure sensor on the tip receives 7 kilograms or more pressure, it activates a 4-second fuse that leads to a percussion cap detonating a black powder launching charge. This flings the mine a few feet upward (not the excessive 7 feet Gardner lists) before the main charge detonates after about half a second. The shrapnel is deadly enough that simply trying to run is ineffective unless cover is immediately nearby, so the ideal defense is to drop prone on the spot and allow the shrapnel to pass overhead. It'll hurt, but you'll likely survive. quote:The cutaway S-Mine had been so arranged as to show the ball bearings in position, and also separately. A small pile of these steel balls, each about a centimetre in diameter, lay beside the weapon. They looked just the right size for Bond's purpose. Loudly he asked 'You're tied up with this Franco fellow? In this scheme of yours?' How convenient that he's able to get so many terrorists from different causes to all work together on a suicide mission for an unrelated terrorist! quote:'All these men are willing to sit in nuclear control rooms and, if necessary, produce what you have called the China Syndrome. If they have to do that, a very large part of the world will be contaminated, and millions will die from radioactive fallout. I personally do not think it will happen but that is up to me. I have provided Franco with the means to get these squads into the reactor control rooms. I have, through Franco, trained them so they can carry out destructive actions at my command. At the end of the day there will be a huge ransom. Franco is to get half of the final ransom money, which he will split with the groups according to his prior arrangements. It is up to Franco to come to me in order to collect his share. He has even tried to tell me that the terrorist groups are pressing for assurances that the money will reach them. Lies, of course. It is Franco himself who needs the assurances. He will get none.' As ridiculous as it is to get a bunch of random terrorists all sacrificing themselves in unity for nuclear safety, it does provide one wrinkle to Bond's operation: the people Murik has put in charge of destroying the world are fanatical and likely unstable. Murik might not even be in control of the situation completely and his death might not stop the operation. quote:More than ever, Bond realised that he must make a bid for freedom. They made their way slowly, side by side, to the foot of the stone stairway. This is why the Mafia puts your remains in a car and crushes it! quote:'As to your own wellbeing,' Murik continued, 'it is by no means assured by my proposal. One false move would certainly bring about Caber's longed-for revenge. He is a savage man, Mr Bond, but I can control him. All the same, I should point out that neither could you be sure, had you declined my offer, that I would not be able to make your future life or death very unpleasant. The choice remains yours. Even now you can walk out of here freely, without a penny, and spend every minute of the days to come wondering where and when I might catch up with you. No one would believe the cock-and-bull story you might think of imparting to the police, or anyone else. So you have only my word for good faith. But remember, much greater risks lie on my side of the contract.'
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Sep 24, 2020 16:07
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Apologies for any slowness in posting. An ex-coworker probably gave me COVID because she was a denialist never wearing a mask and constantly partying and Im basically bedridden with a fever!
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Sep 28, 2020 00:16
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that's hosed up! hope you pull through okay also I have a lot of trouble taking the nickname Dilly seriously the more you post the book saying (writing?) it, the less I like it.
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Sep 28, 2020 02:55
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chitoryu12 posted:Apologies for any slowness in posting. An ex-coworker probably gave me COVID because she was a denialist never wearing a mask and constantly partying and Im basically bedridden with a fever! Be well dude. Well be here.
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Sep 28, 2020 09:00
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That sucks, I hope you get through it with no worse than that. Idiot loving denialists.
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Sep 28, 2020 11:08
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Obviously poisoned by MI6 for knowing too much. Seriously though get well... praying for you.
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Sep 28, 2020 17:33
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chitoryu12 posted:Apologies for any slowness in posting. An ex-coworker probably gave me COVID because she was a denialist never wearing a mask and constantly partying and I’m basically bedridden with a fever! Hope you recover rapidly. Let us know if anything we can do.
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Sep 28, 2020 18:57
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Currently the illness is coming and going. I'll write when I can. Chapter 13: Nightride quote:The names of the six nuclear power stations were in the forefront of Bond's mind for the rest of the evening, running like a looped tape in his head. His knowledge of nuclear power, and the location of reactors throughout the world, was sketchy; though, like his colleagues, he had done a short course on the security of such power plants. While I don't know for sure about Nord Two-Two, all of these other plants are real (if not referred to by their exactly proper designation.) Esenshamm's plant is actually the Unterweser Nuclear Power Plant, and "Nord Two-Two" could be Rheinsberg Nuclear Power Plant to the north in Brandenburg. quote:At least he had the names, and the knowledge that they were subject to terrorist squad takeover on Thursday. Small squads in the control rooms, the Laird had said. Get out, Bond's experience told him. Get the information to M and leave the rest to the experts. Sir Richard Duggan's boys from M.I.5 almost certainly had Murik Castle under surveillance, and it would not take long for troops to move in. If they were on the ball, Franco would already be in the F.B.I.'s sights in the United States. It should not take much to pull him; and if part of Meltdown was already under way, strict security at the target points would mop up the suicide squads. Eliminating David Ayer once and for all. quote:Bond did not have time to start thinking of the delicate intricacies of Murik's plan. Already there was enough on his mind, and it was essential for him to appear completely relaxed in front of Murik, Mary-Jane Mashkin and Lavender Peacock. You bastard! quote:Even Murik appeared to be amused by the long tale, and Bond was so caught up in the telling that he had to pull himself from the half-fantasy when the ladies withdrew, coming down to earth as he faced Anton Murik alone over the table. Upon returning to his all-black bedroom, Bond begins quickly working to lay out all of his luggage and gadgets for a rapid escape once Lavender shows up. As far as M is concerned, Bond's job is finished and theoretically he could have a team assaulting the castle within hours of his escape. quote:Last of all, Bond laid out a pair of dark slacks and a black roll-neck sweater, together with the dullest-coloured pair of moccasins he possessed. Then, after placing the three steel ball-bearings, filched from Murik's control room, near the door, he showered, changed into the dark clothing, stretched out on the Sleepcentre, and lit a cigarette. Near his right hand lay the last piece of equipment, a wide strip of thick plastic, one of many odds and ends, screwdrivers, wires and such, provided by Q'ute. We've finally gotten the literary Bond into the tactleneck! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FYJfEHOuY0 quote:Time passed slowly, and Bond occupied himself by working on the remaining pieces of the Meltdown puzzle should he not get through, it would be best to have some operational diagram in his head. The funny thing is that outside the contrived method of getting a bunch of suicidal terrorists from disparate groups all planted in these reactor control rooms for years, the plot is actually far more realistic in its scope than something like Goldfinger. There's no need for a private actor to acquire a black market nuke or move a physically impossible amount of gold. While the "China Syndrome" is complete fiction, the Chernobyl accident only 5 years after publication would prove just how badly a serious nuclear accident could contaminate a widespread area. The bigger question becomes how likely this is compared to Chernobyl. The Chernobyl accident happened so easily during a test because the reactor was a highly flawed design that was very unstable outside of its strict design specifications and lacked an adequate containment vessel that would prevent radioactive material from leaking into the environment in the event of an accident. Obviously the exact methods by which you could cause a similar accident at a less dangerous reactor are not generally available to the public, but nuclear reactors are produced with the knowledge of how dangerous an accident could be and will shut themselves down automatically and safely if things go haywire. It's questionable just how many people would need to be in on the plot to disable every safety system to cause an accident. quote:It was almost one in the morning before he heard the click of the electronic lock. Bond sprang like a cat from the bed, the strip of plastic in one hand, the other scooping up the trio of ball bearings. Gently he pulled back on the door, allowing Lavender to enter the room. Raising a hand, he signalled silence, then slipped one ball-bearing into each of the circular bolt housings, softly tapping all three, so that the bearings rolled gently to the far ends of the housings. If Bond's thinking was accurate the metal bearings would make contact at the bottom of the bolt housings. By rights the 'on' lights would be activated in the castle switchboard room. If luck was with them the flicker as Lavender unlocked the door would have gone unnoticed. Bond then inserted the thick plastic strip over the bolt heads, to prevent them locking back into place. Only then did he partially close the door. You couldn't get anything else, huh? quote:'Sorry I'm late,' she whispered. 'They've only just gone to bed. A lot's been happening. Caber came up to the house with some of the men. The Laird's been giving them instructions, Lord knows what about, but Caber's in a fury. I heard them talking in the hall. It's a good thing you're going, James. Caber is threatening to kill you; but I heard Anton say, "Not yet, Caber, your turn will come." Have you any idea what's going on?' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z0wEVxL30Q Sometimes you wonder just how much later scriptwriters read the non-Fleming books, with things like the Colonel Sun torture sequence showing up. In Skyfall, Bond finds himself captured by Silva and forced to shoot a glass of Macallan off his mistress's head, partially as a way of mocking his secretly poor results in his fitness test that M fudged to get him back in the field. It doesn't end well. quote:Bond nodded, trying to hurry her along by asking about the main doors, and the best way out. She told him there was a red button high up on the top right-hand side of the main door. 'You'll find a small switch just beneath it in the down position. Move it up, and the alarm system'll be disconnected. Then just press the button, and the main door locks will come off. They'll know in the switchboard room straight away, so you won't have much time. I've checked, and your car's still in the same place outside.' Remote starters for cars had already existed since the 1960s, albeit as very expensive aftermarket alterations. Cars in these days weren't computerized, so installing a remote starter was a matter of a lot of wiring and connections. quote:Taking several deep breaths, Bond clutched the car keys, remote ignition control, and the suitcase in his left hand, leaving the right free. Opening the door, he allowed the thick plastic to fall and pulled the door closed behind him. The bolts shot home, and he waited anxiously to see if the mechanism would jam against the ball bearings. It didn't. Bond carefully makes his way down to the front door, walking along the side of the steps where the wood is less likely to creak, and throws the bolts on the door. Unfortunately, the bolts are incredibly loud, and the door swinging open is accompanied by all the lights flashing on and a voice shouting at Bond to get his hands up. quote:It was Donal. Bond recognised the voice, and judged the butler to be somewhere just to the left of the stair bottom. Trusting his own experience and intuition, Bond's hand grasped the duelling pistol, cocking the hammer as he drew it from his waistband. He whirled around as the end of the barrel came clear. Bond makes it to the Saab, practically dragging his case behind him, and locks the door. Right as someone begins running toward the car, he opens one of the hidden compartments under the seats to retrieve his M1903 and spare set of night vision goggles. quote:There were at least five men around the car now; even before he had the goggles in place, Bond could see two of them carried what looked like machine pistols, pointing towards him. He thought Caber was there in the background, but he was not going to hang around to find out. One of the men was shouting for him to get out of the car. It was then that Bond hit the tear gas button.  This was one of the functional gadgets placed on the replica car. Unfortunately, they had to use smoke generators for something stupid like "safety." quote:Bond heard the thud and hiss as the canisters opened up, then saw the effects as the five men began to reel away and the angry white cloud rose around the windows. There was a portable oxygen unit, with masks, within reach, in case the gas penetrated the car or the air ran out; but Bond was more concerned with getting the Nitefinder set around his head, slipping the remote control for the main gates on to his lap and putting some distance between himself and the castle. He snapped on the seat belt, slammed the machine into gear, took off the hand brake. Holding down the foot brake, he slowly pressed the accelerator, building up power. Then, suddenly taking his foot off the brake, Bond let the car shoot forward, skidding wildly on the gravel. Straightening as he gained control, he drove at breakneck speed away from the castle. Through the rearview mirror he could see the men coughing and reeling about, shielding their eyes, bumping into each other, and one huge figure it could only be Caber lunging into their midst, as though reaching out for a weapon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV75-3rlgQo As part of the marketing, the BBC actually did an interview with Gardner in 1981 to show off all of the gadgets. They even further disproved the James Bond Wiki by making sure Gardner pulled out a Blackhawk from its hidden compartment! quote:He did not see the flashes; only felt the heavy bumps as a burst of automatic fire hit the rear of the Saab. Best not to be concerned about that: there was enough armour plating and bullet-proof glass around him to stop most kinds of weapon. Maybe an anti-tank gun would have some effect, but certainly not automatic fire. Unlike many of the gadgets based in real tech we've seen, these are real run-flat tires introduced in 1972! While not the very first run-flat tires, they were the first commercially successful ones (costing only £99 a set in 1975) and had a self-supporting interior that would allow a deflated tire to continue for a surprisingly long time; they had a Fiat drive from Scotland to Italy, then a Corvette from coast to coast in the United States, on deflate tires just to demonstrate them. quote:He could see the gates in the distance, and one hand went to the locking device on the gun port built in just below the dash. A turn and slide, and the port was open. Bond removed the old and unauthorised heavy Ruger Super Blackhawk-·44 Magnum, pushing it into a spot where he could easily grab the butt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh4TYj5PS0Q "Quick succession" is not how most people would describe shooting a single-action .44 Magnum. quote:The speedometer showed well in excess of 85 m.p.h.; there was no moon, but the view was clear as day through the Nitefinder. In a moment the Saab would be off the metalled road and on to the wide track leading to the village. Time, Bond thought, to give M some warning. He reached for the pen alarm. This is the second time a "metalled" road is referenced. While it can also refer to a paved road, the fact that it's called uneven suggests it's just a gravel road. quote:At first he imagined it had merely slipped inside his pocket, so often had he checked it. More than thirty seconds passed before he realised that the alarm was missing dropped outside the castle, or rolling around somewhere inside the Saab. As the stark fact penetrated Bond's mind, he glimpsed the lights of another car, far back towards the castle. Mary-Jane's B.M.W., he would guess, crammed with Caber and the boys, carrying machine pistols and automatics. Goddammit Bond! quote:Bond had to make up his mind in a matter of seconds. The village would have been alerted by this time. He reasoned that the most dangerous path lay straight ahead. The answer would be to take the Saab around, going back on his own heading, following the track which ran parallel to the castle the way he had come to reconnoitre the previous night. Without lights, the Saab would be difficult to follow and he reckoned that, even on the rough track, it would not take long to make the road to Shieldaig. At some point there would be a telephone. A call to the Regent's Park building would bring all hell down upon Murik Castle in a very short time. This is a pretty strong start for the first big action scene from Gardner! quote:Now, his subconscious seemed to yell. Now drive straight at them. The Saab kicked and jarred on the rough heather and gorse as Bond spun the wheel to right and left in a violent Z pattern. While Fleming was a car enthusiast, I'm not sure how big Gardner was on them. I do know that along with the above clip of him driving the Silver Beast himself and peeling away on camera, part of his time writing the books included some driving of the Saab in Finland that led to him repeatedly drifting into snowbanks. The way he describes the driving is realistic enough that I can't help but think that he had some interest in it. quote:The car must have torn the post straight out of the ground. There was a teeth-jarring bump as the nearside door hit the sturdy sign. For a second Bond knew he was at a standstill; then he had his foot down again, heaving the wheel to the left. The Saab plunged like a horse, shuddering, shaking its tail violently, then smoothly picked up speed again. Briefly, in the midst of the noise, Bond thought he heard another engine running in time with his own. Maybe you should have saved the .44 Magnum for when you really need it, Mr. Bond? quote:It came just as he expected the same manoeuvre, a dipping of the nose, a fast slide up and back. Bond swung the wheel to the right, changed into second, and allowed his foot gently to increase pressure on the accelerator. Yep, still the classic Bond. quote:All this flashed through Bond's head as he applied the car's brakes too late. The nose of the Saab reared up, and he was aware of the Mashkin woman telling him the size and depth of the pit. The wheels clawed at empty air, then the Saab began to drop forward, tipping to one side, bouncing and bumping in a horrible crunching somersault.
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Sep 28, 2020 20:51
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chitoryu12 posted:Currently the illness is coming and going. I'll write when I can. Don't push yourself too hard! I hope you get better soon. In the spirit of this thread, though, what's your preferred recipe for a hot toddy? It seems like they'd be welcome relief even if not strictly medicinal.
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Sep 28, 2020 21:18
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Yond Cassius posted:Don't push yourself too hard! I hope you get better soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWEaQrNySZ4 quote:2 oz. -or- 60 ml. Whiskey
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Sep 28, 2020 22:15
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