Agent 010: Atmosphere
by Matthew Holmes

My spy series begins as a British MI6 agent is out for revenge while trying to unravel a mysterious organization.

This is a fan fiction spin-off series of Daniel Craig’s James Bond film “No Time To Die.”

ATMOSPHERE

2037 A.D.
California, USA

Skydivers rapidly descend through the sky and are shooting at one another with pistols after jumping out of a large military plane that explodes overhead. A free-falling British secret agent is wearing a helmet with a visor and tactical gear and has a pistol in their hand, but is without a parachute. Everyone else has parachutes, wearing helmets with visors along with tactical gear and holding pistols. The two British agents fire their pistols several times, hitting two of the other skydivers knocking them away in the air from the gunshot’s impacts. The British secret agent without a parachute maneuvers in the air in a move to connect the two agents together, taking advantage of the temporary obstruction caused by falling through the clouds, which momentarily blocks the hostile skydiver’s view of them.

Once out of the cloud cover and into the view of the hostile skydivers again, there are more gunshots that erupt. Bullets whiz by the two free-falling British agents. Now connected in a pair tandem from their time in the cloud cover, the hostile skydivers aim themselves in their direction. The two British agents ran out of ammo from firing their weapons earlier. So, one agent reaches into the holsters of the other agent from behind, pulling out two pistols and fires at the hostile skydivers. The gunshots hit their falling bodies that kill them at different moments. Only one hostile skydiver survives the barrage of gunfire. The ground is coming up fast as one agent pulls the cord to open their shared parachute. The last hostile skydiver also pulls their parachute open and lifts up above the two British agents. The higher elevated hostile skydiver aims and shoots their pistol in a downward direction at the agents. One gunshot tears into a piece of their parachute, and the other gunshots hit the agents from above. One British agent is shot in the head, and the other is shot in the shoulder.

A limp, motionless body dangles behind the other agent’s back as the only able-bodied agent begins to swing back and forth to avoid shooting their parachute. The momentum of the swinging angles the injured agent in view of the hostile skydiver. Firing one single accurate shot, the injured British agent kills the last hostile skydiver. The fight is over as the two British agents land on the ground together with their parachute fluttering above them in a desolate field. The agent behind the injured agent slouches over, and their shot-up parachute lands behind them. The other dead skydiver with an open parachute thumps onto the ground in the distance. Sitting in the field, the injured agent with two pistols in each hand has a blood-soaked right shoulder and looks around through their tinted helmet visor.

The British agent reaches up to their helmet, puts the visor up, and slowly takes off the helmet. What’s revealed is a deep breathing, injured, beautiful young woman with blood-soaked dirty blonde hair from the man’s body that’s still hooked up behind her. She looks around with tired eyes and closes them from being concussed and passes out in exhaustion.

Three days later
MI6 Headquarters
London, England

“Your first mission soars into the record books as a complete and total disaster,” Director Jean Arway dryly comments. In the director’s office at MI6, in London, England, the agency’s newest agent sits quietly while her boss scolds her. “When I say to infiltrate a U.S. domestic terrorist cell and report any developments in beautiful sunny California, that doesn’t mean to blow them up, shoot the rest as they fall to their deaths, and lose a fellow agent in the process. It took us years to get our man on the inside, and the day we introduce you to the mix, there’s death and destruction everywhere. We’re still cleaning up your mess as we try to explain and reason with our American counterparts what the hell happened over their airspace. Do you know how angry their administration is at us right now!? We have to be quiet and non-existent. Secret agents aren’t supposed to be the cause of public international emergencies! You’re supposed to be a bloody secret!”

Director Arway continues scolding the twenty-two year old female agent, who sits at attention, wearing a pantsuit with her right arm in a sling and a wrapping around her shoulder. Her face is bruised in two spots with dirty blonde hair that’s styled back in a ponytail. She’s drifting in thought, staring at the artwork of a previous director. Director Arway asks, “Have you been listening to anything I’ve been saying?” Mathilde Bond looks back down and says, “I know it doesn’t look good, Director Arway, but I have my reasons, and if Lawrence had survived, he would vouch for me.” The Director comments, “Oh, would he? And how do you know that!?” Mathilde thinks about what she’s about to tell Arway and says with determination, “Lawrence and I became close since our training days together, so I trusted him when he told me things. He was set on a plan to take out the plane at any cost, and he was waiting for me to back him up.” Arway asks sternly, “what was their plan with this plane?” Mathilde continues with a gulp, saying, “This may sound confusing, but I think….” Just then, the phone rings, and Arway says, “I should answer this.” She picks up the phone and, after listening, says, “Yes, I understand. Well, if it were me, I would not give in to empty threats, especially when there is so much at stake at the summit. It sounds ridiculous anyway. Just don’t tell the press anything and keep it between you and your colleagues who received the message. I’ll look into it immediately, as silly as it sounds. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Prime Minister,” Arway says and hangs up the phone. Staring at her agent, she’s thinking about what the Prime Minister had just told her on a secure line as he’s attending a climate summit in Hawaii with world leaders trying to come to a deal on anything other than it being a big charade. “When you say you and Lawrence were close, how close?” asks Arway. “Close enough,” Mathilde answers and feels a bit embarrassed. She loved and cared about him, but they had kept it a secret.

The director thinks about it, knowing what the prime minister has said. “Okay, thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will look into the developing threats and forget about your and Lawrence’s past, but you still have orders,” Arway says. “Thank you, Director, but you don’t want to know my thoughts on their plan?” asks Mathilde. Arway answers, “I’ve heard enough for today, Bond. Maybe some other time. Here’s the next mission that should keep you out of trouble and allow you to heal up.”

She passes an envelope to Mathilde, who opens it up seeing her next location. “Thanks, looks fun,” Mathilde sarcastically comments. “Yes, lots of fun. Happy hunting, Agent 010,” replies Arway. As Mathilde gets up in physical pain and walks away towards the door, the Director warns, “and if you want to stay in this agency, stick to the task at hand.” I am sorry about Lawrence, but for this mission, take care of yourself first, Bond.” Mathilde nods her head in acceptance of Arway’s words and unique mission just given to her. She opens the door, walks through it, and closes it from behind, leaving the office behind.

Two Days Later
Athens, Greece

It’s nighttime at a bar in Athens, Greece, and Mathilde is out for another night of drinking and hunting for the most attractive Greek guy around for a one-night fling. Tonight has been quiet, with mostly American tourists annoying her and asking for her number for a relationship or something stupid down the road. Director Arway gave her a vacation mission to unwind and heal and made sure she’s as far away from California as possible. It has only been a couple of days, but on the televisions at the bar, the news reports that the Climate Summit on the other side of the world in Hawaii has not come to any agreement. The spectacle is on its last day as Mathilde Bond shakes her head in disgust and looks down at her usual drink of a double shot Bloody Mary. Mathilde has a photo of her and Lawrence in her hand as she looks down at it again. He’s handsome, and they’re happy together in the picture. Often spending time away from being agents, Lawrence was everything Mathilde wanted in a man. He was smart, strong, and understanding. A voice speaks up and startles Mathilde, saying, “I can’t believe they think anything will ever change. Our atmosphere is doomed. Carbon emissions, pollution, corrupt politicians, corporations, etc., etc.” As an older man sits down next to her at the bar, somehow managing to be quiet enough to not have alerted her senses. Mathilde replies, “I suppose so. And you are?” She turns to look at a man in his 60s whose facial traits look familiar. “I’m Lawrence’s father, Mosley. But family, friends, and you can call me Atmos,” the man answers calmly. Mathilde looks at him and questions, “How do I know you’re not just lying about being his father? Come on, Atmos? Is that like short for atmosphere?” Mosley chuckles and says, “Exactly. Yes, Mathilde, I’m a climate scientist, so funny nicknames happen in my field. I guess the agent numeric system is more normalized to you, though?” Atmos surprises Mathilde by knowing about the secret agent number status and what she does for work. This worries her as she asks what else he knows about her.

Mathilde questions, “What do you know about me?” Atmos ignores her question and continues talking, “here in Athens, the philosopher Plato once taught his students to believe in a higher realm of existence. Maybe that’s where we’re all destined to go someday.” Atmos notices that Mathilde takes another drink and changes the subject to a more serious matter, saying, “you know, my Lawrence talked about you being reckless in your training together, and him subsequently dying on a mission with you is a loss that I’ll never get over. You do know this, right?” She answers, “Sorry to have failed you and your son, oh great Atmos,” a hurt sarcastic Mathilde says, looking away from him.

His tone changes to anger, and he gets closer to Mathilde’s face, saying, “My son did not die for a worthy cause. He thought he could fix the world, but it’s too late. We’re already on the precipice of global collapse. We only have one earth, one life, and it would be a shame to lose it. Don’t you think, Mathilde?” Atmos smiles and waits for her answer. She doesn’t say anything but is teary-eyed and feels terrible about the conversation. Atmos gets up from his seat, shakes himself off, and stretches as Mathilde finally looks at him as he begins to walk away. Atmos says loudly to her, “I’ll see you around, Agent 010,” and he leaves the bar smiling, leaving Mathilde in shock, questioning what had just transpired in her confused mind.

As Mathilde is making sense of the encounter while sitting at the bar, a group of men walk in and motion for people to leave. The young woman bartender walks up to Mathilde and tells her, “The drink is on me. So, is this.” She slides a switchblade knife to her, and Mathilde quickly grabs it with her left hand, tucking it out of view. “Good luck,” the bartender whispers, smiling and putting her arms and hands in the air. Mathilde takes a swig of her drink and says out loud, “I don’t want any trouble here, boys,” as she thinks to herself, “How does everyone know me here?” She turns towards the oncoming group, who already have their pistols pulled out of their jackets.

The three henchmen surround her, and Mathilde asks, “I assume you work for Atmos, and he doesn’t have the nuts to do it himself?” The guy in the middle says, “something like that, sweetheart.” She smirks and opens the switchblade knife that is still out of view under her hand. The guy to her left comments, “so long, pretty little thing,” and lifts up his pistol and cocks it, pointing at her head.

Mathilde angrily throws the knife, instantly stabbing the guy’s hand and causing him to turn the pistol as he shoots, hitting the guy on the right in the chest. The stabbed man yells in pain, dropping to his knees while holding his severed hand. Mathilde immediately grabs her drink and jumps onto the guy in the middle, who has taken his eyes off her and is staring in shock at the other guys, not knowing what to do. She lands on him and smashes her drink on his head, knocking him out as they fall together onto the floor. The bartender walks around the bar and puts her hand out to help Mathilde up. “I knew you could bring a knife to a gunfight when in the presence of a British secret agent,” comments the young woman. Mathilde asks, “who are you?” She smiles and says, “oh, I should have told you earlier, I guess. I’m Lexi, CIA, at your service, ma’am.” Mathilde chuckles, “at my service or watching me in case I do anything more to your beloved country way out here in Greece?” Lexi smiles back and says, “both, I suppose.”

Out of the three henchmen, one is dead, another is knocked out, and the third is alive but lying on the ground in pain, holding his injured hand. Lexi tells Mathilde, “we need to get out of here. The authorities will soon barge in and want to lock us up, and we don’t need our governments bailing us out and getting in trouble.” Mathilde replies, “agreed.” Lexi says, “follow me to the kitchen because there’s a back way out of here to my safe house a few blocks away. From there, we need to get out of this country and probably never come back.” Mathilde comments, “damn, and I was enjoying myself here with all the Greek eye candy.” Lexi says, “yeah, I know.” The two women quickly make it out of the bar, into a back alley, and make it to Lexi’s safe house.

As they walk in, a familiar man is sleeping on the couch, holding a pistol in his hand. He wakes up, saying, “Lexi, is that you?” Seeing Mathilde, he gets up in distress and introduces himself. “Hi, Mathilde, my real name is Tommy, and I would like to start by saying I’m really sorry…” Mathilde cuts him off. “For pretending you were a Greek civilian looking for a good time?” Tommy replies, “well, yeah, but my feelings for you last night were real, so you can find solace in that,” then he smiles awkwardly. Mathilde answers, “whatever. Nice fake accent, though. You fooled me, so you’re CIA also?” Tommy says, “I’m afraid so.”

Mathilde says frustratingly, “here I am trying to get away from everyone and everything, and it seems like the whole world has followed me here.” Lexi says, “on the contrary, Mathilde, we’re here in support of you, for that matter.” A frustrated Mathilde says, “I thought your government hates me since California.” Lexi continues, saying, “that’s true, but we’re not part of the administration who’s blaming you. We have been unsuccessful in tracking the terrorist group leader, Atmos, for months now, and now it looks like your recently deceased agent could have been playing both sides with his alleged father and us.”

Mathilde feels surprised and says, “and you were following me because you thought he’d want his revenge and finally show himself to me in public.” Lexi replies, “that’s right. I managed to get a photo of him while you two were talking. I’ve already sent it to Langley, and now we’re going to find out everything we know about what he’s been up to. Their group has disappeared since the incident over the Pentagon.” Mathilde asks, “should I know about this?” Tommy interjects, “no, you don’t. That’s U.S. confidential information, Lexi.” Lexi replies, “she has a right to know there’s bigger stuff going on.” Mathilde smiles and says, “it’s nice to have someone in my corner for once. Even if their partner likes to get around the block.” Mathilde and Lexi look at Tommy disapprovingly, and Lexi says, “he’s not my type, Mathilde.” Tommy says, “ouch.” Mathilde then chuckles and looks at the television in the room. Her expression changes as the breaking news says, “British Prime Minister missing at Hawaii Climate Summit.”

One Week Later
London, England

Mathilde sits in a passenger car in the London Underground subway. A station comes up, and a large group of passengers empties out, leaving her alone in the car. The doors immediately close, not letting anyone else on, and the train leaves the station. Mathilde stands up and looks around as the track shifts to another way down a dark tunnel. The train comes to a stop, and the door to her car opens. A voice over the loudspeaker says, “Mathilde Bond, exit the train immediately.” Mathilde looks around with apprehension and walks off the train and onto the platform of the dimly lit train station. Behind her, the door closes, and the train takes off down the tube, leaving her behind on the platform.

“I hate to meet you down here and surprise you like this, but I’m afraid anonymity is appropriate for our current situation. What do you say about that?” Mathilde sees a young man approach her with thick black glasses, messy hair, and a sweater vest over a suit and tie who had been talking to her. “And you are?” asks. “Ah, yes. I’m Dax. Your eyes, ears, and occasional supplier, and you are Mathilde Bond, Agent 010,” he smiles in delight. Mathilde asks another question, “so, this is your secret lair of supplies?” Dax looks at her confused, “not exactly. I’m mainly into intelligence briefings these days, and I need to bring you up to speed about our missing Prime Minister. This way, 010.”

Dax walks towards an old, rusty metal door and takes out a bunch of keys on a chain, muttering to himself, “now it’s one of these old buggers.” He fumbles around with them as there are three locks he has to open in different spots on the door. Mathilde comments, “all the technology in the world and we’re using actual keys?” Dax says, “we’ve run into technological problems in the past. I find the old-school ways have their advantages.” Mathilde says, “yeah, until you lose the keys or somebody steals them.” Dax opens the door, smiles happily at Mathilde, and they walk into a clean, shiny elevator with bright lights. The door closes, and a red light grid turns on and scans their bodies from top to bottom.

A robotic voice calls out all around them as they begin to descend, “initiating protocol to lower headquarters. Welcome 010. How is your shoulder and arm feeling?” Mathilde gives Dax a look. He shrugs and says, “technology has its advantages too,” and smiles in delight at Mathilde. She answers the robotic voice, “I’m fine. It’s healed up enough.” The voice replies, “according to my health scan, you are in pain.” Mathilde quickly says, “yes, I’m in pain talking to a robot.” Dax chuckles again as the elevator stops and the door opens. He looks at her and says, “you are very witty, Bond. I must hand it to you. I thought I was the only comedian in our line of work. Come. This way.” Dax walks out of the elevator and motions for her to follow him.

Mathilde walks with Dax down a dark hall with lit-up side panels on the floor. There are sliding doors ahead, and as he goes up to them, the doors automatically open. He signals her to walk by as he welcomes her with a nod to MI6 Underground Headquarters. Mathilde enters a large brick-walled auditorium with several workers at computers and others working on small weapons projects. “It’s rather quaint down here, but I do miss nature sometimes,” Dax comments to her as they approach his workstation that has three angled computer screens, a wireless keyboard, a small plant in a pot, a water spray bottle next to it, and a small, thin light shining on the plant. Dax picks up the squirt bottle and sprays the plant generously. He looks at the plant in satisfaction and continues talking while standing at his station. “Now I need to fill you in on what I have figured out,” and he begins typing. Mathilde notices that both of Dax’s hands are injured with stitch scars, and they shake as he types. Also, she looks at the cute little plant he takes care of, and it brings a smile to her face. He brings up one screen of a photo of a large yacht at a dock, another screen of a photo of Atmos with a list of descriptions and history, and the final screen of two photos side by side that Mathilde is now seeing. Dax explains, “so, on the left is what your CIA agent friend took of Atmos while you were having a chat with him before we had to clean up the mess, and this new photo on the right was taken just hours ago in Sydney, Australia.”

Dax pushes his glasses up, which are slightly falling down his nose, and continues, “this video face recognition match was taken at the international airport there, but the Australians lost him in a mix-up in pursuit.” Mathilde looks closely at the photo on the right and agrees, “yes, that is Atmos. If they had only caught him.” She glances at the other screens and asks, “what does this yacht have to do with any of this?” Dax says, “I’m glad you asked. I figured I’d look into recent transactions in banks, real estate, vehicles, etc., with corporations and companies in the greater Sydney area.” Mathilde questions, “and you can do that?” Dax answers, “with our government’s capabilities paired with my high-achieving code-cracking, I can get into anywhere and find anomalies on pretty much anything that comes to mind, including things like this yacht purchase.” Mathilde comments, “that’s comforting.”

“So, what’s going on with this yacht?” She asks. Dax answers, “there was a transaction by a Mosley A. Sphere to this yachting company for twenty million Australian dollars the day after you spoke with Atmos in Athens, which was the exact day he was seen at the Sydney airport.” Mathilde looks closer at the yacht photo as it is named the Aether and says, “that guy certainly has an ego with names, doesn’t he?” Dax responds, “yes, he does, and Aether is the Greek God of space and heaven. People with an ego like this stick out like sore thumbs in my searches, bringing us to your next mission or should I say a continuation of all your missions so far as a new agent.” Mathilde asks, “does our Director approve of this, Dax?” A woman walking up to them answers, “she does,” as Director Arway is now standing at the two agents’ side with her arms crossed and a very worried look on her face.

Arway says, “we’ve been looking everywhere for the Prime Minister, but there are no leads, no ransom messages, and no group claiming to have taken him. I’ve sent our agents across the globe, and there’s been absolutely nothing.” Arway pauses and looks at Dax’s computer screens, then continues talking, “this rich Atmos character, whose plane you blew up and killed everyone in his group, is a lead we have not yet followed because we did not know where he was located until now.” Dax interjects, “yes, Arway, and I was about to tell Bond that we want her to pay Atmos a visit. If he’s there, of course.” Arway states, “and with all the luck in the world, maybe the Prime Minister is there too. Be cautious, I only want you to be going on that yacht. We don’t need anyone spooked by a massive sting operation. Understand?” Mathilde answers, “yes, Director.” The boss says to Dax, “get her what she needs and a ride to the airport where she’ll be taking my private plane.” Dax nods, and Arway tells Mathilde, “if the Prime Minister is there, make sure to save him and remember your training. Good luck.” Arway reaches out her hand and gently squeezes Mathilde’s upper arm to connect with her. Mathilde smiles and nods her head. “Thank you, Director,” Mathilde says. Arway smiles back and nods, lets their connection go, and walks towards the sliding doors, leaving the two agents standing in surprise. Dax is the first to say, “well, that was pleasant. This way, Agent 010. It’s time to equip you with the gadgets you mentioned earlier.” Mathilde follows Dax and laughs, saying, “you said you didn’t do much of the gadget thing anymore.” Dax looks at Mathilde and replies, “it’s a stereotype I’m trying to break, but yes, of course I’m still the supplier who gives you gadgets.” They walk up to a desk with a large black rectangular box on it, and Dax flips open the lid to show Mathilde what’s inside as he comments, “let’s see what we have in our jewelry department here.”

Dax pulls out two diamond stud earrings from the box and comments, “the left earring is designed to help amplify your hearing into other rooms as it has a built-in hearing aid behind the diamond. Just slightly turn the diamond either way to adjust the volume as needed. The right earring is a tracking beacon that will broadcast your location. Simply press down on the diamond, and the button will turn on so we know where you are,” as Dax hands the earrings to Mathilde and she puts them on. He continues talking, “now Bond, our rings have a bit more bang to them. Flash bangs, to be exact. It’s up to you how many you want to wear, but each ring will activate once thrown in the air, and upon contact with any surface, they will explode and emit a bright flash. I suppose just be extra careful if you take them off for any reason.”

Mathilde quickly answers, “I’ll take three,” so he gently hands her the rings, and she puts them on her hands one at a time. Mathilde comments, “they don’t fit my fingers, Dax.” He says, “wait a moment,” and after a pause, they shift and conform to her fingers. Mathilde replies, “amazing.” Dax motions her to walk to the elevator with him and says, “one more thing. Your purse with all the items a woman needs in this world,” as an assistant rushes down the dark hallway to give a black purse to Mathilde. Dax comments, “we don’t want you leaving without this.”

Mathilde asks, “Are there gadgets in here, too?” Dax replies, “I’m afraid not. These days it’s too obvious to put too many tricks in purses, but if you reach into it, there is a hidden pocket with a silver button that is coded to your fingerprint. Open the pocket up, and you’ll find a new rendition of our 9mm Walther P5 compact pistol. There is also a holster in the pocket you can put on or pretty much strap anywhere you like.” Mathilde looks into the purse, presses the button, pulls out the gun, and looks at it comfortably in her hand, smiling. Dax explains, “it has a palm print grip, so only you can fire it as well. The elevator will take you up to a hotel, and your ride will pick you up at the entrance, and you’ll be on your way to Sydney.” Mathilde puts the pistol back in her new purse and looks at him, saying, “thank you. It was nice to meet you, Dax.” He adjusts his glasses awkwardly and replies, “it was nice meeting you as well, Mathilde Bond or I mean Agent 010, and please make sure you bring back the items in one piece.” Mathilde smiles as she steps into the elevator and turns around, looking at Dax. He puts one of his shaking hands up and waves slowly to her, and she reciprocates with a wave as they both smile at one another. The elevator sliding door closes, and she begins her ascent to the surface of London.

Sydney, Australia

The government agency jet touches down twenty-four hours later on the runway in Sydney, Australia, and it’s in the early morning hours. It pulls into a discreet area off-limits to the public, and one of the pilots tells Mathilde the car outside is for her to take and wishes her the best. She opens the door of the jet and walks down the stairs. Awaiting on the tarmac in front of her is a glacier white with black trim 2020 Audi RS7 Sportback with a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 engine. Mathilde looks it over while walking up to the brand new sports car and comments, “I’m going to have to break it to Dax; I’m more into the classics, but you will have to do this time,” talking to the car jokingly. She hops in and turns the engine on, and as it begins rumbling, she notices on the touchscreen the GPS coordinates are already put in to where the yacht Aether is currently docked. Mathilde adjusts the driver settings, buckles up, revs the engine up, and makes quick work to leave the airport.

Mathilde in the Audi gets on the M1 highway, passing by the cityscape and sights, heading north, weaving around whatever Sydney traffic there is in the early morning before rush hour. She pulls off, heading to Rushcutter’s Bay, where it appears on her GPS that the Aether is docked. At the bay, there is a sign for a yacht club, so she pulls the sports car into a parking space nearby and turns off the engine. Mathilde grabs her purse, slings the strap onto her arm, and from her lap, reaches into it, unlocking the hidden pocket and taking out the pistol and the holster strap. She configures the strap to be able to hold the pistol against her back and gets out of the car, putting the gun in its holster. She then closes the door to the Audi and begins to walk at a fast pace to the docks that extend out into the bay.

It’s quiet, Mathilde thinks to herself, eerily quiet as she goes from dock to dock looking for the Aether. In the distance, at the end of one, she sees a larger yacht than the others and makes her way to it. There are a few lights on, but Mathilde doesn’t see anyone on guard or walking around. She makes it safely up to the yacht and lo and behold on the back of the vessel it says the title she’s been looking for: AETHER. She quietly steps on board and finds herself on the outside deck with Atmos sitting, passing out Atmos on a couch with empty drinks and a laptop on a table in front of him. Mathilde pulls out her pistol from behind her back and aims it at Atmos, but he wakes up and looks at her with a surprised expression on his face. He says, “Mathilde Bond, you’re the last person I thought would want to come visit me. After our meeting, I got the impression you didn’t like me.” She answers, “where is the Prime Minister, Atmos?” At the same time, she asks the question, five henchmen come out from the inside of the yacht with pistols aimed at Mathilde and surround the outer deck. Atmos smiles, stretching his arm out on the top pad of the couch, and comments, “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that, as you are outnumbered again, and this time you have no backup.” He looks at one of his men and says, “go tell the captain and our staff to get us out of here.” The henchman nods in affirmation and leaves the deck. Atmos gets up and tells Mathilde, “surrender your pistol, and I’ll let you live.” She still has it pointed at him and thinks on it for a moment. Mathilde decides to slowly bring the gun down to her side as a henchman walks up and takes it, while the other three have their guns aimed at her. “There, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Please come inside,” Atmos tells Mathilde as he gets up, and the group of henchmen makes her walk to a large, fancy room inside the yacht. The engine starts up on the Aether, and other henchmen outside are untying and releasing the yacht from the dock.

Atmos, Mathilde, and the group are all standing in the large main cabin as Atmos starts talking to Mathilde again, saying, “I’m not sure how you found me, but I am glad it’s you. Lawrence would want it this way. For you to know what’s going on.” The yacht is taking off from the dock and accelerating out of the harbor, with two small metal boats with outboard engines filled with henchmen following the Aether from behind. The skyline of the city is in view as Atmos looks out the cabin windows of the yacht, marveling at the beauty of the city and the early morning sky, which has a dark orange color to it. With a deep breath, he says, “I’m just a climate scientist, Mathilde. This organization all around us right now hired me to be the face of it, a ruse to deceive agencies like yours. To be this dangerous, Atmos character pays well, as you can see. A twenty million dollar yacht is the price they pay me, but it comes at a cost: My freedom and safety. This planet is doomed to greed and politics, isn’t it?” Mathilde is stunned in her place. Atmos looks back at her, smiling with a tear rolling down his face. “I thought we could save the planet. I didn’t think they would kill my son over it. Your Prime Minister is alive. My laptop has the…” Suddenly, a loud, powerful shot was fired in the cabin. A henchman, with a hand up to his ear and the other hand pulling the trigger of his gun, shot Atmos in the chest. He falls backward by the force of the bullet and is partially laying and sitting up against the cabin wall, holding his wound. Mathilde immediately reacts by taking off one of her rings and throws it at the center of the ceiling above the henchmen while simultaneously getting down and covering her head as best she can. There is a loud bang and flash that lights up the large cabin room, blinding the henchmen and knocking them down. Mathilde gets up and runs to the guy, who takes her gun and grabs onto his arm, hand, and part of her pistol. He pulls the trigger multiple times as they fight, but no shots are fired because it’s not coded to his fingerprints. Mathilde manages to bend the guy’s hand back enough so that he drops her pistol. He reaches for his gun in its holster with the other hand. He lifts it up as the other henchmen are slowly getting up from the flash bang. Mathilde grabs his arm and puts her back to his body, aiming his extended arm at the others. Trying to shoot her, he pulls the trigger again and again, unloading the clip, but she’s aiming at each guy, hitting them and knocking them down, being shot.

Meanwhile, the metal boats full of henchmen, who have been following the moving yacht, begin to pull in closer to board it from the back, having been alerted by the flash bang. Mathilde turns and twists the guy’s arm, breaking it. He yells out, and she finishes the fight off by punching him in the face. The impact drops him to the ground, knocking him out. Mathilde looks around at the others who are either dead or lying on the floor. She sees Atmos is dead. He passed away during the fight. Mathilde is bleeding from a cut on her head from the scrum and is out of breath but alert enough to pick up her pistol. She hears the other boat engines coming up from the rear and looks out to see two boats pulling up to the yacht. All three vessels are still speeding ahead in the waters as the two boats filled with henchmen have now caught up to the Aether and are on the sides of the back deck, avoiding the center motor. They quickly unload in lines on both sides, pouring onto the yacht’s lower deck while running up the stairs to the main outside deck above, where Mathilde is now waiting for them. She is crouched behind the couch where Atmos was sitting earlier. The first wave of henchmen furiously storm up the stairs and onto the outside main deck. Using the couch as her cover, Mathilde dives down as they shoot in her direction, but they only hit the glass doors behind her. Laying on the deck at the bottom corner of the couch, Mathilde shoots three henchmen in a row. One after another, they get hit, and the force of the bullets pushes them against the railings and right over the side of the yacht as their bodies fall into the moving, churning waters below.

Mathilde gets up and immediately runs towards another place of cover behind the hot tub and jumps behind it. Three more henchmen reach the top steps with guns drawn, pointed at the couch, and begin to walk towards it cautiously. Another two henchmen behind them wait at the stairs as backup. Mathilde takes off another ring and throws it at the couch, blasting a loud flash and knocking the three henchmen down. The other two are watching the bright light in shock at the couch area as Mathilde shoots both of them from her position behind the hot tub. One drops dead onto the deck, and the other falls backward down the stairs, momentarily blocking the path for the others to come up. Mathilde now has time to run over to the couch area with her pistol drawn, but as she does, a henchman on the ground surprises her by grabbing her leg while the other two are scrambling to get their sight back.

She falls onto the deck from the leg grab and is in another fight, but Mathilde twists and snaps the henchman’s neck, making quick work of the struggle. The other two, who were flash-banged, still can’t see but shoot at the deck where they hear Mathilde. They miss her, with their gunshots hitting the dead henchman and the couch instead. Mathilde grabs another pistol on the ground and, now with two pistols, spins and shoots each of them in the head. The last of the henchmen move the body out of the way on the stairs and are now entering the deck with Mathilde waiting for them just to the blind side of the opening.

Two henchmen run past Mathilde, not seeing her to the side, and the third is following. She clotheslines him over the railing, and he falls into the fast-moving waters below. Mathilde immediately crouches down on one knee, stretches her other leg out, and with both arms extended, still holding the two pistols, she shoots the other two with one round out of each gun. They didn’t have enough time to realize where she was as they fell against the railing, dead. The yacht is littered with bodies while Mathilde walks slowly towards the couch area to look for the laptop with her drawn pistol. She finds the laptop, but it is badly shot up, with the screen being the only part not destroyed. Looking at what’s on it, there are large amounts of money transfers to Atmos from a bank in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mathilde memorizes the name, address, and what she sees, but the engine on the yacht turns off, beginning to slow down in the water. She puts the screen down and moves quickly behind the hot tub to get covered and waits. A female captain comes down with a CSA Sa vz. 58 compact assault rifle and the last henchman at her side. The woman yells out, “you! Behind the hot tub! Come out with your hands up! No funny business!” Seeing the powerful gun, two adversaries, and knowing her position is compromised, Mathilde puts her pistol in the holster on her back and slowly stands up with her arms raised in the air. “What the hell is going on!?” the captain asks loudly but slips on the bloody deck from all the dead bodies, taking her eyes off Mathilde. By the time the woman looks back up, Mathilde has already pulled her gun out, instantly turns to face the captain, and shoots the woman who didn’t even have time to fire the high-powered gun.

The last henchman drops his gun in fear and puts his arms up in the air, surrendering as Mathilde points her pistol at him, but she’s out of ammo. The lucky break Mathilde gets is that he doesn’t know it. The yacht has now come to a stop in the water with no other ships around. “What do you know?” Mathilde asks the henchman. The guy answers, “I’m an engineer they hired to make sure the yacht runs safely. They wanted Atmos to be looked after. I’m impressed you managed to survive. There were so many of us.” The engineer sees the dead body of Atmos and continues, saying, “you don’t know the kind of trouble you’re getting yourself into.” Mathilde replies, “I saw there’s a covered up jet ski. It could use some mechanical lifting. For starters, I think you can help me get into that.” The engineer shakes his head in dismay, walks over to the jet ski, and prepares it to be lifted into the calm water below. Mathilde keeps her empty pistol pointed at him as, minutes later, the jet ski is in the water. They walk across the deck and down the stairs, with her behind him. On the small platform at the water’s edge, he turns around and tries to grab her pistol. He clumsily misses, and Mathilde clocks him in the head with it, knocking the engineer unconscious on the platform. She looks around and comments, “what a pity. He was such a nice guy. And ship.” Putting the pistol in her back holster, she hops onto the jet ski, starts the engine up, and begins her trip back to Rushcutter’s Bay, leaving the yacht behind.

The water rushes by as Mathilde rides the jet ski, with the sun rising above the horizon. She is determined to follow the trail, find out who set up Atmos, and locate the Prime Minister. Scratched up and with a few bloody cuts on her face from the fighting, her warrior instinct has kicked in, and she knows time is of the essence. Once at the docks of Rushcutter’s Bay, she casually steps off the jet ski and heads to the Audi RS7 Sportback car. Mathilde gets to the car safely, puts her finger on the handle, and it unlocks. She unhooks the strap, takes the pistol and holster off her back, and steps into the car, finally sitting down unexposed. Taking the gun out and flipping the holster back into a purse was Dax’s finest moment, Mathilde thought. She smiles and sets it on the passenger seat, turns on the car, and quickly drives back to the airport where the agency jet is waiting.

Driving the Audi, Mathilde is let in by security at the airport and drives up to where the plane is still parked. She grabs her purse, gets out, and walks towards the entrance stairs of the jet. The pilots are there to greet her and ask if she’s okay. After a quick reassurance, Mathilde tells them they need to get her to Honolulu, Hawaii. One of the pilots relays Director Arway’s instructions to follow any leads and to get her to wherever she needs to go. “We’re refueled and ready to take off,” comments the other pilot. Mathilde replies, “let’s go and thank you both.” They both salute and head to the cockpit. She gets on board and makes her way to the bathroom. Looking into the mirror at herself, she can’t believe what has happened to her in the past week as an agent. Losing her training partner Lawrence, Mathilde I’d still shaken to her core, and the flings with other men couldn’t fix the hole inside her. To make matters worse, his father was dead, and part of the terrorist organization his very own son had fought. Mathilde washes her face again and again, wiping off the water with a towel, still staring into the mirror and faintly seeing Lawrence’s face behind her shoulder, but it fades away. The private jet begins to move, snapping her out of the daze. She patches herself up, then changes into black tactical pants, a black shirt, and a navy blue sweater, and sits down in time as the plane is taking off.

Honolulu, Hawaii

Mathilde got a bite to eat on board, explained the situation to Director Arway on a video chat, and then slept the rest of the way to Honolulu. One of the pilots wakes her up as the jet approaches the airport. The new Hawaiian time zone is around a day behind Australia, so it’s mid-day. Besides the bright light coming into the private jet as Mathilde shields her eyes, she notices her purse is upside down in the seat across from her, and there’s a small black zipper at the bottom. She gets up, grabs the purse, and unzips the bottom of it. There are two small clips of ammo for her pistol. Mathilde shakes her head and says out loud, “thanks for the heads up, Dax.” Looking at the clips in her hand, she continues talking to herself, “I could have used you back there, couldn’t I?” She takes out her gun, unloads the empty clip, and reloads it with a new one. Sitting back down, Mathilde knows where to go next.

The bank address on the laptop is her starting point, and she hopes it’s enough of a lead. The plane flies over beautiful oceanic sights, lands safely at the Honolulu airport, and pulls into a discreet hangar with a large black SUV and two people standing next to it. Mathilde gets up, opens the door, and walks down the stairs. She is greeted by Lexi and Tommy of the CIA. A smiling Lexi says, “Director Arway requested to continue our assignment to you, so we got the first flight out here. It looks like we’re finally teaming up.” Mathilde asks, “really? Is your government okay with that?” Tommy replies, “at the top? Not really, since what happened in California, but since it’s your Prime Minister who’s missing, you have been given clearance and authority to do what you need to do in America with our assistance and support.”

Mathilde looks at the two CIA agents and considers taking them on the trail she’s on, but she’s aware of what could be ahead. Mathilde asks, “are you sure you want to do this?” A smiling Tommy walks up to her and extends his hand to shake Mathilde’s hand and replies, “we’re with you, Bond. They showed us your training videos, and you’re awesome. I just hope you can trust me after my lies in Greece. I’m pretty handy with a gun, and Lexi was the top of our class.” Mathilde gives both of them a thoughtful stare and shakes his hand, answering, “okay. I’m sorry for thinking you were just a good-looking face, Tommy. Let’s go.” The three agents get in the vehicle with Lexi in the driver’s seat, Mathilde riding shotgun, and Tommy sitting in the back middle seat. Lexi questions, “where to?” Mathilde answers, “the Central Pacific Bank headquarters in Waikiki.”

The SUV with the three agents enters the traffic-filled H1 highway in Honolulu and is making its way to the bank. Lexi talks to Mathilde about when she was a child; she always wanted to be a superhero who saved the world. “I wasn’t into the usual go-to school, get a job, have babies, and call it a life kind of thing,” Lexi explains with a smiling face. “The CIA was a natural fit because I like the adventures, and firing guns is fun.” Tommy then talks about traveling with his close friends when he was younger. “I learned many languages on my long trips so I could better understand the world and get to be with the locals. I never knew it would help me be recruited into this line of work, but here I am. The pay is good, and like Lexi, I enjoy shooting stuff up. Besides, what else am I going to do that matters as much as this?”

Mathilde is looks ahead intently, listening to the two Americans’ stories, and decides to speak about Lawrence for the first time to anyone because she had a good feeling about both of them. “Lawrence was the kind of man who didn’t back down from our training, but at the same time, I could tell he didn’t like it. Like he was meant to be a family man and teaching kids about space, the planet, or the…” Mathilde stops talking, and Lexi finishes her sentence, “Atmosphere.” There’s a pause, then Lexi says, “Atmos, I’m sorry, Mathilde. I shouldn’t have said that.” Mathilde replies, “It’s okay. As intelligent as those two were, this organization seems to have outsmarted them.” For the rest of the drive, the three agents are quiet, thinking about their past lives. They pull up in front of a large building looking out at the ocean near the beach. A large sign above the entrance reads, “The Central Pacific Bank,” and Mathilde comments, “get your game faces on. This might not go as planned.”

Tommy asks, “and what exactly is the plan?” As they get out of the SUV and walk towards the bank entrance, Mathilde replies, “I’m going to say I have an issue with Atmos’s account, and I want to talk to his bank manager.” Lexi interjects, “what do you want us to do?” Mathilde says, “you can act as my guards as we pretend to be a part of his organization.” They enter the building, and Mathilde walks up to the customer service desk with Lexi and Tommy following closely behind. Mathilde says, “hey there, what a nice bank,” to the service desk employee, and he replies, “yes, it is. Welcome to Central Pacific Bank.” He then asks, “and how can I help you, Mathilde?” She is angrily surprised again that another person knows her name without her saying it. She says to him directly, “if you don’t give me something quick, I’m going to have you thrown in prison, and this entire place on lockdown until I find what I want.”

The bank employee casually replies, “I think you are the one who is on lock down here.” Metal doors slide across the entrance, and cage fencing moves down the windows, literally locking the three agents in the bank. Now, the people they thought were bank employees are henchmen taking out guns and getting into different tactical positions all around them. Tommy replies, “well, that’s a first.”

The shooting erupts with Mathilde taking out the henchman who had threatened her with a quick shot to the head before he could pull his gun’s trigger. Lexi and Tommy grab their pistols from belt holsters, as Mathilde did, and fire on the henchmen in the main hall. Loud bangs and missed shots streak and crash into objects, walls, and glass while the three agents defend themselves by rolling and dodging with no cover. Several of the henchmen are hit and killed in various spots. Lexi then sees an elevator in a deeper part of the building and shouts, “we need to get out of here! Over there!” Mathilde and Tommy see it and provide cover fire, shooting their pistols rapidly while reloading at alternate moments so they can run to the elevator while the henchmen are pinned down as Lexi puts her hand on the elevator door button to press it. She’s shot in the wrist as she presses it. The impact knocks her down, and she is struggling on her knees in pain. Tommy yells, “Lexi! I got you! It’s going to be okay,” but he’s anxious. Mathilde reloads her pistol, standing in front of the two CIA agents as the elevator door opens. The henchmen are coming out of their cover and making their way towards the three agents. Tommy is helping Lexi with one arm around her, getting them into the elevator. Mathilde yells, “go to the second floor and find a way out of here! I’ll hold them off!” They both shout at Mathilde to join them as the sliding door begins to close, but Mathilde stays out in front of the elevator, not joining them in retreat. Tommy tosses his gun to Mathilde, saying, “we believe in you,” as the elevator door closes.

Eight henchmen close in on Mathilde down the hallway with their pistols drawn, but she has two guns already pointed at them and shoots and kills two henchmen from a distance. A lead henchman yells to the others, “hold your fire!” He continues to yell at Mathilde, “put your guns down and surrender! There’s nowhere to go!” Mathilde is angrily looking at them with her hands and arms extended out with the two guns and yells, “where is the Prime Minister!?” They are now closer, and the lead henchman replies, “if you want to know more, surrender, and we’ll get you further up your path.” Mathilde asks, “up what path?” The henchman smiles, doesn’t answer the question, and motions her to drop the guns. Mathilde thinks about it hard, contemplates the options, and finally decides to put the pistols down on the floor.

She puts one hand on her earring, turning the diamond tracker on, and continues to put both hands up. Not knowing about the earring tracker, the henchman walks up, squats down, and whispers, “good choice, Bond” to Mathilde, giving up. He then motions for two henchmen to handcuff Mathilde’s hands behind her back. The lead henchman says, “time for us to go,” to the others, and he takes out a long black cloth and ties it around Mathilde’s head, covering her eyes. Now she can’t see anything but is still calm and collected. They lead her step by step to a back entrance, and they get in an unmarked van.

The henchmen take off for the Honolulu airport without her knowing where they’re going. Then, having clearance to get into a private runway area, they unload Mathilde out of the van and get her into a small plane. It takes off with her still handcuffed and blindfolded, with the group of henchmen guarding her and talking about getting paid extra for their troubles.

Maui, Hawaii

The small plane lands on an airstrip on the outskirts of the city of Kahului. It’s late afternoon, and there is only a highway in the distance with nothing else around. The henchmen exit the plane with their guns drawn and walk Mathilde towards three vehicles where other henchmen are waiting. Once close to the vehicles, the lead henchman unties the blindfold and takes it off Mathilde’s face. He also reaches down and unlocks the handcuffs, freeing her hands. He comments, “there’s your transportation.” Mathilde’s eyes are adjusting to see again. As her sight becomes clearer, there are two black SUVs with henchmen standing in front of them with guns drawn, but parked in the middle is a BMW convertible.

The lead henchman continues, saying, “drive and follow the lead SUV, and the other will be following you, so don’t pull any surprises if you want answers.” Mathilde gives him a stare and then walks up to the sports car. She’s puzzled about the whole situation but opens the door and gets into the car’s driver’s seat. Mathilde turns on the engine and contemplates driving away from her captors, being free again. Although nothing is making sense to her, just as the lead SUV begins to drive off the runway towards the highway. Curiosity has Mathilde wanting to know more, so she puts the BMW in gear and follows the SUV up the highway, driving towards an unknown destination.

The three vehicles drive upward for several miles on a busy road with houses, businesses, and dry vegetation for scenery. The lead SUV slows down and turns left at the National Park Entrance of the Haleakalā Volcano. Mathilde follows it, but the park is closed as the gate is shut and there are no other cars around. The two SUVs pull off to the side of the entrance as the gate starts to slowly open. The henchmen wave her on to go up the long winding road driving the BMW alone. Mathilde gives them a long stare and drives by the parked SUVs, beginning the climb. She drives miles and miles up Crater Road, with the forest and farmland slowly beginning to recede. The landscape changes from trees to bushes and eventually into a rocky surface with boulders. The road is winding around tighter turns, and Mathilde’s view is getting higher and higher from the rest of the island below.

Driving the convertible vehicle cautiously and ascending higher up the volcano, a dense fog moves in all around the car, now being up in the clouds. Turning the headlights on and starting the windshield wipers to wipe off the moisture, she drives more slowly. Mathilde can’t see how high it is anymore. After a long time of weaving back and forth through sharp turns, she makes it above the clouds and turns off the wiper blades. The desolate volcanic road looks to go on forever, but after a big turn, Mathilde is in awe of the view. Now, being above the clouds, the sun is setting in its descent downward. “It’s beautiful,” Mathilde thinks to herself, but has a growing feeling of loneliness and solitude. Also, the air is getting thin from the elevation. She feels tightness in her chest but keeps driving up.

Mathilde in the BMW passes by a ranger station, but it’s abandoned with a large empty parking lot. Continuing to look for any signs of life, a massive observatory building complex at the summit finally comes into view. There are several domed-shaped structures, with the largest being in its own area separate from the other buildings. She sees on the road ahead a booth and entrance gate to the observatory, but nobody is in the booth, and the gate is open. There are no henchmen or vehicles in sight. Mathilde stops the car at the entrance and turns off the engine. She gets out and feels a cold chill from the breezy air. The wind is the only sound Mathilde hears 10,000 feet above sea level. Looking out at a breathtaking view of the island and ocean below, the massive volcanic crater, and the never-ending sky, she begins walking towards the largest observatory building, leaving the car behind.

Mathilde reaches the front of the structure, opens the doors, and walks inside. It’s an entrance room with another set of doors just ahead. She opens them and enters a long hallway leading to a large central room where a rush of warm air and oxygen soothes her breathing. Mathilde can’t see what’s down the hall, but there’s classical music emanating from it. She turns her diamond earring to amplify sounds as Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 is playing on a speaker as a man’s voice calls out, “I know you can hear me, Bond. Please come down the hall and join us.” She walks slowly and cautiously forward until reaching the end of the hallway, looking around at what’s going on in the large room. To the left is a man with his back to Mathilde, sitting in a wooden chair, painting on an easel, and to her right are the Prime Minister, Lexi, and Tommy, who have their mouths gagged and are strapped to wooden chairs, being forced to watch the man paint.

Above the shocking scene, there is a balcony with henchmen standing guard, a staircase to the side, no windows, and a set of doors at the other end of the room.

“I haven’t given my painting a name yet, but I do like aquatic creatures,” comments the man who just finished painting a black octopus on top of planet Earth. He turns his bald head with a silver metal plate contoured on one side and stitch marks running down his face to his neck. The man smiles at her, wearing a black suit with a black collared shirt and a white tie.

Mathilde yells out, “Lawrence!” In a stunned reaction, she asks, “how are you alive? How could you be here? What’s going on!?” He stands up slowly and replies, “I’m happy to say I’m not dead because I never died, Mathilde. You had passed out in front of me, and I called my organization, and they took care of the rest. I paid off the hospital and faked my death. My organization has a lot of money. You know it can buy a lot in this world, but you can’t take it with you.” A confused Mathilde asks, “but why? This isn’t you!” He replies, “nobody truly knows anybody.” She points at the hostages and shouts, “release them, Lawrence! They’re innocent in all of this!” He puts his hand up in the air, and a henchman stops the classical music. He looks at the hostages and comments, “they’re not innocent. All three of them have a great depth of guilty actions and crimes committed, Mathilde. The Prime Minister will fetch me enough money to correct what you have done.” Lawrence stares at Mathilde and shouts, “you! You destroyed my plane with your missile launch system. You! You’re responsible for my father’s death!” He gets angrier and shouts, “I had him hidden and safe until you made me give the order! You killed dozens of my men! You ruined my organization! You’re the guiltiest of them all! I wanted you here so I can kill you myself!” Lawrence runs at Mathilde, growling with fury, and they grab each other in a struggle of strength, trying to throw the other to the floor.

Lexi, Tommy, and the Prime Minister are watching helplessly as the fight unfolds, while the henchmen from the balcony are running down the stairs to help their boss if he needs it. The struggle turns into punches as Lawrence misses connecting from her agile dodging. She kicks one of his legs out from under him. He falls to the floor, hitting his head as the henchmen surround Mathilde with their pistols pointed at her, waiting for his order to shoot. Instead, he states, “Don’t kill her. Her life is mine to take!” Mathilde replies, “if only you could get up off the floor and do something about it!” Lawrence struggles to get up as Mathilde is facing him and his men, but she’s walking backward towards the doors on the opposite side of where she entered. One of his guards asks him, “What do you want us to do, Atmos?” He gets to his feet, bleeding from the metal plate on the side of his head, and answers, “All we need is the Prime Minister. The other two were to distract her, but she clearly didn’t care, so do what you’d like with them.” The henchmen walk towards their hostages, and Mathilde yells at Lawrence, “I’m over here, Atmos!” He gives a menacing glare and runs towards her position at a new set of doors that lead outside.

Atmos tackles her through the doors, and they both fall outside onto a rocky deck on the side of the volcano. At the end of the deck, it slopes downward at a steep angle with dirt and boulders, leading to a large drop-off. The sun is setting, with cold, thin air blowing around the two of them as Atmos gets up first. They are staring at one another on the deck. Atmos yells at Mathilde, “You’ll always be the failure! You weren’t even given 00 status! Agent oh one oh, what a joke. You’re always messing up and ruining everything. But, not men like me. I am Atmos!” He stretches out his arms up in the air and squeezes his fists in triumphant anger. An angry and determined Mathilde Bond regains her strength, flips up into a crouching position, takes off her last ring, and throws it at his head.

The ring hits Atmos directly in the face. The flash bang goes off, blinding, stunning, and knocking him backward to the edge of the rocky deck. The metal plate partially explodes and is bent into his head and face. He’s charred and bleeding from the blast, completely blind, and tries to stay standing by his strength. As Atmos struggles, he says shakily, “This is bigger than you and me, Mathilde. If I hadn’t joined them, maybe things could’ve been different between us, and for that, I’m sorry.” Mathilde calls out, “Who did you join, Lawrence!? What is this organization called!?” Before he can answer, a sniper gunshot hits him directly in the chest. The loud bang shocks Mathilde as she can’t get to Lawrence in time from when the impact throws him off the deck. He lets out a gasp of pain as he falls down the steeply angled slope of dirt and rock. Mathilde runs up to the edge as Atmos disappears down the clouded, dusty side of the volcano.

She looks down where he disappeared but realizes the sniper could be aiming at her to shoot at next. Mathilde turns around and sees flashing blue and red lights reflecting off the buildings. She runs back into the building, but the henchmen are gone. In their place, there’s a Police SWAT team, Maui police officers, and soldiers of the Hawaii National Guard in the large room. They point their weapons at her, ready to shoot. Lexi shouts, “Don’t shoot! She’s with us!” An officer replies, “stand down,” and they follow the order. A SWAT officer says, “You’re lucky your friends identified you to us before my sniper team engaged in the fight back there.” Mathilde is too exhausted to argue or reply. She walks over to Lexi and Tommy, who are free from being tied down. The two CIA agents say, “You saved us,” at the same time, and look at one another laughing.

Tommy says, “Thanks to your tracker, the cavalry got here just in time, and the henchmen ran away, leaving us. We found out Atmos had set up and bought off enough people to shut this park down, among other things.” Mathilde asks quietly, “What about the Prime Minister?” Tommy replies, “he’s okay, but they got him out of here as soon as they untied us.” Lexi asks, “so Bond, is the real Atmos dead?” She painfully answers, “yes.” Mathilde walks out of the building into the cold, night air with police cars and army vehicles surrounding the area. She looks out at the flashing lights that reflect all around the top of the volcano. The moon is bright with shining stars across the night sky. Tired, sore, but still alive at the top of this volcanic mountain, Feeling exhausted, hurt, and accomplished for saving the Prime Minister and her new friends, Mathilde learned that honoring her father’s 007 legacy is not for the faint of heart, but that she can serve her country, with honor and success, as he did.

Two Days Later
MI6 Headquarters
London, England

As Mathilde is leaving Director Arway’s office, her boss comments, “Thank you for the report, Mathilde, and enjoy your time off.” She closes the door and turns to see Dax standing at attention in front of her. He says, “Hello, Agent 010, it’s nice to see you again.” Mathilde replies, “Thank you, Dax,” and hugs him with a big smile on her face. He hugs her back and asks, “Would you like to go out and get a drink tonight?” Mathilde answers, “I would like that. Maybe I could find out if you have more of a life than being a supplier?” He laughs and awkwardly says, “I’m pretty sure it’s just supplying.” Mathilde tells him, “we’ll see about that, and Dax?” He replies, “Yes?” She finishes by saying, “You can just call me Mathilde from now on.” He smiles and nods in acknowledgment as they both smile, feeling excited to go out on a date together that night.

To be continued as Mathilde Bond will return in AGENT 010: SPIES AT WAR….