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[HawkEye007]

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NOTE: This story uses what I call the 'Ian Fleming Timeline'. None of the other books or films figure into this. It assumes that James Bond aged naturally after the events of Octopussy and The Living Daylights (book version), and retired from service life sometime in the 1980's.


September 13th, 2001, 17:00 GMT


"Another perfect day in London", General John Lowe muttered to himself as he sank into his overstuffed leather desk chair.
He poured himself a large tumbler of scotch as he watched the rain come down across the Thames. It had been a busy day, make that a busy week for Her Majesty's Secret Service. They had essentially been going non-stop since Tuesday when word came across the wire of what happened in New York. The Prime Minister had tasked them with doing everything in their in power to assist the US government in their time of need, especially their brothers in arms at the CIA.
It's funny how things work sometimes. How you can go from a moment of immense happiness, to moments of immense pain in the blink of an eye. Just 5 days ago, General Lowe had become one more name in a distinguised list to hold the title of 'M', head of MI6. After giving 20 years to the Royal Marines, and another 10 with MI5 and MI6, he was promoted to head of the service, the first former Royal Marine to ever hold the job. Coming in he had so many ideas and initiatives that he wanted to pursue. In light of the events of the past 72 hours, all of them would have to be put on hold. All of them except 1.
That idea, was actually part of the reason he was having such a bad day. He had actually spent the afternoon at a memorial service, in the rain. Despite the rain, it was a fitting farewell for a national hero, even though most Britons would never know his deeds. Lowe figured the old chap would have hated to be fussed over, but he deserved it. He was on the frontlines of the Cold War throughout the 1950's and 60's. Not only did he have a hand in toppling SMERSH, he also took down many independent terrorist organizations throughout his illustrious career. Even though his section was disbanded in 1982, he stayed on with MI6 and eventually ended up becoming M himself, a position that no one thought he would ever want. He eventually retired from the service, and had actually passed on over the weekend. With that thought, General Lowe refilled his glass and said to no one in particular, "Rest in peace Admiral Bond, you deserve it".
As he set his glass down, his gaze fell to the 20 files stacked in front of him. The files were marked with the familar stamp 'Eyes Only' in red across the front. They represented the future of MI6. He had the unenviable job of cutting those 20 files down to 9. The candidates in those files were all highly qualified, but only 9 could comprise the new section. Lowe smiled to himself as he flipped through the files. As daunting of a task as it seemed, it would be rewarding. If handled right it could be the crowing achievement of his tenure as M, the rebirth of the 00-Section.

Edited by Qwerty, 31 March 2007 - 12:08 AM.

[HawkEye007]

September 14th, 2001; 0130 GMT

Wyatt Conrad couldn't sleep. It had been that way for the past few nights. Something had been gnawing at him and he couldn't put his finger on it. He sat on the edge of his bed and ran his hands through his short brown hair, and he cursed as he noticed the time on the clock.
Conrad got to his feet and crossed the room to the window overlooking the dingy alley below. Surprisingly the moon filled the room with a soft blue glow, even though several neighboring buildings attempted to block it out. Wyatt momentarily gazed at his reflection in the mirror. He was not normally a vain man, but he thought to himself that the extra training was paying off. His physique was what the yanks would consider 'ripped', he chuckled to himself.
He turned his attention to the room around him, and particularly the bed in the middle of the room. Laying beneath the sheets was a curvacious form, softly snoring. As he watched her sleep, he wondered if she was the cause of his recent insomnia. Vivian and he had been lovers on and off for about 4 years. They had met shortly after he had completed his Special Boat Service training. Since then they had liasons every so often, but only recently had they begun to get serious, maybe even considering marriage. It was funny how quickly things can change.
After his stints in the Royal Marines and the SBS, which is the equivalent of the US Navy SEALS, he had been working the counter-terrorism beat over at MI5, gaining some notoriety for his skills. It was just last week that Conrad had been called into the MI5 director's office. Not only was his boss there, but also a man he had never seen before, but due to the way he sized him up, Wyatt pegged him for former black ops guy. He introduced himself at Richard Abbott, chief of staff for the director of MI6. Abbott informed him that the intelligence service had been watching him for quite sometime and that they had a proposition for him. Apparently the new incoming director of MI6 had some grand plan, and needed the best of the British military, as well as MI5 and MI6 for it. They couldn't tell him much more than that, and Conrad told Abbot he would consider the offer. He had until the 14th to give them him answer.
Wyatt determined that, and not Vivian, was the cause of his restless nights. But then again, she was directly effected by whatever he chose. He knew that if he took the offer, there was a possibilty that he may be thrown into a world which he may never come back from. Deep in his heart he knew that he could not do that to Vivian, no matter how much he wanted to be with her. A spy could have no entanglements or obligations, only a strong devotion to Queen and Country. As he stared at her naked form under the sheets, he walked over and brushed her red hair off her cheek. This was an opportunity he knew he could not pass up. As much as it pained him he knew what he had to do, no, what he wanted to do. He looked at Vivian, and as he laid back down he said to the ceiling,"For Queen and Country".

[HawkEye007]

September 14th, 2001; 0700 GMT

Richard Abbott straightened his regimental tie as the elevator came to stop. He stepped out into sub basement 1 to the sound of gunfire and the smell of cordite. During the 1960's the basement of MI6 headquarters had been converted into an armory and firing range. The rationale for the remodel was that the members of the 00-Section would need somewhere to hone their marksmanship skills between missions. Abbott for one agreed with this line of thinking, having spent a greater part of his career in the Royal Army and recognizing the importance of marksmanship training. Over the years many members of the staff thought it was a waste of funds and space. After the 00-Section was decommisioned, they almost succeeded in getting the range closed, however, after Admiral Bond became M, he put an end to such talk. He used the range everyday until he retired from the position.
Like Admiral Bond, the current M made it a point to visit the range every morning. After his morning coffee and intel briefs, M would head straight down to the range. His morning routine was a hold over from his time in the Marines. This morning was no different. Abbott approached him as he brought in his silhouette target. "Nice grouping, sir" he said as M removed his hearing protection.
M smiled as he ejected the empty clip from his Colt Model 1911. "Thank you chief of staff, how are things looking on the 00 initiatve this morning?"
Even after knowing Lowe for over 15 years, he still couldn't get used to being called chief of staff. "Good so far, sir. We actually just received confrimation from the final candidate, Conrad. He will be participating in the trials."
"Excellent, I've had my eye on him. He has an impeccable service record," M said as he began to breakdown and clean his weapons.
Abbott noticed that he had been quite busy on the range this morning. In addition to the Colt 1911, he had been firing his Walther P99 as well as a Beretta 9MM. As he began to put the pistols back in their cases he asked, "Abbott, what are your feelings on our candidates?"
He weighed his answer before he spoke. "Well sir, there are few that I believe we can cut before we even get into the trials. If your looking for my honest opinion, sir."
M furrowed his brow as he thought over his chief of staff's response. That look always worried Abbott. It made his graying eye brows arch in an evil looking way. He was either seriously considering your response, or getting ready to berate you. Luckily for Abbott his face softened as he said "Hmm, yes I agree. We may be able to weed out a few before things get really started."
As he finished his statement, the armourer walked up. Abbott was always caught off guard by the relatively new head of Q-Branch. Major Shannon Jansen was the first woman to hold the position of head of quartermaster branch. She was qualified for the job, having been a weapons specıalıst in the Royal Army, and having worked in ballistics for Scotland Yard as well as MI5. He was always stunned at how attractive she was to be working in the intelligence field. With her blonde hair and athletic form, she turned many a head on a daily basis at MI6. Most men there were unaware that she could out shoot and probably out fight most of them. She flashed a stunning smile as she said, "Have a good session this morning sir?"
"Quite good Q", M replied, "is everything in place for the new 00 recruits?"
"Yes sir," she replied, "ready for when they arrive."
M nodded in satisfaction. As he turned he said to Abbott, "Well then, I suppose we should get to work."

[HawkEye007]

September 14th, 2001; 1300 GMT

Lisbon has always been a bustling city in the fall. Being situated on the Atlantic Ocean it brought many tourists throughout the year. From its tallest buildings you can have wonderful views of the ocean and of the Tagus River. Many visitors came here each year for those views. Some visitors however, were there for more sinister purposes. The men and women gathering in one of the nondescript office buildings in the business district were not there for the views. On the top most floor of one of the buildings, these individuals hurriedly took their seats around a deeply polished mahogany conference table. In addition to the magnificent table, the room had plush maroon carpeting, exquisite paintings, and rich leather chairs in which the men and women now sat.
Known as "The Guild" the organization was a multinational group committed to global destabilization. The membership included arms dealers, terrorists, mercenaries, and many other unsavory individuals devoted to money and anarchy. Its members were in Lisbon for their quarterly meeting. This gathering had been planned prior to the events of 9/11. Many of the individuals there were highly upset about the attacks. However, they were not upset for the same reasons as many people. In their eyes, the recent attacks represented a setback in their plans. Now with the entire western world on edge, they would have to be much more careful in their actions. Anything slightly suspicious would set off world's intelligence agencies in a heartbeat. Due to that, the vibe in the room was quite tense.
One man was actually adding to that tension. Abu Mustafa was an ardent Muslim from Saudi Arabia with connections to various Middle Eastern terror organizations. He was quite happy with the events of the past week, and he was letting everyone there know it. The looks on many of the member

[HawkEye007]

September 15th, 2001; 0130 GMT

The meeting had been going on for almost 24 hours. Several times the discussion had gotten quite intense. M had expected the meeting to turn out this way. In addition to himself and his chief of staff, 2 other departmental heads and an MI5 liaison were present. Their main purpose was to determine which 9 candidates would begin the training process to become new 00 agents. Needless to say, it had not been an easy assignment thus far. The debates over certain candidates had become quite heated, one of them almost resulting in a fist fight between the head of the operation section and the MI5 liaison. It was quite comical to say the least.

M had initially balked at the idea of even having an MI5 representative at the meeting. However the director of MI5 insisted a member of his staff be present, considering almost 50% of the candidates were current employees of his. M understood his concern; as he was in a position to essentially