1531 replies to this topic

[terminus]

Don't worry, chaps, I find it as fun to run as it seems you find to participate in.

[Captain Tightpants]

If terminus doesn't want to do a write-up, I'd be willing to.

[terminus]

LOL. Thanks for the offer, I'd keep it in mind. What I'd really like to do is have the treatments be a collaborative effort - much more so than they are at the moment. More like 'Talk of the Devil' was to begin with when Dinovelvet was chipping in with scenes and then I was merging his ideas with my ideas.

[terminus]

Here is the Roseau sequences -


ROSEAU, DOMINICA

Bond arrives at Canefield Airport where he picks up his company car - a silver Peugeot 407 Coupe - which he drives to his destination, the Fort Young Hotel. There he checks into his room, makes sure that it's free of bugs, changes his clothes and heads into town to meet Johann Krieghoff. Krieghoff is an expatriated Russian, former FSB and Spetsnaz with his fingers in several unorthodox pies - he's carried out mercenary work that has brought him into both conflict and alliance with 007 on several previous occasions. And because of this, he'll have his finger on Pomadori's movements within Roseau. Much to Bond's frustration, Pomadori is a relative hermit - and although he has a small property on the island, he lives off the coast on his luxury yacht. However, they're in luck - the weapons smuggler is holding a party that evening. The bad news is that it's invitation only and an invitations to one of Pomadori's soirees is like a golden ticket.

Bond, frustrated, makes a list of equipment that he asks Krieghoff to acquire at short notice and the Russian agrees, raising his eyes as he comes across the list. Returning to his hotel whilst Krieghoff puts together the items on the list, Bond decides to go swimming and donning his swim shorts, he heads down to a beach near the Fort Young Hotel - whilst he prepares to strap on a SCUBA tank to survey the waters around Pomadori's yacht, he is interrupted by the beautiful raven haired thirty something THAILA SHAW. Shaw is the wife of a multi-billionaire - or, should that be - widow of a multi-billionaire. Her husband recently died and she's using his money to travel around the world, charting a course through the alphabet. She has been to Australia, Botswana and China - and her alphabetical trip has landed her in Dominica. Next step of the trip will take her to Egypt - and she'll be in Finland after that.

Bond smiles. Thaila's joi de vivre is somewhat refreshing to him after a run of women who have had serious issues and he finds he's unable to turn her away when she says that she'll join him on his diving expedition. Together, they explore the underwater world off the coast of Roseau before returning to the beach where Bond learns - to his surprise - that Thaila's husband was familiar with Pomadori and that she has an invitation to that evenings exclusive event on the yacht. When the door to Bond's room at the hotel is knocked on that night and opened to reveal Krieghoff with a hold all full of equipment - and more stowed in a crate at reception - it frustrates the Russian to find that Bond has found himself a route of fewer obstacles.

Bond accompanies Thaila to the party and, accidentally on purpose, looses her in the milling of the attendees. Sneaking along the corridor, he finds his way into Pomadori's office where he searches for information linking the arms dealer to Vargas - which he readily finds - but also that Pomadori sustains links to Juliane Faust herself and that Faust appears to have consented to the assasination of both Dexter Smythe in Acapulco, Schulmann in Seattle AND the attempted murder of Bond himself in the Canary Islands. As he's about to be interupted, Bond ducks into the shadows and blags that he was merely looking for the toilet and got lost on the beautiful leviathan yacht. The valet seems to fall for this and guides Bond to the bathroom where he considers his discovery when he washes his hands.

That night, he spends his time making passionate love to Thaila in her hotel room at the Fort Young Hotel. He leaves in the morning whilst Thaila is still asleep to discuss his findings with Krieghoff and consider their options - and when he returns to check on Thaila that night, he discovers that her room has been ransacked and that she appears to have been abducted. Luckily - this has only just occured and Bond and Krieghoff are able to give pursuit in the Peugeot 407. They follow a jeep that carries two thugs, Thaila, a driver and - it turns out - Enzo Pomadori himself. They arrive at a location several miles outside of Roseau, park up and follows the villains on foot through the flora. This, as Krieghoff explains, is the path to the Boiling Lake - which does just what it says on the tin, as Bond discovers when they reach their destination. A massive lake that through the miracle of geothermics bubbles away merrily.

Pomadori knows that Bond is a secret agent and is sneaking around on the island and on his yacht and believes that Thaila is, as opposed to just being the widow of an acquaintance of his, actually in league with Bond, is aware that he is a secret agent, and is consciously aiding and abetting him. He threatens Thaila with bodily harm if she doesn't explain what Bond is doing - which she doesn't know. He threatens her with being boiled alive in the lake. Bond and Krieghoff leap into action, having previously throttled the driver to death in his car at the road, the two men take out the two thugs. Krieghoff is shot and taken out of the action as he ties a ripped arm of his shirt around a bullet wound in his leg leaving it to Bond alone to stop Thaila's murder. Thaila is rescued and, in the final moments of the fight, as Bond tries to find out Pomadori's connection to Faust, the arms dealer falls into the boiling lake - screaming as he goes under, his body surfaces moments later. He is dead and his face is horribly burnt and blistered.

Bond holds Thaila close as she turns away in horror, comforting her with the explanation that the weapons dealer was a very very bad man indeed.

[coco1997]

Fine job, terminus. A few touches I particularly liked:

* Bond checking his hotel room for bugs
* Thaila Shaw reminds me a bit of Elizabeth Krest from "The Hildebrand Rarity."
* The action at the boiling lake was unexpected and a nice "touch of the bizarre."

Bring on Singapore!

[terminus]

Hmmm. Been ages since I read The Hildebrand Rarity. I kinda saw Thaila as a bit like Plenty O'Toole in that she's ultimately got no connection or true relevance to the ongoing plot and stumbles onto Bond and his world, with a dash of Solange wherein she's not much more than a bored, ultra-wealthy socialite with an eye for a fine pair of guns and someone who gets used by Bond to get from Point A to Point B. I hope that's clear

[LicenceRenewed23]

When's the next part ?

[Captain Tightpants]

I'm still hanging out for the racing scenes, since the JFX 01 debuts in Singapore. I want to see how authentic you can get them ...

[terminus]

Bear in mind, I'm not a racing enthusiast so my attempts at writing anything to do with the actual grand prix itself will be cursory at best. As far as I'm concerned, with writing the treatment scenes, the grand prix is window dressing at least and a plot device at most.

Bond just happens to be there when the race is taking place - almost like the horse race in Quantum of Solace in that effect.

[Captain Tightpants]

Well, I figure there should at least be the launch of the JFX 01 - after all, Singapore is stated as being its debut. And I think part of the plot calls for Faust to sabotage her rivals' cars. I figure that she would do this by accessing the Singapore subway that runs under the circuit and activating the electromagnets running through it as the cars pass over, which interferes with the computerised gearbox of the car (Mark Webber had a similar problem in 2008). Bond would work out that the cars encounter trouble at the same place every lap, and realises it's not a problem with the car, it's a problem with the environment and that it is sabotage coming from Faust's garage. He then pursues her, leading to the sequence in the swimming pool.

At least, that's the way I'd do it.

[coco1997]

Great signature, terminus.

[terminus]

(this is certainly not the best segment I've written, but my thoughts just didn't flow as well as they have in previous segments)


SINGAPORE

Bond arrives in Singapore where he arrives at the MI6 Safe House and encounters a beautiful Chinese woman - this is MEI. She's the Head of Station for Singapore and wants to know how he's going to proceed. Bond wants to check in with Faust but wants someone to keep an eye on her whenever he's not around - that, assures Mei, will be simple.

Bonds first port of call is Faust - but she's busy with the premiere of the JFX-01 and instead he is cornered by Yvonne Munroe, who has joined Faust to supervise the debut of the race car. Yvonne takes Bond aside - able to confess what she wanted to confess on El Hierro: that she is a corporate spy and that she is working for the opposition but, more importantly, that there is no reason that the JFX-01 ought to win the race. It is simply not up to the specification that the press releases have claimed until that point.

Bond asks why she's confessing this to him - and she reveals that Schulmann was going to deliver details of this to the company that she works for in Seattle but that he was killed before he did so. It's been all she can do to hide her true allegiance.

Eventually meeting up with Faust, he raises doubts about the specifications of the JFX-01 and she rubbishes his concerns. The car WILL win, she assures him, and she's even willing to put money on the outcome of the race - she will give one million dollars to a charity of his choice if she fails to win. Bond agrees, catches eyes with Murik as he leaves the Faust compound - which shows off various items that Faust Engineering is involved with, including a compact submarine perched on runners near the coast.

Mai arranges for Bond to look at the other race cars under the guises of being a racing authority representative. Bond questions them about things to do with the car and comes to realise that the same company provides the gear boxes in seventy five percent of the cars - and the other twenty five percent are expected to have lower race rankings than Faust Grand Prix anyway. This raises Bond's interest - and makes a call through to Moneypenny who digs up information that the gear box company that provides the gear boxes is tied in with Faust Engineering too. It's cleverly hidden, though - if you didn't know what you were looking for, then you wouldn't notice the connection.

Bond suggests to M that she ought to use her authority to pull the race, but she's unable to do so because the evidence is tenuous at best.

Bond decides to visit the Faust compound that evening in order to gather further information and comes across concrete evidence showing that the CFD design is a sham and that Faust will ruin the British economy if the government should fall for the bluff and invest their money into the project. However, the secret agent is uncovered, and a foot chase ensues through the compound - we learn that it's Murik who takes on Bond in a fist and gun fight. Bond looks on the verge of winning when Murik locks himself into the submarine and launches it off the runners and into the water, escaping.

Bond watches the submarine vanish and turns his back, returning to his hotel and driving his car onto the ramp which raises the car up to the level of his room, allowing him to drive the car into the room itself. Bond sleeps when he hears people coming up the lift - alerted by Mai that these are thugs, he jams to car into the ramp and the bonnet is crunched by the lift, but it stops the lifts progress. Bond ducks out of the hotel and is chased through the streets of Singapore by the thugs AS THE GRAND PRIX takes place!!!

Evading capture for long enough, he witnesses the Faust Grand Prix team being declared winners of the race after cars all crash out at vaguely the same point in the circuit. Smashing into an apartment building, he discovers a hi-tech set-up with some sort of remote device that decimates the gear boxes but makes it look like an accident. He smashes the machinery but it's too late to prevent a Faust victory. Alerting Mai to the set-up, he makes his way to the party celebrating the Faust racing victory which is taking place on the pool deck of the Marina Bay Sands resort.

Bond makes it clear to Faust that he knows what she's up to, but she brushes his accusations aside and both look like they may be about to meet their maker when a crazed opponent reveals that he has explosives strapped to his chest. Bond pushes the bomber into the pool, but the bomber pulls Faust into the pool too ...

Bond and Faust fight the crazed bomber in the Marina Bay Sands swimming pool. The glass edge of the pool overlooking the cityscape is obliterated, and thousands of litres of water are pulled over the edge. Faust is able to swim her way to safety, but Bond is pulled over by the current. He falls over the edge, but catches onto a balcony several storeys below. Unable to withstand the water, he lets go, but catches onto a second balcony. He uses this to perform a controlled descent down the side of the hotel.

He lands on the ground, straightens his tie, drenched to the bone - and walks away from the decimated hotel. Picking up where he left off with Faust, he discovers that Faust has escaped by getting a helicopter - she's believed to be enroute to Taiwan.

[coco1997]

Another job well done, terminus! Everything fit together as it should. A very action-oriented chapter which made great use of its locations. Really looking forward to the finale now.

[theMoorethemerrier]

Very Enthralling! I look forward to the conclusion.

[coco1997]

Terminus, I was thinking this might work as a suitable location for the final scene, assuming you go the "classic Bond" route:

The Grand Hotel of Taipei

[Mr. Blofeld]

"Taipei? I haven't got anything in Taipei!"

[terminus]

It's definitely an interesting location that could be used, coco. I'll see what I can do. Hopefully the final segment will be worked out tomorrow and posted on Monday..

[terminus]

TAIPEI

Bond is sat in the cab of a helicopter next to Mai as it cuts over the water and comes up to the coast of the Republic of China, popularly known as Taiwan. More specifically, the aircraft comes in close to the sprawling city of Taipei. Bond tracks Faust down to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall at the end of Liberty Square. She's on a goodwill tour of the city and paying tribute to the fallen leader of the country - and Bond trails her from this point, eventually reaching the towering Taipei 101. A massive skyscraper wherein Faust is renting floors to form the headquarters of the Far East Division of her company - as in Seattle and Singapore, there is a technological exposition coinciding with the opening of the Faust offices.

This, Bond speculates, is an excellent method of moving people and technology into a country under the eyes of the government. A maneuvere which could benefit Quantum, both financially and tactically - and it's here that we put the final pieces of the puzzle into place.

Bond spies Faust in a conversation with a corrupt Chinese General. He wants China to invade Taiwan and reunite the Chinese people's, believing that the current communist leadership of China are weak and corrupted by capitalist desires. Faust assures the corrupt General that the weapons will be smuggled into the country under the guise of research equipment for Faust and that they will then be passed out amongst hardline anti-Communist groups in China who will then target coastal locations on mainland China provoking the leadership of China into hostilities against Taiwan.

Further acts that Faust will covertly supply arms for will facilitate the corrupt officers invasion plans. Faust prepares to demonstrate one such weapon that will be handed over - the microwave rifle we glimpsed earlier - on a shackled Yvonne who is manhandled into the room by Murik, who has survived by escaping in the submarine.

Faust has discovered that Yvonne is a corporate spy and that she knows the CFD process is faked - that when the UK government invests billions of dollars into the project to build their new fighter jet, the money will be funelled away and it will leave the United Kingdom destitute and broke.

Bond is forced to act, throws himself from his hiding place in the air conditioning vent and grabs Yvonne - pulling her into a corridor. Faust has geared up the microwave rifle but the action cause the blast to go astray and the corrupt Chinese military officer collapses to the floor, falling prety to the same symptoms that Dexter Smythe fell victim to in Acapulco at the movies opening. Murik gives chase through the corridors of the Taipei 101 floors that Faust has rented. A stray bullet from Bond blasts the generator pack of the microwave rifle, rendering it useless, unknown to Bond and Yvonne.

The pair can't go down, so they go up instead - and eventually come to the observation deck. But they can't go further and are cornered, allowing Murik to corner them wielding the non-functioning microwave rifle and conning them into surrendering and backing them into a service lift. Faust arrives - explains that the lifts in the Taipei 101 are said to be the fastest in the world and, as she speaks, she disables the breaks of the lift as it plunges to the basement, killing him and Yvonne almost instantly. The sad result of an unfortunate accident that she and Murik will escape from accusation free.

Faust begins to work at the control panel - but reckons without Yvonne's rival computer skills and as the lift begins to drop, it suddenly screams to a halt several floors down. Yvonne's reactivation of the breaks having cut in a milli-second too late to stop the movement of the lift in the first place.

Bond and Yvonne climb out of the lift, shaken but not stirred Bond tells Yvonne to forward the data that she has on the plot to bankrupt the United Kingdom to M, who gladly recieves it and makes all the necessary phonecalls to halt the money being put through. Meanwhile, Bond rushes upwards and finds that Murik and Faust are escaping a helicopter - with Bond radioing to Mei for immediate pick-up, he jumps into the helicopter and takes the control yoke.

A disconcerting chase through the towers and streets of Taipei results in Faust's helicopter crashing somewhere in Yehliu, amongst the natural rock formations. Murik is killed instantly - or, if not killed, he survives but Faust kills HIM in order to survive.

A final confrontation between Bond and Faust occurs amongst the rock formations. Faust is working for Quantum, she started out an honest businesswoman but 'sold her soul' to Quantum to attain investment without which her company would have been sunk. She doesn't regret the maneuvere though but begs Bond to eliminate her - she knows what Quantum will do to her should she be brought in, they'll either have her killed or hang her out to dry.

Bond sighs, fingers the trigger -

A bullet blasts into a natural rock column. Bond has turned his hand away at the last moment. He holsters his gun and signals for Mei to come back with the helicopter and handcuffs Faust to one of the rear railings. The pair return to Taipei -

Later. A luxurious suite in the Grand Hotel in Taipei - a luxurious bubble bath overflows with bubbles that run across the floor and soak into an already sodden carpet. M is on the phone to Bond who stands in the nearby bedroom, wearing just a terrycloth bathrobe. The Prime Minister is very pleased at the uncovering of the plot to bankrupt the country and bring Faust into imprisonment sends his highest thanks to the secret agent and the corporate spy - and wants to convey these thanks in person. Bond tells M that his datebook is full for the next couple of days, but he can possibly fit the Prime Minister in Wednesday Next. M frowns as Bond hangs up - and slips into the luxurious bubbles, tastefully naked and joins Yvonne.

Yvonne - Who was that?
Bond - M. He wants me to bring you in.
Yvonne - And in the meantime?
Bond - Oh, just that I ought to take down your particulars ...

And Bond leans in for a kiss as the pair descend beneath the horizon of bubbles -

Bond - (faintly) And what fine particulars they are.

- and, with a delicate feminine laugh from Yvonne ending in a traditional 'Oh, James', we cut to a long shot of the island of Taiwan and ...


THE END

BUT JAMES BOND WILL RETURN

IN

ULTIMATE BOND 25

[tdalton]

Very nice finale, terminus

I think it puts a nice cap on another fantastic edition of "Ultimate Bond".

[terminus]

I'd also like to announce that whilst I will be running the next round of the game and supervising that part of particulars, I have hopes and expectations that other posters (most notably Captain Tightpants and dinovelvet) will take my place as primary writers of the eventual treatment. I think it will be interesting to see someone else take the reigns for treatment writing, bringing a different flavour to the proceedings.

What we need now, long and short of it, is a decent title for UB24.

[tdalton]

I'd also like to announce that whilst I will be running the next round of the game and supervising that part of particulars, I have hopes and expectations that other posters (most notably Captain Tightpants and dinovelvet) will take my place as primary writers of the eventual treatment. I think it will be interesting to see someone else take the reigns for treatment writing, bringing a different flavour to the proceedings.

I do think that it will be interesting to get different takes on the process, just to see how different people make up different ideas out of the same basic elements. If needed, I'd be willing to help out with some of the writing as well, just to keep things going.

With that said, though, very well done on the past two installments and I look forward to reading whatever contributions you decide to make to the next round.

What we need now, long and short of it, is a decent title for UB24.

Yes, that is something that is definitely needed. "Ultimate Bond 24" wouldn't exactly roll off the tongue when purchasing tickets at the box office.

[Captain Tightpants]

I'm up for writing. As for the title, I suggest "HER MAJESTY'S DAGGER" or "NEVER DESERVED THE FUTURE".

[coco1997]

Another fine job, terminus! I really loved the last line of the final scene, as well.

Might I recommend that we start a new thread in the "Bond 24 + Beyond" forum to initiate "Ultimate Bond 25"?

[terminus]

I'm up for writing. As for the title, I suggest "HER MAJESTY'S DAGGER" or "NEVER DESERVED THE FUTURE".

Definitely not keen on the last title - and unsure of the first one. Not sure what it means.

[coco1997]

I know a lot of you aren't keen on the title but given the elements of this story, "Property of a Lady" makes a great deal of sense.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I still like Forbidden Faust...

I wouldn't want The Property of a Lady unless it concerned Faberge eggs.

[coco1997]

I still like Forbidden Faust...

I wouldn't want The Property of a Lady unless it concerned Faberge eggs.

Forbidden Faust just isn't distinctly Bond enough.

[terminus]

I still like Forbidden Faust...

I wouldn't want The Property of a Lady unless it concerned Faberge eggs.

Forbidden Faust just isn't distinctly Bond enough.

Plus, it doesn't make sense - given there's nothing forbidden about Faust, per se, that the translation would be Forbidden Fist which sounds like a bad Bruce Lee movie and and Faust, as a word, doesn't sound remotely like fruit.

I could go for The Property of a Lady, coco.

[Captain Tightpants]

I second that. It doesn't really make sense. When I hear the title "FORBIDDEN FAUST", the first image I get is an Adam Sandler film where Sandler is a university lecturer, Faust is a student of his with some kind of condition that makes her look younger than she really is and the two have to keep their relationship a secret until Sandler's best friend and fellow teacher Rob Schneider finds out.

[terminus]

I'm making a bit of an executive decision here and cementing the title as The Property of a Lady - it fits with the outline and it's a bit of a tip of the hat to the rumours about Rachel Weisz being the villain in a Bond 23 with the same title.

I will post the proforma for UB25 - possibly in a new thread - at some point tommorrow.


Acapulco, Mexico

OPEN on a bird-eye view of a figure swimming underwater through clear blue water. The figure, a beautiful full-breasted woman in a barely-there bikini, surfaces - water cascades down her sun-kissed figure as she pulls herself from the pool to reveal that we're at the HOTEL ENCANTO in ACAPULCO, MEXICO. DEXTER SMYTHE is by the side of the pool - a handsome figure cutting a pleasant sight in sleek black swimming trunks - adjusts his sunglasses as another fan asks for his autograph. Think Lewis Hamilton crossed with David Beckham. He's fed-up of being bothered by the public - THIS was supposed to be a relaxing getaway after turning down a contract as a driver with the Faust Grand Prix team.

Frustrated, he throws his towel around his shoulder and arranges to rent a jeep which he takes down to an isolated beach. He unloads SCUBA equipment from his jeep, pulls the oxygen tank onto his back and puts the rebreather into his mouth before wading into the surf and submerging.

The underwater landscape is beautiful - delicate fish flitting to and fro between rocks and underwater flora. Smythe surfaces, pulls his goggles from his eyes and blinks - setting his eyes on what could be a cruise ship out in the distance, its pearl white hull glinting in the afternoon sun. His dive continues, he takes a few pictures using an underwater camera and then returns to the shore where he begins unstrapping the oxygen tank and loading it all into the jeep.

A SERIES OF CUTS show someone hefting a weapon of some sort - a futuristic machine gun with technological extras. It's like something from Star Wars. The sighting mechanism of the weapon locks onto Smythe - and a finger nudges the trigger. The weapon FIRES ---

Smythe staggers on the beach. Screams. Grabbing his head. He's in pain. Doubles over. Falls to his knees - blood trickling down his nose, he grabs his stomach and vomits profusely before he collapses, face down into the sand. The surf laps at his bare feet -

CLOSE ON A HAND holding a cell-phone and the sotto voce words. "Smythe has been neutralised, Sir ..."

As the surf laps at Smythe's dead body, we hear the opening chords of the themetune and transition into the title sequence. We're inside an engine, the spark plug ignites the fumes, the flames and the exhaust taking the shape of sexy dancing girls as we move through the mechanism of the engine.

Through it all, Bond being stalked by a shadowy figure.

CBN PRESENTS

DANIEL CRAIG
as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007

in

CBN MEMBERS'
THE PROPERTY OF A LADY

Claire Foy
Lena Headey

Rachel Weisz

Joey Ansah
Ling Bai

Jeffrey Wright
Emily Blunt
Garrett Dillahunt

with Timothy Dalton as M


"The Property of a Lady" sung by La Roux
"The Property of a Lady" composed by Elly Jackson and Michael Giacchino

Soundtrack by Michael Giacchino
Title Sequence designed by Marc Kraste and John Klassen

Directed by David Fincher

Seattle, USA

Seattle, Washington, United States of America. And it's raining. Sheets of rain drench the pedestrians but not those within the SEATTLE TECHNOLOGY FAIR. Held in a massive stadium sized space, there are companies from across the world present including Microsoft, Google, Apple and a stall that demonstrates a laser that boils the inside of a melon without piercing the surface but our focus is on the stall that hosts FAUST TECHNOLOGY and several Faust employees including DOCTOR ARMAND SCHULLER. Schuller is a bespectacled, balding and middle aged individual who explains a new technology known as computational fluid dynamics, a computer simulation that can produce prototypes so quickly that it will reduce cost by as much as eighty percent - and it has both civilian and military implications. The Faust employees unveil a Faust Grand Prix JFX 01 racing car and explain that the car, developed using computational fluid dynamics, is due to make its debut at the Singapore leg of the Grand Prix circuit - which will also be the debut of the heavily promoted Faust Grand Prix team.

The technology fair winds to a close and the companies start to pack up. As the lesser employees are hard at work, Schuller unplugs a laptop and slides it into its case before leaving the stadium - unable to shake the fact that he's being watched by a tall, handsome man of mixed ethnicity that he glimpsed earlier during his presentation. This man is CARMEN MURIK. Schuller ducks out into the rain and makes his way through the streets of Seattle towards his hotel, becoming aware over the course of his journey that he IS being stalked by Murik. He ducks into the closest busy doorway - the main entrance to the SEATTLE UNDERGROUND EXPERIENCE and crumpling his hat into a nearby trashcan, he pays his cash and vanishes into the crowds. Or so he thinks. As the tour continues, he realises that the man has followed him into the experience - and seperates from the group, ducking under a cordon and into an unsafe area of the experience.

Schuller stashes the laptop in a darkened doorway and fingers a revolver that he's previously been hiding in a pocket, ducks into the decaying carcass of a century-old bar. Murik follows and a shoot out ensues - with both men taking shots at each other until the man stalking him takes a lucky shot and dislodges a beam from the roof, impaling Schuller and letting blood gurgle through his mouth.

Murik quickly leaves the carcass of the bar, picks the laptop out of the darkened doorway and rejoins the tour before exiting the experience and vanishing into the pouring rain, just another soaking pedestrian rushing to his destination.

MI6 HEADQUARTERS

Bond is called into MI6, fresh (or, not so fresh, judging by the crumpled suit he's wearing) from a plain flight from Acapulco to Heathrow and brought before M who waits for him alongside JULIANE FAUST and FELIX LEITER. M explains the events we have just seen in Seattle and explains that the body of Doctor Schuller has been found. three weeks after going missing in the aftermath of the Seattle Technology Fair. Schuller works for Faust - who is understandably worried as an employer that one of her employees appears to have been murdered - and, as M prompts, his laptop having vanished at the same time and the CFD process having been potentially compromised.

M had brought Bond in at the behest of the Prime Minister because the CFD process was funded by the British taxpayer through the defence budget as the MOD want to use it to develop a new fighter jet. Schuller's death could be nothing to worry about but, Leiter suggests, because of the death of famous race car driver Dexter Smythe in Acapulco (also, as a single event unworrying ), there could be more going on then they presently realise. M wants Bond to accompany Faust as Acting Head of Security and give things a once over. Bond agrees and picks up tickets to the Canary Islands as he leaves M's office.

Moneypenny greets Bond upon his departure from the office and he says she looks different and compliments her on her new haircut. Moneypenny sighs, watching his besuited shape leave her office.

THE CANARY ISLANDS

Bond arrives on El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary Islands and the base for the Faust Grand Prix team and an ancillary office for Faust Technologies. Bond is curious as to why an English company, completing an English project and funded by English money has selected a Spanish territory for its base of operations - and Faust brushes the question off, explaining that the tax incentives offered from the Spanish Cortes Generales was simply too good to resist. Bond seems happy with this explanation and finishes the meal that he has been eating with Faust that includes several Spanish dishes whereupon he is offered the chance to tour the testing facility - which includes an intricate custom designed and built racing track where the Faust Grand Prix team have been test driving their CFD cars.

It is at the testing centre that Bond encounters Yvonne Munroe. The beautiful woman was promoted in the aftermath of Schuller's murder to Director of the JFX-01 team and gives Bond a tour of the testing centre - showing him the JFX-01 prototype before escorting him to an observation deck where they watch the racing car being driven around the track. Reunited with Faust, the owner of the racing team offers Bond the chance to drive one of the JFX-01 around the track and, not wanting to be ungrateful, he accepts the offer despite the fact that he has begun to experience a headache. He is introduced to Vargas, the man who was driving the car they were watching from the deck, and accepts the chance to race against an experienced racing driver. But once the race begins, Bond's headache turns to near-fever as he begins to hallucinate spectral forms of Vesper, Mr White, Dominic Greene and Costigan taunting him. Vargas' maneuvering becomes tactical and he drives to drive Bond off the track and force him to crash - but Bond fights the hallucinations and feverish sensations and turns the same tactics back on Vargas and the experienced racing driver spins his car off the track where it explodes in flames.

Faust is fuming at the loss of the JFX-01 that Vargas is driving but Munroe suggests that there must have been a fault in the cars design. Faust states that a fault simply wasn't possible and that the fault was a result of Vargas' reckless driving. Bond watches Vargas' burned body being loaded into an ambulance to be taken to the morgue - but notices that the handsome Spanish man had a Q shaped ear stud. Bond files this away under intriguing details -

Yvonne wants to speak to Bond and reveal something but she is swept away by enquiries from the other technicians and Faust demanding that she will need to prepare a statement for the press to deliver later as well as contact Vargas' family. Bond, likewise, is preoccupied by making a phone call through to M (via Moneypenny) who investigates Vargas and discovers that Vargas received an unusually large amount of money from a handsome Italian man connected to crime and the drugs trade known as ENZO POMADORI who is based in Roseau, Dominica.

It's also confirmed that the fever, hallucinations and headache were due to a cocktail of drugs that Bond was administered, presumably during the meal with Faust before his participation in the race. Bond has started to become suspicious of the powerful businesswoman.

ROSEAU, DOMINICA

Bond arrives at Canefield Airport where he picks up his company car - a silver Peugeot 407 Coupe - which he drives to his destination, the Fort Young Hotel. There he checks into his room, makes sure that it's free of bugs, changes his clothes and heads into town to meet Johann Krieghoff. Krieghoff is an expatriated Russian, former FSB and Spetsnaz with his fingers in several unorthodox pies - he's carried out mercenary work that has brought him into both conflict and alliance with 007 on several previous occasions. And because of this, he'll have his finger on Pomadori's movements within Roseau. Much to Bond's frustration, Pomadori is a relative hermit - and although he has a small property on the island, he lives off the coast on his luxury yacht. However, they're in luck - the weapons smuggler is holding a party that evening. The bad news is that it's invitation only and an invitations to one of Pomadori's soirees is like a golden ticket.

Bond, frustrated, makes a list of equipment that he asks Krieghoff to acquire at short notice and the Russian agrees, raising his eyes as he comes across the list. Returning to his hotel whilst Krieghoff puts together the items on the list, Bond decides to go swimming and donning his swim shorts, he heads down to a beach near the Fort Young Hotel - whilst he prepares to strap on a SCUBA tank to survey the waters around Pomadori's yacht, he is interrupted by the beautiful raven haired thirty something THAILA SHAW. Shaw is the wife of a multi-billionaire - or, should that be - widow of a multi-billionaire. Her husband recently died and she's using his money to travel around the world, charting a course through the alphabet. She has been to Australia, Botswana and China - and her alphabetical trip has landed her in Dominica. Next step of the trip will take her to Egypt - and she'll be in Finland after that.

Bond smiles. Thaila's joi de vivre is somewhat refreshing to him after a run of women who have had serious issues and he finds he's unable to turn her away when she says that she'll join him on his diving expedition. Together, they explore the underwater world off the coast of Roseau before returning to the beach where Bond learns - to his surprise - that Thaila's husband was familiar with Pomadori and that she has an invitation to that evenings exclusive event on the yacht. When the door to Bond's room at the hotel is knocked on that night and opened to reveal Krieghoff with a hold all full of equipment - and more stowed in a crate at reception - it frustrates the Russian to find that Bond has found himself a route of fewer obstacles.

Bond accompanies Thaila to the party and, accidentally on purpose, looses her in the milling of the attendees. Sneaking along the corridor, he finds his way into Pomadori's office where he searches for information linking the arms dealer to Vargas - which he readily finds - but also that Pomadori sustains links to Juliane Faust herself and that Faust appears to have consented to the assasination of both Dexter Smythe in Acapulco, Schulmann in Seattle AND the attempted murder of Bond himself in the Canary Islands. As he's about to be interupted, Bond ducks into the shadows and blags that he was merely looking for the toilet and got lost on the beautiful leviathan yacht. The valet seems to fall for this and guides Bond to the bathroom where he considers his discovery when he washes his hands.

That night, he spends his time making passionate love to Thaila in her hotel room at the Fort Young Hotel. He leaves in the morning whilst Thaila is still asleep to discuss his findings with Krieghoff and consider their options - and when he returns to check on Thaila that night, he discovers that her room has been ransacked and that she appears to have been abducted. Luckily - this has only just occured and Bond and Krieghoff are able to give pursuit in the Peugeot 407. They follow a jeep that carries two thugs, Thaila, a driver and - it turns out - Enzo Pomadori himself. They arrive at a location several miles outside of Roseau, park up and follows the villains on foot through the flora. This, as Krieghoff explains, is the path to the Boiling Lake - which does just what it says on the tin, as Bond discovers when they reach their destination. A massive lake that through the miracle of geothermics bubbles away merrily.

Pomadori knows that Bond is a secret agent and is sneaking around on the island and on his yacht and believes that Thaila is, as opposed to just being the widow of an acquaintance of his, actually in league with Bond, is aware that he is a secret agent, and is consciously aiding and abetting him. He threatens Thaila with bodily harm if she doesn't explain what Bond is doing - which she doesn't know. He threatens her with being boiled alive in the lake. Bond and Krieghoff leap into action, having previously throttled the driver to death in his car at the road, the two men take out the two thugs. Krieghoff is shot and taken out of the action as he ties a ripped arm of his shirt around a bullet wound in his leg leaving it to Bond alone to stop Thaila's murder. Thaila is rescued and, in the final moments of the fight, as Bond tries to find out Pomadori's connection to Faust, the arms dealer falls into the boiling lake - screaming as he goes under, his body surfaces moments later. He is dead and his face is horribly burnt and blistered.

Bond holds Thaila close as she turns away in horror, comforting her with the explanation that the weapons dealer was a very very bad man indeed.

SINGAPORE

Bond arrives in Singapore where he arrives at the MI6 Safe House and encounters a beautiful Chinese woman - this is MEI. She's the Head of Station for Singapore and wants to know how he's going to proceed. Bond wants to check in with Faust but wants someone to keep an eye on her whenever he's not around - that, assures Mei, will be simple.

Bonds first port of call is Faust - but she's busy with the premiere of the JFX-01 and instead he is cornered by Yvonne Munroe, who has joined Faust to supervise the debut of the race car. Yvonne takes Bond aside - able to confess what she wanted to confess on El Hierro: that she is a corporate spy and that she is working for the opposition but, more importantly, that there is no reason that the JFX-01 ought to win the race. It is simply not up to the specification that the press releases have claimed until that point.

Bond asks why she's confessing this to him - and she reveals that Schulmann was going to deliver details of this to the company that she works for in Seattle but that he was killed before he did so. It's been all she can do to hide her true allegiance.

Eventually meeting up with Faust, he raises doubts about the specifications of the JFX-01 and she rubbishes his concerns. The car WILL win, she assures him, and she's even willing to put money on the outcome of the race - she will give one million dollars to a charity of his choice if she fails to win. Bond agrees, catches eyes with Murik as he leaves the Faust compound - which shows off various items that Faust Engineering is involved with, including a compact submarine perched on runners near the coast.

Mai arranges for Bond to look at the other race cars under the guises of being a racing authority representative. Bond questions them about things to do with the car and comes to realise that the same company provides the gear boxes in seventy five percent of the cars - and the other twenty five percent are expected to have lower race rankings than Faust Grand Prix anyway. This raises Bond's interest - and makes a call through to Moneypenny who digs up information that the gear box company that provides the gear boxes is tied in with Faust Engineering too. It's cleverly hidden, though - if you didn't know what you were looking for, then you wouldn't notice the connection.

Bond suggests to M that she ought to use her authority to pull the race, but she's unable to do so because the evidence is tenuous at best.

Bond decides to visit the Faust compound that evening in order to gather further information and comes across concrete evidence showing that the CFD design is a sham and that Faust will ruin the British economy if the government should fall for the bluff and invest their money into the project. However, the secret agent is uncovered, and a foot chase ensues through the compound - we learn that it's Murik who takes on Bond in a fist and gun fight. Bond looks on the verge of winning when Murik locks himself into the submarine and launches it off the runners and into the water, escaping.

Bond watches the submarine vanish and turns his back, returning to his hotel and driving his car onto the ramp which raises the car up to the level of his room, allowing him to drive the car into the room itself. Bond sleeps when he hears people coming up the lift - alerted by Mai that these are thugs, he jams to car into the ramp and the bonnet is crunched by the lift, but it stops the lifts progress. Bond ducks out of the hotel and is chased through the streets of Singapore by the thugs AS THE GRAND PRIX takes place!!!

Evading capture for long enough, he witnesses the Faust Grand Prix team being declared winners of the race after cars all crash out at vaguely the same point in the circuit. Smashing into an apartment building, he discovers a hi-tech set-up with some sort of remote device that decimates the gear boxes but makes it look like an accident. He smashes the machinery but it's too late to prevent a Faust victory. Alerting Mai to the set-up, he makes his way to the party celebrating the Faust racing victory which is taking place on the pool deck of the Marina Bay Sands resort.

Bond makes it clear to Faust that he knows what she's up to, but she brushes his accusations aside and both look like they may be about to meet their maker when a crazed opponent reveals that he has explosives strapped to his chest. Bond pushes the bomber into the pool, but the bomber pulls Faust into the pool too ...

Bond and Faust fight the crazed bomber in the Marina Bay Sands swimming pool. The glass edge of the pool overlooking the cityscape is obliterated, and thousands of litres of water are pulled over the edge. Faust is able to swim her way to safety, but Bond is pulled over by the current. He falls over the edge, but catches onto a balcony several storeys below. Unable to withstand the water, he lets go, but catches onto a second balcony. He uses this to perform a controlled descent down the side of the hotel.

He lands on the ground, straightens his tie, drenched to the bone - and walks away from the decimated hotel. Picking up where he left off with Faust, he discovers that Faust has escaped by getting a helicopter - she's believed to be enroute to Taiwan.

TAIPEI

Bond is sat in the cab of a helicopter next to Mai as it cuts over the water and comes up to the coast of the Republic of China, popularly known as Taiwan. More specifically, the aircraft comes in close to the sprawling city of Taipei. Bond tracks Faust down to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall at the end of Liberty Square. She's on a goodwill tour of the city and paying tribute to the fallen leader of the country - and Bond trails her from this point, eventually reaching the towering Taipei 101. A massive skyscraper wherein Faust is renting floors to form the headquarters of the Far East Division of her company - as in Seattle and Singapore, there is a technological exposition coinciding with the opening of the Faust offices.

This, Bond speculates, is an excellent method of moving people and technology into a country under the eyes of the government. A maneuvere which could benefit Quantum, both financially and tactically - and it's here that we put the final pieces of the puzzle into place.

Bond spies Faust in a conversation with a corrupt Chinese General. He wants China to invade Taiwan and reunite the Chinese people's, believing that the current communist leadership of China are weak and corrupted by capitalist desires. Faust assures the corrupt General that the weapons will be smuggled into the country under the guise of research equipment for Faust and that they will then be passed out amongst hardline anti-Communist groups in China who will then target coastal locations on mainland China provoking the leadership of China into hostilities against Taiwan.

Further acts that Faust will covertly supply arms for will facilitate the corrupt officers invasion plans. Faust prepares to demonstrate one such weapon that will be handed over - the microwave rifle we glimpsed earlier - on a shackled Yvonne who is manhandled into the room by Murik, who has survived by escaping in the submarine.

Faust has discovered that Yvonne is a corporate spy and that she knows the CFD process is faked - that when the UK government invests billions of dollars into the project to build their new fighter jet, the money will be funelled away and it will leave the United Kingdom destitute and broke.

Bond is forced to act, throws himself from his hiding place in the air conditioning vent and grabs Yvonne - pulling her into a corridor. Faust has geared up the microwave rifle but the action cause the blast to go astray and the corrupt Chinese military officer collapses to the floor, falling prety to the same symptoms that Dexter Smythe fell victim to in Acapulco at the movies opening. Murik gives chase through the corridors of the Taipei 101 floors that Faust has rented. A stray bullet from Bond blasts the generator pack of the microwave rifle, rendering it useless, unknown to Bond and Yvonne.

The pair can't go down, so they go up instead - and eventually come to the observation deck. But they can't go further and are cornered, allowing Murik to corner them wielding the non-functioning microwave rifle and conning them into surrendering and backing them into a service lift. Faust arrives - explains that the lifts in the Taipei 101 are said to be the fastest in the world and, as she speaks, she disables the breaks of the lift as it plunges to the basement, killing him and Yvonne almost instantly. The sad result of an unfortunate accident that she and Murik will escape from accusation free.

Faust begins to work at the control panel - but reckons without Yvonne's rival computer skills and as the lift begins to drop, it suddenly screams to a halt several floors down. Yvonne's reactivation of the breaks having cut in a milli-second too late to stop the movement of the lift in the first place.

Bond and Yvonne climb out of the lift, shaken but not stirred Bond tells Yvonne to forward the data that she has on the plot to bankrupt the United Kingdom to M, who gladly recieves it and makes all the necessary phonecalls to halt the money being put through. Meanwhile, Bond rushes upwards and finds that Murik and Faust are escaping a helicopter - with Bond radioing to Mei for immediate pick-up, he jumps into the helicopter and takes the control yoke.

A disconcerting chase through the towers and streets of Taipei results in Faust's helicopter crashing somewhere in Yehliu, amongst the natural rock formations. Murik is killed instantly - or, if not killed, he survives but Faust kills HIM in order to survive.

A final confrontation between Bond and Faust occurs amongst the rock formations. Faust is working for Quantum, she started out an honest businesswoman but 'sold her soul' to Quantum to attain investment without which her company would have been sunk. She doesn't regret the maneuvere though but begs Bond to eliminate her - she knows what Quantum will do to her should she be brought in, they'll either have her killed or hang her out to dry.

Bond sighs, fingers the trigger -

A bullet blasts into a natural rock column. Bond has turned his hand away at the last moment. He holsters his gun and signals for Mei to come back with the helicopter and handcuffs Faust to one of the rear railings. The pair return to Taipei -

Later. A luxurious suite in the Grand Hotel in Taipei - a luxurious bubble bath overflows with bubbles that run across the floor and soak into an already sodden carpet. M is on the phone to Bond who stands in the nearby bedroom, wearing just a terrycloth bathrobe. The Prime Minister is very pleased at the uncovering of the plot to bankrupt the country and bring Faust into imprisonment sends his highest thanks to the secret agent and the corporate spy - and wants to convey these thanks in person. Bond tells M that his datebook is full for the next couple of days, but he can possibly fit the Prime Minister in Wednesday Next. M frowns as Bond hangs up - and slips into the luxurious bubbles, tastefully naked and joins Yvonne.

Yvonne - Who was that?
Bond - M. He wants me to bring you in.
Yvonne - And in the meantime?
Bond - Oh, just that I ought to take down your particulars ...

And Bond leans in for a kiss as the pair descend beneath the horizon of bubbles -

Bond - (faintly) And what fine particulars they are.

- and, with a delicate feminine laugh from Yvonne ending in a traditional 'Oh, James', we cut to a long shot of the island of Taiwan and ...

THE END

BUT JAMES BOND WILL RETURN

IN

ULTIMATE BOND 25