Towards the end of the day, Leiter and Bond were feeling that they had reached the point of total exhaustion, while Amasova was feeling energetic and spry. The doctor who had drawn blood from the affected men came into the conference room and asked Anya if she could take a blood sample, just to use as a reference. Amasova said no problem, and the doctor completed her task and left. XXX noticed both Leiter and 007 struggling to stay awake, and suggested that they all turn in for the night. That way they could start fresh in the morning. Both men agreed, and retired to their rooms.
Once she was sure that Bond and Leiter were asleep, Anya went into the infirmary to talk to the doctor. She needed to know more about the mutating water molecules, because as far as she knew, the Russians were the only country on Earth that tried to develop something similar.
She asked the doctor if they had any water samples that she could examine under a microscope. The lady doctor gave her a culture plate with liquid on it. Anya took it and placed it under the scope. She had known about the Russian program since its inception, because she was tasked with engaging enemy agents looking for information. Basically a spy versus spy scenario. And she succeeded. No enemy agent ever got hold of the test results and lab work. She examined it, and was shocked by what she saw. The new molecular structure of the water droplets were extremely similar to what the Soviets had ultimately come up with, except these were stable. She racked her brain, and came up with a name. Irina Orlov, daughter of General Orlov, another disgraced military officer, who had stolen national treasures from the Kremlin Art Repository in an unsanctioned effort to explode an atomic bomb on a US Air Force Base in West Germany and start WWIII.
Irina Orlov had disappeared after her father was shot and killed by General Gogol’s men, and her present whereabouts were unknown. Anya had a thought. What if she left the Soviet Union and went to work for SPECTRE, using their unlimited resources as well as fresh thinking on the matter, and perfected it? It was a terrible thought. Controlling the water supply could break a nation’s will, allowing for them to be conquered. Damn, she thought, she wished that General Gogol had kept her under surveillance. She looked at her watch, set to US time. 10:00pm. She wasn't tired, but went to her room anyway so she could concentrate on the problems at hand without noise distracting her.
Once back in her room, Anya pulled out paper and a pen, and wrote down what was known, what was suspected, and all the unknowns that she could think of. Satellites destroyed. Unusual reaction to mysterious rain. First name was Ernst Stavro Blofeld, which had a giant X through his name signifying that he was deceased. Next it was Irma Bunt followed by whereabouts unknown. And that was it for the known players. Next section had Irina Orlov, followed by a question mark, signifying a possible involvement, followed by rocket scientists, with no names associated as of yet. The CIA needed to reexamine their backgrounds. Possible sleeper agents, with a question mark at the end. The last section was location. Hundreds of countries, thousands of potential hideouts. With secure satellite communication impossible, and not knowing who could be trusted, Amasova felt that they were at a serious disadvantage. She put the paper down and laid on the bed.
Next thing she knew, it was 6:00am. She got up and went to the bathroom. She was feeling strangely energetic, especially for that time of day. She felt as though she could hike through the snows and ice of Siberia without a problem. She also noticed her body in the mirror. It looked a little thicker. She thought it couldn't be. Too early in the morning and no coffee could cause the mind to play tricks. She dressed and made her way down to see the doctor, who was in the lab. The young physician looked like she hadn't slept at all. She saw Amasova, and said that when Leiter and Bond were awake and with them, she had news.
Within minutes, both men arrived, trying to clear the sleepy cobwebs from their minds. The doctor asked if they could join her in the conference room, and they followed her. She closed the door. Simple short wave radio transmissions had been monitored from all around the country. Apparently, throughout the country last night, every male took ill, exhibiting the exact symptoms that Bond, Leiter, and every man at the CIA experienced. But what was even more curious, a lot of female patients showed rapid recovery from injuries and illness, and were well enough to give up their hospital beds for the men. Doctors were unable to explain any of it. It had everyone baffled.
The three agents looked at each other with concern written all over their faces. This was the most troubling development so far, but they were floored by what the doctor explained next. The blood work results had come back. She looked at Bond and Leiter with a sympathetic look on her face when she explained that the cellular makeup of their blood was mutating, with the cells becoming smaller than normal. She didn't know what that signifying, but then she looked at Amasova and told her that the exact opposite was happening with her blood. Her cells were becoming larger. She ran the tests five separate times, and each result was the same. And the blood from the men at the CIA were showing the same effects as Bond and Leiter. She told them that she wished that she had better news, but she had to get back to her patients.
Once she was gone, there was a stunned silence among the three, as each tried to digest what the doctor had just explained in a calm, rational manner. But they knew that the situation was bad, since their perfectly tailored clothes where starting to feel a little loose for Bond and Leiter, and a little tight for Anya. In fact, 007 finally noticed that XXX was almost eye level with him, which was jarring, as he had always been six inches taller. Even Leiter noticed that she not only looked taller, but looked more well built and in better shape than when he saw her years before. What was happening to them? They all wondered.
Bond suggested eating breakfast, which the other two enthusiastically supported. Leiter made a call, and within minutes food, coffee, and juice had arrived. As they were eating, Anya told them that she examined the mutating water molecules that had been collected after the satellites exploded. The molecular structure was extremely similar to what the Soviets were able to achieve, but unlike the unstable samples from her country, these were stable. She suspected that Irina Orlov was involved somehow, because she was the leading Soviet scientist on their project.
Bond heard the name, and asked if she was any relation to General Orlov? She was his daughter. Bond whistled. He had one encounter with the deceased general, and it wasn't pleasant. Anyone willing to detonate an Atomic bomb on a US Military base just so he could conquer Europe showed his depravity. And if his daughter was anything like him, well, it made Bond understand that the situation was truly dire.
Leiter had been quiet, eating what he could of his food and listening to Bond and Anya talk. He cursed his luck. Before his encounter with the alligator and subsequent injuries, he had pressed his superiors to let him take out Blofeld, only to be told that the Agency's priority was to keep an eye on the KGB. An opportunity lost, he thought.
As Bond was nibbling on his food, he asked Felix if the CIA ever destroyed the underground bunker beneath the old WhyteHouse Casino. He didn't know why he brought it up, but he suddenly had a thought. Leiter sheepishly said no. The CIA had inspected the complex, and found it to be of value. They started to convert it into a CIA Headquarter, to run operations over in Asia from the western part of the country. However, when the budget for the project was cut, they had to abandon it. But to his knowledge, it was still intact. He asked Bond why he brought it up? It's not like SPECTRE revisits old complexes. Bond pointed out that he killed Blofeld at Piz Gloria, long after it had been abandoned. It would be a perfect place to revisit, as many important tests on satellite components were done there. He asked him if he remembered Dr Metz, the US’s leading scientist on lasers that was actually working for Blofeld.
Leiter knew all too well what Bond had referenced. Three nuclear accidents involving The United States, the Soviet Union, and China, with the threat of more unless an outrageous ransom was paid. Bond continued that he felt that they needed to investigate the complex again. With all the construction going on in and around the area, it wouldn't raise any red flags if certain vehicles were making their way through the desert.
Felix and Anya agreed with James. The old Whyte House complex was definitely worth investigating. But as for how they would get there, Leiter knew that the CIA ran an off the books rail line, one that wasn't dependent on satellites. And it was a direct line to Los Angeles, but it could stop about a mile outside Vegas. That would be the best, quickest option. Felix told them that they would leave at midnight. He needed time to gather the personnel required to operate the train. It would be three engineers to power the train, and one person to cook food, as they wouldn't be able to stop off for a meal. He said that the three of them would be responsible for cleaning up after themselves, and there would be no Dom Perignon on the train, and gave James a smile. He suggested a tactical planning session after lunch, and then rest. The station was just off the CIA main building.
After not being able to finish his meal, 007 sought out the doctor who had examined him earlier, and asked for another check of his vitals. The young lady complied, and gave him a quick once over. Bond's heart filled with dread when she measured him at 5’11” ,170lbs. She measured him again, and the numbers were the same. He had lost 2 inches and 10 pounds since he arrived. But he knew he wasn't the only one. He was sure that the men in the building were experiencing the same thing. Then he thought that if the men were losing height, the women must be gaining.
He asked the doctor what her height and weight was, and the lady replied 5’5” and 120lbs. Bond asked her if he could quickly measure her, and she decided to humor him. 5’7” and 125lbs. The doctor had been concerned enough about the situation in the building, but wasn't prepared to discover that she was taller and heavier than what she was at her physical three days prior. It had to have something to do with the molecules of the water. But she didn't know how. Bond thanked her, and made his way back to Felix and Anya, informing them of the situation.
They would normally think that Bond was pulling their leg, but they saw the seriousness in his eyes, and knew it was true. And they knew that whatever Blofeld had planned, it was happening, and they didn't know how to stop what they still didn't understand. But they had to prepare for their journey.
Normally, Bond would be laser focused on the mission. He would plan for every contingency that may arise. But he was having trouble focusing on the matter. Thoughts of Anya kept creeping into his mind. He just kept thinking about how she was looking. She seemed like she was becoming sexier by the day, her figure becoming more toned and solid, her breasts firmer and bigger. He knew that he needed to think about his trip, but her image wouldn't leave his mind. Finally, he was able to force everything from his mind, allowing it to focus on the mission.
007 dropped by Leiter's room, asking if there were schematic plans of the complex that the CIA had on file. Felix told his friend that whatever diagrams there were, it was on microfilm, and stored in a secure location that only the President could access. The CIA was having too many leaks when the project was undertaken, and the only way to counteract them was to store them in one location with only one person who had access.
Bond nodded. It was a good move. He asked Leiter if they had the list of scientists that work on the satellites. Felix made a call, then caught 007 off guard when he yelled into the phone about records disappearing. Felix slammed the phone down, and cursed as only he could. Bond got the gist of the conversation, and wasn't surprised. Whatever the plan was, the traces were being erased. Irma Bunt and Irina Orlov’s vanishing, and now the list. He wouldn't have been surprised to receive word that the people who did work on the satellites were dying mysterious deaths. It was right out of the SPECTRE playbook.
Without the plans for the complex, lunch became a chat session, each of the three recalling their start in the “spy game”. A lot of great memories came rushing back. But the conversation eventually returned to current events. Leiter had come to realize that Bond was right about losing his height, as he was noticing that Anya, as well as all the women in the building, were definitely a little taller than before. It was a little unnerving. Grown people just don't grow and shrink like they were, and yet, that fact was now undeniable. And once again, he noticed that he and James could not finish their meal, while Anya was eating the food remaining on their plates.
It was clear to all three what was happening to them, and it was a safe bet that the people around the world were also affected. It had to do with the satellites exploding and the ensuing rain. But what concerned them, especially James and Felix, was that there would be no way to reverse what had already happened.
The rest of the afternoon consisted of weapon checks and cleaning. Using a gun in the discharge of one's duty was only feasible if the weapon worked properly. Otherwise, it was an agent’s death warrant. Knives, likewise, had to maintain the peak sharpness of its blade. If it couldn't cut through flesh and wire, it was useless.
With all the weapons prep out of the way, it was time for dinner. Once again, James and Felix couldn't finish, while Anya devoured not only her plate, but whatever was left on the two men’s. She felt embarrassed by the behavior. Not only was it very anti-Russian, it was also very unladylike. And yet, she could find no area of her body that was visible with fat. In fact, she noticed that her body was more toned than she remembered, and with her shoes and clothes getting tighter, she suggested a quick shopping trip to get new outfits.
Both Bond and Leiter were feeling awkward with their slowly diminishing size, but knew that Anya’s suggestion was sound. If they continued to lose size, their ill fitting clothes would be a hindrance, and could get them killed. So a quick trip to the shops a half-mile down the road was now on the agenda. It felt surreal for the three of them. Bond and Leiter had to buy three pairs of pants, each with inseams 3 inches shorter than the other, and shirts ranging from large to small. Amasova had the opposite problem. She bought clothes that progressively fit a much taller woman, and all three had to buy appropriately sized shoes.
Once back at the CIA, a final check was conducted, and the three departed for the train station. Boarding a four car setup, each took a seat. Soon, the engine car started pulling out. Leiter had to guess that it may be a 30 hour trip, as they would have to travel through heavily residential neighborhoods, and couldn't travel any faster than 40 mph, in case there were rail cars stuck on the line.
Felix and James felt the exhaustion overtaking their bodies, and excused themselves to go to bed, leaving Anya all alone in the seated section of the car. She wasn't even remotely tired, and so turned her thoughts to the unknown that awaited them in Las Vegas.