As Bond shot down he caught a glimpse of Gala’s tense, white face as she stood holding open the outer door of Drax’s office. God, how his body hurt! A final leap and a clumsy swerve to the right. Clang as Gala slammed the outer door. Another clang and they were across the room and into the shower and the water was hissing down on their clinging, panting bodies.
Through the noise of it all, above the beating of his heart, Bond heard the sudden crackle of static and then the voice of the B.B.C. announcer coming from the big set in Drax’s room a few inches away through the thin wall of the bathroom. It had been Gala again who had remembered Drax’s wireless and who had found time to throw the switches while Bond was working on the gyros.
‘ … be five minutes’ delay,’ said the breezy, excited voice. ‘Sir Hugo has been persuaded to say a few words into the microphone.’ Bond turned off the shower and the voice came to them more clearly. ‘He looks very confident. Just saying something into the Minister’s ear. They’re both laughing. Wonder what it was? Ah, here’s my colleague with the latest weather report from the Air Ministry. What’s that? Perfect at all altitudes. Good show. It certainly is a wonderful day down below here. Haha. Those crowds in the distance by the coastguard station will be getting quite a sunburn. There must be thousands. What’s that you say? Twenty thousand? Well, it certainly looks like it. And Walmer Beach is black with them too. The whole of Kent seems to be out. Terrible crick in the neck we’re all going to get, I’m afraid. Worse than Wimbledon. Haha. Hullo, what’s going on down there by the jetty? By jove, there’s a submarine just surfaced alongside. I say, what a sight. One of our biggest I should say. And Sir Hugo’s team is down there too. Lined up on the jetty as if they were on parade. Magnificent body of men. Now they’re filing on board. Perfect discipline. Must be an idea of the Admiralty’s. Give them a special grandstand out in the Channel. Splendid show. Wish you could be here to see it. Now Sir Hugo is coming towards us. In a moment he’ll be speaking to you. Fine figure of a man. Everyone in the firing point is giving him a cheer. I’m sure we all feel like cheering him today. He’s coming into the firing point. I can see the sun glinting on the nose of the Moonraker way over there behind him. Just showing out of the top of the launching-dome. Hope somebody’s got a camera. Now here he is,’ a pause. ‘Sir Hugo Drax.’
Bond looked into Gala’s dripping face. Soaked and bleeding they stood in each other’s arms, speechless and trembling slightly with the storm of their emotions. Their eyes were blank and fathomless as they met and held each other’s gaze.
‘Your Majesty, men and women of England,’ the voice was a velvet snarl. ‘I am about to change the course of England’s history.’ A pause. ‘In a few minutes’ time the lives of all of you will be altered, in some cases, ahem, drastically, by the, er, impact of the Moonraker. I am very proud and pleased that fate has singled me out, from amongst all my fellow countrymen, to fire this great arrow of vengeance into the skies and thus to proclaim for all time, and for all the world to witness, the might of my fatherland. I hope that this occasion will be forever a warning that the fate of my country’s enemies will be written in dust, in ashes, in tears, and,’ a pause, ‘in blood. And now thank you all for listening and I sincerely hope that those of you who are able will repeat my words to your children, if you have any, tonight.’
A rattle of rather hesitant applause sounded out of the machine and then came the breezy voice of the announcer. ‘And that was Sir Hugo Drax saying a few words to you before he walks across the floor of the firing point to the switch on the wall which will fire the Moonraker. The first time he has spoken in public. Very, ahem, forthright. Doesn’t mince his words. However, a lot of us will say there’s no harm in that. And now it’s time for me to hand over to the expert, Group Captain Tandy of the Ministry of Supply, who will describe to you the actual firing of the Moonraker. After that you will hear Peter Trimble in one of the naval security patrol, H.M.S.
Bond glanced at his watch. ‘Only a minute more,’ he said to Gala. ‘God, I’d like to get my hands on Drax. Here,’ he reached for the cake of soap and gouged some pieces off it. ‘Stuff this in your ears when the time comes. The noise is going to be terrific, I don’t know about the heat. It won’t last long and the steel walls may stand up to it.’
Gala looked at him. She smiled. ‘If you hold me it won’t be too bad,’ she said.
‘ … and now Sir Hugo has his hand on the switch and he’s watching the chronometer.’
‘TEN,’ broke in another voice, heavy and sonorous as the toll of a bell.
Bond turned on the shower and the water hissed down on their clinging bodies.
‘NINE,’ tolled the voice of the time-keeper.
