Suddenly, —MI6’s new head of cyber-intelligence—appears on the train’s intercom. Her voice is calm, almost bored: “007, stand down. I’ve already scrubbed the drive remotely. It’s a decoy. The real attack is happening now.”

Meanwhile, Bond resurfaces in a Scottish pub, bearded, drinking alone. He’s tracked by . She finds him hollowed out. “You’re supposed to be dead.” Bond: “So is my pension.”

Bond is not at his peak. He’s slower, graying at the temples, but still lethal. He corners the merc on a moving train. A brutal fight ends with Bond retrieving the drive.

Bond fights Patrice in a burning library—ends with Bond shoving a fire poker through Patrice’s chest. Q, terrified but resourceful, hacks the helicopter’s guidance system using a WWII radio. The chopper crashes into the lodge. Kane corners M on a frozen lake. He has a gun to her head. Bond is fifty yards away, out of ammo.