O.K. Here's the scene. James Bond was sitting in his latest car, an Aston Martin Vanquish. New technology allowed the car to become nearly invisible. This allowed Bond to get very close to his target without much trouble. He was doing surveillance work on Steven Ward. Ward was a relatively minor player in New York’s organized crime, but MI6 suspected that he might have ties to the old Union, which was beginning to show signs of resurfacing. The Union was a worldwide terrorist-for-hire organization that Bond had been largely responsible for destroying. Now he was trying to stop it from resurrecting itself. If Ward was connected to The Union, he was to be apprehended and interrogated.
Frank Castle, better known as The Punisher, did not have the luxury of an invisible car. He had parked his battle van a block away and walked to the building across from the restaurant Ward was in. He was now on the roof, using binoculars to spy on the meeting taking place. The Punisher wasn’t looking for specifics. He had his own reason to believe that Ward was linked to the same mob “family” that had killed his wife and children. Now that he saw Ward meeting with Adam Barista, a well-known mob boss, Frank had all the proof he needed. Ward would die.
Bond spotted The Punisher as he walked back to his van. Bond pushed a button on the dash board, and two hidden cameras on the front of the car took a picture. The picture showed up on the computer screen in the car. Bond pushed a few more buttons and sent the picture to MI6 with the simple message: “Identity Requested.” Across the Atlantic someone at MI6 was looking up the information, and a minute later Bond’s screen changed to a mug shot of The Punisher with some information.
Name: Frank Castle (Born Castiglione)
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 200 lbs
Distinguishing Characteristics: Numerous scars covering body.
Known criminal record. Ex-marine with extensive weaponry and hand to hand combat training. Wife and children murdered. Now vigilante killing criminals under persona of “The Punisher”. Time spent in jail and mental facilities. Should be considered extremely dangerous.
Bond uttered a soft curse. He could put two and two together. The punisher was after the same man he was. Bond didn’t want some loose cannon making a relatively easy mission harder.
Meanwhile, Frank returned to his van. He immediately noticed one of the monitors which connected to the extensive surveillance equipment his van had. Bond’s car was giving off a heat signature. It glowed a bright orange on the screen. Frank put a pair of headphones on and spoke into the small microphone attached to them.
“Microchip, I’m sending you some data. I need you to analyze it for me.” He was worried. Invisible cars weren’t exactly common in New York. Several minutes later a voice came through the headphones.
“Frank, I’ve traced that car to the British secret service. It’s one of their latest models. I’d be careful if I were you.”
“I will. Punisher out.” Why the hell was the British secret service after him? He thought for a moment and decided that the best course of action was to go after Ward as planned. He would just have to avoid the Brits. He put the van in gear and pulled away. He noticed the car did not follow.
Two days had passed, and Fran k had seen no more traces of the British car. He decided to go ahead with his plan. He would hit Ward tonight.
At midnight, The Punisher approached the old warehouse where he knew Ward would be. He had found out the day before that Ward was picking up a shipment of weapons that he was going to transport to someone else. Unlike Bond, however, Frank did not know that Ward was acting as a middle man for The Union.
Bond was already on the roof, watching the hand over taking place through the skylight. He planned on waiting until the other men left and then apprehending Ward easily.
The Punisher had other plans. Since the front of the warehouse was guarded, he planned to drop in through the roof and kill everyone. Perhaps if he had climbed up the same side of the building as Bond he would have realized that Bond had already been there. Instead, he didn’t see Bond immediately. When he did, he noticed Bond had his gun drawn and appeared to be hiding. Frank thought the man was after him. The Punisher had a clear shot, but he did not want to kill someone who upheld the law if he could help it. He raised a silenced pistol, took aim, and shot the gun right out of Bond’s hand. At the same time he ran at Bond full speed. He expected he would be able to incapacitate the man before he could react.
He underestimated Bond, however, who immediately analyzed the situation and was prepared to defend himself. Therefore it was actually The Punisher who was caught off guard as Bond grabbed and twisted his arm, disarming him. The Punisher reached for one of his other weapons, but before he could get to it Bond pulled out a concealed throwing knife and threw it with great force and accuracy. It imbedded deep into The Punisher’s shoulder. Bond moved in quickly to keep The Punisher from reaching for a weapon. He wanted to keep control of the situation, but found it more difficult than he hoped.
The two men were too evenly matched. Each move made by one was blocked by the other. Each man knew many ways to incapacitate or even kill a man with a single blow. However, they each protected themselves against such attacks. The result was that the two men could only inflict painful yet relatively useless hits on the other. The human body can withstand a lot of punishment. Without a controlled, precise move, neither man could end the fight quickly. All they could do was absorb the crushing punches thrown by the other. Within minutes, both men were bruised all over but kept going.
Bond realized that he had to do something soon. The Punisher had a slight edge on him in strength, and could probably outlast him under normal circumstances. However, Bond’s knife was still sticking into Frank’s shoulder. Bond started to shift the fight so that Punisher had to use his damaged arm more. Frank continued to hold his own, and Bond was impressed by his determination. The Punisher’s tolerance for pain had to rival even his own.
Bond finally wore down The Punisher enough to manage a hit on Frank’s throat with the edge of his hand, knocking the wind out of him. The Punisher gasped and kicked out wildly, hoping to connect with something since he knew he would be dazed for a while. Luckily for him his foot slammed against Bond’s side. Bond groaned as the sharp pain shot though his ribs. Both men stepped back, The Punisher massaging his throat, and Bond holding his side.
“You’re not taking me in,” Punisher managed to hiss.
“What?” Bond was feeling his ribs, making sure none were broken.
“I’ve got a job to do. I ain’t going to some British prison.” The Punisher spoke as he tried to gulp down air.
“I’m not here for you. I’m after Ward.” Both men were regaining their composure, ready to defend themselves should the other attack.
“He’s mine. I’ve got a score to settle.”
“You can’t kill him. I need him alive.”
“He and the scum like him killed my wife and kids.” Bond understood The Punisher’s anger. He had killed the man who killed his wife, and also the woman who killed his son. Vengeance was a strong emotion.
“My family was killed too. But if you kill Ward you’ll be helping a worldwide criminal organization to reform. You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“I know exactly what I…” Just then several armed men arrived on the roof from the door leading to the stairs. The fight had been heard by the men in the ware house. Ward stood behind them.
“I don’t know who you are, but I ain’t gonna let you hang around long enough for me to find out.”
The Punisher moved so fast even Bond had trouble following the movement. He pulled the knife out of his shoulder and threw it at the nearest man, killing him. He dove for cover. Bond had no possible cover, so he jumped off the roof, landing on the fire escape.
The punisher had his automatic out and was returning fire at the men, but he was pinned down. “Hey, British, catch.” The Punisher threw a small handgun toward where Bond had jumped. Bond was looking up, and caught the gun at the edge of his reach before it plummeted to the ground.
Bond jumped u, catching the edge of the roof with his left hand. He pulled himself up and fired at the men. Ward ran back down the stairs. Bond fired again, eliminating another man. He let go and dropped to the fire escape and ran down it. The Punisher would be able to fight his way out. Bond needed to catch Ward.
Bond jumped the last ten feet to the ground just as Ward ran out of the warehouse. Bond ran after him. He would have been able to catch him more easily, but he was tired and aching from his fight with The Punisher. He finally chased Ward down a dead end street. Once he saw that he was cornered, Ward gave up.
“If you come along quietly you won’t get hurt.”
“Like hell he won’t.” Bond turned and was amazed to see The Punisher standing behind him. Both men instantly had their gun pointed at the other man’s head. “He’s mine.”
“Don’t be stupid. This is beyond your personal vendetta. Ward is never going to be a free man again anyway. I’ll see to that.”
“Don’t make me do anything I’ll regret.” Frank knew they were in the middle of a standoff. Either man would see the other man tense the split second before they fired and then would pull his own trigger. They would both die. They stood dead still for a full minute. Ward was too scared too move.
Bond knew he had to diffuse the situation quickly. Soon ward would try something stupid and then guns would go off. James Bond was a killer, and he knew about killers. He could usually judge how far a man would go. It seemed to him that The Punisher had his own moral code. He wasn’t a senseless killer. He was a smart man. Killing criminals was one thing, but…
Bond lowered his gun and stepped between The Punisher and Ward. “It’s your call, Castle. It’s my mission to bring Ward in alive, and the only way to kill him is through me.” The Punisher sized up Bond, and then raised his gun. Bond forced himself not to blink.
“If I ever see you again, things will be different.” The Punisher turned and walked away. Bond turned to Ward and escorted him to his car. As Bond headed toward MI6’s secret New York station, his aching body made him realize he never wanted to cross paths with The Punisher again.
Here's the checklist:
Looks like the score is PUNISHER=2 BOND=3 WINNER=Bond
