"It's cold tonight," Vladimir Zinvier said, rubbing his hands together in a bid to keep warm and talking to himself in a bid to stay awake.

 It was winter in Russia and a Russian winter was a winter from hell. Snow covered every single building--each edge, point and surface was covered with winter's white blanket. Zinvier was guarding the "People's Research Establishment", a centre near but not inside Moscow--allowing results and tests to be given to the top dogs, but if any accidents occurred, they didn't cause chaos in Mother Russia's capital city. Zinvier looked at the old school building with it's snow covered ivy blanketing certain windows. Strangely fortunate, Zinvier thought.

 Suddenly, the branches nearby began to rustle, losing the snow that was resting on the leaves. He creeped forward but the snow crumpled underneath his boots.

 He edged round the bush to see a snowman in the middle of the plot of grass. Probably some kids, Zinvier thought. But the snowman was a welcome distraction. He walked up to it; he examined its scarf, its stones for eyes and mouth with a carrot for its nose...and he was most surprised when the snowman punched him in the face.

 The person disguised as a snowman took off the outfit revealing a black military jump-suit underneath. Picking up Zinvier's gun, he ran up to the gate and took out a pen. He quickly turned the pen's top three times before the pen released a powerful welding flame with which the man began cutting through the fence.

 A hole appeared with remarkable speed and James Bond, British Agent of Her Majesty's Secret Service crawled through the gap.

 "You see, Miss Goodheart, if you work for us in Russia anything--anything you like can be yours. If you refuse, we will be forced to remove your pretty little face and display it in Red Square. What would your parents think? Ha-Ha-Ha!!!"

 The laughter cut through the tension like a knife through butter. Following the commander's lead, the other officers laughed.

 "Stop!" The commander said "Who said you could laugh?"

 The laughter stopped and the tension returned.

 Outside the building, Bond was watching. He waited until the officers stopped looking before he waved to Goodheart. She saw him and smiled. Bond winked back at her.

 Moments later, shots rang out killing the officers around Goodheart. Bond jumped down, releasing her chains with the welding pen.

 "What makes you think I want to go back?" she asked.

 Bond kissed her on the lips.

 "Oh, James!" she said, as she took his hand following him as he led her out of the complex.

 IA/MIA/CIA/BIA/HIA PRODUCTIONS
present

 XIA:1

 "From UNIT With Love"

 A Doctor Who/ James Bond Round Robin Crossover
Takes place after The Curse of Peladon and between Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies
Chapter 1: "Operation: Extraction"
by David Evans

 At the Southbridge School for Gifted Children, Isaac Pembridge sat in a brown leather chair. Around him stood pictures and artefacts of bygone times--Egyptian antiquities, a model of a Tudor thatched cottage and a model of the Titanic--but what he didn't have on show, something he'd never told anyone about, was two portraits that hung inside his cupboard. The portraits were by his own hand, something that he had created during the summer term holidays, and they had been a labour of love. He took the key--the only key that existed--and placed in the lock before swiftly turning it. The mahogany doors were released to reveal their concealed treasure. Underneath a Red Flag were his portraits; one of Stalin and one of Lenin. He had kept his political ideology quiet from all...but he had no wife and wasn't very popular so keeping his secret wasn't difficult.

 He was the Headmaster of this school and when he wasn't he was a KGB agent. Tying up his professional life with his secret life was the school itself. Southbridge School for Gifted Children was one of the best in the country--but only because it selected the best from those who could afford the fantastically expensive term fees. It was also home to a number of prominent students, including Government ministers sons and some boys who were related to the Royal Family.

 Mission: Extraction had been planned by top KGB thinkers for weeks-- holding Defence Ministers sons for ransom in return for details of Operation: Meltdown--a British plot during the Cold War.

 Pembridge was given his orders every week by a bearded, foreign looking Gentlemen in a black suit. The man whose code name was even secret had just turned up out of the blue, without any notice from KGB HQ, but had given intricate minute details that only a KGB agent should know. The man had subsequently reappeared every week for the past two months giving information about Mission: Extraction. The plan was for next week, the Defence Minister's son would be abducted, the Minister informed and the ransom--Operation: Meltdown--would be received. Meltdown, on reflection, was a brilliant plan, but one that could have destroyed the world.

 In 1959, top secret plans were stolen from a British research laboratory. A KGB agent, closely watched by British agents, had taken the plans and reported it to base. It was no accident that the agent was allowed access. The plans were for an advanced nuclear control pad for Nuclear Power plants--plans which the Russians wanted. But integrated into the device's plans was a transceiver that was listed as a very important piece of the equipment--a secret transmitter from London could activate the transceiver and the nuclear facility would go into meltdown.

 The plans were followed meticoulsly by Russian constructors and the plans were also sent to China, East Germany and other Communist states in Eastern Europe. French and American intelligence had also stolen a copy of the plans from the Russians and so their nuclear power plants also had the device--something unknown until the 1970's by British Intelligence. The devices were still in the plants today and the man had told Pembridge that under hypnosis a British Agent had told him of the plans and he was here to get the codes.

 In the scientific laboratory that housed the Timelord known as the Doctor, smoke was circling round like a strong gust of wind. The figure dressed in a red velvet jacket with a frilly shirt, bow tie and matching trousers was coughing loudly and then ran his hand through his grey hair.

 "Good Grief!" He exclaimed, surprised at the amount of smoke that emerged from the strange alien console. The Doctor stepped outside the TARDIS, into his smoky lab and walked out the doors...straight into the Brigadier.

 "Ah, Doctor--" Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart began but was stopped mid-sentence by the sight of the smoke in the Doctor's laboratory.

 "Good Lord, Doctor--I've told you about cuts to UNIT's budget and that equipment must be looked after!"

 "There is no damage to your equipment Brigadier--the only thing that's damaged is my TARDIS!" the Doctor replied.

 "When will you stop meddling with that damned machine? For all your trying, it hasn't worked yet."

 "Because they could still be some power left from my recent excursion to Peladon; and if I don't act now, it could fade away."

 "Good! Last time you went off somewhere we had to turn to the Master--"

 "You what!"

 "Well...er...oh, nothing!" The Brigadier replied.

 "Lethbridge-Stewart, what happened in my absence?"

 "Very well- come to my office in an hour an I'll tell you"

 At that moment Jo Grant was walking down the corridor and turned right to see the Doctor and the Brigadier arguing again. Relations between them were much better now but the Doctor still felt the Brigadier was dogged by his "over zealous military mind" while the Brigadier thought the Doctor was "too pigheaded for his own good".

 "What are you two arguing about now?" She asked as soon as she approached them.

 "Morning, Jo" the Doctor said.

 "Good Morning, Miss Grant," The Brigadier followed. "Maybe you can reason with him. Good day, Doctor," he said before walking away, now that Jo had distracted the Doctor.

 "Morning, Doctor" Jo said- followed by a long yawn.

 "Late night?" the Doctor enquired.

 "Yes. I was watching a documentary about the Cold War. I never knew we came so close to such a horrific war" She replied.

 "And it won't be the last time- believe me!"

 "I do!" Jo shuddered before linking her arm round his and leading him into the lab.

 "What are you doing in here exactly?"

 "Why, just trying to see if I can still use the old girl. After our recent visit to Peladon, I wanted to see if it had kept her working perfectly."

 "And has it?" Jo asked.

 "No, Jo. I'm sad to say it hasn't."

 "So you're staying on Earth!"

 "For now, any way."

 "Oh Good!" Jo exclaimed, happy that her association with the Doctor wasn't coming to an abrupt end.

 In the Offices of the Secret Service, a figure was ascending the stairs to the top level. The man was in his mid 30's and was dressed in a black tuxedo with a black tie and a red carnation in the pocket. He greeted people who passed him on the way and continued along the corridor of the finely furnished building.

 Built five years ago, the offices were home to a great number of the world's intelligence experts. Computer hackers, phone tappers and spies all kept together in a ten story complex in London. Using 'Macintre Computers' as the name of the business that occupied the place, they had passed it off as a building housing a growing computer company while they collected secrets and information that would make Presidents fall. From Northern Ireland to Baghdad, British Agents reported there--it was the nerve centre of the British Secret Service. But the place was a risk. If the building was penetrated by enemy agents, the secrets held there would be around the globe hours later. The man- James Bond (also known as Agent 007) reached his destination and opened the door into a reception area which was decorated in an oriental style.

 "Good evening, James," said the woman behind the desk. With a grey suit and her short cropped ginger hair, Moneypenny looked radiant.

 "My dear Moneypenny," Bond said. "Have you cut your hair?"

 "Indeed I have, James. How nice of you to notice"

 "Moneypenny, I notice everything about you."

 "Well, maybe you'll also notice me standing in the doorway waiting for you," said another female voice. It was M.

 "Good evening, M" Bond said politely.

 "Come in, 007. We don't have time to waste," M replied.

 Bond raised his eyebrows and blew Moneypenny a kiss before he walked into M's office. Moneypenny returned the gesture with a smile before she set about filing away a number of documents.

 "Take a seat 007" M said. "This involves a matter of great importance to the future of the world and I want your full attention on it. Now, this morning , the son of the Defence Minister has disappeared..."

 "...and I want you to help find him" Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart said, looking straight at the Doctor.

 "But this is hardly a UNIT affair?" the Doctor enquired.

 "Yes, well, it appears the Defence Minister has a number of friends at the UN and pulled a few strings. After they saw your record, they decided to ask you for help."

 "Right then, we'd better not disappoint them," the Doctor said.

 "Oh Doctor," The Brigadier added. "One thing more--at the scene of the crime they found a small doll who looked uncannily like the Headmaster--who has also disappeared..."

 "UNIT, ma'am?" Bond asked.

 "Oh yes...you won't have heard of them. They deal with the unexplained and all that nonsense--quite a bunch of amateurs." M replied.

 "This man though, the Doctor, appears to be rather good. He's UNIT's scientific advisor. This is the only photo we have of him," M said, pushing the photo across the desk.

 "He's with his assistant?" Bond asked, studying the photo.

 "That's his old one--works at Cambridge now, I think. Perhaps you can ask her about this Doctor fellow." M replied.

 "Do you have any photos of his current assistant?" Bond grinned.

 "That will be all 007," M said whilst looking disapprovingly at Bond.

 TO BE CONTINUED

 Author's Note: The reference to the Brigadier going to the Master for help is from "Face of the Enemy"--BBC Books.