The old ten storey building that overlooked Regent’s Park looked very much like any other office building in central London. Entering the lobby, one found a directory listing several legitimate-sounding businesses explaining many of the building’s unusual features such as the roof antenna (Radio Test, Ltd.), the massive corporate secretary pool, mostly men, on the ground floor that served as building security (Omnium Corporation), and the occupants of the higher floors (Delany Bros. (1940) and Universal Import & Export). All visitors were directed to the lobby’s main reception desk, occupied by the extremely able Ms. E. Twinings.<br/><br/>People looking to have their portable stereos repaired or have some package dispatched overseas or find out from Ms. Twinings that the offices are overworked at the moment and not accepting any new business, and are recommended to a nearby business offering the services sought at good service quality and cost.<br/><br/>Inside the sixth floor corner office, however, all was not right in the world. M, head of MI6, was pouring over the current service roster of the Investigations & Enforcement Division. This Division, personally overseen by M, housed the MI6 field agents assigned across the globe to combat the communist and criminal elements that threatened the free world. That fight had become a little more difficult today.<br/><br/>It was early evening, April 1st, and just about everyone had gone home for the evening, and the building was running on the skeleton crew that saw the agency through the evening. Of course, nearly everyone in the agency was permanently on-call every day of the year for emergencies just such as the one causing M to pour over the service roster. Pickings were slim; it had been a rough start of the year. The Soviets were active in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and North Africa. Two 00s had been killed in January, and two more were on extended medical leave. The breadth of KGB activity had dispersed many of the agents to Station Houses in Europe and South America, and still others were on joint assignment with the CIA in Southeast Asia.<br/><br/>M made his decision; one he was too prepared for to regret. His thumb depressed the first button on the electronic box on his red-leather topped desk. “Ms. Moneypenny,” he began, knowing she was sitting in the anteroom the connecting door directly in front of him, “Bring in 1169, 1198, 1136, and 1112. Schedule a briefing in one hour’s time, and bring in Q as well.” His thumb left the machine without even obtaining an acknowledgment. Not uncommon practice, Ms. Moneypenny was already to work on the request.<br/>