The search for M

BOND knew exactly where the switch was and it was with one flow of motion that he stood on the threshold with the door full open, the light on and a gun in his hand. The safe, empty room sneered at him. He checked everything, everywhere, for signs of intrusion. He was a secret agent and routine precautions were to him no more unreasonable than these would be to a deep-sea diver or a test pilot or any other man in a dangerous business.

His last action was to slip his right hand under the pillow to look for the usual reassuring touch of the .38 Colt Police Positive with the sawn barrel, …but the gun was gone. "Mr James Bond, you are looking for this, I believe," a gruff voice came from the dark corner before a man stepped out into the light, with the gun in his hand. "Be careful…" said Bond, swinging a punch at the man, who had, in the meantime, pulled the trigger. There was no bang, only a crack. "…It is not loaded," Bond finished his sentence and gave the unconscious intruder a smile.

He found several papers in the pocket of this man, one of which caused him a great deal of concern. It read: "We have M (head of the British Secret Service). Go for 007." It also had the number 8888...88M9999...99 on it — that started with the digit 8 repeated 50 times and ended with the digit 9 repeated 50 times, with an M in between. Whatever it was about, the intruder would surely know and he turned out to be helpful on regaining consciousness. "Where’s M?" said Bond. "Inside a gas chamber in the basement of this building," said the intruder and, then, led Bond to the place.

It was a glass chamber with a window from where Bond could see a choking M and the gas creeping up on him. "The chamber has an electronic lock with a single digit key, but if a wrong digit is entered, the chamber will blow up," said the intruder. "What’s the digit then?" said Bond. The intruder said, "The key is the value of the digit M in that number you found in my pocket and only my boss knows what it is. I only know that the entire number is divisible by 7. Look, the gas is spreading." As Bond looked towards M for a moment, he got a shove from the intruder, which gave the intruder a chance to escape into the street where a car was waiting for him. Bond returned to the chamber and now he must hurry to save M. He pressed a number key on the lock dial, which opened the chamber door. "Thanks James, how did you find the code?" said M. "I don’t know. I had my eyes closed," said Bond, which made his boss faint.

What was the value of M? Write at Mind Games, Windows, The Tribune, or adityarishi99@yahoo.co.in.

— Aditya Rishi