Welcome, James. It's been a long time. And finally, here we are. What took you so long? [Looks up at where Bond is] Cuckoo!
A man lives inside his head; that's where the seed of his soul is. James and I were both present recently when a man was deprived of his eyes and the most astonishing thing happened, didn't you notice? He wasn't there anymore. He had gone even though he was still alive, so this brief moment between life and death, there was nobody inside his skull. Most odd.
Touch it. You can touch it if you want. Do you know what it is?
Madeleine Swann
It's a meteorite.
Yes, exactly. The Kartenhoff. The oldest in human possession. The very meteorite which made this crater. Think about it. So many years up there, alone, silent, building momentum until it chose to make its mark on Earth. A huge, unstoppable force. Except it did stop, didn't it? Right here.
So, James, why did you come?
James Bond
I came here to kill you.
And I thought you came here to die.
James Bond
Well, it's all a matter of perspective.
Speaking of perspective.
You came across me so many times and yet you never saw me. Le Chiffre, Greene, Silva.
James Bond
All dead.
Yeah, that's right. A nice pattern developed - you interfered in my world, so I destroyed yours. Or did you think it was coincidence that all of the women in your life ended up dead? Vesper Lynd, for example. She was the big one. [to Madeleine] Has he told you about her? [to Bond] And then, of course, your beloved M. Gone forever. Me. It was all me, James. It's always been me. The author of all your pain.
You're a brave woman, my dear. [turns off all the computers and his guards stand staring at the three of them]
Madeleine Swann
Now I understand why my father lost his mind.
He didn't lose his mind, he was just weak. But at least he understood what he was up against. You see, they failed to comprehend the crucial fact, that a terrible event can lead to something wonderful. Since you mention your father, I'll show you. [begins playing surveillance tape of James Bond meeting with Mr. White]
Video Mr. White
She's clever. She's smarter than me. She knows how to hide.
Video James Bond
I can protect her if you tell me where he is. I can keep her alive.
Video Mr. White
Yeah.
Video James Bond
You have my word.
James Bond
No, no, no, no, no, no. Turn this off.
Video James Bond
Your word? The word of an assassin!
James Bond
Turn this off.
This is important.
James Bond
I said turn it off! [Oberhauser's guard hits him with an expandable baton making him fall to the floor]
I want you to understand something.
Video James Bond
That's my word.
James Bond
Madeleine? Look at me. Don't look at him, Madeleine. Look at me.
Video Mr. White
L'Américain. You save her, she can lead you to L'Américain. She knows L'Américain. Try the Hoffler Klinik. You're a kite dancing in a hurricane, Mr. Bond. So long. [gunshot sounds in the background]
The things that bring people together. Out of horror, beauty. [Oberhauser's guard hits Bond's head with a gun]
Torture is easy, on a superficial level. A man can watch himself being disemboweled and derive great horror from the experience, but it's still going on at a distance. It isn't taking place where he is. As you know all too well, dear Madeleine, a man lives inside his head. That's where the seat of his soul is. Now, James and I were both present recently when a man was deprived of his eyes. And the most astonishing thing happened. Didn't you notice? He wasn't there anymore. He'd gone even though he was still alive. So in this brief moment between life and death, there was nobody inside his skull. Most odd. So, James. I'm going to penetrate to where you are. To the inside of your head. Now, the first probe will play with your sight, your hearing and your balance, just with the subtlest of manipulations.
James Bond
Well, get on with it then. Nothing can be as painful as listening to you talk.
All right. Let's begin.
Madeleine Swann
Why are you doing this?
You probably know that James here lost his parents when he was young. But did you know that it was my father who helped him through this difficult time? Over the course of two winters he taught him to ski, and climb, and hunt. He soothed the wounds of the poor little blue-eyed orphan. Asked me to treat him as a brother. My little brother. They formed quite an attachment.
James Bond
So, you killed him.
Yes, I did. You know what happens when a cuckoo hatches inside another bird's nest?
Madeleine Swann
Yes. It forces the other eggs out.
Yes. Well, this cuckoo made me realize my father's life had to end. In a way, he's responsible for the path I took. So, thank you. Cuckoo.
James Bond
Do you know any other birdcalls, Franz? [chuckles] [A cat climbs onto Bond's lap] Hello, pussy.
Franz Oberhauser died 20 years ago, James. In an avalanche, alongside his father. The man you are talking to now, the man inside your head, is Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
James Bond
Catchy name.
My mother's bloodline. If the needle finds the correct spot in the fusiform gyrus, you'll recognize no one. Of course the faces of your women are interchangeable, aren't they, James? You won't know who she is. Just another passing face on your way to the grave. [kisses the cat] [to Madeleine] He dies not knowing who you are. The daughter of an assassin The only one who could have understood him. Shame.
