Q

[quartermaster_q]

"Q could do it," Tanner had suggested, prompting the young Quartermaster to look up from what he was doing and frown deeply.

 

"He certainly could not," the fluffy haired boffin replied blandly, shooting Tanner a look, then returning his attention to his laptop. "Besides, I don't go into the field without double-o seven."

 

It wasn't even official work they were talking about. Q Branch had simply gotten wind that a certain soviet agent was in town, apparently not on business, and at some point had started talking about how useful it might be to bug his personal laptop before five worked out he was here and got to him first. It had started off as light banter, a joke even, but it had gotten more and more serious as the time passed. Serious enough that someone had opened the man's file and had started reading up on the agent in question.

 

"It's not the field, it's a bar," Hopper, a young tech, chimed in. "Besides, you're just his type. Go in, have a flirt, bug him, then get out."

 

Q scowled, but it was obvious that they weren't going to let up- And really, it wasn't a terrible idea. He didn't like going out on something like this without Bond, but Bond wasn't in the office right now. He'd have to do this alone.

 

"Fine," Q eventually agreed with a sigh. "I'll do it."

 

That was how he wound up in a dreadful bar, sitting at a filthy table beside a large man who was attempting to get him very drunk. 

 

"Oh, just one more, come on," the man insisted, putting another beer down in front of Q.

 

His head was already spinning, and he knew if he drank any more he wouldn't be sober enough to do what needed to be done. His fingers grazed over his ear, tapping the device that sat inside as he assured the man he couldn't have another drop, hoping to alert his team that he needed some help- Except there was nothing. No static, no sound at all.

 

"What's wrong?" the Russian asked, his tone calm as his arm snaked around Q. "Can your friends not hear you any more?"

 

Q's pulse fluttered, and he tensed as he felt a small blade press against his side.

 

"You're right, you've had enough to drink," the man whispered. "Let's get out of here, hmm?"

 

Getting to his feet, Q let the man guide him, though the young Quartermaster moved slowly, scanning the crowd for help. He'd known this was a dreadful idea, and the moment he got away from the bastard he was going to march right back to Q branch and tell them all what a bunch of idiots they were.

 

(OTA! Feel free to have your pup notice the hidden knife, or not notice and simply approach Q by chance.)

Comments

[ilowell]

Lowell went to the front desk as asked, and by some stroke of luck the clerk was a young woman. He was able to flirt her into distraction pretty easily. Especially after he realized, with some surprise, that he spoke French, too. (At least, much better French than what he remembered from school.)

He had no idea if the gizmo worked, but he went up to the room Q had indicated, and waited for a second outside. Then, not knowing what else to do, rapped lightly on the door.

[quartermaster_q]

Q opened the door a crack, then all of the way.

"Didn't think you'd come," he admitted, looking the man over, then letting him in.

"I just need a moment," he assured him, emptying the dead man's overnight bag and filling it with the man's tech and various items of interest- For example, items like his fake American passport.

[ilowell]

"I guess I'm not completely incompetent after all," Lowell said, and wondered not for the first time tonight what the hell he thought he was doing.

He glanced around the room, and then his gaze settled onto a tacky hotel painting of a forest... which sent him lurching into a vision. In it, he was wearing black gloves and taking something out of that same bag that Q had been searching. He heard footsteps, and he slid the envelope into his jacket pocket... but then, realizing that he might possibly be caught, slid the painting off the wall and put the envelope into the groove under the frame instead. Then he replaced it... just in time for the Russian spy from the bar to barge in and throw him across the room.

Lowell came back to himself with a little gasp, and then looked wide-eyed at Q. "There's something behind the painting," he blurted.

[quartermaster_q]

Q looked puzzled- Then mildly annoyed.

"What makes you say that?" he asked, heading over to the painting and looking it over before lifting it off the wall.

[ilowell]

"There just... is," Lowell said, sounding a little annoyed himself. "An envelope, just - there." Once the painting was turned over it was obvious. Not a great hiding place, but then, you'd have to know to look there.

"I, um. Think it might be important." After all, it had apparently gotten someone killed.

[quartermaster_q]

Q raised a brow, then looked at the envelope.

"Then open it," he said calmly, not wanting to touch it himself. ...This all felt very wrong suddenly, as if he was building a puzzle with several pieces missing.

[ilowell]

"I'm pretty sure it's not a bomb or something," Lowell said, but he picked it up anyway, and after a hesitation, opened it and a piece of paper fluttered out. Lowell turned it over to show Q.

"It's just a name," he said. Not a Russian name, though. A pretty British sounding name.

[quartermaster_q]

Elliot Hopper.

"Shit," he swore softly. "Well, I suppose I should have seen that coming."

[ilowell]

"Who's that?" Lowell asked. Then realized that maybe he didn't want to know.

[quartermaster_q]

"Co-worker," Q replied quietly. "A recent hire in my department, actually."

[ilowell]

There was a beat of silence, and then Lowell said, "Double agent then?" like he had any sodding idea what he was talking about.

[quartermaster_q]

"Traitor, more likely. ...And you seem to know far too much about it all- Why is that?" Q asked, his tone crisp and gaze heavy as he studied the man. "And don't lie, Mr. Tracy. I'm really not worth lying to. Lying to me leads to you meeting my agent, and my agent is a terrible interrogator. He's far too fond of bloodshed and silence."

[ilowell]

Okay, so Lowell was pretty sure the guy had just threatened to have him tortured. This is what he got for trying to help.

"Look, it's not what you think..." But, okay, he didn't actually know what he thought.

He winced. "It's... I... I have these visions," he finally blurted.

True. True true.

"I guess I'm like psychic or something."

There was the bullshit. But at least it was something people could wrap their heads around.

[quartermaster_q]

"Visions?" Q pressed, raising a brow.

[ilowell]

"Yeah..." Lowell fidgeted uncomfortably. "Visions. Like I just had one, of a bloke breaking into this room, ransacking it for that envelope, and then hiding it when he heard the other guy about to come back in. That's how I knew it was there."

[quartermaster_q]

Q looked doubtful, but wasn't in the mood to press or argue.

"I don't suppose you saw anything else that might prove useful," he asked blandly.

[ilowell]

Lowell didn't really think so, since he'd already pretty much told him everything. "The John Doe in the morgue I mentioned," he said after a moment. "That's the bloke who hid the envelope. I don't really know much about him, except... uh. Also Russian."

[quartermaster_q]

"And that all came to you via a vision, that you just happened to have," Q replied, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

[ilowell]

"Yes," said Lowell, and sighed. "Look, I can't make you believe me. Do or don't, I guess. It's not really any difference to me. I was just trying to help. Queen and country and all that."

[quartermaster_q]

"I imagine it does make a difference, if not an intimidate one," Q countered. "I don't think 'has knowledge of Russian spies' is something you want labelled as unexplained in your file, Mr. Tracy."