Work Text:
If Q Never Was
Gabriel sat in the office with M and Tanner, listening to the conversation as it moved with the fast pace of the assignment. He was in the corner, just a secretary to M, he was lucky to even be in the room to listen, but he knew M trusted him. He looked down at his laptop and saw what James was walking into and instantly sent an order, under Q’s authority. It was against the law, to steal an MI6 identity and give orders with it… Gabriel hoped they’d never notice.
He could have been Q, had he let anyone know of his abilities, as it was M only thought he was competent with a computer, not highly skilled as he was. Tanner sometimes looked like he knew.
“Ronson's down.” James’ voice filled the room. “He needs medical evac.” Gabriel looked at his screen, they’d be there in two minutes.
“Where is it? Is it there?” M demanded, not bothering to ask about Ronson. Gabriel knew she didn’t have the time to, but it didn’t make it feel any less cruel.
“Hard drive's gone.” James commented. Instantly Gabriel started watching the CCTV around the building, trying to figure out the route they took.
“Are you sure?”
“It's gone. Give me a minute.”
“They must have it. Get after them.” M ordered.
“I'm stabilizing Ronson.”
“We don't have the time.”
“I have to stop the bleeding!” James snapped back.
“Leave him!” M ordered in her no-nonsense voice. Gabriel watched as James left the building through the cameras and smiled as he got into a car and left and evac pulled up to the building.
“Have you got him?” James asked.
“He's in the black Audi. What about Ronson?” Moneypenny wondered.
“He's been hit.” James commented, obviously frustrated.
“We're sending an emergency evacuation squad.” Tanner soothed before his forehead wrinkled in confusion.
“They'll be too bloody late!” James snapped.
“Ma’am, Q-branch sent a squad four minutes ago.” Tanner said, thoroughly confused. “Is Q working on this as well, ma’am?”
“No, why?”
“Q authorized it.” Tanner said. “Evac has Ronson.” Tanner advised. “He’s still alive, only just.”
“Why would Q do that, he’s on a different assignment…?” M commented. “Never mind we’ll work that out later.” Gabriel had never been so glad that they were wrapped up in a mission so much that they weren’t paying any attention to him. He simply tried to keep his typing as casual as possible, trying not to startle them and alert them to reality. Gabriel watched as James got on a motorcycle to follow the suspect.
“Tanner, which way?” James demanded.
“Keep going. I can direct you from here.” Tanner promised.
“You both know what's at stake here. We can't afford to lose that list.”
“Yes, ma'am.” James answered.
“Where are they now?” Eve wondered.
“They appear to be on the rooftops of the Grand Bazaar.” Tanner answered. Gabriel watched the way they were going, watching their route and instantly began to prepare for every eventuality, every shortcut, every escape route.
“Take a left. There's a bridge.” Tanner told Eve. “You can cut him off.” Gabriel watched a train moving by in the CCTV, the man was going to jump…and Gabriel knew James would go after him. Q smiled, he liked trains.
“What happened?” M demanded.
“They're on the train, ma'am.” Eve stated.
“What do you mean on the train?” M demanded.
“I mean, they're on top of a train.”
“Well, get after them, for God's sake!” M ordered.
“She's going out of range. We've lost tracking. We're blind here.” Tanner told M.
Not so, Gabriel was already watching them through a satellite feed, watching as James fought.
“What's going on?” M demanded.
“I'm still with them.” Eve commented.
“Get me CCTV, satellite, anything!” M ordered.
“Ma’am…we can’t use satellite, someone’s already got ahold of it…and not letting anyone else in…”
“How in the hell is that even possible?” M asked, looking at Tanner with wide eyes.
“I don’t know.” Tanner shook his head as a loud, crashing sound filled the air.
“What was that?”
“VW Beetles… I think.” Eve answered. “Bond! He's uncoupling the cars.”
“007, are you all right?” M asked.
“Just changing carriages.”
“What's going on? Report!”
“It's rather hard to explain, ma'am.” Eve commented. Gabriel watched as the two men fought, and let them get through the tunnel before he started to stop the train. “Looks like there isn't much more road. I don't think I can go any further.” Eve commented. “What the hell?”
“What is it?”
“The train is stopping. I may have a shot. It's not clean. Repeat, I do not have a clean shot.” Eve commented. Gabriel watched as they fought. “There's a tunnel ahead.”
“Are they going to stop before the tunnel?”
“I think so…”
“Think or know?”
“Think!” Eve snapped back.
“Give him time.” Gabriel requested gently.
“What?” M asked, glaring at Gabriel, as if noticing him for the first time.
“Ma’am, he’s never failed you before, give him a moment.” M looked at him strangely, listening to the fight before they all heard a sickening crack. Gabriel watched him snap the man’s neck, take the information and push him into the roaring river below.
“Got it.” James commented. “Next time you stop a bloody train do it a bit slower, I almost fell off.”
“We didn’t stop the train.” M commented.
“Who did then?” James asked.
“We don’t know.” M commented. “Get back home as soon as you can. Both of you. Tanner, we need to find who did this, we can’t have a security leak. Whoever did this knew our systems and managed to impersonate our Quartermaster.”
“But they helped, whoever it was.” Tanner commented.
“Doesn’t bloody matter, they’re a security threat and we can’t have those.” M stated as Gabriel tried to wipe away all of the evidence he had against him before he closed his laptop and got up.
“Ma’am…should I just?”
“Yes, go back to that job I had you on.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Gabriel nodded before he left the room, a cold sweat breaking out across his skin. They’d kill him for this. If they looked hard enough they’d find him…and they would kill him. Or worse. Would he even have a chance to run? Should he run? Would he make it far before the very agents he saved came after him?
800Q8
“Gabriel.” James nodded as he got into the car with the young secretary. James made it a point to know all of the names of all of the secretaries, just in case he ever needed something, but M’s personal secretary was a bit different, memorized for a different reason. The man was gorgeous and was the only person at MI6 who treated him as a human consistently, rather than just a number.
“James.”
“You look good today, is that a new cardigan?” James flirted.
“You know it isn’t, James. I haven’t the faintest idea as to why you deem it appropriate to flirt with everything that moves.” Gabriel rolled his eyes as he pulled out of the airport and headed back towards MI6.
“No, just you.” James smirked. “M trying to make an errand boy out of you?”
“Just trying to make sure you go back to the office before your usually scheduled drunkenness.”
“She knows me well, you can talk me into going anywhere, sweetheart.”
“Lord deliver me…” Gabriel sighed. “Mission turn out well?”
“Perfectly. Did they ever find out who was helping with—?”
“Not yet…but they’re working on it.” Gabriel said, doing his best to keep from biting his lip. As soon as they found out he would be dead. “They’ve got their best on it.”
“Well, whoever it is, they saved Ronson’s life.”
“But they also broke the law, that can’t go unpunished…” Gabriel frowned.
“You don’t think he deserves to be punished? Come on, it’s in your tone of voice.”
“Do you?”
“No…not for being loyal…for helping. Lord knows I’ve done enough illegal things to get a mission done before.” James shrugged.
“True…” Gabriel said, glad that at least one person in the world understood the decision he made… Maybe one person in the world wouldn’t hate him as he was being tortured and ripped apart for a treason he didn’t commit, for betraying people he never betrayed.
“M in a good mood or should I keep my gun on me.”
“Keep your gun.” Gabriel commented as he parked in front of MI6 and got out. “This way.” Gabriel smiled, leading him through the building.
“My personal escort then?”
“I do hope you mean escort in an innocent manner, James. I am merely here to make sure you go to M’s office and not anywhere else.” Gabriel stated.
“You’re no fun, darling, live a little.”
“And that includes flirting with you?”
“And a little more if you’re…up for it.” James smirked.
“You’re absolutely horrible.” Gabriel commented, unable to hold back his blush. That’s when he noticed security looking at him and moving towards him. “Fuck…”
“What is it?” James asked.
“Hands up, now.” A man ordered.
“Gabriel, what’s going on?” James turned and his eyes widened when he saw Gabriel’s hands in the air, obviously in surrender.
Man shoved Gabriel to the ground. “I’m not going to fight, I’m not fighting.” Gabriel promised.
“What in the hell is going on?” James demanded.
“Gabriel is under arrest for treason. We’re to take him to interrogation.”
“For treason? Why?” James asked with wide eyes, looking at the skinny man as they bound his arms and ripped him up, searching him and removing his tablet and glasses, leaving the man blind as they held him tightly. James was sure that much more pressure would snap his arm.
“I know what I did, I’m not going to fight. James, M does really want to see you though…” Gabriel commented, his voice shaking slightly in fear as they dragged him away. James went instantly to M’s office.
“Are you aware that your secretary has just been dragged off for treason?” James demanded. “What has he done?”
“Hacked into secure information, hijacked a satellite, impersonated Q, and interfered in a mission.”
“He saved lives.”
“He broke the law and we can’t know if it was just him or if he had some other purpose.”
“Why don’t you just ask him?”
“We are…in interrogation.” M commented. “Now let’s discuss the assignment.”
800Q8
“Who are you working for?”
“MI6, I work for MI6.” Gabriel whimpered, his whole body shaking from the toxins running through it. His body sweating and on fire everywhere.
“Doesn’t look like it. Why did you hack into our system?”
“To help…the mission was going to go to shit. I just wanted to help.” Gabriel whimpered.
“Quit lying to me, Gabriel.” He said, pressing a needle to the IV in Gabriel’s arm.
“No, please, don’t…don’t. I’m telling you the truth. I just wanted to help. I just wanted to help.” Gabriel said quickly. The toxin was created by Q-Branch and extremely effective, burning every nerve in the body to the human body’s breaking point.
“Tell me the truth.”
“I have, I have, I’ve told you everything.” Gabriel whimpered. The man shook his head and pushed down the plunger. It took exactly five seconds for Gabriel’s body to start thrashing in his bonds, seven seconds for the screaming to start. “Please! I’ve told you everything!” Gabriel swore as his body arched out of his control. The door opened and James walked in, pushing a different needle into Gabriel’s IV and pushing down the plunger quickly.
“Shh, you’re alright…” James whispered, cupping Gabriel’s sweaty face in his hands. He’d felt the pain of the toxin before, he knew the scrawny man was in absolute agony. “I’ve got you, it’s over now. It’s over.” James promised, stroking Gabriel’s cheek.
“I get to say when this is over. He hasn’t even told me his fucking name yet! How dare you stop—?”
“He’s under my orders.” A posh voice came evenly from the door. Gabriel was still shaking, but the antidote was flashing through his veins, cooling the heat from the drug. “My, my, my brother mine. You’ve gotten yourself into trouble this time. I told you you should have just taken my job offer. But, no, you wanted MI6. Could have just told them who you were, brother dear.”
“Fuck off, Mycroft.” Gabriel barely whimpered out as James began undoing his bonds.
“No way to treat your rescuer, what would mummy say about your manners?”
“Are you alright, Gabriel?” James asked gently.
“M’okay.”
“I’ve pled your case to M, turns out she didn’t know you were a Holmes. Under the impression you were Gabriel Shaw?”
“Wasn’t going to freeload off of my family name.” Gabriel commented.
“My youngest brother, marked a traitor… Good thing I found out about it or you would have spent the rest of your life here, accused of doing something you didn’t do. You simply, should have told them who you were, or let them see for themselves how skilled you were, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Not all of the Holmes boys are power hungry. In fact only one is that I know of.”
“Are all of your family reunions like this?” James asked, helping Gabriel up, hoisting him into his arms when he nearly collapsed under his own weight.
“Only when he’s being insufferable.” Gabriel commented. “So yes, always.”
“Lovely aren’t you, you always had a mouth on you, like Shirely.” Mycroft frowned, looking down at his umbrella. “Take him home 007, and make sure he’s tended to.” Mycroft looked him up and down. “Shouldn’t be a problem, since you’re obviously in love with him. I’ll be checking in on you soon… And darling brother, M wishes to promote you, to Quartermaster, turns out you aren’t the treasonous one after all…”
“Fuck off.” Gabriel repeated before James carried him out of the room.
“Are you sure I’m alright?”
“Fucking hell I’m not… Can’t say that in front of him, he’ll get a god complex.” Gabriel whimpered, curling close to James.
“I’ve got you, alright? I’ll take care of you.”
“You fought for me, didn’t you?”
“Yes…best I could.”
“Thank you…” Gabriel smiled up at him before passing out in his arms. James carried the man to the car and strapped him in, not knowing exactly how much trouble the tortured man had spared them, how much agony one man’s actions had spared.