00Q Oneshots

Opposition AU

"And that is how we will attack. General, what do you think?" The very neat, precise man finished. General Bond was not really listening. "It is genius, well done... What was your name again?"
"Williams, sir!" The man, Williams, stood to attention, saluting eagerly. He did not seem at all upset that his boss had not remembered his name. He seemed to be thrilled that he was acknowledged at all. The group that had assembled then dispersed, leaving Bond on his own. He had never really payed attention in these meetings, and so did not know who this man was. But the stripes on his shoulder said he was of little importance, in the grand scheme of things. But was anyone? Bond had though war would be heroic and valiant. It was anything but; innocent men were mowed down by the enemy's weapons and the water ran red on the battlefield. Young women sat, weeping, holding tear-softened slips of paper telling them of their dead lovers. While barely able to speak children ask where their Daddy is, mothers scramble to find plausible answers that don't make them cry. Bond sighed. He has never had family, and did not know if he ever would. He wasn't old by any stretch, it was only that he had never found 'the one'. He had dabbled with many, but stayed with none. Maybe it had made him bitter, but he never lingered on the thought. That was a dark path. The sounds of gunfire spattered the darkening dusk as Bond slipped out of the meeting room and to his chambers. Even as a general, his rooms weren't luxurious. Not by a long shot. The thin cot folded into the wall to make space for a dining table. There were no windows. The door creaked when you moved it. It was muddy and damp. But it was home for the next week, before he went back to the headquarters. Where it was safe. When their men where dying out in the field. It was disgusting, but it was how it worked. Now he just needed to get some sleep, which was near impossible with the eternal gunfire. But hopefully that would die down soon, once their attack was launched. There would be no one to fight back.

"Good work, General Bond. The attack went well." The commander sat in the large, leather swivel chair. His eyes traveled to Bond, who was perched on the far corner of the table. The Commander didn't look happy, "It went well? What do you mean?"
"I mean what I say. It went well. No perfectly, but well."
"Not everyone was killed. There were some left over. The majority have been captured, but several escaped." He paused, "and one of the boys we captured has escaped too."
Bond nodded slowly, "so one of the enemy is lurking around our trenches?"
"No, we have knowledge that he's been spotted up to a mile back behind the lines. He's near us, and he's the enemy's leading technology genius. Rumour has it that he can work wonders with any piece of machinery. He's dangerous, so I want you to find him." At the commander's words, Bond did a double take. "You want me to find him?"
"Yes, and you will do so soon, before he can do damage. We want him alive and ready for questioning about the enemy's communication technology. Shoot if necessary, he's important, but not vital." The commander's tone of voice was final, and Bond knew he had been dismissed. He saluted, turning to leave the room. "Oh, and Bond?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Be careful, he's a feisty one."
"Noted, sir. Thank you." He heaved open the doors and strode down the corridor, to his private rooms.

This time, the luxurious chambers were perfect for bond's tastes and expectations. He collapsed down onto the huge, king-size bed, breathing a sigh of relief. He had though he could get some time away from the life of war, but he still had to search the countryside for a kid. He had though he could drive a few hours away from the gunfire and find a small, charming village full of small, charming girls (or any equally charming men) and have a fun week off. But now that was most definitely out of the question. It was getting late, but he couldn't sleep. Something was bothering him. It sat in the more distant recesses of his mind, and he couldn't pin it down. It's probably nothing, he thought, trying to relax. A knock on his door had him shooting out of bed, gun in his hand. A small voice filtered through the door, "General? I have the files of the boy that you  have been charged to find. The Commander said at he wanted you to have them as soon as possible." The boy, a low-ranking Cadet, looked surprised as Bond wrenched open the door, snatched the papers from his hand and paused only to say, "Thank you." Before slamming the door in the boy's face. Bond sat down at the desk - he wasn't going to get much sleep anyway - and opened the envelope. Inside were all the details of the man he had to hunt down. They called him Q, and not many knew his real name. He was a young man, similar to Bond's age. And The General had to admit, he was an attractive young man. All dark, curly hair, pale skin and shadowed green eyes, set in a youthful face. He wore large glasses and appeared to smile easily. The information was impressive: the youngest man to ever be in his position in the army, and better than any of the others before him.

Before long, James Bond felt his eyelids droop with fatigue, and he crossed to his bed, collapsing down and falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He dreamt of foes he wished were friends, and men with bouncy black hair and big smiles.

He woke up feeling unusual and restless. He felt that he needed to get going and search for this Q. He got up and changed, leaving his rooms quickly. He asked a passing Cadet to tell the Commander that he was out searching for the elusive Q. He went to the technological centre and asked them to scan for any phones or communications devices nearby. It came up positive, and Bond set out, hopping into a sleek black car (having pick-pocketed the keys from an Officer he knew well) and sped down the Southern road towards the signal. The forest thinned out, and there was little cover when he reached the blip on the screen he held. The car door made no sound as he closed it and stalked silently away. He heard a panicked scuffling from behind a tree, and crossed quickly to a better vantage point. The man hadn't seen him. Yet. He kept his breathing shallow, letting the warnings about this Q replay in his mind. A feisty one? This should be fun, then.

His train of thought was rudely interrupted by it's subject, who barrelled straight into Bond, knocking him to the floor. He didn't have time to shout, before his back hit the leafy floor and he felt Q fall with him. Bond's mind wondered at his current situation for what must have been a few seconds, but which felt like a very long time indeed; he was laying on the ground. With his target. On top of him. He let his thought explore the situation a little longer, but decided that any action other than turning him in was most definitely a bad idea. But when he snapped out of it, he couldn't believe himself. "Q-q? Q! You're Q!" Bond was temporarily speechless, but quickly regained his composure. The man, who was still sitting on his lap, looked surprised, "Uh... Yes, I- you're on their side, aren't you?" He scrambled back, scattering leaves around. "Q! Stop!" The man paused, watching Bond stand up and brush leaves off his suit, "I'll help you."
"Excuse me? Aren't you here to kill me?"
"I- well, originally, yes. I was sent here to kill you." To Q's credit, he stayed still as Bond took a step towards him. Bond's mind was saying well done, you have courage. But the rest of him was screaming that this was reckless and could end him up in deep trouble. Q looked like he was deep on thought, but soon came to a conclusion of sorts. "Why would you help me?"
"I've read your file, you've done nothing wrong. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you were captured." Another step forwards, and Q still held his ground.
"But I'm your enemy, in principle, you should want me dead." The look of dread in Q's eyes made Bond flinch.
"But I don't. I don't enjoy death, or war, it's just in the family." To Bond's relief, the fear went out of his face and he relaxed, looking exhausted. Bond suddenly noticed how pale he was, "Do you trust me enough to come to my house with me and eat something?"
Q paused, "Wouldn't I be recognised? Your house is probably riddled with security."
Bond chuckled, "Lucky for you, I detest security guards and had them sent away. My army apartment is, indeed, too dangerous for you to go to, but I do have another place we could go." He smiled at Q's look of hope and continued, "It's a decent house outside of the city, where you'll be safe. I can take some leave, as I'm not expected to be here, and help you get settled in."
"Thank you so much, General..." His inquisitive look was so endearing Bond gasped, but choked out his answer anyway,
"Bond. James Bond."

"So, what do you think?" Bond leaned against the door frame of the master bedroom, trying to gauge Q's reaction. The dark-haired man turned to Bond with a look of intense gratitude, with something else underneath, and laughed in relief. "I really did think this was a trap for me, and maybe you'd arrest me once we got here. But... I guess I'm glad that it wasn't a trap. I didn't want to believe that it was all an act."
"Good." Silence. "Uh, make yourself comfortable. I'll make something to eat." He turned to leave and Q's voice stopped him, "Bond-"
"Call me James, please." Q seemed almost flustered, but continued never the less.
"I've heard stuff about you, rumours. I didn't think I'd be important enough to send someone as famous as you. I'm honoured." He blinked, sitting slowly down of the bed. James tried not to focus on that action.
"Rumours? How do you know that's what they are?"
"I've heard you're an infamous womaniser, but sources say you bat for the other side too..." Q sounded slightly too curious for it to be casual interest, but they had only know each other for a couple of hours, so James tried not to read too much into it immediately. "I won't deny it, as I'm not in the habit of lying. But I've tried to put those days behind me." He grinned at Q, "And you must be more important than you think." Q blushed furiously and James laughed. This would be fun.