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The Vanishing.
Nov. 30th, 2020 07:19 pm43 hours and seventeen minutes, that's how long it took for Q to crack the strange code the files were written in. It took another ten or so to work out that the files flagged blue were files of no interest with little information inside, and the files marked green belonged to people who 'wouldn't be missed' for lack of a kinder term. No local family or friends, low incomes, no major ties to work or school. People who could vanish without a fuss.
It took three hours after that to trace who was taking these people and where they were going.
It took seven minutes and 45 seconds after that for him to accidently trigger something within the system that let someone, somewhere, know he was poking around.
It was a Monday, which meant tube home since James was often in later than him, and there was a 50/50 chance Harry would or wouldn't be home before him. He sent both men a simple text letting them know he might have some new information regarding the ring James had been looking into, then tucked his phone away. No one home meant he had no reason not to stop off at a little shop he favored that sold little bits of retro tech to take apart and play with, before stopping off for a coffee. However, he barely made it off the train before he was taken.
There was a long patch of nothing, jumbled and hazy memories. Was there a plane? He hated planes. The next clear memory was waking up in a rather nice bed in a cool room mostly made of long glass windows. Outside he could see snow and what looked like the foot of Mont Forel, though it was hard to tell. Most mountains just looked like mountains to him without GPS to offer a hint.
Gunner walked into the room, and Q wasn't surprised. The moment he'd started decoding things he'd been sure Gunner was involved.
"You slept well, I hope?" Gunnar asked.
"Not really, I sleep best when I'm not drugged, funny enough," the boffin replied, watching him and casually maintaining a small distance between them.
Gunner laughed, sitting down in an armchair by a gas fireplace. "This is the part where I ask you to join me, and you decline, because you're so terribly noble and good."
Q watched him a beat, then wet his lips. "And what happens after that, since you seem to have this story all written out?" he asked.
Gunner sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I ask you to reconsider, and warn you that saying no again is far worse than asking for death. But you know that. You know exactly where you wind up if you tell me no this time. You've followed that trail all the way down the rabbit hole- Tell me, did you find any of them, pet? A single soul?"
Gunner wasn't wrong, he'd tried to trace a few of the victims, following every crumb only to wind up at a dead end each and every time. This ring Gunner was running was... Immaculate. Impressive, almost, in a sick way. The people his operation took seemed to disappear without a trace. Though Q knew where their stories ended, he'd been watching Bond chase it down for months now.
"No," the boffin admitted quietly.
"So, pet, will you reconsider?" Gunner asked.
He could do it, agree to work at Gunner's side in the hopes that Bond and Harry found him quicker- But Q's pride wouldn't let him. He wouldn't work with Gunner, he wouldn't be a part of this, even in show.
"No," Q said quietly.
Gunner sighed again. "That's a shame, pet. Lucky you, you've still got your looks. Still worth a fair price, I'd say," he added, getting up and walking over to Q, leaning in and bending slightly to speak in his ear. "You might have said yes if you'd seen what happens to the unfortunate ones," he whispered.
It took three hours after that to trace who was taking these people and where they were going.
It took seven minutes and 45 seconds after that for him to accidently trigger something within the system that let someone, somewhere, know he was poking around.
It was a Monday, which meant tube home since James was often in later than him, and there was a 50/50 chance Harry would or wouldn't be home before him. He sent both men a simple text letting them know he might have some new information regarding the ring James had been looking into, then tucked his phone away. No one home meant he had no reason not to stop off at a little shop he favored that sold little bits of retro tech to take apart and play with, before stopping off for a coffee. However, he barely made it off the train before he was taken.
There was a long patch of nothing, jumbled and hazy memories. Was there a plane? He hated planes. The next clear memory was waking up in a rather nice bed in a cool room mostly made of long glass windows. Outside he could see snow and what looked like the foot of Mont Forel, though it was hard to tell. Most mountains just looked like mountains to him without GPS to offer a hint.
Gunner walked into the room, and Q wasn't surprised. The moment he'd started decoding things he'd been sure Gunner was involved.
"You slept well, I hope?" Gunnar asked.
"Not really, I sleep best when I'm not drugged, funny enough," the boffin replied, watching him and casually maintaining a small distance between them.
Gunner laughed, sitting down in an armchair by a gas fireplace. "This is the part where I ask you to join me, and you decline, because you're so terribly noble and good."
Q watched him a beat, then wet his lips. "And what happens after that, since you seem to have this story all written out?" he asked.
Gunner sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I ask you to reconsider, and warn you that saying no again is far worse than asking for death. But you know that. You know exactly where you wind up if you tell me no this time. You've followed that trail all the way down the rabbit hole- Tell me, did you find any of them, pet? A single soul?"
Gunner wasn't wrong, he'd tried to trace a few of the victims, following every crumb only to wind up at a dead end each and every time. This ring Gunner was running was... Immaculate. Impressive, almost, in a sick way. The people his operation took seemed to disappear without a trace. Though Q knew where their stories ended, he'd been watching Bond chase it down for months now.
"No," the boffin admitted quietly.
"So, pet, will you reconsider?" Gunner asked.
He could do it, agree to work at Gunner's side in the hopes that Bond and Harry found him quicker- But Q's pride wouldn't let him. He wouldn't work with Gunner, he wouldn't be a part of this, even in show.
"No," Q said quietly.
Gunner sighed again. "That's a shame, pet. Lucky you, you've still got your looks. Still worth a fair price, I'd say," he added, getting up and walking over to Q, leaning in and bending slightly to speak in his ear. "You might have said yes if you'd seen what happens to the unfortunate ones," he whispered.
