DISCLAIMER: I do not own James Bond.

Q & A

A Skyfall Fanfiction Adventure

Chapter 1

Before Q had even finished his first mug of Earl Grey, his new secretary appeared at his side with another one. He looked up from his computer, his fingers still tapping away. "That's…kind," he said, "but I like my tea—"

"With a tablespoon of honey and a splash of milk," said the secretary. She put the second mug down on his desk, her navy blue fingernails tapping against the ceramic.

Q stopped typing. "How did you know that?"

"I would be a very poor employee of MI6 if I couldn't figure out my superiors' tea preferences, sir," she said. Was that a hint of condescension he detected in her voice?

"I'm sorry," he said after a brief but uncomfortable silence, "but I don't think I've been told your name." His eyes took in her retro dress, her crimson lipstick, her Japanese features. She looked to be about twenty-four.

"The last Q always called me A," she said. "Q and A, as in 'question and answer.' He thought he was very funny." Her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Well, then, A," he said, "thank you for the tea. I'll alert you if I need anything else."

"Of course, sir," she said, and left.

Were all MI6 secretaries so…unsettling? Q had never had a secretary before. M had promoted him straight from "information specialist"—the official term for "hacker"—to "quartermaster" after the attack on the old MI6 building had killed the previous Q. He had Gareth Mallory's recommendation to thank for his rapid rise in the ranks.

He had been surprised but excited when M approached him about heading Q Branch. However, his first day on the job was turning out to be markedly different than he had expected it to be.

The biggest problem was that he felt like all of his operatives resented him. At twenty-six, he was one of the youngest members of the division. He had plenty of experience, but everyone seemed to overlook that because of his age.

And then there was the matter of A. Thinking back on their interaction, he realized that that cup of tea might not have been a gesture of kindness at all. How did she figure out how he liked it? He always made it himself, usually at home. His neck prickled at the idea of people watching him wander about his flat in his pajamas. He didn't like his personal life mixing with his work life.

With that cup of tea, A most likely intended to show him who really had the power in Q Branch. A brief search of MI6 files told him that she had been the previous Q's secretary for three years—straight out of university. That little fact testified to her extreme intelligence and competence, and she had more experience in a high position than he did. If she didn't like him, he suspected that his job could prove to be very difficult indeed.

Somehow, he would have to prove to all of them that he deserved his new title.