Disclaimer: I do not own the Bond movies or books.
This is the Evil version of "Overlord Q". If you do not like the evil, but like the setup, you will love that story!
"So, you want me to track down a ghost for you?" Those had been the lazy words of Bond to the new M, before all this destruction and the sheer magnitude of the situation had come across; sitting in front of his desk back in an unusually sunny London in their new headquarters.
The instructions were of an unusual kind, but they were straightforward, if challenging. In the aftermath of the Silva scandal, they needed to put their best foot forward with these kinds of situations, and that's where Bond came in.
His brief was to search out the computer master-manipulator known only as Q, and who had only left a very vague trail for them to follow. Eve and Tanner were to back him up back from base, as it was, and his first job was to find the man, then to neutralise the threat.
It had started innocently enough, really. He was prepared with the information that they had noticed someone gaining access to their internal server during the autumn. With the last of the angents of Spectre still out there they wanted him to trace this "ghost", known only as Q.
"Any questions, Bond?" Mallory had asked, looking back at James from his spot behind his desk, performing a task which in James' mind still belonged to M, the real M, sitting there with his back straight and seemingly trying to gauge Bond's reaction, as if expecting he wouldn't be happy with this situation. It was true that he was not, but he was not about to give that away. He would follow orders, if he liked it or not was his perogative.
"No, Sir," Bond replied evenly, noticing easily how Mallory had to hide a sigh at his uncooperative responce, but he did not care. He did not approve of this new protocol and he did not respect M's successor; at least not before he proved himself, and this was not the way to do it. Not to Bond, at least. Of course, Bond was a soldier, and (contrary to popular belief) he could take orders, but jumping when someone said jump and actually trusting them with your life was two entirely separate things.
It is hard to say what Bond would have thought instead, had he known how hard the next few days and weeks would push all of them, what terrible weaknesses would be exposed, but knowing nothing of that, he merely rose to leave the office. And so it began.
James had started the process of tracking the ghost known as Q in Prague, following the only lead he had been made privy to. The chase had been exhausting and demanded the use of all resourcefulness skills he possessed before he could move his search on through half a dozen countries and even more cities, finally setting foot on a small, private island in the Caribbean.
As Bond rather immediately discovered, when first alighting on the island, the computer manipulator known only as Q had built up quite the little empire for himself, not only on his island, but on the web, as well. The man was damned good, there was no doubt about it, and in another life; he would have been quite the powerful ally. Or so they told him; Eve and Tanner, when they found him not quite taking this seriously.
As it was, everything pointed to a man who had not always been treated kindly by the world, being a boffin. Instead of letting it bring him down, he had risen to new heights, only not at the side of good. And now, looking down from a high altitude, he was apparently looking for revenge. And James, 007, Bond was running out of ways in which to stop him as soon as he tried.
He tried to disconnect the man from the web; he had backups. He tried to blow the man's fancy computer lab to smitherines; there were built in defences. He tried to threaten the minions populating the island, but they did not care. He tried to use the minions against their overlord; they did not take the bait. Finally, he tried to seduce the woman second in command, but that was not allowed. Besides; she decidedly refused to be "just another Bondgirl" that one.
Having spent days in this fashion; narrowly avoiding getting caught and going through excursions he really was getting rather too old for now, he finally ran out of ground, ideas and tricks.
That was how he had come to stand there, Walther raised and pointing at the man as the startlingly young "ghost" threatened him what would happen to the world's networks should he die.
Surprisingly enough, as things stood, it all made Bond remember the Goldeneye, and along with other painful memories deeply buried since long, came the thought of the price there sometimes was, for doing the one thing he was really good at. What was not just his job, but his purpose. Complete the mission. Slowly, he moved his finger to the trigger.