Chapter 2

I tried to look confident as I walked through the British Secret Service headquarters, but I was completely terrified. When I got the call, of course, I was ecstatic, but actually being here was a little bit different than what I had imagined, the walls were white and clean and most offices were made out of clear glass. To be honest, I had expected spies to be running around everywhere, rock walls for stairs and lasers in the hallways, but I cannot say I wasn't impressed. Everyone was extremely polite and well dressed. I was happy I had decided to wear my tight black pencil skirt and white blouse, that seemed to be the favorite attire around here. The only thing that I decided I could not live without was my bright pink pumps. At least 6 inches high, they were one of my favorite pair of shoes.

I walked down the hall with a man named Bill Tanner who was extremely kind. He gave me information about the underground tunnels and explained that this was not their main headquarters.

"Since the attack," he explained, "we had to change locations to make sure that no one was in danger again."

I nodded and gave him a small smile one which he had kindly returned. After a minute or so of walking I could not help my curiosity any longer, "So," I asked, "M, what is she like?"

Tanner smiled and laughed a little under his breath, "She's a fire," he explained, "do not let her age fool you, she is as tough as nails and she has been through more than anyone at the station can imagine."

I must have turned a little pale because when Tanner looked at me again he chuckled.

"Don't worry Ms. Parks, I have a feeling she'll like you," he added, in his thick english accent.

I smiled again and corrected, "Please, Mr. Tanner, call me Julie."

M looked up as Juliet Parks entered, and the old woman took this time to fully examine the young girl's appearance. Juliet had wavy, caramel colored hair that went down just below her shoulders, the young girl had dazzling blue eyes that reminded her quite a bit of one particular agent, 007, whom she was meeting with tomorrow after he had conveniently come back from the dead. Juliet was petite around 5'3 (without her enormous heals on), had a lovely curved figure and was extremely beautiful. 'She might prove herself to be more of a distraction than a helper, to our young Q,' M smiled to herself as she stood up from her desk.

"Ms. Juliet Parks, I presume?" M said, as she offered her hand.

Juliet smiled and shook her hand gladly, "Yes ma'am, thank you so much for meeting with me."

M nodded and motioned to the seat across from her desk which Julie gladly took. M could tell that she liked the blue-eyed girl already.

"So," M began pulling out Julie's file and opening it, "your credentials are incredible for someone your age."

Julie smiled at her statement, "Thank you ma'am."

Reading over Juliet Parks's file, specific sections had puzzled the old woman. Juliet had moved from America to London in less than a month, she transferred universities in the middle of her third year, and she had no legal documents of birth, adoption or abandonment. M wanted to hear the young girl's story, and even though she usually got it from employees files or contacts, no one she had spoken to seemed to know her origine.

"I do have a couple of questions for you, my dear," The older women said from across her clean glass desk.

"Of course, openness is one of my best qualities, ask away," Julie smiled at her from her seat.

M looked up at her with slight suspicion, "Your file indicates you were born in the United States, why become a citizen in England?"

Julie's bright smile faded with the mention of her past and she tried to maintain her composure. "When...when I was a child in America, my parents had left me on the doorstep of a fire station. I was raised by the men and women who had volunteered there. My adopted father, David, tried to find out all he could about my parents, despite not having much to work with. When I had started my third year at the Pratt Institute of Art he had told me that he found out that they had moved to England somewhere. So I decided to come here and perhaps, one day, meet them. This was my main reason for coming here, both for school at Manchester and maybe, to one day find my parents," the beautiful girl finished, sadness growing in her eyes. M nodded understandingly, but her change in character did not go unnoticed by the experienced woman's wise eyes.

'Perfect,' M thought, 'orphans make the best agents.'

Moving on M said, "I understand that you majored in Computer Science," Juliet nodded, "How much experience do you have with breaking algorithms and hacking, after all that is what this job typically consists of," M finished.

Julie let a slightly cocky smirk grow on her face, "Ma'am, I once broke into the Pentagon just because I knew I could."

M smirked at the young woman's response, 'Oh yes, this girl is exactly what we are looking for,' she thought, 'just one more question will determine it all.'

"One last question if you please Ms. Parks," the girl nodded at the old woman again to continue, "Why the Pratt Institute?"

Julie's wide smile slowly returned, "For a while," she answered, "I wanted to be an artist. I have always been quite fond of art and creating things, it is one of my passions. You have probably read in my file that I was planning on majoring in art history and visual arts. But sadly in this day and age, it doesn't typically make enough money to live off of."

M saw the light return to Julie's eyes and knew that she was the perfect match for this job, 'She can help balance Q perfectly, a creative with a technological, they will make quite the perfect team,' M mused.

"Well Ms. Parks if you would like," the gray haired woman said, "the job is yours."

Juliet had to hold back every inch of her being from jumping for joy, she was so excited, her eyes filled with the unmistakeable light of passion M had seen just moments before.

A wide smile spread on the young girl's face, " I accept! When can I start."

"First thing tomorrow, 8am."

Both women stood up, this time Julie held out her hand and gave the old woman's a firm shake, "I won't be a minute late," she said in her unmistakeable american accent.

"Be ready to make a good first impression, Ms. Parks, although I believe you will be able to charm your new boss just as you've charmed our own Mr. Bill Tanner," the old woman nodded in the direction of the door, where Tanner was standing with a boyish grin on his face.

Juliet laughed, "Thank you ma'am, I am excited to start."

Tanner held open the door as the lovely, young lady walked out of M's office.

M was charmed but ultimately curious about the 24 year old woman leaving to fill out paperwork. She knew she could trust the girl, but her troubled past had intrigued the old woman. She was determined to make a point to get to know her better. But, M could not help but smile to herself, as she thought of the young Quartermaster's reaction upon meeting Juliet, 'Q was going to have a very hard time focusing with Ms. Julie Parks around.'

Thank you so, so, so much to the Anonymous reviewer! You are wonderful! Thank you for leaving such wonderful comments and insightful suggestions! I hope you like this chapter I changed and I am revamping other ones you commented on! I cannot thank you enough for your feedback and thank you to everyone reading this story! I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Love ya, Sky!