AN:

Hey everyone,

Finally another update. No I've not given up on this story. Far from it in fact. But life has gotten busy and I needed to reorganize and make time. It certainly didn't help that this story is fighting me. But I've got a better picture now of the story line than I've had in a long time. Hopefully my posting pace will pick up again.

Please leave me a comment to let me know if you like it. I adore reading them. They give me such a confidence boost.

Also I still stream on twitch as I write this story. So if you want to watch or listen or just have a natter in the chat with me please come and join me on my channel: littlemissrose85. I'm usually there after 20.00 CET.

For now though enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 11: Emotions run high

The way Whidden came walking out of the room could only be described as a cross between a skittish colt and a beaten dog. He was hunched in on himself, as if he was certain he had just been called to his execution, but his eyes kept glancing in all directions as he tried to decide if he could still make a run it. Q almost felt sorry for the reformed man. Almost, because he had still been trained by Mycroft and he was far from naïve. This man had done wrong and Q wasn't going to forget that in a hurry. Even if he wanted to give the man a chance to do good.

"Follow me please." He said once the door was closed, and he walked down the corridor hoping the hacker wouldn't make a run for it behind his back. Not because he would escape, security would stop him as Q had warned them to be extra alert today, but because it would ruin any chances the man behind him had.

Luckily the room they were heading for wasn't far and they reached it without incident. Q opened the door and gestured for the other man to enter. Whidden froze in the doorway. Not without reason. The room beyond looked like the typical interrogation room. Bare, only a table with two chairs on each side, a camera hanging in the corner and the big one-way mirror behind it.

Whidden surveyed the room in silence for a while before letting out a sigh. He straightened and walked into the room. Oddly he looked more relaxed now than he did in the corridor. Q let the door close behind him, startling Whidden as it locked automatically. For a moment he got that skittish look back as he realized that he was trapped but then a resigned look appeared on his face.

"Have a seat." Q said, gesturing to the chairs facing the mirror as he seated himself on the opposite side. Whidden lowered himself gingerly into the chair.

"Well, Mr. Whidden." Q said as he opened the file he'd brought with him. "I will not beat around the bush as it will do your nerves nothing good. I can confirm you were right when you said that GH0ST was a government rat, though asset might be a better word. You are on very thin ice right now." Q watched as the man seemed to sink in the chair and look down as if he wanted to disappear from under his gaze. Q took his time regarding him. Trying to read every minute micro-expression, looking for just the slightest hint that could convince him not to offer this man a second chance. For a moment he wished he had his elder brothers' deductive abilities. But he didn't and he had to make a decision based on what he saw. So, with his fingers crossed under the table, he took a chance.

"However, you still have options." He quietly added. Whidden looked up, startled.

"After I leave this room, a couple of MI5 agents will come in accompanied by a lawyer that we have arranged for you. Then we have three options for you to choose from. Option one: you tell them nothing and they will arrest you for a whole list of charges." Whidden swallowed convulsively at the thought.

"Option two: You give them a full signed confession after which you walk out of here a free man to do as you please." This option seemed to appeal to Whidden a lot more because he straightened and suddenly looked very hopeful. Q let out a sigh knowing he'd made the right call. The man seemed honestly happy at the prospect of confessing. Q only hoped he would take his job offer into consideration now. Bracing himself he continued.

"Or option three: you stay here and wait for me to return. I am in need of a man with your skills, Mr. Whidden. And in exchange for your services we are prepared to offer you what protection we can on top of pay and other benefits that come with a government job. However, I need you to decide before I enter the room if you are willing to sign the contract. Once I've started to explain what we do here there is no going back for you. Do you understand." Q hated not giving out any information but he knew he couldn't risk it. Not with this man. He just hoped the offer of protection and stability was enough for Whidden to take the plunge.

"Do you have any questions?" Q asked. He saw Whidden start to shake his head but pause with a puzzled look. He seemed to be in discussion with himself, conflicting emotions flashed on his face. Irritation, longing, hope, desperation, fear. All cycled through the man until he found his voice for the first time since he'd sat down.

"This job." He asked, his voice raspy from all the emotions. "Will this give me the opportunity to do good? To make up for everything I've done." The voice got more and more desperate and hopeful the more Whidden spoke. It made Q smile because he knew that even if he didn't offer anything beyond pay, Whidden would still sign. The man was an idealist and just needed the opportunity to shine.

"Yes." He answered simply. "If done right you would have the ability to protect this country and save the lives of those living in it." Whidden seemed to crumble as he heard those words. One hand came up towards his throat to grasp the little cross that Q had spotted hanging there while the other covered his eyes, hiding the tears that were now flowing from them.

Silently, knowing his part of the job was done, he got up and left the room.

Q slipped back into the room occupied by 0010. The man had been busy. The desk was covered in open files of the various people in the room beyond. A room that seemed to have descended into chaos. Jordan was on his feet, standing front of Mandi, the girl that had come in first. She looked ready to burst into tears. In front of the couches 3 people were in a loud argument with one another.

"What happened?" Q asked the man sitting comfortably behind the desk. The agent smirked which made Q want to bang his head against the wall. Of course, the agent was the cause of this.

"They're making their allegiance known. Very loudly." 0010 replied very amused. "Those three were sniping at each other from the moment they stepped into the room. They went to university together and were part of the same hacker group. The last job they pulled was borderline illegal after which the two one the one side, who are white hatters I believe the term is, split from the group. The other guy has a nice wanted poster with Interpol and not one ounce of regret."

Q sniggered. That was one of the reasons he had invited all three of them to the same meeting. People talked amongst acquaintances more freely than they did among strangers. But this was even better than he had imagined.

"I'll send a couple of MI5 agents your way to make the arrest. Then you can explain the situation to the others. The contracts and confidentiality agreements are in the files. I'll take Mandi with me for a tour and an introduction. Then, when MI5 is done with Whidden, I'll do the tour for all three of them together." Q saw the agent nod and shot a short text to Arabella asking her to send a couple of agents over before picking up Mandi's file and heading out of the room again.