Chapter 44 Getting a heads-up

"Evening, TC. What's today's tally?" Holly asked as he entered. He and the others were lounging around in their seats, taking a much needed break, while waiting for him to finish up with the whiners who had to have their boo-boos examined. They went through a period like this every year Holly had told him when he'd asked about it. Most were just slackers who were about ready to quit but didn't want to admit defeat and tried to use the medical discharge excuse. Some did it out of insecurity. Once he found out what was going on though he had not been amused and the recruits that had the audacity to pull such a stunt with him found themselves at the end of a rather lengthy lecture.

"There were four whiners and one genuine, number 16 with an infection in an unmentionable place." John answered, smirking when the team winced as one. They had all been there. "I've lanced it." He continued, his smirk widening when they winced again. "Drained it… Flushed it..." He continued, milking their reactions. "And with antibiotics and check-ups he should be able to continue. So we're still at 64." The number of drop-out's had tapered off and John was sure they had finally ditched those that just wanted the prestige of being a special forces soldier and had reached those really interested in the work. Though he would love it if the whiners either manned up or quit.

"Well, we'll just get them up in a little bit and do a beasting. We might lose a few." Bucky smiled evilly. He was always way too gleeful about the suffering he put others through in the name of training, even his own teammates.

"True we still have too many and only a week left until evasion and interrogation starts." Finney added with a frown. "What have we been doing wrong? Normally we're in much lower numbers already."

"Better medic?" Pan suggested. "The number of drop-outs has started to taper off since TC came."

"Ta." John answered dryly.

"It's true though, other medics just gave the whiners a pass." Bucky answered. "Now we get to bully them some more until they quit." He rubbed his hands gleefully, eyes alight with mirth. John laughed

"Glad I can provide you such good entertainment, Bucky." He offered with a bow. Suddenly, he jumped because the phone in his pocket went off. It hadn't gone off before and only Holly knew he had it. They weren't supposed to have a phone on them during selection. It was run like a mission after all. But John had been given orders by Mycroft, who had even exchanged his for a secure one. Only Mycroft had the number. But the Q on the screen meant it was not Mycroft who was calling.

"Yes." He answered as he walked away, Holly keeping the other two, who were shocked that he had a phone, in they're seats with a quick signal.

"Dr. Watson." He heard the Quartermaster's familiar voice in his ear. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important?"

"No, sir." He answered.

"Good." Q sounded relieved. "I will get straight to business then. I'm sending 006 your way. He will arrive during the night." John bit back a groan. Did Mycroft really think he needed that much protection?

"Is that really necessary…" He started to ask but Q quickly interrupted him.

"You misunderstand, captain. Captain Ward isn't sent in as your protection detail." Jon blinked. Okay, then why the hell was Ward coming here? Not that it wasn't good to have Ward here, he had tried to get him here for years after all, but didn't he have better things to do?

"Oh… Well… It will be good to see him again." He stammered hesitantly, confusion colouring his voice. Q chuckled.

"I'm sure he will feel the same, Captain, however there is some information you need as the current medic on site." Q seemed to hesitate on how to say what he wanted which caused John to grow concerned.

"Is he injured?" He asked.

"Not as such, no." Q answered, still sounding hesitative. "As you know, double-0 agents all suffer a certain amount of… trauma during their careers. Trauma that leaves traces." Oh, John knew that. Plenty of times, 001 had said, when they had subdued 009. "Now, such reactions are tolerated to an extent but they have to be under control and cannot interfere with missions. 006 has had his first of such reactions."

"Ah." John said, understanding where Q was coming from.

"I'm sending him to you because he needs to rest and relax in a safe and familiar setting and MI6 can't provide that currently." John snorted and then started to chuckle.

"I'm sorry, Q. But this isn't exactly the place that promotes R&R." He said, causing Q to chuckle along.

"Yes, I understand your reaction but with Captain Ward's history we think it will work for him. He has always spent his leave on base and kept on training then. A military setting will do him well." Q said. John hummed. He could see the logic in that.

"Do we know what has set the reactions off?" He asked.

"No, 006 is quite baffled by it. We hope you might be able to help him find out his triggers. It's rather important that he gets this under control or he won't be able to return to the field. A thought which is quite upsetting to him too. Which doesn't help. The current circumstances are not helping either."

"Current circumstances?" He asked.

"The merger is being completed this week and the Nine-eyes emergency vote will be passed tonight. It means the double-0 program is getting disbanded tomorrow. Arrangements are being made for all agents but as 006 doesn't have a residence outside headquarters he just basically became homeless. It can explain why he had the reactions he had." 'I'll say,' John thought. He remembered when he had been discharged. Having suddenly lost the ability to call himself a soldier and being dumped in that horrible bedsit because he hadn't had a home. He had felt so lost and meaningless but had pressed on. He was a special forces soldier after all, he was used to hard situations. But he had been glad he had found Sherlock when he did. Yeah, he could imagine very well, just what Ward was going through.

"I understand." John finally answered after pulling himself out of his thoughts..

"I thought you might." Q answered. "Now Captain Ward will integrate himself with the recruits tonight. I saw number 6 was open so I took the liberty to assign him that number." John choked then burst into laughter.

"He's joining the recruits?" He asked incredulously. "I thought he was going to hang out with us? You do know we drive the recruits to the brink, right? And over it too." Q sniggered too.

"Yes I was a bit surprised that's what came out of it too, but Ward actually looked a bit excited. Like a kid about to go to the playground actually. He'll be of use to you I'm sure, to suss out the recruits." John shook his head in exasperation. He remembered Ward doing the same whenever he went on mission, the more dangerous the better.

"All right. I'll go along with it but I reserve the right to pull him if I feel it isn't working. And we've already had an undercover agent in with them before, so it isn't required. But if he notices anything it will be nice of him to share. What should I tell the others?" He asked.

"I've sent two files to the laptop that you have." First the phone number and now the laptop. For a moment John wondered how well the Quartermaster knew Mycroft. "His official one, as you're now his primary medical consultant, and a fabricated one that you can share with your colleagues. We've reactivated his commission as a cover and marked the last years he's been with us as classified." In the background John heard another voice ask a question Q answered it quickly before he got back on the call. "I'm sorry, but my attention is required elsewhere."

"Of course, sir." John answered readily. "I'll take care of him." He heard Q sigh in relief.

"Thank you, captain." He said and then disconnected.

John leaned against the wall for a moment to process. How the hell was he going to bring this to his colleagues? He thought about it for a moment, weighing various options before a smirk settled on his face. It wouldn't hurt to let his colleagues 'discover' their spy for themselves, would it? With a laugh he pushed himself off the wall and went back into the room. This was going to be fun.