Chapter 13 The Four Musketeers

Steven did all the tasks required of him but he could still not move up the MI6 corporate ladder. It was bloody frustrating! The younger tech Quintin who was strangely close to the old man was above him already.

Sure the younger man was excellent with computers but he did lack in other areas that should have propelled Steven forward and not the newest bloody hire.

The place is a zoo right now, all because the old man lost a device and M and staff were now in comas including 007 who was fool enough to take the device. Q had them all working on different versions of the device for use to extricate them from their stupor.

It was sad but Steven had massive personal issues on his mind. His wife left him and now the divorce was costing him most of his salary. He's been flopping over at a friend's flat but he is getting tired of it. He's been staying late under the guise of extra work and hiding away in various rooms to get a night's sleep.

Nothing had been going right but then, out of the blue, there was a email and then a call from someone claiming to be a friend. The man offered Steven a way out of his current problems and he wasn't even hesitating. He would not kill anyone but he sure as hell could do whatever it took to prolong this eventful disaster that struck the upper echelons of MI6.

Steven hit the electrical control panel...just enough to cause a bleep in power. He did it three times just enough for the computer to crash without allowing the backup generators to kick in. Steven knew whatever the old man was trying with the comatose patients would fail, due to the disturbance in the power.

Steven sent a text and then went to the cafe to get something to eat. As he sat in the chair an alert sounded on his mobile. A deposit of 10,000 £'s was made into his newly created account.

Steven redirected his newfound win-fall to his creditors, put a deposit on a flat he had asked an associate to hold for him til the end of the day. He then sat back and thoroughly enjoyed his tea for the first time in months.

The phone on M's desk rang and Mallory picked it up. "Hello."

"Has the old witch woken up with her flying monkey's yet?"

"Really...that is unnecessary Haines. Whatever you and she dealt with in the past should remain there. She has done an exemplary job here and the staff is all quite devoted."

"Their loyalty will be their undoing. Fire the lot of them the moment we make you head of MI6. You know I do adore the fact that I had nothing to do with this and that bumbling old fool quartermaster can take the blame. He's definitely the one you should fire first. Did you make any solid connections yet in Q branch? Possible replacements who would be loyal to you and not just another one slobbering at her feet waiting for scraps?"

"What are you implying Haines?"

"You know bloody well that I think she got that job on her back years ago but just can't prove it!"

Mallory rolled his eyes and decided to change the subject. "There is one young man who may be of use. I will try to get him alone by running into him at the commissary or something."

"Good. You will need to start building a network of supporters who see the writing on the wall. The old M is dead. Long live the new M."

Mallory was getting tired of Haines' accusations and slander toward a woman who he had always considered fair and even handed in all aspects of a very difficult job.

"M is not dead and you should have more reverence for a woman who up until recently has done an exemplary job of it for the past 20 years!"

Mallory frowned as he disconnected the call, none too gently. Haines had been a loyal supporter for years and a very good supporter of the military. Perplexing that he hated MI6 with such a vengeance. Something about his bodyguard dying at the hand of an agent.

Mallory suddenly realized that as M's replacement he could find out what happened! He began digging around and using his new access as interim M to do some digging. After an hour he rubbed his eyes. Most of what M had on Haines he couldn't access.

He picked up the phone and called the young man in Q branch. "Hello, Quintin...no don't bother Q he is likely busy trying to get M out of that comma. I wanted to talk to you actually. I need access to some files but I cannot gain entry even though I have the clearance. Could you please come to my office and assist me. Good I will see you shortly."

Q was furious! Their eyes were moving! They were waking up! Then bam! He must have overloaded the power circuits on the last attempt. The orb was glowing brightly and then nothing.

The four of them fell back under the pull of the original device. Q had pulled a earlier prototype of the device and mimicked the one that put his co-workers under. This way it kept their current situation more stable.

The doctor was checking on them and making sure that their feeding tubes were in place. Regardless, they were losing muscle mass after a week of being under.

Q looked over his secondary device and sighed as he took the cover off the orb. "Q 42 could you please bring me...oh bloody hell, where has he gone off to now?"

The doctor smiled. "He went off to eat, as people need to do now and again. I suggest maybe you do the same Q and get some rest or I will have to sedate you."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"I would and I can. You are no help to them dead on your feet. Go have a lie down in one of the beds and I will watch them until your Q 42 returns. Why is it you do not call them by their names?"

"I forget names but I never forget a number."

"Oh...I see." The doctor guided Q to the bed beside M and pulled the privacy divider. It was only moments and the older gentleman was completely asleep.

The doctor checked the vitals on the patient once more and took a seat and looked at his phone. There was nothing else to do unless the four sleeping beauties woke up.

Eve woke first, looking around as she was lying in a field with a pounding head and a sore red hand. She sat up and looked around. It was a summer field who knew where and she was alone or so she thought. The hand that touched the orb seemed a bit burnt and red. She wondered what happened. This was not home that was certain.

"ARGH...Bloody hell!"

"Tanner?!"

"Eve?" Tanner pulled himself to sitting looking at his red injured hand.

Eve stood up and walked through the tall grass over to Tanner. "Christ! Where the hell are we now?! I thought that if the four of us were together it would take us home! Wait...where is the orb?"

"I don't know." Tanner said looking around in the grass. "The bloody thing pops in and out of existence around us all the time. Where's M? James?"

"I don't know but I see a town and castle in the distance."

"They are likely there then. Maybe they have the orb? I wonder what happened. I could swear that I was waking up and then bam...nothing!" Tanner looked down at his red hand and rubbed it against his dark trousers. They were still dressed as they were on the ship. Tanner in dark trousers a white billowy shirt and boots, with a small sword at his side still.

"I know I felt the same Tanner. It was as if there was a power failure." Eve was still wearing grey trousers and a burgundy billowy blouse with boots. She was dressed as a man becuase it was easier to fight on the pirate ships this way. Her only weapon was a small knife.

The two of them walked along the road towards the castle. "I don't see power lines or any technology of any kind. It just smells like farms." Tanner stated. "We are before the 20th century again. I so liked my dream of the 1960's that was cool."

"I've been to the American Revolution and in a vampire's castle, the jurassic period and bloody pirate times and I don't like any of it! I just want to be home and get some takeaway and sit in front of the telly for days."

"I'll join you." Tanner blushed when he realised what he had just said.

Moneypenny looked at him and smiled holding out her hand for him to take as they walked towards the town. "I would like that."

"Are you sure...I mean are you Eve...the real or I mean part of the real Eve?"

"That's true. Are you the real Bill Tanner? If you are I would definitely sit around for entire weekend and just order take away and watch telly."

Bill could not wipe the smile from his face the entire walk into town. "Come on then. The faster that we find M, Bond and that bloody orb, the faster we get to do nothing together at yours."

It was odd walking into a earlier century town but they needed to find Bond, M and the orb. There was some commotion that was leading all the people to the centre of the town. Once they saw and heard the inhabitants they figured out that they are in 17th century France.

The two of them made their way with the crowd and Tanner asked someone what was going on.

"Their executing a spy. Milady. Will be a shame because she was good to the townsfolk. One of the King's elite turned her over as a spy when she refused his advances."

"Really? How awful." Eve said.

"It's work than that Mademoiselle. This one was so obsessed with the notorious Madame De Winter that he tricked her into bedding him. The man visited her in the dark of night pretending to be her lover!"

"The cad!" Tanner exclaimed. "What does Milady look like?" Tanner asked suddenly worried. Every time they jump from fantasy to fantasy it seems M is always in the centre of controversy.

"I think I've read this somewhere before Tanner. I wonder where Bond is?" Eve whispered to him.

Tanner whispered back. "I do too and yes...you have. Milady was the famous spy for Cardinal Richelieu in the Three Musketeers."

"Is she an older woman with short white hair or a young woman with blonde hair?" Eve asked the villager excitedly. She was starting to become as nervous as Tanner about all this.

The man they were gossiping with answered. "She is a small beautiful woman but she is older, with short cropped hair now that the soldiers have cut it all off."

"Damnit!" Tanner exclaimed as he grabbed Eve's hand and pulled her more quickly through the crowd. "You need a weapon Eve."

"I know. I can shoot the executioner as you devise an escape plan for M."

To be continued…