highly unorthodox

[full_of_wrath]

Mallory is a man who is able to accomplish almost anything he sets his mind to. By all rights, stepping into her shoes, the whole office should have bucked the readjustment, some of the older agents in particular... but somehow they don't. They fall smoothly into line underneath him, and for one simple reason.

Mallory is incredibly good at reading, at soothing, at moving people the precise way he wants to, at achieving the desired result from resource after human resource. He has Bond twitching with loyalty, has Moneypenny working with focused devotion, and has Q happily ensconsed in a lab with almost free reign and near unlimited resources and enough supervision and oversight to give his days structure. Every one of them, and everyone else in the bureau besides, each so lovingly tailored into just the right spot, not only makes the transition smoothly but rapidly begins to thrive under his gentle touch.

Which is why it's unheard of, the request he makes of Q this afternoon, to meet him in his office, even more unheard of his request to take on a new trainee and manage him closely, report anything he sees out of the ordinary. But it's also why Q can be sure it's for a damn good reason.

John Harrison, the newest upheaval in his life, will be waiting for him down in his office when Mallory is done with him.

Comments

[queues]

Q isn't quite sure how to take the news of a new trainee. On one hand, all of his needs had been met by Mallory, many times over- he's happy again, pleased with his job, and his production is almost twice what it was back before MI6's relocation. He's found a rhythm that suits him very nicely, and it's jarring that he's expected to incorporate someone else into it.

He's a creature of habit. And this... John Harrison is not routine, doesn't fall in with his plans or schedules, and he has to make adjustments.

So he's not entirely pleased. Not that it's very possible to tell, he's short with people on his happiest of days, so when he moves into his office to see John, the slight narrowing of his eyes and his crisp tone is less of an apprehension and more of what's generally expected of him.

"Harrison. My name is Q. I'm told that you're to be my trainee."