INT.

NATIONAL GALLERY - DAY

J.M.W. Turner's "The Fighting Temeraire" lls the screen.
A magni cent paining shows a grand old ship being hauled to a scrap yard, an
elemental sunset swirling overhead. A slender young man in his twenties, moves in next
to Bond. Bond has no idea who he is.

Q
“Always makes me a little melancholy... The grand old warship being ignominiously
hauled away for scrap... The inevitability of time, don't you think? What do you see?”

BOND
“A bloody big ship... Excuse me.”

Q
“007 ... I'm your new Quartermaster.”

Bond looks at him.

BOND
“You must be joking.”

Q
“Why? Because I'm not wearing a lab coat?”

BOND
“Because you still have spots.”

Q
“My complexion is hardly relevant.”

BOND
“Your competence is.”

Q
“Age is no guarantee of ef ciency.”

BOND
“And youth is no guarantee of innovation.”

Q rivets Bond, impressive in his intensity.

Q
“I'll hazard I can do more damage on my laptop sitting in my pajamas before my rst cup
of Earl Grey than you can do in a year in the eld.”

BOND
fi
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 “Oh, so why do you need me?”

Q
“Every now and then, a trigger has to be pulled.”

BOND
“Or not pulled... It's hard to know which in your pajamas.”

Q acknowledges the point. Bond respects that Q stood up to him. Bond offers his hand.

BOND
“Q”

Q
(shakes)
“007”

(gives him papers)

“Ticket to Shanghai. Documentation and passport... And this.”

He gives Bond a special case. Inside: a new Walther PPK.

“Walther PPK/S 9mm short. Those are micro-dermal sensors in the grip. It’s been coded
to your palm print, so only you can re it … Less of a random killing machine, more of a
personal statement.”

BOND
"And this?”

Bond points to an empty cavity in the case. Q gives Bond a small device, size of a
stamp. Very low tech.

Q
"Standard issue radio transmitter.”

Bond presses a button: a tiny antennae on the device snaps up. He looks at Q.

Q
"…And that's it.”

Bond looks at his gadgets.

BOND
“A gun. And a radio. Not exactly Christmas is it?”
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 Q
“Were you expecting an exploding pen? We don't really go in for that anymore.”

Bond smiles.

Q
“Good luck out there in the eld. And please return the equipment in one piece.”

Bond
“Brave new world…”
fi