Quarter Past Midnight - Part 8 (Final part)
Summary: August Walker’s mission, should he choose to accept it, is to take down Laila Dunn, a MI6 agent whose unorthodox methods are similar to his. What should’ve been an easy task results in an unexpected partnership that could cause a lot more trouble to the authorities.
Pairing: August Walker x Laila Dunn (original character)
Word count: 1452
Warnings: Mission: Impossible - Fallout spoilers; smut
A/N: 84 years later... Here it is. The final part of Quarter Past Midnight. Thank you for not giving up on this story even though I certainly did at certain moments of the so dreaded writer’s block. Thanks for all the comments and asks wondering when I’d finish it. That definitely motivated me A LOT. 🖤 I hope you guys like it. Can’t wait to hear what y’all think of the ending. Your reactions always amazes me. Enjoy! (Is this the last time we ever see August and Laila, tho? Who knows!)
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
00:15, VIENNA
“Do you think she will accept? Being a part of the Syndicate?” Lane asked as he looked at the now former MI6 agent on the floor.
The bullet proof vest she was wearing saved Laila’s life. Still, the impact made her fall on the ground and pass out.
As soon as Walker shot her and was sure she would be down for a while, he called Lane. Obviously, he was already in the city, waiting anxiously for the result of the little sick game he had created.
“Does she really have a choice? Plus, you wouldn’t go through all this trouble if you didn’t know for sure she would be in” August said dryly as he injected a sedative on her vein.
Waking up in the morgue as her body was being recognized by the MI6 wouldn’t be good, after all.
“Well, she is definitely going to be a pretty little asset to the Syndicate” Lane said with a smirk as he analyzed her. “She gave you a lot of trouble.. With some more training, she will be just as deadly and powerful as you”
“Yeah… I hope this little charade of yours will pay off” he grunted.
Lane rolled his eyes, sensing his annoyance. “Always so transparent, Walker. What is bothering you?”
“Couldn’t you just tell me you wanted to recruit her? It’d make my life a lot easier” he said as he got up and signaled to a couple of agents that were in the room to carry Laila to the car.
“And what fun would that be?”
“She could’ve killed me!” he shouted angrily.
“If she managed to kill you, then you shouldn’t even be doing this job. Stop whining. You have a newbie to train, and I have to go deal with Ethan Hunt. He’s been getting on my nerves lately... Remember: you’re in charge if something happens. Do not disappoint me”
24 HOURS LATER, SECRET LOCATION
Cold.
Everything was cold.
It was like she was drowning on her own mind and all she could feel was that cold running through her body and her bones. She couldn’t even move. She was paralyzed. Frozen.
Dark.
Everything was dark.
Laila couldn’t see anything. No matter where she looked, everything around her was dark. It was like her eyes were closed, but they were wide open.
Were they wide open in shock?
August had shot her. And although that wasn’t a complete surprise, she still felt betrayed, and angry, and… And scared.
Am I dead? Is that what being dead feels like?
The MI6 agent didn’t get frightened easily, but as that thought ran through her mind, she started to panic. And that is exactly what snapped her out of that spiraling cycle that was keeping her so still and immobilized.
Suddenly, she could move. And although everything was still dark, she forced her eyes to get used to her surroundings, looking around to check if she could see something, anything.
Taking a deep breath, Laila moved her hands, banging on the walls around her. Her mouth was dry and her throat was sore, but she found the strength to scream. She wasn’t dead, and she wasn’t giving up.
That’s exactly when everything around her moved and she was suddenly attacked by a bright white light. Blinking a few times, she looked around her and sat down, panting and shaking. If by fear, cold or both, she couldn’t really say.
“Welcome back, Laila” she heard an amused and deep voice right next to her. “Good to see you’re not actually dead” Walker said calmly, his arms crossed as he analyzed her movements.
“What the… Why am I in a fucking morgue?” Laila grunted, not quite sounding like herself. Something was wrong with her voice.
“Want some water? You probably have a sore throat… My bad” smirking, he grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her.
She drank it eagerly, relief running through her veins. She wasn’t dead. She was alive, and drinking water, and soon this nightmare would be nothing but a bad memory.
“The drugs we had to give you to make you look dead have that effect. Expect some headaches, too” he continued to speak in a calm voice, almost as if he was bored.
“You shot me” she said accusingly, touching her bruised and aching chest, right where she felt the bullet hitting her.
“Don’t be so dramatic. I knew you were wearing a bullet proof vest” he rolled his eyes. “These things are so useless… It saved your life but it made you pass out. I could’ve killed you if I wanted to” he said in a low voice, making her shiver.
In the white light of the morgue, she looked almost actually dead.
Her skin was pale. There were dark spots under her eyes. Her lips, always colored in a dark red lipstick, were almost invisible. And she was shaking, only a thin sheet covering her body.
Walker walked towards a bag, grabbing a few clothes and throwing it in her direction.
“Get dressed and then we’ll get out of here and talk. I can’t stand this smell anymore, you took forever to wake up” he complained, a displeased look on his face as he left the room.
•••
Laila was eating her fries as if she hadn’t had a meal in days. Another side effect of the drugs they gave her. August just watched her as he sipped his drink.
“Out of all the places you could choose, why here?” he asked in a low voice, staring at everyone suspiciously.
“There’s nothing wrong with a simple café or my fries, Walker. And as much as I love picking fights with you over dumb shit, we have more important matters do discuss” she said as she pushed her plate aside.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything! Come on, you shot me and I woke up in the drawer of a fucking morgue. I think I deserve the complete explanation” she hissed, her eyes locked on his, a glint of anger on them.
August took a deep breath and nodded. “I guess you’re right... First things first, then. I shot you because I realized Lane didn’t want us to kill each other. He wanted to recruit you. And in order for that to be possible, you had to be declared dead for the MI6. Your old life had to be completely eliminated. That’s how we operate to avoid suspicions.”
“A bit dramatic, huh?”
“I thought so too, to be honest… Welcome to the Syndicate” he smiled ironically.
“All of this just to recruit a new agent? How did he even contact both the MI6 and the CIA?”
“We have our resources, Laila, and they’re pretty much unlimited… This time it caused us a lot of unnecessary drama but it’s just the Solomon Lane effect”
“It caused a lot more than just unnecessary drama. It caused the death of my only ally and actual friend, Walker. Don’t think that I forgot Ciara got killed in the middle of this shit”
“Actually… Lane was willing to recruit her too. Her death isn’t on us”
“Then what happened?”
“She got killed because she was caught in a mess created by Ethan Hunt and the IMF… Your dear cousin included. But don’t worry. We’ll get revenge. I have a feeling all of our paths will cross soon enough” Walker murmured as he tossed some money on the table and got up.
Laila followed him and they started to walk back to the parking lot.
“Where is Lane now?”
“Away. And he will be for a while.”
“Did our bosses know about this?”
“No. Sloan has no clue you’re alive, and Atlee... He’s in the Syndicate too, but be glad he didn’t know about anything, because he got busted by the IMF”
“Sounds like the IMF had a lot of work on their hands...” Laila whispered to herself as they got to the car. “So, what happens now?”
“Usually, Lane trains the newbies himself. Since that won’t be possible, you’re stuck with me. I guess that makes us… partners” Walker said that in a disgusted voice, almost as if he was choking on the word.
They both opened the car doors but, before they could enter, Laila had one more thing to ask.
“Did you ever have a partner before, Walker?”
“That I didn’t murdered? No” he said dryly as he got in the car.
“Oh, this is going to be fun!” Laila laughed loudly as she took her seat and turned the radio on.
It's a quarter past midnight As we cut through the city The streets are getting restless Good times, bad decisions