Fic: Whistle Blower, by ML Mead

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Title: Whistle Blower
Author: moonlightmead
Artist: smirra
Archive to Pros Lib:: yes
Genre: slash
Word count: 24,300
Warnings: none necessary

Summary: The devil makes work for idle hands. CI5 is, for once, under-employed. Bodie and Doyle put their idle hands to good use – on each other – happily enough, but are otherwise as bored as the other agents. Cowley, fresh from Whitehall confrontations and never keen on seeing under-occupied agents even in settled times, sends not only Bodie and Doyle on a low-risk assignment as a favour to ministers and mandarins, but Anson and Jax with them too. It's far from an onerous assignment, and there's plenty of time for downtime, chat, and catching up with CI5 gossip in the civilised surroundings of a small country house. Even if being on the job means Bodie and Doyle must remember to keep their hands off each other. So far, so cushy. Until the bomb goes off.

As the dust settles, allegations are made. Allegations that are as explosive as the bomb they have already weathered, and allegations that may end their careers equally effectively. And in Cowley's office, it's not clear who has the shorter fuse.

Notes:Thanks as ever go to my betas, who all managed to beta my stories while writing their own. I am in awe. And this time they couldn't keep it at email's length: merentha13 and PFL both heard far too much about this story at Bistocon, and murphybabe put up with it endlessly on the phone and encouraged me along. They did a lot of work and made this story a lot stronger - thank you so so much. My friends list on LJ have cheered me along, and have proved themselves an astonishing fund of knowledge from everything from African geography and history to which stars are where when. Thank you all.

I am utterly delighted by Smirra's artwork: how do you illustrate this, I thought, and she caught it perfectly. Thanks, Smirra!

And thanks to the mods for running it again. Hooray!

Link to fic: Fic master post
Link to art: Art master post

Comments

[golden-bastet.livejournal.com]

Woot! You did it!!!!

Now downloaded for later reading pleasure. :D

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

I did! I am in shock. I daren't look at it now. I hope you enjoy it. I had a lot of fun writing it!

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Done! \o/\o/\o/ Now you can relax--except for all those new ideas you have. *g*

I shall re-read with pleasure. Yay!

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And thank you so much for all your help and suggestions, both those taken and untaken (some of which I wanted to, but, time, argh!)

Yeah, where are all those new ideas now that I have time? Seriously, they are written down safely.

And wow, re-read? You are brave! :)

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

Putting it on the kindle RIGHT NOW.

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

God, Kindles are awesome, aren't they?

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

Well, most of the time, but my RIGHT NOW became In Five-ish Minutes Or So when my PC refused to recognise my kindle - and after nearly six years of acquaintance! Rude, I tell you. I had to fiddle and wiggle and unplug and replug and hold my mouth right until finally they agreed to talk to each other. Fic now safely downloaded for reading, and I'm looking forward to it.

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Phew!

For future reference, I find threatening Kindles with unravelled paper clips up the little hole works wonders.

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

Hmmm I imagine a clip up the little hole would fix all manner of things. Shall keep that in mind.

[murphybabe]

Fantastic! Can't wait to read it again in its entirety :) And I shall look forward to remembering (huh? more coffee, please) the discussions about the various bits *g*

Well done!

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Hee. I am not sure which of us is the greater enabler of the other, but it was all heaps of fun!

[sw33n3y.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on posting! Another one over the line!

Now you can put your feet up with a cocktail and I can put my feet up with the story. :D

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Yay, made it!

Cocktail - what a good idea. It must be evening somewhere on the globe, right? Right?

[solosundance.livejournal.com]

Happy Posting Day!! Never again, right? :D

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Haha, no! Never!

(*hides notebook behind back*)

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Hurrah! Even though I'm way behind in my reading now I'm really pleased to see this posted and look forward to reading it. (It looks very intriguing....a real bomb or a metaphorical bomb? Don't tell me! I shall find out...)

Thanks for all your hard work. I can only imagine how much time is involved in writing a story

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Ah, bombs away, and no, I shan't tell you. I am not at all sure what reaction to expect for this one, so I shall be very interested to know what people think of it.

Well, time, who knows how long? The thinking, the talking, the actual sitting and scribbling? Sometimes that last is the least of it, and the editing is longer. But it is all time I enjoy, so a good thing!

[giseerouchon.livejournal.com]

WooHoo You made it!!! Well done and will read asap- catching up gradually with all the BBs, but Kindle behaving like a willful mistress at the mo, so it's all a bit hit and miss... but Yay!! xxx

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

I know, I am so behind myself - not even commented on other people's art and stories yet, ouch. I hope you enjoy it (she says, with fingers crossed...)

[ali15son.livejournal.com]

this sounds like a wonderful story and i am on track to read this later so i will comment again once i have finished reading but for now thankyou so much x

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

I am a bit nervous about the reaction to this one, but I do hope you enjoy it!

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

Whoohoo! You done it! *\o/*

Congratulations on hurling yourself and your story over the finish line. *g* It sounds wonderful - I'm miles behind on my BB reading now, but I've downloaded it and I'm dying to get to it. Why does that sound faintly pervy? *g* Well done again, and thank you.

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

I dunnit, yes!

I know, I haven't even commented on a single post yet, and I started with such high aims. There is no hurry, I promise!

[smirra.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! It ist great to be part in the BB with your great story again. Like I said on ao3 it's an intense and very well written vision of what life can be in these enviroments, it was a big pleasure to create art for it!

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And again, thanks for tackling the story with such enthusiasm: I was a bit worried that whoever got mine would think 'I have to illustrate *this*?' And I can't tell you how happy I am about the results: I love the angle you took on it, and it is, in my eyes, just perfect.

[cloudless-9193.livejournal.com]

Very intriguing! I'm looking forward to reading it.

..and after taking a look at the artwork, which is stunning btw, I really really want to read it. The quotes are brilliant. I think I'll enjoy your story. :-)

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

The artwork is fabulous, and I really think it is a great indication of what to expect. I do hope the story lives up to the art's promise!

[norfolkdumpling.livejournal.com]

Yays! Congratulations on finishing and posting! \o/

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I can go and read all the others now!

[ali15son.livejournal.com]

what a fantastic read ..i have left a comment on Ao3 but what i will say is well done you xx

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

I've just been looking at that comment - thanks so much! I hope you had as much enjoyment reading as I had writing it!

[lukadreaming.livejournal.com]

Have left kudos on AO3, but have forgotten my damn password, so I can't log in there.

This story really works for me. It captures CI5 as I imagine it, and there's steel running through the story, as well as Bodie and Doyle's relationship. And I totally see Cowley as a pragmatist who uses people when they're useful to him, but will cast them aside if they look like being liabilities. And, ahem, seeing B & D walking out, heads held high, into civilian life, is a favourite scenario of mine!

The artwork is lovely, btw!

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Ah, it was you! :)

Oh, I am so pleased it worked - thanks! Yeah, I have a fairly bleak view of Cowley, and I know there are plenty of other interpretations, but that is the joy of Pros: all the different possibilities!

Yes, the two of them getting out, intact and together, for me is about as positive as it could really be, so when it happens, I love it!

And oh yes, I could not be happier with the art - and the artist :) She sent me the rough draft - based on my fragmentary rough draft - and I knew I was in safe hands!

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

Yeah! You got it posted. . . .wipe your brow, smile. . . now start to think of the next story:)

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

I did! And now I can read all the others properly!

(Next story idea is already forming itself. I could have sworn I wasn't going to do this again, but... :))

[unbelievable2.livejournal.com]

Can't wait to get stuck into this, which I will as soon as I can after posting mine tomorrow. Panic is ensuing.

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

I have every confidence, I do, really! (But oh, yes, reading other stories is tough in the run-in - and in the 24 hours after, when you discover all these extra typos that were clearly introduced in the upload process - I mean, obviously, they haven't been there, missed by everyone, for three months, clearly not...)

I am really looking forward to reading yours. Posting will be fine, it will. And then it will be cocktail time. Hoorah!

[saintvic.livejournal.com]

Congrats on posting and I can't wait to read this and am off to download right now.

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yay, I posted! And ugh, I found and fixed five typos in the first twelve hours of it going live. So your version should be a bit cleaner... but do tell me if you spot more :)