HQ

"For the beta canon version of HQ, see HQ/Beta canon."

HQ is a division of the British government which is ostensibly the nation's leading espionage organisation, with them and their agents being household names, but is in fact a cover for the global organisation ATLAS. This cover is so deep that no one employed in HQ is aware of this ruse, fully believing themselves to be spies, as part of a gambit that the 'spies' are not smart enough to figure out the truth or to actually do any work. Even the sham organisation's leader, boss, is unaware of the truth.

As an extra level of security, HQ themselves are covered by official documentation referring to it as 'dry cleaning', a reference to their secret hideout being a dry cleaners. For example, 4% of the government budget, comprising £6 billion, is listed this way. As expected in the government's gambit, boss has refused to spend this money and is instead 'saving it up for birthdays'. This leaves the money available for ATLAS to spend on their high-scale operations. Additionally, Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson frequently calls boss to make sure boss is not spending anything.

The personnel of HQ includes Brick Brannigan and Q.

History
In August 2019, HQ's secret hideout received a rare visitor. This was 'EM', an agent of ATLAS posing as a dry cleaning enthusiast. Boss hurried to inform Brick Brannigan of the arrival. Brick, boss & Q soon welcomed the visitor.