Human (BBC Sherlock)

Getting Involved

Mycroft Holmes was certainly…

…Interesting, Isabelle thought as she placed a few personal items onto a small desk. Her desk, to be precise. She brushed off her hands and sighed lightly as she observed the scene around her.

It would be a decent enough job, she’d concluded. Several other, more cluttered desks surround her own, most of them occupied at that moment; by the time Isabelle’s brief tour of the building had been over, most of the others working in her section had already begun their jobs.

What was stranger, Isabelle hadn’t even met Mycroft personally yet. A woman who had called herself Anthea had shown her around, sort of. She had been staring down at her phone most of the time, although she answered Isabelle’s one or two questions while managing to show her around quite effectively, even if she had been rather…blunt.

Isabelle pulled down her blazer and walked to the other side of the room, stopping in front of the door to her new boss’s office. She’d been told to see him once she’d finished her tour. She glanced around briefly before doing anything else, and saw that although most of the others in the room were occupied, a couple glanced up at her, smiling kindly. That was odd, she’d thought. People usually paid her no mind.

After a brief instance to collect herself Isabelle knocked on the door, and almost immediately after it was unlocked and opened to reveal Mycroft Holmes himself.

“Ah, Miss Adkins. Do come in,” he said calmly, and quickly ushered her inside. Mycroft then shut the door behind her and stepped around to his desk.

“Have a seat,” he instructed, nodding toward the chair across from him. Isabelle did so, placing her bag in her lap after she was seated. She was careful not to disturb the special item it now contained; the gun she’d gotten the previous night. Although she knew Mycroft likely only wanted to discuss her job duties, she’d had the underlying fear of his knowledge of her past; she silently hoped that Sherlock had kept the information to himself.

“Now,” Mycroft began before she’d had a chance to thank him, “I’m sure my dear brother made a point to tell you about my most crucial intentions for having you here?”

Isabelle nodded. “He said you’d want information…”

“Precisely.” Mycroft agreed. “You’ve seen him, know what he does, at least a bit of it. Makes an older brother a bit…concerned for his safety.” He folded his hands together and placed them onto his desk. “Your colleague, Doctor Watson, wasn’t so keen on helping me. Although, admittedly I did drag him to an abandoned building on a threat to consult with him…I suppose us Holmes’ do have dramatic tendencies.”

At this Isabelle blinked back at him a bit nervously, but Mycroft paid no mind.

“At any rate,” he continued, “yes, most of your job will be concerned with keeping up with my brother, in a variety of ways. If it’s not too much trouble.” He looked at her a bit more pointedly, knowing that the two’s relationship was off to a bit of a rocky start.

“But,” Mycroft then slid a folder filled with various papers across the desk. “Most of your work in this building will involve, for the time being, will be record-keeping, a bit of research every now and then, and a variety of other smaller jobs as I need them. Not at all difficult, and rather substantial pay, if I may add. In addition, your safety in performing these duties will be ensured.”

Isabelle took the folder into her hands and nodded. “Sounds great,” she replied, although admittedly she was a bit nervous. But the promise of government protection came to her as a relief; perhaps this would keep Jim away from her for a bit longer.