I am not lonely [Mystrade]

CHAPTER 83 : A surprise call

"Sir, I have your brother on the phone, he says it's urgent. Shall I  insist on him calling back later ?" Anthea whispered at her boss ear.
They  were attending a highly important meeting at the Cabinet Office to get  update on the different measure that had been decided after the latest  summer's event that had seen the city of London at risk for numerous  days. The meeting was held by Sir Peter Bowling, the Prime Minister and  despite his usual animosity against him, Mycroft had to admit that his  management of the crisis had been, on many aspects, more than relevant.  As the encounter was of the highest importance, the auburn had asked his  assistant not to disturb him in any ways, including not making him take  any calls until the reunion was over.
Nevertheless, a call from the  younger Holmes was one of the most unexpected thing that actually could  happen in his brother's life. The consulting had always preferred to  text and if possible to refer to anyone but his elder. Knowing that  perfectly well since the time she was working for the official, Anthea  had been more than surprised to have him on the line and despite the  very clear order she had been given, she couldn't help but asking her  superior what to do. Mycroft himself had been agape. Sherlock had never  called him, not on his free will at least and despite the importance of  the meeting he knew that he had to take the call, something really wrong  probably happening.
"I'm sorry but excuse me for a moment, an  urgency is calling me outside." he apologized to the other contributors,  earning himself a few wrathful glances. He exited the room and grabbed  the phone the PA was handling him. "Sherlock."
"Mycroft. I need you  at 221B." simply said the other man. The fact that he was keeping it  short and the tense tone of his voice was all what the auburn needed as  confirmation for the urgency of the situation.
"What is happening ?"  requested the official, grabbing his coat and making his way down the  corridor, letting his assistant agape, standing still in the middle of  the corridor and alone to explain to the meeting attendant that her boss  had left without even advising them.
"I'll explain you when you  arrive here. If you could grab Lestrade on your way, he could come to a  use." replied the consulting detective before hanging up the call.
The  elder Holmes climbed into his car, parked in the underground Cabinet  Office's car park, surprising the driver who was reading a magazine, sat  carelessly on the driver's seat. He quickly settled himself and  straightened his tie before starting the engine and exiting the  building.
"Baker Street by New Scotland Yard please. The back door of  the Yard." indicated the auburn, earning himself an accepting nod of  the chauffeur, before seizing his phone and dialling his husband's  number.
"DI Lestrade talking." answered the man after a few seconds, his voice exhausted and bored.
"Gregory  ? May you move down to the back entry please ?" requested the elder  Holmes, not making any remarks on the fact that his partner haven't even  checked who was calling and had introduced himself so formally to him.
"Myc' ? But why ? I got things to do here, my day is not finished." retorted the detective quickly.
"I'll  explain you as soon as I know more myself. But I know it's important."  replied the official, impatiently as the driver was switching the blue  lights on to make his way through the packed traffic.
"No but Myc', as much as appreciate you I can't just leave my job every now and then because you want me to."  chuckled the inspector, believing that his partner was, once more, was  just wanting to spend a long evening with him, possibly to bring him to  one of those restaurants he only had the addresses of.
"Gregory,  please don't make me order you." retorted the auburn, not amused. "Make  your way downstairs, I'm picking you up there."
Understanding that it might be quite serious for Mycroft to threaten him, the DI grabbed  his coat, keys and cigarettes and stepped out of his study, dashing to  the stairs and even forgetting to say to his subordinates were he was  going. He arrived to the door, out of breath, just as the black Jaguar  was pulling out of the traffic and climbed in the car without even  waiting fo the vehicle to be properly stopped.
"What is going on darling ?" he immediately wondered before even the door was closed.
"I  don't know. I just got a call from Sherlock, it seems serious, he is  waiting for us at Baker Street." sum up the official, his right leg  agitated with spasms.
"A call ? From Sherlock ? Damn. And he didn't told  you what it was for ?" replied the policeman, understanding the  seriousness of the situation. He himself had known Sherlock for  something like 12 years and never had got a call from the younger  Holmes, a man who was already not keen on picking his calls, as rare as  they were, and forcing him most of the time to drop by 221B if he had  something to told him.
"He said he'd explain when we arrived at his place." simply retorted the auburn, looking anxiously by the window.
A  few minutes later the driver dropped them in front of the infamous  central London address. The consulting detective was awaiting them in  front of the door, another clue that something really bad was happening.  The young man's face was dark and closed and despite the small smile he  tried to plaster on his face when he noticed him, Mycroft could easily  deduce that what was happening was affecting the detective dearly.
"What  do you need me for ?" enquire the elder, following the man inside, the  policeman by his side. They were usually always jumping to each others'  throat when they were in the same room for more than a couple of seconds  but Mycroft remembered how his brother had acted when Gregory was in  danger a few months earlier this year and despite all the animosity  between the two of them, they were from the same blood and knew how to  stick one to another when circumstances were calling for it.
"While going through my cases requests a couple of days back my attention had been caught by a woman  requesting my help on the disappearance of her husband in Belfast after  he had just went out to buy some milk." explained Sherlock, climbing  the stairs and sitting himself on the edge of the desk in his living  room, instead than settling down comfortably in his armchair, another  sign if it was needed that the situation was anything but normal. "It  was barely a 7 so I sent John to Ireland to collect informations, not  seeing the point of going there myself and waste some of my precious  time."
"All right, so a man vanish in Ireland and you are calling us  ton find him back. Need some spare brains ?" the inspector intervened  with a small grin.
"No, Gregory. He wouldn't call him to rescue  someone he doesn't know. Shall I deduce that Dr Watson is now missing as  well ?" retorted Mycroft, staring right in his brother's eyes.
The younger man simply nodded, apparently more affected by the disappearance of his flatmate than he would care to admit. He grabbed the laptop that was laying on the desk and handled it to the auburn who opened it, revealing an email that he started to read silently, his partner glancing over his shoulder to get the information as well.
"IRA." simply sum up the official after a few seconds of silence.
"That's what it looks like yes." confirmed his brother, taking the computer back.
"Do you think they tried to snare  you with a false case or do you reckon that the woman looking for her  husband was genuine ?" wondered the inspector, voicing the question  everyone was asking themselves.
"I would say genuine but I'm not sure anymore." admitted the youngest, something he wouldn't do often.
"When is the last time you've been in contact with John ?" asked Mycroft, grabbing his phone and starting tipping fiercely.
"A  couple of hours after he arrived in Belfast. He was heading to the  woman's place and said he would keep me updated after he talked to her.  That was three hours before I received the email." replied the consulting detective.
"So  they knew who they were targeting. They emailed you, which means they  knew they had John. He wasn't able to reach you after meeting the wife.  That is really starting to look like a trap to me." remarked the  policeman, earning himself an approving nod of his partner.
"I have  to admit that Gregory is probably near to the truth. To know if it was  Dr Watson they were targeting directly or if they were hoping that you  would go there yourself is a question we could ask ourselves, but I  suppose we will have time for this later. What is important now is to  know where we can find John and why does the IRA suddenly arise again."  commented the auburn. "I really don't like this in the slightest."
"Don't the MI5 keep an eye on them ? They may have an idea where they could be settled, can't they ?" wondered the DI.
"That's  exactly what I'm trying to know." answered the official in a sigh,  showing his phone to his partner. "Apparently they could have a sort of  base in an old factory in the Belfast's suburbs. That would be for the  most active group of them but I think it's safe to assume that they  could be behind this kidnapping as all the other groups we are aware off  haven't been active in the last three to five years."
"What is this group known for mostly ?" questioned  his brother, thoughts running through his head so quickly that even him  wasn't even to understand everything that was happening.
"Not for  executing hostages if that can comfort you." retorted the elder Holmes.  "But I'm afraid it's not pretty nonetheless. We have at least 6  kidnappings in the last 20 years most of them in the 90's, violent attack against the military, a few bombing and general disturbances, threat, weapons carrying without authorisation."
"How can it happens we haven't been able to arrest the members of this group ?" wondered Greg, surprised.
"23  arrests had been made during the last 15 years but the guys believed to  be the head of the group always had been careful enough so we couldn't  prove their involvement in any crimes or against the law acts. They let  their menial do all the dirty job and get arrested and simply recruit  more young delusional people when they don't have enough soldier anymore." explained Mycroft.
"I'm  sorry to interrupt you both on this fascinating explanation, but maybe  we should start to think about a plan to get John out of there."  suddenly intervene Sherlock, looking slightly annoyed.