A Consulting Detective, Ex Army Doctor, and Child Mercenary Walk Into A Room

Chapter 3: The Great Game

John was not at the flat at the current time. He was at his girlfriend's house sleeping on the sofa. John wakes up and tries to sit up. His neck is stiff and he groans in pain. "I told you to go with the li-lo," Sarah scolds. John tries to turn his neck but it won't let him. "Ow! No, no. it's fine. I slept fine. It was very kind of you." Sarah sits down on the sofa with John and snaps on the TV. "Next time, maybe I'll let you sleep on the end of the bed." "And the time after that ...?" Sarah ignores the question and instead, says one of her own. "Do you want breakfast?" "Great." Sarah rises from the sofa leaving. "Mind if I shower first?" John shakes his head. "No, no. Go ahead. I'm in no hurry."

John turns his attention away from Sarah as something on TV catches his eye. Showing on the news was Baker Street and the ruins where the empty house used to stand. John's face falls as he calls Sarah. "Sarah! Sarah!" When she doesn't answer, John grabs his coat and rushes to the door. "I've got to go! Sorry." He runs out and slams the door behind him. "Sorry. Couldn't hear -" But it was too late, John had already left.

...

John races around the corner to Baker Street. He takes in the smoking ruins of the smoking house opposite. It's crawling with forensics. Appalled, John looks over at 221B and sees that many windows are shattered. He runs towards it, hurls open the door, and clatters up the stairs. "Sherlock! Lune! Are you alright??"

He stops at the framed doorway to the sitting room. John sees Sherlock and I sitting on the couch while Mycroft is standing. I was typing morse code with my fingers. I was clicking too fast or just typing random words. "I can't," Sherlock said. "Can't?" Mycroft questioned. "It's impossible at the moment. Hi John." I waved towards John's direction. "Are you guys okay? I saw it on TV -" "What? Oh. Yeah. Gas leak, apparently." Sherlock then turned his attention to Mycroft. "The stuff I've got is too big. I just can't spare the time." "This is of national importance!" Sherlock points to me. "Then why don't you have Lune do it. She's more than capable. How's the diet?" I looked at Sherlock and punched him. Sherlock glared at me and rubbed his shoulder. "Fine." There's a beat of awkward pause before Mycroft resumed. "Maybe you can get to him, John?" John blinked for a couple of good measures. "What?" "I'm afraid my brother can be very intransigent." Since I was being very spiteful at the moment, I spoke up. "If you're so keen, why don't you investigate it?"

"No, no, no. I can't possibly leave the office for any length of time. Not with the Korean elections so near -" Mycroft stops and smiles sweetly. When I heard that, one of my eyebrows went up. I'm pretty sure Sherlock looked at his brother too. "Yes, well, you don't need to know about that, do you? Besides, a case like this. It requires ... leg-work." A snort must've come out of my mouth because suddenly Mycroft's eyes were trained on me. "How's Sarah, John. How was the li-lo?" I asked, trying to divert his attention to John. "Sofa, Lune. It was the sofa," Mycroft corrected. "Of course," I agreed. John, of course, was confused. Poor sweet John. "How -? Never mind."

"Sherlock's business seems to be booming since you became ... pals. What's he like to live with? Hellish, I imagine?" I smile mischievously. "We're certainly never bored, Mycroft." "Good! That's good, isn't it? He's a real live wire, Sherlock is. When we were children, he worked out from the angle of the car seats and a smear of lipstick in the back of the Audi that dad was having it off with the au pair. I'm afraid mum wasn't too pleased and that was that. Bang went to our happy home." Mycroft gazes levelly at Sherlock. "Such a clever boy, but he really has got to get his priorities right. Like now."

Mycroft walks a couple of paces and takes out some documents. "Andrew West. Known as 'Westie' to his friends. Civil servant. Found dead on the rails at Battersea station this morning. Head smashed in." "Jumped in front of the train?" assumed John. "That seems the logical reason," said Mycroft. "But?" I retorted. He looked at me puzzled. "But?" My arms were crossed in front of my chest. In my mind, I scolded Mycroft. I'm not stupid Mycroft. "Well, you wouldn't be here if it was just an accident." Sherlock was tickled by my comment. "Ha!" "The Ministry of Defense has been working on a new missile defense system. The Bruce-Partington Program, it's called. And the plans for it were on a memory stick." "That wasn't very clever," said John. Mycroft shot John a withering glance. "It's not the only copy. But it is a secret. And missing."

I perked up at the word 'secret'. "Top secret?" I hoped. "Very. We think West must've taken the memory stick and we can't possibly risk it falling into the wrong hands." you've got to find those plans, Sherlock. Don't make me order you." Sherlock scoffed at the remark. "I'd like to see you try." there was a moment of silence. "Think it over." Mycroft winces slightly, touches his jaw, then shakes John's hands. "Goodbye, John. Lune. See you both very soon." Mycroft takes his leave, closing the door.

Sherlock gets up from the couch and moves over to his personal armchair. He picks up his violin and starts sawing away at it with furious energy. 'Why did you lie?" asked John. "What?" 'You've got nothing on. Not a single case. That's why the wall took a pounding. Why did you tell your brother you were busy?" "Why shouldn't I?" "Oh. Sibling rivalry," I said. "Nice. Now we're getting somewhere. Sherlock's got a past." Out of the blue, Sherlock's phone rings.

"Sherlock Holmes." He listens to the caller. "How could I refuse?" Sherlock smiles and hangs up the phone. He looks at John almost as if he was mocking him. "Lestrade. I am summoned. Coming?" "If you want me to." Sherlock upon hearing those words brightened. "Of course! I'm lost without my blogger and child mercenary!" I stopped Sherlock before he could take another step. "Sherlock, you promised that you would help me get those music items from the abandoned music store." "Yes, yes. If we get to Lestrade first I'll throw in five books." I smiled happily. "Just let me get my guns first."