Disclaimer: I do not own Elementary or Hero: 108.
AN: This is something I came up with on a whim and wrote in about two to three hours. Might post this on the normal Elementary fandom - nothing really coincides with Hero: 108 except names.
As well as that, sorry if the writing is a bit...all over the place. It's sort of how Elementary seems to me (I've been watching episodes of Season 3 and 4 back to back). Also, first and last chapter will be the longest, so don't expect anything too long for the next few chapters. Enjoy!
Chapter 1:
Sherlock Holmes' phone beeped with a message from where it was lying on the couch behind him. The owner of the phone ignored its insistent notification, and instead continued to rummage through the mess of newspaper clippings and post-it notes on the floor, carefully piecing them together by taping them to the floor in a sequence that made sense only to him. Another beep, this one somehow sounding more insistent than the last.
Holmes didn't bother to turn around.
The phone rang, a shrill sound that brought down a beautiful Asian woman with a frown on her face. She arched an eyebrow at the mess on the floor, but instead nodded at the man's phone. "Aren't you going to answer that?"
"I've got more pressing matters on hand," was the absent-minded reply.
The ringing on Holmes' phone tapered off, only to be replaced by the upbeat ringtone from Joan's phone. She shook her head in exasperation, picking the phone up with an eyeroll directed at the detective sitting on the floor. "Hi, Marcus."
"Hey Joan. Listen, we got a homicide here. Some guy pushed a teenager in front of a truck. The kid's name is Lin Chung - he was here with his friends on a school trip."
"You want us to find the man who pushed him?" Joan asked, frowning. That seemed far too in-and-out for them. Usually, when Marcus called, the case was either higher risk, borderline illegal, or just flat out weird.
"Nah, we already got the man in custody. He was hired. We need you guys to find out who hired him." There was still something off about the detective's voice though that made Joan frown and pay closer attention. When no details appeared forthcoming, she merely nodded.
"We'll be there soon." She promised.
"And, ah, I'm not sure if this is supposed to be some kind of secret or anything, but just so you know, two people claiming to be Holmes' brother and father are here."
"They are?" Joan asked, surprised. She shot a glance at Holmes, but he appeared oblivious to the content of the phone call. He looked up, head already cocked, at the surprise in her voice. After all, last Joan heard, Mycroft was in some sort of witness program with the CIA. And she knew Morland tended to avoid direct contact with the police, what with his less than ethical dealings with some people. For them to show up out of the blue…this case must be really important. Maybe some sort of hit with an underworld organisation they were hunting down?
But just what could cause Mycroft to come out of hiding just like that?
"Yeah…they're actually the ones who confirmed the victim's identity."
"We'll be there." Joan repeated. She hung up and turned to Holmes, nodding to the front door. "There's a body at the morgue. The suspect has confessed, but the police need help finding who hired him."
"That's not all." Holmes said, watching her intently. "You were surprised." It's an obvious statement, but Joan's years of dealing with the consulting detective taught her that it was more a prompt rather than a question.
"Well, your brother and father are there, and last I heard, Mycroft was in some sort of protection programme."
Holmes immediately turned to get his phone. "He was." He stood up, leaving the spare newspaper clippings floating around him, grabbed his coat from the couch, and – sidestepping her – stepped out the door. Joan grabbed her own coat and her purse – perpetually always ready due to the familiarity with the rushed time schedule of a crime – and then followed him out.
Detective Marcus Bell was waiting outside the mortuary for them. He had his notebook out as he led them inside, pushing past the doors and making the well-worn trip down to the basement. "Victim's name is Lin Chung; 18 years old, was gonna graduate in a few weeks' time. He and his friends were here in New York for a school trip. According to his friends, they were walking down beside a busy road before some guy showed up from nowhere and shoved him into the street."
"But my understanding was that you have apprehended the man?" Holmes confirmed.
Bell nodded, looking a mix of impressed and frustrated. "Believe it or not, his girlfriend acted quickly and managed to hold the man down until the police arrived to arrest him. He's not talking though." They paused as they reached the lift, Bell jabbing the button with more force than needed. "Now, do you feel like telling me why your family is here?"
Holmes shrugged. "Why my family does anything is beyond me."
A ding and the trio stepped into the lift doors, with Bell pressing the floor they were in. He turned to Joan, eyebrow arched.
"Yeah." Joan nodded. "His brother was in some sort of protection programme last we heard. We're not sure why his father is here either – to my knowledge he rarely contacts the police unless he can help it."
The lift came to a halt and opened.
As discussed, Morland and Mycroft Holmes were standing by the dead body, talking to Dr Hawkes. Both were dressed in suits that looked far too expensive to be worn to a morgue, but the similar facial features disrupted any notion that these two were lying about their familial relation with Holmes. A body was lying underneath a sheet on a metal bed nearby.
Frowning to himself, Sherlock stopped out of the lift and strode towards the body. Both Holmes' looked up at the same time upon hearing the approaching footsteps.
Inwardly sighing at her flatmate's manners, Joan smiled as she approached Mycroft first, wrapping in a tight hug that was more than reciprocated. "Mycroft! It's so good to see you! You look great."
"Likewise, Joan." Mycroft returned the smile.
"What are you doing here? Weren't you running from MI6?" Holmes asked, sounding unimpressed even as he carefully pealed back the sheet halfway and examined the head.
Mycroft shot him a steady look. "Father settled the matter and found who was responsible. Now that the threat looming over my head is over for the time being, I'm allowed to come out of the protection programme."
"You can't just do that." Holmes scowled. "Oh wait. Did father have something to do with it as well?" He asked sarcastically.
Morland sighed in exasperation as Mycroft shot his brother a glare, giving Bell a small smile. "I apologise for having this squabble here."
"Uh, no problem." Bell raised both hands in surrender, shrugging. "I got brother problems too."
"So…back to the body?" Joan asked, nodding to the table. Dr Hawkes looked all too happy to escape the uncomfortable argument, instead taking the sheet over from a willing Holmes to reveal the full body. Large bruises and scrapes covered most of the body, though the bruises were darker around the chest area, and near the victim's torso. Joan examined the bruises and frowned in confusion.
"By the looks of this, he got hit from two different places." She gestured to the bruised areas.
Bell nodded, consulting his notebook once again. "His friends and witnesses said that he narrowly avoided the first bus by moving backwards, but he got hit by a truck, sending him flying. He got hit again by the same truck before it managed to stop."
"Evidently." Holmes said, though it seemed more like he was saying that to change the subject rather than acknowledging it. He fixed his gaze on his family. "Now why are you two here?"
Morland sighed again, but it was Mycroft who answered. "Because this man here is our half-brother."
The other four in the mortuary stopped, looking at the consultant in surprise before glancing back at Mycroft. An unidentifiable emotion crossed Holmes' face as he glanced back at the bruised corpse.
"Your half-brother?" Joan repeated disbelievingly.
Mycroft nodded. "From our mother's first marriage."
"We only located him recently." Morland said in a low voice. "I knew of his existence before I married your mother, but I have never met him or his father in person. Until today."
Holmes nodded suspiciously, keeping his focus on them as he snapped on a pair of gloves. He shot one more wary glance at his family before shifting back to the table, carefully raising a limb at a time as he quietly muttered his deductions to himself. Once he was satisfied, he glanced at Bell. "Any suspects?"
"No." Bell shook his head. "His father's coming over from China to identify his body. The Captain's talking to his friends back at the station."
"Then the station is our next destination." Holmes decided, peeling off his gloves. He dropped them into a bin nearby, and then strode towards the lift.
"We will be coming along." Morland stated, gesturing to himself and Mycroft. "If you'd be so gracious to accommodate us."
Bell merely nodded, glancing at Joan for guidance. Joan did not know what to do either – the news about Lin Chung being their half-brother had thrown her in for a loop, and she was not sure what to make of it either. Either way, she nodded with a small frown that was becoming more permanent before she followed the group into the lift.
Even with Bell's presence, Holmes did not seem to care about keeping his clear familial disagreement under wraps. Instead, once the lift doors closed, he glanced at Mycroft and Morland out of the corner of his eye. "Why would you risk coming here?"
Morland sighed. "It is a complicated matter."
"Isn't everything?"
"We believe that his death has something to do with his relation to us.
"How?" Holmes demanded. "If it was a power move, it was clearly a failed attempt of some sort." Morland fixed him with a piercing look as the lift dinged and the doors opened. Turning his attention to the path ahead him, Holmes suddenly tilted his head as realisation dawned. "You made him a part of your will. He'll receive an equal inheritance to us."
"Yes." Morland nodded. "Your mother insisted on it."
"That sounds worryingly like a motive for murder," Bell muttered, looking uncomfortably between the three Holmeses. Joan gave him a reassuring smile and pat on the shoulder.
"You get used to it."
"I thought I already did."
Joan only grinned, following the quartet of men into the car.
The ride to the 11th Precinct was quiet and tense. Joan could not have been more relieved when the car finally stopped in front of the station and they got out. Despite Bell being the only detective present, Morland naturally took the lead while Holmes sped up his stride, clearly trying to outmaneuver him.
Mycroft sighed at this, glancing at Joan with a bemused expression. Joan shrugged in response, speeding her own pace up when she noticed Holmes holding the lift, tapping his foot in a clear 'hurry up' manner. The bustling sight and sounds of the precinct bullpen was a welcome sight after the cold atmosphere earlier, and Joan smiled at some of the other police officers in greeting.
She glanced over to the side, where she noticed a couple of teenagers were seated. They were wearing shock blankets, carrying a hot drink each and talking amongst themselves in nervous whispers.
"Are they the victim's friends?" She asked Bell. He nodded, but before he could say anything, Thomas Gregson's voice floated over to them.
"Bell." Almost as a group, they all turned to see him approach. He raised an eyebrow at Morland and Mycroft. "Who are you?"
"They are family." Holmes said quickly. "Have you talked to them?"
Gregson nodded suspiciously in a way that told them he was going to let this slide at the moment but would definitely go back to it later. "We're nearly done talking to the witnesses, and his friends. Last one on the list is his girlfriend, Lena Green. She comes from a good family and was the one who got the man. We think she might be a bigger help in finding any motives or people who would want to kill Lin Chung."
"And the suspect?"
"He's not saying a word. He seems quite confident that he'll get out of this unscathed. Whoever paid him must also be providing a damn good lawyer, because all the witnesses we talked to said that he shoved Lin Chung to the side without even bothering to hide it."
Holmes looked at him sceptically. "As in outright pushed?"
"Pushed." Gregson nodded solemnly.
"Then he must really want to make sure Lin Chung died tonight." Joan observed.
"Agreed." Holmes nodded at the girl sitting near the edge of the circle – while she was near the group of friends, it was clear that she was a little bit of an outsider among them. The green clothes and well-put together appearance gave her identity away. "You say she's the girlfriend?"
"Yeah." Bell nodded. Holmes immediately strode up to the group of teenagers, ignoring Gregson's sharp hiss of 'Holmes!' as he stopped next to them and said something. Lena Green looked up and nodded, listening intently as Holmes directed his speech at her. She carefully folded the shock blanket and handed her drink to her friend, before standing up and following him to Gregson's office.
Gregson gestured for them to follow him, raising an eyebrow at the two Holmeses. "Not that I'm not going to be interrogating you two later on why you are here and why this case is your business, but for the moment, are you coming?"
"We will come." Morland decided, and strode past Gregson to enter the office.
Joan watched Lena Green carefully. She was clearly a Caucasian and Asian mix, and was actually very pretty. Although her eyes were clouded with grief, her voice was clear and her posture was guilt-free. She was definitely not responsible for what happened.
"And you say a man pushed him?" Gregson was asking.
Lena nodded, her eyes turning distant. "I was walking next to Lin Chung. I noticed a man walk up - he's the one the police arrested. I remember he was walking quickly before he slowed his pace once he caught up to us. Before I knew it, he had yanked me away from Lin Chung and pushed him onto the road. I tried to reach out, but I ended up pulling two of my classmates back when they nearly fell over as well."
"Classmates?" Holmes asked. "Last I heard, you all were friends."
Lena shook her head with a wistful smile. "I wasn't as close to them - Lin Chung was their friend. I was a friend of a friend, so to speak."
"Alright. Ms Green, do you know anyone who would have a motive to kill him?" Gregson asked.
Lena leaned back, pursing her lips. She nodded slowly. "Yes. His father."
"His father?" Gregson asked, keeping his expression carefully schooled even as Bell noted it down.
"Yes." Lena replied, looking him in the eye. Her gaze dropped for just a second, before she exhaled and looked back up. "Their relationship hadn't always been…amicable. There were times when he came back to school with a broken wrist or sprained ankle. He stayed at school if he was allowed to, though our school did not allow boarding over long holidays."
"You're saying his father is abusive," Joan stated gently. She did not want to antagonise the girl who clearly cared about her dead boyfriend, but Joan felt the need to make this clear, "but that's no motive to kill him."
"There might be." Lena said firmly. "I remember once speaking to Lin Chung. It was one of the only times we ever talked about his…living conditions. He said that when his father was drunk, he constantly shouted at Lin Chung about how his mother left him for some, and I quote 'rich pompous bastard'. I believe…from somewhere in the UK?" Her eyebrows furrowed, eyes closed as she tried to pull that particular memory out. "I can't be sure, my apologies."
"Don't worry about it." Bell shot the Holmeses a look before he continued. "Do you know anything about his mother? How to contact her, her name, anything?"
"No." Lena shook her head. "Lin Chung doesn't remember much about her. She left when he was young."
"Okay." Bell nodded.
"I'm sorry if that wasn't much use." Lena said.
"No." Holmes straightened up. "You've given us more than enough. Now, if you'll excuse me," He rushed out the door in a flurry.
Lena looked after him, startled, though she managed to keep a neutral expression. She wrung her hands together in her lap. Joan stood and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "I'll get you something to drink."
"If you don't mind," Lena said quietly, "I think it is time that me and my friends go back to our hotel to get some rest. Do you have any more questions?"
"Not at the moment." Gregson said. "We'll have someone take down your contact information if we have any further questions, but you all should be good to go back now."
"Will you guys be okay with going back?" Joan asked. "Do you need us to get a taxi for you or anything else?"
"We'll be fine, thank you." Lena said, though her smile was sad. "Our parents have been notified, and most of them have agreed to meet us here."
"Did they know Lin Chung?" Joan asked.
"Yes." Lena nodded – again, her smile was sad but fond. "They all liked him. He was a good man. Always kind and never with a mean word to say to anyone."
"Thank you for your help." Captain Gregson smiled at her, standing up. Lena was quick to follow, accepting the offered handshake. "If you don't mind, we'll help send you kids back, maybe get some guards over you guys. Until we get a clearer motive, we have to go under the assumption that you all are under threat."
"We appreciate it." Lena nodded. She dipped her head gracefully to those in the room, then left through the open door.
Joan glanced at the two Holmeses, who were deep in quiet discussion, before leaving the room. She found Holmes at Bell's desk, intently studying the stress ball in his hand. "So, what did you think?"
"She was telling the truth."
"You think Lin Chung's dad is behind this?"
"I don't know." Holmes frowned thoughtfully. "She implied that the man knew about my father."
"You think it might be over the inheritance?" Joan asked. "I'm not saying that the inheritance is a big one, but if the man could afford to hire such a confident idiot, why on earth would he need the inheritance?"
Holmes leaned back, sighing. "I suppose you're right. After all, there is no other explanation as to how Lin Chung's father would have known about the inheritance. I don't think that my mother would keep in contact with him, since it was clear she didn't keep in touch with Lin Chung."
"Maybe your father told him?"
"Why on earth would he do something so stupid?" Holmes scowled, rolling his eyes. "He should know that with Lin Chung dead, the inheritance goes to the next of kin. Which, in this case, is Lin Chung's father."
"You are not wrong," Morland joined them, "I never said a word to Victor Lin."
"I'm guessing he is Lin Chung's father?" Joan asked.
Morland nodded, exhaling heavily. "Indeed. Lin Chung had accepted a scholarship to a university in England. I planned to tell him when he left China, once he was out of Victor's reach."
"But something went wrong." Holmes snapped. "Why else would an innocent boy be lying dead in a mortuary?"
Morland closed his eyes, the closest thing to grief that he would express. Joan lowered her own eyes in respect at the despair in his voice. "I had not intended for the boy to suffer because of it."
"Then why didn't you take him away?" Joan asked, frowning. "If the man was abusive and you knew, why didn't you take him away?"
Morland acknowledged the quick deduction about his knowledge on Lin Chung's abuse with a incline of his head. "You see, Lin Chung was already making astounding progress in the school he was currently in. I did not think he would appreciate me appearing out of nowhere and sending him elsewhere without an explanation."
"You mean you do not want another son of yours – even if he is not your blood – to hate you." Holmes' hands tightened into fists.
"Besides," Joan's voice was steely now, "there is never a good reason to leave a child in the hands of an abuser."
Morland was saved from replying when Bell and Mycroft joined them. Bell looked at Holmes and Joan, nodding in the direction of the interrogation room. "You guys ready to talk to the murderer?"
Holmes nodded stiffly and stood, following Bell into the interrogation room without another word nor glance at either his brother or father. Joan sighed, sending Mycroft a small exasperated smile – and adamantly ignoring Morland – before she followed.