Work paused at Scotland Yard when he walked through the door. Uninvited, but had that ever stopped him before? Phone to his ear, Alex Krycek ignored the stares of the various law enforcement professionals as he strode toward his destination.
"Mm-hmm," he said, continuing his conversation. "What sexual favors do I owe you this time?"
"I'll text you the coordinates of the payload," replied the amused voice in his ear.
A human obstruction stepped into his path. "Do you-" Whatever he had meant to say, the man instead stopped and gawked. "Have you only got one arm?"
Thank you, Mr. Tact. "U vas polovye guby dlya ushyeÄ?" Alex retorted as he sidestepped the obstacle.
From his phone, Mycroft chuckled softly. "Anderson?"
"Da," Alex grumbled. "Sdelayu dostavki."
His thumb pressed the button to end the call just as he pushed his way into Detective Inspector Lestrade's office. The man glanced up, then frowned.
"What? No. Can't he phone me like a normal person? Maybe send an email?"
Alex grinned. Though he and Lestrade had only met once before, and then very briefly, he had apparently made an impression. "It's a bit of a sensitive subject."
Lestrade deflated into his chair. "That means it's about Sherlock."
"Safe guess," Alex replied, enjoying the reaction people always had to the Holmes brothers. "He's up to some business at a place called Baskerville. Mycroft would like for you to look in on him."
Lestrade made a noise of irritation through his nose. "No."
"No?" Alex repeated, buying himself time to think. Mycroft had given him the impression that this would be easy. "They might get into all sorts of trouble. Baskerville is a military facility."
"I know what it is, and I know where it is. I'm not about to go off into the country babysitting Sherlock Holmes."
Alex could offer compensation, but upon sizing up this man, he sensed that money would not motivate Greg Lestrade. Taking an uninvited seat opposite the Detective Inspector, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, an expression of sincerity upon his face. "Look, I'm not going to insult you by offering you anything in return for this favor. There's a lot that Sherlock can get into out there, from life-threatening secrets to deadly chemicals that he won't even recognize until it's too late. John Watson won't see the danger, since he's always far too busy keeping Sherlock from being a threat to himself. You know Sherlock, and you do have an interest in his safety. Mycroft asks you. Specifically you." Pressing his lips together, Alex delivered his most intently serious expression. "Please."
Lestrade sighed, except that the sound was more like a growl. "Fine," he said, clipping the word short in his aggravation. "I'll go, but only for two days."
Five minutes after his conversation with Lestrade, Alex felt his phone buzz in his pocket. One new text message. A single word: Follow.
Only two hundred and eighty-two days remaining, and Mycroft Holmes chose to send him to a remote research facility. Well, Alex could really respect a man opportunistic enough to use his own brother as a distraction. To Baskerville, then, to locate and retrieve the payload. Where it was bound, only Mycroft knew.
Notes:
I do not speak Russian. Phrases exist courtesy of Google translate, which means that I'm taking a leap of faith on their accuracy.
U vas polovye guby dlya ushyeÄ? - a colloquial insult which, assuming that the translation is correct, is in fact in use.
Sdelayu dostavki. - I'll make the delivery.
I hope that's correct, or near enough to it.
