Chapter 1 Miss Arianna Daratrazanoff Knight
"Sorry, no chance of being a hero this time, "
Sherlock looked blindly in front of him, desperately trying to find a way to save Mary, and essentially John, whilst stopping Magnussen.
"Sherlock Holmes and John Watson stand away from that man. Do it now." As the helicopter blared and the specially trained police force began to surround them, Magnussen looked away from Sherlock and John, who was wearing a look of shock, despair and hidden fury at the threats against Mary; Magnussen on the other hand moved his head in a sweeping arc, looking on at the helicopters and troops that had promptly arrived. Everything had gone according to plan and he was feeling exceptionally smug, he had control over the entire nation. What he didn't notice, was the look of resignation and determination that flitted across Sherlock's face. Sherlock quickly stepped forward, pulling the British Army Browning L9A1 from the back of John's jeans before stepping up to Magnussen.
"Oh, do your research! I'm not a hero; I'm a high functioning sociopath. Merry Christmas!" Sherlock shouted over the sound of helicopter blades spinning, raising his arm high and aiming, before shooting Magnussen in the head. Magnussen, who had looked towards Sherlock with a look of amusement at Sherlock's exclamation fell back wards as the bullet entered his head. Sherlock in turn dropped the gun as the spotlight was now almost trained solely on him as he raised his arms to his head.
"Get away from me John. Stay well back." Sherlock commanded as he twisted his upper torso slightly looking imploringly at John, gauging his reaction.
"Christ Sherlock!" John cried in shock at the actions of his best friend, mimicking him as he too, raised his arms above his head, looking, almost disbelieving at the scene in front of him: Sherlock had killed someone. For a moment, he thought back to the first time he met Sally Donovan, in "A Study In Pink", remembering her words: "One day, showing up won't be enough. One day we'll be standing around a body and Sherlock Holmes will be the one that put it there." She was right, in a way Sherlock did kill Magnussen , but what other choice did he have?
"Don't fire! Do not fire on Sherlock Holmes!" Mycroft commanded desperately, tears in his eyes as he tried to save his brother from being shot.
Sherlock stared at John for a moment; trying to tell him without words how sorry he was before he spoke, just loud enough for John to hear him: "Tell her she's safe now." Before turning back to the helicopters, to Mycroft and knelt at the top of the stairs that led to Appledore and let his mask fall. Despair and sadness were etched into his features as he let the true extent of his actions flit across his mind's eye. He ignored everything, the Police Officers in riot gear standing in front of him, the red dot of the lasers trained upon his chest and neck, as he looked down, resigned to his fate.
"Oh Sherlock...What have you done?" Mycroft murmured, as he removed the headset gazing at his younger brother with sadness and concern, tears in his eyes, as he allowed his emotional façade to slip for the briefest moment. In that instant, Mycroft didn't see Sherlock as an adult, no, he saw him as a child, a defenceless 9 year old boy in his school uniform, tears rolling down his soft, pale cheeks, his chestnut hair flying around by the wind generated by the helicopter blades, his blue green eyes wide as he stared at the menacing sight in front of him as he tried to swallow his whimpers of fear.
(Skip to Sherlock being exiled, then being called back after only 4 seconds of flying. In Mycroft's office)
Mycroft stared in disbelief at the ballistic reports in front him. The bullet found in Charles August Magnussen was not the bullet of a British Army Browning L9A1 hand gun, but was a bullet from a sniper rifle, a bullet from a Chey Tac M-200 Carbine, made in the US. Sherlock was innocent. With this new information in mind, Mycroft began mentally dismissing and questioning who had been the one to end Magnussen's life. Not only that, but had done so with such precision that it did look as though Sherlock had fired the bullet into Magnussen's head. Only one name came to mind, and Mycroft looked up to see the young women sat across from him, the shadows from the dimmed light, obscuring her face from view. Mycroft looked a little startled for a moment; he questioned whether or not he had been so deep in his musings as to ignore her presence. Mycroft stared at the woman in front of him, and as her look of impassive disinterest morph into a smirk filled with mischief, it was only then did Mycroft realise just who had been the one to kill Magnussen. 'Of course,' though Mycroft, as he scoffed at his own idiocy for being so blinded that he couldn't see how she had done it. She was, after all, the only person he knew of that could pull off such a plan whilst fooling himself and Sherlock Holmes.
The two stared at one another, Mycroft's blue eyes looking deeply into her deep green ones; a tense silence had enveloped the two adults as neither of them was willing to speak until the other did, and whilst Mycroft remained impassive, on the outside, the woman looked on with eyes full of amusement. It was Mycroft who broke the silence, one of them had to act like an adult and she wasn't going to be the one to do so.
"Magnussen." Mycroft spoke clearly and used the one word statement as though it held all the answers to what he really wanted to ask her.
"Hmmm, yes Magnussen, such a shame he had to be dealt with in such a way. He had so much potential, it's such a shame he became blinded by his own arrogance." She spoke softly and easily, as though they were having a cordial conversation about the weather over afternoon tea. At the word "potential" Mycroft's eyes hardened, his eyes narrowing as his cold mask slipped into one he used when dealing with traitors to the nation and terrorists. Seeing Mycroft's hardened gaze, she elaborated, dismissing his anger as she answered his unasked question; "Yes, potential…..had he not been so blinded by his belief in his own intelligence and power, he would have been a useful ally. It's such a shame he couldn't see that in this world of predators, sharks and goldfish, one day someone will be smarter and will take over his empire of blackmail and secrets. Even if he did acknowledge it, I don't think he expected someone to take over so soon, do you?" The question posed had been spoken so innocently and softly, a part of Mycroft couldn't believe that she had killed Magnussen. However Mycroft couldn't help but admire the elegance of her plan, well, what he believed her plan to be.
"Excellent shot. I have to say, your aim has improved since the last time you needed to….dispose of someone."
"Thank you Mycroft, although your praise and thanks isn't necessary. Magnussen isn't dead." Her soft voice had a hardened edge to it, but it also held something else, whatever it was Mycroft was uncertain as his steely gaze rested on the petite woman sat across from him, as though his gaze alone could draw out the secrets she had been keeping from him. She sighed at his icy disposition as she turned and uttered a soft "Come in" her voice turning into a gentle coo, the kind that one would use on a baby or a pet. The large mahogany doors opened for a moment and a figure stepped into the room, it was someone who, only a day ago had been declared dead…..Magnussen. When Mycroft's eyes moved to Magnussen's the first reaction, though muted and unnoticeable to one other person in the room was shock, which morphed into disbelief, as Magnussen had been shot in the head, which in turn changed to a feeling betrayal, that the tiny slip of a woman had lied to him, he had assumed that she shot him in the head, it was a kill shot that was done right under Sherlock's nose, literally, but he had believed that she had been speaking the truth. She had not spoken outright and said that she had shot Magnussen, but her presence alone had been enough for Mycroft to believe, no, for him to know that she had killed Magnussen. There was nothing, absolutely nothing she could gain by deceiving him.
"Now, there's no need for you to give me that look, Mycroft, I haven't lied to you, nor have I claimed to have killed him." She spoke with authority, using the tone a mother would when admonishing her child after they have misbehaved. She then turned slightly in her seat; "Magnussen you don't have to stand, I would say to sit down, but I don't think would appreciate you sitting so close to him."
Magnussen looked upon the young woman with a gaze filled with pure unadulterated terror, which Mycroft had never seen in another person's eyes, let alone Magnussen, who was known for his predatory gaze of that of a shark's, emotionless and dead eyed. Mycroft was surprised by Magnussen's reaction to the green eyed woman, who's petite and delicate frame seemed to exude innocence, and in the large high backed chair she sat in, she seemed frail.
"How" Mycroft's deep voice seemed to reverberate around his office, cutting the tension filled air, like a knife.
"Have you heard of flash cloning?" Came the reply, as she cocked her head to the side her hair, the colour of a raven's wing slid off her shoulder, framing her pale face. At this question Mycroft's eyebrows knitted closer together as he looked quickly at the fearful and quiet Magnussen who seemed to be attempting to press himself into the wall and either blend into the background or become the background. Seeing Mycroft's slight confusion she began to elaborate, seeming to forget about the man who was subconsciously cowering in fear by just standing behind her. "It's a new form of cloning, highly classified and very dangerous. It's similar to the way Dolly the Sheep was cloned, only it's a little…..different and far more advanced. Flash cloning is meant to be for separate organs such as the brain or the heart. It's very difficult for a person to be able to clone a fully functional human with the same information in their mind and the same thought processes, however I succeeded. I wouldn't really be surprised that you don't know Mycroft; after all cloning of such a degree is illegal and something that shouldn't be possible for a couple decades. The Magnussen that I shot was the clone I created. He wasn't willing, of course to be cloned, but, he was too much of a threat for me to ignore."
With her confession, Mycroft's brain went into to overdrive as he connected the dots. Magnussen had been shot; he had died, technically speaking. But the real Magnussen, the one who had been born and not created in a test tube had been, in a sense, had been held hostage while the clone continued with the original Magnussen's plans. Mycroft couldn't help but admire the way she worked with such finesse. Magnussen, was dead, so to speak, and now had nowhere to run, he was completely at his mercy.
"Consider it a gift, for all the trouble I put you and your brother through. Oh, and for what it's worth, Sherlock was never going to go on the mission in east Europe." She spoke, at first apologetically, looking at Mycroft with a gaze asking for his forgiveness, before she became much more serious her tone turning almost business like as she continued to ignore Magnussen. At her second admission, Mycroft's eyebrow rose questioningly, prompting her to continue; "I convinced MI6 to assign another poor unfortunate soul to go on that mission. They are considered a traitor and to have committed treason, they gave away certain bits of information to some very high bidders. Don't worry, I have taken care of both ends to ensure that no further information was leaked, I also took care of the paperwork." The response from Mycroft was a simple smirk, and a look of appreciation, 'now if only our lot were all just as good as her', Mycroft thought idly s she continued to speak. "Magnussen is at your disposal now. He is powerless and I'm sure you will be able to think of a…..deserving fate for him." Magnussen inhaled loudly as his look of fear turned into sheer terror at just what Mycroft could do, now that he held now that he had no leverage over Sherlock, and in turn Mycroft.
"Thank you, my dear; you have saved me a lot of work. If only our lot were as good as you….." As he trailed off, Mycroft shook his head slightly, before looking at Magnussen. "I'm sure I can find something…..that will be befitting of your crimes, after all there is nowhere for you to run now Mr. Magnussen." His tone was light, and seemed polite but held a more sinister meaning behind his words that made Magnussen shiver.
Mycroft then sent a message to have Magnussen to be taken to a quiet location to be dealt with. As he was being taken care of, Mycroft looked at the seemingly delicate creature in front of him and saw her in a new light, he had known that she was unpredictable at the best of times, and couldn't be happier knowing that she was on his side and was not allies with Moriarty. Mycroft grimaced at the thought and inclined head towards her in thanks. The comfortable silence ended when a phone chirped, signalling an incoming message. The unnamed woman looked towards her phone before looking apologetically towards Mycroft before rising. No words were needed; the two of them understood what they wanted to say by reading one another's micro expressions. She then rose gracefully, softly bade Mycroft a good evening, saying she would text him, before silently leaving the room, the door making a soft thudding sound as it closed. A few moments later, Anthea walked into the room looking at her phone, waiting for Mycroft to give his orders. Mycroft looked down towards the ballistic report before speaking clearly, with enough authority to cause Anthea to stand at attention at his words:
"I want the highest security and clearance to be active, immediately."
Anthea looked at her employer, confusion evident in her gaze. "For who?"
"Miss Arianna Daratrazanoff Knight, of course."
Thank you reading, feel free to review this story as any criticism is constructive criticism.