"But that's impossible," James stated nervously, staring at his near identical twin, "How…?"
"I don't know, but I'm doing a blood test on both of you to see if your genetic coding is the same or similar," said Helen, looking at her samples through a microscope. "What did you say your name was again?"
"Adam. Adam Pierson," the young Sherlock stuck his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and began to look around the room, tapping one of the containers labelled 'firefly larvae', "I'm a self-defence teacher." He stood back to examine the full array of specimens, "All you're missing is 'eye of newt'." He smiled.
Watson groaned, "Does he have to be here?"
"Would you prefer it if he went wandering aimlessly through the Sanctuary?"
He mentally kicked himself. He knew that was something that had to be avoided, even if it meant putting up with the young man.
They sat in silence for a moment, Watson looking into the second microscope at the samples he'd taken from the abnormal, trying his best to ignore the new mystery that had unveiled itself, though he found it harder the more he tried.
"How's the serum transaminaze going?" Magnus asked her old friend.
"Inconclusive levels," he replied, glad for the distraction, finding his eyes were continuously travelling to his wandering twin, "In fact the behavioural changes the first clinical presentation make this diagnosis very prickly."
"Well John was unaffected despite being exposed at ground zero. Which suggests that the special qualities of the five might well provide an immunity factor. Until the tests come back I'll be looking at my own blood as a way to combat the disease."
"I'll tell you what the tests will show, or would you rather be surprised?"
"A man-made pathogen."
Adam looked extremely bored, picking up a vial containing a blue liquid.
"Psychosis inducing agent that affects only abnormals has to be by design." There was no chance that man was going to survive there if he continued his pointless investigations.
Helen paused, wondering if it were right for her to mention their other guest, "John believes the Cabal are behind it."
"Hm, well John draws his insights from an affinity with evil. I have great faith in his analysis."
She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. "I have released him from isolation."
"Now if only you could release yourself." He said, raising his eyebrows.
She frowned. "I'm sorry?"
There was a smash from where Adam was stood as he dropped a thankfully empty beaker. "Oops…"
They decided to ignore the distraction as he began to pick up the larger pieces and put them on one of the tables, leaving the smaller shards for later. This man was hopeless.
"Our contacts are too seldom, too brief." He began to look back at the microscope, "Considering I'm the leader of your largest satellite operation." The last part was almost like an afterthought. He really did miss her. The best years of his life were when the five were together (apart from when John had turned out to be Jack the ripper).
"It's out of respect for your autonomy as much as anything else."
He saw Adam roll is eyes.
"Most people go back to their oldest contacts for solace Helen, you defy that, conjecture within you always have."
"Well, we're together now, aren't we?" She got up, smiling at him, and made her way around her friend in order to get to the fridge.
"If only the circumstances were more agreeable." James watched her for a moment, then returned to his work.
When Will entered Magnus' office, he was surprised to find not one but two Watsons with John, both seeming to keep their distance from him. The one that was definitely younger looking than the one he'd met earlier was sitting very casually on one of the chairs, almost lying down, his coat over the back, though his face was clean, unlike Helen's friend. The other was setting up a strange looking machine, but he focused on his first point of interest.
"Who are you?"
They all looked up at him and the young Watson stood up and held out his hand. "Adam Pierson." He smiled, "Don't ask why I'm here because I don't know."
Will took the offered hand. "Doctor Will Zimmerman."
"Pleasure." Adam returned to his seat and his examination of the real Watson's machine. There were tubes and wires leading everywhere, and there was a rotating spool in the centre that made certain metal pieces trigger other parts and so on. Overall, it looked very complicated; something Will believed he'd probably never be able to understand.
He went around the group and opened the cupboard, picking up some glasses and placing them on the table, returning for a container of brandy. He then began to walk around the group, offering it to each of them. "So what is that?"
"A necessary component for my survival." James finished attaching a wire to the mechanism on his leg, "Not much we can do until the results come in in the morning." Will filled his and John's glasses. "Not that I think Helen will sleep very much. Tell me young man, what is it like to work for a woman?"
Adam smiled. He knew where this was going.
"A woman like doctor Magnus? It's a privilege," Will replied, unable to answer the question in any other way. How was he supposed to know what it was like when they were seen as near second-class citizens?
"What Watson means is what's it like for someone who hasn't been dragged by his scruff into the twenty first century. And the century before that." John explained, picking up his glass.
"You know I'm still not used to the whole 'I've lived for a century' thing. You'll have to tell me how you did it some time," Adam picked up his now full glass, looking at the protégé, "Thank you."
"Most men's failures haunt them for a lifetime, mine have haunted me for two." He adjusted the straps on his arm. How has he coped all these years?
"What failure?" Will frowned, putting down the container after filling his own glass.
"Oh, the Ripper case." He looked at his old friend and rival. "Confounded me like no other."
"You came close James, you don't know how close." He sipped the amber liquid, taking in the taste.
"Night after night I poured my insides out to you never knowing that the target of my manhunt was the man…who dissected by said positions."
"I was in the grip of something I couldn't control, I think you know that."
"The fact remains you gave the lie to all my bravado. You shattered my belief that I could see beyond what a mere mortal could."
"Little of sensitivity here we're in the presence of some 'mere mortals'."
"Young Will here has the makings of a decent detective." He raised his glass, "Perhaps he could have seen what I could not."
"Oh, and I'm not good enough for you?" Pierson asked, making an innocent look.
Watson turned to face him, "I don't know you…"
"Well you don't know Will here either." Adam tilted his head, "From what the Big Guy's told me you've known him for less than a day!"
"He has a point old man," John took another sip of his brandy, "how can you be so sure of yourself?"
Will noticed Adam sharpen his eyes at the man, obviously not wanting him to butt in, but remained silent. There was obviously something he was missing.
"You can learn a lot from someone in a few hours."
"Oh. Like your time spent with me while you were working on your so-called case? How is it that you find it a failure if you have the culprit in your sight?"
"Well your life devoted to justice, sir, it's a constant burrow on my backside that you have avoided it."
"Justice is meated out in many ways." 'Jack's' face had taken on a seriousness that seemed ghostly, "Your not the only one haunted."
The two 'mere mortals' began to feel uncomfortable.
"You've got to believe that fate has brought you two together for a reason."
"Yes why are you here Druitt?"
"Oh to save the world as we know it. And, time allowing, to reassert my superiority in our battle of wits." John said, smirking from fond memories.
James allowed a small friendly smile appear on his face, holding out his glass that Druitt promptly tapped with his own, small bursts of laughter shortly forthcoming.
After he'd discovered that the Big Guy had caught whatever it was that was such a threat to the abnormals, 'Adam' decided to keep out of everyone's way since they were all so busy with 'saving the world', and so he returned to his room, removing his shoes and lying on his bed, stretching his arms and legs out. He was about to take a well-deserved nap when he felt a slight tingling in his head and there was a knock at the open door.
"May I come in?"
He turned his head to find his doppelganger standing there. He still found it unnerving, seeing himself as someone older looking than him. It was probably what he would have looked like at that 'age'. He sat up. "Sure, why not."
Watson made his way over to the bed and sat down next to him, legs creaking as he went.
"That's got to be uncomfortable to sleep with," Adam motioned to some of the tubes wrapped around his neck and arms.
"I've had more than enough time to rehabilitate my sleeping methods to it, though I must admit, I still wake with a bit of an ache in my back."
Nodding, Adam turned to him, "So why are you here?"
The old man sighed and crossed his hands. "The tests came back for our blood samples…" He paused.
"And?" Even though he wouldn't admit it, he was as anxious about them as he was.
"And… we appear to have near identical gene structures."
Adam frowned, "But that's…"
"Impossible I know, but it's what the tests have shown. From these results, you could almost say we were, genetically speaking, twins."
