"Ten times in six years." I sat in Sherlock's chair, wrapped in a blanket. John nodded, holding up a piece of paper.
"Every time you flatlined they recorded it and how long you were dead. A total of two hours you've been legally dead." He read. He held up another piece and began reading it. "What the…"
"What?" Sherlock asked from the desk. He was still reviewing the footage. I looked at a page from my pile.
"They treated her for schizophonia for three years," John said.
"Will…" I whispered. The words on the page blurred.
"She doesn't have any signs of it. Why would they treat her for that?" John continued.
"Will…" I repeated. My eyes locked on the page.
"I wonder if that was done on purpose." Sherlock mused. "Perhaps to cause memory loss."
"Sherlock…" I whispered. I couldn't make my voice go higher than that.
"What is it?" Sherlock turned to face me. I remained frozen with the piece of paper. Sherlock took the page and began reading it. "Oh, my…"
"What is it?" John asked, leaning forward in his chair. I ran my hands under my hair.
"They gave her a lobotomy," Sherlock whispered. John stared at me, his eyes wide.
"How did no one know this?" John asked.
"Because I don't have rights…" I realized. I began searching through the papers. "No birth certificate, no social insurance number, nothing. In the law, I'm not alive."
"An experiment, not a patient," Sherlock whispered. His eyes lit up as something clicked in his mind. "John, do you remember the case with Bluebell?"
"Yes of course." John nodded. "We were almost arrested, again."
"Remember asking if they did any cloning? Dolly the sheep." Sherlock frowned. "They didn't answer us when we asked about human cloning. If they were able to clone humans, then in all legal terms they wouldn't be alive."
I stared at them. So I was a clone, huh. My mind began racing as I thought.
"What if I escaped the lab, tried to find help but they thought what I was describing was caused by schizophrenia. That's why they treated me for it." I asked. Sherlock nodded.
"When none of the medications worked they had to try something drastic." He agreed. "A lobotomy."
"Pirate, why would he be trying to kill you?" John asked.
"Because I know something I shouldn't." I realized.
"You just can't remember it." Sherlock nodded.
"And your parents?" John asked.
"Adopted," I explained. "Kind of, when the hospital released me, they let me stay with them until I found my parents. As the years went on they started treating me more like their kid than a guest. I just started calling them my parents."
"So what do you know that they don't want you to know…" Sherlock pressed his hands together and stared at me. "John, call Mycroft, we're going back to that lab."
John nodded and dug out his phone. He stood and walked into the kitchen to make the call while Sherlock stared at me.
"Why would they be cloning people?" I asked, almost to myself. "Weaponry?"
"Intelligence." Sherlock decided. "It has to have something to do with intelligence."
"Government work?" I mused.
"Perhaps." Sherlock agreed. We folded our hands and stared at each other as we thought.
"You two are creepy when you do that," John mentioned. "Find anything in your mind palace, Sherlock?"
"Mind palace! That's it!" Sherlock jumped up, making me jump. "Sage, search your mind palace. See if you can figure out what you're missing."
I nodded and closed my eyes. I never really used my mind palace anymore but it was still there. Still as clear as ice.
I opened my eyes and looked around the apartment. Sherlock's apartment. Three files sat on the desk. I opened the yellow folder. William Sherlock Holmes, thirty-seven, drug addiction, mental patient between the ages of nine and twelve, I snapped the file close. I opened the blue file. John Watson, Afghanistan army doctor, forty-five. I snapped that one shut as well. The green file, Martha Hudson, landlady of 221B Baker st., ex-husband ran a drug cartel. I put that file down too. I scanned the rest of the apartment and found a grey file in the kitchen. Mycroft Holmes, forty-four, government official, eldest brother of Sherlock and Euros. I closed it and picked up the teal file underneath. Eurus Holmes, thirty-six, the youngest sibling of the Holmes, institutionalize at the age of five for psychosis, killed Victor Trevor, set Musgrave a flame. I put that file down and scanned the apartment. I walked down the stairs and opened the door.
I stepped into a new apartment, my current living room. I already knew what the files here would contain. Facts about psychology, human mannerisms, how to read someone. I walked to my room and glanced at the files on my bed. Medication, sociology, pathology, biology.
I walked to the balcony doors and opened them, stepping into the home of Ms. and Mr. Jackson. On the kitchen table was four files. Monique, we need to go now. I picked the first two up, the files on the Jacksons and put them aside. Monique? I picked up the third and opened it. Herbs, Lavender, used by many as the smell assist in relaxing, about thirty species of lavender. Peppermint often used to settle the stomach, six hundred varieties of mint plants. She won't wake up, not when she's in her mind, I'll just carry her. I closed the file and picked up the last. Mythology, Greek, Roman, Norse. I closed that one too and scanned the rest of the kitchen. I walked to the back door and opened it. Within the frame, I saw a hospital hall stretching out. I took a step in before flying back out.
"Shit!" I gasped, opening my eyes. I jerked when I realized we were in a car. I looked beside me where Sherlock sat, on my other side was John.
"Did you find anything?" Sherlock asked. I shook my head, rubbing at it as a dull throb began behind my eyes.
"No, I got thrown out," I explained. I closed my eyes and rubbed my head. "I feel like a hammer hit my head."
"Thrown out?" Sherlock asked. I nodded, sitting back and keeping my eyes closed. "I wonder why."
"Because if she couldn't handle remembering it yet," John said. I nodded. "Should we bring Monique into the lab? What if they sent her killer."
"Which is why we'll disguise her." Sherlock shrugged. I opened my eyes and blinked, trying to clear the fogginess from my head.
"As?" I asked.
"A guard," Mycroft answered, throwing a bag at me. Sherlock caught it before I could and placed it on my lap. I opened it and peered at the guards uniform.
"Are we seriously playing dress up?" I asked. All three of them nodded. I shrugged off my jacket and threw it on the ground. "At least the uniform is loose."
I pulled the uniform over my normal clothes before tying my hair back in a bun and putting the hat on.
"How do I look," I asked.
"Boring," Mycroft stated.
"Good," Sherlock said at the same time. Mycroft raised his eyebrows in the rearview mirror. The car pulled to a stop and we climbed out. Mycroft handed me a card and approached the gate.
"Mycroft Holmes, I'm here to do an inspection," Mycroft said. The guards nodded and we walked in. I fell step between Mycroft and Sherlock.
"Keep your head down." Sherlock hissed. I pulled my hat lower and nodded. We followed another guard to the elevators.
"Level B6" Mycroft commanded. The guard glanced at Mycroft before nodding. I stood behind Sherlock, my eyes downcast. The elevator doors opened and we walked into an eerily familiar room. "Jacqui Stapleton. My name is Mycroft Holmes. I'm here to talk about your cloning program."
The doctor glanced at Sherlock and narrowed her eyes. Around us, dogs and cats waited impatiently in cages. She turned back to talk to Mycroft. My eyes caught sight of a small door behind the cages. I glanced at Jacqui before slipping towards it. I scanned my card and waited for it to unlock before slipping in. I nearly screamed when I saw what waited inside. Three bodies with my face laid on tables. One had her head split open. One was being dissected by two scientists and the other sat in a waiting chair. She looked over at me, her eyes blank. Lining the back was were seven cloning tubes. Each one having a different stage in development. I scrambled back through the door.
"What are you doing back there." Jacqui snapped. I spun around and stared at her before running to Sherlock's side.
"Sage?" He whispered. John crept forward, ignoring the doctor's protest and opened the door again.
"Sherlock. You need to see this." John said. Sherlock glanced at me before going to John's side.
"You're not a guard." Jacqui realized.
"Mycroft, they're cloning people." Sherlock returned to my side.
"Sage Monique Salvia, The first successful clone." Jacqui realized.
"Time to go." Sherlock put his hand on my back and pushed me towards the elevator.
"She's not leaving this place." Jacqui waved at the guards who stepped to block the elevator. "She is the property of this lab."
"You cannot own people." Sherlock glared at her.
"She's not a person, she is a clone, a rogue one at that," Jacqui said. I glanced at the door before looking at Sherlock.
"Who is the Pirate?" Sherlock asked. John touched my shoulder, making me turn to look at the guards. Their hands shifted towards the guns at their side.
"Who?" Jacqui asked.
"The Pirate, the man hunting Sage." Sherlock clarified.
"Why would anyone be hunting for that damn clone, other than to bring her back here," Jacqui asked.
"Dr. Stapleton. Cloning humans are against every human right and law this country has about cloning. I suggest you answer my brother question now." Mycroft said quietly. Jacqui glanced between them before sighing.
"Here's what I know. When Sage turned eight she was sent to work at a military base, They didn't tell me which one. From there she worked perfectly, just as I designed her to do. She could get inside terrorist minds and tell us exactly their next move. She stopped more than twenty terrorist attacks in two years. Then I got a call. She had gone rogue. I don't know why or where but she was gone." Jacqui shook her head.
"Which government base?" Mycroft asked.
"I don't know. It was coded. I got updates every month as per our deal." Jacqui shook her head.
"Who did you make the deal with?" Sherlock asked.
"A man called Matthew. No last name." Jacqui said.
"We need the files and anything on your conversations with Matthew. Now." Sherlock commanded, his eyes murderous. Jacqui glanced at Mycroft and noticed the same expression on his face.
"Let's go to my office." Jacqui relented. We walked to a small office by the elevators. Jacqui dug through a file cabinet and pulled out a thick file with the initials SMS on it. "We had been working on human cloning for ten years, all subjects suffered brain damage and die soon after being released from the cloning tubes. Sage was the first to live past the age of eight. Once we were sure she would live we lined up the buyer."
Sherlock took a file and began skimming it. I glanced around the office before walking to the computer. Ignoring Jacqui's protest I logged on and clicked on the bottom right corner. A secret file opened, requesting a password. WILLIAM. A single file opened.
Matthew is a man of power. The terrorists call him the pirate of power. He takes everything from everyone and turns it on them. Secrets, money, anything that can be used against someone. I was brought here to stop the terrorists but now I realize I have to stop him. I have a list of his safe houses and enemies. I just need to get off this damn island. I heard about the man called Sherlock. If someone else manages to unlock this, send for him. This file is meant for him. He may be the only one that can stop the Pirate.
51 45 15N 1 15 41W
52 34 57N 1 59 04W
53 24 36N 2 59 46W
51 52 41N 4 35 35W
53 16 37N 7 29 53W
Uniqa Milon
Frank Shefaire
Valery Elis
Haley Kyles
Ash N. I. Paltom
"Sherlock," I called. I quickly grabbed a pen and began writing the names on a piece of paper and the numbers. Sherlock leaned on the desk beside me and began reading it. "What are the numbers?"
"Coordinates." He answered without hesitating. "You wrote this, did you not?"
"I think I did." I stared at the names in annoyance. "I was young, but anagrams were easy for me to make. I'll have to work on this for a while."
"Can't you just look at it and figure it out?" John asked.
"No. I may have combined all the letters of the names instead of just the one name. I'll need to work on it." I answered. I folded the paper into my pocket and nodded at Sherlock. Then I deleted the file. I turned and glared daggers at Jacqui.
"I'm leaving, I'm not your property, understood?" I growled. Her eyes widened and she nodded at me.
"Then let's go," Sherlock said. We walked to the elevators, glaring at the guards as we passed and left the lab. Once in the car, I pulled out the paper and began thinking. I ignored Sherlock's chattering as he worked through his own mind and Johns questions.
"I need a pen." I snapped. I caught the pen Mycroft threw back at me. I began writing, trying to keep up with my mind.
Uniqa Milon [Mali O'Quinn]
"You found one?" Sherlock asked. I waved my hand at him to silence him. In mind, my I shuffled the letters again for the next one.
Frank Shefaire [Kerian Shaffer]
I stared at the next one, my headache from earlier returning. I rubbed my forehead and stared at the name but the letters shifted, moving in random paths. I couldn't see when it stopped, what words it was making.
"Sage?" Sherlock asked. My hands began shaking. I dropped the pen, then the paper. "Sage."
I felt my eyes flicker shut and I fell back. I heard them talking but not their words. Only sounds.