"Are you saying that Mycroft is dead?" Gregory asked John, a frown on his face.
"His heart isn't beating. Not even a little bit. It's completely still." John replied, his stethoscope pressed against Mycroft's chest.
"How is that possible?" Gregory murmured, looking from Sherlock to John, "How can he be dead but still sat here talking to us?"
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Sherlock murmured under his breath, "It appears to me that Mycroft has become some sort of vampire."
"A vampire? But that is the very definition of impossible!" Gregory argued as he paced around the kitchen.
Mycroft remained sat on the floor, completely motionless. Occasionally he looked up, his eyes seeking out Gregory, but he mostly kept his vision fixed on the floor.
"It's not impossible." the government official murmured, his voice so low that it would have been missed had the kitchen not been completely silent.
"Are you telling me that vampires exist?" Gregory demanded with a barked laugh.
"I am telling you that there are many mysteries in our world that have no logical meaning but still exist." Mycroft replied.
"You were bitten, weren't you? On your arm." Gregory practically hissed, walking over and tugging Mycroft's sleeve up his arm to expose the scar.
Mycroft nodded, "The man we had in custody managed to reach me before my bodyguards could stop him. It was a momentary slip."
"Were you aware of his condition?" John asked Mycroft cautiously.
Mycroft sighed and shook his head, "My team were convinced that he suffered from a form of psychosis."
"We need to call someone." Gregory sighed, looking down at the housekeeper, "We can't cover this up."
"Call Anthea." Mycroft said, looking up at his partner, "Tell her it's a code Burgundy. She'll understand."
"Surely you don't have a code for if you get turned into a supernatural creature?" John demanded with raised eyebrows.
"No, but Burgundy is the most relevant code." Mycroft replied, "Call Anthea before you call anyone else. Please."
"Alright." Gregory said, pulling out his phone and dialing Anthea's number.
"Hi Greg, how are you?" Anthea's welcoming voice answered.
"I'm at home and Mycroft told me to say that it's a code Burgundy." Gregory said, glancing at Mycroft.
There was a long pause on the other end of the line and Gregory wondered if the line had dropped.
"I'll be right over." Anthea replied, all warmth gone from her voice.
"What's code Burgundy?" Gregory asked as he put his phone away in his pocket.
"It's the code I prayed that I'd never have to use." Mycroft replied, staring down at his bloodstained hands.
"What does it mean?" Gregory asked, "What is going to happen?"
"It means that I've been compromised. That I'm a threat and can no longer be trusted. That I need to be removed from office and public life so I can't reveal any state secrets." Mycroft explained quietly, "It's the final solution."
"Death?" John gasped in horror.
"No, a fate worse than death." Sherlock murmured, "Life imprisonment."
"Where is Mr Holmes?" Anthea demanded as she entered the kitchen and glanced around at the three men who were stood there.
"Here." Mycroft replied from behind his PA.
Anthea spun around, immediately pulling out her gun and pointing it at his head, "Hands where I can see them!" she ordered.
Mycroft raised his hands, "I required a shower and a change of clothes. I have no intention of being taken away covered in blood." he explained.
"Tell me what happened." Anthea ordered, indicating for him to join the others in the kitchen.
Mycroft explained what happened as calmly as possible, keeping his arms raised to show that he wasn't armed and had no plans to make any sudden movements.
"You were right to call code Burgundy." Anthea said after she'd heard the story, her gun still trained on her boss, "I have no option but to take you in."
Mycroft nodded a little, "I thought as much." he agreed, "I do apologize Anthea, this whole situation is terribly inconvenient."
Anthea approached and gently handcuffed him, "Mycroft Holmes, I am detaining you under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983." she said, "You will initially be detained for a period of 6 months as you are a threat to yourself and others. Do you understand?"
"I do." Mycroft replied with a nod.
"You're detaining him for what exactly?" Sherlock demanded, "If Mycroft has been changed into a vampire then no amount of mental health treatment is going to help him."
"Psychosis." Anthea replied as if it was obvious, "Mr Holmes is clearly suffering from hallucinations and delusions."
"Psychosis isn't transferred by bites!" Sherlock argued, "Mycroft, tell her!"
Mycroft stayed silent, refusing to support either side in the argument.
"You'll go mad in an institution. You know that as well as I do, brother." Sherlock said, "Once they get their claws into you, you'll never be free."
"It is necessary." Mycroft replied in a strangely blank voice before Anthea led him out of his large house.