"Ultra Infirmitatibus Meis"
Chapter 15
"Secrets taken to the grave."
Sherlock couldn't sleep.
Everything that has happened during the last few days, chased the notion of rest away from the Detective's eyes.
All he could think about...
Was his brother.
About how he suffered through their shared life.
About how no one did anything to help him when he clearly needed it.
About how he did nothing but be an enormous brat nearly all their shared life.
But more importantly...
About the person responsible for all this.
Uncle Rudolph Holmes.
He was the one who ruined their family with his deception and constant lies.
He told them all Eurus was dead.
He took an innocent little boy and molded him into a monster.
He made sure their parents never knew when Mycroft really took his place as the Shadow King of England.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
There is no telling what else he lied about.
Sherlock frowned, the thought buzzing around in his head, as he tossed and turned in bed.
...
There is no way he's going to sleep with all these questions left unanswered.
He got up.
It was time to get some answers.
Sherlock effortlessly navigated through the dark bedroom, reaching his wardrobe with almost mechanical ease and pulling out a random set of clothes.
His biological clock told him it's about 2:00 a.m in the morning.
It's not like anyone will be awake to judge his taste in attire.
A few minutes later he's dressed and quietly making his way down the stairs. No reason for John and Ms. Hudson to be awake at this hour.
As much as he usually enjoys his blogger's company during cases, this is something he has to take care of alone.
One long ride via taxi and the young Detective was standing in front of an abandoned building.
Sherlock glared at the doorknob, which was dusty from years of unuse.
Behind it was the home of his late uncle Rudolph Holmes, the fortress in which he planned all his schemes.
Sherlock would go for the man's office but that has been thoroughly remodeled after Mycroft took possession of it.
If there was anything to find in that office, his older brother's men have already disposed of it a long time ago.
So here Sherlock was, about to break into a dead man's home.
It felt like he was about to graverob his uncle's tomb.
Shaking the thought away, the curly-haired servant of the law kneeled and began working on the lock.
Once the poor old rusty thing finally gave way to his forceful unlocking, Sherlock was allowed in.
The door swung open with a shrill, a cloud of dust hitting the detective square on the face.
Sherlock coughed a few times before entering the room.
It was dark, gloomy and covered in layers upon layers of dust.
He walked through the long empty hallways, ignoring the rooms that weren't the study.
After being unable able to find the office on the lower level, Sherlock decided to go upstairs.
He didn't have to look long after that. His uncle's personal office was the first room to the right, immediately next to the stairs.
Without a second thought Sherlock burst through the simple, wooden door and began searching for something that could be connected to his brother.
There will be no more secrets in this family.
'There...' Sherlock fell to his knees, his entire body covered in dust. 'There is nothing here...'
He spent four straight hours trying to find something but...
There was nothing.
Nothing at all.
The Detective looked down at the folders laying before him on the floor, his vision going blurry from the tears of frustration that were building up.
'This...' He started shaking. 'This isn't possible...' His hands curled into fists. 'There has to be SOMETHING!'
He should have expected this.
He should have figured the secret leader of an entire nation, would not leave any important information laying around for people to find.
Even if it's in the comfort of his own home, Rudy would not allow sensitive information to be anywhere but in a secure place.
And yet he still came here.
He still searched the room.
He still hoped.
...
He was a fool.
Sherlock felt his resolve falter, his anger giving in to despair.
Momentarily he was that little boy whose brother refused to play with him for the third time in just as many days, with no good reason.
Sherlock hissed and then hit the wooden floor below him, wishing for something to be punished for his failure.
Then… a miracle happened.
Instead of withstanding the Detective's punch, the floorboard actually cracked under the pressure revealing an empty space beneath it.
And that meant hidden compartment.
Startled by the sound of wood breaking, Sherlock's head instantly turned towards his hand, his eyes widened at what he discovered.
It was a book.
Or, more precisely...
A journal.
Rudolph's journal.
Sherlock couldn't believe his luck, as he scanned through the pages of the newly discovered source of untapped knowledge.
This simple book contained insight into the mind of the most mysterious and secretive person, the poor Detective had the misfortune of knowing.
So Holmes flipped the pages, reading about his uncle's thoughts about many interesting subjects, many secrets he had covered up through the years.
But, as interesting as this was, it wasn't anything about their family so he forced himself to stop reading, and skip ahead to around the time Mycroft was born.
There had to be something about him there.
And indeed there was.
Just not the kind of something Sherlock expected...
Monday
The situation with the Russians is slowly getting out of hand, despite my continued efforts.
Their president showcases much boldness for someone who risks going against an entire union if things slip out of control.
That leads me to believe that he has something up his sleeve, which he can hold over our heads to prevent a global intervention on whatever it is he's hiding.
This idea worries me greatly.
A team must be dispatched to retrieve this hidden "Ace", whatever it might be.
Tuesday
Choosing the right man to take on the leading role in the retrieval mission, proved to be more taxing than I anticipated. Our top agents are all with their hands full:
Agent "Troy" is busy negotiating in Hong Kong, "Melinda" is in the middle of a reconnaissance mission in Denmark, and "Horatio" is on sick leave. The rest are all on errands from Lady Smallwood.
This does not leave me with a lot of options to choose from.
I would normally not do this, especially since he still didn't recover fully from his last mission, but the present situation forces my hand.
I'm sending agent "Alekai" to Russia.
Sherlock isn't sure why this is significant, but the agent's codename imbedded itself in his brain.
His gut tells him that this man is somehow important.
He skips a few more pages.
Wednesday
The fool.
The Utterly Foolish fool.
I cannot believe he was moronic enough to actually go through with this, I cannot believe he managed to keep this a secret for so long without blowing his cover, I cannot believe nobody noticed anything.
He played us.
All of us.
Hid in plain sight.
We underestimated him.
I am unsure who the real fools are, anymore.
Oh, "Alekai"... why did you do this?
How could you make such a rookie mistake?
Wasn't this the first thing we taught you not to do?
Did you know this endeavor could end up in tragedy, when you spoke your eternal vows?
Of course you knew.
Otherwise you wouldn't go to such lengths to make sure we don't find out.
Oh, "Alekai"...
For your wife's sake, I hope you return in one piece.
She's due soon.
Sherlock's head spinned.
What was the meaning of this?
Why is his uncle so focused on this one agent? Why is there nothing about his mother and the fact that she's about to give birth to his first son?
Something is not right.
The Detective was almost afraid to read what happens next.
'It's for Mycroft.' He thought to himself when his finger faltered. 'You're doing this for him.'
The pages turned.
It took a few turns but he finally found something that discussed the agent.
Friday
You should have known this would end this way, Agent "Alekai".
You shouldn't have fallen for a trap as common as caring.
You knew the risk when you put that ring around the woman's finger.
People like us don't get a happy ending, dear friend.
As I stood next to your dying wife and newborn son, I thought about how neither of them deserved this.
Your wife deserved a husband who was there for her and your child, on a daily basis.
Your son deserved to grow up with a father figure watching over his steps, as he grew.
They both deserved so much more than what you could offer, "Alekai".
She held on, do you know that, agent?
She tried so hard to be there when you came but… human resilience can only do so much.
The doctors did not know what exactly happened to cause her death, and, even if they have known beforehand, it was too little too late to save her.
But the boy was safe.
Whatever took the life of his mother, didn't spread to him.
Thank the Lord for small mercies.
If he's anything like you, agent, he's going to grow up big and strong.
It's a pity you won't be around to see it.
But at least you were there so say goodbye to your family.
I am actually surprised you managed to come back from Russia, at all.
Especially when Agent "C" notified me about your poisoning.
You ran over to the hospital, desperately trying to be there before your "love" made her last travel to the morgue, ignoring the risks to your own health.
This is why we ban our agents from having relationships, "Alekai".
Because emotions prevent people from thinking logically.
Had you not acted like a fool in love and ran to the hospital, spreading the poison inside your body further, maybe your son would still have a father.
At least you managed to hold him before the toxin claimed your life.
(There is a large part of the text scribbled over)
Wherever you are now "Alekai", you need not worry about your unnamed child.
I made sure he is in good hands now.
I placed him in the care of a trusted couple that haven't been able to have their own children.
I'll be able to look after him in your place, and maybe someday, if fate is willing, he'll be a valued servant of our society just like you once were.
Worry not, dear friend.
I'll make sure young Mycroft Holmes doesn't make the same mistakes you did.
Sherlock dropped the book.
AN: Hi! JulieArchery here! I'd like to take this moment to thank all the people who review each and every chapter of this story. Especially people like "epiffanylee" and "Guest E". It means a lot to me that you care enough about this little project to take time out of your busy lives, and write such encouraging and long reviews :)
You all are the absolute best!
Yours truly
Julie