The case of the lion and the baby

by

Whashaza

"Let me explain how leverage works, Dr Watson. For those who understand these things, Mycroft Holmes is the most powerful man in the country.

Well, apart from me.

Mycroft's pressure point is his junkie detective brother, Sherlock..."

Excerpt from His last vow.

Prologue

Two years before Lady in Pink

Dear Jim

You have come to the attention of some friends of mine. I think it's time we met.

Oliver

Shortly after the pool

Dear Jim

I hope this finds you well. I'm in need of new contacts in Russia that would help me expand my business. It needs to fly under the radar of the British Government and I'll need a route that is secure without asking unnecessary questions around legality of products.

Please can you fix it for me.

Anon83

Dear Anon83

Sure. Payment will be exacted at a later date. My people will contact you.

Immediately after Sherlock and Molly's rescue from the bothy

"Shut it down," he said to his technician. Turned to the server room, the machines humming in the conditioned air. Sentinels with blinking lights that contained within them knowledge that would implicate them all in a conspiracy so vast, it would become the fodder of history books if it ever came to light.

"Shit." He ran a hand through his hair. The technician was too slow. He rushed to the wall. Pulled the plug. He really didn't care about the impact it would have on the machines. They're going to be reprovisioned in any case. He couldn't afford to leave any trace.

"Do you think they traced it?" the technician asked, eyeing the dead machines.

He shook his head. Noticed his hand was trembling. He bit his bottom lip.

"I should've never agreed to this." He moaned. "This was a mistake."

"We didn't have a choice. I was careful."

"It's Mycroft Holmes." He said. "You know what he's like."

"We didn't do anything. It wasn't us that hurt them."

"No. But we watched. And we streamed what Oliver wanted us to. We edited his videos. We're just as guilty."

"If you're such a bleeding heart, why don't you confess. I'm sure Mycroft Holmes would be in a forgiving mood."

"Are you insane? No. Forget the reprovisioning. Burn the lot. I don't want any of this to trace back to us."

"You want to burn a hundred thousand quid. Because that's what this setup cost."

"Shit. Okay. Let me think."

"I'll take care of it. Leave it to me. Just keep your damn mouth shut, okay. Don't breathe a word and we'll be okay."

November

"What do you mean, they're dead?"

"All four of them. Pilot error apparently."

"And Alex?"

"Gone. His body has disappeared."

"What about his laptop?"

"Mycroft Holmes has it. It's already been analysed. He found Oliver's files."

"Does he know?"

"No. You were never mentioned."

"This changes things."

"Yes."

"And Sherrinford?"

"It's secure. Our people are in place."

"Very well. What a bloody mess. Okay. Don't contact me again. Go visit your cousin in Canada. Disappear. I'll let you know on the message board when you can return."

Consulting detective found alive!

By Kitty Reilley

Less than a week ago, it was reported that consulting detective Sherlock Holmes had been found dead, presumably drowned after going overboard on his houseboat. He had been identified by his brother and by dental records and DNA. A funeral was arranged, it was to be a private affair for close friends and family only. Then the shock. He was found alive and has been readmitted to Barts.

It seems Mr Holmes has a knack for playing the public for a fool. Dear reader, if you remember that not so long ago I reported on the fact that he had been found unresponsive and barely breathing by his 'friend' Dr John Watson after a suspected overdose. One can only speculate what went on behind those closed doors but Sherlock Holmes does have an extensive history of drug abuse. Can it not be unfeasible to speculate and assume that his latest stunt was along a similar vein. That drugs once again played a role.

And if we look back a little further, one cannot forget the missing person posters on late night telly. For five long months his friends and family were searching for him and Ms Molly Hooper, a forensic pathologist that works at Barts, evidently the same hospital he currently is a patient in. They were found and whisked away to a military hospital in the Midlands where he and Ms Hooper were treated for injuries supposedly sustained during that time. Yet no press release was issued on what exactly had happened to them. Or where they were during those five months.

This sounds like fiction, dear readers. A made-up story to placate the public. I have tried on numerous occasions to get him to share his story. He has declined time and again. Is there something he is hiding? Maybe he wasn't missing for those five months. Maybe he was shacked up with Ms Hooper and doing drugs. And the military hospital could very well have been a detox centre to help him get sober again. That would make more sense in the light of his overdose.

As to the matter at hand, it reads like a badly constructed plot for a B-rated movie. Mr Holmes was apparently held captive by an unknown male for little more than a week. During that time, this unknown man had instigated the ruse and had somehow managed to fool Mr Holmes' brother. Further investigation had been surprising. No case had been opened at the Met. No one else knew about Mr Holmes' kidnapping and captivity.

Surely, at the very least a missing person case should've been opened. Again, this reporter is speculating whether there is more to this story. Whether Sherlock Holmes is again dependent on drugs and if Mycroft Holmes is using his influence as part of the British Government to make sure his brother is in fact kept out of the justice system.

Sherlock Holmes, I implore you. Share your story so the public may know what happened. Swing public opinion back in your favour. Let your brother not share the ignominy of having your name as a marker against his public service to this nation.

I'm here, if you want to talk. Call me.

May

"This is the official inquiry to the activities of Oliver Harbinger, who was terminated under green light authorisation in his estate in Norway by a specialist in the assault team to extract Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper. It will include further investigation into his known associates and the activities of Lords Marsden, Edwards, Cavendish and Michaels. All records pertaining to said inquiry will be sealed under the National Security Secrecy Act of 1991 and a D-notice will be slapped on to it."

"As to the matter of Jim Moriarty, Sebastian Moran and the international crime syndicate associated with them and now terminated – this will be a separate matter and will not be part of this inquiry. Both men are currently indefinitely interred at Sherrinford under the special measures act of 2001."

Mycroft shifted in his seat. It was a small stuffy board room in the middle of the MI6 building. The meeting was highly classified. Its deliberations never too see the light of day. He was annoyed that it had been deemed necessary and had lost the argument with Lady Smallwood on forcing a result without the need for discussing the whole sordid affair.

"We'll start with Oliver Harbinger. A certified and registered psychiatrist, Oliver was at one time associated with Maudsley Hospital. He left after complaints regarding failure to account for questionable ethical matters raised during a clinical research trial. He then went into private practice. Records show mostly influential clients and no further formal complaints received by the Board of Psychiatry. Ten years ago, he came to a substantial inheritance. This included a sprawling estate in the Midlands and various other urban and industrial properties scattered across Europe and the UK. A cash sum of 20 million pounds was included. During the investigation into his activities on the estate after Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper were rescued, a cellar was uncovered. He had meticulous records of everyone he had kidnapped over the course of the last five years. There were 25 files – all subjects were seemingly healthy and fit males between the ages of 20 to 30. The files pertaining to Mr Holmes and Ms Hooper are currently missing and have not been logged in evidence. Ms Hooper was the first female acquired, and therefore deviated from Oliver's previous pattern regarding those he had kidnapped and kept at the estate.

He had used psychological manipulation and torture while housing them in a bothy in the centre of the estate that was accessible by helicopter. None of the men could endure more than 2 months. A mass grave was found on the north-eastern part of the estate. Forensics are still dealing with identifying the remains to the names on the files. It seemed Oliver was intent on perfecting his craft in full manipulation and reprogramming of his subjects…"

Words didn't fully explain the horror of what Oliver had intended for Sherlock, Mycroft thought as he turned the page in the file before him. Seeing the result of Oliver's manipulation and physical and mental abuse on his brother and Molly Hooper was a far cry from the clinical notes and matter of fact manner that was presented today.

He listened with half an ear as the other man continued reading from the file. Glanced around at the 6 men and women that sat at the table.

"Sherlock Holmes was abducted in a premeditated manner from South London. He was lured to a café where Lyle Bowman – a known person of interest heading a professional kidnapping ring – had waited for him. He had managed to elude the initial attempt but they tracked him down three blocks further from the café. While attempting to evade Mr Bowman and his men, Mr Holmes left a note and his phone with a teenage boy with instructions to contact Dr Watson…"

It continued much in a similar manner. The abduction of Molly Hooper. The search and dead ends of Lestrade and his own efforts while his brother and Molly were at the mercy of Oliver. They took a brief recess after that. Mycroft made his way to his office, to find a thick file on his table and Anthea sitting on one of the chairs in front of his desk. She was on her phone and barely glanced his way when he entered.

"File on Alex. The systems analyst has completed his investigation on the laptop and its content. The files on Oliver were comprehensive but as you have surmised, missed some of the known detail on Sherlock and Oliver's attempt at coercion. Lady Smallwood had requested the files to be printed and to be included in the inquiry."

Mycroft grunted. His only outward sign at his discontent is that Sherlock and Molly's ordeal are going to be laid bare for others to see and read. Lady Smallwood had been adamant that it would do to understand the depravity of Oliver and why the greenlight had been a necessity. He had finally agreed when she had slapped the D-notice over the inquiry.

"His finances were scrutinised. It confirmed the association with Marsden and Edwards only." Anthea continued, "They have paid large sums to an account he had set up and it has been tracked to four deaths. One of a venture capitalist that had declined to do business with Lord Edwards. One was a newspaper reporter that had told her editor that she had a scoop on Lord Marsden. Two were policemen that had started asking uncomfortable questions on Oliver and the missing men. The investigations died with their deaths. The names of four other men in the Metropolitan police have been uncovered in one of the files. They seemed to have a link to Oliver through Alex or Lord Edwards. That is still being investigated."

"Very well. Keep full surveillance on them. Let's not spook them. See if they can point us to others. The surveillance on Baker Street?"

"As per your orders, Active, grade 5. Two agents and a car are on a rotational basis. No known foreign agents have been spotted and there is no chatter regarding your brother. They are secure."

"Good. Moriarty and Moran?"

"Visual confirmation from the warden this morning. He wanted to know if you wanted a direct link setup to your office so you can do the confirmation yourself."

"Tell him no. Cameras can be hacked. I want his report daily until we have closed the files and have full confirmation that Moriarty's network is nonextant."

Anthea nodded. Mycroft opened the file. Took a quick glance at the first page. His phone buzzed.

"I need to return. I want a full forensic report on the last assets of Oliver. The warehouse where he had kept the body especially. It would be good if we could find any other little surprises Oliver might've hidden away."

He made his way back to the meeting room after that. Sit back down.

"This afternoon we will give an overview into the captivity of Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper. Sherlock met Oliver two weeks after his initial capture. He had nearly succumbed to infection during that time. Oliver had provided antibiotics and food in the form of a meal replacement drink called Ensure. This would be their standard fare throughout their captivity. On average they were fed three bottles a week and deliberately starved as a means to control."

"Oliver's intent was clear; Molly Hooper was acquired as a means to control Sherlock's behaviour and get him to comply with Oliver's demands. Oliver had also utilised her as a medical surrogate in lieu of a doctor to make sure the more serious injuries Sherlock acquired during his stay at the bothy were addressed…"

The voice droned on. The atrocities and brutality his brother and Molly had experienced at Oliver's hands, laid bare to the men and women in the room. Mycroft felt completely drained by the time it was 5 pm. Even though he was aware and had read his brother's and Molly's files Oliver had collated, it was still confronting.

He bypassed his office and made straight for home. Grabbed his stash and went and sat outside on the bench in his garden. Lit his first cigarette and inhaled deeply. Trying to wash and cleanse the memory of Sherlock as he had looked, lying limp and unresponsive in the bothy while John worked to save his life. Molly's question, asking whether they could go home, still even now after all this time, confronting. Irene found him there. Sat down next to him.

"Tough day?"

He gave a half smile. "The inquiry has started."

"Ah. Do they know?"

He shook his head. "No. They have a life now, Irene. It's time for them to move on."

"And you?" she asked softly. "What about you, Mycroft?"

"Not until it's done." He said. "The tentacles of their illicit activities span wide. Their clandestine network is a complex beast."

"What can I do?" She asked.

"For now. Nothing, until the inquiry is done and this sordid business is put to rest."

"After that?"

"After that, we'll see."