Joanne Hartwell is sent to London via the elder Holmes cousin Julian to hand off a top secret letter to Mycroft Holmes. Someone has infiltrated the ranks of the British Intelligence Services, and as a result are always one step ahead of them.
All kn...
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Smiling grimly as she made her way up and down the series of hilly trails, Andrena was glad that the business side of things were going well. The start up company that she helped to sponsor, Magneto, was already up and running. Because she was still waiting for the missing blue prints and notes of the magnetic defense system, she had gone ahead and signed them on for the Earthquake Oscillator. The plans were relatively simple, and a working model would be complete within a matter of days. It would be her bargaining chip should Mycroft not give up the information procured regarding the magnetic defense system. She assumed by now that they at least had a rudimentary idea of what the scientists had worked on. If they didn't, they would soon and would realize the magnitude of their findings. An ultimatum would be issued should they find the missing blueprints and related notes: Hand them over or London, DC and New York would be levelled.
Finishing the workout with a series of stretches, her tall lithe body arched catlike as she reached to touch her toes. Like the feline, Andrena knew how to play the waiting game. However long it took, the prize that the Holmes brothers brought back would be worth it, making her revenge all the more sweeter.
***
The brothers sat at the table in the Boeing's lounge, pouring over maps, books and old documents that Anthea and Julian had finally sent four days later. Mycroft's Boeing was still parked at the Majuro airport, away from the main strip and terminal for maximum privacy surrounded by his security. While they had waited, Mycroft scoured the MI5 and MI6 archives for various research projects around the UK and Australian stations in Antarctica soon after WW2.
Sherlock spread out a large map that dated from around the early 50's, listing all of the known stations at the time. He pointed to a dot at the edge of the southern portion of that continent. "Here it is. Wilkes station." Referencing one of the other sheets, he shook his head regretfully. "The Casey REPSTAT across the bay from it wasn't operational until 1969. There was no way they could have moved there."
Joanne glanced over at Sherlock. "Why did they leave it? Seems it was the best spot for what they were doing, right next to the magnetic South Pole! That was an even better site than the Amundsen - Scott station!"
She had earlier escaped the cloying attentions of Nurse Atherton, who insisted that she stay in bed due to the head trauma. Although the headaches persisted, they were becoming more intermittent. Besides, she wanted to make herself useful and help the brothers go through the mountain of documents that had been sent. She leaned across the table towards Mycroft, eager to see the top secret document that was open on his computer. It was a document detailing the internal goings on at the Wilkes Station before the scientists had left.
Mycroft was more than aware of Joanne's close proximity. The scent of her mixed with jasmine soap threatened to derail his train of thought. "They were, until 1959 when the Australians took over. Needless to say, there was more than a little animosity from the Americans at having to take orders from them. As well, the station was becoming buried by snow and ice, hence the move to Casey in '69."
