Sentiment || Sherlock Holmes

The Six Thatchers Part 2

Mycroft sniffed disdainfully.

"Anyway, they're a team of agents, the best out there." Eve said.

"But you know all that." Sherlock said.

"Of course I do. Go on." Mycroft prompted.

"One of them, Ajay, is looking for Mary, also one of the team." Sherlock said.

"Indeed. Well, that's news to me." Mycroft said.

"Oh, is it?" Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

"He's already killed looking for that memory stick, AGRA always worked for the highest bidder, I thought that might include you." Sherlock said.

"Me?"

"Well, I mean the British Government or whatever government you're currently propping up." Sherlock said.

"AGRA were very reliable. Then came the Tbilisi incident. They were sent in to free the hostages but it all went horribly wrong. And that was that. We stopped using freelancers." Mycroft said.

"That was your initiative?" Eve asked.

"My initiative." Mycroft confirmed. "Freelancers are too woolly, too messy. I don't like loose ends. Not on my watch."

Sherlock picked up a piece of paper from Mycroft's desk and started writing.

"There was something else. A detail, a codeword." He handed the paper to Mycroft.

"Ammo?"

"It's all we've got." Evelyn said.

"Little enough." Mycroft said.

"Could you do some digging as a favor?" Sherlock asked.

"You don't have many favor's left." Mycroft warned.

"For me, then?" Eve said.

Mycroft suppressed a smile.

"And if you can find who's after her and neutralize them, what then?" Mycroft asked. "You think you can go on saving her forever?"

"Of course." Sherlock said.

"Is that sentiment talking?" Mycroft wondered.

"No, it's me." Sherlock said.

Mycroft looked at Evelyn. "Difficult to tell the difference these days."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Eve said. "Mycroft, we made a vow."

Mycroft studied them for a moment before sitting up in his chair.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." He said. "But remember this, agents like Mary tend not to reach retirement age. They get retired in a pretty permanent sort of way."

"Not if we have anything to do with it." Evelyn said.

-----------------

John was texting.

Eve watched him smile at his phone, typing back a reply. She bounced Rosie on her knee, singing her a silly rhyming song Mrs. Hudson used to sing to her. Blue slept beside them on the couch, snuffling every once in a while as he dreamed about chasing pigeons.

Sherlock sat at the desk, working on finding Mary. Evelyn had stuck a tracker on the memory stick before Mary took it, allowing them to see where she was. The trick was timing. So far, she'd moved too quickly for them to intercept. They were waiting for the right opening. 

And John was texting.

"Has she contacted you?" Eve asked.

John looked up from his phone. "Hmm?"