I walked to the side, trudging after Mycroft, contemplating running away. Sherlock and John were stood quite a way away from us now. I could feel their eyes watching me as Mycroft came to a stop by the Jaguar. I had to admit it was a pretty, sleek car, something I would have loved to drive if I was old enough . . . and rich enough to afford one. I wondered if it was bullet proof.
As Mycroft ducked into the back of the car I dared to touch the paintwork.
I pulled my hand away quickly when Mycroft ducked back out holding a thick file firmly.
He tapped it briskly then passed it to me.
"What's this?" I dared to ask, taking the file. It was heavy and when I looked at the top of it I could see that it was filled with enough sheets of paper to start a library. Some sheets were in separate files inside the main one.
"It's a formal report." Mycroft said firmly.
"On what?" I asked, trying to make it sound like I hadn't already guessed the answer.
Mycroft lent against the car casually but authoritativly. "It's a report on how today a certain somebody managed to hack into my personal documents, read files that weren't even present on the system, view classified records and then corrupt all defence programs and system lockdowns." He paused then added, "All within half an hour."
I bit my lip and stared at the file.
"Know anyone who could do such a thing?" Mycroft asked me, his voice wiped of any kind of expression.
I considered what he was saying then looked up, "The Russians?"
His face wasn't amused which made me sigh and give up.
"Mycroft, I'm sorry, really I-,"
He cut me off by raising his hand, a gesture I didn't dare defy.
"I don't want to know the reasons." He said shortly.
I looked back down at the folder, "I guess I have to read this before you take me to court." I said mournfully, my eyes welling up. I sniffed, becoming irritated with myself.
"No," Mycroft said flatly.
I blinked and raised my head, "Pardon?"
"No." Mycroft said again before flicking the back of the folder, "Burn it, destroy it, do as you wish with it."
I stood there stunned, "I'm sorry but I don't understand."
Mycroft looked at me then rubbed his temples, something I'd come to notice he did a lot, and sighed heavily.
"Look, Everly," He said levelly, "For all the will in the world I can pretend to know a lot of things. I believed I was fully aware of what was happening in this case. I kept it secretly under wraps scared that if the public found out about the murders they would find out about Protocol92 - something I'm sure you're aware of." He said, "Now though, I come to realise that if you and Sherlock hadn't done what you both did, I would probably be covering up another dead body." He admitted although I could tell it pained him.
I licked my lips to stop them drying up, "But, I . . . I hacked you!" I said. "I broke every law in the book! I broke my parol! I committed treason!" I hissed.
Mycroft nodded, "I am aware of all that. But like I already said, if it wasn't for you and Sherlock, there'd be another body tonight and a murderer at large."
I nodded sceptically, then looked back at the folder, "So after all that, I just burn this?" I said.
"Yes. In there you'll find both reports and other charges and forms linking to this case and the instance before." He said shallowly.
"So that's it?" I said, still stunned, "No court, no jury, no prison. Just nothing?"
Mycroft nodded, "Yes. Simple." Then he added, "But there is one thing I do wish to discuss."
I swallowed, I knew there would be a catch.
"What is it?" I asked in a small voice as worry built up again in my stomach.
"You were able to bypass a lot of defensive programs, deactivate virus's and corrupt, what I was assured was, one of the most complicated programs used to keep files safe, in Britain." He recited, "All within half an hour. Then on discussion, I was told that my ghost drive had been accessed despite the fact it wasn't even present in the room and all this had been accomplished in under thirty minutes flat." Mycroft raised an eyebrow at me, "How? Because I was also informed that it was hard to track where the hacking signals were coming from. So I ask again: How did you manage it all?"
I smiled at him, wanting to laugh. "It's not as simple as Sherlock rattling off one of his deductions." I pointed out then giggled, "And anyway, magicians never reveal their secrets. So I'm not at liberty to discuss exactly how I did it. But if you must know it was a combination of a laptop, a rooter, several hard drives and some wire." I said smiling, "And then codes and encrypted sequences that are in my head." I tapped my temple for effect.
Mycroft, instead of getting irritated by my response, just chuckled and straightened up.
"Very good answer, Miss Sapphire. Better than some of the fools I have working for me. So I have a proposition for you." He said and I stood up.
"Yeah?"
"I wish for you to consider working in programming and system defence, for me. I occupy a minor position in the British Government so I need secure databases, which - as you have proved - seem to be not that secure from people wanting information." He fished around in his pocket and handed me a business card.
"The job will really only require you to program and install various programs on my server and database on different occasions. It will be flexible work as I am aware you are still at school, but I seem to notice that you quickly become stalled of education in a classroom." He pointed out, not sounding at all malicious about it.
I stood there wide eyed before realising I looked like an idiot, "So it's like an apprenticeship but I'm not being taught anything?"
Mycroft raised an eyebrow at me and looked sincere.
"I guess you could look at it that way. You would be paid for the work, naturally." He said evenly then gestured to the card, "I expect you to go home and discuss it with your father first, then get back to me no later than tomorrow evening." He said, opening the door of the Jaguar. I hadn't noticed his assistant sat in the back seat whom looked up at me from her blackberry screen, smiled, then got back to texting.
"I can do that." I said shuffling the weight of the file so that I could slip the business card into the pocket of my jeans.
Mycroft nodded and was about to get in the car when I said, "Who's Moriarty? I think he shot Kavon, because Kavon was about to tell Sherlock where he was." I stammered and Mycroft looked levelly at me.
"Moriarty is a criminal. A criminal mastermind if you were to ask Sherlock, he does love to be dramatic like that. As to the killing of Leigh Kavon, I think it is a safe deduction to say that Moriarty was indeed behind it in some way. He would not, however, have pulled the trigger himself." Mycroft explained.
I nodded, "So this Moriarty, was Sherlock telling the truth when he told Kavon that he was only a pawn in a bigger plan of Moriarty's? Is he really trying to bring down government?" I asked worriedly, then I had a thought, "That's why you want me to design a security program for your database, you think he's going to hack you, or something,"
Mycroft didn't respond, in fact all he said was, "Moriarty has great interest in Sherlock, anything aside from that is just a game to him." Before he got into the Jag and shut the door. I stepped back as the engines roared to life. Mycroft rolled the window down.
"Thank you, Everly." He said shortly, twisting his face as if it pained him to apologise. I guessed him and his brother shared that same pain for admitting they were wrong or apologising.
I smiled gently, "No, I should be the one saying thank you." I said, holding the folder up and gesturing to it.
He nodded and rolled the window up and I watched as the Jaguar sailed away into the night.
"What was all that about then?" John asked, walking over with Sherlock in tow.
I held the folder up, "Well instead of going to court, I got a job and I also get to burn my folder." I said gleefully.
John laughed, "Nice going."
I hugged the folder to my chest and laughed, "I think we should do this again. Maybe we should try and locate Moriarty or something." I joked.
John continued to smile; "Now that would be interesting."
Sherlock said nothing but I was getting used to that now. This case had turned out on an infinitely better ending then my last one.