I sat on the couch staring at Mycroft who stood in the doorway. Sherlock sat on his chair, his hands in the usual prayer position under his chin. John sat in his chair, across from Sherlock, twirling a pen between his fingers.
"You have to sit in the chair." I heard Mrs. Hudson's voice from behind Mycroft in the hall. "They won't talk to you unless you sit in the chair. It's the rules."
"I'm not a client." Mycroft sneered.
"Then get out."
Mycroft looked at them then sighed, unfolded his arms, and sat down.
"She's not going to stay there, is she?" he asked motioning toward Mrs. Hudson.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" She asked Mycroft.
"Thank you." He said.
"The kettle's over there." She said and pointed toward the kitchen. I smirked and so did John and Sherlock.
"So what happens now? Are you going to make deductions?" Mycroft asked.
"You're going to tell the truth, Mycroft, pure and simple."
"Who was it said, "Truth is rarely pure, and never simple"?"
"I don't know and I don't care. So there were three of us. I know that now. You, me, and... Eurus. A sister I can't remember. Interesting name, Eurus. It's Greek, isn't it?" Sherlock asked.
"Mm. Yeah, uh, literally 'the god of the East Wind.'" John said looking through his little notepad in his hand.
"Yes." Mycroft nodded.
""The East Wind is coming, Sherlock." You used that to scare me." Sherlock said.
"No." Mycroft argued.
"You turned my sister into a ghost story."
"Of course I didn't. I monitored you." Mycroft added.
"You what?" John asked.
"Memories can resurface; wounds can re-open. The roads we walk have demons beneath... and yours have been waiting for a very long time. I never bullied you. I used – at discrete intervals – potential trigger words to update myself as to your mental condition. I was looking after you." Mycroft said. I stood up and walked over to Mycroft placing my hand on his shoulder.
"Why can't I remember her?" Sherlock asked quietly.
"This is a private matter." Mycroft said.
"John stays." Sherlock said. I nodded when Mycroft turned to look up at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Liz stays too,"
"This is family." Mycroft hissed.
"That's why they stay!" Sherlock growled.
"So there were three Holmes kids." I said and John reopened his notebook.
"What was the age gap?" John asked.
"Seven years between myself and Sherlock; one year between Sherlock and Eurus."
"Middle child. Explains a lot." John said and I smirked as Sherlock eyed him.
"So did she have it too?" John asked grabbing everyone's attention.
"Have what?" Mycroft asked.
"The deduction thing." John elaborated.
""The deduction thing"?" Mycroft asked with attitude.
"Yes." John responded.
"More than you can know." Mycroft said.
"Enlighten me." John said. I walked over to Sherlock's chair and sat in his lap.
"You realize I'm the smart one?" Mycroft asked.
"As you never cease to announce." Sherlock said.
"But Eurus, she was incandescent even then. Our abilities were professionally assessed more than once. I was remarkable, but Eurus was described as an era-defining genius, beyond Newton."
"Then why don't I remember her?" Sherlock pressed.
"You do remember her, in a way. Every choice you ever made; every path you've ever taken – the man you are today ... is your memory of Eurus. She was different from the beginning. She knew things she should never have known... as if she was somehow aware of truths beyond the normal scope." Mycroft suddenly stopped and John looked at him.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Sorry. The memories are disturbing."
"What do you mean? Examples." Sherlock said.
"They found her with a knife once. She seemed to be cutting herself. Mother and Father were terrified. They thought it was a suicide attempt. But when I asked Eurus what she was doing, she said, "I wanted to see how my muscles worked." Mycroft said.
"Oh," I whispered to myself.
"Jesus!" John said.
"So I asked her if she felt pain, and she said, "which one's pain?" Mycroft added.
"What happened?" Sherlock asked.
"Musgrave. The ancestral home, where there was always honey for tea. And Sherlock played among the funny gravestones."
"Funny how?" John asked.
"They weren't real. The dates were all wrong. An architectural joke which fascinated Sherlock.
"Help succour me now..." Sherlock began to chant.
"The East winds blow." Mycroft said with him.
"Sixteen by six... and under we go." Sherlock said.
"You're starting to remember." Mycroft said.
"Fragments." Sherlock said.
"Redbeard?" John asked.
"He was my dog." Sherlock said.
"Eurus took Redbeard and locked him up somewhere no-one could find him... and she refused to say where he was. She'd only repeat that song; her little ritual. We begged and begged her to tell us where he was... but she said... the song is the answer. But the song made no sense." Mycroft said.
"What happened to Redbeard?" Sherlock asked.
"We never found him. But she started calling him "Drowned Redbeard," so we made our assumptions. Sherlock was traumatized. Natural, I suppose – he was, in the early days, an emotional child; but after that he was different, so changed. Never spoke of it again. In time, he seemed to forget that Eurus had ever even existed." Mycroft said looking from me to John.
"How could he forget? She was living in the same house."
"No. They took her away."
"Why? You don't lock up a child because a dog goes missing."
"Quite so. It was what happened immediately afterwards. She burnt the house down. After that, our sister had to be taken away."
"Where?" Sherlock asked.
"Oh, some suitable place – or so everyone thought. Not suitable enough, however. She died there."
"How?" John asked.
"She started another fire, one which she did not survive." Mycroft said.
"This is a lie." Sherlock said.
"Yes. It is also a kindness. This is the story I told our parents to spare them further pain, and to account for the absence of an identifiable body."
"And no doubt to prevent their further interference."
"Well, that too, of course. The depth of Eurus' psychosis and the extent of her abilities couldn't hope to be contained in any ordinary institution. Uncle Rudi took care of things." Mycroft said.
"Where is she, Mycroft? Where's our sister?"
"There's a place called Sherrinford; an island. It's a secure and very secretive installation whose sole purpose is to contain what we call 'the uncontainables.' The demons beneath the road – this is where we trap them. Sherrinford is more than a prison or an asylum; it is a fortress built to keep the rest of the world safe from what is inside it. Heaven may be a fantasy for the credulous and the afraid, but I can give you a map reference for Hell. That's where our sister has been since early childhood. She hasn't left – not for a single day." Mycroft said. "Whoever you both met, it can't have been her." Mycroft added. We heard a loud crash and we all turned to look toward the kitchen. We all stood up and noticed a drone.
"Keep back! Keep as still as you can!" Mycroft ordered as the drone landed on the floor in front of us.
"What is it?" John asked.
"It's a drone." Sherlock and I answered.
"Yeah, I can see that. What's it carrying?"
"What's that silver thing on top of it, Mycroft?" Sherlock asked.
"It's a DX-707. I've authorized the purchase of quite a number of these. Colloquially it is known as "the patience grenade."" He said.
"Oh for god's sake." I muttered.
""Patience"?" John asked as the grenade buzzed and the top popped up sporting a bright red light as it began to beep.
"The motion sensor has activated. If any of us move, the grenade will detonate." Mycroft said.
"How powerful?" Sherlock asked barely moving his lips.
"It will certainly destroy this flat and kill anyone in it. Assuming walls of reasonable strength, your neighbors should be safe, but as it's landed on the floor, I am moved to wonder if the café below is open." Mycroft said.
"It's Sunday morning, so it's closed." Sherlock answered.
"What about Mrs. Hudson?" John asked.
"Going by her usual routine, I estimate she has another two minutes left." Sherlock said.
"She keeps the vacuum cleaner at the back of the flat." John said.
"So?" Mycroft asked.
"So, safer there when she's putting it away? Look, we have to move eventually. We should do it when she's safest." John said.
"When the vacuum stops, we give her eight seconds to get to the back of the flat. She's fast when she's cleaning. Then we move. What's the trigger response time? Once we're mobile, how long before detonation?" Sherlock asked.
"We have a maximum of three seconds to vacate the blast radius." Mycroft said.
"John and I will take the windows; you take the stairs. Help get Mrs. Hudson out too. Liz, go with Mycroft."
"Me?" Mycroft asked.
"You're closer." Sherlock said.
"You're faster." Mycroft argued.
"Speed differential won't be as critical as the distance." Sherlock concluded.
"Yes, agreed." Mycroft said.
"She's further away. She's moving to the back." John said listening to the vaccum.
"I estimate we have a minute left. Is a phone call possible?" Sherlock asked.
"Phone call?" Mycroft asked.
"John has a daughter. He may wish to say goodbye." Sherlock said.
"Sherlock stop." I sighed.
"I'm sorry, Doctor Watson. Any movement will set off the grenade. I hope you understand." Mycroft said.
"Oscar Wilde."
"What?" Mycroft asked.
"He said, "The truth is rarely pure, and never simple." It's from 'The Importance of Being Earnest.' We did it in school." John said.
"So did we. Now I recall. I was Lady Bracknell." Mycroft said.
"Yeah. You were great." Sherlock said.
"You really think so?"
"Yes, I really do." Sherlock said.
"Well, that's good to know. I've always wondered." Mycroft said when the vacuum shut off.
"Good luck, everyone."Sherlock said to us. "Three, two, one, go!" Sherlock said Mycroft and I randown the stairs, me skipping a few steps as we grabbed Mrs. Hudson's arm right asglass broke from upstairs, Sherlock and John landing rough on the ground nextto us. I fell, hit my head on the ground then....
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This is the last of everything done by BBC. For the most part, I may bring some things back like an earlier case that I didn't write. But we'll see.
Comment and vote! Some of more of Sherlock and Liz with their relationship is to come! :) QUESTION: What more do you want to see with Sherlock and Liz?!