Chapter 3: Sherrinford
"And now the shipping forecast, issued by the Met Office on behalf of the Maritime Coastguard Agency at 05:05. Thames, Dover..." said a radio broadcast as the small fishing boat sails across the ocean.
A young man, Ben, wearing a yellow oilskin coat a and matching hat, opens the door to the wheelhouse and stumbles inside wiping his mouth and breathing heavily. An older man, Vince, looks round at him and said. "Go on, son, get it up. Better out than in."
He smiles cheerfully at him as Ben asked. "Is it always like this?"
"Nah." Vince replied.
"Thank God." said Ben.
"Usually it's much worse!" said Vince.
"Might go and work in a bank!" Ben said. Plaintively, as he looks up and hears the sound of rotors.
"Is that an 'elicopter?" He asked.
"Nah, not in this weather." Vince replied as the broadcast continues.
".....Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea, Shannon, Malin, Sherrinford. Sherrinford. Sherrinford."
"You hear that? I've never 'eard that one before." Ben asked Vince. Vince turns to face Ben and said. "Forget you ever 'eard it."
"What?" Ben asked puzzled.
"Sometimes, when we're out in these waters, we get that message. Just forget about it." Vince said.
"Yeah, but we've never...." Ben started to say until Vince puts a warning finger to him. "Just..." Then he raises his hand and mimes zipping his lips shut, then points warningly at the young man.
He starts to turn around back to the wheel when there's a loud thump on the roof of the wheelhouse, followed by three less loud thumps. The men look up, then Vince goes to the door and heads outside, steeping a few paces away from the wheelhouse and then turned to look up.
Standing on the roof holding onto the ship's antenna with one hand was Sherlock, his coat whipping dramatically around him. "Who the 'ell are you?" Vince asked him. "My name's Sherlock Holmes." Sherlock replied.
"The detective!" Ben said.
"The pirate." Sherlock replied as you and John step into view at the other side of the antenna, pointing your guns at the men below.
SHERRINFORD ISLAND
"Golf Whiskey X-ray, this is a restricted area, repeat, restricted area. You are off course." A technician said into the raid on. He doesn't receive as response so he says, again. "Are you receiving? Golf Whiskey, you are off course. Are you receiving?" Then he gets a response.
"Yeah, receiving you. This is a distress call, repeat, distress call. We're in trouble here." said a man's voice, John's, over the radio.
"Golf Whiskey X-ray, what is your situation?" The tech asked him but there was no response.
"Golf Whiskey X-ray, where are you now?" He asked again.
"We're headed for the rocks. We're going to hit." John said over the radio and the tech sits back in his chair, then types rapidly on a keypad on his desk.
"Lockdown in progress. Lockdown in progress. Please proceed to designated Red stations." The automated voice said as external guards run along the corridors. Two of them run around a headland and see Vince and Ben sitting on television sand back to back, rope lashed around them and their wrists bound together. Vince looks over at the approaching men and rolls his eyes and sinks his head back.
On a metal bridge above them, more guards run into position and aim their rifles down at the men. "No, hold it! Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Ben said as he raises his bound up hands. "Oi! In the sand!" One guard shouts and all of them look down and see an inflatable boat that was dragged and left nearer the water. In between the boat and the men, drawn in the sand in large letters are the words:
TELL MY
SISTER
I'M HERE
Inside the facility, the governor of Sherrinford hurries out of a lift and into the Control Room, a phone raised in his ear. "I need to speak to Mycroft." He said. "He's in hospital. There was an explosion." Sir Edwin said on the other end. "Put me through to the hospital." said the Governor. "He's not conscious. He's severely injured. No-one is even confident he's going to pull through." replied Edwin.
"Where's his brother? Where's Sherlock Holmes?" Governor asked him as he trots upstairs to a glass room. "Missing." Edwin replied. "No, he's not. He's here." Governor said and he ends the call and tucks his phone into his breast pocket. He walks over to a technician, who points at a live footage from the beach on one of the screens.
"Sir, we found three more from the boat." He said and the governor looks over at the screen and sees you and John standing with your hands raised while guards aim their rifles at you.
Between the two of you, also with his hands raised, is an elderly man wearing oilskin overalls and a white bushy beard with matching eyebrows and a woolly hat. "He stole our boat! Him an' another fella, with guns!" The Fisherman exclaimed.
"Where'd you find them?" The governor asked.
"North side of the island, sir." A guard replied with an Irish accent.
The governor peers at the shaky footage, then smiles. "Holding cell, now." He said. "Right, sir." replied the guard.
You, John and the Fisherman sit side by side at a table in a small room. The governor walks to the mesh door on front of you then stops. Someone deactivated the lock and the door opens and he walks inside.
One of the beanie hatred guards is standing inside the room beside the door, holding his rifle pointed down to the floor in front of him. "This is a mistake. I'm the victim 'ere. These two stole my boat. They're the pirates!" The Fisherman shouts as he points at you and John.
"Yeah, we really are." John said as you give a small smirk.
"Please, sit down." The governor said, gesturing towards a chair.
"I-I don't even know who they are!" The Fisherman said, angrily, as he sits.
"He's Doctor John Watson, formerly of the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers. And she's (y/n) Holmes, Sergeant of Scotland Yard and wife of Sherlock Holmes. What are you two doing here?" He asked.
"It's a hospital. Any work?" John asked.
"It's not a hospital." The governor replied.
"What about security?" You asked.
"No." He replied then he holds out a pass towards the guard and said. "I want eyes on Eurus Holmes. Go straight to the Special Unit, deploy Green and Yellow Shift on my authority."
"Sir." The guard replied then you gave him a small smirk as he turns around, raises the pass to a camera above the door, which buzzes and unlocks, and out the guard goes.
The governor sits down on a chair opposite you three and said. "I'm sparing your blushes because we're supposed to be on the same side; and frankly, this is embarrassing."
"Ooh, doing a cavity search?" John asked him, nonchalantly.
"The true art of disguise, according to your famous friend, is not being looked at." The governor said then he turns his attention to the Fisherman. "But I am looking at you, aren't I, Mr Holmes?" He said.
"Yes, you are." The Fisherman replied and the governor smiled.
"But that is sort of the point, isn't it?" John said as he looks across at the man beside him.
The Fisherman stands up as you turn to the governor and said. "See, you should have been looking at the guy you just gave your pass to."
The Fisherman pulls his hat off with one hand while pulling off the white hair at the same time. With his other hand he pulls off the false nose and mustache, leaving just the beard in place. Smiling with relief, he lowers his hands to reveal the face of Mycroft. The governor's smile drops as Mycroft grins down at him.
After removing his disguise, Mycroft sstands I from the of a large mirror on the side wall, smoothing his hair, and said. "That's the trouble with uniforms and name badges. People stop looking at faces. You'd be better off with clown outfits. At least they'd be satirically relevant." He turns and faces the governor as you said. "Oh, you'll find the real Landers in the north shore, tied up with two others."
"Two others?" The governor asked.
"Mm. Well, it was trail and error. We had to find the right waistband." John replied.
"This is insane! This is unnecessary!" The governor exclaimed.
"No; your security is compromised and we don't know who to trust." You said.
"And that justifies dressing up?" The governor asked you.
"Yes it does!" Mycroft replied, loudly and angrily. "It justifies dressing down, up or any damned thing I say it does. Now, listen to me: for your own physical safety do not speak, do not indulge in any non-verbal signals suggestive of internal thought. If the safety of my sister is compromised; if the security of my sister is compromised; if the incarceration of my sister is compromised--in short, if I find any indication my sister has left this island at any time, I swear to you, you will not." Mycroft said, angrily, as he glares at the man, then he tilts his head towards you and John and said. "Say thank you to my sister in law and Doctor Watson."
"Why?" The governor asked.
"They talked me out of Lady Bracknell. This could have been very different." Mycroft replied then he turns and puts his right hand to his ear. "Are you in?" He asked.
"Just arriving at the Secure Unit. Explain." Sherlock's voice said throught the earpiece. "A prison within a prison. Eurus must be allowed the strict minimum of human interaction." Mycroft replied.
"Why?" asked Sherlock, quietly.
"Since you're determined to meet her, you're about to find out." Mycroft said.
Then he turns to the governor again and asked. "Answer yes or no. Has there ever been--against my express instructions--against you attempt at a psychiatric evaluation of Eurus Holmes?"
"Yes." replied the Governor.
"I presume the tapes are in my office?" Mycroft asked as he walks towards the open door.
"Your office?" The governor asked as you and John follow Mycroft.
"Cast your mind back. It used to be yours." Mycroft said.
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