Meeting Mycroft

It was almost noon and Sherlock has just woken up. After two weeks of continuous reading, he had already completely read everything in London Library and had given himself a rest day today to distress his mind.

"You've been reading a lot these days. Tough case?" Sherlock heard a rough voice of a middle-aged man as he was going into his study. Mycroft who was quite tall and looked like your average unassuming British government official was sitting on the couch sipping tea nonchalantly.

"Mycroft." Sherlock just gave a greeting nod before grabbing a cup of tea for himself and plopping down on the couch opposite his brother. "Found time from manipulating the elites?" He smirked looking at Mycroft.

Mycroft made an annoyed face looking at Sherlock before sighing and going back to his tea. "So, what is it, little brother? Need help with a case?" He taunted back. Sherlock always had an inferiority complex with his brother.

"I have moved beyond our little games brother. I wanted to know something else from you. Some secrets that only the people at the top could know." Sherlock smiled wide as he continued. "How convenient that I have a brother in just the place to know all the secrets."

Mycroft frowned. He didn't mind playing detective with his brother at times. It was his own way of showing he cared but when it came to his work he was serious. "Sherlock, you know what kind of position I am in and that I won't give you any state secrets."

"Oh, I don't need the kind of secrets you're thinking of brother. I don't care about the politics or the scandals involved. What I want to know is more of a historical secret? You know King Arthur and Merlin and such?" Sherlock cut his brother off and explained.

"So you are chasing myths and legends now? I thought you were smarter than the fools digging graves in Egypt. I guess I was wrong. At least your detective games had some intelligence." Mycroft replied while still frowning.

"Spare me the bullsh*t Mycroft, you and I both know that there exists a world hidden behind the shadows." Sherlock raised his voice a little.

Although he didn't show it, Mycroft was a little surprised at how his brother was able to know about those things that were so well hidden. Even he himself had got into contact with these secrets after a few years of working in intelligence. He still replied with the same expression, "And what proof do you have for it?"

"Don't tell me you don't know about a whole plot of land and a house over it disappearing into thin air while the geography, historical details, and the terrain show that there should be one there?" Sherlock replied in an annoyed tone, "The damn place even happens to be on the same route you take to the Diogenes Club."

*Sigh* "How did you find out? They told me no one would find them or their traces unless they really needed to or already knew of them. You shouldn't have been either." Mycroft sighed as he thought having a troublemaking brother who was also too smart was tiring sometimes.

Sherlock was also mildly surprised, he didn't expect his brother to already have made contact with those magicians. "You've talked to them?" He asked.

"Yeah. A quiet magic monk from Nepal. Don't know how else to describe that. They don't interfere with us and we don't 'see' them. Apparently, that's been the arrangement for centuries. Even Merlin." Mycroft started to speak after thinking for a while.

"Although he did say it's rare for ordinary people or even counties to find them. I'm supposed to be the third one in a couple of centuries, which makes you fourth." He didn't miss the chance to tease Sherlock.

"And you didn't ask more? Try to learn magic?" Sherlock wanted to know more from his brother before he made contact himself.

"Nope. While magic does sound interesting, it's too much work. And I don't have the patience to go through school again at this age. As for asking more, like I said we don't 'see' them" Mycroft replied.

While he was only 7 years older than Sherlock, and in his early 30s, Mycroft's attitude and personality made him seem much older than he really is and that's how he liked it as well. It was also a reason he could hold the highest power below the queen in England.

"And what if you could live forever or much longer with magic?" Sherlock was not satisfied with his brother's disinterested tone so he pressed further.

"One lifetime of lounging at Diogenes club is enough for me. You seem very interested though. You haven't answered me yet, what got you into all this?" Mycroft was just too lazy and disinterested to want a longer or immortal life. He was content with what he had.

"You know of magic, then do you know of individuals with extraordinary abilities?" Sherlock didn't answer immediately but asked another question instead.

Mycroft breathed a long sigh again and replied, "Of course, you know of them too. Mutants, they're called. Very few in the whole world know of their existence. In the whole of Europe, you can count the number of people in the know on your fingers."

Frowning, he continued, "Although if that Essex could have his way, it would be a piece of front-page news already. I know you've met him in college before but now that you know these things, keep away from him. He's dangerous."

"Nathaniel Essex? The Darwin fanboy who everyone thinks is mad?" Sherlock asked as he thought of something he had seen in the ideaverse. "Although knowing what we know, he isn't mad I guess."

"Well, his theories aren't mad. As for himself, I don't know if mad is the word he is dangerous, intelligent people blurring the moral boundaries always are dangerous." Mycroft smiled wryly as he thought of himself and his brother. They were also of a similar kind, but their parents had beaten morality into the brothers early on when they saw their eccentricities.

"Anyway the world you're looking into is dangerous for ordinary folks like us Sherlock. I have some clues and information regarding the things you seek but I won't give them to you easily. You know right?" Mycroft said as he got up to leave.

"Do we really need to play that same game again? I told you I've gotten much better and I won't lose to you." Sherlock was confident in his ability to best his brother especially since he got his powers.

But Mycroft misunderstood and answered as he walked to the door, "Reading a few books doesn't change anything Sherlock. Meet me at 5 tomorrow at Diogenes Club. If you're capable enough you'll get what you want there."