Work Text:
“Sir, the files have arrived. The late Mr. Rivers had a few very interesting files, sir.”
“Hmm?” Mycroft didn’t look up at her from his paperwork while a man put down the boxes.
“The blue ones are the assassins with their coordinators; the green ones are the contacts in alphabetical order listed by countries. Mr. Rivers had a very effective index sir. But there is a golden file, just one.”
“And?”
“Wow.”
“Anthea?”
“Sorry sir. It is a file of an assassin who doesn’t really work for us. There is no photo or name in the file, just information about his jobs. It seems Mr. Rivers called him personally when the target was extremely far away from… well, everything basically. He did the job last year in Korea where you were at the scene. You saw with your own eyes what he is capable of. You told me you were impressed, sir.”
“Yes, well, it was a brilliant hit. I didn’t know that was our man. So he is my responsibility now. Very well, contact him and tell him what happened to Mr. Rivers and that he has to meet me. Let him give us a place and a time for that; we really don’t want to lose him.”
“Yes sir.”
Mycroft read and reread the file a few times. Gavin, the codename they gave him after his hawk-like sight, was in his late forties and had worked for the government occasionally since he was twenty-three. There really was a very little information about him. It seemed that if his identity somehow became an open information, then almost every big country would like to buy him or kill him. He was the best sharpshooter Mycroft had ever met, or in this occasion, read a file for. He always travelled under an alias, with military helicopters, on his own, and he stayed one day at most in the country where the target was. When he finished his job he flew back to the UK immediately. Mycroft was delighted to meet him.
“Sir, I left him a message and a phone number so he could text back with the appointment’s details. Is he really this good, Sir?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, only Rivers contacted him ever. It is not a normal protocol.”
“No, it is not, but if this Gavin only accepts the work with these terms, then it was a wise decision from Rivers. I never saw someone this skilled before. His scores are impressive.”
“Sir, Gavin texted. He will be waiting for you in the café not far from here. You’ve got ten minutes to get there or he will be gone.”
“How far is that café, dear?”
“Ten minutes walk, Sir. He really knows what he is doing. There is no way that any of our team could arrive there in time, or to go with car because it would take longer than ten minutes.”
“Yes, I can see why Rivers agreed with his unusual conditions. He is good. Did he tell you how can I find him?”
“No, he would find you, Sir.”
“Very well. I have to go if I want to reach the café in time.”
“Good luck, Sir.”
“Thank you dear.”
When Mycroft entered the little café there were just a few customers there. It was really cosy and had a domestic atmosphere. He ordered a tea and waited. About five minutes later a rather familiar man sat down to his table opposite him.
“Mycroft, did you happen to know Mr. Rivers?”
“I… you… you are?”
“So you knew him. I waited five minutes to see if anybody else showed up, but you are the only new arrival.”
Mycroft just stared at the man in front of him. He was cataloguing what he knew about him, but he couldn't understand the situation. “Yes. I am his successor, sort of.”
“So you're my new contact then?"
“Yes, I think so.”
“Are you here because Rivers is dead or because you have a job for me?”
“I… I… You?”
“Wait here a bit while I fetch you something stronger.”
Mycroft’s partner handed him a glass of whisky a few moment later. “Drink this Mycroft.”
“Thank you, Gregory” said Mycroft after he swallowed his whisky in one large gulp. God bless the Irish coffee. “Are you Gavin?”
“Well, yes.”
“How?”
“I was at the academy when Rivers contacted me. He saw my scores and wanted me to work for the MI5 and MI6 and God knows who else. I told him no, but he really wanted me. So I offered him a compromise: I work for him occasionally, but only him, and in return he let me do what I want in my life.”
“So you became a police officer.”
“Yeah, and in time I became a DI and met you and Sherlock. You really have no idea how difficult it could be when I had to fly off to do one of Rivers’ jobs when I was in the middle of a case with your brother.”
Mycroft opened his mouth a few times just to close it immediately.
“Are you all right Mycroft?”
“Yes, yes, it is just a little shocking, you know. You are really great in your job, Gregory.”
“Thanks, but it is just a job. My real call is being a police officer. I love it and I am really good at it.”
“But I had a file on you when Sherlock started to work with you.”
“Yeah, and you have nothing in that. Rivers arranged everything.”
“Sherlock never suspected anything?”
“No, thanks to the helicopters. But once I thought I got caught.”
“Really? What did Sherlock say?”
“It wasn’t Sherlock. It was John.”
“John?”
“Yeah. When he got shot in Afghanistan, his injury was infected and he nearly died there. I stopped at his base for fuel. They asked me to allow him up to my helicopter with one nurse and I did. He slept through almost the entire trip, but you never know, and when I saw him in Lauriston Garden I thought he remembered me. I asked Sherlock who he was two times and I thought it was enough for him to figure out there was something wrong. Fortunately he was too busy impressing John to notice.”
“And the next time you saw John it was clear he didn’t remember you.”
“Yeah.”
“I see, that’s why you own a joystick. Once you told me that you hate computer games.”
“Because of Sherlock, yes. When I read in his blog that he can identify an airline pilot from his thumb. I bought a used one, just in case.”
“I think Sherlock was wrong about you. You are not an idiot; you just allow him to see what you want.”
“Not always, but I really don’t want him to know about Gavin. So I read his blog and do my best and hope it will be enough.”
“I see.”
“So what do you think, Myc?”
“What do you mean, Gregory?”
“I mean you are not cross with me, are you?”
“Why would I be cross with you?”
“Because we've been on a few dates now and I didn’t tell you this.”
“No, I perfectly understand it. It is not something you tell your boyfriend after six dates.”
“Yeah, but you work for the government. Sherlock says you are the government. It is really the sort of thing I could talk about with you.”
“I really understand Gregory. With your skills you have to be careful.”
“So you are not angry?”
“No. I do understand.”
“You know” said Greg with a wicked grin “now that you know, we can rent a helicopter and have a weekend in the countryside whenever we want.”