THE MM CORP HQ

"Sherlock!" his friends and colleagues cried in equal measures of shock, surprise and relief.

All were eager to embrace him, whether he liked it or not, and to find out where he had been. But Sherlock knew that they needed to focus on what needed to be done. Explanations could come later or when absolutely necessary.

But before he could open his mouth Lestrade had spotted Molly who had purposefully stayed back to give Sherlock time with his friends.

"And who might you be?" Lestrade asked, his most winning smile on his face.

But as he walked towards her, he was surprised to find his path blocked by a possessive Sherlock.

"She's mine!" Sherlock snarled to reinforce the point.

Lestrade, John and Irene exchanged confused looks.

"You mean, she's your…" John was having difficulty getting his brain to process what his eyes and ears were telling him. "She's your…"

"My mate, yes," Sherlock snapped. "My bonded mate."

"But, how?" John spluttered.

Sherlock rolled his eyes; clearly he was going to have to state the obvious before they could move on to the task at hand.

"Really John, did they teach you nothing at medical school?"

John blushed scarlet.

Molly walked up to Sherlock and reached up to take his face in her hands and pulled him down so that she could place a whisper soft kiss upon his pouting lips.

She then turned to the other three people in the room. "I'm Molly Hooper, Sherlock's mate. At the moment that's all you need to know. But what you need to do right now is find the location of certain documents that I believe Sherlock knows where to find. So if we could deal with that first and then we'll be happy to answer any questions you may have."

"Of course," John acknowledged.

Sherlock felt immense pride for his little omega and her ability to get everyone back on the right path.

He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before making his way over to a big, heavy bookcase.

When the cyborgs had initially trashed the building they had managed to upend the bookcase before destroying all the books and other items that were on the shelves.

But the actual bookcase they left untouched, possibly having found something else to vent their fury on.

Sherlock ran his fingers along the back of the top shelf before pressing against the wood to release a secret compartment.

It was empty.

"I've already checked there," Irene huffed impatiently.

Sherlock didn't appear the least bit disappointed by his discovery. Instead he turned to Irene and the others, and with a quizzical rise of one eyebrow proceeded to reveal another compartment hidden within the original.

He reached in to remove what lay within, a flash drive.

"How did you…?" Irene asked.

"For the moment all I will say is that Moriarty has a habit of saying aloud more than he should when he has a captive audience," Sherlock responded.

Realising they were going to get no further explanation for the time being John opened his bag and retrieved his notebook. Within minutes of inserting the flash drive they were looking at the documents that Moriarty didn't want anyone to know about.

"My God," John gasped, stunned.

"We should let Mycroft know about this," Lestrade said.

"Why?" Sherlock asked.

"Because it might be of use to him with what he's doing," Lestrade responded before he paused and frowned. "Though he didn't go into much detail about where he and Anthea were going. But whoever they were tracking they needed Mary."

This news intrigued the consulting detective. "Mycroft has gone off on a secret mission, himself?"

"With Anthea and Mary, yes," John replied.

Sherlock thought for a moment or two, before a grin brook out across his face. "Of course," he said more to himself than to the others.

He turned to Lestrade. "Is Wiggins still with the network?"

"Yes he is."

"Go and get him. I need to have a word with him.

"You're certain it was him?" Sherlock asked.

Wiggins nodded. "Positive," he replied.

"Will someone please explain what is going on?" complained an exasperated Lestrade.

"I got Wiggins to infiltrate Moriarty's Spiders Web. With Irene no longer a part of the corporation I needed to find a way to keep an eye on what he was up to. It was also a way to discover if there were any weak links in our own Underground Network. And if there was, how best we could exploit it."

"And was there a weak link?" John asked.

"Yes, but only the one, Tom. And he turned out to be far more devious than I ever gave him credit for."

"How so?"

"It appears Tom wasn't happy with two masters. He decided to go for the trifecta."

"And that was?" Irene enquired.

"The man that my brother was so intent on catching up with. Charles Augustus Magnussen."

"The newspaper guy?" Lestrade clarified.

"The very same," Sherlock responded. "Over the years Magnussen has amassed information on all sorts of people from around the world. He has gone on to use this information to further advance his organization, and to increase the number of avenues to gain even more information."

"So he's a blackmailer," said John.

"Not just any blackmailer John. He is the master blackmailer, in many ways he is by far the greatest adversary any of us are ever likely to face."

"In what way?"

"Give a man like that certain information, like that stored on the flash drive we just found, and he would use it to take control, absolute control."

"So does he have this information?" Irene asked.

Sherlock looked over at Wiggins who gave a brief shake of his head.

"Magnussen believes the information in his possession, supplied by Tom, will give him the power he requires. But Wiggins instigated Tom discovering information that has no real value, that he subsequently passed on to Magnussen."

Everyone let out sighs of relief.

"So Lestrade you were correct, I do need to contact my brother," but when he reached for the inside pocket of his jacket he remembered he'd lost his mobile. "Damn!"

"This what you're looking for?" John asked, handing him his mobile.

"How…?" Sherlock began.

"Later," John replied. "You need to phone Mycroft."

"I prefer to text," Sherlock said as he took back his mobile and immediately started typing. "And I'll require an explanation from you on how it is you know Molly," he stated glancing over at Irene.

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

"The answer is still no," Mycroft said. He was beginning to grow weary with the repetitive nature of their argument. Though quite why he thought it would go any other way was beyond him.

Magnussen too was growing bored with the whole situation.

He'd always prided himself on knowing everyone's pressure points. Mycroft's was his younger brother.

"I hear Sherlock isn't the man he once was."

A pained expression briefly crossed the elder Holmes' features, before he once again regained control to show a neutral face. "The dead rarely are," he responded coolly.

Magnussen's eyes lit up and he began to chuckle, slapping the palm of his hand against his upper thigh enthusiastically.

Mycroft's eyes became steely as he observed the other man's antics. "And what, pray tell do you find so funny?" he enquired.

Magnussen now burst into a full fit of laughter. Eventually managing to get himself under enough control to make a reply. "The fact that you believe Sherlock to be dead."

Mycroft sat up even straighter. "If you're attempting to get what you want from me by using sentiment. I can assure you you've chosen the wrong person."

"Oh of that I am absolutely certain," Magnussen replied. "But it doesn't change the fact that he is very much alive," Magnussen paused, leaning forward in his chair. "My informants tell me Sherlock has been a patient of Moriarty and Moran."

"Patient?"

"Well, guinea pig would be a better description. They decided to use him as their test subject in their quest to make a better cyborg."

"And why would they do that? Why use Sherlock?" Mycroft asked doing his best to hide how uncomfortable this development, if true, made him feel.

"They were under the mistaken belief that Sherlock was responsible for the second generation discovering they were sterile. And they wanted revenge."

Understanding dawned on the minor government official. "It was you," he said. "That's why you headed off world. You were worried in case they traced it back to you."

"Yes," the newspaper magnate confirmed. "And yet in reality I had nothing to fear. If I'd realised how obsessed they were with your brother…"

At that moment Mycroft received a text alert.

Reading through the message Mycroft allowed a rare smile to play upon his lips. He put his phone away and looked Magnussen in the eye.

"I'm afraid Magnussen the usefulness you believe you have has just been made invalid." Turning his head slightly he instructed. "Mrs Watson, if you would be so kind."

Magnussen barely had time to register his surprise at the abrupt turn of events before Mary's well-aimed bullet struck him between the eyes and his body slumped over, dead.

Mycroft got up and walked over to the dead master blackmailer. He bent down to check the former assassins handiwork.

"A clean shot."

"You sound almost disappointed," Anthea noted as she joined him.

"Well if you'd wanted a bit more of a mess," Mary said as she made her way over to them, "you should have told me and I would have used hollow-pointed bullets."

"I'll try to remember that for next time," Mycroft responded dryly.

THE UN BASE

When they returned back to the base everyone was in the mood to celebrate.

Everyone that is, except Sherlock. He was more concerned with getting an explanation concerning a very personal matter.

He found himself a comfortable chair and sat down before pulling Molly down onto his lap and enclosing her in a protective embrace.

Only then did he turn his attention to The Woman.

"Now Irene I believe you owe us an explanation," he stated firmly. "You know Molly, don't you? I could tell as soon as you saw her you recognised her. Would you care to explain how?"

"Why don't you ask Molly?"

Everyone else gathered around, all were intrigued.

"Because she doesn't know," Sherlock responded. He turned to Molly and looked deeply into her eyes, before continuing softly. "Although I do believe she is beginning to remember a little."

Molly looked from Sherlock to Irene then back again, her brow furrowing as she concentrated on trying to remember.

Looking up to see a smiling Irene who offered her help.

Waking up feeling groggy in a warm bed.

Running through the streets with Irene. There are unknown assailants behind them.

Becoming separated.

On her own lost, confused and scared.

Sherlock pulled her closer and began pressing gentle kisses on her forehead, cheeks and lips.

It wasn't until she felt the saltiness of her own tears on his lips that she realised she was crying.

She turned pleading eyes to the female alpha. "Please," she whispered. "Please tell me what was done to me."

"And why," Sherlock added.

Irene watched them both for a moment before finally relenting, taking the chair opposite them. "All right," she agreed. "But be warned, it will be a lot to take in."

They both nodded their understanding.

Irene took a deep breath and then she began.

"When the production of the second generation cyborgs began the mandate was that it was imperative to produce as many as possible in a very short timeframe. Moriarty and Moran were experts with machines but they knew next to nothing about biology, and how to merge the two effectively. So they employed a number of experts in the field, some more ethical than others."

"Surely the government kept check to make sure that strict guidelines were adhered to?" John asked.

"Initially they did, yes. But as the situation became more desperate officials were convinced to turn a blind eye." Irene replied.

"The main issue that they had was the human side of the equation," she continued. "They were using injured or near dead alphas and betas. The cybernetic enhancements took quite a bit of adjusting with to get the balance right with their emotions. It was at this point that Moriarty made the decision to make them all sterile. Many of the alphas being used already were due to the side effects of using the suppressant."

"Far cheaper to produce carbon copies rather than individuals," Sherlock noted.

"Yes."

"All very interesting. But it doesn't explain how you know Molly."

"The cyborgs, despite the attempts to manage their emotions were clearly more aggressive than regular alpha and beta males, even before they became aware they were sterile," Irene explained. "I was becoming more and more concerned for the welfare of the omegas. They are by their very nature willing and submissive. It was clear that they were being treated brutally. I couldn't just stand back and do nothing."

"Didn't you raise your concerns with Moriarty and Moran?" Lestrade queried.

"Of course, but they weren't interested, they didn't see any profit in it. So I began to develop in secret my own cybernetic enhancements. But mine were aimed specifically at omega females."

Molly's whole body went rigid. She looked at Sherlock and then at Irene, shaking her head. "No," she whimpered.

"I found Molly collapsed exhausted at the entrance of The MM Corp. It seemed that fate had brought her to me just at the right time, as I needed to test the enhancements and she was strong and healthy, and had up until that time been able to escape the clutches of the cyborgs."

Molly looked stricken; she turned pleading eyes to Sherlock, silently begging him to bring Irene's explanations to an end.

But Sherlock knew he couldn't. What she was about to tell them was far too important to the both of them. So he pulled her in close until her head rested under his chin and he began to rub her back with soothing strokes as he nodded to The Woman to continue.

"My enhancements focussed on giving omegas extra agility and strength to help them cope better with the cyborgs. But they were going to need something more, they needed to be able to deal with the psychological stress as well. The cyborgs didn't just physically abuse them they verbally abused them as well," Irene paused directing her next words to Molly. "There was absolutely no way I was ever going to subject you to the jibes of the cyborgs. I needed you to become stronger emotionally as well as physically. To that end I knew I had the perfect non-cyborg candidate, the biting words of one Sherlock Holmes."

Molly gasped, while Sherlock looked uncomfortable. But his expression quickly turned to annoyance once the others in the room began to chuckle.

"Oh that's classic," John laughed, whipping tears out of his eyes.

"Yes," Irene agreed, she smiled as she looked fondly over at the dumbfounded consulting detective and his mate. "As it turns out it was a far more fortuitus piece of genius than I ever imagined it would be."

"What do you mean?" Molly asked, totally confused.

"If you hadn't already noticed Molly, Sherlock isn't the easiest person to get on with," John explained.

Molly frowned. "I haven't found him any more difficult to deal with than anyone else."

"Which is precisely the point," Sherlock responded, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Irene has fortified you against my somewhat sharp and impatient tongue."

"That's putting it mildly," Lestrade noted with a grin.

"So what happened?" Sherlock asked, steering the conversation back on topic.

"Before I could complete my tests Moriarty discovered what I was doing. He didn't like that I was working on something behind his back. Molly and I were forced to flee. But we became separated…"

There was a moment of silence as everyone digested everything they had just learned.

"These enhancements you designed, what affect would they have on an alpha male?" Sherlock asked.

Irene considered his question for a moment or two before replying. "On the emotional side virtually none," she said. "Alpha DNA works differently to that of omegas. If there were any affects at all I would say that their physical strength might be increased."

"So it wouldn't affect the alphas emotional state at all? You're absolutely positive?"

"Yes absolutely," Irene confirmed confidently. "Why do you ask?"

"I believe Moriarty and Moran somehow obtained a copy of your modifications and used them on me."

Irene looked a little taken aback, while the others were intrigued. "Why on earth would they do that? What did they hope to gain by it?"

Sherlock found himself unable to meet anyone's eye, not even Molly's. His cheeks were tinged with a touch of pink as he replied. "I believe their intention was for me to get in touch with my 'feminine side', to connect with those emotions that I have always been so disdainful of. Emotions I have always refused to act upon."

Molly sensing the underlining fear he was feeling wrapped her arms around him and began murmuring comforting, soothing words into his ear.

John may never have been as observant as his friend, but he had a lot more experience when it came to emotions. "What is it you're really afraid of Sherlock?" he asked.

Sherlock took a minute or two to compose himself. He reluctantly pulled out of Molly's embrace before making his reply, his gaze never wavering from his mate. "What if…" he began. "What if the way I've been feeling lately is only due to what Moriarty and Moran did to me?"

Of all the responses he expected, laughter was not one of them. But that was what he received, from Irene at least.

"I'm serious," he snapped testily.

"I know," Irene replied once she's recovered herself. "Have you not been listening to what I've been telling you? My enhancements were for omega females. Your alpha genetic makeup would have completely overwhelmed any attempts to change who you are emotionally." The Woman shook her head looking affectionately over at the bonded couple. "The only reason you feel the way you do is because Molly is the one you were always meant to be with. You wouldn't have felt the need to bond with her otherwise," she assured him.

Sherlock felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He kissed Molly passionately on the lips. "Mine!" he proclaimed roughly, his expression and the emotional link between them letting her know how much more he wanted to do if they were alone.

Molly blushed prettily, but she giggled happily as she leant forward to return his kiss. "Yours," she agreed.

"What this document proposes leaves me feeling uneasy," Mycroft admitted.

"Anything that involves reproduction always makes you uneasy, blood," Sherlock noted dryly.

Mycroft glared at his younger brother. He'd been informed of what had been done to Sherlock. And from what he'd so far observed The Woman's assessment of the affects on him were proving to be correct.

But as to what was being considered based on the information in The MM Corp documents that was a completely different matter entirely.

"And how exactly does allowing these cyborgs to procreate help our present situation?" he demanded. "Haven't they caused enough death and destruction without giving them more ammunition in the form of their progeny?"

"But they wouldn't," Sherlock argued. "This whole war began because they were denied the right to inseminate omegas. If we were able to find a way to reverse it and to find a way to rein in their emotions, possibly with a few modifications to what Irene had been working on for the omegas, there is a more than reasonable chance that they could be reintegrated back into the general population."

Mycroft shook his head adamantly. "There are simply too many variables," he said. "Its far too risky. That and the fact that there is no guarantee that it would even work."

"Oh I wouldn't say that," John interjected. He and Mike Stamford had been going through the documents. "I'm not saying that there is a quick fix to this situation. But I do believe from what I've read so far that there is reason to be hopeful of an eventual solution."

"There is also something else you've failed to consider," Sherlock added.

Mycroft raised an enquiring eyebrow. "And that is?"

"That this may be the only way to increase the alpha population."

"You believe its possible?"

"Oh I know it's entirely possible," Sherlock said with a self-satisfied smirk as he made his way over to Molly, enclosing her in a loving embrace. "That process has already begun."

Molly leaned back against her mate, a beaming smile on her face as she and Sherlock, their fingers entwined as their hands rested over where nestled their unborn child.

"You're certain Molly's pregnant?" John queried, clearly as astonished as everyone else about the consulting detectives announcement.

Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Honestly John where did you get your medical degree? Surely you're aware that an alphas sense of smell is more sensitive than that of a beta male. I can tell by the change in Molly's scent that she is indeed pregnant."

John blushed. "Its just… we didn't think that you'd…"

"What?" Sherlock snapped impatiently.

John looked to the others then shrugged. "Never mind."

Everyone surrounded the happy couple offering their heart-felt congratulations.

"Well that's one problem that has found a possible solution," Sherlock stated before turning to Mycroft to add playfully. "Now all we need to do is to find someone to run the country. And I think I know of the perfect candidate."

Mycroft refused to rise to the bait, for now at least.