I'm so sorry about the long gap! The last section literally kicked my ass but yall deserve this. Please let me know about any typos or even stilted sounding stuff, there is even less editing than you usually get

The woman who walked in was average looking. She was white, with black hair and of about average height and build, though Sherlock could see the practiced tension in her posture. A forgettable woman, but well trained - a deadly combination.

"I trust you're comfortable, Mr. Holmes?" asked the woman.

"Quite," said Sherlock, "but I have to wonder if my friends are receiving the same … courtesy."

" 'Friends'? That's good to know. I hope that means that you wouldn't want them injured." said the woman, avoiding Sherlock's question.

"Yes, yes, you're using them as leverage against me, if I refuse they'll be the ones paying, etcetera," drawled Sherlock, rolling his eyes. "I know the terms. What do you want?"

The woman didn't seem surprised, but she did raise one eyebrow at Sherlock's blasé attitude.

"We want you to find someone, someone very," she paused, considering her words, "important to us."

"Surely you don't need me for this? I was under the impression that SCORPIA was one of the more competent criminal organisations," said Sherlock, but his mind raced. There were many people who could be out of SCORPIA's reach - people in witness protection, maybe, or an agent gone rogue? And, of course, it could all be a façade, meant to draw Alex in so they could torture him. But something didn't sit quite right about that…

"He's slippery," said the woman. "A trained killer. Trained by us, actually. We thought he was dead, but recent intel suggests otherwise. You'll get his file and all the data we have on him if you agree."

"And if I don't?"

The woman drew her lips back, grimacing.

"Your friends won't have a very good time, I'm afraid," she said.

"I see," said Sherlock. His heart was sinking. There weren't many people who matched the parameters he'd been giving. For a wild moment, he entertained the idea of being tasked to hunt down Yassen Gregorovich, but Yassen was dead.

Then again, Alex was supposed to be dead too.

"I have conditions," he said. "You must release John now, and the others must be allowed to go free after I'm done."

"Why, Mr. Holmes," purred the woman, "No conditions for your own release?"

"I'm not an idiot, I know that won't be possible."

"Well, I'm sorry, but you should know that your conditions cannot be met. None of your friends will be let go until we have everything we need."

Sherlock turned his head, trying not to let her see the desperation in his eyes. Once he finished whatever it was, all of them would be killed. He had to get John safe before that.

"Your conditions, Mr. Holmes? We aren't very patient people."

"I want to meet them," he said, not really sure why he said it. "Once a day for as long as I'm here."

"That's a tall order."

"It really isn't. Once a day. Half an hour."

The woman considered it.

"Fifteen minutes."

Sherlock inclined his head in agreement. It was the best offer he would get. She started to walk away.

"Wait!" called Sherlock. "What should I call you?"

The woman paused in the doorway, and smiled.

"You can call me Eurus. Oh, and one more thing..."

Ben Daniels paced in the lobby of the Royal and General bank, trying not to yell in frustration. It had been hours since he had escaped from SCORPIA, hours since he had come to MI6 to ask for backup - hours since Alex had been taken - and there was still no action. He had been shuttled from one simpering, low-level pencil-pusher to another because the heads were "occupied", and Jones wasn't answering his calls to the private line she'd given him. It wasn't like she'd get a lot of other calls on it - she'd reserved that number specifically for issues concerning Alex Rider. It had only rung three times in the past six years, and one of those had been a wrong number. It didn't make any sense!

He needed a plan. Who knew how long Alex would survive in the slimy grasp of those bastards? He needed backup, someone who knew everyone and all their secrets, someone who'd be his ticket directly to Jones and damn whatever Heads of State she might be coercing. Suddenly, Ben shot up, the idea he'd had reinvigorating him.

What he needed, he mused, as he strolled down a familiar corridor, was Smithers.

Because not only did Smithers have the pull to get him to directly Jones (he'd probably have a spring that bounced you right into her office) but he would also be able to give Ben some cool, unexpectedly useful gadgets so he could mount his own ill-advised rescue when MI6 inevitably refused to send their own. He usually wasn't this pessimistic but (and Smithers would agree), the Bank didn't really have a good record when it came to rescuing Alex.

He knocked on the door to Smithers' office, and felt something relax inside when he heard the invitation in. He didn't know what he'd have done if Smithers hadn't been there.

"What can I do for you, my boy?" asked Smithers, not looking up.

"I need to meet Jones. She isn't taking my calls. It's urgent."

Smithers looked up, his face uncharacteristically grave, and Ben noticed how much he'd changed in such a short time. He seemed a little shorter and hunched, as though weighed down, and even his voice seemed off - scratchier, as though he was recovering from an illness.

"Weren't you informed?" asked Smithers, still serious. "Jones and the rest of the brass are missing. Have been for three days now."

Ben felt his stomach sink. Smithers continued talking, listing the people who had gone missing. Jones, and Crawley, her new deputy. A few of the more experienced receptionists, and some of the highest ranking agents.

"The agency's in chaos, it's no wonder your messages were lost."

"No, Smithers, this is urgent. It's… it's about Alex."

Smithers didn't seem to care.

"Well, no matter who it's about, I'm not quite sure how I can help you."

Ben furiously tried to connect the dots. Smithers' newfound apathy towards Alex. Jones gone. Crawley gone. No one who could help him. No one who knew his mission. No one who remembered Alex left with the agency...

Ben pulled his gun on Smithers.

"My boy, whatever are you-"

"Where's Smithers?" he demanded.

Smithers seemed to freeze. Then, slowly, he reached down to his trousers and began unzipping - first his trousers, then his shirt, and then his face itself. Ben stared in shock as Smithers' body fell away, leaving a young woman behind.

"What- you can't be the real Smithers," he said, trying not to listen to the niggling doubt in his mind.

She shook her head.

"No, I'm not. I'm Maya - Smithers' right hand. He was taken, just like all the others. Luckily, he had a spare fat suit, so I could keep at least this place running smoothly," she said, taking in her surroundings with a slightly disapproving air.

"Where can I find him?" asked Ben. "Surely you have some information?"

"Sure," she said, "but I can't really move with you pointing that at me, can I?"

Ben dropped the gun. He'd forgotten he'd even been holding it. Maya tucked a loose piece of her dark hair behind her ear and frowned at him.

"You need rest."

Ben shook his head. "I need to find my friends."

"Okay," she said, sitting back down at the computer, "luckily for us, Smithers' had a GPS device implanted one of his teeth. I traced it when they went missing - it still points to the same place."

Ben half-stood, but she waved him back down.

"You eat some of those," she said, pointing a dark finger imperiously at the assortment of biscuits set out on a plate, "and I'll see if I can't rustle you up a gun or something. And give me that," she grabbed Ben's phone, inspecting it with pursed lips.

"What-"

"Shut up and eat. We don't know who we can trust, which means you're the only one going on this rescue mission," she snapped, and Ben took a biscuit. Then he took another. He was famished, but the stress hadn't let him feel it.

"Alright," said Maya, tossing Ben a phone, "This is just - just better, in every way. It's synced to the location of the tooth-GPS."

"Thank you," said Ben.

"I'm not done," said Maya. She was really rather rude. "This bag should have enough - guns, holsters, and ammo, and a couple of smoke grenades. The phone's got a few surprises too - there's a manual in there, burn it when you're done. I also threw in some of the more popular gadget's we've had over the years, so take whatever applies to you I guess."

She took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Okay, that's about all I've got."

"Maya-"

"Stop," she said, holding up her hand. "Don't thank me, please. I wish I could do more. Just prom-" her voice broke, and Ben realized that she couldn't be older than twenty.

A child.

Like Alex had once been.

"Promise you'll bring Smithers' back," she choked, eyes shining. "There' s so much I have to learn, so much to ask… and he's a good man. I can't imagine being here without..."

Ben nodded, and patted her shoulder gently. He couldn't imagine MI6 without Smithers either.

And he couldn't imagine a life without Alex, not after he'd found him again.

"I'll do everything I can," he said, and left the room.

He needed to talk to Mycroft.

Eagle and Wolf watched as Snake paced the length of their cell. It wasn't too bad - the tiny toilet in one corner stank, and there were definitely traces of blood on the beds , but it was clean, for a cell, and there were two bunks, hanging from the wall with metal chains.

When they had been thrown in, Wolf had immediately started trying to find a way to break out, and Eagle had just sat down and stared into space, but Snake had been pacing non-stop, barely breaking stride to ask if either of them were injured. Wolf had fractured a finger, and Eagle had a huge cut on his face, and naturally the three of them were covered in bruises, but there wasn't really anything for Snake to do about it, so he resumed his pacing.

They'd been there for a while, at least four hours, before Snake had worked off his nervous energy and sat down on the bunk opposite Wolf and Eagle.

"He'll be fine, Snake," said Eagle, almost gently. "They wouldn't hurt him. That's why they took us."

Wolf frowned.

"You really think he'll give them what they want?" he asked Snake.

Snake took a deep breath and let it out, looking at his feet.

"Yeah, I think he will," he said. "He did it before, with Moriarty."

Eagle started. "Wait, the jumping thing, that was-"

Wolf elbowed him, and he shut up. Both of them had seen how it had affected Snake - They'd even had a bit of a bet going as to whether Snake would ever get married. Wolf had said that he would, what with all the dates he went on, but Eagle had smiled knowingly and said that Snake wouldn't be able to do it.

Eagle was jolted from his thoughts by Wolf's sigh. The unit leader massaged the bridge of his nose, trying to think.

"We have to find a way to tell him not to."

"No offence, Wolf, but I'd like to come out of this alive," said Eagle, glaring at Wolf.

Wolf glared back.

"This is SCORPIA," he gritted out. "You read the file. Either way, we're not surviving this."

Snake shook his head.

"Sherlock will. He's good at getting out of weird situations like this."

"Weird?" yelped eagle. "It's not like we ended up in Dublin with no wallet or ID, this is SCORPIA we're talking about!"

Wolf raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't get the chance to respond. The sound of approaching footsteps made the three soldiers freeze for a moment, and then they were up, poised to take any errant chance of escape.

The door swung open, and in walked their charge, Sherlock Holmes. He was followed by a woman with dark hair, but that was it. No guards, no weapons, nothing. No signs of coercion at all.

"What-"

"Sherlock! Are you okay? What happened?"

Sherlock ignored him and turned to look at the woman.

"Fifteen minutes, as agreed, Mr. Holmes," she said, and left, closing the door behind her.

"Well?" demanded John, the second she left.

Sherlock sighed.

"They want me to … find someone," he said. "I'm to get the files and all the information after this."

"And why is that woman being so polite?" growled Wolf.

Sherlock shrugged. "To throw us off? For fun? I don't presume to understand how her mind works."

Snake narrowed his eyes at that.

"Sherlock, are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," said Sherlock. "I'm fine. We have more important things to worry about."

John looked concerned, but Eagle spoke up.

"Sherlock, even if you do what they ask, we aren't… they're not gonna let us out."

Sherlock's face was tight, but he didn't look upset.

"You know this," continued Eagle, "so why help them at all?"

Sherlock frowned. His lips pressed together in a thin line, and he simply stared at a point on the wall.

"You'll get out," he said, eventually. "I just need to buy some time."

"So you're going to help them with whatever it is?" asked Wolf.

Sherlock nodded slowly. He still had that same look on his face, that strange, sad but hopeful look that made Wolf wonder what exactly was going on.

"If my deductions are correct - "

"And they usually are," muttered Eagle.

"-then it won't matter if I do it or not," finished Sherlock.

Wolf wanted to demand answers, to drag more information out of the younger man's unwilling lips, but the door opened and the woman beckoned.

"I need to leave," said Sherlock, looking slightly ill. "I'll be back tomorrow."

The door shut behind them, and Wolf frowned.

"Either of you get the feeling he's hiding something?"

"Yeah, but what?" asked Eagle.

"I think… Snake, could he be working for them? Willingly?" asked Wolf.

"No." said Snake, not even pausing to think.

"Well, he didn't have any guards - which means they don't think he'll try to escape," said Eagle slowly, "and his explanation about what they're making him do was weak, at best."

"No," said Snake, shaking his head. "He wouldn't. He'd never."

But he didn't seem so sure.

EURUS IS JUST A CAMEO NAME

THIS IS AU

S4 DIDN'T HAPPEN

I JUST CHOSE HER APPEARANCE+ NAME BC I WANTED TO GIVE YALL A LITTLE EASTER EGG

it wont be relevant, probably, but if i had more patience i mightve been able to tie real eurus holmes into it. think what you want about her i guess

again, soorry about any typos and the long break! hopefully the length of thi s chapter made up for it?

I'll be answering the reviews for last chapter soon i swear