Chapter Text
Screaming. Pandemonium. It startled eight-year-old Mycroft. The terrified look on his mother's face was making him increasingly scared.
"Mummy?" he squeaked, clutching to the leg of her trousers.
"It's all right, baby....it's okay. We'll be okay," she murmured. Mycroft had learned long ago that adults only said that to children when one party or the other was panicking. Mycroft watched as Mummy adjusted the position of his baby brother on her front. She scooped him into her arms easily - as the mechanic on Serenity, she was deceptively strong.
Mummy began to run and run and run.
Mycroft's eyes whirled around. People all seemed to be running to the same place - running to Badger. People were shouting.
"This way! Come on, this way!" People in fancy clothes without a speck of dirt and fellow petty criminals all ran in the same direction.
When they arrived in the familiar office of Badger, people were filling his basement. Mummy stopped beside Badger. "Si - Simon. Badger, have you seen Simon?" she panted.
"I ain't seen your pretty boy - weren't he on the other side of town?" the oddly accented voice pointed out. Mummy let out a string of both Chinese and English curses. She handed Mycroft over to Badger, who took him, startled. Mycroft watched, wide-eyed, as she removed Sherlock from her chest and handed him to Mycroft. Mycroft gripped him tight.
"Zi," Mummy began. "Keep him safe, won't you? Protect him."
Mycroft couldn't find words. He simply nodded. She pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads, then turned a steely gaze on Badger.
"Under no circumstances allow them out of your sight," she growled before starting back out, fighting the crowd.
Mycroft's eyes were wide and he clutched Sherlock close. The boy stared up at him and snuggled close.
Badger waited until the screams became too close for comfort. Then he began heading to the basement, shouting orders to stop letting people in - to close up the basement. Mycroft screamed for his Mum, for his Dad, for the dark-skinned twins he counted as cousins. Badger didn't listen. He hid in the basement. The basement closed. Everything was silent except for the screams above and the noises of ships fleeing.
After a few hours.....nothing.