Chapter 1
Kree's fleet persecuted Thanos's spies fleeing space. In a cowardly attempt to get rid of their pursuers, they flew into the asteroid belt, where they parted and a small ship headed for Earth.
„Get the others! This one is mine!” ordered Yon-Rogg, the commander of this fleet, before going after the spy. He was on his heels when the spy decided on the last desperate attack, when, with luck, he hit Yon-Rogg's ship. Specifically, he managed to hit the landing module. The ship began to shake uncontrollably, the dashboard glowing and flashing like a Christmas tree, showing completely random values.
Yon had trouble securing the ship It was a long-range battleship, a special module was designed for one person only. He was trying to balance the ship somehow. He was an excellent pilot, no one dared to guess. The landing was long and rough. Part of the ship was severely damaged during the crash. The whole interior was filled with smoke. He opened the door, releasing all the accumulated smoke coming from the overheated technology.
The fresh earth air was cold and humid. He climbed out of the spaceship and slid onto the muddy ground, which was still soaked by the recent rain. His foot slipped on the mud and fell.
„What kind of horrible planet is this?” he asked himself as he scrambled to his feet and began tapping something on the display on his wrist.
„Planet C-53 also called Earth. Location: London. Local language: English. Year: 1890. The planet is still evolving. It falls under the protection of the Nova Corps. The population is relatively primitive,” he read aloud.
„That's great. I'm on a planet full of savages,” he sighed and returned to the ship. The smoke was gone and he was examining the extent of the damage.
Many of the devices were severely damaged. But one still worked. Locator. According to the device, the spy landed just a few miles from him. He armed himself and took a special camouflage device that fit in his pocket and transferred the data from the ship to the computer in his hand. He lowered the hologram of the map and set off. In about an hour, he reached his destination. The spy's ship was even more damaged than his own, and it was still smoking. He opened the hatch and looked inside.
„Self-destruct program activated. The destruction will take place in five minutes,” an electronic voice said. Yon slammed the hatch angrily and set out to explore the area. Maybe the spy tried to erase the tracks of self-destruction, but he probably wasn't that smart. Yon found his muddy tracks moving away from the ship. He followed them to a large city that he thought was London and where the tracks had disappeared. He hid in the shadows and watched the locals. It was obvious that he didn't fit in well here with his blue uniform and yellow eyes.
He pulled aside into an empty alley where the clothes were hanging on strings. He made sure no one was in sight, scanned his clothes, and when the computer confirmed a few things, he put it on. Now he could embark on his quest again. Now he was indistinguishable from true earthlings. Unfortunately, he also lost track of the spy. He mingled with the crowd and continued to search. His tracking device detected a faint trace of residual energy that certainly didn't come from this planet. He discreetly chased it into one of the tangled streets. At the same time, he missed an Earthling with special clothes, which was different from the previous ones he had seen so far, and he also had a very distinctive nose. He just wondered, but otherwise paid him no attention.
A group of three Earthlings in torn clothes ran past him, pushed into him and snatched a pocket watch in his hand with a masked locator device.
„Hey, it's mine!” he shouted at them and went after the thieves. He was much more physically fit than the Earthlings, and he easily caught up with the thieves. He knocked the first one to his knees. The other thief counterattacked. He tried a fake lunge and then tripped Yon-Rogg's legs. „You wanna play, hmm? I don't have time for that,” he was upset. He stood up and knocked out the thieves with trained movements. The third thief, meanwhile, had enough time to escape and with the watch, he headed for a man with a strange nose who looked as if he didn't even know about the world around him.
Yon-Rogg ran after the thief, but someone was faster. The man with the big nose was in control of the whole situation, and as the thief passed him, he knocked him to the ground with a single accurate blow to the chin. The thief only grumbled in pain before the stranger took his stolen watch. He glanced at them before Yon-Rogg ran up to him.
„Take better care of your things next time,” he said, returning his watch. „If you left it at Scotland Yard, you would most likely never see them again. And speaking of them, they should be here any minute,” during his speech, the stranger took off the strange rags under which he hid the black suit and removed the fake nose from his face. Now he looked normal and, according to Yon, slightly handsome. Not that he was attracted to Earthlings.
„You were just in the right place at the right time,” he replied sceptically.
„No coincidence. It was obvious that he would run this way. It was the only free exit from this labyrinth of streets. As you can see, there are a total of five exits. One is blocked by a wrecked car carrying oil, the other two are guarded by the police, and the fourth was inadvertently blocked by you. Well, I was here. Besides, this is the exit to one of London's busiest streets. He would perfectly get lost in the crowd here. Therefore, this makes it the best escape route of all. The case is closed,” he explained.
„Amazing,” it escaped from his mouth.
„Nothing that couldn't be deduced. You, my dear friend, you are a much bigger mystery to me” he turned to Yon-Rogg and glanced at him. He saw in him a great unknown that he would like to reveal.
Gradually, the thump of footsteps could be heard heading straight towards them.
„My time to leave. Just to avoid problems,” he smiled and disappeared into the crowd like a ghost. Shortly after his departure, men in black uniforms, members of Scotland Yard led by Inspector Lestrade, filled the alley.
„So what do we have here?” the inspector said, examining the stunned thief.
„Sir, this is one of the Price brothers,” said constable Clark.
„I see that too. Go, as I know Holmes, there are two more,” he ordered, turning to Yon. „And who are you?”
„I was just walking through here when the fool robbed me,” he replied abruptly.
„Understood. Lucky Holmes was here, huh?” he joked.
„Holmes?” he asked.
„Haven't you heard of him? I'm surprised.”
„I've been gone for a long time,” he improvised.
„Oh, that makes sense. You know, Sherlock Holmes is a detective...”
„The best detective in the world,” Clark interrupted.
„Yeah, he's stealing our cases,” this information caught his eye. Maybe he could use Sherlock to help him find Thanos' spy.
„Tell me, gentlemen, where can I find Sherlock Holmes?” he asked with a mischievous look.
„Well, try the men's club on the corner of Carnaby Street. He often spends time there after finishing a case. I would look for him there,” the inspector thought.
„Thank you for the information. Now, if you'll excuse me,” he said goodbye and left.
He had no idea where to look for the club, but he didn't even have to know. He entered the information into a locator, which immediately showed him the direction he had taken. He found the club easily, but he couldn't find the person he was looking for in it. He intertwined with the crowd until he ended up at the bar. He sat down at the counter and looked at his watch. They completely lost track of the spy and the detective. He sighed. With this approach, he will never fulfil his mission.
„Hey, you,” the bartender addressed him. Yon-Rogg looked at him annoyed. „Aren't you, by any chance, a mysterious soldier who helped Holmes?” he asked with a slight smile.
„Today I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Holmes. But he was in a hurry,” he replied casually, looking at the bartender.
„He said you would definitely be looking for him here. So I have to give you this. At first, I thought he was kidding, but he was right. As always,” he handed him a folded piece of paper. Yon took it and examined it. On the cover was written: For a mysterious soldier.
How could he know he was a soldier? Probably a coincidence. He unfolded the paper and read:
„Dear stranger,
it looks like I've aroused some interest in you. If you want to know more, you can find me tomorrow at 221B Baker Street. I’ll wait for you.
SH”
„He was right that it was you. I can see it in your eyes,” the annoying bartender smiled. He wanted to add something when Yon-Rogg looked at him with a look that, if he could, the bartender would already be lying dead on the ground.
„That's enough,” he said angrily.
„Sure. Of course, you're right. I just…” he stopped immediately when he noticed the soldier's gaze. „I'm silent,” he blurted out, wiping the counter, but he was still watching him.
„That's good. Thank you for handing over the letter. If you'll excuse me, I have to leave,” he said.
„That's a nice freak to me,” the bartender growled under his moustache.
The soldier went to his ship. He had to sleep somewhere and yet he wouldn't sleep in some slimy and dirty street. Especially in such a winter. He disguised the ship so that no Earthling could find it and locked it. He settled into a reclining chair and had a plan in his head before he fell asleep. If what he had heard about Sherlock Holmes was true, he intended to use his abilities to his advantage and get Thanos's spy. Then he'll return home triumphantly as a true hero. How wonderful the plan sounded. Nothing could go wrong.
The next morning he got up quite early, all crushed. His ship was not built to spend the night. He rinsed his face with water and went outside. A cold morning breeze blew through him and he was cold. He was not used to such weather. He looked at the ticket once more before entering the address into the locator. Only now, however, did he realize that the detective had not written to him what time he was to arrive. Won't it be too soon now? He thought. He had no idea. He was not identified with the earthly lifestyle.
Maybe he should wait a few more hours. In the meantime, he could explore the city. With that in mind, he headed for London, completely forgetting that he hadn't eaten since last night. He walked several streets and saved the ones that seemed important to him in the locator. When it was clear that most of the Earthlings were already awake and walking through the streets of London, he could safely say that it resembled his homeland. Although the Earthlings weren't so advanced. They may sometimes be able to catch up with Kree, even though he strongly doubted it.
He walked to Baker Street, right in front of door 221B. He was about to knock on them when they opened themselves. An elderly lady stood directly in front of him, her grey hair pulled back into a tight bun. Wrinkles lined her face, and she smiled too suspiciously at him.
„You must be the soldier Holmes was talking about. You are much more handsome than I imagined you. It's unusual for cute guys like you to come to him and not want to solve a cheating case. Come on, come inside, don't stand here,” she pushed him inside. „You know, it's very difficult to get well with Sherlock. It may not look like it, but I'm at the end of my strength. I'm also glad you keep an eye on him. It's about time. Now go up the stairs. And where are my manners? My name is Martha Louise Hudson. I rent it here to Mr Holmes. And you are?” she startled him
„Umm, Yon...”
„John? That's a very nice name. And your last name?”
„Watson,” he said after a moment, glancing across the street at a carriage that read Watson and son.
„What a wonderful name. Well, John, nice to meet you,” she offered her hand. Yon accepted it hesitantly and shook with Mrs Hudson.
„It's my pleasure.”
„Such a nice young man. And he's polite to it all,” she smiled before leading him to the big door. She knocked once before entering. „You have a visitor, and exceptionally it's not Scotland Yard,” she said suddenly venomously. She turned her back on the detective to make room for Yon in the doorway. „I'll get you some tea,” she smiled kindly at Yon before walking down the stairs.
Yon hesitantly stepped inside, closed the door behind him, and analysed the room he was in. There was complete chaos. Books rolled across the ground, along with test tubes that still contained various mixtures of chemicals. On the tiger, fur lay a coat from the previous day, which Yon knew very well. At the same time, the room was filled with various flowers, which gave the space a jungle atmosphere. Directly opposite the door was a large window with two armchairs, a small crowded table between them, and a fireplace on the left, in which a fire blazed lazily.
„I hope you're not going to stand there all day,” Sherlock said from his chair.
„No, of course not,” he replied in surprise, walking over to the detective and sitting down in an empty chair. It was quite comfortable.
„How are you?” Sherlock asked, shaking his hand. „You were,… You're at war, I suppose. In a very distant war.”
„How do you know that?” he asked in surprise. All the while, he thought he was behaving like a real terrestrial civilian. That he merged with his surroundings.
„It doesn't matter. You came to see me for a reason. It is certain that I have attracted some attention to you. You probably need my help. Rather, you are looking for someone, but in vain. What's more, London is a whole new world for you. At the same time, you speak excellently English, despite the fact that you have been out of the country for a long time. I'll be happy to take your case. But on one condition,” he smiled triumphantly. Yon couldn't stare. Surprisingly, his jaw dropped, as the detective was theoretically right about everything. Sherlock chuckled slightly at his reaction.
„And what would that be?” Yon asked after a moment.
„You don't have to worry about anything at all. It will be quite beneficial for you. I'm looking for someone to help me with the rent. There is everything, including a fully equipped bedroom. And you, my dear John Watson, look like someone who would welcome a roof over your head.”
„And why do you think that?” he tried to play his game.
„You just look like someone sleeping under a poor shelter in the middle of a field. Your whole outfit suggests that, including the mud on your shoes,” he joined his hands and rested his chin on them. His eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement at the new game. This time, of course, he was right about everything, and Yon had no idea how to react. He thought it over carefully before nodding in agreement. In addition, when he lives in the city, he will learn the local customs and thus blend in better with his surroundings than catch the treacherous spy.
„I agree with your condition,” he replied, holding out his hand. It was too late to think that this gesture might mean anything else here, but he was relieved when Sherlock shook hands with him as proof of their deal and smiled mischievously at Yon. How could rent be so expensive? He could simply convert several units into the local currency.
Yon-Rogg moved to Baker Street that day. He didn't have much. He quickly found new clothes, some books on local culture, and a few little things he thought would look more like an earthling. Including a large notebook and stationery, where he wanted to record traces and knowledge from Earth. Holmes said nothing about his stuff. He just watched him, amused and interested, as he unpacked.
That same evening, they sat down together in chairs by the crackling fire. The detective wanted to talk to him about a few details about their new life together.
„I hope you don't mind the smell of strong tobacco?” Sherlock asked, loading his pipe.
„I don't mind. I also smoke myself,” he lied, in part because he didn't mind the smoke itself.
„That's good. As you may have noticed, I have several chemicals here and I experiment with them very often. Hope you don't mind.”
„Not at all.”
„Good. Now I would say a little about my not-so-popular features. Sometimes I'm in a bad mood and I don't talk to the whole world for a few days. In this case, ignore me completely. It will be the best. I'm not a very good companion at the time. And what about you? If we live together, I think it would be appropriate to know the worst about the other” Yon laughed at his words. He didn't expect such an approach.
„I am a perfectionist. I like things nicely in order and I also get up very soon,” he thought.
„What would you say about playing the violin?” he asked, full of anticipation.
„It depends on who plays them. When well, it's a ballad for the ears, but vice versa
...”
„Well, very well. I think we'll understand,” he laughed. „Otherwise regarding the rent, it will be divided in half. You can give your share directly to Mrs Hudson or me at the end of the month. It's up to you,” he added.