lil wrote:

Weirdness wrote:

Swanpride wrote:

But Moriarty was Sherlock's equal...Mycroft is supposed to be smarter than Sherlock, so it makes sense that he is smarter than Moriarty, too. Magnusson was Mycroft's equal...which is most likely one of the reasons Mycroft avoided to take him on.

 
I hadn't thought about that.  Now that you mention it, it does make sense.  It kind of makes me wonder if Mycroft already knew that there were no actual files.  That would support why Mycroft, being "the government", wouldn't have already made a move against Magnusson.  Maybe he was biding his time until Magnusson slipped up and didn't want Sherlock to interfere and jeopardize himself based on the false assumption that there was actual physical evidence somewhere.

 
Magnusson did say Mycroft was looking for a way to get him.
Rem the phonecall in TSOT..Mycroft is warning Sherlock off, randomly mentions red beard, he seems to know how all this will end , but Sherlock ignores his advice.
By the time its christmas , Mycroft knows MAG is becoming a problem (smallwood suicide) and seems to change his mind.
In canon the safe is referred to as the dragon.replace dragon for safe the smoking convo looks very different. Mycroft oks the op on Magnusson?
Slay dragons...destroy the safe..thats why he drinks the tea, @and has brought the laptop...they never do xmas.
Sherlock does not betray his brother for Magnusson,  just like Mycroft does not betray Sherlock to Moriarty.They planned it.
The op goes wrong, because there is no vault its a mind palace.
Sherlock waits for Mycroft , look what he shouts to the sky/mycroft.
Translation...there is no vault, its in his mind, you messed up, now look what I have to do , get ready to have my back.
The merry christmas is Sherlock s sarcasm..by shooting Magnusson he has saved the country and Mycroft from falling under Magnusson s power, what a xmas pressie for everyone, but what a price for Sherlock. Oh Sherlock....
Smallwood and Mycrof

…