Sherlock had expected Moriarty's empire to crumble with that lone shot to the head. He believed...no, knew...that the spider web Jim had worked so hard to weave had been snapped at the seams.
He hadn't taken into account that Moriarty had a back-up plan.
Moriarty was impulsive, yes, that was true, but he wasn't an idiot. He knew, just as Sherlock did, that their Final Problem could only end one way. Both would have to die. He didn't know how he would do it, but Moriarty would make sure his death would cause a victory for the fallen angels. Make sure Sherlock was played right until the end.
He had reached out within the company, testing out the waters for who could replace him.
Irene Adler would have been the perfect choice...she was just as cold and ruthless as Moriarty. But she was currently hiding somewhere in South America, and of little use to him. She had fallen in love after all. She had become just as boring as everyone else.
Moran was smart, yes, but he was just a hired gunman. There was no way he could run a company as elaborate as what Moriarty had created.
And as for everyone else, well, they could barely handle themselves without itching to blow something up. Trigger happy junkies, that's all they ever were and ever would be.
So he went with his last option. And with the pull of a trigger, a new empire began.
One that would cause a global upheaval.