Megg suggested that this should be a series and now suddenly it is. Funny how these things work.
Who knows where these two are at. Also, the river isn't frozen over, okay? Lol
"Sherlock, he's over here!" John yelled, alerting the consulting detective to the exact location of the criminal they were currently in hot pursuit of.
Sherlock backpedaled and ran in the direction of John's voice. The warehouse was dark and expansive, lying on the shore of the river, next to one of the many bridges that were built across it. It was the middle of the day, but the building had little to no light to speak of, only windows that were boarded up or broken.
The pair followed the man, who had been accused of kidnapping an important Government official, through the halls and rooms. Even John's aim wasn't good enough to shoot a man who was so surprisingly fast that he managed to duck and weave through piles of crates as tall as he was.
The man burst through the exit doors, running toward the walkway that led to the bridge. Sherlock realized too late that it was a drawbridge and a cargo ship was coming through; if he got to the other side before the bridge was raised, they would lose him. "John, hurry up!"
John huffed into the cold winter air and ran faster. Sherlock was directly in front of him, blocking his view of the criminal. His lungs burned with every breath he took. Who decided this was a good idea in mid-January? They turned up the narrow railed walkway, one after the other.
Despite his consistent observatory nature, Sherlock did make mistakes every once in a while. He took this exact moment to make one of these mistakes, by slipping on a thick patch of ice.
He managed to fall on his knees instead of his hands, preventing what would have been a nasty wrist injury. He cursed and John skidded to a halt, almost falling himself. "Sherlock, are you alright?"
Sherlock ignored the question and grabbed the railings with his hands, pulling himself to his feet. He took off running again, now considerably behind the man who just might be getting away this time. John sighed and followed him.
When they reached the top of the walkway and stepped onto the bridge, they were utterly dumbfounded at what they saw. The criminal was being handcuffed to the bridge by a svelte woman in clothes that were far too light for the weather she was standing in. "River?"
"Hello you two," she purred, turning away from the man who was trying in vain to pull his hand from the cuffs. "Thought you could use some help."
"What are you doing here?" John asked, as Sherlock pulled out his phone to call Lestrade.
"Vortex manipulator brought me here unexpectedly. It needs to be repaired, I think. Now I'm just waiting for my ride." River walked to the railing and climbed up on it, despite John's insisting that she get down before she falls.
"Lestrade is on his way," Sherlock said, pocketing the phone. "Dare I ask where you got the handcuffs?"
"Oh, those are Greg's," she said with a grin. "I nicked them last time this thing sent me to Scotland Yard." She shook her wrist for emphasis.
A wheezing noise filled the air as the sirens of police cars finally reached their ears.
"Looks like my ride is here!" River said. "You boys be good, now!" The TARDIS materialized just on the lip of the railing and she waved them both goodbye, walking backward into its depths. John watched her go, gaping at the blue box. Sherlock seemed, as per usual, disinterested. The wheezing noise returned and the box faded into nothing.
The squad cars pulled up to the bridge and Lestrade got out. They unhooked the man from the bridge, who was cursing obscenities and babbling about disappearing boxes, and shoved him into the back of one of the cars. Lestrade held the handcuffs out to Sherlock.
"Those are yours, not mine," the consulting detective announced, walking away before Greg could yell at him for stealing them.
Lestrade reached for the cuffs on his belt, but they weren't there. He stared, dumbfounded, as both members of 221B Baker Street made a quick exit.
Neither of them were looking forward to having to explain that.