Holmes' POV
Wow. Okay. So, this is definitely not what was supposed to happen. Nope. Not on my list. How the hell did I end up in an army camp?!
Calm down, just breathe.
Okay.
Let me rewind back to when I left my office home.I was getting ready to go back out and explain to everyone what all that was about with the other guy, but I saw something out my window. Out of sheer curiosity, I climbed out of my window and down into the street to further investigate. It was a young man doing shady business with an older bloke. I was following the young man at a distance when he slipped away.
At one point, he had noticed me and sped up, but not enough to make it very noticeable. He realized at some point that I was not going to stop following him and started running, but not in the panicked way one would expect. He wedged his way into a crowd by the road when I started getting closer. I was making my way around an army truck that was about to leave, which I had believed him to run behind. I'm not quite sure how, but he surprised me and ended up hooking my sleeve to an external part on the truck just as it began to take off.
I had to start moving with it so I could unhook myself but I also didn't want to take my eyes off him so I only paid half attention to what I was doing. I ended up stumbling and throwing my shoulder out of place along with a stinging pain on my arm that was attached to the truck. It was starting to pick up speed. I did the only thing I could think of. I jumped up and hauled myself into the back of the cargo shipment. I set to work on trying to free my arm from the truck first and foremost. When that failed, I tried to figure other ways off.
Why didn't I just yell?
Eventually we came to a stop and I looked out the back. We were not in town anymore. Bloody Hell, I don't even know which direction I came from. I was too focused on trying to free my arm. And that's how I got here.
Some of the men move around to the back of the vehicle and I start to panic. What if they see me? What would happen to me?
"Kyle, climb in and start unloading." The first young man was addressed.
"And just why do I have to do all the work Jones?" The second one now also identified.
"Because my job was the safe transportation. Never heard anything about unloading." Jones replies with a coy smirk.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Kyle rolls his eyes before climbing up.
I tuck my feet in to myself as I curl up as best I can. Neither has seen me. Does that mean my power kicked in? Looking down at my one hand I can see a glimmer of an outline, just barely able to see myself. It's no wonder that I haven't been discovered yet.
Kyle starts to pass crates out to Jones who then moves them off to the side where I can't see from this angle. It gets to the point where Kyle must start walking back and forth to get to the back of the truck to get the crates. On his way to pass one of the last crates to Jones, he trips. I feel a slight pain in my ankle and I realize he had just tripped over me. It seems that my body loosened from the ball I was in the longer I had watched them.
"Kyle, you alright there?" Jones asks climbing up quickly to help his comrade up.
"Yeah. I just tripped on something." He mutters looking back at where I am.
Jones looks over as well then back a Kyle with a questioning look contorting his features.
"There's nothing there." He says.
"Felt like it though…" Kyle mumbles as he moves closer to me again.
He moves a hand out and I move as quickly and quietly as I can. I manage to just get out of the way of where his hand ends up and he just touches the canvas cover of the military truck.
"Come on. Sarge will have our heads if we don't finish this soon. Just a few more crates and then we can go and take a break." Jones convinces Kyle to leave and they pick up the strewn contents of the crate that cracked open when he fell.
They get their work done relatively quick after that and I breathe a quiet sigh of relief when they finally leave. I stand up and test my ankle. No pain, no damage. I look over on what I was caught on and set to work on unhooking myself now that I can see what I am doing better. I manage to get myself free and jump down, balancing myself with my good arm. There is definitely damage to my right shoulder. Most likely dislocated, which means I will need to get it set before it can heal the way it is. There are a few problems with that though…
First, I would need to be visible. Secondly, who could I even go to? I am in the middle of an army camp. Third, they would probably think I am a spy. Lastly, I don't even know where to go.
I hate not knowing things. Absolutely hate it. It just doesn't feel right. I sigh again as I pick a random direction and start walking. I don't recognize anything here, anyone for that matter. I gingerly hold my arm to my side, as it hurts to do anything else with it, as I look around. The area I'm in now is more populated with soldiers, both young and old. My heart goes out to them and their families. I know most wont make it back home. It makes me wonder how many of the young men married hurriedly before heading off to this war, they would have known the chance of them making it home was a slim one. It's not impossible though, I once thought I would never make it home, I had even accepted the fact that I wouldn't. If it hadn't been for Ikrum kidnaping me, I most likely never would have.
It sickens me that he played a large part in returning us home. It also sickens me that when I get back from this camp that I will have to visit him. I need to know how he got the parts to build his time machine. I need to know where he got them and I need to know the inner workings of it. We had destroyed the time machine he had because we saw no use in it. We were never going to be able to go back to the future, why keep temptation around?
I run right into something as I'm lost in thought about my current situation. Or rather, I ran into someone.
"Hey! Watch where you're-" He turns around quickly and falter at not being able to locate me.
It was Kyle.
"Kyle, are you sure you're okay?" Jones asks in a hushed tone.
"….I think I should go to the medical tent." Kyle sounds confused while staring at me.
"I'll take you there. Let's go." Jones pulls him along.
I follow them because the medical tent may have something to help me relocate my arm. After a walk that lasted roughly twenty minutes, we arrived at what I assumed to be the medical tent. During the walk there I had started to calm down and actually take in my surroundings.
Inside the tent there were certainly things I could see Watson enjoying getting his hands on. Oh Lord, those boys are probably worried sick about me again, well, if they're not too busy distracted by their girls. I walk around quietly so neither Kyle or Jones will hear me as I look for anything to reset my shoulder properly. I let out a quiet sigh. It seems I'm going to need a person to help me with this. I sit lightly on a bed, wondering how I'd be able to go about getting someone to help me.
There's no doctor here just yet so Kyle is just talking with Jones. The poor lad will most likely get a wrong diagnosis because of me. He might not even be able to stay in the army.
"Who are you?"
I turn around to look at both the young men then down at my lap to avoid their harsh stares. I startle a bit when I can actually see my lap again. It starts to fade a little with my panic but I can't do that! Not now, they've seen me! What if I disappear in front of their eyes?
I feel a hand land on my shoulder causing me to jump adding more pressure. Problem is, that's my right shoulder, and it hurts like hell.
I let out a yell at the incredible pain I wasn't expecting. The hand is removed as quickly as if they were taking their hand out of a burning fire. I quickly clutch the area close to my shoulder to try and ease the pain.
"Bloody hell! Are you alright miss?" I'm quickly questioned.
I go to say I'm fine, but that little outburst has proven me wrong already. I stop mid-nod and slowly shake my head, biting my lower lip and willing the tears I have not to fall.
"What's going on here?" I hear a third, new voice, chime in.
I hesitantly look up. I'm in way over my head right now. I'm doomed. Where's back up when you need it? The person I look up at looks to be a medic.
"Who are you miss?"
"We brought her here ma'am, she's injured you see?" I look over. Jones is lying for me. Why?
"Yeah. By the looks of it a dislocated shoulder." Kyle points out.
"My, my. However did that happen miss…?" The woman asks.
"……..Holmes. My name is Holmes." I sigh. May as well explain. "I was chasing after a common thief back in town when I lost sight of him. I followed him behind these two young fellows truck as I believed him to have hidden on the other side. As I was approaching the edge the man came around and hooked my sleeve to part of the truck just as it was departing. I was still looking for the man so the sudden lurch threw me forward and dislocated my shoulder. I had no choice but to jump into the truck."
"Then when we found her we thought it best to bring her here before dropping her back in town Jones lies.
"Admittedly, we never caught her name." Kylie says while staring at me.
"Holmes? As in the Sherlock Holmes? You are his daughter?" The lady asked me question after question.
"Yes. The one and only Sherlock Holmes is my father." I sigh.
"Isn't your father worried about how you've grown up? Not very lady-like if I do say so myself. I believe you should have had a womanly influence in your young life, maybe then you wouldn't be getting yourself in such trouble my dear. You could have even had a nanny. Heaven knows your father could have afforded one so you'd turn out proper." The woman goes off on a tangent as she sets to work about fixing my shoulder.
I bite my tongue, for more than one reason. The first being that my father raised me perfectly fine, I can hold my tongue and not speak back. The second reason being that she finally found the part of my shoulder she needs to reset. She takes my silence as permission to continue.
She continues her whole train of thought about how I wasn't raised properly and she could have done a better job and I would have turned out to be a proper young lady. She resets my arm and I almost let out a scream, both in frustration and in pain. I feel as the tears sting my eyes and threaten to fall. I can feel her gently lift my arm and place it in a sling to prevent me from dislocating it again.
"I do apologize for most of that dear, it was just to be a distraction. But I do believe you could have done well with a womanly influence in your life." The woman uses a soft tone as she tries the cloth sling behind my neck.
All I do is nod in answer. I have nothing to say to the woman other than a simple 'thank you' and 'have a good day' as she sends me on my way with the two young soldiers on order to bring me back to town in the morning. I follow the two young men, surprised that they hadn't even tried to get Kyle checked. They lead me back to a small tent. A very small tent. It probably only has two beds kind of small.
"This is our tent. Undergoing a bit of punishment for a wee prank we pulled in the mess tent a week back." Kyle chuckled looking back at me.
"Not the most glorious thing, but at least now we're guaranteed privacy." Jones chimed in.
I nod at their statements and they let me through. I'm ushered to sit on one of the beds, I opt to sit on the chest at the end. For a while they both try to talk with me but I just don't know how to answer. Eventually they just talk and said they would be back. I sit there and slowly just pull out my knife. I stare at it as I slowly twirl it in my hand, for once my curiosity is not running wild.
The nurse or doctor, who ever she was, she brought up points that I'll admit to having thoughts about every time someone decides to tell me how I should have lived my life up until this moment. Sometimes I tend to think, maybe, just maybe they're right. No other young woman has the same profession I do. My father fought to keep me out of it but gave in when uncle John told him I would be just as stubborn as him. I was five at the time but remember it clearly because for what seemed like the first time, I had seen my father look both proud and disappointed with me. It was a look I got used to fast.
I wonder how I would have turned out if I wasn't stubborn. How would I be today? Would I still have a brilliant mind, or would it have been dulled down from learning proper mannerisms? Was the path I chose in life the only one, was it unavoidable, or could I have changed it? Would father have been proud of me then?
I take a look around the small tent I'm in, slowly and lightly running the pad of my thumb across the edge of my knife. Slowly. I feel a knick in the blade and continue to search for any others. I repeatedly do so until I feel myself draw blood. I look down at my hand and sigh. I pull out the whetstone I use to constantly keep my knife sharp and start to work on fixing the blade.
The two young men come back while I'm sharpening my blade. I pay them no mind and continue. I give a quiet sigh. I really should make a new knife…
"Miss. Perhaps it's not the best idea to be playing with a knife." I hear one of the men say slowly.
"Call me Holmes. It's my name and I should be addressed as such. As for the knife I'll do as I wish." I reply.
"I think Kyle was more concerned about your shoulder than the sharp object." Jones says rather quickly.
I look over to the shoulder I injured. I completely forgot about it. I don't feel the pain, is something wrong with me? Of course there is, I'm a Holmes. But this is more strange than that. Different in fact. I felt the pain earlier, now I feel nothing.
"I'll be fine. Watson can look it over tomorrow. Besides, I'm only using it to hold the stone. My left hand is doing all the work." I explain as I look back down at the knife and stone.
"My apologizes miss Holmes. But perhaps you should use more caution?" Kyle tries again taking a step forward with something in his hands.
"Look, I'm terribly sorry if I'm too forward and I honestly don't care if it's unladylike to speak my mind. It is not the first time I've been injured, nor will it be the last. And yes my shoulder was dislocated, but it is most definitely not the most severe injury I've had. I've been closer to death more times than I care to count, almost to the point that I could call Death a personal friend. I am fine. There is a war going on, you can't afford to worry about one woman who shows up unannounced and injured. Care for yourself first." I ignore Kyle in favour of my blade.
"That's another thing. You see, we have no idea where you actually came from. Just that you appeared in the medical tent. Now, from the papers I have read you seem to be who you say you are, Holmes, but that does not explain any of this." Jones starts.
I sigh thinking best how to explain it. I realize I don't have to, but I don't think either of these young men would tell anyone else about it.
"Do either of you know of a time where both my partners and I had gone missing?" I finally decide on asking, slowly putting my tools away.
Luca's POV
We ended up leaving after a while with Lestrade and Watson both agreeing that Holmes would just need space and she would probably apologize later for her behaviour.
Its was hours later in the evening, bordering on night, when we returned with talk about how everything would be situated as to where we would all be sleeping.
When we walked back through the door I glanced at Holmes' door. It was still closed. I wonder if she came out while we were gone or maybe she fell asleep?
"That's odd…" I can hear Watson mutter.
"Holmes! We've returned. Thought you'd be in a mood all day so we took the group to explore and yes we were careful. Are you going to come out?" Lestrade asked after informing her of our return.
There's no answer, not even a sound from behind the door. Is she even in there? Maybe she left.
"Is she there?" Cam asks.
"Forgive me Holmes…" Watson walks over and opens the door.
"I…. don't see her." Jamie says looking over Watson's shoulder.
"Where would she have gone?" I ask calmly.
"Our country is at war, where would she have not gone? She always seeks out danger, whether she realizes it or not." Lestrade says.
"All we can do is wait for her to return." Watson pipes up.
