I finally started writing this chapter while brushing my teeth. You really didn't need to know that, did you?
Last one to John is a Sissy
Two weeks later
James met John outside his front door at ten a.m. The doctor nodded in greeting. 'Anything new from the gremlins in your ear?'
James chuckled. 'No news, no new information. One of the gremlins objects to the nickname, though.' He'd never thought Moneypenny was a swearer.
They set off for the shops. The conversation was the same as every week: John complained about the level of security, James reminded John how dangerous Moran was, John said something like "but we're in a supermarket".
It all went according to the script until he spotted someone in the soup aisle that shouldn't have been there at all.
'M, are you seeing this?'
'Yes... Is that Diane Taylor, 007?'
'Yes.' James turned to John, who was looking at him in confusion. 'I think you've got everything, don't you? Come, I want to show you something.' He grabbed John's arm and led him into the next aisle. John, thank goodness, knew something was up and didn't make a scene. As they rounded the corner, Taylor flinched and raised her hand to her ear.
'Did you see that woman in the blue overcoat? That was Diane Taylor.'
'What, Moran's favourite? How... What are we going to do?'
'Give me a minute. M, can we hack her earpiece?'
'Patching you through now, 007. Don't do anything rash, you're in a public space.' James rolled his eyes.
A wash of static threatened to deafen him, but then the sound sorted itself out and he heard:
'He's still in the shop. Get outside or you'll lose him again.'
'What should I do about the civilian, Sir?'
'If he gets in the way, kill him.'
Oh, lovely.
'Come on,' he said to John. 'She's outside, we're leaving.'
'What, are we following her?'
'Listen.' James grabbed John's arm, forcing John to look at him. 'Are you just going to run and hope for the best? Or do you want to go down fighting?'
'007, are you trying to get him killed?'
John pulled his arm away, dropped his basket and stalked off. His posture had changed, he looked much more upright and soldierly. James followed him out of the shop and into the car park. He could see Taylor loitering behind a Jeep. Any moment now...
'John, where are you going?'
'I don't know.' He had a ghost of a grin on his face. 'Where do you think she'll chase us to?'
There was a sudden movement from the Jeep and they both threw themselves to the ground as bullets whistled over their heads. James jumped up, pulled out his Walther, pushed the swearing John in front of him and ran.
John bellowed: 'IS THAT AN AUTOMATIC?' as they rounded the corner and found themselves in a busy shopping strip.
'Yes!'
John swore again. James grabbed his shoulder to slow him down. Running in a crowd like this would only bring attention to them. John seemed to get it; he adjusted his stride and hunched his shoulders slightly. At a glance, he was a different man.
James glanced around, waiting for the people around him to notice that there were at least two people with guns in the crowd.
'I've lost him, Sir! Can any of the others see him?'
'God fucking dammit, Diane, use your eyes, he's there somewhere!'
'She can't see us,' hissed James. 'Now would be a good time.'
They slipped into a side street and started running again. John drew his pistol.
'Bond, you've been seen, she's coming!'
'She's coming, John! We've got to -'
'Here! This way!' John had found - what was it, a fire escape? - and was already climbing fast. The building was three stories high and they reached the flat roof quickly. Once there, they flattened themselves to the cement and listened.
Ten seconds later someone run past. 'That was her, Bond.'
James stood up. 'Now what?' He wouldn't admit it, but he was impressed. John was smart: instead of just letting the chase go on until someone got shot, he'd tricked Taylor and bought them some time.
'We should hole up somewhere... Let's just say I know more places to hide in London, shall we? Let's go.'
They crossed the roof to another fire escape in another alley. Guns away, John led the way through the city without speaking. This suited James just fine, as he was too busy listening. Taylor worked out reasonably quickly that she'd been tricked, and Moran and his sources were trying to track them. She was behind, but she knew where she was going and M resorted to sending three 00's to head her off. She was too good for them, and while they kept her in sight she knew they were there and kept a safe distance. She seemed to think they were police.
Finally, in the middle of a street John hurried up the steps of a dilapidated townhouse, slipped out a lock-pick and opened the door.
The inside was as bad as the outside, but it was empty, and a better hiding place that James had expected. He really needed to stop underestimating John.
'Stay put, 007. You're safe for now, but we'll keep you posted.'
'Yes, sir.'
James turned to John. He hadn't moved since closing the door.
'You alright?'
'Yeah, fine, just...' He had a look on his face that James recognised, a look that said he was trying to forget something painful. John slid down the wall beside James, who resigned himself to staying here for now. It could be a long wait.
Ooo, cliffhanger!
... Sort of.
You're all going to hate me. I've written three other chapters for this but none of them are the next one! You may be waiting a while again.
Reviews are better than Sherlock season 3!
