"Sherlock?" John said tentatively, trailing after Sherlock as he prowled the perimeter of the park.
"What is it John?" he snapped.
"Well, didn't you have Gladstone equipped with a tracker? In case she ever got lost?"
Sherlock spun around suddenly, facing John with a fierce look on his face.
"You John," he declared "are a genius!"
"Right," he muttered to himself, racing after Sherlock as he practically ran around the park now. "Only when I'm not being an idiot."
Sherlock slowed in front of a bench and threw himself on it.
He fiddled with his phone while he spoke to John, not even bothering to look at him. "Did that other man find his dog?"
"What, Carl? No he didn't."
Sherlock hummed.
"Did you ever consider the possibility that... maybe they ran off together?"
Sherlock looked up from his phone.
"John," he said carefully. "Are you insinuating that Gladstone went off with this dalmatian to mate or something?"
He sounded rather disgusted by the idea.
"Erm... maybe?" John shifted uncomfortably on the bench.
Sherlock sighed at John and turned his attention back to the phone. "John, in case you have forgotten, Gladstone has been spayed, and that other dog was fixed. There is no chance of mating between them and besides, this is Gladstone we're talking about. And she was working."
John frowned. "Okay. Calm down." He shifted his whole body to look at Sherlock. "And just where were you? You know you're not supposed to get too far away from her, and yet you left her with me and went gallivanting off."
Sherlock snorted. "John, I do not gallivant."He almost sounded insulted.
"Yes you do. And don't ignore the question."
"Nothing of import," he declared, accentuating the 't' of import almost violently.
"Right..." John muttered.
Sherlock stood up suddenly. "Got it." He took off towards the street, raising a hand for a taxi.
John rolled his eyes and jogged to catch up. A little warning would be nice. At least some of the time.
Sherlock directed the cab driver, following the GPS on his phone. The man seemed rather irritated, but John just looked at him with an expression that clearly read 'I'm so sorry', and hoped for the best.
Finally, they reached what seemed to be their destination, Sherlock ordering him to stop and hopping out, leaving John to throw bills at the cab driver who only scowled at him in return.
He raced after Sherlock, who was striding towards a small building that seemed to be a washroom. They were at the grounds of yet another park, this one much less vibrant than the dog park, with no one around. John didn't like it, but followed Sherlock into the building nonetheless.
Sherlock was standing in front of a sink, his expression in the dirty mirror devastated.
"Sherlock?" John said hesitantly, stepping over next to him.
He was clutching a small microchip, traces of blood mixed with water in the sink.
"They took it out!" he wailed, resting his head on the edge of the sink.
John looked at him sadly. "It's okay Sherlock. We'll find her. Sherlock?"
Just as he stepped towards his friend, he stiffened, prompting John to grab him around the shoulders and lower him to the ground as the first tremors began.
John looked at Sherlock helplessly.
"What am I going to do with you?" he murmured.