Chapter 10: Travels and Tools

"Most tool kits will do, and I'll need a computer or a data pad, whichever one we can find. I'll modify if need be," Natasha replied, turning to lead the way out of the building. "I don't think they employed any security measures with that one, not like they do with the ones we use, so it should be simple enough. I'll know if I need anything else once I get to work."

"We'll grab what you need on our way there." Sherlock said as he followed her out, keeping attentive, just in case the men weren't the only part of the trap. He waited until they were back on the snowy streets before speaking again. "I can't help but think we're just playing the game…that we're doing exactly what Moriarty wants."

Natasha pulled the hood over her head and reached over to do the same for him as they walked together. "You said before we might have to," she replied after a moment. "Is it making you uneasy?"

"I suppose this doesn't feel as though we're playing the game…but rather being played with." Sherlock corrected himself. "And yes, that makes me uneasy. We need an advantage…something to take back control." He paused. "I need to think."

Natasha cast a concerned look his way and reached out to touch his arm. "When we get back we'll find a quiet spot where we can settle in to work without interruption," she offered. "You know me," she continued. "I'll be silent unless you want me to bounce ideas off of." Pulling her hand back, she turned her eyes ahead. Like before, the streets were mostly empty, but her eyes sought out the sort of shop they were looking for. "We'll be quick here."

Sherlock nodded his head, taking up a watchful position so she could slip into the shop and retrieve the things she needed. Middle of the night, but there was still the chance they'd be caught breaking in, but Natasha was more than capable of taking care of any locks or security measures. He never felt guilty about doing illegal things in the name of the mission or puzzle.

Natasha slipped into the shop and quickly searched for what she'd need to pry open the comm link and track the location of its last transmission. The more she thought about it, the more she suspected Moriarty would've employed a few fail-safes. So she made a few last minute adjustments to her list and searched for the necessary items, tucking them all inside a ratty satchel she'd found buried under a pile of cables.

Done with her task, she slipped back out and signaled she was done before they were both making their way out to the hostel Mycroft had chosen as their designated lodgings for the night. They didn't speak much along the way, Natasha giving Sherlock time to think while she turned a few things over inside her head.

Sherlock was thinking, not completely lost inside his head, but wading over all the events and what they knew. More and more he was sure they were being played with. If Moriarty wanted Molly dead, she'd be dead, he wanted some kind of…showdown. Bait to lure them and finish them off on his terms. Several theories popped in his head, but he needed more time to work through it, for now they were at the 'lodging house' Mycroft had specified. It looked like a rundown dump, but at least there'd be a bed for those that wanted to sleep, and room to work. He didn't need a room number, the Force guided him to the room where Mycroft was. Ignoring the one next-door with his sleeping padawan, he knocked softly.

"Brother dear, Natasha," Mycroft greeted after he'd opened the door. He looked them both over, as he usually did. "Naomi's still resting," he told them. "Likely will be for a while longer, but I will let you know as soon as she wakes. I assume you have things to do." He paused and pulled out the key to the third room, holding it out towards Natasha. "John asked that you wake him up when you returned."

Sherlock did the usual once over of his brother, eyes darting towards the bed where Naomi lay. Glad they were all alright, mostly, but he wouldn't say it. He wasn't even sure he had to tell Mycroft what they were planning on doing, he probably already knew. "Let us know. We'll need some sort of plan when we do get this comm link tracked." He paused. "You should get some rest too, brother dear."

Mycroft was half surprised and half grateful for the lack of snark in Sherlock's tone. He wouldn't, however, say so out loud. Naturally. He nodded once. "I'll rest eventually. For now I think I'll meditate."

Natasha eyed Naomi on the bed for a moment, turning over the key in her hand. "I'll start working on it now," she told Mycroft. "As soon as I have something I'll let you know."

"Acceptable," Mycroft replied, effectively dismissing them.

Sherlock stepped away from the door, turning for the third room. "I'm going to let John sleep for a bit, at least until Naomi's up and you've got something." He said, as he waited for Natasha to unlock the door. "He's going to need it. And I need quiet to think. How long do you think tracking it will take?"

"That depends," Natasha replied, swiping the card and pushing on the door to let them both inside. "I need to upgrade the computer system and modify the data pad, but it shouldn't be more than a few hours." She walked towards the bed, dropping both the satchel and her cloak on the mattress before turning to face him. She smiled a little. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. Why do you ask?" Sherlock took his cloak off, folding it over the only chair in the room. He turned towards her and put his hands on his hips, expression the usual neutral, but tone a bit hesitant. "Are you okay?"

Natasha followed him with her eyes for a silent moment, but eventually nodded. "Fine," she told him. "A little concerned, considering, but fine." She turned back towards the bed, bending slightly to open the satchel and pull out the tools they'd brought with them, red hair falling over her shoulder like a curtain and hiding her face. "Let me know if you need to talk through anything."

Sherlock had felt the concern, but even in the middle of their current situation and after the talk they'd had, Natasha was doing a decent job hiding her emotions. He made a thoughtful humming noise and perched himself in the chair. "You still trust me, right?" He asked, fixing his eyes on her as he steepled his hands in front of his chest.

"Always." Natasha straightened and turned to meet his eyes. "Completely. With my life," she added, using the same words she'd used back in Appledoria when he'd asked the same question. She held his gaze for a moment and turned to sit on the mattress. "Why?"

Just in case I do something stupid. Sherlock's internal voice supplied, but he didn't say it, just kept his eyes on her and softened his expression. "Just wanted to make sure, verbal confirmation I suppose." He paused, tapping his fingertips together. "And I trust you completely. Always." Another pause, but it was brief. "Now, work to be done. I'm going to my Mind Palace."

"And I'll be right here if you need me," Natasha replied, with a small oblivious smile before turning to focus on her own task. She scooted backwards on the bed and set up the computer, data pad and comm link in front of her. Upgrading the computer was first, so she opened it and went about downloading the necessary programs while making a few modifications to suit her current needs. While she waited for that to finish, she picked up the comm link and carefully pried it open with the tools she'd found in the shop. It was a standard Computer Tool Kit, nothing like the one she'd had back at the cruiser, but they did the job well enough. It was all routine from there, experienced fingers moving swiftly from screen, to keyboard, to delicate hardware with ease. In those moments, when she was completely absorbed with that sort of work, Clint had commented there was more of a slicer in her than Jedi. A comment she'd ignored, but wasn't surprised by in the least. It was a bit of an oddity.

A long while later, after she'd linked the comm to the computer, there was very little left to do but wait until the last five locations used for transmission popped up on the screen. She scrubbed both hands over her face and tucked away whatever was no longer needed to make enough room on the bed to stretch out.

Sherlock barely paid attention to what she was doing. She was good at that sort of thing, and this wasn't the first time they'd relied on her skill to get them out of a pinch. He dove into his mind palace, completely immersing himself in his thoughts and the Force. Moriarty was the key, and while they had been rivals for most of their lives, he had a bad habit of being unpredictable. Sherlock was confident Moriarty wanted some kind of showdown, something final. And he'd be ready. They had to take the advantage. Even if it took drastic measures to prevent it, Moriarty would not win this game. Plans, schemes, ideas, bounced through his head as he formed an number of various ways this might play out.

Natasha hadn't noticed she'd dozed off while she waited until a quiet beep form the computer beside her woke her up. Turning on her side, she propped herself up on her elbow and tapped at the keyboard with her free hand. "Sherlock," she called, casting a brief look his way. "I got something."

"Hmm?" Sherlock blinked his eyes to bring himself back to the real world and then unfolded himself from the chair. A few steps and he scooted in next to her to look at the screen, leaning over her. "Good. We should leave as soon as possible."

Natasha flipped to her back and reached up with her hands to scrub the sleep out of her eyes. "Alright, then. Let's go tell your brother." She dropped her hands to her chest and looked up at him with soft green eyes. "Are you going to check in on John first?"

"Yep." Sherlock said, winking down at her and them moving off the bed. "He's coming with us if he's rested. I can't imagine he's going to like being put on the sidelines again." He extended a hand to help her up.

Natasha smiled. "Not at his age," she agreed, taking his hand and letting him pull her up to her feet. She reached out to fix a fold in his clothes before smoothing a hand over his chest. "Lead the way, Charming."

Sherlock's face flashed a mildly confused look, but he didn't question it. He reached up to take the hand on his chest, giving it a short reassuring squeeze, and then letting it go. He left his cloak for pick up later, and left the room. A quick knock on John's door and the padawan answered, looking a bit sleepy, but otherwise alert and ready to go.

"Sherlock." John said, his tone betraying a tinge of worry as he glanced at Natasha. "Did you find-"

"We've got the next clue." Sherlock said. "Get ready to go, we'll be meeting with Mycroft to discuss the next step."

"Okay." John said quickly. "Give me one second." He slipped back into the room. But Sherlock was already moving towards the other door and knocking quietly.

After Sherlock and Natasha left, Mycroft spent quite a bit of time in deep meditation. He turned the whole situation over inside his head, connecting with the Force to better see their way through it. It was difficult, as all things were when clouded by the Dark side. Eventually, though, he washed and changed into his sleeping tunic, gently nudging Naomi to the side on the bed and slipping in behind her. She was still in her healing sleep, and he watched her for a long while, gently running a hand through her hair while pulling her closer with the other.

In amongst dreams of Castiel, Molly, Mycroft, and Moriarty, Naomi was healing, focusing her entire energy on getting her body back to fighting shape. She was no good to anyone helpless. She eventually stirred, smiling a bit to herself as she noted her companion. It wasn't terribly often they got the chance to actually sleep together, and she loved it every single time. Eleven years of this, and it still stirred something inside her. Even if circumstances weren't the best, she took a quiet moment to relish it. Drawing in a deep breath, she turned in his arms so they were face to face and put her forehead against his. "Hello."

"Hello," Mycroft greeted with a small smile, settling his hand against her cheek and stroking his thumb over her skin. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not feeling like I'm going to die." Naomi said, closing her eyes at his touch. "So considerably better." She closed the little distance there was and kissed him soundly, pulling away after a long moment to catch her breath and smile at him. "And quite comfortable."

"Mmm," Mycroft hummed in agreement, trailing his hand down her neck and over her arm. "I believe I'm quite comfortable as well. Especially now that I now you won't be dying any time soon." He met her eyes. "It's not a pleasant feeling."

Naomi stroked his cheek with her fingers, trying to give him a reassuring smile. "No, it's not." It wasn't, they'd been there before. Both ways, thirty something years of going on missions together, things were bound to happen. But discussion and training only prepared them so much for events like this. "I'm sorry. I'll do my best to live forever." She teased to lighten the mood, using words from the first time they'd spoken about this.

"Good, because I am holding you to that promise," Mycroft replied, leaning in to steal another quick kiss just as a soft knock came from the door. "That'll be Sherlock and Natasha," he muttered, continuing in a louder voice. "I'll be right there." He slipped out of the bed, donning his clothes and straightening himself out before he walked over to pull it open. "You've got something."

"Yes," Natasha replied promptly. "Way down towards the south side of the city, near the mountains."

Naomi had pushed herself to a sitting position, propping herself up on one hand for a second. She swung her feet over the edge of the bed so she was sitting up properly, hands clasped in her lap.

"We're taking John and going now." Sherlock stated, even as John slipped in beside him. His eyes flitted to Naomi and the bed itself.. "Are you two wanting to come? Stay as backup? Scout somewhere else?"

"I would say go with you, but it depends entirely on Naomi," Mycroft replied, turning halfway to look at her on the bed. "How much can you handle right now?"

"I'll go." Naomi said with a determined nod, but didn't stand up yet. "I'm not at full strength, but I'm not a liability either, and this is more than a bit important."

"Good, if you're sure. Let's pack up and get ready to go then." Sherlock said with a nod, stepping back from the door. "Dawn is only an hour away."

"Very well," Mycroft replied, turning away from the door to pack up the few things they'd managed to bring with them from the cruiser. "We'll meet you down in the lobby shortly."

Natasha wordlessly turned on her heel and marched back to her room, quickly swiping the card and pushing her way in to do the same. She walked over to the bed, transferring the information from the computer to the data pad for convenience before she began stashing it all back into the satchel.

Sherlock let the door close and followed Natasha, slipping around her to grab his cloak. John stood in the doorway, deep blue eyes focused down the hall, as if standing watch. Sherlock could tell he was on edge, uncertainty pulsing off of his padawan like a beacon. As he waited for Natasha, he moved to stand in front of John, looking down at him with a calculating eye. "John. Focus on the task at hand. Your emotions are clouding your head."

John met his eyes, shifting in place slightly, his brow pinched. "It could have been me. I could have been with them and gotten taken. It should have been me…."

"A Jedi's life is risks, we do not question what has happened, it's illogical. Think only what we can do in the future." Sherlock said. "Which is rescue Molly, stop Moriarty, and save a planet. Think you can handle that?"

John frowned again, looking down at the floor. "I think so."

"No." Sherlock drew out the vowel.

"I mean, I will." John nodded.

"Good. Now. Natasha, ready?" Sherlock glanced over his shoulder.

Natasha slipped on her cloak and hoisted the long strap of her stolen satchel over her shoulder before she turned to face them. "Ready," she confirmed, briefly meeting Sherlock's eyes and gesturing for them to move out into the hallway. Once out and on their way to the lobby, she placed a hand on John's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. "Never say it should've been you, okay?"

"Okay." John said quietly as they walked. "I just…she's my friend. And I don't want her to get hurt."

"We'll find her John. Worrying about it won't make it happen any faster." Sherlock said impassively. "Accept the worry, and the concern and then let it go. Emotions will cloud your judgement, and put you in harms way."

Natasha squeezed John's shoulder again and withdrew her hand. "I know it's easier to say and harder to do," she told him quietly. "But Sherlock's right, and there's a reason we put those feelings aside." She paused. "And we will find her, John."

"Yes, we will." Sherlock echoed confidently as they walked.