Chapter 10
"Eeuu!" The Eeuu screamed, charging toward Sherlock like a formula 4 racing car.
For once in his life, Sherlock had no idea what to do, but he still covered it up quite well, as he always covered up anything he was feeling.
Clara was frozen in place, too, a not quite confused but definitely pondering expression on her face. It would have come across to other people as an air of carelessness about the impending doom of her friend, but rather it was a look of decision-making.
She had two options here: order the Eeuu to stop, in its own language, but risk looking stupid, or resort to aggression and wrestle the oversized monster of a creature to the floor.
Thankfully, though, before she had to make her choice, Missy held up her hand to tell the monster to stop whilst she spoke.
Clara was glad that she didn't have to jump atop the Eeuu, as now it was closer, she could make out more of its features. It certainly wasn't a creature to be messed with: it bore two huge antlers on top of its hairy head, which was covered in black fur that reached down to its shoulders where the dark brown hair began. The monster's back was arched to the point where if it stuck its tongue out, it would most probably touch the floor… that'd be if it actually had a tongue: it didn't seem to have a mouth, but it was probably just covered up by the long, black hair.
The Eeuu had a sort of belt around its waist, with a pocket at the front that – Clara could just about see – contained a good many sparkly objects that looked suspiciously like diamonds. As Moriarty had said, one hand had six sharp claws on five fingers and what looked like a thumb, and the other hand wasn't even a hand at all: it was a bloodstained scythe, protruding from the creature's wrist.
Clara would have known even if Moriarty and Missy hadn't explained, that this was the killer. The Eeuu even had feet that matched the odd footprints found around the Gateway: one foot with two claws at the back and one and the front, and one leg that was only a peg leg. A long, spined tail ran behind the Eeuu, whipping back and forth like a cat's tail, making a horrid scraping sound on the stone floor as it sat there, hunched over, awaiting its next command.
Yet, Missy gave it no further command, only looked across to Clara, expecting her to step in and say something witty as her last words.
The Hummingbird frowned and stepped forward to address the Eeuu, looking down to it with eyes that were void of any emotion.
Even though she knew that she had found the murderer, she still had a few questions to ask.
"Who taught you to write in circular Gallifreyan?" She asked, her voice, too, not containing any sentiment.
The Eeuu looked back up to her, silently. To it, because of the TARDIS translator, Clara had just spoken to it in its own language. Even though its empty eyes didn't show it, it was certainly surprised.
It spoke back to her in a series of grunts and clicks, but Clara could translate it, and only she and Missy could hear what it was really saying.
"Missy did?" Clara repeated, raising an eyebrow before turning to face Missy for a second and then looking back, "And I'm expecting that the Ms stand for Missy and Moriarty?"
The Eeuu nodded his shaggy head.
"Very good… now, last question: why did those people all have to die? What did they do wrong to deserve it?"
The monster didn't say anything at first, just gazed, blankly, and blinked at Clara before he spoke again.
Moriarty watched this exchange, fixatedly,
"How does it understand her? It understood you, too…"
"Translator," Missy replied, "Lets us speak any language in the universe. Just be quiet and listen…"
"You… don't know?" Was what they heard Clara say when they turned back to her, "Then why did you kill them? For entertainment? Some sort of sick joke?"
Her face was no longer expressionless; it bore a look of disgust and disapproval.
The Eeuu saw this and replied as swiftly as it could.
"Moriarty told you to go into the house of every rich person… and slaughter them?" Clara huffed, censoriously.
"The Eeuu collects shiny objects," Moriarty butted in, "In return for working for us, I promised that whatever jewels or expensive things he could find, he could keep. The more money the person had, the more expensive the jewellery: it was the perfect plan!"
The Hummingbird scowled,
"Murder and theft?" She frowned, "Anything else I should know about?"
"I don't believe so…"
"Good…"
"So," Sherlock coughed, speaking up at last, "Where is O'Neal now?"
"Standing right beneath you," a gurgling voice called from below. It was, of course, Jeffery O'Neal, in his true, sucker-covered form. He stared up with his beady eyes at the five people (including the Eeuu) hanging about on his mezzanine.
"You're our hidden killer, then?" Sherlock said, thoughtfully, looking rather disgusted at the alien standing before him, "I'm Sherlock Holmes, horrible to meet you."
The Zygon snarled,
"I'm Dimitri. I see you've met my Eeuu, Holmes. The Time Lady said you'd come soon with your accomplice, The Hummingbird, who can repair my ship… she's so much prettier than how the Mistress described her.
Clara turned away so she could gag.
"You fix my ship, Hummingbird," Dimitri ordered, "Or your friend – Mr Holmes – will die."
"What's in it for me?" Clara frowned, still not making any eye contact.
"The life of your friends, that's what," Dimitri hissed, "And I'll spare your life, too."
"I do not require sparing," Clara said, turning around.
"Do as I requested."
"Under one condition."
"What is it?"
"That you send those innocent creatures back to the homes that you ever-so-selfishly took them away from."
"Why would I do that? They're my employees now, they're staying with me," Dimitri stubbornly replied.
"Then no repair for you," Clara said, adamantly, folding her arms.
There was an awkward silence between everybody before the Zygon ordered his Eeuu to kill The Hummingbird; so the monster picked her up by the collar with its scythed hand and held her over the side of the mezzanine handrail, ready to throw her of the side to break her spine.
At Dimitri's order, the Eeuu tossed The Hummingbird over the rails, but, of course, Clara only gave her wings a beat and hovered in the air with her arms still folded and a smug expression on her face,
"Nice try, mate," she sniggered, "But it takes more than that to destroy The Hummingbird."
"Fine…" Dimitri sighed eventually, "I'll return the monsters. Just fix my ship."
Clara pondered this before smiling,
"Gladly. Lead the way."