Here's the latest chapter for Changes. Again, terribly sorry for taking my time. You all know how busy life can get (especially around the holidays).
Head to my profile and click on the link to go to my tumblr to see new images for this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock.
They were only waiting for a few minutes before a voice from the loudspeaker announced that the museum was closing. They could hear the few people that had been still inside start to make their way out. A few minutes after that someone walked by and tested the doorhandle, checking to see if it was still closed.
Within an hour they were the only people remaining in the museum, expect for Soo Lin who had yet to emerge from wherever she was hidden. As the sun set they were bathed in darkness. Morgan wished they could turn on a light but they didn't want to risk it. So they sat in the dark, no one making a sound as they waited to see if Soo Lin would make an appearance.
After just over an hour of waiting they heard a metallic clang echo through the hallway.
"Soo Lin." Sherlock stood and made his way towards the door. "Stay here," he whispered over his shoulder to John and Morgan. He unlocked the door and disappeared into the hallway.
After a few minutes of waiting Morgan could just make out the sound of footsteps, which were much too light to be Sherlock. As they came closer, she and John peered out from behind the bookcase. From the light of the moon and streetlights, they could just make out the figure of a woman as she walked into the room.
Completely unaware of their presence, Soo Lin set about preparing the tea in the pot. Even in the dark they could see the delicate and respectful way she handled it. John at first had thought she was crazy to be hanging around just for some teapots when there was a murderer after her but now, as he watched her gently swish the water in the teapot, he could see her dedication and love for them.
Just as John began to wonder where the heck Sherlock had gotten to, he saw his figure standing in the doorway. Without making any noise, Sherlock approached an oblivious Soo Lin.
"Fancy a biscuit with that?" Sherlock asked as he stood next to her.
Soo Lin gasped in surprise as she heard his voice next to her and loosened her grip on the teapot. As it slipped through her fingers and plummeted towards the ground, Sherlock bent down and managed to catch it.
"Centuries old," Sherlock said. "Don't want to break that." He stood back up and offered the teapot to Soo Lin who hesitantly accepted it. "Hello."
The lights suddenly flicked on thanks to Morgan who'd spotted the switch on the wall nearby.
"Hello," Soo Lin said nervously.
John and Morgan walked over to join Sherlock by the table. Soo Lin looked confused as she looked at the three of them. "Who are you?" she asked.
"We're here to help you," John said.
After pulling up three chairs, they sat down and explained to Soo Lin who they were and why they'd came to find her. They told her everything from the cipher at the bank and the murder of Eddie Van Coon to finding the message in Hang Zhou near the railway tracks.
"You saw the cipher," Soo Lin said as they finished explaining. "Then you know he is coming for me."
"You've been clever to avoid him so far," Sherlock said.
"I had to finish, to finish this work," Soo Lin explained. "It's only a matter of time. I know he will find me."
"Who is he? Have you met him before?" Morgan asked.
"When I was a girl, we met in China," Soo Lin said, avoiding looking anyone in the eye. "I recognise his…signature."
"The cipher?" Sherlock asked.
"Only he would do this. Zhi Zhu."
"Zhi Zhu?" John repeated.
"The spider," Sherlock said.
Soo Lin lifted her foot and untied the laces on her shoe. She slipped it off just enough for them to see the heel of her foot which was tattooed with the image of a black lotus flower surrounded by a circle. "You know this mark?"
"Yes," Sherlock answered. There was a small note of pity in his voice that John was surprised to hear. "It's the mark of a tong."
"Huh?"
"Ancient crime syndicate, based in China," Sherlock explained for John.
"Every foot solider bears the mark. Everyone who hauls for them." The shame was clear in Soo Lin's voice.
"Hauls?" John asked. Soo Lin looked to him and after a moment he realised. "You mean you were a smuggler?"
"I was 15," Soo Lin said as she slipped her shoe back on. "My parents were dead. I had no livelihood. No way of surviving day to day, expect to work for the bosses."
"Who are they?" Sherlock asked.
"They are called the Black Lotus. By the time I was 16, I was taking thousands of pounds worth of drugs across the border into Hong Kong. I managed to leave that life behind me. I came to England. They gave me a job, here. Everything was good. New life."
"And he came looking for you," Morgan said.
Soo Lin nodded. "Yes." There were tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I hoped, after 5 years, maybe they would have forgotten me. But they really never let you leave. A small community like ours…they are never very far away." She reached up and wiped away the tears that had fallen. "He came to my flat. He asked me to help him to track down something that was stolen."
"And you have no idea what it was?" John asked.
"I refused to help."
"So you knew him well, when you were living back in China?"
"Oh yes." Soo Lin took a deep breath. "He's my brother."
The shock was evident on John's and Morgan's faces while Sherlock controlled his expression.
"Two orphans," Soo Lin continued. "We had no choice. We could work for the Black Lotus, or starve on the street like beggars. My brother has become their puppet. In the power of the one they call Shan. The Black Lotus general. I turned my brother away. He said I had betrayed him. Next day, I came to work and the cipher was waiting."
Sherlock pulled out the photos he had taken from the wall earlier and slid them towards Soo Lin. "Can you decipher these?"
"These are numbers," she said as she pointed to the photo taken in the bank.
"Yes I know."
"Here, the line across the man's eyes, it's the Chinese number one."
"And this one is 15," Sherlock said as he stood. "But what's the code?"
"All the smugglers know it. It's based upon a book…"
The room was suddenly plunged into darkness as the lights in the room cut out.
"He's here," Soo Lin said with fear. "Zhi Zhu has found me."
"Stay here with John," Sherlock said forcefully as he stared into his daughters eyes. A moment later he was racing for the door.
"No, no, Sherlock!" John yelled.
"Dad!" Morgan shouted but it was too late as he whipped around the corner and out of sight.
Morgan wanted to race after him but John, as if know what was going through her mind, grabbed her hand to stop her. "Come on," he said, grabbing Soo Lin's hand as well. He pulled the two of them towards the bookshelf they had hidden behind earlier. As they sat there, hearts racing and ears straining to hear anything, a gunshot echoed throughout the museum.
"Oh God," Morgan said. Three more gunshots were rapidly fired, each one like a dagger through her heart. All she could imagine was her father out there, bleeding to death on the floor. "I have to go out there. I have to help him." She stood up and ran out from behind the bookcase but John stopped her before she could go any further.
"No, you need to stay here, stay hidden. I'll go out and help him." With her hand in his, he led her towards the door. "Bolt the door after me, okay?" John looked into her eyes as he spoke. The desperation to go and help her father must have been clear in her eyes as he said, "Promise me you won't leave here. Promise me."
After a moment she nodded. "I promise." Just as he went to leave Morgan pulled him to a stop. "Here," she said, pulling out her gun. She knew John didn't have his on him and she didn't want him going out there without some protection. She would have given it to her father had he not run out in a hurry.
John took the gun, gripping it tightly in his hand. "Bolt the door." He ran out of the room, his footsteps quickly disappearing. The urge to follow him was strong but Morgan kept her promise. She locked the door and went back behind the bookcase.
"It'll be fine," she said, unsure if she was trying to convince Soo Lin or herself. She gripped her hands tightly together as two more gunshots were fired. What the hell was going on out there? She hated sitting there, doing nothing, feeling helpless. She tried not to but all she could image were those bullets ripping through her father's body, blood seeping out into a pool on the floor, his life draining away.
She shook her head, as if that would dispel the images from her mind. He would be fine. He'd been in danger before and always come out fine.
Soo Lin, who's been sitting beside her in silence, suddenly stood.
"What are you doing?" Morgan asked.
"He's going to kill me," Soo Lin said without a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "If I stay hidden here with you, he'll kill you too."
"No Soo Lin, don't-" her pleas were wasted. Soo Lin walked out around the bookshelf towards the table they had been seated at just before. She wanted to go and grab her, drag her back but she stopped herself. Instead she sat with her back against the bookshelf, staring at the wall just in front of her, listening closely to any sounds.
It felt like her heart almost leapt into her throat when she heard Soo Lin break the silence. "Liang."
Slowly and carefully, Morgan peered out around the bookshelf. She could see Soo Lin standing before a man. Liang, Zhi Zhu, her brother. She lifted her hand, brushing his face before speaking in Cantonese. Morgan had learnt enough of the language to understand the words that she spoke.
"Big brother…please…"
Liang stared at his sister for a moment. A gunshot rang out in the room. Morgan covered her mouth with her hand to keep herself from making any sounds. She wanted to cry out, she wanted to run over and help her. All she could do was sit there and watch as Soo Lin collapsed onto the table. Liang ran a hand over his sisters' face, closing her eyes, before placing something in her hand. Seconds later he'd disappeared out the door.
John froze as he heard a gunshot. "Oh, my God," he said as he realised where the sound had come from. His heart was hammering in his chest as he ran back the way he'd come. All he could think of was 'Please don't be dead, please don't be dead, please don't be dead'.
As he ran down the steps 3 at a time, he cursed himself for leaving them. He should have stayed and protected them. Instead he'd left them alone and vulnerable. Without meaning to, John suddenly imagined Morgan standing in the room, a look of shock upon her face as she stared down at the gunshot wound in her stomach. The image only made him run faster. He'd grown so close to her in just 2 months. She was his friend and he didn't know what he would do if he walked into that room and saw her injured, or worse.
He slowed his steps as the door to the room came into view. It was wide open. Morgan had promised she would bolt it behind him. Zhi Zhu must have opened it somehow. Was he still in there? He raised the gun in his hand as he slowly walked into the room. He quickly glanced around, his finger poised over the trigger, ready for Zhi Zhu, but he couldn't see anybody in the room. He took slow steps further into the room when he saw a body lying on the table. Fear seized his heart. He stepped closer and realised it was Soo Lin on the table. Relief flooded through him immediately followed by guilt. He should have been here to protect her. He pressed his finger to her neck but as expected there was no pulse.
Dropping his hand, he walked around the table, hoping he wasn't going to find another body.
"Morgan?"
Sherlock's heart was pumping wildly, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Bullets sailed through the air, missing his body by inches. He dived behind a pillar for protection. Zhi Zhu continued to fire.
"Careful!" Sherlock yelled. "Some of those skulls are over 200,000 years old. Have a bit of respect."
After a moment of silence when no bullets were fired, he said, "Thank you."
The silence dragged on. Confused, he slowly peeked around the pillar to see no one there. Zhi Zhu had disappeared. He waited a moment longer, his ears straining to hear any sound, before he stepped from behind the pillar and glanced around. He was alone in the display room. He started walking slowly through the room, still keeping an ear out in case he wasn't as alone as he'd thought. But after a few minutes it was clear Zhi Zhu had vanished.
Sherlock delved into his mind palace, bringing up the layout for the museum, trying to find out where Zhi Zhu had disappeared to, when he realised it wasn't where he'd disappeared to; it was who he was going to.
He was across the room in a matter of seconds, sprinting down the stairs. Zhi Zhu had already killed two people and he knew he'd be willing to kill two more if they got in his way; Morgan and John. His heart was still racing but now it was for all the wrong reasons. He couldn't let anything happen to her. He'd made a promise, both to himself and to her, that he would always protect her. He wasn't going to break that promise.
As he neared the room he heard John call out for Morgan. He raced inside and instantly scanned the room. Soo Lin was lying dead on the table, John was standing in front of it with Morgan's gun in his hand. His mind made the deduction within seconds. John had left the room to go help him and Morgan had handed over her gun so he wasn't unarmed. Soo Lin and Morgan had hidden together but Zhi Zhu had found Soo Lin and murdered her. But where was….
"Morgan?" Sherlock called out.
A second ticked by, in which each men thought the worst, before she said, "I'm here."
She stood up and walked out from behind the bookshelf. "I'm fine," she said.
Sherlock was by her side in an instant. His eyes ran up and down the length of her body, checking to see if she was okay. "I'm fine," she repeated as she watched his eyes.
Sherlock then did the unexpected. He pulled her into a hug.
Sure, Sherlock had hugged his daughter before on occasion. But it was almost always Morgan who initiated the hugs with her father. She hugged him all the time but she was always the one who initiated it.
She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. As she held him she felt all of the fear leave her body, only to be replaced with guilt. She should have done more to stop Soo Lin from going out there.
As soon as Sherlock released her they both turned they gaze onto Soo Lin. Blood had pooled on the table beneath her. Sitting in the palm of her hand was a black origami lotus flower.
"We were hiding but then she went out there," Morgan said. Her usually steady and assured voice was shaky as she rushed her words out. "I told her not to but she said he'd kill me and she went out there and he was there and-"
"Morgan," Sherlock said, interrupting her rambling. "You're in shock. Take a deep breath."
"I'm not in shock," she said but she knew that wasn't true. She was still processing what had just happened. Her eyes were glued on Soo Lin's body. Sherlock led her from the room out into the hallway, seating her down on the bench. Their bench.
She'd been around death before. Why was this affecting her so much? She had been six when she'd seen her first cadaver. She was 13 when she'd been to her first murder crime scene. She's seen dead bodies but she'd never seen them before, when they were a person with hopes, dreams, a family. Yes, she'd shot someone dead two months ago but he was a murderer and she'd done it to save her father. That's what she told herself to deal with the guilt. This had been cold blooded murder, by her own brother.
"I'm fine," she repeated, her tone much stronger.
Minutes later they were exiting the museum. They'd decided it would be easier to anonymously report the murder and then go to see Detective Inspector Dimmock rather than calling it in and waiting around for hours while they tried to explain the symbols and the murders.
Morgan could feel her father's eyes on her in the taxi, checking to see how she was doing. Besides from the headache she was starting to get, she was fine.
They arrived at Scotland Yard and went up to see Dimmock, who was seated at his desk filling paperwork. His patience with Sherlock was wearing thin as he barely listened to him as he explained everything they had discovered; the smuggling, the cipher, Zhi Zhu.
Dimmock didn't say anything as he stood and walked over to the printer. John clenched his hands in anger as Dimmock ignored them. "How many murders is it going to take before you start believing that this maniac is out there?"
Dimmock walked to the front of his desk and began sorting through the files on it. "A young girl was gunned down tonight. That's three victims in three days. You're supposed to be finding him." John's tone was becoming more hostile with each word he spoke.
Sherlock could see that John's words were having no effect on Dimmock so he took a different approach. "Brian Lukis and Eddie Van Coon were working for a gang of international smugglers. A gang called the Black Lotus, operating here in London, right under your nose."
Dimmock paused his sorting and looked at Sherlock. "Can you prove that?"
Thank you very much to gejlir, xXSchmayXx, A-D-E-E-E-R, 19jacinta88, (and Guests), who reviewed my last chapter. It really does mean a lot to me that you take time to leave a review.
Don't forget to head over to my tumblr to see the images I've made that tie into this story. The link is on my profile.