Disclaimer I DO NOT OWN Sherlock, just my OC(S)!
I was falling asleep on the couch as Sherlock stood in front of the mantel looking at the photos of the ciphers.
"Always in pairs, John, Maria, look" Sherlock said snapping John and I from our dozing off.
"Hmm?" John said opening his eyes.
"What?" I asked sitting up looking at him.
"Numbers come with partners" Sherlock said with his hands on his hip.
I don't know if it was the sleep making me think this, but he looked really nice standing like that.
"God, I need to sleep" I said falling back onto the couch.
"Me too" John agreed.
"Why did he paint it so near the tracks?" Sherlock asked.
"No idea" John told him.
"Maybe for the thousands of people who pass by there to see it?" I told him staring at the ceiling.
"Just 20 minutes" John said.
"Of course. Of course! He wants information. He's trying to communicate with his people in the underworld. Whatever was stolen, he wants it back. And it's somewhere here, in a code. Oh, Maria you are a genius!" Sherlock said and began to take the pictures off of the wall, "We can't crack this without Soo Lin Yao"
"Oh, good" John said.
I let out a sigh and sat up. I rubbed my hands over my eyes and shook my head. I don't think I will be getting any sleep any time soon.
Sherlock, John and I took a cab to the museum where we met Andy.
"Two men who traveled back from China were murdered, and their killer left them messages in Hang Zhou numerals" Sherlock told Andy as I sipped on my cup of coffee.
"Soo Lin Yao is in danger. That cipher, it was just the same pattern as the others. He means to kill her as well" John told him.
"Look, I've tried everywhere, friends, colleagues. I don't know where she's gone. I mean, she could be a thousand miles away" Andy told us.
"What are you looking at?" John asked Sherlock.
"Tell me more about those teapots" Sherlock said to Andy.
"The pots were her obsession. They need urgent work. If they dry out, then the clay can start to crumble. Apparently you have to just keep making tea in them" Andy told us.
"Yesterday, only one of those pots was shining. Now there are two" Sherlock said.
"That means someone is still using them" I said.
"Maybe it's Soo Lin Yao? She could be sneaking in at night to work on them" John said and Sherlock nodded his head.
That night at the museum Sherlock, John and I stayed hidden until Soo Lin Yao appeared. John and I followed Sherlock quietly into the room she was in. John and I stood by the doors, while Sherlock made his way quietly over to her.
I watched as Sherlock spooked her making her drop on of the pots. Sherlock quickly caught it and handed it to Soo Lin Yao. As Sherlock did that John turned the lights on. John and I then walked over to the two.
"You saw the cipher" Soo Lin Yao said as we stood around a table, "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" She told us, "It's only a matter of time. I know he will find me"
"I could speak with my Uncle. He can keep you safe, until he's caught" I told her.
"No, he'll find a way to get to me" She told me.
"Who is he? Have you met him before?" Sherlock asked.
"When I was a girl living back in China. I recognize his... signature" She said.
"The cipher?" Sherlock said.
"Only he would do this. Zhi Zhu" She said.
"Zhi Zhu?" John said.
"The Spider" Sherlock told us as Soo Lin Yao began to take her shoe off.
"You know this mark?" She asked us showing us a tattoo on her heels.
"Yes. It's the mark of a Tong" Sherlock said.
"What's that?" I asked looking at him.
"Ancient crime syndicate, based in China" Sherlock told John and I.
"Oh" I said and looked at Soo Lin Yao.
"Every foot soldier bears the mark" She told us, "Everyone who hauls for them"
"Hauls?" John asked her and Soo Lin Yao looked at him.
"You mean you were a smuggler?" I asked.
"I was 15" She said slipping her shoe back on, "My parents were dead. I had no livelihood, no way of surviving day to day, except to work for the bosses"
"Who are they?" Sherlock asked him.
"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" She told us and I frowned sadden by the story.
It was so sad. She has a great new life now and Zhi Zhu is ruining it.
"Then he came looking for you" Sherlock said.
"Yes" Soo Lin Yao said, "I had hoped after five years maybe they would have forgotten me, but they never really let you leave. A small community like ours, they are never very far away. He came to my flat. He asked me to help him to track down something that was stolen"
"And you've no idea what it was?" I asked her.
"I refused to help" She told me.
"So you knew him well when you were living back in China?" John asked her.
"Oh, yes" She said, "He's my brother. Two orphans. We had no choice. We could work for the Black Lotus or starve on the streets like beggars. My brother has become their puppet, in the power of the one they call Shan, 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 placed the pictures onto the table.
"Can you decipher these?" Sherlock asked her.
"These are numbers" She said pointing at one of the pictures.
"Yes, I know" Sherlock told her.
"Here, the line across the man's eyes, it's a Chinese number one" She said.
"And this one is 15. But what's the code?" Sherlock asked her.
"All the smugglers know it. It's based upon a book" She said and I jumped when the lights went out.
"He's here. Zhi Zhu. He has found me" Soo Lin Yao said.
"Maria stay here with Soo Lin Yao!" Sherlock said quickly and took off running for the doors.
"Sherlock, Sherlock! Wait!" John told him and looked at Soo Lin Yao.
"Get in. Get in!" John told Soo Lin Yao hiding her.
"Maria" John began, but stopped when a gun was shot.
"Sherlock!" I said quickly and took off running.
"Maria! Wait! Gah!" John shouted.
I ran into the room and jumped behind a statue next to Sherlock.
"I told you stay in there!" He told me.
"Couldn't let you have all the fun, could I?" I told him and flinched when the gun was fired some more.
"Stay here" Sherlock said and left.
I rolled my eyes and followed after him. He wasn't my Father, he couldn't tell me what to do!
I ran up the stairs and jumped behind a pillar when Zhi Zhu appeared shooting at Sherlock.
"Careful! Some of those skulls are over 200,000 years old. Have a bit of respect! Thank you" Sherlock shouted at him.
He was worried about the skulls? Really?
That's when I noticed the gun shots had stopped. I peeked out from behind the pillar to see that he was gone.
"Sherlock, Zhi Zhu's gone" I told him walking out from behind the pillar.
And then there was a gun shot.
"Oh no! Soo Lin Yao" I said and took off running.
I stopped at the door seeing John standing there staring at the dead body. I shook my head and looked away. I wiped a tear away and walked out of the room.
"She's dead" I told Sherlock as he walked to the room.
Sherlock nodded his head and walked towards the room.
"Sh-Should I call Dimmock?" I asked Sherlock.
"Yes" Sherlock said looking at me and then walked into the room.
"How many murders is it going to take before you start believing that this maniac's out there?" John asked Dimmock as we stood by his desk.
Dimmock ignored John and walked off.
"A young girl was killed tonight. That's three victims in three days. You're supposed to be finding him" I told Dimmock hoping he would listen to me.
"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" Sherlock told him.
"Can you prove that?" Dimmock asked.
Sherlock looked at Dimmock and told him to come with him before leaving with both Dimmock and John. I let out a sigh and walked to my Uncle's office to see if he was in.
"What are you doing here?" Sally asked as I walked past her.
"Visiting my Uncle. Is that against the rules or something?" I asked her.
"I wouldn't go in there if I were you. He's in a bad mood" She said.
"Why?" I asked her.
"Don't you know? Your Aunt's cheating on him with some bloke at her work" Sally told me.
I couldn't believe it! Aunt Helena has been cheating! That, that bitch! How dare she cheat on my Uncle Greg!
"Is that why he's been busy?" I asked her and she nodded her head before walking off.
I shook my head. Of all the people who I thought would never cheat, I would have never guessed Helena to do so!
"Hello Uncle Greg" I said slipping into his office.
Uncle Greg looked up at me with a fake smile on his face.
"Hello, Maria. How's Sherlock and John treatin' ya?" He asked.
"They're treating me very well. We're on a case now, but enough about me" I told him and sat in a chair across from his desk, "I just heard about Aunt Helena. Why didn't you tell me?"
"How? And I couldn't tell you, Maria. You already have enough to worry about" Uncle Greg said.
"Sally told me, and what do you mean I already have enough to worry about?" I asked him.
"You know what I mean, Maria. Your Mother" He said and I frowned looking down at the ground.
I could hear the echoing of the howl coming from the hound. I took a deep breath and exhaled.
"That doesn't mean you can keep stuff like that away from me, Uncle Greg. You and Dad are my only living family I got left. Plus John and Sherlock" I told him with tears coming to my eyes.
"I know, Maria. I'm sorry that I kept it from you, and I'm sorry for bringing up your Mother. It's just been a horrible few days" He said and I nodded wiping a few tears.
"It's all right, Uncle Greg. I-I should get going. I have no idea what John and Sherlock are getting themselves into at this moment" I told him standing up.
"Okay, be careful" Uncle Greg said standing up.
I hugged him tightly before leaving and getting a cab. I rode it back to the flat to find it empty. I let out a sigh before taking a shower. After wards I grabbed a book and began to read it waiting for Sherlock and John to come back.