Artemis kept Moriarty in sight the whole way up the stairs determined to corner him and make him pay for whatever he had done to Tracey and John. Despite the blood pounding in her ears and the protests of her legs as she drove herself ruthlessly upwards her mind was strangely clear. Moriarty flung himself through the door at the top of the stairs and tried to ram it closed but Artemis barreled through it knocking him back onto the roof of the factory. He tried to scramble back through the door but she kicked him hard in the side and sent him rolling away. "You evil piece of shit." She said while she fought her breathing back to normal and slammed the door shut jamming a shim in to keep it closed for a little longer. "No, no, that's an insult to shit. I can't think of an insult that wouldn't insult something with more value than you." She kicked the shim and using the cover of her back to him pulled out the cell phone she'd grabbed from Sherlock earlier dialing Mycroft and slipped the slender device into her cast with the mic facing out so he'd hear everything.
She stalked towards him the thick heels on her boots clacking ominously as he struggled to his feet. He pulled a gun and pointed it at her. "Stop right there." He said wincing as the act of pointing the gun at her made his bruised ribs twinge.
She stopped but the look on her face wasn't fear and he wondered if he might have miscalculated, he decided to play a little game with her, he'd been hoping to save this game for Sherlock but needs must when the devil drives. He smirked at her and slouched a little affecting a bored attitude. "I applaud Sherlock for finally deducing where I was keeping his little pet. Took him long enough though."
Artemis propped her good hand on her hip and shook her head. "He didn't, that was me."
He felt his world tilt sideways for a second before he rallied. "Bravo. Nice to see you're the brains of your little operation. Your girlfriend…"
"Sister." Artemis interrupted and there was something in her eyes that made him wonder just how badly he'd miscalculated.
"She was a fun little nut to crack." He tried to soldier on.
Artemis took a step forward and he lifted the gun a little. "Ah ah. See I was hoping it would be Sherlock up here but I can do just as much damage with or without him. This might even be more fun."
Artemis crossed her arms over her chest and made a 'get on with it' gesture. He smiled condescendingly and waved the gun a little. "I'm tired of Sherlock and the Scooby Gang upending all my favorite plans. Its tiresome having to keep changing my travel arrangements so I've set up a little game, something to put the cherry on top of my last Game."
When Artemis didn't feed into his gloating he pouted but kept going. "Sherlock has to die or I will kill everyone he cares about, starting with John, his sweet favorite little pet then his darling Landlady who may or may not be his housekeeper…" He grinned and laughed a little.
"And then I'll move on to his Brother and his dear old mummy and daddy… I'll kill anyone even halfway associated with the Holmes, maybe I'll start with your sister instead of John but either way Sherlock will die and you'll kill him."
"And why would I do that?" She asked sounding uninterested.
He giggled and waved the gun dramatically. "Because if you don't walk down those stairs and put this gun to his head and pull the trigger right this second I will tell the operatives I have placed at every member of the Scooby Gangs location to start shooting. Oh and don't think you can off me and save the day because if I don't check in they'll start shooting anyway so you really don't have any choice."
Artemis smirked and uncrossed her arms. "That's a great monologue. No really, very James Bond. I would applaud but well kinda hard with a cast you see."
He frowned. "You really think I won't give the order to fuck up the next Holmes Christmas card?"
Artemis tucked her fingers into the cast and tugged the phone out and held it up pressing the button for speaker phone. "Did you get all that Mycroft?"
"Indeed, all operatives have been neutralized, I rather thought he might try something like this eventually." Mycroft replied. "Do give my best to Sherlock will you Artemis."
Artemis pressed the end button and stuck the phone into her pocket as Moriarty leveled the gun at her his face furious. "You bitch."
"Thanks." She replied with a smirk.
"Do you have any idea the favors I had to call in? Do you know how much work I am going to have to do to recoup this loss. Maybe I'll start with you!" He threw his hands up and started pacing in a circle.
"It wouldn't change a damned thing. You lost Moriarty." She shrugged unconcerned.
"You cheated! You called Mycroft. Why would you do that and spoil the game like that?" He sounded like an aggrieved teenager.
"Oh for fuck sake Moriarty grow up." Artemis snapped and stalked towards him. "Life is not a fucking game."
"It is a game and you cheated." He pointed the gun at her and Artemis sighed.
He suddenly grinned. "You know who played the game really well? Tracey. She was defiant and played the game so well. Made me cut her slow just to draw it out. And oh the things she told me."
Artemis laughed suddenly and he stopped confused. Artemis was laughing so hard she had to gasp for breath and he was shaking with rage when she abruptly stopped a smile on her face as she took a step towards him. "She didn't tell you a fucking thing. You wouldn't have raced to the roof of this fucking factory hoping Sherlock would follow you and become a suicide. If Tracey had told you anything you would have been long gone because trust me, she'd have told you that you die up here."
"Cocky bitch aren't you?" He snarled and cocked the hammer on the gun.
"Oh more than cocky. Shoot me if you want, it doesn't change anything. I know how this fucking ends." She took another step. "I've seen it all, how do you think I figured out where to find you? Sherlock couldn't even find you and he is by far smarter than I am. I know you Moriarty, I know your game. I knew you were going to try to force Sherlock to suicide to save his family."
"How?!" He howled and Artemis could hear someone pounding on the door trying to force it open.
She took another step forward and he backed up forgetting the gun in his hand as she advanced on him her face a mask of ferocity. "Because we don't exist here, because for me this is all a TV show in my world. I'm a spectator. I'm a watcher and this," She motioned with her casted arm at London at large. "Was one of my favorite shows. I love the characters, the stories and now I'm in it but it's all changed. See Moriarty, where I'm from you're dead." She gave a mirthless laugh. "You're dead and your network is dismantled because Sherlock beat you. You tried to destroy him and he fucking destroyed you instead."
She took a few more steps and he backed up again shaking his head. "No. That's… no, there's no way."
"Aww did I break your brain?" She cooed and reached out to caress his cheek the pounding on the door had stopped.
"You're lying. This is all some part of Sherlock's plan." Moriarty felt the fear creeping up the back of his throat.
"Oh Moriarty, Sherlock is brilliant but he's not that creative. I am from a world where all this is fiction, based on a series of books. I've been dragged from world to world for months fixing problems. You're just this world's problem, see like I said, you're supposed to be dead except Sherlock didn't take your bait. Something tiny changed but the tiniest things can change everything." She had him backed up to the edge of the roof and he held up his hands as if to ward her off forgetting he had the gun in his hand and she took it from him.
"You know what the best part of this is for me?" She asked running her fingers down his cheek making him flinch. "I get to make it all right. All of it, the broken people, the lives lost and I get to keep you from destroying two of the best and bravest people I know, the cops are going to be in heaven." She turned as if to walk to the door and Moriarty chuckled.
"If you think the Police can hold me you're in for a hell of a surprise. I'll be free in an hour and then I think I'll visit your sweet sister in the hospital. See if I can give her some new body modifications to go with her lovely new scars. Did you see my work? Or were you too busy chasing me to care about your girl? Not a very good sister are you?"
Artemis stopped and shook her head with a sigh. "Well fuck." She said and spun suddenly grabbing him by the lapels and pushing him until he was tilted over on the very edge of the roof only his heels holding him tenuously connected to the roof, death only a quarter inch of shoe leather away.
The door crashed open and Sherlock and John ran towards them, both shouted for her to stop but she only looked over her shoulder at Sherlock and he saw no anger, no fear just the knowledge in her eyes. Knowledge that she had to do this as she gave him that one final push and sent him 7 stories to the paving stones below. Sherlock and John rushed to her and stopped looking down at the broken body below, Artemis looked at them her eyes calm and untroubled. "I know you heard me. Both of you. This had to be done, and not even the police would be able to hold me."
John stared at her wide eyed and unable to come up with anything to say that would make any sense. Sherlock however rested a hand on her shoulder and nodded. "You did what was necessary. We'll tell Scotland Yard that he jumped when we cornered him."
I really think this was the best way to resolve that little puzzle and Artemis showed everyone she or rather Tracey, is not someone to be fucked with. Moriarty never knew what hit him. Please Review?