(Bailey's P.O.V.)
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I squeezed my eyes tightly shut before pressing the wire cutters together. I waited a second before slowly cracking open one eye. When I registered that I had actually done it-that the bomb wasn't a threat anymore- I grinned at Abbie and let out a shaky breath.
Sherlock smiled at me. "You did it!" he said. I smiled back and he gave me a long warm hug. Abbie and I high-fived. But there was something bothering me about this whole thing...I just couldn't put my finger on it.
"Awwww! Look at the adorable celebration! Have fun! Tata for now!" Moriarty's voice came through the speakers. That was what was bothering me.
"Sherlock," I asked carefully, "does Moriarty usually show up to crime scenes?"
"Yes. He can't resist gloati..." Sherlock trailed off. He inhaled sharply as he caught my drift. "Oh." He said softly. I just nodded. I turned to Abbie and John, who were untying a groggy but alive Mrs. Hudson.
"What happened?" She asked.
"Don't worry. Somebody kidnapped you. It's alright now," reassured John.
"We're going to get you back to 221 Baker Street and a warm cup of tea," Abbie said comfortingly. She seemed so much better now that she knew Mrs. Hudson was okay. I looked questioningly at Sherlock. He jerked his head toward the exit, and the two of us slipped out of the room as Abbie and John were distracted with taking care of Mrs. Hudson. When we got out into the daylight, we ducked back out into the crowd. Sherlock began dragging me toward the taxi stand.
"Sherlock, where are we going?" I asked nervously.
"We are going to ask my homeless network about Moriarty. We're going after him. Mrs. Hudson needs someone to look after her, and I don't want to worry Abigail and John. Besides, they would be anxious to come with us."
"And why shouldn't they?"
"Because Moriarty has a special interest in you and Abigail."
"So what? Doesn't that mean that I shouldn't be doing this? That you shouldn't be dragging me to the man who has a special interest in me and my best friend? Shouldn't we just go to 221 with Abbie and John and figure this out together?"
"I feel safer with you in my sight, and John feels the same about Abigail. Besides, if we tell them, they'll want to come, and then Mrs. Hudson will find out, and that will cause her to be upset."
I sighed. I wasn't going to win the argument. I felt extremely uneasy about this, but there was no going against what Sherlock said. He hailed a cab, and we got in. I watched the fairground until it disappeared. Then, the screen in front of us lit up.
"Sherlock, you're so predictable!" Moriarty said. This was the first time I'd actually seen him this whole trip. "You should've listened to your little sister!" Then, live footage of John and Abbie showed up on the screen. They were helping Mrs. Hudson off of the ride tracks. "Do what I say and nothing will happen to the three of them. Right now, Bailey, I want you to text Abbie and tell her something that will make her not worry about you for at least an hour. Type and then show me the message and hit send while I watch." I nodded, in shock, pulled out my phone, and texted Abbie: "S and I r going 2 eat. He wanted some time 2gethr. I won't be back any soonr than an hour. C U l8r, Abs!" I held up the phone to the TV screen so Moriarty could see my message, then hit send while he was watching.
"Wonderful," he said. "More instructions later! The cabbie knows where you're going. Hang tight!" The screen went blank.
"Sherlock," I said quietly, "what did you get us into?"
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(Sherlock's P.O.V.)
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I glared out the window. I should have known.
"Actually," said the persona of Mycroft in my Mind Palace, "in a way, you did know. You also knew it wasn't a good idea to bring Bailey with you, but you reasoned she would be safer with yourself than at the flat."
"Or maybe, I shot back, "I was merely paranoid about leaving her." I suppose both options were decent reasons, looking back. At the moment though, I had to stay focused. I tried to shuffle through my new options, but there weren't any, except the decision as to whether I would enjoy the ride or not. I went with not.
I sighed, keeping track of the roads in my head. We were near the docks. Suddenly, to my surprise, Bailey grabbed my hand and leaned her head against my shoulder. Her pulse rate was ever so slightly up, and her breathing was I just a bit erratic. What do I do with a scared younger sister? I thought about it for a moment. I went back to when I was a child, scared of a bad dream at three years of age. I went to Mother, and she would talk nonsense. But it had helped. So I took my mother's idea.
"Bailey, you're okay," I said, trying to sound as calming as possible, which is quite hard. I squeezed her hand, and reached over with the other to stroke her hair. She sighed shakily into the sleeve of my coat. "I will get you out of this. I promise," I told myself as much as her. Finally, the cab stopped, and we got out. We were in an old dress shop that I remember had been abandon after people claimed a ghost haunted the upstairs. Idiots.
We were ushered to the back room to find something I had not ever expected to see. A large metal frame stood from floor to ceiling, which was twelve feet. At the bottom of the frame was a metal bed, which looked exactly like a surgeons table, except that there was a gap, about two inches wide, separating the head rest from the table itself. About a foot above the gap, sitting in the frame, was a large metal plate, wickedly sharpened along the lower edge. Bailey glanced up at me, eyes full of terror at the sight. I myself was a little shocked at the extravagance Moriarty had gone to.
"Hello!" He came through a door at the back of the room, grinning like a crocodile. "Ah! The newest Holmes sibling! Glad to finally meet you in person!"
She gave him a death stare I hope to never again see cross her face. "I'm sure you are," She growled.
"Let's play a little game, shall we?" He suggested.
Someone pushed a needle into my neck, which rendered my body useless. I tried to fight back, but the drug was strong and fast. I could do nothing as I was dragged toward my death. I heard Bailey scream my name. As they hoisted me onto the table, I caught a glimpse of her struggling against two men twice her size. They tied her to a chair, the bonds tight enough to make her yelp in pain.
"Now, Bailey," Moriarty continued. "I will let you choose beforehand if you want to threaten the life of beloved brother, or terminate the life of a person at random off the streets. After you decide, I will ask you questions, and you will answer them as best you can. If you get it right, no harm is done to anyone. However, if you are wrong one of two things will happen. If you chose a random person off the street, one person who happens to be walking by one of my men will be shot down. This version of the game can go as long as I want. If you choose your brother, well..."
Moriarty pressed a button on his keyboard. There was a click, and the metal blade slid up a foot. "That happens!" Moriarty exclaimed. "There is eight feet of space between where the blade is now and the top, which gives you eight wrong answers. On the ninth wrong answer, down comes death! If you choose the life of someone in London, you have an unlimited amount. And, if you choose not to play, you, Sherlock and your friends at home in Baker Street will be shot, no exceptions. And, on top of that, you will watch them all die first. Now, I will give you ten minutes to pull yourself together. Sherlock should be able to talk here in a moment, so you two can discuss any last words or whatever it is you need to do."
Moriarty and most of his guards left, slamming the door behind them, leaving only two men, one at each door. There was silence for almost two whole minutes.
"Sherlock," she whimpered at last. I could hear the tears that were no doubt streaming down her face in that single word. She gasped slightly audibly for air. "What do I do?!"
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Chapter Song: Duel of the Fates by John Williams (Start Wars Episode I)
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Wow, it has been a while! So sorry about that, my friends! But I did put two shorter chapters together to really entice you all with part three. Or is it four? No idea. Anyway, I do have more to come (this is only a little more than half way through) so keep us on your update list. Hope all are doing well!
As usual, if anyone is feeling strong emotions, foul or fair, about how insanely long I take to update things, I would love to hear about them. Of course, you can talk to me about other stuff, too, so don't hesitate! Have a great day people! :D
