I don't own Sherlock, I'm just having a little fun while I can.
Sorry for being away for so long. Near the beginning of last year, I had a health scare and didn't get the all clear until the beginning of November. Taken the last two months to get back into the swing of things. So hope you enjoy this chapter.
Thanks to Madyamisam who went through this chapter, any remaining mistakes are my own.
Chapter 49
Sherlock looked over to his brother, he couldn't help the angry look that was on his face. His brother had taken him from New Scotland Yard yesterday evening. Lestrade and Donovan let him be taken away, almost dragged he would say. His brother had actually grabbed his arm and made him move, something that the other hadn't done since he was a young teen.
Mycroft was just looking at him, no obvious emotion on his face, but it didn't take a genius to be able to see that he was worried and not only for Sherlock and the game of cat and mouse that he had been dragged into with the kidnapping of John and the involvement of Moriarty. The smartly dressed man was also worried for Dr Watson, he had come to admire the man for staying with Sherlock for so long and if he had read the signs properly, which he knew he had, the two were now involved on a more personal level.
"Please stop pouting Sherlock," he said his tone smooth as he looked over to his younger brother.
Sherlock said nothing for a moment as he looked over to his brother, "I don't know why you dragged me away from the Yard, I need to help find John and being stuck here with you is not helping Mycroft. Why? Why must you always interfere in what I am doing?" he asked, though not really expecting an answer.
Mycroft looks to him and shook his head, "I know that you wish to find Dr Watson, sherlock and I will do all I can to help as well. But you know that there isn't anything else you can do right now, you were going around in circles trying to find something that isn't there at the moment."
Steel gray eyes locked onto his brothers, similar yet so different, "How would I know that there is nothing there when I wasn't allowed to even inspect." He stated.
"Sherlock," he sighed as he then added, "I know you wish to make sure, but you have let sentiment cloud your judgment at the moment, it can not be trusted."
Sherlock almost jumped off the sofa as he went over to the window and looked out, it had begun to rain an hour ago and the pitter and patter of the raindrops on the window soothed the agitated man, "Moriarty said he would burn the heart out of me, at that point I thought I had none, turns out I was wrong, John…" he trailed off, not really knowing what to say.
Mycroft gave him a sympathetic look, mixed with the normal worry for he had for Sherlock when he was dragged into something dangerous, "We will find John, I assure you, I have men on it as well."
Sherlock was about to say something when he heard someone bounding up the stairs two at a time. He turned to the open door of the flat as Lestrade came inside.
"Sherlock, Mycroft," the detective inspector greets the two of them as he entered the room.
"Gregory," Mycroft said, causing Sherlock to look over to him, his brother's voice had softened as he spoke the detective's name.
Lestrade smiled at him and nodded, "Thought I would come by and see how things are going."
Sherlock looked at him and nodded, not really wanting to talk to him, nor Mycroft. He watched as the silver haired man walked over to where his brother was seated and the two started talking in hushed voices. The consulting detective blocked it out, going over the calls that he had with Moriarty. He looked at the phone on the coffee table and willed it to buzz or ring, or something. As though his thoughts were answered, the phone rang as a message came through.
Sherlock grabbed the phone as the two others in the room looked at him. He brought up the message and almost threw the phone across the room as a strangled tone of despair made its way from his throat.
We're having so much fun, you need to hurry up and join us - JM - Sent 9:42 am
Above the text was a picture of John, hanging on the wall, he looked barely conscious, blood dripping from his nose. His arms were shackled above his head and Sherlock knew that would be hurting John's shoulder injury. Sherlock took a breath as he calmed himself down and then looked at the picture more closely, hoping to deduce something from it.
John looked dreadful, his clothes looked wet and looking on the concrete floor he could see that there was water surrounding him. Sherlock stood up and went over to John's laptop and quickly connected the phone to it and transferred the picture over. He brought it up, glad that it came up larger on the laptop than on the phone. He was able to see more, he could now see that the concrete must have been poured a number of years ago and the walls were bare, showing him that it was a steel structure with concrete walls. There was no natural light in the room either, telling him that the room was cut off from the outside world.
"What is it, Sherlock?" Mycroft asked his younger brother as he stood up and walked over to the man sitting at the desk.
"Moriarty sent me a text, with a picture of John. Steel and concrete building from what I can tell, so I would say old factory, maybe a warehouse, but doubtful." Sherlock said no emotion in his voice as he answered, he said nothing of John, he couldn't, he didn't want to think of John being hurt and basically tortured at the hands of Moriarty.
"What about John?" Greg asked as he walked over and looked at the picture that was now on the laptop screen, "Jesus," his whispered as he saw the state John was in.
Sherlock said nothing as the phone rang once more, another message had come through. He picked it up and barraged with a wall of text and none of it made sense.
- JM - 10:03am
Sherlock read out the first one he received and then read out the next.
RPOCEPOLWR RECSPRREPS ORECOASCE PSPSRWLWRS AWPOLECRR ROASLRASPE AOAERSRSPS PWPRREROAR SASLSCSCOR AOROASPWAS SPOAWASCSR WCSASRSAEA SLWARLSLOA - JM - 10:03am -
"What does it all mean?" Greg asked as he looked over Sherlock's shoulder and saw exactly.
Sherlock and Mycroft looked at him and told him, "It's a code." They said at the same time.
"By the look of it a Polybius Square was used, though the first text I imagine belongs to a substitution code," Mycroft said, being more of a fan of codes and the breaking of them, "Something the Germans used during World War I, using the letters ADFGVX, though any can be used, it's a five by five square and inside you place the alphabet and go from there, but by the look of this one he didn't use ADFGVX, so something more personal, I would say." He added, giving a short explanation.
Sherlock said, "I believe the letters are R, P, O, C, E, L, W, A and S. That is one short, so one of the letters is duplicated." He paused for a moment as he then said, "Carl Powers. Though I don't know if he mixed the letters up around the square or had them in order." He finished.
"What about the first text?" Greg then asked as he moved closer.
Sherlock was about to say something when another text came through.
Well, Sherlock, I hope you enjoy this little puzzle, I'll give you a hint e, you are backwards, while I go in order. Do you get it, you should, it's so easy, and for your incentive to get a move on, poor John will enjoy some of my good friend's ability with a whip, each twenty minutes that go by he will get a lashing and each time the number will increase. Take care now Sherly! I wonder if John's a screamer. - JM - 10:05am
Sherlock hummed, "Each of the letters in the first text corresponds to a line in the second," he murmured to himself as he started to work it out.
Mycroft then interrupted him a second and said, "Sherlock, copy it out, I wish to help."
Sherlock glanced up at his brother and nodded, writing the letters out quickly. With the two of them working on it, they hoped that it wouldn't take them that long to work it out and maybe stop John from suffering too much from Moriarty's sick games. Greg moved away and made the two of them some tea, though he only expected Mycroft to actually drink anything. The detective Inspector knew he wouldn't be able to anything to help with the code, but at least he could supply them with drinks and maybe something to eat, though he doubts that either of them would have anything. He looked at them both, each of them working, occasionally sharing a word or two as they began to unravel the clues.
Thank you all for reading, and I do hope that you have enjoyed this chapter.
