At a supermarket not too far away from the residential area of our three heroes, John Watson was standing at one of two self-service checkouts, scanning items from his basket. A short queue had formed behind him, but he kept going, scanning another item.

"Unexpected item in the bagging area. Please try again" the automated voice said.

On 221B Baker Street though, life was a little more exciting. In the living room of the two men, Sherlock was under attack from a heavily robed figure whose face and head was almost completely shrouded in a variety of scarves. As the attacker slashed at him with a curved sword, Sherlock backed up carefully and ducked this way and that to avoid the blows. The man backed Sherlock up as far as the sofa and took another swing at him.

Ducking under the sword, Sherlock dropped onto the sofa in a sitting position. The attacker lifted his sword above his head with both hands and our hero raised a leg, kicking hard at the man's chest and shoving him backwards. As the man stumbled back across the room, Sherlock got to his feet and took an all-important moment to straighten his jacket before charging across the room towards the man.


At the same time at the building across from them, or more specifically on the roof of the building; Lex was caught up in a fight of her own. She was dressed in her cargo pants and a sleeveless tight top and was busy deflecting a katana.

The attacker was of Asian origin with the bottom of his face covered behind a tight black mask. His whole outfit was a combination of black tight materials and some pouches with items inside. He attacked, trying to slice her but she kept avoiding. She took steps back but then realized she was getting closer to the edge, so she jumped to the side and rolled, getting behind her attacker. She quickly brought her leg and aimed a good kick on his side, but he blocked her attack with his blade.

Looking at the leg and katana mix and then at each other, he grabbed a smaller blade from one of the pockets and tried to stab her leg, but she pulled it back and did a few backflips to put some distance between them.


In the supermarket, John held lettuce in a plastic bag and moved it slowly across the scanner in an attempt to get it to read the barcode.

"Item not scanned. Please try again" the automated voice said.

John straightened up, staring at the device in exasperation. "D'you think you could keep your voice down?"


In the flat, the attacker had his sword held horizontally in both hands and was pushing Sherlock backwards into the kitchen. With a tight grip on the man's wrists, he fell back onto the kitchen table and the man followed him down, trying to press the edges of the blade into Sherlock's throat.

Grimacing with the effort, he pushes the man's right wrist upwards to keep the blade from cutting him. The point of the sword begun to dig into the table to his right. He lifted his left leg and kneed the man in the side several times and, as this began to weaken the man's grip, Sherlock forced himself upwards again. The sword tip gouged a long slash across the top of the table.


On the rooftop, Lex delivered a spinning air kick on the man's face and caused blood to come from it. The attacker fell on his side, his katana dropping from his hand. However, he quickly spit the blood from his mouth and stood up; getting into a martial art position.

Lex left out some air, pushing a stay strand away from her face while she got into a similar position. She brought her left hand forward, palm open and moved the fingers as an indication for the man to attack. He fell into her taunt and started to attack her by a combination of well-aimed and trained kicks and punches which she was forced to block while also retreat slightly back.


In the supermarket, John had, at last, got everything scanned and had inserted his credit or debit card into the chip-and-PIN machine. He typed in his PIN and waited.

"Card not authorized. Please use an alternative method of payment" the voice said.

"Yes, all right! I've got it!"

"Card not authorized. Please use an alternative method of payment"

The man in the queue behind him had already picked up his basket in expectation of getting to the scanner soon. John reached towards his back pocket but realized that he had no other way of paying.

"Got nothing. *points at the machine* Right, keep it. Keep that"

As the man behind him looked on in surprise, John angrily walked away, abandoning his shopping and quite possibly his card as well.


In the flat, Sherlock was on his feet again and the fight had moved back into the living room. The attacker took another swing at Sherlock who ducked underneath the sword and then quickly straightened up, pointing directly over the man's shoulder.

"Look!"

The man had already half-turned in that direction with the swing of his sword and was also momentarily distracted by their reflections in the mirror over the fireplace behind him. Sherlock took advantage and swung a powerful uppercut to the man's chin, and the man dropped unconscious into Sherlock's armchair.

He straightened up and immediately checked his reflection in the mirror, straightening his jacket and cuffs and then dusting himself down. He looked down at the man with disdain, as if indignant that he messed his suit up.


On the rooftop, the battle was ongoing but Lex had already formed a plan. She had managed to turn the tide, now forcing the masked man back with her martial art techniques which he struggled to block. He grabbed two small blades from his pouches and aimed for her torso. She ducked above his one hand, one of the blades grazing her side but barely affected her as she landed headfirst. Using her hands, she used her momentum to save herself and flip in front of the katana.

The man had charged, hoping to hit her while her back was turned but she used the leg to flip the weapon up into the air before grabbing the handle and turning sharply. The sharp tip of the blade passed through the other side of the man, blood drops falling to the roof.

A sigh escaped her lips as the man coughed some blood on her shoulder before falling dead against her body. She lowered him down and pulled the weapon out, observing the mess that had been created.

She grabbed her phone and quickly sent a text before placing it into her pocket. Her free hand went to her side when she felt the familiar sting and noticed the line of blood that had formed along with the now exposed skin.

"Great" she commented.


Sometime later, she was back into her apartment and she had thrown the bloody and destroyed top to a wooden small basket. Some other clothes in a similar state were already there and she made a mental note to get rid of them.

She was in a sports bra and her cargo pants, sitting on the dark brown couch her small living room had. The wooden coffee table in front of her had a mug of warm Earl Gray and next to it was a bottle of Whiskey. She was busy cleaning the new wound when she heard John's voice and footsteps that only belonged to him. He was making her way to her apartment and her brown eyes doubled in size.


John had entered the house frustrated and annoyed by the luck he had with the supermarket machine. He was in the apartment, looking around for the card Sherlock said he had; not liking the lazy and drawn back attitude.

He hadn't moved from the armchair for a few hours, just sitting them and reading a book with no care in the world or any sings that he would move any time soon.

"I can't find it, Sherlock. I will go and ask Lex" he said and passed a hand through his cut short hair before making his way out of the apartment.

He climbed the stairs two at a time before stopping n front of the door with the sign B1 outside. He knocked and waited for the woman to open up for him, feeling rude to just barge in.

"Enter!" she heard her voice and lifted an eyebrow but did as he was told.

His eyes quickly took a look at the apartment he had seen only thrice since most of the times Lex spent time on theirs. Speaking of her, she was on the couch and wrapped with a maroon blanket while drinking a cup of tea.

"Sorry to disturb Lex"

"No worries John," she said with a smile. "Uhm…didn't you go for groceries?"

"Yeah well, the machine was messing with me. Took me an eternity to scan stuff and now doesn't accept my card. I asked Sherlock but only gods know where it is so…can I borrow yours?"

The woman fought the need to chuckle at the unfortunate situation her friend had ended up with. However, she kept her face neutral and offered a kind smile. "Sure, it's on the desk at your right"

The man turned and looked at the wooden desk with a chair where her laptop was placed. Next to it, a small brown wallet. He picked it up, opened it and grabbed her card but not before noticing the pile of clothing in the wooden basket. Lex almost stopped breathing when she followed his gaze, her mask falling and showing the worry she was feeling. Thankfully, the blood or any other stains were not visible but only the dirt and the way they were thrown there.

"Uhm…want me to get you some washing powder?" the man asked, leaving her wallet down and with her card at hand.

She quickly put the mask on. "Sure, if you don't mind. And I can make you some tea for when you come back"

"Oh please yes" the man replied and left the apartment.

She waited until she heard the sound of the down door opening. Once she did, she left a heavy sigh and collapsed back on the couch, the blanket falling from her exposed body. She muttered some words and closed her eyes, allowing her heart to slow down.


Later, John staggered up the stairs carrying several bags of shopping. "Don't worry about me. I can manage" he replied with sarcasm when he felt the weight being lifted.

"Let me help you, soldier," Lex said and took some bags before taking them into the apartment.

"See! Now, that is how flatmates behave" John said and looked at Sherlock.

He was sitting at the dining table with his hands folded in front of his mouth as he looked at a laptop screen, barely glanced across to John, who sighed heavily and carried the rest of the bags into the kitchen.

He dumped them on the table and was about to help Lex in placing them to their proper place when he realized something and turned. He walked to the living room, his eyes on the item Sherlock was using. "Is that my computer?"

"Of course" Sherlock replied while typing.

"What?!"

Lex left out a sigh when she heard the yelling and shook her head but couldn't help and smile at the usual mood that existed in the house.

"Mine was in the bedroom"

"What, and you couldn't be bothered to get up?" Sherlock doesn't reply. "It's password-protected!"

"In a manner of speaking. Took me less than a minute to guess yours. *glances up at John* Not exactly Fort Knox"

"Right, thank you" John replied annoyed and walked over to the man.

He slammed the lid down and his flatmate pulled his fingers out of the way just in time. John took the laptop across the room and put it down on the floor beside his armchair as he sat down. Sherlock clapped his hands in the prayer position in front of his mouth as he propped his elbows on the table and looked thoughtful. Lex joined with a mug of black coffee. She sat on the couch and propped her legs on the coffee table before taking a sip of the bitter beverage.

John picked up a small pile of letters from the table beside his chair and frowned. "Oh," he exclaimed as he flicked through the letters, at least one of which appeared to be a red bill which needed urgent paying. He shook his head in resignation. "Need to get a job"

"Oh, dull" Sherlock commented and Lex facepalmed.

John put the letters back onto the table and looked across at his two friends for a moment, but then glanced at the bills again and awkwardly sat forward. "Listen, um ... if any of you'd be able to lend me some ..." Lex leaned forward to listen properly since he talked in a lowered voice, but the man stopped when he realized that Sherlock was in his word. "Sherlock, are you listening?"

"I need to go to the bank," the man said as he stood up and headed for the stairs.

The duo looked at each other before standing up as well, Lex leaving her half-full mug on the coffee table and rushing after Sherlock who was wearing his coat. John followed right after, and the trio quickly found themselves stopping a taxi.


TOWER 42, OLD BROAD STREET.

Sherlock led John and Lex through revolving glass doors which led into Shad Sanderson Bank. John stared at the impressive foyer while Lex kept her eyes on the front but stole glances at Sherlock, wondering why they were there, to begin with.

"Yes, when you said we were going to the bank ..." John started as they all got onto an escalator.

Lex and Sherlock stood side by side while the army doctor was right behind. The latter was observing everything around him, especially the security systems which had to have cards swiped across electronic readers to open glass barrier gates.

The trio reached the top of the escalator, Sherlock being the first to walk over to the reception desk and address one of the receptionists. "Sherlock Holmes"

John and Lex exchanged looks for a moment unsure but then were surprised when they were all led to Sebastian Wilke's office. Whatever they had come to do in the bank, it was not something normal people would do; something that didn't fully shock them since they had been with Sherlock for some time now. They entered and came face to face with the said businessman, a smile on his lips once he spotted the sociopath.

"Sherlock Holmes"

"Sebastian"

They watched as the two men clasped hands, not surprised by Sherlock calling the man by his first name. After all, there wasn't a single person on the planet that Sherlock would address with their last name or their full name.

John even joked once that he would dare to call the queen by first name basis and they even made a bet at what reaction and punishment would follow.

"Howdy, buddy. How long's it been? Eight years since I last clapped eyes on you?"

Sherlock looked back at him with only marginally disguised dislike. Sebastian turned to look at Lex and John. "These are my friends, John Watson and Alex Stronghold"

"Friends?"

"Colleagues" John corrected him.

"Right," Sebastian said and shook hands with John while his eyes were on Lex. He then walked to her and she extended his hand for a shake, but he took it and brought the back of her palm on his lips. "Always charmed my lady"

John blinked in shock and Sherlock glared daggers at the back of the man.

"Pleasure is all mine," Lex said simply, flashing a small smile and pushing back her now loose hair out of her face.

Once the man released her, he turned and walked towards his desk. The moment his back was turned on her, her smile dropped, and her eyes grew cold and narrow at his form. She disliked the man immediately for his way of treating Sherlock and for the way he looked at her. She wasn't the only one though since Sherlock did feel that for years and John quickly reached their level of dislike.

"Well, grab a pew. D'you need anything? Coffee, water?" he asked as he leaned against his desk with his back and his hands supporting him.

"No" John replied while Sherlock and Lex shook their heads.

"No?" *To his secretary* We're all sorted here, thanks"

As the secretary left the room, Sebastian sat down at his desk and our heroes sat opposite of him with John and Lex sharing a chair while Sherlock had taken one all for himself.

"So, you're doing well. You've been abroad a lot" Sherlock started a small talk.

"Well, some"

"Flying around the world twice in a month?"

John frowned in confusion and looked at Lex who was equally lost, but Sebastian just laughed and pointed at Sherlock.

"Right. You're doing that thing" Sebastian said and looked at the duo sharing the chair. "We were at uni together. This guy here had a trick he used to do"

"It's not a trick," he said quietly.

"He could look at you and tell you your whole life story"

"Yes, I've seen him do it," John said, and Lex nodded.

"And it is a very impressive skill based on observations"

Sebastian laughed at her and continued. "Put the wind-up everybody. We hated him" At his words, Sherlock turned his head away and looked down, his face momentarily filling with pain. Lex noticed and her right hand turned into a fist, feeling deep anger within her while quickly realizing what kind of relationship the duo had back then. "You'd come down to breakfast in the Formal Hall and this freak would know you'd been shagging the previous night"

"I simply observed" Sherlock corrected in a low tone.

"Well, I do not see any reason for you to call him a freak Mr Wilke. If he did observe, most likely you didn't hide some things that well. I could also say when some of my classmates would …' Shag' when they didn't make an effort to cover it" Lex defended, keeping her tone calm while her hand stayed into a fist to help contain her temper.

John looked at Lex confused at her sudden behaviour while Sherlock was momentarily shocked but smiled faintly at how she took his side.

Sebastian wasn't pleased though and he lifted an eyebrow while looking at her. "For a colleague, you certainly defend him a lot"

"I simply feel the need to show a different perspective of your story. Nothing to be charged with"

He smirked in amusement and leaned back on his chair. "I will prove it to you. *turns to Sherlock* Go on, enlighten us. Two trips a month, flying around the world – you're quite right. How could you tell? *Sherlock opened his mouth, but Sebastian continued speaking* You're gonna tell me there was, um, a stain on my tie from some special kind of ketchup you can only buy in Manhattan" he added smugly while John smiled.

"No, I ..."

"Maybe it was the mud on my shoes!"

"I was just chatting with your secretary outside. She told me"

John frowned round at him, confused by such an 'ordinary' explanation while Lex stole glances at Sherlock, reading the discomfort on his face. Sebastian laughed humorlessly and Sherlock smiled back at him with an equal lack of humour.

The businessman then clapped his hands together, then becomes more serious. "I'm glad you could make it over. We've had a break-in" With those words, he stood up and lead them out of his office, across the trading floor and towards a different. "Sir William's office – the bank's former Chairman. The room's been left here like a sort of memorial. Someone broke in late last night"

"What did they steal?" John asked.

"Nothing. Just left a little message"

He held his security card against the reader by the door to unlock it. Inside, hanging on the plain white wall behind the large desk was a framed painted portrait of a man in a suit. On the wall to the left of the portrait, someone had sprayed what looks like a graffiti 'tag' in yellow paint. The tag looked vaguely like a number 8 but with the top of the number left open, and above it is an almost horizontal straight line. Across the eyes of the portrait itself, another almost horizontal straight line had been sprayed.

Sebastian led the way towards the desk and then stepped aside to allow Sherlock a clear view of the wall. John moved to stand on the other side of Sebastian, who looked at Sherlock expectantly while the detective stares in fixed concentration at the graffiti.

Lex stayed next to John, feeling Sebastian's eyes on her from times to times but made no acknowledgement of that. Instead, she focused on Sherlock.