Welcome back! Things are starting to get interesting. Enjoy! -Mels
Five years before
The instrumental opening to Queen's song "I Want to Break Free" played over a pair of earbuds loudly as a helicopter flew towards Sherrinford and swooped up over the cliffs and the top of the building to the other side. In his office, the governor stood near his desk and watched out of the window while the chopper headed out over the sea and then turned back towards the island again.
Not long afterwards, as the lyrics to the song begin, the helicopter landed on the beach. Jim Moriarty, suited and booted, wearing sunglasses and with his hair slicked back, climbed out of the back door with white earbuds in his ears. He stood on the side runners for a moment, looking towards the cliffs, then he stepped down onto the sand and took a couple of steps forward before he whirled his arms and rolled his hips before spreading his arms wide either side of him with his head thrown back.
In his imagination, a large crowd roared its approval and applauds. He lowered one of his arms and raised the other to the skies, looking upwards while two black-suited goons wearing earpieces walked to stand either side of him. Jim lowered his arm and jumped round to face the helicopter before raising his arm and head skywards again. Again the invisible crowd roared and whistled approvingly.
He changed arms, pointing the other one upwards, then lowered it and turned around again, standing there for a moment before raising his hands and pulling the earbuds from his ears. The music stopped and the helicopter's rotors whirled behind him. Several yards in front of him, stood the governor and three armed beanie-hatted guards. Jim tucked his earphones into his inside jacket pocket and then strolled forwards, his goons following. He stopped a few feet away from the governor; his bodyguards halting one pace in front of him with their shoulders slightly overlapping his.
"Mr. Moriarty," The governor greeted the criminal mastermind.
"Big G," Moriarty greeted him in return and he held up his right hand with the index and little finger raised. As he lowered his hand again, the governor frowned. ""Big G." Means "governor." Street speak. I'm a bit down with the kids, you know? I'm relatable that way. D'you like my boys?" Moriarty explained to the govern before he pointed towards the man standing to his left and stepped behind him.
"This one's got more stamina, but he's less caring in the afterglow," Jim told the governor and he pulled his sunglasses a little way down his nose with one hand and looked over the top of them at the back of the man's head, but the man didn't react.
"This way, please," The governor told Moriarty before he turned and walked away.
Shortly afterwards, the doors to a lift opened and the governor stepped out from one side of the cabin. The bodyguard who Jim was just talked about was standing at the other side and the other bodyguard was in the centre, but now he stepped aside to allow Jim, who had been standing behind him, to exit the lift. Jim slowly strolled out followed by his boys and the governor led them all away. They were on the same walkway where John was taken down.
The governor reached the staircase at the side of the glass Control Room and turned towards it but Jim slowed down and stopped facing a narrower corridor which led straight on. A white-shirted guard holding a rifle stood at the side of the entrance while Jim gestured around the place.
"Smell all that insane criminality," He said in reverence and he started to walk towards the corridor, but the guard held out a hand in front of him and pressed it against his chest. Stopping again, Jim didn't react to the guard, but leaned into the hand, bending his head further into the corridor and breathing in. "Do you have cannibals here?" Moriarty asked curiously.
"Yes," The governor admitted to him.
"How many?" Moriarty asked him, his interest now piqued.
"Three," The governor answered him, still unsure if this was the best idea.
"That's good. People leave their bodies to science; I think cannibals would be so much more grateful," Moriarty said whilst nodding. He raised his head a little and whistled in a beckoning sort of way. In the distance, a few voices yelled or screamed in response and Jim smiled. "Ah," He said quietly, in satisfaction.
Chuckling quietly, he turned to follow the governor down the stairs, throwing a brief look to the guard as he lowered his hand. They walked downstairs towards the office where Mycroft was waiting inside at the far side of the room looking out of the window with his hands behind his back. Jim strolled into the room through the door which the governor held open for him. The governor then walked away and Jim's goons stopped outside. Jim took off his sunshades and tilted his head to one side. Mycroft turned around to face him then and Jim looked at Mycroft, who breathed out a long breath through his nose. At the side of the room, a nativity scene had been set up on a table.
"Ahh," Moriarty hummed as he reached out and picked up the baby Jesus lying in a manger. "Isn't that sweet?" He asked Mycroft who had sat down in the chair behind the desk and tilted his head to the chair on the other side.
"Won't you sit down?" Mycroft asked the consulting criminal, trying to keep up with pleasantries.
"I wrote my own version of the nativity when I was a child," Moriarty told Mycroft as he looked down at the figure he was holding, ignoring his question. He looked up to Mycroft then. ""The Hungry Donkey." It was a bit gory but, if you're gonna put a baby in a manger, you're asking for trouble," Moriarty said and, without looking, he held out his hand and dropped the figure back onto the table.
"You know what this place is, of course?" Mycroft asked, ignoring the man's antics.
"Of course," Jim answered him quietly and he fiddled with some of the animals on the table as he spoke. "So am I under arrest again?" Moriarty inquired.
"You remain a person of interest, but until you commit a verifiable crime you are – I regret – at liberty," Mycroft informed him and Jim moved the donkey, a cow and two sheep on the table so that they now closely surrounded the baby in the manger.
"Then why am I here?" Jim asked Mycroft, already getting bored.
"You're a Christmas present," Mycroft answered him and that seemed to regain Moriarty's interest.
"Ah," Moriarty said as he walked across the room to Mycroft's side of the table and held out his arms as he walked past him. "How'd you want me?" He asked with a saucy smirk on his face.
"There is, in this facility, a prisoner whose intellectual abilities are of occasional use to the British government," Mycroft explained, turning in his chair while Jim walked behind him.
"What, for, like, really difficult sums, long division, that sort of thing?" Jim asked, stopping and looking out of the window.
"She predicted the exact dates of the last three terrorist attacks on the British mainland after an hour on Twitter. That sort of thing. In return, however, she requires treats. Last year it was a violin," Mycroft told the consulting criminal.
"This year?" Moriarty asked, liking whoever this gal was already.
"Five minutes' unsupervised conversation ... with you," Mycroft answered him and Jim blinked and turned his head a little.
"Me?!" Jim smiled and he turned towards Mycroft and blinked mock-bashfully before lifting one hand to his chest, pretending to look amazed. "With me?!"
"She has noted your interest in the activities of my little brother and Alexandria," Mycroft told him, knowing this might be disastrous.
"So ... what's she got to do ... with Sherlock Holmes and Lexi MacKenna?" Moriarty asked, walking slowly towards the other side of the table. He put his hands on the table opposite Mycroft. "Whatever you're about to tell me ...," He said as he slowly sat down. Mycroft looked rather tired and defeated at this point.
"... I already know it's gonna be ...," He continued, looking at him with fascinated excitement and he opened his mouth wide and propped his left elbow on the table, resting his head on his hand. "... awesome!"
Later, the lift door to Eurus' cell slid open. Eurus was kneeling in the middle of the floor facing the glass and the lights above her head were green. She lifted her head and slowly stood up as Jim walked forward and after a couple of paces the lights turned white and they walked towards each other. In the governor's office, Mycroft watched the footage grimly. Eurus and Moriarty stopped a couple of paces on either side of the glass and Jim held his hands out to either side, shrugging.
"I'm your Christmas present," Jim told her and he strolled forward again, Eurus also approaching the glass from her side. They stopped again, Jim looking down at her appraisingly. "So what's mine?" He asked her in a whisper.
Eurus' eyes turned towards the camera on the wall outside the cell. She focused in on the red light showing that the camera was active. In the governor's office, Mycroft watched as the footage was replaced by an image of a heavy flow of water pouring down the screens. In the cell, Eurus looked at Jim before answering him.
"Redbeard and the beautiful bird," Eurus answered him softly and Jim frowned a little.
Staring intently at him, Eurus stepped even closer to the glass. Now smiling, Jim did likewise. With their noses almost touching the glass opposite each other, they started to sway slowly from side to side and they matched each other's head movements, practically making love through the glass.
When Sherlock awoke, his immediate reaction was to reach for his throat. He pulled in short, quick breaths as he scrambled up into a sitting position, blinking as he took in the scene. Mycroft and Joana were awake, bent over something or someone in a corner of the grey paneled room.
"Ah, finally," Mycroft said as he looked over his shoulder to his brother, looking no worse for wear. "Take a minute to collect yourself and the come here. Alexandria only just woke up herself," He informed Sherlock and Sherlock fought down his own emotions as he pulled himself to his feet, pulling in deep long breaths as he grounded himself once more.
Mycroft moved out of the way as Sherlock walked over to them and he was instantly in a panic as Joanna moved so that he could get to Lexi. She had a bruise in the shape of a boot on her jaw and her face and shirt were soaked in blood. She was holding Mycroft's handkerchief to her nose and Sherlock could already detect the beginning of two black eyes.
"What happened?" He asked her as he covered the rest of the distance and knelt down by her side.
"The glass…they suspended the signs so it looked like it was there. Two pieces were in Caradoc's but the third wasn't so her attacked me. I noticed as we were talking that something was wrong. He got me as the lift doors were closing," Lexi explained in a thick voice.
"Your nose is definitely broken," Sherlock informed her as he inspected it. "It will need to be set," He told her sympathetically.
"I'll wait for John to come two if you don't mind. Not that I don't trust you, but…," Lexi told her husband, trailing off.
"An army doctor would be better,' He agreed with her, before looking over to where John was laying down on the bed in Eurus' cell. "What happened exactly?" Sherlock asked, looking up at his brother and his wife.
"Well, we all were knocked out for a little while," Mycroft began before looking to his wife.
"It seems like while we were all, all of us were thrown into a free cell" Joanna told him and Sherlock nodded.
"And John?" He asked, throwing a look at the army doctor.
"He got his head done in by the butt of a rifle. I checked him out. He should be up in a few minutes at the latest," Lexi told her husband as Sherlock took both her hands in his own and then helped her get to her feet. He hugged her tightly then, not caring a bit for the blood.
"Are you alright?" He whispered into her ear and she nodded into his chest.
"He doesn't scare me anymore," She whispered back to him and Sherlock hugged her tighter to him.
It was then that they heard movement from the bed and Sherlock kissed her on the forehead before he began pacing, trying to process everything that was going on, look at angles, and ways to get out of the situation. Lexi walked over to the bed and sat down by John's feet as his eyes opened. He blinked several times, then grimaced and made a pained noise.
He began lifting his head from the bed he's lying on, but then there was a hand helping him up and he was surprised when he looked over and saw a blood covered Lexi. He put his hand to the back of his head as his eyes darted around the room. Nearby, Mycroft was leaning back against a grey-panelled wall, the top button of his shirt undone above his slightly loosened tie whilst Joanna sat on the floor doing yoga. Sherlock was pacing but now he turned to face John.
"How are you?" Sherlock asked him, starting to pace again as John took his hand from his head.
"Bit of a lump," John answered him and Lexi smiled at that. John thought the scene was very macabre.
"True dat, but you have your uses," Sherlock told him and John looked around the room, noticing that someone was missing.
"Where's…? John said and Lexi cleared her throat before coughing and she shook her head a little.
"Her nose needs to be reset. We were waiting on you to do the honors," Sherlock informed the army doctor, changing the subject quickly and John grimaced.
"This isn't going to be nice," John told Lexi as he inspected her nose and found out where the break was. "Do you want to do this now?" He asked Lexi, concerned and she nodded.
"I would have done it myself, but I think Croft was to squeamish to watch," Lexi answered him as Mycroft cringed where he was standing.
"I am not squeamish, I just have never be a masochist," Mycroft told her and Lexi raised an eyebrow at him.
"You fainted while Joanna was giving birth," Lexi remarked and Joanna laughed at that as she was doing a handstand.
"That was great!" Joanna said as she righted herself. "One second he was telling me to breath and the next he was on the floor," She added as Mycroft shot his wife and Lexi glares.
"We said we would never speak of this again," Mycroft said through clenched teeth as Sherlock stopped his pacing and stared at his brother before chuckling.
"You actually fainted?!" He exclaimed and Mycroft sighed tiredly.
"Yes, can we move on from that point," Mycroft said and Sherlock shook his head.
"Never. Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, turning to his wife.
"Mycroft swore me to secrecy," Lexi told him before looking to her brother in law. "Ooops," She said as John chuckled.
"How exactly did you miss that from happening?" John asked Sherlock as Lexi nodded at him, telling him to just go for it.
"I hardly was going to watch my sister in law give birth. No, I waited outside the door," Sherlock informed the army doctor as a loud crack echoed through the room.
"You bastard!" Lexi swore and John quickly moved out of range.
"You asked me to," John reminded her and she nodded, holding her nose in her hand.
"I know, doesn't mean it hurts any less," She told him as John held his hands up, it was then that he took in the room.
The large light in the ceiling was white, not green and on the left of the room, about halfway back, the governor was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. Mycroft was at the right-hand side now and Joanna was tucked into her husband's arms. As Sherlock continued to pace back and forth in front of the glass, John sat down on the side of the bed again next to Lexi.
"Did you see your sister?" John asked Sherlock curiously.
"Yes," Sherlock answered him simply.
"How was that?" John asked as he put his hand to the back of his head again and Sherlock pulled in a long breath before replying.
"Family's always difficult," Sherlock told him and John looked at Lexi.
"I don't even have to ask if you saw your brother," John remarked and Lexi smirked.
"At least you can say you have a normal sibling," Lexi told him and John nodded in agreement.
"Is this an occasion for banter?" Mycroft asked the three of them exasperatedly.
Mm, case in point," Sherlock said, gesturing towards his brother as a phone started ringing and Lexi and John stood up.
"Are we phoning someone?" John asked them in confusion.
"Apparently," Sherlock answered him as John looked across the room to the governor.
"What's he doing here?" John asked next, gesturing to him with a jerk of his head.
"For now whatever he is told to do," Lexi told John as she went to stand nect to her husband. "Eurus is in control of the facility," Lexi added as Sherlock turned to John and stopped by her side. The phone connected then and a young girl's distressed came over the speakers.
"Help me. Please, I'm on a plane and everyone's asleep," The little girl said anxiously and tearfully. "Help me!" She pleaded and the lights in the cell went red and Moriarty's voice came over the speakers too.
"Hello. My name's Jim Moriarty," Moriarty said and Mycroft sighed heavily. "Welcome ... to the final problem," He told them and still holding the back of his head, John looked across to Sherlock as the lights turn white again, Joanna and Lexi sharing a look.
"It's okay. He's dead," Sherlock reminded them all.
"He doesn't sound dead," John remarked as the lights turned red once more.
"This is a recorded announcement," Moriarty told them and Lexi pointed to the speaks in a "See?" gesture. "Please say hullo to some very old friends of mine," Moriarty told the little girl.
"Hello? I can hear you talking. Please help me! I'm on a plane and it's going to crash!" The little girl pleaded with them as the lights in the cell turned white.
"What is this? We can't do this!" Mycroft shouted irritatedly.
"Do shut up, dear," Joanna told him as she stepped into the center of the room with Lexi.
"Is someone there?" The little girl asked as Lexi tried to listen to the sounds of the plane over the speakers. After all, she was a pilot. Maybe it was an engine.
"Is this supposed to be a game?" Mycroft asked them and Lexi glared at her brother in law.
"Be quiet," Sherlock ordered him, looking at him.
"Please help me!" The little girl shouted over the speakers.
"Oh, hello. Um, try-try to stay calm. Just te-tell me what your name is," Sherlock said, stumbling over his words as he lifted his head. Lexi reached over and squeezed his hand then.
"She's Hanna and she is in trouble, now speak to her," Lexi directed him and Sherlock nodded at her firmly, getting his head on straight.
"I'm not supposed to tell my name to strangers," The little girl told them and Lexi smiled.
"Your mum told you that, didn't she?" Lexi asked before she continued. "My dad did too. You're doing such a good job sweetie. But we are going to help you. So, I am going to tell you my name and then we won't be strangers any more, right? My name is Lexi and you were just talking to…," Lexi said and then there was a click and then static from the speakers.
"Hello?" Sherlock asked and on a large TV screen, the image of pouring water briefly appeared and then resolved to live footage of Eurus and Caradoc smiling into the camera.
"Oh dear. We seem to have lost the connection," Eurus informed them and everyone turned towards the sound. The screen was on a stand in front of the lift on the other side of the glass and Mycroft walked towards the glass.
"Either that or….," Caradoc said with a grin.
"How have you done this? How is any of this possible?" Mycroft demanded of his sister.
"You put me in here, Mycroft. You brought me my treats and in turn, I shared them with Caradoc," Eurus answered him, no longer smiling.
"What treats?" John asked, walking closer to Mycroft and Mycroft turned his head towards him and presses his lips together a little. Sherlock frowned then looked round at his brother, who turned and returned his gaze.
Sitting in the chair behind the desk in the governor's office, Caradoc standing beside her, Eurus raised a remote control and aimed it towards the screens at the side of the room. She clicked a button and the lights in the cell turned red. Moriarty's face, in close-up, appeared on the cell screen, the entire image coloured red.
"Clever Eurus! You go, girl!" Moriarty said in his phoney, American accent and as the lights turned white again John turned to Sherlock and Lexi.
"How can that be Moriarty?" John asked the two detectives, but before either of them could answer, Eurus' image appeared on the screen again.
"Oh, he recorded lots of little messages for me before he died," Eurus told them and still sitting on the floor, the governor sunk his head back against the wall behind him. "Loved it. Did you know his brother was a station master? I think he was always jealous."
"The girl – where is she? Can we talk to her again?" Sherlock asked his sister who had her eyes, curiously locked on Lexi.
"Poor little thing. Alone in the sky in a great big plane with nowhere to land. But where in the world is she? It's a clever little puzzle. If you want to apply yourself to it, I can reconnect you; but first ...," Eurus said as she sat back in her chair and swung it around to face the side. Behind her, out on the balcony beyond the windows, a woman was sitting on a chair facing the room.
Large solid handcuffs were attached on either side of the seat and the woman's wrists were manacled at the other end of the cuffs. Wide dark grey gaffer tape was wrapped around her mouth and her nose and she struggled against her restraints.
"That's my wife," The governor said, his eyes wide and he scrambled to his feet and walked closer to the glass. "That's my wife!" He exclaimed and he stared at the screen as Eurus turned her head to look into the camera again. "Oh, God, that's my wife!"
"I'm going to shoot the governor's wife," Eurus told them and Mycroft turned away, putting his hand up to his mouth.
"Oh, let me," Caradoc said and Eurus turned to look at him.
"Don't be so predictable Caradoc. Have some self-control," Eurus told him and Caradoc seemed to pout that he wasn't getting his way, but didn't argue with Eurus. Lexi knew exactly why. He was being controlled by Eurus too. He always was weak minded
"Please, no," The governor said before he gestured vaguely towards Sherlock and Lexi as if begging then, though he kept his eyes on the screen. "Please. Help her!" He begged the two detectives.
"... in about a minute," Eurus said, looking to the side of the room before she turned to the camera again while the woman struggled behind her and Caradoc. "Bang. Dead!"
"Please don't do that," Sherlock told Eurus and Lexi stepped up then too.
"I know you are angry Eurus, but we can talk about this. You and Sherlock or just me and you if you want," Lexi told her and Eurus stared at her once more.
"Well, you can stop me," Eurus told them and Lexi raised her eyebrow slightly.
"How?" Sherlock asked her.
"There's a gun in the hatch. Take it," Eurus directed him and Sherlock walked over to the hatch at the side of the glass. It slid open as he approached and he bent down and picked up the pistol from inside. "You want to save the governor's wife? Choose either Doctor Watson or Mycroft to kill the governor," Eurus ordered him and John turned away, a bitter smile on his face, while Mycroft lifted his head from where it had been resting on his hand. The governor half-cried, half-gasped as Lexi went to reach for the gun from Sherlock.
"No, no, not you," Eurus said and Lexi looked towards the TV. "Neither you or Joanna may play. If either of you touch the gun, I'll kill the governor's wife and the governor," Eurus told them and Lexi backed away from her husband with her hands up.
"Oh ... oh God!" The governor gasped and John turned back towards the screen, his face grim. Mycroft stared at Sherlock, Lexi, and Joanna wide-eyed and Sherlock looked at the governor and took a step towards him from behind.
"You can't do it, Sherlock. If you do it, it won't count. I'll kill her anyway. It has to be your brother or your friend," Eurus told him and the governor turned round to look at Mycroft.
"You have to do this," The governor told Mycroft who, still wide-eyed, shook his head. The governor turned to Sherlock then. "Eurus will kill her," He said and Sherlock looked down for a long moment, then released the grip and tossed the gun a little into the air before catching it by the muzzle.
"Doesn't appear we have a choice," Sherlock said and he started to walk across the cell," Lexi and Joanna keeping their hands visible so Eurus couldn't say they cheated.
"Right, then," Eurus said, smiling and Sherlock walked towards his brother, holding out the gun's grip towards him. "Countdown starting," She announced and Sherlock stopped a few steps in front of Mycroft and gestured with the gun, urging him to take it.
"How long?" Mycroft asked his sister.
"No, no, no. The countdown is for me," She answered her brother and the governor stared at Mycroft. The Sherlock and Mycroft's eyes were fixed on each other as Sherlock continued to hold the gun out. Nearby, John had his head lowered and his eyes screwed shut. As Eurus continued he unscrewed his eyes and shook his head.
"Withholding the precise deadline will apply the emotional pressure more evenly. Where possible, please give me an explicit verbal indication of your anxiety levels," She told them and Sherlock turned his head towards the glass but didn't look directly at the screen. "I can't always read them from your behavior," She added and in front of Sherlock, Mycroft shook his head.
"I can't do this," Mycroft told his brother breathily and Sherlock turned to look at him. "Can't. It's murder," He added in the same tone.
"And yet you married me," Joanna said and Mycroft looked at her for a moment before sighing.
"This is not murder. This is saving my wife," The governor told Mycroft anxiously and Mycroft looked across to him nervously, running his tongue along the inside of his lips.
"I'm particularly focused on internal conflicts, where strategizing around a largely intuitive moral code appears to create a counter-intuitive result," Eurus said and Mycroft stared down at the grip of the gun which Sherlock was still holding towards him.
"I will not kill. I will not have blood on my hands," Mycroft told them and Joanna sighed looking at Lexi. Both of them knew they would have killed him in a heartbeat. He had made peace with his decision already. Now this was just torture.
"Yes, very good" Eurus said and she turned away from the camera and looked across the office. "Thank you."
"Killing my wife is what you're doing," The governor told Mycroft who looked at Sherlock and then down to the gun one more time, then he backed away, shaking his head.
"No," Mycroft told his brother, his voice shaking and Joanna took one of his hands in her own and squeezed it, letting him know that she understood and Sherlock held his brother's gaze for a moment more, then lowered his eyes and turned away.
"Okay, fine," Sherlock said and he turned around and offered the gun to John. "John," He said firmly and John was looking towards the governor, but then he opened his mouth a little, took in a breath and turned his head to Sherlock. The governor stared at him, his eyes full of tears, and took a step towards him.
"Doctor Watson. Are you married?" The governor asked John.
"I am," John answered him, still holding Sherlock's gaze and Sherlock lowered his eyes and pressed his lips together. The governor walked towards John then.
"What would you do for your wife?" The governor asked the army doctor tearfully and both John and Sherlock looked at him. "What would you do to save her?" He asked, gesturing towards the screen. "Eurus will kill me. Please save my wife." The governor pleaded with John and Eurus reached to the desk and picked up the remote control.
"There will, I'm afraid, be regular prompts to create an atmosphere of urgency," Eurus informed them and while she spoke, the lights in the cell turned red and a close-up of Moriarty's red-lit face replaced hers on the screen. Manipulating his mouth over-exaggeratedly, he whispered loudly.
"Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick ...," He repeated and then the lights turned white again and Eurus was back on the screen. After a couple of seconds, the red lights were back and so was Moriarty. "Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tock, tick-tock ...," Jim continued and the white lights and Eurus returned.
Sherlock and the governor looked towards John, the latter's expression desperate and pleading. John took his hands from where he had been holding them behind his back and he shuffled on the spot, moving as if to put his hands into his jeans pockets. Not meeting his gaze, Sherlock lifted the gun higher towards him and lowering his hands for a moment, John then reached out and took the pistol in his right hand. Mycroft turned away, covering his face with one hand. Sherlock stepped to one side, his eyes fixed on John, who looked at the governor standing in front of him.
"What's your name?" John asked the governor, flexing the fingers on his left hand.
"David," The governor told him as Lexi turned away, noticing that Eurus was staring at her directly once more.
"And you're sure about this, David?" John confirmed and he nodded slightly.
"'Course I'm bloody sure," Daavid told John, tense and trembling.
"Nearly there," Eurus said, and John hesitated for a moment.
"Right. D'you want to ... pray, or anything?" John asked, stalling.
"With Eurus Holmes in the world, who the hell would I pray to?" David asked him and on the balcony behind Eurus, the man's wife continued to struggle against her bonds.
"You are a good man, and you are doing a good thing," John told him, trying to comfort him.
"So are you," David told him softly.
"I'll spend the rest of my life telling myself that," John told him, and David smiled anxiously, closing his eyes and pulling in a deep breath.
John turned his head to look at Sherlock, who met his gaze and lowered his chin slightly in affirmation that there was no other choice. John turned back and raised the pistol in front of him to point it at David. Sherlock stepped back a little, putting his hands behind his back and Mycroft again turned away with his hand over his face. David couldn't help but jump and gasp, shutting his eyes for a moment. John looked at him, his face set, and his finger settled more firmly against the trigger. Mycroft had turned back a little and watched with his hand clamped against his mouth.
"Please!" The governor pleaded in a tearful, anguished whisper.
John's gun hand lowered a little, then his face became more determined and he raised the gun to its former position. Crying, David raised one hand to stop him and then turned around, presenting his back to John. He backed towards him a little and John bent his arm and lifted the pistol upwards, clearly unhappy about shooting anyone in the back. He looked across to Sherlock who looked back at him silently, leaving him to make the choice. John turned back to David, hesitated for a moment and then stepped forward and put his left hand on his shoulder.
David jumped, gasping as John patted his shoulder twice and David understand the message and got down onto his knees, still facing away from him. As Mycroft turned away and covered his face again, John made a decisive move and stepped forward and pressed the muzzle against the back of David's head. Again, David jumped and then sobbed quietly.
"Oh, God!" David exclaimed, breathily and tearfully. John lifted the gun away, stepped forward and leaned down to put his hand on David's shoulder and his head close to his left ear while Lexi and Joanna traded looks.
"I know that you're scared, but you should also be very proud," John told David quietly.
"Just do it," David told him, staring ahead of himself and crying and John patted his shoulder again and straightened up, stepping back and aiming the pistol down at him again. "Be quick!" He pleaded and John adjusted his footing and lifted his left hand to hold the gun with both hands. The lights turned red again then and Moriarty appeared on the screen.
"Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick," Moriarty whispered, tilting his head from side to side on the last three words and the white lighting returned. John breathed out sharply through his nose, anxious.
"This is very good, Doctor Watson," Eurus told John and David had his eyes squeezed shut and was crying quietly. Behind him, John's hands started to tremble on the gun. "I should have fitted you with a cardiograph."
"Goodbye, David," John told the governor quietly and tensely and David whimpered, and the lights turned red again.
"Tock-tock-tock-tock-tock-tock-tock tick-tick-tick," Moriarty whispered harshly on the screen and the white lights returned, David whining quietly. John screwed his eyes shut for a moment, and his finger wavered as he tries to apply pressure to the trigger.
"Please!" David begged, desperately and John's finger began to tighten on the trigger. David closed his eyes again, but it was then that John shook his head slightly.
"I can't," John said, and he lowered the gun and turned to Sherlock. "I'm sorry. I can't do it," John told him and weeping in anguish, David fell forward onto his hands and Sherlock stepped towards John.)
"I know. It's all right," Sherlock told him as Lexi blew out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. Now this had become torture.
David scrambled to his feet and ran to John then before they could react, snatching the pistol from his hand and raising it in front of himself with both shaking hands as he stumbled backwards, crying.
"Stop! No, no, stop," John shouted and John and the Holmes brothers backed away towards the wall, Sherlock and John holding out placatory hands towards David as Lexi and Joanna both moved together to the other side of the room.
"I'm sorry," The governor told them all tearfully.
"It's all right. You're okay," Lexi assured him.
"I'm so sorry," The governor apologized before he turned the pistol and pushed the tip of the muzzle under his chin. "Remember me," He told them sobbing.
"No!" Everyone but Mycroft shouted and all five of them rushed towards him, but he pulled the trigger. They slowed down and stopped, John sighed out an anguished breath as the bullet's shell clinked noisily to the floor.
In the corner of the room rivulets of blood trickled down the glass wall and Lexi grimaced, knowing this should never had happened. Mycroft turned away choking, bracing one hand against the wall and coughing against the other hand as he tried not to vomit. Joanna rushed over to him and turned him away from the sight, taking his face between her hands and speaking to him quietly. He hugged her to him as she comforted him, and Sherlock looked briefly towards them and then turned to John before striding over to his wife and pulling her into his side.
"Are you all right?" Sherlock asked their army detective who had his head down and was clenching and unclenching both hands, but he raised his head to look at Sherlock and Lexi.
"Interesting," Eurus said, and Sherlock turned and stepped away from Lexi, walking towards the glass. David's body was slumped in the left corner near the hatch, the pistol lying near his right hand and Lexi walked over to him, closing his eyes before stepping away from his body once more.
"All right, there you go. You got what you wanted ...," Sherlock told his sister, breathing sharply for a moment. "... and he's dead."
"Dead or alive ...," Eurus said, and she spun on her chair to face the screen again, Caradoc mysteriously missing. "... he really wasn't very interesting, but you three ...," She continued, leaning closer to the camera "... you three were wonderful. All four of you really. You two would have killed him, wouldn't you, if given the chance," Eurus said, looking at Joanna and Lexi. "Thank you," She told them, leaning even closer towards the camera. "You see, what you did, Doctor Watson ...," She continued, and John raised his head to look at her. "... specifically because of your moral code ..." She said as he steps forward a couple of paces. "... because you don't want blood on your hands, two people are dead instead of one."
"Two people?" John asked Eurus in confusion and Lexi closed her eyes, knowing exactly what Eurus was about to do.
"Yes. Sorry, hang on," Eurus told him, and she rotated the chair so that she was facing the window. The woman on the balcony was obscured from their view and Eurus lifted a pistol high so that they could see the muzzle above the back of the chair, then she lowered it and there was a gunshot. John raised both hands to his head and backed away in frustration.
"Oh!" He said and Mycroft gasped and also turned away, sighing.
There was now a small round hole in the window leading to the balcony and Eurus was looking towards the hole. After a moment she rotated the chair round to face the side of the room. From the cell, they could David's wife slumped in the chair on the balcony, her head thrown back.
"What advantage did your moral code grant you?" Eurus asked John and Sherlock looked dispassionate as he watched his sister on the screen. Behind him, John had both hands clasped behind his head and was breathing heavily. As Eurus started to speak again, Sherlock briefly pressed his lips together. Is it not, in the end, selfish to keep one's hands clean at the expense of another's life?" Eurus inquired and John lowered his hands and took a few paces towards the screen, shouting angrily towards it.
"You didn't have to kill her!" John shouted at Eurus and she chuckled and turned more towards the camera.
"The condition of her survival was that you or Mycroft had to kill her husband," Eurus reminded him, and John sighed heavily, lowering his head. "This is an experiment. There will be rigour. Sherlock, pick up the gun. It's your turn next," Eurus ordered, and Sherlock turned to look at the pistol on the floor, lying near David's hand and a large pool of blood. "When I tell you to use it – and I will – remember what happened this time."
"What if I don't want a gun?" Sherlock asked his sister, still looking down at the pistol.
"Oh, the gun is intended as a mercy," Eurus informed him.
"For whom?" Sherlock asked her, trying to figure out her angle.
"You," She told him with a little smile.
"How so?" He asked her, raising his head.
"If someone else had to die, would you really want to do it with your bare hands? It would waste valuable time. I'm curious…would you have done the same as David for Lexi? Silly. Of course, you would have," She asked before answering herself and Sherlock turned to face and look at John before glancing at his wife. Mycroft stared at him, them wide-eyed and John gazed beyond Sherlock towards the screen.
"Probably just take it," John told Sherlock who looked down.
"Can't hurt to have a weapon," Joanna added, and Sherlock stepped across the cell, bent down and picked up the gun. He took out the clip and checked it, then slotted it back into the grip and looked up to the screen.
"There's only one bullet left," Sherlock informed his sister.
"You will only need one. But you will need it," Eurus told him before grinning. "Now, for the next part of our experiment. I need to take Lexi out of the equation," Eurus said, and everyone snapped their heads around to the screen.
"Why, surely you want me to make hard decisions as well," Lexi asked Eurus as she stepped in front of the screen.
"I know you will. Where is the fun in that for me?" Eurus asked her before she grinned. "Here they are your motivation. Let's play a game, you and me. Just like the old days," Eurus told her, and Lexi's mouth feel open in shock and she gasped as Caradoc came into view holding Hanna and Hamish, on either him. They both looked unharmed, pacifiers in their mouths, but Hamish spat out his pacifier and started screaming, Hanna doing the same as Eurus took them from Caradoc and put them on her lap.
"They're children!" Sherlock shouted, rushing to Lexi's side and holding her upright as her knees threatened to buckle.
"They're so well behaved," Eurus said as she looked at the twins. "Stop crying!" She ordered them and they both fell silent instantly. "See, so very trainable."
"If you've hurt them there is no safe place for you," John threatened, walking over to his best friends.
"I'm not going to hurt them. Not yet anyway," Eurus told him, nonplussed. "So, a choice. You can have them, Lexi, if you leave them and come willingly to me," Eurus told Lexi as she straightened up, her face blank.
"Done," She agreed, and Sherlock looked down at her in shock.
"Not done," Sherlock told his sister.
"They are my babies and I am going to them. Done!" She told her husband before turning back to Eurus who was grinning.
"Very good. You will stay there, and Caradoc will come collect you. You four," She said and on the left wall, the second panel away from the glass slid to one side, revealing a narrow passageway. "Please, go through. There's a few tasks for you, and a girl on a plane is getting very, very scared," Eurus told them, and Sherlock and John stared at Lexi.
"Go," Lexi told them, and Sherlock leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips which she returned before she reached across and squeezed John's shoulder. "Go," She said again, and Sherlock turned and walked towards the opening reluctantly, then he stopped in the entrance and turned back to face his brother.
"Treats?" Sherlock asked Mycroft, with a slightly raised brow.
"Yes. You know, a violin," Mycroft told him, trying to maintain innocents.
"In exchange for ...?" Sherlock prompted him.
"She's very clever," Mycroft told him, and Sherlock nodded slightly.
"I'm beginning to think you're not," He told his brother as that was precisely the point he was making. The lights turned red as Mycroft lowered his eyes, and Moriarty's voice sounded cheerfully over the speakers.
"Come on now! Aaaaaall aboard!" He shouted, high pitched. "Choo-choo! Choo-choo!" He continued as Sherlock and Lexi shared one more glace, each of them saying more to each other with that look than words could express before he turned and walked into the corridor, John following him after he squeezed Lexi's hand. On the screen, Jim pulled the imaginary cord of a steam train as he continued to make choo-choo noises. Looking unhappily down to David's body, Mycroft followed, sharing a look with his sister in law. Joanna was the last to leave the room.
"You do whatever you have to do to keep them safe," Joanna told her, and Lexi nodded in understanding.
"I know, Joanie. Stay safe," She told her and Joanna nodded before following the other three.
