Chapter 16
Moriarty smiled as he stared at the unconscious form of Gregson on the ground, then back up at the woman who was gazing at him with a mixture of relief and disgust. They weren't anywhere near the Yard as Gregson had decided to take matters into his own hands and rid his boss of a possible threat. How good of the man to use the same weapon he had used on Canton.
Chief Inspector Greyson was also standing somewhere nearby, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. He had come up just as Gregson was telling Miss Presbury the entire story, including the fact that he was charged with protecting Beth from people like her. The Inspector certainly knew how to get herself in trouble. Now, he needed to get Fenwick before he did anything foolish. And who knew, perhaps he could even find a way to exploit Lestrade's condition for his own purposes.
"As charming as I've found your company Miss Presbury, Chief Inspector, I find I really must be going." Before either could react, he tossed out a gas pellet and walked off before it had cleared.
Wiggins stared at the Inspector as she lay on the bed. Earlier she had seemed like she wanted to fight whatever was happening to her, but couldn't. Then she'd called out for Mister Holmes and the fight had gone out of her. He glanced over at Mr. and Mrs. Stanhope who were at either side of the bed looking down.
The door suddenly burst open and Mister Holmes ran in, his face creased in worry lines. He stopped when he saw Inspector Lestrade and his lips compressed into a grim line.
Two other people followed Holmes. One was a woman who looked a little like the inspector, but older and....crazier. The other was Fenwick. Wiggins frowned and tried to say something but Holmes had already turned to the other two.
"Is it too late?"
"N..no," Fenwick said, staring at the inspector with an oddly tender expression, "No I can fix it now."
"NO!" The woman screamed, "No, you cannot touch her! I forbid it!" She leaped in between Holmes and the Inspector, brandishing a wicked looking laser weapon. "You," she pointed at Holmes, "You have destroyed perfection. You kept her from me. You knew...you knew she would die. You hoped she would. But I won't let you kill her. James will be here soon. I know he will. We'll take her back and make her forget about all this."
"Well, my name is James but I do not think I'm the one you mean," a new voice rang out from the window. Wiggins' eyes widened as he stared at Moriarty. What was going on?
A loud thunk brought his attention back to the scene unfolding. Mr. Stanhope was laying on the floor unconscious and Mrs. Stanhope was kneeling over him. He must have tried to sneak up on the crazy woman. That woman's eyes flitted to Moriarty. "Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm called many things. Clonehead is the most recent that I've recieved. Your lovely daughter gave it to me. However, most people simply call me Moriarty." The man gave a sweeping bow.
"You think she's lovely?" the woman asked, "Where is James?"
Moriarty closed his eyes as if in pain. "I fear he has betrayed you."
All the while the two were engaged in conversation, Fenwick and Holmes had been moving steadily closer to the woman and inspector. However, whatever hold Moriarty had gained over the woman's interest broke and she leveled the laser at them again.
"Nice try. James would never betray me. You set him up."
"Serena," Fenwick said, a measure of panic coming into his voice, "She will die if you do not let me help her soon."
"Don't worry Marty, James will be here."
"No, he won't," Moriarty rejoined fiercely, "Because he is on his way to the moon as we speak."
Serena's eyes widened and she shook her head. She jerked her head towards Fenwick. "Save her. Save our daughter Marty." She continued to point the laser at Holmes.
Fenwick pulled some sort of flask from his pocket along with a syringe. He stuck the needle in the bottle's top then pulled it out and injected whatever substance was in it into Lestrade. "Now, we wait. It may already be too late...feeling better Yardie?"
The voices were coming back. There were more of them, louder, more insistent. And then she heard Holmes'. She struggled to get to him, but the others wouldn't let her. They didn't like him. He was trying to take her from them. Then the voices faded and she found herself looking up at a sight that really shouldn't be seen upon first waking.
"Feeling better Yardie?" Fenwick asked, his twisted features looking relieved.
She snorted and pushed him away, astonished at her strength. She remembered not being able to move at all. Confusion etched into her features, she sat up and looked around at the motely bunch gathered. Her sister and brother-in-law were on the floor--Derrick was unconscious. Moriarty was standing beside Wiggins at the foot of the bed, and Holmes was being held at gunpoint by some woman. Boy the things she missed when she fell asleep.
"Lestrade?" Holmes asked, his voice full of concern.
"I'm fine," she told him, "Confused as hell, but perfectly fine otherwise."
"Elizabeth, you live. No thanks to this man. Now Mister Holmes, I must keep you from doing her harm ever again." The woman lifted the weapon and pulled the trigger. Lestrade was already in front of Holmes, pushing him out of the way. She felt a searing pain along her arm, and then all went black. Oh zed. Not again.
Holmes watched the events unfold as if in slow motion. Lestrade was hit by the laser as she pushed him out of the way and now lay on top of him. The rest of the room broke out into utter chaos as Greyson arrived with Deidre, Tennyson, Watson, Edith Presbury, and about six constables in tow.
A scream of agony jerked everyone's attention to Garret, as she stared at her daughter with horror. Then she lifted the weapon to her temple, murmering an apology to Beth and Marty before pulling the trigger. Holmes winced and closed his eyes, even as he heard the others' gasps. Then, he turned himself around, gently lifting Lestrade. He felt for a pulse. After all that she just couldn't be dead. He found one, going strong. She must have passed out from the pain. The burn on her arm was gastly.
"All right, now what's going on here?" Greyson's pompous voice called, "And stop looking like that Anderson. You've seen worse. Go on, get the med team in here. Hurry. Zed. Holmes you okay? Good. What about you three? Good. Lestrade? Oh I see. Well the med team's coming. Zed it! What's taking them so long?"
"That is of course, our cue to leave," Moriarty stated suddenly, though he had a triumphant smile on his face, "Come along Fenwick..."
The twisted man looked at his daughter one last time before nodding. Then he and Moriarty disappeared out the window before Greyson realized what had happened.
Holmes smiled. Obviously Moriarty didn't know Lestrade as well as he thought he did. She wouldn't let something like the fact that Fenwick was her father stand in the way of justice. Oh well, it should provide for some interesting entertainment in the future.
He looked down at her face, peaceful in repose. Yes, he definitely would have to have a little chat with her when this was all over. After all, it wasn't everyday he blew his cover just because some woman called.
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Moriarty smiled as he stared at the unconscious form of Gregson on the ground, then back up at the woman who was gazing at him with a mixture of relief and disgust. They weren't anywhere near the Yard as Gregson had decided to take matters into his own hands and rid his boss of a possible threat. How good of the man to use the same weapon he had used on Canton.
Chief Inspector Greyson was also standing somewhere nearby, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. He had come up just as Gregson was telling Miss Presbury the entire story, including the fact that he was charged with protecting Beth from people like her. The Inspector certainly knew how to get herself in trouble. Now, he needed to get Fenwick before he did anything foolish. And who knew, perhaps he could even find a way to exploit Lestrade's condition for his own purposes.
"As charming as I've found your company Miss Presbury, Chief Inspector, I find I really must be going." Before either could react, he tossed out a gas pellet and walked off before it had cleared.
Wiggins stared at the Inspector as she lay on the bed. Earlier she had seemed like she wanted to fight whatever was happening to her, but couldn't. Then she'd called out for Mister Holmes and the fight had gone out of her. He glanced over at Mr. and Mrs. Stanhope who were at either side of the bed looking down.
The door suddenly burst open and Mister Holmes ran in, his face creased in worry lines. He stopped when he saw Inspector Lestrade and his lips compressed into a grim line.
Two other people followed Holmes. One was a woman who looked a little like the inspector, but older and....crazier. The other was Fenwick. Wiggins frowned and tried to say something but Holmes had already turned to the other two.
"Is it too late?"
"N..no," Fenwick said, staring at the inspector with an oddly tender expression, "No I can fix it now."
"NO!" The woman screamed, "No, you cannot touch her! I forbid it!" She leaped in between Holmes and the Inspector, brandishing a wicked looking laser weapon. "You," she pointed at Holmes, "You have destroyed perfection. You kept her from me. You knew...you knew she would die. You hoped she would. But I won't let you kill her. James will be here soon. I know he will. We'll take her back and make her forget about all this."
"Well, my name is James but I do not think I'm the one you mean," a new voice rang out from the window. Wiggins' eyes widened as he stared at Moriarty. What was going on?
A loud thunk brought his attention back to the scene unfolding. Mr. Stanhope was laying on the floor unconscious and Mrs. Stanhope was kneeling over him. He must have tried to sneak up on the crazy woman. That woman's eyes flitted to Moriarty. "Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm called many things. Clonehead is the most recent that I've recieved. Your lovely daughter gave it to me. However, most people simply call me Moriarty." The man gave a sweeping bow.
"You think she's lovely?" the woman asked, "Where is James?"
Moriarty closed his eyes as if in pain. "I fear he has betrayed you."
All the while the two were engaged in conversation, Fenwick and Holmes had been moving steadily closer to the woman and inspector. However, whatever hold Moriarty had gained over the woman's interest broke and she leveled the laser at them again.
"Nice try. James would never betray me. You set him up."
"Serena," Fenwick said, a measure of panic coming into his voice, "She will die if you do not let me help her soon."
"Don't worry Marty, James will be here."
"No, he won't," Moriarty rejoined fiercely, "Because he is on his way to the moon as we speak."
Serena's eyes widened and she shook her head. She jerked her head towards Fenwick. "Save her. Save our daughter Marty." She continued to point the laser at Holmes.
Fenwick pulled some sort of flask from his pocket along with a syringe. He stuck the needle in the bottle's top then pulled it out and injected whatever substance was in it into Lestrade. "Now, we wait. It may already be too late...feeling better Yardie?"
The voices were coming back. There were more of them, louder, more insistent. And then she heard Holmes'. She struggled to get to him, but the others wouldn't let her. They didn't like him. He was trying to take her from them. Then the voices faded and she found herself looking up at a sight that really shouldn't be seen upon first waking.
"Feeling better Yardie?" Fenwick asked, his twisted features looking relieved.
She snorted and pushed him away, astonished at her strength. She remembered not being able to move at all. Confusion etched into her features, she sat up and looked around at the motely bunch gathered. Her sister and brother-in-law were on the floor--Derrick was unconscious. Moriarty was standing beside Wiggins at the foot of the bed, and Holmes was being held at gunpoint by some woman. Boy the things she missed when she fell asleep.
"Lestrade?" Holmes asked, his voice full of concern.
"I'm fine," she told him, "Confused as hell, but perfectly fine otherwise."
"Elizabeth, you live. No thanks to this man. Now Mister Holmes, I must keep you from doing her harm ever again." The woman lifted the weapon and pulled the trigger. Lestrade was already in front of Holmes, pushing him out of the way. She felt a searing pain along her arm, and then all went black. Oh zed. Not again.
Holmes watched the events unfold as if in slow motion. Lestrade was hit by the laser as she pushed him out of the way and now lay on top of him. The rest of the room broke out into utter chaos as Greyson arrived with Deidre, Tennyson, Watson, Edith Presbury, and about six constables in tow.
A scream of agony jerked everyone's attention to Garret, as she stared at her daughter with horror. Then she lifted the weapon to her temple, murmering an apology to Beth and Marty before pulling the trigger. Holmes winced and closed his eyes, even as he heard the others' gasps. Then, he turned himself around, gently lifting Lestrade. He felt for a pulse. After all that she just couldn't be dead. He found one, going strong. She must have passed out from the pain. The burn on her arm was gastly.
"All right, now what's going on here?" Greyson's pompous voice called, "And stop looking like that Anderson. You've seen worse. Go on, get the med team in here. Hurry. Zed. Holmes you okay? Good. What about you three? Good. Lestrade? Oh I see. Well the med team's coming. Zed it! What's taking them so long?"
"That is of course, our cue to leave," Moriarty stated suddenly, though he had a triumphant smile on his face, "Come along Fenwick..."
The twisted man looked at his daughter one last time before nodding. Then he and Moriarty disappeared out the window before Greyson realized what had happened.
Holmes smiled. Obviously Moriarty didn't know Lestrade as well as he thought he did. She wouldn't let something like the fact that Fenwick was her father stand in the way of justice. Oh well, it should provide for some interesting entertainment in the future.
He looked down at her face, peaceful in repose. Yes, he definitely would have to have a little chat with her when this was all over. After all, it wasn't everyday he blew his cover just because some woman called.
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Go back to 15
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