Chapter 7: Found

It didn't take the special unit 14 hours, only 13 hours and 25 minutes. John isn't sure he wants to know what exactly Mycroft Holmes did and how many favors he had to cash in for it. No man should have this kind of power to move the earth just to save his little brother. But John isn't complaining; he is glad that someone is finally helping him with his task to save Sherlock. With the unit came official documentation that made the whole mission official business of the army. John can see that his men are very happy about it. They would have followed him anywhere (?) but now it isn't illegal anymore.

Together the two units work their way up the mountains to the new headquarters of the terrorists that had taken Sherlock. John doesn't like the thought that the child had given himself up, so he calls it a kidnapping, even when everyone knows that Sherlock Holmes had stayed behind.

John is not the first one that enters the labyrinth of cave entries, halls and pathways. The ´special unit´ is first, they wouldn't let him go first and maybe they had a point. He and his unit wear the standard protection gear a mission in the desert with enemy contact requires. The men (and women) Mycroft has sent would be able to take down whole cities, with large armies. This little group of terrorists isn't a challenge.

As John and a few of his men enter the prison area, they start looking for Sherlock and free everyone else. Those who are able to walk are taken outside, the others are carried. In the last cell John finally finds who he has been looking for since the moment his eyes left the man. Sherlock, bloody and dirty is chained to the walls like a dangerous animal.

First John thought he came too late, the figure at the wall looked like no spark of life was left inside, but the small movement of Sherlock´s chest gives him away. John runs over to Sherlock, checks over the worst of his injuries and tries to get the man to wake up. To his surprise Sherlock wakes up and fights him with everything he has.

There was someone in his cell, again. They will hurt him again. …

Aren´t they getting tired of it? He is tired, very tired. Maybe he could ask for a break or let them hurt him and fall back into the darkness of unconscious. He never liked darkness, it was boring, but right now he would welcome it.

… for some reason the hands on his body are careful with him as if they don't want to hurt him, and this voice, it is soft and low, also somehow familiar. It reminds him of John. It doesn't hurt his ears like the shouting.

They are trying to lull him into safety; there is no chance that this is John, he won't tell them anything. They won't get him to talk, not with the ´good cop-bad cop´ game. He will fight them like every time before any and (?) every day that will follow.

… until the day he dies.

Sherlock isn't cooperating, he thought. John, and everything John says is being ignored. Finally while (or after) letting him down and holding Sherlock´s weak body in his arms, the man slowly stills . There is no strength in him anymore and at the edge of unconsciousness John pulls him closer and whispers into his ear. "Thanks for your packaging, I brought it back safely but you forgot to bring the messenger back. I would like to take you home now. Your brother is waiting for you."

The man in his arms loses his battle with his body but John´s words are noticed, maybe not believed or really understood but Sherlock heard them.

At the entry to the cave systems a helicopter waits for the injured prisoners; they are all loaded up, together with Sherlock and two of the men of the special unit. John isn't allowed to come, there is no more room and he has the responsibility for his men; they have to continue their missions.

With a heavy heart John watches the helicopter fly away with his precious cargo. How long will it take until he will meet this man again? The man that has stolen something he . John didn't know he had.