Chapter 20: Of Pleasure and Pain~
"Oh, wait, I have it, I...oooooh!" Jim hissed,and snapped his fingers, so giddy he could hardly walk straight.
"The needle Lindor got stuck in your finger, well that poison- you haven't reacted to it yet! You will!...And this will make the fire pretty too, I'll be right back, try not to get too bored without me, boys."
He ran to somewhere deeper in the warehouse, down the fateful track,and Sherlock stretched,and shuddered. The waiting was worse than whatever pain was coming.
Mycroft was studying him,as if his life depended on it. Trying to take him in, in case this was ,in fact, his very last few moments with him.
He hadn't been texting the queen. He 'd been sending a GPS program of some sort to Greg's phone, so the police could trace them, and know exactly where they had gone. Of course, he didn't know about John being not even half a mile away now. He still couldn't be reassured by the notion of back up. They might not get here in time...
"You...are very brave. Has anyone ever told you?"Mycroft asked.
Sherlock laughed, "I thought you said I was reckless and stupid..."
"Oh, well, of course you are, but you are also extremely brave. That would have been John up there, or even me...And God only knows what he wanted to do to Mary..."
The sudden realization that Sherlock was going to die for him, made Mycroft want to cry that much more. But, no, he would be the Ice-man to the end...Had to be strong for Sherlock's sake.
Who was struggling against his bonds...
"More stupid than brave,..."
"Not stupid, young. Much too young..."
Sherlock turned to him, face not showing the torment he was already going through in his mind,and wrists...
"Thank you...for everything ,Mycroft...I would have been much younger,if not for you..."
Mycroft smiled, slowly, "It was my pleasure."
Sherlock's brows twisted,"And your pain..."
"It was a good pain."
"That doesn't make any sense at all..."
The two of them started laughing, anxiously.
"Tell them...would you...that I ..uh...I love them. You too...I just..am rubbish, at saying those sorts of things."
Mycroft shook his head, "I won't need to tell them. Now ...they know."
Sherlock nodded."Will you tell them that I said so, actually?"
"I will..."
Just then, Moriarty was back,and he had the gas hose on full blast,and started showering Sherlock with a discolored oil, that smelled strongly of some chemical Mycroft knew was supposed to increase the pain. Sherlock was clearly in severe discomfort just coming in contact with it, and Mycroft didn't want to imagine what would happen once it reacted with the posion, and with the fire...
Jim ran the oil through Sherlock's hair with his fingers, like an obsessive beautician..."Ooooh, this stings a bit...When it reacts with fire, then yes,...you will learn your lesson, Sherly."
Mycroft's ice mask, was breaking against his will,and tears were coming without his authorization. Sherlock smiled at him, slow and steady.
"Now, all systems go!" Moriarty ran to the control room.
Sherlock was panting now, in a fully -controlled, beautifully- disasterous, full- blown panic attack .His eyes were suddenly as wide as clocks,and he gasped, trying to make words, it coming out as a groan,as the machine began to take him into the horrible chamber,that when Mycroft saw the full nature of the insides thereof, it brought him to his knees.
"LOOK AFTER THEM ,MYCROFT! DON'T LET JOHN DO ANYTHING STUPID!" Sherlock shouted, with more of a chirping croak, as his voice died in him.
"I will, I promise...Sherlock!"
He was slipping away from him, from his pitfully stretched out hand...
Sherlock was panting, and regretful tears were streaming down his face, wishing he had told his loved ones the things he needed to say himself...He saw how Mycroft's compsore broke, how he was crying helpessly,and with his last strength, he pushed up on his chains, and held his chin high so he could see his whole ,tear-wet but steady face.
"It's alright!"he cried, trying to sound jovial, "It's over now!... S' Alright..."
Just then John burst in , more through the wall than through the door, frozen in place by the sight before him.
"THE CONTROL BOX, WHERE?!" he shouted.
Mycroft pointed in the direction Moriarty had gone.
But Moriarty killed the lights,and jumped at John with a knife.
"It'll be like a disco in here in a minute, courtesy of Sherlock!" Jim shrieked,and one could hear police sirens outside just then,as Greg and the boys finally made it. Mary shouted something, and the last thing John was aware of was the sound of her feet on the floor, as he and Moriarty rolled in the heat of a fight.