Some days later, the city of London was in a buzz as the British Museum finally hosted the special event for the Chinese New Year. Mycroft had secretly sent some of his men undercover in order to ensure those attending were safe and blissfully unaware of the devious scheme the Black Lotus had been preparing.
At the same time, Sherlock and John had been preparing as well. The two (or rather Sherlock) had made a plan where the detective would try to make sure he would be noticeable when he would be in the museum so the gang would know he was in a vulnerable position, and he was sure that it would work; it would mean that the gang would have no choice but to expose themselves to the public eye.
DAYS EARLIER, 221B BAKER STREET...
"Mate, that has to be the most... stupidest plan I've ever heard you come up with." John admitted when he'd heard what the detective's course of action was.
"Not quite what I'd imagined you'd say, but thank you for your feedback." Sherlock replied.
John let out a sigh. "And what if the Black Lotus decided to come barging in, guns blazing? You're likely to get killed by a stray bullet!" he exclaimed.
"Mycroft's men will be scattered amongst the crowd. If they see someone looking suspicious, they'll inform my brother, who in turn will inform me." Sherlock answered. "Honestly, did you think I'm going in unprepared?" he asked as he started to make his way to the flat's kitchen.
John knew better than to give his friend more ammunition, so decided to change the subject. "So, what's this I hear that you're going on a date with a certain Molly Hooper?" he grinned.
Sherlock immediately stopped in his tracks. "It's an experiment. We both agreed on some conditions, she gave a good argument and I agreed to take part." he coolly explained.
The doctor's grin now spread from ear to ear. "You're right, a fancy dinner in an expensive restaurant with just the two of you socialising and comparing notes; absolutely not a date!" he chuckled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"And what, if I may ask, would you describe it as, Dr. Watson?" Sherlock asked with a raised eyebrow. He didn't like the amused expression on his friend's face.
"Come on, Sherlock! Think about it! For as long as I've known Molly, that girl's had a crush on you for years! You, on the other hand, have very rarely shown her any nice behaviour; though in fair play to you, you did have her help you fake your death." John began, showing a hint of sadness when he thought back to Sherlock's jump from St. Bart's. "Now all of a sudden, you're taking her out to dinner! If that doesn't sound like you're taking her out on a date, I don't know what will!" he added.
Staying as emotionless as he could, Sherlock turned on his heel and resumed heading to the kitchen. "Perhaps it has not occurred to you that while I do not wish to pursue any sort of romantic attachment of sorts with her, I do value her expertise in the field of pathology?" he shot back.
"Well, now maybe. But in the past, you've been nothing but a complete dick towards her! There's been a few times where I've had to hold myself back from punching you for the things you'd said to her." John replied.
Sherlock raised an eyebrow. "As I mentioned before, it is only an experiment. Sentimentality is a weakness that I cannot allow to distract me from my work." He answered.
John let out an exasperated sigh. There was no use talking to him, but part of him had a glimmer of hope that spending time with Molly would actually get the detective to start to behave more...humanlike; if he was even capable of that.
CHINESE NEW YEAR, BRITISH MUSEUM...
John looked around, keeping a watchful eye on his friend as he made his way into the exhibit. "I don't like this, Sherlock. It feels like we're heading into a trap." he muttered over the phone.
"If there was a trap, it's not a very good one. See that man in the cap and dark sunglasses?" Sherlock asked, casting a quick glance in the direction of a man fitting the description near the first piece on display.
Craning his neck, John spotted the man in question. "Yeah, why?" he asked.
"He's sending a text every five seconds. From the time it takes for him to send a text and receive a reply, it can mean only one thing; he's their lookout." Sherlock explained.
"Well, at least Mary agreed to be undercover as a visitor. Though, I don't appreciate you dragging her into the plan as well." John sighed, spotting his wife nearby acting as if she had become fascinated by one of the artefacts. "A shame Molly couldn't come either. She would've loved to take on an active part in a case." he added with a hint of smugness in his voice.
Sherlock let out a sigh of annoyance. "Yes, unfortunate..." he replied.
Meanwhile, while others were enjoying their day, Molly was in the Pathology unit, finishing up the latest autopsy. She had a quick look at a nearby clock and noticed it was on the dot for her lunch break. Finished in time for lunch! I should start timing myself to try and get extra time... she thought to herself with an amused smile. Taking off her gloves and grabbing her purse, Molly checked the lab was safely secured while she was away and started to make her way to lunch.
As she made her way down a flight of stairs however, someone grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth with a cloth. "You're coming with me, Dr. Hooper." a man's voice hissed to her. Molly noticed there was an accent to his voice, most likely Asian, and desperately tried to fight him off her.
"Let me go!" she tried to yell, but her head was starting to get fuzzy and her eyelids were getting heavier. Chloroform! Have to...get...help... she thought as she tried to stay awake. With the last of her energy, she managed to tap out a quick message with one hand and pressed send before losing consciousness.
The man dragged Molly to a nearby fire exit and carried her to a car that was waiting nearby. He signalled the driver to start moving and they made their escape.
A man in a passenger seat took out his mobile and pressed a number on speed dial. "Madam Lien, we've got the girl." he announced to the person on the other end.
"Excellent, now we just need the last two pieces for our jigsaw to be complete." she answered.
At the same time, Sherlock's mobile pinged with the sound of an incoming text. Taking it out of his pocket, he had a look and noticed it had come from Molly. As he read it, he immediately knew she was in danger as it comprised of one little word:
Help.
Stay calm. Where are you? – SH
Just minutes after he sent his message, his mobile pinged again. Half expecting it to be from the pathologist, he immediately went to reply, but noticed the writing style was very different from Molly's.
Good afternoon to you, Mr. Holmes. If you are concerned for the woman's safety, rest assured that she is safe...for now.
And who am I speaking to at this moment? – SH
All in due time, Mr. Holmes... But for now, I will allow the woman to recover from her little nap. You will see her again in a while.
Knowing that this meant that Molly was most likely unconscious and had probably been kidnapped from St. Bart's, Sherlock took out his phone. "John, you need to get your gun." he announced quietly.
"Sherlock, is something wrong? Why're you talking so quietly?" John asked.
"The Black Lotus has revealed their ace... They've got her, John." Sherlock sighed.
"Her?" John blinked, but then slowly it dawned on him about who Sherlock meant. "Molly..."
Hanging up, Sherlock started to head into a quieter section of the museum. Even though he wasn't showing it physically, emotionally he was in turmoil. Molly was in danger, and even though he'd been somewhat anticipating it, he knew that the blame would be most likely be shifted to him for not doing enough to protect her.
They wanted to strike me where they believed my "heart" lies; Molly... That was their gravest mistake... he thought to himself. But as he walked, he realised that he was thinking... sentimentally. What am I doing? I shouldn't be thinking like this. The case is more important... he chastised himself.
His thoughts were interrupted by the ping of another text. Taking the phone out, he narrowed his eyes when he saw what it read;
The woman is awake. She talks of you inflicting punishment upon us; very loyal towards you. If you want to see her alive again, you will meet us at the docks at 9pm tonight. Come alone.
Sherlock knew that this meant that a final confrontation with the Black Lotus was imminent. He heard footsteps and turned to see Mary and John running towards him.
"There you are! We've been looking all over the museum for you!" Mary panted.
"You alright, mate?" John asked, noticing Sherlock was wearing a grim expression. Sherlock handed him his mobile, giving both Watsons a chance to see the text. John read through the text and looked up at Sherlock. "What does this mean? Why do they want to see you alone?" he asked.
"I believe our "new friend" General Lien wants to meet me face –to – face." Sherlock replied.
"Wait, y-you're not really going through with this, are you? This has to be a trap, I'm sure of it!" Mary exclaimed.
"Unfortunately, Mrs. Watson, I appear to not have any say in this matter. If Molly is to be returned safe and well, I will have to see the Black Lotus tonight." Sherlock answered.
"Well, you're not going to go there alone! Somebody's got to be there to cover you if you manage to piss them off." John replied.
Sherlock gave John a sly smile. "I know. That's why you and Lestrade will be my backup." This caused Mary to heave a sigh of relief.
"Then I'd better bring my gun then." John nodded.
Later that night, Sherlock arrived at the docks. Calmly making his way to the meeting spot, he looked around. "You said you wanted to see me alone; here I am. I believe you have someone held here as a hostage." he called. Hidden nearby, John and Lestrade listened in, waiting for the first sign of trouble.
Suddenly, bright lights surrounded him and the sound of guns being taken out of holsters resounded. "Stand down!" a woman called in Mandarin. The guns were immediately lowered. Sherlock covered his eyes to see the faint silhouette of a figure step out from behind some storage units to greet him. The voice sounded very familiar... "Remember when you told me to "enjoy my stay in London"? I remember it as if it were merely yesterday." the woman asked, now speaking in English fluently.
Sherlock then had a smirk on his face. "And I see you didn't tell your parents." he replied. The woman who was standing in front of him was in fact the university student he'd encountered after chasing the black cab. But this wasn't the same woman he'd seen; she'd been a disguise for the real person; someone who was cold, calculating with an endless thirst for bloodshed.
"You assume correct, Mr. Holmes. I'm surprised that you remember me; the man lives up to the legend." she chuckled. She then became serious in a matter of seconds. "I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time." she snarled, her voice dripping with venom.
Sherlock then raised an eyebrow and then placed his hands into his jacket pockets. "So...General Lien, I presume?" he asked.