As soon as John heard Sherlock's code for "battle stations", he immediately sprung into action, restraining one of Lien's men and disarming him. Lestrade radioed for backup officers as he fought off some others. A man ran at Sherlock, who saw him coming in time to quickly deduce the best spot to counterattack him with. "That was barely worth your time." he smirked after winding the man with a single punch in the gut. Lien growled and chose the momentary distraction to try to escape. Seeing that Molly's hands had been tied up, Sherlock knelt down and started to untie her. "Are you alright?" he asked, focusing his attention to her bonds.
"Yes, I think so." Molly nodded. She was secretly giddy that Sherlock had come to her rescue.
"Sherlock, there's more of them coming!" John yelled.
Once he'd freed her, Sherlock turned Molly to face him. "Find a safe spot to hide. I will be back for you momentarily, but you need to consider your safety for now." he ordered.
Molly nodded in understanding. "Please be careful." she pleaded before running off to get to a safe hiding place.
Lestrade scanned for how many men there were who worked for the Black Lotus against the extra officers he'd radioed for. "I don't like our odds, Sherlock. Even with the other officers around, we're sitting ducks!" he called.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that just yet. I believe we will have some more backup in a matter of moments." Sherlock replied, seeming quite confident that they would be victorious despite being hopelessly outnumbered.
As if right on cue, some Black Lotus members were suddenly taken down. The assailant climbed to their feet and smiled a familiar smile to the men. John's eyes widened in surprise when he realised who it was. "Mary, is that you?!" he exclaimed.
"Did I miss the party?" she asked sweetly. She was dressed in dark clothes and was wearing a warm black hat, having managed to sneak inside without detection.
"No; in fact, I believe you are right on schedule, Mrs. Watson." Sherlock replied.
John exchanged a quick smile with his wife, but then had a thought. "Who's taking care of the baby?" he asked.
"Oh, I figured she'd get to spend some quality time with 'Uncle' Mycroft. I don't think he's ever held her once since she was born." Mary beamed.
"A fittingly cruel ordeal for my brother, I'm sure." Sherlock chuckled, imagining many terrifying scenarios the older Holmes brother would be currently experiencing with the Watsons' daughter.
Tucked down behind a crate, Molly watched her friends defend themselves against the Black Lotus. She desperately wanted to help them, but knew the detective wouldn't be happy if she put herself in danger during her own rescue. Suddenly, there was the sound of a safety catch clicking behind her, causing the pathologist to freeze on the spot.
"Stand up, now." Lien barked, holding a gun in her hand. Molly slowly rose to her feet, trying to stay calm despite having a gun pointed at her. "Now, start walking." Lien hissed, still holding the gun.
"You won't get away with this... Sherlock will stop you." Molly vowed, looking back at her with a defiant look.
The general chuckled coldly at Molly's statement. "Oh, I don't think that will happen. You see, this is a special game of chess we are playing; and you, Dr. Hooper, are Mr. Holmes' queen piece." she smirked. She pointed the gun into the back of Molly's head. "I could shoot you now, but that would bring the game to a premature end." she mused.
Molly smiled softly to herself. "I guess you really don't know me. I'm not his queen, or anything special. I don't even think he considers me that way at all." she replied quietly. But, I can always dream... she thought.
"That's enough of your chatter. Keep walking." Lien growled as she jabbed the gun sharply into Molly's back. The two women continued to walk, until Molly noticed there was a black car waiting for them. As they arrived, Lien opened the door and forced her hostage inside. "Drive, now!" she ordered the driver. The car sped off, as Molly glanced out of the window, hoping Sherlock would come and find her.
Meanwhile, Sherlock, John, Mary and Lestrade had managed to fight back and assist with the roundup of the Black Lotus members. "Good thing Scotland Yard has a portable office just in case. I think we're going to need a lot more room at the station." Lestrade joked.
Sherlock looked around. "Yes, I imagine so." he answered, not paying much attention to what Lestrade was saying.
"Sherlock, are you ok?" John asked, noticing there seemed to be a look of worry on his friend's normally stoic face.
"The general is not here...and neither is Molly..." Sherlock replied quietly. He started to have a look around and soon found two sets of footprints in a nearby beach; one that seemed to match slacks which Sherlock deduced quickly to be Molly's, and the other set were from heels and belonging to Lien. Following the trail, he came to some tyre marks in the road.
John came running after him. "Did you find her?" he asked, trying to catch his breath.
"Look at these tracks and tell me what you see." Sherlock answered, directing the doctor's attention to the tracks.
John knelt down and took a look. "Well, they're tyre tracks." he began.
"Well, obviously, but what do you see?" Sherlock asked with a hint of irritation in his tone.
John sighed and looked closer. "Well, uh... They looked like they left in a hurry, and they were headed towards the city." he replied.
As John spoke, Sherlock's mobile buzzed in his pocket as he received a text. His eyes narrowed as he read the text:
Do not concern yourself for the girl's safety. We have taken her for a swim. If you want to see her again, meet us at the following location.
Attached to the text was a small map with an address included. Sherlock looked closely and he clenched his fist. "Sherlock, what is it?" John asked, noticing the detective was being unusually silent.
"Recognise this address?" Sherlock asked, handing him his mobile.
John took a closer look, and swallowed hard. "That's the pool where Moriarty first revealed himself to us..." he croaked.
"She's revealing her ace; she wants to confront me where I faced one of my greatest enemies because she feels that she has nothing to lose; all because she wants some revenge for her fallen mother." Sherlock mused.
"What do we do? Molly's in serious danger this time." John asked.
Sherlock adjusted his coat and started to walk to a nearby street. "Oh, John, do you even have to ask?" he replied. He held his arm out to hail a cab. As soon as the two men climbed inside, Sherlock gave the address for their destination to the driver, and they set off on their way.
Later, Sherlock arrived at the pool. The place was eerily quiet, and the only light in the room came from the underwater lights in the pool. "How ironic that you choose to meet me at the same pool I met one of the most dangerous men in." he called. But this wasn't the time for sentimental thoughts; he had something more important to do. "You came here to get revenge on me, so... here I am. Only one of us is going to leave here alive, and we both know who that is." he added with a sinister tone in his voice.
A nearby door creaked as it opened. Lien entered, holding her dagger. "So, this is how it ends; you and I, against each other, in the pool that triggered your want to become a detective. I must admit that I have enjoyed our game of chess. But now, it is time for one of us to end with a checkmate." she smirked.
Sherlock scanned the room and knew that she wasn't going to play by the rules. "You can start by getting rid of your men, I can barely hear myself think over the amount of stupidity in this pool." he began.
Lien's lip twitched a little, but she radioed her men to leave. "Can you think now, Mr. Holmes?" she asked sarcastically.
"It's an improvement. Secondly, I believe you're holding Dr. Molly Hooper here as a hostage. Let her go, and then you can make your move." he continued.
"And if I do not let her go?" Lien asked, pointing her dagger at Sherlock.
Sherlock drew a gun from his jacket, having swiped it from John when he wasn't looking. "Then I end this game prematurely. And I'd rather not have to be on a 4 minute plane journey again." he answered.
Lien's lip twitched again; something Sherlock quickly deduced to only occur when she didn't get her way. "Bring in the girl." Lien ordered over the radio.
The door was slammed open and Sherlock heard Molly shouting loudly. "Let me go! That's hurting my shoulder!" she cried as a man who was restraining her dragged her into the room.
"Here is the girl, as promised." Lien announced. She turned to the man and ordered him to release Molly. The man did so and Molly walked over to Sherlock, rubbing her shoulder. Sherlock noticed that she had some cuts and bruises; nothing considered fatal and would heal in a matter of weeks.
Sherlock raised his gun. "Now, I believe it's your move, General." he replied calmly.
Lien put her dagger away. "I do not need my dagger for this. I plan to enact my revenge by ending your life the same way my mother's ended; a bullet through your head." she announced. She then proceeded to draw her gun. Molly flinched, recognising it to be the same gun that Lien had forced her into the car with.
"Then perhaps you should be enlightened about the true identity of the man who killed your mother; he was a sniper hired by James Moriarty, the man who helped your mother to get into Britain in 2010." Sherlock answered.
Lien's expression turned into a look of rage. "You lie..." she snarled. Her hand shook a little.
"Is that so? Your mother trusted Moriarty to assist her in her smuggling activities, and as soon as she failed him, she ends up dead? Not exactly a wise move, was it?" Sherlock asked, taking advantage of the young woman's sudden change in emotions.
"You know nothing about my mother. I will not have you speak of her in that manner, now be silent!" Lien shouted, her voice rising in volume.
Sherlock smirked. He now had her right where he wanted her; showing off her true feelings through actions instead of words. "Oh, but you had concerns with Moriarty from the very beginning. You tried to warn your mother, and when she was killed after her activities in London, the person you blamed most was yourself." he continued.
"I don't want to hear you speak any further. Now, be silent before I do shoot you!" Lien yelled, using both hands to hold the gun... but now they were both shaking.
The detective dropped his smirk. "This was never about revenge, General. This was about your guilt from not saving your mother from her fate. I've always believed that sentimentality is one the greatest weaknesses of the human race. And once again, that belief has been reaffirmed." he finished, his voice cold and void of any sympathy.
At Sherlock's words, Lien dropped her gun. As the sound of metal against tile echoed around the room, she sank to her knees and started to sob, her resolve having been broken with only a few words. "Forgive me, Mother... Forgive me..." she wept.
Molly watched the woman's emotional breakdown and couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She knew too well the pain of losing a parent, yet couldn't imagine the pain of losing both. Her head lowered, she gripped Sherlock's arm. "Sherlock... I think you've done enough. Let's go back and meet with John, okay?" she suggested, her voice quiet.
Sherlock put the gun away. "Yes, I suppose he'll be wondering why I'm not out and getting out of the cab by now." he smiled. His eyes had a look of triumph in them, a look that Molly recognised all too well.
As they started to walk away, they didn't notice Lien climb to her feet. Her eyes were blackened and she slowly aimed her gun towards Sherlock. Molly turned and her eyes widened in horror. "Sherlock, look out!" she yelled, diving before him.
A loud bang echoed through the room, and Sherlock turned to see Molly falling to the floor as she took a bullet to the stomach...