"Welcome Dr. Watson! I didn't expect to see you again so soon. And I see you've brought a friend." Moran turned to face Sherlock, "we haven't been properly introduced..."
Sherlock rolled his eyes. "A pleasure, I'm sure. Let's cut to the chase, shall we? While mildly entertaining to watch, this entire ruse has been designed to draw me out of hiding." John's jaw dropped at Sherlock's words.
"Very good, Mr. Holmes, although I wouldn't expect anything less." Thoughtfully scratching his head, he added, "In fact, I expected more from you. I'm a bit disappointed that you're here."
Flustered by the exchange occurring in front of him, John cut in, "Wait a minute, how could this be about Sherlock? I didn't know he was alive until a few hours ago."
"Let's just say that I overheard your conversation with DI Lestrade, and found it rather convincing. Then, of course, I checked in on your research. Thorough," Moran said, approvingly.
"So you've lured Sherlock out and framed me. Job well done. What's next now? Finish what Moriarty started? Kill us?" John asked angrily.
Moran laughed and made a tisking noise "Have the last 18 months not taught you anything? There are things worse than death. I'm sure Mr. Holmes here could attest to that." Sherlock's body visibly stiffened at these words, and John felt a pang of guilt. He had not asked Sherlock about the last year and a half.
Moran saw that he had struck a nerve with both men and smiled. "I see you two have a lot of catching up to do. Unfortunately your time is about to run out. The Chief Superintendent should be arriving with backup any minute now." As if on cue, John could hear sirens outside the building.
Great, John thought, the second time in two days I've been surrounded by police.
The warehouse door opened and light flooded in, along with at least a dozen policemen. Three officers tended to the hostages, while the remainder quickly encircled John and Sherlock. Sebastian Moran stood to the side, smiling.
##################