Squish slowly became aware that she could think again, but kept her breathing deep and her head hung. First things first, arms, legs all seem to be fine, no pain anywhere else, apart from a killer headache. She was sitting on something hard with… thin chain round her wrists; damn she didn't have a file so no way she could get out of that. Bugger.
"I know you're awake." Said Jim, "I have been waiting sooo long for you to wake up, I was beginning to think that I should have used a lower dose"
Squish raised her head and smiled her best, oh I always wake up tied to a chair nothing's wrong smile.
"Hello Jim. Whatever you gave me packed quite a punch. I think you've given me my first hang over. I presume that it's your own personal blend?"
"Only the best for you my dear, wouldn't want you to get any ideas about fighting me on your way here would we?"
"Of course not Jim, but the words date and rape unfortunately spring to mind, would anything have been wrong with a coffee after my shift?"
"Oh don't be like that darling. You didn't give me a chance to ask before you went off over the rooftops; I didn't have much choice and I so wanted to speak with."
"Can't a girl go for a stroll along the rooftops of London, which just so happens to culminate behind a Chinese takeaway, without someone knocking her out with a syringe full of unknown substances?"
Moriarty laughed, "Oh you can't darling, and I've got plans for you, it would be such a shame for them to go to waste. Now how's your head, it would be such a shame for you to be unable to grasp the full brilliance of my plans."
Squish gazed up at him, "Oh I'm recovering well, but can I say for the record, I'm a little bit disappointed?"
Jim raised one eyebrow. "Oh?"
"The whole prisoner tied to a chair thing, while her captor tells her his plans. Soo predictable. I thought you might have come up with something far… more… elegant"
"Oh the criminal class's today. To employ them you have to have to play by their rules a little. They expect a little bit of theatre"
"Oh and the big bad consulting criminal cares what his STAFF think? I don't think so… This was part of the game wasn't it? I think you're curious about how I would react. See what I would do when I woke up/ I think that you want to know whether Sherlock's experiment was a success. All with the added bonus of having bait too"
Moriarty leaned back on his heels and clapped his hands
"Oh I'm going to have so much fun with you little Holmes. You're like a portable Sherlock you know." He saw her blank expression flicker for a moment, "oh don't look at me like that, don't pretend that you don't know that already. Like you don't know that all people think is that you're a little pet of his. That all you are is a little child playing dress up in mummy and daddy's clothes."
He watched as she fought to keep a lid on her emotions. There were tiny signs but all too obvious to a genius like him. She bit her lip, her breath came just slightly too fast and her voice was a little harder when she next spoke.
Don't call me Holmes." Her voice was low.
"Ooh touched a nerve there haven't I? But ok if that's what you really want, let's play some more. Deduce me, show me you're more than a carbon copy of your… father?"
She stared at him coldly. But when she next spoke her voice had regained the slight cynical bounce to it.
"But business is good the Jim? It must be new suit you're wearing, Armani right? Classy, oh and I see you brought the matching underwear too, pricey. But I think that you've done this deliberately."
He waved her on with an amused look.
"Even the great Sherlock Holmes couldn't deduce you from your clothes without you giving him something, so all this is just for show. No the real prize is what I'm doing here"
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"No, no please keep going. You're just getting to the good part."
"I'm not the prize. Sherlock is." Her voice was a monotone, "I'm just the bait, you think he's going to come and get me. This is just a way to gather data about him. A way to help you win the game. But you're wrong."
Now he was perplexed, "And how did you deduce that one my dear."
"It must be over 24 hours or so, judging by the state of my clothes. Last time you tried this with John, Sherlock showed up in a matter of hours, he would have been ohh two minutes behind me so he would definitely have been able to find you quickly, the fact that he hasn't suggests he can't really be bothered."
Now this really was getting interesting Jim thought. She actually believed what she was saying, or she was a better actress the he had given her credit for.
"Oh I am sorry to disappoint you my dear. But that guardian of yours is very worried about you and the only reason that he hasn't found you yet, is because I haven't let him."
He held out his phone so she could read the texts
What have you done.
S.H
If she's hurt I'll kill you.
S.H
"Oh look you've even managed to get him to threaten me and I never could resist a challenge."
Now she was afraid and she gazed up at him desperately trying not to let him know but she couldn't quite mask the fear in her eyes.
"Oh you're giving me the look again. Don't worry darling I won't do anything to harm this pretty little face" She looked away and he dragged her chin up to face him, "Now that's not very nice is it, you should always look at someone when their talking to you."
She felt so much anger at him at that moment, anger that he could do anything to her. Anger that he was threatening the people she loved and she wanted to do something, anything to show him. So she spat at him.
Without a word he slapped her hard in the face.
"You shouldn't have done that." he said all frivolity gone from his voice "You made me break my promise"
"He's better then you." Squish said, "It doesn't matter what you do, who you threaten or kidnap or hurt, he will always beat you."
"Big words from the girl tied to a chair." Replied Moriarty as he beckoned two men closer.
"It's not a threat, it's a fact. And make sure you get my best side" she grinned crookedly even as the first man came forward and untied her from the chair.
She was led forward and the chain was wrapped around a hook hanging from the ceiling.
"Ready when you are honey" and she closed her eyes as the first punch came and the sound of camera was heard