Dream
The pain was worst. Each time that whip hit her flesh sent tiny bursts of agony through her body. "You can stop the pain Valetina; just give me the information I need" the voice repeated every time Valetina was tortured.
"Never..." the assassin breathed. "I won't betray him again." The voice chuckled again.
"Come on Swansea we know who your Brother is, your boyfriend. We can make their life a living hell or we can kill them either way you will tell us the information about Sherlock Holmes. You know him, you care for him, but you hate him."
"I don't. I don't." Valetina cried.
"Come on Swansea, if you want to protect them you tell me the security code to the President's office."
"Which one I know so many-Russian, France."
"You know which one, the most powerful man in the world the President of America."
"No...I rather die than let you take over the world. There's only one man that could take over the world and be great at it."
"Your ex, Jim Moriaty. He was smart I'll give you that, but he needed you to give him the information he wanted to bring the world to its knees. That's what you were to him a tool to world domination."
"Don't you think I knew that I was using him as well to get revenge?"
"Naughty Valetina, Lady's don't talk back." The voice laughed and as fast as lightening the whip cracked and blood trickled down the assassins back. She screamed in pain.
"You ba-"she couldn't finish her sentence because another burst of pain spread through her body.
The pain was so real. Red hot flesh tingled with sweat. It was so real yet...
...It was only a dream.
Valetina woke with sweat running of her hot skin. Tangled in bed sheets. She kicked them off. She breathed deeply, scared. She usually dreamed this dream. Although she had never recognised the voice until now. She needed to tell Sherlock but he was probably asleep. Her throat was sore and he then realised she had been screaming in her sleep awakening the whole apartment. She witnessed the door opening; the outside shared its light with Valetina's dark room. Sherlock tall frame stood in the door way behind him was Roxy, rubbing her sleep filled eyes.
"Valery you do know it's like what...1 in the morning." Her best friend yawned.
"Sorry, I had a nightmare." Valetina curled herself into a ball protecting herself from the day dreams.
"Was it your dream about your torture in Syria?" Sherlock asked as he sat next to her.
"Yeah, I have it every-night knowing I couldn't do anything to stop them..."
"Valetina is therapy not helping? "Her friend sat on her other side and petted her leg.
"I haven't been going to therapy. I need these dreams so that I can recognise the voice and I did tonight. It was the same voice in the dream who spoke to me in the hospital. I never saw his face either times but I know his voice."
"Makes sense, not everyone was arrested for kidnapping and torture some fled and others killed themselves as they knew too much. They didn't want the other side to have this type of information. But if you know the voice we can find the man. I wish you didn't have to go through this to find your assassin." Sherlock said.
"When will you tell John? About you and me. He's already of suspicious, Roxy knows and now it's time for you to reveal my true identity to your close friends. I trust them, they have saved your lived and you them." Valetina patted his hand and leaned on Roxy's shoulder.
"We will start soon remember: 'Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.'" Roxy quoted and the two dark haired people smiled.
"Francis of Assisi, good choice," Sherlock nodded his head impressed with the girl he thought 'simple'.
"I have a friend who can help with voice recognition. I'll bring John and Mary too." Sherlock suggested.
"That sounds great Sherlock, we shall go tomorrow."
-The detective vs. The Assassin-
Sherlock, Roxy and Valetina were standing outside the University of London, waiting for John and his pregnant wife to arrive. They had a meeting with therapist and psychologist Dr. James O'Brian.
"Sherlock you do know Mary is pregnant or did this fact get deleted from your mind palace." John Watson cursed his friend.
"No, I just thought that Mary wouldn't want to miss out on the fun, just because she is going to be a mother doesn't mean she had to be boring." Sherlock replied calmly. John turned to the spy.
"I have no idea how you live with him, you deserve an award, you bloody well do." John congratulated Valetina.
"I know but people say living with him aint worthy of an award."
"Standing right here." Sherlock muttered as they group of unlikely friends climbed up the steps and into the building where Dr O'Brian was.
The team was interrupted by a small man with blonde hair and small black eyes like a rat. Actually everything about the man's appearance reminded Sherlock of a rat. The rough hair and the small eyes and big ears.
"Who the bloody hell are you, I never seen you here before are you a new student I wasn't told about."
"Sherlock introduced himself, "My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don't know."
"And I'm Valetina Swansea. I'm the murderer who kills murderers." Swansea offered the rat man a hand but soon realised he wasn't going to shake it so dropped it. "We have come to see Dr James O'Brian."
"Well he aint in, so you came all this way for nothing.
Sherlock and Valetina shared a look a best between stares. Sherlock cocked his head and Valetina smirked. She said nothing just glance over the workers clothes and nodded. "You're a non-smoker, a dog lover perhaps Shiatsu. You use a lot of product an indication that your gay but you're not, you rub your webbing ring sub- consciously your worried about something. Your wife is out of town for treatment, you shirts are un-ironed and a coffee stain that's about I say 2 days old. You don't do your own laundry so your wife does it for you."
The rat man stared at the spy for a few moments then said, "How did you do that?"
"The science of deduction I use it on my assignments to figure their weaknesses. Sherlock Holmes does it as did Jim Moriaty you knew him the whole world did."
John leaned towards the detective, "you just got stood up by your client. I didn't know she could deduce like you."
"She doesn't, she's better she has to learn the weaknesses of her target in a matter of seconds or else the target realises what's going to happen and they run. I only deduce crime scenes, Valery deduces life."
"Now let us See Dr James." Roxy demanded.
"You don't have an appointment," the rat said. Mary who was heavily pregnant and could give birth any day now slapped her head. "Can we please just get on with it, I don't want my child to be born in an office building and all this chatter and wasting time will break my water." Mary muttered
"I don't care I need to see O'Brian now. If you don't let me pass I will have to result to violence." Valetina threatened but the rat still didn't move.
"Well I don't care if you are the queen of England you're not seeing James O'Brian without an appointment." The man repeated.
"Donald that's not how we treat our guests now let the nice people in." a tall and thin man with greying hair said. He had a Scottish accent and a cheerful face.
"Doctor O'Brian they don't have an appointment." Donald nervously repeated.
"Nor should they, Mr Holmes is a friend of mine, I've known him since our Cambridge days." He walked over to the detective and slapped his arm fondly. "Ah I see this is my patient, Valetina Swansea am I correct." He took hold of the assassin hand and smiled. "Sherlock old boy, you are helping a murderer, well it's none of my business. Please follow me to my office."
-The detective vs. The Assassin-
"Valetina I want you to close your eyes and try and remember your dream. Imagine the voice and describe what he sounds like."
Swansea relaxed into the chair focusing on her nightmare. "His voice was strong it never wavered, he had an accent but I can't place it. Deep and emotionless-noooooo please nooo."
"Valetina listen to me your safe, no-one's going to hurt you here I want you to open your eyes now." The doctor said calmly and once his patient opened his eyes he leaned back in his chair. "Do you have dreams like this every night? "
"I- yes I do I take sleeping tablets but they don't help." Valetina played with her fingers.
"You need therapy, why have to never seen a therapist until now?"
"I was afraid it would show my enemies that I was weak and couldn't handle my problems."
The doctor signed "You have had a difficult life, abandoned by the only family you knew, exiled to America and betrayed so many times. I don't blame you for not trusting your issues with a therapist, but you are greatly disturbed after you two months of torture in Syria." He took off his glasses. "You can trust me Valetina, I know what has happened to you and I know what those monsters did to you in Syria and you haven't told anyone not even the people who love you, but I've been doing this for a long time I know when a girl has been abused."
"I was so weak and vulnerable I couldn't talk to anyone. But how do you know how my exile and abandonment?" the assassin asked she had not told him anything about her past that she wished she could forget.
"I have known your friend, Sherlock for a long time. I have access to your files, also Sherlock said who you really were and I terribly sorry for what the Holmes brothers did to you, no 14 year old should be sent away from her family even if it is to protect her. But I just want you to know that you can trust me with anything."
She knew James, how could have not recognized when they first met. "James O'Brian I know that name you were the psychologist at the secret service I was sent to you at 13. I had fond memories of drawing my dreams and desires. So young then and innocent my mother thought since you knew Sherlock so well who she also knew she thought you were perfect therapist for her abnormal daughter. I guess I'm nothing like I was back then when we discussed my future. You always excepted me to become a psychologist like yourself and for a time I thought I would too. But I was sent away and all past hopes were lost."
"You remember me, so you don't need to be scared. I know your past because I worked with you and I have been keeping track of you all these years. I will be honest I was disheartened when you betrayed Sherlock Holmes and became an assassin. But I still knew there was good in you; you never killed the innocent only murderers. I knew you could never be a cold-blooded killer because even if you changed you appearance and destiny you were still that little girl I use to guide and build. Because I know how you really are..."the doctor paused for a moment and seemed it was safe to say the last word of his sentence. "... Eliza."
The assassin froze, her real name had just been revealed, and Valetina knew this was not a dream, the doctor knew her name. It wasn't a dream it was reality.