Chapter Three – The Spider's Web

10 Months Later

I raced through the basement of derelict building in southern Ukraine – Well, at least the government thought it was unoccupied. I dodged a low steam pipe and turned left past a door marked "boiler room" in Russian symbols as I heard shouts cloud the rooms I had left behind a mere five minutes ago.

Nine months I had been without contact that didn't involve an agent with a foreign name and a coded message that showed allegiance to the British Military Intelligence. Just a short way to go and I would make it to the room I needed to get to. In there would be the Ukrainian operative that Moriarty had at some point conspired with before his suicide on the roof of Bart's Hospital. I had turned another corner and heard the foreign yells get closer. As I approached the end of the corridor a guard stepped out in front. I panicked for a second before realising that he was unarmed… strange for him to be separated from the others and unequipped to fight, especially as everyone would be unaware if I had a weapon or not. I was about to knock him out of the way, knowing it was no use to wait here with my own firing squad around the corner.

"Sherlock Holmes?!" He was British – but why would a British agent meet me here, now? I had four floors to climb before I could take down this string of the Spider's web.
"W-who are you?!" I respond between pants.
"I'm with Mycroft; we need to leave here now, it isn't safe"
"No kidding! But I have to be upstairs not out of the building – that's the plan!"
"Plan's changed Mr Holmes. You must come with me."

I heard the voices getting even closer; I didn't have any time to negotiate a plan: if Mycroft wanted me out at such a crucial point then it must have some reason behind it. I nodded and followed him as he disappeared through a doorway off the corridor. We leapt down two small flights of stairs and arrived at a small tunnel that we ducked into – I ignored the foul stench of stale water and something that seemed like rotting meat, not particularly wanting to investigate the source . I followed the tunnel's path until we were outside the building and at the edge of the surrounding forest. I was blinded for a moment by the headlights of two 4x4 vehicles and heard shouts coming from inside them.

"Mr Holmes! Get in! Now!"
I didn't hesitate and jumped into the back seat of the car which started to speed off the moment I had got a foot inside. I was tossed in all directions and held onto the car door to try and stable myself, to no avail. I heard shots fire in the distance but couldn't know if the bullets had struck anything nearby due to the roar of the engines.

We reached a clearing and a road around ten minutes later; the gunfire had ceased eight minutes earlier. I saw the entire building looming in the distance, I could only identify it by a light on what seemed to be the fourth floor.

I swore under my breath. "Why did you pull me out?! I was so close!"
"We had intel that it was a trap; third floor had an army waiting for you – and the operative was never there in the first place." The passenger shouted back to me. The man who had led me away from my mission had gotten into the other car.
"You should rest Mr Holmes, we have quite a long journey before we reach the embassy."

I sighed and looked out at the black abyss outside my window. "I'm good, thanks." I still had adrenalin pumping in my veins and the thought of failure flooding my brain; I wouldn't be able to sleep! However, I proved myself wrong as I drifted less than an hour later.

Moriarty's web was still standing while John Watson did not. I had failed.