Sherlock - The Game Is On!

The Reichenbach Fall- Eight

Chapter Eight

Third POV

Two months later

A walking John goes to a NatWest cashpoint machine and inserts his card. Typing in his PIN, he then selects a transaction. After a few seconds he is greeted with the onscreen message:

There is a problem with your card

Please wait

John grimaces and a second later a new message appears:

Thank you for your patience.

A moment later the message adds:

John

John frowns as a black car pulls up to the curb from behind him. John turns and looks at it, then turns back to the ATM, sighing in exasperation. However, he still hasn't learned his lesson about getting into strange cars. "Well ready for abduction, John?" Michelle's voice rings out. He chuckles lowly before getting in. He allows himself to be driven to an elegant white painted building which has a brass plaque outside declaring the venue to be 'The Diogenes Club'.

He goes inside and enters a large room which, back when the building used to be a house, was probably a drawing room. A large marble fireplace surrounds an unlit fire and the walls have heavy wooden panelling and ornate white plaster coving. The room contains five small round tables, each with a single armchair beside it, and four of the chairs are currently occupied by smartly dressed middle aged gentlemen reading newspapers and taking no notice of each other or of the new arrival.

John looks around and then walks over to one of the older men sitting at the far end of the room. "Er, excuse me. Um, I'm looking for Mycroft Holmes." The elder gentleman's face shows being appealed but he doesn't turn away from his newspaper. "Would you happen to know if he's around at all?" Some of the other inhabitants of the room behind John look round at him but don't speak. "Can you not hear me?" The gentleman looks up at him, huffing indignantly. John holds out a placatory hand to him. "Yes, all right." Looking around the room, he turns to the others. "Anyone? Anyone at all know where Mycroft Holmes is? I've been asked to meet him here."

One of the men lift their walking sticks and push the end of it repeatedly onto a button on the nearby wall. A distant bell rings. John looks around in confusion while the gentlemen either ignore him or look at him in annoyance. "No takers? Right." With a slight borderline of frustration he raised his voice. "Am I invisible? Can you actually see me?"

No sooner later, two men elegantly suited walk into the room. "Ah, thanks, gents." From behind, an elderly gentleman flaps his hand frantically at the new arrivals as if to say, 'Get him out of here!' The men, wearing white gloves and soft white overshoes to muffle their footsteps, walk briskly over to John. "I've been asked to meet Mycroft Holm..." He breaks off his speech as the men walk either side of him and firmly seize his arms. "What the... Hey!" Lifting poor John of his feet, one of the guys place their hand over his mouth to silence him. His muffled protests continue while they rapidly bundle him out of the room.

Shortly afterwards John has been taken to a smaller room with the door being firmly closed. Mycroft pours himself a drink from a crystal decanter before talking. "Tradition, John. Our traditions define us."

"If I remember correctly, Michelle was included in this said 'tradition'. Is total silence also traditional? You can't even say, 'Pass the sugar'."

"Three quarters of the diplomatic service and half the government front bench all sharing one tea trolley. It's for the best, believe me." He flashes a small smile before becoming his grim self. "They don't want a repeat of 1972. But we can talk in here." Moving to sit in one out of two armchairs, John walks over and picks up a copy of 'The Sun' from a small table. "You read this stuff?"

"Caught my eye. Saturday: they're doing a big exposé." John takes to seating whilst reading the headline: 'SHERLOCK: THE SHOCKING TRUTH' with the strapline: 'Close Friend Richard Brook Tells All'. The article reveals that it is an Exclusive from Kitty Riley and the text reads: 'Super-sleuth Sherlock Holmes has today been exposed as a fraud in a revelation that will shock his new found base of adoring fans.'

'Out-of-work actor Richard Brook revealed exclusively to THE SUN that he was hired by Holmes in an elaborate deception to fool the British public into believing Holmes had above-average 'detective skills'.'

"I'd love to know where she got her information."

"Someone called Brook. Recognise the name?" Lowering the paper, John shakes his head. "School friend, maybe?" He suggests. Mycroft laughs snidely. "Of Sherlock's?" He chuckles again. "But that's not why I asked you here." Picking up several folders of the side table he hands one over to John. "Who's that?" John spoke, pointing to the image. "Don't know him?"

"No."

"Never seen his face before?" Mycroft clarifies. John was still uncertain. "He's taken a flat in Baker Street, two doors down from you."

"Hmm! I was thinking of doing a drinks thing for the neighbours." John smiles sarcastically up at Mycroft who looks back at him straight-faced. "Not sure you'll want to. Sulejmani. Albanian hit squad. Expertly-trained killer living less than twenty feet from your front door."

"It's a great location. Jubilee line's handy. What's it got to do with me?" Mycroft proceeds to hand over another file. "Dyachenko, Ludmila."

"Um, actually, I think I have seen her."

"Russian killer. She's taken the opposite."

"Okay. I'm sensing a pattern here." John breathes out, nervously. Slapping the rest of the files to John's side Mycroft proceeds to carry on. "In fact, four top international assassins relocate to within spitting distance of two hundred and twenty-one B. Anything you care to share with me?"

"I'm moving?!" John laughs, amusingly. Mycroft however, isn't so amused. "It's not hard to guess the common denominator, is it?"

"You think this is Moriarty?"

"He promised Sherlock he'd come back."

"If this was Moriarty, we'd be dead already."

"If not Moriarty, then who?"

"Why don't you talk to Sherlock if you're so concerned about him? Michelle even?" Mycroft looks away and toys with the glass on the table beside him. John rolls his eyes. "Oh God, don't tell me."

"Too much history between us, John. Old scores; Resentments."

"Is Michelle included? What did you do? Nick all his Smurfs? Broke his Action Man?" Mycroft glowers at him. John can't help but laugh before pulling himself together and placing the files onto the table beside him. "Finished." John whispers.

Standing up he turns to leave the room. "We both know what's coming, John." John stops and turns back, clearly now struggling to control his anger. "Moriarty is obsessed. He's sworn to destroy his only rival."

"So you want me to watch out for your brother because he won't accept your help."

"If it's not too much trouble. Michelle too." He directs a smile at John but it quickly fades and his expression becomes more threatening. John holds his gaze, then looks away, nods in a resigned way and turns to go to the door again. Opening it, he looks back at Mycroft once more, who still has the same look on his face, then leaves the room.