An Affair with the Enemy (A Sherlock Fanfic)

Chapter 27

Sherlock

John, Tanya and I stood outside Magnussen's office. We had managed so far to pass a couple of security guards and had travelled up an escalator. Well done team. If only we had a snail to ride on to make this mission a lot slower. Once we had arrived outside Magnussen's personal elevator to his office, I stopped and looked around quickly. "We can't just go in like that." Tanya hissed at me. "The security measures will set off an alarm." I rose an eyebrow, taking no notice of her and pulled out a keycard. I held it against my phone and got odd glares from the clueless pair next to me.

"A keycard held against a phone for a while corrupts-"

"Corrupts the magnetic strip. Yeah yeah I know." Tanya spat back at me. She was angrier than normal but now was not the time to ask. I held it against the card reader and the card read as corrupted. Immediately, a voice spoke through the speaker at my eye level.

"Sherlock! You shouldn't be here." I looked into the camera at my eye level.

"Jeanine works here?" Tanya spoke loudly but I immediately covered her mouth with my hand.

"Don't make me do this out here." I said into the camera with a smile plastered to my face.

"Do what?" Jeanine replied. I pulled out a ring from my pocket and held it up to the camera. I could only imagine Jeanine on the the other side of the camera gasping in shock. From the corner of my eye, I could see Tanya and John's jaws drop. The elevator doors immediately opened and we all huddled into the crowded area.

"You-you um you proposed to Jeanine?" Tanya asked meekly.

"That is what a ring signifies does it not?" I answered quickly.

"Uh so we're just going to break into Magnussen's office?" John asked, breaking the tension.

"I suppose you could put it that way. We need to find out what he wanted with Tanya and how he has all the information to blackmail people with." We stepped out of the elevator and entered the dark glass office. "Jeanine?" I called out. There was no sign of anyone. She wasn't by her desk.

"Well that's a bit rude considering you just proposed to her. If I were her, I'd be waiting at the foot of the door ready to kiss you hard the moment you came through those..." Tanya stopped herself and looked down. "Never mind." I watched her turn away and look around the office. I shook my head and let out a sigh.

"Uh Sherlock?" John called. Walking towards his voice, I saw Jeanine on the floor. John showed me the blood on the back of her head. "Blow to the head." John concluded.

"Stay with her." I commanded. Sweeping my eyes over the office once more, I noticed there was a security guard who had been injured as well and was unconscious. Then a certain scent hit me. It was familiar. Too familiar. Racing up the stairs, I heard murmurs.

"No please. I won't. I swear to God I won't." It was Tanya's voice. Sprinting into the room, I saw Tanya's back to me, her hands held above her head in a surrendering position. Behind her was Mary holding a gun.

Oh god. The puzzle pieces fit together and it made sense. She was a liar. Nothing but a liar.

Behind Mary was Magnussen on his knees, fear evident on his face. "Where's John?" Mary asked. No one answered. "For gods sake. Where is John."

"Downstairs." I was able to mumble. I tried taking a step closer but Mary only loaded the gun.

"Don't you dare take another step or I will shoot her." She waved her gun at Tanya but I was confident she wouldn't.

"No you won't Mrs Watson." I took a step forward but she pulled the trigger. I had enough time to push Tanya to the side and I felt a small force pierce my rib cage area. Then the agony began.

Screams pierced the air and I was shutting down. I was suddenly surrounded by Molly, Anderson and Mycroft. "Which way?" They chorused as they circled me. "Which way?" They continued to chant. Sirens wailed in the background. Then Moriarty's face filled my vision.

"Join me Sherlock. Come on my love. Join me in hell."

Which way. Sirens. Join me.

The cacophony flooded my memories and I was close to breaking down. In the murk of voices and sounds, I was lost. I needed a saviour. My saviour. The chaos continued in my mind palace and I knew I didn't have much time before I lost it all completely.

"Focus."

Like a breath of fresh air, Tanya's voice rang through my head like a melody. That was all the motivation I needed to stay alive.

Which way should I fall? That was what I had to focus on. To prevent any pressure dislodging the bullet thus dying from blood loss, I would have to fall backwards despite gravity wanting me to fall forwards.

Coming back to reality, I used all my force to fall back as I saw Tanya cry out for me. Then the lights went out. When the lights turned back on, I was in my mind palace again. But I was in a cellar with a hunched up figure in a corner who was chained to a wall. Moriarty.

"You know, Sherlock. Pain isn't all that bad. Pain. Heartbreak. Grief. Loss. It's a lot of fun being dead. No one bothers you." My body felt like it was on fire but I couldn't control it. I was shutting down and it was beyond my control. I could hear my own pulse slow down and eventually stop.

"Sherlock!"

My eyes shot open again and my pulse picked up pace. I couldn't leave her. No, never could I leave her. She was in danger. I needed to save her. Mustering all the power I had, I stumbled out of the cell Moriarty was in and forced myself to walk towards the burning white light. I could hear my own heartbeat boom like victory drums and I knew I had done it.

I had cheated death.