Sophia Holmes and the Blind Banker (Sherlock's Daughter Fanfic) *Completed*

Chapter Six

"Sophia?"

The voice echoes through the ominous darkness, seeming to call out from far away. The voice is familiar, but my mind is so clouded by a throbbing pain that I can't concentrate. I don't know who or where I am and I attempt to open my eyes to go and investigate.

Perhaps this is what it feels like to be dead, I think to myself as my eyes close again. Perhaps the body I inhabited before was an awful person and so I'm in hell - trapped forever in a situation of absolute paralysis.

I don't remember what happened, but I identify the source of the pain to be in my back and the constant throbbing softens as I become used to it. A slither of light burns my heavy eyelids for a moment before it disappears again, just as quickly as it arrived.

For the first time since I gained consciousness, I feel alone - as if somebody or something left me through that strip of light. I hear a struggle nearby and goosebumps form on my arms as I hear the same, familiar voice, calling out for help.

Motivated, I fight to open my eyes and I find that I'm lying on somebody's bathroom floor. I rub my eyes and massage my temples, and the clouds start to disperse from brain and recent events start coming back to me. I was drugged into a state of wooziness to distract me from the next murder: dad.

Stumbling to my feet, I fling open the door, my head still spinning from the after-effects of the drug. I blink away the sudden light that penetrates my delicate retinas and leap upon the attacker from behind as dad's eyes begin to close.

I kick out at the attacker's his popliteal fossa and he falls to the ground, but not before grabbing my hand and pulling me down with him. Still weak, I'm unable to save myself from a hard landing as the assailant regains his stance.

Dad's struggles get weaker and I'm just as helpless. I squint away the stars and attempt at making a deduction about him to try and work out how to stop him. This is a young Asian man with obvious levels of athletic training. His size suggests a more graceful sport, so he's an acrobat - one used to working with ropes by the look of his hands.

This is the man who left the cyphers and who killed Van Coon and Lukis.

Dad drops his hands from the scarf wrapped around his neck and, to my surprise, the attacker does so too - momentarily distracted by the John angrily ringing the doorbell downstairs for us to let him in. Hearing the sound and realising that backup is not far away, the assailant shoves something into dad's coat pocket as his eyes begin to close and runs off back through the window.

I manage to steady dad as he stumbles, choking and coughing as he gets his breath back, before tugging the silk scarf away and helping him into a position that will bring more oxygen to his lungs. Dad gets onto his hands and knees, still breathing raspily as he rummages through his pockets and pulls out a small, black, origami flower, similar to the ones we found in the two apartments. Dad looks at it for a second before he stumbles to his feet once more.

"Sophie," he croaks, "are you okay? Can you walk?" I nod weakly then stand up myself.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reassure him, my voice almost giving up on me. "He drugged me as a distraction to get to you. I'm sorry, I couldn't think straight for a minute or two. I don't know how you can stand those things."

He takes hold of me by my shoulders and holds me at arm's length, studying me carefully. "Go to Molly for a test so you can find out what he gave you," he says after a moment, "tell her what happened, and make sure you get it out of your system." I nod, showing that I understand, but my head is spinning. "I'll get you a cab, but then I'll have to leave you."

I smile reassuringly and nod. "It's fine," I say as we head for the stairs. "I'll catch up with you later."

Dad opens the door downstairs to reveal an exasperated John, who glares at us in annoyance. "The, uh, milk's gone off and the washing's starting to smell," dad says, skipping over the part where we were attacked. "Somebody left here in a hurry three days ago."