Sherlock Season 5: No More Secrets

#19. Charlotte

Mycroft telephoned for help as they ran to Charlotte's location. They entered the room where she was supposed to be located, but it was a huge room, filled with old factory equipment and machines. The entire floor was grating, and beneath it they could hear the sound of water rushing in. They all yelled out while searching below their feet for any sign of her. "Charlotte! Charlotte!", but they heard no response. "We should split up so we can cover more ground", John said. They all nodded in agreement, and each ran in a different direction to search for her. The water under the grates was getting higher by the second. "Charlotte!", Sherlock yelled. "Come on! You have to talk to us! Tell us where you are, hun! Please, say something, anything!". Sherlock rubbed his face and took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves,... when he heard a loud clang nearby. He ran toward the sound and heard a desperate trembling voice cry out..."Sherlock!".

Sherlock looked down at his feet and saw small fingers reaching up through the holes in the grate below him. "Charlotte, I see you! It's going to be ok!", he assured her as he fell to his knees, and began to try and pry the grate up. Sherlock yelled for John and Mycroft who quickly arrived at his side and helped him remove the grate above her head. They looked in at Charlotte whose head was now barely above water. "I can't move!", Charlotte cried, "My legs." They pried the next grate over off as well and soon discovered why. A large rock had been dropped onto her legs to pin her down. They tried rolling it off, but to no avail. "We need something to work as a lever", John said as he and Sherlock ran off to look for something they could use. Mycroft stayed with Charlotte and tried to keep her head above the water as best he could with his hands. "Sherlock!", Mycroft yelled out desperately. They found a metal bar and ran back. They positioned it on the edge of the rock just as Charlotte's head fell beneath the water.

They all tugged on the bar with everything they had, until the rock finally rolled away, and Charlotte's legs were free. They pulled Charlotte's limp body up and onto the floor. "She's not breathing", said John. He immediately began doing chest compressions as Sherlock and Mycroft watched in horror. "Come on, Charlotte! Breathe!", John cried as he continued. "Come on! Don't do this...Come on! Breathe!!"

A soft cough, and then another was heard, as Charlotte released the water from her lungs and began to breathe again. "Good girl! Breathe...Just breathe!", John told her. Charlotte started to cry as she finally came to, and Mycroft grabbed her and placed her head on his lap with his arms around her chest, while Sherlock leaned down next to her side and took her hand. "It's ok. You're safe now", Mycroft tried to comfort her, "You're safe." John looked down at her legs and shook his head at Sherlock. Her legs were both shattered and broken. The medics soon arrived and set a stretcher down beside her. "Careful with her legs", John ordered them, "and she needs something for the pain, now!". They did as John told them and carefully placed her onto the stretcher.