Face the Odds

Chapter 34: Appointments in Samarra

"No!" John gasped, unable to hold back the shock at the scene before him. Mycroft averted his gaze sharply, breathing heavily and unable to watch any longer, while Sherlock's lips could only part in horror as blood splattered everywhere.

Marie's eyes had widened infinitesimally, and she looked up at Sherlock with startled green eyes. But as always, he could never read her, even now, and he could only stare numbly as she opened her mouth and began: "Sherlock-"

But before she could say any more, the floor underneath her suddenly dropped, and Marie fell down a secret hatch that had opened beneath her feet.

"Marie!" Sherlock shouted, rushing forward but the hatch closed before he could reach it.

"My God." John whispered, unable to believe what his own eyes had seen. His friend, Marie, gone like that. In an instant. While his best friend Sherlock could only stand and stare at the place through which his wife had disappeared – forever.

Sherlock could only remain frozen, unable to move or even blink, as John and Mycroft stood on each side like grim watch guards.

"Interesting."

John inhaled sharply while Mycroft closed his eyes as Eurus went on from the screen behind them: "I'm always amazed by just how vicious love is as a motivator."

John started at Eurus's words, while Mycroft opened his eyes to observe his brother with genuine sorrow and sympathy. Sherlock didn't even notice, having remained frozen and still staring blankly at the hatch through which Marie had been taken from him.

"Yet you never learn." Eurus went on anyway, sighing. "Love is a chemical defect, I'm always telling you that, but you just never learn."

John shot Eurus a murderous look, while Mycroft finally took a tentative step forward towards Sherlock.

"Sherlock," he murmured in concern, "however difficult this is-"

"Eurus."

Mycroft fell silent while Eurus cocked her head expectantly at Sherlock's call. The detective turned slowly, his face pinched and almost tired in appearance as he held back all of the emotions raging inside to say stiffly: "The girl on the plane – I need to talk to her."

Eurus just stared back at Sherlock silently, sitting back in her chair, and he demanded impatiently and sharply: "Ma-"

His voice caught slightly and he corrected quickly: "I saved Molly Hooper and Rosie Watson; I won your test. Now play fair, and let me talk to the girl."

Eurus made a noise in the back of her throat before she leant forward in her chair, her face coming in close to the camera to show her deranged eyes as she repeated contemptuously: "Saved her?"

Sherlock frowned, as did John, while Eurus went on scathingly: "From what?"

Sherlock froze while Mycroft tilted his head back in terrible understanding as Eurus said impatiently: "Oh, do be sensible. There were no explosives in her little house. Why would I be so clumsy?"

John's jaw dropped, while Mycroft turned away in anger, as Eurus spelt it out for Sherlock in the cruelest way possible: "You didn't win anything. You lost."

Sherlock's eye twitched, but he seemed otherwise unable to move as he stared blankly at Eurus as she mocked: "Look what she did to you. Look what you did to yourself."

Sherlock turned his head sharply, exhaling through his nose as Eurus continued: "The roads you two walked had demons beneath them, but in the end it wasn't the demons you should have been afraid of, Sherlock."