Staying Alive - Sherlock (BBC)

Chapter 3

The sky had been painted black. Thick clouds cast a moonless shadow about the city yet it didn't deter the hum of activity. As always, London was not asleep. In the artificial, never-changing climate of the night, noise and light blared out from the city making it seem like a huge, pulsating beast. The cold crisp air only made it seem more awake and more alive. As always, the thrill of the night and its shadows turned the city into a vibrant jungle of neon lights.

Distracted by their own lives, nobody noticed the two figures running silently along the rooftops, concealed by the shadows.

"This way." Sherlock shouted over the permanent roar of vehicles sounding from the main road below. He turned to run along the side of the rooftop they were on.

"No. It's this way." Lizzie replied in a more cheerful tone. Drugged by the night, her actions were becoming more of a dance. With what appeared as a skip through the gloom, she jumped across the small gap separating them from the next building. "Don't forget the traffic lights at West End Street."

Sherlock made a noise and followed her, grumbling along the way. After skimming along the large rooftop, illuminated only by the erratic neon glow of a giant advertisement to their left, they flew down a spiral staircase. Their light steps let out very little sound on the metal stairs. "We need transport, this isn't fast enough." Sherlock spoke as they stepped out onto the pavement, Lizzie nodded in agreement.

As soon as the words left Sherlock's lips, a man ran past and into the building next to them. By the time Sherlock had noticed the stranger, Lizzie was running in the direction he had come.

"What are you doing?" Sherlock shouted over the traffic as he ran after her. He easily caught up with her however the embarrassment of his sluggish actions remained. In an attempt to brush it aside, he blamed his tiredness and a long day despite the fact he had never done so before.

"The man lives across from me," Lizzie began whilst slowing to a jog, barely acknowledging Sherlock's embarrassment. "He always travels by motorbike. So...if I'm correct..." She stopped suddenly. Before them rested a pale blue motorbike. A smile slowly played at her lips as Sherlock stared in astonishment.

"I can hardly remember the last time I saw one of these." He said with the voice of someone who is revisiting a long lost memory.

"I can."

*****

Lizzie stepped out of the back door of the Holmes' household into the wide garden. The day was grey and dull and held the smell of rain in the air. In the middle of the lawn, Sherlock sat hunched over a book. Despite the sound of footsteps and the door closing, he didn't turn. "Mycroft threw you out again?" She asked before sitting down next to him on the grass. Without looking up, Sherlock nodded..

"Do you want to do something more interesting?" Lizzie asked.

"If there was anything else do to that was 'interesting'" Sherlock had a sour tone to his voice. She ignored it and carried on.

"Well if you if don't want to, I guess I could go on my own."

He looked up. "What have you done?"

~~~

Lizzie ran down the pavement with Sherlock in tow. "This better be good." He shouted after her. She didn't reply but smirked a little. They had been walking for almost half an hour and had passed most of the places in town that were of any interest.

Slowing her pace, Lizzie turned down the road towards a depleted garage. Within seconds she had produced a key from her pocket and they had both halted by the entrance. Bending down, Lizzie unlocked it and pulled the garage door open, it let out a screech as though it had been awoken from a very deep slumber. Amongst the piles of rubbish and boxes sat within the concrete room, a large object sat beneath a tarpaulin. She quickly pulled the tarpaulin away revealing a brand new blue motorbike with two helmets on the seat.

"I give to you. The Honda CB750." She grinned. Sherlock looked stunned.

"Where did you get this?"

"Well... The man who owns this garage owed be a big favour."

"Can you drive it?" He asked, intrigued to see where this was going.

"Of course. This, Sherlock, will be your first motorbike lesson. Shortly followed by hand-to-hand combat. You always said you wanted to be more active."

Sherlock grinned back at her. "So Miss. Parker," He stepped forwards and picked up one of the helmets. "How do we begin?"

*****

They were the only moving vehicle in the street as they approached their destination. A row of monotonous houses sat hunched along the side lit only by the few warm streetlights. Beneath one light stood a large group of young people who were drunkenly disrupting the eerie silence.

Sherlock groaned as they approached as he realised they were stood right outside of the house they were looking for. Eventually the gang noticed them walking in their direction and descended into a silence as they all stared at the pair. Lizzie sighed and slid her hands into her pockets, neither of them looked in any way intimidated, only irritated.

"Recognise you, you're the Sherlock Holmes man ain't you?" One of them stepped forward, clearly, he was the ring leader.

"Save us from your inevitable stupidity and let us go into the building. You're interrupting police business." Sherlock replied with an air of authority, but the boy wasn't listening to him, he was looking at Lizzie who only glared irritably in return.

"Is this your girlfriend then." They both rolled their eyes in an instinctual response to a comment they were only too used to, the boy took it as a no. "That's good," He grinned at her showing neglected teeth. "Wouldn't mind a bit o' her."

She rolled her eyes once again before kicking his legs out from underneath him. Before he could react she had spun him around as he fell and expertly dislocated his arm. He fell to the floor ungracefully letting out a loud thump as he hit the pavement. "I didn't want to do that." She hissed as he let out a howl.

"You've broken his arm!" One of the spectators shouted as they stood there in a stunned trance.

"Only dislocated it." Replied Sherlock, his level of annoyance becoming ever more apparent. "Now let us through."

Sherlock and Lizzie both gave the group identical glares as the boy cradled his arm.

Not waiting to be told once more, the gang quickly moved out of their way leaving the boy to stumble after them.