Failing Upward

Chapter 34: Community of Fools

I woke hearing a loud bang downstairs. Glenda shouting. Glass breaking. So much for planning a meeting in a neutral place. We both bolted out of bed, grabbing our clothes off the floor and throwing them on. I ran out the bedroom door with my shirt half on and Sherlock right behind me. We raced down the stairs.

This was our home invaded. Our sanctuary defiled. People we loved threatened. Of course we ran toward the action.

At the bottom of the stairs, the warning came too late. My uncle yelling, "Run!" and Sherlock pulling me back as I felt a sharp pinch in my chest. I stared down at the red end of the tranquilizer dart. I yanked it out as I dropped to the floor. The last thing I remembered was Mycroft's face in mine.

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I woke in a corner of an empty room. This was not the same place the Community had taken me before. Everything is shiny. Shiny white and cold. Cold white walls, white ceiling, white door. The floor tiles were just as white and just as cold. My head pounded, making my vision hypersensitive. I had my clothes on at least, and Sherlock was there in the room with me, still unconscious in the other corner.

I crawled across the room towards him and watched as tiny white camcorder mounted in another corner of the room followed my movement. Before I could even reach Sherlock, the door opened. Sherlock's eyes popped open and watched as two figures came through. Without a touch, I knew their dispositions. Greed, need, malice. No ounce of empathy. They wanted power.

And I saw how they intended to get it. Sherlock . It took me two tries to get to my feet to get to him. But when I did, I knew the uselessness of our situation. Turning to the tallest one, I said, "Just leave him alone. I'll go with you."

Sherlock pulled himself upright and rested his back against the wall. "John, no."

A third man stepped into the room. "Good to see you again, little brother."

Sherlock nodded back, his eyes narrowed. "Added a few pounds since I saw you last."

The other two goons got on either side of me, grabbing me by the arms and led me out the door with Sherlock cursing his brother.

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At least they let me sit in a chair, even though it was hard and rigid and it farted when I sat down. Sherlock's crazy brother. Here. And he wanted to talk . Well, okay, I thought, I'll talk. The trick was to tell him enough to make him happy but not enough to do any damage. While Mycroft might be a tad insane, he was also as smart as Sherlock.

They asked me simple questions. What's my favorite color? What did I do on my eighteenth birthday? Probably baseline data of some sort, fishing to find out which John occupied the seat in front of them. Although asking me when I lost my virginity was going too far, I answered. Mycroft's eyes drilled into me from over his laptop as he entered the data.

How much would it hurt if I did reveal I was another version? It occurred to me the truth might literally set us free.

"Enough of the idiotic questions. I am capable of some extrasensory marvels, but I'm not the same John who was here a few days ago."

"How does the time you came from differ?"

"For one thing, you're not such a bad guy in the other time. I hear you're rather unbalanced in this one."

Mycroft sighed dramatically. "Mr. Watson, just do something any omnipotent being should be able to do. Move the lamp. Turn this water into wine. Blot out the sun."

"Right. How about I make the a huge crack in the earth so all of you can fall into the abyss?" I probably shouldn't have said that. Mycroft's two minions looked terrified. "I'm kidding. I can't do that. I could do the lamp thing. Maybe the water into wine. Blotting out the sun? Not happening. At least not today."