Sherlock: Power Plays

Scene 1 - A Night Out

April 2018. We are in the centre of London, and night is dawning. The Thames sways in the twilight hours in the evening, the gungy and maroon stained river leading to a mouth to the East. Above on Westminster Bridge, the traffic rushing from side to side; red double-decker buses with small little taxis slugging along and the other varied design of the car. Pedestrians wander along the streets, admiring the pretty sight of the London Eye as some peer down to the Thames below. Some other busy businessmen or individuals heading forward in their life, and the odd late man in a rush for an appointment or a deadline to catch. The fumes beginning to choke up the air, and pollution beginning to stench the city. A gentleman in his mid-20s, suspiciously hanging around towards the East side of the bridge, on the north side of the A302 road. The man, Timothy Hitching, playing on his phone as he leans on the barrier, seemingly waiting for someone. He too is on a deadline or appointment.

He sees the timer on his phone – 6:30PM. Night is beginning to fall. The tall thin man with handsome features, wrapped up in his black warm coat in the cold night, his breath turning to steam as he exhales. A woman's man, the sort of man who is quite hard to come by. A respectable and honest person with a kind heart and good intentions. A little sweetie. On his phone, he begins texting away to what we assume is his girlfriend – Catherine Lark. His home background is a cute image of the couple. A woman also in her mid-20s yet much smaller and slightly darker than he is. Another sweet yet simple, ground-to-earth person, out for good deeds. The texting is long, even just for that day. Tim seems to be frustrated, huffing and puffing as he makes a phone call to her. Holding his phone in his ear for a moment, as she picks up the call as we hear Catherine's voice.

Catherine:

Timmy?

Tim:

Cathy, what's taking you so long? I've been standing around here for half an hour, and it's blummin' cold.

Catherine:

I know. I know. Ok, I'm sorry. But there's been an accident at Hyde Park, so we've been stuck in traffic! The cabby says that we'll be there in ten minutes.

Tim:

You said that thirty minutes ago. Look, is there much point waiting around? I mean we can arrange another date.

Catherine:

No, no. That's not fair for you if I don't come.

Tim:

Ok. I'll give it another twenty minutes.

Catherine:

Ok Timmy. Love you. Bye.

The call ends, and Tim places his phone back into his pockets. Surveying the area, he decides to wander around heading East of the bridge, to pass the time; admiring the pretty scenery around him with the lights across Central London. He notices along the bottom of the barrier of the bridge some thin little black wires, practically invisible in the dark light. Therefore, he decides to carefully follow it along the bridge to wonder where it leads to. The cables lead further and further along the bridge, then directly down the steps once over. Continuing down, it follows down the side of Westminster's Bridge. Just very next to the leg of the bridge, built on the land, a wooden constructed cavern. Tim sees the wires heading down over there, and then a quiet slam. Someone has jumped down, sealing the wood up – a small little hole which matches the style of the wood – thin tiles that you wouldn't think that a door would be there; rather a secret entrance.

Intrigued by this, Tim jumps down and heads towards it – the entrance, now sealed up. The entrance he can hardly make out, therefore beginning to search through. One thing Tom observes – the cables lead from the steps and into the wall of the bridge. Finally, he finds the entrance. Opening it out, Tom jumps down, and it shuts behind him. The sewers, a filthy and horrid place. Stinking of waste and poop, and rats scurrying around from the paths along the side of the waste. He sees that some of it are heading out towards the sewers from the lad's right. Once more, he grabs out his phone and activates the light switch on his phone and scans the area around him, and once more noticing where the cables lead – deeper into the sewers and tunnel. Now, with the camera app opened, Timothy commences filming, of vital importance for this case.

Timothy:

Strange. Where could...?

Nevertheless, he proceeds forward slowly and carefully, thoroughly catching everything on his phone. As he proceeds down the sewer tunnel, there is a corner he is beginning to approach a corner. However, someone is around it. A black balaclava, his face covered. Black. All black. He is covered from the corner to protect himself from the shadow, and holds a thick metal pipe in his hands, preparing to attack...

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