221B Eiric Pov
Shortly after figuring that out, Sherlock Skyped the train fellow to help us out while we frantically searched through maps and papers on the kitchen table.
"There's nothing down there, Mr Holmes, I told you. No sidings, no ghost stations." Howard told us. Sherlock turns the laptop around so John and I can see the screen.
"There has to be. Check again." Howard leans out of the laptop screen and I look through an old map with John looking over my shoulder.
"Look - this whole area is a big mess of old and new stuff. Charing Cross is made of bits of older stations like Trafalgar Square, Strand. . ." John starts.
"No, it's none of those. We've accounted for those." Sherlock looks closer to the map. "St Margaret's Street, Bridge Street, Sumatra Road, Parliament Street. . ." I tilted my head.
"Sumatra Road?" I questioned out loud to them. Howard suddenly takes the pom pom from his mouth and sits forward.
"Hang on, hang on. I think she's on to something." We all turn to him. "Sumatra Road." He leans offscreen again. "There is something. I knew it rang a bell." he muttered. "Where is it?" He comes back into view. "There was a station down there."
"Why isn't it on the maps then?" I asked him.
"Cause it was closed before it ever opened." He told us.
"What?" John questioned. Howard holds up a book to the camera to show the relevant page.
"They built the platforms, even the staircases, but it all got tied up in legal disputes, so they never built the station on the surface." Grinning, he points to the appropriate spot on the page. Sherlock slowly straightening up while Howard spoke.
"It's right underneath the Palace of Westminster." Sherlock said. I snapped my head up.
"Oh my Merlin!" I exclaimed rushing to put my coat on.
"And so what's down there? A bomb?" John asked but Sherlock and I raced out of the room. "Oh. . ." He quickly hurries after us. We briskly walk along the road near the House of Parliament and head to the stairs leading down into Westminster station. We walk across the concourse, through the ticket barriers and along the corridors. "So it's a bomb, then? A Tube carriage is carrying a bomb."
"Must be." Sherlock answered John.
"Right." Taking off his glove, John gets his phone from his pocket.
"What are you doing?" Sherlock asked him. I turn to look at them both.
"Calling the police." John told him. I slapped my forehead and pulled out my phone too, 'Why hadn't I thought of that? I am part of the police.'
"What? No!" Sherlock exclaimed. I turned to him with a furrow brow.
"Sherlock, this isn't a game. We have to evacuate Parliament." I told him, my phone ringing in my ear.
"They'll get in the way. They always do. This is cleaner, more efficient." He replied while taking my phone and ending the call. He puts it into his pocket.
"Sherlock!" He stops at a locked maintenance entrance and reaches into his coat. He pulls out a crowbar and starts to force the gate open.
"And illegal." John offers as he looks around over his shoulder to make sure no one is watching.
"A bit." The gate opens and the boys go inside. "Come on, Eiric." I hesitate for a moment before quickly following after them. Sherlock pulls the gate closed behind me and we take out flashlights as we walk down into the maintenance tunnels. Sherlock takes the lead with John behind him and in front of me. I watch as John checks his phone while Sherlock raises his head as if sensing what John is doing. "What are you going?" He asked without looking around.
"Coming." John sighed. I give a soft laugh as he puts his phone away. We continued onwards for a pond time, walking along narrow tunnels, walkways, and climbing down steep metal ladders. Finally, we walk onto the platform of Sumatra Road Station. Sherlock shines his torch along the length of the track but there's no sign of a train.
"I don't understand." He said.
"Well, that's a first." John scoffs. I furrow my brow as I look around the tunnel.
"There's nowhere else it could be." I heard Sherlock say. I walk down to the end of the platform and jump off onto the tracks, carefully. I shine my torch down the tunnel. "Eiric!" I turn around to see the boys jumping off the platform as well. I move down the tunnel with them following after me.
"Hang on. Sherlock?" John called out. Sherlock turned back to him.
"What?" He asked.
"That's . . . Isn't it live?" Both Sherlock and I look at the tracks then to John.
"It's perfectly safe as long as we avoid touching the rails." I told him continuing to walk down the tunnel.
"Course, yeah!" I heard John muttered sarcastically. "Avoid the rails. Great!"
"This way." Sherlock tells us.
"You sure?" John asked him.
"Sure." We don't have far to walk before the missing carriage is revealed partway round a gently bend.
"Ah. Look at that." We continued on walking under a large open vent.
"Eiric. John." I paused and look back to Sherlock. He shining his flashlight into the vent. I walk back over and shine mine upwards, revealing several small explosive devices attached to the sides of the went.
"Demolition charges." John whispered. We start walking back to the carriage. John ducks down and shins his light underneath and around the carriage as we approached it while Sherlock looks along the side. I open the door to the driver's cab and climbed in, the boys soon following in after me. We carefully walk through the opposite door into the carriage itself. Slowly, we worked out way along it, looking at every seat, every corner, shining our torches along the ceiling and the floor.
"It's empty. There's nothing." John said once he got to the end of the carriage.
"Isn't there?" Sherlock questioned as he gently lift a cushion, bending low to shin his light underneath. Sherlock lifts his head and looks around the carriage. "This is the bomb."
"What?" John repeated confused. I look around in slight shock and horror. Sherlock stands up and lifts the cushion all the way up. The cavity underneath is full of wired-up explosives.
"It's not carrying explosives. The whole compartment is the bomb." We work along the carriage, lifting other cushions at random, each one has an identical explosive device under it. While John continues lifting seat cushions, Sherlock and I look around the carriage. I take a few steps along the aisle before one of my steps made a hollow sound. I step on it again and it makes the sound again.
"Sherlock." I called to him softly. He turns to me and I point to the floor. "Listen." I lift my foot and step on the spot again causing the noise to sound once again. Sherlock moves over to me while taking his gloves off and bends to the panel. I take a few steps back as his fingers into the gap and lifting it up. Underneath was the 'mother bomb', I take a deep breath at the sight of the behemoth bomb. Sherlock props the panel up against the wall of the train. We all stare at down at the bomb when John looks up at Sherlock.
"We need bomb disposal." He told him.
"There may not be time for that now." Sherlock replied lowly.
"So what do we do?" John asked us both. I just shake my head. I wasn't of any use now, if I tried anything it could set the bomb off prematurely.
"I have no idea." Sherlock said after a brief pause.
"Well, think of something." John said sternly.
"Why d'you think I know what to do?" Sherlock asked him.
"Because you're Sherlock Holmes. You're as clever as it gets." John told him.
"Doesn't mean I know how to defuse a giant bomb. What about you?" Sherlock argued.
"I wasn't in bomb disposal. I'm a bloody doctor." John huffed back. Sherlock angrily points his torch at him.
"And a soldier, as you keep reminding us all." I rolled my eyes at their childish fight.
"Can't we rip the timer off, or something?" John asked us.
"That would set it off." Sherlock told him.
"You see? You know things." Sherlock turns away and I sigh at them both while moving away from the bomb. Suddenly, all the lights come on and the clock on the bomb begins to count down.
"Oh Merlin." I whispered in dread.
"Er. . ." Sherlock stutters out.
"My God!" John begins to breath fast as Sherlock paces away from John and I.
"Er. . ." He repeated.
"Why didn't you call the police?" John asked him.
"Please just. . ." I look over to Sherlock at the sound of his panic tone.
"Why do you never call the police?" John asked, furious now.
"Well, it's no use now." Sherlock bit back waving his hand around the carriage. The clock now read 2:12.
"So you can't switch the bomb off. You can't switch the bomb off and you didn't call the police." John growled out angrily turning away from Sherlock.
"The kids." I gasped out, my eyes going wide. Sherlock spins around to me.
"Eiric, go." He points towards the driver's cab. "Both you and John, go now." I shake my head.
"No, I'm not leaving without you, Sherlock." He stares at me in shock. "It wouldn't matter anyway. There's not enough time to get to a safe distance to use magic. It could cause the bombs to go off and kill everyone like planned."
"Mind Palace." Sherlock and I turn to look at John.
"Hmmm?" Sherlock raised an eyebrow at him.
"Use your Mind Palace." John repeated.
"How will that help?" Sherlock asked him.
"You've salted away every fact under the sun!" John stated. I tilted my head, it could work.
"Oh, and you think I've just got "How To Defuse A Bomb" tucked away in there somewhere?" Both John and I nodded.
"Yes!" He stressed. Sherlock thinks about it for a second.
"Maybe." He brings his fingers up to the sides of his face and screws his eyes hut.
"Think." John said intensely. Sherlock lifts his head a little, still concentrating. "Think. Please think." I placed a hand on John's shoulder while Sherlock groans.
"Badgering him to think, isn't going to help John." I told him softly. Sherlocks's hands come away from his face and flails, his eyes remain closed and he continues to make groaning noises. The noises continue to get louder until Sherlock lets out a cry and opens his eyes. He breathes heavily for a moment as he lowers his hands and looks at John and I with a blank but apologetic look on his face. I stare at him in disbelief.
"No." My voice is hoarse at I slowly sit down on the bomb covered seats. "Merlin no." I cover my face with my hands. John was softly muttering while Sherlock flails over the bomb making incoherent noises. I slowly lift my head from my hands and turn to look at John. His back was turned away. "You left." Both John and Sherlock looked at me but my sight was locked on John. "You left us." I stood up and stalked over to him. "You left me alone with an infant and a scared little boy."
"You had Mrs. Hudson, Eiric and your family." He replied back. I shook my head furiously.
"I needed you, John! And you abandon us!" I yelled. "You left while I was still in the hospital." John looked away in shame. "I thought you'd come back after awhile but you never did. Then I introduced you to Mary and she made you so happy." Tears begin to pool in my eyes. "Everywhere I looked everyone had someone to love but I didn't because the man I loved was gone."
"Eiric, I'm so sorry." John whispered out.
"You left an mourning addicted on her own with two kids." It was my turn to look away from them. "I tried everything, John. I asked Lestrade for my job back and took case after case but it didn't help." I looked back to him, a tear rolling down my cheek.
"You got hooked again." He said. His face contorted in sorrow.
"A little over a year after Sherlock passed away." I told him. I shrugged while wiping at my face. "Greg and Andy have been helping me now. I got clean and didn't touch the stuff until he came back from the dead." I nodded over to the silent man staring at us. "I know you lost your best friend that day, John but I lost more but I gained some too."
"Eiric. . ." He trailed off. I gave him small smile.
"I know, John. Your forgiven and I'm sorry too." He returns the smile and we turn to Sherlock.
"I'm sorry." He said softly.
"What?" John and I asked in unison.
"I can't . . . I can't do it. I don't know how." His voice is soft as his eyes start to fill with tears. Sherlock straightens up on his knees. "Forgive me?"
"What?" We both said tightly and furiously.
"Please, John . . . Eiric, forgive me . . . for all the hurt that I caused you both." Sherlock brings his hands up into a praying position. I raised an eyebrow at him, this so wasn't like him.
"No, no, no, no, no, no. This is a trick." John waved a finger at him.
"No." Sherlock shook his head.
"Another one of your bloody tricks." John repeated.
"No." Sherlock looked towards me. I crossed my arms and looked away.
"You're just trying to make me say something nice." Both Sherlock and I chuckle briefly.
"Not this time." I looked back at Sherlock. He stands up and moves away from the bomb coming to stand in front of me. I bite my lip as I hold my tears back.
"I wanted you not to be dead." I choked out. Sherlock looked at me softly while slowly bringing a hand up to my face and cupping my cheek.
"Be careful what you wish for." He whispered while swiping the few tears that leaked out away with his thumb. I just sighed. "If I hadn't come back, you wouldn't be standing here and . . ." I shut my eyes in despair. ". . . you'd still have a future . . . with the kids." I sucked in a big breath.
"I know but at least Korra got to meet you and Teddy got to see you again." I told him then opened my eyes. "And I got you back, even if it was for a short time." My voice is tight as we stare into each other's eyes. "I've been finding this difficult lately, this sort of stuff."
"I know." He places his forehead against mine.
"Of course you do." I gave a watery chuckle. "I am so honored to have been the mother of your child and the holder of your heart, Sherlock Holmes." Sherlock looks at me with wide eyes and tear-filled. "I forgive you." I wrap my arms around his waist and hold onto him tight while squeezing my eyes shut as we brace for death.