Governor's office...
Mycroft is sitting in a chair behind a desk. John stands to the left of the chair and the governor is standing at the other side of the desk. Behind the chair is a glass wall leading to a small balcony which looks out over part of the island. All three men have turned to watch the footage on the screen attached to a wall at the side of the room.
Cell...
Eurus continues to play. Sherlock takes one step forward with Jared and immediately Eurus starts to play a frenetic and rapid string of notes. Sherlock lifts his foot from the floor and moves it back and Eurus resumes her previous tune.
Governor's office...
The men watch the earlier recording.
"Am I being punished?" Eurus asked.
"You've been bad." Mycroft said, faintly.
"There's no such thing as 'bad.'" Eurus said, almost sing-song.
"What about good?" A man asked.
"Good and bad are fairytales. We have evolved to attach an emotional significance to what is nothing more than the survival strategy of the pack animal. We are conditioned to invest divinity in utility. Good isn't really good, evil isn't really wrong, and bottoms aren't really pretty. You are a prisoner of your own meat." Eurus said.
"Why aren't you?"
"I'm too clever. " Eurus said, raising her head and looking directly into the camera as she speaks the words slowly and clearly.
Cell...
Still with her back to the glass, Eurus finishes her tune and lowers her bow but doesn't turn around. When she speaks, her voice comes through speakers.
"Did you bring it?" Eurus asked.
"I'm sorry?" Sherlock asked.
"My hairband. Did you bring it like I asked?"
"I'm not one of the ... I-I don't work here." Sherlock said, hesitantly.
"My special hairband."
"I'm not one of your doctors." Sherlock said, more firmly.
"The one I made you steal, from Mummy." Eurus said, sounding exasperated before turning to face Sherlock. "It was the last thing I said to you, remember, the day they took me away."
"No." Sherlock said, shaking his head slightly.
"No?"
"No, we've spoken since then. You came round to my flat a few weeks back; you pretended to be a woman called Faith Smith. We had chips."
"Does this mean you didn't bring my hairband?" Eurus asked.
"How did you manage to get out of this place? How did you do that?" Sherlock asked.
"Easy. Look at me." Eurus said, smirking.
"I am looking at you."
"You can't see it, can you? You try and try but you just can't see; you can't look."
"Don't you dare quote the Doctor to me!" Jared said, squeezing Sherlock's hand.
"Hit a nerve, didn't I?" Eurus asked, looking at Jared. "But Sherlock, don't you see it?"
"See what?" Sherlock asked.
Eurus holds out the violin towards Sherlock, "What do you think?"
"Beautiful." Sherlock said, and Jared is looking down at the floor.
"You and Jared are not looking at it." Eurus said, frowning.
Sherlock swallows and closes his eyes briefly, "I meant your playing."
"Oh, the music." Eurus said, lowering the violin and turns it round to look at the front. "I never know if it's beautiful or not; only if it's right."
"Well, they're usually the same thing. A friend of mine, Sayaka Miki. She was in love with a violinist at one point in time." Jared said, letting out a sigh. "I should see her and Kyoko again at some point."
"If they're not always the same thing, what's the point in beauty?" Eurus asked, looking up at Jared before turning the instrument to face him and Sherlock. "Sherlock, Jared, Look at the violin."
"I need to know how you escaped." Sherlock said.
"Look at the violin." Eurus said, firmly.
"It's a Stradivarius." Jared said, looking at the violin. "Sayaka told me about it at one point."
"It's a gift." Eurus said, happily.
"Who's it from? That violin."
"Me." Eurus said, walking to her right, where a hatch is set into the wall and floor at the edge of the glass.
Eurus puts the violin and bow into it and the opening revolves round to Sherlock and Jared's side of the glass.
Eurus walks back into the middle of the room while Sherlock lets go of Jared's hand and goes over to pick up the violin and bow. He walks back to the middle of the floor, looking down at the Strad.
"Why?" Sherlock asked.
"Sherlock, you play, don't you? And you let Jared listen because he's like his friend called Sayaka Miki, he likes classical music." Eurus said, half turned away from Sherlock.
"How did you know?" Sherlock asked.
Eurus turns her head towards Sherlock, "How did I know? I taught you how to play, don't you remember? How can you not remember that?"
"Eurus, I don't remember you at all." Sherlock said, sadly.
"Interesting. Mycroft told me you'd rewritten your memories; he didn't tell me you'd written me out completely." Eurus said, smiling slightly.
"What do you mean, 'rewritten'?" Sherlock asked, and Eurus looks at him intensely.
"Sherlock, you still don't know about Redbeard, do you? Jared knows about Redbeard." Eurus said, while Sherlock looks at her grimly. "Oh. This is going to be such a good day."
Governor's office...
Mycroft has slumped back in the chair and is no longer looking at the screen as the recording playback continues. John, on the other hand, has walked closer to the screen and is watching intensely.
"She smiles at you when you come home." Eurus said, on the screen, still staring into the camera, before nodding sharply. "Like a reflex."
"Everyone we sent in there; it-it's hard to describe." The governor said, as John turns as the governor continues. "It's ... it's like she ..."
"... recruited them." Mycroft said.
"Smiling is advertising." Eurus said, on the screen, nodding on the last word.
"Enslaved them." The governor said.
"She's been capable of that since she was five." Mycroft said.
"Smiling is happiness." Eurus said, when John turns to the screen again.
"She's an adult now. I warned you; I ordered you."
The governor sighs and smiles a little, "She's clinically unique. We had to try."
John looks at the governor for a moment then turns back to the screen.
"At what cost?" Mycroft asked.
"Happiness is a pop song. Sadness is a poem." Eurus said, on the screen.
"What cost?" Mycroft asked, looking looking towards the screen, speaking more softly, before turning back to the governor. "Tell me the worst thing that has happened."
"She kept suggesting to Doctor Taylor that he should kill his family." The governor said, as Eurus' voice continues to be heard quietly in the background.
"And?" Mycroft asked.
"He said it was like an earworm; couldn't get her out of his head."
"And?"
"He left."
"And?"
"Killed himself."
"And?" Mycroft asked, after a brief pause.
"... his family." The governor said, and John had been watching the governor but now turns to the screen again.
"Are you going to cry?" Eurus asked, nearby.
Mycroft turns his head to the screen, where Eurus has turned her head a little but still has her eyes fixed on the camera.
Eurus straightens her head again, "It's okay if you cry."
"I don't need to cry." The man said.
"I can help you cry."
Cell...
"Play for me." Eurus said.
"I need to know how you got out of here." Sherlock said.
"You know already. And Jared knows already. Look at me. Look and play." Eurus said, exasperated.
Keeping his eyes on hers, Sherlock lifts the violin and starts to play Bach's Sonata No. 1 in G minor, the same tune he played in 'Reichenbach' when Moriarty came to his flat after his trial fell apart.
"Ooo. Bach. Sonata No. 1. What was it in again? G minor." Jared said, while Sherlock has only played about a second's worth of the music when Eurus interrupts. "Love Bach."
"No, not Bach; you clearly don't understand it. Don't play whatever Jared likes. Sherlock, play you." Eurus said, sternly.
"Me?" Sherlock asked.
"You." Eurus said, as Sherlock hesitates for a long moment before lifting the bow and begins to play Irene's lament.
"Irene's lament." Jared said, when Sherlock has only played two notes before Eurus speaks again. "God, I love this song too."
"Oh! Jared, you mentioned a girl's name. Sherlock? Have you had sex?" Eurus asked.
"Why do you ask?" Sherlock asked, continuing to play the tune.
"The music. I've had sex." Eurus said, happily.
"How?"
"One of the nurses got careless. I liked it. Messy, though. People are so breakable."
"More breakable than me?" Jared asked, looking at Eurus.
"Ever since you went to Trenzalore. You're less breakable now, Jared." Eurus said, frowning.
"I take it he didn't consent." Sherlock said, still playing on the violin.
"He?" Eurus asked.
"She?"
"Afraid I didn't notice in the heat of the moment and afterwards ... well, you couldn't really tell. Is that vibrato or is your hand shaking?"
Sherlock finishes the long note he's playing, then stops and lowers the violin and bow. Eurus lifts one side of her mouth in a smile.
Governor's office...
Mycroft has stood up and is leaning on the desk with both hands. John, his arms folded, has turned to look at the governor who has sat down at the other side. The footage of Eurus continues to play on the wallscreen.
"I warned you explicitly: no-one was to talk to her alone." Mycroft said, angrily to the governor.
"You spoke to her." The governor said.
"I know what I'm doing!" Mycroft said, sternly.
"You even brought her a visitor on Christmas Day."
John frowns.
"I took a calculated risk." Mycroft said, quieter.
"You gave her a Christmas present. Remember her Christmas present?" The governor asked.
"I am aware of the dangers Eurus poses, and equipped to deal with them." Mycroft said, firmly.
"What dangers?" John asked.
"Eurus doesn't just talk to people. She ... reprograms them." Mycroft said, straightening up, and John turns back to look at the screen. "Anyone who spends time with her is automatically compromised."
"I'm only trying to help you. We can help each other." Eurus said, from the wallscreen. "Helping someone ..." She nods. "... is the best way you can help yourself."
"I don't trust you." The man said.
Cell...
"So clearly you remember me." Sherlock said.
"I remember everything; every single thing. You just need a big enough hard drive." Eurus said, starting to walk slowly forward.
"Sherlock. Jared." John said, his voice in Sherlock's earpiece and Jared's Augma.
"Not now." Sherlock said, quietly.
"We're busy." Jared said, sadly.
"Vatican Cameos." John said, his voice coming out of Sherlock's earpiece and Jared's Augma.
"In a minute." Sherlock said, taking out the earpiece.
Governor's office...
John takes his finger away from his own earpiece and closes his eyes.
Cell...
Sherlock puts the earpiece into his trouser pocket.
"Let's continue." Eurus said, stopping a few steps back from the glass wall and looks at the warning stencilled on the glass. "Did they tell you to keep three feet from the glass?"
"Yes." Sherlock said.
"Be naughty. Step closer."
"Why?"
"Do it. Step closer."
"Jared, should I do it?" Sherlock asked, looking at Jared.
"Yeah. You should." Jared said, sadly.
"Alright." Sherlock said, looking away from Jared and back to Eurus. "Tell me what you remember."
"You, me, and Mycroft." Eurus said, sighing a little. "Mycroft was quite clever. He could understand things if you went a bit slow but you ... you were my favourite."
Sherlock takes one small step forward then brings his feet together again, "Why was I your favourite?"
Eurus also takes one step forward.
"'Cause I could make you laugh. I loved it when you laughed. Once I made you laugh all night. I thought you were going to burst." Eurus said, while Sherlock smiles very slightly. "I was so happy." Sherlock takes another step forward. "Then Mummy and Daddy had to stop me, of course."
"Why?" Sherlock asked.
"Well, turns out I got it wrong. Apparently, you were screaming." Eurus said, as she took another step forward.
"Why was I screaming?" Sherlock asked, and inside his head, he hears a distant whimpering.
Sherlock's gaze lowers.
"Redbeard. " Sherlock said, in a whisper.
Eurus' head lifts slightly.
Sherlock raises his eyes again, "I remember Redbeard."
"Do you, now?" Eurus asked, softly, stepping forward.
"Tell me what I don't know." Sherlock said, also stepping forward.
Eurus stares up at Sherlock, her gaze intense, "Touch the glass."
Sherlock frowns at Eurus.
Governor's office...
Mycroft is angrily pacing back and forth behind the table, his hands in his pockets.
"I put my trust in you, my implicit trust." Mycroft said, and John has apparently temporarily had enough and goes out of the glass door onto the balcony. "As governor of this institute ..."
Mycroft's voice is cut off as John closes the door and walks to the edge of the balcony and looks over to the sea crashing against the rocks below. He raises his head and his eyes widen and he looks around as if he is starting to realise something. The storm front is getting closer to the island, lightning still flashing in the clouds. John blows out a breath and turns around, going back into the room where Mycroft is still pacing.
"It's obvious when it all started. Well, she was never the same after that Christmas. It's as if you woke her up." The governor said.
"That is entirely beside the point! You had your orders and failed to act on them."
"Listen to the tape." John said, walking closer to Mycroft.
"Sorry?" Mycroft asked.
"Do it now. Listen."
"My sister's methods of ..."
"Just listen." John said, firmly.
"You have no idea how I could help." Eurus said, nearby.
Looking exasperated, Mycroft walks to the desk and picks up a remote control.
"Bring me your wife. I want to meet her." Eurus said, nearby.
Mycroft turns to the screen and increases the volume.
"I don't need your help." The man said, nearby.
Cell...
Sherlock and Eurus are now only one step away from the glass wall between them as Jared is still standing away from the sister of the consulting detective.
"Redbeard was my dog. I know what happened to Redbeard." Sherlock said, sadly.
"Oh, Sherlock, you know nothing. Jared won't tell you anything because of spoilers." Eurus said, in a condescending tone. "Touch the glass, and I'll tell you the truth." She starts to lift her left arm. "I'll touch it too, if you're scared."
Governor's office...
On the screen, Eurus stares into the camera.
"I can fix her for you, and then I'll give you her straight back, good as new." Eurus said, while the footage fritzes momentarily. "I promise."
"That's all? What you're proposing is not ... it's not right." The man said, nearby.
Now that the volume has been turned up, the man's voice is clearer.
John turns to look at the governor, "Everyone who went in there got affected – 'enslaved', you said."
"Yes." The governor said, shifting uncomfortably in his chair, looking towards the screen.
"One after the other." John said.
"Yes."
"Doctor Watson, I think we've ..." Mycroft said, frowning.
"Shut up." John said, interrupting Mycroft.
"Do you trust your wife?" Eurus asked, from the wallscreen.
"One question." John said, turning to the governor and pointing to the screen. "That's your voice, isn't it?"
The governor had turned to look at John but now his eyes go to the screen again.
"Do you really? Do you trust her?" Eurus asked, looking into the camera.
"You've got to stop saying these things." The governor said, his voice from the screen.
"If Eurus has enslaved you, then who exactly is in charge of this prison?" John asked.
Mycroft stares towards the screen in shock.
"It's completely inappropriate." The governor said, his voice from the screen.
The governor quickly stands up and reaches into his inside breast pocket.
"I'm sorry." The governor said, upset, holding up a remote device in his hand.
"No." John said.
"Very, very sorry." The governor said, upset.
"No."
The governor presses a button on the remote. Immediately, the siren starts to sound and armed guards run into the room, aiming their guns at Mycroft and John, who raise their hands. The governor looks more composed as he buttons his jacket.
Cell...
Sherlock looks towards Eurus' raised left hand, the fingers curled slightly.
"Sherlock, you think it's a trick. You look so ... unsure. You're not used to being unsure, are you?" Eurus asked, softly.
"It's more common than you'd think." Sherlock said.
"Look at you." Eurus said, softly, when Sherlock slowly raises his right hand to match hers, before the consultant detective heard his sister spoke softly again. "The man who sees through everything ... is exactly the man who doesn't notice ..."
Straightening their fingers, Sherlock and Eurus slowly move their hands towards each other. At the moment when their hands should touch the glass, Eurus reaches forward a little further and their fingertips touch, then she links her fingers into Sherlock's. She gasps in mock-surprise.
"... when there's nothing to see through." Eurus said, softly, while Sherlock breathes shakily and raises his eyes to hers and his sister smiles. "Do you see how it was done? I know you like explanations."
Sherlock blinks rapidly and looks towards their linked hands, then he focuses down to the warnings which he had always assumed were on the glass and sees that the signs are attached and projecting sideways from the uprights that should be holding the glass. At the top of each upright is a smaller sign, similarly attached and projecting sideways, reading ELEPHANT GLASS and underneath that in smaller letters, SHOCK PROOF. The open end of the sign is shaped into an elephant.
"Signs. You suspended the signs." Sherlock said, breathlessly.
"And my voice? Throat mic. Puts me through the speakers." Eurus said, as there's a click and now her voice is clear. Presumably someone outside has been listening and has turned off the microphone for her. "Don't you think it's clever? Simple but clever?"
"Transparent." Sherlock said, shakily.
"Well, you do keep asking me how I got out of here." Eurus said, unfolding her fingers and slowly pulls her hand away, before speaking softly. "Like this."
She stands and looks at Sherlock for a moment, then quickly sucks in a harsh breath and brings up both arms to slam her wrists against either side of his head. Sherlock falls backwards to the floor and Eurus hurls herself on top of him, shrieking savagely into his face as she presses her right arm down onto his throat. As Sherlock struggles under Eurus, she screams out loudly.
"Get in here, all of you! Stop me killing him!" Eurus yelled.
"Sherlock!" Jared said, running towards Sherlock, as the lift door opens and two guards, who presumably have been waiting in there since after Sherlock's arrival and Jared's arrival, run towards Eurus. "Are you okay?"
"I'm alright." Sherlock said, and Eurus is holding his arms down with her left hand and right foot.
Eurus raises her head to Jared and the guards and speaks calmly while Sherlock chokes under her, "No, no. Stop me in a minute."
Lowering her head to her brother, Eurus pulls in a breath and then screams into Sherlock's face as she continues to strangle him.
Outside the governor's office...
Two yellow jumpsuited auxiliaries are marching John away, holding his arms. John kicks out at the ankle of the man to his right and as he cries out in pain and lets go of his arm, John turns to the other man and headbutts him. While Mycroft starts to struggle against his own captors, John races for the nearby stairs up to the glass Control Room. A male American-accented voice calls loudly from the speaker system. It sounds more than a little familiar.
"Red alert! Red alert! Big bad bouncy red alert!" A voice said, angrily.
"Doctor Watson!" The governor said, calling up the stairs.
"Klingons attacking lower decks! Also, cowboys in black hats, and Darth Vader!" The voice said, over the speakers.
While John continues rapidly up the stairs, Mycroft stops struggling and stares up at the nearest speaker as it becomes obvious who the voice belongs to. It's the voice of James Moriarty.
"Don't be alarmed! I'm here now! I'm here now!" Jim said, his voice over the speakers, still in the American accent.
John slows down on the landing outside the glass room and points warningly to someone in front of him.
"Did you miss me? Did you miss me?" Jim asked, his voice over the speakers.
Glass room...
While the technician slowly backs away from John, the screens are showing a heavy flow of water pouring down them but then they clear to each reveal Jim staring into the camera.
"Miss me? Miss me? Miss me? Miss me? Miss me? Miss me?" Jim asked, as John stops and stares at the screens in disbelief, behind him lift doors open and two guards quietly hurry out.
While Jim continues to repeat his refrain, one of them turns his rifle sideways and strikes John firmly in the back of the head with the butt. John's eyes glaze and he falls, Jim's repeated 'Miss me?' chant echoing as he goes.
Sherrinford...
The instrumental opening to Queen's song 'I Want To Break Free' plays as a helicopter flies towards the island and swoops up over the cliffs and the top of the building to the other side. In his office, the governor stands near his desk and watches out of the window while the chopper heads out over the sea and then turns back towards the island again.
Not long afterwards, as the lyrics to the song begin, the helicopter has landed on the beach. Jim Moriarty, suited and booted, wearing sunglasses and with his hair slicked back, climbs out of the back door with white earbuds in his ears. He stands on the side runners for a moment, looking towards the cliffs, then steps down onto the sand and takes a couple of steps forward before whirling his arms and rolling his hips and then spreading his arms wide either side of him with his head thrown back. Either on the soundtrack or in his own imagination, a large crowd roars its approval and applauds. He lowers one arm and raises the other to the skies, looking upwards while two black-suited goons wearing earpieces walk to stand either side of him. Jim lowers his arm and jumps round to face the helicopter before raising his arm and head skywards again. Again the invisible crowd roars and whistles approvingly. He changes arms, pointing the other one upwards, then lowers it and turns around again, standing there for a moment before raising his hands and pulling the earbuds from his ears. The music stops and the helicopter's rotors can be heard whirling behind him. Several yards in front of him stand the governor and three armed beanie-hatted guards. Jim tucks his earphones into his inside jacket pocket and then strolls forwards, his goons following. He stops a few feet away from the governor; his bodyguards halt one pace in front of him with their shoulders slightly overlapping his.
"Mr Moriarty." The governor said.
"Big G." Jim said, holding up his right hand with the index and little finger raised and as he lowers his hand again, the governor frowns. "'Big G'.' Means 'governor'. Street speak. I'm a bit down with the kids, you know? I'm relatable that way. D'you like my boys?" He points towards the man standing to his left and steps behind him. "This one's got more stamina, but he's less caring in the afterglow."
Jim pulls his sunglasses a little way down his nose with one hand and looks over the top of them at the back of the man's head. The man doesn't react.
"This way, please." The governor said, turning and and walks away.
Shortly afterwards, the doors to a lift open. The governor steps out from one side of the cabin. The bodyguard who Jim just talked about is standing at the other side and the other bodyguard is in the centre but now steps aside to allow Jim – who had been standing behind him – to exit the lift. Jim slowly strolls out followed by his boys and the governor leads them all away. They're on the same walkway where John was taken down. The governor reaches the staircase at the side of the glass Control Room and turns towards it but Jim slows down and stops facing a narrower corridor which leads straight on. A white-shirted guard holding a rifle stands at the side of the entrance. Jim gestures around the place.
"Smell all that insane criminality." Jim said, starting to walk towards the corridor but the guard holds out a hand in front of him and presses it against his chest.
Stopping again, Jim doesn't react to the guard but leans into the hand, bending his head further into the corridor and breathing in.
"Do you have cannibals here?" Jim asked.
"Yes." The governor said.
"How many?" Jim asked.
"Three."
"That's good. People leave their bodies to science; I think cannibals would be so much more grateful." Jim said, nodding, raising his head a little and whistles in a beckoning sort of way.
In the distance, a few voices yell or scream in response. Jim smiles.
"Ah." Jim said, quietly, in satisfaction.
Chuckling quietly, Jim turns to follow the governor down the stairs, throwing a brief look to the guard as he lowers his hand. They walk downstairs towards the office. Mycroft is waiting inside at the far side of the room looking out of the window with his hands behind his back. Jim strolls into the room through the door which the governor has held open for him. The governor then walks away and Jim's goons stop outside. Jim takes off his sunshades and tilts his head to one side.
Mycroft turns around to face him and knowing it was 'Christmas Day' appear. Mycroft's hair appears darker and a little thicker than usual and this is explained moments later when, as the camera angle switches to look at Jim, with it being 'Five years ago'. Jim looks at Mycroft, who breathes out a long breath through his nose.
At the side of the room, a nativity scene has been set up on a table.
"Ahh." Jim said, reaching out and picks up the baby Jesus lying in a manger. "Isn't that sweet?"
Mycroft has sat down in the chair behind the desk and tilts his head to the chair on the other side, "Won't you sit down?"
"I wrote my own version of the nativity when I was a child." Jim said, looking down at the figure he is holding before looking up to Mycroft. "'The Hungry Donkey'. It was a bit gory but, if you're gonna put a baby in a manger, you're asking for trouble."
Without looking, Jim holds out his hand and drops the figure back onto the table.
"You know what this place is, of course?" Mycroft asked.
"Of course." Jim said, quietly, before fiddling with some of the animals on the table as he speaks. "So am I under arrest again?"
"You remain a person of interest, but until you commit a verifiable crime you are – I regret – at liberty." Mycroft said.
Jim has moved the donkey, a cow and two sheep on the table so that they now closely surround the baby in the manger, "Then why am I here?"
"You're a Christmas present."
"Ah." Jim said, walking across the room to Mycroft's side of the table and holds out his arms as he walks past him. "How'd you want me?"
"There is, in this facility, a prisoner whose intellectual abilities are of occasional use to the British government." Mycroft said, turning in his chair as Jim walks behind him.
"What, for, like, really difficult sums, long division, that sort of thing?" Jim asked, stopping and looking out of the window.
"She predicted the exact dates of the last three terrorist attacks on the British mainland after an hour on Twitter. That sort of thing. In return, however, she requires treats. Last year it was a violin."
"This year?"
"Five minutes' unsupervised conversation ... with you."
Jim blinks and turns his head a little."
"Me?!" Jim exclaimed, smiling, he turns towards Mycroft and blinks mock-bashfully before lifting one hand to his chest, pretending to look amazed. "With me?!"
"She has noted your interest in the activities of my little brother." Mycroft said, sadly.
"So ..." Jim said, walking slowly towards the other side of the table. "...what's she got to do ... with Sherlock Holmes?" He puts his hands on the table opposite Mycroft. "Whatever you're about to tell me ..." Jim slowly sits down and Mycroft looks rather tired and defeated, before the consultant criminal looks at the government official with fascinated excitement) "... I already know it's gonna be ..." He opens his mouth wide and props his left elbow on the table, resting his head on his hand. "... awesome!"
Cell...
The lift door to Eurus' cell slides open. Eurus is kneeling in the middle of the floor facing the glass. The lights above her head are green. She lifts her head and slowly stands up as Jim walks forward and after a couple of paces the lights turn white. They walk towards each other. In the governor's office, Mycroft watches the footage grimly. The other two stop a couple of paces either side of the glass and Jim holds his hands out to either side, shrugging.
"I'm your Christmas present." Jim said, strolling forward again, Eurus also approaching the glass from her side.
They stop again, Jim looking down at Eurus appraisingly.
"So what's mine?" Jim asked, in a whisper.
Eurus' eyes turn towards the camera on the wall outside the cell. She focuses in on the red light showing that the camera is active.
Governor's office...
Mycroft watches as the footage is replaced by an image of a heavy flow of water pouring down the screens.
Cell...
Eurus looks at Jim.
"Redbeard." Eurus said, speaking softly.
Jim frowns a little. Staring intently at him, Eurus steps even closer to the glass. Now smiling, Jim does likewise. With their noses almost touching the glass opposite each other, they start to sway slowly from side to side and they match each other's head movements, practically making love through the glass.
(Jared's POV)
John's eyes open and he blinks several times, then grimaces and makes a pained noise. Lifting his head from the bed he's lying on, he puts his hand to the back of his head. Nearby, Mycroft is leaning back against a grey-panelled wall, the top button of his shirt undone above his slightly loosened tie. Sherlock is pacing but now turns to face John. I clutched the side of my sling bag, knowing it's going to be a long adventure from this point forward.
"How are you?" Sherlock asked, as he starts to pace again as John takes his hand from his head.
"Bit of a lump." John said.
"True dat, but you have your uses."
"I just want this adventure to end." I said, seeing the entire room, knowing we're in an identical cell to the one which Eurus was in.
Presumably it's not the same one because this time there's really glass in the front wall. The large light in the ceiling is white, not green. On the left of the room, about halfway back, the governor is sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. Mycroft is at the right-hand side. As Sherlock continues to pace back and forth in front of the glass, John sits up on the side of the bed.
"Sherlock? Did you see your sister with Jared?" John asked.
"Yes." Sherlock said.
"How was that?" John asked, putting his hand to the back of his head again.
Sherlock pulls in a long breath before replying, "Family's always difficult."
"Unless it's Team RWBY or the Ponds." I said, happily. "It's been ages since I saw Amy and Rory. I should see them again at some point."
"Not the time to think about the rest of your family." Mycroft said, exasperated. "Is this an occasion for banter?"
"Mm, case in point." Sherlock said, gesturing towards his brother.
The sound of a phone ringing out can be heard.
John stands up, "Are we phoning someone?"
"Apparently we are." I said, letting out a sigh. "This is the part I haven't been looking forward to at all."
"And why aren't you?" John asked, looking across the room to the governor. "What's he doing here?"
"As he is told." Sherlock said, stopping and turns to John and I. "Eurus is in control."
The phone connects and a young girl's distressed voice can be heard over the speakers.
"Help me. Please, I'm on a plane and everyone's asleep." The girl said, anxiously, tearfully. I closed my eyes to think about the young girl standing in the middle of the aeroplane's aisle not far from the flight deck door, holding the phone to her ear. "Help me!"
The lights in the cell go red and Jim's voice can be heard over the speakers.
"Hello. My name's Jim Moriarty." Jim said, his voice coming out of the speakers, causing Mycroft to sigh heavily. "Welcome ... to the final problem."
Still holding the back of his head, John looks across to Sherlock and I clutched the strap of my sling bag out of fear. The lights turn white again.
"It's okay. He's dead." Sherlock said, looking between John and I.
"He doesn't sound dead." John said, frowning.
"He really doesn't. He sounds so alive." I said, when the lights turn red. "I've been dreading this for years."
"This is a recorded announcement." Jim said, his voice coming out of the speakers.
On the plane, the tearful girl can also hear his voice.
"Please say hullo to some very old friends of mine." Jim said, his voice coming out of the speakers.
"Hello? I can hear you talking. Please help me! I'm on a plane and it's going to crash!" The girl said, worried.
The lights in the cell turn white.
"What is this? We can't do this!" Mycroft said, irritated.
"Do shut up, dear." Sherlock said, glancing towards Mycroft.
"Is someone there?" The girl asked, over the speakers.
"Is this supposed to be a game?" Mycroft asked.
"Be quiet." Sherlock said, looking at Mycroft again.
"Please help me!" The girl said, over the speakers.
"Oh, hello. Um, try-try to stay calm. Just te-tell me what your name is." Sherlock said, lifting his head.
"I'm not supposed to tell my name to strangers."
"Of course not. Very good. But, um, I'll tell you mine. My name is ..." Sherlock said, while there's a click and then static from the speakers. "Hello?"
On a large TV screen, the image of pouring water briefly appears and then resolves to live footage of Eurus smiling into the camera.
"Oh dear. We seem to have lost the connection." Eurus said, happily.
Everyone, including me, turns towards the sound. The screen is on a stand in front of the lift on the other side of the glass.
Mycroft walks towards the glass, "How have you done this? How is any of this possible?"
"You put me in here, Mycroft. You brought me my treats." Eurus said, no longer smiling.
"What treats?" John asked, walking closer to Mycroft.
Mycroft turns his head towards him and presses his lips together a little. Sherlock frowns, then looks round at his brother, who turns and returns his gaze.
Sitting in the chair behind the desk in the governor's office, Eurus raises a remote control and aims it towards the screens at the side of the room. She clicks a button and the lights in the cell turn red. Jim's face, in close-up, appears on the cell screen. The entire image is coloured red.
"Clever Eurus! You go, girl!" Jim said, in his phony American accent.
As the lights turn white again, John turns to Sherlock and I.
"How can that be Moriarty?" John asked.
"I..." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag.
Before Sherlock and I can reply, Eurus' image appears on the screen again.
"Oh, he recorded lots of little messages for me before he died." Eurus said, and the governor is still sitting on the floor, sinking his head back against the wall behind him. "Loved it. Did you know his brother was a station master? I think he was always jealous."
"The girl – where is she? Can I talk to her again?" Sherlock asked.
"Poor little thing. Alone in the sky in a great big plane with nowhere to land. But where in the world is she? It's a clever little puzzle. If you want to apply yourself to it, I can reconnect you; but first ..." Eurus said, sitting back in her chair and swings it around to face the side.
Behind Eurus, out on the balcony beyond the windows, a woman is sitting on a chair facing the room. Large solid handcuffs are attached either side of the seat and the woman's wrists are manacled at the other end of the cuffs. Wide dark grey gaffer tape is wrapped around her mouth and possibly her nose. She struggles against her restraints.
"That's my wife." The governor said, his eyes wide, before scrambling to his feet and walks closer to the glass. "That's my wife!" He stares at the screen as Eurus turns her head to look into the camera. "Oh, God, that's my wife!"
"I'm going to shoot the governor's wife." Eurus said, smirking.
Mycroft turns away, putting his hand up to his mouth. I continue to look down, out of shame and guilt of knowing what is to come.
"Please, no." The governor said, gesturing vaguely towards Sherlock as if begging him, though he keeps his eyes on the screen. "Please. Help her!"
"... in about a minute." Eurus said, now looking to the side of the room, before turning to the camera again while the woman struggles behind her. "Bang. Dead!"
"Please don't do that." Sherlock said, frowning.
"Well, you can stop me."
"How?"
"There's a gun in the hatch. Take it." Eurus said, while Sherlock walks over to the hatch at the side of the glass. It slides open as he approaches and he bends down and picks up the pistol from inside. "You want to save the governor's wife? Choose either Doctor Watson or Jared Shay or Mycroft to kill the governor."
John turns away, a bitter smile on his face, I am still looking down at the floor as I grabbed the strap of my sling bag, while Mycroft lifts his head from where it had been resting on his hand.
The governor half-cries, half-gasps, "Oh ... oh God!"
John turns back towards the screen, his face grim. Mycroft stares at Sherlock wide-eyed. Sherlock looks at the governor and takes a step towards him from behind.
"You can't do it, Sherlock. If you do it, it won't count. I'll kill her anyway. It has to be your brother or one of your friends." Eurus said.
The governor turns round to look at Mycroft, "You have to do this."
Still wide-eyed, Mycroft shakes his head.
The governor turns to Sherlock, "Eurus will kill her."
Sherlock looks down for a long moment, then releases the grip and tosses the gun a little into the air before catching it by the muzzle.
"Doesn't appear we have a choice." Sherlock said, starting to walk across the cell.
"Right, then." Eurus said, smiling, and Sherlock walks towards his brother, holding out the gun's grip towards him. "Countdown starting."
Sherlock stops a few steps in front of Mycroft and gestures with the gun, urging him to take it.
"How long?" Mycroft asked.
"How long do we have?" I asked, still looking down at the floor.
"No, no, no. The countdown is for me." Eurus said, happily.
The governor stares at Mycroft. The brothers' eyes are fixed on each other as Sherlock continues to hold the gun out. Nearby, John has his head lowered and his eyes screwed shut. As Eurus continues, John unscrews his eyes and shakes his head.
"Withholding the precise deadline will apply the emotional pressure more evenly. Where possible, please give me an explicit verbal indication of your anxiety levels." Eurus said, as Sherlock turns his head towards the glass but doesn't look directly at the screen. "I can't always read them from your behaviour."
In front of Sherlock, Mycroft shakes his head.
"I can't do this." Mycroft said, breathily.
Sherlock turns to look at Mycroft.
"Can't. It's murder." Mycroft said, in the same tone.
"This is not murder. This is saving my wife." The governor said, anxiously.
Mycroft looks across to the governor nervously, running his tongue along the inside of his lips.
"I'm particularly focused on internal conflicts, where strategising around a largely intuitive moral code appears to create a counter-intuitive result." Eurus said.
Mycroft stares down at the grip of the gun which Sherlock is still holding towards him, "I will not kill. I will not have blood on my hands."
"Yes, very good." Eurus said, turning away from the camera and looks across the office. "Thank you."
"Killing my wife is what you're doing." The governor said, looking at Mycroft.
Mycroft looks at Sherlock and then down to the gun one more time, then backs away, shaking his head.
"No." Mycroft said, his voice trembling.
"I can't kill anyone else, Sherlock. Not after what happened in Manhattan and Atlas." I said, letting out a lot of tears. "Killing another innocent person is too much for me."
"I know. You don't have to do it, Jared." Sherlock said, holding Mycroft's gaze for a moment more before turning to me, then lowers his eyes and turns away. "Okay, fine."
Sherlock turns around and offers the gun to John.
"John." Sherlock said, firmly.
John is looking towards the governor or the screen beyond him, but then opens his mouth a little, takes in a breath and turns his head to Sherlock.
The governor stares at John, his eyes full of tears, and takes a step towards him, "Doctor Watson. Are you married?"
"I was." John said, still holding Sherlock's gaze.
"What happened?" The governor asked.
"She died."
Sherlock lowers his eyes and presses his lips together. The governor walks towards John.
"What would you give to get her back? I mean, if you could, if it was possible?" The governor asked, tearfully.
John, Sherlock, and I look at the governor.
"What would you do to save her?" The governor asked, gesturing towards the screen. "Eurus will kill me. Please save my wife."
Eurus reaches to the desk and picks up the remote control, "There will, I'm afraid, be regular prompts to create an atmosphere of urgency."
While Eurus speaks, the lights in the cell turn red and a close-up of Jim's red-lit face replaces hers on the screen. Manipulating his mouth over-exaggeratedly, he whispers loudly.
"Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick ..." Jim said, as the lights turn white and Eurus is back on the screen. After a couple of seconds the red lights are back and so is Jim. "Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tock, tick-tock ..."
White lights and Eurus return. Sherlock and the governor look towards John, the latter's expression desperate and pleading. John takes his hands from where he's been holding them behind his back and he shuffles on the spot, moving as if to put his hands into his jeans pockets. Not meeting his gaze, Sherlock lifts the gun higher towards him. Lowering his hands for a moment, John then reaches out and takes the pistol in his right hand. Mycroft turns away, covering his face with one hand. Sherlock steps to one side, his eyes fixed on John, who looks at the governor standing in front of him. I lifted my head up to look over at John, while still clinging to the strap of my sling bag.
"What's your name?" John asked, flexing the fingers on his left hand.
"David." The governor said.
"And you're sure about this, David?"
"'Course I'm bloody sure." The governor said, tense and trembling.
"Nearly there." Eurus said, smiling.
John hesitates for a moment, "Right. D'you want to ... pray, or anything?"
"With Eurus Holmes in the world, who the hell would I pray to?" The governor asked.
On the balcony behind Eurus, the man's wife continues to struggle against her bonds.
"You are a good man, and you are doing a good thing." John said, happily.
"So are you." The governor said, softly.
"I'll spend the rest of my life telling myself that."
David smiles anxiously, closing his eyes and pulling in a deep breath. John turns his head to look at Sherlock and I, who meets his gaze and the consulting detective lowers his chin slightly in affirmation with me nodding my head that there is no other choice. John turns back and raises the pistol in front of him to point it at David. Sherlock steps back a little, putting his hands behind his back, Mycroft again turns away with his hand over his face, and I looked down at the floor again. David can't help but jump and gasp, shutting his eyes for a moment. John looks at him, his face set, and his finger settles more firmly against the trigger. Mycroft has turned back a little and watches with his hand clamped against his mouth.
"Please!" The governor said, in a tearful anguished whisper.
John's gun hand lowers a little, then his face becomes more determined and he raises the gun to its former position. Crying, David raises one hand to stop him and then turns around, presenting his back to John. He backs towards him a little. John bends his arm and lifts the pistol upwards, clearly unhappy about shooting anyone in the back. He looks across to Sherlock who looks back at him silently, leaving him to make the choice. John turns back to David, hesitates for a moment and then steps forward and puts his left hand on his shoulder. David jumps, gasping. John pats his shoulder twice and David understands the message and gets down onto his knees, still facing away from him. As Mycroft turns away and covers his face again, John makes a decisive move and steps forward and presses the muzzle against the back of David's head. Again David jumps and then sobs quietly.
"Oh, God!" The governor said, breathily, tearfully.
John lifts the gun away, steps forward and leans down to put his hand on David's shoulder and his head close to his left ear.
"I know that you're scared, but you should also be very proud." John said, speaking quietly.
"Just do it." The governor said, staring ahead of himself, crying, and John pats his shoulder and straightens up, stepping back and aiming the pistol down at him again. "Be quick!"
John adjusts his footing and lifts his left hand to hold the gun with both hands. The lights turn red and Jim appears on the screen.
"Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick." Jim said, whispering, and tilting his head from side to side on the last three words.
The white lighting returns. John breathes out sharply through his nose.
"This is very good, Doctor Watson." Eurus said, smiling.
David has his eyes squeezed shut and is crying quietly. Behind him, John's hands start to tremble on the gun.
"I should have fitted you with a cardiograph." Eurus said.
"Goodbye, David." John said, quietly, tensely.
David whimpers and the lights turn red.
Jim whispers harshly on the screen, "Tock-tock-tock-tock-tock-tock-tock tick-tick-tick."
The white lights return and David whines quietly. John screws his eyes shut for a moment, and his finger wavers as he tries to apply pressure to the trigger.
"Please!" The governor said, desperately.
John's finger begins to tighten on the trigger. David closes his eyes again.
"I can't." John said, lowering the gun and turning to Sherlock and I. "I'm sorry. I can't do it."
Weeping in anguish, David falls forward onto his hands.
Sherlock steps towards John, "I know. It's all right."
David scrambles to his feet and runs to John, snatching the pistol from his hand and raising it in front of himself with both shaking hands as he stumbles backwards, crying.
"Stop! No, no, stop." John said, sadly.
John, the Holmes brothers, and I back away towards the wall, with Sherlock, John, and I holding out placatory hands towards David.
"I'm sorry." The governor said, tearfully.
"It's all right." Sherlock said.
"I'm so sorry." The governor said, turning the pistol and pushes the tip of the muzzle under his chin, sobbing. "Remember me."
"No!" Sherlock yelled.
"No!" John said, angrily.
"Don't!" I said, worried.
All four of us rush towards him but the governor pulls the trigger. We slow down and stop, John sighing out an anguished breath. As the bullet's shell clinks noisily to the floor, in the corner of the room rivulets of blood trickle down the glass wall. Mycroft turns away choking, bracing one hand against the wall and coughing against the other hand as he tries not to vomit. I looked down at the floor and clutched the strap of my sling bag.
Sherlock looks briefly towards Mycroft and I and then turns to John, "Are you all right?"
John has his head down and is clenching and unclenching both hands but he raises his head to look at Sherlock and I.
"Interesting." Eurus said.
Sherlock turns and walks towards the glass. David's body is slumped in the left corner near the hatch, the pistol lying near his right hand.
"All right, there you go. You got what you wanted ..." Sherlock said, breathing sharply for a moment. "... and he's dead."
"Dead or alive ..." Eurus said, spinning on her chair to face the screen. "... he really wasn't very interesting, but you four ..." She leans closer to the camera. "... you four were wonderful. Thank you." Eurus leans even closer. "You see, what you did, Doctor Watson and Jared Shay ..." John raises his head to look at her and I clutched the strap of my sling bag. "... specifically because of your respective moral code ..." John steps forward a couple of paces. "... because neither of you want blood on your hands, two people are dead instead of one."
"Two people?" John asked.
"Yes. Sorry, hang on." Eurus said, rotating the chair so that she's facing the window.
"Two people meant the governor and his wife..." I said, when the woman on the balcony was obscured from our view. "...and I couldn't save either."
Eurus lifts a pistol high so that we can see the muzzle above the back of the chair, then lowers it and there's a gunshot.
John raises both hands to his head and backs away in frustration, "Oh!"
Mycroft gasps and also turns away, sighing.
"I'm sorry." I said, closing my eyes to think about the small round hole in the window of the balcony before opening my eyes and looking over at the screen where Eurus is inside the room, looking towards the hole. "I'm so sorry."
After a moment, Eurus rotates the chair round to face the side of the room. From the cell, David's wife can be seen slumped in the chair on the balcony, her head thrown back.
"What advantage did your respective moral codes grant you?" Eurus asked.
Sherlock looks dispassionate as he watches the screen. Behind him, John has both hands clasped behind his head and is breathing heavily. I clutched the strap of my sling bag, feeling completely helpless. As Eurus starts to speak again, Sherlock briefly presses his lips together.
"Is it not, in the end, selfish to keep one's hands clean at the expense of another's life?" Eurus asked.
John lowers his hands and takes a few paces towards the screen, shouting angrily towards it, "You didn't have to kill her!"
Eurus chuckles and turns more towards the camera.
"The condition of her survival was that you or Jared or Mycroft had to kill her husband." Eurus said, while John sighs heavily, lowering his head. "This is an experiment. There will be rigour. Sherlock, pick up the gun. It's your turn next." Sherlock turns to look at the pistol on the floor, lying near David's hand and a large pool of blood. "When I tell you to use it – and I will – remember what happened this time."
"What if I don't want a gun?" Sherlock asked, still looking down at the pistol.
"Oh, the gun is intended as a mercy." Eurus said.
"For whom?"
"You."
"How so?" Sherlock asked, raising his head.
"If someone else had to die, would you really want to do it with your bare hands? It would waste valuable time."
Sherlock turns to face and looks at John and I. Mycroft stares at him, still wide-eyed. John gazes beyond Sherlock towards the screen.
"Probably just take it." John said, looking down.
Sherlock steps across the cell, bends down and picks up the gun.
Sherlock takes out the clip and checks it, then slots it back into the grip and looks up to the screen, "There's only one bullet left."
"You will only need one. But you will need it." Eurus said, and on the left wall, the second panel away from the glass slides to one side, revealing a narrow passageway. "Please, go through. There's a few tasks for you, and a girl on a plane is getting very, very scared."
Sherlock turns and walks towards the opening, then stops in the entrance and turns back to face his brother, "Treats?"
"Yes. You know, a violin." Mycroft said.
"In exchange for ...?" Sherlock asked.
"She's very clever."
"I'm beginning to think you're not." Sherlock said, precisely.
The lights turn red as Mycroft lowers his eyes, and Jim's voice sounds cheerfully over the speakers.
"Come on now! Aaaaaall aboard!" Jim yelled, his voice high-pitched. "Choo-choo! Choo-choo!"
Sherlock turns and walks into the corridor, John following him. On the screen, Jim pulls the imaginary cord of a steam train as he continues to make choo-choo noises. Looking unhappily down to David's body, Mycroft follows the other two.
Room...
Sherlock walks along a narrow grey-walled corridor and turns into a room which is much smaller than the cell. Although also grey in colour, the walls have been messily daubed with red paint so that it looks like they're heavily covered with blood. He looks around as he walks deeper into the room, John, Mycroft, and I following him.
"Someone's been redecorating." Sherlock said.
"Is that allowed?" John asked.
"She's literally taken over the asylum. We have more to worry about than her choice of colour scheme." Sherlock said.
"Between Eurus and an asylum full of Daleks. Give me Daleks any day." I said, and the room is about twenty feet wide. "At least I had Clara keeping me alive."
At the far end of the room is a large window, made up of three panes of glass, looking out over the sea.
"Only you'd choose insane pepperpots." John said, rolling his eyes. "But Clara helping you was nice."
A small glass table is a few feet from the window and there is an envelope on it.
Mycroft runs his fingers over the paint on part of the wall, "Barely dry. Recent."
"It's for our benefit." Sherlock said.
Behind us, the door through which we just came has slid shut. That door is at the left of the back of the room and there is another one at the right-hand side. On the wall between the doors, a large screen now activates and Eurus appears on it.
"As a motivator to your continued co-operation, I'm now reconnecting you." Eurus said, lifting the remote control and clicks it.
Jim's voice comes over the speaker and his red-hued image appears on the screen.
"Fasten your seatbelts! It's gonna be a bumpy night." Jim said, in his phoney American accent.
There's a brief screech of static and then the little girl's voice can be heard, "Are-are you still there?"
"Yes, hello?" Sherlock asked, while the little girl doesn't respond immediately. "Hello. We're still here. Can you hear us?"