Posted by Bowen Cates on 4/8/2008, 1:39 pm, in reply to "Chapter 23 part two"
24.207.121.197
Chapter 24: In Which a Horrendous Anticipation Is Instated
“When I think back to the events of the 1800’s which have lead up to this moment, I am suddenly struck by some very odd facts” began the criminal as he glared sadistically at his enclosed prey.
Holmes’ eyes had taken on a gleam akin to steel as he returned the glare, unblinking, unmoving, and Theodore found himself wondering who would give in first.
“The first thing that comes to mind” Moriarty smirked “is the fact that you, Holmes,” he waved his hand nonchalantly at the detective, breaking the stare, “Were officially declared dead, your body was never recovered. London became a very dangerous place indeed, and the dear Doctor found himself in very awkward circumstances.”
Every muscle in Holmes’ body was tight, like a spring about to unwind.
“No doubt you have read of his death, Holmes?”
The detective did not respond.
“So soon after his marriage too, a shame poor Mary was obliged to precede her husband to the grave.”
Theodore sneaked another glace at his companion; the steel had turned to blazing blue fire, radiating from every pore.
“My, my, I do seem to be drifting from the point I was trying to make, don’t I? What I meant to convey was the fact that throughout all this, my becoming the ruling force of the London criminal world, half the country being brought to it’s knees, and then the mysterious murder of her majesty the queen…”
Theodore gasped; Moriarty glanced up at him, a gleeful smile playing across his features.
“Well, throughout all that, you, my dear Holmes are still here, your future self has all his old knowledge, complete is every detail. Everything in the old stories, half of which were never written…is still in place in his memory.
“Everything he knew, all our encounters, and those same stories which were never penned are still present on his shelves.
“Why, I ask myself, is this the case? Why do I, in this age, have memories of how things were originally in my counterpart’s life, and yet the alternate reality as well? Having not been in possession of them in my younger years?
“Time does seem to be rather twisted doesn’t it? Your future self, Holmes, has no recollection of anything that happened after his ‘death’.
“He remembers dying at ninety in his little cottage on the South Downs…do you see the inconsistencies my friend?”
Holmes’ eyes narrowed “it has only confirmed my strong suspicion that a cranial examination would be extremely beneficial to you.” he snapped.
The criminal only grinned wider. “The boy here, he has no recollection of the nineteenth century being any different from your future self’s perception of it, come, come man, something is definitely amiss.”
Theodore was so filled with hate and rage that he could only choke out an insult in reply.
“Ya, your personality. I thought you said you wouldn’t shed any blood! It seems you forgot to mention that you weren’t including bleeding head wounds!”
“My dear boy, do attempt some control over your temper.” He turned to face him, “the bargain was that I would not shed any blood if you or your companions did not force my hand, that has once already been done, and after all, I cannot help it if my men were a tad ruff when depositing Holmes in your present location.”
Theodore glared at him with even greater intensity.
“Now, if we may return to the subject at hand, what I am attempting to communicate is that I am in possession of a theory. My theory is that time is undecided, scrambled, uncertain; too much has been displaced in too many times to permit any kind of order.”
“You a fan of Samuel Johnson? Because I thought he’d already written the dictionary.”
Moriarty ignored him “Everything in this time is as it would be if Holmes of the 1800s had never disappeared, this leads me to conclude that we have two timeframes to choose from.
The first being if Master Trent dies and the second being if he lives through the events to come, you Holmes, and the lad being sent back to their original times, correcting the space time continuum and repairing all damage. Time is cut in half, one reality being the former and the other the latter.
“Now, of course you both realize which I would prefer…”
“I think there should be a third option.” Theodore cut in, his face hurt, the muscles contorting with outrage.
Holmes stared at him, eyebrow raised.
Moriarty actually seemed taken aback for a moment, but then a grin once again fixed its self across his face.
“Not that I am the least interested in anything which may enter that small mind of yours Master Trent, but would you perhaps care to elaborate?”
“Sure, option number three should be where you realize what a pompous, idiotic, malicious, sadistic, vicious criminal you are, and decide to give up trying to achieve the impossible.”
He had not thought that Moriarty could look more evil then he had back in that little white room, quite to the contrary, he seemed to have hidden depths of expression that even Theodore had never imagined possible for a human face to accomplish.
“And what would that be Master Trent?” he hissed under his breath.
He opened his mouth to reply, but Holmes put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head warningly, Theodore disregarded it.
“If I need to say it then it seems that I was right in thinking that you’re not as smart as you are ugly.”
Theodore felt the anger getting hotter and hotter within him, this leach, this festering, puss infested scar on the skin of humanity was not going to break him, If Theodore was going be the victim of the criminal’s tirades then by god Moriarty was going to meet the same fate.
“I think” Moriarty’s voice had sunk even lower into a whisper “that now, would be an excellent time to recount with you, the impending fate of both you and your dear companions.”
Holmes was suddenly white in the face, and it was definitely not solely a result of the continued loss of blood from his scalp wound.
“You, Master Trent,” the criminal continued “know that you are going to die before you can cause the current ill effects.
However, what you have no doubt neglected to contemplate is that if you are dead, your fellow traveler in time will never disappear, he will be free to live out his life exactly as he did before, which would not be very congenial to me, or at least, to my former self.
“So, at first, my dear Holmes, it was my plan to kill you before young Master Trent would share the same fate. But then it occurred to me how simply awful it would be for you to miss the lad’s death in this century as he dies back in his own time as well.
“I have no idea what it will be like from this end as I will be witnessing it from another time, so I should wish Holmes to have the pleasure I cannot.
“as a result, I concocted a most brilliant plan, You, Holmes, have been wounded in such a way as to make it impossible for you to survive more then an hour in your own time,”
Theodore didn’t understand, was he talking about the head wound? He watched the detective, his breathing was steady, his eyes still focused on the criminal, and yet Theodore knew deep down the terror he was feeling, for he two, was suffering the same.
‘Only fools are fearless…’ he reminded himself in an effort to remain calm.
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