Sherlock Holmes [Reader Insert]

Chapter 7

It feels like ages pass as you sit by the crates. Watson has disappeared and you're alone aside from the noise of the factory. You watch the opening carefully. A large man walks past and you sink down, hiding further. He is a silhouette as he walks over and grabs a box. Then he turns and walks back the opposite way. His face is illuminated by the light coming from inside. You recognize him.

"[Father's Name]?" You can't help yourself from whispering.

He doesn't hear you. He keeps walking until he disappears past the door.

You creep forward until you are at the edge of the opening. You look inside the building and feel heat on your face. You don't see anyone walking around, but you do see a room in the direction your father was walking. You hear a crash and jolt. Looking up, you find metal catwalks that lead around the room and through the middle. You recognized Holmes struggling on the suspended walkway with another man. Is that Moriarty? You stare for a moment.

To your left is a giant container of molten metal. It was at least one story high and cast an orange glow on everything above it. It was hotter than a sunny day in the middle of summer, and the air was thick. You look back to the room you assume your father walked into. Seeing no one else, you stand and start walking. You would find your father, let him know everything would be okay, and then find a way to help Sherlock.

A yelp escapes your mouth as a man steps in front of you. Eyes wide, you recognize him as the man that had attacked Sherlock at home. He grinned down at you and stepped closer.

A metallic clang sounded and the man stopped.

"Dammit," you heard from behind him. The man turned and you saw Dr. Watson on the other side. He was holding a long piece of rebar, which he had apparently used to hit the man on the head. It was singing and vibrating in his hands. Watson jumped back as the man reached for him, then glanced at you. "I told you to stay put!"

The large man's attention was now drawn by Watson. The doctor dodged a giant fist and then swung his weapon at the man's side. It barely made an impact.

Your hand hovered over your pocket. No, that's a last resort. Quickly, you looked around the room. Tools were laid out on a metal table against the wall. You ran over and held your hands up as you looked across your options. Finally you grabbed a monkey wrench the size of your forearm and a sledgehammer. You struggled to lift both but managed to get them off the table. You turned around to make your way back to Watson. Glancing up, you watched Moriarty and Holmes struggling. Sherlock took a punch to the face and stumbled back against the thin metal railing, catching himself. With renewed haste, you walked up to Watson. He was locked in place by the large man fighting him. They both held onto the rebar, each trying to rip it out of the other's hands.

"Watson!" you shouted.

The doctor looked over at you, noticed what you were carrying, and then let go. The man stumbled forward and Watson ducked to the side, hand outstretched to you.

You grunted as you threw the sledgehammer, using the heavy end as a pendulum. It spun in the air before landing in Watson's hand. His other hand quickly followed, grasping tightly. He used the momentum of the throw to carry the hammer around him and then into a swing at the man. There was a crack as it landed on his shoulder. The man roared in pain and turned to Watson, glanced at you, and then refocused on Watson.

"Oh!" Watson ducked as the man dove at him, but he couldn't get out of the way in time. The man had a hold of his arm and threw him down onto the concrete. You winced at the sound of his body hitting the floor. Watson wheezed as he tried to put air back into his lungs.

"Hey!" you shouted at the large man before he could attack Watson on the ground.

The man turned to you. You raised your wrench. He snickered and came forward. He was in front of you in two giant steps. He tried to grab you, but you cried out as you swung your wrench. It connected with a hand and then kept going, spinning you in a dizzying circle. The large man growled and grabbed for you with both arms. Panicking, you threw the wrench at his face as hard as you could. He was forced to stop and lift his arms up to block it. The wrench smacked into his forearms before clattering to the ground. You ran. He was blocking the entrance to the room, so you changed course to the far stairs. Maybe your father could wait. You heard Watson shout at him and looked back to see he had gotten up and was clutching the sledgehammer in his hands again. You glanced up and found that Holmes and Moriarty were still locked in a fist fight and they had pushed towards the other end of the catwalk by the giant container of liquid metal. You stumbled, and returned your sight to where you were going. Grabbing the railing, you started up the stairs.