Play the Game - Sherlock fanfic (Sequel to Painting Murders)

Something's not right

I sat on the cold plastic seating in Scotland Yard twiddling my thumbs as police in uniform scurried about clutching files and cups of coffee. Others weren't in uniform, like Lestrade and Donovan and Anderson, all of whom were stood whispering to each other. John had gone to find coffee, Sherlock was somewhere meddling.

I sighed and sank further into my chair, closing my eyes. Today had been a drain. I hadn't prepared myself for how much of a drain it had been. Everything ached and suddenly the chair seemed the most comfy thing in the world. Maybe if I just dozed off . . .

"Ev?"

I cracked an eyelid open to find Lestrade stood over me, making himself known before sitting beside me. I shimmed up the chair to get sat upright.

"Yeah?" I asked, already concerned at the lines across his face and the worried look to his eyes. He was like my uncle, maybe even like a brother to me . . . such an influence on my life since mum had died. This meant that lying to him didn't come easy and whatever he was about to say was obviously important in that respect.

"Ev, you seem a little, how do I put this, on edge at the moment. I don't know all this sneaking around, me having to pick you up after you'd clearly been out all hours and then interviewing Cringdale and watching your reactions. I'm just a bit concerned that's all." He explained, not really looking at me as he talked.

I felt a little hollow and sighed slightly to move the lump in my throat, "I'm okay. Just a little stressed about this whole thing. You saw what happened today. We were so close to that being Mycroft's system and the government. I'm just a bit frazzled."

Lestrade nodded, "It seems unfair of Sherlock to drag you into this especially after everything. I don't know Ev, last year you were kidnapped because of him dragging you along and the time before that ..." He left that part hanging in the air. I could fill in my past easily enough., "I worry about your choice of company. We agreed that you were going to keep your head down, get back to school, you know that kind of stuff and now you're working for the government as, what? A technician?"

"A software designer and programmer." I corrected him.

He nodded slowly, "I just hope you know what you're are doing, that's all."

I couldn't say that I did. My favourite thing to do was convince myself that my life wasn't the biggest shambles in the world, that I really had an end goal. What was I going to do when I was, say nineteen and everyone else my age went off to university and started their lives? Could I get in with no GCSE's and no qualifications? Was my 'made-up' job enough to help me live the rest of my life? What happened if Mycroft expelled me from his service, when I was no longer of use?

I didn't want to think about all this, so I didn't. I pushed it to the back of my mind and just nodded.

"I know what I'm doing, I promise." I said, reaching out to touch his arm gently and smile weakly.

"Okay then I guess. Do you want to come with me and observe the interrogation? John and Sherlock are waiting in there already."

I laughed, "You mean you actually got Sherlock to stand behind some one-way glass and watch?"

Lestrade cracked a smile and held up his badge, "I'm the police, he isn't."

"Thank God for that then." I chuckled as he lead me through a door next to the interrogation room. Sherlock was stood with his nose pressed to the glass, his grey-green eyes flicking rapidly as he took in every detail of Nick sat solemnly at the metal table in the interrogation room. He looked like he'd tried too hard for too long not to cry. I felt bad, but not bad enough to break in there and set him free.

"You know why you've been arrested, don't you?" Lestrade asked, placing a file on the table and siting on the corner. It was like watching TV drama.

Cringdale shook his head.

"Today all of Scotland Yard's computer systems crashed along with various other networks around England. Although this was stopped, the virus has been traced back to you. You now pose as a national security risk. You and your virus ... thing."

That caused Sherlock to chuckle.

"I told you! The virus I made, the Playground, it was stolen! I haven't got it anymore . . . how could I activate something that isn't even in my possession? And why would I want to hack the government? I'm a university student, not a criminal, I could be kicked off my course if I get a criminal history. I'm telling you, all I did was recreate the Playground because I'm a fan of the original work! I thought I could use what I made as a project for one of my assignments this term!"

Lestrade looked a bit lost. He was used to the cases with murder, robberies ... anything but computers. We'd just thrown him head first into this case.

"I think he is telling the truth." John mused, glancing at Sherlock who was now scrolling through his phone.

"No he's not. At Kings College, there is not subject topic in the second year that would require you to program a virus. There is no way to relate what he is saying to his university course. The motive is wrong." Sherlock turned the phone to us to show the university's course breakdown on their website.

"Okay then . . ." I breathed. I agreed something was off but couldn't put my finger on it. I sat down and opened my laptop, feeling comfort when it buzzed to life.

"What are you doing?" Sherlock flew over to my side to get a good look. He was still acting weird around me for no apparent reason. Maybe I was being weird around him and that was the issue. No one claimed the know the inner workings of Sherlock's mind.

"There's got to be a loop hole somewhere, something we've missed. I mean look at him Sherlock! That's not a criminal."

"Takes one to know one, huh?" He said bluntly, obviously trying to provoke a reaction.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." I growled.

"Children! Let's not fight," John snapped, "You two are doing my head in lately. Now just get on with this case! Please!"

We both glared at him sternly, but I knew he was right. So instead of retaliating further I just got on with what I was doing.

Sherlock watched me for a second then strutted out of the room and barged into the interrogation room, making both Nick and Lestrade jump.

"Let's try some word association shall we?" Sherlock began, getting up in Nick's face before anyone could protest.

I started breaking down the lead I had gotten that said Nick's computer was where the virus' activation originated from.

"Got anything?" John asked patiently as I heard Sherlock beginning some word association, mind game with Nick.

After several attempts, I finally found the loop hole.

"It looks as though someone tampered with the feed, making it look like Nick's computer was used to activate the virus, when really it wasn't." I mumbled as I broke down the barrier of deception that we had all fallen fool to and began receiving a feed from where the real activation had taken place. It came back with an address and an IP address.

"You got a pen and paper?" I asked John, my heart rate increasing. This could be the guy we were looking for. This could be the end of the line.

I got to my feet after scribbling the address down just as Sherlock and Lestrade came back into the room.

"Turns out Cringdale is working for someone who wanted him to recreate the virus Hydra had used. They found him through an online chat." Lestrade looked stern, as if he was trying not to thank Sherlock for the interrogation technique

"I have an address." I held up the sheet of paper, handing it to Lestrade before Sherlock could take it from me.

"Guess we should check it out." John suggested, picking up his coat.

"Well done, John." Sherlock said sarcastically and rolled his eyes, moving from the room.

"When this is over, I'm going to punch him." John grumbled to Lestrade.

"Get in line." He replied.