Against the Odds

Chapter 4: General Shan

Sherlock rushed over to his bookcase, muttering: "Tramway." He stood staring at his books frantically as he searched for something with his eyes. Rose looked at him in surprise, as he seemed to have lost the ability to think clearly for just that moment.

He finally grabbed the map of London, and Rose cleared the desk a little so that he could lay the map flat. He threw it on the desk and he scanned it quickly, before he pointed as he breathed: "There." He turned and ran, Rose right behind him.

"Sherlock, you need to be calm." Rose warned as they climbed into a cab and he snapped: "I am calm." "No, you aren't." She pointed out and he grit his teeth. "You won't be much use if you can't use that brain of yours clearly." She added and he took deep breaths as they waited anxiously for the cab to arrive.

They finally stopped at the rendezvous point, and Sherlock gestured for her to be quiet. They snuck in quietly and carefully, and as they approached the group in the center of the tunnel, Rose spotted Sarah, gagged and tied to a chair, right before the crossbow from the circus show. The sandbag had been split and the weight was steadily dropping towards the trigger while Sarah struggled in vain and whimpered in terror.

John was tied to a chair and he was sporting a bloody wound on the side of his head- most likely from where they'd hit to knock out before they dragged him here. John was trying desperately to get free and trying to reason with the woman standing before him.

Rose recognized her from the show; apparently she was the leader of this group and for some reason thought John was Sherlock. Sherlock urged Rose to stay put behind a barrel and she did as she was told while he stepped closer quietly.

The woman was saying as she motioned to the crossbow: "You've seen the act before. How dull for you. You know how it ends." John shouted frantically and desperately: "I'm not Sherlock Holmes!"

The woman scoffed: "I don't believe you." And Sherlock called as he stepped out enough that only his shadow was visible at the far side of the tunnel: "You should, you know." The woman spun as he continued: "Sherlock Holmes is nothing at all like him." He disappeared into the darkness as the woman cocked her pistol at him, while one of the Chinese thugs hurried towards where he'd disappeared.

Sherlock called from the shadows: "How would you describe me, John? Resourceful? Dynamic? Enigmatic?" John muttered: "Late?" Rose suppressed a smile while Sherlock continued, addressing the gang leader: "That's a semi-automatic. If you fire it, the bullet will travel at over a thousand metres per second."

Rose was impressed with his knowledge while the woman snapped: "Well?" Sherlock replied: "Well ..." He stepped out and whacked the thug who'd come near with a metal pipe, causing him to collapse, unconscious.

He disappeared back into the darkness as he continued rapidly: "... the radius curvature of these walls is nearly four metres. If you miss, the bullet will ricochet. Could hit anyone. Might even bounce off the tunnel and hit you."

Rose saw the woman hesitate and Sherlock dashed out, kicking a burning trashcan over. It pettered out, throwing more of the tunnel into darkness and Rose used the cover to start moving closer, heading towards John and Sarah.

She was just nearing them when she saw Sherlock near Sarah, starting to untie the woman's bonds. Rose's eyes widened at this display of emotion from Sherlock- he cared enough to try save the woman even though it might cost him.

And sure enough it did: before he could finish untying Sarah, one man saw him and rushed Sherlock. He looped a long red scarf around Sherlock's neck, choking him and pulling him away from Sarah. The two continued to struggle, and John began to stagger forward, trying to reach Sarah before the arrow flew at her.