The Son of Sherlock Holmes

The Empty Hearse Part Two

"According to Mycroft. There's an underground network planning an attack on London, that's all we know. These are my rats, John." Sherlock explains, motioning to the wall. "Rats?" John asks. "My markers: agents, low-lifes, people who might find themselves arrested or their diplomatic immunity suddenly rescinded. If one of them starts acting suspiciously, we know something's up. Five of them are behaving perfectly normally, but the sixth..." Sherlcok trails off, pointing at a particular photograph. "I know him, don't I?" John asks. "Lord Moran, peer of the realm, Minister for Overseas Development. Pillar of the establishment." Zyair says, looking at the picture. "Yes!" John nods. "He's been working for North Korea since 1996." Zyair shrugs. "What?" John asks in surprise. "He's the Big Rat. Rat Number One. And he's just done something very suspicious indeed." Sherlock tells them, leading them to his laptop and showing them footage of Moran disappearing from a tube car. "Yeah, that's ... odd. There's nowhere he could have got off?" John asks. "Not according to the maps." Sherlock responds. "Mm." John hums. "There's something... something, something I'm missing, something staring me in the face." Sherlock says, turning to the wall and pulling out his phone as it pings. "Any idea who they are, this underground network? Intelligence must have a-a list of the most obvious ones." John asks. "Our rat's just come out of his den." Sherlock mumbles, Zyair looking up.

"Al-Qaeda; the IRA have been getting restless again, maybe they're gonna make an appearance." John suggests. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES! I've been an idiot, a blind idiot!" Sherlock exclaims. "What?" John asks. "Oh, that's good. That could be brilliant." Sherlock rambles. Zyair frowns before realisation dawns on his face "Oh! That is good." he smiles. "What are you on about?" John asks, looking between the two of them. "Mycroft's intelligence, it's not nebulous at all. It's specific, incredibly specific." Sherlock explains. "What do you mean?" John asks. "Not an underground network, John. It's an Underground network." Zyair tells him. "Right... What?" John asks in confusion. "Sometimes a deception is so audacious, so outrageous that you can't see it even when it's staring you in the face. Look, seven carriages leave Westminster... but only six carriages arrive at St James's Park." Zyair explains, playing the footage. "But that's... I... it's-it's impossible." John says.

"Moran didn't disappear, the entire Tube compartment did. The driver must have diverted the train and then detached the last carriage." Sherlock tells him. "Detached it where?! You said there was nothing between those stations." John says. "Not on the maps, but once you eliminate all the other factors, the only thing remaining must be the truth. That carriage vanished, so it must be somewhere." Sherlock tells them, pointing at said carriage. "But why, though? Why detach it in the first place?" John asks. "It vanishes between St James's Park and Westminster. Lord Moran vanishes. You're kidnapped and nearly burned to death at a fireworks par... What's the date, John? Today's date?" Sherlock asks. "Hmm? November the... My God." John says. "Lord Moran, he's a peer of the realm. Normally he'd sit in the House. Tonight there's an all-night sitting to vote on the new anti-terrorism Bill. But he won't be there. Not tonight. Not the fifth of November." Sherlock rambles. "'Remember, remember'." John says. "'Gunpowder treason and plot'." Sherlock adds. "Well shit." Zyair mutters, grabbing maps from the shelf as his dad Skypes his contact.

"There's nothing down there, Mr Holmes, I told you. No sidings, no ghost stations." Howard tells them. "There has to be. Check again." Sherlock tells him. "Look, this whole area is a big mess of old and new stuff. Charing Cross is made up of bits of older stations like Trafalgar Square, Strand-" John starts. "No, it's none of those. We've accounted for those." Sherlock cuts him off. "St Margaret's Street, Bridge Street, Sumatra Road, Parliament Street-" Zyair starts reading out. "Hang on, hang on. Sumatra Road. You mentioned Sumatra Road, Mr Holmes. There is something. I knew it rang a bell. Where is it? There was a station down there." Howard tells them. "Well, why isn't it on the maps?" John asks. "Cause it was closed before it ever opened." Howard responds. "What?" John asks. "They built the platforms, even the staircases, but it all got tied up in legal disputes, so they never built the station on the surface." Howard explains, holding up a book and pointing to a particular spot on the page. "It's right underneath the Palace of Westminster." Zyair realises. "And so what's down there? A bomb?Oh..." John trials off, following the father son duo out the flat.