holmes ➢ sequel to athena

Chapter Three

"You sure?" Sherlock said.

"Not really, but we'll find out."

They didn't walk far before the missing carriage is revealed partway around a bend. Sherlock smiled, while Athena looked confused.

"Is this what we're looking for?" she asked, hiking to it before climbing in.

John nodded. "Yeah."

The two men searched the outside and underneath while Athena checked the inside, using her phone as a flashlight. It didn't take long for them to join her, but it didn't matter: she had found the bomb. It was underneath a seat cushion, which Sherlock lifted up.

All three of them began to lift random seat cushions, each having a bomb underneath. They shared a grim look.

While the men continued to lift seats uselessly, Athena gazed around the carriage, but paused upon noticing a loose floor panel. Cautiously, she stepped toward it before propping the panel against the nearby wall.

They all looked at the massive device underneath, flashing numbers and lights blinking ominously at them. John broke the heavy silence. "We need to call bomb control."

Sherlock frowned slightly. "There may not be time now. And you won't get any service anyways."

Athena's head snapped up at him, and she glared at her father. "Well, what do we do now?"

Sherlock caught her eye and flinched away. "I have no idea."

John raised his voice and said sternly, "Well think of something!"

Sherlock raised an eyebrow and said, "What makes you think I know what to do?"

Athena felt like she was gonna explode, much like that goddamn bomb they were letting tick away. "Because you're Sherlock Holmes! You're as clever as it gets!"

"Doesn't mean I know how to defuse a giant bomb. What about you?" He said, turning to John.

John raked a hand through his cropped hair. "I wasn't in bomb disposal! I was a bloody doctor!"

Sherlock angrily pointed his torch at him. "And a soldier, as you keep reminding us all."

John's mouth went slack and he looked down at the timer, which was stuck on 2:30. "Can't-Can't we rip off the timer, or something?"

Athena shook her head. "That would set it off."

John's eyes met hers. "How'd you know that?"

She rubbed the back of her neck and released a heavy sigh. "Dad taught me."

Then, the soldier flashed Sherlock a look. "See? You know things!"

Sherlock turned away and sighed. The other tow waited in anticipation for him to say something, anything, to save the day. But as their breath caught in their throats, the lights of the carriage came on, and the countdown clock on the mother bomb began to count down instead of flashing the same number repeatedly.

"Er..."

John began to breathe quickly, sweat pooling at his brow. "My God!"