Hello Detective

The Hounds of Baskerville Part 3

I packed a small bag of things and went to grab a cab with John and Sherlock. From outside of Speedy's I could hear Mrs. Hudson yelling at the owner.
    "Cruise together, you had no intention of taking me on a boat!" She yelled, throwing something at the door.
    "Oh! Looks like Mrs. Hudson finally got to the wife in Doncaster." John said.
    "Hm. Wait until she finds out about the one in Islamabad." Sherlock smiled and John laughed.
    "Paddington Station, please." Sherlock told the cabbie.
    When I got on the train, John gave me some more pills to make me feel better. I had almost fallen asleep a few times on Sherlock's shoulder over the course of the three hour train ride. During the ride, Sherlock had filled me in on what I missed with Henry Knight.
    When I got there Sherlock got a large Land Rover to drive the rest of the way to Dartmoor. I was stuck sitting in the back. I also didn't know Sherlock could drive, he lived in the city. He takes a cab everywhere. Speaking of the city, I had never been outside of London. This was my first time out in the countryside and it was truly beautiful. There were long green pastures and hills. There were these huge rocks on a hill leading to Baskerville. From there I could see the small village, Dewers Hollow, and Baskerville with the Minefield in front of it.
    We drove down to the village and parked. While walking in, we passed a tour guide telling his group to stay away from the moor at night if they value their lives. Once inside, John went to get a room while Sherlock had a look around the place. We tried to get two rooms but they only had one. It really wasn't that much of a problem. Sherlock and I would share and John would have his own bed. The three of us basically lived together anyway.
    "Sorry we couldn't do a double room for you boys." I heard the owner say as I approached John at the counter.
    "It's fine. We're not... There you go." John said, paying.
    "Oh, ta, I'll just get your change." He said walking away. I stood next to John in front of the receipts on the counter. I looked down and noticed something strange. I quickly ripped the receipt off and stuck it in my pocket while the man came back. It was for raw meat, which was strange considering the Inn/pub was a vegetarian restaurant.
    "There you go." The man said, handing John his change.
    "I couldn't help noticing, on the map of the moor, a skull and crossbones?" I said.
    "Oh that." The man said behind the bar. I looked to John when he didn't answer.
    "Pirates?" John smiled.
    "Er no. The Great Grimpen Minefield, they call it. It's the Baskerville testing site. It's been going for 80-odd years. I'm not sure anyone really knows what's there anymore." The man said, kindly.
    "Explosives?" I asked.
    "Oh, not just explosives. Break into that place and if you're lucky, you just get blown up, so they say. In case you're planning a nice wee stroll." He said.
    "Ta. We'll remember." John said.
    "Aye. It buggers up tourism a bit, so thank God for the demon hound. Did you see that show? The documentary?" He asked.
    "Quite recently, yeah." John answered.
    "God bless Henry Knight and his monster from hell." He smiled.
    "Ever seen it? The hound?" I asked him.
    "Me? No, no. Fletcher has. He runs the walks, the monster walks for the tourists, you know. He's seen it." He said, pointing to the man outside that we had passed on the way in.
    "Handy, for trade."John said, another man stepped behind the bar and the man we were talking to invited him into the conversation.
    "I'm just saying we've been rushed off our feet, Billy." He said to him.
    "Yeah, lots of monster hunters." The man called Billy said. "It doesn't take much these days, one mention on Twitter and whoomph! We're out of WKD."
    "Oh, right." The other man answered.
    "What with the monster and the ruddy prison, I don't know how we sleep nights. Do you, Gary?" Billy said.
    "Like a baby." Gary said, placing his arm around Billy's shoulder. Ooh, they owned the Inn together.
    "That's not true. He's a snorer." Billy said.
    "Hey, shh." Gary said.
    "Is yours a snorer." He asked. I jumped when Sherlock appeared behind me.
    "No, she talks in her sleep sometimes." Sherlock said.
    "I do not." I protested. Sherlock raised an eyebrow. Sherlock left and John ordered a beer, I thought it best if I didn't drink. I was already sick, I didn't want to be drunk too.
    Sherlock went to sit at a table outside, and I followed him after a moment. He was sitting near the man Gary referred to as Fletcher.
    "Bet's off Adelaide, sorry." Sherlock said as I sat down across from him. I raised an eyebrow at him.
    "Bet?" Fletcher asked.
    "My plan needs darkness. We've got another half an hour of light." Sherlock said.
    "Wait, wait. What bet?" Fletcher asked.
    "Oh, I bet Adelaide here 50 quid that you couldn't prove you'd seen the hound." Sherlock said, I saw where he was going with this.
    "Yeah, the guys in the pub said you could." I answered.
    "Well, you're going to lose your money to this pretty girl here, mate." Fletcher said.
    "Yeah?" Sherlock asked.
    "Yeah. I've seen it, only about a month ago. Up at the Hollow. It was foggy, mind, couldn't make much out." Fletcher began pulling up something on his phone.
    "I see. No witnesses, I suppose." Sherlock said.
    "No, but... There." He said, showing us a picture on his phone.
    "Is that it?" Sherlock scoffed, "It's not exactly proof, is it? Sorry, Adelaide, I win." Sherlock said and took a sip of his drink.
    "Wait, wait, that's not all. People don't like going up there, you know. To the Hollow. Gives them a bad sort of feeling." Fletcher continued.
    "Ooh, is it haunted? Is that supposed to convince me?" Sherlock said.
    "Nah, don't be stupid! Nothing like that. But I reckon there is something out there. Something from Baskerville, escaped." Fletcher said.
    "A clone? A super-dog?" Sherlock mocked him.
    "Maybe. God knows what they've been spraying on us all these years, or putting in the water. I wouldn't trust them as far as I could spit." Fletcher said.
    "Is that the best you've got?" Sherlock said, testing him.
    "I had a mate once who worked for the MOD. One weekend we were meant to go fishing, but he never showed up. Well, not till late. When he did, he was white as a sheet. I can see him now. 'I've seen things today, Fletcher' he said 'that I never want to see again. Terrible things'. He'd been sent to some secret army place. Porton Down, maybe. Maybe Baskerville, or somewhere else. In the labs there, the really secret labs, he said he'd seen terrible things. 'Rats as big as dogs' he said, 'and dogs, dogs the size of horses'." Fletcher said, and he pulled out a huge cemented impression of a paw print. It was like BigFoot.
    Sherlock's eyes scanned it carefully.
    "Um, we did say 50." I said to Sherlock with a smirk. Fletcher smirked as Sherlock handed me the money. He stood from the table, I followed him and John did the same as he stepped outside of the pub.
    "How are you feeling?" Sherlock asked me as I got in the car.
    "Fine, I've been better, but I'll be okay." I said.
    I stared outside the window as Sherlock drove. I wasn't sure where we were going. I turned my head to the other window and saw a sign for Baskerville. Dear God, we were going to break into Baskerville. We pulled up to a gate where some armed guards asked Sherlock for his pass. He handed it to him, John and I shared a look of disbelief.
    "You've got ID for Baskerville? How?" John asked him when the guard left to check his ID.
    "It's not specific to this place. It's my brother's. Access all areas. I, um... Ahem, I acquired it ages ago. Just in case." Sherlock said.
    "Brilliant." I said from the back.
    "What's the matter?" Sherlock asked.
    "We'll get caught." I warned.
    "No, we won't. Well, not just yet." Sherlock said.
    "Caught in five minutes. 'Oh hi, we thought we'd wander around your top secret weapons base.' 'Really? Great. Come in, kettle's just boiled'. That's if we don't get shot." I predicted.
    "Clear. Thank you very much." The armed guard returned and handed Sherlock the ID back.
    "Thank you." Sherlock said, as they opened the gate and we drove into Baskerville.
    "Mycroft's name literally opens doors." I sighed.
    "I've told you, he practically is the British Government." Sherlock said. "I reckon we've got about 20 minutes before they realize something is wrong."
    We jumped out of the car and another armed guard led the three of you towards a door. Before I got there, a jeep pulled in front of us and another man jumped out.
    "What is it? Are we in trouble?" The man asked quickly.
    "Are we in trouble, sir." Sherlock corrected him and I fought to hold back a smile.
    "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir." The man corrected himself.
    "You were expecting us?" Sherlock asked.
    "Your ID showed up straight away, Mr. Holmes. Corporal Lyons, security. Is there something wrong, sir?" He asked again.
    "Well, I hope not, Corporal, I hope not." Sherlock said, acting more arrogant than usual.
    "It's just we don't get inspected here. You see, sir. It just doesn't happen." The Corporal said.
    "Ever heard of a spot check? Captain John Watson, Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers." John said, pulling rank.
    "Sir. Major Barrymore won't be pleased, sir. He'll want to see you both." Lyons said, not noticing me standing behind the two men.
    "I'm afraid we won't have time for that. We'll need the full tour. Right away. Carry on. That's an order, Corporal." John said.
    "Yes, sir. And you are?" The man said, addressing me.
    "Mr. Holmes' assistant, sir." I said in a British accent and the Corporal nodded as he unlocked the door.
    "Nice touch." Sherlock whispered to John once we were inside the base.
    "Haven't pulled rank in ages." John whispered back.
    "Enjoy it?" Sherlock asked.
    "Oh, yeah." John said casually before Corporal Lyons lead the three of us into an elevator. When the elevator stopped we stepped out into a bright white lab filled with animals in cages.   
    "How many animals do you keep down here?" Sherlock asked.
    "Lots, sir." The corporal answered.
    "Any ever escape?" Sherlock asked.
    "They'd have to know how to use that lift, sir. We're not breeding them that clever." The Corporal said with a smile.
    "Unless they have help." Sherlock said quietly.
    "Ah, and you are?" A scientist said, approaching your group.
    "It's alright Dr. Frankland, I'm just showing these gentlemen around." Lyons said, ah it was nice to be invisible.
    "Ah, new faces, how nice. Careful you don't get stuck here, thought, I only came to fix a tap." Dr. Frankland said as he walked away. Down the hall he turned back and looked at us. Oh God, he recognized us.
    "How far down does that lift go?" John asked.
    "Quite a way, sir." Lyons said.
    "Mhm, and what's down there?" John asked again.
    "Well, we have to keep the bins somewhere, sir. This way please, gentlemen." The corporal said, and I followed behind, unnoticed.
    "So what exactly is it that you do here?" John asked as we walked.
    "I thought you'd know, sir, this being an inspection." Lyons said.
    "Well, I'm not an expert, am I?" John retorted.
    "Everything from stem cell research to trying to cure the common cold, sir." Lyons said, well wouldn't that be nice.
    "But mostly weaponry?" John confirmed.
    "Of one sort or another, yes." Lyons answered.
    "Biological, chemical?" John asked.
    "One war ends, another begins, sir. New enemies to fight. We have to be prepared." Lyons said as he opened a door and Sherlock looked at his watch.
    Through the next door I could hear a monkey screeching.
    "Okay, Michael, let's try Harlow 3 next time." A doctor said to a man who was handling the monkey.
    "Dr. Stapleton..." Lyons said as I entered the room.
    "Stapleton?" Sherlock repeated, clearly recognizing it.
    "Yes? Who's this?" Dr. Stapleton asked.
    "Priority ultra, ma'am, orders from on high. An inspection." Lyons answered.
    "Really?" She asked surprised.
    "We're to be accorded every courtesy, Dr. Stapleton. What's your role at Baskerville?" Sherlock asked the doctor. She laughed.
    "Uh, accorded every courtesy, isn't that the idea?" John said, rudely.
    "I'm not free to say. Official secrets." She scoffed.
    "Oh, you most certainly are free, and I suggest you remain that way." Sherlock yelled. I didn't blame him, this woman was not cooperating. In an investigation if someone is not cooperating or coopering too much it usually mean they're involved in some way.
    "I have a lot of fingers in a lot of pies. I like to mix things up. Genes, mostly. Now and again, actual fingers." Dr. Stapleton said.
    "Stapleton!" Sherlock shook his head, writing something in his notebook, "I knew I knew your name."
    "I doubt it." She said casually.
    "People say there's no such thing as coincidence. Dull lives they must lead." Sherlock said. He turned his notebook around to show Dr. Stapleton what he had written. 'Bluebell' it read.
    "Have you been talking to my daughter?" Dr. Stapleton asked.
    "Why did Bluebell have to die, Dr. Stapleton?" Sherlock asked.
    "The rabbit?" John asked.
    "Disappeared from inside a locked hutch, which was always suggestive." Sherlock began.
    "The rabbit?" John asked again.
    "Clearly an inside job." Sherlock continued. "Why, because it glowed in the dark."
    "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Who are you?" Dr. Stapleton asked. Sherlock looked at his watch.
Suddenly my phone rang, I apologized and turned it off. Before I did however I noticed it was a call from Mycroft. Busted.
"I think we've seen enough for now, Corporal. Thank you so much." Sherlock said.
"That's it?" Corporal asked.
"That's it. It's this way, isn't it?" Sherlock pointed as he began walking.
"Did we just break into a military base to investigate a rabbit?" John asked.
I continued to follow John and Sherlock out towards the door of the base when Sherlock's phone buzzed with a text. I assumed it was from Mycroft, asking him what the hell he was doing.
"Ha! 23 minutes. Mycroft's getting slow." Sherlock said quietly.
We made it back to the main elevator. When the door opened you were surprised to see Dr. Frankland again.
"Hello, again." He smiled.
When the door opened and we were almost in the clear, a tall figure blocked your path.
"Er, Major..." Corporal Lyons began.
"This is bloody outrageous! Why wasn't I told?" The man said, who must have been Major Barrymore.
"Major Barrymore,  is it? Yes, well, good. We are very impressed, aren't we Mr. Holmes?" John said as you stepped out of the elevator.
"Deeply. Hugely." Sherlock said, reading another text from Mycroft.
"The whole point of Baskerville was to eliminate this kind of bureaucratic nonsense!" Barrymore yelled.
"I'm so sorry Major." Sherlock said.
"Inspections!" The Major yelled again.
"New policy. Can't remain unmonitored for ever, goodness knows what you'd get up to. Keep walking." sherlock said that last bit quietly to me.
"Sir!" Corporal Lyons suddenly yelled and hit some kind of panic or emergency button on the wall. Shit. "ID unauthorized sir. I've just had the call."
"Is that right? Who are you?" Barrymore yelled.
"There's obviously been some kind of mistake." I said with a British accent, if i was Mycroft's assistant it might give it away if I was  American.
"Clearly not, Mycroft Holmes." The Major mocked.
"Computer error, Major. It'll all have to go in the report." John said.
"It's alright, Major. I know exactly who these gentlemen are." Dr. Frankland said. I gulped nervously