Side of the Angels ~ A BBC Sherlock Fanfiction {Book II} *UNDER EDITING*

Chapter 53- Moriarty's Control

Emily's POV

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Am I imagining things?

Through the pounding in my head, I thought I heard his voice. 

Why am I not dead yet?

Moran is growling against my throat, blood trickling down his face and his finger poised on the trigger. He wants to shoot me. But something has stopped him. 

"Don't test my patience, Sebastian."

Moran tightens his grip on my neck, as a final reminder that he won that fight, then lets his hand go slack. I fall back to the ground, and steady myself, not looking up. I wish he had shot me. It would have spared me the agony of what is to come. The silence in the room is as thick and heavy as the heated air. I stand up, ignoring the corner of the room, and make my way over to Millie, who's standing away from the group, her face pale and apprehensive.

"Why are you here?" says Sherlock, in a voice so low that I can barely hear it.

"Because I think that we need to catch up, Sherlock," he says, placing an accented emphasis on the 'k' at the end of his name.

"I think you've made your motives fairly clear already."

"Have I really? Go on then."

"Go on what?"

"Tell me what my motives are. I want to hear you get it wrong."

I'm not really paying attention. I'm too absorbed fighting the memories that are threatening to break out from the restraints I placed them in. I've got to keep myself detached. He is just a name. Nothing more.

"I can only assume that you want to finish the game, with my suicide. You haven't stopped chasing this concept for years. Why change your motives now?" says Sherlock dryly.

Moriarty chuckles, and then crosses the room so that he is directly in front of Sherlock.

"You are funny when you're wrong, Sherlock."

"Do elaborate."

"Since you were too stubborn to finish yourself off for me, I decided to change tactics. I don't want to crush your reputation anymore," he says, his voice peaking and dipping in all the wrong places, "I want to destroy the only thing you truly care about. I've been working on it for a while, actually. So far, so good."

"And what would that be?"

Moriarty grins up at Sherlock, his eyes flitting constantly across his face, taking in each and every reaction, savouring them.

"Let's play this out logically, and see if you can guess without me telling you. Do you think it was a coincidence that Millie found herself called out on a case in Africa? Do you think it was just chance that Emily Schott found out that you were investigating her criminal activity, and decided to pay you a visit? And that the information on China's government was leaked just as you got to know her?"

Sherlock's face has drained, so that it is almost colourless. John and Millie's expressions are identical. Moriarty snaps suddenly, the grin falling from his face, shouting so that his voice rings and echoes throughout the room-

"Did you really believe that I would  be caught unaware by Mao XenLin? I have been in control from the beginning, Sherlock. It was planned out; the capture, the torture, the rescue. Elena Schott didn't track down her sister by herself. And the serial killer at the swimming pool? Who do you think sponsored him? You never realised. Why didn't you realise, Sherlock? I thought you would, I really did. I thought you were clever. This is a game of corruption."