The Side of The Angels (A Sherlock Holmes Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Lab Rats

Sherlock pulled the car to a stop in front of the gate. 

"Afternoon, sir. Can you turn the engine off?" he did so, handing him the ID.

"I need to see Major Barrymore as soon as we get inside." Sherlock told us.

"Right."

"Which means you two will have to start the search for the hound."

"Alright." I agreed.

"In the labs. Stapleton's first. It could be dangerous."

~~~

John and I stepped out of the lift into the empty, sterile white lab. The bright flourescent lights turned off, and we looked across the room to see the last of the scientests leaving for the day. My eyes skimmed over the giant dog cages, covered with cloth, on the far end of the room.

I spotted Stapleton's door and crossed over to it, swiping the card Sherlock gave to us.

"You go in and look around in Stapleton's lab, I'll keep looking out here." I suggested. He was back by my side before I was even out the door. "That was fast."

"There was nothing in there. It wasn't difficult to spot." Suddenly a giant lamp came on, blinding the both of us and triggering a massive headache in myself. I cringed. Then a rather loud alarm started, and we both covered out ears. It didn't do much to help my headache. We stumbled back to the lift and John swiped the card. The little screen read access denied. i shook my head.

"That can't be right." He swiped it again.

"Oh, come on." Then it all stopped. The light, the alarm, everything. John took a torch out of his pocket. "Hello?" I rubbed my eyes as the shape of the lamp still danced across my vision. Then we heard something creak. John and I crept over to the first cage, tearing the cloth aside. It was empty. Something metal clanged across the room, and we whirled around. John exposed the next cage, to find that it was also empty.

I took the next one, a monkey screaming at me and jumping into the bars. I dropped the cloth, jumping backwards into John. I put a hand on my chest, calming myself down as we proceeded to the next one. It was only partially covered...and the door was bent open. That's when we ehard the growl. John walked back to Stapleton's door, and I stayed where I was, frozen.

"Come on, come on."  John muttered, walking back over to me. I grabbbed my phone, dialing Sherlock's number.

"Sherlock, answer the bloody phone." I whispered. The voicemail started talking and I hung up. John came over to me, grabbing my hand. We could hear the paws clicking on the floor. We heard a growl again. I looked over at the empty dog cages, grabbing John's hand and taking off running. We got in, closing the door behind us. John pulled the cloth down and I sat down on the floor, pressing my hand tightly over my mouth to muffle my breathing. My heart was in my throat.

I jumped as my phone rang, and I grabbed it, answering it instantly.

"It's here. Sherlock it's here with us." I whispered.

"Where are you?" He asked.

"Sherlock, please get us out of this, you've got to get us out." I cried, tears running down my face. My hands were shaking. "We're in a lab, the big lab." There was another growl, and I put my hand over my mouth again.

"Claudia...Claudia?" 

"Sherlock, please hurry."

"It's alright, I'll find you, keep talking to me, Claudia."

"I can't, it's going to hear us." John had his hands pressed over his mouth, and I could feel him shaking beside me. I was shaking too.

"Keep talking. What are you seeing? Claudia?" 

"Nothing, nothing, I can't see anything but I hear it."

"Stay calm, just stay calm. Can you see it?"

"I've just told you that I can't!"  I leaned over John to the gap in the cloth, allowing me to see out of the cage. Then I saw. "Oh my gosh, Sherlock I can see it, I see it..." I knew John could see it too, because he wrapped an arm around me. All of a sudden, the lights came on, the door opened and Sherlock was there.

"Are you two alright?"

"My gosh, it was the hound." John said tightly, leaping out of the cage. I stood up slowly, and Sherlock put a hand on my shoulder.

"Claudia-" I wrapped my arms aroundhis waist, burying my face in his shirt. He wrapped his arms around me, pressing his mouth into my hair. "Claudia, you're shaking."

"Sherlock, it was here, I swear it, Sherlock it must-it must-did-did-did you see it? You must have!"

"It's alright. It's ok now."

"NO IT'S NOT! IT'S NOT OK! I SAW IT, I WAS WRONG!" JOhn shouted.

"Hm, well, let's not jump to conclusions."

"What?" I pulled away from Sherlock.

"Oh my gosh." I realized. I suddenly thought back to our first meeting with Henry, and the TV interview, everytime he described the hound, he never said anything about glowing. I shoved Sherlock with all my might, but he hardly moved.

"What is going on!?" John asked.

"Glowing, the hound has never been reported as glowing. Sherlock made that up. Did your little experiment prove successful! I'm so glad we could be of service, Claudia and John, Sherlock Holmes' little lab rats!" I shouted.

"Sherlock, what is she talking about?"

"You saw what you expected to see because I told you. You have been drugged. We have all been drugged."

"Drugged?"

"Can you walk."

"Of course we can walk."

"Come on, then. It's time to lay this ghost." He turned to me, and I shook my head. He walked over to me, grabbing my arms. "You have to understand this from a scientific standpoint, Claudia."

"I was terrified, Sherlock." He nodded.

"I know. I'm sorry, but you have to understand why I did it." I sighed, wiping the tears on my face away. He pressed his lips against my forehead, grabbing my hand and intertwining our fingers.

~~~

We bust into the room, finding Dr. Stapleton and a rabbit.

"Oh, back again? What's on your mind this time?"

"Murder, Dr. Stapleton. Refined, cold-blooded, murder." He turned out the lights, revealing a glow-in-the-dark rabit on the table in front of her. He turned the lights back on. "Will you tell little Kirsty what happened to Bluebell, or shall I?"

"Ok. What do you want?"

"Can I borrow your microscope?"