A Consulting Detective, Ex Army Doctor, and Child Mercenary Walk Into A Room

Chapter 7: The Hounds of Baskerville

The land rover pulls up at the checkpoint again. The window hums down and Sherlock offers up his ID - with full confidence this time. "Lune and I need to see Major Barrymore as soon as we get inside," Sherlock said to John. "Ok," John said, understanding. "Which means you have to start the search. For the hound," said Sherlock. "Right." "In the labs. Stapleton's lab first. Could be ... dangerous," Sherlock warns. John smiles.

A neat, well furnished office. There's a bust of Churchill on the desk and a computer. Books line the facing wall. Sherlock and I are facing Major Barrymore across it. He's laughing. "Oh, do you know I'd love to. I'd love to give you unlimited access to this place. Why not?" the Major said. "It's a simple enough request, Major," I said. "I've never heard anything so bizzare." "You have to give me twenty four hours. That's what I've ... negotiated," said Sherlock. "And not a second more! I may have to comply with this order but I don't have to like it. I don't know what the hell you expect to find here, anywhere." "Perhaps the truth," said Sherlock. "About what?" Major Barrymore looks Sherlock up and down and then he laughs. "Oh. I see! The big coat should've told me. You're one of the conspiracy lot, aren't you? Oh, well then go ahead. Seek them out. The monsters. The death rays. The aliens." "You have one of those?" I ask in a mocking tone. A look from Major Barrymore. "Just wondering," I said. "A couple. Crash landed here in the 60s. We call them Eric and Ernie." He smiles icily. "Good luck, Mr. Holmes and Ms. Moriarty."

Sherlock and I enter a room with a bunch of screens. In one of them, I can see John entering a cryo room. Sherlock sits down and fiddles around with the controls. The light in the room John's in, flashes brightly and then goes dark. The monkey in one of the cages screeches. Judging from the video on the screen, John is clearly frightened and seeing things Sherlock and I couldn't see. I look at Sherlock's face. "You're enjoying this too much, Sherlock." Sherlock's phone buzzes and he answers it. "John? John, what's wrong?" Sherlock feigns worry. "It's in here!" I hear John say. "It's in here with me!" "Where are you?" Sherlock asks. He stands up and we calmly exit the room. "Get me out, Sherlock! You've got to get me out! Cryo room. There's a cryo room in Stapleton's lab -" And John stops. "John? John!" Sherlock calls out. Sherlock swipes his ID on the elevator and we make our way to John. "Please, Sherlock. Now!" "Alright. Lune and I'll find you. Keep talking." Sherlock and I walk down a corridor to the cryo room and wait outside the doors. "No. It'll hear me." "Keep talking. What are you seeing? John?" "I'm here." "What can you see?" "Don't know. I can hear it, though. There! Did you -?" "Stay calm. Stay calm. Can you see it?" "No. No I - I can see it. Sherlock! It's here! It's here!"

At that exact Sherlock motions me to open the doors. I throw the cryo room doors open and Sherlock turns on the strip lights back on. "John! Are you ok? John?" I ask. John pushes past us and sees nothing there. "Jesus. It was the hound! It was here. Sherlock. I swear it was. It must be here," said John. He looks up and down the big room and points to the empty cage. "Did you see it? You must have -" said John. "It's alright, John. It's ok now," I said. John grabs Sherlock, gabbling feverishly. "It's not! It's not ok! I saw it, Sherlock. Lune and I were wrong." Sherlock gently detaches John's arm from his coat. He seems to be quietly suppressing excitement. "Let's not jump to conclusions," Sherlock said. "What?" John asked. "What did you see?" "I told you! The hound!" "Huge? Red eyes?" "Yes!" "Glowing?" Sherlock continues to ask. "Yes!" "No." "What?" "I made up the bit about the glowing. You saw what you expected to see because I told you. You've been drugged. We've all been drugged," Sherlock confirmed. "Drugged?" John asks. "Can you walk?" I ask John. "Course! Of course I can walk." "Come on, then. It's time we laid this ghost."

Dr. Stapleton is in her lab. In glass tanks in front of her are several white rabbits. A noise from the door makes her look up. We're standing in front of her. "Oh, back again. What's on your mind this time?" Dr. Stapleton asks us. "Murder, Dr. Stapleton. Refined, cold blooded murder." Sherlock reaches for the light switch and snaps it off. Immediately, the rabbit starts to grow fluorescent green. Sherlock snaps the light switch back on. "Will you tell little Kirsty what happened to Bluebell or shall I?" Dr. Stapleton sighs resigned, Sherlock's got her. "Okay, what do you want?" "Can I borrow your microscope?" Sherlock asks.