Sherlock - The Game Is On!

The Empty Hearse- Ten

Chapter Ten

Shortly afterwards Howard Shilcott, sitting in his living room and wearing his bobble hat, is Skypeing with the us on the laptop while Sherlock and John frantically search through maps and papers on the kitchen table at 221B. "There's nothing down there, Mr Holmes, I told you. No sidings, no ghost stations."

"There has to be. Check again." Sherlock demands.

"Look, this whole area is a big mess of old and new stuff. Charing Cross is made up of bits of older stations like Trafalgar Square, Strand..."

"No, it's none of those. We've accounted for those." I stated. "St Margaret's Street, Bridge Street, Sumatra Road, Parliament Street..." Sherlock drawls further.

"Hang on, hang on. Sumatra Road. You mentioned Sumatra Road, Mr Holmes. There is something. I knew it rang a bell. Where is it? There was a station down there."

"Well, why isn't it on the maps?"

"Cause it was closed before it ever opened."

"What?" I was a tad confused. Howard holds up a book to the camera. "They built the platforms, even the staircases, but it all got tied up in legal disputes, so they never built the station on the surface."

"It's right underneath the Palace of Westminster."

"And so what's down there? A bomb." I walk away, grabbing my coat. "Oh..." John hurries after us.

We walk briskly along the road near the Houses of Parliament and head to the stairs leading down into Westminster station. We walk across the concourse, past the fangirls, through the ticket barriers and along the corridors. "So it's a bomb, then? A Tube carriage is carrying a bomb."

"Shut up, John! We don't need to cause a riot!" I seethe. "Must be."

"Right." I grab my phone, and was about to call the police. "What are you doing?"

"Calling the police."

"What? No!"

"Sherlock, this isn't a game. They need to evacuate Parliament." I stated. John agreed. "They'll get in the way. They always do. This is cleaner, more efficient." Stopping at a locked maintenance entrance, he reaches into his coat, takes out a crowbar and starts to force the gate open. "And illegal."

"A bit." The gate opens and we go inside. Sherlock pulls the gate closed behind and we take out flashlights and start to walk down into the maintenance tunnels. A couple of paces behind Sherlock, John checks his phone, Sherlock raises his head as if sensing what John's doing. "What are you doing?"

"Coming." I sigh, but walk along with John. "I don't understand."

"Well, that's a first!"

"There's nowhere else it could be." Sherlock stands on the track looking at both sides of the tunnel. I sigh again, but jump on the track, turning left. "Oh!"

"What? Wait! Isn't it live?"

"Perfectly safe as long as we avoid touching the rails." My voice echoes the tunnel. "'Course, yeah. Avoid the rails. Great." John mutters. "This way."

"You sure?"

"Sure." We walk along the tracks and not long after we see the missing car, which is revealed partway round a gentle bend. "Ah. Look at that."

"John. Michelle." I turn to him and we follow Sherlock's gaze, shining our torches upwards. "Demolition charges." We walk to the carriage, checking all areas on the outside before Sherlock opens the door to the drivers cab. We slowly work our way through the carriage, looking at every seat, every corner, shining our torches along the ceiling and floor. "It's empty. There's nothing."