Sherlock Holmes and Watson 2
by Londonboy
“So all we need to do is figure out what Lord Radcliffe would choose as an access code for getting into the safe. Help me look around his desk, John, and we will find clues leading to the combination. It will certainly be very easy to deduce. He sat in this chair the first time he was asked to set the password and something right here inspired him.”
“I already know the combination, Sherlock. It is called my big biceps. We do not need a numerical entrance when my strength can easily help me rip the door off the safe. See how easy that was. I literally broke the metal bolts inside the door in half and then simply tore the hinges away from the container. It did not give me any resistance. That demolished piece of steel is probably going to surprise Lord Radcliffe very much. It also gave me a huge rush of adrenaline. Can we please find something else for me to destroy, Sherlock? I like the feeling of crushing things with my hands.”
“It has been two weeks since your transformation, John, and I am still caught off guard by the strength I gave you. It is not logical for someone to be able to rip the door off of a safe, but then the ingenious compound I mixed in your tea was really a gamble all along.”
“What? You mean you didn’t know if would work or not, Sherlock?”
“As a matter of fact, John, I worried that it might kill you. Most of the ingredients have never been tested on humans before and there was really only a one in three million chance that a person could have the correct DNA for positive results.”
“One in three million! You mean you took that kind of risk with my life, Sherlock?”
“John, there is no need to get so upset and please put me down. You’re doing it again – lifting me off the ground with one hand and not even realizing it. We made a bargain that you would not do this again. It is quite uncomfortable to have one’s feet dangling in the air in nothing but a flash and you always wrinkle my shirt and jacket.”
“That bargain was made before I learned you took a gamble with my life, Sherlock!”
“I did no such thing, John. You should know by now that I calculated perfectly your ancestral origins, along with the diverse seasonings of different cultures in your specific family line – did you know that your eighth great grandfather was brother to Genghis Khan – and all of that information made me quite sure the compound would work on you. I did not realize, however, how great its effects would be.”
“Only ‘quite sure,’ Sherlock? Were you not one hundred percent sure? You’re always so bloody damn sure. Tell me you knew one hundred percent it was going to work.”
“Let us say that I was ninety seven and a half percent sure, shall we? Now please put me down, my toes are beginning to turn numb. Well, you could have placed me on the ground nicely, John, you did not need to drop me like a brick.”
“Only ninety seven and a half percent – it is a good thing you are my friend, Sherlock, or I would have tossed your light-as-a-feather body out that window.”
“Since we are twenty seven floors above ground, John, the windows are probably so thick that a mere toss would not have sent my body through the glass.”
“Would you like me to try, Sherlock? You should remember that a slight toss from me would be like shooting you out of a cannon.”
“Good point, my dear sir, good point. Shall we get the envelope and head back to Baker Street?”
“Can I please destroy something else before we go? You’ve made me quite upset and I need to let off some steam. Also, Lord Radcliffe is really a creep and should be reminded not to try and blackmail you again.”
“Of course, John. Let me see. Well, the most expensive thing in this room is probably this large vera wood desk. It is one of the heaviest and hardest woods in the world. It is also quite obvious that Lord Radcliffe takes good care of this piece of furniture, so I would guess it is important to him, as well.”
“I would like to see how heavy it is. Look at that, Sherlock, the thing is pretty light. I can lift it with one hand.”
“Of course you can, John. I have watched you lift a black cab with one hand, so this will be nothing to you. Still, it would be fun to destroy a prized possession of Lord Radcliffe’s, would it not?”
“Right. Shall I toss it out the window?”
“No, I think it would be better to leave a message for our friend. Can you please put it down now so I can take a look at it?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Now, let me see. If my calculations are correct – and we know they are – a little bit of your powerful pressure right here should split this heavy desk right down the middle.”
“Shall I punch it with my fist, Sherlock?”
“No, I think it would be better to use one finger, would it not, John?”
“I like the way you think. So, you say right here? Let us see how the bloody thing can withstand my power. I’ll just use my forefinger and press down slightly. And, voila, a nice clean split right down the middle. For supposedly hard wood, that was pretty simple, Sherlock.”
“Yes, but the sound it created was quite deafening. I am afraid we might have alerted some of the security. It is definitely time for us to leave.”
“Can we please stay and let me play with a bunch of grown men, Sherlock? It would be fun to see them be surprised by my strength.”
“It would, indeed, but I am afraid not tonight, John. You will have a chance tomorrow to – as you say – play with some men. I promise. But don’t worry; the video camera in the corner has recorded everything. I am sure Lord Radcliffe and his guards will be quite flabbergasted by what they see when reviewing the video tomorrow. I only blocked the live feed this evening. I wanted to have them see what you were capable of when they look back at the recorded coverage.”
“So you are saying you knew I would rip open the safe all along, didn’t you?”
“Of course I did. And, for the record, I also was one hundred percent sure the compound would work on you, John. You should know that by now. I merely loved the thought of showing them how easily you can lift a grown man with one hand.”
“Sherlock, sometimes you infuriate me. I could have easily thrown you through that window!”
“Again, I am one hundred percent sure, my dear Dr. Watson, that you would never do anything to hurt me.”
“I wouldn’t be too certain, Mr. Holmes. I wouldn’t be too certain.”
“Shall we be off to Baker Street, John? And if you will wait for my signal to shove that door off its hinges you will easily take out the armed guards coming down the hall. Please try to be a little more gentle this time. Let’s not break most of the bones in their bodies like you did last week when dealing with those thieves at the Tate Museum.”
“I was just getting used to my strength, Sherlock. You cannot blame me for that. Remember, it was you who gave me this power, so we might as well blame you for their broken bones.”
“Point taken. Ready, set, and push! How easy you make it look, John, to blast through solid oak!”
To be continued?