Team Seven of Heroes Chapter 12

12.

“This is Moriarty scheme. He loved to stage disasters to cover the real crime. Even at his own men and women.” Sherlock spoke up then. “He may be cunning and manipulative and ruthless. He once told me that my ‘if I was clever to bring destruction upon him, rest assured that he will do as much to me’. The man is a genius and insane at the same time. Both of them are.”

“Well, we are not destroyed as yet. Can we stop the train?” Mycroft asked out loudly. “Think, brother for mum’s sake.”

Sherlock then stopped his reminiscent of the genius and focused on his own.

“Yes there is. Each carriage holds a brake lever which can be applied by the porters. The Abbots Ripton rail accident called for the application of additional brakes. By golly we can be saved.” Sherlock cried out and then looked at Watson. “I am good at physics but train design, I am afraid I hardly rode them.”

“Blimey me. I do in the Frontiers.” Watson grabbed Mycroft by the arm to the carriage front. He opened the door and then looked at the connecting gears there to join the carriages.

“Pull that pin to release the carriage from the others.” Watson told Mycroft he then motioned to the brake contraption. It was a newer version which uses gas to operate the brake levers. He told Mycroft to push the lever across to apply the brakes.

“Do it with your strength to move it and once it’s done, move it slowly. I will move to the other last carriage to apply the brake there too.” Watson was to move back when Mycroft stopped him.

 “What about the others?” Mycroft asked.

“They are as good as dead. We are soldiers and not all of us can be saved.” Without more words, Watson stepped back into the carriage. He called on the Lord to assist him.

“I can’t do it alone. John holds the strength to operate the brake.” Watson told the lady before he tapped the Lord to follow him. He told the man to do apply the brake there before he pull the pin to release the last carriage.

“The jumped back here.” Watson told Lord Greystoke. “The carriages will part but you need to come with us. Lady Jane needs you.”

 Just then when he gave the instruction, Watson felt the carriage lurched to the side and then back on the tracks but there was a drop in the speed. He then looked at Lord Greystoke and nodded. The second sets of brake were applied gradually and then train speed slowed.

“I think it’s working now.” Watson smiled at Lord Greystoke as the carriage wobbled on the tracks but it was stopping. “We are safe.”

It was the last carriage door burst opened and a dark shadow burst out. It took to the rooftop of the carriage before Watson could evade it. The dark shadow had then thrown the Doctor and the Lord off the carriage into the dark tracks.

It was also then Van Helsing jumped for cover behind the tree trunk while bullets raked the barks off the trunk. He had barely made it when the shots came. He felt his right arm for any dents and found none but one bullet took his right thigh skin off. He was unarmed except for the silver arm.

“You can run but you can’t outrun the bullets.” One of the witches called out. “We will have your body bullet riddled before we take your soul.”

Van Helsing looked to the surrounding to work out his strategy, There was not much there and beside the spaced out tree trunks he was helpless for cover. He had then tried to run but the witches had pinned him down. There was a possible move he could try. He picked up the shot down branches and look at them.  The jagged edge gave him an idea. He had to move fast then. He picked up a good sturdy piece and broke it into three short pieces with the sharper ends and then took a deep breath. He wished he had learned from the gypsies more. He grabbed the one of the shortened branches in his right hand and then he stepped out with the right arm swinging back. Once he cleared the tree trunk, he tossed the branch at the witches and then did a body roll. He crouched up and threw the second branch and did another roll before he threw the last branch. It was then he felt the bullets hit him in the chest and he toppled over. He rolled over on the grass there to his front before he looked up. There was only one witch standing and that was the one with the missing hand. The other two was on their knees with the branches in their hearts. Van Helsing silver arm with the enhanced strength had made his throw more impactful but the aim was his past times antics with the gypsies. He did not miss the third witch but his aim hit her on the throat when she fired at Van Helsing. The last witch fell to her knees before she grasped the branch there.

Van Helsing had then forced himself up and rushed over to the three wounded witches. He picked up the dropped gun and aimed it the trio.

“Have a longer recovery this time.” Van Helsing emptied the magazine of bullets into the witches’ faces.

Lady Harkness who had remained calm during the crisis then sat up when she heard the noise on the rooftop. Her senses in her demon form peaked up while her eyes stared at the ceiling of the carriage.

“I say Mrs Harkness, you are welcome to the fight.” Sherlock had then reached for his suitcase. He unlatched the belts that tied it and flipped the cover open. He reached to the side of the case and released the hidden catch there. With the flap opened, it revealed the set of two automatic pistols and the spare bullets.

“Luger prototypes model P38 Holds nine shots and effective at fifty yards. My good friend, Walther gave me for my last birthday. I did reply that I disliked guns but I guess one cannot be too firm on that.” Sherlock grabbed the two guns and held it upwards. “Guns are not your choice?”

Lady Greystoke had then holstered the two ,22 pistols. She stepped up to the dead staff and retrieved the double gauge gun. She recovered more bullets from the dead staff and then posed with her gun.

“I like mine extra huge and longer with a double impact.” It made Sherlock smiled then.

“Elementary, my dear. I do fancied one on me too.” Sherlock smiled. He then looked at Mrs Harkness. She had reached for her bag to remove the two crochet sticks with metallic pointed end.

“Are we on the roll here? Menage a trois?” Sherlock smiled but his attention was then distracted when the ceiling tore open. First it was seen the talons from the paws and then fangs form the jaws. The creature squeezed in then and flapped its wings out.

“Griffin indeed.” Sherlock found the name fitting.  The griffin was a legendary creature that many had claimed to be a body, tail and hind legs of a lion, the head and wing of an eagle with the talons on the paws. And it was shaded red in the skin and feathers. The one Sherlock saw was more lion like with the head and mane but the wings were similar to the eagles. It was however golden in the shade. More to it, it was huge with the length of man and the height of under a normal man.