Team Seven of Heroes Chapter 35

35.

The shots came but the savage man was evading them as if they were like the invasive long tails macques but the savage man was used to evading them. He leaped and rolled or run to avoid the bullets and soon reached the building. He looked and saw Van Helsing was pinned to the ground with the two ladies. He looked to the wall and saw the window near him. His mind then was clouded by the savage nature held parts of the thinking John Clayton. He looked up and saw the extended gutter on the roof. It won’t hold his weight but he was not climbing. He reached out with the right shaft and released the whip. The grapnel held out and he retracted the whip. It drew him up and the gutter creaked under his weight. He swung out with his legs against the wall and then in arc he crashed past window to land on the shooter. The right whip had retracted into the staff but with a swing of his hand, the staff shot off the whip once more into the other guard at the other window. The whip fired with force tore into the guard’s chest and went through the back. He retracted the whip and then held it like a staff once more. He was moving then with both arms swung back and killed four more guards with him battering them like a maniac. It was then Van Helsing and the two ladies climbed in.

Watson and the two brothers rode in hard past the gates and reached the house doorway. They rushed in and saw the others. Lord Greystoke was stalking the corridors with his savage instincts but there was one doorway and it was to the bottom. It was a staircase to the basement. There was no second level but a high ceiling. It was like a huge warehouse. The group descended to the lower level and saw another huge chamber with two doorways. The place was emptied of any furnishings but a single figure standing there.

“Welcome to my lair, Ladies and Gentlemen and brothers.” The lady known as M stood there. She was dressed in a green dress with the bright yellow and the gun she held was a derringer. The gun was actually a pocket pistol and a single shot muzzle loading.

“After the bombed out at the Ministry of Internal Security was going to take half a million pounds to rebuild I moved here. “It’s …”

Lord Greystoke charged forth but he was held back by the appearance of two dozen guards who dropped down from the ceiling. They were hidden there. They were not all that dropped down but a few more others soon crowded the chamber. All the guards were dressed in the dark overalls and armed with rifles.

“It was unwise to do that, Lord Greystoke. I am protected her in my lair.”

“Truly, my dear sister Sigrina. I am ever glad to know you are alive. The last time we met was …” Sherlock was cut off by M.

“Sherlock, we hardly knew each other soon after you left for Boarding School. Mycroft was hardly seen anyway. He was always with Father.” M continued on. “I lived with the others but soon I was sent off to school.”

“And you disappeared soon then.” Mycroft replied. “We searched for you and one day the authorities told us of your remains. Sherlock had them analysed and was sure that they were yours.”

“I did disappear and with the man I love. Frank was unlike his brother. He was a genius in his line of interest. He took some of my blood and left it on the dead girl body along with my dead personality items. I sealed the death sentence on myself and became Mary Weather, the name of the dead girl. I then married the man I loved and be masterminded my promotion into MIS. When you first met me at MIS, you did say I looked like your sister. Well I was your sister before and then your ranking officer.” M looked at Sherlock.

“The same occurred to you but you chose not to pursue the matter, Sherlock.” M smiled. “In your mind, I was dead. My remains checked by you and certified by you. Your professional mind refused to acknowledge that you could be wrong. I knew you checked on my background. It was impeccable for I created those records. We are after MIS.”

“Doctor Watson was into shadow for some weeks but I had my trailed cover. The lady from the Holmes family died years ago.” M laid it out plainly. “What did trigger your curiosity?”

“A few things that I observed of you which spoke of you. There were the words you said then when we all met. Brothers and sister, the highlands, and the painting of our home, and above all, the Gaelic toast that father raised during the gatherings.”

“Mere assumptions which I will not …deny. I am…” M was interrupted.

“That is her natural history till now.” A guard stepped up and shot M in the back of the head.

The Holmes brother was too shock to move but Lord Greystoke was unstoppable then. He triggered the whips and then aimed the right one at the ceiling hatch where some of the guards came from. He pulled hard and dragged the hatch down before it swinging like a pendulum on the loose.

Van Helsing saw the commotion created and rushed for the shooter but he had retreated into the lineup of guards. He saw the guards raised their rifles but he was prepared. He charged at them and floored three guards in seconds before he had to use one of them as a shield.

Lady Jane had moved in with her half crouched and her rifle firing. She was joined by Mycroft with Sherlock taking cover behind another guard who was an excellent shield as he was dead. The Lady ran while firing and then she also sought cover behind a dead guard to reload.

Lady Harkness was not subtle in her move. She leaped at the guards and although the bullets tore into her, she sank her fangs deep into the guard she had caught up with. She bit down and tore the air passages. She then stood up and rushed at the next guard. The guards then saw her bloodied lips and chest which jolted them to the lady was not ordinary.

“She is a witch!” The guards there retreated but Lady Harkness was blood thirsty. She rushed for the retreating guard who was at the rear. The guard turned and saw her approaching before he shot her in the chest. She fell backwards and then got up to chase the guard. That round he did not get to shoot at her but the back of his neck was torn off by her bite.

The battle soon ended leaving the seven figures standing there.

“I saw him leave.” Sherlock called out. “It was Moriarty. He went down there.”

Sherlock was pointing to an open doorway to the next lower level. They approached it and heard the growls from there. It was not the growl of the creatures known then to man.

“By golly, more hideous creatures I presume?” Mycroft sighed while he reloaded the rifle. Sherlock stared at the brother.

“How could you be so darn indifferent?” Sherlock then showed a tinge of emotion.

“She may be my sister which we assumed was but she was still a ….criminal in my mind.” Mycroft focussed on his loading with the hands shaking. Sherlock then turned away and was looking for the sister’s body but she was not to be found. They must have taken it with her.

“I know those noises. They are …” Van Helsing did not speak but move to proceed down the steps on the stairs. Lord Greystoke stopped him and offered the silver armed man one of his staff.

“You can’t fight with that arm alone.”