2 The two Old Men of the Mountain and Sea
" Ah, the land of the free, and of our distant cousins; America " said Bell, as he smelled the gunpowder of the soil.
Holmes, Watson and Moriarty were all three in the land which was named after Amerigo Vespucci, and is most commonly known as; the home of the eagle, and the 50 United States.
(If you guys are wondering where John Ferrier is, he stayed back, per Bell's request to watch over Irene and the kids)
" Sir, why are we here? " said Moriarty.
" My dear student, do not shame me; your teacher by asking questions, when I have clearly taught you better " said Holmes, while still walking ahead of Watson and Moriarty.
The assistance thought about it for a moment, and then said;
" I am sure that we are here for business and not pleasure " said Moriarty with a smile.
" How did you come to that conclusion? " asked Holmes.
" Short answer or long? " asked Moriarty.
" Long, always long " said Bell, as he smiled.
"'Well. Clearly we are here for business, otherwise, why would both you and Watson have brought your guns, which I noticed inside both your coats "
Watson was surprised, for he thought that he had concealed his gun well.
" Continue, my boy, " said Holmes.
" You are also walking with your stick, which, if I remember correctly; has an obsidian blade hidden within, and since obsidian-made blades cut five hundred times better than the sharpest steel blade, then this trip is a rather serious one "
" If it is so serious, then how come that you do not have a gun? " asked Bell.
" Sir please. I can see the back of two guns hitting the back of your coat " said Moriarty with a smile.
Watson now also saw the outline of the guns.
Holmes immediately tightened his vertical shoulder holster.
" Well done, my boy " said Bell with a proud smile.
Watson could also be seen with such a smile, he also patted Moriarty on the shoulder.
The three men now walked for a bit, till Holmes stopped, and so did the others.
" Sir? " said Moriarty.
" Sherlock? " said Watson.
" We are here, " said Holmes.
" But we are in the middle of the street? " said Watson, as people walked by, and a woman was resting up against a wall.
" Tell me Watson, Moriarty, what creature can get through any hole, no matter the size? " said Bell.
" A mouse " said Moriarty.
" And what country started the first revolution? "
" The French " said Watson.
" Now. If you were to put those two things together, what would you get? "
" A white mouse " said both Watson and Moriarty.
" That is a bit rude, " said the woman at the wall.
Holmes now turned towards the woman, as Watson and Moriarty had yet to piece it all together.
" Do forgive me, but I am English " said Bell, as the woman now walked closer, pulled back her hat, and then said;
" The White Mouse is at your service, Mr Holmes " said Nancy Wake.
Later.
All four were at a café, enjoying a cup of tea, while talking about the fate of millions.
Watson and Moriarty were both looking at Bell, who was enjoying a nice cup of Earl Grey Tea.
" Don't be shy, ask the nice lady if you have questions, " said Holmes.
" Won't you tell us? " said Watson.
" Ah, my dear Watson, the beauty of knowing all the answers, is that I enjoy watching you both get to those same answers " said the Detective-Doctor with his classic smile.
" What information do you have? " said Moriarty, now facing Nancy.
" I have information about the two old men " said the White Mouse, as she took a sip of her tea.
" Old men? " said Watson, confused, as he turned towards Holmes, but Bell simply had an expression of; you know my methods, use them.
" Who are these two old men? " asked Watson.
" They are known as Hassan Sabbah and Proteus " said the White Mouse. " And they are in charge of the biggest medical- and sea-export company of the world; OFMS, " she continued.
" I don't get it " said Moriarty " Have they done something bad? "
" Well… nothing that can be proven, but, the two old men like to take out their rivals, who are never seen again. There are even some rumors that they have a strong poison, called; the blood of Nasnas- which is said; the second the liquid touches your skin, the victim becomes fleshless in mere seconds " said Nancy, as she felt the warmth of her cup.
Watson and Moriarty could not believe what they were hearing.
" But wait, there is more " said Nancy, sounding like a salesman " There are even some rumors going around, that, in the dead of night, some people have claimed to see a demon- in armor with horns and a large sword coming out from the OFMS building, and whenever that demon is seen, rivals of Hassan and Proteus, have been found with their heads severed from their bodies, as the sound of the evening bell could be heard, even at night "
Moriarty and Watson both felt a cold-chill down their spines, as Holmes had an excited smile.
" So. Have you been able to arrange a meeting? " said Bell.
The White Mouse finished her tea.
" No. I could not get the old men, but I did manage to get Hassan's sons; Mohammed- and Ustad Sabbah, to agree to a meet-up " said Nancy.
" That will do " said Holmes, as he stood up " Tell your bosses that I am grateful, " said Bell, as he put some money on the table.
" I will be sure to give Norwood and Churchill your regards " said the White Mouse.
Holmes now walked out of the Café-shop, with Watson and Moriarty behind him.
" Sir, where are we going? " asked Moriarty.
" My dear boy, we should do like the Americans, and eat some waffles " said Bell with a smile.
All three were now at a waffle-restaurant, gaining a lot of weight(which they would later regret)
That was when Mohammed and Ustad walked in, and then seated themselves at their table.
" Greetings, I must say that I am honored to meet the famous Sherlock Holmes, " said Mohammed.
" My name is Joseph Bell " said Holmes with his mouth-full.
" But… you are the famous detective? " said Ustad.
Bell just smiled, as did Watson and Moriarty.
" Now gentlemen, you two are about to walk back to your father with some very bad news " said Holmes.
" What bad news? " said Mohammed, who knew that Bell had nothing.
Holmes took out a pen and paper, wrote something down, and then gave the paper to Mohammed and Ustad.
Moriarty and Watson both noticed how the faces of Mohammed and Ustad were pale as death.
" And you have given this information to the Press?! " yelled Mohammed.
Bell simply nodded.
Mohammed and Ustad ran out of the restaurant, hopped into their car, and drove as fast as they could to their father.
" What did you write on the paper? " said Watson.
" My dear Watson, as I keep saying; you know my methods, figure it out yourself " said Holmes with a smile.
" By their reactions, it must have been something of note, " said Moriarty.
" My dear boy, that is putting it mildly, but I will give you both a clue; it has something to do with the Vatican " said Bell, as he stood up, complemented the chef, put some money and a tip on the table, and then walked out of the restaurant.
" Where are we off to now? " asked Moriarty.
" Guess " said Holmes.
" By the looks of it, I would say that we are heading towards the airport, where your jet is located " said Moriarty.
" I can't believe that Jakob (II) Fugger bought you a jet, " said Watson, amazed.
" He is a fan of my work, and a generous patron " said Bell with a smile " But, gentlemen, I feel like you both have the right to know- that our lives are in mortal danger, " he continued.
Before Watson and Moriarty could ask what he meant, they had all three now entered the jet, which took off; at high speeds.
It was now a cold and blue night, and a man was on the phone with his mother.
" Mom, I already told you, ain't nobody got time to go to church "
The man now hung up the phone.
He now felt a chill down his spine, and he saw how ice had covered his window.
The man looked out the street, and saw something, which a person should only see once in their lives- he was looking at death itself.
Hassan Sabbah had now changed into his other-self from a certain fate, and went by the name of Dushara.
The man was looking at the glowing blue eyes of Dushara.
The man grabbed a cross from his nearby table, he closed the curtains, fell on his butt, and then uttered, while shaking violently and having a cold-sweat;
" Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. " - Matthew 6:9-13
Bell never told Watson and Moriarty where they were going, all they knew, was that they were in a hurry.
Watson looked out the window of the jet, and then said;
" Bell… you won't believe this… "
Holmes walked over and looked out the window, and saw something which even he did not expect.
The Old Man of the Mountain was surfing on top of the waters, with the help of the Old Man of the Sea, keeping up with the jet.
Dushara glared with his red eyes towards the jet.
" Well… you surely don't see that everyday. Pilot; can you out-race death? " said Bell.
" Uhm… are you asking me to step on it? " asked the pilot.
" You could say that, " said Holmes.
The jet was somehow able to land near Mount Damavand.
All three had now reached the mountain, but so had death; who was standing behind them.
" Well, Watson, Moriarty, it is times like these that one must utter the F-word… " said Bell.
Watson, Moriarty and Dushara looked at Holmes with anticipation and curiosity.
" Fereydūn! " yelled Bell.
Mount Damavand now cracked open and forth came the Ancient Evil of the World.
Holmes grabbed Watson and Moriarty, ran into the jet, and yelled;
" Step on it! "
The jet took off, leaving Dushara with Zahhāk.
The Dragon King, took one look at the Old Man, and then said;
" I have commanded Demons, Fairies and Angels. I am a god, you mere mortal! "
" A god? " uttered Dushara.
Hassan paused for a moment, he then laughed.
" Hello god, I am death " said Dushara, with glowing red-eyes and pointing his sword at Zahhāk.
" Really? " said Zahhāk with a smile, as he called forth his sword, that was once his father from hell.
The jet was now a good distance from the battle that was taking place.
" I think that we are safe, " said Watson.
" We will see… " said Holmes, sounding a bit nervous.
They could now hear two war-cries;
" Azariel! "
" Ahriman! "
There was now a deadly silence, as both Watson and Moriarty noticed dead birds falling into the water, and dead creatures of the sea laying lifeless at the surface.
" It did not reach us… we are safe… " said Holmes, sounding relieved.
Watson and Moriarty had so many questions, but for now, they wanted a break...
