“But, if we could at least take a look at them—”
“NO, Doctor. If anyone is going to have access to these machines, it will be me or my brother, no one else.”
“Very well, Mr. Minister, I shall not press the point for the moment, but there is something about this affair that we will need to discuss very soon, sir.”
“What’s that?”
“Time Continuum. That’s what it is. I know all too well that we could not change the past without dire consequences, but the mere fact that your brother has breached a law of nature, would have to be corrected somehow.”
“If you are proposing to send my brother back, the answer is no, Doctor.”
“Okay, sir, as I said, I will not press the issue for now. I’ll be in London next week and if your schedule allows me to spend some time with you, I would make myself available day or night.”
“Very well then, I’ll have my secretary send you a couple of dates and times at which we could meet. However, I don’t think it is necessary for me to remind you that this is not an issue that you would wish to discuss with anyone under any circumstances. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal clear, Mr. Minister!”
When Mycroft closed his laptop, after a few parting words with Dr. Bahareth, he was in two minds; he wanted to call Weisberg and see if the CIA was aware or even used the Earth Hawks in the past. Yet, he wondered how he was going to broach the subject without revealing what he had in mind. The Earth Hawks would be the perfect team to beat terrorists at their own games, using the time-machines as their tools to track down the perpetrators before they committed any more villainous deeds. He shook his head and decided to think about this for a day or two.
Sitting behind a glass-topped desk and surrounded by the latest computer devices, in an office located in one of the imposing towers punctuating Riyadh’s skyline, Mohammad was upset. He was not in the habit of letting news disturb him, but the news of Sherlock Holmes’s presence being common knowledge in the highest offices of the British government certainly troubled him. He was a concerted fellow. He never did anything on impulse. The gentle, yet decisive features of his face divulged an eagerness of character his staff knew was to be trusted. He began pacing the width of his office, from time to time throwing a glance out of the floor-to-ceiling windows. He was not about to miss the opportunity to test one of these time-machines – even for himself – if at all possible, and, on the other hand, he knew that he had to find some way of redressing the situation of Sherlock Holmes being present in the 21st century.
He called one of his close associates to discuss the matter.
“Alright, Ibrahim,” Mohammad began when the young man was sitting opposite him. “What could you tell me about Time Continuum?”
A boyish grin took shape below Ibrahim’s moustache. “Well, Doctor, I don’t know very much about it, except that Time Continuum is like a series of domino tiles. If you disturb one tile, the rest will fall onto one another until the last tile has fallen. But since time has no beginning – not that we have defined as yet – and has certainly no end as far as we know, the domino effect of disturbing Time Continuum will be felt until the disturbed tile (or event) is returned to its original position or state.”
“That’s a very apt description, Ibrahim.” Mohammad smiled. “Now, if I were to tell you that something or someone rather, has disturbed one of these tiles in the 19th century, what do you think this accident could have provoked either in our immediate past or perhaps could engender in our future.”
Ibrahim had to think about that one. Not knowing which event or occurrence Dr. Bahareth was talking about, he could not be sure what the answer would be. “I’m sorry, Doctor, but since I am not aware of the initial event that took place, I couldn’t risk an answer at this point.”
“Okay then, let’s take the problem from the other end – the result as it were. Let’s imagine that the 2012 cataclysmic events were due to a breach in Time Continuum, what could have provoked (or about to provoke) such a disastrous outcome?”
“That’s easy, sir,” Ibrahim said, “same as your breath could provoke the fall of the first tile in the dominos, only a very small occurrence could possibly be the cause of the 2012 events.”
“Okay, Ibrahim, that’s all I needed to know for now.”
“You’re welcome, Doctor,” the young fellow concluded, getting up from the chair and making his way out of Mohammad’s office.
Next, Mohammad called Watson. He knew the doctor would be studying at this time of night in New Zealand.
“Hello, Mohammad,” Watson said, sounding a little surprised. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon after our conversation yesterday. What’s up?”
“A lot, John. That’s the short answer to your question.”
“Alright, what’s the long answer then?”
“I’ve just been talking to Mycroft Holmes—”
“You mean Sherlock’s brother? How could that be? Did the whole family move to our century?”
“No, John. Mycroft is and has been a Minister in Her Majesty’s government for many years now. He was definitely born in the 20th century – and I’ve checked the records myself – no question about it.”
“Okay, but does he know about Mr. Holmes, I mean Sherlock Holmes being alive and living in Wellington?”
“Oh he does, and it’s the reason for my calling you at this hour. He’s well aware of his brother’s presence, and of the existence of the time-machines.”
“I see, and has he agreed to let you have a look at them?”
“Not yet, no. But I’m going to London next week and I’m planning to meet with him at that time.”
“Do you think you could persuade him to let you examine one of the machines then?”
“Listen to me, John.” Somehow, Mohammad sounded very serious all of a sudden, and that began to concern Watson. “I have had a brief discussion with one of my colleagues regarding Time Continuum and the upshot of our conversation is that we’ll need to get Sherlock Holmes back to 1890.”
“But why? He hasn’t done anything to disturb the Continuum—”
“Yes, he has, John. The fact that he has come to this century is sufficient to have disastrous consequences in our future.”
“What do you mean by “disastrous consequences”? He just disappeared in his century and reappeared in ours, that’s all.”
“No, John, that’s not all – far from it. We believe that he may have been responsible for the imminent events that promise to destroy our world on December 12, 2012.”
Watson fell utterly silent, and turned away from the screen. He didn’t want Mohammad to see the shock that had registered on his face.
“All right, my friend, take it easy… . In any case we can’t do anything until I talk to the minister.” He waited for Watson to show up on the screen again. When he did, Mohammad said, “Just relax. We may find another solution to this problem—”
“What if he isn’t the reason for the 2012 forthcoming events, what do we do then? You can’t just send him back without being sure.”
“I know that, John, and I’ll do my best to be certain before we do anything. I promise you.”
“Okay… , just keep me informed,” Watson said, ringing off abruptly.
Mohammad didn’t mind. He knew the young man cared for Sherlock Holmes a lot – same as his great-grandfather had done 120 years ago.
Closing his laptop for the night, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to continue working after his conversation with Mohammad, Watson went to Sarah’s bedroom, opened the door quietly and stood in the doorway, looking down at the sleeping child that he adored. How could he protect her from the horrible events that would destroy their lives in two years? Could it be that Mohammed was right – could Sherlock and Irene’s departure from 1890 have caused the disturbance in Time Continuum? One way of finding out would of course be to send Sherlock back – not a proposition Watson was about to accept. He could not believe that S
herlock’s travel through time was at the root of the problem. If some inventor of the time had designed a device that would have changed the events as they were happening in the course of the past century, then yes, Watson would believe such device would be to blame for Time Continuum being dangerously disturbed – but not just someone going into the future to see what it held in store for him.
However, what Watson refused to accept or didn’t realize was that Sherlock had done more than just visit the 21st century. When he and Irene had foiled Adnan’s plan to place a bomb at the Majestic on Broadway, they had seriously contravened Time Continuum. The move had averted an unimaginable disaster, of course, but the damage had been done and the only way to restore the impending incident to its original state was for Sherlock not to get involved initially and not to influence the evolution and development of the events.
Watson closed the door of his daughter’s room and retraced his steps to his den. The house he had rented a few months back was adequate in many regards. It was close to Sarah’s school, near to the funicular station and just a couple of streets away from their housekeeper’s home, which meant that the lady didn’t have to live-in with them. Although an old house compared to the more modern constructions, Watson’s home had all the charms coupled with all of the amenities he had wanted in a house. He was even thinking of buying the place. A thought he shook out of his mind – 2012 would soon see to the destruction of that dream.
All the while and for the past two days, Irene had been churning all sorts of possible outcome from the Earth Hawks knowing of their presence in this century. She and Sherlock were going through the Rose Garden once again. This lush and beautifully appointed park provided them with the tranquillity and the ancestral freshness they seemed to miss the most from the past century.
“Why don’t we go to the beach, Sherlock?” Irene asked suddenly.
“Why? At this time of year it is sure to be busy – the weather is perfect for sunbathing.” He looked up to the immaculate blue sky.
“Yes, I suppose you’re right.” Irene stopped talking and stopped walking. She turned to her husband.
“What is it, my dear? If you wish to go to the beach…”
“It’s not that, Sherlock… .” She bent her head, looking down at her feet.
“Then I am at a loss… , what could disturb you so?”
“Mycroft knows about the Earth Hawks, Sherlock.”
The latter accused the shock silently. He hadn’t expected his brother knowing anything about this think-tank, or whatever this, this… organization called itself. “Did you tell him about them or was he aware of their presence before your call, do you think?”
“Oh he was very well aware of them before I mentioned their name, no doubt of it. He even told me that MI5 and some branches of the British government had used them in their international relations—”
“Did he really?” They resumed walking, but sat down as soon as they came to the nearest bench. “I wouldn’t have thought these sorts of organizations were travelling the corridors of parliament.”
“Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t, but the point is, Sherlock, I believe these Hawks will try anything to put their hands on the time-machines and ultimately send us back to 1890.”
“Why would they want to do that?” Sherlock asked, looking outwardly disconcerted. “We are here, in this beautiful country, at both United States and British governments’ bidding. We have stayed away from all areas of terrorist activities since we’ve left Washington. What else could be the reason for sending us back to our century, do you suppose?”
“You know as well as I do the answer to that question, Sherlock. And don’t try to ignore it either or protect me from it, because it won’t work, and you know it!”
Sherlock couldn’t help but chuckle at his wife’s demonstration of assertiveness. “All right, all right, my dear. Yes, I have thought a great deal about this and your perspicacity has won me over again, I admit.”
“It’s Watson that worries me the most, Sherlock. He’s going to find himself in an embarrassing position, to say the least.”
“Yes, I agree. Since he is the one who has revealed the existence of the Earth Hawks to us, and worse… , he has probably alerted these hawks that we were here… . A daunting thought indeed.”
“What do you propose we do about it?” Irene asked. She was sitting up-straight at the edge of the bench; a posture she hadn’t forgotten from her 19th century lady-like upbringing.
“Simple, my dear,” Sherlock replied, taking his pipe and tobacco pouch out of his pocket, filling it and lighting it. “As long as they can’t find the time-machines, they can’t send us back.”
“But, Sherlock, these machines are not toys that you could transport at leisure anywhere… .” Irene stopped in mid-thought and looked at her husband, goggle-eyed. “If you’re thinking what I am thinking… , you must be mad. Or we both are!”
“Yes, we both are, Irene, and have been for a long time – 120 years to be exact – but as awkward as the fact may be or the plan sound, we can’t return to Washington without being spotted, stopped and imprisoned before being returned to our point of departure. Or can we?”
“I think Mycroft could possibly help us in that regard—” Sherlock shook his head vigorously. “Why not?” Irene demanded. “He’s not about to let some stupid conjecture of Time Continuum being disturbed by our presence in this century force his hand, I don’t think.”
Sherlock blew a puff of smoke skyward. “He might be totally against us returning to the last century, Irene, but in his position, he would have a hard time justifying or denying the fact that we have done something unacceptable to the world.”
“What if… ,” Irene began, “And don’t look at me that way.” She smiled. “Just listen.” Sherlock nodded. “What if we contacted the Earth Hawks ourselves and offer them a compromise of some sort.”
Sherlock shot her a sideway glance. “I don’t think these sorts of people even know the meaning of the word, Irene. These are science men, devoted to finding a reason for everything and making sure they erase or eliminate what ever could present a problem to them or to the person engaging their services.”
“I would have to agree with you, only in part, Sherlock. Because and since Mycroft admitted that these hawks have been very helpful in their maintaining the British government’s international relations, these people must be well acquainted with the satisfactory outcome of compromise.”
“All right, my dear. We could try, but we need to realize that once we are engaged in that path, there would probably be no means for us to return to where we are presently.”
“I want… , no, in fact, I demand that you stay away from us and that you erase any idea you might have entertained to find or use the time-machines, Watson,” Holmes said while fulfilling his promise to give his friend an answer regarding this matter. They were, once again, sitting in the quad of the Victoria University.
Watson nodded, much to Holmes’s surprise. “I thought that’s what you would say, Mr. Holmes.”
“And do you accept to do what I’ve asked?”
“I have to accept your decision, sir. My daughter’s life depends on my staying well away from this issue.”
“What do you mean by that statement? Has anyone menaced you or your daughter?”
Watson shook his head. “No, Mr. Holmes, but when I talked to Mohammad Bahareth—”
“Who?”
“Dr. Bahareth, Mr. Holmes; is the head of the Earth Hawks. He told me that your travel in time might have disturbed Time Continuum, and that the only answer he had to the problem was for you to return to 1890. I can’t see or even begin to understand how he could have reached such a conclusion, but for the sake of averting the 2012 catastrophe, I must agree with his proposition… and with yours in turn.”
“For the little I’ve heard about this prophesized diabolic end of the world as we know it, I can only agree that if my presence here (or that of my wife) had anythi
ng to do with this impending disaster, I would be the first to leap at the opportunity to redress this situation. However, I may not have your education or knowledge, Watson, but when adopting a logical attitude toward finding a solution to this problem, I cannot see that my travelling through time to visit this world would have affected Time Continuum in any way.”
Sherlock did not want to admit that he had unwittingly affected Time Continuum insofar as he had interfered in the Majestic Theatre’s bombing. If Watson chose to ignore the conclusions that he could have drawn from Sherlock revealing some of the event’s details, the detective was not going to stoke his fire.
“My thoughts precisely, Mr. Holmes. You see, you disturb Time Continuum only if you provoke incidents or events that should not be happening if all things had remained the same as they were prior to the disturbance.”
“Could you give me an example?” Holmes asked, not letting on that he had no need for it.
“Well, let’s say that you and Mrs. Holmes were to have a child – that would certainly constitute a disturbance, since neither you nor Mrs. Holmes supposed to be here at this time.”
“I see.” Holmes nodded. “And if we were to return in 1890 before the child was born, would that disturb Time Continuum?”
“You mean if the child was conceived in this century… ?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Holmes, if your wife is pregnant… , please, do not let anyone force her to go back or I believe she would face a miscarriage. That child would need to be born in this century!”
“Now, Watson, don’t excite yourself, and let me reassure you, Mrs. Holmes is not with child at this point. And if she were ever expecting, I would make absolutely sure no one would force her to do anything untoward or would risk the life of the child or hers.”
Watson exhaled a breath of relief. “Is Mrs. Holmes aware of our discussions?”
“If you mean that she is aware of the Earth Hawks’ existence, the answer is yes. And more than that, she has contacted my brother, Mycroft, in London regarding these people’s involvement in the British government’s affair.” Watson had been listening to the detective’s account head bent and averting his eyes from Holmes’s gaze. “You knew about this, didn’t you?” Holmes asked.
Sherlock Holmes in 2012: LORD OF DARKNESS RISING Page 9
