Deducing Tragedy Part One: See No Evil

I was tied to a chair in an isolated room. As far as I could tell there were at least two doors between me and what almost sounded like an office floor. This was very likely when I thought about it. Tomas was the new Moriarty; he'd been a place like this from which to run things because, unlike Moriarty, he could never handle staying above things. Tomas reveled in rush he got committing the crime.

The door opened and footsteps echoed off the walls as someone approached me. "Hello Love," his voice slithered around me and sent a shiver down my spine.

"Hello Tomas," I said in a small voice. "So you had people in Scotland Yard. Your organization has grown."

"More than you would ever believe," I could hear the smile in his voice and almost see the pure glee that his features would possess. Tomas always loved showing off.

"Why are you here?"

"I have thirty-seven stories to tell you, Love," he smirked as the door opened again and someone walked in pushing what sounded like a computer chair. "And around twelve hours in which to tell you, after that preparations must be made before the Ball."

"Ball?"

He sat down; the one who brought him the chair took a step back but stayed in the room. "Yes, I'm throwing a time period themed party. Late eighteen hundreds to be exact, a period of time with which I am particularly fond of."

"Parties at a time like this?" I asked in a mildly amused tone. "You haven't won yet, don't you think celebrating prematurely is a bad idea."

"Love, it is at this party where I will claim my victory," he chuckled.

"Sherlock will come for me, Tomas," I said. "He's smarter than you, he will find me."

"Oh I am aware he will come for you," he said with amusement. "In fact that is part of my plan. He will follow the clues I've laid out and join us at the party."

Realization washed over me and I closed my eyes slowly, "where you will kill us both- I see."

"As will he," Tomas giggled standing up to walk around me. "This game will show Sherlock the true extent of my power over your life. And now, Love, it's time for you to find out the same thing. I promised you thirty-seven stories, Victims of the game. Twelve you already know, Women who did nothing but look like you. The other twenty-five stories are not like those."

My eyes snapped open, "What do you mean?"

"They are not dead," he giggled as he toyed with me. "I lied to you before, they are so much worse off. You see they work for me now- unwillingly of course. Twenty five people throughout your life that were dragged into my web. Simply by KNOWING you."

Tears formed behind my eyes but I dared not let them fall. No, I wouldn't let him win this. Like I told Sherlock, his moves were all in the mind. My move is not letting him see how this tormented me, not giving him that satisfaction.

"But simply telling you their stories-" I could almost hear him shrug. "Well, it wasn't quite enough for me. It needed something more, something with a little spice." The second person, who I'd almost forgotten about, moved behind me, pulling my hair and forcing my head back. Tomas then moved to my side and held open my eye with one hand. Cold drops of something stung violently and I flinched away only to have him do it again in the other eye. They released me and I squeezed my eyes shut, whimpering as they continued to burn behind what should have been the security of my eyes lids. I blinked repeatedly trying to get, whatever it was, out but it didn't work. The burning only got worse as I exposed them to the air.

"Hanna," Tomas said in his sing-song voice. "Look at me, Love." I whimpered again, this time in protest as his warm hands forced me to raise my head. "Open your eyes or I'll force you to." He threatened in a low, soft voice; like he was sharing a secret.

I opened my eyes briefly before snapping them shut again, the air causing the burning to flare up. But something caught my attention- no… could it? Slowly, deliberately I opened my eyes again. Ignoring the burning I actually started to cry right there in the empty white room. That's right I said the room was white and empty because I could see it.

Tomas smiled as he cupped my face, his blue eyes pouring into mine as I took in the face of my Monster. He'd aged well, the bastard; still as beautiful as I remembered. Dark hair cut into a messy Fohawk that I remembered running my fingers through many, years ago. With features that anyone would find attractive, there was no denying it: Tomas Mathers was beautiful.

"What did you do to me?" I whispered in shock.

"A little thing I had developed," he whispered as his fingers stroked my face. "A cure to your blindness, one that won't kill you." I said nothing as a smile fell over Tomas's lips. "Do you get it yet, Love? My final move in the game I play with you-"

"You have what I want."

"And with it I can make you do anything I please," he smirked. "Starting with our story time- bring them in." he said to the person behind me who I didn't recognize. He moved to the door and knocked twice before stepping aside. Twenty five people walked in as a group and each one looked angry with me.

"They are going to tell me their stories," I said as the door closed behind them.

"Not all of them," he shrugged sitting back down in the computer chair. "I will only require you to sit through three of them. In fact, I already have them picked out- step up," he ordered and there was shifting in the crowd as three people stepped out of the mass.

My whole body went numb as I looked at the three people. "No…." I whispered, not believing what I was seeing. "No, this is a trick. That thing you put in my eyes- it's a drug- something-"

"This is no trick," the woman said. "This is real and it's your fault."

"Oh god," I whispered as my stomach bottomed out and I closed my eyes. "No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" I shouted. "It wasn't supposed to be like this!"

"What was it supposed to be like?" one man asked. "Sherlock comes in, saves you and you live happily ever after? This was always going to happen, Trouble. There are no happy endings."

I choked on a sob and shook my head as the last man spoke. "Don't you get it yet, Hanna? Tom isn't the problem, it's you. You're the poison. You're blinding all of us and YOU ruined our lives."

Tomas stood up in front of the three; a smile on his face as he cocked his head to the side. "Still so easy to break…. Well I suppose we'll leave you to it then." He said as the rest of the group left the room, his taunting smirk I followed with sad, desperate eye until the door closed and I was left alone with three lives that I was helpless to save.