shinytoybox | Sherlock and Moriarty nonsense

What did that counselor said? 'A burden shared is a burden halved', I suppose having someone else aware of this mess does help somewhat...

[Though it only been a few resets - it's a question of how much longer they can tolerate the resets and looping day]

And we're learning what we can do with what little power we have in this Wing...

Haha...You listen to them? I must admit, I only give them the answers they're seeking.

[He yawns a little, blinking.]

What little power...hm, I suppose so. But - aren't you holding back, somewhat?

[After all, those punches....they weren't being augmented by the EGO weapon at all.]

Hmm... might as well see if it help with nightmares.

[He puts a hand behind his neck, rolling his shoulders, pausing for a moment, studying Moriarty for a long, thoughtful moment, considering if he should confirm or deflect.

Well if they're the only ones aware of the resets, might as well confide a little]

So you noticed then?

Of course. But, you've also noticed my own peculiarity, haven't you?

[He reaches down slightly under his bed - and pulls out his pistol, casually emptying the clip and tossing the 9mm pistol over to Sherlock.]

Feel free to look it over, if you'd like. It's nothing more than an average gun.

[He accepts the gun, looking over it - feeling it's heft and parts, brows furrowing]

An ordinary pistol should not have the effect I've seen before, or make the sound that it did.

Odd... odd indeed.

Haha - one would almost think it was an EGO weapon, would you not?

[He gestures for the weapon back, as he hands over the clip, to allow Sherlock to examine the bullets, which are also normal.]

Then again, your own strength is something to be feared. I've seen you unbend metal easily - while that EGO weapon hides it, I know it isn't that strong against physical objects.

[He exchanges the gun for the clip, letting the bullets roll in his hands, glancing up]

Well, you caught me. It's something I've been able to do for a long while, handy on the occasion but not something I want to show off.

So I see - I'd originally thought you had received implants, but it seems that is your own original strength, hm?

[....Wait, was he not sure himself? And purposefully got on this topic to verify his theory?]

How wonderful. Though I suspect you still have a few secrets, I suppose I do as well.

[He cocks back his gun, clipless as it is...and then aims at Sherlock, pulling back the trigger.

Whiz-

Even without a bullet in it, he'll feel a brush of something graze his cheek...along with the thud of a dent the size of a rifle caliber bullet suddenly appear on the wall behind him.]

...Such as, That I use this kind of gun to keep causalities to a minimum.

Edited 2020-10-06 02:14 (UTC)

Something like that.

[He instinctively holds still as the gun cocks - barely flinching as the specks of drywall hits his cheek.

Message received loud and clear - don't try anything funny with him]

Yes, it would certainly help in that angle.

I've only used an EGO weapon once - thankfully, it was aimed away from anyone. It penetrated through multiple departments....

[He pauses, for a moment.]

...Much like that one abnormality in the facility.

[The Freeshooter.

His grip tightens on his gun, as his eyes seem to tremble for just the smallest moment.

And then, he lowers it, setting it down near him.]

Well. I suppose - we should be getting some rest, again. Another busy day, after all - another day to nearly die.

[He gives a smile, but it's closed mouthed - warm, but also...not all there.]

[He catches the tremble and the tightening of the grip, wondering if this man too had his own demons haunting him.

No, it's not the time to pry. He inclines his head at the clear dismissal, a ghost of a smile appearing.

Mystery on mystery, so he is not the only one with enigmas surrounding him.]

With any luck the calendar may change soon.

Yes...with any luck.

[And yet,

There was no luck.

All there was in the end, was -

Suffering.

Over and over again, the different abnormalities breaking out. Smiling Bodies, Blue Star, Even Apocalypse Bird - it kept happening, resets over and over.

It's hard to remember how many resets this is - but this time, Moriarty doesn't even bother knocking on the door, merely waiting until Sherlock wakes and opens it, entering in without a word or prying eyes.

He doesn't even care about the books, as he just bodily flops face down on the other man's bed, letting out a low groan as he feels the pain of the Bird's teeth on the entirety of his body.]

God....damn it......

Edited 2020-10-06 03:04 (UTC)

[Sherlock's neck ached, everything ached - and his mind was pivoting from sheer numbness to boiling, volcanic rage as the day repeats - these early morning talks being the only reprieve.

He didn't even protest Moriarty flopping on his bed, or that he's effectively pinned]

Damn that bastard... what is he trying to do that he has to do it in one day?

[The man groans low in the back of his throat]

Who even knows...

[His own mind is angry - angry at their helplessness, at the continual repeated tries of their life, that the manager - the fucking manager - never seems to take into account their suffering-!

Heated words spill out of his mouth, and this time, he doesn't try stopping them.]

That man never cared about anything but his own goals, and is practically deaf and blind to anything telling him he should stop!

[He buries his face in his hands, Moriarty's words setting something off in him as well]

Fuck that stubborn fool, there's nothing that's worth the pain and suffering, this damn sisyphean torment...

If something isn't working, he should just discard it, or try a new approach - but he never does! Even then, he couldn't simply just move on, clinging to...!

[He doesn't stop to consider where this is coming from.]

The damned idiot - how much longer must we be forced to go through this?! How far will he go?! Ayin!!

[The moment he says that name -

[ ] never wanted his creations to be used to hurt people. The chemicals and drugs he made were meant to better mankind, not harm them.

That's why he insisted on so many rounds of clinical trials on animals, gathering data. But it wasn't fast enough, and Cognito was too much of an incredible mind-enhancing drug to not experiment on.

When he heard of Elijah and Giovanni's outcomes, he went right to the source.

And in his haste, he was confined to the lab that created the very things that took people's lives.

When Moriarty comes back to himself, he's breathing heavily, the prick of tears shocking to feel.]

...What...?

Ay...ayin...

[He whispers, sharp and low, hissing like a snake - the name meant something. Something bad - no, wrong? It's fogged up, something from the time before he found himself wandering in some unknown place.

Why is it familiar? The name causing his chest to ache with regret and anger. He hunches over, arms wrapped around himself, watching as Moriarty grew still, tears springing up]

...Is that... is that his name?

Why...

[The question dies on his lips]

I....I don't....know....

[He props himself up, wiping his eyes in a stunned fashion.]

...Did you....see that, too? Cognito....

[He's heard it's name in passing, somewhere, but...

Who was that? What was he remembering?]

I... believe so.

[He answers numbly. Cognito - the name suggests something of the mind]

We're seeing the same things, know the same name...

[His brows knitted, why is it? Did it involve what he cannot remember of his past?]

[There's a long moment of silence, as Moriarty sits up...

And then speaks.

And when he does, it's...

in the same tone a younger man might use, his normally old tone somehow lacking.]

...Do you...not have much of a past, either?

[The voice startles him, so young - and lost... just as lost]

That's right... I don't remember anything beyond a few years past, no childhood, no family - nothing.

Edited 2020-10-06 04:54 (UTC)

...I'm the same.

[It's quiet, and in that same voice.]

But...I didn't become involved with a Fixer Group. No, I...joined a Syndicate, and became a prominent member.

[...]

Too prominent. So, they got rid of me - not through killing me, but by having me 'infiltrate' a Wing.

Of course, once I was gone...they naturally stopped asking for information a few weeks in.

But...for the sake of the 'mission', they had my body manipulated.

[He looks over at Sherlock, quietly.]

This old appearance...it's all plastic surgery and biosurgery. They even worked on my larynx when I went under, so that I would sound like an old man, but...I'm early 30's, at most.

[He runs a hand over his mustache, which flakes off a few bristles.]

But...I have no idea if it's due to the time manipulation, but it seems to be slowly undoing itself. My voice....sounds like how I remember it, now.

...'James Moriarty' is not the name I originally gave myself, but...as much as this is hell, I will be happy if I can look in the mirror and not impulsively wonder who it is that's staring back at me.

[...]

How is it...? That we are two men, with strange powers, and no memories....?

I had noticed some of the scars on your jawline... I wouldn't have thought it was done to make you appear older.

[His voice soft, pondering - Syndicate, that would explain a few other things about how he moved, how he react to danger]

So we are roughly the same age... I believe, we both are... unusual,

[Are they connected... and what were the chances they end up meeting here, in this hellish Wing?]

Unusual is an understatement, I believe.

[He gives a small laugh, before running his hand through his hair.]

This place....I believed I was sent here because the standards for being hired are so incredibly low, and yet...

[...]

May I...ask you a favor? Would you...allow me to stay here with you until the morning?

...Yes, I'm aware there will be rumors. But - for whatever reason, I...feel as if I won't properly rest alone in my room.

And I was dragged here because I saw something they wanted to keep underwraps.

[Exile, a virtual death sentence for one, and the reward of being a sole survivor for the other. At the request, the pause, his eyes slowly opens again, before quietly he inclines his head]

That's fine... it does get a bit lonely in the hours in between.

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