Elementary, My Dear Obi-Wan (the revised version)

Up! 600th reply, yay! Congrats, Frosty, and good luck!

 

I'm alive! I promise! And I am working on the story, so you don't have to lynch me.

I've hit a rough spot; not so much writer's block as a peculiar kind of apathy. I mean, I've been working on this story for, what, three? almost four years...I'm *so* close to the end. So close, and yet so far...

I plan to knuckle down and just finish the darn thing. There isn't really that much left of the story, it's just a matter of *writing* it down. Then I can move on to my other fanfic and writing projects with a guilt free conscience...at least, that's the idea...

Thanks for your patience, my friends. It's been such a pleasure hearing from you! Be patient just a little bit longer, and you will be well rewarded.

 

She's alive!

I've hit a rough spot; not so much writer's block as a peculiar kind of apathy. I mean, I've been working on this story for, what, three? almost four years...I'm *so* close to the end. So close, and yet so far...

Don't worry, Frosty, I know perfectly what you mean. I'll wait patiently for the rest of the story.

 

Thank you for your support and patience. And while you're waiting, if you aren't already a reader, go read Lilith's Crash Course and its sequel!

_____________________________________

?That?s impossible,? MacEiver said stoutly. Mrs. Hudson remained silent, her eyes intent on Holmes.

?You?re lying, MacEiver. Abilities can be enhanced, temporarily, through the use of certain substances. I know this only too well, MacEiver, for I am an occasional user of the drug known as cocaine, which heightens senses. Cocaine, however, is addictive at the very least. Watson is convinced there are other dangers, as yet unknown. I begin to agree with him.? He shot a wry smile at me.

?So.? Holmes crossed one knee over the other and clasped his hands over them. ?The major purpose the Jedi have in being here is this: there exists on this planet a substance?what, precisely, I do not know?that can enhance Force abilities. You are here to study it, determine if it is of use or not. I can tell you right now that you should give it up; it is far too dangerous.?

?And what would you know of it??

?I know that Moriarty had, under Derry?s direction, been feeding into the veins of the captive Jedi a strange substance. That substance served to keep them sedated, and, I think, to somehow give Derry access to their abilities. I believe he has been tapping into the potential of Moriarty?s employees, by feeding them the same drug in smaller amounts. That would be why you have had such difficulties sensing the presence of his henchmen. All this he has used to enhance his own power, and in so doing he has driven himself mad.? He raised an eyebrow at Mrs. Hudson. ?Am I not correct??

?How did you learn all this??

?Observation. Deduction. Really, Mrs. Hudson, my brains do not dribble out the bottom of my skull simply because I?m in the presence of alien beings. Derry has allowed the lure of unearned power to drive him mad.?

?Mad, but not stupid,? Mrs. Hudson amended.

?No, not stupid. Well, not entirely stupid. You must admit that his intelligence is on a serious downward spiral, though.?

?That?s all well and good,? I said, ?but what is he going to do now? Moriarty is all but out of the picture, as is Mailen. His plans are in shambles.?

My friend slouched down in his seat, steepling his fingers. ?This is the trickiest part,? he admitted. ?Derry is desperate now, and desperate men are unpredictable.?

?Not so unpredictable as that,? MacEiver said. ?I?ve a good idea where he?ll head...and I?d lay credits that you do as well, Mr. Holmes.?

Holmes? lips drew into a thin smile. ?Suppose you tell me, MacEiver.?

The counterfeit Scotsman snorted. ?He?ll do all he can to lay his hands on as much of this...drug...as he can, and make for the nearest hyperspace capable ship.?

?Either the Jedi ship, or the stolen one. Now...? Holmes turned his gaze to Mrs. Hudson. ?Tell me about the ?drug.??

?It?s an element, actually, a trace element. We haven?t really even named it officially.?

?I believe Maeve and Shannan have nicknamed it ?go-dust,?? MacEiver muttered.

?It caught the attention of a Force-sensitive GAS employee when the planet was first discovered. Since she had trained at the Jedi Temple, she passed word of it along to the Council,? Mrs. Hudson continued. ?MacEiver and myself were the first dispatched here to study it, and eventually others were sent, both to evade difficult problems and to search the rest of the planet for deposits.?

?There aren?t many, are there??

?The strongest concentration we?ve yet found is here on the British Isles. As I said, it?s a trace element, more than anything. We?d hoped to find applicable uses for it, but...? she broke off with a heavy sigh. ?I?m afraid these events have proved beyond a doubt that it is a grave danger. It didn?t seem so when we first began testing it, but it seems that there have been some strange and unexpected side effects of late.?

?Perhaps in its purest form the element presents no danger,? Holmes suggested. ?But once exposed to air, to other elements, imp

 

*claps*

A new post! Thank you, oh thank you, Frosty! It was a long wait, ya know.

I liked this post. We finally learned why the Jedi went to Earth in the first place.

?How did you learn all this??

?Observation. Deduction. Really, Mrs. Hudson, my brains do not dribble out the bottom of my skull simply because I?m in the presence of alien beings.

Come now, Mrs. Hudson, you should know Holmes well enough by now. Great line!

Why do I have the feeling that the things will go downhill from this point on?

Post more soon, please!

 

Apathy? It isn't evident in the writing! I love Holmes when he's busy patronising the Jedi. You portray him perfectly - one knee crossed over the other, hands clasped - the patient teacher pose. And I particularly liked: "You must admit his intelligence is on a serious downward spiral though" - ah yes, it wouldn't be Holmes without the disdain.

I think I'll echo Sarah K in congratulating you on dealing with Holmes' cocaine habit. It ties in perfectly with the Jedi "drug", and it's entirely right that Holmes should be in a position to tell the Jedi to back away.

And Maeve and Shannan have called it go-dust? They would!

 

She posted! And just before my vacation, too.

Very nice, Frosty. I like the way you write Holmes. I love that he's not overshadowed by the Jedi, nor overawed. After all, despite extensive training and the use of the Force, they're just people, not demigods.

 

Love Holmes superior attitude!

 

I agree with Lilith. Your Holmes is... well, a perfect Holmes.

 

Thank you so much! And welcome, Wittezaele, I don't know that I've seen you here before! Glad to welcome you!!

I've found it an interesting experience, dealing with Holmes and his cocaine habit. I don't approve of it, as I'm sure is obvious...but it's not something you can really ignore.

Did you know, I read somewhere that Doyle gave Holmes a cocaine habit to make him seem more 'Bohemian', more like (oddly enough) Oscar Wilde. He wanted Holmes to be more flawed than he initially came across, I suppose.

Here's a tidbit for all my fellow Lois McMaster Bujold/Miles Vorkosigan fans: Cordelia Naismith's very first ever appearance in writing (not initially published, of course) was in a Sherlock Holmes fanfiction the author wrote while just getting started. How cool is that?

 

Aaaand UP!

 

Whoa. Interesting sig, Mar17swgirl. That isn't elvish, is it? It doesn't quite *look* elvish...but I'm not sure. Haven't actually *read* the Trilogy in some time.

Okay, peoples, there is another post coming...soon. Honest. (I should know better by now than to try and write a fic while in the midst of a semseter.) I'm juggling full-time school and near-fulltime work just now, and my time is at a premium.

Aaaaand I'm a big slacker. <grins> However, you will be glad to know that, thanks to Lilith's persistence, the wall of writer's block has been hammered down and I now know how the darn thing is going to end. Hooray!

See y'all soon.

 

Whoa. Interesting sig, Mar17swgirl. That isn't elvish, is it? It doesn't quite *look* elvish...but I'm not sure. Haven't actually *read* the Trilogy in some time.

Hehehe, I've been wondering when someone will notice it. You were quite close when you thought about elvish. My sig comes from one of the "Hexer" books, a great fantasy by a Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski (too bad his books haven't been translated into English, because they're damn good. I've actually began translating them myself). My signature is in fact a children's rhyme in Elder Speech - a language used by elves (Aen Seidhe - Elder Folk), dryads, nymphs and sirens in Sapkowski's world. Its name is "Beautiful flower, child of Sun", but I actually don't know what exactly it means. The language is, I think, loosely based on some celtic language, but I'm no linguist to prove it.

Anyway, it's great to hear that there will be a post soon!

 

It looks vaguely welsh. the dd pronounced as th is definetly a characteristic of welsh.

 

Yes, it's possible that Elder Speech was based on Welsh or some Gaelic. As I said, I'm no linguist to judge that.

 

Um, *looks around* nice. Upppers! Please?

 

Ermmm...I blame it all on City of Heroes.

Seriously, though. I *am* trying to wrap things up. However...let me just say that real life sucks. I rolled my truck yesterday on my way back from Thanksgiving. I'm not hurt...but I can't say the same for the truck, or the poor jackrabbit I squished.

See...I don't do fender benders, for some reason. Oh, no, I couldn't just slide off the road and smack a fence post. No, the damn truck had to flip over. Yeesh. Not an experience I care to repeat, lemme tell ya.

 

Oh no! I'm so glad you're okay Frosty!! I hope you are well and not suffering from after effects.

Take your time with the update, we can be patient.

 

I don't know that I've seen you before, Handmaiden Kenobi. Welcome! I love new readers (or old ones de-lurking)

I am okay...thank goodness for insurance. The truck is totaled, but I'm fully covered. And I'll get a nice fat check that should pay off half of what I owe on the truck my father has been driving. (Which I actually bought, he took over, and is now giving back to me. Yeesh.)

It's amazing what frustration does. I have a HUGE project due on Wednesday...and none of the photos I took for it turned out. Have to go retake em all tomorrow. Joy. However, the energy built up to work on the project tonight was turned to another purpose.

THE STORY IS FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rejoice, all ye faithful. <grins>

So...now you know. Now we can wrap it up.

That being said...here's the next post.

____________________________________________________

I have to say I was somewhat disappointed. Granted, I no more wanted a full-out fight or nasty trap any more than any other relatively sane man, but somehow I expected...more. I mean, this was a man who had plotted to take over the world. One comes to expect certain standards; Moriarty, for example, would never have disappointed.

?Huh.? Shannan shook her head as the image stopped speaking. Ranting, actually. ?Derry?s really gone over the edge.?

Mrs. Hudson had quietly told Holmes and I that the miniature, ghost-like image of the renegade Jedi was a previously recorded message. While I could not hope to understand the technology that produced a three dimensional, moving replica of the recorder, I did understand phonographs...and this was close enough.

I won?t repeat the message word-for-word, but the general gist went something along the lines of: ?Curse you for foiling my plans!? It wasn?t even original. I heard the same garbage from villains in poorly written melodramas.

I winced, Holmes rolled his eyes, and in the corner of the room Grey Wolf and Maeve succumbed to a fit of snorting giggles. While it was somewhat disconcerting to see the tall, imposing pseudo-Indian in such a state, I couldn?t help but sympathize.

The door opened and MacEiver trotted into the room, cradling something in his hands. While the rest of us were subjected to Derry?s histrionics, he had gone prowling. From the grim expression on his face, it was well he had.

?Bomb,? he said succinctly, and the grins on our faces faded. ?It was wired to all the systems in the building,? he added. ?If it had gone off, it would have taken most of the street with it.?

?Vindictive fellow,? Holmes observed. ?And a reminder to us all not to underestimate him. Derry is now a desperate man, well on his way to being cornered. I?m certain you are all familiar with the saying about cornered rats??

This was met with thoughtful?and somewhat humbled?silence.

?It is most likely that he will be heading for Scotland, and a ship,? Mrs. Hudson said. ?But there is a small chance he remains here, in London, or somewhere nearby. I propose we divide into teams, one for Scotland, the other to search for him here or to intercept him should he double back.?

The others nodded slowly in agreement. I glanced at Holmes. He caught my eye, and I read in his gaze a deep concern. A slight jerk of his head, and I knew that he wished to speak with me privately as soon as possible. I gave the slightest of nods, indicating that I understood.

The Jedi never noticed.
***

?This expedition concerns me greatly,? Holmes said. We had managed to slip away from the group with virtually no notice; the Jedi were too caught up in their planning.

?Derry must be stopped,? I replied. ?But I think I understand why you are concerned. They don?t seem too worried, do they??

He shook his head. ?I don?t pretend to understand completely all the issues here...but I cannot deny solid fact. Among those facts is that Derry killed a contact of mine from an unknown?but apparently impossible?distance. This drug, element, whatever it may be has augmented his powers far beyond what they should be.?

?I?m sure they apprec

 

It does seem odd that the jedi are so unobservant, but then they have a lot on their mind.

I wonder what he has planned with the revolver.

 

Good post.

and Yay, a post.

And double yay, you're okay. do take care, okay?

I especially appreciated the interaction between Holmes and Watson this time through. It's rare that Holmes has a chance to admit he is not the same charcter as Watson portrays in his stories, but I really like the way you did it. It tightens the bond between the two men, makes them more... well, real.

Thanks! Can't wait for the next piece.


*Derisa*

 

It's good to hear you're OK, Frosty.

And a big YAY to hear you've finished the story. Wait, no, that means it will soon be over...

The last post was good. I especially liked the final conversation between Holmes and Watson about their friendship, that was very nice.

I have to say I was somewhat disappointed. Granted, I no more wanted a full-out fight or nasty trap any more than any other relatively sane man, but somehow I expected...more.

Haven't we all...?

I mean, this was a man who had plotted to take over the world. One comes to expect certain standards; Moriarty, for example, would never have disappointed.

So true...

?I wonder, Watson...might I borrow your revolver??

Great post ending, very... promising...