Look out for the <>!

"We got more information about the girl that worked at the warehouse," Mycroft said as Sherlock, John, and I rode in the back of his fancy black car. I wasn't really paying attention to what they were speaking about since Mycroft was on my last nerve and I didn't want to give him the time of day. 

Mycroft told me that he wanted me to shoot the brother, saying that he knew what I was capable of. It was like he knew I was a cold blooded killer. He didn't know me though. He didn't know that the people that I have killed still hunted my mind at night. John protested of course when he said this, but we all knew that I probably had the best shot of getting him because I just came back from the war front. 

Mycroft looked at me with a frown, as if he knew what I was thinking. "She told us more than just about her brother's time schedule."

That last sentence drew me out of my thoughts. "How did you get her to speak?" I asked remembering how difficult it was to talk to her and get information from her.

"It's funny what a little coxing can do," Mycroft said with a smile.

I frowned at him but kept my mouth shut. He threatened her, maybe even tortured her to get the information that he needed. Mycroft knew no bounds. He may be working on with the angels, but he surely was not one.  

"So let me get this straight, Sherlock is going to meet with Moriarty while you are going to drop off Rori to kill one of his helpers," John stated, clearly dissatisfied with the whole plan that we managed to cook up in 30 minutes.

"Do you have a better plan?" Mycroft sneered.

"I can shoot him." There was no used convincing Mycroft of a different course. He was like a missile, with one sight straight ahead in view. "I have good aim. I can hold my own." He looked at me and then back at Mycroft. He didn't think I was strong enough to do it. He thought I was too weak after all that has happened recently. The truth was that I was, but Mycroft wanted me to do it and so I didn't have a choice.

"No, I have another plan for you John," Mycroft said with a slight sneer, clearly upset that John was questioning his 'great' plans. "You're going to be a scout for Rori." He pulled out of his brief case a small box. He opened it and gave me and John an earpiece. "Keep in touch." He opened the door to the car so we could get out.

<>

I didn't realize that we had stopped but on command I stepped out of the car with the gun bag and John on my heels. I watched the car go speeding off to it's next destination for Sherlock. I sighed; it was time to get this plan in motion. Did I approve of this plan? No. Did I think it was hastily put together? Yes. But we didn't have another option. The climax was coming and I couldn't slow it down. Moriarty was getting closer to finishing his plan and we had to stop him. I owed it to everyone that had given up their lives for this.

I looked around and found the building that Mycroft wanted me to use across the street from me. I started walking towards it at a fast pace, not willing to waste any more time.

"So that's it? You're not going to fight or question Mycroft's plan?" John asked me as he tried to keep up with me.  

I frowned at him. This was not the time for this John. "Yes, I'm going to follow his plans because for whatever reason Kale followed him. He trusted him and I need to as well. We're running out of time and Mycroft seems to hold more straws than we do if you haven't noticed." 

John frowned, clearly disappointed. "You're not the Rori that I knew before."

How dare he whip that comment out of the air before I kill someone. Of course, I wasn't the same person. I went through hell and back. Over there broke me then forced my pieces back into something that I didn't recognize. I was not the same Rori John knew before and I didn't even know myself. "I haven't been that person since I came back from Russia." I walked through a door of a building that I needed to get into for a good view. "Keep an eye out for me," I said to John right before I let the conversation shut with the door.

I hiked up what felt like hundred stairs and then I finally got to the roof. It was empty and the sun was starting to shine through the clouds. It was calm. A cold breeze blow past me and made me shiver. I walked over to the end of the building and looked down. I was 5 stories up and I could see everything going on below me. It made me wonder if this is what birds feel like when they were flying. I could stay up here all day if I could and watch the people walk around to their daily tasks.

"Rori, are you up?" I heard John ask me through the earpiece.

I frowned, he ruined my little moment of peace. "Yeah." I started to take out the gun and set it up.

"The bus that he gets off at will be by in three minutes. Get ready."

I put my cheek against the cold barrel of the sniper. I saw the bus coming down the road.

"See him?" Marina asked me as I looked through the sniper.

I nodded as I saw the man I needed to shoot down the road from where I was at. He was reading a newspaper under an awing. He looked so defenseless but he was a killer. He deserved this. I had been practicing a lot for a moment like this. I could easily get him if I wanted to, but the thing was, I didn't want to. 

"Pull the trigger," she said to me.

I told myself that this was an eye for an eye but as I put my finger on the trigger, I couldn't.

The man stood up from his seat, getting ready to leave. 

If I didn't act soon I was going to miss my shot. I didn't want to this. I didn't want to kill him. But I was told that we needed to do bad things to be heard. 

"Take the damn shot Rori," Marina said as he started to flag down a cab. 

Without wasting a second more, I pulled the trigger and watched him fall to the ground. 

"Rori, take aim," John said to me, snapping me out of my thoughts. 

The bus was now right in below me and I saw a small group of people get off. The last person that got off was the man I needed. He looked around at his surroundings and spit something out of his mouth. He was right there, across the road and he didn't even know what was going to happen. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I put my finger on the trigger. This man worked for Moriarty, he was the one that cut me in that alley. He needed to be stopped. 

This was Mycroft's plan. He wanted to knock out some of Moriarty's men before the meeting with Sherlock. Was that really the smartest idea? I didn't think so. But I didn't want to fight against him anymore. I was too tired of fighting him. Just like Kale was, and just like that I got why Kale listened to him. He, like me was too tired of fighting it. He gave up.

"Rori, are you going to shoot?" I heard John's voice ring out. He sounded a little worried.

I shook my head to get back to the plan. I looked at the man on the street again. He deserved this, he deserved to die. That's what Mycroft told me. He said this was good for all the people if he was gone from this earth. We were killing a very bad guy for the betterment of humankind. But for some reason I still felt it to be wrong.

I looked away for a second. I couldn't do this. "Rori take the shot." 

I had to do this. This was for Kale. I had to stop Moriarty at all costs. I forced every human thought I had in my mind. It was easier this way. If I didn't think about the life he had, my soul would be saved. I took a deep breath and I pulled the trigger, like it was instinct, like an animal and a pray.

I watched him fall to the ground and a group of people circled him. I knew he was dead. It was a good shot. I cleaned up my gun before everything started to get crazy. I heard an ambulance coming closer as I walked down the stairs but I knew it was too late to save him. 

I changed my thoughts as I remembered what Mycroft told me as we walked to his car earlier today. "I can trust you, right? You will not fail me this time." He gripped my arm.  

I looked at his hand on my arm and I resisted the urge to say no, I will not listen to you. But I knew that I couldn't. There was so much riding on this and as much as I hated to admit it, Mycroft was part of the team. I just had to shut my mouth and listen to what he said. "You can trust me," I said as I shook his hand loose of my arm.

"Remember if you go back on your word, you could end up like Kale. I will protect you as long as you listen to me."

I felt sick to my stomach. He was using Kale as an example? That was too soon, it was always going to be too soon. He didn't save Kale once and he didn't save me from getting in the hands of Moriarty. He just wanted us dead as much as Moriarty. I looked at him with hate and then opened the car door without a word.

I walked out of the stair well into the ally. John got up from the ground he was sitting on and gave me a small comforting smile, as if to tell me everything would be ok. "We have to get to go home now."

I frowned at him but quickly changed it into a smile before he could notice. This was one part of the plan Mycroft made that I wasn't going to follow. "Sounds great. How about if you call the cab? I need to wipe down some prints."

"Sure," he said clueless of my plan, and left me alone in the alley way. I felt my phone buzz and knew that this was a message from Kale. I felt my heart speed up as I pulled out my phone to listen to one of the last messages Kale left to me.

"If you haven't found out, Moriarty was keeping you alive to get to Sherlock," Kale's voice rang out.

I looked at Kale from the other side of the road with a frown. Of course, I thought about that. But I think there was more to it than that.

He smiled lightly at me. "Kind of like how he kept Zane alive with me. Once he has Sherlock in his hands, I am sure that he will kill you. He wants to kill Sherlock as well, this time for good. I think he wants to kill a lot of other people in the process. This time he wants to come back with a bang. Moriarty is smart; he knows how people think. He knew how I thought, and my brother, and I'm sure he knows how Sherlock thinks. You need to outsmart him."

I shook my head at Kale. I had no idea how to do that and I knew we were running out of time.

Kale paced around the other side of the street then stopped as if he had such a great idea. "Why don't you walk in without a plan? Just confront him with no idea how to stop him. I know it sounds crazy but you can make this all end. I trust you." He walked over to me. "I love you Aurora." And suddenly Kale was gone again. 

This was probably the least helpful message he left me thus far. I thought he would say more. I wanted him to have some grand plan that was easy and painless. It just showed that he was just as lost as I was. He trusted Mycroft because he didn't have any ideas for himself. He never did. He was his puppet. I shoved my phone in my pocket and started to walk away at a quick pace. Deep in my bones I knew that this was the day. It was all coming down today.