001 \\ Sherlock Holmes \\ [Video]

[could_be_dangerous]

[The feed, when it flicks on, doesn't show a face. Instead, a hand, pale and long-fingered, and in it, held almost delicately by the edge, is a photograph. A small square thing, it shows a dark photograph of a bedroom, the edges darker than the centre in the distinctive fashion of photographs taken by a pinhole camera. It seems that the device which took the photo was aimed across the room at one of the surveillance cameras. The most notable feature of the photograph isn't the bedroom or the camera but the white blur that crosses the image, most opaque in the vicinity of the camera itself. The hand holding the photograph brings it closer, lets the communicator's camera travel slowly over it, and then comes the voice, little more than a murmur.]

Only a few minutes' exposure. Twice in as many days; our friends are getting sloppy.

[There's a pause, a slight and apparently unintentional shift in the image, and a rustling of fabric before the voice cuts in again, still soft, rough, and weary.]

So well done. Carry on being a handful.

Comments

[onteamdyson]

Fluffy! You're alive! What... are you doing? Who's sloppy? Those dudes from that video?!

If this is sloppy, I don't even want to know what kind of a hot mess that whole kidnapping thing was.

[could_be_dangerous]

[Audio; Private]

Criminally negligent. Good for us though.

[Really, he ought to just leave it at that, but instead he sighs.]

I'm alive. And watching.

[What else?]

[onteamdyson]

[Private forever!]

Because that's not creepy.

Sorry about the lack of lunch delivery. Not exactly in a hurry to get devoured by vicious fuzzballs. You holding up okay?

[could_be_dangerous]

Mm, perhaps, but someone has to.

There's food here, incidentally; why would I need you to bring it to me?

[onteamdyson]

For the bonding experience, obvi. Food, good company, a reason to not be a total hermit in your lame attic of lameness.

[thezerothlaw]

[Daneel spends a while looking curiously at this picture.]

I want to be sure I'm understanding you correctly. You believe this to be a picture of our captors? That's very well done, if so.

[could_be_dangerous]

[Audio; Private]

I believe this to be a picture of whoever it is who comes to repair the cameras. Whether or not that individual also participated in our capture...

[There's a pause, and though the video isn't on the shrug is faintly audible in a rustling of clothing.]

I could do better with better tools, but with what we've been given this will have to do.

[thezerothlaw]

Admittedly, what we've been given to work with is fairly primitive. I'm not sure what time period you might be from, sir, but is there anything you could use to improve your technique?

[could_be_dangerous]

Mm, but for obvious reasons I'd rather not to discuss methodology over a network which is no doubt being monitored.

[porcelainpride]

...so we aren't being Big-Brother'd by supernatural forces?

[could_be_dangerous]

[Audio; Private]

Shocking, I know.

[porcelainpride]

It's a delusion helpful in perpetuating the equally unlikely delusion that this is all a dream.

[could_be_dangerous]

You must have truly dull dreams.

[goodluckkobra]

It's a fuckin' ghost!

[He sounds oddly excited about that.]

Holy shit, your house is haunted!

[could_be_dangerous]

[Audio; Private]

If my house has received a visitation it's only from the same people who carried off that other fellow earlier.

[goodluckkobra]

Who says they're not ghosts, too? Ghost can totally wear white coats. [He says it as if Sherlock is stupid for not knowing that.]

[could_be_dangerous]

Unfortunately for mediums everywhere we have for a number of important reasons yet to rule out perfectly mundane, human intervention and until we do, ghosts are simply going to have to remain the less likely culprits.

[agentx13.livejournal.com]

[Sharon replays the message several times before responding.]

Well done to you, too, sir. Extremely well done.

[She doubts they'll get more than that picture, but she's impressed that this man managed to get it at all. It's better than nothing. And this, along with how they were captured on the feed when kidnapping the boy earlier shows they can make mistakes.]

[could_be_dangerous]

[Audio; Private]

Mm.

[Which means yes. No, Sherlock's not going to say thank you. He knows it was well done.]

I suppose you and your... organisation will want to have a closer look.

[agentx13.livejournal.com]

I'd appreciate it. I'm not sure we'd be able to get anything from it, but you never know. Banner's a genius, and the rest of them are no slouches, either.

[Though she has reservations about Logan. But she'll keep those to herself for now.]

[could_be_dangerous]

Then I expect it will find its way to you. Might happen more quickly if you were to send someone for it, though. What with the wolves, and all.

[Hint. Hint.]

[preytosociety]

How do we know they aren't getting caught on purpose? They must have seen you set up the device. Either they don't care or they want to be seen.

And if they don't care... they don't think we're a threat. [Not a good sign.]

[could_be_dangerous]

[Audio; Private]

I did take the precaution of destroying the cameras in the room in question before setting up my own. Is it possible that this individual's appearance in this photograph is nonetheless intentional? Yes. Your high assessment of my basic reasoning faculties notwithstanding, though, I did take every precaution to shift the balance of probability in my favour.

[preytosociety]

[Audio; Private]

[Impressive.]

It's easier to avoid being disappointed in people when you keep your expectations low. I got sick of the disappointment a long time ago.

Discussing this over network is obviously out of the question, would you consider meeting in person at some point? After the wolves have been dealt with, if possible.

[could_be_dangerous]

If we must.

[Which isn't exactly an enthusiastic yes, but it's not no, either, and that's the best most people can hope for where Sherlock is concerned.]