Chapter Text
Jeff drove for what must’ve been hours, and when they ended up outside an abandoned warehouse in the middle of a huge, overgrown field, he was almost certain that they weren't in London anymore.
“Turn off the Car, Mr Hope," The Suited Man said. His hands shook as he nodded his head. Jeff reached for the keys and turned them in the exhaust. The Suited Man reached over him, and yanked the keys out of Jeff’s hand.
“Good," said The Suited Man. His hand went to the lock and pulled it back up. The Suited Man opened his passenger door, and gracefully opened up the drivers door, letting Jeff out.
“You can get out of the car now.” Jeff quickly slid himself out of the car, only jumping slightly when The Suited Man slammed the door closed.
The Warehouse was damp, cold and dark. In the distance, you could hear water dripping onto the hard, concrete floor. Rats and Mice were squeaking loudly as they savaged in search of food, and when the wind slightly howled in the air around them, Jeff shivered.
They reached a well lit room right in the middle of the warehouse. Jeff and The Suited Man approached a table and a laptop. The laptop was very modern. It was far more modern than his decade-old Toshiba. It had a wireless mouse and a wireless keyboard, but he didn't understand how that worked.
“Mr Hope, he wants you to sit down," The Suited Man said, and then he pulled out a chair and grumbled out a “Sit,” and Jeff did as he was told.
The Suited Man shuffled the Mouse left and right, revealing a 'chat' screen. In the left hand corner was set of 2 videos. One was of Jeff through a webcam, the other box said "An Image Is Not Available" and the rest of the screen was blank.
Jeff, with no idea what was going on or what he was supposed to do, turned to The Suited Man with questioning eyes. He was about to ask what to do next, when a beep came from the laptop screen with a message.
M: Hello Mr Hope. It’s nice to meet you.
Jeff was unsure what he should say or what he should do. He felt himself go red and hot in the heat of the moment, anxiety crawling over his already nervously tense body.
M: My name is Moriarty, Mr Hope. I have a way to help your children.
Jeff's face turned from a nervous red to an angry red. Although it had been 2 months since he last properly saw Josh and Lilly, he turned defensive, protective and all over Fatherly over his children.
“What have you done to my Kids?" he bellowed loudly.
M: Now now Mr Hope. I've done nothing. Your children are fine. I can keep it that way. I can help you.
Jeff's body filled with relief when he heard that his children were OK. But he was really intrigued by this mysterious "Moriarty". He didn't need any help. His children were fine living without him around. How could this unknown man help where help just wasn't wanted?
“My Kids are fine, thank you," he replied matter-of-factly, no emotion in his tone.
M: Yes, but you are dying.
Jeff felt himself tighten. How did he know that? How could he have possibly known that?
M: You currently have £157.50 in a private savings account with Lloyds TSB.
"H-How can you know that?" Jeff asked. He was the only person who knew about that account. Nobody knew but him because he told nobody. Yet, somehow, this Moriarty person did too.
M: Why would you have a private savings account? You’re getting a divorce, so you don’t need to hide any money from your wife. And you’re dying, so you haven’t got much to save up for. So, you must be saving for your children. I can help you do that.
Jeff sat and thought about the offer. If this man on the other end of a Computer screen could get him money to help him save up for his Children’s lives once he was gone, then maybe it was worth talking about.
"How?"
M: By playing a game.
“What sort of game?
M: Cat and Mouse. If you can kill one person without getting caught, I will deposit £15,000 into your private account.
Jeff sat open mouthed. He was dazed by the figure that was in front of him. There was no way he would ever be able to save up an amount like that by himself. But Jeff wasn't a killer! He couldn't murder an innocent person. His face fell and paled a bit.
M: Don't think of it as killing people, Mr Hope. You're dying. You killing one person wouldn't really be killing. It would be outliving them. A nearly dead man living a day longer than a completely healthy one.
Jeff sat forwards. A nearly dead man living a day longer than a completely healthy one. He had a point. It would feel amazing to know that he had outlived a person who had good health and a whole life left to live. And it would mean money for his children, too.
Crossing his arms and leaning on the table, Jeff looked directly into the camera.
“What do I have to do?”