Moriarty’s Dilemma

'Better not make any enemies until I figure out something to do'. He thought, as he avoided any conflict. He didn't want to get into trouble with anyone, he wanted to keep a low profile and stay out of harm's way. He hoped that by doing so, he could find an opportunity to escape from this place.

The red haired man barely looked at the food and then returned to sitting and waiting for his partner to wake up. Moriarty thought he was faithful and patient. He cared about his partner more than anything else, and he was ready to give up himself for him. 'Lucky dude.'

The man in chains sat down and ate his meal in silence. Moriarty was in the center of the room, two meters away from the man.

'Hoh, this isn't bad. The food looks awful but it's better than my breads and what I ate for these last weeks.' He thought, as he tasted the mashed potatoes and nuts. If torture wasn't on the menu, Moriarty might consider staying here for a while, at least no one would bother him here.

But he knew that torture was unavoidable in this place. 'Only perverts want such pain. Give me a break with that.' He thought, as he shuddered at the thought of being tortured. He hated pain more than anything else, and he would do anything to avoid it. He had been here for a few hours, but he had already decided to cooperate with them.

Underground, in the depths of the fortress, the prison was a dark and damp place. It was isolated from the rest of the world, and the prisoners had no hope of escape. They were locked in small cells with no windows or ventilation.

Three floors above, in a secret room, a meeting was taking place. The room was well-furnished and decorated, with a large table and comfortable chairs. "Moriarty, huh. Is everything set?" A woman's voice asked. She sounded cold and ruthless, like someone who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

The woman looked at a report that contained Moriarty's background, skills set and activities for the past five years. She scanned the document with a keen eye, looking for any flaws or weaknesses that she could exploit.

"Yes, Madam", an officer replied. He was confident and dignified, not showing any hint of blunder on his work. He had prepared everything according to the plan, and he was ready to execute it at any moment.

"Good then, proceed with the plan." The woman said, closing the report. She had a sinister smile on her face, as if she was enjoying the game of chess that she was playing with Moriarty.

The prisoners did not notice the morning's arrival. They had no way of telling the time in their cell. They only knew that it was day or night by the sound of the guards' footsteps and the meals that they received.

Moriarty did not know when he fell asleep. When he woke up, he realized that the empty plate was no longer on his side. And the man in chains, who had been eating on the floor before, was already standing on the wall.

'Crap, I didn't get any information. How come I fell asleep? Am I that tired from all those dives I did?' Moriarty thought to himself. He was frustrated and confused.

A minute later, they all woke up naturally, but no one talked. As if they knew that talking was useless and dangerous.

They all turned their gaze to the cell door when they heard multiple footsteps approaching. "Gulp!" Moriarty could not stop gulping as he thought that they might start the torture now, and without even having breakfast at that. He felt a surge of fear and anxiety, wondering what kind of pain and suffering awaited him. He wished he could escape from this nightmare, but he knew it was impossible.

"Hah! Sir" They heard soldiers saluting in the distance. The soldier escorted the officer toward their cell. The officer was wearing a uniform and had a stern expression.

The officer nodded to the soldier, who opened the cell door.

The officer entered and pointed at Moriarty, then at the naked man, who was scratching something on his body. After a pause, he pointed at the red-haired man, who had an unyielding gaze. Then he pointed at the man in chains, who was still standing on the wall with his eyes closed but clearly awake. And lastly he pointed at the guy who had an X mark on his back, who was still lying on the floor but already awake.

Afterwards, he said to the prisoners, "Good morning, gentlemen. I hope you had a good night's sleep. Because today is going to be a long day for you." He smiled wickedly and continued. "You see, we have some questions for you. And we are not going to take no for an answer." He looked at each prisoner with a menacing glare.

"So, let's begin, shall we?" He said, as he ordered the soldier with a cold and emotionless voice. "Send them to the chamber based on the sequence I gave you." He spoke with a cruel and authoritative tone that showed his absolute power.

"Hah! Yes, Sir" The soldier saluted and obeyed without hesitation.

As fast as they came, as fast as they went.

After minutes of tension and silence, a soldier came back, "You! Come!" He pointed at Moriarty and grabbed his arm. Moriarty's fear reached its peak. 'I have never been so afraid of my life before.' He thought as he felt his heart pounding like a drum.

The cell was not cold but Moriarty's teeth were clattering loudly, "Yii… Yiii… Yes, … Sir!" He stuttered and tried to stand up.

They walked in the prison hallway, still in his underwear. He was praying for a miracle, for the tools to be broken so they wouldn't be used on him. 'Whatever torture device it is, please, please, be broken.' He begged in his mind.