The previous chapters:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Followed by the orange antimacassar:
Sherlock Holmes in Space -- The Knower -- Chapter 35
a story by jabney based on (the now public domain) characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
...
Consider my position. Whilst experiencing the unique hospitality of Hell, I am unable to reflect on the horrors that surround us. Why? Because sharing a mind with Sherlock Holmes is not for an aficionado of the casually reflective. His mind? Fluttering first from one thought to another, then homing in on that one thing that was there all along. And so coy The disclaimers of modesty? Rehearsed. The sharing of credits? Calculated by formula. The reader may know of Sherlock Holmes as the World's Greatest Detective. And he is. But after sharing thoughts with the man, I am convinced he has triumphed as one of the World's Great Businessman with the creation and unobtrusive maintenance of Sherlock Holmes Incorporated. Oh, it's not a legal corporation. And the company has only one task. The selling of Sherlock Holmes.
Yet the Sherlock Holmes I know is still there. And seeing what is about to take place he will... What, indeed? Holmes, they are going to die, right?
Yes Watson. I shall respect their privacy, of course.
Of course.
I could see that Otis and Evan were having a similarly animated inner-conversation between themselves. The problem was that one of the Cody's had to die first. And that was a decision only a Cody could make.
And decide they had. Though not what I would have supposed. The youthful-looking Cody would Go first. "Go" being an unpredictably active verb in Hell. As a spoken term, even with the accompaniment of the most absurd of jinxes, it is best generally avoided whilst in the bowels of Hell.
"Dr Watson, I apologize for not trusting you completely when we first met," said the younger looking Cody.
"One can see that now," said the older looking Cody to his younger self, "But you were right to put the integrity of the timeline first."
"What integrity? What if it turns out to be true that events fork-off to an unlimited number of universes. What does that say about the integrity of the timeline. What do you think, Mr Holmes?" said Cody the younger.
"I should think that if my action or lack thereof at some pivot point did create a new universe or a change for the better in the one we know about, it would be cruelty in the highest to deny me knowledge of my own accomplishment."
Cody and Cody excused themselves and said something to Otis and Evan who looked over at us and nodded in agreement. Then Cody and Cody walked toward Edgar who threw out his arms embracing them both. "Shall we?" said Edgar.
Cody, youthful, buff, Cody stood in a Plaza that had appeared rather dramatically. The humming, grinding noises of what I later learned were skateboards could be heard. Cody the elder looked on with some degree of pride in his younger self. That younger self looked up, took a good breath and said, "Go." There was a skateboard at the top of the stairs. Riderless, it landed several tricks before reaching Cody. The youthful looking Cody jumped on the skateboard. The skateboard picked up speed and soon, the youthful Cody could no longer be seen.
As the skateboard sped away, the older looking Cody was displaying rapidly increasing indicators of pain. "It's the analgesic bond," said Edgar. "When Cody, here, relaxes, it will mean the other Cody is gone."