A/N : I know, I know, it's been a LONG time since I updated! But here I am and for being such patient boys and girls, I'm posting one long chapter. Enjoy!

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Chapter Four: Revival of a Nemesis

Sir Evan Hargreaves sighed as he finished writing in his journal. The lab was silent but for the humming of the machines. It had been a long day; the rejuvenation machine had broken down and it took all day to fix it. But it worked now, just barely. He didn't know if the rejuvenation would bring back a life or not, and he had no intentions of finding out.

The rotund scientist turned suddenly when he heard a loud crash from outside the door.

"Percy, is that you?" he called out to his robot servant, but received no reply. Concerned, as his laboratory had been broken into once before, Hargreaves pulled an ionizer from his coat pocket and waited. He didn't have to wait long though. A moment later, a pale-skinned, orange-haired man entered, carrying a body in his arms and an odd-looking ionizer awkwardly in his right hand. The scientist knew who these men were. The one with orange hair was Dr. Martin Fenwick, wanted geneticist. The man in his arms wearing 19th century clothing was Professor Moriarty, New London's most wanted man, who had been shot and killed a week before. What surprised him was the corpse's good condition. 'Modern technology must have played a role in that.' he noted with some disgust.

"Dr. Hargreaves. Just the man I wanted to see. I have someone that needs to be brought back to life and you are just the man to do it."

"I'll never help the likes of you, Fenwick," Hargreaves snapped.

The evil geneticist waved the gun perilously. "Oh, I have a feeling you will. Before my master died, he created this gun. It's more powerful, shoots farther and is more deadly. Now drop your weapon," he snarled.

Hargreaves, seeing no other alternative, dropped the ionizer and held up his hands, moving towards both men. The movement caused Fenwick to drop the corpse and point the gun towards the other man's chest.

"I wouldn't make any sudden movements if I were you," the rat-like man hissed.

"I just want to see what kind of wound that he had," Hargreaves whispered, kneeling beside the body of the ex-criminal. He saw the wound, a close range shot by a ionizer, which punctured the heart. Getting up again, he addressed the rat-man.

"I don't think that my rejuvenation machine works. Even if it did, there would be no way that he would survive for more than-" He gasped as the gun was pointed at his face.

"You'll make it work or it'll be your life!" growled the evil geneticist.

"Al-all right," the round scientist stuttered. Carefully, he lifted the corpse, shuddering as he did so, and placed him in the rejuvenation machine and hooked up the machines to his body. When he was finished with that, Sir Evans went to the monitoring screen across the room. After starting the process, he turned as announced to Fenwick.

"The rejuvenation could take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours, if all goes well."

"Very well. Then I will wait here," Fenwick said calmly.

*************

The hours that passed seemed to go by at an excruciating pace. The rotund geneticist remained at his computer council the entire time, checking the progress of the process, and making sure all was going well. The rat-like man paced the room, occasionly looking up at the machine that held his master. For the millionth time he asked, "Is he ready now?" and for the first time in those millions, the geneticist answered "Yes."

The metal doors opened slowly, and Sir Evans removed the unconscious man from the depths of the machine, and carried Moriarty to the gurney on which, two years before, Sherlock Holmes had awakened from death after two-hundred years. After strapping the breathing mask to the revived criminal's face, he turned to the wanted geneticist and declared, "He should be awake in a little while."

An hour later, Moriarty did wake. Fenwick watched his master's eyes slide into focus. "Master?" the orange-haired minion whispered.

Groggily, he sat up, while Fenwick removed the mask. "Fenwick? Am I -- alive?"

"Yes, Master. We have Sir Evan Hargreaves to thank for your -- revival."

"Well, then -- I think a proper reward is in order for our dear Sir Evan," he said.

That was the last thing he saw, as the gun pointed towards him and he heard a shot ring out....

To Be Continued....

(Cruel, huh?)