Everyone has secrets, Myka knows this. Sure it bothers her about how many secrets Artie keeps from them; how he shuts them all out. However, Myka is not a snoop or a spy or terribly intrusive. She understands everyone has secrets, parts of their lives they want to keep personal. If the secret doesn't endanger the job they do, people's lives, then there is no problem. Trust can take time, Myka understands.
So, she hadn't tried to go out and dig into Artie's secrets; She hadn't meant to find out about his father but she did.
It starts when Myka sifts through the computer system browsing artifacts. She's read the manual but she certainly doesn't have every artifact in the Warehouse memorized. That's Artie's job. Still, she likes to remember all she can; so now and then she goes through the archive as refresher. Claudia is off fixing something, Artie's at a meeting with Mrs. Frederic, and Pete is who knows where. So, really what else does she have to do?
"Hello." Myka sits up straighter as one artifact catches her eye.
This artifact is labeled and has a brief description of its properties but the interesting bit is a note in bold at the end reading: 'Classified: for Arthur Neilson Only.'
"Artie only…" Myka leans back and bites the tip of her finger then snorts. "Everything here is classified, Artie."
She stares at the screen. The artifact is listed as 'Sea Chest: takes the soul of the person belonging to any object put inside,' then the mysterious end note. Myka shrugs and reads it again.
"What does that mean 'takes the soul?'"
Obviously there must be a reason it's filed as classified within a classified organization. It's not in the dark vault though; in fact the filing location isn't listed at all.
"What?" Myka drums her fingers on the table.
She'll just have to ask Artie about it later.
When later comes, Myka sort of chickens out.
"So, Artie, I was looking through the artifact list the other day."
"Hmm?" Artie isn't looking at her but paging through three books at once on the desk in front of him.
"I found this artifact that… well, the thing is…."
He finally looks up at her, an expression of confusion on his face. She presses her palms together, finger tips to her lips. Then she pulls them away and breathes in.
"Why would any artifact be classified here?"
His forehead crinkles. "Uh, the whole Warehouse is classified."
"Exactly!" Myka points a finger at him. "So, why would any specific artifact within the Warehouse need to be classified?"
"Are you talking about the Dark Vault?" He leans back in his chair. "Because you know that-"
"No, no, no," Myka cuts him off. "I mean one artifact by itself listed as 'Classified for Arthur Neilson Only.'"
She sees his shoulders stiffen slightly though the rest of him doesn't move. He's staring at her now in an entirely different way. If she didn't know better she would call it dangerous.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Myka."
She blinks. "What?"
"Leave it," he snaps and her mouth clicks shut despite herself.
He sits up and looks back down at the books he'd been working on before, clearly ending the conversation. Myka stares at him in shock for a bit longer then walks away and out onto the balcony over looking the Warehouse.
She doesn't like secrets, not secrets she has no reason for; and she especially doesn't like Artie keeping them from her.
"Claudia?"
"Yes, masterful agent Bering?"
Claudia is currently crouched under the desk fiddling with some wires which might be connected to the computers but it's hard to tell for sure.
"Could you do me a favor?"
Claudia peers back at Myka. "Is it something dangerous, exciting, or unwise?"
"Yep."
Claudia crawls backward and jumps up. "I'm your girl."
"I need you to hack into the artifact archives and tell me if a certain artifact has a location cataloged."
The young woman in front of her blinks in surprise. "What?"
Myka nods. Claudia pouts out her bottom lip in surprise then sits down in the chair in front of the computer.
"Not what I was expecting but who doesn't like a good hacking job?"
"The thing is," Myka leans over Claudia's chair, bringing up the desired record, "you can't tell Artie."
Claudia leans closer, reading the file on the screen. She turns to look at Myka with an arched eyebrow.
"Curious?"
Myka just tilts her head. "It'll be for his own good, I'm sure."
"Hmm!" Claudia turns back around and begins typing.
Two minutes later Claudia spins her chair, hands clasped primly in her lap. Myka stands up from the seat she was curled up in.
She puts her hands up. "Well?"
Claudia picks up a piece of paper, writes down a few numbers and letters then hands it to Myka. Myka takes it from her.
"I take this as a 'yes, there was a location?'"
Claudia nods. "Artie's too anal about Warehouse organization to have anything in the system without a filing location embedded somewhere. Duh."
Myka snorts.
"So, you going to go find it?" Claudia asks.
"You're not coming," Myka says without looking up from the paper.
"Wasn't planning on it." Myka looks up at this, surprised. Claudia stands from the chair then crawls back under the table. "I think this time I might listen to Artie. Plus, then you can be the one busted for not listening to him when he finds out."
Myka suppresses a laugh "Thanks so much."
Down in the Warehouse, Myka walks for about twenty minutes until she finds the spot back in a dark seemingly empty corner of the Warehouse. Tucked in a corner on a bottom self is a small brown and battered looking sea chest. The log marker says simply 'Sea Chest: Classified.' Myka kneels down to get a better look. The thing looks pretty standard as far as artifacts go. Myka doesn't know what she'd been expecting, a big sign saying 'MYSTERIOUS ARTIE SECRET?' It doesn't look like anything special.
Then she sees the post-it. On the shelf just beside the chest is a small square of paper stuck to the wood at its top, the corners curling. It reads 'Remember' in Artie's handwriting.
"I really shouldn't open it…" Myka says quietly to herself.
Then she reaches out and carefully slides the chest off the shelf so it's sitting on the floor. The computer didn't mention anything about touching or opening the chest posing any danger so it should be safe. She looks around her to see where the closest gooing station is then lifts the lid, eyes closed. Nothing happens. She opens her eyes and looks down into the chest. At first she thinks there's nothing in it then she sees a thin black pen on the right. It looks stuck because it doesn't roll as she shifts the chest.
"Pen in a sea chest?"
She reaches in carefully, despite herself, and touches the pen. Suddenly, a voice fills her head, moaning, crying, screaming, words all a jumble.
'Help me, help me, it's so- dark – oh my god – help me, I can't – where am… Arthur! Help me… Arthur, where am I… Help, help, help…No! Oh my god…. Arthur… Oh please, help… help!'
Myka jerks her hand away and falls backward, crumpled almost flat on her back, breathing fast. Tears coat her cheeks. She doesn't know when she started crying. All she can feel is fear and loneliness tight in her chest. She's shaking.
Then she senses someone else nearby and turns her head. Artie is standing not five feet away from her, arms crossed. He doesn't look angry like she expects more like tired, heavy, much older than he is.
"Artie…" she says, voice small and choked.
He looks at her for a long moment then breathes in slowly. "I once told Claudia I was writing a song after I lost my father," Myka nods, "that I hoped writing it would help us find each other again."
"Claudia told me." Her eyes widen, flicking to the chest then back. "But… but you told her he wasn't dead."
"He's not." Artie tilts his head slightly. "Not exactly."
Myka breathes in sharply, looking sidelong at the chest again, still open in front of her. She can't speak. Artie walks over slowly, crouching for a moment to close the chest and put it back on the shelf. Myka is still half lying on the floor just watching him. He stands up again and looks down at her once then away.
"Artie… I'm…" She can't say what she knows will not be enough.
"I do everything for a reason, Myka." He's not looking at her.
Myka chokes back a sob. "I'm sorry."
Artie doesn't say anything, doesn't look at her again. He turns from the shelf and walks away. Slowly, Myka sits up and watches him go until she can't see him anymore.
She understands, everyone has secrets and some do deserve to be kept.