So, just a bit of fun that I converted for release over a skimmed over story line that I wanted to peruse.
Special thanks to my group in the Warehouse! Lady NRA, Lynnutte, MariaRene, and Kendralynora. Input from Kendralynora.
Of course, I do not own a thing and am only borrowing my favourite characters and promise to return them.
Agent Peter Lattimer entered his boss's office in a dilapidated, rusted secret facility in South Dakota. Inside a sterile hallway lined with bombs, Pete yawned and punched his code into a keypad. The thick security door slid open with a hiss to reveal a crowded and eclectic work space.
Fellow agents Steve and his young partner, Claudia were chatting with their boss, Artie. The Bed and Breakfast's owner, Leena was listening and watching from a short distance away.
Everyone said hi or nodded to Pete as he stumbled through the office towards the coffee maker, not trying to stifle his yawns. Pete grabs his personal mug with "World's Best Partner" across it. He smirked at it on the counter and the hot pot of coffee ready for him. He took that as a 'welcome back' from his partner Myka. Knowing her, she was probably up for hours already, even though they both just got back last night from collecting a particularly nasty voodoo doll from the swamp lands in Louisiana.
Artie was spouting in his typical information over flow when talking about his passion, artifacts. "Talk to the sheriff there. He's expecting you two." Steve nodded. "I've narrowed it down to any one, or all of a particular cooking group. Personally, I would watch this one…" Artie stuck a short finger on a picture of a young, pretty looking, woman on the crowded white board. "Uh… Peggy." Artie and Claudia both flinched at the name.
"Peggy." Claudia restated as if she didn't believe the lousy case that she was being assigned. "Artie, Winnipeg?" She took a deep breath, as if steadying herself to handle such a lousy case. "C'mon Jinksey. Lets go nab Betty Crocker." She quipped. Steve chuckled.
"Do NOT underestimate this artifact!" Artie yelled, suddenly serious. "Two men in the hospital, one woman has been in a coma since Wednesday."
The two young partners reflected their boss's seriousness. Steve said, "No worries. We got it Artie."
"Yup." Agreed Claudia. "All over it."
Coffee in one hand, Pete dug through the small fridge. He moved aside a thick, old book that Artie mysteriously kept in there and found half a turkey wrap that he remembered from before his trip. He grabbed it eagerly and headed back into the office, thus armed.
Pete arrived just in time to see Artie roughly holding out airline tickets for Claudia and Steve to fly to Winnipeg, Canada. Artie shooed the partners out the door roughly, but not without betraying his concern for those under his care with a deep sigh as the door closed behind them.
Leena sipped coffee from a mug that had "Bottoms up!" on the bottom that you can see when you tilt it. Her eyes lit up. "This is good coffee! I'll have to get some for the bed and breakfast!"
"Can't." Artie replied before thinking.
She shot him a disapproving frown. "Why not?"
"From Door County. Em… Wisconsin." Artie blinked at her confusion. "You know, the little part that's physically attached to Michigan?" He held up hand while trying not to spill his coffee to demonstrate the shape of Michigan and where the coffee came from, much to her humor and disbelief. Leena shook her head gently and warmly smiled in disbelief at the eccentric supervisor. Artie shrugged and went back to sipping his really good, if hard to find coffee.
Pete sat at Claudia's desk chair and focused on the wrap to be devoured. He nodded at Artie, and a second later realized that his boss was looking pointedly at him. Putting down the wrap with a sigh, Pete turned to him.
"Yes boss man? Need something from me?"
Artie took a breath. "What do you think about taking Leena today and showing her how to work the zip line?"
Pate shrugged. "Sure thing." He turned back to his wrap but stopped hearing a sharp breath intake from Leena. Pete stopped and slowly put the wrap back down to take in her reaction.
"Fastest way around the Warehouse." Artie was saying. "Best to learn about it now, while it's calm. And by calm I mean no buildings falling or vacuums running about!"
Pete tried for the wrap again, but again was interrupted, this time by Leena.
"Artie, I've avoided it so far! There's always another way. A more—grounded way!" After a moment of thinking she added, "I'm sure that there's nothing that Claudia can't take care of on the zip line. Not to mention that it can take her weight!"
Artie was quick to comfort her on that issue. "I still use the zip line. Its-" he faltered for a moment, looking for the right word. "Well, its fast." He lowered his eyes and got up before Leena could demand more information. "C'mon. I'll get you the equipment." Artie led Leena out of the office to get the egg helmet and safety harness.
Finally in peace, Pete picked up his wrap once again. Suddenly, an annoying buzz disrupted the office and nearly ripped him out of his skin. Not willing to give up his breakfast, Pete rolled the chair over to Artie's Farnsworth and flipped it open with a clean pinky finger as Pete finally got a bite out of the wrap.
Myka's face came into focus on the little screen. "Art- Pete!"
"Hi Myka!" Pete managed out of the corner of his mouth while chewing.
She squinted into the device. "What is—is that the wrap from like, last week?" She said incredulously.
Pete considered for a split second before he decided it isn't worth his effort. "Uh… sure?" Pete dug into another huge bite.
"Ew. You seriously will eat anything!" Myka said.
Pete paused, considering her displeasure. He decided to chalk it up to Myka being wound way tighter than he was. It had to help his digestion and account for his iron stomach. He swallowed. "Where are you?"
"Town." Myka replied. Pete knew that he should have figured that his partner was up and out before he even got to the office.
"You need anything?" Pete asked with his mouth half full again.
"Well, Artie would be nice." She said. Pete motioned to the door that he disappeared through, wondering if that would be enough for Myka to figure it out. "Ah." Said Myka. "You can just tell him that those electrical harnesses are out of stock at the hardware store."
"Okay." Pete said, taking another bite, making Myka cringe.
"Listen, I know that Artie needs these harnesses, so tell him that I'm going to just go to the store in Rapid Valley." She said to her partner.
Pete nodded and gave Myka a mute thumbs up, while chewing. After Pete swallowed he leaned into the Farnsworth to say, " Will do! Warehouse out!" Pete snapped the device closed.
Pete forced the rest of apparently week old wrap down his throat and was washing it down with the rest of his coffee when Artie came back with Leena in full zip line garb.
Leena's cotton sundress was swapped out for a green flight line jump suit. It effectively changed her from peaceful agent caretaker to something resembling a fighter pilot. Over the jump suit Leena wore a thick safety harness.
Pete's eyes widened over the coffee mug in humor. It lowered with just a bit of coughing as Pete start laughing, earning him scowl from both of his co-workers. His hands went up in defense.
"No, no! You look great!" Pete got up to stood next to Leena. He grabbed a strap and pulled at the shoulder harness. "You look… ready for action! This will keep you secure at least. Looks good." Pete said testing another strap.
"I know how to secure a safety harness Pete!" Artie griped at him.
"And this certainly isn't my first time in one either!" Leena joined in on the band wagon.
Artie did a double take at her, but recovered a moment later to say. "Uh, Pete, give her just a few short runs, just enough to test it out, get the feel." Then to Leena, "I just want you to be familiar with it so that if you do have to use it in a hurry, it won't be the first time."
Leena nodded. "Of course."
The supervisor put the egg helmet on Leena's curly head of hair and tugged it down into place then stepped back, next to Pete, to admire his work.
Artie tilted his head a little and Pete fought hard to repress a smirk, but failed. Pete thought that Leena looked ready to go, but also a little like those guys in Space Balls, the Movie, with her egg type helmet on. Artie and Pete glanced at each other in humor and a little bit of dread. Pete just knew that Leena was going to stop making his favourite cookies for a month, at least.
Artie snapped out of it. "Well!" he waved his hands and shooed both Pete and Leena out of the office door leading to the Warehouse balcony. "Go, go! Scoot!"
Leena practically waddled in her get-up. Pete held the door open for her and exchanged a full blown smile with Artie over the humor of the outfit before he followed her out the door to leave the old man shaking his head at the whole thing.
At the zip line balcony, Pete triple checked Leena's harness and safety gear. Artie checked it. Leena checked it. But it was safety, so she tolerated Pete checking over her one more time.
Pete made Leena regurgitate the operation of the release snaps to the zip line, and the clips to release the harness around her. She explained the operation of the devices well enough to satisfy him. Pete nodded and tugged on her harness one last time, checking the snugness.
Leena finally gave him a look of exasperation, which told him that he was almost done. Pete gave Leena one of his boyish grins. "How you feeling? Ready to go for a ride?"
"Only if you get out of my way." Leena responded, raising her eyebrows.
Pete kept his authoritative attitude in place to get the job done. He briefed her again on the length of the planned trip and her dismount location in the aisle that the line was pointing down.
"Ok, just a short trip this time. Don't forget to roll when you hit or you'll break an ankle. If you get too far out, just keep your head and I'll relocate you to a new landing spot. Ok?" Leena started to glare at him until Pete started to wonder if she could see irritated changes in her own aura.
"Let's just get this over with. I'll be fine!" She's obviously had enough of the prepping from him. Pete knew that it was time to let her fly out on her own. He moved away from the gap in banister to let Leena step up to the edge of the balcony. She gripped the handles of the harness and took a deep breath.
Leena pushed off of the ledge of the balcony into the gap between the balcony and the rock hard concrete floor of the Warehouse.