Chapter 1 HG Has a Blast …or Two
"I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician: he is also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale." Marie Curie
It was a quiet Saturday morning when it happened. Some of the agents were taking advantage of the day off to sleep late. Artie was enjoying having the dining room to himself as he sipped his hot coffee and relished having the whole paper to himself. And Leena was enjoying having the kitchen to herself with no one under foot. Pete was unconscious having stayed up all night after a movie marathon with Claudia. She was sleeping soundly, too in spite of the fact that Pete insisted on a three AM Quesada snacks and put in anything he could get his hands on. Claudia wasn't quite sure the last time she had tasted so many different things in one bite. And Myka was holding onto her pillow as she dreamed peacefully. She raised her head and placed it on the cool pillow expecting to feel HG's body next to her. No one was expecting the sonic boom that literally shook the house and sent them grabbing for guns and running in all directions yelling and screaming. The agents flew down the stairs just as Leena and Artie ran into the hallway. They looked at each other for answers but everyone drew a blank stare. Artie counted his agents.
"Where is HG?" he asked.
"God only knows where HG is," Myka said looking around.
Then the door to the basement opened and Helena stood there with blackened face, hair blown out of place but smiling. It was the day she rediscovered the joy of chemistry experiments and the last time she was allowed to conduct them in the house.
"OK, who gave her the chemistry set?" Artie asked as they assembled in the living room. HG looked at him quizzically wondering why he didn't think to ask her directly. That would have cost him time. He wanted to get right to the source and wring their necks. Finally the guilty party spoke up.
"Well, Artie," Leena started, " when you told her she wasn't allowed to take any more machines apart, I thought maybe a little chemistry kit…."
"I really need to get back downstairs," HG interrupted but Artie ignored her and pointed at her to stay.
"A little chemistry kit?" Artie said restraining himself because he was not used to yelling at Leena. "In those hands?" he said pointing to Helena who still had the residue of the explosion on her hands and cheeks.
"Artie, I was merely attempting…" HG started but Artie would have no part of it. "…to blow the house up with us in it?" The sarcastic remark drew her glare but he was not frightened by it anymore. Most of the time.
"Agent Wells, I know you were just playing around…," he said and Myka bit her lip and uttered 'oh oh' because she understood exactly how her brilliant friend was about to interpret that remark.
"Playing around?" she asked stretching the words with her full blown accent. "Playing around?" she asked a second time because she could not believe the remark. "Did they accuse Einstein of playing around at the Institute of Advanced Study? Did they accuse Madam Curie of fooling around?" HG ranted.
"I thought Einstein worked at Princeton?" Pete asked sidetracked and hungry.
"No, he lectured there. But he worked at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton," Myka informed him.
"Oooh," Pete said wondering how long breakfast would take.
"If you would just excuse me a minute," Helena started again because time was of the essence but Artie was blocking her way.
"What were you doing if not playing around, Agent Wells?" Artie asked her directly. The obvious question caught her off guard. Just because she was ready to defend her work didn't mean she was anxious to reveal it.
"Pardon?" HG asked and Myka immediately became suspicious. Helena had perfect hearing. 'Pardon' meant she was stalling. Artie also knew this.
"What-were-you-doing-before- you-blew-up-the-basement?" he asked slowly.
"I was simply mixing sucrose and potssm clo-ate and sulf cid," HG mumbled looking away and not doing a very good job of it.
It had been some time since Artie had taken chemistry but he did get an A in the course. He was almost certain that the elements had not changed any in spite of the years.
"Agent Wells, I know you might think I've forgotten all of my chemistry and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that combination of chemicals …hmmm…what was the scientific term for it?" Artie said setting up his punch line. "Ah yes, - EXPLOSIVE?"
"Artie, don't be ridiculous," HG said laughing nervously now and not because of his expression but Myka's. It didn't happen often but getting into trouble with Myka was not something HG enjoyed at all.
Myka was trying to think about the chemistry kit she had as a kid. It was what sparked her dreams of finding cures for all the worlds' diseases and made her go premed in college. Then she took organic chemistry and suddenly law became very attractive. "Wait, I had one of those kits when I was a kid. The amount of chemicals they give you is very small and I don't think potassium chlorate nor sulfuric acid is among them," Myka said because she read the manual – once.
"I got the one for grades 4 – 12," Leena said still defending her choice.
"Where exactly did you get the chemicals you used?" Artie asked turning back to HG and his question made her refocus. She had to get back down to the basement.
"Oh…ummm…. here and…. there. Now if you would Artie, I….ah…. really must get back to the …eh …," HG said trying to sound calm. Myka was becoming very suspicious of HG's behavior. Avoiding Artie's question was normal but the stammering was very unlike her.
"What the frack is that smell?" Claudia asked when the odor became noxious.
"I really hope that isn't breakfast. I mean, I'll eat it but I really hope it isn't breakfast," Pete said.
Helena was the only one there that knew as her friends were interrogating her, her next experiment was about to commence. She had not planned on the first minor explosion and therefore, never expected to be interrupted from carrying out the second. If she didn't get back down and prevent the next set of chemicals from mixing, there would be a bigger problem. She knew any minute now the timer she rigged up would go off and the beaker of sulfuric acid mixture would start to pour into the second beaker filled with hydrogen peroxide. A second explosion was inevitable. But this wasn't even her biggest concern. It was the hydrogen sulfide that was the issue right now. The fact that Claudia could smell something meant the beaker with that chemical that smelled like rotten eggs was too close to the other beakers. Things were literally heating up down there.
"Artie, I will be more than happy to answer all your questions if you will please just get everyone outside to safety," HG attempted to say in a low voice.
"WHAT?" Artie screamed in response.
"NOW!" HG said because it was only a matter of seconds …
They made it to the porch safely before the door to the basement blew off its hinges and into the hallway where seconds before they were passing through to get outside. The force of the blast pushed an air current at their backs that knocked them over but everyone was unharmed. The fire engines were there within minutes and contained the fire that erupted on the workbench with extinguishers. They dressed in their hazmat suits because they were told it was a chemical fire. Relieved that it was put out quickly, they returned to the occupants who were standing away from the house. They did have some questions about the toxic material that was being used and the two explosions. Initially, they feared a terrorist cell but Artie assured them it was simply the work of one very bored IRS agent with too much time on her hands. He promised them he would remedy that immediately if not sooner.
"You might want to start her out with something like this next time," the Fire Chief said to Artie handing him the slightly singed Chemistry Kit for Grades 4 – 12 box ….unopened. "But only if she's supervised!"
It was easy for the fireman to pick out the guilty party. HG still had soot on her face from the first mishap. "Would you please make sure she does not get herself arrested for arson?" Artie said to Myka through clenched teeth bathed in a fake smile.
The fire chief approached HG as did Myka. Helena wasn't sure which one of those people worried her more. She might be able to charm the fireman but she was certain it would take a bit more to calm Myka down.
"Where the hell did you get that stuff?" Myka asked and the chief raised his eyebrows in surprise that his question came out of someone else's mouth.
"Myka, why don't we let this gentleman ask his questions first so he can be on his way. I fear we've taken up enough of his time already," HG said in so charming a voice that the chief's attention was completely refocused on her. "Well, we would … eh … to know …. Where you got the materials Agent," he said smiling HG.
"Well let's see," HG said not looking at either one of them. "I bought the supplies at the chemical supply store online."
"Did you know that the materials you were playing around with were explosive, ma'am?" he asked and Myka waited.
"You think I was bloody playing around down there? Sir, I have an IQ that far surpasses most if not all people you know. People with my chemical and mechanical knowledge do not play around, sir. We conduct serious scientific experiments that produce significant results!" HG said in her less than friendly tone.
The chief was about to point out that her high IQ would have gotten her seriously injured had she been on the other side of that door but one of his men was calling him urgently.
"Chief! We have a situation here," the young man called out. The man in charge ran over to the group of firemen than had just come out of the house. Two of them were being held up by their buddies -apparently unconscious.
"What the hell happened here, Jones?" he asked his next in charge.
"They took their masks off after the hazard meter gave the clear, sir," the young man explained.
"Let's get them to the hospital stat," the Chief yelled and the EMT's who had accompanied them took them into the ambulance.
"They're going to be fine," HG said assuredly to Myka who worried what had done this to them.
"How do you know?" she asked HG who looked very calm.
"That was what I was working on," HG said in a low voice.
"Yes, we know – dangerous chemicals," Myka said.
"Not dangerous, Myka. They're going to be fine. If I am correct, they inhaled a small amount of the hydrogen sulfide and are in a chemically induced suspended animation-like hypothermia," HG said calmly.
"Hypothermia?" Myka asked not feeling any better about HG's explanation.
"Yes, I was working on figuring out the correct amount necessary to place someone in a 'forced hibernation' if you will. It's been done on mice but not successfully on humans. Until today," HG said wondering how she could monitor the young men's conditions. Claudia would have to hack into the hospital's system for her.
"You're playing with chemicals that when inhaled might cause people to go into hibernation?" Myka asked.
"Yes, it in essence makes them cold blooded. Temporarily of course," HG said as if this cleared it all up.
"What possible application could this have, Helena?" Myka asked.
"Think about it Myka. We could bottle the right amount and when faced with a terrible foe, we could throw the bottle down and they would inhale it and go into a stupor," HG explained happy that Myka was finally back on target.
"Do you have any on you now?" Myka asked HG.
"No of course not. Why?" HG asked.
"Because Artie is on his way over here with the Fire Chief," Myka said.
"I think Artie is already cold blooded," HG said under her breath.
The Chief's hazardous material expert assured him the chemicals were all things you could get legitimately and that the damage was contained to the work space and the door that was blown off. The chief went back to give Helena his official warning about being more careful around hazardous materials and Myka assured him that he did not have to worry – Helena was banned from playing around with chemicals for the foreseeable future. HG held her tongue at Myka's choice of words.
The firemen left the same way they came; lights flashing and sirens blaring alerting the entire town that they had just been out on call. The noise did nothing to help Artie's head that was already pounding. He looked down at his watch. It wasn't yet 9:30.
"I think this is a personal best for you Agent Wells," he said as he returned to the house after the firemen deemed it safe.
Leena was already on the phone with the local handyman asking if he could come out to replace the door and perhaps build a new workbench. He said he could be there Monday and that he had already heard in town that there had been a huge chemical explosion out at the B&B. "Is it safe to come out there?" he asked Leena. She assured him if Artie was at work, it would be safe for him to come.
"Helena, please promise me you will be more careful," Myka said to her friend.
"I will darling," HG said thinking this had been a rather calm reaction on her part. But as HG went to follow Myka into to have breakfast, Myka turned around to face her.
"Where are you going?" Myka asked.
"I was going to wash up and then have breakfast with you darling," HG said sweetly.
"No, you're going back downstairs and clean up the mess you made," Myka said smiling.
"Now?" HG asked wondering why that couldn't wait until after she'd had her tea at least.
"If you don't do it, Leena will be down there doing it for you and you don't want that to happen, do you Helena?" Myka asked.
"Well, if Leena wants to …," HG started to say and then caught the look on Myka's face. It clearly read – wrong answer. "No," she changed her answer to. She resigned herself to the fact that Myka was upset with her and this was her passive aggressive way of dealing with it.
"No bloody way to treat a genius, if you ask me," Helena mumbled to herself as she went back into the basement to clean up the mess.
Myka smiled and shook her head but didn't answer her brilliant friend who nearly got herself killed. Myka would have to calm down – a lot – before she talked to HG about that fact.
It has been my experience that you guys are terrific in your feedback/comments. I hope you will
continue if you are reading this story. It especially helps when I've not written the ending to this
story ... so who knows where it will go.
Just know I am NOT happy with Season 4 so far.