"That's not very funny." Steve stated. Claudia nodded in silent agreement. They both looked at Artie like he was insane.
"I am being serious. However, I can be both serious and the artifact itself be ridiculous, because it is." He sifted through papers on his desk looking for something.
"Gallagher's sledgehammer. GALLAGHER? The guy with the stupid hat and mustache from the eighties?" Steve repeated wanting to double check for the third time this was the artifact Artie was sending them to hunt down.
"Yes, Gallagher's sledgehammer. There have been a series of market & grocery break-ins in New York City."
"So what he smashes up some watermelon and somehow everyone gives him all the money in the cash drawer?" Steve asked incredulously.
Artie scowled, not appreciating the sarcasm, "I don't create the artifacts I just send you to get them. Apparently, as soon as he smashes something with the sledgehammer anyone within range becomes paralyzed with laughter for about five minutes giving him plenty of time to raid the teller drawers and make his escape."
"I had to Google Gallagher to even know who he is." Claudia tossed in.
"And?" Artie asked.
"And what? Not the funniest guy alive but I've seen worse. I bet its fun to smash all that stuff."
"Spoken like someone who never had to live through the man's actual popularity." Artie countered and Steve nodded in agreement. Steve's parents loved the comedian for some reason. He had even been dragged to a show as a child. He remembered sweating under the plastic poncho he'd been forced to wear the entire time just in case they caught any debris coming projecting from the sledgehammer.
"Myka and Pete are up for the next ping Artie, why us?" Claudia asked.
"New York City." Artie re-iterated. Steve and Claudia nodded in understanding.
A couple months ago the warehouse was in danger of being moved out of the country and re-christened as Warehouse 14. Then, at the last moment, the host country was found to be involved in clandestine talks to weaponize at least one of the artifacts with a regional-allie and just like that, Warehouse 13 was back in business.
Things got weird when they thought they were about to lose the Warehouse and each other. Pete and Myka toyed with the idea of dating. They tried it for about a week before realizing it had simply been their last hope at preserving that which fate returned to them anyway. Once the Warehouse was secure their desire for each other seemed to fade back to previous, more platonic levels.
Yet there was still an absence in Myka's heart. The truth was she'd left her heart behind; in Boone, Wisconsin with a woman who'd chosen a whole family over just one Myka. Then, not content to crush her once, Helena wrote her saying she'd left Nate and Adelaide to be with another woman in New York. Twice rejected. Yet, how could she be mad at Helena for fumbling in her pursuit of happiness? Isn't that what they all wanted?
Free of the Pyka debacle, Myka was single again and heartbroken still. Everyone saw the pain in her eyes each morning when she arrived at breakfast clearly less rested than they were. It w ent on that way for about a week. Eventually and slowly she started to resemble the old Myka again. She was still a bit more sullen than they remembered, slightly less quick to smile but she was recovering, they hoped.
So Artie wanted to give her just a bit more time. Steve and Claudia not only understood but were on board with the decision. Finally locating what he'd been rummaging for on his desk he produced two plane tickets. Steve swiped them both and they headed out the umbilicus door.
Once in the bright sunshine, Claudia took her ticket from her partner. "I hope this is the last ping we take for awhile."
"I hear ya but we had to take this one. Myka and Pete can't go to New York, what if they accidently run into Helena and Giselle?" Steve stated what they were both thinking.
Claudia made a nauseous face and barf-spoke, "Giselle," continuing, "Who names their child Giselle unless they want them to be a coke-snorting cigarette-smoke-stack model who steal other women's true-loves?"
"Mr. & Mrs. Bunchen." Steve replied referencing the super model who shared the name.
"You're not really trumping my point. I'm sure she stole some girl's true love at some point." Claudia countered.
"HG loves Myka. She tried to deny it to me once," He paused thinking about it before finishing, "not sure why."
Claudia was tired of the subject. EVERYONE knew those two loved each other and should be together. That's why the Pete and Myka thing had been so weird and left them all confused. To eradicate the confusion, once they'd eased back into a platonic relationship Abigail gathered everyone but Myka together and had a long, frank discussion about the obvious. Myka & HG loved each other but it hadn't worked out. They'd all agreed to do what they could to help Myka through her heart break. The young woman sighed with resignation, "Let's just get on the plane, get to New York, snag, bag and tag this thing so we can come back and finally relax for a bit."
"Agreed."
New York City
The Next Morning
Claudia and Steve ate breakfast at their hotel before heading out to talk to some of the market owner's who'd been robbed. The red head stuffed a large forkful of eggs into her mouth, chewed them and announced, "I have a feeling this isn't going to be a routine mission."
Steve nodded chugging his orange juice, "Yeah. I agree. Don't know why yet."
They found the closest subway entrance and headed to the first market on their list, the first to get hit. It was called Paul's Local. The front window had been smashed by the sledgehammer and was now boarded up with plywood but the store was open for business.
They walked to the counter and saw a grizzled, bald man at the register. He narrowed his eyes at them when he saw they didn't have anything to buy. "Need something from behind the counter? Bathroom is for paying customers only."
"No, nothing like that." Steve stated. He produced his badge and flashed it, "ATF Sir, just wanted to ask you a couple questions about your break in."
The man sighed. He yelled for someone from the back to come up and take over at the register. A woman, younger but who looked a lot like him appeared and hurried over. "Watch the till honey, I gotta talk to yet another officer who won't do shit for me."
He came around and headed out the front door. Steve and Claudia followed. Outside, the man lit a cigarette and waited for them to ask their questions. Steve spoke up again, "Look, we don't want to take up too much of your time but can you tell me what happened?"
The man sighed and exhaled, a large puff of smoke billowing from his nostrils as he spoke, his voice thick with irritation, "Look, like I said the first time and the time after that and the time after that, I was in the back of the store re-stocking the beer when the door opened. I didn't pay much attention. I saw the guy in the convex mirror. He looked normal enough. Maddie, that's my daughter, was at the register. I didn't see him do it but the cameras show him going straight for the produce. He picked up a grapefruit, walked it to the register and set it on the counter. Then he produced this huge mallet, kinda like that one that stupid comedian used to have years back. What was his name? Gary? Somthin. Anyway, he smashes the thing and everything goes black. Next thing I remember I'm blinking my teary eyes, my gut muscles are sore and the guy's long gone with all the cash in my drawer."
"The security footage showed you, your daughter and everyone but the man with the mallet laughing hysterically for almost five minutes."
"Yeah well, I don't know about all that. I can't remember it."
"Didn't you see the footage?" Claudia defied.
"I saw it." The man spat back. There was silence for a moment. He tossed the butt of his cigarette to the ground and stepped on it. "I just don't understand it. I don't remember." He looked at both of them annoyance still written all over his face. "Is that all? I'd like to get back to work."
"You didn't happen to smell anything strange right before it happened did you? Fudge perhaps?" Steve asked.
Though he was serious, the shop owner thought he was being mocked. He grabbed Steve by the collar and spoke angrily, "Listen, I KNOW my story sounds crazy. That doesn't change the fact that I got robbed! Show a little respect!"He released his grip and Steve nodded to the man's retreating back as he went back inside his store.
Claudia offered dryly, "Well, that went well."
"Like candy from a baby." Steve facetiously agreed. He looked at her adding, "He was telling the truth though. He doesn't know anything more than what he said and he's not even confident of that."
"That makes three of us." Claudia stated.
They spent the rest of the day visiting three other convenience stores and markets. Each owner told a similar story. They were able to determine a few details about the wielder of the hammer based on security footage. It seemed to be a man, tall and lanky in build, wearing a worn navy hoodie, dark jeans and a winter face mask when he perpetrated the crimes. The crimes themselves always took place in the morning, between nine and ten o'clock.
Having gathered as much evidence as they could for the day they went back to the hotel. Claudia set to work trying to find more information using her favorite investigative tool, the internet. Within a few hours they'd plotted out all of the stores which had been hit and narrowed down a list of future target stores. They were betting the only way to catch the guy was to be in the right place at the right time.
It came down to three stores. Claudia stared at a map she'd grabbed from the front desk and used to mark all of their known and potential targets on. The three they were choosing between were highlighted in pink.
"I think it's the corner one." Steve declared after a long period of contemplative silence.
"Reasons?" Claudia demanded.
"Fastest getaway. Four out of the seven who've been hit so far were corner stores. These other ones are in the middle of the block." He had a point. Claudia cocked her head slightly sideways as she tried to re-evaluate.
She turned and quickly keyed in something on her laptop. "Corner stores take in slightly more revenue than ones in the middle of the block. You think our guy knows that?"
Steve's eyebrow's scrunched. "I don't know. I haven't figured out if we are dealing with someone intelligent or arrogant yet."
"Look, the corner one and this other one are only about a block away anyway. We can go to the corner one and if we are wrong we have a chance of catching him at this other one."
"Okay. Since we can't be in three places at once, this is the best idea." Steve agreed.
"Let's get some rest. We want to have time to walk the distance between the two stores and know the fastest way to navigate them if we bet on the wrong horse." They both retired to bed ready to make a fresh attempt the next day.
At the site by sunrise, they each walked the different courses between stores. Claudia's path had an alley. She counted her steps as she walked as she made her way through it. Suddenly, she became aware of the sound of a second pair of footsteps. They sounded light and quick, like a woman's gait. In a single, fluid movement Claudia reached into her bag, gripped the Tesla with her finger on the trigger and spun around putting the weapon between herself and her pursuer.
A calm yet saucy British accent quipped at her, "If you want to take me down with one shot aim slightly to my left. You still pull that way when you shoot."
"HG!" Claudia exclaimed happily. She shoved the Tesla back in her back and practically jumped into the older woman's arms hugging her fiercely.
"I'm so glad to see you! Where have you been?" the young woman asked excitedly, then it her. She remembered Myka and her long, drawn out heartbreak they were all trying to mend. The heartbreak HG caused by running away. She pulled back and punched the inventor in the shoulder, "Where HAVE YOU BEEN?" she asked again this time her voice dripped with accusation.
HG sighed and dropped her head. "Claudia, please. Not now."
"Hey, I'm not the one who stalked you down a New York City alley with whatever kick-ass boots you are wearing right now, seriously, I love those boots."
HG smirked. She missed Claudia. She missed everyone. She especially missed Myka. Popping her leg out a bit to inspect her own footwear she smiled, "Thanks! I like them though I did not pick them out."
"Giz-elle?" Claudia drew out the name in a mocking tone.
HG blushed and nodded, "Yes, she has impeccable taste."
"Gross." Claudia stated. She wanted to change the subject and realized she had cause to when it occurred to her to ask, "Why are you here? In this particular alley?"
"Hey Claud!" Steve yelled from the alley entrance. "I clocked mine at two minutes twenty six seconds!" when he finished he noticed there was another woman standing with Claudia. It looked like, oh lord, it was, HG Wells. He quickly jogged up to them asking immediately, "What are you doing here?"
"Hello Steve." HG offered back more politely. She looked at them. They were waiting for her answer so she supplied it, "I heard about this on the news. I knew it was an artifact."
They continued to stare at her neither feeling she totally answered the question. Helena added, "I was bored." She returned their gaze defiantly, "Is it so wrong? I heard the story, I felt it in my gut and I knew." She looked at them again, they were softening but still quiet, "Besides I was already local." It was her final defense.
Claudia looked to Steve expecting to see an indication that she was lying if, in fact, she was. Steve gave no indication of it. She felt anger growing inside her for the inventor. Though initially happy to see her those thoughts were quickly changing with mention of Giselle. "Okay," Claudia began in a curt tone, "Boredom, fine, whatever. But you can't help HG. You're not an agent. You gave it up. So go home to your gazelle girlfriend with the hooves and the antlers and the doe-eyes and leave us to do the warehouse-ing!" she finalized her statement by stomping out of the alley.
Steve lingered. He could see pain in Helena's eyes and he'd seen it before. It was Myka's pain too. HG wasn't lying about why she showed up at the scene of the crime but she was leaving out the obvious. Rather than be together sharing their love Myka and HG chose to be apart and share sorrow. He placed a consoling hand on the inventor's shoulder offering, "Look, Claudia and I are going to the corner market, we think it's the best bet for the next attack."
Helena nodded adding, "Yes, either that one or the one located on the other side of this alley."
"Right," Steve agreed, "Why don't you head to that one? It would help. Claudia doesn't have to know about it unless it pans out."
The inventor smiled, "Thank you Steve."
Steve smiled back, "No problem. You still have my number, right?" HG nodded, "Call me if you get lucky." He added. They parted ways.
"Artie, where did Steve and Claudia go?" Myka asked suspiciously. She was standing in the warehouse office facing Artie's back. The man was making himself appear quite busy on the computer as he avoided the woman's gaze and questions. Myka became more insistent, "Artie!"
"We got a ping. I sent them to get it." He replied nonchalantly.
"Artie," Myka began folding her arms over her chest in an attempt to contain some of her frustration, "that's the third ping you've sent Claudia and Steve on instead of us. What is going on?"
Just then Pete entered the warehouse office maneuvering a chicken wing in his mouth with one hand and carrying a plate of additional chicken wings in the other. "Pete Lattimer reporting for inventory duty." He declared with a mouth of chicken parts.
Myka regarded her partner and found her frustration multiplying as she asked the now obvious question, "And why aren't YOU bothered by any of this?"
Pete looked at her quizzically, "Oh uh, I just came in. What are you guys talking about?"
"Three pings in two weeks and we've been overlooked every time yet YOU don't seem to care." Myka stated. She threw her arms up and added, "What's that about?"
"You gotta grab the downtime whenever you can get it. It's a Marine rule." Pete replied, it was true in general yet didn't actually apply to this situation.
"Semper Fi." Artie replied trying to bolster Pete's argument or at least confuse his partner.
Myka balled her fists and took a breath deciding to change tacks with the two men. "Listen, something is clearly going on here. I don't know what it is but it's something. The two of you can tell me now, of your own free will, or you can make me drag it out of you. You know I will eventuall—"
She was interrupted by Artie's Farnsworth beeping. Saved by the buzz he gratefully flipped it open and acknowledged the caller, "Claudia, what's up?" Before he even finished it was evident to everyone Claudia and Steve were under heavy fire. It sounded like explosions.
"We're hemmed in Captain! Claudia yelled trying unsuccessfully to cover her fear with irreverence. There were explosions going off all around them and she flinched when they detonated. "The guy is escalating or something. This isn't the sledgehammer it's something else, more dangerous!"
"Get out of there and re-group! Artie yelled into the device. "You can't fight this until you have some idea of what it is! If you push him he may unleash worse!"
An explosion hit close enough to the pair to rattle the Farnsworth out of Claudia's grasp and onto the ground. Pete, Myka and Artie simultaneously yelled when it happened. They watched Claudia's Farnsworth get picked up and her face, dazed but unharmed appear, "Gotta go!" She stated abruptly before the signal was lost.
For Pete and Myka the situation changed everything. They both wanted to go to the ping immediately. "Where are they?" Myka pressed the older man.
"Myka, they-" he started to defend.
Myka cut him off, "I don't care Artie! Pete and I are leaving for the airport right now. When we get there I expect two tickets waiting for us to take us to wherever Steve and Claudia are."
Myka turned and left through the umbilicus entrance with purpose. Pete turned to follow. Just before he was out of earshot Artie called to him, "They're in New York Pete."
Pete paused letting the reality sink in before cursing, "It had to be New York." He shook his head and jogged to catch up with his partner.
The ticket agent handed Pete his ticket, then handed Myka hers. She immediately read the destination and her stomach fell to the floor, "Shit." She said under her breath.
As they walked to the terminal Pete threw a friendly arm around her, "It's a huge city Mykes. Odds are we won't even see her." Myka nodded to him but inside had no idea how she felt about his statement.
As Claudia and Steve retreated they were pursued by the robber. Explosions trailed them in a fiery wake as they wove a serpentine path to avoid being hit. Then Claudia tripped over a discarded beer bottle on the sidewalk and came crashing down. Steve spun and tried to go after her but was stopped by a sudden explosion.
The girl struggled to rise until she felt strong arms pull her to her feet and forward. Looking back she saw it was, HG. "It's best to keep moving darling." The woman offered as if they were simply taking a stroll.
"You're insane, you know that?" Claudia stated happy to be rescued but still in awe of the woman's fearlessness in these kinds of situations.
"You would know." HG quipped. She was lovingly prodding Claudia with their shared knowledge of their past's.
"Below the belt." Claudia replied in an amicable tone. Once they caught up to Steve he took up Claudia's support on the opposite side and they eventually out ran the bombs.
Retreating back to the hotel room they tended their wounds and began the process of changing their scope for solving this increasingly violent mystery.
Claudia was scraped up but no worse for wear. Steve tended to her small wounds while HG paced and tried to figure out what could have caused the explosions. "Bring me the laptop, "Claudia said from the bed as Steve applied yet another band-aid to her body. Secret Steve fun fact number one: the dude loves band aids. Claudia once watched Steve put three over a paper cut on his thumb. "The market's security camera was wireless. I patched into the signal this morning so we could record the feed."
They spent the next few hours analyzing everything they knew and attempting to turn it into a guess as to where the perpetrator might strike next.
"We still don't have a motive." Steve stated feeling stuck. He tried to rub at the tension between his eyes.
"Or a source for a sudden influx of artifacts." Helena observed.
"I'm starving. Are you guys?" Claudia asked. When she felt mentally stuck she liked to have something to nosh on. It helped take her mind off of her problem as well as reminded her to eat, something she sometimes forgot when deeply involved in a project or problem.
"I could eat." Steve agreed.
"Allow me. I need a walk. Tell me what you want and I'll get it from the kitchen downstairs." Helena offered putting on her jacket.
They ordered burgers and fries. Hamburgers were a food item of the modern era which Helena found to be particularly ghastly. Like most German cuisine she lacked the taste for them. Not that she was terribly hungry anyway. Her mind and heart swam with confusing emotions and instincts all of which inconveniently contradicted each other and left the normally clear-headed woman feeling emotionally adrift in thoughts of the past and anxiety for the future. She was glad for the chance to retrieve food for the team as a way to take her mind away from how much she missed the warehouse and a particular curly-haired agent.
And yet as she walked back to their room carrying bags of food all she could think about was Myka. She desperately wanted to ask Claudia or Steve how the woman was. Helena thought of her every single day since she last saw her. Well, actually, that wasn't true. She didn't think of her every day. Myka was always there. Lingering in the back of her mind like a beckoning siren Helena tried to ignore her but never quite succeeded. So Helena had never once stopped thinking about Myka. The woman had been one, single, continuous thought in Helena's mind since the moment she first met her.
Just as the inventor was thinking about the beautiful, green-eyed agent the elevator doors opened on her floor and she exited finding herself standing directly in front of Myka Bering and Pete Lattimer. Helena almost dropped the bag of food she was holding as her balance and confidence wavered.
Myka was so shocked to see HG that she didn't notice the inventor's unsteadiness. Her eyes went wide and round and her lips parted in Myka's tell-tale look of confusion, "Helena?" she choked.
In her strangled question was every bit of pain Myka ever felt for Helena. Her eyes became transparent conduits for all the love she ever had for the woman suddenly standing in front of her, holding room service. "What are you doing here?"
Pete, not knowing what else to do and not willing to see perfectly good food become compromised by a wavering grip moved for the food bags in Helena's hands. "Let me get those and take them inside to Claudia and Steve. I'll give you two a minute." He grabbed the bags and started to head inside but
Myka stayed on his heels, her tone changing to resolute,"No," She began glaring at Helena, "I don't need a minute. I'm here for the case."
HG watched the green-eyed agent she loved so deeply walk away from her and knew it was her fault. The pain stabbed. Like a bayonet to the gut. She pulled herself together using only her Britishness for strength and strode back into the hotel room. Everyone turned when they heard her come in offering her a perfect opportunity to speak to the entire group, "Well," she began feeling as if she were finally delivering a farewell speech, "it would seem I am no longer needed on this case," she smiled at Steve and Claudia but refused to look at Myka or Pete, "the cavalry has clearly arrived and my presence, since I am not an agent, is superfluous."
Finally she looked at Pete, then Myka. Hurt, so brief in its appearance across her features it was imperceptible to all save Myka, flashed over Helena's face as she added with finality, "It was lovely to see you all." She shut the door behind her and found herself in the quiet hotel hall. There was a moment where the world famous creator of the science fiction genre thought she might faint.
Everyone inside the room looked at Myka. Myka was looking down at Claudia's notebook until she felt all eyes on her. She looked up, "What?"
There was silence for a beat until Claudia realized all men were cowards and she was going to have to be the one to speak up, "Uh, shouldn't you go after her?"
Myka chuckled bitterly and stated, "She made her choice." Her eyes returned to Claudia's notes.
They worked for another hour analyzing potential stores and again whittling their options down to three. Myka rose and decided to tidy up. She hoped it would help get rid of some nervous energy. The encounter with Helena earlier left her more than keyed up. She grabbed the two empty burger containers and walked them over to the bag Helena brought them in. She planned to shove the trash into the bag and then pitch everything but she realized there was something else still in it.
"Did you guys forget to eat something? There's something in the bag, oh—" Myka's breath caught in her throat and her heart felt like it might explode. Twizzlers. There was a pack of Twizzlers in the bottom of the bag. She yanked them out angrily, "Whose are these?"
Claudia and Steve exchanged a look before Claudia hesitantly offered, "HG's I guess?"
The meaning of the Twizzlers was lost on no one in that room. They were Myka's favorite candy. Everyone knew it. Everyone, at the warehouse thought of her when they ate them or were yelled at by Myka when they ate them (since she sort of horded them). Helena would have selected the candy because they reminded her of Myka or because she was messing with Myka. Her emotions peaking inside her like mercury in an over-taxed thermometer the lanky agent threw the candy as hard as she could. They tore through the air and took out one of the lamps on the table between the beds.
Everyone in the room jumped and Myka stormed out. Once he recovered from his head-protective stance Pete went after his partner. He found her pounding on the ice machine like a prize fighter. He ran up and threw his arms around her stopping her from doing any more damage to it. She struggled in his grasp for a few moments before relenting and sliding them both down to the floor.
"Why Pete?" Myka asked her voice coming out in sobs as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Why did she come back? Why did she buy those and leave them in there? What is she doing to me?" Myka begged, her heart felt battered and toyed with like prey by the raven-haired inventor.
No longer holding her he kept one arm around her shoulders as he sat beside her content to simply provide support, "I don't know Mykes. I don't understand it." He truly didn't.
They sat there for long moments in silence. Myka sobbed quietly now and then. All of the pain and hurt she was attempting to step through and put behind her and just been wrenched to the surface like fresh, wet earth dug up by the plow. She was overturned and exposed.
After awhile she took a deep breath, pushed her mess of curls behind her face and stated, "Let's just find these stupid artifacts and get out of here. From now on, New York is Claudia and Steve's sector."
"That's fine with me." Pete announced happy to hear his partner pulling back into focus. He stood and offered a hand to pull her up. She took it and they walked back to the room. When they started to enter Pete put his hand on Myka's elbow, "Hey, you go in. I'm gonna head back to the vending machine and get something sweet."
Rolling her eyes Myka smiled and shut the door leaving him alone in the hall. Interestingly enough, sweets were not what was actually on Pete's mind.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next installment! Please review and let me know if you want more :)