Helen came upon the group unexpectedly.
Henry's lab was warm and inviting, and especially for Henry it was a bit of a haven. In times of crisis it tended to be the go to place when technological expertise was needed. But the night before they were to begin their holiday preparations she was surprised to find the majority of her staff gathered around Henry's small desk, peering with glee at a computer screen.
"Where'd you get it anyway?" Will asked, not taking his eyes from the screen to ask the question.
Henry shrugged, equally as focused. "E-Bay, it's the only place I could come up with low-tech video surveillance, sound equipment and high tech EM shielding in a large enough of quantity…"
"Without paying an arm and a leg," Kate finished feeding an arm between Henry and Will to point at something on the screen. "What is that thing?"
"I dunno." Will said, echoed by Henry and Biggie. All four of them leaned toward the screen together, trying to identify the mystery object, and Helen felt herself start to laugh and hurriedly choked back the sound. So far none of them had heard her enter, or turned toward the doorway. She didn't have a clue what they were doing but she could guess.
"You're sure this is gonna work?" Will asked.
"Sure. I had to do this once for a nocturnal abnormal in the SHU." Henry said, smirking a bit and behind him Biggie thought for a moment before he said, "Oh yeah…" Nodding and remembering with a similar look of devilish delight on his face.
Kate and Will turned to stare at him.
"The only way we could wake it up." Big Guy said.
It was Will that noticed her standing in the doorway. Helen quickly waved a hand at him to keep him from informing the others and was pleased when Will smirked, then looked back to the screen.
"Alright, we're sure about this one?" Henry asked, tapping at the keys rapidly for a moment before he used the touch pad to highlight some information.
Kate nodded silently, her eyes tracking Henry's progress. Big Foot had started to snicker behind them and Will licked his lips in anticipation.
"Okay and…Cameras are recording, sound is active, volume is up…" Henry grinned broadly and turned to his captive audience. "Armageddon in three, two, one…"
Henry's finger came down and immediately his lab was filled with a cacophony of noise. Bells, whistles, cymbals, and underneath it all the start of "Have A Holly Jolly Christmas". The noise blasted into the room, speakers hidden behind parts of machines and computers, vibrating so violently that keyboards, spare hard drives and piles of wires were crashing to the floor.
In a panic Henry slapped at the keyboard while Biggie, Kate and Will covered their ears scrambling for the door. The silence that followed Henry finally getting the right key was broken only by the groans of her staff. Then a familiar figure came up behind her, grinning softly, eyebrows up. He had what remained of an old web cam in his hands, held by the root of the broken cable. He passed Will, Kate and Biggie as he sauntered into the room, surveying the damage a little like a man who had just blasted his way into a diamond mine. Helen followed him quietly.
The computer screen was showing Tesla's loft, the scientist himself passed out on a bunk, surrounded by empty wine bottles, scratch paper in balls, and the general flotsam of his life. Even the time code on the bottom right hand of the screen was correct. Showing the current time and date; information that the Serbian must have changed after recording the video now playing on Henry's laptop.
Nikola leaned on the desk, sliding into Henry's pained view, waiting for the HAP to take his hands away from his assaulted ears. He handed Henry the now defunct webcam that Helen assumed had once been planted in Tesla's room, and tapped the laptop screen with a finger.
"Loop tape." He said, then straightened and walked back out of the room, humming. As he entered the hall Helen smirked when his voice echoed the strain, "And in case you couldn't hear. Oh by Golly, have a Holly, Jolly Christmas this year."