Sorry guys that these chapters aren't turning out as good and action packed as I'd envisioned them. I think a part of that is coming from the fact that I just want to go ahead and bring H.G. Wells back like we already know I will. (Chapter 3 Revised version)
Chapter 3
"Myka! Myka wake up!" Her partner's constant babbling had roused her from unconsciousness. The small light hung up in the cellar burned her eyes, causing the dull throb in the back of her skull to sharpen and intensify.
"Damn it." She swore rose to her feet. Pete kept a hold of her as she attempted to find her balance.
"You okay? You were struck by the staff. Do you see anything scary?" Rurik's scepter was jammed carelessly into Pete's with its crown jewel safely disposed of inside the neutralizing bags. Looking around at the suddenly small area it was discovered both Josh and Sam had escaped.
"Yeah, I'm fine. You managed to get a hold of the staff before it had any real effect on me I suppose. What about Josh and Sam!" Myka asked hastily.
"You've haven't been out that long. After you were hit the hostage took off. I put the jewel in the bag and thought it wouldn't be safe to leave the stick. Josh and Sam ran out the door when I woke you up." Rubbing her fingers over the small knot forming under her skin, Myka grunted in slight irritation and rushed out after the men. They'd just rounded a turn when the agents caught glimpse of them.
"Joshua!" Cursing her heels, the brunette took the corner and leapt at the figure closest to her. Arms and legs became an entangled mess. Myka yanked back Sam's blonde hair.
Pete stood over the two wrestling figures waiting for a clear shot at Sam. Sam was easily six inches taller than Myka and much larger as far as muscle mass was concerned. Within another second his elbow cocked back into the agent's nose. As her head flew back her fingers caught in the seams of Sam's pockets. A distinct ripping of fabric distracted Pete long enough for Sam to swing back and knock away his Tesla. On a moment of bad vibes and gut instinct, Pete tackled the football sized player into the wall, arms flailing wildly. From his side view came a heavy thud that fogged his vision and sent him falling to the floor.
"Bye bye suckers!" Sam laughed out and took off through the maze of corridors after his lead man.
"Ah shit that hurt…" Pete gritted through his teeth.
"Tell me about it…" Myka added and collected herself and tilted her head back to contain the blood oozing from her nostrils. The definite bruising could already be seen covering the bridge and upper lip.
"When are we ever going to get a mission that doesn't involve damaging some part of my face?" Pete asked. Dust fluffed musty cellar air as Pete rolled over and stood up. A slight kinking resonated from his shoulder and neck from the fall he had taken.
"At least you don't have a nose bleed." Myka countered.
"Where do you think they went?" Pete wondered aloud. Hands rustled against layers of fabric to remove dirt and dust from the floor. Pete snorted at Myka's cursing. She let her head fall forward and pinched her nose slightly.
"Damnit! I don't know maybe they…" Her breath caught in her throat like a set of large bare hands had wrung themselves around her neck. It was impossible to avoid the small tiniest speck of light that shone through the chaotic darkness in her eyes. Ignoring the blood seeping out of her nose and on to her blouse, Myka's unsteady hands lowered themselves toward the ground with movement that feared to touch the sand.
"What's wrong?" His partner had yet to finish voicing her opinion, something he'd learned long ago she was good at. When he turned to find her knelt in the dirt worry caught the best of them. Approaching her with hastened steps, a soft gleam reflected off a tiny surface area of the floor. His eyes glanced away to relieve themselves of the nearly blinding flashes.
"Pete, this is…" Myka stood with a small object cradled in the palm of her purple gloved hand. It wasn't a perfect circle as the edges were slightly dull and jagged but its identity was undeniable.
"This is…" Myka tried again.
"…the Janus Coin." Pete spoke the words Myka dared not to. It almost seemed too unreal. An artifact directly connected to her heart was suddenly staring her dead in the face as though it'd always been there. The agent's mind filled with those memories of her lost friend once again.
"Helena…" The moment could not be stopped.
She'd spent the entire mission driving anything evenly remotely related to Helena away to the deepest reaches of the infinite halls that tracked her mind. Door after door had to be closed, locked, and key thrown away in order to maintain professionalism and move forward. Now that a solid piece of Helena was sitting in the palm of her hand, she couldn't deny the ache that infiltrated her heart. It was like a category five hurricane ripping through her very soul leaving not even dust in its wake. Each time the memories came the pain became a physical one that left her silently begging to die. She wanted greatly for the pain to stop but knew in the end it would only end by erasing H.G. Wells from her very soul, something she would never be willing to do because Helena was a part of her she needed more than to live.
Pete felt the anger rising inside of him. It wasn't anger at anyone in particular, simply anger at everything that'd happened. In a week's time he'd lost a home, a could-be friend, a fellow agent friend, and a best friend. Myka hadn't been the same since the explosion. He'd witnessed that during her zombie like state back at Leena's, but this time he knew it was true. Myka Bering had lost the spark of enthusiasm that radiated from her during each and every case. The loss of Helena had turned Warehouse work in an actual JOB. His arms wove around her shoulders and pulled her tight against his chest. Nether of them really know what to do or how to act about the appearance of the Janus Coin. One part wanted to know why Josh and Sam had had hold of the coin that was last seen being handed over to Steve in the forest for Sykes. The other part hoped it indicated the possibility of H.G.'s survival or revival if nothing else. Was this coin even the one which contained Helena's consciousness? The question crossed Pete's mind and with it a very bad vibe. Sifting through the backpack tossed on the floor, Pete pulled out his Farnsworth to make a call.
"Hey Claudia."
"Pete, my man, how's the mission coming along?" The red-haired woman smiled wickedly through the screen.
"Well, we got the artifact…and something else."
"Ooh, tell me more." Trying not to disturb his now silent friend, Pete slid the coin from Myka's palm and flashed it in front of the Farnsworth.
"We found this after it fell out of one of the bad guys' pockets."
"Oh my God, is that what I think it is!" Claudia jumped up from her chair and the background whizzed by the camera as she rushed to get to her computer.
"Yep and I need to know if there is more than one Janus Coin." The insanely loud 'click, click, click' of the home bound agent's computer keyboard took up the small hallway Pete and Myka sat in.
"Well no but…." Claudia started.
"So this may not be it?" Pete interrupted.
"Yes but Pete the one the Regent's had was the only one ever found." Small whimpering came from Pete's right. His face contorted with slight malice.
"But there's a chance it's not…" Pete assured.
"Based on the sound of Myka crying I hope for Myka's sake that it is." Pete let out a frustrated sigh. He knew the coin would give her hope and for that he was happy, but what if in the end it turned out to be false hope? He didn't need that, and more importantly Myka didn't need that. They were partners and he wasn't about to let some stupid coin tear her broken heart into smaller pieces.
"I really don't know what's good for her right now. We're coming home. Don't tell Artie about it though. If this could be the same coin then I think we need to look a little bit into why two psychos have what was last in the hands of the guy who caused all of this to begin with."
"I must say I'm going to write that down on Pete's List of Smart Things He Said."
"Just go start doing some snooping." Pete ordered.
"I've never been asked to break the rules. This is thrilling." Refusing to comment, Pete slammed the cover closed and turned back to Myka. The brunette's eyes were down casted to the spot from which he had taken the coin. He placed it firmly back in her hands and closed them tight.
"Come on Mykes. Let's get you home."
The plane ride back seemed even longer than the one up. Pete realized for once in his life he wasn't hungry nor did he care to watch silly cartoons or play video games of any sort. His excellent façade was slipping away from him, and he wondered how much longer he could hold on. The entire team was treading on thin ice and one wrong step would send every one of them to their end. Suddenly the memories of the day of the explosion took over his mind. It seemed moving forward would be much more difficult than he'd originally hoped.
Myka stirred as the light from behind closed curtains spilled through cracks and crevices into her eyes. It'd been fair too late when she and Pete arrived home from Russia. They'd been let in by a groggy Leena in a bedroom robe and tousled hair. Claudia lay sprawled over the back of the den's couch and cushions. One leg was thrown over the back with the other rested on the arm at the bend of the knee. Her hair was extremely disheveled with an arm clutching a closed laptop and the other hand brushing the floor. Pete had laughed and, though with tiredness creeping into him, ran to the kitchen to grab some prankster magic.
"I tried getting her to go to bed, but she was insistent on finishing some research for you two." Leena whispered gently. Myka had merely smiled through the sleepiness and sorrow. It was rare to find a peaceful moment among chaos.
"Could I make you something to eat or drink before bed? I'm sure that plane food wasn't too appetizing." The innkeeper offered.
"No, go ahead on to bed Leena. From the sounds of it Pete found his snacks, and I'm not hungry. I'll just head up to bed and try to get some rest." Myka thanked.
"Of course, good night." Leena had left for the stairs a tad more quickly than she'd probably meant. Myka had gone to make sure Pete wasn't eating them out of house and home before following after the innkeeper.
She'd never found herself a morning person and was never easily woken in the mornings unless by her trusted alarm clock. The uneasiness of the past few days had her sleeping with one eye open at all times. Glancing at her clock, she realized it was only eight in the morning, on her day off no less. There was nothing more that she'd rather have done then to curl up in a small ball and watch the world fade away as she dosed back off into a perfect dream. Unfortunately, the intense smell of pancakes and syrup slapped her sore nose. If she didn't get up soon someone would arrive to drag her from bed. Sighing, she rose, allowing the white comforter to fall off her body, with a stretch. A gentle clink and cold metal shocked Myka who reached for her sidearm on reflex. She reached into her shirt to find Helena's locket hanging from a tangled chain. With a few strokes of her fingers, the chain was free from further destruction. It was slow moving from the bed to the joining bathroom. In half an hour she'd showered and dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a white button down. After combing and touch flat ironing her hair and fixing a light foundation on her cheeks, she descended the stairs into the dining area.
"Good morning Myka! How are you?" Leena's excited gaze stunned the brunette momentarily. For some odd reason it was way too early to be all cheery happiness that early in the morning. She took a seat beside Claudia and Pete whose faces were stuffed with forkfuls of pancakes and bacon bits.
"Oof mmmnig…" Pete was the first to speak, even with a mouthful...
"mmnig" And Claudia was quick to follow.
"You both know you look and sound like pigs right now, right?" The greedy agents paused in mid-fork and glanced at each other before slowly setting down their forks and swallowing what was already in their mouths with a sheepish smile.
"Their appetities must be running high. I haven't seen them eat like this since the whole incident with the Minoan….Oops…" Myka smiled sadly and shook her head, shaking off the slip up. Silently sulking in the guilt, Leena excused herself to the kitchen. Just as she left Pete leaned closer to Myka with elbows pressed heavy against the table.
"So did you happen to find anything out last night with Sam and Josh?" Pete asked in full seriousness. The red-head turned her back to the kitchen entrance.
"I did a little snooping like you said and apparently Josh and Sam lived on the same street as Sykes. I don't know if that makes them friends or business partners but there stand a likely chance that they at least were acquainted with each other." Myka hadn't forgotten their findings from the day before. It had come as a major shock to the agent, but with that shock there came a small tinge of hope. If not hope to fix the mess that'd been made then hope for revenge of some sort.
"Okay so what, Josh and Sam are picking up where their buddy left off? I mean how else do we explain them having the Janus Coin?"
"Can you excuse me?" The chair screeched across the floor as Myka jumped up from her seat. She moved towards the door.
There was only one place she could really go where her fumbling thoughts of Helena didn't contract around every vital organ in her body. The library had been their solitude. Only they ever resided within its silent walls of knowledge. Helena and Myka had spent hours on their days off sitting in the silence of each other's company trapped in separate worlds of fantasy. Pete and Claudia had paused in the middle of their conversation to watch Myka's figure slump back down into its depression as she exited the room. Myka's mind was elsewhere when she realized she was suddenly walking back into the dining room. Chunky fingers gripped tightly in her skin, keeping her from wandering off any farther.
"I'm afraid you can't be excused. We have a big problem." Artie stated. Leena's curiosity won the best of her as she found herself standing in the doorway quietly wiping the soap and water off of her hands. A sharp clank echoed in the room when Pete's fork crashed on the plate still half full of pancakes.
"Not another psycho maniac obsessed with more artifacts. If they keep this up I just might quit my job."
"I'm afraid it's much more serious than that." The dark sullen look in Artie's eyes caused the hairs on everyone's neck to stand up.
"Sykes is still alive."
