Happy New Year everyone! I hope that you get everything you want and then some! Here is Chapter 4! Read and review!
Several weeks after Kat's excursion to Washington, D.C. with Mrs. Frederic, Kat was doing inventory with Claudia. Pete and Myka had just returned from St. Louis, Missouri, where they had discovered an artifact that sucked out the electrical energy in a man's body and zapped everything in its wake. They had returned with former Warehouse agent Rebecca St. Clair, who was a character and refused to stay in the Warehouse longer than she had to. Kat didn't blame her. The Warehouse was a strange place and they all needed breaks from it from time to time.
"What did Mrs. F want to talk with you about?" Claudia asked Kat as they were putting the broken artifact in its place. Kat had avoided talking about it with anyone, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to put it off any longer.
"She bought me some really nice clothes, took me to dinner, and told me that my uncle was arrested again," Kat said as she typed in the artifact's information into the keypad.
"What do you mean again?" Claudia held out the briefcase with the artifact to Kat and watched as she put it on the shelf.
"My uncle was arrested many years ago for pimping and escaped prison. He was on the run for a while, but now he's been caught again," Kat said as they walked back towards the office.
"Yikes. Why haven't you mentioned it before?"
"It's not something I like talking about, even with everyone here. Now Mrs. F is telling me that I have to go in and speak with prosecutors about it. I don't know why, though. I was eight years old and hardly knew what he was doing so I wouldn't be much help," Kat said.
"Well, if you need someone to go with you, I'm sure I could convince Artie to let me go with you for moral support," Claudia offered. Her fingers latched onto Kat's fingers and Kat couldn't help but smile.
"I should be fine, but thank you Claud," she said, smiling gently at the younger girl. She thought she saw a hint of a blush come across Claudia's face, but Claudia looked away. Their hands remained linked until Kat's Farnsworth went off and she had to grab it.
"I need you in the office now," came Artie's quick order before he cut the call.
"Hello to you too, Artie," Kat said sarcastically as she put her Farnsworth back in her back pocket. She and Claudia hurried their pace to the office and parted ways once they reached the stairs, with Claudia heading down another aisle to continue inventory and Kat climbing the stairs to the porch outside the office. She came in the office to see Pete and Myka already there. Pete was leaning on a samurai sword as Artie came into the office from the filing room.
"Lift the point off the floor and put it down gently," Artie said nervously to Pete. Myka and Kat exchanged an amused glance as Pete gently maneuvered the sword back onto the stand where it had been resting.
"Sorry Artie, but it's really cool," Pete apologized.
"Thank you. We try," Artie said as he polished the sword with a cloth.
"You made this?" Myka asked curiously.
"In record time, too. With the help of…things," Artie said, vaguely pointing in the direction of the Warehouse. Kat watched Pete and Myka's faces with a grin.
"This is a copy of the finest samurai sword ever forged. The Honjo Masamune, owned by the ruling family in Japan for centuries before it disappeared. The real one unearthed a few weeks ago at a dig site in Okinawa," Artie explained. He handed Pete a case file that held pictures from the dig site.
"The real one. Which does what?" Myka asked.
"Which will arrive in D.C. first thing in the morning in order to be presented as a gift to the President, but it's not going to happen because you three are going to intercept it at the Japanese embassy," Artie continued his earlier explanation as he went to the wall of drawers. He opened one and pulled out three plane tickets and handed them to the three agents.
"I don't think that's what she meant," Kat said as she took her ticket from Artie.
"I know what she meant, but you've got to pack and catch a plane. And it really doesn't matter, does it, what the real sword does? Remember, "snag it, bag it, tag it?" Well, get to snagging, bagging, and tagging," Artie said. He opened the door to the umbilicus and held it open for Myka and Kat to pass through. Pete followed after them with the fake Masamune and the three drove back to the B&B. As Kat was packing for the plane, Myka came in silently and stood awkwardly by the door.
"I don't bite, Myka," Kat said without turning around.
"How did you know it was me? I was facing your back," Myka asked as she sat down on Kat's bed. Kat turned around and smirked at her.
"I have eyes in the back of my head. I have to, with Mrs. Frederic popping up all over the place," she said as she stuffed some clothes into a bag. Myka watched for a few more minutes before speaking.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but why is Artie sending you with us?" Kat raised an eyebrow at the older woman. "I mean, you have no formal training and you've never come on a mission with us before so why now?"
"Hurtful," Kat said with a laugh. "Everyone brings something different to the Warehouse, right? Artie was an NSA specialist, Claudia is a reformed hacker, you are detail oriented and book smart, and Pete gets vibes that saves everybody's butts. Your Secret Service training helps you with handling the Teslas and getting unfettered access to just about anywhere, but it doesn't automatically make you a Warehouse agent. You become a Warehouse agent by taking what you bring to the table and using it on missions."
"So what do you bring to the table?"
"One of the perks of being home-schooled in the middle of nowhere South Dakota is that I had a lot of time on my hands. Most of that time was spent relearning different languages that I had forgotten when I became Mrs. Frederic's ward. My Japanese is a little rusty, but I can get by," Kat said as she finished packing.
"Mrs. Frederic is your guardian? When did that happen?" Myka asked.
"I'll tell you on the plane. I think we should go before Pete breaks something," Kat said, shouldering her bag. Myka grabbed her bag from her room and went downstairs with Kat. Pete was waiting at the table for them and Leena was sitting at the desk drawing. Kat came up behind her and hugged her. Leena jumped in surprise, but relaxed when she knew who it was.
"Don't do that. You almost gave me a heart attack," she said with a laugh.
"I'm sorry I scared you. I thought you could hear me," Kat apologized as she gave Leena a real hug. She broke away and saw Leena's face. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well last night," Leena said with a small smile.
"Maybe you should take a nap," Kat suggested as Leena pushed her towards the door.
"I will, now go on. Pete and Myka are waiting for you. Be safe," Leena said. Kat kissed her cheek before running out the door and into Pete's car.
"So Myka told me something very interesting," Pete said to Kat later. They had landed at Dulles International Airport and were waiting to get off the plane.
"And what is that?" Kat asked with a raised brow, even though she already knew what he was going to say.
"She said that Mrs. Frederic is your guardian and that you would explain on the plane, but you slept on the plane and now you're awake," Pete said with a satisfied smirk. Kat glared playfully at him. She noticed Myka was listening in on the conversation and sighed.
"My parents died when I was very young and I went to live with my grandmother and my uncle. They were arrested several years after taking me in and I moved around a lot before ending up on Aunt Irene's door," Kat explained as they got off the plane with their bags in hand. Myka and Pete looked at each other and then looked back at her.
"Sorry I asked," Pete said with a sad tone in his voice.
"Don't start the pity party. This is why I didn't tell you guys before now," Kat said as they picked up their rental car. "And I barely remember my parents, anyway. Aunt Irene is the closest thing I have to a parental figure now and I like it that way."
"Okay. We won't ask again," Myka said soothingly. Kat had started getting upset at the memory of her parents and calmed down quickly. They didn't mention it on their way to the Japanese embassy. Myka and Pete flashed their badges at the front desk and the trio was told to wait for someone to assist them.
"Lots of eyes to make the switch here. I guess night's our only option," Pete commented as they walked down the hall.
"The White House won't be any easier," Myka added.
"I'd feel a lot more comfortable doing it before it gets anywhere near the President," Pete said.
"It's ridiculous that we don't know what we're protecting him from, but typical Artie. I mean, I understand grabbing the artifact before it causes trouble, but he couldn't spare two seconds to warn us about what we're walking into?" Myka griped.
"I'm sure if it were really dangerous, Artie would have told us," Kat said, coming to Artie's defense. The three of them heard something that sounded like an explosion and then they were suddenly being pulled against a set of golden doors. Kat was knocked out by the force and lay on the ground with her eyes closed. In her mind, she saw a bomb go off and suck in whatever was close to it and a giant pile of things mixed and forced together. The blurry face of an older man was the last thing she saw before she felt someone shake her shoulder.
"Kat? Are you okay?" Kat opened her eyes and saw Myka kneeling above her next to an EMT.
"What happened?" Kat asked sluggishly.
"We don't know just yet. We're going to figure it out. Are you feeling okay? You were out for a while," Myka asked. Kat pushed away the EMT's flashlight and sat up slowly. She thanked the EMT and sent him away before turning to Myka.
"I'm fine, Myka. My head just hurts," Kat said as she stared uneasily at the door.
"Is that all that's bothering you?" Kat shook her head.
"While I was out, I saw an image of what's waiting for us in there. And it isn't pretty," she said she stood and went to open the doors, ignoring the complaints of the building staff and Myka and Pete. A security officer stepped in front of her.
"Miss I have to ask you to step back," he said with a hand in front of her.
"You need to help them. There are people still in there," Kat said as she tried to get around the officer. The officer grabbed her arms and turned her around.
"If there are people in there, then our people will get them out. Please wait with your partners," he said. He gently pushed her in Pete's direction. Pete put his arm around Kat and steered her to the bench where Myka was waiting. Pete's Farnsworth went off as they sat down.
"Tell me what's going on," Artie demanded as soon as Pete answered. Pete moved the Farnsworth so that Artie could see the chaotic movements of police officers running around the lobby. "What exactly happened there?"
"You tell us, Artie. The Japanese sure as hell don't know. They're testing for everything from dirty bombs to gas leaks," Myka said in frustration.
"This definitely wasn't a gas leak, Artie. I would know if it was," said Kat, who had begun pacing back and forth.
"They won't let us in the room," Myka continued. "They're holding us in the lobby. They're treating us like suspects."
"Suspects? Why? Did you have the decoy sword with you?" Artie asked worriedly.
"No, but they're not even looking for the sword, Artie. They're not even sure whether or not it was taken," Pete said.
"That makes no sense to me whatsoever. Either it's gone or it's not gone. You said you saw somebody leaving. Did he have it?"
"I don't know, okay. I was about two seconds away from passing out," protested Pete.
"What did this guy look like?"
"Not female," Pete struggled to get out.
"Could it have been an elderly Japanese man?" Kat asked him. Pete and Myka stared at her with confused expressions.
"Maybe. I don't know," Pete said. "Look Artie, my Japanese sucks, but it sounds to me as if they think the sword was vaporized or something."
"Kat is that what they actually said?" Myka asked.
"That's a really rough translation, but yes. They're hypothesizing that since they're still not sure what did this, it is a possibility that the sword may have been vaporized or destroyed in some way whatever caused the mess," Kat said as she stared at the crowd by the door. She was trying to pick up words or sentences that could help them make sense of the situation.
"What do you mean vaporized? By the bomb?" Artie kept asking.
"There was no bomb, Artie. Nothing blew up. There were no victims that were brought out or dead bodies. There was nothing," Myka said in frustration.
"I don't understand. Nothing blew up?"
"That's the weird part. It was like a bomb, only backwards, okay? Instead of blowing out, it yanked everything in," Pete elaborated. Artie mumbled something and Myka tried to get him to repeat it.
"Artie did the sword do this?"
"And if it did, can I reconsider this mission?" Pete asked. Kat raised a brow at him, but listened for Artie's answer.
"It didn't. And what you have to do is you have to get in that room and tell me exactly what you see," Artie said before he cut the call.
"Will he ever give us a straight answer about these artifacts?" Myka asked in frustration.
"He doesn't know what the artifacts will do half of the time or even what they are. We just need to be patient with him," Kat said in a calm tone of voice. An elderly Japanese man came towards them and Myka made Pete aware of it. He mumbled something, but Kat wasn't able to hear it.
"Mr. Ogawa, look we've answered all of your questions and now we have a few for you," Myka said as the man came over. Kat didn't know that Pete and Myka had talked to the man, but figured their exchange must have happened when she was unconscious.
"Actually, Agent Bering, I have one more. Why does the Secret Service need to send two different units to inspect the same gift?" Mr. Ogawa asked.
"Two different…?" Myka trailed off.
"I'm quite certain that they will have the same question," Mr. Ogawa said, pointing to three men standing at the opposite wall. The older man frowned in annoyance at Myka and Pete. Kat didn't recognize the men, but ignored them and turned to Mr. Ogawa.
"Ogawa-sama, we apologize for the inconvenience. We will show ourselves out," Kat said in Japanese, bowing to the older man. Mr. Ogawa looked surprised, but bowed back.
"I accept your apology. Please do not make this a habit," he responded. He walked away and Pete gave Kat a weird look.
"I had a lot of free time as a kid, but I wouldn't worry about my hobbies. We've got bigger fish to fry," Kat said as the three men walked towards them.
"Bering, Lattimer. What a surprise to see you here," the older man said dryly.
"Dickinson, we're sorry about-"
"Save it. Come with us," Dickinson said. The two men behind him followed Pete, Myka, and Kat into a car outside of the embassy. They drove off to the Secret Service headquarters and were marched into Dickinson's office.
"On the Q.T. is one thing, but you're tramping through my backyard, literally tripping over my agents, and you don't even give me a heads-up," Dickinson ranted at them. Kat felt awkward being yelled at by this man she didn't know, but she kept her mouth shut through the lecture.
"We have explicit instructions not to contact you anymore," Myka said.
"Artie Nielsen," Dickinson said as if the name was the explanation for all the trouble that had been caused.
"Look, it's not like we can't have coffee now and then. We just can't have you on speed dial," Pete said, trying to smooth things over.
"Look, I get it. For better or for worse, and I happen to think worse, you two are serving a new master. This isn't your screw-up. It was his," Dickinson said with a sigh.
"It's just that he doesn't really play well with others so much," Myka said. Dickinson nodded and scrutinized Kat.
"I'll assume you're their new partner," he said. Kat nodded once.
"Katherine Frederic. I would say pleased to meet you, but this is too awkward of a situation to say so," Kat said briskly. Dickinson raised a brow at her last name, but didn't comment on it.
"How did you get roped into this? You seem to be a little young to be working out in the field," he asked instead. Kat mimicked his raised brow and leaned back in her chair.
"Not to be rude, Agent Dickinson, but I don't know you or work for you so I don't owe you an explanation. It will be suffice to say that my areas of expertise fit the qualifications of this job, otherwise I wouldn't be here," Kat said evenly. Pete and Myka looked at her with surprise looks, but Dickinson merely smirked at her before addressing his former agents.
"I see. So, this security officer, Ogawa, Japanese embassy, is waiting for my explanation of what you three were doing and if you had anything to do with whatever the hell that was. Any suggestions what I'm supposed to tell him?" he asked. Myka and Pete stayed silent while Kat refused to say anything, since she wasn't the one who dropped the ball.
"Alright. Do me one favor. Get on a plane and leave D.C. while I can still let you. Can I at least have that?" Dickinson asked rhetorically.
"We'll be out of here as soon as possible," Pete said. The three Warehouse agents left the room quickly and ran out of the Secret Service building.
"So now what?" Myka asked once they got outside.
"Now we wait until dark and go back to the embassy to stake out the place," Kat said as she took the keys from Pete.
"Shouldn't we call Artie first?" Pete asked as he got in the passenger seat. Myka climbed in the middle seat and leaned forward to be part of the conversation.
"Don't bother. We'll be hearing from Artie soon anyway," Kat said as she navigated through D.C.'s mid-day traffic.
"So about the man that I saw, how did you know that it was an elderly Japanese man?" Pete asked while they were stopped at a light.
"It wasn't hard to guess. We were surrounded by old Japanese men that could have easily gained access into that room," Kat said with a blank face.
"What about after you woke up? You said that you knew what the inside looked like. How do you know that? Do you know what happened?" Myka asked. Kat bit her lip and shook her head.
"Now I see why Dickinson likes you guys so much," she mumbled. Pete and Myka shared a confused look before turning back to Kat.
"When I was three, I had a dream that someone broke into our house and took my grandmother's tea set. Three days later, the front door had been jimmied open and that same tea set that I had seen was gone. The same thing happened when I was five. I dreamt that my parents were being stabbed to death. A week later, armed intruders came into our house and killed my parents. I was watching from the closet," Kat said with a heavy sigh. "Ever since I can remember I've had visions about things to come and I've always listened to them. They've helped save my life and the lives of others, for the most part."
"You're saying you have precognition," Myka said.
"Doesn't that only happen with ghosts and stuff like that?" Pete asked.
"That's what the term is generally associated with, but the blanket definition is the foreknowledge of an event. Me knowing how my parents are going to die, isn't that a bit paranormal?" Kat stated as she drove around.
"So you had a vision of the room and someone coming from it while you were passed out?" Myka asked. She was trying to figure it out in her head, but it was only giving her a headache.
"Yes, but I wouldn't think about it too much, Myka. At least, not on an empty stomach," Kat said as she pulled into the parking lot of a small diner. "It's lunchtime and this place has the best cheesesteaks outside of Philly." The diner wasn't very impressive on the outside, with its faded silver paint and broken sign.
"How did you find this place?" Myka asked.
"Mrs. Frederic took me to D.C. some weeks back on an errand and I ended up eating here while she was at a meeting. Let's go in. I'm hungry," Kat said. The trio went inside and ordered food. They reviewed the information that they knew until their meals had arrived. Pete wolfed his down while Kat and Myka took their time with their food.
"So, are your visions like my vibes? Do they give you feelings or just pictures?" Pete asked as he drank his soda. Kat swallowed the bite of cheesesteak that she had been chewing before answering his question.
"It depends. The future isn't set in stone so the decisions of the people involved in the visions weigh heavily on the outcome. More often than not, I get pictures with feelings in the background, like an afterthought. For instance, when I saw the image of the old man leaving the room, his face was blurry. The emotions that came with this one were fear and familiarity. That tells me one of two things, the most probable being that he didn't make the decision to go in the room until the very last moment, which in that case makes it a miracle that I saw him at all," Kat explained.
"What's the other thing?" Myka asked as she picked through her salad.
"That he wasn't intended to be there at all. That someone else wanted to be there, but chose him to do it before shit hit the fan. But like I said, the first option is the more probable one," Kat said.
"Can you force yourself to have a vision?" Pete asked as he flagged the waitress down. He asked for their checks and turned his attention back to Kat.
"I've done it many times. At first, it gave me migraines that left me in bed for days, but the more I did it, the easier it became and the clearer the visions got. Now I just get the occasional headache."
"What do you see in my future?" Pete asked with excitement. Kat rolled her eyes, but stared at him as if she were searching for something. Kat could the familiar pull in her brain that came before a vision and relaxed her body to receive it. When the picture was gone, she closed her eyes and rubbed them tiredly.
"Pete I don't know why, but I saw you and Myka in handcuffs. And not the kind with pink fuzz on the rim."
"Handcuffs?" Myka asked incredulously.
"I tried searching for an answer, but all I got was the image of you guys sitting the back of a car in handcuffs," Kat explained.
"When that happens, I'm blaming you, Pete," Myka said jokingly. They went back to their hotel and stayed there until it got dark. They drove back over to the Japanese embassy where there were still workers milling around the entrance.
"I don't think this is what Dickinson had in mind," Myka said forlornly as she watched from the passenger seat. Pete had driven to the embassy, leaving Kat in the back with a pair of binoculars.
"Well, what are we going to do? We've got to get into that room. A room that's losing evidence as we speak," Pete said in frustration.
"I know. It's just, I thought coming back to D.C. would feel like old home week or something," Myka said defensively.
"Home is overrated." Artie looked in the car through the window as Pete and Myka jumped in surprise.
"It took you long enough. They've been moving about for a while now, but still no sign of whatever is in that room," Kat said as she opened the car.
"What are you doing here?" Myka asked.
"I had a hunch about something from Pete's description and I just need to see this with my own eyes," Artie explained as he got situated.
"Kat did you know that Artie would be coming?" Pete asked.
"I didn't have a vision if that's what you're asking, but I knew he would show up at some point and here he is," Kat explained as she focused the binoculars on the embassy once more.
"Now that we have all been brought up to speed, do you have a plan to get in there?" Artie asked, gesturing towards the embassy. Myka and Pete started talking at the same time about different ideas they had thought of while Kat just sat back and watched them struggle.
"Alright I get the idea. If I may, put these on. Really, or you'll be of no use to me," Artie said as he handed the agents goggles and exited the car with a yellow firework in his hand. "This is a 14th century Chinese firework known as an Ice Flower. There are very few like it left. Now, do not tell Mrs. Frederic that I did this, alright?" Artie lit the firework and they all watched as a ball of light shot into the sky and began spinning in circles. Kat saw everyone outside the embassy stare up at the firework in awe.
"Alright. We've got about ten minutes, more or less," Artie said as they ran into the embassy.
"Artie how does that thing work?" Kat asked as they neared the door.
"The light pattern triggers a feedback in the optic nerve that mesmerizes the viewer. They won't remember a thing," Artie responded. As they opened the doors to the sealed off room, Kat's stomach churned at the sight that awaited them. In the center of the room was every unattached item sucked into a box of some kind.
"This was made by an implosion grenade. It removes matter from the center of a space and pulls everything directly towards it with violent force," Artie said.
"It makes me think of a demented puzzle with pieces that don't quite fit," Kat said mostly to herself.
"This explains why they couldn't find the sword. It could be in there," Myka hypothesized.
"No. The sword is long gone. Stolen. This was used by the thief as a cover," Artie said confidently.
"So the guy Pete saw leaving must have stolen the sword and hidden in that room over there when he set off the bomb," Kat said, pointing to the room Pete was standing by.
"I collected these grenades years ago. Every last one of them. I know I did," Artie mumbled in confusion.
"So wait, whoever stole the sword has other things that belong in the Warehouse, which would mean that we have competition," Pete said.
"I don't know," Artie said uncertainly.
"Artie just how long is this list of things we don't know?" Myka asked impatiently.
"I don't know. About twice as long as the list of things that I don't know about, alright?"
"Who else would have the implosion grenades if you collected them all?" Pete asked. Kat had started moving around the giant mass and found an arm sticking out of the side. She paled and motioned for Myka to join her.
"Well whoever it is, if he's willing to use this to cover his tracks, then it's somebody that's… what's a darker word for dangerous?" Artie said as the two women stared at the arm.
"If he did this to steal the sword, he'd have no trouble killing anyone who got in his way," Myka said as she shined her flashlight on the arm. Artie and Pete heard the strange tone in her voice and walked to where she and Kat were standing.
"None at all," Artie said grimly. Kat looked at her watch and sprinted for the door.
"The Ice Flower wears off in two minutes. We should leave before then," she said hurriedly. The four of them piled into the rental car and drove back to the hotel, where Artie grumbled about the price and size of the room they had rented. As he searched through the phone book for a name address, Artie explained the properties of the sword and how it could make the wielder invisible. Myka pointed out that there was a piece of the sword that was missing and Artie sent her and Pete off to look for the missing piece.
"So who are we going to see exactly?" Kat asked as she hopped into the driver's seat.
"An old contact from my earlier days. Well, not really a contact. This guy had been making these grenades and selling them to whoever paid and I had to shut him down," Artie said as he climbed into the passenger seat.
"So should we expect a warm welcome or gunfire?" Kat asked cautiously.
"Well it's always good to be prepared for the worst," Artie said vaguely.
"That doesn't make me feel better, Artie," Kat said with a glare in his direction. He ignored the look and directed her to an electronics store located 10 minutes away from their hotel. Kat parked around the corner and reached into the back to grab her Tesla from her bag and followed Artie into the store while keeping the gun hidden under her coat. When they reached the door, Kat aimed her Tesla and went inside first with Artie in the doorway. It was a small, dark space, not even worth the title of "store." It looked more like a tiny workshop with all the tools and various machine parts strewn about the place. After a moment when no one attacked her, Kat put her Tesla away and motioned for Artie to come inside.
"Hello?" Artie called out. He went into the main portion of the workshop and froze at the sight of clothes lying in a heap on the floor. Thick mounds of dust were poring out of every hole seen with the clothes.
"Artie what's wrong?" Kat asked, almost bumping into him. Artie pointed to the pile on the floor.
"That is what's left of the man who made those grenades. You should have kept your promises, Erik," he said, speaking directly to the pile. His Farnsworth started buzzing and he set his bag down on to answer it.
"The tsuba, did you find it?" he asked, referring to the missing piece.
"It took some digging, but it turns out an antiques dealer had it in Tokyo in the 1920's," came Pete's response.
"Now it's here in Washington. Artie, it's at the Secret Service," Myka cut in. Kat looked at the Farnsworth in confusion.
"What the hell is it doing there?" she asked as she looked over Artie's shoulder.
"The Japanese government presented it in the 1920's to Woodrow Wilson as a symbol of peace. And the curator at the Wilson Museum of Peace made the connection a couple of days ago and offered it to be united with the sword at the gift ceremony," Myka explained. Artie started wandering around the workshop looking and picking up items as he listened.
"But freaky explosions tend to put the Kibosh on ceremonies, so it's going back to the museum in the morning," Pete finished.
"The sword and the tsuba in D.C. at the same time. No, that's too much coincidence," Artie said distractedly. He moved a rag out of his way and picked up the plans for the implosion grenade and studied them as Myka kept talking.
"We're sitting on the Secret Service building. If this thief is coming to get the tsuba, we have to warn Dickinson."
"Absolutely not!"
"Artie you saw what this guy is willing to do," Pete complained.
"And so did you. And imagine what he's capable of with the sword. This thief is ruthless and smart so if you warn the Secret Service and they do anything out of the ordinary then he will be ticked off," Artie said.
"So you want to use him as bait?" Pete summed up. Myka protested profusely and Artie retaliated until something caught his eye. Kat, who had gone to crouch down by the pile of ash, looked over to Artie and saw where he was looking at. Underneath the table was a small pack of pink chewing gum. Kat watched blankly as Artie picked it up with a rag and stared at it. Artie looked at it closer under a light and mumbled something under his breath.
"Artie what's wrong?" Kat asked as she stood up.
"I think I know who this is and I've got to go. You tail the agents, grab the tsuba, and watch out for implosion grenades. Good-bye," Artie said hurriedly as he ended the call with Pete and Myka.
"Artie are you going to tell me what's going on?" Kat asked as they went back out to the car.
"What's going on is you are going back to the hotel and you're going to stay put until I say otherwise," Artie said bluntly as he stared out the window.
"What? No! Whatever it is that you're about to do, I want in on it," Kat exclaimed as she drove away from the store.
"You can't be there with me this time. I need to see someone who might have answers and she can be difficult."
"Is she normally like that or is that just your affect on women?" Kat snapped at him.
"That's why I don't want to bring you. You get defensive and lash out at people and the matter we'll be talking about is delicate and requires more tact," Artie said with a glare.
"I'm defensive because I want to help and you're making it difficult for me to understand why you're pushing me away, but fine," Kat said as she parked the car and got out. She didn't speak to him as they went up to their room and waited for news from Pete and Myka.
The Farnsworth was buzzing in her ear. Kat opened her eyes and groaned. She was curled up in the chair by the hotel phone and there was a pain in her back. Kat rubbed her eyes and looked to the source of the noise. The Farnsworth was right next to her head, but that wasn't the source of the sound. Kat looked around and noted in surprise that Artie wasn't there. She ignored the detail and reached for her phone, which had been in her jacket that was carelessly thrown on the bed.
"Frederic," she said blearily into the phone.
"You finally decided to pick up. I've been trying to call you for half an hour now," came Daniel Dickinson's voice. Kat immediately sat up straighter.
"Mr. Dickinson how did you get this number?"
"I got it from Bering's phone. Are you awake now, Sleeping Beauty?" Kat put the phone on speaker and changed out of her wrinkled clothes.
"Was is it you called for?" she asked as she pulled a new shirt over her head.
"I have Lattimer and Bering in custody," Dickinson said simply. Kat sighed at his annoyed tone.
"You're at the museum, aren't you?" she asked rhetorically.
"Yes and what I want to know is why the hell are my two former agents following us?"
"I didn't order them to follow you so don't get mad with me. I'll be there in 10 minutes to pick them up," Kat said in exasperation. She put on jeans and was about to pull on socks when Dickinson's words made her pause.
"This had better be the last time. This makes the Secret Service look bad and it puts me in a bad spot, since I'm the only one who knows what their new line of work is. If this happens again, I'm putting them on a plane and sending them home."
"Do you really think they're going to just let you take them to the airport?" Kat asked sarcastically. She hurried to pull on her socks and boots before grabbing her coat and leaving the room.
"I'll send two of my guys to make sure they get on that plane. I don't care if you continue your investigation, but the moment they cross paths with my agents, people start to talk. If Bering and Lattimer can't fill me in on what it is that's so dangerous, then I can't help them," Dickinson said hotly.
"Like I said, I wasn't the one who ordered them to tail you. I'll pass the message along to Artie, but don't expect a change," Kat said as she ran down to the parking garage.
"Make sure that you do. They'll be released in a few minutes," Dickinson said. He hung up and Kat immediately called Artie on the Farnsworth, but he didn't pick up. Kat cursed him and Dickinson on the way to the museum, speeding like crazy. She arrived at the museum and quickly turned the car off before running inside. She followed the sound of raised voices and headed in that direction, running into the two agents from the embassy.
"Oh look, it's the other archives agent," one said sarcastically. Kat glared at him and the temperature in the room dropped by 10 degrees.
"One more word from you and I'll take your gun and shoot you in the liver," she threatened as she walked past them. The two agents glared at her retreating figure, but didn't make a motion to stop her. Kat walked into a room attached to the kitchen where she saw Dickinson leaving a manila folder in front of Myka and exiting into another room.
"He's a grade A pain in my ass, you know?" Kat asked as she leaned against the doorframe. Pete and Myka looked up at her in surprise.
"Hey. When did you get here?" Pete asked as they stood. Kat looked at the handcuffs Pete tried to hide with his hands and shook her head.
"Just now. Let's go," she said and walked away. She heard the two hurry to catch up to her and slowed her pace a little.
"How did you know where we were?" Myka asked Kat as they walked outside.
"Dickinson called me. He said he got my number from your phone, actually," Kat said with an accusatory glare at the older woman. Myka looked affronted, but said nothing under the weight of the glare. "I don't blame you, but he woke me up so I am a little cranky. What's in the folder?"
"We'll explain when we get back to the hotel," Pete said gravely. Kat raised a brow at that, but nodded and got in her car. They met back at the hotel and opened the folder, which held pictures and files on Artie. Kat read over a document with the title "Suspected Espionage" and sighed deeply. She didn't pay attention as Myka took a call and Pete and Myka started arguing.
"Guys, if Dickinson gave you this file, then someone must have told him about Artie. Someone wants Artie taken out of the game," Kat said suddenly. They turned to her.
"You think this is a game?" Pete asked tensely.
"No, but think about it. We're running in circles looking for someone who knows about the Warehouse and what we keep there. Artie isn't thinking straight right now. If that person were smart enough to contact Dickinson and Artie went after the tsuba, then Artie could be in Secret Service custody right now," Kat explained.
"So Artie wouldn't be arrested for theft, but for treason," Myka added.
"Exactly," Kat said, pulling out her phone. She dialed a number and waited for someone to pick up.
"Are you still awake, Mr. Secret Service agent?" she asked sarcastically when she heard Dickinson answer.
"Yeah so what do you want?" he asked impatiently.
"I know you have Artie. Is he with you?" Kat asked sweetly.
"He's being held in interrogation," Dickinson replied with a sigh.
"Great. We'll come get him in the morning," Kat said before she hung up.
"Why are we waiting to go get Artie?" Pete asked as he watched Kat take off her shoes.
"Because I'm still mad at him for not sharing this with me," Kat said darkly. She took her sleepwear and toiletries into the bathroom, not aware of Pete and Myka's incredulous gazes.
"Just tell us the charges aren't true. We all know so just tell us," Pete said pleadingly to Artie. It was the next morning and Pete and Myka were in an interrogation room with Artie while Kat was making coffee.
"I can't. They're true. I had my reasons," Artie said plainly. Kat walked in and sat down next to Myka.
"Somebody should be arrested for making this sludge they call coffee," she said with a look of distaste towards her cup.
"Artie, Homeland Security's coming to pick you up. You need to give us a way to help you now," Pete continued, ignoring Kat's remark.
"You need to concentrate on the mission, not worry so much about me. Mrs. Frederic fixed this once and she can fix it again," Artie said. He trailed off and a glazed look came over his face.
"This whole thing could've been avoided if you just told us anything about the sword, the tsuba, your past. Anything, Artie, we could've helped. We could have run interference with Dickinson if you just trusted us," Myka said insistently.
"So what happens now, Artie? What happens with the Warehouse? Are we in charge? I think we should know," Pete said in confusion.
"Even if Artie was given the boot, I would be in charge since I've been at this longer than you have," Kat said, sipping her coffee.
"You're not old enough to buy alcohol in this country," Pete complained. Kat glared at him.
"Instead of focusing on that small detail, we should worry more about why we're here," she said. She looked over at Artie and saw that he was mumbling under his breath.
"You're right, Kat," Artie said from where he and Myka had been bickering. "Mrs. Frederic had all my records expunged so someone must have dug them back up. The key to all this: someone gave Dickinson my file and who. Find out, that'll take you directly to who has the sword and that will lead you to McPherson."
"Who?" the three of them asked. Dickinson chose that moment to open up the door and usher them out of the room.
"Now I may not be your boss anymore, but until someone tells me otherwise I outrank you. I'm putting you on a plane with your best friends as an escort," Dickinson said to them. The three looked over where the two agents from earlier were talking with Mr. Ogawa from the Japanese embassy.
"Why is he here?" Myka asked.
"The Japanese want their tsuba back. With the sword gone, it's all that's left of a national treasure. They're leaving tonight for Japan. By tomorrow the tsuba will be on the other side of the planet," Dickinson explained. Kat paled and shared a look with Artie, who had been listening the entire time.
"Just out of curiosity, who did give you that file on Artie?" Myka asked. Dickinson quickly glanced at Ogawa and hesitated.
"That's my secret to keep," he said. He called over the two agents and had them escort Pete and Myka out of the building.
"Ogawa gave you the file, didn't he?" Kat asked as she and Dickinson watched them leave.
"Yes," Dickinson said simply.
"And he didn't mention who gave it to him?"
"No."
"Hmm. So why am I still here?" Kat followed him into his office.
"Why don't you explain to me how it is that you got involved in all of this?" Dickinson asked as they sat down at his desk.
"Why the sudden interest?" Kat asked suspiciously.
"Humor me," he said simply. Kat sat back in her chair and studied him before answering.
"Mrs. Frederic took me in when I was younger and saw that I had an interest in the work. I've been there ever since."
"And you never wanted to get out and try something else?" Dickinson asked conversationally.
"Sometimes, but I like what I do now and I don't think I need a change. Why do you ask?" Kat asked with a blank look on her face.
"You're still young and it won't turn out well for you if you're caught up in this. You need to start thinking about other career paths," Dickinson said as he typed away on his computer.
"You're offering me a job?" Kat asked in surprise.
"I'm offering you a chance to get a better education."
"School. Nope. I'll pass," Kat said immediately.
"Why not?" Dickinson asked with a raised brow.
"I tried public school once. I missed 20 days of school and still passed with a 4.5 GPA. The work was like child's play. I highly doubt college will be much better." Kat crossed her arms and looked at Dickinson expectantly.
"Give it some thought. I could help you get into any college that you want," he offered.
"It almost sounds as if you care. Why? I won't ask you again."
"This," Dickinson said plainly. He turned around his computer screen and showed Kat an online newspaper article displaying pictures of a house burning down. Kat frowned when she saw her frame being dragged out of the building.
"You've had a rough time up until now. I want to help you create a better future for yourself," Dickinson said softly. Kat peeled her eyes away from the screen and looked out the window, trying to compose herself.
"I appreciate your concern, Agent Dickinson, but most of my experiences with law enforcement have left a bitter taste in my mouth. They made grand promises that lead to more pain and suffering on my part," Kat said. Her Russian accent started to leak out and Dickinson looked at her in confusion. "Coming to this country was a way out of my past, but by involving myself with my organization I have put the lives of my coworkers in danger, of which they have no idea. Why would I willingly go to a university where thousands of innocent students could possibly get dragged into my personal issues?"
"Whoever you claim to be or whoever you were, we can protect you," Dickinson said firmly. Kat smiled and stood from her seat.
"I know you can, but I can protect myself as well, if not better because of the information I hold. I would rather not be tossed around the government system again wondering if I'll live to see another day." She walked to the door and went to leave, but turned back to the older man. "You are a good agent, Dickinson, but you know you can't spare men or call in favors for one girl. I am grateful for your offer, make no mistake about that." With that, she walked back to the interrogation room where Artie sat.
"What are you still doing here?" he asked roughly. Kat smiled at him and gripped his hand.
"I'll wait with you until Mrs. Frederic comes to get us," she said simply. A couple of agents walked in the room and started glaring at Artie. Kat leaned in closer to Artie.
"I think the Japanese security head is responsible for all this," she whispered in Russian. Artie looked at her in confusion as his brain worked out the reasons for the statement. Kat waited patiently and nodded in confirmation when he figured out the problem.
"No talking," said one of the agents. Kat frowned at him, but leaned away from Artie. They sat awkwardly in that room until Mr. Chen, Mrs. Frederic's bodyguard, entered with release papers. He smiled faintly at Kat and then turned serious to hand over the papers to the younger agent.
"Who is Mrs. Frederic?" asked the man as Mr. Chen took off Artie's handcuffs.
"I'd tell you, but then he'd have to kill you," Artie said, pointing to Mr. Chen. Kat and Artie followed Mr. Chen outside where Mrs. Frederic's car was waiting for them. Her face softened looking at Kat, but hardened once more as she looked at Artie.
"I'll just wait out here," Kat said as the driver opened the door. Artie glared at her and stepped inside the car.
"How are you today, Mr. Chen?" Kat asked pleasantly to the tall Asian man.
"I'm doing well, Ms. Frederic. And yourself?" he replied politely.
"I've had better days, but thanks for asking," Kat said with a sigh. She turned around in confusion as Artie exited the car and turned back around for his bag. "That's my cue. Good-bye, Mr. Chen."
"Are you going to tell me where I'm driving to?" Kat asked later as Artie directed her through traffic.
"The airport. If the Japanese are leaving tonight with the tsuba and if Ogawa is the mole like you think, then McPherson won't be too far behind," Artie explained.
"And if we see McPherson, what do you plan to do?" Artie stayed quiet, but gave her a long look that Kat understand well. They didn't speak until they found the hangar where Ogawa's plane was held.
"I'll stay out here and wait for Pete and Myka," Kat said as they got out of the car. Artie nodded gratefully towards her and went inside. Kat paced around anxiously until Pete and Myka arrived a few minutes later.
"He's inside. I haven't heard anything since he went in," Kat said to them. The three went inside to see a man running away and Artie kneeling on the floor with the sword stuck through his shoulder.
"We have to get you to a hospital. What did you do to yourself?" Myka asked as she tried to stop the bleeding.
"Well it was the only way I knew how to get the sword," Artie moaned.
"We can discuss other ways later, but it's safe to say that this one was stupid," Kat said.
"What if we didn't get here in time? Or if Kat couldn't hear you screaming?" Myka asked.
"I thought you would so could we just hurry up and pull it out," Artie said panting.
"Wait a minute are you sure?" Pete asked incredulously.
"Yeah, it's the sharpest sword ever made. It should slide out just like butter. Just do it really fast," Artie pleaded. He cried out as Pete pulled the sword free and Myka started panicking a little. Kat heard a noise and turned around to see a small cylinder roll out from under the plane.
"Guys, is that one of those…" Kat asked worriedly.
"Yeah," Artie said shortly. The four of them ran out of the hangar and made it safely outside before the grenade went off the hangar imploded on itself.
"Can we go home now?" Kat asked from her place on the ground. Pete nodded and clapped her on the shoulder.
"Maybe we should get Artie's shoulder looked at first."