Chapter 2

Bed and Breakfast
South Dakota

With headphones plugged in, Steve clutched a portable TV with both hands, trying to keep the static away so he could watch his football team win.

"Go, go, go!" he quietly urged the football player as he ran the ball across the field.

The man was tackled and Steve closed his eyes. "You suck."

He opened his eyes, finding Claudia standing next to him. He smiled sheepishly, pulling his headphones off.

"Hi," Steve said, still grinning sheepishly.

"Do you think this Advocate is such a big deal?" she demanded. "Or that it means he should be able to do whatever he wants? Do you think so? Do you think he's better than me? I'm the caretaker, he's the, what. The… He watches after artifacts. Does that make him a bigger deal than me?"

"I, uh… What?"

"Do you think Emory is such a big deal? I mean, is he really that special? I know Advocates are rare and all, but still… This guy has no personality and he talks to inanimate objects."

"And dead people."

"And inanimate objects."

"And dead people."

"Who are part of inanimate objects."

"I don't know, Claudia. The way Artie, Mrs. F., and the Regents make it sound, I guess he is a big deal. Are you jealous he's getting more attention than you?"

Claudia sat on the edge of his bed, crossing her arms. "No."

"You are."

"I am not jealous."

"You are so jealous!"

"I'm not jealous, Steve. I just… I don't know. I'm not at all comfortable with Emory. I think this whole Advocate thing is a hoax and—"

"You were there when he appeared and disappeared, Claudia. If you aren't jealous, what is this really about then?"

"I just think everyone's willing to trust him just a little too fast."

"Shall I remind you when that's been an issue for all of us in the past, including you?"

"Exactly! That's exactly why we shouldn't—"

"And none of those other people had great abs, and pecks, and..." He trailed off when Claudia's jaw slacked, realizing the cat he'd just let out. Quietly he finished saying, "Glutes."

"You like him?" she snarled. "You… How can you like him? You were… How… Steve!"

"I just do. I think he's gorgeous and I'm really attracted to him! I can't help it!"

"You don't even know him!"

"I'm working on it. He keeps to himself and doesn't talk a lot, so, you know, it's a process."

"He is not gay!"

"We don't know that, which is part of the getting to know him, part."

"STEVE!"

"Hey, I can't help who I like and who I don't, and I just happen to like Emory. It's happened to you, to Pete, to everyone else. And now it's happening to me. I thought you'd be, you know, a little happy for me. Maybe even would do a little fishing for me and find out if, maybe, he is gay?" He grinned.

Steve's cheer and good mood was squashed when she bellowed, "You're my friend and I don't like Emory!"

Her comment stunned him, then hurt him, and made him really, really angry.

"So let me get this straight, Claudia. I can only like someone if you like them?"

"Yes. No. I mean—"

Quietly he interrupted her, ordering, "Get out."

"Steve, I didn't mean— I just don't trust him and—"

"Please go, Claudia. Just… You need to leave."

She reached for his hand and he pulled away. Claudia let out a slow breath and left the room. Steve sat his television aside and stared out the window.

Warehouse 13
South Dakota

A large caged dome was taking form in an empty area of the Warehouse. Shelves had been removed to make space for it. At the moment the play fence and barn for the dogs was the only thing in the dome. It sat in the middle with a sunlight over it. Artifact dogs played rambunctiously or slept in the warmth of their new home.

Emory was on a ladder, working on securing wires across the lattice of wiring that had already gone up.

"What's this for?" he heard Claudia ask.

He glanced down at her. "It is a cage for the animals."

She looked at the dogs and then him. "Kinda big for some dogs."

"It is for all the animals, not just the dogs."

She walked over to the pen, watching the dogs. Two ran up to the fence and jumped up, trying to get her attention. She smiled, remembering when she'd brought them back. She pulled on gloves and picked one up. He wiggled in her hands and tugged on her gloves.

"I picked this guy up in Australia. He wasn't this playful."

"They have all become more socialized since I put them in the pen together. They just needed company."

She looked up at Emory, watching him. He was in jeans and an untucked T-Shirt. She began to wonder about his abs and pecks. She quickly shook the thought away.

"How long is this going to take?"

"I do not know."

She sat the dog back in the pen. "You putting those dinosaurs in here too?"

"Yes. All the animals will have separate pens."

Claudia sat down on an overturned bucket. "So have you learned to control that coming and going yet? Weren't you supposed to be working on it?"

"I have been working on it. Sometimes I can control it, sometimes I cannot."

"Cannot, huh?"

"That is correct."

"Why do you talk so correct all the time? I mean, you rarely use slang or contractions."

"I do not know. It is just how I have spoken for as long as I can remember – since I woke from a coma, actually."

"Was your grandma like all strict or something?"

"On the contrary, she was not."

"Did your kidnapper teach you to speak like that?" she jabbed.

Emory stopped working. The air around her seemed to stop moving. The dogs stopped barking and playing, staring at her. It was like the entire Warehouse was holding its breath. Emory looked down at her, holding her gaze.

"He did not."

He didn't turn away or say anything else, but his stare said more than enough. While his face didn't show any signs of emotions, there was something about the way his dark brown eyes held her eyes that said she had dared to step into a very dark and dangerous room in his life. Now he was waiting for her next move, his silence asking 'do you think you should risk staying or running, Claudia?'

Claudia stood up, opting to not to take her chances. She sat the dog back in the pen.

"I have some… Filing." She quickly left.

When she looked back he was still watching her. She didn't stop walking or look back until she was around a corner and out of his sight. For a man who had little to say and less to show on his face, she had never felt so threatened in her life. And that was why she didn't trust Emory – there was something very dark inside him that everyone else didn't seem to notice.

Denver Marriott Tech Center
Denver, Colorado

Myka and Pete pulled into a parking spot of the Marriott DTC and sat for a second. The place swarmed with people, most in armed forces uniforms.

"What's with all the uniforms?" Myka asked.

"DOD convention, hosted by Lockheed and the Air Force Academy." Pete looked at a brochure in his hand, reading, "Join us for lectures on the latest weapons technology, advances in monitoring, and spy stuff."

"It does not say spy stuff."

Pete showed her where it did – in his handwriting. She laughed.

The two got out and headed inside.

"Is Amanda here?" Myka asked.

"I texted her, but haven't heard back."

"Well, let's find this vase and then you can see if she's around."

"Mykes, there's like hundreds of people here. I am never going to—"

"PETE!" they both heard Amanda call and turned.

She wove her way through the crowd and hugged him. Pete smiled, hugging her back.

"You were saying?" Myka asked him.

"What were you saying?" Amanda asked.

"That there was no way I would run into you with all these people here."

"I was waiting to surprise you. You walked right by me."

"I am definitely surprised," Pete admitted.

She smiled, hugging him again.

"I'm banking all these hugs, here, but what's the occasion?"

She stepped back. "I have good news."

"I'm going to go… look for… Okay?" Myka asked Pete.

"Yeah. You'll be okay?"

"Totally. I'll call if I need you."

"Thanks, Mykes."

She smiled. Following a cryptic message including Amanda had news to tell him, Pete had been anxious to meet her since they left South Dakota. Plus, they knew exactly which room the man with the vase was in, so this would be an easy collection.

"You look great."

"In Marine green – it's hard to look too bad."

He smiled. "Hey, Marine green does have advantages."

"How have you been? Your mom said you were sick a while ago."

"Oh. Yeah. Did a number to a kidney on the job but it's all good now. How have you and Michael been?"

"Great. Thank you for asking. He made Captain a few months ago."

"That's great," Pete replied, hoping he hid how much he didn't care.

She smiled. "Yeah. Well, we're going to need the money now. Yesterday I found out—"

"Son of a…" Pete heard Emory start to say behind him and turned.

Emory quickly wrapped his robe around himself, glaring at Pete. Pete was surprised more at the fact Emory was actually glaring. But then, he was also dripping wet, probably just having stepped out of the shower with barely enough time to get his robe on before being transported out of his trailer. And if he was here, that meant Myka was not having an easy time collecting the artifact.

"Emory," Pete said.

"Who is this?" Amanda asked.

"Who is she?" Emory asked back.

"Emory works with me, and this is my ex-wife Amanda."

"It is a pleasure," Emory said but didn't sound like it was a pleasure. "Where is the—"

"Public, Emory. We're in public."

He looked around them and then at Pete. "Naked under robe, Pete. Naked under robe."

"TMIF."

Emory sighed. "Where is the package? That is why I was brought—Am here."

"I don't know. Myka went to find it."

"What are you two talking about?" Amanda asked.

"Nothing," Pete told her. "I'm sorry, Amanda, but I really need to run. Let's meet for dinner tonight."

"I'd like that."

"Great.

"Amanda!" someone called and she turned. She and a man in an Airforce uniform waved to each other. He began making his way toward them.

"Oh. Michael is here." Pete said, and didn't hide his disappointment.

She turned to him, smiling. "Yes. We're going to see his parents after the convention, to tell them the good news."

"What good news?" Pete asked.

"Package, Pete," Emory reminded him.

Pete waved him off. "What news?"

"I'm pregnant," Amanda told him.

Pete was stunned. "You are? I mean… You are?"

"Yes. Five weeks."

He hugged her. "Congratulations!"

Michael came up to them. "Hello, Pete."

Pete stepped back and grabbed his hand. "Congratulations, Michael. She just told me you're going to be a dad."

He smiled, nodding.

Emory audibly sighed. Pete shot him a glare. Michael looked at Emory, noticing he was wet and in a robe.

"I'm sorry. Have we been introduced?" Michael asked.

"No, and I do not want to be. Tell me where I need to go, Pete!"

"PETE!" they all heard Myka yell.

Everyone turned. A man was running toward them carrying a vase. Myka was right behind him.

"Go. Get it," Pete told Emory.

"You run them down; I calm them down."

Pete sighed and ran toward the man. The runner made a fake left and right and darted around Pete. He looked back as his foot caught on the lip of a cord cover that went across the hall. The vase popped out of his arms and flew through the air.

Emory lunged forward to catch at it, along with Amanda. The two hit shoulders, but each grabbed a handle on the vase, keeping it from hitting the floor. Later they would describe the feeling as a jolt of electricity hitting them and the world vibrating before their eyes. Emory let go of the vase, staring at Amanda with a confused look. Amanda held onto it, staring wide-eyed at Emory.

Pete and Myka ran up to the two. "Amanda, uhm, could you give that back to Emory?"

"Problem," Amanda said, looking at Pete.

"What?" he asked her.

Through her teeth and as quiet as he could, "I am now in a uniform and she is naked in a robe."

Pete looked at both of them with horror.

"What?" Myka asked.

"What's wrong, honey?" Michael asked Amanda, sliding his arm around her waist.

Amanda tensed, holding the vase out to Pete. "I think there was a conference room that was free back down the hall. How about the three of you collect yourselves there?" Amanda suggested.

"Collect yourselves?" Michael asked, almost laughing.

Myka immediately caught the very distinct dialect of Emory. She looked at Emory and the fearful expression on his face. A face that was known for its lack of expression. She reached out, grabbing his arm.

"Pete, that conference room was this way," Myka said, pulling Emory into a walk. "This way. We need to go this way, Ama-ory."

Pete watched her leave with Emory and then looked back at Amanda. She forced a smile.

"See you at dinner. Or around the convention."

"Yeah. Or around." Pete backed up a couple steps and then turned to follow Myka and Emory.

"They get a little stranger every time we run into them, don't they?" Michael asked.

"Maybe. I need to use the restroom. I will catch up with you, honey," Emory said.

"Oh… Okay. We were supposed to meet General Garison for lunch."

She glanced at her wrist. The wrong wrist. She quickly looked at her other wrist. "We have time. I will meet you there."

He watched her rush off before he could reply.

#

In the conference room Myka crouched in front of Emory. Pete sat next to him, rubbing his shoulders. He stared straight ahead in a state of shock. They looked up when the door opened and Amanda rushed in.

"Why have I not left yet?" Amanda asked them. "Why am I in a woman's body? And it was my understanding that this vase gave silver, not exchange bodies."

"What…" Emory looked up at Amanda. "What is going on? What did you do to me? You look like me."

"This is a very bad dream, Amanda," Pete told her. "Just give us a few minutes to get out of it."

"That is an understatement," Amanda said.

"When did the body swap happen, Emory?" Myka asked, looking up at Amanda. She pulled a Farnsworth from her back pocket and hit the call button.

"When we both grabbed the vase."

"What is going on, Pete?" Amanda in Emory's body asked. Tears were welling up and starting to fall.

"I don't know, yet," Pete told her. He took her hand, holding tight onto it. "But we'll fix this."

"I'm pregnant, Pete. My baby…"

"I know. I know."

"She is pregnant?" Emory blurted.

Pete looked up at him. "Why don't you go over there and watch the sky for a few minutes while we get this under control?"

Emory's jaw set and he didn't move.

Artie appeared on the Farnsworth.

"Did you find the vase?" Artie asked Myka.

"Yes. Yes we did. And apparently it called Emory."

"Okay. And?"

"And Amanda was here, Pete's ex-wife. Some sort of DOD convention, I guess. Anyway, the guy who had it tripped and the vase went flying."

"Oh God. Did it break? If it breaks—"

"No, Artie; however, Amanda and Emory both grabbed it and switched bodies."

Artie let out a sigh of relief. "I was worried there for a moment."

"Artie, maybe you didn't hear me. Amanda and Emory are in each other's bodies."

"I did, and that's okay. Emory's going to start coming into all of his Advocate skills here in the next few months. One of them is that if he touches an artifact with a person that it's afraid of, he switches bodies with that person. It's a defense reaction meant to throw the person who has the artifact off guard. All they need to do is hold the artifact together again and they'll switch back. Emory, you need to work on controlling this, okay?"

"Yes. I will control the weather, teleportation, followed by body swapping. Perhaps you should learn it also, Artie."

Without acknowledging Emory's subtle sarcasm, Artie told them, "Great. Switch them back and come home."

"See?" Pete told Amanda. "Easy peasy."

She tried to smile.

Pete held the vase up to Emory. He grabbed the handle and held it out to Amanda. She took a hold of it. The transfer back was nothing like the first transfer. Both felt pain tear through them, until it was focused across their abdomen. The world vibrated faster and faster. They both heard three heartbeats.

And then, black.