Chapter 2: Meetings

Monte Carlo, Monaco

The morning came around and the sun came through the window in the living room of the two bedroom suite. It was very quiet in the suite still, everyone was still sleeping. It was about 6am when Helena began to stir a bit. Helena and Myka ended up sharing the bed and asked the hotel if they could get a spare one and let Claudia have that one.

Claudia did not mind sharing but Helena insisted that she have the bed to herself for the night in the hopes that she could make Claudia's experience that much more appealing. Claudia insisted that they share the bed and rotate on nights so that it is fair. The boys also bunked together though it's not like they had much choice. Pete just made the rule that Steve stay on his side of the bed. Steve rolled his eyes and agreed. He was not interested in Pete at all. Steve could not understand why he always teased him about it. Then again when does he not tease all the others for things like what makes them who they are. It was just a Pete thing to do, to poke fun at the other's expense.

Helena woke up to the feeling of another person in bed and then she remembered that she and Myka were sharing a bed so that Claudia could get her own for the night. She shifted a bit and started to sit up in bed. She looked at the two in the room. Myka had her back to her and was curled up with her hand clutching her pillow. Claudia was apparently a covers hogger and was wrapped up in the blankets like a cocoon. She smiled at that; she was reminded of Christina a bit. Christina would do that sometimes when she wanted Helena to stay with her in the bed and substitute the blankets for the comfort of a person. Helena eventually decided to get up and get ready for the day. As H.G. was in the shower Myka woke up and stretched and saw that Helena was gone. She suspected that she was up and getting ready or was in the living room by now. Claudia started shifting a bit and Myka didn't know if she was waking up or just moving in her sleep, so she stayed very still so if she was still asleep that she would not wake her. Myka waited a bit and nothing happened so she decided to get up and get clothes for the day and get ready. She did not know but she was making a little too much noise and was waking up Claudia from her slumber.

As Myka was about to leave the room a voice behind her asked, "Where is everybody? what time is it?" Myka turned around and answered, "It's 7:30 sweetie and H.G. got up before me and I suspect she is getting ready or is in the living room or something..."

"Oh," was all Claudia could think to say as she untangled the mess of blankets and got out of bed.

As the girls got ready for the day, the boys in the other bedroom were still sleeping. At 7:45ish Steve was the first one up and let Pete sleep. Pete was very tired from having the worst case of jet leg because he wanted to watch the movie on the plane. Pete got out of bed almost an hour later. Everyone was up and eating and hanging in the living room watching TV. Pete saw them and then the food and went automatically to the food. After that Pete got ready and the team all decided to go over how they should tackle the investigation. They had a lot of ground to cover and no idea on what the artifact is besides that it more than likely was is in one of the casinos in the area.

They all decided to split up to gather information in the different casinos around the area and then regroup later. That way they'd have a better chance of narrowing where the artifact is. They all headed to whichever casino they said that they would look into.

Everyone was meeting Albert today to visit him and to see what he wanted to tell them. Everyone got up and got ready and they all met in the open space of the living room for a conference to discuss the plans for the day. Everyone was looking at Mickey to tell them what was going on because he was the only one that did. "Alright everyone we will be meeting Albert today. He should be coming here any time now."

Everyone was looking at him confused. Emma was the first one to say something, "Wait a minute...here? Albert is meeting us here?"

Mickey answered very calmly like it was no big deal, "Yes, Albert is meeting us here."

"Wait a minute Mickey. Don't you think that might be a bit much for him mate. We should see him not the other way around. He is the one not doing so well." stated Ash.

"Don't worry Ash he will be fine," said Mickey.

"Come on Mickey what is it that you're not telling us. Clearly you are not telling us everything. If you were, you would not be acting like this. You would be the first one to make sure Albert was fine and for him to not overexert himself. So there must be some reason that you think it is fine that Albert is coming here to talk to us about his will and what he might want to do before the time comes." Stacie mentioned in curiosity.

"Ah, well you see... I-" Mickey was about to explain when the door opened and Albert came in. Everyone was looking in Albert's direction and was trying to put the pieces together that Stacie more then likely did as soon as she saw Albert. Albert was looking quite well as everyone took note as he walked toward them and sat down in one of the chairs in the room.

"Well Mickey looks like you should start the explanation." Albert said in a calm, amused voice as everyone was staring at him in disbelief besides the few that started to put the pieces together already.

"I actually was about to before you came in. Some figured it out before you came in, although you coming here tipped them off."' Mickey replied.

"I imagine so," was all Albert said to that.

"So let me get this straight... you were faking the illness and that you were near your light at the end of the tunnel business, yeah?" Stated Danny trying to understand what exactly was going on.

"Yeah that's just about it," Albert stated in return.

Sean jumped in and asked, "Why?"

"Because I had to get you guys here somehow didn't I?" Mickey answered with a smile.

"What?" Sean asked not believing what he just heard. Everyone else was either shocked or smirking.

"You can never call to catch up but you can make a big scheme to get us all here." Stacie said with amusement.

"Well now that we are all here how bout we hit the casino hmmmm?" asked Albert.

They all went to the casino and enjoyed each other's company and had fun at the tables.

The warehouse agents have been peering all over the city looking in the casinos that they broke up amongst themselves to look into. It took the whole day minus the lunch breaks they all took. Everyone was meeting back now at the hotel suite to go over their observations that they had from their recon at each casino they went to. They all got there around the same time and were heading up to their suite when they noticed a limo pull up just in front of the hotel and a quite a few people stumbled out. They were high class looking and were dressed very nicely. There were 5 men and 2 women all ranged in age. One of the men had brown hair and a fairly cute looking. He is in his twenties along with a woman that had blond hair. Another one of the men was a rather rugged looking man that was 40's or 50's that had brown hair. The next man was an older gentleman with brown hair that was graying. The second to last guy was a black man and around somewhere in his 30's or 40's. The last guy to step out was a man in his 30's with blond hair and ruggedly handsome followed by a woman around the same age that look exactly like H.G.

Everyone was so shocked to see the group that they just stood there. The group was walking into the hotel now as the warehouse agents were off to the side apparently not noticed with their little group of 5. Then again they were dressed much like the group that came out the limousine just not as pricey looking. They could pass as anyone else that might be here for gambling at the casinos.

Claudia finally got a hold of herself first and whispered harshly, loud enough for everyone to hear in the group, "H.G. What the Frack?"

Everyone got out of their stupor by then and Helena replied back, "I don't know, darling" still in a bit of shock of seeing a replica of herself. Which they all knew could happen with an artifact, but the one that they know can do that is in the warehouse. "Harriet Tubman's thimble is in the warehouse, so it couldn't possibly be that."

"I agree, plus I did not see a thimble on any of her fingers." Myka said.

"Alright, whatever. Let's follow them and maybe we can see what they are up to and maybe figure out why she looked like H.G." Pete suggested.

"That sounds like the best plan we've got" Steve piped in.

"Alright let's go, but guys, try to act nonchalant. Okay?" Pete said before they started to walk in after the group of 7 that went in the hotel.

They all followed behind the suspicious group pretending that they were heading to their room. The shocker to that was the group of 7 were heading to the 4th floor. That made them even more cautious and started thinking there might be an artifact in the hotel. The high class looking group went into their suite while the warehouse agents stopped at their door. They decided to go inside to talk things through and come up with a plan; did they want to go in there all guns blazing or be stealthy.

They made a compromise and went with a slight of hand, just going to knock on the door and announce who they were and flash their badges and try to get down to the heart of the matter calmly. They headed for the suite next to theirs. Pete and Myka were in the front of the group to be the people that knock and ask to come in the others where on either side of the wall of the door they wanted to access. Myka knocked on the door they waited a moment before it opened.

The limousine pulled up at their destination of their hotel and all 7 of them got out. They were all chatting and laughing having a good time. The all just came back from hanging at the casinos. They all had a first big get together within a year, the last time they all were in the middle of a con and Stacie was a surprise to be had during that time frame. Danny got pulled into not long after and that was the first time everyone met everyone. Originally Danny and Stacie were in Mickey's crew, later on Danny and Stacie went to the States together as a team to do more grifting there. Emma and her brother Sean were rookies at the long con and were picked up by Albert and later Mickey, as a result they were in the new crew of Mickey's. They all got out the limo and were still talking and laughing as they headed up to their penthouse suite. Although they did not notice a group of five was following them they figured that group was heading to their rooms as well.

They all piled in to the penthouse suite and pulled out more drinks and some cards to play with. They were all having a good time till there was a knock on the door and everyone went silent. They were all silently asking each other if any of them were expecting company, which no one was. Mickey decided to get the door since he was the one that got the suite in the first place. He opened the door to two people, one a man with brown hair in a suit and a woman with dark brown hair in a nice black dress.

Both the woman and man flashed their badges. The woman said, "Secret Service. We are here on a case and would like to come in and ask you a few questions, if that is ok?"

Mickey wasn't sure what this was about and hoped this had nothing to do with Stacie and Danny. They were in the States for awhile and could have gotten into trouble, but if that were the case they probably would have told the group that they were. Then again they would not tell him why they went back to the States in the first place. He had not much of a choice; he could decline them and look like he is trying to hide something or he could let them in and see what they want. He went with the latter and invited them in.

He led the two agents to the living room were all the others were. He exchanged looks with the others. He looked at Stacie and Danny to see if they knew anything about this and they shook their heads 'no' ever so slightly.

"Now, what's this about?" Mickey asked.

"Sorry to impose like this but we are on a case and have questions regarding her." The female agent asked pointing to Stacie.

"Me?...What-why?" Stacie asked as she tried to think of a reason why they might want her. "What's this regarding exactly? Miss..." Stacie lead off not knowing the woman's name.

"Bering. Agent Bering and this is my partner Agent Lattimer. We are trying...this may sound crazy...we are trying to figure out why you look the way you do... " Bering asked thinking she might have just made the biggest fool of herself.

"I am sorry, what now?" Stacie questioned for clarification.

"Ahhh... you see you kind of look like someone we know, which is impossible, and we are trying to figure out why you guys look exactly alike." Agent Bering tried clarifying

"Which is why we want to know if you always well looked like...well you?" Agent Lattimer piped in.

"Yes I have always looked like this, I have done no alterations to myself." Stacie snapped out.

"We mean no disrespect miss..." Bering lead off not knowing the woman's name.

"Monroe." Stacie stated.

"Monroe." Agent Bering repeated. "We are just trying to figure this out."

"Wait a minute here...you said that you know someone that looked like Stacie here and that she looked exactly like her, like a twin or something, yeah?" questioned Danny as he just thought of the woman he saw at the airport with the group. "You guys were there at the airport...the all business-y people with the young girl around 19, right?"

Both agents looked shocked. "Yeah... how do you know that?" Lattimer asked.

"I was there with Stace. We just got off the plane and were heading out. Stace needed to use the bathroom and I-" Danny was explaining and was cut off by Bering.

"You were the man with all the suitcases we passed by on our way out of the terminal..." she stated out of remembering that detail that day.

"Yeah." Danny replied back.

"Oh, so she is part of the group you mentioned to me yesterday along with him." Stacie mentioned out loud to Danny pointing to agent Lattimer and then looked at the two agents in the room and asked, "Where is the rest of your group? If there are more with you, I assume they are agents as well?"

The two agents looked at each other and then the woman stated very calmly, "They are by the door outside waiting."

Mickey jumped in and stated what the two agents were intending to do if necessary, "You were going to ambush us if we decided to not cooperate or run."

"Yes." was all agent Bering said. She gave her partner a look and he went to the door and let the others in, but not before telling the others what was going on.

Lattimer came in first leading the remainder of group. Next coming into view was a man with blond hair in a suit. Not too far behind him was a girl around 19 with red hair and a purple streak in her hair. She was in a black dress much like agent Bering but had more of an edge to it, like a way tampered down punk style dress. Next came a woman that was in a red dress that had black hair and really dark brown eyes that almost looked black. She looked very much like Stacie; it was uncanny.

Everyone all settled in the room and the room remained silent for a long while before anyone spoke. The woman that looked just like Stacie spoke first.

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you, but I must ask you Miss Monroe if you know if you are related to H.G. Wells by chance?"

Stacie was very weird-ed out right now. She was looking at herself and listening to herself but it was not herself at all. She was another woman entirely but so unmistakably her. She looked like her and even sounded like her with a British accent like her. The only thing different she could conclude so far that wasn't like her was that she talked more proper than her. She took a moment to answer the other woman's question before she answered, "No I have know idea if I am. That has not really been at the top of my list to see who I might have been related to."

"That is understandable, darling" the other woman said.

"Ah, do you mind if I ask who you are? umm... and why you think I might be related to H.G Wells?" Stacie asked in hesitation.

"Not at all darling. My name is Helena Wells and I think we might be related because you and I are much alike. We look exactly the same and since everyone thinks my brother-" Helena stated and was cut of by a very loud cough.

Helena turned her head over to her group and noticed a lot of disapproving looks and some sympathetic ones.

Danny interrupted the silent conversation the group was having, "What? Why can't she tell us the reason she thinks they are related, eh?"

"She did tell you, just not the whole story on why and that is because it is confidential, only certain people can know who she really is." the girl that looks 19 said.

"And why is that exactly?" Danny asked.

"Because it is top secret." Agent Lattimer said.

"I get that but why? Is she a spy or something?" Danny shot back in irritation.

"No I am not a spy, but I am not of this...I am not from..." Helena tried explaining but could not find out how to say it with out lying. She gathered up her thoughts and came up with this "I was in a sense imprisoned for a long time by my consent. I wanted the world to be different than it was. A place of hope and evolution instead of a place that was blinded and torturing. I was rehabilitated, as it were, into this time and place and was reinstated into work as an agent as well."

"That sounds very...sad..." Danny said after a bit. He didn't really know what to say to that.

"Yes quite, it is very sad I suppose." Helena stated in a sad tone as she was holding on to her locket, which Stacie noticed along with a lot of her group.

"Right, back to the matter of hand. Helena are you sure she is related to you?" Bering asked gently.

"Yes Myka, about 98 present sure unless she is just one of those lucky few that look like you, but is not related to you. In this case though she looks too much like me to be one of those few so as it were I would say my money is on our being related." Helena answered back.

Myka looked over at the man with blond hair and he nodded his head and stated, "They aren't lying so far and we don't see any cause to say that they aren't the people they say they are."

Agent Bering then looked over to her partner Agent Lattimer and asked, "Pete?"

Pete looked at her and answered, "I got nothing."

"Phew," the young girl said in relief. "Glad that is settled. I was thinking we might have another artifact to find." She mentioned out loud.

Emma asked out loud before she could stop herself, "Artifact? As in something that maybe collectible and worth something, like an artwork or something?"

The 19 year old looking girl looked over to her and said "Well yes and no. It could be anything really. We were thinking you guys had one to look like H.G. over here." Myka gave her a look that said shut up when the red head looked over towards Helena. She just realized she just said too much and said, "Crap-ity, crap, crap, crap! sorry Myka. I wasn't thinking about that."

Sean asked, "Wasn't thinking about what?"

"The nickname she called Helena." Albert stated as he was intrigued even further than before.

"So, are you saying she is H.G. Wells...ummm-" Stacie asked the girl with red hair and was about to ask for the girl's name when she was interrupted by her.

"Claudia Donovan the next generation of the...'agency' that we work for," she said awkwardly because she almost made a slip.

"Right. Ok. Claudia so are you implying that Helena is H.G. Wells?" Stacie asked again.

"I, ahhhh..." She looked over to Myka and H.G. for help.

Helena and Myka were both having a silent battle between them and after a moment Helena said, "Yes I am. I am Helena G. Wells."

"How is that possible. H.G. Wells is a man and not just that, he is from the 1800's might I add." Mickey stated.

Helena answered, "Well, no and yes. H.G. Wells is from the 1800's but... you know what, screw the consequences, as I am already going to be in trouble as it is and so are you...guys," she pointed at her group. She paused near the end of her sentence trying to think of that term they all use to talk about a group.

Myka sighed and Lattimer was not so sure, but he had a bad feeling that this was going to bite them in the ass later if it got out that they told civilians about the real H.G. Wells. Claudia looked like she was with Helena and the man that was standing by Claudia that had been silent this whole time except to confirm if they might be lying or not seemed to be worried like Lattimer.

Myka looked at her group and said, "She might as well. We already gave them most of the info anyway but we leave the 'agency' out of the whole explanation, ok. We don't need to not have all our 'ones' be them." She looked at the other group and said, "No offense, but we really don't know you guys and we can only each tell one person our job and what that all entails." She looked back at her team and asked "Ok?" They all nodded. She looked back at the 7 they were going to tell and stressed, "We are not to talk about this to anyone so if we tell you guys, this does not leave this room. Is that understood? If it is not we can all pray we don't all get taken care of by the higher ups." All of them looked stunned but, complied with nervous nods.

"So are there more seats for us to sit in so that we can be comfortable while we tell you this very long story or do we have to stand the whole time, cause if we do I am so sitting on the floor." Claudia complained breaking the intense atmosphere. Everyone from her group chuckled at that and the same for a few from the other group of people.

Stacie smiled at the young girl and said, "We have more chairs in other rooms that we can bring in for all of you to sit.

Claudia was relieved at this and muttered a thank you.

"After this story of mine, I was wondering if you could tell me about yourselves and what you guys do for a living? You know about what we do for the most part by Claudia's little rant and who I am. Is that an accord as it were?"

Stacie looked at Mickey then Danny to Albert and then the two siblings that were there and Danny's replacements at one point. They all nodded their heads for permission in revealing what they do since for the most part the agents were being straight forward with them and seemed like they could be trusted enough. They felt the same about them.

Ash, Sean, Emma, Mickey and Danny went to get chairs for their guests. Danny didn't want to leave Stacie but got a nod from her to say she would be fine.

"Yes we have an accord as you put it," Stacie chucked a bit.

"Right-y ho then," Helena said with a smile.

Myka laughed out loud and shook her head. Helena and Stacie looked at her in question. Myka gathered herself and chuckled out with amusement "You have an issue with common interest Miss Wells."

Helena and Stacie were really confused and they both said, "What does that mean?" at the same time.

Myka laughed harder now but got most of it under control enough to say something. "Bering and Wells will have to change to Monroe and Wells or Wells and Monroe. Maybe even have all three 'The Monroe, Bering and Wells'." she said laughing referring that they all would make a very good team. Helena and Stacie were much alike from what Myka could gather, just as much if not more so than herself and Helena.

Helena took a minute to get what Myka was referring to and laughed herself. "Yes there might be an issue with common interest indeed." Stacie looked confused still and Helena explained with a smile, "She is referring that we would make a great team out in the field based on her observation of you and me and how much we are alike, darling."

Just then Ash, Sean, Emma, Mickey and Danny brought back chairs and set them close to their group of seats. Everyone got settled in for the long story that was Helena G. Wells.