AN – So the first bit mainly focused on Artie and of course my O/C, this time Steve is upfront. Please read and review. Once again I own nothing and please support the official release
Standing outside the large bank building Jake wished that this wasn't a place where an artifact was but the needle told true, inside the bank there was something in there. Opening his bag he looked inside at the artifact that he had brought along for this one, Amelia Earhart's flight helmet which would cause the wearer, much like Earhart herself to vanish. Before he could put it on he heard something and looked up seeing a security guard with his gun raised. He guessed that he could be suspicious looking out here of course that wasn't enough to draw a gun on him. Turning towards him with his hands raised he frowned.
"Come on guy, I'm not doing anything please lower your gun," Jake said quietly.
"I'm sorry I just, you have a bag that might contain a weapon I need you to place it on the ground and kick it over."
"I can't do that, there's a rare item in there and kicking it won't be good. Please just lower your weapon, I'll take out my pen and write you a note." Jake said motioning to his breast pocket.
"What? Why?" The young officer asked as Jake set the bag down slowly removing the pen from his pocket as the gun lowered slightly. Holding it up Jake smiled sadly.
"I'm sorry," he said clicking the pen as a burst of electricity shot out and hit him in the chest throwing him back. It was like a slightly more powerful tesla gun putting it away he checked on the guard pulling him up against the bank, making it look like he was asleep. Walking to his bag he looked around, pulled out the helmet and put it on instantly causing him to vanish, on more artifact would be helping him today as he quickly made his way inside, Chang Apana's Lieutenant Badge which would warm when he got it close to the security box that held the artifact. Moving quickly he got passed everyone and slipped into the area, once he was inside he removed the helmet and started to hold up the badge to every box. When he discovered which box it was, sixty two, he put on the helmet and got out of there, needing to figure out how to get into that specific box. Outside he went out to his car, pulled the helmet off and just sat trying to figure this out.
TATATATATATTATTATTATTAT
It had been a week since they had any alerts about the Thief and Artie had spent most of his time in the Mayan Agent's rooms. It had become a bit obsessive but with Artie losing Leena they knew that he needed his space and time. Unlike other issues though he wasn't totally obsessed with it and had emerged to give out a ping which they snagged, bagged and tagged without thief interruption. Taking his mid-afternoon nap Pete wasn't there when Artie arrived picking the first two agents he saw.
"Myka, Steve, we have a ping in Archer City, TX a security guard was hit by a bolt of lightning, he says that it came from a pen which everyone else laughed at." Artie explained handing Myka some papers including tickets.
"I need you to head there and interview the guard, maybe if you tell him you believe him he'll explain more. Steve I want you to read him and find out if he's lying." Heading out they flew out and arrived at the home of the guard, Roger Fleming. The man looked disheveled and in his pjs at one pm when he answered the door.
"They're giving me a few days to get my head together," Roger said offering them a seat on the couch before sitting down on the chair across from them.
"Well Roger we're actually here to tell you that we believe you, we deal with the strange and unusual, could you tell us exactly what happened?" Myka asked as Steve watched him.
"Yeah I was outside of the bank and there was this guy looking at it, he had this bag over his shoulder and I thought of the bank robbery that happened in Austin a few weeks back. I was scared but I couldn't let him just rob the bank. He said there were rare items in his bag and dropped them but mentioned that he was taking out the pen. I thought, a pen, what harm is there in that and then zap I get hit in the chest by a bolt of lightning." Roger explained rising and pulling up his shirt to reveal his chest which indeed had a black mark. "I asked them what this was and they couldn't tell me," pulling it back down he sat back down.
"I believe you Roger, I'm sorry no one else does," Steve said and Myka nodded, "Do you remember anything else about him?"
"He said he was sorry, and well I think this is an after effect of the zap but I opened my eyes one last time and saw him put on a hat and vanish."
Once they were back in the car Myka explained the story to Artie.
"The first thoughts that I have about invisibility are Harry Blackstone Sr's hat or even Amelia Earhart's Flight helmet both make you invisible when worn."
"So bank robbery?" Myka asked.
"Could be, go check it out." A few hours later Myka and Steve stood in front of Roger's bank, Myka retold the story to get the distance and such while Steve watched the camera.
"If he stood here and timed it right he wouldn't be on camera when he vanished," Steve said and it was true but the tapes of that time were missing. The next odd thing they discovered was that, according to the bank manager, there was no money missing. The counts had been correct every time they checked.. Telling the manager that they needed to look around the bank he was wary but seeing their badges let them through. Entering the safety deposit box area they paused and both sniffed the air.
"Fudge," Myka said and Steve nodded, "I'll ask the bank manager for the keys, saying there might be something dangerous down here." With that Myka left Steve to sniff around, literally. On her way back upstairs she saw someone coming down, not the bank manager but someone familiar and two things happened, a memory and a vision. The memory was a week ago when she brought Artie some cookies and milk; he was in the female Mayan agent's room. Setting the plate down she noticed the picture of the partners and thought they looked like a good couple in the picture with a younger looking Artie. For a moment she started to say his name but then the vision, in the corner of her eye she caught something and that's all it took for the artifact in the lobby to take hold and the man's image vanished in a cloud of silvery sparkles and she found herself in the lobby with the rest of the bank and patrons watching these beautiful faeries and pixies dance around the room.
"That was quick," Steve said as someone entered the room. Setting the bag on the counter Jake replied.
"Must be expecting someone else, I'm just here to get something for my mother." Steve apologized as Jake went to the box and used two keys which Steve noted he shouldn't have, one was supposed to have only one and the bank manager the other so he lifted his gun at the other man.
"I don't think that belongs to you," Steve said as Jake quickly slipped a police badge on and he glowed white for a moment.
"Box sixty two used to belong to Waverly Brown's widow, he was shot in the heart in the line of duty but didn't die right away. His only wish was to see his wife one last time which he did telling her that he loved her and always would before dying. As long as I wear this badge I am bullet proof."
"Why do you need that one? I hear immortality is overrated."
"I'm wearing it to get out of here safely but it's for a friend, someone who is in a bad place but needs protection." It wasn't entirely true that much Steve could tell.
"Then I'm coming with you." He said lowering the gun.
"I'd rather you not, I'd hate to have another agent's life on my hands not until after I've rescued my partner. How about instead of a ride along I hand over a few artifacts." Since Jake wasn't lying about that Steve lowered the gun fully and Jake took that as approval. Pulling out a pen he set it on the table next to his bag and close to Steve, "Thomas Edison's main rival was a man named George Westinghouse and that is his pen, Edison proved his methods were safer by proving that Westinghouse's was dangerous paving the way for the Electric Chair," taking a moment to whistle he motioned as a mechanical fairy flittered into the room and landed next to the pen.
"Seriously?" Steve asked and Jake shrugged.
"Yeah and you might want to neutralize her first, she's not dangerous though just has the ability to trap people in a trance which your partner and the rest of the bank is trapped in, George Melies was a brilliant illusionist" Once again Steve knew he wasn't lying and picked up the machine which actually struggled a little as he bagged it. In the blinding light that sparked out Jake grabbed his own bag and pulled on the flight helmet instantly disappearing. Shaking his head Steve ran upstairs to discover Myka and the others standing around and trying to shake out the daze they came out of.
"Are you guys okay?" Steve asked as the manager brought Myka some water.
"Yeah just a bit foolish, I knew what I was seeing couldn't be real but it was so beautiful." Nodding Steve pulled her aside for a moment and explained what happened with her and down in room.
"So we missed him again?"
"Yeah now we know what was in that box, Waverly Brown's Police Badge. He mentioned trying to keep a friend safe and he wasn't lying but he wasn't telling the truth either."
"We got what we came for, the artifact that hurt Roger but the flight helmet is still missing now. Do you want to head back home or try to find the invisible man?" Steve asked but Myka looked distracted. "Hey Myka you know it wasn't your fault he got away right? You were whammied there was no way out of it." Myka nodded but being whammied wasn't bothering her, it was the thief, he looked so familiar yet she couldn't place it. As they started to leave the bank manager came over.
"What happened?"
"There was a disturbance in the safety box area but nothing was stolen, someone removed box sixty-two but nothing was taken, I think your master key is still down there though." Steve explained.
"Before you go agents would you join me in my office, there was a fellow in earlier who wanted to know about that box but I told him we couldn't give personal information like that out. He said his name was Arthur Brown but I didn't believe him, we do have him on camera though." Excited about this break they went into the office, the man looked normal, nothing out of the ordinary but then it hit her and she excused herself and Steve, on the way to the car Myka spilled.
"You know how Artie's been a bit obsessive in the case of the two missing agents during the Mayan Calendar snag?"
"Yeah Agents Lockhart and Torres, why?"
"I think our thief is one of the agents, Torres, it has to be since Lockhart was a woman."
"Do you think Artie knows that the thief is a former warehouse agent?"
"He must but why keep that from us?" Myka asked and they were quiet as they got into the car.
"I bet he was whammied by that torch he recovered, so he remembers something but not enough to take a risk telling us about it? That he wants to be one hundred percent sure before moving forward."
"Maybe," Myka wondered as the Farnsworth went off and they opened it.
"Update," Artie said.
"We got the artifact that hurt the security guard, George Westinghouse's pen and a mechanical device that looks like a fairy by George Melies."
"Wait did you say George Melies as in his pantomime?"
"Yeah, why?"
"The pantomime would show favor over a specific person and the last person that shared that link was…" but he tampered off. "When are you coming home?"
"Well we lost Waverly Brown's Badge and Amelia Earhart's flight helmet, if you want we can stick around here for a bit and see what comes up."
"Any leads?"
"Well no but the badge has the scent of fudge so we can," but a trio of sirens cut him off and he handed the Farnsworth to Myka starting up the car.
"Artie I think we have something," she said closing the device as Steve raced off.
Coming up to a house where local police was bringing out two men to the car but two other men into the back of an ambulance.
"What happened here?" Myka asked.
"Who are you?" the EMT asked.
"Secret service."
"Gang hit it looks like however first looks are that these two died before they were shot, the bullets aren't even in locations that could kill." The paramedic explained as Steve looked around seeing a figure lurch out the side door and down an alley.
"Myka," Steve called not looking away from the form before taking off after it. Turning down the corner Steve raised his gun, "Secret Service, stop!" he commanded. With the faintest trace of the scent of fudge he lifted his gun. Right as Myka came around the corner he fired and hit the figure sending him crashing into a pile of boxes, the item in his hands skidded to a stop next to him.
"What the heck Steve," Myka shouted running pass him but she froze as the shot man crawled towards the device, a cymbal-banging monkey whose hands were poised to clap but he reached out and stuck his fingers in between the cymbals. Rolling onto his back and not removing his fingers Jake sighed, "Seems like the warehouse is still hiring…annoyingly persistent agents."
"Indeed, Agent Torres," Myka said and he nodded, "Why are you doing this?"
"Ask Artie, for now you should take this," he said rolling over and scooping up the monkey, "Be careful not to let the bells clap. In nineteen eighty five author Stephen King wrote about a monkey that every time it claps someone nearby dies. Unfortunately for the world that monkey was real and not fictional and if it claps someone dies as you probably saw. I see no good use because it is completely random who dies so I guess it's a dark vault for this guy, also Agent Jinks nice call," he said removing the badge and tossing the badge at his feet. Once it was removed the barrier fell and he sighed as Myka picked up the monkey replacing his fingers with her own. "I had an informant in here but the badge doesn't cancel out the monkey's effect." Seeing Steve start to ask he smiled, "Ask Artie, and while you're at it ask him about Ambrose Bierce's Civil War map, it's one he doesn't have. It's missing and I guess one of the ones I'm looking for."
"You coming in?" Steve asked as Jake rose smirking at him, "Yeah, ask Artie." With that Jake started to walk away.
"Hey hold on," Myka started but the helmet was off and Jake was gone.
Back at the warehouse Claudia and Artie were in the office getting the new artifacts in the right place when Steve and Myka came in. Setting down the items Claudia hopped up.
"What did you get me?" she asked pulling the pen out and setting it aside before reaching for the box and before Artie could tell her no she opened it and the mechanical fairy flew out kicking her in the nose before giggling and flying off into the warehouse.
"Why you little piece of scrap," Claudia groaned.
"Now you let her get away," moaned Artie but Myka stepped in further.
"Artie we met the thief again, he had that device but said it wasn't strong enough, what did he mean?"
"And he was asking about a civil war map," Steve added and Artie looked perplexed as Claudia joined in on the group stare.
"Enough," Artie shouted as Pete came in just in time to join the stare down.
"Look all of you need to leave me alone to my thoughts, a few more pieces and I'll have enough figured out that we as a team can figure out the next move but not until then. Claudia, Steve, to the zen garden to find a home for George Westinghouse's pen, I'm sure that as far away from anything Edison should do the trick. Pete you and Myka come with me, I want to reintroduce you to the former agent rooms."
They nodded knowing that this was all they were getting from Artie but it was a big step for him, normally he wouldn't share anything. If the fairy wasn't strong enough maybe they could find an artifact linked with Agent Lockhart in her past.
AN – As with the last chapter here is the artifact list:
George Westinghouse's Pen – Channels Westinghouse's anger that his AC current wasn't as popular as Edison's
Amelia Earhart's Flight Helmet – Was worn on Earhart's last flight before she disappeared
Chang Apana's Lieutenant Badge – Officer famed for locating contraband
Waverly Brown's Police Badge – Killed in the line of duty, part about his wife fictional
George Melies' Pantomime – Famous Illusionist who paved the way for early cinema
Stephen King's Cymbal-Banging Monkey – Made famous from King's story "The Monkey" in the Skeleton Crew collection.