So here are the next three chapters. For some reason FF hadn't put in the filters for Myka/HG, so hopefully I've fixed that now.

Thank you to my anonymous reviewer. You're right, we do have to stick together!

Chapter Four

Myka turned slowly on the spot, calmly taking in her surroundings. What was this place and how had she come to be here? She felt as if she was waking up from a deep sleep and yet nothing around her seemed as if it belonged in reality.

The buildings shifted like branches in a gentle breeze, their solidity fluctuated, giving the agent fleeting impressions of endless streets and sky beyond.

Shadowy figures strolled passed without a care for her sudden appearance in their world. Starting forward, Myka moved curiously out of the shadow of a building and stood in the middle of the street for a moment before nonchalantly deciding to turn left and follow a group of figures, wondering fleetingly where they might be going.

She wasn't sure how long she spent meandering down side roads and over grassy expanses. At one point she had completely forgotten what she was doing and stopped dead, staring blankly out over a clear lake. Time seemed to have no meaning. Myka felt no hunger or fatigue; she wasn't worried, angry or determined to find her way out. The curiosity she'd felt before beginning her wandering walk to this place had faded into nothingness the moment her mind decided to focus on something else. There was a numbing sort of peace filling her veins and as she observed the large expanse of water before her, she was taken in by the notion that her soul was being reflected in that calm expanse.

Movement on the opposite bank caught Myka's attention. She lifted her gaze sluggishly and she peered with strained effort, her eyes needing longer than normal to focus. There was a flash of ebony and ivory between the trunks of trees lining the far side of the lake, the fabric of a dress caught on a breeze and hair trailing a petite body. Then quite suddenly, it was gone. She searched the far bank for a few moments more before something else caught her attention and the mysterious figure became no more than a wisp of memory.

Claudia glanced out of the driver's side window at the house she'd pulled up in front of and rechecked the address with the one she'd hastily jotted down that morning.

"Yup," she muttered to herself. "I don't care what century you were born in; nobody can hide from The Donovan."

She killed the engine, stepped out and studiously checked that she'd locked it properly; Jinksy would kill her if she let anything bad happen to his car.

Past the white-picket fence, she trotted up to the front door and rang the bell in a series of little jabs, reminding her of the chord changes in one of her favourite songs. She began to hum and drummed her fingers against her thighs as she waited.

It was late in the afternoon so Claudia knew that HG, or Emily, or whatever else she was calling herself these days, would likely be inside. Artie had gruffly ordered her to bring the Victorian woman back to the Warehouse at all costs and the junior honorary agent had no intention of returning empty handed just to have to listen to another of his foreboding lectures.

Movement on the other side of the door drew a short huff of relief from the red head and she shuffled from foot to foot in eager anticipation.

HG's ready smile slipped slightly as she recognised her visitor. Her open body language shifted, her shoulders tensing as her arms folded across her body. "Claudia. To what do I owe this honour?" She asked reservedly.

It wasn't that the ex-agent was displeased to see the young woman on her doorstep but she feared what the red head's sudden appearance might mean for her immediate future. Not much good for her ever seemed to come from the Warehouse.

"HG, Hey!" Claudia waved the tips of her fingers in greeting. "Bet I'm the last person you expected to see huh?" She grinned nervously.

"I was expecting to greet the delivery service with my new batch of tea-leaves so please excuse my disappointment; I was rather looking forward to a pleasant brew." Her posture began to relax as she overcame her initial panic. Helping out her former colleagues didn't necessarily have to involve going to the Warehouse. She immediately thought of Myka and knew she would not be able to resist offering her expertise. "Would I be correct in assuming that there is some sort of crisis afoot and that you are here to beg for my assistance?" She stepped aside as she spoke, shut the door behind the jumpy young red head and led her through to the kitchen.

Claudia smiled at HG's cocky smirk but her expression quickly sobered as she prepared to deliver her message. "Pete and Myka went to Paris to find some caveman artefact that lights fires..."

The ex-agent's interest piqued. "The Fire Flint? I'd almost come to believe that its existence was mere legend."

"Right, well they bagged and tagged it no probs. Well, not 'no probs', Petie got singed and almost lost an eyebrow but..."

"Claudia, dear. Just get to the point please," HG demanded gently.

"Myka's missing," Claudia answered quickly and braced herself for the Victorian's response.

HG felt her stomach drop and her blood run cold. At the expression of trepidation on the red head's face, she guessed that her fear and anger must be on prominent display. She closed her eyes tightly and breathed evenly through her nose until she felt calm enough to speak without taking her precarious emotional state out on the young agent.

As soon as she felt capable, the older woman ordered Claudia to follow her upstairs. "Tell me everything," she requested as she pulled a bag from under her bed and began opening drawers.

"Honestly HG, we've got next to nothing." Claudia plonked herself on the bed and pulled a throw-cushion to her chest. "They were supposed to be heading home. Pete was waiting on Myka in the lobby of their hotel and when she didn't turn up, he went looking for her and couldn't find her. Her clothes and stuff were half-packed and it didn't look like anyone had broken in. There's no camera footage in or outside the hotel and no one saw her leaving."

The raven-haired woman slowed her movements, appearing thoughtful for a moment before returning to her task. After returning from a quick trip to the bathroom and zipping closed her bag, she turned to face her visitors.

"Why have you come to me?" She enquired with concern. "What exactly do you think I'll be able to help you with?"

Claudia hopped down from the bed, still holding the cushion. She shrugged. "Pete had a vibe." She fiddled with a tassel for a while before tossing the cushion behind her. She hoped that HG wasn't going to probe any further; Steve had told her about the book and the poem and she didn't want to have to explain either.

The writer and inventor stood staring at Claudia for several seconds, waiting to see if she was going to elaborate. When nothing more was forthcoming, she clapped her hands together, muttered a subdued 'righty-ho then' and proceeded out the door.