Once they were all in the office, Claudia pulled out a narrow cylindrical object and began scanning Xander and Cordelia.
"What's that?" Xander asked.
"Artifact detector." She answered.
"What's an artifact? In this context, I mean. I know museums call things artefacts." Xander asked.
"Artifacts are mysterious relics, fantastical objects, and supernatural souvenirs that are packed with enough energy to somehow move and affect other objects." The old guy said. "I'm Arthur Neilson, Head Agent of Warehouse 13."
"Magic." Cordelia said.
"It's not Magic." Artie said. "It's energy - ."
"Energy that is part of the Earth. It can be accessed by anyone and used in various degrees by each person, sometimes accidentally. Other times on purpose. Magic is a catch all term that's been corrupted by sideshow charletons and illusionists." Xander said.
"Yes." Arte said slowly. "You understand that?"
"Where we come from I know several people who use it. I can use it, I just prefer not to. She's scanning for something that has concentrated amounts, right? Cool, we should figure out how to make one of those when we get back. It could be very useful."
"I'm detecting trace amounts of the energy on you, but not enough to indicate an artifact." Claudia told them. "I'm Claudia Donovan, by the way. Resident genius."
"We've got one of those too. Red headed bitch who used Magic to try to break us up and isn't sorry she did it. Who are the rest of you?" Cordelia asked.
"I'm Pete Latimer, Secret Service. Cookie?" He held out the bottomless cookie jar and Xander took one and then blinked when a new cookie formed. "Oh, so cool! You got one with an endless amount of Twinkies?" He quickly ate his and reached for another.
"Are they sugar or fat free?" Cordelia asked. "I like cookies, I just don't like the idea of getting fat."
"We've never tested them, but since the cookie jar predates the fad of sugar and fat free cookies, probably not." Pete answered.
"Then I'll pass."
"What do you have in your boots, very nice boots by the way." Mika asked. "I'm Mika Bering, also Secret Service."
"She has something in her boots?" Jinx asked. "I'm Steve Jinks, ATF.
"Very cleverly hidden." Claudia said. "And those really are nice boots."
"Thank you. I designed them myself. I'm an assistant for a fashion designer. Although I'm going to have to redesign them because they're more fashionable then practical. And nice catch by the way. Not even a police detective figured out I had anything in my boots." Cordelia pulled out her daggers. "They were hand crafted for me as a gift by a Buddhist monk who lives in a cave in Japan. I don't understand why he chooses to live there, but he seems happy."
"She's not lying and I'm a Buddhist myself. As a monk he's renouncing worldly possessions and seeking enlightenment." Jinx told them.
"That's what Duncan said when he took me to see him." Cordelia said.
"Who's Duncan?" Artie asked.
"Duncan McCleod, of the Clan McCleod, my foster father." Xander told him. "He's been training me in martial arts and the use of swords. My blood father trained me in a variety of axes."
"Why?" Artie asked.
"We live in a very dangerous world and knowing how to protect yourself is very important." Xander told him.
"The world may be dangerous, but not dangerous enough to require knowing how to use swords and axes to defend yourself." Mike protested.
"Resident genius, look up Sunnydale, California, please." Xander suggested.
"Okay." Claudia said and headed for her computer. "There is no Sunnydale, California, of any size."
"Not in this reality." Xander said with a smile.
"You're claiming you're from another reality?" Mika asked skeptically.
"Yes." Xander answered.
"Not lying." Jinx said.
"Is it any weirder then anything else we've ever seen?" Pete asked.
"No, because we have artifacts that can create pocket dimensions and allow time travel." Claudia said. "And scientifically speaking, the existence of alternate realities have been debated for decades. While we haven't yet proven it, at this point it's just a matter of coming up with a way to prove or disprove it."
"Notice how she doesn't sound condescending when she talks like that. Just like she's having a regular conversation." Cordelia observed. "Willow could take a lesson from her."
"Your resident genius? The red head you mentioned?" Mika asked.
"Yes." Both Xander and Cordelia said at the same time.
"So why are you here?" Artie asked.
"We were sent here. We need something you have, something to fight something really bad in our reality. There's a, I guess you could it a dimensional portal, under our home town, Sunnydale. Things that like to eat humans come from it. One of those things is a very big and very nasty creature and millions are dead because of it. We were told to find the Guardians of the Warehouse in order to get it." Xander explained.
"There's only one Guardian of the Warehouse currently." Pete said. "My mother."
