Chapter 1: A Light On In The Warehouse

Warehouse 13

Somewhere In South Dakota, USA

(Bionicverse)

Pete and Myka, mostly Myka, slammed the door open as they traipsed into Artie's office. Pete was still in the middle of packing away his chute, while the curly haired brunette was glaring at the back of her boss's head. Said boss could feel the gaze, hence his fastidious attention to his computer terminal.

"Artie!" she screamed at him.

Claudia and her partner, Steve Jinks, had just been coming in from the main area of the Warehouse to welcome back their coworkers and friends, abruptly did and about face and went to do inventory or security checks or even to just go clean out the Gooery, anything that would keep them out of the line of fire of Myka's wrath for as long as possible.

"Artie!" Myka shouted. "How could you? What were you thinking?! I've never done anything like that in my life, I've never even thought about jumping out of a plane before, and you throw me to the wolves and expect me to make due with only a few hours of in-flight training?! With no ground schooling whatsoever!"

"You're here, aren't you?" he pointed out, adjusting his round spectacles.

"Thanks to Pete!" she yelled in his face.

"We did a tandem parachute drop," Pete explained, remarkably subdued given the circumstances.

"See, it all worked out fine," Artie said, turning back to his terminal, but Myka spun him around to face them.

"That is not the point!" she shrieked.

"No!" Artie bellowed back up at her. "The point is that you got the Artifact back here safely! The point is that its a small miracle the Artifact didn't trigger or activate or do something en route that would have killed the two of you and all of the soldiers on that plane! Let alone in the middle of the Smithsonian Museum! So, I do apologize that the two of you ran into a Black Ops agent who immediately put the two of you at the top of the nation's Most Wanted List and on every BOLO between here and Washington D.C. and I then had to call in a very expensive favor to get the two of you back to the Warehouse safe and sound! Oh, but far be it from me to do my job and look out for the two of you, because you didn't want to jump out of an airplane!"

The older Warehouse Agent then readjusted his round spectacles, cleared his throat, and smoothed down his vest. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to go through and start scrubbing your description and whatever photos that might exist out there from every single BOLO that has been issued or passed along. And, of course I'll need Claudia's help with that. Claudia!" he bellowed one more time. "You two, go with Jinks and find out where we need to put that thing. And don't forget to Neutralize it first! Just because it didn't activate, doesn't mean that it still won't! Go on, go! You've snagged and bagged, now it is time to tag it!"

Myka closed her hanging-open mouth and visibly made herself calm down. As much as she wanted to argue with the man, he was, unfortunately, right on all counts. Seeing that she was tagging out, so to speak, Pete stepped up.

"Yeah, Artie, about that," he said. "Who exactly are we up against here? Did we just seriously step into the middle of a Spec Ops surveillance operation, or are we being, y'know," he shrugged at the both of them, "targeted again, like with Sykes or McPherson or H.G. Wells? Or practically every single one of our enemies?"

"Fortunately," Artie replied, already typing away as he accessed and hacked into the databases of multiple law enforcement agencies, "it would appear to be more the former rather than the latter. I'm also covering your footprints, just in case it is somebody targeting us directly. And don't think that I forgot you two mentioning the Keenans earlier. If they sent an Artifact to their daughter, it was so they could come back and try to retrieve it later. I'm doing what I can so that everyone thinks that it was the two of them there in the Smithsonian last night, instead of you guys."

"Right, OK, good to know," Pete nodded along. "Did you make cookies? Cause I smell cookies."

"Whatever's left should be on the table over there, help yourself," Artie waved him off distractedly.

"C'mon Pete, let's get this shelved," Myka grumbled.

"But... cookies!" he whined as he was dragged out the door and onto the catwalk overlooking the Warehouse proper.

"Claudia!" Artie bellowed one final time.

"All right!" she screamed back as she rushed in to help him with the hacking.

WH-13—TL

The Library

St. Johns Bridge, Portland, OR

(BtVSverse)

The man calling himself Jenkins sighed in contentment as he went about sorting through the collection of ancient tomes and secret knowledge scattered atop the central table of the Annex. It was quiet days like these that he lived for, that made his immortality truly worthwhile. Moments of quiet reflection and genuine peace. Even before the events leading to his lengthened lifespan, Sir Galahad of the Round Table, Knight of Camelot, had taken the time to relax and unwind, often spending whole days curled up with a good book by the fire.

"JONES!"

"WHAT?! Whatever it is, I didn't do it!"

"Wait! It's my fault, I'm sorry! Hey!"

And then there was the reality of today.

Jenkins raised his head to the ceiling and sighed aloud, before preparing himself and closing up the last of the tomes he'd been perusing and moved to put them properly away.

The three Librarians came into the Annex, shouting at one another for some mishap with one of the Artifacts, or perhaps Ms. Cillian was experimenting with her self-dubbed 'Mathemagicks' again and something had gone awry there. He silently observed each of them in turn as he counted the moments until he would, inevitably, be forced to intervene.

The Library, a legend and a central pillar of the world's balance. Born upon the corner stones of the Library of Alexandria, and built with the power from the Tree of Knowledge, found and protected by a Knight of the Realm in the First Crusade. That Knight became known as the First Librarian, though he preferred most people to call him Judson. Under the guidance of its First Librarian, and his companion, who became the First Guardian, the Library became a force for good and balance within the world. Combating and containing True Evil, collecting and safeguarding all forms of mankind's knowledge and innovation by cataloging and storing copies of every book, scroll, document, and Artifact (most of them magical) that humans ever developed.

Of course, that First Librarian was a knight in more than just name, so he often went out, not just to gather more materials to put into his Library, but to stop the monsters and save people from the threat of wild magic and those that would use knowledge, and magic, for evil purposes. He set the example, and so when he realized that he could no longer continue as he was, his Guardian having already 'retired' and chosen a successor for herself, he set another precedent by sending out invitations to the most brilliant minds humankind had to offer, to come in for an interview, to determine which among them would become the next Librarian. The second Librarian died on his very first mission, and another round of interviews were conducted. And so it went through the ages.

Until the Library chose a scatterbrained, more-interested-in-learning-than-doing grad student who'd just been forcibly graduated with twenty-two degrees under his belt, named Flynn Carson. In rather a reverse of fortune, rather than be killed himself, Flynn 'lost' his first Guardian, and then worked alone, on his own, with only his wits and knowledge, for the next decade. During which he accomplished many fantastic feats among them being the recovery of the Spear of Destiny, the safeguarding of King Solomon's mines, and the defeat of Dracula, among many many many other adventures. And then the Library chose a new Guardian, whose hiring requirements differed somewhat from the interview process of getting a new Librarian; Colonel Eve Baird, NATO counter-terrorism and US Army.

Whether this was in response to the threat the Library currently faced with the Serpent Brotherhood killing off former Librarian candidates, or some deeper and more prolific, (Read 'Prophetic'), meaning, Jenkins couldn't begin to guess. All he did know was that on the same day that Colonel Baird showed up for her new job, she and Flynn discovered the Serpent Brotherhood's intent and both went out to rescue the remaining, or rather surviving candidates and brought them into the Library to help solve the current mystery. Which ultimately lead to the choices and actions, and dare it be said, adventures that followed, culminating in three additional Librarians to Mr. Carson's non-retired status as The Librarian.

Cassandra Cillian, Jacob Stone, and Ezekiel Jones.

When she was young, Cassandra was a math prodigy, and great things were expected of her. She won awards for academic excellence, trophies for many numerous science fairs, and she always got an A+ on every homework assignment and test. And then, when she was fifteen, the doctors diagnosed her with a oligodendroglioma, a frontal lobe brain tumor which was about the size of a grape. Brain cancer. She retained her intelligence and personality, but she became a synesthete. Synesthesia, where numbers are color, science is musical notes, and math is smells. For Cassandra, it was full on hallucinations and seeing the whole universe, sometimes more than one, in her head.

When first brought into the Library, she was in awe of the magic and all that it represented. And so, when the Serpent Brotherhood promised to use that magic and power, which the Library was hoarding and keeping out of the hands of the whole world, to save her life, she had no choice but to help them break in and steal from the Library. Of course, they almost immediately betrayed her and were going to kill her the moment she was no longer useful, but the other Librarians rescued her before that could happen. Flynn offered her the very power and magic that could save her life and cure her brain cancer. She gave it up to save his life instead, and after that she joined the Library and became one of the newest Librarians.

Quite recently, only a few months previously, the ticking clock that was the 'brain grape' in her head started to run out. Her doctors had a procedure that could potentially save her life, news that she'd been hoping for since she was fifteen years old. The surgery was risky, but if successful, she would live. But Cassandra had been a Librarian for a number of years by that point, and she'd turned her burden of being a synesthete into a wonderful and amazing gift that she did not want to lose. And the possibility existed that if she went through with the procedure, she would lose the gift that made her special amongst the Librarians. Jenkins, however, quickly uncovered what was going on and narrowly managed to retrieve Cassandra from the mission she was on and get her to the hospital in time. To her amazement, her gift was not gone, instead it had expanded and grown phenomenally!

Cassandra could now process raw data and magically share her thoughts and that data with others.

Jacob Stone was the son of an oil rigger and grew up in Oklahoma, and until Eve Baird showed up to rescue him from a bar fight with ninjas, in Oklahoma, he'd never lived more than five miles from the town where he grew up. He has a recorded IQ of 190, and is a student and expert in the subjects of history, art, surveying, literature, architecture, engineering, archaeology, egyptology, and martial arts. Although that last one only after spending time in Shangri-La and studying under the Monkey King.

He'd be the first to admit that he and his father never got along, but rather than face up to his problems, or even try to run away, Jacob just spent twenty years keeping his head down, while expressing his true passions using pseudonyms and other aliases to publish literary works and dissertations in all the academic fields he loved. The amazing part of that is that he never went to any school, getting all of his degrees via correspondence and distance learning.

When he first came to the Library, he did his best to support all the others and basically fulfill a 'big brother' type of role. He was hurt the most by Cassandra's initial betrayal of the Library and it took them a long time to regain that lost trust. As for Ezekiel, Jake has never trusted the thief and the two constantly get on each other's nerves, though he at least knows the Australian would never betray him, and likewise he would never betray the egotistical thief, and neither of them would ever betray the Library.

He spent the majority of his time, when not out in the Field with the other Librarians, reading through the Library's vast collection of knowledge, studying and learning the true history of the world. After the Egyptian god of chaos and darkness, Apep, was released, however, he started pursuing his newest field of study, the martial arts. At first it was just weekly lessons and sparring with the Guardian, Eve, but he soon learned everything she had to teach, and so Jenkins got him a 'work study program' with the Monkey King, ruler of Shangri-La. He very quickly picked up the basic forms and technique after technique, until he could actually best his "sifu" in straight up sparring, where the only rule was 'no magic', which the Monkey King certainly had in spades, and he offered to teach Jacob some of them, but the Librarian refused. He'd seen first hand the corrupting influence of magic, even on those with the best of intentions, and he had no desire to succumb.

Nevertheless, one does not enter the world of magic, the world of the Library, without being touched by it in turn. As reward for saving Shangri-La and his sifu from an evil that would have destroyed both, Jacob was granted the Power of the Inner Soul, taking the form of an intricate tattoo on his right forearm. What precisely that power does, Jacob Stone is still discovering to this day, though it did play a vital role in defeating Apep, that the tattoo did not vanish after the battle had ended speaks that its purpose has yet to be fulfilled.

Ezekiel Jones.

The name of the world's most infamous and self-aggrandizing thief. Every job he's pulled, every piece of art, jewels, or other priceless relic that he's stolen, he made sure that everyone knew that he had stolen it, and not anyone else. Of course he didn't keep any of it. While he's never had any trouble fencing anything that he's stolen, Ezekiel came to understand very early in life that it isn't what you have that makes life worthwhile, but what you do with what you have. Save for what he needs to live comfortably on his own, he gives away and donates practically all the money that he 'earns' from stealing. Which is probably the one aspect of his life that he doesn't freely advertise.

To be fair, he's not the world's greatest and certainly not the best thief, though to hear him tell it that is not the case. He's made mistakes, and there are some tricks or traps or security systems that he couldn't get past, even on his best day. At least, not working alone.

Since joining the Library, Ezekiel Jones has learned the value of true friendship and done the impossible, at least once a week, twice before Friday. He's also risen to the occasion and proven that the trust placed in him by the other Librarians was not misplaced. And while he does, quite often, misuse and possibly abuse the magical artifacts placed within the confines of the Library, when it comes right down to it Ezekiel Jones will stand by his friends and do what is right, for the Library, for the world... but mostly for himself.

Though, none of that changed the fact that they were all getting on each others nerves, and from the context of the shouting, Jenkins had finally deduced what had happened.

"Would one of you care to explain to me," he interrupted, loud enough to be heard over their own shouting, "why there is a stampede of dodgeballs barreling down the hallways of the Library?"

"I was trying to make bludgers," Cassandra confessed, barely pausing to take a breath between words, "the magical balls from the books about the ancient wizard sports games? I didn't really get a lot of the details, but I thought that having magical flying iron balls that home in on the enemies could be a good security measure. Not that Excalibur isn't an amazing and awesome security artifact already, that happens to fly through the air, but we all need back-up, right? Uh, anyway, I kinda messed up on the spell work, and instead of bludgers, I think I made a single dodgeball that replicates itself exponentially every time it hits the target."

"Have you tried catching the ball?" Jenkins remarked with a sigh. "As I recall, that is one of the ways to 'out' the thrower in the game's official rules."

Almost as though in response to the immortal's statements, a few of the dodgeballs found there way into the annex room and immediately shot at each of the Librarians in turn, Jenkins included. Stone's arms flashed out and immediately caught the balls headed for himself and Cassandra. Ezekiel did a standing no-hand cartwheel and caught the ball on its rebound. Jenkins, he was sad to say, was forced to use both hands to catch the red rubber sphere careening toward his head, rather than just the one hand as Stone had employed. In a flash, all of the balls, save for the one in Jenkins' hand vanished, even the ones still bouncing around the rest of the Library.

"Erhrm," he cleared his throat, carefully handing the enchanted object over to Ms. Cillian. "Be sure to adequately disenchant that object before you destroy it."

She just nodded her head, holding the ball tight, so it wouldn't drop and start the mess all over again.

Shortly after the Librarians had left to complete the simple errand, Jenkins attention turned toward the ringing phone. He checked his watch, surprised that it had taken this long for Mr. Carson and Col. Baird to call for a return Door. He picked up the phone just in time to hear the Guardian on the other end shout, "Jenkins! We need a door!"

Knowing that the Colonel only screamed with that kind of urgency when time was of the essence, Jenkins wasted no time in rushing over to the globe and setting the Back Door for their exact coordinates. It felt like a small lifetime before the connection was established and the double swing doors lit up with magical energy and opened on their own. He held his breath, ready to break the connection the moment the Librarian and Guardian were safe on this side of the Door, and hopefully cutting off whatever danger was threatening them.

Jenkins waited by the globe controlling the Back Door.

TL—WH-13

Warehouse 13

Norse Viking Aisle

(Bionicverse)

"So, what do you think?" Pete asked Myka as they made their way down the appropriate aisle. "Leave this bit of bling next to the 'Eye of Odin', Eric Bloodaxe's axe, Bjorn Ironside's helmet, or Thor's walking stick? Myka?"

"Huh? Did you say something, Pete?" she said distractedly, arms crossed, and head tilted to the right.

"You're not," he started to say, but when she looked back at him he already knew the answer even as he asked the question, "You're still mad at Artie for that trick with the plane and the parachuting? Look, Myka, you did great, and I had you the whole way, you were never in any danger..."

"That's not the point, Pete!" she snapped at him, stalking away.

Pete looked back and forth between his departing partner, the Artifact in his gloved hands, and the shelf where he'd been about to place it. Finally, he scowled at himself and gave a very Artie-like grumble before taking off after his partner (in more ways than one), the Artifact still in his possession.

"OK, so, uh, what is the point then?" he asked as he chased after her.

"We've been here for years now, Pete," she said.

"Yeah, about five and a half, almost six years now, by my count," he agreed. "And its been amazing! I mean, I'm pretty sure I made that clear with that whole meltdown I had when Mrs. Fredrick told us the Warehouse was moving, and then you told me you loved me and I told you I loved you and we started dating and..."

Myka reached out and put her hand over her partner's mouth.

"Still not the point, Pete," she sighed, releasing him after a moment.

"Then," he moved closer to her and put a comforting arm across her shoulders, "tell me what is, Mykes. I wanna help."

They'd stopped at the intersection, and Myka went over to one of the nearby shelves and sighed as she looked at the digital screen identifying Houdini's Wallet. Overhead, there was the Studio 54 Disco Ball. And just behind where Pete stood, not that he paid any attention, was Rheticus's Compass, right next to Howard Carter's Coffee Pot.

"This all started with just you and me, you know?" she mused out loud. "The President was visiting that museum, I was still dealing... Sam... and then we encountered our first Artifact."

"Ah yes, the Aztec zombie bowling ball from Hell," Pete remarked with an appropriate reminiscing look upon his face. "Y'know, I still stop by once a week just to make sure that thing is still secure in the Dark Vault?"

"Bloodstone," Myka automatically corrected him. "The Aztec Bloodstone. But then, after we both inadvertently saved the world by doing that, we both got transferred here! I'd thought, because I got the credit for saving the president's life, that I would be getting a promotion."

"And everyone, myself included," Pete added, "that because I got blamed for goofing off, that I was being punished. Or the very next step up from being fired. Turns out we both got the promotion. Best job ever, right?"

Myka grinned at him, but just turned back to facing the shelf without saying anything.

"Mykes?" Pete started to frown, starting to wonder what this was all about.

"I could've gone back to DC, Pete," she told him. "After our first official case was done, Dickinson called to say that I could go back, but I had ten seconds to say yes. I just let the time run out and hung up."

"Mind if I say duh here, Myka? Cause, 'Duh!' Best job ever!" Pete responded. "I mean, Artie, well he's always been grumpy, but he didn't baby us or treat us like newbs when we first showed up. He basically threw us into the deep end after giving us that tour that first day. America's Attic, Edison's bio-electric car, all of that, and then he just handed us the file and plane tickets and dropped us off in the deep end. And we swam Myka. Hell, don't know about you, but I started doing friggin laps!"

She gave him another grin, walking around behind him so she was now standing in front of the Compass. "Couple months later, Claudia showed up, started hacking the Warehouse, kidnapped Artie, and did everything she could to save her brother. First time we had to handle a case solo without Artie to call for backup. Wasn't the last though."

"Myka!" Pete spun her around, his hands on her shoulders. "What is this about? You're starting to freak me out just a little. Talk to me!"

"I've been thinking," she said, looking him in the eye. "About the future. My future. … Our future."

He released her, surprised, but still unsure as to what all this was about. He didn't say anything though, whether that was a rare bit of wisdom, or just Pete's usual state of confusion, Myka didn't bother dwelling on it, rather she continued speaking.

"You're right Pete. This is the greatest job in the world. But how much longer do you think we can keep doing this? I mean, look at the record for couples that have worked at the Warehouse! Claudia can't keep a boyfriend for more than a few weeks. Artie and Dr. Vanessa are off and on again that nobody can even be sure they are a couple anymore. And then there's Jack and Rebecca!"

"Hey!" Pete interrupted. "Just because Jack Secord and Rebecca St. Clair were Warehouse Agents... who died... does not make them us! Or us, them! Or... something!"

"They were partners, and in love, Pete," Myka pointed out. "And when Jack gave his life, when he died while trying to stop an Artifact—which nearly killed you too—Rebecca was so devastated that she left the Warehouse and didn't come back until we showed up on her doorstep!"

"Whoa! Whoa-whoa-whoa, WHOA! Stop the crazy train right there, Myka Bering!" Pete held out his palm in a stop gesture, his face contorted in grief, surprise, and determination. "Are you talking about leaving the Warehouse again? All because Artie made you jump out of a plane?! Myka, that doesn't even compare to the time HG tricked us all into helping her almost destroy the world! And, while Jinksie is awesome and a great guy, and he joined up because of the vacancy you left, I really don't want history repeating itself here. And again, really doesn't compare, even if you add on the whole BOLO thing."

"Pete!" Myka snapped at him. "I'm not leaving the Warehouse! Certainly not just because of," she shrugged and crossed her arms, "tonight. I, I've been thinking about this for a while now. And no, this isn't like just before Steve joined the Warehouse. This is," she sighed, "something different. I'm trying, I'm trying to picture my life in five years. Ten years. Fifty years from now. Assuming we both survive and are still alive and still sane and the world is still the same place and..." she trailed off.

"That's actually where I keep getting stuck at, actually," she said, tugging her curly dark brown hair back with one hand, keeping the other across her waist. "I mean, look at the history of the Warehouse. James MacPherson was Artie's partner for years, Pete. And look at what happened to him, he was corrupted by the power the Artifacts represent and turned against the Warehouse, tried to sell out to the highest bidder and everything. And he died."

"H.G. Wells, Helena," Myka had to take a breath before finishing, "After her daughter was killed, she lost herself to grief, and she tried to destroy the world after accepting that Warehouse 12 wouldn't help her bring her daughter back. Walter Sykes actually destroyed the Warehouse in another timeline, until Artie used an Artifact to save us, which slowly corrupted him and turned him evil where he turned around and tried to destroy the world. Which then brought the Warehouse to the attention of Sutton and his family and releasing Paracelus, the former Caretaker of Warehouse 9, who was corrupted and turned evil and tried to, not destroy, but rule the world after becoming immortal and all powerful through the acquisition of Artifacts. Admit it, Pete! Everyone having anything to do with the Warehouse becomes corrupted and evil, or they die, or, or, or..." She was cut off as Pete rushed forward and kissed her quiet.

They both kept the kiss going for as long as either could stand, not noticing how the Disco Ball was now shining, soft tunes of "I've Found Love" by Love&Kisses coming from it. Nor did they notice how the Coffee Pot began to steam, Thomas Dekker's Buckled Shoes began tapping a small jig on their own, the Gold Spike from the Trans-Continental Railroad was rolling along its shelf, and the Eye of Heimdall in Pete's back pocket suddenly began to glow with an inner light. They did, however, note how the whole place, and each other, suddenly smelled like apples, though.

Finally, they broke apart, though Pete kept his hands around the back of her neck as he stared into her eyes and said, "That isn't gonna happen to us, Mykes. Neither of us is gonna let the other one turn against the Warehouse, let alone be corrupted and turn evil. As far as that whole dying-thing? Well, its part of the job and we both accepted that a long time ago, otherwise neither one of us would've joined the Secret Service. And that is the awesome thing about having partners. We keep each other alive and save each others butts. Even if you get more out of this than me, cause my butt is so totally hotter than yours. I've told you I can bounce a quarter off my gluteus maximus, right?"

She pulled back and punched him in the arm, now widely grinning.

"Ehhh!" Pete hissed, rubbing his arm, but he waggled his eyebrows at her and whispered, "You do know that really turns me on, right?"

The grin turned more seductive, before falling back to a neutral smile as Myka brought her arms back down across her belly. Pete noticed this immediately and dropped all expression of hilarity.

"Myka, what, uh, what exactly is it that has you thinking about the future like this anyway?" he asked. "I mean, are you... are we... well, are you...? Cause, I swear, after the last time, I haven't gone anywhere near the Giltoy Dog Tags!"

"Doofus!" Myka scowled and hit him in the arm again. "I'm not pregnant! Geez Pete, we haven't even slept together!"

"Well, other than..." he was about to reference the time that they'd hazed Steve after Myka had come back and wound up in bed together with no memory of how it had happened.

"You know what I mean!" she snapped at him. "We haven't had sex, and... I haven't had sex recently, so no, I'm not pregnant! But."

"But?" he jumped on the lead. "But what?"

"But," she sighed, moving her hands from her belly to her hips, "I want a future, Pete. I want a future with you. I want a future with the Warehouse! I want to be with you and maybe someday marry you and sometime after that, have children. And, while you were holding me, keeping me safe while we parachuted down, I could, I could see it." At his open mouth to no doubt say something stupid, she rapidly spoke, "Yes, I could see the Warehouse, but I could also see what our future is going to be like. The fights. The missions. The adventure. The excitement, and the love. Because I do love you, Pete."

"I love you too, Myka," he automatically replied, meaning every word.

Around them, the Artifacts and Warehouse began to react more noticeably, and yet they still did not notice.

"But then we landed, and I realized that none of that is going to be possible."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't, nobody can predict the future, Pete! I could be affected by an Artifact that makes me hate you and try and kill you tomorrow! You could look at some woman on the street next week, and decide she's more worth your time than I am!"

"Myka!"

"Or, we could both die within the year!"

He had no words for that.

"I'm just, I just—I don't know what I am," Myka shrugged, hands dropping to her sides. "I guess I'm scared, and hopeful, but I'm supposed to be the pessimistic realist here, so I'm that too."

"Look, Myka, I—OWW! What the...?!" Pete suddenly jumped and pulled the jeweled necklace out of his pocket and held it out by the chain. The jeweled part was glowing, not brightly, but enough for the two Warehouse Agents to recognize that it had activated. "Oh damn!"

"Quick, the Neutralizer!" Myka ran for the corner of the aisle.

"Really wishing I'd already put this on the shelf, but I'll settle for this not blowing up in our faces and turning out so we don't die!" Pete screamed.

Howard Carter's Coffee Pot... did not conjure a ferret, instead it shot off a jet of steam, which blew open the Compass and shook the shelf bad enough that the Gold Spike rolled to the floor, the Buckled Shoes flipped up and released a rainbow while knocking the Disco Ball off where it began shooting out light and music at full volume. All combined, it was no surprise that Myka never made it to the Neutralizing Station and Pete dropped the necklace... on top of the Gold Spike.

Back in Artie's office, Claudia, Steve, Artie, and the just-arrived-as-it-happened Mrs. Fredric were treated to a Nuclear-level flash of light as alarms all across the board started to go off.

And Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering were... elsewhere.

WH-13—TL

The Library

St. Johns Bridge, Portland, OR

(BtVSverse)

Jenkins opened the Back Door to the correct coordinates. The magical gateway opened, the connection was established, and then...

There was a blinding flash of light, originating from the portal, after which the alarm began blaring throughout the Library. When Jenkins and the three Librarians could see again, still rubbing the spots from their vision, they noticed two figures lying prone on the floor.

"Mr. Carson! Colonel Baird!" Jenkins called out.

"EVE!" all three young people shouted as they raced forward.

Then they all came up short as they noticed one single glaring fact as they approached.

The two people, even now picking themselves off the floor of the Library, the most secret and protected assemblage of magic in the whole world, were not the Librarian and his Guardian. Jenkins, quite honestly, had no clue who they were, or why they had come through the Back Door instead of the intended targets!

"Uh, Myka?" the agent for Warehouse 13 asked his partner as he picked himself up off the floor, of a fancy looking library rather than the Warehouse, "Where are we?"

"I'm, uh, gonna have to get back to you on that, Pete," Myka responded.

TL—WH-13

Warehouse 13

(Bionicverse)

"Uh... Flynn?" Eve Baird groaned as she picked herself up off the floor, of an old warehouse rather than the Library, "Where are we?"

"I'm... gonna have to get back to you on that, Eve," Flynn Carson, the Librarian moaned, allowing his head to fall back to the floor.

Continued...