Implosion, part 8
Interrogation Room
U.S. Secret Service HQ
Washington, D.C.
Well. This is a revolting development.
Apparently the treason charges that indirectly drove Artie to the Warehouse in the first place have been dredged up from the dustbin of history to be used against him as he tried to retrieve the missing piece of the Honjo Masamune. So now he's handcuffed in an interrogation room, awaiting transfer to a 'secure facility.'
It could be worse. At least Dickinson allowed Pete and Myka to have a few minutes alone with him. Of course, neither of them are particularly happy with Artie just now.
Pete leans back in his chair. "Just tell us that the charges aren't true. We both know, so just tell us."
"I can't," Artie replies. "They're true."
Pete is taken aback. "Okay, that's... that's not..."
"I had my reasons." And frankly, it's none of your business.
"Artie, Homeland Security's coming to pick you up," says Pete quietly. "You need to give us a way to help you, now."
"You need to concentrate on the mission, not worry so much about me. Mrs. Frederick fixed this once, and she can fix it a--" Artie stops short.
Myka speaks up for the first time since she entered the room. "This whole thing could've been avoided if you'd just told us anything. About the sword, the tsuba, your past--anything, Artie! We could've helped, we could've run interference with Dickinson, if you'd just trusted us!"
"So, so what happens now, Artie?" asks Pete. "I mean, what happens with the Warehouse? I mean, what, are we in charge?" Off Myka's look: "What? I think we should know!"
Artie's barely listening. "She fixed all of this. Mrs. Frederick, she fixed all of this, years ago," he mutters, staring at a blank spot on the wall. "It's him, too. It has to be..."
Myka moves to the chair nearest Artie and leans close to him. "Okay, Artie, this isn't just about the treason, alright? You also burglarized the Secret Service."
"So I'll spend a little time in prison," says Artie dismissively. "You're not getting what is important here."
"I'm not getting what's important??" Myka gives him a look that says Are you insane?.
"And the fact that I changed my name, which, by the way, I did so the Soviets wouldn't find me, not to hide from our government," he adds. "Important that Mrs. Frederick fixed all this. She expunged all the charges. Someone obviously un-fixed it."
Myka grabs Artie's wrist. "Artie, focus."
"Oh, I'm focused," says Artie vehemently. "Here's the key: Who gave Dickinson my file? Find out, and that'll take you directly to who has the sword, and that will lead you to MacPherson."
Pete and Myka respond almost simultaneously: "Who??"
The door opens. "Time's up," says Dickinson.
It takes another forty-five minutes for Mrs. Frederick's bodyguard to arrive with a packet of papers in hand. "Oh, finally," says Artie, standing up to greet the man as he enters. "Hi."
The bodyguard, as ever, says nothing. He just hands the papers to the men guarding the room and steps over to remove Artie's handcuffs.
The shorter of the two guards frowns down at the paper. "Who's 'Mrs. Frederick'?"
"I'd tell you," says Artie as he trails the bodyguard out of the room, "but then he'd have to kill you."
Mrs. Frederick's limo is waiting just in front of the building. Mrs. Frederick herself is waiting in the backseat, giving Artie an over-the-glasses Look.
"Before you say anything," says Artie as he slides into the seat next to her, "I know that I mangled this. I know I ran in there impulsively without thinking, without my bag, because I had a bigger--"
Mrs. Frederick cuts him off in mid-apology simply by lifting the paper in her hand--which happens to be the paperwork from Artie's arrest back in '69. "Someone dug you up."
Artie gapes at her and the papers for a long moment. He shouldn't really be this surprised, but... "So you know. It's MacPherson. I'm right!"
"Yes, I'm afraid you are," It's not often that Mrs. Frederick admits that she was wrong; if you blink, you might miss it. "Now it's up to you to stop him."
It takes a moment to sink in. Pete and Myka are being escorted out of DC, and even if they weren't, they don't know James MacPherson like Artie does. Artie worked with the man for years, he's got a better chance of finding James than anyone alive. He's got to move, and he's got to move now.
...only this time he's going to remember to bring his bag with him.
[Dialogue from Warehouse 13 episode 1x08, "Implosion."]
U.S. Secret Service HQ
Washington, D.C.
Well. This is a revolting development.
Apparently the treason charges that indirectly drove Artie to the Warehouse in the first place have been dredged up from the dustbin of history to be used against him as he tried to retrieve the missing piece of the Honjo Masamune. So now he's handcuffed in an interrogation room, awaiting transfer to a 'secure facility.'
It could be worse. At least Dickinson allowed Pete and Myka to have a few minutes alone with him. Of course, neither of them are particularly happy with Artie just now.
Pete leans back in his chair. "Just tell us that the charges aren't true. We both know, so just tell us."
"I can't," Artie replies. "They're true."
Pete is taken aback. "Okay, that's... that's not..."
"I had my reasons." And frankly, it's none of your business.
"Artie, Homeland Security's coming to pick you up," says Pete quietly. "You need to give us a way to help you, now."
"You need to concentrate on the mission, not worry so much about me. Mrs. Frederick fixed this once, and she can fix it a--" Artie stops short.
Myka speaks up for the first time since she entered the room. "This whole thing could've been avoided if you'd just told us anything. About the sword, the tsuba, your past--anything, Artie! We could've helped, we could've run interference with Dickinson, if you'd just trusted us!"
"So, so what happens now, Artie?" asks Pete. "I mean, what happens with the Warehouse? I mean, what, are we in charge?" Off Myka's look: "What? I think we should know!"
Artie's barely listening. "She fixed all of this. Mrs. Frederick, she fixed all of this, years ago," he mutters, staring at a blank spot on the wall. "It's him, too. It has to be..."
Myka moves to the chair nearest Artie and leans close to him. "Okay, Artie, this isn't just about the treason, alright? You also burglarized the Secret Service."
"So I'll spend a little time in prison," says Artie dismissively. "You're not getting what is important here."
"I'm not getting what's important??" Myka gives him a look that says Are you insane?.
"And the fact that I changed my name, which, by the way, I did so the Soviets wouldn't find me, not to hide from our government," he adds. "Important that Mrs. Frederick fixed all this. She expunged all the charges. Someone obviously un-fixed it."
Myka grabs Artie's wrist. "Artie, focus."
"Oh, I'm focused," says Artie vehemently. "Here's the key: Who gave Dickinson my file? Find out, and that'll take you directly to who has the sword, and that will lead you to MacPherson."
Pete and Myka respond almost simultaneously: "Who??"
The door opens. "Time's up," says Dickinson.
It takes another forty-five minutes for Mrs. Frederick's bodyguard to arrive with a packet of papers in hand. "Oh, finally," says Artie, standing up to greet the man as he enters. "Hi."
The bodyguard, as ever, says nothing. He just hands the papers to the men guarding the room and steps over to remove Artie's handcuffs.
The shorter of the two guards frowns down at the paper. "Who's 'Mrs. Frederick'?"
"I'd tell you," says Artie as he trails the bodyguard out of the room, "but then he'd have to kill you."
Mrs. Frederick's limo is waiting just in front of the building. Mrs. Frederick herself is waiting in the backseat, giving Artie an over-the-glasses Look.
"Before you say anything," says Artie as he slides into the seat next to her, "I know that I mangled this. I know I ran in there impulsively without thinking, without my bag, because I had a bigger--"
Mrs. Frederick cuts him off in mid-apology simply by lifting the paper in her hand--which happens to be the paperwork from Artie's arrest back in '69. "Someone dug you up."
Artie gapes at her and the papers for a long moment. He shouldn't really be this surprised, but... "So you know. It's MacPherson. I'm right!"
"Yes, I'm afraid you are," It's not often that Mrs. Frederick admits that she was wrong; if you blink, you might miss it. "Now it's up to you to stop him."
It takes a moment to sink in. Pete and Myka are being escorted out of DC, and even if they weren't, they don't know James MacPherson like Artie does. Artie worked with the man for years, he's got a better chance of finding James than anyone alive. He's got to move, and he's got to move now.
...only this time he's going to remember to bring his bag with him.
[Dialogue from Warehouse 13 episode 1x08, "Implosion."]