[ Out of Lockdown ]
A problem shared is a problem halved
Claudia Donovan
Warehouse 13
1463 words
If she was dangerous, and she was, the best thing for everyone was if she just left.
That was the thought running through Claudia Donovan’s mind as she left Leena’s Bed and Breakfast. She rested her hand on the doorknob briefly, gathering her strength. She’d left Artie a note, explaining as best she could how James MacPherson had gotten into the Warehouse. She didn’t know how he’d used her, but Artie deserved to know that it was her fault. That she’d somehow opened the Warehouse door to his worst enemy.
She didn’t notice the dark haired woman across the street cleaning the windows of her business. She especially didn’t notice the woman turn to look at her as she hurried down the porch steps, adjusting her backpack as she walked. She didn’t know that the woman watched her until she turned the corner.
Claudia ran into a tall man with slightly long gray hair.
“Crap. I’m sorry,” she muttered.
He smiled at her, and Claudia couldn’t help but wonder about the expression. It seemed somehow unnatural. “It’s fine.” He looked at her, at her bag, then back at her. “Where are you headed?”
Claudia opened her mouth and closed it without answering. She had no idea where she was going to go. Switzerland? Nebraska? DC? NYC? Chicago? After a moment, she shrugged her shoulders. “Away.”
“You’ve missed the bus,” he pointed out. “Two hours until the next one.”
Claudia shrugged again. “I can wait. Don’t have anything better to do.” Her stomach growled.
“When you’d last eat?”
“Breakfast.”
“Let me buy you lunch.”
Claudia looked at him. Artie, Pete, and Myka would all tell her to run, scream, punch him. But she didn’t have anywhere to run, and it wasn’t like there was anyone who’d hear her scream. “Where?”
“Ted’s?”
“Sure.” There were bound to be people at the diner, so if things started to get out of hand, she’d flag down one of them.
Sure enough, there were several people, mostly single diners, in Ted’s. Claudia breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down at a table, and the man with her excused himself. He headed toward the back, to the restroom, Claudia assumed.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Theodora, whom Claudia had met a time or two after eating at the diner, smiled at her. “What can I get you? House special is the peanut butter pie. Just made one.”
“Really?” Claudia finally smiled. “My favorite.”
“Thought I remembered that right.”
“I’ll have the grilled ham and cheese, a Coke, and a piece of the peanut butter pie.”
Theodora-Ted-smiled at her and walked off.
Claudia looked up when she saw her companion returning. The bell above the door rang, and the young woman looked over.
Mrs. Frederic stood in the doorway. She looked around, and her gaze settled on Claudia. Claudia sunk down into her seat, as if she could hide there. The man who’d walked her here looked at Claudia briefly before he went to the door and locked it.
Claudia looked around and realized every one of the diners was staring at her. As Mrs. Frederic approached Claudia’s table, one of the diners stood up. He was middle-aged and shorter than Mrs. Frederick.
He walked with Mrs. Frederick. She sat across from Claudia and the man with her took a seat at the booth just across the aisle.
“Hello, Claudia,” Mrs. Frederick said.
Claudia only gave a little nod.
“Miss Donovan,” the man said in an accent Claudia couldn’t place.
“Who-?” Claudia began, looking back at Mrs. Frederic.
“You’ve heard about the Regents,” Mrs. Frederic replied. She spoke calmly and kept her eyes on Claudia.
Claudia felt her shoulders sink, and she nodded. “The Regents,” she muttered. She shifted in her seat and shrugged off her jacket before placing her arm on the table. “Okay. Do it.”
“Do it?” the man asked.
Claudia looked at him. “The injection? To banish me from the Warehouse?”
“She’s informed,” he said, looking at Mrs. Frederic.
“We’re not going to banish you from the Warehouse.” Mrs. Frederic looked at Claudia.
“But I let MacPherson-”
“We have reason to believe he had an accomplice who stole your login. And Harriet Tubman’s thimble.”
“Then why-”
The man cleared his throat. “I can explain that.”
Mrs. Frederic nodded at him.
“James MacPherson was supposed to be bronzed. Something, however, went wrong, and he managed to escape after putting the Warehouse into lockdown.”
“Lockdown?” Claudia repeated.
“He added new fortifications, so we cannot access the system and unlock the Warehouse. Agents Bering and Lattimer are still inside.”
Mrs. Frederick looked back at Claudia. “You’ve bypassed the Warehouse security once, and the Regents felt you might be able to do it again.”
Claudia blinked, taking a moment to process what she’d just heard. “Yeah, sure,” she finally said.
“You can work on our way,” the man announced.
Claudia stared but grabbed her bag and jacket when he and Mrs. Frederic both got up. “Can I get a steady signal in the car?” she asked.
“Yes,” Mrs. Frederic replied.
As the car rolled along, Claudia typed furiously. She swore several times under her breath when she ran into a block. MacPherson’s new programming was effective. Artie had been right-MacPherson was a worthy opponent to her computer skills. Even once the car stopped, she kept typing. She looked up at Mrs. Frederic.
“Um. Mrs. Frederic?”
“Yes, Claudia?”
Claudia climbed out and set her laptop on the ground. “Do you have your Farnsworth?” After the woman handed it to her, Claudia sat down in front of her laptop and pressed the button.
A moment later, Myka appeared on the screen, half frantic. “Mrs. Frederic!”
“…Nope,” Claudia replied.
“Claudia!”
“Hey, Myka.”
“Claudia, where’s-” As Myka spoke, Pete appeared behind her, leaning in to see the Farnsworth screen.
“Myka. Wait. Big favor needed.”
“Claudia! What-”
“Agent Bering,” Mrs. Frederic said, leaning over Claudia’s shoulder. “I will answer questions later.”
“Myka, please,” Claudia said. “Is Artie there?”
“Um, not right now,” Pete replied after he shared a look with Myka.
“Okay. Myka, you wanted to hack the grid? Lesson one coming up.” She started typing on her computer. “It should be lesson fifteen or so, but we need to do this now. I’m going to get you guys out.”
“Right,” Myka replied. “Tell me what you need.”
“Okay, I’m going to have you shutting off security from the inside so I can get past the added securities a bit more easily,” Claudia explained. She typed quickly, rattling off keystrokes to Myka.
After almost an hour, the door to the umbilicus opened.
“We did it,” Claudia announced, laughing. “Great job, Myka. Talk to you in a sec.”
“Claudia-”
But Claudia turned off the Farnsworth and closed her computer as Mrs. Frederic and the Regent went to the trunk of the car. Claudia hurried to the door and stared across the vast expanse.
“What the hell?” she whispered.
“MacPherson destroyed it,” the Regent explained, carrying several ropes. Myka and Pete appeared across the expanse. He knelt down and attached one rope to a barely visible hook in the ground, and the other two to each side of the door. “There are hooks on your side too,” he called over, tossing the ropes.
Pete and Myka each caught one and hooked them to the side, and Pete finished the bottom rope.
“Miss Donovan,” he said, gesturing to the ropes. “Go on.”
Claudia stared at him. “What?”
“Claudia,” Mrs. Frederic said.
“I’m going to die,” Claudia muttered. As she inched across the make-shift rope bridge, clutching to both sides. “I’m going to fall and break my neck and die. I’m so going to die.”
When she finally scrambled onto the hard floor of Artie’s office, she took a few steps and promptly sat down on the ground. Pete knelt beside her and hugged her. She gave him a tight embrace in return.
Mrs. Frederic and the Regent crossed with far more grace than Claudia had, and the Regent looked around. “Inventory will have to be done, see what he took with him,” he announced.
Claudia smiled, trying not to think about having to cross the bridge again to get out. She looked at Myka and grinned. “Awesome computer work.”
“Thanks,” Myka said, giving Claudia an uneasy smile.
Claudia looked around again. There was just one more person she needed to see… someone else she needed to hug. “Where’s Artie?”
Myka, Pete, Mrs. Frederic, and the Regent all looked at one another.
Claudia watched them exchange glances and felt a strange chill creeping up on her. “Where’s Artie?”
Pete wrapped his arm around Claudia’s shoulder, and Myka sat across from her.
Myka sighed and reached over, taking Claudia’s hands in hers. “Claudia…”
Claudia Donovan
Warehouse 13
1463 words
If she was dangerous, and she was, the best thing for everyone was if she just left.
That was the thought running through Claudia Donovan’s mind as she left Leena’s Bed and Breakfast. She rested her hand on the doorknob briefly, gathering her strength. She’d left Artie a note, explaining as best she could how James MacPherson had gotten into the Warehouse. She didn’t know how he’d used her, but Artie deserved to know that it was her fault. That she’d somehow opened the Warehouse door to his worst enemy.
She didn’t notice the dark haired woman across the street cleaning the windows of her business. She especially didn’t notice the woman turn to look at her as she hurried down the porch steps, adjusting her backpack as she walked. She didn’t know that the woman watched her until she turned the corner.
Claudia ran into a tall man with slightly long gray hair.
“Crap. I’m sorry,” she muttered.
He smiled at her, and Claudia couldn’t help but wonder about the expression. It seemed somehow unnatural. “It’s fine.” He looked at her, at her bag, then back at her. “Where are you headed?”
Claudia opened her mouth and closed it without answering. She had no idea where she was going to go. Switzerland? Nebraska? DC? NYC? Chicago? After a moment, she shrugged her shoulders. “Away.”
“You’ve missed the bus,” he pointed out. “Two hours until the next one.”
Claudia shrugged again. “I can wait. Don’t have anything better to do.” Her stomach growled.
“When you’d last eat?”
“Breakfast.”
“Let me buy you lunch.”
Claudia looked at him. Artie, Pete, and Myka would all tell her to run, scream, punch him. But she didn’t have anywhere to run, and it wasn’t like there was anyone who’d hear her scream. “Where?”
“Ted’s?”
“Sure.” There were bound to be people at the diner, so if things started to get out of hand, she’d flag down one of them.
Sure enough, there were several people, mostly single diners, in Ted’s. Claudia breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down at a table, and the man with her excused himself. He headed toward the back, to the restroom, Claudia assumed.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Theodora, whom Claudia had met a time or two after eating at the diner, smiled at her. “What can I get you? House special is the peanut butter pie. Just made one.”
“Really?” Claudia finally smiled. “My favorite.”
“Thought I remembered that right.”
“I’ll have the grilled ham and cheese, a Coke, and a piece of the peanut butter pie.”
Theodora-Ted-smiled at her and walked off.
Claudia looked up when she saw her companion returning. The bell above the door rang, and the young woman looked over.
Mrs. Frederic stood in the doorway. She looked around, and her gaze settled on Claudia. Claudia sunk down into her seat, as if she could hide there. The man who’d walked her here looked at Claudia briefly before he went to the door and locked it.
Claudia looked around and realized every one of the diners was staring at her. As Mrs. Frederic approached Claudia’s table, one of the diners stood up. He was middle-aged and shorter than Mrs. Frederick.
He walked with Mrs. Frederick. She sat across from Claudia and the man with her took a seat at the booth just across the aisle.
“Hello, Claudia,” Mrs. Frederick said.
Claudia only gave a little nod.
“Miss Donovan,” the man said in an accent Claudia couldn’t place.
“Who-?” Claudia began, looking back at Mrs. Frederic.
“You’ve heard about the Regents,” Mrs. Frederic replied. She spoke calmly and kept her eyes on Claudia.
Claudia felt her shoulders sink, and she nodded. “The Regents,” she muttered. She shifted in her seat and shrugged off her jacket before placing her arm on the table. “Okay. Do it.”
“Do it?” the man asked.
Claudia looked at him. “The injection? To banish me from the Warehouse?”
“She’s informed,” he said, looking at Mrs. Frederic.
“We’re not going to banish you from the Warehouse.” Mrs. Frederic looked at Claudia.
“But I let MacPherson-”
“We have reason to believe he had an accomplice who stole your login. And Harriet Tubman’s thimble.”
“Then why-”
The man cleared his throat. “I can explain that.”
Mrs. Frederic nodded at him.
“James MacPherson was supposed to be bronzed. Something, however, went wrong, and he managed to escape after putting the Warehouse into lockdown.”
“Lockdown?” Claudia repeated.
“He added new fortifications, so we cannot access the system and unlock the Warehouse. Agents Bering and Lattimer are still inside.”
Mrs. Frederick looked back at Claudia. “You’ve bypassed the Warehouse security once, and the Regents felt you might be able to do it again.”
Claudia blinked, taking a moment to process what she’d just heard. “Yeah, sure,” she finally said.
“You can work on our way,” the man announced.
Claudia stared but grabbed her bag and jacket when he and Mrs. Frederic both got up. “Can I get a steady signal in the car?” she asked.
“Yes,” Mrs. Frederic replied.
As the car rolled along, Claudia typed furiously. She swore several times under her breath when she ran into a block. MacPherson’s new programming was effective. Artie had been right-MacPherson was a worthy opponent to her computer skills. Even once the car stopped, she kept typing. She looked up at Mrs. Frederic.
“Um. Mrs. Frederic?”
“Yes, Claudia?”
Claudia climbed out and set her laptop on the ground. “Do you have your Farnsworth?” After the woman handed it to her, Claudia sat down in front of her laptop and pressed the button.
A moment later, Myka appeared on the screen, half frantic. “Mrs. Frederic!”
“…Nope,” Claudia replied.
“Claudia!”
“Hey, Myka.”
“Claudia, where’s-” As Myka spoke, Pete appeared behind her, leaning in to see the Farnsworth screen.
“Myka. Wait. Big favor needed.”
“Claudia! What-”
“Agent Bering,” Mrs. Frederic said, leaning over Claudia’s shoulder. “I will answer questions later.”
“Myka, please,” Claudia said. “Is Artie there?”
“Um, not right now,” Pete replied after he shared a look with Myka.
“Okay. Myka, you wanted to hack the grid? Lesson one coming up.” She started typing on her computer. “It should be lesson fifteen or so, but we need to do this now. I’m going to get you guys out.”
“Right,” Myka replied. “Tell me what you need.”
“Okay, I’m going to have you shutting off security from the inside so I can get past the added securities a bit more easily,” Claudia explained. She typed quickly, rattling off keystrokes to Myka.
After almost an hour, the door to the umbilicus opened.
“We did it,” Claudia announced, laughing. “Great job, Myka. Talk to you in a sec.”
“Claudia-”
But Claudia turned off the Farnsworth and closed her computer as Mrs. Frederic and the Regent went to the trunk of the car. Claudia hurried to the door and stared across the vast expanse.
“What the hell?” she whispered.
“MacPherson destroyed it,” the Regent explained, carrying several ropes. Myka and Pete appeared across the expanse. He knelt down and attached one rope to a barely visible hook in the ground, and the other two to each side of the door. “There are hooks on your side too,” he called over, tossing the ropes.
Pete and Myka each caught one and hooked them to the side, and Pete finished the bottom rope.
“Miss Donovan,” he said, gesturing to the ropes. “Go on.”
Claudia stared at him. “What?”
“Claudia,” Mrs. Frederic said.
“I’m going to die,” Claudia muttered. As she inched across the make-shift rope bridge, clutching to both sides. “I’m going to fall and break my neck and die. I’m so going to die.”
When she finally scrambled onto the hard floor of Artie’s office, she took a few steps and promptly sat down on the ground. Pete knelt beside her and hugged her. She gave him a tight embrace in return.
Mrs. Frederic and the Regent crossed with far more grace than Claudia had, and the Regent looked around. “Inventory will have to be done, see what he took with him,” he announced.
Claudia smiled, trying not to think about having to cross the bridge again to get out. She looked at Myka and grinned. “Awesome computer work.”
“Thanks,” Myka said, giving Claudia an uneasy smile.
Claudia looked around again. There was just one more person she needed to see… someone else she needed to hug. “Where’s Artie?”
Myka, Pete, Mrs. Frederic, and the Regent all looked at one another.
Claudia watched them exchange glances and felt a strange chill creeping up on her. “Where’s Artie?”
Pete wrapped his arm around Claudia’s shoulder, and Myka sat across from her.
Myka sighed and reached over, taking Claudia’s hands in hers. “Claudia…”