WAREHOUSE 13 | A Star on the Horizon

WAREHOUSE 13 | A Star on the Horizon - Prelude

The morning sun shone into the breakfast room of the B&B, it was warming and gave the room a peaceful luminescence, an almost ethereal feel, that Steve Jinks always liked to experience - on his own.

It wasn't that he didn't like to share this feeling with his friends and colleagues at the Warehouse, quite the opposite, but he did feel the need to find his inner calm and balance, as soon as he could, every day. Lets face it in this job, tracking down the weird, wonderful and dangerous in the world, at a moments notice, he needed all the calm and balance he could get and within the warmth of the early morning sun, before everyone else was up, he could find this. He was certainly glad he had become a Buddhist before he became an agent of the Warehouse!

He placed his glass of orange juice and his bagel on the coffee table in front of the sofa, cursing himself for forgetting to find the waist tie for his robe, not that anyone else was up to see him looking half dressed, in just his robe, shorts and slippers, and sat down facing the sunrise.

He had at least an hour before anyone else would be up, due to a late night 'ping' sending all but him away on a wild goose chase in the early hours, so he decided to stay here and meditate as he was.

His meditation was all about discipline, his own physical discipline and his emotions too. He had never nodded off, even this early in the day, and wasn't likely to start either, due to being well practised, not to mention slightly self conscious of his current state of dis-dress.

In the light he sat, closed his eyes and began to breath. In his mind he saw a huge plane of glowing misty ground, almost completely blurred with an equally glowing misty sky. Peace, calm, steady breaths, he began to feel his total control returning to him. No distractions.

No, that had never been there before he thought. No distractions! A point of light had formed in the distant, out on the edge of what he saw in his mind. It had started almost out of reach of his senses, but was getting stronger. It shone brightly now, brighter as the seconds passed, closer and closer. He started to become confused, concerned almost, this was his one place he had total control, but he had not expected to see this, as the light from the distance was now so bright it completely enveloped him.

His eyes snapped open, as he gasped, completely taken aback. he had only felt peace and warmth in the light, but it was not something he had experienced before. As the shock of his loss of control subsided, he realised his breathing was fast and shallow, his vision blurred to the light of the room around him. He took a second to catch his breath and gather his thoughts.

"Aw, mornin' Mr Poopy pants!" It was Claudia.

"W-what?" he stuttered.

"Late night Jinksie?" Laughed a beaming Pete, peering at Steve from his breakfast plate. "While the folks are out all night does the little guy wanna sit up and watch late night TV?"

Steve was confused. Less than a minute ago he had sat in the room on his own, his meditation had gone completely off track, and now Pete and Claudia sat at the table behind him. There plates were empty. Used, but empty. \he looked at his watch. An hour had passed. No, he thought, that was not right. Something was wrong.

"But, I only just sat down!" he stumbled over his words, still slightly dazed.

"Well now Steve m'boy, if you gonna sit up all night watching TV, you are gonna fall asleep and you now how time flies when you go sleepy-by!"

Pete, still laughing, got up and went to sit by Steve on the sofa, seeing the chance to have an early run and getting a laugh at Steve's expense.

He put his arm around Steve, still looking dazed, mind still racing and Pete looked him up and down.

"You been working out Jinksie?" smiling broadly, "Yep, definitely been doin' those crunches I told you all about." he playfully patted Steve's abs, "but you got a long way to go before you catch me up, I am telling you!"

Steve jumped out of the chair, remembering he wasn't fully dressed, mumbling apologise, and something about discipline and something not being right, leaving the room in a hurry to go upstairs.

Pete saw the bagel and juice Steve had left behind and helped himself, looking at Claudia with a grin.

"Shame to waste it!"

"What yanked his chain?" Claudia mused.

"Isn't it obvious?" Pete looked bemused at her as if she had not seen the glaringly obvious, "he was embarrassed about such a stud like be noticing he's been workin' out, especially when he is only doing it to get me to notice! He is so besotted with me, and shy about it!"

Claudia nearly choked on her tea.

"Oh yeah. That is so what his problem is! How did I not see it!"

Pete of course didn't see her eyes roll emphasising her sarcasm.

Myka and Artie had now joined the two in the breakfast room.

"I have just seen Steve running upstairs," Artie barked, his usual stern tone breaking the silence, "what's got in his shorts so early in the day?"

Pete threw his hands defensively in he air, smiling broadly, "Don't look at me!" he baulked.

Claudia turned to them grinning, "Whoa there, euphemism overload!"

No sooner had she stopped talking when her eyes rolled once more, but this time in pain, her cup launching across the room, shattering on the floor as she reached in pain for her forehead.

Artie flew to Claudia's side, Pete and Myka instantly behind him.

"Claudia, Claudia what is it?" He begged.

Claudia fought to speak through the pain.

"Ware-house. Can't-keep-thoughts-in-control. Too-much-emotion."

"Claudia!" Myka took control, grabbing her hands, "Claudia, fight. Listen to my voice, follow my voice out of it. Hear only my voice and follow it clear of everything else. Come on honey. Listen to my voice and just keep focusing on it, only me come on Claudia."

Claudia began to calm, and regain control as Myka brought her back to he senses.

"Well done Ms. Bering" Mrs Fredrick stood by the door, fingers on her temples, but in much more control than Claudia.

"It's nothing really," began Myka "I have seen you do it for her before."

"Indeed." Mrs Fredrick began "None the less, thank you. I came as soon as I could, but I I must admit even I have only felt this a few times before in my time as caretaker of the Warehouse, very distracting, I must confess I wish I had been able to have someone help me the way you did Claudia." she stepped over to Claudia, "are you okay Miss Donovan? Do you understand?"

A dazed Claudia looked up at Mrs Fredrick. She looked tired.

"It's like the Warehouse, is..." she didn't want to say it, "excited."

Mrs Fredrick smiled warmly.

"Artie dear," she turned to him, his faced screwed up with concern and confusion, "unless I am very much mistaken, you are about to get a ping."

As she spoke he did indeed get a ping. As he read in his head what it was, his jaw dropped through the floor.

"You have got to be kidding." he looked to Mrs F, who's stern expression said not, "It really is? God! Pete, go and get Steve, we need to get to the Warehouse." even he looked excited "We need to be ready."

"Indeed." Mrs Fredrick smirked, slightly "Artie, that's what Claudia felt, what the Warehouse was feeling." she stepped up close to Artie, "He is coming."

Pete looked confused. "Someone wanna tell me who?"