warehouse 13 (IC)

[Tyg3rW01f]

"Well, then someone swapped the actual bolt-action M70 rifle for a semi-automatic M21 at some point, Artie. I know my firearms, Boss."
Josiah tapped the print-out, "THAT is not the rifle in the warehouse. Where the rifle we have designated as Hathcock's came from, I do not know, but -certain as the fact both my Uncle Danny and my Gramma are dead and buried- it is NOT the genuine article."
Josiah sipped more coffee, "Maybe the one we have shelved has artifact qualities, if so, great. Please let me do the one digging on it? It may be one of the Delta Force rifles from Mogadishu in the 90s; it may even be the very first "White Feather" Special that was ever manufactured. But somehow, it wound up on our shelves."

[Tyg3rW01f]

Josiah went directly to Danforth 721 and followed the checkout procedure. He had a video camera, purple goo, the supposed Hathcock rifle, a voice recorder and $550 dollars. He got into the SUV he and Ted drove, then drove to Al's Firing Range.
"Al, I need the army rifle range, five paper targets and two boxes of 7.62x51 NATO," Josiah said, putting his money on the counter.
Al blinked, "Yeah, sure man."
Josiah added, "I need the range to stay clear." He slowly stressed the last two words and waved an extra C-note under Al's nose.
"Yeah, I can do that. Uh, you're with that Secret Service chick from Univille, right?"
"If I am?" Josiah showed his own badge as All slid the money back at Josiah.
"Hey, cool! I mean, uhm, cou-could you give her my number? She reminds me of Jamie Lee Curtis and well," Al paused, guiltily.
Josiah clicked to what Al was asking. "And you're wondering if I might give Samara your cell number, possibly ask if she'd consider a date. I could, sure. If..."
"Oh the range will stay clear! In fact, I'm hungry anyhow." Al flipped his sign to "Closed" and went into the office.
Josiah set everything up outside and made his notes.
The first target run was quite vanilla, so Josiah looked at the camera. "Target Run Number Two, Experimental. Variable: No protective gear. Saints preserve."
He removed the purple cheekrest from the rifle's stock, and then his gloves. Josiah was definitely not a Catholic, but he believed in hedging your bets, so as he snuggled into the rifle, he murmured, "Hail Mary, full of mercy and grace... pray now for this poor sinner, for he faces great danger."
Suddenly, Josiah found himself taking very rapid, highly accurate shots with the rifle, and shouting "Reloading!" Then his pistol was in his hands and he'd taken five more shots before he felt something hit him in back. The rifle slid from his hand and he fell to his knees as Josiah felt a warm, wet trickle down his back.
He fumbled for the Farnsworth, clicked the button twice, the "Oh S***, Save My A**" signal.
"Sam...?!"

[Sarlon]

What feels like an eternity later, Josiah wakes slowly to sounds of an irate female voice somewhat muffled, in a carefully controled quiet voice.

He feels the bed under him, with the hard uncomfrotableness of not his own, or even that of his B&B bed. He hears another more patient female voice carefully explaining something, though the words make little sense to his brain.

Moments later 2 women walk into his line of sight. One the hard angry face of Samara, and the other of a much older woman, clothed in doctor's scrubs and a white lab coat.

"You're awake? How do you feel?"

[Tyg3rW01f]

"Scared as hell, and..." Josiah dragged Sams arm to him in a desperate hospital bed hug. He cried as he hugged her arm.
"...And I am so damn glad to see you, Sam! I know where that damn rifle came from. It was SFC Randy Shughart's. He was killed defending the second crashsite in the Battle of Mogadishu. The helicopter scene in the film, "Black Hawk Down", y'know?"

[Sarlon]

She gives him a mock stern look, "Going to the firing range without me? Afraid I'd kick your ass again?" a warm smile crosses her face, "Gave poor Al a heartattack, You'll be fine, no damage, and you'll want to consider a good chiropractor or massuse, but so help me god if you do that again."

[Tyg3rW01f]

Josiah just held her arm and cried until he was no longer as terrified.

[Sarlon]

Samara shifts him just slightly and rubs his back mummering nonsense but calming words, until he pulls himself back together.

"So, now we know what this gun is, we need to handle getting the real thing back. This thing is dangerous, that thing is even more dangerous."

[Tyg3rW01f]

When Josiah got out of the hospital, he used Leena's help to put the rifle in its proper place. After turning on the touchscreen, he stood a long moment and simply saluted it.
"You fought and died for your brothers in arms Sergeant. You showed me what happened that horrible day, and you're more a hero than I could ever be. Godspeed."
With that, he dropped the salute and walked away, feeling better than he had in a week.

[Sarlon]

Josiah gets back to the B&B and hears Samara talking on her phone in the same angry tightly controled voice, giving someone the sharp edge of her tounge, and gesturing violently, while pacing most of the back garden of the B&B. He only hears a few words, and is apperently catching the tail end.

"Listen, I've been retired since oh nine, remember...."medical leave", you can't just call me back up, because his royal snootiness is demanding it..............uh huh.....yeah................." Josiah sees her hold the phone away from her ear and flip her phone the bird then puts the phone back to her ear rolling her eyes.

She spots him and gestures him to wait a moment, "Fine, I'll fly out this afternoon, I'm bringing a consultant............................yes he has clearance.........................well who in the blue bloody hazes think told me you fucking nitwit!"

She snaps the phone closed, closes her eyes and takes a long deep breath, slowly letting it out before turning to Josiah.

"Can of worms you opened up....pack your bags.....we're flying to Washington. You get to meet the president."

Samara turns on her heel, and walks briskly into the B&B grabbing a semi packed bag, her badge, a can of goo, 3 different guns, and ammo, back downstairs in under 10 minutes, talking to Leena, while waiting on Josiah.

[Mytical]

Ted could not help but over hear the phone conversation..Sam's voice carried. He thought about asking her, but thought better of it. If she wanted him to know, or to go..she'd tell him.

[Sarlon]

Ted watches Samara and Josiah drive off, and Leena walks up behind him.

"I do hope your comfortable...you seem to be the odd man out here lately. I think Artie was asking you to go to the warehouse later today, if you feel up to it."

[Mytical]

Ted nods. "Guess no time like the present..and as for being the odd man out...I am use to it."

[Sarlon]

When ted arrives at the warehouse the main "business" area is empty but the door leading into the warehouse proper is open slightly. He can hear artie muttering dark things and mumbling to himself just out the door.

"oh good you're here, we have a mess to clean up....Sam plus boredom equals lots of things being moved around or messed with, and Josiah brought up an interesting point....artifacts are missing, and being replaced with junk. We need to start doing an inventory. Anything missing or out of place make a note of it."

[Mytical]

Now that was something Ted could sink his teeth into. He had been making his own catalog for his own use already, but this be a more serious task. "I'm on it boss." With that Ted goes and starts checking his catalog notes first against what is currently there..then his catalog with the warehouse catalog.

[Sarlon]

When Ted deciedes to take a quick break much later (namely Leena showing up with food to make his mouth start gushing with drool), hes found over a dozen discrepencies. Some easily fixed, where an item was just in one place instead of another, but as he finds him self putting things where they belong, hes finding things that are missing completely, a worn or faded spot where a sign or device would of been to show something was there, others, just plain missing with nothing but a slightly dustier spot among other items.