Those Who are Stuck in the Past are Forced to Relive it.

The insulated suits, gas masks, and body armor had set them back quite a bit, costing thousands of dollars. If they succeeded, Grandpa Artie would get funding up the wazoo from the investors, following a successful presentation. If they failed, they would both be dead (and the future irreparably damaged). Either way the two men wouldn't feel the sting of the financial setback.

Artemis took a final inventory to make sure they were ready. On top of the recently purchased equipment, they had dozens of homemade nitroglycerin and tear gas grenades, the syringe gun and the three remaining magazines of catrantula syringes, and the MS Psi scanner set in motion detection mode. They were as ready as they were going to be, and even though Artemis really wished that some of the combat savvy Dwarfers were present, he knew that it was time. He looked up from the bed where all the equipment was laid out, Grandpa Artie was putting on a bullet proof vest. "Ready?"

The rental sedan pulled up next to the warehouse. Inside, the Yakuza thugs milled about, guarding the illegal treasures that lay within. Two men met in the center of the break room. "Dono yō ni anata no tsuma ga yatte iru?" one muttered to the other, lighting up a cigarette. "Kanojo wa daijōbudesu, kanojo no ashi wa mada watashi o shikashi soto ni kurīpu" the other replied. The window above them shattered, a dented silver cylinder fell to the floor. The lid popped off and gas flooded into the room. As the two men fell to the ground in a coughing fit grenades flew into the building through windows in nearby rooms. The door to the main floor flew open, an older man stumbled out wheezing and trying to say something to the two men. A different looking cylinder landed in the room behind him. An explosion tore through the building. The two men looked up to catch two heavily armored assailants enter the building. The taller one walked up to them and fired on them with a strange gun. Syringes sank into their necks, and reality sank away.

Artemis pulled on the hammer and removed a broken syringe that was blocking up the chamber. "Uh....Greg, where did you get that thing from?" Grandpa Artie asked. "Uh...pet project of mine, I've never been a fan of firearms" Artemis aka "Greg" said sheepishly. "Well...I never pinned you for the violent type, but then again look where we are" Grandpa Artie replied, tossing another tear gas grenade into the next room. The pair proceeded through the building gassing and blowing up any resistance. It wasn't until they hit the main floor that the real fight began. Because of the large space, the gas wasn't as effective, and the gangsters were able to put up an effective resistance. Artemis and Grandpa Artie were pinned down behind a large crate.

Artemis popped up and fired several rounds into the hail of gunfire, missing each shot. "Shit! Can you hit them from here?" Artemis yelled. Grandpa Artie looked over the crate. He couldn't see anything past the haze and distant flashes. "I'm afraid not Greg. This was a bad idea!" Grandpa Artie replied. Artemis took a few seconds to concoct a plan. After some quick mental math Artemis pulled a grenade from his belt and lobbed it against a concrete beam. The grenade bounced off, triggering the fuse early, and flew into the middle of the room, exploding prematurely. "Argh! Watashi no mimi!" a voice cut through the cacophony. Artemis looked at his grandfather. Through the gas mask he could see a look of recognition. Grandpa Artie repeated the same process, the grenade exploded next to a group of stacked crates, sending shrapnel everywhere and removing some of the Yakuza cover. They lobbed several more grenades at them until the gunfire died down. Artemis lead his grandfather towards the ruin, carefully scanning for other gangsters.

The gang boss and his lieutenants gathered in the office. They kept their eyes glued on the barricaded entrance, gripping their weapons. There was a colossal explosion, the room was flooded with gas and shrapnel. Artemis entered first, he fired two syringes into a squirming lieutenant and advanced on the desk where the Pulse Drive plans, still in their manila envelope, where waiting. Before Artemis could grab it a loud shot rang out, Artemis was blown back. The boss, toting a shotgun, stood up and slowly approached the downed scientist. "Anata ga byōki no rokudenashi daun tsumorida!" the boss shouted as he prepared to fire. Grandpa Artie charged in and punched the boss. He reeled back and dropped his shotgun. Grandpa Artie slipped a grenade into the boss' jacket and kicked him out the back window. A short time later there was an earth shattering explosion. Grandpa Artie helped Artemis to his feet, and the pair shuffled over to the desk and marveled at the plans. "We did it Greg! We actually did it!" Grandpa Artie grabbed the envelope and sifted through its contents. "Thank science we did it! We...we...we have to get started on the presentation, we need to call the investors..." Artemis held up his hand. "First we're going to ditch all the evidence, next we're going to hock this body armor and use those funds to celebrate with a gambling free night in Las Vegas! After that, we'll worry about the presentation" Grandpa Artie smiled, patted Artemis on the shoulder and said "You're a good man Greg. Psychotic, but good"

After ensuring that there was no evidence, the Pritchard boys made a hasty escape, ditching all incriminating evidence and selling the body armor. They then set out to the Vegas strip, and after a night of non-alcoholic, non-gambling fun, the men went back to the hotel and got a good nights sleep to prepare for the re-do presentation.

TBC