“Implosion” is episode eight of season one of Warehouse 13.
This episode opens at the Warehouse. Pete finds a Japanese sword immediately picks it up and starts playing with it. Myka asks if there’s anything he doesn’t play with. The answer is no. Artie has actually made the sword, really quickly. It’s a duplicate of a sword that was owned by the royal family of Japan for centuries, but the original went missing. Said original has just been discovered and will be presented to the U.S. President. Pete and Myka have to get the real sword and swap it out for the duplicate.
A figure is seen at a place called Kluger Electronics in Washington, D.C. The figure is collecting an order of something from the proprietor. He doesn’t pay the maker with money, instead killing him with something odd – odd in a way that’s usually associated with the Warehouse (just how odd is revealed later).
At the Japanese Embassy, Myka and Pete are there to pick up the sword. Although they don’t know why. Pete says if it was really dangerous Artie would have told them. Bad thing to say; there’s a flash from behind some doors and the pair are sucked towards the doors. Pete sees a figure leaving afterwards.
Afterwards, Pete and Myka are being treated as suspects and refused entry into the room. Not that the Japanese know what happened. Or even if the sword is actually missing. They think the sword may have been vaporised by the bomb. Pete says that what happened was like a bomb, but backwards. An implosion in other words. What happened rings a bell with Artie; he thinks he knows what happened at the embassy. Pete and Myka need to get into the room, but there are other Secret Service agents there as well. Including Dickinson. He is not happy. With Artie. Dickinson wants Pete and Myka to leave but they don’t. Artie turns up as well as a surprise to both of them. Artie has a means of getting into the embassy unseen. It’s a firework. A really old firework.
Artie says that the destruction in the room was caused by an implosion grenade. Which would presumably be what was being picked up from Kruger Electronics. The sword isn’t destroyed; it’s been stolen. Artie thought he had got all the implosion grenades (he doesn’t know yet that more have been made), and clearly whoever stole the sword knows about the same things that the Warehouse does. If the Warehouse has competition, Pete and Myka say they need to know what the sword actually does. It apparently is so perfect that it splits light – making the holder invisible. There’s a piece of the sword missing though – and the unknown (currently; although Artie may know who it is) competitor will probably be after it, because the sword will likely not work without it.
Pete and Myka want to warn Dickenson but Artie (as they pointed out earlier) does not play well with others. Which does cause problems when Artie’s (so far undisclosed) past crops up. So Mrs Frederic has to get involved personally.
This episode sees the start of a multi-episode plot thread – the first one.