Emily Lake, Act IV: Redux

I try pretty hard to align the fic I write with series canon whenever possible; that said, I get a little pissed at the writers when they throw their own character matrices to the wind. As, for example, in the notorious scene in the woods during Act IV of Emily Lake.

Pete "Never-Leave-a-Man-Behind" Lattimer, choosing to do HG in on the supposition that she might have something the bad guy wants? Feisty Myka Bering - and a particularly pissed off Myka Bering, if I'm following the character's arc correctly - choosing to walk away while Pete commits murder in the name of convenience? Never mind that it's Helena: Myka wouldn't let him do that to anybody.

Some moments make it to the screen which are so preposterously contrived and strain so much of credulity, that I feel justified in thumbing my nose at the establishment. I do try to confine my alterations to short bursts of screen time, following canon as closely as possible: The game's just more fun that way. (I don't mind at all fitting in pieces of head canon around what appears on screen, of course. How could we build the joyful duo of Wells and Bering, Bering and Wells without a little creative storytelling? : )

The usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters, this universe, the text I altered, based on the script from Emily Lake; they are all the property of their creators. I don't plan to profit by any of it, yada yada, so on and so forth, and by the way, if I did own them, there'd be a lot less subtext and a lot more maintext. Let the girls get a room, for gods' sake!

This fic assumes pretty complete familiarity with the events of the episode.

Myka was angry. She'd been angry for hours; had felt it building. It had started with Pete: his predictable growling and snapping at the first mention of HG Wells' name. Oh, she understood. He was angry with HG, not just because she'd tried to destroy the world, but because he had seen how much HG had hurt Myka. That was understandable, even endearing, but Pete refused to see all that had happened since. Granted, he didn't have Myka's more intimate knowledge of Helena's psyche, nor had he read her recent psych evaluation, as had Myka and Artie (Claudia, too: though no one knew that but Claudia. "Mad hacking skills, yo.")

But that was no excuse for him to degenerate into such a Neanderthal every time the inventor was named. Really, Myka wished he'd just grow up and get over it. On a typical day, she chose not to fight him on it: Once he launched into a tirade, there was no shutting him up. But this, she reflected grimly, was not a typical day.

Frustration with Pete had melded with frustration at the Regents. What right did Jane Lattimer have to stop her from doing her job? Never mind that her professional instincts were completely drowned at the first mention of Helena's name. Never mind the clamoring in her mind to go, to do something, and right now, because Sykes wanted Helena and how could Helena possibly protect herself in her holographic state and Myka didn't even know where she was, and how the hell was she supposed to do anything if no one would give her any information? Never mind any of that. Except, of course, that the Regents' interference was what fueled Myka's slowly building anger.

Then there was the shock of meeting Emily Lake. Myka's first reaction: (Well, her second reaction. The first had been involuntary: breath catching, heart pounding, struggling to swallow against a dry throat, as time stood still for a woman who could not, in that moment, have told you her own name.)But hard on the heels of this, thoughts grounded in shock and confusion. What was Helena doing here? How was she here, physically handling papers, books, an eraser: all the detritus of a high school classroom? What did it mean? Myka's mind had spun in a dozen directions. How had Helena escaped her holographic prison? What did it mean that she was no longer confined? All the fear that had hovered at the back of Myka's consciousness these past months - that HG, mind trapped once again in a psychological prison, might descend again into that bubble of madness that had consumed her during her time in the Bronze - all of that fear was ignited in one blazing moment.

And then, in the midst of the fear, anger had bloomed. Myka's training helped her contain it all inside of her head, but Myka knew the dam was near to bursting. What did Helena think she was doing? All these months of rehabilitation, of rebuilding; all the healing and hopefulness and trust and sheer, emotionally overloading labor that the recovery had cost Helena, had cost Myka, and she was throwing it away? On some… ridiculous plot?

"Do the Regents know you're here?" was what she had asked Helena – no, asked Emily Lake – but what she should have said was, "What the HELL do you think you're doing?"

That anger had been quelled quickly, replaced by awareness that this woman, this frightened, squirming, quailing schoolteacher, now inhabited the body that had once been filled with the brilliance, the beauty, the vitality that was HG Wells. The ignominy of the situation drove Myka toward indignation, the resentment swirling beneath the surface, a brewing maelstrom that blended perfectly with the feelings that had been building since the moment that morning when she had first heard Helena's name.

Frustration with Pete's mulishness.

Frustration with the Regent's heavy-handed obstructionism.

The shock of seeing Helena again, alive, physically present.

Rage, however undeserved, that (as she had believed for a few short moments) Helena had chosen escape so callously.

Indignation (and yes, frustration, albeit of a different kind) that it was not Helena standing there before her after all.

Oh, yes. Myka was angry.

And now Pete had pulled the SUV off the highway, ushered them all into a clearing in the woods, and made them stand and listen while he explained his perfectly brilliant plan to – as he put it – protect the Warehouse.

"We've got to destroy the Janus Coin."

"What!"

"Listen, I know you're gonna think this is personal…"

"Of course it's personal! You're talking about killing a human being."

"No, Myka, I'm talking about destroying the thing that Sykes is after. We can stop him, right here; right now!"

Myka shook her head in denial. She's not a thing, Pete, no matter what you'd like to believe. "Pete, HG has one of the greatest minds in history: It'd be like burning down a library, with a friend trapped inside!" And not just a friend, you buffoon! She'd spent so much time avoiding discussing HG with Pete, with Pete's damnable stubbornness, that avoidance had become habitual.

"I know, it's unfortunate. But we're at war, and wars have casualties." This from the self-professed life-long Marine: Leave no man behind, indeed. Unless, of course, she was someone he didn't particularly care for. When had Pete ever refused the opportunity to save someone, anyone?

"No." Myka was adamant. Not happening, Pete. You don't get to make this call.

"Okay. You'd rather live with the possibility that Sykes might get what he wants, then?"

"H.G. would never help him."

"Myka, the man can get information from anyone. Even Steve is working for him!" So that was it. This was Pete, panicked. Pete, betrayed. Pete, finally scared enough that he was running from his own principles.

Claudia, though, was not ready to give up on hers. Pete's declaration of Steve's betrayal was something Claudia could never accept. She spoke out quickly in Steve's defense. "No way, Pete! Steve's not with Sykes! I know he's not."

Pete was torn, incapable of fighting them both simultaneously. "Okay, just hold on, both of you. We have to deal with reality." But Claudia had no interest in listening to Pete. She turned her back and stalked toward the SUV. "Wait, Claudia… hey, Claudia!" Pete shook his head in frustration, then turned back to Myka. "Myka, think about this for a minute. I'm just thinking of the greater good. As long as that coin exists, Sykes can use it against the Warehouse."

"The answer is no. We cannot; I will not, destroy H.G. Wells." And you should know that by now, Pete. God, you should know that. Haven't you been paying attention? Studying Pete's face, Myka searched for some acknowledgment of her feelings, her need. But all she found was an expression of injured betrayal. Unbelievable.

"May I offer an opinion?" Helena's voice, Helena's form standing next to her, holographic or otherwise, the power of Helena's presence: that was the last thing Myka needed just now. She needed to focus on Pete. Damn it, Claudia!

"I think she should be part of this discussion."

"There is no discussion!" Myka had no intention of giving any of them any leeway whatsoever.

"I quite agree. If you truly wish to protect the Warehouse, you must destroy the Coin. Destroy the Coin, and whatever Sykes wants from me will be lost." Helena was calm; too calm.

Myka considered for an instant what made Helena reach toward this solution. The woman's blasted sense of nobility, her damnable guilt, compelled her to sacrifice. Myka's eyes sought Helena's and she saw Helena's truth written there: she would, indeed, give up her life for this slim chance. To protect Myka. To protect them all. For Helena desperately needed to believe that she had given to them, that she had done good: Some recompense for the hurt that had gone before. But not like this, Helena. Still, for a moment, tenderness overcame Myka's anger.

"But… you'd be gone. You'd be dead." The acceptance that Helena's expression radiated was far too painful for Myka to see; she turned a took a few faltering steps away from Helena's holographic avatar. "The price is too high." Myka's gaze focused on the ground at her feet, but she could still feel the connection with Helena, palpable despite their separation. Pete, ever intrusive, broke the moment.

"Well, but what about Emily Lake? If Sykes can put HG back together, she's in danger." And what is Emily Lake? Myka felt a simmering anger at the thought that Helena, H.G. Wells, would so readily give up all that she was, all that she possessed, so that a mere shell of a shadow of a memory of an artificial life could continue. What could Emily Lake possibly be, that would be worth this greater sacrifice? Myka was vaguely aware that she was brushing aside an important moral consideration, but that fleeting doubt was carried away by the tide of her certainty: She would preserve Helena's life. She would. No mere construct, an invention of the Regents, would stand in the way of this.

"Destroy me and Emily will be of no value to him. Myka, you say she's a teacher, that her students love her. Then let me live on through her."

"We can rescue Emily Lake. I promise you that." That was Pete, trying to recapture some of his Captain America bravado. He needed something that felt noble and certain, something to cling to.

"I have every confidence that you will." Helena turned to Pete with, of all things, a nod of approval. Their conversation was asinine. Two noble fools, pursuing noble stupidity. Months of wishing that Helena and Pete could find some common ground, and this was what finally united them? Myka was glad of Claudia, standing there behind Helena, clutching the Sphere to her chest. Glad of the disbelief in the young woman's eyes, the incredulous shaking of her head. At least someone here was beyond this insanity.

"Myka, we must think rationally and not emotionally. And quickly, before I remember that I'm not this noble." Myka almost laughed aloud at that. Myka was thinking emotionally? Myka needed to be rational?

"It's the right thing to do, Myka. You realize that, don't you?" Pete's earnestness could not be denied. How he wanted to do the right thing! How they both did. Boyish certainty and age-old remorse, standing shoulder to shoulder. Myka could have Tesla-ed the pair of them.

"Both of you, just… stop it! Stop talking for a minute." They both looked taken aback: Pete, slightly wounded; and Helena, full of concern and tenderness and… Myka turned from her. Unable once again to meet the author's gaze, she focused her attention on Pete.

"The right thing to do? Are you even thinking, Pete? HG has a piece of information Sykes wants. Yeah, well, it's not like that hasn't happened before. When's the last time I knew something, or you knew something, something that could have endangered the Warehouse? What, you think the rational thing to do is to just off each one of us as soon as it becomes apparent that we might, if captured, become an asset to the enemy?" Pete took a step backward, retreating from the intensity in Myka's words, the anger on Myka's face. Claudia's mouth turned upward in a small, furtive smile as Myka continued.

"What happens after HG is gone? You think Sykes will just give up? No, Pete, he keeps coming, and the only thing we have to fight him with is ourselves. What she has…" and Myka thrust one arm out toward Helena's holographic presence, "her knowledge, her experience, her brilliance, is more valuable by far than any potential advantage Sykes might – theoretically! – seize by capturing her!"

Pete, slightly unsteady, shook his head as if to shake it clean of these new, confusing ideas. "Myka, I think…"

"No! You don't get to think right now, Pete. Because you're wrong. Killing HG won't help. Sykes will just keep coming. And he'll keep looking for the information he wants, but since he can't get it from Helena anymore, he'll go looking for the next most useful hostage. Who do you think that's going to be, huh, Pete? Maybe Artie? Maybe Claudia?" Myka's voice rose steadily; she was practically shouting now, her voice ringing through the treetops in an otherwise silent wood. Pete's eyes were downcast, his brow furrowed with thought; she could see the first glimmer of doubt beginning to crack his certainty.

"You want to plug Claudia right here, Pete? Put a bullet in her head?" And his eyes jerked up to meet hers at this, jaw tightening in anger. "Because that's the next logical step in your grand plan."

Pete regained a little of his customary belligerence and pushed back against her at last. "Oh, come on, Myka! Don't be ridiculous! I know HG's smart and really – old – experienced – whatever – but she's," and he swept his hand contemptuously toward HG, "she's not really part of the team, Myka. She tried to blow up the planet, for gods' sake! She's a bad guy!"

"Oh, get over it, Pete! I have spent eight months tiptoeing around a reality you find inconvenient! And I'm tired of it!" Myka shook her head in disbelief. Why couldn't he understand?

"What happened to her was complicated, Pete! She spent over a hundred years enduring something that you and I can't even imagine. So, yeah, it was bad there for a while, but the point is, she got over it. Which is exactly what you need to do."

Had Myka been able to focus on anything beyond the intensity of this moment, her need to confront her partner, she would have seen the way Helena's lips parted breathlessly, the way her eyes darkened as they yearned toward Myka's. She would have seen Claudia, eyes darting back and forth between Myka's face and Pete's and Helena's, trying to absorb and understand the emotions playing so freely across all three.

"Or… you know what, Pete? I don't care if you two ever find any kind of reconciliation, but I'm your partner. You're supposed to trust me. And I am telling you now, she's one of us. She's fine." Myka's tone was unshakeable, but Pete's jaw was clenched, head shaking in disbelief. This was Pete at his most stubborn.

"Sorry, Mykes. That's what you said last time. I know you've got this…" He struggled, trying to frame in words something he had felt, had known, probably, but had not been forced to acknowledge before now, "…this… thing… going on here, and I can't really understand why you – with – her – but – "

Pete's voice had risen to match Myka's, volume for volume, but Helena spoke quietly, her voice cutting through Pete's floundering easily. "He's right, Myka." All eyes swung toward the hologram. "I…" and she faltered, her eyes locking with Myka's, her emotions written clearly on her insubstantial face, "I… cannot tell you what it means to me, Myka, that you have such faith in me. After all that I…" Helena trailed off, then shook her head. There was no time for confessions.

"Despite your very generous acceptance of my presence, your very generous interpretation of my actions, I am not an integral part of this team, and moreover, I am obviously, and quite thoroughly, expendable." Helena's smile stung, aching and bittersweet, as non-corporeal hands reached toward Myka's trembling ones. "This is not just any threat, Myka. Sykes obviously has something very specific in mind…"

"Helena, enough!" Words erupted as Myka stepped back, evading the grip that could not have captured her. She turned away, one hand rubbing the side of her neck, as she tried to think. "No way we are doing this! Both of you, just, shut up!"

They did, then, and so did Myka. Breathing heavily, she turned away, head shaking restlessly as she searched for a solution. She knew she must find a way to convince them to wait and discuss this again, wait at least until they had reached the Warehouse. Mrs. Frederic would be able to…

"What was that?" Helena's voice was hushed. Myka stopped mid-thought and pivoted toward the hologram. Pete and Myka's shouting match had silenced everything but the wind, but HG had caught a faint sound through the brush.

Where was it? Just… "There! I heard it again. Someone's coming." Pete and Myka reached for weapons. Myka found her gun, but Pete had left his Tesla in the SUV. "Claudia, deactivate the Sphere. Quickly!"

Helena's form disappeared in a blink of blue light just as two men emerged from the tree line in front of them.

Claudia took advantage of the fact that Marcus and Jinks focused their attention on Pete and Myka. She felt shocked and betrayed by the sight of Steve striding through the brush, unnerved to see her two fellow agents so quickly immobilized, but Claudia Donovan was not about to be caught off guard. Faster, Claudia, or they get everything they're after. Eyes clouded with the tears she bit back fiercely, Claudia was able to use her thumbnail to jam the eject switch on the side of the Sphere. Surreptitiously, she slipped a glove from her back pocket and palmed the Janus Coin neatly into her pocket. She looked up just in time to see the rock Pete threw impact Myka's head; evaluating the situation, it seemed that flight was her only option.

And from there, gentle readers, we can merge nicely back into the canon of the episode. Thanks for reading, and any feedback is surely appreciated!