"Copier…"
Summary: Paracelsus is leaving a little gift for Arthur and the gang…
Disclaimer: No copywrite infringement intended.
Part II… (hopefully this save will keep my... breaks this time, if not, afraid nothing more I can do)
"Ok…" the newly arrived Artie paced…Jinks and Claudia watching…
Jinks a bit concerned…Claudia, a bit more complicated as to emotional state…
Rather torn amongst attempted attentiveness…Amusement…Carefully reserved watchfulness…And rather devoted, even eager stare…
"We've definitely drained him…From what Claudia says he was…What?"
"Exhausted, even kinda flickery…Twitching, I mean…" she noted.
"So why waste power grabbing Claud?" Jinks asked.
"We need to find that out, if we can…" Artie, insistent. "He clearly needed or wanted something from her. Information, possibly."
"Could have to do with me being a potential caretaker…" Claudia eyed the two. "Was a little woozy after we parted company."
And how…She sighed.
"He may have drained force from you in some way." Artie nodded.
"Eehew…Don't put it that way." She shuddered. "Makes it sound so creepy."
Not that I dislike creepy…When I make the choice. Smile at Artie's perturbed look…
I'd forgotten how cute he is when he gets all concerned…
Or maybe, willed myself to forget…
"We should get her checked out immediately…" Jinks noted.
She eyed Jinks…Hmmn…
Not used to such concern from such a source…Considering last time we met you kept a gun on me and thought it might be best for all concerned to put a slug in my head.
"Agreed." Artie nodded. He pulled his Farnsworth… "Myka? Myka…"
"Right here, Artie. Nothing to report yet."
"Ok, I need you and Pete to cover all sections for a few…But stay where you are…Just look on the scanner for any energy pattern suggesting someone is trying to operate outside known Warehouse electromagnetic fields. I want to know if he's trying to get to the more sensitive objects. We can pinpoint him later."
"Artie? Is something wrong?" Myka's worried face stared at him.
"He…Paracelsus…Grabbed Claudia…" grim tone. "I need to check her out."
She blinked at him…Pete looking over her shoulder coming into view.
"Grabbed? Grabbed how?" Pete asked.
"Is she ok? Do I need to come?" Myka, anxiously…
"Not that kind of grab…" Artie sighed.
"Myka's all empathic since the cancer…" Jinks grinned at Claudia as she watched Artie talking…
Uh… "Not that she wasn't before…In a less lighthearted way, maybe…" Jinks, a bit concerned at Artie's stare.
"Yeah…Cancer changes people…Sometimes." Claudia nodded as Artie reviewed scanner use quickly with Myka. "Though sometimes…It's just what was buried brought up by the seismic disturbances at the personal level…"
"Hmmn? This 'Sound Like Art' day at the Warehouse?" Jinks eyed her.
"Never hurts to learn from the Master…" she smiled wanly.
Hmmn…She pondered…Myka? In charge of her group? Myka in charge?
Of anything?
Right, focus on the inadequate memory transfer…Lines of authority are different.
For the moment…
"Claud?" he stared. Then to her relief, after a momentary inward gulp…Whoops?...
Did I blow it?...
…Grinned. "He'll never let you live that one down. Just how badly were you stunned?"
"Pretty bad, I guess." Shrug… "Not really bad…" to his instantly concerned look…
Haven't had a look like that from this source in God knows when…Not even when he bronzed me.
Of course I did give good cause to lose such loving trust…
"I'm fine…" she smiled. "Just showin' my mentor a little appreciation. Getting of wisdom, Anakin mellowing out…That sort of thing."
"Sure." He grinned again.
Just a matter of keepin' back and light and avoiding my tendency to employ lies whenever possible…
"Ok!" Artie closed his Farnsworth… "Lets get you back and do a check…"
"Artie, I'm fine…Just a little woozy. Lets go catch Mr. Bad, before he gets whatever he wants." Claudia urged.
"Hmmn…No…He assaulted you for a reason…We need to know." He eyed her, then Jinks.
"Ohhh…" she nodded, grinning. "Ok…Lets go see if I'm Paracelsus in disguise or possessed, etc. All I'll say is, far as I honestly know I am Claudia."
"She is telling the truth." Jinks nodded.
Wave of hands… "See…From the lie detector's mouth." She grinned. "But, ok…Procedure. I get it." she went to Artie.
"Thanks, big boy…" she startled him by hugging him…
Oh, dear God…My love, my love…My heart…OH…
Hiding the expression on her face from Jinks…Pulling back immediately.
"Sorry…Moment got to me…Purge it from your memory files." Smile. "Lets go. We got a crazy caretaker to catch, right?"
Stupid, much…But, hey…What's life without a little risk now and then…She thought.
Gotta get him on a diet soon as possible, though…He must be a full forty heavier…
What the hell was I doing letting him go like that?
Well, first things first…Gotta obtain my clean bill of health, then see to my partner asap…
Artie blinking as she headed off…Glance to Jinks who shrugged.
...
"Grabbing…" Pete frowned, still tense at the word.
"Pete. Artie said it wasn't that." Myka, reassuring. "He may be crazy but he's not a rapist."
"I don't like bad guys who grab, Mikes…" he shook his head. "And he didn't take the risk for no reason…If he hurt Claudia…"
"We're gonna catch him…But not by fuming about his grabbiness…" she eyed him. "Now lets do what Artie told us and keep up the scans so we have a handle on what he's up to."
"I just can't believe they let a guy like this…Who experiments on his own family…Kills his sister…"
"…in-law…There are a lot of folks who at least fantasize about that." Myka noted, grinning.
"Violates every ethics thing these caretakers are supposed to live up to. It's like they gave the keys to MacPherson."
"The Warehouse has lost a lot of agents over the years, Pete…It's a hazard of workin' here. Power corrupts and all that." She noted.
"Not you…And I hope, not me." He eyed her.
"Never you." She smiled. "And you keep me grounded, so…Hopefully…Never me."
"But his record was so good…He seemed almost saintly before they chose him. How could the Warehouse change a man like that? MacPherson…Well, Artie always said he walked a fine line on the edge of good and evil…It's almost as if you or Claudia or poor Leena…"
"He may just have been a good actor, Pete. Conned the regents of his day like HG did ours when she was still…"
"…Stark raving crazy…" he finished.
"May he went mad for some reason…Lost somebody, got sick…There's just no record." She noted, holding the scanner carefully and checking readings.
"You didn't run for an artifact…" he eyed her.
"I wasn't dying. Won't…Just yet." She continued the scan. "But if push came to shove?...I can't honestly say how I'd react…I hope I wouldn't but…"
"Suppose we change the subject back to hunting crazy guys…" he urged. "I'm not anxious to go down this path of topic…"
"Right…" wan grin… "Me, too. Well, nothing so far. I guess we just keep scanning and see if he crawls out of the woodwork."
"Ok…" he looked round.
"Now where would a former , currently insane, caretaker hide out in here as his batteries run down…Literally, given that mechanical arm."
"That was a surprise…" Myka nodded. "But he was nuts on the idea of improving himself…"
"Nuts on just about everything…"
"And now, for all extents, immortal…Till we bag the other half of the Stone." She noted. "It's lucky he did turn to mechanical aids, like Artie said before, we might not have been able to catch him as pure human Immortal."
"He'd've come to us…He wants this place…All of it…" Pete shook his head, looking around. "He's obsessed with returning to his 'house'…Even apart from just the power thing."
"Well, he did lose it suddenly…Must have been wrenching…"
"Yeah…Like Hitler losing Berlin...You know I can't believe Mrs. Fredericks doesn't rate us over the Warehouse 9 team."
"She had a point…They didn't have our resources…And you were being critical, Pete. We don't know what they were up against at the time, but heck…They didn't even have cars or planes for travel. And they had to fight their own caretaker, the man they trusted implicitly."
He shrugged… "I'm not sayin' they weren't good…In their day…But come on, Mikes...How many times now have we pulled it out? Saved the world, saved lives. I don't say I want thanks or anything…But you know…"
"Well, I'm grateful…" she smiled… "But grateful most of all for having you here while I've been going through all this."
"It's what I'm here for, Myka." He smiled back.
"So…Uh…Hows HG?"
"HG? Fine…" she shrugged… Resuming scan. "You saw her when she came to see me…"
"Yeah…Yep…Saw her…She looked good, I guess…"
"Pete?"
"Looked real good… Great…Mentally stable and everything…"
"She's very happy…She has her new family, new daughter…Another one on the way."
"Oh…" brightly. "Oh…" calmer tone…Careful nod. "That's great…Nice to hear she's adjusting so well."
"I don't love you any less cause I have feelings for her." Myka eyed him.
Uh… "Whoa…Where did that come from?" he blinked.
"I think now…" she sighed… "Now I've seen it really can all go in a moment…And had a chance to think about it all…"
Buzz of Farnsworth as he stared at her…
"Artie?"
"Hello. Anything to report?"
"Nothing as yet. How's Claudia?"
"She's fine…Thanks. Call you later." The image went out.
She looked at Pete who shrugged.
"He must be on to something…His usual obsession…"
"I don't know…" she shook head… "He would've told us about Claudia then to keep scanning, at least…"
"Maybe he thinks we're at the point we can handle things without constant instruction…" he noted.
She looked at him…He at her…
"Yeah…" he sighed. "Call him back."
"It's jammed…Static…" she eyed the screen.
"It must have been Paracelsus, trying to find out what's going on with us." She looked at Pete.
"But nothing on the scanner…?"
"It would only pick him up if he tapped Warehouse energy…He's lying low, waiting for something…"
"Or someone?" Pete suggested. "Should we go to Artie's office…?"
"You better…I'll stay…Keep scanning…"
"He may have wanted to separate us, Mikes…"
"I'm ready for him…And he has no one…Not even the Suttons, now… " she patted her Tesla… "Don't worry, just go."
"Yeah…Uh…"
"I want to talk…Later…And we will." She eyed him.
"Right. Right….Ok…" he nodded. She kissing him quietly before he could turn.
"I'm so grateful for you." She beamed.
"Oh, do you have to when I'm leaving? I'm getting all creeped out…" he noted.
"I'll be fine. Just be careful going back."
"Right. Mikes? I'm pretty grateful myself, you know."
"I know." Beam.
