"Copier…"

Summary: Paracelsus is leaving a little gift for Arthur and the gang…

Disclaimer: No copywrite infringement intended.

Part VI…

"Myka!" Pete's anxious face on her Farnsworth. "Uh, Mr. Goodbar here…Myka!"

"Pete?!" she stared. "What the hell? We heard a scream…"

"Several…" Jinks noted.

"Several screams…" she corrected. "And are you making a joke?!"

"No, I forgot you didn't get the password…" Pete, hurriedly.

"What?"

"Myka…Claudia…Paracelsus has her…Over by section 12…She was…"

Another scream… "Pete!"

"I'm on my way! Listen, you son of a bitch! If you hurt her…!"

"We're coming!" Myka cried, putting her Farnsworth in her jacket pocket and hurrying down the corridor, Jinks following, Testa gun out.

"Claudia!" Pete had reached the section…She staring at him, terrified look…Blood from a cut on one hand…

"Pete! He…" she gasped… "I managed to get the scimitar away…I think I wounded him…There…" she pointed to the bloody scimitar on the floor. He grabbing at her hand…

"Claud?..."

"I'm ok…Just a cut…Pete, he's insane! I mean schizo, insane…No rational plans just nuts…He was babbling about us…Making me his Queen…I think he…" she stared at him.

Yes…Let it sink in…This girl needs rape counseling…She thought.

And who is best qualified…?

"He didn't hurt you?!"

"No…Only…" she gasped… "OH, Pete!" she hugged him…

I really shoulda thought to tear the blouse a bit more…

"Ok, ok…It's ok…It's gonna be ok…" he patted her. "You're all right, you're gonna be fine…"

I could get to like this one…He is kinda nice…

But, only one guy for me…In my twisted way, I am faithful…

"Claudia!..." Myka, followed by Jinks…

Ah, right on time…

"Myka!...Oh…" she pulled gently from Pete, embracing her… "He…"

Oh…Sobbing…

Yes, borderline…But I have the acting chops and this is for the Oscar…

"Claudia…Claudia…" Myka stroked her…

"He…He's gone that way…" Claudia pointed a trembling hand… "But he has the Rashid cloak…He can go invisible…"

"We're on it, come on Jinks!" Pete cried… Both heading out.

"Be careful! Tell them to be careful!" she urged Myka…

"Sure, yes…Guys, I'll be right with you…"

"No, please…" Claudia, desperately… "Don't leave me…!"

"No, no honey…I'm staying till Artie gets here…" soothingly…

And so much for the manly brigade…Well, I'll be nice to them as Caretaker cum Queen…Find them cushy courtier spots or something…

It's not like they'll have much to do once I'm in power, after all. Queen Claudia will be running a very tight ship, Warehousewise…

Heck, Humanity should thank me for taking on the responsibility…I doubt any Warehouse has or will ever be as well protected as mine. Of course they may mourn the loss of freedom under my despotic rule…But, small price to pay for the security I'll bring.

Geesh, folks are always calling for strong leadership in the modern world, right?

And no doubt my Mister will temper things… "Claudia don't kill that president…Claudia don't wipe out that population…" Well, gotta indulge the dear fellow…Sometimes…

"Claudia? Claudia…Did he hurt you?"

"Just my hand…" she offered the bloody hand… "And he…" tears running…

"Claudia…" Myka stared… "Oh, sweetheart…"

"Please call him…Call Artie…Please call Artie!..." Claudia, frantically…

"I will…I am…" she pulled her Farnsworth… "What did that bastard do to you, honey?!" Myka, pulling back…Eyeing…

Yes, a little frenzy to throw us off balance…

"I need Artie…Please…" sobbing…

"Yes, sure…Artie!...ARTIE!" Myka cried.

"Have you found him?! What?" Artie's anxious face.

"Artie, get down here…Now!" Myka, urgently.

Figure ten minutes to walk here plus two to get to the warehouse door and unseal…Twelve, maybe fourteen at tops.

Should be enough…

"I'm coming! Are you two ok?! Where's Pete and Jinks?!"

"After Paracelsus…I'm fine but Claudia…"

"What?! Claudia, what?!" anxious, then grimly so…

"I'm ok…" Claudia gave woebegone look to the screen…Slight calming… "But…Please come, Artie…Please…"

Gotta keep those relationship wheels spinnin' even in the midst of the plottin'…

"I'm on my way!…Just sit tight… I'll be there very soon."

"No teleports…He may have booby-trapped things…" she noted, hastily.

Gotta my twelve minutes at the very least…

"Ok, I'm coming…Just stay right there…"

"Ok…" forlorn tone. "Thanks…"

And Sir Arthur to the rescue…

Any mockery not only unintentional but punishable by death…Literally.

"Ok, it's ok…" Myka hugged the sobbing Claudia…

"I'm all right…Sorry…" wipe of tears… "It's just…When he…"she looked at Myka…

"He is so dead." Myka, coldly. "I'm not even gonna consider bronzing in my vote."

"Thanks…I'm ok…Let me just get hold of myself…" Claudia, calming…Catching breath…

"Sure…Sure…But he didn't hurt you…?"

"I'm ok…Just thought for a minute…" sigh…She glanced over to where the body lay under its invisible covering.

"Ok…" she gave a wan grin… "A little better now…" she stepped back a bit.

"Artie'll be here soon…"

"Yeah…Thank God…" she sighed.

Seriously…

"Oh…There's something I think he left behind…" Claudia noted…

"What? Where?"

"I'll get it…It's over here…" she moved to the boxlike device where Paracelsus had left it just under a shelf.

"I can get it…" Myka offered.

"No, no…I've got it…I can do it…"

Really… Quite the necessary distribution of effort, Ms. B…

She pulled the box out a bit, avoiding the invisible corpse under its cloak…

"What's that?" Myka stared.

"Not quite sure…" Claudia, carefully…

Where's the specified card…The one I set up…Ah…Great.

"Is that a copier?" Myka came closer…

"Sorta…But more like a quantum homing device…" Claudia noted.

Just making sure we're set properly...A tricky one…

"Are you?...Careful, Claudia…"

"Always, honey…" grin…As a blue light pulsed and Myka collapsing, vanished…

And reappeared seconds later…

Staring round…Gasping as Claudia rushed at her, scimitar in hand and at throat in a second…

"Quickly…Your life depends on it." Claudia, fiercely… "Who am I?...Who are you?...Where did you come from?"

"Claudia?..." frightened gasp. "It's me…From our world…You…" Myka, paralyzed with fear…

"Why are you here?...Quick!"

"You…You said…You said you'd get me out…If I helped you…Claudia…Did you…?"

"Who are you? Details…Come on…"

"Myka Bering…Your partner at the Warehouse…An agent…"

"Why did you have to 'get out'?"

"I…" nervous tremble… "Claudia, don't kill me…I said I'd help…If you…"

"Why?..."

"They were going to bronze us…Me…"

"Why…?" scimitar tight…

"I…Killed…"

"Ok…" she released her…Lowering scimitar.

"Whoever you are, you're close enough…Calm down, we haven't much time…Do you remember our plan?"

"The other one…Myka here…She's…Gone…?"

"Right now, in the bronzing chamber on our world…Or yours, at least, I'd say…" tight smile.

"And Pete?...You said…?"

"Good…You are either perfect or very close…Yeah, there's a Pete here…And prospects look good for you…If you do exactly as I say. Otherwise…Either they or I will kill you. Understand?"

"Yes…"

"Good…Now, Artie's coming any minute…The others, Pete and Jinks may be here in a second. I need you to get hold of yourself…Myka?!"

"Yeah? Yes…" frightened look.

"Your life depends on making these people believe you are their Myka Bering…Understand me? Now, I've an artifact here…" she held out the memory transfer glasses…

"What's this?"

"To catch you up on things here…Put them on, now…Myka!" she stepped back…

"Ok…Sorry…" Myka put the glasses on…A blue glow, followed by the memory stream from Claudia…

"Whoa…" Myka, staggering a bit…

"Ok? Do you understand? You're one of the leaders here…"

"Yeah…Claudia? I'm Secret Service? I was only an FBI trainee…"

"You have basics…Just wing it…This is the same basic set up…Warehouse 13, we go after missing artifacts…"

"And Pete's…Not…?"

"Not the same…No…"

"You promised me…You said…"

"I said, you'd have a chance…Concentrate on the memories…The case files…You have a good relationship already with him…Focus…"

"Oh…I see it…Wow…Oh…" smile… "Gee, he's really…Sweet…Oh…"

"Yeah, he's a teddy bear…And if you're a good girl and do just as I say…He's your teddy bear, got it?"

"Yeah…But…"

"Just follow my lead…Do whatever Artie tells you short of spilling the beans about us and our world…And avoid Jinks…He's nicer here but still has the same lie detector magic."

"Yeah…" vague nod… "I see that too, in my mind…He is nicer…And Artie's…"

"Alive, yeah…And the dork boys are nicer…But don't let that go to your head…Or anywhere else…Both of them will send you back or bronze you or worse if they find out…As will Artie…You understand me, Myka?"

"Yeah…Yeah sure…"

Light tone on the dark side is right…Claudia sighed, eyeing the copier…

Maybe the old pentagraph would've been better at that…Or Paracelsus' artist…

"And try to pull yourself together…You're supposed to be comforting me…Do you remember Paracelsus?"

"Sure…Yeah…He's from our place…Back in the Renaissance or something…But he was in trouble with the regents…Killed his own double from another universe…We had a deal…"

"No…I had a deal…You were allowed in for the ride if you followed orders…"

"Right…" sigh… "Oh…He…He's…"

"Dead…And the body's right over there…Invisible under a special artifact…" Claudia pointed.

"But he was going to help us…"

"No…He wasn't…He was going to use us, then at best put us in his harem or work camp or whatever you like. He was dangerous and I told you I would take him out as soon as I could…"

"Oh, right…" Myka nodded.

"Girl…I need a modicum of sharpness from you…Or I will send you back and try for a better…I have our world's settings and there's an infinite number of universes even within 99.999999999999% identicality of ours. You understand me?"

"I…Sorry, Claudia…Please…Please don't send me back…They'll kill me…Or worse…"

"Then lets act like Secret Service Agent turned crack Warehouse 13 Agent Myka Bering…Ok?"

"Ok…I was a good agent…I mean, Mrs. Fredericks said I had potential…And Pete said I was getting better…And Artie was so nice about…"

"Enough…Hug me and remember…You're comforting poor dear Claudia after the fiendish Paracelsus came with a breath of doing unspeakable things…Got it?

"Ok…"

"And if you don't know the answer to something, keep your mouth shut…I can help you as time goes on, ok?"

"Check."

"And remember…Pete is not Peter…He is not your boss, he's…Well, you'll see as you go along…Just don't treat him like some sort of petty demi-god, ok?"

"What about…Her?" Myka eyed her… "Cecily Georgiana…She's here, right…?"

"Not a problem…Not your problem and, focus…Her name is Henrietta…HG Wells here…She wrote her brother's books, not Herbert. And she is alive and kicking and happily with someone else and very much not interested in your Petey."

"Yeah…Oh, great…" Myka beamed.

"Yes, so don't go killing her again, ok?"

"Ok…Claudia…It was an accident…Sorta…You know…"

"As I recall there was a gun and bullets and a body dump in the Warehouse vortex…Was your version different?"

"No…But see…I didn't mean to shoot her, but when I saw her with Peter and he told me…About them…I kinda blacked out…Sorta…When we were going after Paracelsus, in the dark…"

I coulda tried a llttle more dark tone…It still woulda been within 99.999999% of my Myka…Claudia sighed.

"Oh, Claudia…" Myka grabbed her suddenly… "My poor honey…Poor Claudia…Hey, Ne…OW!" to kick…

"Artie…Not Neily…" hiss…As both looked at the anxious Arthur hurrying to them…

"…Artie…Claudia's ok, I think…" Myka, smiling nervously at his stricken face…

"God, it's nice to see you…" she beamed. Claudia in her grip repressing grim sigh…