"Copier…"

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

Disclaimer: No copywrite infringement intended.

Part XI…

Alternate Warehouseverse…

Confinement area…Secure interrogation room…

"Is there anything you want?" kindly tone…

Myka, handcuffed and ankle-shackled, in chair at table…

Across from her, the questioner…Mrs. Fredericks…

"To go home would be nice…" Myka eyed her.

"I presume you mean, to your other world…?" careful stare… "I've been briefed by Agent Jinks on what you've been claiming."

"Right now, being the infamous lying Myka Bering just going to my home here would be fine…See my Mom." Myka signed.

"I'm sorry but you know that's not possible."

"So I gathered…I'm guilty of murder here?"

"Among other things, yes…" Mrs. Fredericks nodded.

"I'm gonna presume because of my connection to the Warehouse I wasn't tried in a regular court…?"

"No. But it was a fair trial. And being tried by a special court under Regent supervision allowed you to evade the death penalty. "

"In a manner of speakin'…" wan smile. "Though frankly, immortality in bronze is not my idea of living. Tell me something, Mrs. F…? Do you mind, I always wanted to call you that. My Pete likes to, when you're not around to hear him…Or so he likes to think…"

"You used to call me that, Myka. You're still welcome to…What?"

"Why?" Myra stared. "Why do you bronze people? Why don't you just kill them? I mean, what? You hope to use them for something, someday? Lawn ornaments, maybe?"

"An idea…Which a few agents have suggested, usually when a bit drunk…But we bronze them in hopes that one day some of them may be helped…Their madness treated…As Cecily Georgiana was…"

"I heard that name? Cecily? Leena and Jinks mentioned it…Who was that?"

"Do you claim not to remember her?" Mrs. Fredericks eyed her.

"I claim not to know anything definite about this world…" Myka noted.

"Very well…Cecily Georgiana Wells, scientist, writer, adventuress, Warehouse 12 agent…Sister to the famous author, HG We…"

"CG…She was CG here? HG was CG here?...And her brother actually was a writer, too?"

"A very well known one…Cecily, not so much…Though she was content to keep to the background…It allowed her to pursue her scientific work and her Warehouse activities…"

"And I…The other me…She killed her?"

"Yes, you did, Myka. I'm sorry…But I'm not prepared to believe your story without proof…You killed CG Wells. Deliberately and for a fairly typical motive."

Myka eyed her… "Jealously? I was in love with her?…And she…?"

"You were in love…But not with her…Unless you were lying earlier?"

"Pete? I killed HG…Sorry, CG?...Over Pete?" she stared.

"I'll grant you you're very convincing, Myka." Hard stare back.

…..

Myka eyed the computer laptop screen on the table…Video running…

"This was rather important evidence at your trial…" Mrs. Fredericks noted.

HG, no mistaking her, in a rather conservative skirt and blouse with jacket…A bit antique as to style…Running…Waving drawn Tesla…

Turning back to call… "Myka! This way! She's heading for the 11th block!" Then hurrying on, disappearing down the corridor.

Myka staring as her twin appeared…In more modern clothes…Rather tight blouse, trousers, jacket…Looking rather nervous…

"Cecily?!...Cecily?! I don't…Where did she go?" Pausing…Pulling Farnsworth… "Agent Lattimer? Agent Jinks?! Agent Wells and I are in pursuit of the suspect! Heading for…Block 16…"

"Acknowledged, Bering!" Pete's voice clear… "Stay with her, Myka! We'll be there in a minute!"

"You diverted Agents Lattimer and Jinks deliberately." Mrs. Fredericks noted, pausing the video…

"Why?" Myka stared.

Mrs. Fredericks unpaused the video in answer…Camera switching to one further down the corridor…

"Of course you knew we had surveillance here but apparently Miss Donovan thought she'd disabled the system…Not realizing Agent Lattimer had had a redundancy installed after taking over from Agent Nielsen…Unless of course, she knew and wanted you implicated. I would expect it of her." sad sigh.

"I…The other me…Was helping Claudia? To do what?"

Mrs. Fredericks folded hands…

"Fine…" Myka nodded… "Watch…Right…" she sighed…

"CG!..." Myka's voice…The area dark, only emergency lighting on…

"Here!" hiss… "Careful!"

"Where is she?!" whisper…

"I think she's …" static on video… "well…That's a bit better…" as lights snapped on…

Wry smile on the face of H…Or rather, C…G to Myka… "Careful…We can't be sure what caused the power loss. She may have found a way to tap Warehouse energy as well as our electrical system…"

"Ok…" the Myka twin nodded...Looking round…

"Don't be nervous, girls…" Mocking tone from down the corridor…Lights flickering a second, then dark… "It's only lil' ole Claudia…"

"Donovan! Stop this and surrender!" Cecily called, waving twin Myka to the side… "We don't want to have to hurt you!"

"Just bronzical me…" chuckle…

"Paracelsus is lying to you…He can't bring Arthur back, Claudia!" Cecily called. "Not all the power of the Warehouse can do that…And you'll never have that power."

"Now…Don't fib, Cecily…What would your beau say?" Claudia's voice… "You know it's perfectly possible…You just never had the guts to try and save your daughter."

Twin Myka on video, glance to CG's tense, saddened face…

"The price is too high, Claudia…I beg you…Stop this insanity!"

"And go back to my wonderful life…As a tool of the Regents." mocking sneer…

"Claudia, we love you too…Just as Arthur did…"

"And Claudia so loved Humankind that she laid down her beloved's life for her friends…" Claudia, bitterly… "Yes, you all loved me so much…I can feel the love in every Tesla shot."

"Claudia…Just tell us where Paracelsus is?! Before this goes any further…He's mad and his madness is infecting you!"

"Is that all?" chuckle. "No worries, CG…I got him in the bronzer…Nice and neat, all wrapped up for you…"

"What?!"

"Did you think I was stupid enough to let some nutcase have the Warehouse? Come on…I just needed to pick a few neurons…Say, hows about a reward since I'm no longer an agent by Lord Chief Justice Lattimer's decree? Say?…I run this place for a few days to try a few experiments and you get the mad, nasty Paracelsus, all bronzed and polished to gleamin'? Fair enough?"

"I'm afraid not, Claudia…" Cecily called…Turning back to Myka… "I think she's lost her mind, poor thing…Possibly Paracelsus' doing. Cover me, I'll try to get her to come out…Stun her if you can…Use the pistol if you have to…" harsh whisper.

"Claudia? I'm coming out…I just want to talk…" Cecily carefully…Stepping into the corridor, gun down…

"Sure…You know I love to talk…I used to keep Arthur up half the night, talkin' away…Mostly just to hear him grumble at me."

"Claudia, I'm sorry about Artie…We all are…Claudia!" Backing to the side as a shot ricocheted off the opposite wall.

"Not as sorry as I am, foster sis…" Claudia, calmly… "Being his killer and all, thanks to you dear people…"

"It had to be done, Claudia…The evil from the astrolabe…"

"No…It didn't…" calm tone…Then tensing, breaking… "There was another way…He didn't have to die…Paracelsus told me…And showed me how it happened…Elsewhere…You made me kill him the quick and easy way…He didn't have to die…I didn't have to lose him! I didn't have to be alone, again!"

"Claudia…" Cecily sighed. "You know what that man was, what he is…He is lying to you, using you!"

"Yes. Like you." Shot… "I hope you know those were deliberate misses, sis…"

"We have been like sisters, Claudia…You, Myka, me…Don't throw that…"

"Liar…" calm reply… "You persuaded me to do it…You swore there was no other way to save his soul…You lied to me. For the greater good, natch…As always. I imagine the agent who had your daughter murdered so he could regain Warehouse 12 for Mother England forever while you were distracted felt his goals were laudable too."

"I suppose he did…" wan tone. "But you're not thinking clearly, Claudia…Listen to me…"

"You cheated me…Just as you cheated Myka…Stole Lattimer from her…"

"Claudia…"

"He loved her…You come along…And so much for Myka…"

CG, glancing back…Myka, shrugging…

"They weren't in love, that was a passing affair…Claudia, listen…Paracelsus is evil…You know…"

Not catching the look of bitter anger on Myka's face…

"A passing affair…" My whole heart…A passing affair…It doesn't even bother her to know about it…It was just silly Myka, after all.

"Did you hear that, Myka? You weren't in love? Didn't you know that?" chuckle… "Funny, I remember you saying…What was it now? About the bitch who took the only man you'd ever loved…"

"Stop it, Claudia!" Myka called…Tensing…

"Right, sorry to bring out the family's dirty laundry…Anyway, so Paracelsus is 'evil' and little Claudia, innocent lamb, is too stupid to resist falling into his thrall…?"

"However you like, Claudia…" Cecily called. "Anyone of us could be fooled by Paracelsus…You were just the vulnerable one right now."

"I've been there…I saw him…It's not a lie…She saved him…" Claudia, furious tone now. "She got to save him…And you know the funny thing? She doesn't even love him…Oh, my counterpart likes him…He's a nice father figure, but hey…She has better offers, he's just funny ole Dad Artie to her. I saw him alive…I was there, for a few minutes, Paracelsus showed me…The other one was sleeping, she never even knew she'd been here while I was there…He was alive, again. Oh, you lying bastards!"

"Claudia? How?"

"No, no,no…" mocking tone again… "That would be tellin'…And I promised not to…"

"You let him use an artifact? On you? Claudia, how could you be so foolish? You've been tricked, girl!"

"You did…"

"And it drove me mad and got me bronzed for decades…" Cecily sighed… "Claudia, don't repeat my mistake…"

"Certainly not, sis…I would never slip up the way you did…Me, I'd die first…For the one I love."

"You can't get Arthur back, Claudia…Even if you cross the time line or raise him from the dead…Whatever Paracelsus claims. You'd only destroy what you had…"

"Raisin' was good enough for Jinksey…But, spare me the 'that was a special case' bullshit…I just told you…There's another Arthur already safe and sound …And all I have to do is make sure I've the power to take him and keep him…'Cause I sure got the will..."

"You'd steal someone else's Arthur? Claudia…"

"Sure…But in fact I intend to steal her whole life…'cause I gotta say,sis…Except for Arthur…Mine sucks…No offense, sister Agent Wells."

"Claudia, you must know Arthur wouldn't want…"

"My Arthur is dead…And the other…Won't know…If I handle things just right."

"Is she crazy?..." Myka hissed… "It can't be done, right?"

"Certainly, she's mad…" Cecily hissed back…

But you didn't say…No…Myka stared…

"All right…" Cecily pondered a new strategy. "You say you have Paracelus in the bronzer…Is that true?"

"He served his purpose…And I am still in spirit an agent…The agent Arthur Nielsen trained and nurtured…And loved like a daughter, much as she wanted more..."

"He'd grieve to see you falling like this, Claudia."

"He'd weep…Like I wept…When he sacrificed his soul to save all our miserable necks…And what was his reward? What effort did we make? How much blood did we shed to get him back? Where was his metronome? Why Jinks and not Arthur?! Why could I save a son of a bitch pompous ass like that and not the one person…?!"

"Claudia, the metronome wasn't an option…And he knew the risks…He should never have let you get so close to him…"

"He knew…And there are always options, CG… I know the risks…And like him, I'm willing to run them, sweetie, in the most noble cause I can think of…As for any vile notions you may have, Agent, he never did let me get close…Close as I wanted…No matter how many times I offered." gentle tone. "He was always so decent, so pure, so good…The best thing in my life…The one thing I had worth living for, worth dying for…"

"Don't betray that, Claudia…If it meant so much to you, don't betray his spirit…"

"And you made me kill him. Stab him right through the heart…Only it was my heart that stopped beating that day. But…No hard feelings…You give me the Warehouse for a few days, I will get outta your tightly bunned hair for good and leave you Paracelsus in bronze as a parting gift for ole times sake? Whatdaya say…Sister?"

Cecily, moving against the wall now, slowly…Toward the sound of Claudia's voice… "You know I can't do that…Agent Lattimer will never do it...It's a lie, a deception on Paracelsus' part, Claudia. He's using you to seize control of the Warehouse."

"Aw…Come on, Petey's your honey lamb…Your sugar-pie…You ask him nicely…I can give you pointers from my salad days on the street when my dear brother pimped me around like so much human candy…And he'll come round. As for any trickery by Paracelsus…I'll take my chances…"

"Enough, Claudia…I want you to surrender or we will take you…If you really do have Paracelsus in bronze, hand him over and things may go easy for you. We'll all speak for you…"

"Things may go easy for me…What an offer…No, sorry…Just don't seem like the deal I want."

"You can't steal back Arthur's life, Claudia…"

"Fate stole mine…Turnabout's fair play, I'd say… And why not…I stole Jinksey's back…Why him and not Arthur?"

"Myka!…Draw her fire, then get over and kill the lights, and I'll try to take her…Myka?!" Cecily hissed.

"Yeah…Yeah…Ok!" Myka hissed back…Careful stare…

"There's no place to run, Claudia!…And we will not 'give you' the Warehouse. It's over!" CG called… "The others are blocking your escape….Claudia?! Please!"

"There's always somewhere to run in Warehouse 13, sweetie…And some last chance to try…My Niely taught me that…" chuckle…

Myka firing toward the voice…

"Oooh…Hey?...I thought you were the good guys?!" returned fire.

CG, putting up hand for Myka to shut lights. The area lights went out.

"Mommie, scary…" Claudia's mocking voice…Shots firing…

"Oh!" CG's gasp… "Myka…Myka!" she cried, as the lights came back on…

Myka at the table staring at the newly paused video…

"You shot her in the back as she went to take Claudia…" Mrs. Fredericks eyed her.

"Over Pete? I…She shot HG over Pete…" Myka stared. "But she must have known it would come out, what did she hope to gain?"

"That has been the question I've asked you, dear. Countless times…You…And poor Claudia…"

"They didn't escape, then?"

Mrs. Fredericks eyed her, then pressed the play button…

"Claudia?! Claudia?! She's down! Claudia?! Oh, God…God…!" Myka howled. Rushing to the fallen Cecily…

"CG?!...Cecily?!...It wasn't me…Claudia!..." Myka, desperately…Cecily staring at her…

"You…" she gasped… "Myka…No…"

"Oh, please…" Claudia, harshly…Emerging from the corridor…Gun drawn… Myka pointing hers as well…

"I hope you don't really think you can pin this on me, now, you little coward?" cool tone.

"You're under arrest, Claudia Donovan…Drop your weapon!" Myka called…Nervously pointing gun…

"Do we have a deal or no?" Claudia, cool smile… "Cause if you want a heroic death to redeem yourself…I've got it for you right here."

"I…No…" Myka trembling… "Cecily?" she called to the groaning CG…

"She knows you shot her, Myka…You can't bumble that away as due to the incompetence of Agent Mikey…Now we haven't much time. Do you want my deal or do you want to die and have Peter perhaps spare a mo to think well of you from time to time when he's not overcome by grief for his ladylove?"

"She's still alive…Claudia…"

"Yeah, we'll have to rectify that…I still need you free and clear for a bit longer…The infamous Claudia has to be taken alive after all…"

"No…No! I'm done…I don't want to…" Myka, trembling… "You're lying to me…Paracelsus is lying…I'll never get Peter back this way. The other night, it was a lie…A trick…"

"Seemed pretty real to me…" grin… "You two were hot and heavy…"

"Artifact-induced…Not real…He doesn't love me…Claudia…Lets just…"

Faint calls from down the corridor…

"Myka…" CG, faintly… "Take her…Shoot…"

"Good advice, Myka…" Claudia smiled… "But my aim's better…" she fired, bullet ricocheting near Myka… "Drop it, sweetie or use it…Now…"

"Claudia, please…" Myka, desperately… "I don't want to do this…Lets just…"

"Fine…It's your call, hon…" Claudia eyed her… "I'd say it'll be dishonorable discharge and prison, the very least…"

"No…I didn't…"

"Sweetie…It's on camera…Smile…" she pointed to the cameras mounted above them…

"But…You said…" Myka stared… "You disabled the system…"

"I had my fingers crossed…Heck, I don't mind having my exploits documented for Posterity…"

"I didn't mean to!...You, you forced me…You and Paracelsus tricked me, did something to me…"

"We gave you a love artifact which you chose to use…You covered our theft of artifacts we needed and kept watch while I was testing Paracelsus' claims…You shot your partner while her back was turned…Myka? Stupidity as well as ignorance is no excuse, hon…"

"Myka…" CG gasped… "Don't…"

"What can I do…?" Myka looked at Claudia… "You lied to me! He'll know I shot her!"

"Video footage can be edited…If you still want Pete and are willing to do what it takes…"

"It won't work…He'll figure it out…He's too smart…"

"We only need him to be fooled until I'm to be bronzed, sweetie…Then I go…And you…And it's too late now, dearie." She indicated the still form of CG…

"Cecily…" Myka gasped… "No…No!..."

"You shot her…You could have saved her…" Claudia eyed her coldly. "Welcome to the club, sister."

"No…No!..."

Claudia looked up at the camera…Wide grin…Pointing…

The image went black…

"Claudia doctored the video as she promised but she could only do so much…We recovered and restored the footage during her trial…" Mrs. Fredericks noted.

"So…She just surrendered…When she could have escaped? That didn't seem suspicious to you guys?'

"She was shot by Agent Lattimer trying to flee toward an exit…You were there, dear…Supposedly in pursuit…"

"But after you saw this video?...You knew she wanted to be caught…"

"She planned for you to release her…After disposing of Paracelsus, of course…And you might have if Agent Lattimer hadn't doubted your story about the shooting and found the artifact you'd used on him earlier…And if we hadn't managed to recover the video. It was a clever plan, if an insane one…"

"What good would releasing her have done?...Why not just cover her tracks as a trusted agent? She would have been caretaker in due course…"

"Caretaker? There was a time when that was true, but she was rejected for her instability over two years ago…Another candidate was being processed…As you knew all too well…" hard stare…

"Cecily… " Myka stared. "She had to kill Cecily or lose the Warehouse to her after you…And any chance of getting Artie…Our Artie…So she set me…The other Myka…Up to kill her."

"We thought she'd taken it with good grace…It'd never been assured to her in any case…She was a dear child, despite what life had done to her, mainly thanks to Arthur Nielsen, but we'd realized she was just too unstable to entrust with such power." sigh.

"I knew it was dangerous, her being so dependent on him…But she had no one else…He was her whole life…Even Cecily and I, hard as we tried, could never forge the bond she needed. Only Arthur could reach her…Help her."

"And then he died? At Claudia's hand…?"

"It had to be done…I thought she was reconciled…That she realized she was saving his soul…She seemed to believe that at first. But over time…She brooded…No one could help her…We found she was studying artifacts, dangerous ones. Agent Lattimer and I agreed that she had to be placed on restricted duty. Once again, she pretended to accept it, but in secret…"

"Then Paracelsus was unbronzed…By Nicholas…"

"Yes…And she was his first victim…Oh…When that boy appeared and they seemed to bond…I hoped…I hoped so much it would save her…But he was deceiving her…To gain access to his uncle."

Frown at Myka…

"Don't think my talking like this means I believe you, Ms. Bering. I understand you're anxious not to be bronzed, possibly forever…And you've proven a fine liar…"

"So Pete…Agent Lattimer…Has tole me…" Myka sighed.

"But why?...How? How could Claudia let Paracelsus fool her? How did they?"

"Hook up…" stare. "Yes, it was a relationship…And we do believe there was physical contact…After all, Ms. Donovan's history is not an innocent one…Though for Arthur, she'd tried to put that all in the past…Paracelsus clearly saw himself in her, somehow…Sensed her darkness, was attracted to it, even…And she, to his…Though for more practical reasons…" she looked at Myka…

"Mrs. Fredericks…That man…That Paracelsus…Suppose he wasn't the original Paracelsus…The caretaker of Warehouse 9…In either of our worlds…Suppose he was someone…Or something, else. A darker man, who took Paracelsus' place…That would explain his changing…His hurting his own family, his loved ones…Even killing them…"

"People change here, Myka…You did…Claudia did…MacPherson…Even Arthur was overcome in the end, though not corrupted…"

"But only in a way…We got worse…We didn't go from perfect and good to pure evil…We…The ones here…Were flawed. Only Artie was possessed that way…The rest of us, it was slow…But Paracelsus was like Artie…He changed suddenly…"

Sigh… "You both had such potential. Arthur believed in Claudia as I did in you…We thought we could guide you, help you overcome your weaknesses…But…Agent Lattimer may be right. We may have brought this upon ourselves by expecting too much from you both…"

"And if he took the good Paracelsus' place here and was bronzed…For centuries…"

"Myka…"

"Listen…Paracelsus, the evil one anyway, didn't die as that bronze statue, the one that dissolved…And it wasn't an accident. He and Claudia covered his escape by putting the good man in that statue and killing him…Somehow he'd switched places years ago when he must have tried to take Warehouse 9, then got taken and when Nick got him out and Claudia…Your Claudia…Joined him…They put his other, better, self in that bronze…And then sent him, the evil one…To my world. Into the bronze Nick released there…And he brought Claudia there, to my world…When he attacked my Warehouse…It was all a trick to get Claudia alone and replace her…She's the next caretaker in my world…And the other Myka…They've all escaped, to my world. I have to get back! I have to stop them, warn my family!"

"Myka…You told similar tales at your trial…Claudia released Paracelsus, he affected you…They used you to kill Cecily and then fled somehow…No artifact influence compelled you. Your actions were yours and yours alone, even if Claudia urged you to it."

"Mrs. Fredericks…I'm not lying…And the tests will prove it, whatever Pete thinks…"

Long stare… "Myka. I'd love to believe that…I'd love to believe you…But you've deceived us before…And Claudia is far too dangerous and skillful to be taken lightly, even if she is bronzed now. And I have to agree with Agent Lattimer that it makes sense you would try to encourage us to believe in a tale that would result in our realizing Claudia from the bronze. I'm sorry…"

"Pete hates me…I get that…I killed the person here he loved…"

"And betrayed the soul of someone else he loved…You…He did love you, once…In a way…Just not the way you wanted him to." Hard stare.

"In one terrible, intertwined stroke he's lost everyone he ever trusted and loved…Arthur, you, Claudia, and Cecily…All of you…And like me, he blames himself for not seeing the signs, for not saving you all…Myka…Losing you to the darkness has been like losing a child for me. You weren't the best agent or the most clever… But you were the sweetest of daughters…" sigh… "And I loved you dearly as Arthur loved Claudia…And it broke my heart to lose you…I blame myself for letting my poor judgment and vanity obscure my sense. I should never have recruited you for the Warehouse…I should have realized you were not up to the job…The temptations were too great. If I'd let you be, you'd've made a fine agent in a more traditional sphere. It was my fault, not yours."

"Mrs. Fredericks…You have to try and believe in me…At least if the tests prove I've got cancer. That I'm not physically the same woman you knew…And any other test, whatever you have…I'll take…But I have to have your help. For your world's sake as much as mine. Please…"

"I don't know what I could do for you even if I did believe you, Myka…" sigh.

"Yes, you do…Stop them from bronzing me tomorrow…Help me find whatever it was Claudia used to escape from here…And let my Claudia out of the bronze."

Frown…Long, cool stare…

"I know…" Myka, desperate look… "That's what I'd say if I were lying…But I'm not…I swear to you, Mrs. Fredericks…" pleading look…

"Well, we'll see what the tests show…But I can't prevent your bronzing tomorrow, whatever the result, I'm sorry." She rose. "God bless you, child. And grant mercy on your soul…And poor Claudia's…"