"Copier…"

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

Disclaimer: No copywrite infringement intended.

Part XVI…

Alternate Warehouseverse…

Just outside Agent Lattimer's office…

"All right, people! Listen up!" Peter addressed the assembled group of agents and guards…Leena and Jinks among them…All as impeccably suited and groomed as their 1:30am wake-up summons would allow…

The Suttons and Mrs. Fredericks standing to the side…Mrs. Fredericks, a grim yet concerned look on her face…

"I hope you know I expect my family will receive proper protection as civilians…" Sutton hissed to Mrs. Fredericks…Who eyed him coolly…Slight frown.

"Bennett…Enough…We'll be fine…" Charlotte hissed. "Just don't let Nicholas…" she looked round…

"You are all familiar with the subject of our operation here!" Peter displayed a projected image of Myka in her prisoner garb of yellow suit, looking rather forlorn, against the wall behind him. "Former Agent Myka Bering has escaped her confinement cell! I want the suspect found and I want her found quickly! You will use all means at your disposal to bring that about! Some of you know the prisoner well or thought you did…" he paused… "Should you encounter her, your sole responsibility is to apprehend her…Alive if possible, but apprehend her. Decisions as to any information she may try to impart or claims she may make are the responsibility of your superiors…Is that clear?!"

Nods…Leena and Jinks among them…

"Bennett? Where's Nick got to…?" Charlotte whispered as Agent Lattimer continued…Sutton shrugging, looking round as Peter continued…

Aggressive fellow, that chap…Sutton sighed…

Still, my wife's would-be murderess and my demented brother's junior ally is not to be taken lightly or easily, I'm sure…

"She is highly dangerous and may be armed…She has assaulted several agents and killed at least two in the past. She has extensive knowledge of this facility. You will use any force necessary to prevent her from escaping this facility or making use of the items contained here! Do I make myself clear?!"

Nods from the group…

"Right. Go! And stay in constant touch…Agent Jinks? With me…!" Peter called.

"Leena…" he waved her over…Motioning to speak aside…As Jinks stood by… "Please see to the civilians and Mrs. Fredericks. It's possible Bering may try to contact them, hoping they'll be easy marks and potentially fine hostages. Don't let them out of your sight until Bering is taken or…Whatever…"

"Yes, sir."

"And…Sorry to ruin your night." Quick wry smile…

"Never a dull moment, sir. And I'd want to be here for this…" Leena nodded.

"I understand…But don't let her get to you, Lee…" Peter eyed her. "She'll use every trick…Just as she always has."

"Agent Lattimer…" Sutton and Charlotte had come over…

"Professor…Sorry…Count…" slight sarcastic note… "And Countess…" he eyed them. "I've just arranged for Leena here to escort you and Mrs. Fredericks to a safe area while we locate Miss Bering. I hope you understand we can't allow anyone to leave at this…"

"Fine, yes…Very thorough…" Charlotte cut him off. "But you see, Nick's gone missing…"

"Nicholas…?" Peter eyed her. "Why would he go off?" Tensing… "Is he trying to contact Paracelsus again?"

"No, Agent…" Sutton frowned. "Nick's learnt his lesson fully from my insane brother as to his family feelings, I assure you…It's Agent…Miss Bering…I fear he's a bit of a romantic like his father…" wan smile.

"What?"

"He heard about Miss Bering's tales…He's always sympathized with her a bit." Charlotte sighed. "I think he was all too willing to believe her claims and wanted to help her."

"As I say…Like his father…" Sutton beamed. "Romantic to the core…"

"When not chasing five women at once…While married to me." Charlotte glared… "And while playing at being a history professor of somewhat dubious reputation."

"Back up, please…" Peter eyed each of the Suttons. "You think he may have believed her tales of being another Myka and gone to help her?"

Leena rolling eyes to Jinks, wry smile…

Bering does it again…

She may not have been the most competent of agents but she always knew how to use what God gave her…

Mrs. Fredericks now having joined them, sizing up the situation quietly…

"Yes…" Sutton nodded. "In a nutshell…Unavoidable given that romantic family background…So if you could possibly hold on that shooting business?"

"Nicholas just doesn't want to see her get hurt." Charlotte, rather more concerned at Lattimer's hard "I break for nobody" stare…

"I'm sorry…But if your son is helping our fugitive he will be putting his life at risk…Sorry, I can't stand down that order. We can not allow Myka Bering to escape again." Emphasizing the "can not"…

"Pete…Sir…She must be headed for the bronzer…And Claudia…" Leena noted.

"I'm aware of that." He replied, quietly. Brief glance to Jinks…

"Grand, then…Lets just go round her up and corral Nick as well…" Sutton, happily.

"I'm afraid that would be dangerous right now." Peter, coldly. "Agent Jinks? Go and take charge of the team in the bronzer installation, I'll join you shortly." Jinks nodding…Quick glance to Leena, then heading off, calling to two agents to join him…

"Pete?" Leena stared.

"She's fooled us too many times, Leena…" Peter shook head.

"But you don't understand…" Charlotte, increasingly frantic as she sensed the grim situation…And the nature of the trap awaiting Myka.

"…Nicholas isn't immortal anymore… Bullets will kill him! Please, you can't kill him now, he's just starting a real life." Turning to Sutton for support…Pleading look… "Bennett? Tell them…!"

"Agent Lattimer, if you want my family's cooperation regards my brother's schemes…" Sutton, firmly.

"According to all current evidence, your maniac of a brother died in a bronzing malfunction days ago…And you have our apologies…" Peter, calmly. "As to any further help you may be able to offer…Unless it'll assist us in recovering anything he stole or in apprehending Miss Bering…It's academic now."

"You can't just shoot an innocent boy…!" Charlotte, frantic now…

"We won't stand for this, Lattimer!" Sutton, angrily. "You've no right to endanger our son!"

"Agent Lattimer…" Mrs. Fredericks cut in quietly… "A word…"

"Certainly. Professor Sutton…Or Count, as you may…I have complete authority from the President of the United States as well as the Board of Warehouse Regents to take any action I deem necessary to protect this installation." Coldly. "And I would remind you, sir, your wife and son released a highly dangerous criminal whose acts led to the corruption of two agents and the deaths of a number of people and placed the nation and our world at risk. It's only the Regents' clemency that's keeping them both out of a jail cell or the bronzer right now. Mrs. Fredericks?" he turned to her, following her back to his office as the Suttons stared after him…Charlotte desperately glancing to a now furious Sutton.

"We'll see about this, Lattimer!" he raged. "I will hold you personally responsible for my boy's safety!"

Peter entered his office behind Mrs. Fredericks, closing door as she took seat…In his…Artie's…Old chair, behind his desk.

"Lets remember Agent Lattimer, who is in charge here. Whatever increases in personnel and security measures we've allowed you to make since you took over from Agent Nielsen, the Regents have not yet surrendered all authority to you or your government." She noted quietly as he eyed her, standing.

"I don't forget that, ma'am. Are you asking me to call off the search?" he asked, calmly.

"I'm asking you to stop letting your rage at Myka Bering distort your judgment here, Peter. There's no reason not to consider the possibility that this is not our Myka…And certainly no reason to shoot her down like an animal in whatever snare you've set up at the bronzer area. And the boy, Peter…Obviously he's fallen for her…You can't let him be another victim."

"He's the one who unleashed Paracelsus…Started this chain of events…" Peter, coolly. "He's hardly an innocent…"

"He's a boy trapped for over 500 years…He was desperate. And he only knew Paracelsus before as a loving uncle, not the man we know. Peter, don't take this boy's blood on your hands for no reason…"

"What do you want me to do?" he eyed her calmly…Grim set to his features. "I'll obey your orders."

"Peter…" sigh. "Very well…What is the plan regarding the bronzer? You've left her a clear path, more or less, I suppose…?"

"It shouldn't be too hard for her to get there…My people are in place."

"To take her alive, I trust?"

"To take her…Alive, if she surrenders…Followed by immediate bronzing." He stared at her.

"And if Sutton's information suggests her story could be true…That Paracelsus found a gateway or mechanism to escape this world?" hard stare.

"We can always debronze her. But if she's innocent…?"

"We didn't leave her much choice, Peter."

"Her goal is to free Claudia…She probably has a full plan, possibly artifacts concealed by Paracelsus to help her…And I do believe that he may have escaped us."

"Then why let her near the bronzer?" stare…

"We have some protections in place…"

"Peter. Is this meant to be an execution? I will not tolerate that…Nor will the Regents. Oh…" she shook her head.

"I see…Not a sole execution…You want her to free Claudia, don't you? And then? Kill them both?"

"If she's telling the truth, it's not our Claudia in there…She'll have a chance to prove it…" Peter noted.

"And how much 'chance' do you mean?"

"They'll be offered the chance to surrender…If they don't…"

"You accepted the Regents' decision on their sentence, Peter."

"With extreme reluctance…They have no right to what amounts to immortality."

"In bronze?"

"They'll be released, one day…You and I both know that…Some sympathetic fool in the future will release them, buy their sad tales of woe…And God knows how many more people will die as a result." He noted quietly...Cold anger below the calm…

She folded hands… "If an execution takes place, Agent Lattimer, I will have you removed and prosecuted, along with the actual executioners. You understand me, Peter?"

"I understand…" grim nod. "Bering'll be given every reasonable chance to surrender…But I recommend she be allowed to release Donovan…You wanted proof one way or the other, that's the best…And quickest way."

"And highly dangerous, as you yourself just noted." She eyed him. "I can't sanction that."

"If you believe her story, the Donovan we have is innocent…There should be no trouble. If not…" he shrugged calmly.

"I want access to them. I talk to them first." She frowned at him.

"As you wish, ma'am." He nodded. "But if they take hostile action against my people…"

"Your people are free to defend themselves, Agent." She eyed him. "But they will remain in place and in support…Of me."

"Your call, as always, ma'am." He nodded grimly.

Original Warehouseverse…

Myka eyeing Jinks as he got to his feet, staring at, what appeared to be, the floor next to the corner where he'd fallen.

On something…Or far more likely, someone…Who'd either vanished immediately…

Or…He felt…

"It's still here…The body…And it is a body…" he sighed, looking up to Myka…

"How can that be…?" she stared.

Ok…He's dead…Claudia told me…If it is him…

And the dead can't speak…

Much…

Though, in Warehouse 13…

Jinks was pulling the body over…The cloak pulling back a bit…And as a bit uncovered, the whole illusion collapsed…

"It's Paracelsus…" he stood up, standing back…

"Are you sure?" Myka, innocently… "Couldn't it be a double? A robot or something…?"

"He's been stabbed…"

"But he was immortal…Wasn't he? Invulnerable…?"

Well, till Claudia in our world used the Stone to make him mortal again…Before she made her deal with him…

And dragged me into all this…Nightmare…Watching Jinks examine the corpse…

"He was wearing the Garrick belt…" Jinks noted. "I saw this on the inventory, it caught my eye…A belt based on the 'Macbeth' play…Conferred invulnerability to anyone wearing it…From 'man of woman born'…Garrick was always looking for the ultimate special effect and he found it here. But why would a man already invulnerable need that? And how could someone have stabbed him to death when he had the protection of two artifacts like the Stone and this…?"

"Maybe they cancelled each other out?" Myka suggested, a bit desperately… "He liked to play with combining artifacts, maybe this was his fall back in case we got the Stone and cancelled his protection there…And he made a mistake?"

"Could be…Or he somehow lost his invulnerability from the Stone and the Belt wasn't enough…" Jinks shrugged. "Claudia would be able to tell us…At least, I hope so. I wish we could find whatever was used on him…Do you see anything? Mykes?" he looked back.

Uh… "No…No, sorry Jinks." She sighed.

Kicking the bloody scimitar back under a shelf from under her foot after he turned…

No need to offer any additional evidence…I've a bad feeling about this…

And now how do we use him as the Big Bad while Claudia settles in as Caretaker? Oh…I never should have trusted her…It's the bronzer for me for sure…

Ok, ok…I can do this…Everyone loves me here…They trust me…

Oh…And now I have to go and screw all this up again…Oh…

But it's not my fault…My intentions have been good…More or less…All through this…

Cecily was bad for Pete…She coulda gone crazy again, later on…And I didn't mean to kill her…It just…

Happened…

And I was just defending myself with the others…Things got all…Messy…

And here I was hopin' and prayin' Claudia was right…Here we'd be ok…Good and loved again…Secure…

Well, maybe yet we can make this work…Just be good ole Myka…Think of Pete and how much he obviously loves you…I can do this, it's all gonna work out…

Somehow…She eyed Jinks, still searching round on the ground, peering under the corpse and unwrapping the bloody cloak from it gingerly…

No…NO! Not the easy solution. I swore I'd give that up and I will…I don't wanna hurt anyone else…

Unless I absolutely have to…

…..