"Copier…"

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

Disclaimer: No copywrite infringement intended.

Part XXII…

Alternate Warehouseverse…

Leena leading the Suttons back to the office area with her two agents…The Suttons voicing occasional protests which went ignored.

"Father, we have to help Ms. Bering…" Nick hissed to Sutton. "They'll bronze her and she'll be trapped here forever. It's not right."

Charlotte, listening, moved to address Leena… "How could you do that? To Mrs. Fredericks, your friend. I know her…I've spoken with her, she loved you like a daughter, how could you?"

"No one is going to harm her. But sometimes the torch has to be pass more quickly than the bearer is willing to allow." Leena, calmly. "Agent Lattimer and I simply want to protect the world better…"

"And you'd like to be the Caretaker…Wouldn't you?" Charlotte eyed her. "She told me she was a bit concerned you'd been disappointed when Claudia seemed to be the new candidate, not you…And even after Claudia was corrupted and turned evil, you still weren't top choice, were you?"

Leena smiled thinly…

"Countess…I won't play this game. I'm doing what I've been ordered to do by my superior. Now, please…Lets get you to the office. Professor?" Leena addressed Sutton who was trying to hold back with Nick… "Lets please get moving. Agent Lattimer has no intention of harming you or your family, I can assure you."

"He'd be wise not to…I do have friends." Sutton noted.

"And you'll be free to contact them…When we get back…" Leena, nodding to her agents to urge the Suttons along.

Definite downside to losing the invulnerability thing, Sutton noted to Charlotte, eyeing the weapons trained.

"Her hold on the Warehouse must be very weak…"he hissed after making the rueful comment aloud. "She's not the true candidate and the transfer just occurred."

"So?..." Charlotte whispered.

"So…Artifacts are less controlled…And we are descendants of a Caretaker…" he eyed her. "If the legends of the Warehouse are true, likely to be recognized as such…"

Oh….She smiled…I see…

That historian gig coming in handy, eh?

And time to utilize our well-honed skills…

"Nick?..." she hissed… "See anything you fancy?" smile, indicating the shelves with nod.

…..

"Well?" Lattimer addressed an agent examining the fainted Claudia…Myka anxiously waiting.

"She's alive…Just a bit stunned."

"Be careful…If she's our Claudia, this is a deception and Leena's grip on the Warehouse will be weak for some time yet." Peter cautioned.

"You see…" he turned to Myka… "I really am not sure…I'm giving you a decent chance here, whatever you may think of me. Though I did confirm you're not our Myka."

"How?" she stared. "My DNA would've matched…An aural thing?"

"I'm sorry to hear you're ill, Agent." He eyed her.

She sighed, shrugging… "Nice to know the cancer was good for something…"

"I understand it's still treatable…" he hesitated… "Myka…I regret I had to do things this way…I am glad to see you made out better in your world than ours did. But I have to protect my world, the people I love…And we know all too well here, sometimes, if we're not vigilant, we can fail."

"Pete…"Myka sighed. "You're mistaking vigilance for crossing the line…If you'd only listen to me before it's too late…"

"I won't lose any more good people because we're not on guard and ready." He shook his head. "If you'd been here…And I do wish…" he paused.

Claudia coming to now…Myka hurrying to her.

"Myka?! Paracelsus grabbed me…No!" she looked wildly round her… "Don't let them bronze me! I saw the other in transit…I'm not her, Myka!"

"Yeah, yeah…It's ok…" Myka, soothingly… "We know you're not her…We know…"

"She…She's…I felt her…She's so…Lost…Myka…"

Lattimer eyeing his agents awaiting instructions…Hold off a moment.

"It's my Claudia…" Myka looked at him… "I've no doubt."

"All right…For now…But we haven't much time. Give her the injection…" he waved to an agent with medical bag. Myka nervously protective, covering her.

"No!"

"It's just a stimulant. We need her on her feet quickly." Peter explained. "If I meant to kill her, bullets would be much more reasonable for effect." He eyed Myka calmly…She finally standing away, Claudia looking to her, frightened.

"What's going on? What's with Pete? Where's Artie and Jinks? Myka?!" she pulled her arm away as the agent with syringe moved to take it… "Hey!"

"It's ok, Claud…They just want to give you something to help get you on your feet. They need us gone quick." She eyed Lattimer.

"Ms. Donovan…" Peter looked at Claudia who was still avoiding the agent's grip nervously. "I apologize for the mistake, we'd no way of knowing you'd been substituted for our Claudia. As your Myka says, we just want to help you both get home. Please, the shot will just help you recover faster."

"It's ok, I think, Claudia." Myka nodded. "For now, they need us alive."

"We'd prefer it." Peter agreed.

….

Original Warehouseverse…

Claudia, singing an adaptation from "HMS Pinafore"…

"I am the Mistress of all I See…

The Ruler of Warehouse 13…

Whose praise the world will proudly chant…

Except for a few who maybe can't…

A few reb-els who can't…"

She entered the office area where Artie with Jinks was examining Paracelsus' corpse…Sutton kneeling by the corpse with Artie…Charlotte seated, watching…Though encouraging Nick to turn his attentions to the computer Artie'd turned on for him, clearly wishing to have him dwell on other things besides the body of his uncle.

Jinks returning Claudia's frowning stare at Artie with smile… "He was breathing ok when Pete let him get up."

"Good. I saw the boys carrying Mrs. F with Pete and Myka on the way in…Vanessa's team is set up for her. So, what's up, Nielsen?" she turned to Artie, moving to kneel besides him. "Any clues as to why our fiendish enemy croaked despite his alleged invulnerability?"

Oh…This is so right…So like the old days…She thought.

"Not yet…" Artie shook his head. "But he must've lost his protection earlier…He took the artifacts he did to try and replace what he'd lost, that's almost certain."

"Maybe Mrs. F's resistance on the first attack did blow his battery, like Myka thought." Jinks noted.

"Sounds plausible…" Claudia nodded. "And how is the new Caretaker doing? Why, quite well, thanks for asking?" she eyed Artie.

"I can see you're ok, Donovan." He frowned at her. "But I was about to ask…Any problems?"

"No headaches, visions, or delusions of grandeur so far." She beamed.

"Good. Keep it that way."

"For you, anything…" she smiled, a warm smile that brought a grin to Jinks.

Honestly…She beamed.

Oh, at last I'm home…Home for good. Safe with my family again…Loved and ready to love…Secure…

Well, after I deal with my troublesome little sidekick…

"Myka still gone on Pete?" Jinks grinned.

"Absolutely ga-ga, I'm afraid." She smiled. "Must be that thing with getting your life back and all…"

"Hopefully she'll get over it quickly. This isn't the time for Agent Bering to lose her edge." Artie frowned. "Ok, there's nothing residual here…He's as dead as dead can be."

"Must you?" Charlotte frowned over at him.

" I suppose we should take charge of him…" Sutton sighed. "Give him a proper Christian burial…"

"That would serve him right." Charlotte noted. "Well, he did babble on about his atheist notions in his last days before he attacked us." She pointed out. "It would probably make his wretched soul turn over."

"I think we should…In his better days, Uncle was fond of Christianity, if not a strict believer." Nick noted.

"Settled then…" Sutton nodded. "We'll hope it gives peace to his troubled soul. It could simply have been madness, Charlotte." He noted to the frowning Charlotte.

"He searching for something…At my post…?" Claudia asked Artie, indicating Nicholas.

"The Countess wanted him to have something to do besides stare at Paracelsus…He's looking for possible artifact activity outside the Warehouse, plus any word on the Stone's location in case Paracelsus had things hidden elsewhere."

"Never hurts to check…" she nodded. "Though I could just use my super aura to scan around…?"

"Lets hold on over indulging your new abilities, Claudia." Artie noted firmly. "There was a reason Mrs. Fredericks didn't go the quick route every time we had a problem."

"Avoid the quick and easy path, it leads to the Dark Side…I shall heed your words, Master Yoda." She grinned…Lightest of touches on his arm…He turning to eye her…Claudia?

"Thanks for being here, Arthur. To guide me…I really mean it." She smiled warmly. Hesitating…

Aw, what the hell, I'm a big girl now… She kissed him, gently.

Jinks eyeing…A bit startled but on the whole…

"Ummn…" Artie, staring…

"Forgive slight loss of affected cynical pose, mon captaine…" she smiled. "Put it down to exhaustion if you like…Or whatever…" careful stare.

And expect it to be just the start of a beautiful romance, you beautiful soul, you…

Though of course we'll have the deceased Regents' and Myka's funerals before the wedding feast…Clear the decks of tragedy before joy, I always say…

And I'm content to accede to a long courtship and a decent period of engagement…

"I'll try…" he blinked…Turning back to Paracelsus…

"interesting, speaking of religious beliefs…When did he choose Islam or Judaism?" Artie noted.

"What?" Sutton stared.

Oh…He eyed where Artie indicated.

"That's not possible…"

"What?" Claudia, Charlotte…

Oh…They both turned away…

"Why not possible?" Artie eyed Sutton…

"We were brothers…Ummn…Often, shall we say, in close quarters as the times demanded when traveling or lodging in those days? Even as recently as a few months before he became an utter recluse…That couldn't have been done so recently before he was bronzed."

"Must we continue in this vein?" Charlotte sighed, eyeing Nicholas at the computer.

"Uncle, circumcised?" Nick looked back… "It couldn't be…Not unless very recently after he changed…"

"Nick…" Charlotte frowned.

"It's just an operation, Mother." He smiled at her. "And now that I will age, I'll have to learn a little more about such things…"

"Not for some time yet, Nicholas." She insisted.

Sutton smiling at Nick…

"Well, this was not done recently." Artie said quietly. "He must have had the procedure years ago."

"My brother, a closet…?"

"Either or…Though I'd put my money on Muslim…It would have gotten him access to a great deal of scientific literature not available then in the West." Artie nodded. "Unless he was just very hygienic and ahead of his time that way. But you never saw…This?"

Charlotte, heavy sigh…

Claudia, considering…

"This wasn't my brother…" Sutton nodded. "Whoever he was, it wasn't the man I grew up with."

Ok…Not necessarily a problem…I want a Paracelsus yet as Big Bad…And this would suggest he might still be out there…Claudia thought.

No, this actually could work well…Nice eye for the cutting detail, Arthur…