There is time, not much, but some. Time enough that she could have got away. Could have followed HG Wells straight out that window before Artie and Pete arrived. Could have just followed blindly into the night and never looked back. She wanted to. How easy it would be to just run off into the night. No consequences. Never having to answer for her actions, her choices. But HG Wells words ring in her ear- Make sure they don't follow. And so, Myka knows she must obey. Blindly. Because, evidently, this is what her life has now become. Ignorant obedience to a mad woman with no thought to the consequences.
It was entirely possible she would have followed HG anyway. Without all this intrigue and drama and threat of deadly diseases. But for now, she thinks about protecting her team. The word sits uncomfortably in her dishevelled mind. They aren't her team anymore. Something has shifted. Somehow, she has made a choice. Without really meaning to. She has dissociated herself from them. Worse, she has betrayed them. She thinks of the threat she has brought upon them. She takes a deep breath as she faces the fact. She walked into this. What ever this is she deserves it. She walked in with her eyes wide open, carelessly disregarding the warnings about HG Wells. But Artie, Pete, Claudia, they didn't deserve any of it.
Pete is first to come running. His face lights up when she sees her. A huge goofy grin. Bright and carefree. She is certain her heart stops beating, just for a second, when he looks at her.
"Myka, you're awake!" He states the obvious, gleefully. He has not yet spied Claudia shacked to the chair in the corner of the dimly lit room. And if he has seen the haunted look of desperation in Myka's own eyes, he makes no sign of it.
He is purely happy, concerned, maybe a little taken aback to see her recovered so quickly. Instantly he is moving towards her, and she knows she must stop him.
Simultaneously Artie has arrived in the doorway, and instantly Artie's eyes fall to Claudia. Distantly she can hear Claudia frantically calling out random words. Letters, really. All Myka hears is "HG HG HG". And its hypnotic.
She can feel Pete, from across the room. Feel his presence, his support, his unwavering faith in her. His concern, his trust, his loyalty. It's painful and meaningless all at the same time.
She feels threatened, which is ridiculous, she is standing there, three unarmed people, one tied to a chair, she has a gun, and supposedly has a deadly virus pulsing through her veins, she could kill them with one touch, if HG Wells is to be believed. Yet she feels small. It's the way they are looking at her. Confused, concerned. The weight of the betrayal crushing her soul.
It's all so backwards. Don't they know what she has done? What she is about to do? But they stand there, looking at her in the way they always have. In their eyes, nothing has changed. It infuriates her for more reasons than one. That they don't see. That they don't understand. That they don't know her at all. It's a bitter sting of disappointment.
HG knows her, looks right at her and through her and knows everything. It is a ridiculous comparison and she knows it. Knows that the fact they think the best of her should be taken as a compliment. It's not something to complain about.
It's then something finally clicks in her addled brain. Something shines through the madness. She realises the pure and utter insanity of all of this.
Looking at Pete, Artie, and she can't cant quite bring herself to look at Claudia shackled to that chair, disappointment and confusion in her eyes.
Sure, in the beginning, it was small things, it was tiny steps, forging a connection to HG. It was her silent admiration. Her horror at the cruelty of bronzing. Then came working with her, talking to her, touching her. Closer and closer. Undeniable and yet so so crazy.
All of this, horrific madness, and the people she loved dragged right along into this.
Something about it sickens her. As well it should. All this time she had been lying to her team, putting them all in jeopardy.
Arti begins inching over to Claudia. Artie and Claudia talk frantically to each other, Myka drowns it out.
Pete is the only one who talks "to" her. "Myka" His voice is calm. The kind of forced calm that only heightened her anxiety. "What's going on?"
Claudia answers him "HG was here. Tied me to a chair. She put some kind of brain washing spell on Myka, some kind of artifact." Claudia insists.
"She gave me a cure." Myka says in a small voice. She feels, madly, like even now she has to defend HG. Somehow, she needs to say something nice about her. She knows it falls on deaf ears. But it's involuntary. "She didn't do anything to me, she gave me a cure, and now I'm fine." Myka insists in a shaky voice as she holds the gun in her slightly shaking hands.
It's not clear in her mind. She remembers only HG Wells touch. She thinks of HG, waiting downstairs for her. It stirs something she can not deny.
Artie makes a move to untie Claudia 鉄tart talking, tell me everything!" He booms.
" orders Artie. 哲ow."
Artie isn't phased by the sight of the gun, in Myka's outstretched steady hand, nor the fire in her eyes. He can't compute that she would hurt him, or hurt Claudia. It's only when she pulls the trigger, and the bullet narrowly misses Artie's head, he hears the swishing sound, and its a little too close to comfort. He forgets Claudia for the moment, and turns to Myka, holding her steady in his gaze. "What has HG done to you?" Artie mumbles more to himself than to Myka.
Myka takes a breath, and tells herself she never meant to hurt him, tt was a safe shot, she was a good shot, could have got him right in the heart if she wanted to. She didn't hit him, no where close. But she is a little scared at how easily she lost control, how easily she pulled the trigger without a second thought.
"Myka." Pete begins, inching towards her with his hands up. "Something happened to you." He tells her gently. "Let me help you, ok?"
There are tears in Myka's eyes, she can't fight them. "Nothing happened to me Pete. I've been lying to you all for a long time. Working with HG Wells. And now I intend to leave with her."
"If that's true, Myka, why are you crying? If you want to leave with her, why are you crying? Answer me that?" Artie asks.
"I don't have to tell you anything." Myka retorts bitterly. Though her heart stops again, as she realises it's the first time Artie wanted to actually talk to her about how she was feeling. How many months she had tried to get through to him. And it would be so simple to give in, tell him everything, let him find an answer. But she knows she can not endanger anyone in that way. Endanger him, Pete, Claudia, or endanger HG. Artie wanted no more than to see HG on the bronze sector. Myka couldn't let that happen. Couldn't blame HG for being a little angry and even a little crazy.
"Myka, just stop. Just think. There could be an artifact at work." Pete reasons.
She laughs then "How I wish you were right." She admits, shaking her head slightly.
"Let me try something, ok? We have been partners for a long time. And if what you say is true, and you don't want to be my partner, you want to leave, I wont stop you, but I have to know that it's what you really want. I need you to let me try something, ok?"
"Ok." She answers quietly, as she feels her heart racing. The look of faith in Pete's eyes is heartbreaking.
"Ok I'm gonna go get something, and you stay here with Artie and Claudia, and all just stay calm ok, no one move til i get back."
"Ok" Myka agrees.
"Myka?" Claudia asks, as Artie tries to silence her.
Myka makes no answer, wont even turn her head.
"Please don't ignore me, Myka. I know you can hear me."
"I hear you Claud." Myka answers involuntarily, but wont look at her.
"I know this isn't you. You can tell me all you want, I know something is going on. And I want you to know that I know, that I wont stop til I get to the bottom of this."
Myka says nothing.
"I love you Myka, you're like my sister. This is my family, and I'm not letting you go. Just so you know."
Claudia is crying now too, and all Myka can do is answer "l love you too, Claud." Without turning her head.
They hear Pete's footsteps up the stairs and stop talking. He has two things in his hands. A bucket of purple goo and a piece of crumpled paper.
"We talked about this before, after the Alice thing." Pete tells her.
She nods.
"Prove to me there is no artifact at fault here. Empty your pockets."
She does so, throwing all the miscellaneous items into the purple goo. No reaction.
"Now the gun." He tells her.
"No." She shakes her head.
"Ok, you take my gun instead." He offers the gun to her.
"Put it on the bed." Myka orders, not willing to risk taking it from his hands. She might transmit the disease.
He complies. She takes his gun and throws HG Wells gun into the bucket of goo. No reaction.
"Satisfied?" She asks.
"Almost." He tells her. They exchange a glance.
"I'm sorry I have to do this..." He tells her.
Afraid of him coming too close, she reaches for the bucket of goo herself, before he can, and pours it over her own head.
Pete waits, holding his breath. But through the purple mess of her curly hair cascading down her shoulders, the streaks of sticky goo trailing down her face, Pete sees those hardened eyes shining through. Nothing has changed.
"One more thing." Pete tells her, as he opens the crumpled piece of paper. "You remember the code we arranged, if something happened, so I would know it was the real you, if something happened..."
She doesn't let him finish the explanation "Six Four Seven Two Two Nine Four Six Three" She rattles off the code she memorised. The Alice Code, they called it. So Pete could know, next time, if some lookalike had taken Myka's place. "I'm sorry it's hard for you to understand, Pete. But it's not an artifact, I'm not an imposter, I haven't been brainwashed. I'm me. And I've made my choice." She points his own gun at him, then to Artie and Claudia. "I will be leaving now, Do not follow me."
No one speaks, No one knows what to say. Powerless to stop her, Pete steps aside and lets her walk past. As her footsteps echo down the stairwell he feels each beat stab through his heart. But there is nothing he can do to stop her. Truth is, he had seen her admiration for HG. And it's not all that much of a surprise to him. His instinct is to tackle her to the ground and tie her up until she sees sense. But she has a gun, is clearly unstable. And for the first time, ever, he feels that he just can't get trough to her. That had really, never ever happened before. He was the one who could always break through, her pain, her guilt, he was her partner. But he vows this is not the end. He will find her, and he will get to the bottom of this. And get HIS Myka back. And HG Wells? HG is gonna pay for this. Big time.
HG is impatiently tapping her fingers on the dash of her car. Finally, she spies Myka running towards the car. She breathes a sigh of relief. There was a part of her that wondered if Myka would come. She spies Myka opening the passenger door, covered in that hideous purple goo. 的 just had this car complains. 哲ow there will be purple muck everywhere, Do you know how hard it is to wash that stuff away?Helena sighs.
"Well I'm so terrible mocks sarcastically, even with a tinge of the english accent. 的t wasn't very easy getting out of there, just so you know. I did what I had to. Do you want me to get in the car, or not?熱yka demands, herself losing patience.
"By all means, welcome tries not to notice her beautiful car being covered with slimy, purple goo. She hands Myka a towel from the back seat to wipe the goo from her face.
"Thank says. It sounds ridiculous, 'thank you for infecting me with a dealdy virus HG Wells.'
"I heard a observes as she speedily pulls away from the B&B
"Nothing assures her.
"Well done, Agent Bering. Well, its time we were on our way."
Myka takes a moment, just one, to look back over her shoulder. She isnt sure what she expected to see? Maybe Pete running after her? Maybe Artie and Claudia too? But it is still, she sees no one. There is no one anymore. Just HG Wells.