Title: Empire of the Sun
Rating: R just in case (K+)
Summary: The agents continue on their quest to find a long lost artifact in Machu Picchu.
Pairings: Myka/H.G.
Disclaimer 1: Warehouse 13 and characters are not mine, just playing around with them.
This story has not been beta'd so sorry for any mistakes.
Again, sorry for the long wait. This is a short one, but I hope you'll like it. I thought I was going to finish this story in the next few chapters, but I think it's going to take a bit more than that and I think I might actually do a sequel to this one. Depends on how much you like it, really. It may not be worth it in the long run, but let's see how it plays out :)
Again, thanks for all your feedback. I'd really appreciate any and all constructive criticism (it helps when I'm writing). The story has gotten a little too dark for me, but hopefully you'll enjoy it.
Here we go:
Claudia had finally fallen asleep, her head pillowed on H.G.s left thigh. The only movement the time traveler had made since they had given her the serum was to place her left hand protectively over the young woman's head, as if trying to shield her from the darkness enveloping them both. Myka sat opposite them on Claudia's bed, her back against the wall, watching the two women solemnly through the waning embers of the small fire. Pete had left about an hour before, his anxiousness and frustration winning out over his exhaustion.
With a weary sigh, Myka rubbed her face and stood, stretching her stiff limbs as she headed out to get some much needed air.
There was no mist that night. Countless stars shone brightly; yellow and blue diamonds scattered haphazardly across a black canvas, creating clusters of breathtaking beauty. Myka looked up, her breath hitching at the sight. The cool wind blew effortlessly through the imposing trees that encircled the village; it caressed her with its chilled fingers, making the fine hairs on her arms stand on end, though she barely noticed, her mind recalling these same stars shining down on her at a very different time in her life.
/
"I saw a star slide down the sky…"
Myka turned and smiled amicably at H.G. who was leaning against the open door, the yellow light from the Bed and Breakfast's hallway silhouetting her frame, casting her face in shadow, though Myka was sure she was dawning that charming grin of hers.
H.G. had been swept away by Kosan a few minutes after Artie had left the Warehouse in a tantrum and Myka had not seen her since. The agent eyed her new coworker carefully. She looked tired, but there was a certain air of contentment about her, something which had not been present before now.
"Teasdale? Really? Don't tell me you knew her too." Myka inquired playfully as her gaze followed the time traveler's trajectory from the doorway to the banister she was propped up against.
Even though Artie had not come back after his outburst that afternoon when they had been informed H.G. would be reinstated, Pete had decided the occasion was as good excuse as any to have a celebratory barbecue. He and Claudia were trying to light the grill at the far corner of the backyard while Lena prepared the salad on the table a few feet away from them. All three were in high spirits, talking loudly and carefree, though Claudia kept checking her cellphone in case Artie decided to call.
Helena's dark eyes were gazing at her calmly. They had a detached curiosity about them as if Myka were a puzzle she was trying to solve or a new contraption she was deciding how to dismantle. A shiver ran up Myka's spine at the thought; she did not know for certain if the feeling that had crept up her body had been one of unease or anticipation and she pushed down the many questions that came from this line of thought.
After a few moments of companionable silence, Helena's eyes drew away from Myka and turned skywards, the wonder in them still present as she contemplated the star filled sky.
"I'm afraid I never had the chance to meet Ms. Teasdale…though I thoroughly enjoy her works. Her poetry is quite simple yet ingenuous and raw…some authors tend to become a bit long-winded …they can sometimes border on the presumptuous, if I do say so myself." She said with a self-deprecating half grin, her eyes back to her, playful and open.
Myka gave her a stern look, though she pursed her lips to keep from smiling. She didn't like anyone poking fun at her beloved writers, even if it was one of those same writers who was doing the poking.
H.G. raked her hand through her hair and cleared her throat as she stared at the other bed and breakfast residents playfully banter with each other across the lawn. She leaned against the banister and rested her weight on one foot and then the other. She seemed anxious, but as Helena turned to her and opened her mouth only to leave it hanging open for a few seconds - her eyes thoughtful and uncertain - Myka knew that anxiousness was only the half of it. H.G. Wells was actually feeling bashful about something. After clearing her throat again and directing her attention back at Pete, Claudia and Leena, H.G. finally seemed to have found her voice.
"I wanted to thank you for your report…the things you wrote…they are what convinced the Regents to reinstate me, of that I am certain." She spoke softly and only looked up at Myka after she had finished speaking.
"I only wrote the truth." Myka answered simply. She had always prided herself on her objectiveness in relaying the accounts which transpired in all her cases and this time was no different, at least that was what she told herself as she saw H.G. give her a crooked, resigned smile.
"Hey Myka! Come help us out, will ya? Pete wants to serve us coal for dinner!" Claudia's joyful voice startled them both.
Myka turned to the young woman, all too aware of the mistrustful gazes the redhead - not to mention Pete – had been directing at the time traveler ever since they had met her. The agent was almost positive that even at this moment, Claudia was trying to steer her away from their new colleague, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of exasperation at their situation. She took a deep breath and composed herself. It would take some time for them to see what she saw, she told herself as she started to climb down the short flight of stairs that led to the open yard.
Before taking the last step, a thought suddenly occurred to her and she stopped herself, turning around to face H.G. who had decided –no doubt sensing the others' reluctance amid her presence- to keep to herself and sit down on one of the porch's comfortable wooden chairs. She was fiddling with her cellphone; though Myka was sure she wasn't expecting a call or a text from anyone…there was no one else. The dark haired woman simply stared in deep interest at the contraption and Myka smiled as Helena opened up the back lid and took out its chip. She had seen Helena do this a few times and was sure she would end up taking the cellphone apart.
"Your files-"She began and Helena immediately turned her attention back to her, the cellphone forgotten for the time being.
"-they're classified information. No one except the Regents has access to them….and that includes and especially goes for you" Myka finished as she crossed her arms over her chest, her expression more curious than suspicious.
"Ah…Yes, well…I was so very certain I would end up in the Bronze Sector again…you can imagine my surprise when I was told I was to be reinstated. Of course when I became privy to the sway your report had over the decision, well…." H.G. left her explanation unfinished. Her half chagrined, half boastful expression letting Myka know that having broken into her files was the only logical step she could have possibly taken. The tall agent simply raised her eyebrow, her expression as serious as H.G. had ever seen it.
The time traveler gave a small, unbelieving scoff as if she couldn't believe Myka was expecting an explanation for something so obvious. "You actually expected me to not have at least tried to get a look at the one piece of information that saved my life?" She defended herself.
"You can't break into the Warehouse system, Helena. You could get into serious trouble. You know Artie is just – just waiting for a chance to bronze you again…is that what you want?" Myka asked, seriously wanting to know the answer. Helena was silent for a few seconds, her throat visibly moving under the skin of her neck as if she was trying to swallow something foul tasting. Her expression had turned dark, almost cruel. Myka did not like that look at all. She took a step towards Helena and this seemed to snap her out of wherever she had gone to. She smiled up at Myka, though the agent was very aware that her eyes still held the dark glimmer from a moment ago. "Don't be silly, darling…of course I don't want that. I apologize, I now see how my actions could have been misconstrued, however harmless my intent. I shan't do it again." She assured with a conciliatory smile.
"Promise me, Helena" Myka was not appeased.
"This is absurd" H.G. contested with a hoarse laugh.
"Promise me you won't break into the system again." Myka was not deterred.
Helena raised a defiant eyebrow towards the tall agent, her smile nowhere to be seen. Then her features softened and she gave Myka an imperceptible nod."I-I promise" Her voice was low but laced with sincerity.
Myka exhaled in relief and gave her a quick nod back. "Good." She said promptly as she turned and headed back to the others.
"Is that it? Aren't you going to ask me if I broke into any other files?"
Myka turned, her demeanor tired "Did you?" She simply asked.
H.G. looked surprised for a moment, but managed to school her expression rapidly. "No" She answered.
"All right then" Myka said, almost as an afterthought. That's when she noticed Helena's uneasy gaze. She took another calming breath. "H.G. is there a reason I shouldn't trust you?" She asked directly "-because if a fellow Warehouse agent tells me they did or did not do something, then that's that. You're one of us now…the things I wrote…I actually believe them...you can second guess yourself all you want but I refuse to second guess myself…so, I'm going to ask you one more time…Is there a reason I shouldn't trust you?" The last question was spoken slowly and deliberately, Myka's trained and assessing eyes absorbing every minute movement the other woman made.
She was surprised to see the usually confident dark eyes fill with unshed tears, though it was obvious Helena would not allow them to fall. Then the writer clenched her jaw and just as quickly as the tears had appeared, they vanished, the expression they left behind, stern and unyielding.
"There are infinite reasons I am not worthy of your trust…but, I will find a way to earn it. I know it is not the answer you want or deserve, but it is all I can offer at the moment." She said, forcing herself not to look away from the encompassing gaze. The writer who so easily created works of fiction and who had in the past mislead even her closest of confidants with such ease, found herself not wanting to lie to the woman looking at her with eyes free of judgment, something she had not experienced in such a long time and had not known she had missed until this very second. She did not want to lie to her, so she did not. She would do everything she could to gain this woman's trust…and then she would ultimately fail her. She had a plan to follow through with after all.
"Then that's enough for me." Myka simply answered. "Now come on…you can help me with the grill…believe me, you don't want to subject your stomach to Pete's barbecue." She joked, trying to clear the air and feeling content once again.
/
"Myka?"
The agent's thoughts were abruptly interrupted as soon as she heard her name. She turned to see Roberto a few feet behind her. Despite the fact that he was almost completely hidden under the shadow of a large tree, Myka could instantly tell something was wrong. His whole body was shaking and he carried himself with uncharacteristic clumsiness. She directed an uncertain smile his way and he inhaled loudly, his body slightly doubling over as if somebody had hit him in the stomach. Then he was sprinting towards her, his hands suddenly on her upper arms and neck. His grasp was strong and desperate. "Ro-Roberto, hold on…stop for a second!" Myka's voice was adamant and she moved her arms up to force his hands away from her.
Roberto stopped at Myka's frightened and confused expression. He looked down at his hands and stared at them as if they were not his own. A dark, humorless laugh escaped his throat as he raked his hands through his hair and stepped back, his right hand going to his chest as if searching for something there. These were all too familiar gestures, but they did not belong to the man standing in front of her.
Roberto closed his eyes and Myka thought for a moment he would burst into tears. He clenched his jaw and looked back at her, his hands opening and closing at his sides…she was sure he was trying to restrain himself from touching her again.
"Myka, listen to me…what I'm going to tell you may sound farfetched but please keep in mind that we've experienced this before—"
"Helena?" Myka gasped in shock. The person before her looked like Roberto and had the same voice as he did, but the way he spoke and the gaze he directed at her were most definitely not his.
A relieved smile broke out on the handsome face as he demurely brushed away wayward tears. Now Myka was certain this person was not Roberto. Demure, Roberto was not.
"Yes…Myka, yes…Listen to me please. I need for you to promise me something-"
Myka's head was spinning…a thousand thoughts conflicting with each other, trying to take precedence, but the one that won out over all others was that if H.G. had gone back in time, then the serum had worked and it had not only prolonged her life, but it had somehow saved her. H.G. would live…and every other thought there-after paled in comparison. Myka knew she should be listening to whatever H.G. had to say, for if she was compelled to use her time machine than the situation they would be facing would be dire to say the least. But, she couldn't find it in herself to care, at least not at this very moment. She ran up to Helena and embraced her, effectively cutting the time traveler's words off as she too immediately enveloped her with borrowed arms. The weight, smell and feel of Robert's body were obviously different from Helena's smaller, lither frame, but it did not take away from the moment. Myka pulled back, though she did not leave the protective circle of the arms around her. She opened her mouth to ask one of the thousand questions on her mind but was stopped by strange, slightly chapped lips on her own. Roberto was kissing her…no, Helena was kissing her with an urgency she had never felt from the other woman before. Her confusion was at an all-time high, but it was quickly abated by a determined yet gentle tongue sliding lightly over her lips. Myka's heart almost burst as she opened her mouth in acquiescence. Helena's urgency quickly spilled over to Myka and they soon found themselves groping frantically and clumsily at each other. Helena pushed back from the kiss only to place her lips at the base of Myka's neck. Myka heard the deep intake of breath as if the time traveler was trying to commit her scent to memory. Then she felt the light stubble and she was catapulted back to reality. This was Helena, but it was not. She was here for a reason and more importantly, she would not do this to Roberto. She placed each hand on either side of Roberto's face and guided it upwards, making eye contact with the beautiful yet unfamiliar eyes. She placed another, gentler kiss on Roberto's lips, easing the worried expression that was all Helena's.
Helena inhaled once again, this time to steady her wayward emotions. She tenderly pushed back Myka's unruly hair and smiled longingly at her before her eyes turned dark once more. "Myka…the artifact we're after, it's an Incan staff, it holds great power…and we will find it…" Helena's voice was grave. "Don't trust Arpasi… do not let on you know something, we need him to get to the staff."
"Helena…what are you saying?" Myka couldn't quite grasp H.G.'s words. Arpasi had saved their lives, it couldn't be possible yet here was a future version of Helena trying to warn her about the Doctor.
"Once we get to the artifact, take Claudia and Peter and leave…I will take care of everything else, and we will all be fine." Helena assured almost calmly as she brushed her thumbs lovingly across Myka's cheek.
"What happens to us?" Myka asked, her voice shaking only slightly.
"That does not matter any longer, darling…just promise me you'll do this."
"Helena…tell me. You know more than anyone else, we can't change the past…"
At her words, Roberto's expression turned angry. H.G. stepped back though she did not lose her hold on Myka. "If anyone can change it…you can, I am sure…You must!" Helena stopped herself from saying anything more as she closed her eyes in despair.
"Please, tell me." Myka willed in a low whisper.
"My dearest…if you do not keep your promise to me, then you will die…and I refuse to live in the shadows your death casts upon us. So, please…promise me." Helena beseeched once again as she pulled her closer, placing a kiss on her cheek. "I have missed you so very much, we all have…the world is a darker place without you, so you must do everything necessary to live."
Helena unexpectedly buckled over at the waist, her expression one of absolute pain.
"Helena!" Myka brushed back the hair from Roberto's face, her eyes filled with worry.
"I'm afraid I shan't be staying long…I remember seeing you here with Roberto…I was so terribly jealous." Helena reminisced fondly "I can be so very daft and stubborn when I want to be, can I not?" She joked before another wave of pain hit her.
"When I saw you, Roberto looked dazed but happy…he had no idea what had happened to him, but I'm sure I was no longer in charge of his conscious mind. You must not say a word about this, the course of events up to the moment we find the staff cannot vary…the world is in grave danger." She warned.
A speechless and overwhelmed Myka let herself be held. "I am so sorry I was such a coward…it took your death for me to realize what I let slip through my fingers." Helena pulled back and though she was in obvious pain, she smiled weakly at Myka, relief flooding her eyes. "You will live and I shall be saved." Were the last words Myka heard before she felt Roberto's lips kiss her for the last time.
/
Thanks for taking the time to read!