Guardian: Chapter 10
Summery: When a threat on her life appears, Claudia is forced to leave the Warehouse and go to the small town of Haven, where she will be safe - if she isn’t killed by the odd, supernatural occurrences around the town, of course. However, once at Haven she realizes that the town and its inhabitants - especially Audrey Parker - might have more of a hand in her destiny - and true purpose to the Warehouse - than she thought.
Rating: PG-13 for violence and swearing.
Pairings: Audrey/Nathan (romantic), Artie/Claudia (father & daughter)
Spoilers: For Season 1 of Haven and all 2 seasons of Warehouse 13.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Haven or Warehouse 13.
Credit for banner: This awesome banner was made for me by the great dandilandi22!
Recaps: Read this quick recap to find out what’s currently happening on both shows!
Previous Chapters: Chapter Index
Chapter 10: The Truth...And Old Friends
“We’re going to find our answers here?” Duke asked skeptically.
It was the next morning, but everyone was tired and cranky due to the fact that they hadn’t gotten much sleep from the night before. Claudia had offered to explain her story in the morning, but no one felt like going home once they knew there was invisible assassin on the loose. They had all stayed in “The Gray Gull” drinking coffee and lost in their own thoughts until sunrise. Nathan had tried a few times to insist that Audrey go to a doctor but she had shot him down each time, claiming she was fine.
Currently, everyone was standing in front of the building that housed two of the experts on all of Haven’s news. Everyone except for Claudia and Audrey - who was partly giving Claudia the benefit of the doubt, partly understanding that the people inside had more information that they showed to the outside world - were looking deeply skeptical.
“Well, are we just going to stand here?” Claudia asked, walking inside. As she entered with a crowd of people following her, Vince and Dave looked up from their work, startled.
“Claudia - what’s going on?” Dave asked nervously.
“It’s answer time, fellas. I want to know everything you know about Caretakers.”
“What? Claudia -” Vince made a motion, indicating that she shouldn’t speak of that subject in front of the rest of the group.
“I trust them.” Claudia said simply. “They saved my life last night.”
“What happened last night?” Both brothers looked dumbfounded.
“An invisible attacker broke into Duke’s restaurant last night and tried to kill me.” Claudia said without batting an eyelash. “I haven't done anything to piss anyone off in the time that I’ve been here except for try to survive so I can go back to the Warehouse as a Caretaker.”
“Oh no.” Dave breathed, horrified. “Somebody knows.”
“What the hell is going on?” Duke muttered to Audrey and Nathan.
“You have to tell me -” Claudia began.
“It’s too dangerous.” Dave said, shaking his head.
Claudia rose up to her full height. “I am the future Caretaker of the Warehouse.” She said, power evident in every syllable of her words. “I am going to be in charge of one of the greatest powers in the world. I need to know what’s going on. I will get answers.”
No one bothered to argue. Nobody had ever seen Claudia like this. Power and an aura of something close to royalty were draped over her. She appeared quite different from the skinny 20 year old girl from before. Now she was woman: a woman who had an enormous amount of power - and an enormous burden - on her shoulders.
“Alight.” Vince said, slumping down in his chair. “Alright.”
*
“Caretakers are a very old, very mystical tradition. Their existence spans centuries. Whenever a place of great power would get to be too powerful, a Caretaker would step in. The Caretaker insured that the place would never be able to harm others, that it would remain under control. In return, that Caretaker was granted powers that connected them to that place - it allowed them to communicate and establish a deep connection with the place, so it would understand the Caretaker and their intentions. When a place and a Caretake are connected, both are changed.”
“You talk about these places are though they are - alive.” Nathan observed.
“They are, in some way. They have a sense of self, they are organic enough to think and feel. They are almost like people, if only they had a human body. But they are too big for people - their power is too great. They are...something large, something mystical...” Vince said, trailing off in awe and respect.
“And Claudia is the Caretaker of...a warehouse?” Duke asked. He looked at her, unimpressed. “You got gipped.”
“This is no ordinary Warehouse, Duke.” Vince said as Claudia frowned at him, not liking the way Duke was talking about the Warehouse. “I cannot tell you much about it, but it is one of the most powerful places, if not the most powerful place, in the world today.”
“So people are obviously trying to stop Claudia from taking becoming a Caretaker and getting that power.” Audrey said.
“Yes.” Vince nodded. “To become a Caretaker takes a certain amount of control. When a place and a Caretaker are connected, the place becomes very sensitive to its Caretaker’s emotions. It grows to care for its Caretaker. And if a Caretaker is angry or upset -”
“Then so is the place.” Nathan said, nodding.
“Exactly. The people that are after Claudia believe that she cannot run the Warehouse without causing significant damage to it.”
“So why not just give the job over to someone else?” Duke asked.
“Because the Warehouse chooses a Caretaker, not by accident, but by destiny. Claudia was already slated for this job the second she was born. A person cannot just pop in and take her place.” Dave said, sounding slightly offended.
“So why did Claudia get chosen to come to Haven?” Audrey asked. “If this...Warehouse is supposedly connected to her?”
“Because she needed to run for a while. She needed protection.” Vince said, not noticing the uncomfortable look on Claudia’s face when he mentioned running away from the Warehouse. She felt it made her sound cowardly. “She needed to be away from the people that were trying to kill her.”
“That worked out well, don’t you think?” Duke asked sarcastically.
“And what happens if Claudia dies?” Audrey asked. “Can the Warehouse survive without a Caretaker?”
“A new Caretaker will step in, but they can only do so once Claudia is out of the way.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know much about Caretakers?” Claudia asked suspiciously.
“We said we didn’t know much about the Warehouse Caretaker but we are well informed on the general subject of Caretakers.”
“Why?” Claudia asked.
“Because Haven has one.” Vince said, looking directly at Audrey.
*
Myka Bering rubbed her head, trying to ward off the fifth headache of the week. Her new job at the Secret Service wasn’t as consuming as she had thought it would be. How could she have once thought that doing a “normal” job with the Secret Service was exciting or interesting? Now it all seemed so dull compared to the Warehouse.
‘No.’ She told herself. ‘Don’t think about them.’ She missed her friends at the Warehouse, hell, she missed the Warehouse itself. She felt as though she was physically in pain to be separated from everyone she loved. Ever since the move away from the Warehouse, she had noticed that she had more headaches, her stomach cramped up more and her eyes constantly stung from strain.
She couldn’t make herself go back, but she couldn't make herself belief that she had made the right decision to leave. Because she hadn’t. The Warehouse was the job that she loved, with the people that she cared more about anything else in the world. But she couldn't go back - she would drive everyone away with her constant worrying and self-doubt.
In the beginning, of course, they would be sympathetic, but over time they would simply see her as annoying and a pain. It had happened before, in her previous jobs where she wasn't as happy as she had been at the Warehouse, before the H.G. Wells incident. In fact, it was happening in this job as well. She hadn’t made any friends since she had come to Washington - but then again, she hadn’t been looking for any friends. She had been too despondent over the loss of world of the Warehouse. She was ripped out of her thoughts by a knock on the door of her apartment. Abandoning her paperwork, she went to the door and opened it.
“Miss Bering?” Myka looked up to see two men come into her apartment. They had a serious look about them, and both were dressed in matching black suits. Except for their hair colors - one blonde, one brunette - they could have been twins.
“Yes?” She asked, wondering what section of the Secret Service they were from. Or maybe they were CIA agents, coming to ask about her most recent case? The CIA had said they were sending over an operative to be filled in about the Shepherd Case. But why would they be coming to her apartment?
“You are Miss Myka Bering?” The man asked.
“Who wants to know?” Myka asked, suspicious now.
“It’s her.” The blonde said to the brunette, walking inside and slamming her door shut. “I recognize her from the pictures. Take her.”
That was enough for Myka - she ran across the room from them, throwing a kitchen chair down, making one of them stumble to the floor, cursing. She ran over to her counter and frantically opened one of the drawers, grabbing a butcher knife.
“Don’t take another step!” She warned, trying to look threatening as she held out the knife, very conscious of the fact that both men had their guns trained on her, while her gun was abandoned in her bedroom along with the rest of the work clothes that she had traded for sweats.
“Put the knife down and we can talk.” The brunette man said. “It’s about the Warehouse.”
Myka felt her heart stop in her chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
“Of course you do. South Dakota. Middle of nowhere. You were assigned there with Agent Lattimer. Relax, we’re from the Warehouse ourselves.”
“Here on a big mission and we need to talk to you.” The blonde chimed in.
“If you’re really from the Warehouse, then where's Pete? Why couldn't he tell me about this?” Myka asked.
“Because horrible things have been happening there.” The brunette man said. “Pete was caught in the crossfire. We came here to inform you of his death.”
Myka felt shock consume her body, the arm holding her knife wavered as she tried to grasp the news that Pete was dead - just like Sam -
“Got her!” The brunette man said, springing forward and grabbing her arms, pinning them behind her body.
Myka tried to buck out of his grip, but he just held her tighter. She opened her mouth to scream for help, but the blonde man stumbled forward - he must have been the one that had been knocked down by the chair - and slugged her in the stomach, taking her breath away. She leaned over, trying not to throw up. The blonde pulled out a rag and a small bottle of chemicals and dampened it, ready to put it to her mouth. Myka tried to fight back, but the punch had been strong, and her body was still trying to recover its bearings.
Suddenly, Myka heard her door burst open and a gunshot rang out. A second later, the blonde screamed and clutched the arm of the hand holding the rag. Blood was pouring out of a bullet wound. The brunette man, in the confusion, loosened his grip a little and Myka took the opportunity to summon all her strength and wrench one of her arms out of his grip. She tried to reach for the knife that had fallen when he had grabbed her. He tried to pull her back with the other arm, but she pulled her body forward, fingernails scratching the floor and grabbed the knife. Then she willingly went with him, turning around and driving the knife into his thigh. He screamed, letting go of her arms and giving her the opportunity to kick him in the chin. An arm wrapped itself aruond her
shoulders, lifting her out of the chaos of the two beaten and bloody men. She turned around ready to attack, only to see the face of a very alive Pete Lattimer staring at her.
“Myka.” He said, before pulling her into a hug.
“Pete.” Myka said, clinging to him and burying her face into his shoulder. “What the hell is going on here?”
“It’s a long story.” Pete said, stepping back from the wounded men and letting other people - whom Myka presumed were agents with Pete judging from their appearance and the way they looked at Pete with respect - arrest the men who had been attacking her. “But you need to hear it now. We weren’t sure if they were going to come after you, but Mrs. Frederic told us last night that we needed to keep a watch on you, just to make sure.”
“Who are they and why are they going after me?” Myka asked.
“Long story short: they’re men who want to destroy “unworthy” Caretakers. And we think they went after you because they wanted to torture you in front of Artie, so he would tell them where Claudia’s hiding.” Pete said grimly, looking into her confused face.
“What?” Myka asked in disbelief. How could so much have changed since she had been gone?
“Like I told you, it’s a long story.” Pete said. “C’mon, let’s get someone safe and I can tell you the rest.”
Rating: PG-13 for violence and swearing.
Pairings: Audrey/Nathan (romantic), Artie/Claudia (father & daughter)
Spoilers: For Season 1 of Haven and all 2 seasons of Warehouse 13.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Haven or Warehouse 13.
Credit for banner: This awesome banner was made for me by the great dandilandi22!
Recaps: Read this quick recap to find out what’s currently happening on both shows!
Previous Chapters: Chapter Index
Chapter 10: The Truth...And Old Friends
“We’re going to find our answers here?” Duke asked skeptically.
It was the next morning, but everyone was tired and cranky due to the fact that they hadn’t gotten much sleep from the night before. Claudia had offered to explain her story in the morning, but no one felt like going home once they knew there was invisible assassin on the loose. They had all stayed in “The Gray Gull” drinking coffee and lost in their own thoughts until sunrise. Nathan had tried a few times to insist that Audrey go to a doctor but she had shot him down each time, claiming she was fine.
Currently, everyone was standing in front of the building that housed two of the experts on all of Haven’s news. Everyone except for Claudia and Audrey - who was partly giving Claudia the benefit of the doubt, partly understanding that the people inside had more information that they showed to the outside world - were looking deeply skeptical.
“Well, are we just going to stand here?” Claudia asked, walking inside. As she entered with a crowd of people following her, Vince and Dave looked up from their work, startled.
“Claudia - what’s going on?” Dave asked nervously.
“It’s answer time, fellas. I want to know everything you know about Caretakers.”
“What? Claudia -” Vince made a motion, indicating that she shouldn’t speak of that subject in front of the rest of the group.
“I trust them.” Claudia said simply. “They saved my life last night.”
“What happened last night?” Both brothers looked dumbfounded.
“An invisible attacker broke into Duke’s restaurant last night and tried to kill me.” Claudia said without batting an eyelash. “I haven't done anything to piss anyone off in the time that I’ve been here except for try to survive so I can go back to the Warehouse as a Caretaker.”
“Oh no.” Dave breathed, horrified. “Somebody knows.”
“What the hell is going on?” Duke muttered to Audrey and Nathan.
“You have to tell me -” Claudia began.
“It’s too dangerous.” Dave said, shaking his head.
Claudia rose up to her full height. “I am the future Caretaker of the Warehouse.” She said, power evident in every syllable of her words. “I am going to be in charge of one of the greatest powers in the world. I need to know what’s going on. I will get answers.”
No one bothered to argue. Nobody had ever seen Claudia like this. Power and an aura of something close to royalty were draped over her. She appeared quite different from the skinny 20 year old girl from before. Now she was woman: a woman who had an enormous amount of power - and an enormous burden - on her shoulders.
“Alight.” Vince said, slumping down in his chair. “Alright.”
*
“Caretakers are a very old, very mystical tradition. Their existence spans centuries. Whenever a place of great power would get to be too powerful, a Caretaker would step in. The Caretaker insured that the place would never be able to harm others, that it would remain under control. In return, that Caretaker was granted powers that connected them to that place - it allowed them to communicate and establish a deep connection with the place, so it would understand the Caretaker and their intentions. When a place and a Caretake are connected, both are changed.”
“You talk about these places are though they are - alive.” Nathan observed.
“They are, in some way. They have a sense of self, they are organic enough to think and feel. They are almost like people, if only they had a human body. But they are too big for people - their power is too great. They are...something large, something mystical...” Vince said, trailing off in awe and respect.
“And Claudia is the Caretaker of...a warehouse?” Duke asked. He looked at her, unimpressed. “You got gipped.”
“This is no ordinary Warehouse, Duke.” Vince said as Claudia frowned at him, not liking the way Duke was talking about the Warehouse. “I cannot tell you much about it, but it is one of the most powerful places, if not the most powerful place, in the world today.”
“So people are obviously trying to stop Claudia from taking becoming a Caretaker and getting that power.” Audrey said.
“Yes.” Vince nodded. “To become a Caretaker takes a certain amount of control. When a place and a Caretaker are connected, the place becomes very sensitive to its Caretaker’s emotions. It grows to care for its Caretaker. And if a Caretaker is angry or upset -”
“Then so is the place.” Nathan said, nodding.
“Exactly. The people that are after Claudia believe that she cannot run the Warehouse without causing significant damage to it.”
“So why not just give the job over to someone else?” Duke asked.
“Because the Warehouse chooses a Caretaker, not by accident, but by destiny. Claudia was already slated for this job the second she was born. A person cannot just pop in and take her place.” Dave said, sounding slightly offended.
“So why did Claudia get chosen to come to Haven?” Audrey asked. “If this...Warehouse is supposedly connected to her?”
“Because she needed to run for a while. She needed protection.” Vince said, not noticing the uncomfortable look on Claudia’s face when he mentioned running away from the Warehouse. She felt it made her sound cowardly. “She needed to be away from the people that were trying to kill her.”
“That worked out well, don’t you think?” Duke asked sarcastically.
“And what happens if Claudia dies?” Audrey asked. “Can the Warehouse survive without a Caretaker?”
“A new Caretaker will step in, but they can only do so once Claudia is out of the way.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know much about Caretakers?” Claudia asked suspiciously.
“We said we didn’t know much about the Warehouse Caretaker but we are well informed on the general subject of Caretakers.”
“Why?” Claudia asked.
“Because Haven has one.” Vince said, looking directly at Audrey.
*
Myka Bering rubbed her head, trying to ward off the fifth headache of the week. Her new job at the Secret Service wasn’t as consuming as she had thought it would be. How could she have once thought that doing a “normal” job with the Secret Service was exciting or interesting? Now it all seemed so dull compared to the Warehouse.
‘No.’ She told herself. ‘Don’t think about them.’ She missed her friends at the Warehouse, hell, she missed the Warehouse itself. She felt as though she was physically in pain to be separated from everyone she loved. Ever since the move away from the Warehouse, she had noticed that she had more headaches, her stomach cramped up more and her eyes constantly stung from strain.
She couldn’t make herself go back, but she couldn't make herself belief that she had made the right decision to leave. Because she hadn’t. The Warehouse was the job that she loved, with the people that she cared more about anything else in the world. But she couldn't go back - she would drive everyone away with her constant worrying and self-doubt.
In the beginning, of course, they would be sympathetic, but over time they would simply see her as annoying and a pain. It had happened before, in her previous jobs where she wasn't as happy as she had been at the Warehouse, before the H.G. Wells incident. In fact, it was happening in this job as well. She hadn’t made any friends since she had come to Washington - but then again, she hadn’t been looking for any friends. She had been too despondent over the loss of world of the Warehouse. She was ripped out of her thoughts by a knock on the door of her apartment. Abandoning her paperwork, she went to the door and opened it.
“Miss Bering?” Myka looked up to see two men come into her apartment. They had a serious look about them, and both were dressed in matching black suits. Except for their hair colors - one blonde, one brunette - they could have been twins.
“Yes?” She asked, wondering what section of the Secret Service they were from. Or maybe they were CIA agents, coming to ask about her most recent case? The CIA had said they were sending over an operative to be filled in about the Shepherd Case. But why would they be coming to her apartment?
“You are Miss Myka Bering?” The man asked.
“Who wants to know?” Myka asked, suspicious now.
“It’s her.” The blonde said to the brunette, walking inside and slamming her door shut. “I recognize her from the pictures. Take her.”
That was enough for Myka - she ran across the room from them, throwing a kitchen chair down, making one of them stumble to the floor, cursing. She ran over to her counter and frantically opened one of the drawers, grabbing a butcher knife.
“Don’t take another step!” She warned, trying to look threatening as she held out the knife, very conscious of the fact that both men had their guns trained on her, while her gun was abandoned in her bedroom along with the rest of the work clothes that she had traded for sweats.
“Put the knife down and we can talk.” The brunette man said. “It’s about the Warehouse.”
Myka felt her heart stop in her chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
“Of course you do. South Dakota. Middle of nowhere. You were assigned there with Agent Lattimer. Relax, we’re from the Warehouse ourselves.”
“Here on a big mission and we need to talk to you.” The blonde chimed in.
“If you’re really from the Warehouse, then where's Pete? Why couldn't he tell me about this?” Myka asked.
“Because horrible things have been happening there.” The brunette man said. “Pete was caught in the crossfire. We came here to inform you of his death.”
Myka felt shock consume her body, the arm holding her knife wavered as she tried to grasp the news that Pete was dead - just like Sam -
“Got her!” The brunette man said, springing forward and grabbing her arms, pinning them behind her body.
Myka tried to buck out of his grip, but he just held her tighter. She opened her mouth to scream for help, but the blonde man stumbled forward - he must have been the one that had been knocked down by the chair - and slugged her in the stomach, taking her breath away. She leaned over, trying not to throw up. The blonde pulled out a rag and a small bottle of chemicals and dampened it, ready to put it to her mouth. Myka tried to fight back, but the punch had been strong, and her body was still trying to recover its bearings.
Suddenly, Myka heard her door burst open and a gunshot rang out. A second later, the blonde screamed and clutched the arm of the hand holding the rag. Blood was pouring out of a bullet wound. The brunette man, in the confusion, loosened his grip a little and Myka took the opportunity to summon all her strength and wrench one of her arms out of his grip. She tried to reach for the knife that had fallen when he had grabbed her. He tried to pull her back with the other arm, but she pulled her body forward, fingernails scratching the floor and grabbed the knife. Then she willingly went with him, turning around and driving the knife into his thigh. He screamed, letting go of her arms and giving her the opportunity to kick him in the chin. An arm wrapped itself aruond her
shoulders, lifting her out of the chaos of the two beaten and bloody men. She turned around ready to attack, only to see the face of a very alive Pete Lattimer staring at her.
“Myka.” He said, before pulling her into a hug.
“Pete.” Myka said, clinging to him and burying her face into his shoulder. “What the hell is going on here?”
“It’s a long story.” Pete said, stepping back from the wounded men and letting other people - whom Myka presumed were agents with Pete judging from their appearance and the way they looked at Pete with respect - arrest the men who had been attacking her. “But you need to hear it now. We weren’t sure if they were going to come after you, but Mrs. Frederic told us last night that we needed to keep a watch on you, just to make sure.”
“Who are they and why are they going after me?” Myka asked.
“Long story short: they’re men who want to destroy “unworthy” Caretakers. And we think they went after you because they wanted to torture you in front of Artie, so he would tell them where Claudia’s hiding.” Pete said grimly, looking into her confused face.
“What?” Myka asked in disbelief. How could so much have changed since she had been gone?
“Like I told you, it’s a long story.” Pete said. “C’mon, let’s get someone safe and I can tell you the rest.”