"Orphans Beloved: "Fade to Dark…"
Summary: Like my Immortal Beloved bits in my Buffyverse stories, these are fragments and short bits, some longer…Just to fiddle with ideas, possibly forming longer tales later.
Rachel forms an unholy alliance with Bonnie Johansen and the Dark Side of the Clone Club.
Disclaimer: No copywrite infringement intended…
(Note-I'll see how this one goes, may pull it into a full tale)
""I really hate to have had to be the bearer of such tidings…" Marion Bowles, just a bit too bright for projecting sympathy, smile, elegant as always in tailored suit. "Especially at the start of the holidays…"
"I'm out. Just like that…?" Rachel, in hospital bed…Eye patch chaffing a bit, she furiously pressed her nurse's page button. "Idiot!" she graciously addressed the hurrying young nurse's "Yes, Ms. Duncan?"
"Eye patch, again!"
"Sorry, Ms. Duncan…"
"Sorry to trouble you, Margaret…" Marion, warmly, as the nurse worked on the dressing under the patch and adjusted the patch's strap. "Anyway, Ms. Duncan will be leaving shortly…You can let them know the room will be free in an hour."
Hmmn? Rachel stared…
But…My eye's still…Not replaced by one of the inferior models' used as a spare.
And it still stings…
"Could you lay out her clothes before you go? Thanks, Margaret." Marion, beaming warmly.
"So…" She turned to Rachel. "The doctors say you can leave…" friendly polite pause… "And I'm sure you want to get home and start settling your affairs."
"Topside can't remove me from Dyad…This is a minor physical disability, easily corrected."
"Rachel…Dear heart…" Marion, the sympathetic look again.
I bet she had that look ready for Aldous if I hadn't gotten him out first, Rachel thought.
My poor second daddy…Who surely dreams of vengeance…
Well, little foster daughter will soon be with you to plan strategy...For our mutual return from the dead.
"…If I'd had any say in the affair…" Marion continued. "But, the board feels that at such a critical time in Dyad's existence…"
"All I need is one damned eyeball, Marion…Give me a glass one temporarily until we bring in one of the spares and…Dr. Nealon can easily yank one out of…"
"Rachel. I'm afraid that Dr. Nealon is no longer with Dyad." Sigh. "Seems he was involved in some rather shady affairs. Unethical, but more important, fiscal…He's been terminated."
Hard stare indicating it was termination of the extreme prejudice variety…
"And sadly I guess the shock of discovery and scandal was too much for him, poor man…He committed suicide two days ago. A tragedy…"
Cut to shot of Nealon in open body bag, ghastly look of horror on face…
"Indeed." Rachel, curtly.
So much for my assistant Dr. Mengele…Well, Rachel Duncan needs no one…
Though Daddy Aldous? Please come and make it all better…
"As I've noted, the severance package is quite generous…"
Should allow me to stay in my apartment for about a year if I skimp... Well, if the tramp can take to the open road, and the pathetic housewife can live in suburban Hell with the lump in bovine joy, I can manage to…Uggg…Downgrade my lifestyle a bit…
Until vengeance is mine…
"There's no chance this could just be…An extended leave…?" Rachel spoke up, surprising Marion by the pleading tone…
"You know how devoted to the mission of Dyad I am, Marion…To our goals for biotechnology…" earnest look.
"No." Marion, flatly…Then smile again, warmest of beams… "I wouldn't want to give you false hopes, Rachel. The board has made its decision."
"Delphine Cormier. To take my place? Hardly a professional decision, Marion. The woman's a fine scientist I grant you but how can you expect her to make the hard choices required…?"
Marion, sighing…
"Topside would prefer Dyad to take a new course, Rachel. There's been too much violence and pushing of the ethical envelope recently. The Manning kidnapping, a threat of unauthorized surgery on one of our subjects…Your own aide Daniel Rosen involved in the murder of a police officer and the possible framing of Felix Dawkins? It just doesn't project the image Topside wishes to be conveyed just now, Rachel."
"I was told to get the task accomplished…By any means necessary…" Rachel, sincerely annoyed now…
Jesus, this is the thanks I get? Tossed out on the clone reject pile…?
Ummn…She blinked.
Lets hope not literally so…
"And your service is appreciated. But, no longer required…" Marion, coolly. "Ah…" she turned to where Nurse Margaret had laid out Rachel's suit, underwear, and shoes. "I see you're all set now. And don't worry, a driver will take you home and you are still fully covered by your medical insurance for your time here." Smile…Pat on arm as she rose. "Naturally, I'll want to keep in touch. Call me sometime, we'll do lunch." She turned and headed out the door, the nurse following a moment later…To Rachel's fury, clearly repressing a giggle.
God…Damn…Bitch! She threw the nearest thing, the room's television remote control at the closed door.
All right…
All…Right…
Right…She breathed deeply.
Can't let this overwhelm me. If the tramp and the psychotic can survive to fight another day, the fair-haired daughter of Neolution can bide her time to ultimate triumph.
Buzz from phone…
"Yes. My driver will be here in fifteen minutes? How…Wonderful. Thank you." She hung up, grim look, rising slowly, a bit painfully, out of bed.
God, it's hard to judge without depth perception…She eyed the clothes on chair, reaching.
….
"Ho, ho…Arggh…Avast, there Matey!" the fifth drunken fool…This one in Santa suit, no less, to address Rachel as she walked from her apartment to a nearby restaurant for the first decent meal she'd had in two weeks. "Merry…Uhhh…" groan as he fell in the street at her vicious elbow to the stomach.
Yeah, you too…She sneered, grimly eyeing the stunned passers-by…Generally fairly well-dressed, it being her rather posh neighborhood.
"Piss off!" she glared…Though noting one dapper young fellow reaching for his cell while another man helped the old drunk up, several frowning at her now. She blanched the slightest bit…Really should've let him have it in that alleyway…I could have robbed his bucket as well, I can use all the ready cash I can get…Not so much worried by the growing threat of arrest minus the legal immunity she had so recently enjoyed as by the knowledge "her kind" would find her wanting…
Clearly some rude, nouveau-riche, housewifes of somewhere type allowed to live in our neighborhood by virtue of a pile of cash acquired by God-knows what means…Drug dealing, Plumbing, Insurance fraud, Walmart heir…
She attempted to regain the high ground of 1% privilege… "The fellow was harassing me. Who hired this drunk to…" she eyed the injured Santa…
Uh-oh… Isn't that the vice mayor?
"I was just coming from the Childrens' Hospital's disabled children's Christmas party…" the vice mayor groaned to one young woman assisting him. "I just saw her patch and…"
"I videod it, she attacked him…" one earnest young woman cried.
God, there's always one…Rachel sighed.
How do people like that manage to slip into our urban paradise?
"Clearly a misunderstanding…" Rachel tried, raising hands in placating gesture.
And here come the boys in blue, she sighed, eyeing the police car and emerging officers…
Lovely…
"What do we have here?" the lead officer, gun drawn. "Oh…" he looked at Rachel's raised hands. "Another cop-hating liberal bleeding heart, eh?"
"No…No…" Rachel, putting hands down.
"Get those hands up, you cop-hating Commie Occupier Obama lover!" the officer called. "Jerry, shoot her if she breathes!" he noted to the other officer. "Here's our chance to show there's no racial motivations in our behavior."
Great…I'm the poster child for "we'll shoot anyone" Rachel stared.
Not that I don't fully support unrestrained use of deadly force by our law enforcement officials when they're acting as my lackeys…
"She attacked the vice mayor!" one of the group about the vice mayor cried.
"But don't you shoot her if she's engaged in valid protest…" the earnest young woman insisted. "I'm taping this."
Uhnnn…The lead officer groaned. "All right, cuff her Jerry. Ma'am, you are under arrest for assault and as a possible terrorist, you have the right to remain silent…"
…..
Squad car enroute to station…Rachel sadly eyeing…One eyeing…Passing lights and decorations…
…All the times Daniel and I would have a tree cut to our exacting specifications by Martha Stewart and we'd go watch the neighborhood children caroling in Dickensian costume. Daniel happily noting how he'd enjoy torturing them to death, while I simply relished the thought of kidnapping and having them to display as my own precious ones. Then, we'd head home to watch Christmas movies while Daniel would mock the sentimental fool "heroes and heroines"… "Eat this for Christmas, Clarence!" he'd point gun and mock fire. Pretending to be a Christmas Eve party guest throwing away money in Bailey's basket, "Mr. Potter says…Hello!" grin at door and depart, mimicking explosion as the bomb he'd concealed in the wad of cash goes off, providing a new and happy ending.
"I don't suppose the fact that I'm head of Dyad Group matters to you…Or that you will be out of a job and imprisoned shortly?" she tried.
"Yeah, yeah…Tell it to the liberal media, lady." The lead officer noted.
Hmmn…Jerry on the horn with the station, looking in the rear-view apprehensively.
Ah, a glimmer of intelligence…Rachel beamed.
"Uh, Joe? Her name checks out…Rachel Duncan, head of Dyad Group."
Phew…Rachel, relieved. Still only walking dead, not fully dead yet.
"I'd like to make my phone call? Now?" she noted grimly.
…..
"I trust you realize this is the last action our firm can take on your behalf, Ms. Duncan…" the grim-face lawyer in dark suit and sunglasses…So nearly identical to poor Daniel, she'd blinked…One…At him and briefly pondered the clonal possibilities…
No…The military went strictly for brawn over brains…The firm just likes to hire a certain type, clever, brutally ruthless, with a minor physical flaw like lack of height to encourage a drive for sadistic revenge on the world that can be channeled. And since the Nazi and Soviet Communist Parties are no longer hiring, opportunities in well-developed nations aren't what they used to be, though corporations like Dyad are doing their best to take up the slack…
…Or, were…She frowned.
New path, indeed.
I'll "new path" them, the bastards…
"Yes, I understand, Mr. Howe." She smiled frostily. "But I appreciate you're taking care of this last little problem."
"Avoiding complications is my job, Ms. Duncan. Please bear that in mind in the future."
Yeah…I get the "or you're dead clone meat, bitch" there…Rachel thought.
"You can drop me here…I'm going to dinner." She noted.
And it's a crowded, public street…
"Fine. Enjoy. And don't worry about the charges, they'll be dropped. The vice mayor is a personal friend of Marion Bowles." Howe,calmly…Signaling the driver to stop the car.
That icy indifference…I think I may weep…Rachel thought…
Oh, Daniel…
I shall avenge you…And more effectively than some ranting Khan Noonian Singh.
"You know you remind me…" she began…The door slamming in her face, the limo speeding off.
Oh…Just the way Daniel would have done it…
Oh…
….
"What a nice costume…I like the understatement of the pirate, confined to just the eyepatch. Tres elegant, Ms. Duncan, as always." The maitre'd of her favorite restaurant noted, with polished smile. She grimly thanking him.
"Sadly, this is not Halloween. And more sadly…It appears we are unable to seat you tonight, I'm sorry…A busy evening."
She stared. "But I have a standing table…"
"I'm afraid that has been transferred to the new head of the Dyad Group…Dr…."
"Cormier? Delphine Cormier has my table?!"
"I only wish I could accommodate you, Ms. Duncan. If you'd made a reservation…A week or two in advance…" politely apologetic look. "I can recommend several other very fine establishments in the area…"
"It's…Fine…Thank you." She eyed him grimly, turning.
Delphine Cormier has my job…And my table…
Probably will take my apartment here and back in Boston after I have to leave…
And her girlfriend has my eyeball…So to speak…Well, one of the potential replacements anyway…
Damn.
…..
"What do you mean…Frozen?" Rachel on phone, inside ATM cubicle. "How can you freeze my accounts over Daniel Rosen's gambling debts?! His name was what?! I can appeal to whom?! When?! Son of a…!" she threw the phone down.
Hmmn…Might not want to be so harsh with a $2000 phone I might want to return or sell…She eyed the phone on the ground.
Yes…She lifted the shattered case. I might not have wanted to be so harsh…
Well, I still have the tramp's pink phone…She sighed. Lovely…
Goddamn that little bastard…Putting his name on my accounts and financing his debts on me.
So like him…She thought, fondly.
Well, I've got to have one account or something still open…Perhaps Marion can expedite that severance package a bit…To a new account or in cash…
It appears I will not be drowning my sorrows in a wild spree on the town…Sigh…
Bet the tramp and Kira are dining well tonight, with dear ole daddy. Secure in the knowledge that some son or daughter of a bitch at Topside decided in their favor for good PR.
May as well go home and clean out the wine cellar while I still have it…
"What kind of pirate are you?" a little girl eyed her.
"The worst kind, a corporate pirate." Rachel, coldly.
"A pretty dumb one…This is Christmas time, not Halloween…" the girl sneered, turning away.
Oh, my…The little girl of my dreams…Rachel blinked.
Hmmn…All alone, are we? She eyed the girl.
Well, no reason not to keep up my skills in kidnapping and psychological torture…
And I do so want to be a mother…
I'm so good with children.
"MOMMMIEEE!" the girl shrieked as Rachel grabbed her, groaning as the little girl gave her a surprisingly solid punch to the stomach.
Oh, God…She grimaced, looking at her ruined suit as "Mommy" raced to her girl, glaring at Rachel.
Worst of it is…It's hospital food…Eyeing the soiled suit.
….
Toronto Metropolitan Police HQ…
"So you tried to kidnap a nine year old?" Art Bell eyed the seated, handcuffed Rachel fuming in her chair.
"Cute…" another officer, female…Her badge identifying her as "Det. Angela DeAngelis" standing near. "Another step down in your career, Manning? Or should I say, 'Rachel Duncan'…Fake id, is it?"
"You're not Sarah Manning…Whatever you claim." Art, calmly. "You are actually Rachel, aren't you?"
"Don't know what you're bloody talkin' about, mate…er, Art. You know I'm Sarah, the low-life grafter who keeps poppin' up. I just happened to find that Rachel's stuff in the street…"
"Now that I believe, Art." DeAngelis grinned…"With the minor change…Stole the lady's stuff from her in the street."
"Another sister who happens to resemble you?" Art eyed Rachel.
"That is the interesting thing…" Angie nodded. "Lets lock her up and see what we can find out."
"Angie…" Art put up a hand. "Look, Ms. Duncan…I can guess why you want to cover, claiming to be Sarah. But, this is a charge that could put you away…And if you think I'm going to let you walk when you're guilty of all…"
Angie, eager expectation…
Finally…The payoff on all this weirdness…
"…Well, we'll look into it later…" Art sighed. Angie frowning…Damnit, Art…
Lieutenant Hardcastle walked by, staring…Stopping to eye Rachel who gave him a defiant leer…
"Jesus Christ, is this another one?"
"Nah, just me, Sarah Manning, payin' a visit, Lieutenant…I decided to go upscale again. How are you?" leer.
"Art?" Hardcastle looked to Bell who sighed.
"Sortin' things out, Lieutenant. But this isn't Sarah Manning. Meet Ms. Rachel Duncan, of the Dyad Group…Just having a little fun with us. "
"Uh-huh. Well…Lady…We may have to keep it polite so as to avoid any more attempts at suspending my officers…" Hardcastle glared. "But we will do our jobs, no matter what you and your lawyers try to pull…"
"Got me all wrong, Lieutenant." Rachel, affecting English accent, shook head. "Just couldn't stay away from you guys."
"Good luck finding something to hold her on." Hardcastle to Art, grimly. "If you do, go ahead and put it on me. I could use a few days suspension break." He strode off…
"I think I miss him most of all…" Rachel sneered.
"I think I'd enjoy bangin' you off a wall…" Angie noted grimly. "Even if you're not Manning…And judging by that lousy accent, Art's right."
"Well, suppose we settle this…" Art reached for his phone. "I think Sarah would love to hook up with you again…Maybe Helena too."
"Who's…?" Angie eagerly…More so as she caught Rachel's blanching…
Helena?
"Look…It's just a misunderstanding…The little brat went and startled me. " Rachel, desperately.
"Assault on a minor, if Mom presses…" Art eyed her. "Possible intent to kidnap…"
"Art…" She tried a Beth accent, innocent wide-eyed stare…
"I wonder, Ms. Duncan…If I pretended to buy your 'Sarah' routine…And charged you with impersonating Beth Childs…"
"That sounds like a good idea, Art." Angie grinned.
Ummn…Rachel blinked.
And right now, no doubt Marion and Topside would be happy to see me facing a long prison term as Sarah Manning or someone impersonating both Sarah and Beth…
"Something tells me…Say a little bird, with cell phone…That no high-powered team of legal eagles would come by to rescue you this time, 'Sarah'." Art, coldly. "Sounds like Dyad's gone and cut you loose."
"Fine. Just trying to avoid a little unwanted publicity. I am Rachel Duncan, head of the Dyad Group…Sarah's my rather disreputable sister…I was drinking a bit too much tonight and made a fool of myself and I panicked, for my job's sake. You can understand, surely. I didn't mean any harm to the girl. Just let me plead guilty and pay the fine or whatever…" Rachel sighed.
"See how easy things get when you tell the truth. Well, Ms. Duncan…On the one hand, you're in luck. The mother just wanted me to speak to you sternly…She's not pressing charges, lucky for you. On the other hand, though, I'm afraid I will be holding you to see Sarah Manning as there are some additional questions…Pertaining to some very serious charges…"
"Sarah's guilty of personating one of your own officers…You can't trust her word over mine…!" Rachel fumed.
"Different matter…Our call…And yeah, we can…" Art noted, quietly.
"You know…Much as I would like to nail Manning…I'm starting to prefer the idea of putting you behind bars, Rach…" Angie smiled.
"Art? A visitor…" an officer came to the desk.
"Time for a family reunion…" Art smiled at the frowning Rachel.
"Say what happened to your suit?" Angie eyed the ruined front.
….
"Sarah has no intention of coming anywhere near you." Alison, seated, in as Rachel mentally noted, what passes in Suberia as a "dressy suit", the lumpen one seated beside her. "But I can confirm that this is not Sarah…It's our utterly vile and inhuman sister, Rachel Duncan."
"Nice to meet you, too, Alison." Rachel glared.
"Do you expect me to be polite to the woman who kidnapped my niece and threatened my poor dear sister?" Alison eyed her. "Who, God knows, had hideous plans for me and my family…By the way, what happened to your eye?"
"Was that for a costume party?" Donnie asked.
Good God…Rachel sighed.
I'd could almost wish Helena had come…