Orphans Beloved…X "Just Because…"
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. I do plan at least one longer tale, "Nessun Dorma" but that's just getting sketched now.
Disclaimer: No copywrite infringement intended.
(Note…Remember I do not guarantee these "Orphan Beloved" bits hold as a story, though admittedly the first OBeloved tales are following a consistent line. For the Beloveds, there will be others that do not follow in logical order. However I will consider keeping the numbers OBeloveds as connected tales and others just using titles. Naturally I will indicate separate complete stories like Nessun Dorma which add chapters.
The rather black box area of the famed Dyad Institute…
Into which, after several failed attempts, Sarah Manning has finally been whisked…The threatened kidnapping of her daughter having driven her to at last accept the generous invite of Dr. Aldous Leekie.
"You can leave us, Olivier…" Leekie nodded to said frowning Duval.
"Tail still smartin', Olli?" Sarah eyed him as he gave vengeful glare, slamming door on his way out.
"Not that I did it…" she turned back to the wryly smiling Leekie.
"Much as I appreciate the pun in cutting… 'Olli's'…tail…" Leekie grinned. "I'm not so confident of my fighting skills that I'd leave us alone if I thought you had."
"So you are familiar with Helena…" Sarah eyed him.
"I know of her…" Leekie, blandly.
"And set her on us?"
"You think I want you dead, Sarah?…" he stared at her.
She shrugged… "Not before our times, I suppose…So, is it true?"
"I appreciate the God-like eminence you're ascribing to me but even I need more to go on, dear…" he smiled. Waving her to a chair.
"Is she…Helena…The Original? She's convinced of it…"
"Original…?" he pondered… "As in? The original cell you all were cloned from? Sweetheart, if as I distinctly believe, bright young Cosima is a member of your little merry band, she should have made you aware…There is no 'original'…You're all developed from the same egg, fertilized all those years ago. It is true an adult woman contributed the basic nucleus I implanted…But she's long dead…" slight blink… "Very long dead…Speaking of dead…What happened to Beth, Sarah? And why did you take her place?" he eyed her.
"She killed herself, thanks to you…And because I could…And I thought I could help my daughter by being this girl I saw who looked like me, only better…And killed herself just as I saw her and she saw me…"
He stared, then startled her by almost collapsing into the chair nearest him… "Then…She's really dead? My Beth…?" he looked at the floor, then her, tears in his eyes… "My poor Beth is dead…? You're not lying…She's not hiding, somewhere? Trying to find out more?"
"She's dead…Her body's passin' for me in the morgue."
"Why…?" he whispered, looking over to her…Genuine grief in his eyes… "I knew she was having problems but…?"
"Why? She found out her life was a lie, your lie…The man she loved was just a spy you put in to watch her every move, she was just a lab rat. And after she found Katja, a dying rat, she probably figured…"
"Katja…" he whispered. "Of course…" he nodded. "That's it…Katja was looking for donors…And Beth turned up, along with god knows how many more…"
"I hope you know that she's dead too…Or didn't Helena check in with you?"
"I knew Katja was dead." he nodded.
"Shot right through the head…I was there…Helena's a crack shot, by the way."
"Yes, she is…She ought to be." he nodded, pausing to eye her carefully after a moment. "Does it help to tell me like this? You obviously hope it hurts me…"
"I'd like to believe there's something human in you." She nodded. "Besides Dr. Mengele, I mean…"
"Oooh…" he grinned, wincing. "Now…Mengele's 'work' was sadistic, unfounded crap…Though to be honest, there was some useful work done by some of the death camp scientists on freezing and decompression."
"A comfort to Anne Frank, just like to us, I've no doubt…" Sarah, coldly.
"Sarah…I don't want to be cruel…But you do realize but for this project and the panicky death throes of the Cold War paranoia of the 80s American government, who eagerly signed off on a project they'd hoped would produce an endless supply of superior agents of unquestionable Ukrainian-Russian background…A little selling point that worked wonders…You and your sisters, would not, literally, exist, except as someone's stored, forgotten…Ready to trash…Unfertilized ova…"
"So we all had idyllic childhoods?..." she eyed him. He smiling back… "And you did this because…?"
"Just because the opportunity came…The government was willing, for a paranoid moment…Claire was ideal and willing…And I knew there'd never be another…Another chance like this and another chance to see her live the life she should have had…Just because I could…"
"You knew I didn't kill Beth…Whatever that bloke Duval thought. You knew even before she did…"
"Not so, Sarah…" he sighed. "Yes, Beth was a study in the effects of genetic manipulation on aspects of the depression and bipolar condition Claire suffered so long from. Yes, I knew she was at risk, especially if she'd ever learnt about the project. No, I did not know she'd…" he suddenly looked old…
"I was at her graduation…From the Academy…Not as a relative, of course. She had her parents, nice ones…She did have a nice childhood, Sarah…Very loving adoptive parents. I went posing as someone else's uncle..Stupid, really. But I wanted to be there…I was so proud of her. Claire would have been so proud, seeing her do…Seeing all of you do…The things she couldn't. That she never had the strength or the chance to do." He put up a hand at her cool glare. "I'm not pretending to be dear ole Dad, honey. But you have to believe I do love each and every one of you…Even poor Helena."
"Why not…?" Sarah shrugged. "Since you made us what we are…"
"No…I simply allowed for variations…And charted them…" he sighed. "If you think I enjoy knowing that in some of you Claire's conditions surface with a vengeance in ways even she never suffered from…If you think watching some of you die in infancy…In childhood…As young, beautiful, hopeful, and promising women…Pleases me…"
"But you went and you did it…You started the process."
"Set up the dominos and let them fall genetically where they may…" he shrugged. "Would Mankind be better off if God intervened each and every moment to spare us from all harm and self-damage?"
"Our Father, who art at Dyad…" Sarah, sardonically…
"It hurts me a little…" he said, suddenly… "You're more like her in some ways than any of your sisters…"
"So we had a mother…?" Sarah eyed him.
"Indeed, in a manner of speaking…Though I hope you consider all the women who contributed to the project as your mothers in a way. But yes, biologically, there was one nucleus from one woman. A wonderful woman, Sarah…" he gave a genuine smile, almost causing her to smile. "She'd've been so proud of you all…"
She said nothing, staring…
"Yes, my wife…Claire…" he nodded. "She died of ovarian cancer but…" beam… "Here she is, yet…"
"You did this to your own wife…?"
"She volunteered, sweetheart…Claire wanted to leave something behind…Leave some mark…She was dying too young. And she'd had her share of problems…I may seem to idolize her but she suffered from the depression and anxiety and bipolarity you've seen in Beth and…"
"…Ally…Allison…"
"Allison…" he sighed. "Poor Allison…"
"…And worse in some of the others…Helena…?"
"But better in you." He eyed her… "And Katja…And Cosima…And many of the others, Sarah…When we started all this, no one knew the full map of the human genome…Or what genes affected, if they affected, specific conditions or functions…Our work with you girls has given us not just clues to how and why in genetic diseases, it's given us cures. Sarah…We are a step away to preventing what happened to Beth and even to Helena from ever happening again."
"Bump off the rejects, you mean…"
"Fix them…By learning what created Beth's mood swings…And Katja's blood disease…And, Allison…"
"You could have 'fixed' Beth? And you didn't?"
"We weren't at that stage…Not yet…And she's…She was…An adult…But her death and Katja's and poor Allison's sufferings are making it possible…"
"My what…?" Allison eyed him… "That's the second time you've talked about me as if…"
She leaned to one side…"As if I were the Abomination…And not her…" in Ukrainian accent.
"Hello, Helena…" he said, nodding sadly… "Gotta hand it to you, Allison…Your acting is getting better…You even fooled me. Is Sarah?"
"I couldn't let her face you and that maniac you created, she's my sister…" Allison shook her head.
"But she will have to die…After the Devil, his works must be killed…" accent. "All the other Abominations must be purged…Then the weak one must die, so the strong can live." She pushed blonde wig on head, looking round…Ah…She beamed at the reflective glass. Knife in hand.
"Don't move, Devil…" she noted. "I have the eyes in the back of my head…You put them there…"
"Allison? You love your sister, Sarah…" he said, carefully. "Helena will hurt her, you know that…"
"I won't let her…" sharp turn. "We'll bring you to justice, you monster. And that crazy one…She hurt Donnie…She wants to kill me and my sisters…"
"I'm so sorry, Allison.." he sighed.
"Sarah's getting the police by now…They'll expose you and I'll take Donnie and the kids and we'll be…Fine…" wan smile. "I was really good? As Sarah?"
"Wonderful…I really was fooled." Confidential tone…
"There's not too much time…" accent…Turning back to mirror, readjusting wig.
"Allison…"
"Is that her name?" Helena nodded. "Tell me where that one and the others I don't know live and I will be nice and quick…And light a candle, even to the memory of the Devil." Pause, stare… "But, is she here? Yes…She is…Isn't she?"
"She was…But not right now…"
"Allison?...Come out…" Helena called, looking round. "Come and watch me put the Devil to rest…Devil?" she turned to Leekie…Her knife at the ready… "Call…Call to her…She is weak, she will come to you…"
"I love you too, sweetheart…" he sighed. "Believe me…"
"Pleasing shape…The Devil…" she shook her head…Looking round…Ah…
"I see…Allison…" she pulled off the wig…Staring… "Come…" raising knife…
"Allison!" he called… "Run!"
Helena, staring at him…
"Run!...Don't let her hurt you!...Your children…Donnie…Run!...The police are coming for me…Run!"
"I shouldn't…" Allison…Looking round… "She's crazy…She'll hurt…Oh!..." she gasped…The knife stabbing at her…
"The weak must persish…" accented voice…Knife raised as Leekie came over…
"Don't, Helena…!"
"Just because I can…" Helena slashed…He grabbed at her arm after the first stab…Reeling back, twisting her arm to cause the knife to drop…Staggering, falling…
"Dr. Leekie?!..." Allison knelt by him… "Dr. Leekie!..."
"Claire…" he eyed her… "You're so beautiful when you're happy…" his voice trailed off…