Author's Note: Once again, this took a lot longer than expected. This chapter has been finished for a while, but I've been kind of all over the place with moving and work and other real life commitments. Things seem to be sorted out for the most part, so I'm hoping to have more frequent updates. Hope you all enjoy :)
"Tell me again why I have to pay for this dingy hotel room?"
They pile into the small, musty room one after the other, a look of scorn on the housewife's face. The hotel itself is far below her living standards, but they all agreed that they needed a place to stay and of all the prospects, it was probably the most inconspicuous place for them to lay low at the moment.
"Because you have the most money out of all of us and we need a home base. We can't go back to any of our places so long as DYAD's watching us," Sarah answers.
"Which is probably a good thing. Leaving was a stupid idea in the first place."
They throw their bags on the floor and Sarah flops onto the bed, releasing a long sigh and outstretching her limbs. Alison hesitantly pulls a chair out, finding a handkerchief in her bag and placing it on the seat before sitting herself.
"Do you wanna catch this guy or not?" Sarah asks.
"Yes, but not if more people are going to get hurt!" Alison snaps.
Cosima has set up shop at the tiny desk in the corner of the room, opening her laptop and typing away as she listens to her two counterparts fight with one another.
"Okay, okay. Enough," she finally intervenes. "We need to come up with some sort of game plan."
"You're the brain," Sarah mumbles, folding her hands behind her head on the pillow. "Aren't you supposed to figure it out?"
"I may be the brain, but you're the genius that put us in this position in the first place," Cosima retorts.
"And you're the genius that followed me. I didn't ask you to, remember? I didn't ask either of you. You can both leave if that's what you want."
"Oh, shut up," the dreadlocked clone rolls her eyes.
Her eyes jump over to her phone resting on the desk next to the laptop. For some reason, she keeps expecting to see a message from Delphine, keeps hoping for one. Then she remembers that her phone is off, battery removed. Sarah had suggested it incase DYAD tried to track them through their phones and it wasn't a stupid idea. She sighs heavily and prays that the blonde is holding up, that she wasn't implemented in their escape.
"First thing's first. We gotta draw this guy out, right?" Sarah says, finally growing more serious.
Cosima and Alison nod.
"Beth got shot in the park she runs through every morning," Cosima states. "Which means the guy who's killing us knows her routine. He knew exactly where she'd be and when."
"Yeah, that's true," Sarah replies.
"So, maybe he knows our routines, too."
"Not like I have much of a routine," the punk laughs.
Sarah was always difficult to keep track of. With no job or school, the only place she regularly visited was Felix's, which was being surveilled by a DYAD security team, making it an unlikely target for the assassin.
"Yes, but I do. So does Alison."
"Hang on just one second!" Alison barks. "There is no way I'm going to lure some psychopath into my community, where my children and my friends live!"
"Stop being such a twat and take one for the team, will you?" Sarah berates.
"Take one for the team? Are you kidding me? You're asking me to put my life - my family's lives - in danger! That's not taking one for the team, Sarah! That's crazy! That's-"
"Alright! So... I'll do it," Cosima suggests.
Alison and Sarah immediately stop quarreling at Cosima's suggestion. They both turn to face her, a look of shock written on both their faces.
"No way. That's not gonna happen," Sarah finally speaks.
"Oh, so it's okay for me to endanger myself but not Cosima?"
"You at least know how to use a gun. She's just a geek."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sarah."
"Either way, it's a stupid idea!" Alison snaps. "None of us are prepared to confront a serial killer! We have no idea how to even go about this!"
Sarah and Cosima both grow silent. They know that Alison is right. Even if they managed to draw their assailant out into the open, how would they stop him? There was a very good chance that one of them could be killed in the process. It simply wasn't worth the risk.
"God, I wish Beth could help. She's trained to deal with this sort of thing," Alison sighs.
"Beth... Beth..."
Cosima repeats her sister's name, an idea bouncing around in her head.
"What are you thinking?" Sarah inquires with an arched brow.
"What about Beth's partner? What was his name?"
"Art?" Alison offers.
"Yeah. What about him? Maybe he'll help us."
None of them have ever met Art, but Beth often speaks about him. She said he could be a real dip-shit and a hard-ass at times, but he was a good cop and almost painfully loyal. In order for them the catch the killer, they were going to need both traits.
"Do you really think going to the police on this is such a good idea? I mean, he's not Beth. Beth's one of us, she understands our situation. Getting him involved would be a little irresponsible, don't you think?" Alison asks.
"Yeah, but Beth always said she trusted him, said he always has her back. She's still in the hospital with DYAD crawling all over her, so maybe he's the next best thing," Cosima replies.
"Beth does trust him," Sarah mumbles.
"And how the heck are we supposed to explain the fact that we're genetic identicals to him?" Alison asks.
"We don't have to. We'll just tell him we're Beth's sisters," Sarah offers.
"Yes, of course. Sisters that Beth has failed to mention up until this point."
"He sorta has to believe it," Cosima says. "He's not gonna believe clones. As far as everyone else knows, human cloning is pretty much impossible, not to mention totally illegal."
"He's a cop. He's way more experienced at hunting down killers than we are. He can be our backup," Sarah adds.
"I can't believe you're seriously considering going to the police about this," Alison huffs.
"Look, I'm not too thrilled about getting the cops involved either," Sarah bites back. "I have more reason than both of you to be turned off, but if he can help us catch this psycho, then what other choice do we have?"
Cosima and Sarah both watch Alison closely, waiting for her response. She releases a defeated sigh before finally agreeing to the plan.
"Okay, so how do we even go about this? It's not like we can just march into the police station and tell him a murderer is after us. That'll attract too much attention," Alison asks.
"She's right. We'll need to catch him alone. We still have to try to keep this as contained as possible," Cosima agrees.
"Alright. Then I'll go," Sarah volunteers.
"You're going to go? Right. Because you have such great people skills," Alison comments sarcastically.
"Oi! I don't see you volunteering to help us out!" Sarah throws back. "I was the one who started all this, it was my idea to leave DYAD, so I'll handle it."
Cosima sighs loudly. At times, Sarah can sound like a broken record, especially when she tries to reinforce her independence and solitude. The spectacled clone often found it frustrating, how easily Sarah was able to dismiss the rest of them and place the burden upon herself. What was the point of having genetic identicals if you couldn't lean on them every once in a while?
"Sarah, you don't have to do this all on your own. That's why we're here," she reiterates.
"I know that, but-"
"No "buts". Don't be stupid, Sarah. You may be crazy, but we're not going to let you handle this all on your own. Not when you have a daughter who's depending on you," Alison adds.
Sarah pauses, her body finally relaxing for a moment. She nods, accepting both Cosima and Alison. The scientist beams.
"Alright. You go find Art and bring him back here," Cosima says. "We'll be waiting for you."
She's standing in front of Leekie's office, straightening her lab coat and preparing her best poker face. She doesn't want to appear too eager, but Leekie had said he was sending a team to watch Cosima and the others and she hadn't heard anything after that. On top of that, Cosima's phone seems to be disconnected. It was probably nothing, but she couldn't be too sure.
"Come in!" she hears the aging man on the other side of the door call.
His secretary had undoubtedly alerted him to her presence. She pushes the door open and enters, stopping in front of the desk which separated them. He finishes scribbling something down, tossing his pen to the side and folding his hands as he looks up at the blonde.
"What can I do for you, Doctor Cormier?" he asks with a smile. "These meetings are becoming a bit of a ritual."
She fakes a smile and nods curtly.
"Yes, I understand. I just wanted to know if you're surveillance team has found Cosima," she explains. "I'm worried about her."
"Well, Cosima has become more than just your subject now," he replies.
His words immediately cause her spine to straighten, a pang of icy fear shooting through her. Does he know? How could he know? She thought she was being so careful, but was Leekie more astute than she gave him credit for?
"She's your friend," he adds, causing her to release a mental sigh of relief. "It's only normal to worry about a friend. Completely understandable."
She nods, trying to hide the uneasiness that still lingers upon her face.
"As a matter of fact, we've managed to track the three down to a motel. They checked in a few hours ago. Sarah Manning was spotted leaving earlier, but she hasn't returned yet."
"So Cosima and Alison are still inside? They're still safe?"
"It would appear so. I have a team watching them. Aside from Sarah leaving, no one's been in or out."
She nods.
"Please let me know if anything changes," she asks. "Cosima is my responsibility. I need to know."
Leekie smiles again.
"You're right. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything."
She turns to leave his office, but his voice stops her a few steps into her departure.
"I'm very impressed, Doctor Cormier."
She turns around, a look of surprise and curiosity on her face.
"I try to encourage everyone involved in the project to become invested in our subjects. People tend to perform much better when they have a level of personal investment in what they're working on. Perhaps your notes on 324B21 have been a little questionable, but I never doubted your devotion, Delphine. It's what makes you a great doctor, and it's what will take you very far."
She smiles, this time more sincerely. She's always admired Leekie and despite not trusting him entirely, she's never doubted his genius. To receive such a compliment from someone so distinguished reminds her of why she became a doctor in the first place and it rekindles her ambition. That was why she had agreed to join the project in the first place- her ambition. Her desire to be a part of something great, something that could really change the world. She lost sight of that vision when she became involved with Cosima, when her life was placed in jeopardy, but once the current situation of a murderer on the loose is resolved, she's eager to get back to work with Cosima.
"There's a bright future for you here at DYAD. Don't forget it."
She nods.
"I won't."
His words are meant to be encouraging, but she can't help but feel like they're laced thinly with a threat.
"She should have been back by now," Alison mumbles, pacing anxiously back and forth across the room.
"Let's not assume the worst. Maybe she just got held up or something?" Cosima offers.
"Yeah. By a serial killer!"
Cosima sighs, trying to calm the increasingly paranoid suburbanite. With their phones off, neither of them have heard from Sarah since she left, nor have they been able to get in contact with her, and she'd been gone for nearly three hours. Alison insisted that three hours was far too long, but Cosima had faith in the punk's abilities; sure, she had a tendency to stir up trouble along the way, but she always came through in the end.
"Give her a little more time. I'm sure she'll-"
Before Cosima can finish her train of thought, a knock at the door causes both women to jump slightly. Alison immediately begins to panic while Cosima rolls her eyes, stalking over to it. She peers through the hole to see Sarah on the other side and quickly unlocks it, opening it with a smile.
"You get lost or something?" she teases.
"Nah. Just had to deal with this tit," she replies, gesturing towards a stern-looking, dark-skinned man standing behind her.
"Oh. Art, right? Hey," Cosima says with a small wave.
"You're...," he begins, almost at a loss for words.
He tilts his head to stare further into the room, also spotting Alison. His eyes are wide with surprise, a look of utter confusion and perhaps fear written on his face.
"See! Told you," Sarah says. "There's four of us. I ain't making it all up."
She pushes by Cosima, ignoring Alison's disapproving glance and plopping down onto the bed. Art hesitantly follows her inside, Cosima closing the door and locking it behind him.
"What the hell is going on?" he asks, his eyes darting back and forth between each one of them.
"What? Sarah didn't fill you in? She was supposed to fill you in!" Alison says.
"No, I was supposed to bring him here. We said we'd fill him in together, remember?"
"Will someone please tell me what's happening?" Art reiterates.
"Well, if you'd sit down, we can explain it to you," Cosima replies with a reassuring smile.
Art is surprisingly more cooperative then they could have imagined. Despite his utter confusion and skepticism, he's at least willing to hear them out, genuinely interested in what they have to say. When Sarah had knocked on his door and he was met by his partner's face, he immediately began firing questions at a mile a minute, questions that the punk wasn't entirely capable of answering on the spot. It had taken much persuading to get him to come back with her, but there he was, listening to their story about their sisterhood and a killer with eyes only for them.
"Sisters?" the detective asks incredulously.
"Yeah, that's right," Sarah replies.
"So there's... how many... four of you?" he asks again, as if finally swallowing the pill he's been administered.
"Quadruplets. Weird, huh?" Cosima answers with a lopsided grin.
"You expect me to believe that Beth has three identical sisters that she's never spoken about before? I'm sorry, but aside from their faces and mouths, there's no way Beth and you can be related," he says, directing his words toward Sarah.
"You know how Beth is. She's all super private, super professional mega cop. She's kinda embarrassed of us," Cosima tries.
Art shakes his head.
"I'm not buying it, ladies. This whole thing stinks."
"Regardless," Cosima replies. "There's still the very real issue of a killer on the loose. Do you wanna help us catch the guy who tried to kill Beth or not?"
"Of course I do! I said I didn't believe you, I didn't say I wouldn't help you."
Cosima smiles, Alison sighs in relief and Sarah's eyes remain narrowed, fixated on the cop.
"So, there's a guy out there who's trying to kill you, you have no idea why and you need my help trying to find him," Art summarizes.
They nod.
"If you'd come down to the station, we could get the entire force involved. I'm sure they're all more than eager to find the guy who attacked Beth. It would be a lot easier."
"We already told you, you knob," Sarah replies. "We need to keep this as quiet as possible."
"Yeah, but you haven't told me why."
"Beth told us we could trust you," Alison intervenes. "She said if anything ever happened to her, we should go to you, that you'd help us. She believes in you, Arthur. Are you really going to let her down?"
He stares intensely at the housewife, considering her words, considering his partner. He's always considered himself a good man, an honest man, and despite the crazy story these three women are telling him, it is clear to him that they definitely need his help.
"How does this all play out in your mind?" he asks, finally conceding.
"Well, the guy who shot Beth was most likely tracking her. That's how he knew where she'd be," Cosima says.
"Makes sense," Art counters.
"So, we figured if we use one of us as bait, he'll eventually reveal himself."
"And you realize how dangerous this is, right?"
"Oh yeah. But no risk, no reward, right?"
"You're gonna shadow Cos," Sarah explains. "Follow her around, keep an eye out for danger and all that shite. We're depending on you, Art."
He sighs, scrubbing her face with his hand.
"If I shadow her around everywhere, whoever's after you is gonna pick up on me."
"Aren't cops supposed to be discreet?" Cosima counters. "Like, wear a hat or something."
He stays a little while longer and they work out more of the details. Starting tomorrow, the dreadlocked clone goes back to school, back to her regular life, with the exception of Art following closely behind with a keen eye. It isn't a perfect plan, but it's really all they have to go on. The detective isn't a huge fan of their plan, but he goes along with it anyway. He does it for Beth, for the three women who share her face and are begging for his help.
He heads to the door to leave, slowly unlocking it as he allows the events of the last several hours to run through his mind.
"Thanks for this," Sarah says.
"Ditto. I know we're asking a lot, so thanks," Cosima adds.
"Beth was right about you," Alison says, smiling for perhaps the first time in weeks. "You're a good man."
He sighs deeply.
"I'll help you," he replies. "But once this is all over, I want some real answers."
As the hours creep late into the night, the exhaustion eventually sets in. Sarah is the first to crash, passing out with relative ease on one side of the questionable double bed. Alison places down several of her own towels that she'd brought with her when they'd fled into the safety of DYAD on the other side, where she lay uneasily like a corpse in a coffin, desperately trying to find sleep. Cosima, on the other hand, was sitting at the desk, toying with her dead phone. Sleep always came hard for her, with her mind constantly buzzing with theories and ideas, but it was even more elusive when she knew she'd be stepping out into the crosshairs tomorrow. She knew she had to step up and play her part for her family, and while she wore her typical cheeky grin and kept her witty comments coming, there was an uneasiness in her stomach.
She reaches into her bag, retrieving the battery to her phone. It's a stupid idea; Sarah will kill her if she finds out, Alison will berate her, but she can't help herself. She pops the battery back in and turns her phone back on, waiting for it to spring to life. After a minute or so, the screen lights up and the device is functioning again. She fidgets with it, sliding her fingers over the keyboard. She sucks in a breath and begins to type.
"Miss you."
She considers it, deletes it, then types it once again.
She presses the send button before she has time to second guess herself again.