"Orphans Beloved: "The Trouble With Ansley…"
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.
Disclaimer: No copywrite infringement intended…
Part XXV…
Dyad Institute…
"Just taking this one in…" the blonde woman noted to another agent at the front entrance, waving for Donnie to get into a sleek black car in a space by the entrance, on the passenger's side.
"Right, Agent Dunham…" nod.
She slammed her door and eyed Donnie…
"Seat belt?" she suggested as he stared back, wondering…
"Oh, right…" he fumbled the belt into its lock as she eyed him, then turned to start the car and quickly pulled out…
"Kira Manning…" she glanced at him, questioning look.
"I don't know where she is but Ally, my wife…"
"Your wife doesn't know where she is…Leekie's files make that clear and whatever else Aldous is as to limitations, he's a good judge of his subjects." She eyed the road.
"Sarah trusts Ally…Ally could persuade her or at least get a line on her."
"Plausible. But you're just a monitor, Hendrix…How do you know of Kira Manning?"
"Allison figured me out…But I convinced her she could trust me…She told me and…"
"And…? Now you want a piece of the pie?" the woman smiled shrewdly at the road.
"Again, plausible." She nodded.
"How about you? Who are you?" he eyed her. "Do you work for …?"
"Sadler and Leekie…? Or the religious fanatics they cultivated?" chuckle… "Afraid not, no, I'm an independent contractor." She smiled.
"And for now, my name's not important. What is important is that you can deliver?"
"If you can get me to Allison…Ms. Dunham." he noted.
"Not quite right, Don, though I do use the name. Well…All right, Hendrix…I'll give you a chance, since from what I saw in the files in Leekie's office, it sounds rather like Aldous' plan. You speak to the little clone girl and get her to lead us to Kira Manning and there may be a place for you, in my organization."
"You're independent? Not the religious guys and not Dyad?" he eyed her.
"Neither…Though I know Siobhan and Aldous and their little clone daughters project very well. As for me, have you ever heard of a company called Massive Dynamic?"
"Everyone knows them…They're huge."
"I'm rather proud of it…" she nodded, with smile. "Pity Sadler and Leekie were so obsessed with cloning and their radical political ideas, they could have been very useful to me. Brilliant enough in their way, especially Sadler, despite their somewhat narrow focus."
"So you're big news there? But playing an FBI agent?" he regarded her.
"I'm the whole enchilada, as they say, Hendrix. And more, living the role, I would say…"
"And you want Kira…"
"A lot of folks do…I have to hand it to the Leekies, they did actually stumble into a world-changing discovery. Even if I do that every week, myself." Grin.
Radio buzz…She took mike…Pardon me…She noted politely.
"Yeah, Dunham…Yes, sir. I have Hendrix, we're proceeding in."
"Agent Wilson is dead, shot…" the voice of the FBI team leader…
What?" her voice took on shocked surprise. "Steve? He was fine, we parted near the exit once I had Hendrix secure. Dead?"
"You saw nothing, Dunham? He was all right when you left him?"
Sir, I've no idea…I can't believe it. Should I come back? " anxious tone.
"No, nothing you can do. Get Hendrix into custody for interrogation and then return soon as you can. Broyles out."
"Right sir. Dunham out."
"Poor Steve…" she paused, blinking…
"Excuse me…" she smiled at Donnie briefly as he eyed her, utterly lost. Was she joking? Or is this…That nut Helena and Ally never mentioned she was a couple of feet taller and not exactly identical?
"I get a little overwhelmed by my host's emotions now and then."
"Host?" Donnie stared.
"Since you know her name and we in negotiation, we may as well be properly introduced. I'm William Bell, founder of Massive Dynamics."
….
"Ok…" Paul hissed to Helena as they stood in the back yard. Pausing to smile and wave at Evelyn as she waved to them from the rear kitchen window. "Lets get outta here and see if we can get into Allison's backyard."
"Ri' wid ya mate." Helena, nodding.
"Quite an interesting sort of people you see round here…" one woman frowned to Evelyn in the kitchen, looking out at Helena talking to Paul, her "London Calling" t-shirt prominent.
"Oh, Ally just must be cleaning or something…She lives down the street. Nothing like that in her daily life, a real pillar of the community here." Evelyn hurriedly lied.
On the other hand, that husband or boyfriend might make it worthwhile living here, the woman did not say.
…
"So…" Donnie eyed the blonde as she drove… "You're the William Bell, the guy who created Massive Dynamics? And you're…A guy?"
"Plastic surgery does wonders these days…" she grinned. "I'm kidding, of course…I'm taking up residence here, Donald." She hurriedly indicated herself. "Not voluntarily on my poor host's part but she's more or less comatose right now anyway and it was necessary."
"And Kira…Kira is somehow…" Donnie blinked.
"I was dying…Cancer of an incurable kind…And Ms. Dunham had, shall we say... 'unique attributes' that made her an ideal host for my consciousness…A temporary thing, at least that's what I intended initially. Unfortunately, my condition did not improve with the special treatments I'd hoped would save me so…"
"You need Kira to cure your cancer…" Donnie blinked. "So that you can get out of this body…"
"Actually, Donald." Grin. "I've come to find I rather like it here. But…Unfortunately it takes considerable time for the transfer of consciousness to be complete. I doubt Kira could cure my body…But we could learn from her a way to continue to extend my body's life long enough for transfer to become permanent. After all, it's a pretty nice chassis wouldn't you say?"
"You're stealing this woman's body? Her life?"
"For the greater good, rather like Aldous and Siobhan. You must be at least dimly aware of the costs of the LEDA project to these young women. But their sacrifice could result in a whole new course for human evolution. And Ms. Dunham's…A single life and one that will still have some limited expression…All that William Bell's genius can do for humanity's salvation. But, since I doubt you can see that far, lets just say here, your life and future depends on delivery of the item I've ordered." She smiled warmly at him, for a second.
"It goes without saying, Don…That includes your children and your wife, should it be that you actually happen to care about either. See I'm still not quite sure about you, Hendrix. But I am convinced now you can be of use to me."
…