Orphans Beloved: "Attack of the Fifty-foot Clones…"
Summary: Like my Immortal Beloved and Sheldon Swifties bits in my Buffyverse and Sheldonverse, these are fragments and short bits, some longer…Just to fiddle with ideas, possibly forming longer tales later.
Disclaimer: No copy write infringement intended…
Note-There are always these minor consequences to any great advances in Science.
Part VI…
Northern Canada…Secret British military installation set up during Cold War and Conservative government, maintained jointly by US and Great Britain under special secrets acts at extreme urging (i.e. pressure) of US and British governments.
Office of Dr. Coady, code name "Mother", scientific chief of Project "Castor" for decades.
The middle-aged Dr. Coady, dark hair severly bunned back, grimly harsh expression as she regarded the military's newly assigned second-in-command, Major (awaiting promotion to Colonel shortly) Paul Dierden and the two identical soldiers flanking him.
"In spite of every precaution, Helena has escaped…And despite the fact that she's now fifty-?"
"Fifty, ma'am." The corporal she'd eyed, nodded.
"Thank you…Fifty-feet tall, she's evaded your people, Major Dierden."
"Correct, ma'am. But we were not prepared for this. You never warned me this could happen as a result of your experiments." Paul, calmly. "We had no time to prepare and we had both your orders and standing orders from Command not to harm her."
"I countermanded those orders, Major…" harsh tone. "You refused to order the men to fire."
"Respectfully, Doctor. You don't have the authority. And I had my orders. You're welcome of course to file a protest."
"Already done…And it seems Command supports you, for now. And perhaps you and they are right, Helena is an even more valuable prize now. I may have lost sight of the larger objective last night in my initial response. So, I apologize…" she eyed him. The two twins flanking him not expressing any emotion but all the same clearly a bit startled…
'Mother'? Apologizing? To anyone below five-star general?
"We have to work together on this, naturally. You'll find me totally in support from now on."
"Thank you, ma'am." Paul nodded. "I'm sure we can work together effectively."
"But that leads us back to the fact that our blonde bird has flown…" she noted. "And despite her new, rather hard-to-miss, form, she has eluded and continues today to elude our searches."
"She's always been clever and she has spent years dodging Dyad. She knows how to elude pursuit, the Proleithians taught her that much."
"Surely however good she is, she can't conceal herself for long in her current form…" calmly appraising look, hands folded, benevolent smile now appearing.
Always nice when "Mother" smiles, the private to Paul's left thought…Brightens your whole day…Till she frowns again.
"I would expect not, ma'am…And we are maintaining patrols on ground and in the air." Paul noted... "Though we are limited as to personnel since we can't involve other lower clearance military or local law enforcement. And we must avoid attracting attention from the public and the media."
"I think, given the low population, we can be a bit more aggressive in our hunt, Major. You'll find Command has approved that. Naturally we'll continue to avoid arousing concerns but given the potential for Helena to do so in her current form, we're sanctioned to act as we need to to secure her. Any 'collateral damage' within reason will be overlooked."
"Meaning how many civilians we're allowed to kill here, ma'am?" Paul, dryly.
"I should say up to 100, for now." She noted, calmly. "Lets not be coy, Dierden. She's a menace to this project and if 100 people must be sacrificed to maintain security and keep the work going, it's a small price to pay. You've done your share of killing innocents, I understand."
"I have." Paul, calmly. "But I prefer to balance the costs and benefits first if possible."
"Naturally. We certainly aren't authorizing indiscriminate killings. But if a situation develops we can't be constrained by normal rules of engagement. I should tell you that we've opened communication with Topside on this, cautiously. And that our chief liaison with them will be coming to see that this operation is handled effectively and efficiently." She eyed him.
"I see." He nodded.
"Not that anyone criticizes your efforts to date, Major. You after all made this operation possible through your negotiations. I'd hoped to arrange a deal with Topside to obtain Sarah Manning after they'd finished with her, but this opportunity far exceeded my hopes." She smiled. A warm, maternal smile that somehow seemed more chilling than her grimace earlier. "It's unfortunate we have these delays and problems but you've more than done your duty here and I am grateful as is Command, Colonel." Another warm smile. "I'm jumping the gun before it's made official but congratulations."
"Thanks, Doctor." He nodded.
"Now if we can just manage to catch our elusive supergirl with minimal collateral casualties…" she noted.
"We'll do our best, Doctor." Paul nodded.
"I know you, your troops, and my boys, will, Colonel." Nod. Salute. He returning, wheeling about and with instruction to the men to follow, left. She watching him.
"Oh, Colonel…" she halted him, he turning back.
"It wasn't my experiments that caused this, I can assure you. The others are very likely to be affected." Solemn look. "So another reason to get this done, eh?"
"Yes, ma'am." He nodded.
…
"How the bloody blazes…?" S stared up at Sarah, looking down at her.
"Instead of bloody gaping at me, how's about finding me something to wear? I'm bloody well freezin' me arse off here." Sarah noted. "And a coupla people have already spotted me, it's frickin' embarrassin'. What if their kids go to Kyra's school?"
"Sarah, I think we have more problems than worrying about Kyra's school rep…Which would be extremely bad-ass with a mum twenty-plus freakin' feet tall." Fee noted.
"Lord knows it couldn't be more embarrassing than some nights you've come home here, four sheets to the wind…" S shook her head at Sarah, who rolled huge eyes.
"Yeah, I have to agree with Felix here…" Cosima, hastily, feeling a bit strange, caught in the family dynamic and all… "It's really more important we find out what's going on here as soon as possible, Sarah. It looks like you, Ally, and Rachel are all affected, at different level, maybe." She sighed. "And I'm afraid you know there's only one place that has a prayer of helping you. Whoa, you have gotta be all of twenty-five feet, that is so…"
Sarah, grim look…
"Terrible, of course…" Cosima noted.
"Dyad?" Fee stared at Cosima. "You want us to bring twenty-plus Sarah…To the Dyad?"
"It's not a friggin' dress size, Felix!" Sarah groused.
"Look, they are the only place familiar with our genome and who are equipped to study this." Cosima, apologetically. "I wish there were another place but…"
"I'll go…For Kyra's sake. I can't let this happen to her." Sarah noted, shaking head.
"Hey! Oi!" Mrs. S called from the door of her house, having gone back in a moment before. "Felix, come in here and give me a hand with this!"
He looked over, shrugged to the girls and went to join S at the door…They entered.
"What about you? Not a sign yet?" Sarah asked Cosima.
"No, not yet…Which is a good sign. It could indicate I'm protected somehow, maybe due to my condition emerging? Maybe something to do with my treatments. There might be an easy cure, Sarah."
"No more bone marrow draws…" Sarah insisted.
"I doubt Kyra would have enough, now…" Cosima noted. "Uh, sorry…" she eyed Sarah's frown.
"Come on, Felix, get a move on…!" S cried from the door.
"Cos? Tell S to quiet it down?" Sarah hissed. "I'm already enough attention and she might wake Kyra."
"Sure…" Cosima hurried over to the porch were S and Fee were now dragging out a collection of sheets…
"Hey."
Sarah looked down to see a small, well they all do seem so but he was just the size of the mailbox, boy in glasses standing, looking up at her…
A vaguely familiar boy…
"Kid, you mind?" she frowned.
"That's neat, how'd you do that…Mirrors?"
"Magic. Go home."
"C'mon, is it for a sci-fi thing? Toronto comiccom?"
"Yeah, sure…Go away."
"Seems more like porn to me." He noted, eyeing her as she clutched the remains of her clothes and the tree she stood by to her chest.
"I know you…" she glared. "The little rat's ass on the bus who wanted to touch me bub…"
"I really do now…" he noted. "Give ya twenty bucks." Archly shrewd look.
"You cheeky little, get the bleedin' fuck outta here!" she fumed.
….
"How much longer?" Ally sighed.
"Delphine said they'd get transport out as soon as they could." Donnie, trying to pat her large knee. "Are you in pain, honey?"
"No…Just embarrassed. God, all I ever wanted was to avoid being a freak to my kids and my family…Look at me!" she fumed. "Oh, I'm gonna tear Dyad apart if they can't help me."
"Honey. You know I'll gladly help you…We'll blow the place up if we have to…" Donnie nodded, putting up a hand. "But after they'd've had a chance to try and cure you, ok? Or we find someone else…" he returned to his laptop. "Cornell has been doing some interesting work with Human Growth Hormone…I'll bookmark that and there's a Japanese biotech firm that was claiming to have achieved cloning in monkeys and rumored to be cloning people…No, they're shut down for financial improprieties. Darn."
"Thank you." She nodded. "For trying." Beam. "You're the best, Donnie. I know I don't say that often enough." She put out a large hand which he placed his inside.
"Uh, not too tight, Ally?" He warned.
"Right."
"Oh and I did get three applications out while I was browsing…"
"Thanks…" warm smile. "I don't mean to nag…I just get anxious, you know me. I know you'll take care of us. We'll manage." She leaned back, looking up.
"Nice night…Look at the stars…"
"Cold night…" Donnie noted. "I should get some more blankets from those jerks in the ER…"
"I'm fine…Except…" she bit lip. "Uh, Donnie?"
"Are you ok? I'll get aspirin or something…Maybe extra-strength?"
"No, I'm ok pain-wise…It's just…" she eyed him, huge eyes teary. "I know I'm hideous…"
"Hideous? No…Heck…" he smiled. "You're like some big Greek goddess statue, like in the musuems…Like Poldy Bloom goes for in 'Ulysses'."
"Really?" teary smile.
"Audrey Hepburn as Greek goddess…Ally…I don't want to seem like I'm enjoying this but you are..Breath-taking." He patted her. "I feel like I'm in one of those 'Clash of the Titans' movies and the prettiest goddess likes me."
"Donnie…You…" she teared up again… "Well…Good." She eyed him, a tad nervous.
"Well…What?" he eyed her.
"Well, if I'm not hideous…" she looked away, then back. "And I'm a Greek goddess…" grin…Shy look at him…Winsome smile…
"I'm…Horny…Donnie."
"Excuse me…" he blinked.
"As hell…" she noted…Biting lip again.
"Ummn…Ally…We're outside…Trying to avoid the public but in public…"
"I know…" she sighed. "Sorry…"
"I wish I could help…"
"You know we could go find a place…" she noted quietly, staring. "It might be good for me to relieve this 'tension'." Solemn look.
"Uh…Ally. I'm grateful, really. Honored, even… But…You are a little big for me now..." Sheepish look
"Oh, c'mon…" arch grin. "When will you ever have a chance to do a twelve-foot Greek goddess?"
Hmmn…He eyed her. "Yeah, but…I don't know if I can…" he looked her over…
"You know…Satisfy you, honey. I mean I know I'd be fine…If I live…"
"Don't tell me Donnie Hendrix isn't a man to accept a challenge…" she eyed him sternly, twinkle in eye.
Uh…Well…
Hmmn…
"C'mon…" she rose. "We'll find a place…" Offering hand. "And you'll be…Magnificent…Cause you are."
"Well…" he gave sheepish grin. "If Audrey Hepburn the Greek goddess demands it…"
"Oh, yeah." Ally nodded. "And you can just tell Dyad to pick us up…Wherever…Later. For once, let them fret a little about us."
"Why not?" he nodded, smiling… "Your Divinity…And you are…" he shook head, putting his hand in hers.
Ummn…Donnie…She hissed…As a small crowd began to gather, pointing at them.
"Hey?" a man called. "What's going on, are you filming a sci-fi flick?"
"Exactly!" Donnie replied… "Great effect, isn't it? It's all…Uh…CGI."
"Yeah…CGI." Ally agreed. "And Donald Hendrix here is the programmer."
You never know…She hissed to his look… Someone there might be hiring. And you're a good programmer.
….