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.
(PS-Some divergence from S-3 in that Aldous did not…Yet…while in mine Cal left without Kyra and engaged to Sarah, to resolve the pesky problem of a murdered police officer, and Ally is not going in for breaking somewhat bad. (And of course the ladies are not yet18-50 feet tall…Yet). And Seth is not…Yet…Dead. But we need Seth. The Castors deserved their own road trip, right?)
Part XVII…
The New Proleithians HQ at the Appleyard home…Outside the main house, a large barn, cleared out to receive a very special visitor…
Ally, awake now, finding herself a bit larger (Hmmn…16? 18? Feet, she guessed) and well-secured with rope and chain on a giant straw mattress…Peering at the group surrounding her, including the young woman who'd led the team that had kidnapped her, directing a grim look her way. She turned to the old man who'd addressed her first, clearly their leader.
"So you say you have my husband in custody? How do I know you're not lying and he's dead or escaped? I want to see Donnie now!" she eyed him sternly, shaking chains. Several of those about her looking apprehensive…Despite toting shotguns and rifles.
"Now, now…Those chains are made of chrome steel." Reassuring tone to the group about her. "When we hear from your friends, Mrs. Hendrix." The old man noted to her calmly. She glanced around at the figures, all dressed in white clothes, looking solemn where not apprehensive or in one grim case, bitterly angry.
"You're not going to bind me to you with a bridal cord or something while the rest sing psalms and chant?" Ally eyed the old man who smiled, chuckling…
"No, dear…" he nodded. "That does sound like Hendrik but no…No cords, no psalms. This is quite a practical business arrangement, though we do consider you our guest. We merely wish to make an exchange…Hopefully, your people will see the good sense of coming to an arrangement, a mutual benefit…We each getting what we want."
"Or…?" Ally, looking round at the group…Finally fixing on the harshly bitter face of Bonnie Johanneson.
"Or, we roast your 18 foot hide as an offering to Jesus!" Bonnie glared.
"Bonnie!" the old man snapped. "There'll be no such nonsense. Mrs. Hendrix is our guest and her people will see reason."
"I'd no idea Jesus accepted human sacrifice…" Alison noted quietly.
"Hardly…Human…" Bonnie frowned.
"That's quite enough, Bonnie. Forgive our sister, Mrs. Hendrix…" the old man sighed, turning to Ally. "She's been through a great deal recently."
"She'll be through a great deal more if you try to hold me. My sisters and friends won't take this lying down and Dyad, well…" Ally shrugged. "You ought to know what Dyad and Topside are capable of…When provoked. And then of course, there's…Helena…"
"That foul beast!" Bonnie fumed. "Just let me get her in my sights, Jesus, that's all I ask…!"
Again with the prayers for blood… "Miss, wouldn't you be happier worshipping some pagan god like say the one the Aztecs sacrificed to?" Alison, politely.
"You'll suffer for your blasphemy…All of you!" Bonnie cried, pulling from the others about her trying to restrain her and hurrying back and out a rear door, slamming.
"You really shouldn't provoke her, Mrs. Hendrix." The old leader sighed. "She has little to lose now…Husband and child gone…Her home burned to the ground."
"I'm not a science project or a blasphemy or someone's product…" Alison firmly. "I'm Alison Hendrix, beloved wife and mother, and, more or less depending on the situation, pillar of my community…Crafter, entrepreneur, actress. I may not look it right now…" she regarded herself… "But I am not a freak or a monster. I am a human being and I demand to be treated as such." Hard stare.
"Perhaps rightly so…" the old leader nodded, politely. "God will tell us in His good time. For now, our concern is with our own goals…"
"Which are? To produce more of us?"
"In His name, yes. You ought to be pleased by that, ma'am…" he noted. "Living proof that even those who once spoke again your kind can see God's light in you."
"Heck…" Ally shrugged. "That's no biggie. Even Helena sees that in us now…"
…..
A pick-up truck bearing Mark, Grace, and Donnie, now safely on the nearest highway from the Appleyard farm…
"I think we're ok. They'd didn't get a look at the truck and we're nearly at the interstate. Just a bit further now…" Mark noted.
"Are you alright, Mr. Hendrix?" Grace asked.
"I appreciate your getting me out of there but I don't like leaving Ally alone there." Donnie sighed.
"As I said, it's safer for her with you safe, sir." Mark, carefully. "From everything I've heard regards Helena from the radio chatter, there's very little that they could do to her. Besides they want her alive, to secure that genome sample."
"That guy…The scientist/crazy preacher…Sorry…" Donnie eyed Grace who shrugged.
"I think my father was a little crazed Mr. Hendrix…Impregnating women like cows and horses…"
"He actually stole the genome from the Castor guys? The military?"
"He was a member of the team…A senior member under the head, Dr. Coady, before he turned against the project for his own goals. He had access as such." Mark nodded, watching the road.
"But Helena took it? With her eggs?"
"He must have stored it all together. He used some of it to fertilize the eggs, as well as using his own sperm." Mark, looking apologetic as Grace winced and sighed.
"Sorry, Gracie…"
"I know I should realized how evil what he was doing was and left long ago…" she sighed.
"He was your father…He brought you up to believe in what he did, you're not to blame." Mark smiled at her in the rear view mirror. "Not many people would have the gumption to defy something like that and stand up, you did, honey. You're wonderful, Gracie." He said, simply.
Donnie, nodding, then a bit impatiently… "I'm sure she is…But the fact remains whatever abilities this growth spurt thing has given the ladies, there's no telling if Ally really is so invulnerable as Helena may be."
"I promise you, Mr. Hendrix. Soon as we get you safe, we'll work on finding a way to get Mrs. Hendrix away from them." Mark, quietly.
"You're probably right about the Dyad people even helping. It's in their interest to keep our family from getting the genome. And Mrs. Hendrix is valuable to them." Grace noted.
"Not so much that the other night they were ready to kill her and my whole family." Donnie sighed, looking out the passenger window. "I really think…"
"We can't turn back now, sir." Mark shook his head. "But we'll get you to the others as fast as we can…"
"To Dyad, you mean…" Donnie, concerned. "I guess there's no choice but I can't say I love putting any trust in them."
"That's probably wise, sir." Mark nodded. "Which is why we're arranging to bring you to your family, without Dyad knowing."
"Really…?" Donnie blinked. "You're in touch with some of the girls?"
"In a way, sir. Gracie? You better turn on the radio and see if we can hear anything of what Colonel Dierden and his people are up to?"
She nodded and lifted a radio set to her lap from the floor of the cab, Donnie looking back at her.
"They've been pretty busy with Helena." She noted to his look as she fiddled with the controls…
"I can imagine…" Donnie, nodding…
…..
"So I am sorry that I have had to take extreme measures with the Deputy Director and Dr. Coady, Director Cameron…" Paul, seated at his desk under the Churchill portrait in the town hall eyed the image of the Director on laptop screen, a grey-haired, distinguished-looking former British prime minister.
"Not a problem, Colonel…" the Director shook head. "We knew about Coady and I'd hoped this chance to entice that fool into the field at last would give us the chance to be rid of him. Believe me, not the current US administration, not even his former 'friends' in the Congress will make much protest. Half of them will be drinking a toast to his imprisonment for life at the Hague, the rest trying to figure out how to have him quietly killed before he implicates them. Frankly, we may have to take such action if he panics and tries to curry favor by saying too much about this project. Now, as to our problem LEDA subject, Ms. Helena?"
"We believe we have her pinned down in one area but she's very clever, even managed to confuse our thermal sensors using snow and manipulating body temperature. But we hope to take her shortly…I'm afraid though, sir…" Dierden paused.
"There's always more, out with it, Dierden." Sigh.
"Two of our own, Castors Rudy and Seth are AWOL and have joined with her."
"Really? Two of the Castors? I thought even the ones deemed unreliable in your last evaluation mistrusted, even hated, the LEDAs?" the Director stared.
"That would be Rudy…" Paul sighed. "He's convinced, largely by Dr. Coady, in spite of losing his faith in her, that they're his enemies. That they'd oppose his own plans, again stemming from his relationship with Coady. Seth, on the other hand…"
"A Castor with his own plans…?" the Director eyed him. "What sort of plans? More than curing himself and the other lads?"
"I'm afraid so, sir. As you know, Dr. Coady did have fascist and eugenic leanings. She never was simply dedicated to the project or even studying the science." Paul, shrugging. "Rudy's developed his own ideas along such lines…"
"Superior breed and all that, eh? That Coady…Another Yank determined to take over her Majesty's project and twist it her way." The Director shook his head again in annoyance. "We're not here to become the Fourth Reich for God's sake. We had specific goals in mind, for the Empire and Humanity's benefit. Perhaps we weren't as benevolent as Duncan would have wished in the end but we've no desire to use the subjects as the Neolutionists would. This was a prototype for emergency wartime use only, not an attempt to recreate Humankind according to some fascist blueprint. Well…At least Coady and that fool Cheney have been dealt with, thanks to you, Colonel. Excellent work."
"Thank you, sir. Corporal Meisner of my staff played a major role and put her life at risk, Director." Paul noted,
"She'll be commended…On the QC, of course…And promoted." The Director nodded.
"Thank you, sir."
"Now as to the LEDAs and their little…Or rather, large…Problem…" the Director on screen rubbed his forehead. "There's no doubt that this has enhanced Helena's healing and recovery abilities?"
"Nonewhatsoever, sir. She took several direct hits from our ordinance and while we were careful not to hit vital areas she should have been badly wounded…Yet she recovered almost immediately. And we suspect she's been able to lower her body temperature, perhaps instinctively, to adapt to the climate and protect herself from our sensors, without developing any hypothermia."
"Amazing…Remarkable. And Coady? She was sincere in her report that this could be of help to our boys?"
"The science seems to be legitimate at our end, sir. My team has reviewed her findings. They are consistent with the observed data."
Director Cameron nodding… "Yes, our people say the same so far…This could be it, Dierden. The breakthrough that will save this project and our boys."
"I hope so, sir. First, we need to bring Helena in though. Even if we corner her, it may not be easy. And there are the Castors, they're not relatively invulnerable."
"How close are they to…?" the Director eyed him.
"By the last estimate, based on their testing…Seth was very close, perhaps days again…Rudy was still symptom free."
"Sacrifices may have to be made, Dierden…Two to save the rest of our boys...I don't like it but it's not too steep a price to pay." Hard stare.
"I understand, sir. But we do have the others…Or rather, Dyad does."
"Most of the ones who've shown symptoms, yes, our people have told us that much. But I'm reluctant to cross the line and enter into more negotiation if we can retrieve Helena. I don't want Leekie's Neolutionists getting any more out of us than they already have. Coady was bad enough but we knew what she was and could monitor her and she was among the best for the science…Especially with Duncan lost…" sigh at the screen.
"Sir, I do have a relationship with both Sarah and her foster mother. They might talk, we might even be able to work with them…" Paul suggested.
"Sadler, perhaps…We rather have a hold on her, now. But Manning?" slight smile. "Woman scorned, Dierden…" shrewd look.
"Actually, sir. I ended up being the scorned one, more or less." Paul, reluctant smile.
"Colonel!" anxious call from Corporal Meisner…