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. Sorry for delay in updating. Other things intruding, including the real world…
(PS-It's an AU with 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 XXIII…
Never in my wildest, Cosima thought as she nervously sat on the front edge of what must be one of the world's largest mattress, she noted to herself absently…Looking at the beaming, huge face across from her on the "bed".
She's certainly taking the missing eye rather well…Course Leekie did tell her it was an "accident"…
"So you're my sister Cosima?" Rachel, eagerly. "I…Love…Your name." breathless pausing in excitement. "I read about you when Dr. Leekie gave me my sisters' files..." pause, shy grin. "Well, a long time ago, I guess. But it seems like a few weeks ago to me. Your hair is so different…" she noted with wonder. "Like this black girl, my friend Alisha, whose mother works here at Dyad? How'd you get it that away? Are you a special one of us?"
"Uh, no…No, it's just braided and twisted."
"It's so nice. I'd ask to touch it but…" wince. "My hand's so big now…"
"Well…How about the hair comes to your hand, ok? Just hold your hand open…And watch the sudden moves, please?" grin.
"Oh, yes…" eager nod, careful extension of left hand.
"There…" Cosima leaned her head, running her locks against the surface of the huge palm before her.
"Wow…" Rachel beamed. "Thank you, it's like thick yarn…It's so pretty, Cosima."
"Thanks. So's yours…"
"I guess I wanted to try blonde…What do you think?" Rachel asked, shifting head gently on her pillow, to show hair.
"Nice…Helena's a blonde too."
"She's the other one who got lost, right? The one Uncle Aldous thought was the only missing sister, till he heard about Sarah? I guess we're the renegades…The pirates, arrh…" grin.
"Yeah, well…There's some of that in all of us." Cosima noted.
"You've met all of us?" Rachel asked, eagerly.
"Oh no, just a few of us here in Canada and the US." Cosima, carefully. "And one I knew, from Germany…" her voice trailing.
"I'd really like to meet Danielle…The one who lives in Paris?" Rachel noted. "I always thought it would be fun to visit her in Paris, maybe even surprise her and say, 'hello, sister'."
"Yeah, that would be fun…Paris is lovely. I went once, in high school, with my parents." Cosima nodded. "I didn't know about any of the other sisters then."
Poor Dany…Poor all our slaughter sisters…Rest in peace, guys.
And don't let me, for now, try any more in the avengin' line? For now, anyway? She eyed a now slightly downcast Rachel…
Nor go too soft the other way…This is bloody freakin' Rachel, after all, as Sarah would say…
"Of course it's not…'In the protocol'…" sigh. "But Uncle Aldous says things have changed and I don't have to worry about the protocol anymore now. 'Within limits'…" smile as she managed a rather good Leekie at end.
"Yeah…That's pretty much out the window. Within limits…" Wan smile.
"Are your parents ok?" thoughtful look on the huge features. "They seem…Seemed…Very nice. I mean, what I read about them."
"Hmmn?" sudden stare… "Oh, yeah. I haven't seen them in a while but sure…They're ok."
Note to call Mom…She did seem a bit freaky when I said I knew about the implantations.
"Mine died…" slight tearing… "I know they weren't my sort-of, real, parents…I wasn't born to them. Your mother had you, didn't she? The way normal babies are born, right?"
"Yeah…Well, I was implanted in her after the Duncans…Your mom and dad…Created our embryos…"
"I don't know who…Who the lady was who had me… Mother said she died after I was born. Then she and my daddy adopted me 'cause they wanted to keep me."
"I'm sure they did…"
"I miss them…But Uncle Aldous said I had to help him finish their work." Cock of head. "Are you helping him? I heard you're a scientist now."
"Yeah and I'm trying to…" nod, smile.
"That's nice…But you don't have brothers or other sisters?"
"No, my parents had trouble having children and when they had me, well…One was enough at their age." Smile.
"And now we both have lots of sisters…" smile, downcast look. "Are we sick, Cosima? Is that why this happened?" Rachel indicated herself.
"Some of us, yeah…But maybe not all, which could be a very good sign."
"You think so?" nervous look. "Uncle Aldous doesn't want to scare me, I think, but you'd know, right?"
"I don't know much…But I don't think this condition will hurt us too bad illnesswise, and Dr. Leekie's very hopeful that we can find a cure."
"Right. I'm glad you're here, helping." Smile. "It's nice one of us is a scientist with Uncle Aldous. Do you like working with him?"
"Uh…Yeah…" nod. "He's very brilliant and all…"
"And he talks so nice…I love when he makes speeches about Neolution and Science."
"Yeah…I've been carried away by one or two of them, myself."
"We don't know each other very well, do we?" Rachel fixed the eye on Cosima. "I mean, we don't seem to be close friends…No offense." Placating slight wave of huge hand. "I know you lived in California. Did you just come to work at Dyad?"
"Not long ago…Dr. Leekie hired me after I found out about us…Being clones, I mean."
"The protocol…" Rachel nodded, sagely. "Sometimes I really hate the protocol…" mock grimace that Cosima couldn't help smiling at. "Do you?"
"Well, I didn't know about it till a little while ago, but yeah…To be honest…Sometimes a lot of us hate it."
"Then it's good it's gone…Some, anyway. And now we can all get to know each other…" smile.
"Yeah, it's nice. I'm very fond of the sisters I've met."
"You know the missing one, Sarah, right?"
Repressed eye roll…"Uh, yeah…I know Sarah. She's quite a girl…"
"Off the grid, Uncle Aldous said once…And you know, I think he kinda liked that she was…" grin.
"You're fond of Aldous…" Cosima, wan smile.
"He's been very nice to me since Mum and Daddy…" pause… "He's my monitor guy for now, though I guess everyone here monitors me."
"That must be hard, sometimes…" Cosima noted, carefully.
"Most of them are nice…" hesitant tone… "I don't like Dr. Nealon, though. He was never nice." Shake of head. "He's still here, I saw him."
"He is…I guess he's very brilliant. But you can ask Dr. Leekie to be the only one to do any tests on you. You don't have to see Dr. Nealon."
"That's good. He scares me a little. Not that he's been mean to me but I don't think he thinks I'm a real person…We are real, aren't we, Cosima?"
"Yeah…Course…You bet." Nod.
"I know we are but…Clones and all…Weird, right? Even weirder than 'Dr. Who'."
"Very sci-fi…Kinda weird. Cool, like the Doc, too." Smile.
"Yeah…" grin back. Cautious look. "Cosima? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure…But, you're not dying or anything…That we know of…"
"I hope not. But that's not it…Cosima…" waving gently for her to come closer.
Uh…Cosima eyed the huge mouth…
Hope cannibalism isn't a side effect…
She moved closer, leaning head to Rachel's mouth…
Rachel, lowering to confidential whisper… "I think my mother isn't dead. Susan Duncan, I mean."
"Not dead?" Cosima pulled back.
"I mean, back when I remember to…I don't know about now." Hesitant tone. "Do you know?"
"I only know what we've heard. There was a lab accident…"
"I heard a nurse talking to another lady…All that time ago, when I remember…She was talking to someone and she mentioned my mother."
"She did?" blink…
"She told another lady it was terrible that Dr. Duncan had left me like that…That I needed a family. And the other lady told her to be quiet. Cosima? You think it might be true? Mother might not have died? Maybe Daddy, too?" winsome look, tone.
"Oh…Ummn…" sigh. "Rachel, I honestly don't know. But if your mother were alive, she'd be here, I think."
"She could just be watching me, for the protocol. Cosima, you'd tell me if you knew?"
"Sure I would." Firm nod. "Have you seen this nurse again, since you woke up? Maybe she still works here."
"Not yet, but I've only seen a couple of nurses…" sigh. "Maybe they didn't want me anymore…Mum and Daddy. They weren't my real parents…"
"I'm sure they loved you very much. Sarah's seen them on videotape with you."
"She did?" eager look. "When can I talk to her? Sarah? She's British, like me, isn't she? We're the Brit clones." Beam.
Uh…Welll….
"Sarah's kinda having your problem with growing. I don't think she could come to see you. But maybe later, if everything's ok she can speak to you."
"I'd like that." Pleased tone. "Ummn…Uncle Aldous is coming, I hear him…"
"You do?'
"It's the big ears…" grin. "I can hear people talking in the hallway, pretty far, too."
A knock at door…
"Hey!" Rachel, happy tone. "Come on in!" Aside to Cosima who was retaking her seat on the bed… "Please don't tell…" whisper. Cosima nodding.
Lovely…I'm Rachel Duncan's co-conspirator. Ok, she's reverted to a kinda sweet 13 year old but…
And Sarah's right, she could be faking…Or might try to fake later, evil faking Hauser to this nice Quade?
Heck long as we're talkin' sci-fi here.
"Hello, ladies…" Aldous entered, followed by a nurse pushing a cart on which was a plate of standard-sized cookies and another of giant cookie pies.
"I thought it might be nice to have tea, in honor of Rachel being British." He smiled.
"Oh…That's nice…I'm hungry." Rachel noted.
"I'd say we all are…No one's had much time to eat." Aldous grinned. "Cosima, how about some tea and cookies?"
"Sounds great…" nod. Rachel giving her a careful look…
Fond of Unka Aldous, but clearly not entirely trusting…
…..
"Sarah, I realize…" Delphine, looking over to Sarah on cot, placating tone…
"Don't try to humor me, Delphine. Name's Sarah and I'm not interested." Sarah frowned. "I make my own choices and trustin' Rachel's regeneration or whatever is not one for me."
"I understand, really…But, I'm only asking you to be civil to her."
"If all you wanted was a 'hello, Rachel' from me, you wouldn't need to bother. Cosima could play me or Alison, if she'd be any more inclined that way. She might at least like the challenge of tryin' me again."
"If we had Alison here or Cosima were your height…"
"Yeah, that's a shame and maybe you ought to be focusin' on finding my sister and curing your ex-…What's the deal with treating Rachel with kid gloves, anyway?"
"Her condition is unique, even as compared to yours…She may provide valuable information, even if she doesn't fully recover her memory."
"I won't forgive her, Delphine. She murdered our sisters…Wanted to torture me and use my baby as a lab rat…Killed Father as if she'd poisoned him herself."
Sigh… "You forgave…"
"Helena's shown she's better…She's saved our lives…And no one says I've forgiven her for killing Mama, just that I understand what happened to her. Delphine, I get it. Rachel thinks she's 13 and she loves everybody…Lovely. So hold hands with her till she remembers who and what she is and kills you. Leave me out of it. Let Cos be her new best buddy."
"She may never regain her lost memories, Sarah." Sarah eyeing her from the huge "cot" in the Dyad garage. "The neurons are regenerating but the memory proteins and structure are likely lost forever."
"Lucky girl. Wish I could forget everything back to when I was a kid…Sometimes. Must be hard on Leekie, though. All the work he put into creating the perfect proclone."
"Actually I think Aldous is quite happy to have his little girl back." Delphine shrugged. "He and Rachel had grown apart in the last few years, after all."
"Right, she planned to kill dear ole stand-in dad…" nod. "Are you next gonna ask me to put faith in Aldous Leekie cause he's a great guy underneath it all?"
"Sarah, I wouldn't press here except that we believe Rachel's cooperation is important here and that Aldous believes Rachel is fond of you."
"What?"
"Ever since, when she was young, he discovered there were two clones in the Black, not just Helena, but you as well, Rachel's been fascinated with you. At this age she looked upon you as the sister clone she identified with most. The other British clone…And one of the two who'd gotten away."
"From Daddy Aldous' tender care…"
"Loving Aldous as a father didn't mean she didn't chafe at the Neolution controls on her life. From what Aldous has told me this was a critical year in Rachel's life, the year she changed and, in a way, surrendered to Neolution. Or chose to find her own way to fight back."
"By signing up to be the Neo poster girl…"
"Maybe there was no one to help her and she made the only choice she could see to make, Sarah."
"Like you?" Sarah eyed her.
"Mine was worse. I could have left." Bleak reply. "Knowing what Dyad and Neolution were I let myself by seduced by the science and stayed, on a eugenics project as awful as anything Hitler or Stalin might have conceived…And for all we know, played a major role in, at least in the precursor years."
"It's not my duty to forgive Rachel…My duty's to me family and me sisters and Rachel's made it clear in the past that she doesn't consider herself one of us."
"There are other concerns, Sarah. Rachel's associate Ferdinand has been restored to his position with Topside and he is due here soon to evaluate the situation. He is restricted to just reporting for now, but if he reports that the project is hopelessly compromised…"
"Like to bloody well see them try to kill us now." Sarah noted, firmly.
"I agree…And given some of your results and the reports coming in from the Castor team…" Delphine gave a faint smile.
"Eh?"
"You and Rachel and it seems from the reports from the North, Helena, are now all demonstrating a version of Kira's regenerative abilities…" Delphine noted. "Helena took several artillery hits…It barely slowed her down."
"Good ole Paul, heavy artillery, eh? Hope she pounded him into the tundra up there. Wait…? We have some or whatever of Kira's abilities? Fee hasn't called yet since he went to check on her. Is she ok? Has she gotten sick too? Delphine?!" Sarah tried to sit up, striking head. "BLOODY CHRIST!"
"Sarah! You know there's not room for you to sit yet, till we removed the roof."
"Yeah, yeah…" sigh. "Kira?"
"She's fine…Home with Mrs. S and doing fine. No symptoms at all…I'm sure Felix will call or come back in soon."
"Yet…"
"Yet…All the more reason, Sarah to learn the source of the problem and to use all the tools we can…"