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 XII…

Dyad Institute…High Level Containment…Now expanded under unspecified "crisis" conditions to cover two additional buildings…

"Jesus, am I really twenty feet tall?" Crystal, elevated to sitting positon, dressed in hastily sewn "johnny" of sorts, on her specially and hastily constructed bed looked over at Chad in his white coat smiling at her as he looked over several monitors and her charts.

"Twenty-two by last measure…" Norris grinned. "But don't worry, so far this condition hasn't seemed life-threatening…Except to anyone who gets you riled."

Hee, ha…She giggled.

Nice one, cute, funny, and no doubt, reasonably rich…She eyed him surreptiously

Still…Fun's fun and business is business…But…

"Where's Johnny? When's he comin' back?"

"He went to get coffee and make some calls." Chad noted. "He'll be back soon."

If he knows what's good for him…He thought.

"Good." She nodded. Grin…"I suppose I should keep away from coffee right now, though, right? Though I would love a cup."

"Maybe I can work it for you." Chad returned smile. "Call it an experiment."

"Not if it'll make me grow another ten or an extra hand…Or hair where it shouldn't." She shook her head.

"I doubt it. But it would be cool to find out, eh?" wry smile.

"You're funny, doc…"

"Chad Norris…Chaderwick, if you can believe it."

"'Chaderwick'?" she chuckled. "Well, I guess it suits a science guy. Crystal not being bad for an…Entertainer." Roguish smile.

"Who nearly got 'entertained' into a trunk the other night." Chad noted. She looking away…

"Sorry…No offense intended. We're all glad you didn't get hurt, honest." Smile which she returned.

"Did they do this to me, those creeps?" she eyed him. "I asked that Dr. Cormier and she said no, she didn't think so."

"No, probably not." Chad, carefully. "We don't see any signs that you were drugged or exposed to anything except some stress…"

"The adrenalin again…" Crystal nodded. "Are you guys looking at that?"

"Absolutely…And it is one path we're checking seriously…You must've liked Biology." He regarded her.

"And 'Star Trek'…" she grinned. "But yet, I liked it. Just didn't see myself as a scientist type, ya know?"

"Yeah…Entertainment type…" Chad, a bit archly.

"Don't knock it till you've tried it, Doc." Smile.

"I don't…" he put up a hand. "More to life than the lab, I always say."

"Oh, yeah…" she looked him over. "Well, maybe sometime…When you get me back to normal…" careful look…

Whoops…She spied Johnny at the door, through the window there.

"Oh…?" Chad beamed. Catching her nervous look as the door opened…Quickly shifting tone.

"So, as I say…Everything looks good as to your vitals and we don't see any life-threatening problems as yet. So, you just try to rest and we'll get to the bottom of this."

Grateful gleam in her eye as Johnny opened the door and entered, bearing coffee and a newspaper.

"Here's Johnny!" he grinned at her. "Miss me, babe?"

"I did…" she sighed. "I was a little worried you might not be back…"

"Babe?" he cocked head, setting down coffee on bedside table. "You know Johnny is always here for you…So, doc…Doctor uh Norris, right?" Chad nodding, faint smile.

Yeah. Like I didn't mentor your thesis and give you your field training…

"She's ok for now and not gonna croak or anything?"

"Johnny…" Crystal, mock-growling…

"Just keepin' it light, babe…I know you'll be ok." He patted the huge mattress and took a seat.

"Well, I'll leave you guys alone. And I'll see what I can do about that coffee, Ms. Goderich." Chad nodded to her, moving to the door.

"Thanks, doc." She called. "Say, what about the others, the other girls Dr. Cormier mentioned, like me? When do I meet them?"

Chad paused, blinking…Johnny giving hasty…Not me, doc…Stare…

Delphine told…

"I thought so…" she said, archly, nodding at his stunned look. "So there are other girls with this trouble?"

He grinned in spite of himself, Johnny eyeing him…What now? In his eyes.

"I'd better leave discussions like that to Dr. Cormier and Dr. Leekie, Crystal. I'll be back."

"Ok…Just tell them I wanna be kept informed…On all of it…And I'd like to meet 'em, if I can." Crystal noted, a bit firmly.

"I'll tell 'em as to the info…As to the rest…" he paused.

"I get it…I might very well think so…You couldn't possibly comment. I still think the Brit FU was better." She grinned.

"And cream and sugar…" she beamed at him. He smiling back as he went out, shutting door.

One damned clever kid…He thought.

I wouldn't mind taking her up on that offer later at that…If Leekie wouldn't have my head.

But, as with Ally and the van…Her choices, no problem.

….

Conference room B, High Level Containment…

"Should this gentleman be in attendance?" the seated Nealon eyed the newly arrived Fee who stared back at the wanna be Mengele in suit. Nealon glancing to Leekie and Delphine…

"Considering you were going to mutilate my sister in violation of just about every medical oath a doctor is supposed to swear…" Fee, coldly. "Yeah."

"Seconded." Cosima, seated next to him nodded.

"I think, Doctor…" Aldous noted. "We need to rebuild trust…And keeping Mr. Dawkins informed as someone Sarah and Alison and Cosima trust completely, is a good first step."

"I followed my orders, Mr. Dawkins." Nealon noted coolly. "Just as Dr. Cormier did in monitoring Ms. Niehaus."

"Like any good Nazi, Castor soldier boy Paul for instance…You vas only following orders. Nice." Fee nodded.

"Felix, please." Delphine put up a hand. "Right now, our focus has to be on our…On the girls and what is happening to them."

"Hey…" Sarah's face on large screen on wall at front of the room… "My brother's right and I've not forgotten you, 'Dr.' Nealon." Glare.

Nealon, fuming…

"I say again. I followed my instructions from my superior, Ms. Duncan, Ms. Manning. If you prefer I be off this project…?" he looked at Leekie.

"Sarah…" Aldous put up a hand. "Dr. Nealon is a brilliant researcher and he will not be working with you directly. I promise you, he will be an asset…"

Sarah frowning… "I haven't suddenly come to see you as a trusted friend and counselor, Leekie."

"Sarah…" Cosima sighed. "We need all the help we can get on this and they've met our terms so far…"

"Fine. But if he comes near me…"

"I assure you, Ms, Manning…" Nealon began, sneering tone.

"You sneering little Nazi bastard…" Fee, furious, rising. "You think you can get all smug in my sister's face acting as if having a degree and groveling to Dyad for cash and stock options makes you superior? You people belong in the Hague with the other war criminals…I may not be a doctor, friend, but I know a disgrace to the profession when I see one."

"Aldous…" Nealon rose. "I think I've…"

"Sit down, bastard." Sarah, coldly. "Dr. Leekie, I take it Nealon here signed the usual agreements giving you the right to pretty much cut him up and sell him for chum, if you like…?"

"Pretty much…" Leekie, faint grin.

"Aldous…" Nealon stared.

"So you can sit back down and shut yer trap and do your job and hope we don't send you to prison or you can try to leave…" Sarah noted. "In that case…Pray the boys from Dyad or Topside catch up with you before I or one of the others do…Fee, thanks so much for stickin' up, but I've got this. Well, Doctor Nealon? I promise if Dr. Leekie publishes anything, your name can be on the paper…Right after Cosima's." grim stare to his reddened face.

"You really don't have a choice here, Nealon…Sorry." Aldous noted calmly…The others eyeing him coolly. "But, as Sarah's noted, this could be quite a research breakthrough and you will be included in any recognition, when it can be made. I should add that if word were to leak out, say to Topside, about Sarah's release or Rachel or anything not approved by me, Dr. Cormier, and our guests, we've already got support there, at the highest level, and I would recommend to them your immediate termination. Plus, if the military gets further involved with us over Helena, Caspir would probably likewise feel you a liability, without appreciating, as I do, your important contribution."

"Dyad's done well by you, Doctor." Delphine chimed in. "I would say it's time to give a little back…Unselfishly."

He grimly stared about the table…All coolly regarding him, even Norris at Delphine's side…Clearly enjoying the discomfiture of his rival. Finally, resigned, he nodded. "Naturally, I'll do all I can to help further the project."

"Great…Nice to have you aboard." Sarah noted, slight smile.

"Now, as to the situation…" Aldous urged the meeting back to the tracks... "I know you're all concerned about Alison and Donnie, as am I. It looks, from the report by our survivors of the attack, that the newer Proleithian sect may have been involved. Sarah, if I may…?" he paused politely.

"Yeah, sure…"

Aldous clicked, causing Sarah's image to be replaced by a shot of two men and the brunette woman leading the group. Zooming in on one man to show…

"The fish people…" Fee shook head, eyeing the enlarged buckle. "They've got Alison and Donnie." He closed eyes in distress.

"Wow." Cosima stared. "I thought Helena pretty much closed them down."

"Not completely, it seems…"Aldous sighed.

"What do they want with Alison? Do they mean to try and take from her, like Helena? Or do they just…?" Fee, nervously.

"They know they can't…" Aldous said. "They learned that from Dr. Chen when she joined them. Alison doesn't ovulate and she can't get pregnant."

"Then we have to get them, right away!" Fee insisted, nervously eyeing the screen. "They may be planning some twisted religious sacrifice…."

"It's gonna be ok…" Cosima patted him.

"No." Sarah, on screen. "If they know they can't do to Ally whatever did they to Helena…And haven't killed her." Fee looking at her. "And I think we'd know if they had, Fee…They want to trade her for either me or Helena, preferably Helena since they had her before."

"Mr. Dawkins, excuse me Sarah?" Aldous, anxiously. "You say they took something from her, was it definitely her eggs?"

"Sarah?..." Fee eyed her.

"I think that's what she meant…"

"Sarah, this is important…" Leekie eyed her. "Did she say they'd…Reimplanted any of the eggs?"

"As in…?" Felix stared… "You mean you think Helena's preggers?"

"Whoa…" Cosima blinked.

Oddly enough, Nealon, Norris, and Delphine all bearing the same "whoa" expression…

…..