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 XIII…
Interstate in the northern US Mid-West, on which a large flat-bed truck, the flat-bed, with raised sides, covered by a huge tarpaulin, secured with rope and chains.
A sudden gasp by one of the New Proleithian males in the back of the large cab as a loud noise and vibration rocked the truck…
"Dear Jesus! What was that!?" he cried, the other two men to his respective sides looking equally disturbed, Alexis nervously looking back to the source of the sound…
"Ally snores…" Donnie shrugged. Alexis staring at him…
….
Temporary HQ in the town hall, Churchill, Manitoba…
Colonel Dierden striding about, phone in hand as the female corporal assistant attempted to keep up, juggling her own phone, clipboard, papers...And various members of the task force attempted to bring their concerns to his attention…
"All right, she headed west after passing our first line but you say she has not resumed her course south as yet?…Can you confirm that, sergeant?" he frowned at the phone. "That's not good enough, Parker…I want someone on her tail on ground and in the air. Tail meaning within ten feet, you understand me? I don't want her making a step without my knowing it."
"You had the chance to bring her down, Dierden." Dr. Coady, angrily, rising to face him from her seat at a desk dragged from the Town Clerk's office. "The Director is not going to be pleased…Nor will his Deputy."
"I doubt we could have brought her down without killing her, Doctor and I accept responsibility if you'll admit you disobeyed my direct order not to interfere."
"I'm not under your command, Dierden!" Furious look.
"In this situation, you are…I've invoked martial law in the operational sector and until I deem the crisis over, you will abide by my orders or I will either have you confined or shot."
"You are endangering this project and depriving us of a weapon essential to national security!"
Who's?…Private William pondered briefly as he passed bearing a crate…
Still not sure if we're just operating for good ole Canada, the Empire, or the big boys south. Some of the guys in the unit are definitely not O, Canada sort. But nobody's talkin'…
Probably best I follow said wise policy, he noted to himself…
"I'll leave that call to the Director, ma'am…" Paul noted.
"The Director may consider you his fair-haired boy, but I think you'll find the Deputy takes my view…And he has connections, Dierden."
"I would imagine he does, ma'am."
"We should be out there, not here!" she insisted. "We're letting the golden goose slip away…Potentially the most powerful weapon since the first A-bomb was tested."
"Helena's in no hurry. She's trying to puzzle out her next move. She can't just keep on heading south, not as she is…At least not till she knows what to do, whom to contact."
"The others, of course…" Coady frowned.
Paul nodded…"Yes, but how…She can't plan to just stroll into downtown Toronto, or even Alison's Scarborough without warning the girls and planning it out. And I doubt she means to call them on cell. This is our chance to regroup and I'm doing just that. Also, we still need to know who fired on our people from that rogue tank…"
"Probably that wild child, Manning…" Coady shrugged. "Your report said she's accepted Helena as her sister."
"She has…" Paul, a bit bleakly…
Jesus, Dierden…Coady blinked at him. There are how many versions of her out there, including that kinky blonde Duncan? And how many have you done to date? Be a man, sweet-talk the first one you find, the way I tell my boys and move on down the line, soldier…
Hell, you'll be blowing your career over that piece of tail next, like our idiot former Director and his girlie…
"Sarah's not exactly certified as a tank driver, the ones who stole that tank knew how to operate it." Paul noted. "It's got to have been our rogue boys…"
Coady, grim frown…"I know you dislike Rudy's lack of respect for you, Colonel…But there's nothing wrong with thinking outside the box, and he's always been willing to accept discipline."
"From you…So far as we know…" Dierden quietly.
"Are you suggesting I'm running Rudy?" she frowned.
"Are you?" he eyed her. "We both know Seth will follow Rudy's lead anytime, anywhere though he's a good soldier away from his brother."
"Rudy's not confirmed rogue."
"He's refused contact, he's even threatened brothers sent to call him in. Unless you're giving the orders…?"
Cool stare back…
"…What more do we need? But that's a side problem now…" Paul ignored Coady's grim look. "Our focus is securing Helena."
"And you apparently lost focus, Colonel."
"Secure, doctor…Not butcher and cut up for your tests. My orders from the Director still take precedence…Capture, alive."
"For one purpose…The embryos are what matters now, particularly if they carry her ability to heal, which seems to be enormously enhanced now." Coady eagerly. "If we can harvest one intact female and bring to term, in fertilizable condition, there'll be no need for Helena or Sarah…"
"Oh?" hard stare.
"I mean that they'll be Dyad's problem." She smiled. "Not yours."
"Doctor, you'll forgive me, but you're not one to leave loose ends." Paul, quietly. "If Sarah and Helena become of no interest to you, you'll favor termination."
"Colonel…" sweet smile… "What you think of me… Not to mention, both ladies, particularly, Helena, in her current condition, could never be of no interest. But getting back, as you say to our real focus, Helena…We can't expect her to hover about here for long."
"She's trying to find a way to contact Sarah without alerting us again. And since she can't hope to physically slip into Toronto invisibly."
"Hard to avoid 'alerting' in her condition…" Coady grinned. "You're not suggesting she's looking for a giant phone or laptop?"
"No, but she's hoping we can provide a way…She's not done with us. We'd likely be dead if she were."
…
"Is this true?" Aldous, in chair, stared at the MRI image, illuminated from behind by the light box it was now secured to…Naturally done with an adapted portable system, given the size of the subject…
"It is…" Nealon nodded. "And the last was taken fifteen minutes ago. There's definite neuronal regeneration…"
Chad eyed the image… "That's incredible…Adult neurons shouldn't be capable of this level of regrowth. Are there clinical signs yet?"
"Rachel's seeming a bit more aware of her surroundings." Nealon noted.
"And the eye?" Chad stared at the MRI image.
"No change as yet. It may be too badly damaged. But the fact is that her frontal lobe is repairing itself…" Nealon shook his head. "And, perhaps as a result of whatever caused the incredible over-all growth, at an exponential rate, starting from a single undamaged neuron in the area. I project an 85% recovery of the lost neural tissue within the next 48 hours. Final recovery could be as high as 90% which is astonishing, given the extensive damage."
"Incredible…" Aldous sighed.
"I wanted to see that you were informed of this immediately, Aldous."
"Yes…Thanks, Doctor. For now, till we know more, I'd prefer it go no further than we three. Dr. Norris can assist you in studying this."
"Of course." Nealon nodded.
"This could be what we've been looking for in our ladies since Dyad secured control of the LEDA project, gentlemen. And it's related to whatever triggered the phenomenal growth…And…" Aldous paused.
"It must be related to the Manning girl…" Nealon nodded, slight smile.
"Yes." Aldous agreed. "So you can see the need to avoid upsetting Sarah at this crucial time…" Nealon nodded… Chad a bit perturbed…
Wouldn't it build that trust he was talking to Sarah about to…
"All right, then…" Leekie nodded. "Onward and upward, gentlemen. I'll leave you to it. Call for anything you may read." He rose.
"Oh, Nealon…I'll have a look at her. It might be best to increase the dosage of our experimental drug on Rachel,. She isn't going to be too happy if she makes a near-full recovery."
"Yes, Aldous…I agree."
Rather hoping so, actually…As Aldous left them.
"Well, Norris…" Nealon addressed Chad who looked at him…
Not used to the absence of sneer in his voice
"You know, this is a quite a thing…Quite a thing, this neuronal regeneration…" Nealon paused.
Is he actually having a conversation with me? Or just trying to find a new way to heap scorn on me for not being up on this field? Well, fortunately, pal…Chaddie did his Ph.D/MD thesis on myelin regeneration in Experimental Allergic Encephalomylitis so bring it…
"I remember when Chris Reeve came by to see us…Superman?" Nealon went on…Chad, nodding, a bit startled by the obvious emotion in the man's voice… "We couldn't do anything for the man of course, then. But Leekie insisted the publicity would be good for fundraising, I'd just joined the Institute as a young star and they sent him to me…" hesitant stare at Chad.
What the hell? Is he tearing up?
"Gallant fellow, that one…I always felt for him." Nealon, a bit flustered. "This would have been amazing to offer to him, a real chance…Excuse me, I've something in my eye." He stepped away, wiping a bit, discreetly.
Whoa…I guess you do find love in the most hopeless places…Chad reflected.
Grim look…As I did…
…..
