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 XVI…

Churchill Town Hall…

Dr. Coady beaming as the newly arrived Deputy Director, former US Vice-President Louis Cheney continued his fanatical rant at the apparently demoted (easy come, easy go, Paul thought, with mental shrug) Dierden…

He may be a posturing buffoon she thought, eyeing the fuming Cheney…But he's my posturing buffoon. Courtesy that heart I got for him from one of my late, lamented (sorta) boys.

"Colonel?" Dierden's assistant had emerged. "The choppers are moving in and…"

"Shut up, you! Give me that!" Cheney grabbed at her clipboard. "He's no longer a colonel and I'm in charge here! Me! You know who I am?!"

"The Deputy Director, sir. I just introduced you to the Colonel, sir." She noted, carefully.

"This is crap!" Cheney threw the clipboard at her, she ducking easily… "Get back in there and get me some intel on that freak bitch! Now, girlie!"

"Yes, sir. But you don't have the authority to demote Colonel Dierden, sir." Quiet but firm tone. Paul staring at her…Cheney as well...Red-faced…

"You little slut bitch! I'll have you shot!" he shrieked.

"You don't have the authority to, sir." She replied. "You're not in any position of authority over Her Majesty's Forces, sir and you hold only a deputy directorship in the civilian oversight board of Castor project, sir." The "sir" pointedly…

"Shoot this broad! Somebody! You, there!" Cheney cried, pointing to a rather stunned private. "Shoot her! That's an order from the Deputy Director!"

"Thanks, Mr. Deputy Director. It's all right, private." Dierden noted to the private. "The Deputy Director has overstepped his authority in Canadian territory threatening one of Her Majesty's soldiers and is under arrest. I also believe the Hague still has a warrant out on you, sir." Paul noted quietly. "By the authority of Her Majesty as military commandant in this martial law zone under the consent of the Canadian government, you are under arrest. Sergeant Parker? Take this civilian in custody. You can also arrest Dr. Coady."

"Dierden!" Coady raged, rising from her desk. "My boys will never…" she looked around, realizing suddenly that none of "her boys" were in fact in the area, Dierden having quietly ordered the remaining Castors in the force besides Parker to patrol posts while she'd been happily awaiting the Deputy Director's coming.

"Parker?! My boy…" Coady tried a winsome look. As the fuming Deputy Director turned red and rather apoplectic…

"Best to get a doctor for the Deputy…" Paul noted to his assistant.

"You are under arrest, doctor." Parker, pulling side arm. "Private…" he turned to another private.

"AHHHHH…" Cheney, clutching chest…

"There goes another heart…" Coady sighed, as two soldiers set him down. "Dierden…You might get away with this here for a little while, but when the Director hears."

"I already have the Director's approval for my actions under martial law, Doctor." Paul, quietly. Slight smile by the female corporal. "I'm afraid he had no objection, the Deputy having been in his words 'rather a loose cannon imposed on him'."

"That Brit son of a bitch! That's what we get for letting you Limeys run this operation…!" she glared. "Another damned candy-ass Brit in charge!. But when the President hears!…Well, the next GOP President, not this goddamned liberal…! And hears you Brits are letting the biologic equivalent of the A-bomb slip away!..." raging fume…

"Yes, ma'am. Not likely given current demographics. And it has been a 'limey' project from the get-go, we just allowed you people access. Take her away, men." Paul commanded. "And see the Deputy Director gets proper care, under guard."

"Sir…" the soldiers saluted.

"Corporal?" Paul turned back to his assistant. "Well done, thanks."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." She nodded.

"And now lets get back to the little matter of our 50 foot Helena and her brothers…" he sighed.

"Parker, honey…" Coady was cooing as she was led down the hall… "You can't do this to 'Mother'."

"I've read your experimental files Colonel Dierden sent on to the board, ma'am…" Parker, impassively. "Not exactly the tender care of a mother, Doctor."

"Ahhhh…" Cheney groaned on gurney… "Not that shithole country, Holland…" he gasped… "Coady…"

"Shut up, you stupid moron…" she glared. "Serves me right to put any faith in a loser…To think I slept with you…"

"So let me understand this? You're one of the male clones, the Castor project clones…?" Donnie eyed Mark as he, Mark, and Grace moved to the rear of the cellar.

"Yes, sir. We'd better hurry, sir." He urged as they went out the rear door, Donnie hesitating at the door.

"But my wife…"

"From everything I know, Mr. Hendrix, they can't do a thing to her." Mark noted. "You're the only hold they have on her."

"But you can't be sure of that…She's not like Kira…She broke her arm just a little while ago and it took the normal time to heal." Nervous look back…

"Mr. Hendrix, it stands to reason it'll be better for her if you're safe." Grace suggested. "And you can help her better if you're free." Smile.

"Ok…" he sighed. "Just then one thing, why did you two come? I know the others didn't send you." Calm stare.

"We're trying to get the same thing the Proleithians are, sir. The material Helena took…" Mark explained. "Frankly, we only found about you and Mrs. Hendrix by accident. But…"

"But I'm as good a hostage for you as for them?" Donnie eyed him shrewdly.

"It's a matter of life and death for my husband, Mr. Hendrix." Grace, anxiously. "Like for your wife and her sisters…Truly…And we've no intention of harming you."

"Lets say, returning you safely to the Ledas is our pledge of good faith." Mark noted.

"And of course you have a gun and will use it?" Donnie asked, pleasantly.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary, sir. And my Grace here would object." Smile to a beaming Grace. "Now, we'd really best move it, sir." He urged.

Lights flickered on in the cellar…Shouts…