Orphans Beloved: "Beth Rhymes With Death…"
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…
Part XXI…
Thompson Airport…
All right, Rachel thought…All right. Gazing down the corridor to where Donnie had managed to catch up to Helena in her ridiculous outfit…Apparently bizarrely trying to portray herself as Detective Childs, the one among the local batch who'd ever shown any sign of real ambition or ability.
And for yet another bizarre reason, Chubbo the wonder boy and the insane ex-nun seem to think I'm the little hausfrau/control freak. She eyed them as they returned down the hallway, Helena in her Beth pose scanning the area carefully but smiling to her.
So the freak likes the hausfrau and the lump?
Well. Until I understand what's going…
"What's going on?!" Alison suddenly cried. Donnie and "Beth" staring at her.
"You ok, Alison?" Helena in surprisingly good Beth tones…
"Honey?" Donnie took her hand.
"Is Rachel here? I know I heard her…" Alison stared at them, looking round wildly.
"No, Ally…I haven't seen…" Donnie began.
"Uh-oh, brother Donald…" Helena lightly slapped the back of her hand against his chest. "We got company." She nodded at the group of a half-dozen moving behind the middle-aged female agent down the hallway from the gate seating areas, all in civilian outfit, all clearly not civilians.
"Helena! This place is surrounded, surrender quietly and no one will be hurt." The woman called. "Mr. and Mrs. Hendrix, don't make any trouble, for your children's sake."
Several of the few real tourists and travelers looking startled…One or two looking to pull cell phones or seek the airport staff.
"This is official busin…!" the woman began addressing them as Donnie grabbed an arm of both of his companions and hurried them down the hallway, dodging by two stunned and clueless tourists.
"Do we…?" a Mark-clone soldier in civilian outfit had pulled pistol.
"Hold fire!" the woman shook head, waving them to hurry after the group…
Now this is humiliating…Rachel thought, hurrying along.
Saved by Donnie Hendrix…
Though perhaps not…As two soldiers in military dress entered from the opposite end…
"Halt!" Harsh call…
"Mr. and Mrs. Hendrix, we have no business with you! Surrender Helena to us and…" the woman tried again, as Helena now pulled Donnie who pulled Rachel to the right and through a doorway, setting off an emergency exit alarm.
"Hok...That alarm may slow them! Keep going!" she called back to Donnie as they hurried across a lobby and out onto the airport parking lot.
"That car!" Rachel pointed to a car just pulled in, a Jeep from which a passenger had just emerged. They raced to it and Helena entered from the passenger side while Donnie and Rachel entered through the rear door the stunned passenger, a young woman who fell back from them, had come…
"Who the hell?!" a middle-aged man in heavy coat in the driver's seat eyed them.
"Out!" Rachel cried. "You shoulds go, we need to borrow car." Helena gently insisted.
"What the…?!" the man yelped as several gunshots rang out…Helena shoving him out the door onto the pavement.
"Sorry! Police business!" she called.
"Hendrix!...Donnie….Take the wheel!" Rachel cried, Donnie hastily clambering out the other rear door and back in via the driver's, a somewhat disappointed Helena…Was all set to take wheel for first time…Why does no one ever wishes me to drive?...Settling back in her seat as he turned the key and they drove off as several of the pursuing soldiers in winter dress and soldiers and agents in civilian outfits hurried at them, the middle-aged female agent in charge at their head. The agent preventing two from firing…
"Donnie? What's happened?! What's going on?!" Alison cried as the Jeep roared down the airport road, turning for a highway.
"Sir…" the female agent spoke into her radio, waving for several of the soldiers and agents clustering as they left the airport terminal to head for their vehicles.
"The Hendrixes have taken Helena, they are in a silver Jeep, heading south. We are moving to pursue."
"Roger that…" Paul sighed, eyeing the soldiers and staff about him, including a frustrated-looking woman in military fatigues in her middle-fifties who was shaking her head. "Remain in pursuit but avoid civilian casualties."
"Totally fucked up, Dierden…" the woman glared as he put down his mike onto a portable transmitter.
"Dr. Coady…Our people have been doing their best."
"To lose the most valuable prize on Earth…?" she mockingly noted.
…..
"Are you all right, sestra?" Helena looked back on Alison. "I don't mean to cause such trouble…"
"It's all right…" Ally, wanly. "I just don't quite…"
"Ally?" Donnie's worried voice. "You seem kinda…" he looked back at her wan face.
Odd…And, British…He did not say…
"Best to keep driving, eyes on road, brother…" Helena noted. "Is snowy road and soldiers are sure to come after…"
"Yes, focus on the driving…Donnie…" Rachel agreed, a fair attempt at Alison. "I'm fine." Slight smile. "Really just fine."
Utterly confused and somewhat annoyed…But for the moment, fine. She eyed herself in the rearview mirror.
Yes, it is the hausfrau…
Goddamn it, Nealon…Or Aldous?
What the hell have you done to me?
I'm trapped in some hideous nightmare involving our military rivals, the local Walmart or Gap or some such other hideous plebian warehouse of fashion, eyeing her outfit, and some hideous frozen wasteland corner of our beloved Canada, with the crazy Ukrainian serial killer and…Donald Hendrix…As my "allies".
"So you are better, sestra?" Helena asked solicitously.
"Much, thanks…Helena…" Rachel, in guarded Alison tones.
She seems in peaceful mode. Perhaps she believes she's Childs and the others are taking advantage of her insane delusion?
Perhaps I'm the one with the insane delusion?
"Best to call me Beth, Alison." Helena noted. "Even if they take us, it might deceive them for bit…"
"Right." Repressing mocking tone…Why, certainly it will…Looking behind.
"If you can go any faster, He…Donnie…" she urged. "There are at least three cars following us…"
They swerved by a car, at the last moment taking an exit ramp…
"Donalds?..." Helena stared. "Nice driving but…"
"It's ok, we mapped out an escape route by car on the plane up…" he noted. "Ally? You got the map?"
Uh…She blinked. Feeling in pockets.
Rather clever, for such a lumpkin…She started pulling papers…
Is that a shopping list? Were they going to go…?
Hmmn…Why do I keep feeling as though there's something wrong with one of my eyes? They both seem perfectly fine.
"Here…" she'd found the map… "Keep going, there's a turn in five miles."
Really rather clever…She thought, eyeing the back of Donnie's head. Though not as clever as putting me in here, however Nealon or Aldous managed…Dear God…
Does that mean the hausfrau is walking around as me? Or, am I… She gulped a bit.
Steady on…Don't make these two suspicious. For all I know they're bluffing and fully aware of who I am. Best to proceed carefully till…
Would like to know just why we're in this forsaken country… Not all that surprised about being chased by the military, in fact sounds like Aldous' old emergency scenario when the treaty between us and the Castor group was first breaking down. We could be sure the Brits would try to seize at least Sarah and another, possibly for comparison study.
Always a bit off-putting, that I might chosen merely to off-set the unmonitored…
"Donnie…Are we on the road? Did we leave the airport?" Alison blinked.
….
Apartment of Rachel Duncan…About 2 am…
Team in white surgical gowns and masks clustered about the unconscious Beth as she lay on their gurney…They being under strict orders to leave all as it was, they were unable to bring her to her bed.
"Blood pressure's 125 over 80…" one noted. "Did you get that sample?" the speaker, a woman, addressed the team member currently removing a swab from Beth's opened mouth. "Watch for any signs of vomiting…" she insisted.
"Got it…" the addressed male nodded, carefully placing the swab into a collection bag and sealing. "We're clear."
"Ok…Lets set her down, carefully…" the woman commanded, waving two others over, who moved to positions at each end of the gurney. "Careful about her eye…Gently…" as they lifted Beth slowly.
Jesus H. Christ…Beth thought, keeping eyes closed. Try to be a little more…Umphf…As they set her down on the floor.
"Is she all right?" the woman commanded. Beth vaguely recognizing one of the nurses who'd attended her at Dyad's Human Medicine Facility. "Lets keep an eye on her for five minutes, watch for any problems. Is that sample secure?"
"Secure…" the male who'd taken the swab nodded.
Strange…Beth thought…
If I'm not dreaming…And I took the right dosage…
Shouldn't I be out? Rachel, I mean…
It can't be normal for me to have woken up in the midst of this. I always thought the time I did before was due to my pill mixin' under dear Paulie's tenderly overattentive care.
Does that mean…? She cautiously opened her good eye, as slightly as she could…
Difficult view but can't risk moving my head.
Probably not that much to see in any cases, they all seem to be wearing hoods and surgical face masks.
"Heart rate's elevated, she may be waking up…" the one who'd taken her sample noted.
She gave as good an approximation of a snore as she could manage…
"Seems ok…Start closing up…" the woman, apparently in charge, shrugged. "Just monitor her in case she aspirates vomitus."
I sure feel like doin' so…Beth thought. Though I'd also like to go pee. Think you fellas could hurry it along?
God, does this mean I might not be Rachel, after all? But how could I not be, at least bodywise?
Unless that Leekie was playin' with brain teleportation or something. She tried to give another quick glance out at the team, most engaged in packing equipment and cleaning up, one though watching her carefully.
Oughta just heave right in his…She thought, repressing grin.
But did they screw my dosage or is it the body's not of Duncanian stock?
"Ok, she seems good…Lets be off, guys. Good job." The woman called, rising…
The figure watching her closely standing up as well…The team moving out a moment later.
You might've put me to bed, you jerks…She thought. I'm supposed to be in the know about all this anyway, what harm would it do?
The door silently shut…She carefully looked around again, then carefully sat up.
Lovely homecoming, she thought.
But, at least the physical testing's done and I should know shortly if there's any question about my body's physical nature. Whatever test they do has gotta come up Rachel, right? Though what if I come up blazin' Beth? What then?
Run to Art's bedside waving anything I can get my hands on to prove I'm Beth? Call the others, namely Cosima, and show her enough to convince her?
But that would beggar the little problem of Dyad coming after me, determined to figure out why "Rachel" is coming up "Beth".
"Ok, Childs…Best not to fret. Either I come up Rachel as expected …Or I'm revealed to be 100% Beth. Either way, good news to some extent and in certain areas." She hissed to herself. "Not so good as to potentially having Dyad locking me up."
And if I'm safely confirmed as Rachel, body-wise, I can maneuver a little and see what I can do within Dyad, even in my non-Leda but still…
"Jesus Christ!" she cried out as the door opened suddenly.
"Rachel?" Ferdinand's startled voice. She looked over as he turned on a light.
"Sorry to startle you, dear…" he eyed her, slight smile forming. "I thought you'd be expecting me."
She blinked with the one good eye…
….