"Orphans Beloved: "Halloween: The Night She Came Home…"
Summary: Like my Immortal Beloved bits in my Buffyverse stories, these are fragments and short bits, some longer…Just to fiddle with ideas, possibly forming longer tales later.
Disclaimer: No copywrite infringement intended…
(Note: Might keep this one going, we'll see. Anyway…It seems there was yet another "problem" child in the clone mix…)
Part VII…
Apartment of Arthur Bell…
"So he really did this?" careful eyeing then immediate return to her absorption in the fishtank before her.
"Who? Arthur?" Felix Dawkins, in reasonably tame if not full out suburban zombie, black with dark blue sweater knotted, eyed his charge, his foster sister's twin, Helena. "You mean did he really organize an all-out raid of Dyad via his contacts? Yeah, he did…With some help from yours truly over the last weeks."
She eyed him… Clearly… "You?"
"Well I took messages…We were holding off when things looked like Rachel might actually keep her side…"
"He is brave man. The devil will seek his…Or, her…Vengeance."
"I hope not. He is a brave man and a good one…" Felix noted. "But Sarah and Kira are safe, at least."
"You two should have told me before that Rachel had taken her." Helena frowned, touching the glass gently. Wan smile in her look… "And you are brave too, brother-sestra."
"Thanks. And much as we would have appreciated your storming in and killing everyone in sight…" Felix began…
"Not before getting my sestra and my angel niece out…I'm not a fool, brother-sestra." Helena smiled gently at him. "A psycho type…" she made a twisted face, rolling eyes… "Debatable. But not a fool." She paused. "But they will not settle with Rachel and she will remain problem."
"Not if Art succeeds and the entire Dyad Group goes to prison."
"Unlikely…They have power in this world if not the next. He has the back-up, right?" she glanced at him, a suddenly anxious tone. "Eh?"
"He told us so…His people, Oh Canada federales, US suits."
"Not all true allies…" she shook head. "He needs to watch back." She turned back to the tank. "I am not good with pets, especially those needing the high-maintenance."
"I don't think you'll need to care for his fish, Helena." Fee regarded her carefully. "Your opinion of him's rather changed…?"
"He is good man…Saved me from the others, they who would have hunted me down like dog. He helps Sarah…All cause he loved Beth of course." She rose. "Poor man…" she rubbed fingers together gently. "I am glad I didn't kill Beth myself."
"That would have been awkward…" Felix nodded. He leaned in from his seat. "So you like him now…?"
"He's done well…Sarah vouches him. Why not?" shrug.
"'He lies down with pigs'." He quoted, significant look. She surprising him by actually blushing a bit, hands before face in twisted way.
"I am ex-religious nut from prejudiced land of xenophobe types…And I was angry at Mama…Not understanding…" she noted quietly, shrugging. "I will apologize proper when chance comes."
"Well…" Felix, surprised…
"He is tolerant person, he will forgive, you thinks?" she added, hastily…
"Mama has forgiven…Sarah, too. He will, you think?"
"I suppose he already has, given you're not in a cell…" Felix pointed out.
"Yes…" she nodded, eagerly. "Thank you, Felix." She beamed. "Sarah is right, you are very good brother-sestra."
"Did she say that? Well, I'll have to get a recording…" he paused. "You say you know your mother's forgiven you…?"
"Yes." Nod.
"Not wanting to dispute…Especially with the likes of you, sestra…"
Gentle, brief smile at him, return to viewing tank…"Felix, what I says is true, however hard for you to believe. She came to me in my first captivity…I had begged her forgiveness and cried out for help, and she came to me, all in the light, the radiant light. And told me to run…'Fly my Helena, my baby…From these evil people'…And I did, Mama leading me out, to safety. I knew she has forgiveness…She loves me." Beam. "And there he was, in the field, waiting…"
"Uh…?" Felix stared. "Jesus by any chance?"
She frowned at him… "Arthur…He was doing the cop spy on the place. He had no weapon, Felix." Somewhat awed tone… "And the minions of the devil came upon him but he stood firm and they feared him, I saw even as I ran."
"As would I and most people, I guess…Officer Bell being quite the bad-ass…" Felix nodded to her pleased smile.
"And I was saved and I ran…And came seeking him. And you all." She added, hastily.
"Nice…Even, oddly…Romantic…" nod.
"Please not to make fun…" she eyed him, a bit sadly. "I am faced with grave and sorrow-making decision." She came toward him, he instinctively backing away.
"Ok…Uh…Does this sorrow-making involve creating more corpses?" Felix asked, waving hands a bit in anxiety.
"What? No…Felix? I mean I must tell Jesse we cannot be couple."
"Jesse the truck driver? From the bar you mentioned…?"
"Tow-truck. We have wonderful afternoon together, very romantic." Wan smile. "But…" she paused. "I cannot play with his heart longer. Mama has given me Arthur to care for in sestra Beth's place…And he is more practical choice as well."
"What?" Felix blinked.
"And of course…Well…" she blushed, waving fingers nervously. "I thinks I fancy Mama's choice."
"What?" Felix blinked.
…
"Ok… 'Take the civilians out, Ange, he says.' 'Don't go there, Angie, he says.' Well, Officer De Angelis has had just about enough of this." Angie grimaced, eyeing her face in the stainless steel door of the elevator Art had just taken in pursuit of Paul after ordering her to attend to the civilian evacuation with the rest of the police force and the other agents on hand. The said civilians now clustering about her and three other officers, backed now by two Canadian Security Intelligence Service agents. Who, not to her surprise if much to her increased frustration insisted they also could tell her nothing.
"It's terrible when they won't tell you what's up but leave you with the responsibility…" a sympathetic Dr. Reynolds standing nearby with the Dyad evacuees nodded.
"Can we please get out of here?! Officer?! Why is it taking so long?" an anxious Dyader, female, in lab coat.
"First…You are under arrest, so I would advise exercising that right to remain silent." Angie noted calmly. "Second, if you'd tell me what it is that's such an emergency…"
"How should I know? You're the police. They say it's a containment breech, a biohazard…We could get infected, be getting infected right now, or whatever. Only the senior guys know."
"Then where are your senior guys…?" Angie eyed her.
…
"I don't understand, Rachel…" Nealon, probing cautiously, attempting to avoid arousing either her fear, full distrust, or her wrath.
"What is in there…" he eyed the closed door. "…that could possibly be so dangerous?"
"We have to get out of here! Don't be a fool!" she cried. "If containment's been breeched…" she gasped, nearly fainting from weakness.
"…She'll kill us all." Terrified look at his startled face.
But rather pleased to see he'd rushed to her side…
Hmmn…Greedy as I am…If Rachel Duncan is that outright terrified, Nealon thought.
And she is still very weak…I should get her…
A loud bang from beyond the door…
"Jesus Christ! Run!" Rachel cried, trying to rise from the gurney.
"Hold on!…I'll get you out back this way. Lie still…" he patted her.
He's not running off…Yet…She stared up at Nealon's worried face. Feeling the gurney move as she drifted back to sleep. He's not leaving me here…And I can almost believe that worry is for me, not my biologic/commercial value.
Wow…For me, a red-letter day in romance…
"She?" Nealon spoke aloud, eyeing the now-sleeping Rachel as he pushed the gurney back the way he'd come, moving to open a door.
"Another one? Kept down here? Tucked away even more than Rachel?" Hmmn, there go more of the lights…But these should be on battery..?
"Peek-boo." Guttural voice in front of him, in the darkness ahead. Harsh giggling…
"See…You…"
"Dear God…" Nealon gasped, staring.
"Elly wants play…" harsh tone but a slight pleading…
Rachel, waking, lifting head… Holy! Oh…God…I was right…
It's out…
"Pretty…" the voice again. "Boo-boo?" curious air.
"Just hold still, Rachel, don't move…We'll back up…Gently…" Nealon whispered. Feeling Rachel's trembling on the gurney.
"Boo!" the huge, misshapen creature had landed on the gurney, flipping Rachel up and out…Nealon deftly catching her and racing back, slamming door.
"Ohhhh!..." moaning howl from beyond the closed door. "Elly wants Play!"
"My God…" Nealon, hurrying along with a rather mixed emotions Rachel in his arms…Slamming a second door in his flight.
Rachel, twisting in his arms, looking wildly down the hall…On the one hand, raw terror at the thought of the escaped thing now so eager to rejoin them…
Then a look up to his anxious face…
On the other…I've been swept off my feet, literally…Smile breaking slowly…
"…What have you and Leekie done?" horrified tone. As a hard slam was heard, clearly throwing the first heavy, locked door open…
They eyed each other and he hurried through the next door, slamming and locking…
"What…" he gasped…
Don't die on me now…She thought… "You'd better put me down, Doctor."
"It's alright…" he caught breath… "Rachel, what have you and Leekie done?"
"Wasn't me…" Rachel, feebly pleading…Looking ahead up the hall…
Ahhhhh! She screamed at the sight of a soldier, female in pieces…The limbs scattered like flower petals about the torso.