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As soon as Delphine drove away from Bubbles and Cosima, the tears she was holding back began to fall freely. Her heart ached knowing this would be the last time she would see the love of her life. Delphine knew Cosima was going to be devastated and that was crushing her insides but she didn't have a choice, neolution would kill her no matter what and it was best if she stayed away from the sisters.
'At least Cosima won't be alone, she has Shay' she thinks. 'She has to be enough for Cosima now. She must'
The streets on that side of the city were mostly empty at that time of night; making Delphine's ride smooth. She wished she could have talked to Marion to let her know about the situation, but the woman was unreachable.
'Please be alive, they are going to need you, you're all they have now' she can only hope for the best.
She's about to enter the intersection when the 'road closed' sign stops her.
"Merde" Delphine curses at the inconvenience.
She puts the car in reverse, remembering there was a street not too far behind. Once she makes it into the narrow street, Delphine gets a bad feeling in her gut; like she is walking into a trap. She swallows but continues anyway.
Sure enough, when she was about to reach the corner, a car appears in front of her, blocking her way.
Delphine barely has time to hit the brakes to avoid crashing into the vehicle.
There she observes a black car with tinted windows.
'This is it' Delphine gulps 'someone is going to come over and shoot me in the head'
The sound of the car's door opening and closing echoes in the street.
She then closes her eyes 'please let it be worth it; please, please let her be save'
High heels hit loudly on the pavement.
Curiosity gets the best of Delphine and she opens her eyes to watch the executor approach her.
But what she sees has her blinking rapidly and opening her eyes wide in disbelief.
"Quoi?!" Delphine utters as she watches herself –with the exact same clothes and hair- walking to her car, opening the passenger door and sliding in beside her.
"Hey, I'm Elise Cote; it's nice to finally meet you Delphine" the woman lets out with a smirk.
"Quo… wha…"
Expecting this reaction and not wanting to waste time Elise interrupts her "Before you ask yes I'm your clone and no, there are not hundreds of you around the world, just the one" She points at herself "I wish I had more time to explain all this to you but unfortunately we have to act now. Marion is waiting in the car, go with her, I'll take your place" Her voice is calm and decisive.
"What! No!" Delphine fires back seemingly more alert "You can't do that they're going to…" She sighs "they're going to kill me!"
"Exactly" Elise replies "And we can't let that happen. Your knowledge and involvement in this operation is priceless! You are vital for the success of it; we can't afford losing you Delphine"
"And you? What about you?!"
"I am doing my part; and this is it"
Delphine shakes her head "No, there's no way I'm going to let you do it. Go back to Marion and tell her I refuse to…"
"I'm gonna die anyway Delphine"
"Huh?"
Elise exhales "I have the clone disease. I started showing symptoms three weeks ago."
Delphine stares at her in shock but then she responds with optimism "But I'm your original! Just take some of my blood and take it to a lab and…"
"Stop" Elise grabs her arm "There's no time for that"
"Of course there is, I just need a syringe it'll be fast"
Elise chuckles "You are just as Marion described. Caring selfless Delphine, who always puts her mission and the ones she loves first. You don't even know me but I can tell you already care about me" she smiles sadly "oh how I wish I had met you before. I'm sure we would've gotten along pretty well."
Delphine feels overcome with emotion "I can't…"
"Delphine, neolution won't stop until you're dead, they will hunt you down under the rocks if it's necessary. But if I go in your place, you will be free to keep working alongside of Marion without any disturbances; and now more than ever you'll need that bit of freedom because believe me shit has hit the fan"
At the still negative response she's getting from her original Elise takes her hand "Hey, Leda needs you; Cosima needs you. They need YOU not me; do it for them, we are almost there"
"Please don't make me do this"
Before she can say anything else, Delphine is enveloped in a tight hug.
Emergency room, France 2000
Marion frantically enters the emergency ward of the hospital, scanning all around the place until she spots the person she was searching for.
"Mrs. Bowles!" A young nun exclaims, appearing scared after seeing the woman coming at her.
"Come here" Marion angrily grabs the nun by the arm and drags her to a less transit corner. "How did this happen?! You were supposed to take care of her!" She hisses.
"I… I'm sorry Mrs. Bowles, I didn't think she would try something like that; I mean she was acting just like usual. She went to all of her classes and she was alone during lunch; so when she locked herself in her room I honestly thought she was studying or reading a book, like she always does." The nun looks down "and well when she didn't come for dinner I came in and…"
"Fuck" Marion turns around grabbing her head "you have any idea what you just caused? Huh? Her parents will arrive here in two or three hours and they will take her to a psychiatrist and they won't leave her alone; which means I have to tell her right now about my plans for her future and she's still too young. I don't know if she'll understand; I don't know if she'll be interested" She growls frustrated. "I swear if she would've gotten away with it you would be…"
The young nun gulps having a slight idea of what would've happened to her "I'm so sorry Mrs…"
"Just shut up and take me to her" Marion demands, still not having perfected that diplomatic stance that would characterize her in the future.
Twenty minutes later, and with Marion already seated next to the hospital bed, the patient – a teenage blonde girl - awakens.
"Hello Delphine" Marion says to make herself known.
The girl turns to look at her with questioning eyes.
"My name is Marion Bowles, and I bet you're wondering who I am and how do I know your name"
Delphine just stares at her.
Marion leans closer "See, I happen to know a lot about you Delphine. I know for example that you're very smart and that you like science… a lot"
The young blonde is immediately intrigued, not only by the statement, but also for the fact that this woman is speaking in English to her.
"I also happen to know that you are bored, that your school is not challenging enough for you; that you don't think your parents love you … that you're not happy" Marion eyes the girl's bandaged wrists.
Delphine looks down embarrassed and hurt, trying to hide her wrists.
"Hey" Marion grabs her arm tenderly "There's nothing to be ashamed of, you're a very special girl Delphine; you have no idea how much. I know because I've followed your life since you were a little girl, I've watched you grow and become this exceptional mind, one that will work on very important things" She sits a little straighter, now taking Delphine's hand in hers "And I waited years for the right time to make you a proposition"
Again, Marion has Delphine's attention.
"I want you to work with me on the most interesting science experiments you've ever heard. You are going to see things you would never do anywhere else; I promise you Delphine, you and I are going to do wonderful things"
The eyes of the young blonde grew with excitement, her imagination running wild. Suddenly she hesitates with fear "Mais - But my parents... they won't let me… after this…" She shows her wounded wrists, her accent very thick.
"Oh, don't worry about them" Marion assures "I'll deal with that situation. What I want you to do now is to focus on studying what you love the most. I'm going to make sure you get into the best schools and from there no one will be able to stop you" She then gazes straight at Delphine's eyes "what do you say? Do you accept my proposition? Do you want to become a great scientist Delphine?"
"Yes!" Delphine responds by sitting up in the bed "I want to work with science; I want to work with you"
Marion smiles broadly allowing a sigh of relieve to escape her body.
"Excellent"
…
Paris, 2011
"And how do you know he's going to choose me? I mean these candidates are…pfff… amazing! " Delphine lets the files with the information of the other immunologists fall on the desk.
Marion chuckles "oh believe me, he's gonna choose you"
"How can you be so sure?"
"Well" Marion closes her laptop "First of all, you are as amazing as them; there's no place for doubt in that area" She stands up "and second, Aldus Leekie could be one of the most brilliant men I've even met but at the end of the day he's just that… a man" Marion gives Delphine a once over.
"Oh…" Delphine makes a face "So you mean I have to…"
"If you must" Marion cuts her off, sparing her the mental image "but don't worry about that now"
Delphine sighs annoyed.
"Look Delphine" Marion gets closer "you must remember that after you get into DYAD our communication will be minimal, almost none existent, nobody can suspect we know each other. You'll be on your own and I need you to stay alert and focus on everything Leekie does" She takes Delphine by her arms "You'll have to work hard on getting his attention and then his trust; let him think he is in control, let him believe he is the one taking advantage of you. Then and only then he will introduce you to Project Leda; and well once inside it's just a matter of time for you to gain a position of power that would allow you to pull some strings."
"You make it sound so easy" Delphine refutes skeptical, as she runs a hand through her hair.
"Unfortunately it won't be" Marion leans on the desk behind her. "But I have faith in you. You've been preparing yourself for this for so long; I think you're ready"
"Yeah" Delphine looks down for a moment before meeting Marion's gaze again "I think I am too"
Delphine didn't say much once she got into the car with Marion; partly because she was mad at the woman for hiding so many things from her and also because she was too shocked to even begin to formulate any questions. Not with Elise's presence still vividly in her mind.
Marion drove her to a secluded location with a small hangar visible, where a helicopter was evidently waiting for them.
When the car is parked Marion turns to face Delphine "grab your head, look like you're in pain and disoriented; don't say a word"
"What?" Delphine doesn't have a chance to say more since Marion already left the vehicle.
Three soldiers come out from the helicopter and trot to meet Marion.
"Is everything OK ma'am?" One of the soldiers asks.
"No, there was a little mishap. During a confrontation Miss Cote suffered a concussion; although is too early to tell, she has been presenting some worrying symptoms. Let's hurry up to the base to verify her condition"
"Yes ma'am"
Two soldiers take Delphine out of the car and help her into the helicopter.
When they finally arrive at the base Delphine is dumbstruck.
"O mon Dieu!" She couldn't help noticing the enormity of the facility.
"Elise" Marion calls out once they descend from the helicopter "come, sit"
"Huh?" The blonde looks down and sees the wheelchair presented to her.
Without another word, she's forced into the wheelchair and taken inside the base.
After some fake exams Marion pretended to run with the help of one of the doctors in the base, Delphine is wheeled into another room.
There in the privacy of the four walls Delphine realizes she's too exhausted to confront Marion, instead taking a more composed approach.
"A concussion? How clever" She comments while admiring the organized large bedroom.
"I know, that way nobody would find your erratic behavior odd" Marion takes a seat by the bed. "It was Elise's idea"
At the mention of her clone Delphine freezes in place, exhaling anxiously. "Is this her room?"
"yeah"
Gathering herself, Delphine begins to roam around the space until a bookshelf draws her attention. She gets closer to it and takes in the titles of the books "is she a scientist too?!" She exclaims turning to look at Marion.
"Uh huh. Biotechnology; she is…" Marion purses her lips and continues "she was one of the best out there" She looks to the side lost in thought for some seconds, then adds "you will find out you two had a lot in common"
Unable to avoid the subject anymore Delphine runs both hands through her hair, trying to control the emotions within her. "Why didn't you tell me?" she finally asks with a soft voice.
The other woman just sighs looking down "I couldn't Delphine, and you know it"
The blonde closes her eyes, accepting that what Marion just said was the truth and there was nothing she could do about it. That didn't work as a consolation though as all the anger and remorse were still present in her soul. She wonders when these unexpected turns in her life will stop.
"Next week you'll be starting your military training"
"putain…" Delphine mumbles at the reminder.
Marion clears her throat and continues "you are going to have a few days to make your physical recovery appear believable then you'll start your training. From Monday to Friday every morning you will be working with a private instructor; during the afternoons you'll watch all the footage we have on Elise. You have to start becoming her in four or five days"
"OK" Delphine nods with a sour expression.
"It is absolutely necessary to do so; we have to make sure there are no evident traces of Delphine Cormier left in you. Nobody can suspect you're still alive and it has to be convincing" Marion stands up and moves to the door. She holds the knob considering her next words and voices with empathy "I don't pretend to imagine how hard this may be for you and I'm sorry"
"No, I… I understand Marion, I do" Delphine offers "It is a small sacrifice compared to all the lives that will be saved. This goes beyond Leda now; that is very clear. I just… need to wrap my head around it … that's all"
"Alright" Marion manages a weak smile "then you better get some rest. Tomorrow I'll fill you in with everything you need to know" with that final comment she gets out of the room, leaving Delphine alone.
As soon as she hears the fading sound of footsteps, everything crashes down inside Delphine and she feels a familiar pressure in the chest. She covers her mouth in an attempt to muffle the sobs that involuntarily begin leaving her body. Overwhelmed, she lies down slowly on the bed and curls into a fetal position.
There, in the softness of the mattress and sheets Delphine lets it all out. She allows herself to mourn in the loss of a sister she didn't have the chance to know, and in the imminent loss of her own life and identity.
She has to remember herself that she's not going through all this mess only for the thousands of lives she could be potentially saving but also for the Leda sisters. But most importantly that she's doing it for Cosima.
'Cosima… mon amour'
With that thought in mind she decides with all certainty that she will be Elise Cote no matter how much it takes; and that little by little Delphine Cormier will cease to exist. She'll make sure of that.
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