"Fringey…"
Summary: Sarah and her sisters see there's an even darker side to Dyad's little cloning-fest…
(Not sure about this one but while I await more details for "Nessun Dorma" I'll play round with this darker one and see how it goes. Afraid you'll have to consider this the Allison-Donnie-friendly corner of the OB multiverse. After all, she can't be veering toward insanity and he can't be a rat in every universe…)
Disclaimer: No copywrite infringement intended.
Part XIV…
LA…FBI secure office…
"So…Dr. Hofstater…" Sarah began…
"Hofstadter…There's a d in there, but not a problem unless my mom is around…" Leonard smiled at Sarah as the group sat round a conference table in a room down the hall from the examination lab, eating. "She insisted we take her name when we were born, not my dad's and she's doubly a stickler for the correct spelling since she and Dad were divorced."
"Au contraire, Leonard…I must put in one for my security clearance deprived bestie…I know she'd be equally quick to stand up for her beau's name being properly spelled. His beloved is my bff or best friend forever, Penny." Amy explained to Sarah. "A woman whose skin is like velvet alabaster and whose spunky but warm charm gives all around her a reason for getting up in the morning. Indeed it's a remarkable tribute to Leonard's character that she overlooks his diminutive size, lactose intolerance, and tendency to whine about his emotional problems with women stemming from his mother's frigidity."
Sarah blinking…Cosima showing a certain interested look…Delphine frowning at her slightly…
Her?...She glanced at Amy in her thick glasses, conservative, heavy sweater, buttoned up blouse, tweedy skirt, sensible shoes, rather limply lank hair…
Rather dangerously warm smile, lovely brown eyes. Hmmn…
"Thanks, Amy. Yes, Penny is very supportive." Leonard, Sarah rather touched by his surprisingly warm and tolerant air…
Not hard to see where the heart of this little family is centered…
"And all the more adorable for it…" Amy beamed.
"No argument there…" smile…
"If not to be compared to my own tigress-like defense of Sheldon in any threatening situation…"
"And she's not kidding…" Howard cut in, with smile. "You should have seen what happened to one of the shape-shifters who tried to attack Sheldon six months ago before we made a peace…"
"Assume my polite cough, Mr. Wolowitz." Agent Broyles, hard stare.
Howie…Bernadette tugged…You're getting the Look…
"Uh…" Howard eyed the Look… "Forget what I said, the spicy chicken is getting to me…"
"We'll try." Agent Broyles, sternly.
Sarah grinned…
This is an interesting crew…
"I just wanted to ask if this was one of the weirder cases you've been involved with…"
"Well, actually…That's classified…" Leonard noted at another sharp look from Agent Broyles.
See the bloke-in-charge has his hands full…Sarah eyed Cosima, with grin…But a likable lot, really…
"But this one is very interesting…Clones, cyborgs…Quantum brain interphases…It's kinda what I got into Physics for…" grin.
"What we all got into Physics for if you add 'attractive' before 'clones'." Howard noted.
"Really?" Bernadette, dryly.
Sarah winking at Cosima…Hey, we got a fan…
"Be…Fore…" Howard, insistent… "I found true love…And it was through Science…" he eyed Bernadette, raising brow.
"Fair enough…But your day of necrophilia and trolling the labs for nerdy, desperate girls are over, Wolowitz…"
"But we'll always take a compliment, Mr. W…" Sarah grinned.
"Excuse me…" Sheldon cut in… "I did not get into Physics to meet clones…Attractive or otherwise…"
"Right, Sheldon…You're in it for chance to breech the profoundest mysteries of Nature and figure out how Dr. Who does it…" Howard sighed.
"Actually…I was going to say I now realize got into Physics because of Destiny…Namely so I could meet the love of my life, Amy Farrah Fowler…"
"Oh…Sheldon…" Amy beamed.
"That's the sweetest thing you've said to me since you told my double from the other universe you were going to 'kill you, you bitch if my Amy's dead'…" fond smile.
"Dr…Fowler…" Broyles sighed…
Phew…Delphine, involuntary sigh…
Double? Cosima perked a bit…
"Dude…" Raj sighed. "I liked it better before you discovered sex and started oozing with romance all the time…Not to mention a degree of heroism."
"You talk about your girlfriend Lucy all the time…" Sheldon stared…Amy glaring…Yeah…
"Yes, but my divine Lucy helped to cure me of a terrible aliment. See…Beth…" slight squeak… "There was a time when I couldn't speak to women without alcohol." Raj explained.
"Now…I'm…Ummn…Life of the party…"
"The effect wears off the longer he's away from Lucy, who like my Penny lacks the clearance to join us…" Leonard explained. "Amy has an interesting theory on the neurochemistry involved…"
"Yeah…Could we classify that too?" Raj sighed.
"People…Lets remember we're dealing with human beings here…Suffering human beings…Not scientific topics of interest." Broyles noted, careful eyeing of Sarah who smiled back…Thanks…Sir…
"No offense intended, Detective…" Leonard, apologetically.
"None taken, Doc…" Sarah smiled. "I get that all this is quite a big deal for you…My sis Coz over there gets kinda ga-ga herself over the science…It's just the consequences have to be considered."
"And the guilty punished…" Sheldon insisted. "And speaking of which, while we were eating, I had one of my rather profound epiphanies on the quantum signal used to link your sister's brain to the home base…I believe we may be able to trace it if they are using it to communicate with the remaining lady."
"Helena…?" the tall, dark-haired priest, with heavy black beard, black-robed, pondered in his chair…Allison and Art seated in chairs in his office. "Blonde, petit, you say? And rather devout?"
"To extremes, we believe…" Art nodded.
"She might have also been a brunette…" Allison, in Beth tone… "We know she's changed her hair color, worn wigs."
"And she resembles you, Detective?" the priest eyed her.
"Identical…If she tries…" Allison nodded. "Though she tends to be a bit casual clotheswise…"
"No, I am sorry." The priest shook his head. "I've seen no one of that description attending services or praying here. But I can speak with my assistant Tomas…"
Art eyeing Allison…Allison, Art…
"Tomas?" Allison nodded… "I see…Could we speak with him, by any chance?"
"He's not here today. He's at South Bound Brook, our St. Sophia Seminary…He teaches there."
"He's a priest, then?" Art asked.
"No, a lay theologian and historian…He assists here with the running of the church. We are a relatively small organization here in Canada and in the US as religious institutions go and many of our people wear various hats."
"A theologian and historian? So he's quite versed in your faith?" Allison suggested.
"A leading philosopher, well known in the field, rather famous even, back in Ukraine…Yet a man willing to do quite humble work for God as well…" the priest smiled. "A very fine man, strong in faith though he never felt worthy to serve as a priest. He was formerly…"
"A molecular biologist?..." Allison, eyeing Art.
"Yes…" surprised look… "You're familiar with his scientific work, then?" the priest eyed her.
"Very much so…" Allison nodded.
"He's at the seminary…Now?" Art asked, carefully.
"He just returned after a few days' off…He had a minor accident and was laid up. You believe he can help you locate this young woman?"
"It's possible." Art nodded. "We'd like to speak to him in any case."
"You have his number?" Allison, eagerly…Ummn…Pulling back at stare from Art…
Right…Calm, professional…
"I think it best if we go and speak to him…But if we could have the name of the best person to contact for permission to tour the seminary…" Art, calmly.
"Certainly…Is the woman a relative, Detective?" the priest asked Allison.
"Distant cousin, in a little trouble…Immigration…" she nodded, pleasantly. "Frankly, Father, we're trying…My partner and me…To persuade her to come in and settle things before there's trouble."
Gleam in eye as she glanced at Art who gave her slight nod. Ok, not bad…
"I see…That's kind of you. For a young woman, from the old country, things here can be bewildering…Even terrifying…And lead to bad choices."
"It can happen…" she nodded, pleasantly.
"And you think she knows Tomas?" the priest settled back in his chair, eyebrows raised.
"She's mentioned the name…" Allison noted, affecting nonchalant air. "Maybe they attended a discussion group or something together…She's been undergoing a bit of a spiritual crisis recently. In fact, she had been a nun for a while or taken the classes…?" uncertain look… "Back in the Ukraine…"
"Indeed?..." the priest nodded. "Well, Tomas would be a good choice for such a troubled woman of faith to turn to…Though I am surprised if he would have tried to counsel her solely on his own."
Sigh…Careful stare at both… "I sense there's more…Detectives?"
"Nothing more that we can say right now, Father." Art replied.
"I see…Well, I'll get you the number of our director at the seminary." The priest opened a desk drawer, pausing… "Miss? I hope that there's been nothing…Unfortunate in Tomas' relationship with your cousin? One tries to trust…But in these dark times…"
Allison, noncommittal, brittle smile…Sidelong glance to Art…
Allison and Art having finished a survey of the area around the church after taking leave of Father Vasyl, had returned to their car, Art pulling the car out of the alley in which he'd parked and into traffic…
A moment later followed by Helena, for once wearing a (stolen) helmet…And rather attractive (likewise stolen) leather jacket on motor scooter.