"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 XIX…
"So just what is the plan here?" Rachel, seated rather disconcertingly behind the now still Olive/"Allison" in the car transporting herself, Leekie, Simon, and the aforesaid Olive to "visit", as she'd put it, "dear lumpen hubby".
"Simple enough…" Leekie, seated next to her in the rear, shrugged. "We observe for a bit then secure Allison when she's on her own or if absolutely necessary when they're sleeping…You take her place, then proceed."
"Make contact with the ladies of the blood band, find out what they're up to currently, and then…Carry out your little demo run as Allison…" Rachel eyed him. "Is anyone going to believe this suburban housewife decided to stage an act of nuclear terrorism?"
"Just play it to the hilt when they come for you and it should work…Allison's not the first rather paranoid conspiracy theorist to try and take down a nuclear facility for the sake of Mother Nature and her own little ones."
" 'As a mother…' Rachel read in Allison tones from a script in her hands… 'The horror of what these corporations are doing to our children and our planet drove me to action.'…Father? A bit heavy, wouldn't you say?"
"Really? I'm almost moved to action by it myself." Leekie grinned. "Certainly in my college days, with your mother, I'd have been out there on the barricades, metaphorically at least, for something like this…"
"And little Allison somehow managed to obtain weapons…"
"Don't you watch CNN or any national news…Read posts on Facebook, sweetheart? The question these days is where you can't get your hands on weapons…" grin…
"Then, learn about, let alone, defeat, the security system?..."
"Amazing what you can learn on the Net these days…And our girl is a bright, capable woman who planned this for years as her concerns over the nuclear nightmare grew. Plus, she will have help…If all goes well…"
"Ah, yes…My… 'help'."
He eyed her frown…Thin smile…Pat of hand…
"Sweetheart, we aren't expecting to blow the place up…Our goal is to demonstrate to our backers that saving this project is worth the effort despite our fair ladies' exposures and the intensifying spotlight…If not here, then…"
"Aldous, I hope you realize that I for one have no intention of moving to some version of lower Slobovia or some banana dictatorship…Nor do I long to become the latest Kim's new toy."
"There's no need…Your position with Dyad will be kept immune…There are still far too many people who knew of and let this project go forward for them to allow the full light of disclosure. We'll be shut down, the Institute will be probably be disbanded for its and our own safety…Justice triumphs, our girls make 'Time' and 'Newsweek', a few calls are made to investigate this moral nightmare, your mother and I and a few higher-ups get charged, mostly in absentia…I hope…But you'll be cleared of any prosecutable wrongdoing as will dear Olli II, and good ole Simon here…"
Simon, driving, repressed a sigh of relief…
"But what about Mother…And Dr. Sadler?"
"If they follow our lead and don't choose to stir the waters, no one but our ladies want to mucking them up. And I suspect once the ladies realize their only chance of getting Allison back intact is to cooperate and settle for dissolving evil ole Dyad and having their little PR moment...Even our stalwart Sarah will see the light of reason in the face of the obstacles of trying to hunt down every little fish."
"No…" Rachel shook her head… "The girls won't cooperate and Sarah won't listen…I've told you before, Aldous…Blood is thicker…And in practical terms, why should they negotiate? Trust us? Hardly…"
"I'm counting on blood being thicker, dear…They've little choice…And they have some protection in the public spotlight, for now, as the authorities begin to close us down…It's in their interests to deal…They'll have what they want…Freedom, an end to monitoring…Their sweet Ally, more or less safe and sound…"
"We offered them that before…Though kidnapping merely implied, perhaps…"
"Yes, but we were essentially lying and they realized it, not being fools and having functional eyes and ears…Now they know as well as we do, it's not a question of trust but of physical impossibility. We simply don't or soon at least, won't have the capability to hound their every move. " grin… "Well, we were still holding the stronger cards then and the project's survival to completion trumped any commitment to fair dealing…Now, we're forced to deal if we want to save anything from the wreckage…And there is still a considerable amount to save, Rachel."
"I know, Father…Don't doubt my commitment here, I'm merely trying to be practical, as always."
"And I appreciate it…" smile.
"Well…Fine." Sigh… "Just how long will I have to play the little neurotic with that tub of guts anyway?"
"Oooh…Donald's surely not that bad…I always thought he had a certain doggish devotion that appealed to something in all of you…As I've said, till we have a better handle on what her sisters are up to…And I'd like a full test of how well Olive can deceive Donald…I'm sure it'd be useful to our backers as well as fascinating."
"Human…Or, semi-so, drones…Lovely."
"I can't think of a government that wouldn't want a flock…" he grinned. "It's a shame to have to once again fall back on stressing the military applications of the work, but hey…That's what got us started. Every day, I thank God for the Cold War, bless its sadly so-over heart, those were truly the good ole days for those of us pushing the envelope." beam.
Three months previous, the street outside Mrs. Sadler's house…
Where Donnie had just found himself confronted while in the midst of attempting to confront the man who'd ruined his marriage and his life, Dr. Aldous Leekie…Anything but the old family friend and sage therapist/counselor he'd come to depend on for dealing with Ally and her moods…
"Mr. Hendrix…" the voice from the just-opened interior of the car beside him…A voice he recognized and yet did not…
"…I don't want to use the gun I referred to but it won't make enough noise to attract attention. Now, please…" A hand extended. "I think you'll find what I have to say of interest to you and your family. And I can assure you, you're better off speaking to me than Aldous Leekie just now."
He got in cautious, facing the woman who spoken… "Should I…?"
"Please…"
He closed the door…
"Well, Donald…" stare. "And how is my daughter?" Allison's face, about thirty years older staring at him…
LA…FBI secure facility…
"Ok…" Sarah eyed the "Fringe Science team", joined by a rather eager Cosima and Delphine as the group worked on the quantum receiver on their lab bench and managed the second, at Cal Tech, by phone and computer… "So we locate the source where whoever's running this clone is transmitting." She looked at Agent Broyles standing by the group, rather like her, feeling a bit unnecessary, as the science babble continued non-stop amongst them… "Then, what?"
"We'll move in as quickly as possible…A team's standing by now." Broyles noted.
"Can I be there? I want to see what they're up to and I could be of help identifying the suspects." She urged. "The poor kid they've abused is family, after all." Shrug…
"If you're sure you're up to it, Officer…You probably could be helpful."
Uh-boy…Cosima, hearing and looking over…
Sarah, what the frack?…You are not a trained police officer, let alone an FBI agent…She glared at Sarah.
"I'm up to it, sir…And I'd like to be in at the end of all this."
"Ok." Broyles nodded. "I'll assign you to partner with one of our agents, soon as we get something from the translocation, you can go in with the team. But from the rear…"
"Yes, sir." Nod.
"FBI always wants to run the show…" she smiled to Leonard who grinned rather happily back…
Oh, Lord…Sheldon caught the look…Glancing to Amy who'd noted it as well…Sheldon, shrugging to her frown…
For God sakes, he's got my beautiful bestie sayin' she loves him…And now he's making eyes at this pretty cop clone?
Who, admittedly is lovely, seems reasonably intelligent and resourceful, dresses…Forgive me, bestie…Even better than Penny, and is likely capable of shooting any future bullying types he might encounter…
But, damnit…Penny's tole him she loves him…
What is it with him, anyway?
"Ok, we are set…" Howard noted, stepping back from the receiver. "Now just have to wait for them to transmit again."
"Roger that…" Leonard clicked on his cell phone… "Cal Tech, this is Base, we're set to receive, are you set, over?"
"Dude…" Raj sighed. "This isn't 'Highway Patrol'…"
"I'm set…" Penny's voice on speakerphone… "And Raj, lay off…Leonard's just tryin' to be professional here…Good job, sweetie!" happy call... "Uh, over!"
"Yes. Lets be professional, Leonard." Amy, grim stare.
And bear in mind I have killed over the past year to save the people I love…
South Bend Community Hospital…Officer Bell's room…
"So our suspects got away…?" he eyed Allison from his bed.
"I'm afraid so…Helena was just too slippery for me and Tomas had made it to his car before I could stop him."
"Do we really have to do this now?" Mrs. Bell, just arrived…Slight glare at Allison…
Uh…
"We'll handle things, Officer…" the captain, reassuringly to Bell…Nod to Mrs. Bell… "Officer Childs? Why don't we give Art and his family a few alone?"
"Sure, yes…Sorry…" Allison, meekly…
Why is she giving me that look? Did I do something…?
"Thanks, sir…Childs…?" Art reached a hand to her…She taking for a moment… "Don't fret it too much right now. We'll catch up to them soon enough."
"Of course…Take care…I'll check in later…" Allison, brief wave, following the captain and Officer DeAngelis out of the room.
Mrs. Bell frowning after her…
"Do that, Childs!" Art called. "And don't take any chances…" hard stare to her as she paused to look back at him…She nodding.
God, don't tell me there was something going on…She eyed Mrs. Bell's frowning face.
Nah, Art's not that sort…Beth was with someone…Lady's just a little too…
Like me…Sigh.
"Childs?!"
"Right with you, sir!"
Helena eyeing herself in rear view mirror as she drove, adjusting her blouse and wig…
Very nice…Like professional lady…
Glad I kept my new jacket for later, though…More my personal style.
Now…Lets see…
If Tomas was working for the Devil, at Dyad…Lying to me…He should head back to them, to Dr. Leekie, for help now.
Nice…Way I like…
All rotten eggs in one nest…
Time for Auntie Helena to do gift for sweet angel niece…And make amends to true sister…
And meet rest of family…Including sister at the Devil's Lair…The one I saw when I went there, to see the Devil, in spite of Tomas' warnings.
The abomination at the left hand of the Devil…
Must do something about hair…She has funny hair, that Rachel.