"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 XXXII…
Twenty minutes into a couples' rebonding lecture intoned at droning length by the chief retreat councilor, a struggling to keep awake Rachel was startled by a nudge from Donnie, seated to her right…
"Ally?" hiss… "Lets cut class…This is killin' me here. I can't feel my legs." Grin…
She eyed him…Blinking…
Uh…? What the…
Oh, right…I'm in hell. Better known as the life of Allison Hendrix…Redoubled in hellishness by being "on retreat" with the lump.
"C'mon…" hiss…
Hmmn…Surely whatever the doughboy has in mind must be better than this…She nodded and rose…An embarrassed Allison apologetic smile displayed as they quietly slipped out of the row of seats and down the side to the rear entrance…
"I couldn't've stood another five seconds of that…" he shook head as the door closed.
God knows…Rachel sighed.
Oh…Hmmn…Allison response required.
Possible options:
1) Donald, that was rude. We should go back. High mindedly regal glance…
2) Yeah but honey…We did promise to give it a try… Anxious, somewhat shading to wistfully woebegone…You do want to save our marriage?...look.
3) Well, but Donnie…We've spent so much money, we ought to… Resigned…I'm not happy about it either, but…shrug.
"Well, but Donnie…" she began…
"The money's not important…" he noted, surprising her. "After all, we're here to be together and talk things over, right?"
"Well…I suppose you're right…"
"And you were asleep twice…You'd've fallen on the floor the second time if I hadn't nudged you." Smile.
She gave a little smile back…
He really is kinda charming in his lumpen, sodden way.
Anything to get you where I can pump you for whatever you know about what Leekie's up to here, then if anything happens to my Ally…I mean if she catches cold from a chill chasing something down involving you bastards…Bury your miserable Dyad cheerleadin' ass in a shallow grave, without interruptions…He thought grimly, maintaining smile.
…...
Los Angeles…
"So you're telling us Helena took over Rachel's identity at Dyad…" Sarah eyed Broyles as the others about the lab eyed each other nervously.
"That seems to be the case…" Broyles nodded.
"And she's gone and killed Tomas…Your guys have his body?" Cosima blinked. "She really killed him?"
"Someone did…All the evidence suggests Helena." Broyles, calmly.
"And your people are lettin' that freak run about?" Sarah frowned. "Don't you know what a danger she is?"
"The head of our team is quite capable, Officer…As Mr. Wolowitz here can testify."
"He'd best damned well be..." Sarah eyed a somewhat sheepish Howard… "Your uncle?"
"He's good, so far as I know…Uncle Howie isn't one for going on about his exploits but I've seen his…Hey!...Uh…." as Bernadette kicked him under the table, he catching Broyles' cool…And just what classified records did you hack into?...Stare…
"He's good…You have my word on it." Broyles, calmly.
"I've no blee…No love lost for Tomas…" Sarah frowned. "But 'Uncle Howie' lettin' her get to him doesn't fill me with confidence about how well he can handle her."
"Our preliminary evidence suggests she shot him in self-defense, if that makes a difference to you."
"Not really…She still had a gun and got to use it, even it was only Tomas." Sarah shook her head. Cosima sighing…Point taken. "Do your people at least have her still under surveillance? Or did she skip away, hummin' a merry religious tune?"
Bernadette clasping an anxious Howard' s hand under the table…
Your uncle's a brave man, he'll be fine…Hiss…
Relentless but rather slight Jewish agent, murderously crazy and proven efficient in killing Christian nun…Not a good mix…He hissed back, anxiously. She clasping tighter… He carefully tapped on laptop, bringing up Dyad's website.
Yep…Not accepting emails or requests for product information…Looks like Dyad's not going to be processing Bernadette's old job application.
Filed before we knew…Except for a few odd rumors…
"Agent Wolowitz has her under direct surveillance…" Broyles paused… "As to better news in that regard, I can also tell you both that Dyad Institute offices in New Jersey and at Harvard, Geneva, and Paris were raided today by American, Canadian, French, and Swiss agents and arrests have been made of much of the senior scientific staff."
"Today?" Sarah blinked. "Meanin'…Meaning…" she corrected quickly… "You knew and said nothing to us?"
"I'd told you action was in the works…And that we were moving on Dyad as soon as possible." Broyles noted.
"But you didn't trust us with this…" Sarah eyed him.
"The operation was classified, need to know…Would you have preferred I told every junior detective, Officer?"
"I would have preferred you'd kept us informed…" Sarah, annoyed. "Any other reason, maybe, we of the clone persuasion couldn't be trusted?"
"Beth…" Cosima, a bit anxious… "It's good news, right…?"
"This ups the anty…Leekie's still at large and now has reason to do anything to try keep his life's work goin'…The people who backed him will want us dead now. Ally and Donnie are still out there, exposed...Fee…Sarah's brother Felix and her daughter not much better." Sarah, frowning, paused to eye Broyles. "Your friend…Howard here's unc…He's using Helena to find Leekie or the rest of the crew, isn't he? Who's still out besides Leekie…Rachel? Their Dyad bosses, if any?"
"Rachel Duncan, Siobhan Sadler, and Claire Leekie weren't taken, along with some other lesser Dyad personnel who were away and fled into hiding…" Broyles noted, nodding. "But we're more worried about those we have no info on…The backers as you called them, in particular."
"Claire Leekie?" Cosima blinked.
"Dr. Claire Leekie, wife of Aldous Leekie…She's the 'boss' Beth just referred to, actually. Senior director of Dyad Institute. Though she has kept a very low profile."
"I don't suppose you've got a picture…?" Sarah, hard stare to match Broyles.
"Uh…Whoa…" Howard turned his laptop on table to them… "Here's one…Ummn…"
Delphine gasped…As Cosima eyed her with distressed look. The others round staring as well…
Sarah, with grim look…
"Cosima, I swear…I didn't know…She was always home ill or on medical retreat since I started with Dyad. No one I worked with ever knew. She and Aldous must have deliberately kept it from us. Please…" Delphine looked round at the group eyeing her. "You have to believe I didn't know…"
"Well…" Sarah eyed the image… "Now we know who the original was…And where we came from."
"Now you know…" Broyles, calmly.
All right…Cosima, waving Delphine's pleading face back, with sigh… "Later…We can talk later. For now, lets assume I accept your version."
"Is the Beth one angry?" Sheldon asked Amy… "I think she's angry…"
"I'm sure she is…" Amy, frowning at Broyles.
"Oh, good…And you say I can never read people…" Sheldon, to an anxious Leonard eyeing Broyles and Sarah…
Folks? Really not the time to…
"We've gotta get Donnie outta there. Leekie will kill him just to spite Ally, you have to go in and get him, now." Sarah, coolly, to Broyles. "Or, send me…"
"You'd never reach the place in time…We storm in now…Leekie escapes and he or the clone kills Hendrix." Broyles replied, steady look. "Our best option is wait for Leekie to show himself and after we take him…"
"Put me back…On line, in the loop, whatever…" Sarah insisted, rising… "Plug me back in or I'm callin' Ally. She might have a chance of reaching him."
"All right…" Broyles nodded. "And, officer? No one plans to take chances with Hendrix's life. We're doing all we can to save him. We'd no way of knowing Leekie would choose to involve himself there, directly."
"But you just happened to position agents all around the place you knew we were sending him,…And your guy in New Jersey, using Helena, regardless of all the harm she might do. Nice to know you people make use of all tools." Cold stare.
"Covering the bases, Officer…Just as your people would. And just as you and your sisters did when you sent Hendrix up there." Broyles, steady gaze.
"I didn't put Donnie…!" Sarah, angrily.
"Sarah…Beth…" Cosima, anxious.
"I didn't…"She looked at Cosima… "I wouldn't do that to Ally…I didn't think Leekie would be that interested in her, not with Kira…" tearing…
"Of course not…Of course not…" Cosima, soothingly… "It was a joint decision, Beth…Even Ally thought it was the safest place for him. And Paul was in danger too…You didn't take any advantage of Donnie, Beth…No…" she patted her arm.
Shaking head, right…
"Who's Paul?" Sheldon hissed to Amy…
"Studly lying monitor/fake boyfriend/redeemed somehow and now, real boyfriend…Didn't you read the background files Mr. Broyles sent us?" she hissed back.
"Well, there didn't seem much of interest to me…Just that little bit about cloning with no scientific data or details…" he shrugged.
"It's all right, Cos…Just plug me back in…" Sarah insisted. "Look…" she eyed Leonard and Howard… "There anyway you can let me take control over there? Or at least stop the bitch from killin' Donnie, if it comes to that?"
"Long range quantum remote control?…" Howard pondered. "Well, I guess theoretically it ought to be pretty…"
"Het-hmmn…If we're talking theory…" Sheldon interjected.
"Application…" Leonard corrected.
"Oh…Carry on, then…"
"No theories…Just let us have the driver's seat before the bitch kills my brother-in-law…" Sarah, grimly. "Can you do it?"
Can we do it?…Leonard, Howard, Rajesh…Smiles
"I don't drive…" Sheldon insisted.
…