Chapter 1

There are pretenders among us, geniuses with the ability to become anyone they want to be. In 1963 a corporation known as the Centere isolated a young pretender named Jarod and exploited his genius for their research. Then one day their pretender ran away.

The phone rang and Miss Parker picked it up with her usual snide "What"

"Parker" Jarod said out of breath and frantic

"Mmm Jarod, what are we up to today? Surgeon? Astronaut? Animal rights activist? Tell me where you are and we'll have lunch" She smirked at her own sarcasm and cruel humor.

"Father" He wheezed

"Parker, im a father, The Centere… they artificially created, god Parker" He sounded as if her were crying

"Jarod? Jesus Jarod, No. No daddy would never approve that. Its… wrong."

"Damn it! Why would I lie? Parker I need your help. I have to get her out of there. My daughter… I have a daughter and she's going to grow up like we did if you don't help me. Please" It was the most desperate he'd ever sounded. And to ask her for help, he had to be insane.

"And if I help you… what do I get?"

"Please… don't ask me for that. Im begging you"

"Your freedom for hers."

"I want to raise my daughter Parker. Please don't deprive me of that. You… the Centere they've stolen my whole life from me, my brother, my parents… not my daughter"

"Jarod…"

"Your freedom, I can hide you. You can start new. Please."

"Jarod why would I want to leave the Centere with such great benefits, I mean, dental, emergency… what more could a girl ask for?"

"A future. Its what Im asking for it's the least I can give you."

"The least?"

"Parker" He growled out

She sighed. She had to be insane to help him. It would get her killed. Oh what the hell, live dangerously, it was her motto.

"all right Jarod, my freedom for your daughters?"

"No tricks?"

"No tricks. I swear on my mother, Jarod, it's the best I can do. I'll help you to get your daughter. Where are you?"

"Here" He said stepping into the room. She jumped 2feet in the air

"Christ you scared me, you brainiac asshole."

"Im sorry…here…To add incentive" He said holding up a manila envelope.

"what is it?"

"Your mother, personal journals, more safety deposit boxes, Children she's saved. I left all the addresses and names, so when we are out, I will give them to you. Or if you honestly try and were captured I'll make sure the location of the information gets to you."

"Wont help me if Im dead."

"That wont happen. Because if It comes to someone dying, It will be me, and I ask you to raise my…daughter as your own. In the same location as the information are instructions to hide and escape the Centere. Ive been doing it for 3 years, im impressively good at it by now." He laughed off some of the tension

"That's not funny Jarod" She glared at the idea of him being dead

"No, I don't suppose it is. Im sorry. But will you?"

"Look after your daughter?" He nodded looking so lost and hopeful, So vulnerable.

"Yes, Jarod. I will. I swear it. I cant believe you trust me with this" He took her hands.

"I trust you with my life Parker. I always have." A memory jolted her of them in their late teens. She had saved him from being caught trying to escape. He had lied to her father and Sydney for her.

"Where is she?"

"Sub Level 27"

"God" She breathed. "What are they doing to her down there?"

"right now? Studying her genetics, cognitive and motor skills… next week…"

"We need to do this now. Im bringing in Sydney and Broots. There is no way to do this with out them."

He grabbed her arm "can we trust them. Parker this is my daughters life were talking about"

"I know Jarod trust me. I wont let her down" he let her go and nodded.

'I trust you"

She nodded in return, picked up the phone and hit the speed dial for the lab all with out taking her eyes off Jarod for a moment.

"Hello?" Sydney's polite and gentle voice came on

"Syd, I need you and Broots down here now. Its about Jarod."

"What have you discovered?"

"If I was going to tell you on the phone would I have bothered to tell you to come down here"

"of course, your right Miss Parker. We will be there momentarily."

"Thank you for your generous cooperation." She said sarcastically and hung up with out saying goodbye

"You know, your phone manors leave something to be desired, you catch more flies with honey than…"

"balh blah blah. What's the plan?"

"shouldn't we wait for Broots and Sydney?"

"Why not? Great big family meeting."

"Parker, I really appreciate this. Beyond words, or gestures. I…I found out yesterday. I was hacking into the Centere's mainframe. She was in an encrypted file with… your fathers access code and so many fire walls I couldn't even count." He was crying now and she sat down next to him putting her arm around his shoulders.

"She's almost 2 months old. She…they implanted her in a surrogate mother, and killed her the minute she was born. They plan to…" He broke down into sobs and put his head in her lap. She pet his hair for what felt like an hour letting him cry out his frustrations and worry, his fear and insecurities.

The door opened and Jarod slid gracefully and quickly into the shadows

"what's up? New coordinates on our rouge avenger?" Broots asked

Sydney followed and the door closed.

"Miss Parker, are you crying?" Sydney asked with his worried fatherly voice.

"am I?" She asked wiping her face

Jarod reached out of the shadows and squeezed her shoulder. Broots nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Jarod, is that you?"

"Sydney" He nodded curtly.

"Jarod what are you doing here? You could get caught."

"They have my little girl Sydney"

"what little girl? I don't understand." Broots said striating his collar from embarrassment

"The Centere took his genes, mingled them and made a child." Parker answered wiping her tears

"My god, Jarod…thats no better than rape" Sydney said

"I know, and now im here to take her away from this" Jarod said

"And were helping" Parker added

"What?" this from Broots

"Im not asking Broots, we owe this to Jarod,"

"Miss Parker is right, it's at the very least the decent thing to do."

"and in return, I will hide you from the Centere if you wish me to." Jarod said

Broots was taken aback, what an absurd idea. "hide? how?"

"I have my ways. Your daughter too. New life, new identities. You won't ever be found."

"Im sorry Jarod, but there needs to be someone good here at the Centere. It's the only thing keeping this place from becoming…pure evil" Out of the two, Jarod had expected Sydney to want to leave the Centere more than Broots.

"I cant risk my daughter or my ex-wife. I have a large family Jarod, you cant hide them all. Besides, actions have their consequences. I chose this job, I'll see it through. Besides, they never ask me to do anything particularly despicable. Just run security programs, ya know. No Jarod, thank you, but Im…fine here. For now" Jarod nodded. Just him and Miss Parker then… and their little girl.

"So what's the plan?" The woman afore mentioned asked