Author's note: I am for a short time moving away from the pretender story to add a few new facts. I haven't seen all of The Pretender shows, so some things may be a little wrong. As we all know The Centre took Jarod in 1963. Just before that he was on his way to a special school (for intelligent kiddies) which was probably at the age of four, and Jarod stayed at The Centre for about 30 years, lets just say its 27 years, if you disagree count it as a typing error. The first show was aired on the 19/9/96 and the last ep was aired on the 20/5/00 not including the movies. That should be about four years from the first ep to the last. That would make Jarod about 31 years old at the end of the last ep. Keep that in mind when reading the following story. Don't ask you'll find out soon enough. Oh and before I forget I'm an Aussie, don't hold it against me, I do spell things a little differently from the Americans and the other English speaking countries. (I am also not very good at English in the first place.) Hey, I cannot win either way can I?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Pretender characters or anything shown in the show, now or hereafter they are owned by the writers and makers of The Pretender show and I am not claiming any right to them. It is a fan fiction piece, which means I am writing it for fun and not for money.

Start of Part One

3:30 am

Sunday Morning

The phone ringing broke into the old man's dreams and slowly brought him to awareness. He didn't know for how long the phone had been ringing and he wanted it to stop. The object of his frustration rang four more times until it was roughly picked up.

"This is Sydney."

Sydney listened yet there was no reply, he sat up straighter in bed. He could hear heavy breathing yet that was all. Sydney could only think of one person that would ring at this ungodly hour.

"Jarod?"

"Sydney." The reply was soft but Sydney could tell it was Jarod. "Sydney, in want refuge."

"Jarod are you alright?" Sydney was starting to get worried. 'Refuge' was their secret code that Sydney had told young Jarod to use if he started to get too scared when they were doing a simulation and they would stop.

"Went too far." Jarod mumbled. Sydney could hear Jarod take a sharp intake of breath.

"Jarod, what are you talking about? Are you alright?" Sydney was now out of bed and was starting to get changed.

"Need refuge, Sydney." There was a moan from the other end of the line.

"Jarod?" There was no answer. "Jarod!"

"Still here." Jarod's voice was softer and was more slurred.

"Where are you?" Sydney grabbed his car keys and hurried out to his car.

"Usephone." Sydney could tell each word was getting harder for the pretender to say. "What are you doing? I told you before!" A known voice shouted over the line.

"Jarod?" Sydney called.

"That's it, last straw!" The unknown voice yelled, then a gunshot silenced the line.

"Jarod?" No answer "Jarod!" Sydney was now yelling into the phone. Sydney went silent as he heard the phone being picked up then the connection was disconnected. Sydney didn't know what to think all thoughts had stopped, frozen in time. Then one thought penetrated the ice over his mind, 'Usephone' Jarod's remembered voice echoed in the older man's head. Broots he will know, Sydney thought as he drove out of his driveway heading towards his friend's house.

3:45am

Sunday morning

"Coming." Broots shouted as he headed towards his front door. "Wh-who's there?" Broots picked up the closest weapon, which happened to be a tennis racket.

"It's Sydney." Came the muffled reply, which in Broots mind gave more questions than answers.

Broots opened the door slightly; it was indeed Sydney that was standing outside. He opened the door wider and let his friend in.

"Sydney, wh-what are you doing here?" Broots asked the older man confusion clearly written on his face.

"Jarod called he is in trouble and the conversation leads me to believe that he cannot get himself out." Sydney answered as he walked inside. Broots closed the door behind him.

"What makes you think that?" Broots asked.

" Our conversation was cut short by a gun shot." Broots looked up sharply looking his friend in the face Sydney avoided his gaze. "Can you trace the call?"

"I can try, but I cannot tell you how long it will take." Broots said softly trying to catch the older man's eyes. When Sydney held out his cell phone, Broots sighed taking the cell and walking towards the kitchen, where his laptop rested on his worktable.

"You want tea or coffee?" Broots asked as they waited for his computer started up.

"Coffee." Sydney mumbled. Broots looked sharply up again.

"What happened Sydney?" Broots asked softly. Broots was very concerned for his friend; he was pale and was pacing the small dinning room like a caged animal. Broots had never seen him like this before. Sydney sighed and sat down heavily at the table as Broots brought over the cups of coffee. Sydney told Broots about Jarod's call as the technician typed away on his laptop. When Sydney finished talking Broots looked up.

"I'm sorry Sydney." Broots said softly, Sydney looked up at him and Broots saw the older man's tarnished soul before his computer beeping made him look away. Broots took a quick sip of coffee and sprayed it all over his carpet as he read his computer screen. Broots coughed hard as Sydney clapped him on the back.

When Broots got his coughing fit under control he looked back at the computer.

"I found him!" Amazement was clear in the man's voice. "We found him Sydney!"

He turned to the older man smiling. "I know where he called from!"

4:45am

Sunday morning

"Turn right, now left, go though the round about, then turn right and it's number fifteen." Broots read out the directions from his laptop as Sydney drove.

Sydney stopped outside the house labelled number fifteen. Broots got out of the car and walked around to the driver's side and stood next to Sydney. The two were standing outside a new house that was painted a grey-cream colour with a black roof. The garden was amazing, there was not a branch or blade of grass out of place. The garden beds were filled with brightly coloured flowers ranging from whites to deep purples and were shadowed by tall, old trees. The house in all looked like a front cover of a 'Better Homes and Gardens' magazine. Broots and Sydney walked down the pebbled walkway. The sight of the house had planted a seed of doubt in both their minds. Sydney knocked on the spotless cream door and started to get suspicious when they found the door slightly open.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this." Broots mumbled slipping into the house behind Sydney and jumped as the door slammed behind them. Sydney frowned at Broots as he shrugged his shoulders.

They searched the house looking for any sign of Jarod or any clue that would lead them to him.

It was Broots that found the first clue. "Sydney I found something."

Sydney hurried into the room were he heard Broots voice come from, he found him on hands and knees on the floor.

"What is it Broots?" Sydney asked coming to stand next to him.

Broots had pulled back part of the carpet to reveal a trap door. He felt around until he found the handle that was part of the wooden surface. Opening the trap door uncovered a staircase leading down into darkness. Sydney pulled out a small torch and shined the beam of light down the staircase, "after you." Broots said looking at Sydney.

They now stood outside a solid wooden door they had followed the staircase down which had opened up into a small hallway that had been a few meters long. They could hear voices coming from the other side of the door yet they couldn't hear the words being said. The two were undecided about what to do next. An ear-piecing scream echoing though the wooden door made the decision in Sydney's mind.

Sydney rushed though the door knocking the man that was standing behind it to the ground, out cold. There were two other people in the room, one of which headed forward to confront Sydney. Sydney stoped short when he saw the man held a gun aimed right at him. Broots came forward a step then stopped as the gun trained on him. The second man that had been sprawled out on the floor slowly got to his feet. Sydney who was halfway across the room could see that the second man was shaking badly and swayed were he stood. The gunman's eyes flickered briefly to the man behind him then back to Sydney and Broots.

"Who are you?" the gunman asked calmly. Sydney recognised the man's voice immediately as the unknown voice that had come over the phone when Jarod had called. All commonsense deserted him as he launched himself at Jarod's killer. A single gunshot rang out and time froze.

The seconded man now held the first man's gun, the first man himself was sprawled out on the floor. Broots looked behind him were he could see the indent of were the bullet had hit the wall. Sydney looked down at the unconscious man at his feet then up to the other man. The second man held the gun in his right hand, which he let drop as if that hand had become too heavy. The man was leaning heavily against the wall behind him. The identity of the man was a mystery for the man's face was too covered in dirt and blood. Sydney had a feeling that he was looking at Jarod.

"Jarod?" Sydney asked stepping closer, the man cocked his head to the side and looked at him with pain glazed, brown eyes. The man slowly slide down the wall, the last thing he saw was two men rushing towards him then blackness overcame his conscious.

* * *

She screamed the sound echoed thought his head until it was the only sound he could hear his ears were ringing and he couldn't do a thing about it. It was his worst nightmare; there were people all around him calling for help, his help. He couldn't do anything some invisible force was holding him back, stopping him from helping the hundreds of people around him. What made it worst is that they were people he knew: friends, enemies, people he had helped and worst of all, people he loved. They called out to him and he couldn't go to them, silent tears of frustration and heartache, burned down his face. He stood there as the last one slipped out of his life, until he was the only one standing. The invisible barrier released him and he fell to his knees grieving the lost of the ones he could not save.

End of Part One