Parker's secret.

(All the pretender characters used in this story are property of TNT,NBC and the creators of the series.)

It was a warm summer evening and Ms Parker was enjoying the sunset in her garden thinking about her day. She took another sip of her glass of water wondering what she was going to do this weekend since Jarod had slipped through her fingers once again that day. She smiled when she started thinking again about the way he got away, he ran off as usual to make her follow him into a trap he had set up. She looked at her ruined shoes lying on the trash bin, the concrete still on them. She remembered Sam's curses since it was his third pair of shoes in a month he had to replace but she reminded him that he could put it on Mr Raines' tap. When they got out of the concrete patch she started laughing while Sidney and Sam exchanged looks with each other. Ms Parker chuckled again when she thought about the look on their faces. Poor guys, they must have thought she had lost it because Jarrod actually had them fooled again but deep in her heart she was glad he got away again and this time she didn't want to let anything spoil the good mood she had been in all day so instead of her usual outburst she laughed. Suddenly she heard her phone ring so she went back into her house to pick up expecting her lab rat to be on the phone.

"What" she said with a smile thinking about how she was going to get back at Jarod.

"Ms Parker?" she heard Broots at the other end of the line

"What is it Broots?" she asked disappointed.

"Well I had just a phone call from Mr Raines ordering me to go to a centre facility in L.A. I will have to go there for at least a week to find out about a security leak and plug it."

"Ok, I can spare you for a week"

"That's not all...could you please take care of Debbie during my absence I couldn't find anyone else in short notice and I promise you..." he ranted on but Parker smiled at the thought of having his daughter over for a week.

"Broots, it's alright I 'd be happy to have her here for a week. Just tell me when you have to be on the plane and I will be there to pick her up."

"Oh Thank you Ms Parker, I have to be on the plane in 45 minutes so if you could pick her up in 30 it would be fine."

"See you in 30"

She put the phone down as she picked up her car keys, stepped into her slippers and walked out towards her car.

When Ms Parker arrived at Broots' place Debbie walked up to her with wide open arms to greet her. Broots followed her with a bag which he carried to Ms Parker's car where he noticed her new style of shoes.

"Slippers? Gee, Jarod really ruined your last pair of shoes." he started

"Oh, I will find a way to make him pay for ruining my favourite pair of shoes" she grinned.

"Well then I can leave now knowing my girl is safe with you. I hope I can come back sooner. See you two in a week."

"Don't worry Broots. She is in good hands." Ms Parker said as she winked at Debbie.

"Yes, I know but still I" as he thought back at the last time he left Debbie in Ms Parker's care.

"Hey dad , don't worry she will take good care of me" Debbie piped in while she hugged her father and kissed him goodbye.

Then Ms Parker said goodbye too and got in her car and the two girls took off leaving a waving Broots behind.

Once on the road Ms Parker looked at the teenager sitting next to her thinking about how much she had grown since she last saw her about a year ago.

"So do you have homework to finish for school" Ms Parker asked Debbie who looked at her with a surprised look on her face.

"Ms Parker, it's Juli remember?"

"Oh, yeah, it's been a long time since I have been in school."

"By the sound of it, a very long time."

"You are right a very long time,so what do you want to do this weekend?"

"Actually I don't know yet but dad said something about new shoes..."

"I hear you, so tomorrow we 'll be out shopping and Sunday we will be spending at my place with lots of ice cream and water games. I have to say you 've grown quite a lot since the last time I saw you."

"Thank you and I wanted to thank you for the birthday gift you gave me." Debbie said as she showed Ms Parker the pendant she received as a birthday gift.

"I am glad you liked it, I even heard from your father that you have been wearing it all the time since you got it. Is there a reason for that?" She asked the girl whose face turned quite serious. After some serious debating in her mind the girl turned to Ms Parker and started to explain.

"You know since mum lost custody over me I seldom heard something from her, never saw her and never got a present from her for my birthdays or Christmases not even a card. I remember about two years ago she called some time after my birthday to congratulate me but I didn't get to talk to her because dad was talking to her first about how upset he was that she never called me when it mattered or send me at least a card for my birthday or Christmas. He was right to do so because I remember being very angry at mum for not being there for me at my birthday or at Christmas eve. This year was no different and dad always makes up excuses for her but I know underneath his so calm exterior he was boiling in anger. When I got this pendant from you I knew there was at least someone in my life I can turn to when I need some motherly advice. You 're like...you are the mother I always wanted my mum to be. Since you got to know me you were there for me when it mattered, you never forgot my birthday and you even sent me Christmas presents even though you don't have to. I don't know why you do that for me but my father thinks it has something to do with the fact that you lost your mother at a very young age."

Ms Parker looked at her and smiled

"Your father is right about that. I lost my mother when I was young and there was no one in my life to guide me through the mazes of life so when I met you I wanted to be that guide for you when you need one."

"I wished you were there the first time my periods broke. I woke up and my bed felt as I had been wetting it. When I took off the blankets and saw the blood I panicked. I screamed and thought I was going to die. When dad saw what was going on he first told me to take a shower while he started to take of the sheets and put them in water together with my clothes. Then I heard him searching for something until he found it. When I came out the shower he had left a box of pantyliner in the bathroom for me while he was looking for my underwear. After he returned he showed how I was supposed to use them and told me that I wasn't going to bleed to death. When I asked why he thought that he said that if I was really bleeding that much I would have looked a lot paler than I did at that moment. Then he told me all the facts of life I needed to know then, you know the stay away from boys kind of talk."

"He did a better job at it then my father did. At least you were given the birds and bees talk by a parent. I had to ask my teacher for that talk and I can assure you that as twelve year old girl it is scary to have your first periods. One thing I have to ask, how the hell did he know how to use a pantyliner?"

"Well maybe he asked someone, it's not like you 're the only woman he knows."

"I 'm actually a bit surprised that he does because most of the time he talks to me about women he meets on the net."

"Just keeping up his geek act." Debbie said looking at a laughing Ms Parker. At that time they pulled up at Ms Parker's house. They got out and Debbie unloaded her things while Ms Parker opened the door to her house. Once she showed Debbie the guest room she went back to her kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. She heard Debbie come downstairs asking her where she was and Ms Parker said she was in the kitchen. As soon as Debbie joined her she offered the teenager something to drink which was accepted and then the two of them went into the living room.

"You know Parker, I am lucky to have a friend like you" Debbie restarted the conversation again.

"Well I don't know, I haven't seen you that much to be called a friend." Ms Parker said

"Well you are there for me when I need you."

"When?"

"My birthday last year, remember how we talked about how I wanted that mum would stop gambling and clean up her act so dad didn't need to make up excuses for her behaviour."

"I remember, you even wished she was dead but I talked you out of hating her that much."

"Well that was one of those moments I needed you and you were there when a mother should be there"

"I am glad I could help you then. Sometimes I wished I had a daughter like you but my life turned out a bit more different than I dreamed or wished for."

"You mean you never found the right man to marry or..." Debbie shut up because suddenly she remembered about Thomas "Sorry Ms Parker"

"Hey, Thomas died four years ago and even though I still miss him I have to go on living. I think he wouldn't want me to put my life on hold just because he died. You know sometimes late at night when I 'm all alone I still hear his laughter, smell his aftershave, feel his arms around me. Once I even thought I heard him say that there is someone else waiting for me." Ms Parker looked at Debbie with a sad smile on her face and continued "I believe him because I also know who is waiting for me but the time isn't right yet. One day we will unite as one to live happily ever after, well that is what he believes."

"You fell in love with another man? Who?"

"I 'll tell you when I 've told him that I love him"

"He doesn't know yet?"

"No, but it is not your old man if that 's what you 're thinking. Although he 's also a good catch he just isn't my type."

Both women then burst out into laughter after that comment. Ms Parker took a closer look at Debbie and saw that the girls hair was quite a mess and she decided that is was time again to do something about it. She sent Debbie off to the bathroom to take a shower while she followed the teenager into the bathroom and when the girl had washed herself she handed her a bottle of conditioner. As soon as the girl had used the conditioner on her hair she washed it off and came out off the shower where she dried herself up. She put on the bathrobe Ms Parker had left for her while she walked out of the bathroom. Once outside the bathroom she heard Ms Parker call for her so she went into her bedroom to see Ms Parker sitting in front of her vanity changed into a nightgown while she was brushing her hair.

"Come here Debbie, sit right next to me." Parker ordered the young lady.

"Yes ma'am" Debbie laughed as she sat down next to her.

"When I looked at your hair earlier it was quite a mess and I think it is time to do something about it. Do you remember what I taught you about taking care of your hair?"

"Yes I do but daddy never gives me time enough to do as you taught me."

"Maybe it's because you just don't start in time to take care of your hair"

"Ok point taken."

Ms Parker started to comb the girl's hair while she looked how the girl let herself being treated by the woman sitting next to her. Debbie started to wonder about the reasons Ms Parker took the time to comb her hair while she was old enough to do it herself.

"You know, I remember the first time you did my hair" Debbie started the conversation again

"You do? I thought you would have forgotten by now."

"No I would never forget it because it was the first time in the short time we knew each other that you were actually nice to me. I 'm sorry I was such a pain in the ass back then."

"You were ten and full of life and you needed something to do and I was not exactly easy on you either. You just got to know me in the worst way I can be."

"I don't believe that"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, according to dad you sometimes bark and bite like a pitbull when the wrong people get in your way."

"I think I need to have a talk with your father. We can't let him tell over exaggerated stories about me, can we?"

"Oh yes, WE can" Debbie laughed at the surprised woman's face.

"Well since we are swapping stories here, I heard that you can be a real bitch to from time to time."

"Oh oh, I think my dad just got himself in a whole new world of trouble"

"Meaning?"

"When he gets back I am going to make him beg me to come home with him."

"Does this mean that you want to live the rest of your life with a pitbull" Parker joked. The girl looked at her and nodded with a smile. Parker just shook her head and continued brushing Debbie's hair.

"Ms Parker, I have a question about boys"

"What about them?"

"Well maybe I am still to young to think about it but how do you know you met the right guy?"

"It 's different for everybody but I always felt lightheaded when Thomas was here with me and now every time I think about that new guy in my life I feel the same way. Some friends of mine always felt like having butterflies in their stomach. So there is no real way to tell who is the right guy for you. I remember someone telling me that with all his genius even he couldn't come up with some test to find if two people could match. It is just knowing whether it feels right or not. If it does feel right it most likely is if it doesn't forget it will happen."

"I know this cute boy in school but he is a bit older. He transfered in two months ago but he left at the end of the semester because his father found another job at the other end of the country. When I asked if I could write him he said he didn't know the new address yet but he promised to write as soon he arrived where he was going and yesterday I received his first letter. I think he likes me too but he said that as long his father could only get temporary jobs he wouldn't be able to stay some place very long."

"Has the boy got a name?"

"Well oddly enough he never mentioned his full name but he called himself J.J. I don't know what the initials stand for but he once told me that he liked his life on the road. He even got me out of a lot of trouble when I was accused of damaging school property. Somehow he found out that the one who accused me was actually responsible for the whole thing and he had tricked him into put up a graffiti painting in the gym hall but in the end the vandal himself was turned into a work of art. He was found by the principal to whom he confessed his crime. Now I understand the phrase payback 's a bitch a lot better."

"This sounds quite familiar to me. I know somebody too who would help an innocent by taking down the one who really did it in the same way he committed the crime."

"Maybe we are talking about the same guy."

"Impossible, the guy I know is my about age" Ms Parker laughed knowing who this boy Debbie knew could be. She wondered about how Major Charles and J.J. were able to be right under the nose of the Centre without being detected.

"Well anyway, I always felt like my knees were about to give up on me when I was with him. Maybe he is the right guy for me."

"Does it feel right when you think about him?"

Debbie thought about it for a while and then with a big smile on her face she answered "Yes it does"

"Then he could be mister right for you."

For a while the two of them sat there lost in their thoughts while Ms Parker kept combing Debbie's hair. Then Debbie looked in the mirror to Ms Parker who was looking at her hair to see if it was looking good.

"Ms Parker, why did you want to comb my hair?"

"Because I always wanted to do that with my daughter." Ms Parker whispered

"What do you mean?"

"I always dreamed of having a daughter but well... life wasn't kind enough to give me at least one child. I wouldn't care less if it was a boy or a girl, just one child would have made me happy." Parker explained herself. Something in the way Ms Parker said it told Debbie that she was holding something back.

"Did you know that I also want to have a child some day" Debbie went on

"Not any time soon I hope."

"No, I don't want to be one of those teenage mums you hear about from time to time. Did that happen in your teenage years that young girls got pregnant?"

"Not that I was aware of" Ms Parker answered hesitantly so Debbie now felt that she wanted to avoid the subject of teenage pregnancy for some reason.

"I heard that it has happened more in your days than nowadays but it never happened in your school" she pushed the subject.

"I can't remember anyone who has been pregnant in our school although there were rumours about a teacher who was pregnant but got an abortion. Besides I was one of those well behaving girls."

"Gee, I wish I was in that school because in our school a sixteen year old girl got herself pregnant and she was too scared to tell her parents until it was too late to get an abortion. Now she is eight months along and about to get the baby. I heard it is going to be a boy and she wants to raise it herself despite the fact she still has to go to school. Her parents support her decision and will help her in as many ways as possible. I think she is a bit to young to take that kind of responsibility. What do you think?"

"Some people are capable of taking on such a responsibility in their teen years some just can't but then again I don't know that girl. If her parents help her out during the time she still goes to school then she will be sharing the burden with her family. Not everyone is that lucky to get that kind of support especially since she decided to keep her baby."

"It seems like you 're speaking from experience and I have the feeling that you were a teenage mother. Come on talk to me, what happened to your baby?"

Then Ms Parker looked at her with tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe it, this girl was the first one in all those years who had stumbled on her secret. She stood up went over to her closet and took a box from the top shelf. She handed it to Debbie who looked into it and found a beautiful baby outfit in it.

"What gave me away?" Ms Parker asked her.

"It was the way you whispered to me that you always wanted to comb your daughter's hair. You sounded like a mother who lost her child."

"I did loose my child and I can't find her. I was fifteen when I got pregnant... it happened in the beginning of august 1975 when I was home from school I went to see the boy I had fallen in love with so many years ago but lost contact with because my father thought he was bad news. When I found him we talked for a while and at a certain point we were kissing each other which actually aroused me and before we even realised what we were doing it had already happened. We looked at each other's naked body for a while and then we quickly got dressed, I kissed him goodbye and went home. I felt great at the time, I was no longer a little girl...I was a woman now. I never knew how he felt at the time but I think he must have felt pretty good himself. All those stories you hear about how much it hurts the first time seemed a bit over exaggerated as far as I was concerned. To me it actually felt very satisfying and I couldn't wait to see him again and do it all over again but I never got that chance again because I had to go to school again. My father had found out that I hadn't stayed home as I was supposed to. Then six weeks later I found out I was pregnant but hid it for a while until I was found out. When daddy found out he was furious but as usual he would take care of it as he had done with everything in my life. He didn't want to know who the father was or how it happened or when it happened. He wanted me to give the baby up for adoption but I refused because I wanted to keep the baby and raise it myself, with or without his help. The baby was born a few weeks before it was due according to my calculations but she was born healthy. When I asked to give her to me they said it was better that I didn't see the baby in the state it was in but I heard her crying and I wanted to hold her in my arms but they never allowed me to and the next day they told me she was brought to an agency where she would remain until someone adopted her while I never agreed to an adoption. My father said it was all for the best and that I could have children when I had grown up. Six weeks later I was sent back to school and my father never wanted to hear about my daughter again or I would suffer the consequences. He even forbade me to look up the baby's father and tell him or he would hurt someone dear to me. Since then I changed a lot and by the time your father got to know me I was a bittered woman and that's where my nick name Ice-queen comes from. Nowadays it 's the mask I wear to hide my true feelings. I once asked your dad to find traces of her but I never told him he was actually looking for my daughter. I made him believe that it was just another Centre secret he was looking for. I wonder sometimes what he is doing there."

"Well until a year ago I didn't really know what a hell hole the Centre was until I happened to hack into the computers there. I can tell you when dad found out he gave me quite a lecture I never forgot."

"That 's because he is worried about you. You could become the next on the Centre victim list because you were looking through very sensitive files. Your dad had to assure that you wouldn't hack your way in there again and he also restricted your computer use to the internet."

"As if I wouldn't find a way around it. I have hacked into the Centre mainframe more than once before he found out. But to return to the story of your daughter, what did dad find out?"

"Well he found out that a baby girl was adopted by a couple in San Fransisco about three days after I gave it birth. It was a baby that was born prematurely. I went to check up on that lead but the couple had disappeared in 1977 and they were never seen again. Since then I kept looking for new clues and every now and then I stumble across another clue to find another dead end. Someday the right clue will fall in my hands and then I will find her."

"Where is the father?"

"Right now? I don't know"

The both of them were sitting on the bed at the time where Ms Parker started to cry and Debbie tried to comfort her. After a while both ladies were lying on the bed. Ms Parker was looking at ceiling while she held Debbie, who had fallen asleep, in her arms. She thought about that day she went to the Centre to see Jarod of whom she was told that he never wanted to see her again.

Even after the video she had seen in which he said he hated her to prove it she couldn't believe it. She found a way to the sub levels through the ventilation system. After a while she remembered where to go to find the sim-lab where Jarrod was supposed to be. It had been four years since she had been down there. When she closed in at the lab she found Jarrod before the last turn to the lab.

"Jarrod what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing" He said.

"I came here to see you"

"I thought you hated me and you didn't want to see me again."

"I was told the same about you."

"Figures, every time I start to form some sort of bond with people they tear us apart."

"Why do they want to hurt us so much."

"To keep us in line, what else?"

"Yeah right, as if they will keep me in line."

"You still like me" Jarrod asked.

"I don't just like you Jarrod, I love you."

"You love me?"

"Yes, is that so strange?"

"After four years of no contact... it is."

"You have been on my mind since the last time I saw you"

"I never stopped thinking about you either."

Then Ms Parker hugged Jarrod and kissed him. They held on to each other and after a while they were quite aroused by their kissing. She started to undress him and kiss his chest while he took off her clothes. She felt his hands caressing her breasts while she felt his warm kisses on her neck. Soon she felt his left hand go down her belly towards her vagina where he started rubbing her clitoris. She gasped in ecstasy while her left hand was working it's way down his pants. When she pulled his penis out of it's tight room she felt it grow even bigger in her hand.

"Take me" she whispered in his ears.

"Do you really want this?"

"Yes, I do"

She still could feel him pushing himself in her and how much pleasure she got from it. Once she started to move her hips in the same rhythm as his she really started to enjoy it. The moment he came in her she came as well and the world around her seemed to fade in this overwhelming orgasm she had. After a few minutes they were looking at each other as she took her clothes and put them on again while he did the same.

"Jarrod, I love you and I want to be yours forever."

"I love you too Melissa and I am yours forever."

"What we just did proves how much we love each other."

"Well I think I should return to the lab because I think that Sidney will be back soon and he hates it when he has too look for me in here but this is the only place I don't feel their eyes on me."

His words weren't even cold yet or Sidney called in the ventilation system for Jarrod who immediately answered, kissed Ms Parker goodbye and went back to the lab where Sidney told him again not to go in there. Ms Parker went back to where she belonged and thought with a big smile about what the two of them had promised each other.

Tears were filling Ms Parker's eyes as she thought about the promises they made each other and how fast she was the one who had broken her promise. She knew he still loved her when he left the Centre. The few other women he had a relationship with after he broke out just proved that he also was a man and not some piece of property like some people thought him to be. She also compared all the women to herself and in some way she could understand why Jarod loved them. There was always something about them that reminded him of the Ms Parker he used to know as a child. Zoë was the one she could relate to the most. Unfortunately even Zoë wasn't able to hold on to Jarrod but she found someone else to love instead. After her adventure on Carthis she realised that she should pay more attention to her gift, her inner sense. It was her inner sense that lead her to the Chapel of Souls, the graves of her great grandfather's family and in the end to the final clue to finding the scrolls. She still could see the little Ms Parker who was murdered by her father and she related too much to this girl. Would the fate of that girl be hers now? Or was there something in the scrolls that told otherwise? Could she finally find the peace she was looking for? She looked down at Debbie who was fast asleep now lying on Ms Parker's chest. The warm body lying against her felt very comforting and it made Ms Parker feel better. Suddenly her phone rang and as she reached for it she cursed herself for not taking it of the hook but on the other end considering the time of the night she figured it could be only one person, Jarod

"Hello Jarod" she softly said

"Hello Parker, sorry about the shoes but I already purchased a new pair for you"

"How considerate of you to buy me a new pair of shoes but it doesn't change the fact you ruined my favourite pair of shoes."

"Why are you keeping your voice low?"

"I have a young guest lying here in my bed and I don't want to wake her."

"Who is it?"

"Broots' girl, you know the one you made sure of that her mother can only see during weekends and school holidays."

"I know who she is. How is the girl doing nowadays?"

"A bit too curious for my taste but Jarrod is it possible to see you any time soon without the Centre noticing?"

"Why ?"

"I have to tell you something, something I should have told you a long time ago but never had the chance or the heart to tell you."

"Well I don't know but give my your itinerary and I'll try to see you somewhere."

"Ok, I'll be out shopping tomorrow afternoon and the rest of the weekend I'm home. Maybe I'll take the week off too I sure can use the time away from the house of horror."

"It will do you a world of good"

"hmm, you make it sound exciting."

"Maybe but I got to go now see you soon"

"Bye lab rat"

She put the phone down laid her head down and relaxed thinking about how she was going to tell Jarrod about their daughter. Ten minutes later she had fallen asleep too having sweet dreams about that day in the ventilation shaft with Jarrod.

The next morning Ms Parker woke up with the smell of coffee in her nose. At first she wondered how that was possible since she was alone in the house but then her memories came back to her. She didn't find Debbie in her bed any more so Ms Parker assumed that she was the one who made her a pot of coffee just to surprise her. As she walked downstairs dressed only in her nightgown she called for Debbie who answered that she was in the kitchen. When Ms Parker entered the kitchen she saw fresh croissants on the table and a pot of coffee ready for her. Then she noticed there was someone else in the kitchen.

"Well there is a side of you I have never seen before" she heard Jarrod say as she started to blush while he was checking her out.

"Do you like what you see?" she evilly grinned.

"Definitely, I wish I could spend the night here" he said while he winked at Debbie who began to giggle.

"Well, I didn't expect you so soon otherwise I could have called Sam and Sidney to join us." Ms Parker teased him.

"Sidney is out for a week to White Cloud and I heard Sam took a week off too. I wonder who do I have to taunt now in your team."

"I think Mr Lyle would like to be taunted by you."

"Sounds like a good idea, I know a place where he can ruin at least two pairs of shoes before I'm through with him."he said with his usual evil genius smile on his face.

"Speaking of shoes, monkey boy, where are my new shoes?" Ms Parker asked him.

"Right here" he said as he gave her a box in which were a new pair of shoes exactly the same as the ones she threw away the day before.

"Now I have to walk them in again"

Debbie who had followed the whole thing was beginning to see who the new love in Ms Parker's life was. She couldn't blame her because Jarrod was quite a catch and good looking too. If she would have been older she would take a chance on him herself.

"Debbie, have you had something to eat yet?" Ms Parker woke her out of her daydream.

"Not yet, I was about to when you walked in." she said picking up a croissant looking at the two with a goofy grin on her face. Ms Parker noticed her face and knew what this was all about, she knew about her and Jarrod. Ms Parker sat down at the table too next to Debbie while Jarrod decided to take the seat opposing Ms Parker. They enjoyed their breakfast in silence. About half an hour later Debbie decided it was best to leave the two alone for a while because they had a lot to talk about.

"What 's up, Melissa?" Jarod asked her

"There is something I have to ask you first"

"Ask away"

"Do you remember that time we were fifteen and we had found each other in the ventilation shaft near the sim-lab you had to work in?"

"I was fifteen you say," and as Jarrod started to dig into his memory Ms Parker feared he somehow must have forgotten it. "Actually there is a small gap in my memory and no matter how hard I try to remember I just can't remember it. The only thing I know was that one moment I am sitting in the ventilation shaft the next moment I am working on a sim. What happened between these two moments I don't know."

"Maybe you just forgot and it's ok, because maybe it was good you didn't remember but I kinda wished you would know."

"Why?"

"Because something happened then that changed our lives, mostly mine."

"What are you talking about?"

"When we were fifteen we made love in that ventilation shaft."

"We did?"

"Yes, and I have to admit you really knew how to please a girl. Believe me I thought it was worth it and I was glad you were my first and not some arrogant ball player."

"Gee, now I wish I could remember"

"I think it's still somewhere in that brain of yours we only have to get it out there. Now to continue my story after that day we never saw each other again even though we promised each other our hearts..." At that point Ms Parker couldn't hold back her tears because she was afraid that when she told the truth Jarrod would be very angry with her but she had to bite the bullet now, "and six weeks later I found out that I was pregnant but I didn't have it in me to tell anyone and by the time daddy found out it was too late to do something about it. I wanted to keep the baby but he never wanted to hear about it. He wasn't even interested to know who the father was. The only thing that mattered was that this had to be solved in the way that was convenient for himself but he never thought about how I felt about it all. When she was born they took her away from me and until now I only came up with dead ends while searching for her. For years I hated my dad and you for loosing my daughter but you didn't even know you had a child and over the years I just projected all the hate I felt for Dad on you. My dad promised I could leave the Centre and everything that happened there behind when I brought you in but he knew that I wouldn't leave until I had our daughter back. That is the real reason why I still can't leave the Centre behind. I want to know where our child is."

Jarrod looked at her in silence, his face was completely expressionless so Ms Parker started to fear the worst to come from him.

"So it wasn't enough to steal me from my family. They also took my own little family away from me. As if all the lies and secrets weren't enough for us to deal with, they had to make it worse. The next time I see Raines and his pet oxygen tank I will blow a hole in it and I shoot him in the head while he's burning." he growled

"Actually from all I know so far, daddy has made sure that no one was able to trace her back. Even Raines is looking for her all over the country since he lost Gemini."

"That means he knows whose kid it is. Right now our girl would make him look good in the eyes of the Triumvirate and you and I would become useless. He could change the orders from catching me to killing me and you will be killed once I am dead. We have to make sure we find her before he does."

"First one to the answers...lives" Ms Parker reminded Jarrod who looked as if he could kill someone.

Somewhere in the depths of a Centre facility sat a young woman staring at the table in front of her. She didn't really listen to what the man across the table had to say to her.

"Hey, would you finally start to listen young lady. Hacking into the Centre mainframe, especially the one in Blue Cove, is not a bright idea. You know that your survival depends on the fact that the big shots in Delaware don't know you exist. If they do it's not only my head that's going to roll but yours as well. Not to mention Cindy's head and she has a daughter to think about remember that the next time you feel the urge to hack into the Centre mainframes."

"Who says that I did it? It could have been someone else and do you see a computer around here?"

"I know you escaped your room again so don't try to play smart with me, ok"

She looked at him thinking about defying him again but he didn't wait for a response from her and walked out of the room. Once he was out of the room she started to sing a lullaby she remembered from long time ago. Outside the room the man walked over to a woman and started to talk.

"Dr McKendrick she needs to be disciplined once more unless you can get that misguided notion out of her head to search for her family."

"I think she has at least found her mother. I have been looking through the files she downloaded. Maybe it's a good thing she hasn't looked into a mirror lately otherwise she could connect the dots. This file contains a picture of a woman who could be the spitting image of her."

"It was good that we got to the printer before she did or we had a lot of explaining to do to the chairman. You know that I would rather eat nails than to talk to Mr Raines. Now he sent over this computer expert to check where the leak came from and how to plug it. If she isn't stopped now we might find ourselves dead one day."

Dr McKendrick went to the room where the woman was kept as he looked at the monitor that displayed everything that went on in that room. Suddenly he felt a presence next to him.

"Dr Stevens, I am not too pleased to hear that she hacked into the Blue Cove mainframe again."

"Mr Cox," the man jumped aside "we try to keep her from escaping her room but until now we weren't successful at it"

"Try harder, because the next time Mr Raines will be coming over himself and then I have to make sure that she disappears. You and everyone else here will find themselves at the wrong end of the gun. You are lucky that they had sent Mr Broots and I know from experience that given the right incentive he won't tell the guys in Blue Cove about her." Cox replied after pointing at the monitor.

"How do we do that?"

"Just tell him that you know me. He 'll figure out what I can do to make him shut up."

After that Mr Cox disappeared in the hallway. Dr Stevens looked in the files he got into his possession and when he opened the first file he saw how the woman in the picture was the spitting image of the woman he had in his care. He read the name in the file: Ms Parker.

"Unbelievable, she looks just like her." he told himself wondering how the former chairman's daughter could be the mother of this woman he was supposed to keep hidden from the world.

Inside the lab where the woman was still sitting at the table looking at the woman who just walked in. She saw her coming over to her with a concerned look on her face.

"Why do you keep doing this to me? I can't keep you from getting hurt if you don't stop trying to find your parents. I 've been told they were dead and so were you so stop this getting yourself in trouble before it is too late."

"Cindy, if you were in my shoes would you accept it if you were told that your parents were dead without any proof. I believe they are still alive and looking for me, or at least mum is."

"Cathy, stop this wild goose chase or one day we will both be in trouble. I 'm on thin ice with doctor Stevens as it is right now since he is threatening my life as well as my daughter's. Please for my daughter's sake stop with hacking into the Centre mainframe. One other thing what makes you think that your mother is looking for you?"

"Grandma told me"

"Not this story of the voices in your head again because I still don't believe that crap. Next you are going to tell me that you have to kill me because your grandma told you."

"She only wants you to tell someone about me and then my mother and father will come and get me. And they will save you too from this hell."

"I am not going to argue about this with you again so now get your files and get to work" Dr McKendrick commanded as she started to worry about her protégé.

At Ms Parker's house Jarod was still sitting at the table next to Ms Parker who was still feeling somewhat unsettled by his mood. He seemed angry but she couldn't tell if he was angry with her or was he just angry at the Centre. She decided to break the silence before he was going to leave her.

"I understand you are angry with me..."

"I 'm not angry with you," he interrupted "I was just angry that I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most. I can't even remember that day. The day our baby was conceived. You did the best thing you could do in the circumstances but you ended up being hurt the most. Now Mr Parker had the right bargaining chip in his hands to make sure you would do everything he wanted you to. He made sure that he owned your heart and soul."

"Is that how you feel about it all?"

"If you were given a chance at seeing our child again what would you have done for him?"

"He never gave me that chance but if offered I would have killed anyone except for you."

"Why not me?"

"Because I remember the day I gave myself to you. You were and still are the love of my life, Jarod."

When Jarod heard these words he put his arms around her and kissed her full on the mouth. She leaned into his kiss while she let her hands run across his back. She felt his hands rubbing her back and she relaxed in his embrace while her lips moved over his lips. They didn't notice Debbie coming in the kitchen who smiled at the two adults making out.

"I don't want to intrude but I just want to tell you I am in the backyard if you need me" she told the lovebirds who looked at her. Ms Parker was blushing while Jarod smiled at the girl and told her it was all right. Then the teen went out while Jarod started to clean up the table. Ms Parker helped him but as soon as he offered to do the dishes so she could wash up and change clothes she pointed at her dishwasher which she filled up. Then she walked over to him asked him if he wanted to help her wash her back while she was taking a shower. Jarod took her up on the offer and followed her to her bathroom where she took off her nightgown and stepped into the shower. Jarod rolled up his sleeves in order to wash her back. After he had finished washing her back he wanted to leave the room but Ms Parker had other things in mind with him at the time as she pulled him into the shower with her. Jarod was too surprised by her that for a moment he didn't know what to do but when he felt Ms Parker's lips on his he embraced her. She started to take off his clothes while he was kissing her neck. As soon as they were both naked under the shower they kissed each other while caressing each other rediscovering their bodies. Ms Parker turned off the water and Jarod towelled themselves dry. Then he lifted her up and carried her to her bedroom where he put her down on her bed where they picked up where they left off in the shower. After a few minutes Ms Parker felt Jarod's hand slide down from her stomach to her vagina where he started to gently caress her clitoris. She gasped at his touch while she was moving her hand to his cock in order to get him more aroused. Some time later Ms Parker felt his manhood slide into her what made her start to beg him to take her. Jarod started to thrust himself into her. Ms Parker felt her orgasm building up thrust after thrust until she couldn't hold back any more. She felt how Jarod came in her while she dug her nails in his back during her own orgasm. She screamed out his name while she felt as if the world was trembling under her. After they both had caught their breath again Jarod looked at her while he caressed her face. She snuggled up to him and kissed him.

"Jarod, you really know how to satisfy a woman. I never thought that I would share my bed with you again some day but it was worth waiting for." She said.

"You really know how to get to a man too. I never dared to dream that this would happen someday."

"The Centre took our freedom to choose for each other away. They would rather keep us separated so they could keep us in line. Since Mr Parker has died it became more difficult to keep us in line and now we have found each other again the way we used to be. I never meant to hurt your feelings but..."

"Hey, forget the bad things that happened in the past seven years between us and start with a clean slate. If you are willing to allow yourself to forgive yourself."

"Yes maybe it is time to start over. This time we won't let the Centre interfere with us again. Too much pain has separated us for years, too much hatred has taken a toll on both of us. Why don't we just find out where our daughter is get her and then disappear all together."

"That sounds like a plan to me. Well I see what I can do to find our daughter and when we have her back we disappear forever taking Sidney, Angelo, Broots and Debbie with us." Jarod said as he held Ms Parker in his arms. She sighed, looked at his face and a naughty smile came to her face.

"Before we start looking for our child I want something else now." Parker said.

"What would you want now?" Jarod asked.

"You feel up for another round with me?" she seductively asked him while her hands were moving down south. Jarod ran his fingers through her hair warming her up for round two in the bedroom.

Two days later in the Centre facility in L.A. Broots was looking at the data on his laptop.

"This can't be right, let's see, I find only four routers with the computers that go with them. The software within the computers aren't compromised. Where is this fifth router then?" Broots wondered while checking his diagnostics again.

"Is something the matter Mr Broots?" he heard someone ask.

"Actually there is, according to the data I receive from my diagnostic program there should be five routers in this building but I can only find four. I need to find that one because that is the router the hacker used to gain access within the network. I am fairly certain that I will find traces there that will lead to the workstation that was used to hack into the mainframe and then I can find out how the hacker hacked his or her way into the mainframe."

"You know if I show you where the router is, can you do something for me."

"Depends on what it is you want from me."

"Well, there is one more level but underground and there is a project housed which the people in Blue Cove are not allowed to get any knowledge about."

"Gee, never thought that I would hear this, a Centre facility that is keeping secrets from headquarters. Hey, whatever it may be your secret is safe with me."

"Good because the late Mr Parker wanted this to remain a secret until certain people had disappeared from the Centre payroll. Someone like Raines for instance."

"Ok, but what if Mr Raines or one of his goons would ask me about what I saw here?"

"Well then a mutual acquaintance of ours will take care of you. Does the name Cox ring a bell?"

"Yes it does, is he involved in this?"

"Let's say that since Mr Parker disappeared he has been checking in on a regular basis to make sure no one talks about the project here. Unfortunately that hacker is becoming a problem for our safety and the project's safety. So please plug the leak and save all our lives."

"I will do whatever I can to plug the leak."

Then Dr Stevens called someone to escort Broots to the sub level where he could start looking for the hacker's traces. When he walked by a window that looked into what seemed a sim-lab he saw who he thought to be Ms Parker but that couldn't be because he had called her an hour before to check up on his daughter. Then who was this woman he was looking at? He saw another woman in the lab who was questioning her about the sim they were performing. Than the man who had to bring him to the right place coughed to get Broots' attention.

"Mr, I don't want to sound rude but do you know who she is?"

"Not really, but she looks exactly like my boss. I don't know how that is possible. Maybe she is just a lookalike but then again where did Mr Parker find her. Well it's none of my business so let's get to the hacker problem shall we." Broots replied while he left the lab behind.

After a few minutes Broots had found out where he should look for the workstation that was used to hack into the mainframe. He went over to that workstation and got to work to make sure that no one could hack the system again. As he was looking through all the data stored on the computer he found out that the hacker had accessed the red files. He wondered who could be interested in those until he looked in the direction of the sim-lab and put one and one together. Suddenly the workstation bleeped and he saw their was an e-mail sent to him from inside the building. He opened the mail which contained the message: Meet me in the diner across the street at 12:00. Broots looked at his watch and noticed it was 11:15 already. He decided to work until twelve and then go to this diner. After half an hour he went out for a break and noticed that now this woman who caught his attention earlier was eating something what looked like it already had been eaten before.

She seemed to like it and finished her meal with a large glass of milk. When Broots got out of the building he went to the diner which he was supposed to meet this person who contacted him before.

He went in and saw nobody was in there so he choose a table, ordered a coffee and waited while he read the menu.

"I would recommend the cheeseburger here. At least then you will get what you order" he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Mr Cox" Broots stammered while he saw the man take a seat across the table.

"Good to see you again Mr Broots" Cox smiled.

"Hello, uh if you 're here to make sure that I won't talk well you don't have to worry..."

"Actually I want to tell you that I want you to pass on some information to Ms Parker as soon as possible." Cox said as he pulled out a DSA.

"What kind of information?"

"It is all here on this disk. And Broots how long will it take you to plug the leak?"

"Well I can plug it in two days because this hacker is quite unexperienced and uses a very crude hacking technique. If I had to pull the plug on someone like Jarrod than I would need at least a week but I don't think that will be necessary in this case"

"You misunderstood me, how long Mr Broots"

"Ah, Five days?"

"That will do just fine."

"What is going on here actually?"

"Let's just say I am looking for revenge for my sister's death."

"The Centre killed your sister?"

"In a way they did"

"I am sorry to hear that."

"Well don't worry as soon as we are finished with the Centre I am going to take care of the Triumvirate as well. They were responsible for her death as well."

"Gee, you really are taking it out on everybody don't you."

"Well payback 's a bitch isn't it."

"Jarrod always says that too."

The two men smiled and ordered the cheeseburgers and ate while talking about how they could help bring down the Centre.

In the meanwhile Mr Raines called in Mr Lyle after he had a phone call from Ms Parker. He looked at the younger man coming in while he was looking through Mr Parker's files in search for a lead on this pretender that was taken elsewhere and kept hidden.

"What can I do for you, Dad?"

"Make sure that you either catch Jarod this week or find me a clue on this mystery pretender Mr Parker has been hiding from us."

"Why this week?"

"Because Ms Parker and almost her whole team is taking a week off. Broots is in L.A. to stop a hacker, Sidney is off to his cabin in White Cloud, Sam is spending some time with his family and Ms Parker is playing "mummy" to the young Ms Broots. If I were you I 'd take the chance to get me a pretender and I 'll make sure that your sister and whoever remains won't cause any trouble any more."

"And what if I can't make it before they are back?"

"Well then the competition will be stronger then before."

"You think?"

After Lyle had finished he walked out the door with a smirk on his face. Once outside he pulled out his cellphone and dialled a number.

"Operation S154-E457 is a go. The target is in L.A. now. I want him gone as long as is possible."

"That won't be a problem Mr Lyle." he heard the reply.

Lyle smiled as he hung up and walked through the corridors while said to himself "Sis, soon I will be the only one left here to become the next chairman." Then he laughed as he entered his office.

At Ms Parker house Debbie was checking her e-mails on her laptop while Ms Parker was fetching them something to drink. Jarod was hacking in the Nu-genesis database hoping to find even the smallest clue about where Ms Parker's and his daughter could be. Debbie called both adults to join her.

"What is it Debbie" Parker asked the teen.

"Dad has sent me an e-mail with an attachment which is actually meant for you." she said

"It seems that the attachment is the contents of a DSA" Jarrod mentioned.

"Well lets burn it on a disk then so we can see what 's on it." Debbie continued while she pulled an empty DSA out of her bag.

"Where did you get those?" Ms Parker asked

"I took them from Dad"

"Doesn't matter where she got them just burn it" Jarrod told them and five minutes later Debbie handed him the DSA which he put in his DSA-player. As soon as the disk was playing they saw a toddler solving math problems at a rate that even teenagers couldn't keep up. Then they saw a young girl who looked almost exactly like Ms Parker when she was that age performing a sim. Then there was a teenage version of the same girl who was hiding herself under the table while her mentor tried to convince her there was no one going to hurt her again. Jarod looked up from the DSA-player and saw the tears in Ms Parker's eyes. The next scene they were watching was a grown up woman asking her mentor about her parents while she tried to solve another problem. Her mentor stated that she was told that her parents were dead. Her mother had died during childbirth while her father died in a car accident. The last scene they saw the girl sitting with her eyes closed talking to herself or so it seemed because she mentioned her grandma a lot. After that the disk ended and Ms Parker turned to Jarod while tears were streaming down her face while he was looking at the screen to read the only words on it 'For Centre use only, Cathy 04/14/2002'.

"Jarod, this is our girl. I want her out of there where ever that is."

"I think she is at the Centre facility in L.A. But it won't be easy to get in and out because I think she is as well guarded as I was when I was still at the Centre. I even think that they have improved their security system after I escaped here in Blue Cove."

"So we have to find another way to get her out besides kidnapping her from that place."

"I have to find as much info on this place as possible and then I 'll come up with an idea to get her out of there but for now we have to be patient." Jarod said as he held Ms Parker in his arms.

"She survived this hell for 27 years so a few days more won't matter." Ms Parker sobbed while Jarod dried her tears.

"I wonder how Broots got those DSA files." Jarod wondered.

"Well according to his e-mail he got them from someone we could trust for the moment." Debbie answered his question.

"You know what?" Jarod began "I will go to L.A. as soon as possible and get in contact with your dad. Maybe he can fill me in about the layout of the ground and then when the time is right I am going in to save Cathy"

"At least dad had the decency to give our daughter the name I wanted to give her." Ms Parker said as she touched the screen of the DSA-player. Jarod walked over to her and kissed her. As soon as they let go of each other he told her he was going to leave.

"Parker, I will return with our daughter as soon as possible." he said.

"Tell her I love her when you break her out." she told him "and don't get yourself caught while you break her out."

"Hey, I get away from you all the time without preparing myself too much. This time I am going to prepare thoroughly before I get her. It might take some time but I 'll get her."

"Take all the time you need Jarod. In the meanwhile I will keep an eye on the Centre here. Will you keep me up to date on what you are doing and you don't have to come here right after you got our child. Maybe the first weeks after you have taken her from there they might keep an eye on me and this place."

"We could arrange to meet each other somewhere else." Jarod offered.

"That is a good idea ... for now" Ms Parker agreed while she looked out the window scanning for sweepers. After she was sure there were no sweepers around she gave Jarod the signal to leave. He kissed her goodbye and left her house leaving her a PEZ-container. She walked over to it and put it in her pocket while she smiled. Debbie watched her every move and started to giggle. Ms Parker looked at her while the teenager tried to stop her giggles.

"Debbie, what are you giggling about?" she asked her.

"Well the way you and Jarod behave towards each other I 'd have to say that the two of you are lovers. Is he the one you were talking about the other day?" Debbie asked already knowing the answer.

"Ok, yes he is the guy I was talking about but we go way back. I had fallen in love with him when I was a little younger than you are now. The first time I met him I didn't know what to expect from him but he turned out to be a real gentleman. He has always been there for me when I needed someone to be there for me. He was there when mama was killed, he was there for me when Faith had died, he was there for me when Thomas was killed and he was there when I found where my family came from. Every time in my life when the worst had happened he was there to comfort me and in his own way he...cheered me up. He gave me strength when I needed it, he gave me comfort when I was in pain and what have I done in return? I hunt him down like an animal, give him all kinds of names, hurt his feelings and at the end of the day I have to admit that I love him with all my heart."

"I think he knows what you really feel for him but because of this twisted life you guys lead you never show that to anyone else. You hide your feelings for him, he hides his feelings for you and why? Simply because the wrong people might use that against you two. Am I right?"

"Yes, you are" Ms Parker agreed with a smile while she hugged the teenager.

Cathy was looking around in her room again to find a new way out of there. No matter how many times she had scanned her room they had made sure that there was no escape for her anymore. She went back to her bed and laid herself down. She closed her eyes and started to relax so she could hear that voice again.

"What is wrong my dear?" she heard the voice in her mind

"I am trapped for real now" she replied

"Not for long, your parents were given a message about your whereabouts and your father is on his way over as we speak."

"How long do I have to wait to see him and mum?"

"He will need some time to figure out how to get you out of here undetected so that means you still have to be patient and do as they say. Tell Cindy that she 'd better pack to leave soon because one of these days her life as well as her daughter's will be at stake. Tell her that you will leave this place within the week."

"I doubt it if she will believe me"

"If she doesn't she will loose her daughter first and then they will torture her until she begs them to kill her."

"Are you sure?"

"Dr Stevens is a Raines wannabe. Until now Cindy was able to hold him off but that can change. I don't know how long he will keep his hands to himself. I hope at least until your father has broken you out of this place."

"Grandma, will they be disappointed in me?"

"No, they will love you as much as any other parent would love a child. Don't forget that you were taken from your mother the minute you were born and she wants you back. Your father never knew that you existed but the moment your mother told him he wanted to destroy the Centre and everybody in it for taking his family from him. He loves your mother more than I could imagine and strangely enough I can sense he started to love you too. Now I want you to go to sleep so you can do the job Cindy has for you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Grams"

"Goodnight sweety."

After a few moments Cathy had fallen asleep and dreamed about her parents helping her to get out of this hell she has lived in her entire life. A few hours later she heard someone at the door of her room. She looked up to see who was coming in and in the doorway she saw Dr Stevens with two sweepers who picked her up and brought her to another room. In that room they tied her up against the wall and then the sweepers left the room leaving her and Dr Stevens alone. He walked up to her, looked her in the eyes while he put his hands on her shoulders.

"Well now, I 've had enough of your behaviour and Cindy is not around to save you at the moment. I will teach you how to behave from now on. Every time you talk when you 're not allowed to, you 'll pay, every time you do something wrong, you 'll pay and every time you scream in here I 'll enjoy it."

She just glared back at him and she didn't even show any fear for him. He wondered if she was even the least afraid of him but he would soon find out how long it would take him to make her fear him. He let his hands go down to her chest and tore the nightgown she was wearing to shreds. She didn't even flinch while he was doing it. He now started to realise that she had a good control over her emotions but soon enough he would get her to her knees he thought as he punched her in the stomach. She just gasped for air but didn't make another sound which was disappointing him. So he punched her a few times more leaving several bruises across her chest and stomach but she didn't even come close to a whimper, let alone a scream. He wanted her to scream but she could endure it for the time being. He looked at her and then he came up with a new idea. He took his pack of cigarettes, lit one and then he walked over to her and started to burn marks on her skin. He saw at her face this hurt her but she still wasn't screaming like he wanted. He knew it would take time to break her will but that she could be this tough was something he hadn't been counting on. He was frustrated over the fact she wouldn't scream. He decided to hurt her in the most painful way possible. She observed the way he looked at her and something was telling her this time he would hurt her differently than he did before. She saw him open his fly as he closed in on her. She felt fear for the first time in her life because she didn't know what was going to happen next. He grabbed her by the legs while he pushed himself between them. Cathy felt his cock being forced into her while she tried to stop him. She felt a pain she had never felt before as his manhood forced its way into her vagina. It hurt her so much that she started to scream begging him to stop. She never knew that a man's penis could be forced into her body like that and that it would hurt her this much. When he finally released inside her he pinched her nipples so hard that she cried out in pain. Then he left the room and the sweepers came in to bring her back to her room. Once she was on her bed again she looked at herself and started to treat her burn marks and wounds. She still felt the pain in her vagina while she gently washed the blood of her labia. Once she had finished nursing herself she got to bed and cried herself to sleep.

The next morning Cathy woke up and looked at her bruised body while she was washing herself. She walked to her closet to get some clothes which would cover up the burn marks and bruises. She still felt a lot of pain in her private parts but she would manage. She then sat down until Cindy would come in to get her. Cindy came by to get her to the sim-lab but when she saw Cathy stand up she saw drops of blood trickling down from the younger woman's legs.

"Cathy what happened to you?" she asked her protégé.

"It 's nothing Cindy."

"Sit back on the bed young lady I 'll first take a look at that. I know exactly when your periods break every month and it has just been a week ago you had them." she ordered Cathy to her bed again.

"Cindy it is alright." Cathy tried to stop her from taking a look at her but she knew that in her present state the older woman would get the upper hand anyway. As soon as Cindy lifted Cathy's skirt she saw a bloodstained pantie which she gently removed to find that her vagina had been brutally assaulted.

"Who did this?" she asked Cathy who in return remained silent. Cindy pulled out her cellphone and called the infirmary to send someone to treat Cathy's wounds. She looked at the woman on the bed and noticed a burn mark near her belly what made her curious so she ordered Cathy to unbutton her blouse. Cathy reluctantly opened her blouse revealing the bruises and burn marks on her body. Cathy averted her eyes from Cindy who got furious. She stormed out of Cathy's room as soon as the doctor arrived to take care of her. She knew exactly who had done this to her girl. Once she arrived at Dr Stevens office her anger was peaking so without any warning she barged into his office.

"Who the hell do you think you are to torture my girl?" she yelled at him not noticing the man standing next to him.

"What are you talking about?" Mr Cox asked her.

"He tortured and raped Cathy" she huffed

"That 's a lie, the little bitch is lying. You see what happens if you don't discipline people." Stevens answered.

"I would like to have a talk with the young lady myself" Cox responded.

"Ok lets go to her" Stevens said.

"I am going alone, the two of you stay here. Joseph would you be so kind to guard them while I 'm gone." he told his personal sweeper as he walked out the office. When he came into Cathy's room he was shocked by what he saw. He approached her and took a good look at her while he asked the doctor how much damage was inflicted on the woman.

"Well apart from the obvious bruises and burn marks there was a small wound inside her vagina but the most damage done here is psychological trauma."

"I see, Cathy," Mr Cox spoke with a soothing voice "When did this happen, it is all right you can tell it to me. I am only here to protect you."

"It happened last night." she answered after what seemed as if she was thinking if she should tell or not.

"What has actually happened to you"

She looked at him and slowly she began to tell him what had happened that night. When she was finished with her story she had retreated to the other end of her bed and curled herself into a bowl. Mr Cox looked at her and wondered how much she would trust him to get closer. He decided not to test her on that but he needed to hear from her who did this to her.

"Ms Cathy, who did this to you."

"I can't say" she whispered.

"I can't protect you from this man if you don't tell me who did this."

"If I tell you he will come back again and he will deal with you too."

"Who, Dr Stevens? He is lucky that he is still around here if it were up to me I had him out of here some time ago."

"You mean you are not one of his servants?"

"I only answer to Mr Parker and his daughter." he assured her "I have more authority here then he has. So was it him who did this to you?"

Cathy nodded while the tears came streaming down her cheeks. Mr Cox moved in a little closer and put his hand on her shoulder while he told her that he would make sure that Dr Stevens would never touch her again. He turned around and walked straight to Dr Stevens' office while he started to come up with an appropriate punishment for this sadistic rapist. Once inside the office he turned to Dr McKendrick.

"Dr McKendrick I believe you are a psychiatrist so what I want from you now is to help her deal with the trauma she is now suffering from. No sims for at least two weeks until she is up to it. I want you to stay with her night and day. I am going to move her to the SL2 apartment add a bed to it and some books to get her mind off of this. You will live there with her for the next two weeks."

"But Sir, I have to go home to my daughter.."

"Joseph will pick her up at the daycare and bring her here to you and I will see to it that you will have the necessary clothes for both of you. Joseph, take Amanda with you and start to collect clothes for Ms McKendrick and her daughter. Cindy, would you mind handing Joseph your key to your house?"

"No, I just..."

"Well then that's settled and now I want you to take care of Cathy because she needs you more right now than she ever needed anyone before. Go!" Mr Cox calmly told her as he escorted her out of the office. Once she had left the office Mr Cox' face hardened as he turned around and his steel blue eyes darted over to Dr Stevens. He walked over to the man who feared for his health now.

"Do you know what a eunuch is Mr Stevens" Mr Cox asked with an evil grin on his face.

"Yeah, I think it is one of those guys who guards a harem."

"Yes and I am going to make one of you."

"What do you mean?"

"You 'll see" Mr Cox said as four sweepers walked in and took Dr Stevens with them. He then pulled out his cellphone and called Mr Raines.

"Raines" He heard the man at the other end.

"Mr Cox here, you know about that leak the Triumvirate has been worried about?"

"Yes I have heard about it."

"Well I found the leak, it was the Centre facility leader here in L.A. I am going to take care of him in a few minutes."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Well I will make sure he never can talk,write or even procreate again."

"I love it when you talk dirty." the chairman hissed.

"Well see you again one of these days" Mr Cox said as he hung up. Then he walked out of the office with an amused smirk on his face. He walked to the place where Broots was working and passed him a note. Broots looked at it and nodded. Cox left the tech who immediately resumed his job.

Cindy had entered the apartment with Cathy who was still in fear because of what happened. She looked around to see if there was no one around to hurt her. Cindy held her close to herself to stop the younger woman's trembling. As soon as Cathy felt safe in this new environment she sat down on the bed Cindy had lead her to. For a moment the psychiatrist wondered how her protégé turned from such a strong willed woman into a frightened little girl. It wasn't just the brutal attack on her that had affected her.

"Cathy, it is ok to be afraid. Even I am afraid from time to time." she told her as she saw the girl starting to cry.

"I let him win." Cathy sobbed

"What do you mean?"

"I had sworn to myself the moment he started to torture me that I wasn't going to cry no matter what he did. I was going to show him that I was not someone who was going to break because he wants to. I wanted to show him that I was stronger than anyone else. When he entered my body with his..." at that moment she couldn't say a thing for a few minutes. Cindy hugged the woman in her care as long as she was silent. "He put his penis in me and it hurt so bad that I just had to scream in pain. It just wasn't enough for him to hurt me so he called me a little whore, a slut and his slave. When he noticed that the pain began to subside he began to push himself into me harder and harder until I was bleeding inside. It hurt more and more and finally I felt some fluid coming out of his penis. When he was finished he told me that he would do this again and again until I was a good girl. Then he went out and the sweepers brought me back to my room but there he was waiting for me right outside the door. He told the sweepers to have a piece of me too. One of them told him to stop it but the other one just pulled down his pants and rammed his penis in me,did the same as Dr Stevens and then he pushed me into his partner. He told him to do me too but this guy just lifted me up and returned me to bed. He said goodnight, kissed me on the cheek and left. Then I stood up and started to take care of all the wounds I had."

Cathy looked in Cindy's eyes who seemed to be genuinely concerned about her. She tried to hold back her tears but failed miserably at it. Cathy didn't understand why this woman was about to cry.

"Is something wrong Cindy?" Cathy asked

"No, it's just that I...feel like my daughter has been raped. Maybe it is just...I may be projecting..." she tried to explain herself but she knew she wasn't allowed to show any emotion towards Cathy. Cathy started to understand what the woman was trying to say but now she needed someone to hold her and comfort her. She asked Cindy to hold her which the psychiatrist did while she thought about her own daughter. For fifteen year she was taking care of this woman and now she finally had to come to terms with herself: she cared for this woman as much as she cared for her own little girl. She still remembered the first day she walked into that lab where this twelve year old girl was waiting for her new mentor. She still remembered the curious look she had in her eyes but now this look was replaced by fear and sadness.

"Cindy, why did he put his penis in me?" Cathy asked.

"Well maybe because this was the only way he could hurt you. It is the oldest trick in the book to make a girl or a woman fear men. Especially when she hasn't been told all the facts of life. " the woman answered.

"What do you mean?"

"I was not allowed to have this talk with you because Dr Stevens felt that it was irrelevant to your training and it would also distract you from your work. Now I really need to have this talk with you. What happened to you is the most violent form of sexual intercourse and it is also the one that has destroyed many women." Cindy started to tell this woman about sex and all that came with it. Cathy listened with great interest and started to understand why it was possible that a man was able to put his cock inside her vagina. She looked at Cindy with big eyes as the woman kept telling her about how a baby is conceived.

"Could I be pregnant" Cathy panicked.

"No, I know for sure that you aren't pregnant yet. Besides I have ordered 'morning after' pills for you to make sure." Cindy calmed her down while she patted her on the back.

"Did it hurt when you had slept with a man the first time."

"Not as much as you must have been hurt last night."

"How would you know?"

"Because I wanted to have sex with him and I was prepared for what could happen. You on the other hand weren't expecting any of it and he didn't prepare you to receive him so it must have hurt."

Cindy put her arms around Cathy and held her close to her. She wondered if her protégé would recover from this trauma. Even though Cathy is very smart it was still a lot to work out all on her own. In a situation like this Cathy was going to need family but at the moment she was the only one close enough to help her. She didn't notice the man coming in who walked over to her and started to speak.

"Hello, my name is Broots and I suppose you are Ms McKendrick?"

Cindy just nodded wondering what this computer tech from headquarters would want from her.

"I have a few files for you which you might find very interesting. They contain a lot about Cathy's background and also who her parents are." he told her

"What are you saying?"

"That whatever you were told about her may only be partially true. You see when I first saw her she reminded me of my boss and then I started to dig into the mainframe here and found out who she actually is. Her father is on his way right now to get her out of here"

"You are quite bold by just saying all that in a heavily secured room."

"Well right now all security systems here in this apartment are down due to a malfunction."

Cindy looked at the balding man with interest and took the files he brought.

"Mr Broots what are you doing tonight?"

"Well packing because tomorrow I am going home again."

"Could you make some time to have dinner with me?"

"Tonight?"

"Yes"

"Well I would be delighted, see around 7"

"Great here at seven, I 'll cook dinner" Cindy said with a smile.

Later that day in Blue Cove Debbie looked up after reading her e-mails and started talking to Ms Parker.

"Guess what?"

Ms Parker looked up from her book at the teenager

"What?"

"Dad has a date tonight and he is dating the woman that is currently overseeing Cathy. He is going to hear her out about how she has been treating Cathy."

"I think she treated my daughter the same way as Sidney took care of Jarod. I think Cathy will be all right for now."

"Actually she is not that all right any more. The facility leader of L.A. has abused her last night and for that reason dad wants to know how Dr McKendrick is going to treat her from this point on. He wants to find out what exactly has happened to Cathy. One thing he knows for sure is that the bastard has raped her but his contact punished the guy severely. According to what dad heard this guy is no longer able to speak and his testicles have been removed. I would like to know who this contact could be."

"Somebody with a morbid sense of justice. I know someone like that but I haven't seen this guy in two maybe three years."

"You think this guy could be dad's contact?"

"I don't think so. This guy is a complete whack and definitely not good for anyone's health."

"I wonder what Cathy is feeling right now."

"She will be feeling hurt, humiliated, alone and most of all ashamed of herself."

"How would you know?"

"That's how I imagine I would feel if it happened to me but Cathy has an ability that not many women in this world have. She has the ability to shed these emotions in order to do the job she is supposed to do. I think the first few days she will need time to work through the trauma but if Dr McKendrick cares enough for her she will get over it. I think she has formed the same bond with her as Jarod has with Sidney."

"What do you mean?"

"Well Jarod and Sidney have been working together for 30 years and the both of them formed some kind of a father-son relationship. Don't get me wrong but even though Jarod loves his father when he needs some real good advice he always turns to Sidney. Jarod once told me that some day his father and Sidney will be swapping stories about him as a child. I hope I will do the same with dr McKendrick some day. She seems to be exactly like Sid but after tonight we will know for sure. I hope your dad is a good listener."

"Dad knows when and how to listen. Don't worry, he will find out how she has been treated up till now and how the relationship between the two of them is."

Debbie then walked over to Ms Parker and laid a hand on her shoulder. Ms Parker looked into the girl's eyes and smiled.

Later that evening Broots was preparing himself for the dinner date he had with Dr McKendrick. He checked his look in the mirror and picked up the flowers he bought earlier that day. When he was about to leave his hotel room someone knocked at his door. He opened the door to find a smiling Jarod standing in front of him.

"Hello Broots, Debbie told me to give you a hug for her."

"Jarod ... how did you get here so fast?"

"I borrowed a Centre jet which is now refuelling to bring you back to Blue Cove. The reason I am here is that you can provide me with information that I need to break Cathy out."

"That will be more of a problem now than it was two days ago since she is moved to a ultra secured apartment together with her mentor and the woman's daughter. You see there is something that you should know, the local leader here has raped and tortured her. He has been removed from here and he has lost certain body parts in the process. The guy I 've been working with made sure of that."

"Who is this guy?"

"Do you remember Mr Cox?"

"Yes I do. He is the Centre's evil handyman. I still have a score to settle with him."

"Well it turns out that he was Mr Parker's protégé until he died. Now he is actually looking for revenge. He mentioned to me that the Centre had killed his sister. I don't know who this sister might have been."

"Neither do I but we will find out in time. For now I need an outline of the grounds and the security systems there so I can quickly work on a plan to get my daughter out."

"I already got that information. I figured that you could use it."

"If necessary I will take the good doctor and her daughter with us as well. Can you warn them somehow."

"Actually I was on my way to Dr McKendrick when you came here. I know that she may come with you if necessary."

"Broots ,"

"Yes "

"Don't forget to take these along" Jarod finished their conversation while handing the computer tech the flowers. They both left the hotel and went separate ways.