1 Disclaimers: Don't own any characters from the show, just the ones I made up. I'm not getting any money out of this, simply enjoyment.

Author's Note: I am presently in the middle of writing numerous Pretender stories so updates on my stories may be a little slow. I enjoy reviews and don't mind any input on the story's development. I want to please my readers just as much as I want to please myself.

Special Note: While reading this story, imagine the following actors portraying the specified characters:

Richard Gere as Dr. Conall

Paul Walker as Carey

Additional Note: Special Guest Star Eliza Dushku as Angela



2 Nocturnal Hunter Nightclub

3 Red City, Delaware

The black Lincoln pulled up in front of the nightclub. A long, noisy line winded its way from the club entrance to the street, the rowdy people waiting in hopes of getting in.

Lyle read the name of the club, which was decorated with flashing lights, and chuckled to himself. "How appropriate," he muttered. He glanced at his companion in the dark interior. Carey was studying the scene in front of the club intently. His face wore no expression but his eyes glittered with excitement.

"Are you ready?" Lyle asked him.

Carey's eyes barely flickered in Lyle's direction, so engrossed in studying the crowd was he. "Yes, sir," he answered, his voice husky with exhilaration. Lyle smiled and started to open the car door.

4 Miss Parker's Office

The Centre

"Well, uh, i-i-it's very ,uh, complicated," Broots began, stumbling over his words as usual.

"Just start explaining, Broots," Miss Parker mumbled.

"Okay. We all know that Carey was brought into the Centre in Delaware when he was a kid. We also know that he was kept here for ten years. We know he was taken out of the Pretender project. What we didn't know was where he was sent afterwards. You'll never guess where!"

Miss Parker suddenly straightened in her chair. "Chicago!" she breathed, wide-eyed.

Broots looked disappointed. "How'd you know?"

Miss Parker smirked wryly. "Lucky guess."

"That's just the beginning," Sydney said. He glanced sideways at Broots. "Tell her what else we learned."

Broots glanced at Sydney before continuing. "Right. I looked everywhere I could on the Chicago mainframe for information on Carey."

"Keep going," Miss Parker said when Broots paused.

"Carey was moved into another project which was based in Chicago, called Nocturnal."

"Nocturnal?" Miss Parker frowned. "What does that mean?"

"That's not the most stunning point. I know you won't be able to guess who was in charge of the project!"

Miss Parker's brow furrowed suspiciously. "Who?"

Broots swallowed thickly, clasping his trembling hands behind his back. "Lyle."

5 Nocturnal Hunter Nightclub

Red City, Delaware

Lyle led Carey toward the club. He pushed through the crowded line, ignoring the lewd and angry exclamations in his wake. Most of the people in the line were in their twenties, though there were a number of late- teens and even older adults. Most of the teens and twenty-somethings wore tight fitting, skin showing clothes while the adults wore stylish and sleek suits and dresses.

The bouncer blocked Lyle's way with his arm. "Are you on the list?"

Lyle smirked as he looked the big, powerful man up and down. "Of course. Lyle and Carey. We're friends of Mr. Conall."

At the mention of Conall's name, the bouncer quickly waved them in. Without another glance, Lyle swaggered through the door, Carey at his heels.

To say the Nocturnal Hunter was noisy and crowded would be an understatement. The music, a raucous, rapid tune popular with the younger generation, blared from the speakers situated throughout the place. The expansive room was decked from wall to wall with people. The dance floor was covered in bodies, crashing and bumping together as they swayed and grinded to the beat.

Lyle ignored the frenzy of people as he threaded his way through the room. Carey was right behind him, though the younger man looked around him with interest.

6 Miss Parker's Office

The Centre

"Lyle was in charge of the project?" Miss Parker asked, aghast.

Broots nodded shakily. "Y-Yeah, he was in control of everything. A- According to what I found, he handpicked Carey for the project."

Miss Parker leaned back in her chair. "What was this project about?"

"T-T-That's the t-t-t-thing. In my primary search, I wasn't able to find anything on the project. The-the only thing I could find was that it was very hush-hush and supported mostly by the Triumvirate."

Miss Parker frowned. "This must have been before Lyle was part of the Triumvirate. Probably was a stepping-stone for him. Go on, Broots."

"Anyway, when I searched further into the Chicago mainframe, I found some, uh, grim bits of information." Broots paused, his expression both disgusted and frightened.

Sydney stepped forward, drawing the others' attention. "What Broots meant to say was that the whole project was an attempt to create a killer. Apparently the Triumvirate was hoping to find a way to create an assassin that they could use to get rid of their enemies or any other troublemakers. That's what Lyle had in mind when Carey was moved to Chicago after being taken out of the Pretender project."

Miss Parker stared at Sydney with a horrified look. The psychiatrist looked at her with his own unsettled look. Broots looked like he was about to be sick.

7 Nocturnal Hunter Nightclub

Red City, Delaware

Lyle stopped near the bar where couples and singles alike were standing around drinking alcoholic beverages. Carey stopped beside him, watching the people with keen interest. Both men jerked their heads around when someone called Lyle's name.

"Lyle!" Conall was heading in their direction, his gray suit exchanged for a navy blue one. He had each arm wrapped around the shoulders of a beautiful, young woman. The two couldn't have been older than twenty-three; wearing body-hugging tank tops and remarkably short, skin-tight skirts.

"Glad to see you made it in all right. Girls, this is Lyle and Carey. Lyle, Carey, these are the girls." Conall smiled as he made introductions.

The girl under Conall's left arm was taller than her friend, with wavy blond hair and azure colored eyes. Her skin was evenly tanned and glowed under the club's ultraviolet lights. She was curvy and slender, not to mention very pretty.

The other girl was only five foot five. Her dark hair was trimmed to about shoulder length and matched her dark eyes. Her tight clothes accentuated the slender form of her body. Carey's eyes lit up as he eyed her discreetly. Lyle watched the younger man and, catching Conall's eye, smirked.

"Carey, why don't you take Angela, here, out on the dance floor. She told me herself she's been dying to dance."

Carey locked eyes with the dark-haired girl and smiled. "Sure." He offered her his arm, which she took, and waltzed her off to dance.

8 Miss Parker's Office

The Centre

"How do you know it worked?" Miss Parker asked, glancing at Broots then Sydney.

"W-well, first off, Lyle brought him here, didn't he?" Broots swallowed at Miss Parker's answering dark look. "Plus, on a hunch, I-I looked up all of the local papers in Chicago on the Internet. You won't believe what I found!"

Miss Parker tilted her head. "What did you find, Broots?"

Broots cleared his throat then looked at his hands. "I, uh, found some articles…"

"And…?"

The tech swallowed and looked around nervously. "I-I-I found articles mentioning a serial killer. H-H-He was called the Windy City Killer. He, um, raped and killed a bunch of girls in Chicago. He always waited a few months between murders and the police couldn't find anything solid on him. The only thing they knew was that he was young, blond- haired, and picked up all of his victims at various Chicago clubs."

Miss Parker stared at him, stunned. "You think Carey might have been the killer?"

Broots shrugged. "I-I don't know. Maybe."

"What about his victims?" Miss Parker suddenly asked. "Did they have anything in common?"

"They were under twenty-five and dark-haired."

9 Nocturnal Hunter Nightclub

Red City, Delaware

Lyle and Conall watched as Carey and Angela were swallowed up by the crowd on the dance floor.

Conall glanced down at the blond girl and smiled. "Sherrie, dear, why don't you go find somebody to dance with and I'll catch you again later?" He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "We can have some fun together later tonight."

"Okay," Sherrie replied, blushing at his last statement. Conall squeezed her shoulder before pushing her in the direction of the dance floor.

"Where'd you pick those two up?" Lyle asked as the two men watched the dancing throng.

Conall eyed Lyle, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Oh, they were just waiting for an opportunity to get into the club. Just a couple of gold-diggers looking for some fun."

Lyle grinned slyly. "And you were happy to oblige them."

Conall chuckled. "Of course."

The two men ordered drinks and stood around talking, every so often straining to look around in search of Carey and Angela.

"Are you sure she won't be missed?" Lyle asked the doctor after a lull in conversation.

"Yes. Classic story. Two teenage kids run away from home in search of adventure, parties, and guys. Once she's found, she'll most likely be in the obituaries under Jane Doe."

"What about her family?" Lyle persisted, frowning.

Conall shook his head. "They live in Boston. It would take months for them to hear of it."

"You better be right."

A few minutes later, they finally caught sight of the couple. Both were covered in sweat though they didn't seem to notice, brushing up against each other as they danced to the wild beat. The two men watched them, mesmerized. The couple had quickly grown accustomed to each other and danced in perfect sync. They were hedged in between other passionately dancing couples but only seemed aware of each other as they moved like one.

"He dances very well," Lyle commented. "Especially for someone who doesn't get a lot of practice."

Conall chuckled. "He is still a Pretender, after all, even though he isn't involved with the project anymore."

Suddenly the song changed and Carey and Angela stopped dancing. The young man took his partner's arm and led her to the bar a few feet down from where Lyle and Conall stood. There he ordered them both drinks, Angela hanging onto his arm. Once their orders were handed over, Carey led Angela to one of the couches in a corner of the room. Lyle and Conall moved over closer to the couple so they were able to keep an eye on them.

Carey kept his eyes locked with Angela's as they sipped their drinks. After a few minutes, he leaned in closer to her, their faces only inches away. He whispered something in her ear that elicited a blush and a giggle. Clutching his drink in one hand, he whispered earnestly in her ear again. This time he got a hesitant nod in answer and a coy smile. Carey smiled back, eyes twinkling, and stood up. He held his arm out to her. She accepted it and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Leaving their empty glasses on the table by the couch, they moved past Lyle and Conall, Carey's arm slung around Angela's shoulders.

Carey caught Conall's eye as the couple started by and smiled. "We'll be at the Brighton Hotel."

Conall winked and smiled back. He and Lyle watched the couple leave.

"You sure it's a good idea to let him take her to a hotel, unobserved?" Lyle demanded.

Conall smiled. "No worries. Carey would never try to leave the Centre. He knows that without us protecting him, he wouldn't be able to keep up his "fun" for very long."

"Just make sure he's safe in his room at the Centre by tomorrow morning. And make certain there are no loose ends."

Conall smiled. "Of course. Now, I think I have a date to keep. Have George tail Carey to the hotel. Tell him to stay there and do nothing until I arrive."

Lyle sneered. "Of course. Enjoy yourself."

Conall chuckled as the man walked off. "Oh, I will, Mr. Lyle, I will."

*****

10 Miss Parker's Office

The Centre



Miss Parker ignored the newspaper on her desk as she worked. She hadn't slept longer than a couple hours the night before. She'd come into work early and had now been doing paperwork for several hours. With a sigh, she suddenly pushed the paperwork away and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes.

"Miss Parker!"

Her eyes snapping open, Miss Parker sent a scathing glare in the tech's direction. "What?"

Broots stopped, stared, and then slowly stepped farther into the office. "D-Did you get the morning paper?"

Miss Parker reached out, snatched the paper on her desk, and waved it at Broots. "Right here, Broots."

"But, did you read it?"

Miss Parker scowled. "No, I did not read it," she snapped. "I've been doing paperwork all morning."

"I-I, uh, think you might want to look at it," Broots replied hesitantly.

"Why?" Miss Parker demanded.

Broots sighed. "Just read it. It's on the front page."

"What is?" Miss Parker asked as she unfolded the newspaper. She stopped suddenly, and one hand went to her open mouth. Her wide eyes read the headliner with disbelief.

"Did Syd see this?"

Broots slowly shook his head. "I don't think so."

Miss Parker stared down at the newspaper, still in shock. The grisly picture of a once beautiful, vibrant young woman stared back at her. The photo of the dead girl was in black and white, adding to its somber tone. Miss Parker read the headliner one more time, trying to regain control of her senses.

Runaway Girl Found Raped and Murdered

She skimmed over the article. The incident happened in Red City, Delaware, a town only a couple hours from Blue Cove. The body was found at the Brighton Hotel. The girl had last been seen alive at the Nocturnal Hunter nightclub an hour before midnight by her friend, a fellow runaway. The girl had last been seen with a young, blond-haired man. The police were doing their best to find this guy and crack the case.

After reading, Miss Parker looked up at Broots. "Sydney will need to hear this."

11 Sydney's Office

Sydney entered his office, a newspaper under his arm. The room was dark when he went in. The psychiatrist placed the paper on his desk and reached out to turn on his lamp. Sydney nearly fell over backward when a figure stood up from his chair, the lamp casting its dull light on the figure's face.

"Hello, Sydney," Conall greeted the other man. "It's been a long time."

Sydney's expression smoothed as he recognized his fellow doctor. "Conall. Yes, it has been a long time."

"Not since we worked on the Pretender project together."

"Yes," Sydney answered, nodding. "I worked with Jarod and you worked with Carey."

Conall arched a brow. "You remember Carey?"

Sydney nodded again. "Yes, I do. Bright young pupil."

"Though not as bright as your, Jarod," Conall sneered.

Sydney gazed coolly back at the other doctor. "I know all about what happened to Carey. What the Centre did with him."

Conall frowned. "How?"

Sydney ignored his question, leaning forward to look Conall in the eye. "How could you let them do that to him?"

Conall glared at him. "I had no choice."

"You could have refused to allow them to do it."

"You know what they would have done with him if they couldn't use him. I couldn't let the Centre destroy him."

Sydney looked at the man evenly. "It already did," he stated coolly.

Conall watched him exit the office. The man's expression was irritated and tormented at the same time.