Chapter 37: Unexpected Turns
The Game has entered it's final phase.
The Players have positioned themselves.
Will the answers they seek be found?
Only they will be able to tell.
*************************
A waitress came and asked him if he wanted a drink. Lyle ordered and the waitress brought him a seven and seven. Lyle surveyed the crowd looking for Lily, but couldn't spot her. The crowd was dancing to the song "I Will Survive." Just as he was wondering whether Lily had sent him on a wild goose chase, the lights went down in the club.
The stage lights lit up and there were dancers posed in various positions on the stage. The performers were dressed in silver jumpsuits constructed in various designs. The music started and the main vocalist started to sing. It was the song Mr. Roboto by Styx.
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
Mata ah-oo Hima de
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
Himitsu wo Shiri Tai
The dancers danced around the stage, some positioning themselves on the smaller circular stages. The lights were flashing and flickering with techno precision. Lyle looked up at the dancer who had positioned herself in front of him. He looked into the face of Lily dressed in silver and sparkling in the lights. She started to sing:
You're wondering who I am - Machine or mannequin
With parts made in Japan, I am the modern woman.
I've got a secret, I've been hiding
Under my skin.
My heart is human; my blood is boiling
My brain IBM. (Lily pointed to where the chip was)
So if you see me, acting strangely
Don't be surprised.
Lily knelt down on her heels and sang straight to Lyle.
I'm just a woman who, needed someone
And somewhere to hide
To keep me alive (Lily brought her hands over her heart)- Just keep me alive.
Somewhere to hide to keep me alive.
Lily stood back up and pointed at Lyle.
I'm not a robot, without emotion
I'm not what you see.
I've come to help you, with your problems
So we can be free.
Lily brought her hands down on both sides with her palms facing out.
I'm not a hero; I'm not a savior
Forget what you know.
Lily brought her hands back up and pointed to herself with her thumb.
I'm just a woman whose, circumstances
Went beyond her control - beyond my control.
Beyond my control, (Lily shook her head no) we all need control.
Lily knelt down on her heels again.
I am the modern woman, (Lily hid behind her hands and then parted them) who hides behind a mask
So no one else can see, my true identity
Lily stood up again. She looked around the room as she sang.
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto, Domo (Domo), Domo (Domo)
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto, Domo (Domo), Domo (Domo)
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
Lily started down the steps on the side of the circular stage.
Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto for doing the jobs that nobody wants to
Lily stood next to Lyle, with Lyle looking up at her, and took his hand.
And thank you very much, Mr. Roboto for helping me escape just when I needed
to
Thank you - Thank you. Thank you.
I want to thank you, please thank you.
The problem's plain to see
Too much technology
Machine's to save our lives
(Lily let go of Lyle's hand and pointed at her head again) Machines dehumanize
Lily knelt down next to Lyle. Lyle leaned down toward Lily.
The time has come at last.
To throw away this mask.
Now everyone can see.
My true identity.
The remainder of the cast finished the dance routine they had been performing. Lily took the seat next to Lyle.
"Lily?" Lyle asked. "Is it really you?" He was trying to compare the adult face with the young girl he was beginning to remember.
"Yes. It's me." Lily answered as regular music began to fill the club again.
Lyle decided to be direct. "What is this thing in my head?" Lyle yelled above the noise of the crowd.
"It's a device that controls your anger levels. It stimulates the brain and blocks memories. Do you remember being brought into an operating pre-op when we were at the Centre?"
Lyle had a flash of making a deal with Raines and dropping off into unconsciousness. He had already had this memory, so he concentrated more on that memory and then remembered being in a surgical ward and everything was fuzzy. A nurse was prepping him for surgery. Lyle grabbed the side of his head.
Lily could see his face go pale. "The pain will subside in a minute and you'll be all right. You had a memory didn't you? I know it's painful, but it's the only way you will gain control."
Lyle grabbed the medallion. "What the hell does this thing have to do with anything?"
"It blocks the signals and interrupts the impulses. It allows your memories to come through. But the memories come with a price."
"The pain. When the device interrupts the chip, it causes pain." Lyle concluded.
"Like a sledgehammer chipping at your brain." Lily tapped her temple. "Been there, done it. But the memories are worth it. You remember him hurting us don't you? Raines played with our minds and our lives. He had no right!"
Another flash came to Lyle being programmed by Raines as a teenager. And with the flash came pain. Lyle got up from the table and backed up holding his head. "What are you doing to me? Stop it. I don't want to remember."
Lily stood up and pushed the chair back. She took him by the elbows and held him tight. "You need to know the truth. The things you have started to remember have been suppressed for years. But the time of Raines' control is over. I let you down before; I'm not going to do it again. The medallion is your link to the true you. The personality before Raines."
Lyle picked up the medallion again. "How do I know this little ditty isn't causing false memories? Maybe you're trying to bring down Raines and me. The Centre is power and I partially control that power. Someday I will control all of it!"
Lily straightened up. "The Centre is no more than a torture chamber for the Parker's. You will never control the Centre because your last name isn't Parker. Not truly Parker. Raines was cast away like a broken toy and then he threw you away."
Lyle's face changed from his cockiness. "You know Raines is my father? Did dear ole Sis tell you that?" He turned his head to hide his anger and shame, then brought it back to look at Lily. "And for your information, I wasn't thrown away. I have my position at the Centre."
"No? Did you grow up in the loving arms of your mother and sister? Did you live in the big house with Robert Parker? No. Raines stole you and sent you to the Bowman's. And we both know how much of a loving family they were. He didn't keep you and allow you to be raised with his wife and daughter." Lily could see the hurt growing on his face. "We are nothing more than experiments to him. You are better than him Bobby."
Lyle's whole demeanor dropped. "Bobby was a lifetime ago Lily. I'm no longer Bobby Bowman. Now I'm Mr. Lyle. I command respect. People jump when I say so. I have powerful connections. I will have the Centre under my control and I will show Raines."
Lily looked at Bobby with sad eyes. "You're not Mr. Lyle. That's your facade. Your adopted father's name confiscated for all the years of abuse. Yes, Parker told me what he did. She told me about the shed."
"She knows about the shed?" Shame came over him.
Lily put her hand on his shoulder. "It had to be awful. And with the chip in your head I'm sure you had allot of urges to promote vengeance. But that was Raines doing - he took you, filled you with all the anger and the resources to exact revenge. I bet it was his idea to kill your friend." Lily imitated Raines. "Friends are an unnecessary liability. Remember you decide who lives or dies."
Lyle couldn't help but chuckle. She had imitated Raines exactly. "He wheezes now though." Lily looked confused. "Raines has emphysema; he has to carry around an air tank. He wheezes now."
Lily remembered Jarod saying that Raines dragged an air tank. "OK. Next time I'll wheeze." The two laughed like they use to. "You have to stop. You're not Lyle, you're Bobby."
Lyle started pacing and yelling. "How would you know who I am? You left me behind over thirty years ago and the two of you never looked back." Lyle stopped short as the words brought to him an underlying realization. "You left me behind."
Ronnie and Joel started to approach. Lily put her hand up in a stop motion. The two stopped their advance.
Lily's eyes teared up. "I'm sorry. I did what you told me to do. I ran. If I had come back out of that vent, then I would have been caught. We found Catherine Parker's notes. I was set for termination by Raines. I was too strong willed for his testing." Now Lily was pacing. "You told me to go. You blocked the guards. So why are you so angry?"
Lyle's anger started growing. "Angelo pushed you down that vent. I saw him. He didn't even think of coming back and helping me. He could have dropped the grate on the guards. He could have come out and help me, but noooooo he..."
A light went on in Lily's brain. "You're not mad at me for leaving, you're mad at Angelo. Parker said you were always horrible to Angelo. Even when everyone around him loves him."
Lyle snapped his head. "Parker used the word love. You must have her on some heavy-duty drugs wherever you have her stashed. Enough so that she doesn't keep her mouth shut!"
"Bobby! She's only trying to help. And no she is not on any narcotics. At least not at this moment." Lily couldn't refrain from chuckling.
At first Lyle looked at her annoyed and then thought about it. "So you couldn't stand her incessant nipping either huh? She's like a little Chihuahua. Always at your heels. Made you rethink the whole kidnapping thing didn't it?" Even Lyle chuckled.
Lily smiled at seeing Bobby smile. "She's not that bad - she's your sister." She paused. "No matter what the situation, we have always been able to make each other laugh. Even when things were at their darkest."
Lyle shook his head. "What are we doing here Lily? I don't think either of us came to take a walk down Memory Lane."
"I wanted to give you a chance to prove to me that you weren't the person they say you were. That there was a speck of the person I knew...and cared for."
Lyle's face was solemn. "I can't care for anyone. I haven't in a long time. Not since you left...."
Lily's eyes grew big and her face changed to pure anger. "You set me up! You are the person they told me you were."
Lyle turned in the direction Lily had been looking at. He saw Raines and two Sweepers coming into the club and began to make their way across the room. He turned back around to explain that he had no idea how Raines found them. "I didn't bring them..." But she was gone. He searched over the heads of the crowd to see that Lily had been enveloped by the crowd. "Lily!" He screamed. Suddenly Lyle caught a glimpse of Lily and two others exiting the room opposite Raines.
Raines spotted her too. Lyle, Raines, and the Sweepers all started for the door. But the crowd seemed to have become a human brick wall.
"Lily wait!" Lyle screamed pushing his way through the crowd.
Raines was having trouble getting his oxygen tank through the crowd. Sweepers were tossing people aside.
Lyle, seeing the Sweeper Team advancing, pushed his way faster through the crowd. He ran through the doorway; spotted stairs to his right and a door straight ahead. He heard a noise above him and chose the stairway. He started running up the steps two at a time.
As Lyle disappeared onto the second floor stairwell, the Sweepers entered and started to follow.
*************************
The hardest thing to know in a game is...
Who are friends and who are foes.
And sometimes the line is blurry.
Who will be an enemy in the end?
Disclaimer: All the Pretender characters are the sole property of "The Pretender" creators Steve Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle. All other characters are created by the author of this work with no correlation to anyone living or deceased. The song Mr. Roboto is also the sole property of the group Styx. This written work is produced solely for recreational purposes, to honor "The Pretender" series and to entertain its fans.
The Game has entered it's final phase.
The Players have positioned themselves.
Will the answers they seek be found?
Only they will be able to tell.
*************************
A waitress came and asked him if he wanted a drink. Lyle ordered and the waitress brought him a seven and seven. Lyle surveyed the crowd looking for Lily, but couldn't spot her. The crowd was dancing to the song "I Will Survive." Just as he was wondering whether Lily had sent him on a wild goose chase, the lights went down in the club.
The stage lights lit up and there were dancers posed in various positions on the stage. The performers were dressed in silver jumpsuits constructed in various designs. The music started and the main vocalist started to sing. It was the song Mr. Roboto by Styx.
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
Mata ah-oo Hima de
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
Himitsu wo Shiri Tai
The dancers danced around the stage, some positioning themselves on the smaller circular stages. The lights were flashing and flickering with techno precision. Lyle looked up at the dancer who had positioned herself in front of him. He looked into the face of Lily dressed in silver and sparkling in the lights. She started to sing:
You're wondering who I am - Machine or mannequin
With parts made in Japan, I am the modern woman.
I've got a secret, I've been hiding
Under my skin.
My heart is human; my blood is boiling
My brain IBM. (Lily pointed to where the chip was)
So if you see me, acting strangely
Don't be surprised.
Lily knelt down on her heels and sang straight to Lyle.
I'm just a woman who, needed someone
And somewhere to hide
To keep me alive (Lily brought her hands over her heart)- Just keep me alive.
Somewhere to hide to keep me alive.
Lily stood back up and pointed at Lyle.
I'm not a robot, without emotion
I'm not what you see.
I've come to help you, with your problems
So we can be free.
Lily brought her hands down on both sides with her palms facing out.
I'm not a hero; I'm not a savior
Forget what you know.
Lily brought her hands back up and pointed to herself with her thumb.
I'm just a woman whose, circumstances
Went beyond her control - beyond my control.
Beyond my control, (Lily shook her head no) we all need control.
Lily knelt down on her heels again.
I am the modern woman, (Lily hid behind her hands and then parted them) who hides behind a mask
So no one else can see, my true identity
Lily stood up again. She looked around the room as she sang.
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto, Domo (Domo), Domo (Domo)
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto, Domo (Domo), Domo (Domo)
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
Lily started down the steps on the side of the circular stage.
Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto for doing the jobs that nobody wants to
Lily stood next to Lyle, with Lyle looking up at her, and took his hand.
And thank you very much, Mr. Roboto for helping me escape just when I needed
to
Thank you - Thank you. Thank you.
I want to thank you, please thank you.
The problem's plain to see
Too much technology
Machine's to save our lives
(Lily let go of Lyle's hand and pointed at her head again) Machines dehumanize
Lily knelt down next to Lyle. Lyle leaned down toward Lily.
The time has come at last.
To throw away this mask.
Now everyone can see.
My true identity.
The remainder of the cast finished the dance routine they had been performing. Lily took the seat next to Lyle.
"Lily?" Lyle asked. "Is it really you?" He was trying to compare the adult face with the young girl he was beginning to remember.
"Yes. It's me." Lily answered as regular music began to fill the club again.
Lyle decided to be direct. "What is this thing in my head?" Lyle yelled above the noise of the crowd.
"It's a device that controls your anger levels. It stimulates the brain and blocks memories. Do you remember being brought into an operating pre-op when we were at the Centre?"
Lyle had a flash of making a deal with Raines and dropping off into unconsciousness. He had already had this memory, so he concentrated more on that memory and then remembered being in a surgical ward and everything was fuzzy. A nurse was prepping him for surgery. Lyle grabbed the side of his head.
Lily could see his face go pale. "The pain will subside in a minute and you'll be all right. You had a memory didn't you? I know it's painful, but it's the only way you will gain control."
Lyle grabbed the medallion. "What the hell does this thing have to do with anything?"
"It blocks the signals and interrupts the impulses. It allows your memories to come through. But the memories come with a price."
"The pain. When the device interrupts the chip, it causes pain." Lyle concluded.
"Like a sledgehammer chipping at your brain." Lily tapped her temple. "Been there, done it. But the memories are worth it. You remember him hurting us don't you? Raines played with our minds and our lives. He had no right!"
Another flash came to Lyle being programmed by Raines as a teenager. And with the flash came pain. Lyle got up from the table and backed up holding his head. "What are you doing to me? Stop it. I don't want to remember."
Lily stood up and pushed the chair back. She took him by the elbows and held him tight. "You need to know the truth. The things you have started to remember have been suppressed for years. But the time of Raines' control is over. I let you down before; I'm not going to do it again. The medallion is your link to the true you. The personality before Raines."
Lyle picked up the medallion again. "How do I know this little ditty isn't causing false memories? Maybe you're trying to bring down Raines and me. The Centre is power and I partially control that power. Someday I will control all of it!"
Lily straightened up. "The Centre is no more than a torture chamber for the Parker's. You will never control the Centre because your last name isn't Parker. Not truly Parker. Raines was cast away like a broken toy and then he threw you away."
Lyle's face changed from his cockiness. "You know Raines is my father? Did dear ole Sis tell you that?" He turned his head to hide his anger and shame, then brought it back to look at Lily. "And for your information, I wasn't thrown away. I have my position at the Centre."
"No? Did you grow up in the loving arms of your mother and sister? Did you live in the big house with Robert Parker? No. Raines stole you and sent you to the Bowman's. And we both know how much of a loving family they were. He didn't keep you and allow you to be raised with his wife and daughter." Lily could see the hurt growing on his face. "We are nothing more than experiments to him. You are better than him Bobby."
Lyle's whole demeanor dropped. "Bobby was a lifetime ago Lily. I'm no longer Bobby Bowman. Now I'm Mr. Lyle. I command respect. People jump when I say so. I have powerful connections. I will have the Centre under my control and I will show Raines."
Lily looked at Bobby with sad eyes. "You're not Mr. Lyle. That's your facade. Your adopted father's name confiscated for all the years of abuse. Yes, Parker told me what he did. She told me about the shed."
"She knows about the shed?" Shame came over him.
Lily put her hand on his shoulder. "It had to be awful. And with the chip in your head I'm sure you had allot of urges to promote vengeance. But that was Raines doing - he took you, filled you with all the anger and the resources to exact revenge. I bet it was his idea to kill your friend." Lily imitated Raines. "Friends are an unnecessary liability. Remember you decide who lives or dies."
Lyle couldn't help but chuckle. She had imitated Raines exactly. "He wheezes now though." Lily looked confused. "Raines has emphysema; he has to carry around an air tank. He wheezes now."
Lily remembered Jarod saying that Raines dragged an air tank. "OK. Next time I'll wheeze." The two laughed like they use to. "You have to stop. You're not Lyle, you're Bobby."
Lyle started pacing and yelling. "How would you know who I am? You left me behind over thirty years ago and the two of you never looked back." Lyle stopped short as the words brought to him an underlying realization. "You left me behind."
Ronnie and Joel started to approach. Lily put her hand up in a stop motion. The two stopped their advance.
Lily's eyes teared up. "I'm sorry. I did what you told me to do. I ran. If I had come back out of that vent, then I would have been caught. We found Catherine Parker's notes. I was set for termination by Raines. I was too strong willed for his testing." Now Lily was pacing. "You told me to go. You blocked the guards. So why are you so angry?"
Lyle's anger started growing. "Angelo pushed you down that vent. I saw him. He didn't even think of coming back and helping me. He could have dropped the grate on the guards. He could have come out and help me, but noooooo he..."
A light went on in Lily's brain. "You're not mad at me for leaving, you're mad at Angelo. Parker said you were always horrible to Angelo. Even when everyone around him loves him."
Lyle snapped his head. "Parker used the word love. You must have her on some heavy-duty drugs wherever you have her stashed. Enough so that she doesn't keep her mouth shut!"
"Bobby! She's only trying to help. And no she is not on any narcotics. At least not at this moment." Lily couldn't refrain from chuckling.
At first Lyle looked at her annoyed and then thought about it. "So you couldn't stand her incessant nipping either huh? She's like a little Chihuahua. Always at your heels. Made you rethink the whole kidnapping thing didn't it?" Even Lyle chuckled.
Lily smiled at seeing Bobby smile. "She's not that bad - she's your sister." She paused. "No matter what the situation, we have always been able to make each other laugh. Even when things were at their darkest."
Lyle shook his head. "What are we doing here Lily? I don't think either of us came to take a walk down Memory Lane."
"I wanted to give you a chance to prove to me that you weren't the person they say you were. That there was a speck of the person I knew...and cared for."
Lyle's face was solemn. "I can't care for anyone. I haven't in a long time. Not since you left...."
Lily's eyes grew big and her face changed to pure anger. "You set me up! You are the person they told me you were."
Lyle turned in the direction Lily had been looking at. He saw Raines and two Sweepers coming into the club and began to make their way across the room. He turned back around to explain that he had no idea how Raines found them. "I didn't bring them..." But she was gone. He searched over the heads of the crowd to see that Lily had been enveloped by the crowd. "Lily!" He screamed. Suddenly Lyle caught a glimpse of Lily and two others exiting the room opposite Raines.
Raines spotted her too. Lyle, Raines, and the Sweepers all started for the door. But the crowd seemed to have become a human brick wall.
"Lily wait!" Lyle screamed pushing his way through the crowd.
Raines was having trouble getting his oxygen tank through the crowd. Sweepers were tossing people aside.
Lyle, seeing the Sweeper Team advancing, pushed his way faster through the crowd. He ran through the doorway; spotted stairs to his right and a door straight ahead. He heard a noise above him and chose the stairway. He started running up the steps two at a time.
As Lyle disappeared onto the second floor stairwell, the Sweepers entered and started to follow.
*************************
The hardest thing to know in a game is...
Who are friends and who are foes.
And sometimes the line is blurry.
Who will be an enemy in the end?
Disclaimer: All the Pretender characters are the sole property of "The Pretender" creators Steve Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle. All other characters are created by the author of this work with no correlation to anyone living or deceased. The song Mr. Roboto is also the sole property of the group Styx. This written work is produced solely for recreational purposes, to honor "The Pretender" series and to entertain its fans.