Disclaimer: Ok, The Centre, Jarod, Miss Parker, Broots, Sydney, Lyle, etc: They all belong to somebody else. Fox, I believe, at the moment. I wrote this because I like the show and I was super-pissed when they took it off the air for a while. I hope you enjoy it, becaus ei am not getting any money for this, and I hope I at least get somebody to enjoy my little hobby, besides me. Anyway, READ PART ONE FIRST! You'll be somewhat confused if you don't. Ready, set.... GO!
Let Be There A Light
Part 2
By Tchabu
Sarah stood on the balcony of the hotel, watching the first sunrise she
had ever seen. The sky was gloriously aflame in a wash of colors;
lavenders, oranges, and roses all mixed together into an immense watercolor
painting. As she took in the gorgeous scene, she mulled over the past few
days of her life.
Less than a week before, she had decided that it was time for her to leave the Centre. The girl had been furious to find that her Sims had been used to track down an innocent man, and she had vowed never to help the Centre again. Shortly thereafter, she and Jarod, the man she had helped to bring in, escaped. Sarah felt so guilty of what she had, in her mind, done to him, that she knew she had to make it up to him. That is she had helped him to get out of that glorified prison.
Then, just the previous night, she had found a package addressed to herself in a safe deposit box. Inside were a photograph, a golden pendant that she now wore on a chain around her neck, and a letter that she had known would explain who she was. Sarah pulled the piece of paper out of her pocket, unfolded it, and read it once more in the early morning light:
You are reading this because you are now old enough to understand what we have to tell you. First of all, your father and I love you very much, but we couldn't raise you. You see, it would not have been safe for you. When you were born, your father and I were overjoyed because we had thought we were too old to have any more children. As you grew, we realized you would someday be what is called a Pretender. Pretenders are people who can become anybody on earth. They can learn how they think, what they feel, and take up any occupation they wish. It is a trait that runs in our family, and you have two older brothers who are also Pretenders.
However, there is a corporation called the Centre that takes young Pretenders to use as they please. The Centre took both of your brothers, Kyle and Jarod, from us when they were very small. At the time I am writing this, we haven't seen either of them for over fifteen years.
We didn't want you to be taken away from us, too, so we had to give you up to another family who we knew would keep you safe. It was a terribly hard decision for us to make, but we know that the Centre is watching us and will never leave us alone.
I hope that someday we will be able to meet you and get to know you. Your father and I both miss and love you very much, and we are so sorry that we couldn't bring you up ourselves.
It was signed, simply, "Your Mother," in the same beautiful hand that the letter was written in. She had had to read the letter several times, and the reality of it all was just now beginning to sink in. As she replaced the paper to her pocket, Sarah thought about Jarod's reaction. Just as with her, the contents had been so surprising that he'd been nearly speechless.
From his facial expression, it had been impossible to tell whether he was pleased with the news or not. The girl worried that she, as a sister, was a disappointment to him.
Sarah was still gazing at the perfect morning when she heard the glass door slide open and shut behind her. Without turning, she spoke to her older brother.
"Is there anything more beautiful, Jarod?" he asked, referring to the sunrise. She glanced at him, and the smile on his face quickly removed all doubts from her mind.
"I don't think so, little sister," he replied. Glancing at her, he added, "You look exactly like my photo of our mother." He handed her the picture he always carried. Sarah studied it. He was right; it was like looking into a mirror. They had the same deep, bright blue eyes and brilliant red hair.
"What do you know about our family... big brother?" she queried, trying out the last phrase somewhat hesitantly, and deciding she like the sound of it.
"Not a whole lot," he admitted. "I know our father's name is Major Charles, but I have no idea what our surname is. Kyle, our brother, was a few years younger than me, and under Raines' control for most of his life. He was being trained as an assassin. After he was supposedly released, they kept him in a cell down in Sub-Level-27." At this comment, Sarah looked away, remembering how Raines had treated her. She wondered how well her brother had held up under it. "He got out, though," Jarod continued, "and we met each other. He and I started to work together to find Mom and Dad. The two of us were trying to help a family out, when Lyle murdered him." As he spoke, Sarah could see him struggling to keep his expression calm. Nevertheless, she knew what he was thinking: that he would have dearly loved to meet an unarmed Lyle, alone, in a dark alley. Of course she understood. She hated Lyle as well, for the brutal murder of her adopted parents. He had gleefully killed them, and then threatened to do horrific things to anybody she chose to tell the truth to.
"Is that all he lives for?" she asked angrily. "To ruin other peoples' lives?"
"I don't know," Jarod answered truthfully.
********
The phone rang.
"This is Sydney," he stated clearly into the mouthpiece.
"Hello, Sydney," said a familiar voice.
"Jarod! I expected you to call much earlier," Sydney said, gently scolding his charge. "Eight months is a long time. How are you two?"
"As well as anybody involved with the Centre ever can be. By the way," he said sarcastically, "how are all of my dear old friends at the Centre?"
"Some better than others." Sydney smiled indulgently. "You should have seen Raines' face when he was informed that not only had you escaped again, but you had taken Sarah with you." He paused. "Why did you take her with you?"
"It was more the other way around," Jarod replied.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
"Eat lunch," Jarod said, purposefully misunderstanding his friend.
"Jarod, you know what I men. You can't possibly expect to raise a 14-year-old girl." Sydney looked up to see Miss Parker stalk into the room.
"It's not that simple, Sydney. Blood is thicker than water."
Knowing what was coming, Sydney quickly exclaimed, "Jarod, please don't hang-" he was too late, "up."
"So," Miss Parker said, "what are those annoying little guinea pigs up to? Any ideas on why he just picked some kid to take with him?"
"When I asked him why he took Sarah with him, Jarod said it was the other way around."
"Great. And how does he expect to take care of a teenage girl, Pretender or not?"
"He said that 'blood is thicker than water.'"
"Now, what the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked, growing quickly impatient.
"We will just have to wait and see, Parker," Sydney said philosophically. "Jarod will let us know when it is time."
"Damn it, Sydney, I can't be patient much longer. We'd been chasing your Pretender for two years, then, when we finally catch him, he disappears again. Only this time, he takes another one with him!"
"Parker, do you know what Sarah did while she was her?"
"Well, I assume she Pretended. After all, that was what she was here for, wasn't it?"
"At first, she simmed whatever Raines had her do. But when Jarod escaped, she was reassigned as a joint project. She was now to become Jarod." Sydney could see that Parker was intrigued, as she ordered and aide to go find Broots and send him to her. He continued. "Half of her time was spent with Raines, being him and trying to find him, and the other half was spent with me, completing sims Jarod had already done." He smiled again, remembering her work. "Sarah is so talented. At eleven years old, she was working on harder sims than Jarod ever did. I never saw one that she couldn't complete in less than twenty-four hours. In fact, it was one of Sarah's leads that brought us to Jarod.
"After Jarod was brought back in, Raines took Sarah to see the man she had helped to bring in. Apparently, it was a huge mistake. She became very angry and upset. There must have been something about him that told her he wasn't the dangerous man Raines had made him out to be."
"Did they ever actually meet?" Parker probed.
"No. Jarod couldn't have known she existed."
Broots entered, just as Miss Parker was saying, "We can't get to the bottom of this until we know why she went with him."
"You wanted to see me, Miss Parker?" he said.
"Yes, Broots. I want you to find out everything you can about the Pretender called Sarah. I want to know where she was born, who her parents were, and anything that can tell us why she is gone, too."
"I'll get right on it," Broots said.
********
Sarah was making her bed and singing softly when Jarod quietly poked his head into her room. She didn't notice him, so he remained silent. They were in the small, yet comfortable, two-bedroom apartment they had lived in for the past two months. After nearly eight months of freedom and lying-low, Jarod was noticing a change in his little sister. At first, she had been somewhat edgy, but now, she was more mature and much more at ease with her surroundings. He was pleased with her progress; he still hadn't quite adjusted to freedom. Just goes to show how kids bounce back from things, he thought.
"You have a beautiful voice," he said with a smile, "but why are you singing 'O Holy Night' in August?"
She blushed slightly at the praise, but returned a flashing grin as she said, "It's the first song I ever learned. I heard it plying once in Sydney's office, when I was in the vents with Angelo. Even after learning so many more songs, it's still one of my favorites." Jarod had soon found out that most of the time Sarah hadn't been simming was spent crawling around in the ventilation system. He was glad that she had found a friend in him, and sometimes suspected that a little of his gift for empathy had worn off on her.
"How is Sydney?" she asked, trying to change the subject. Jarod was amazed. This was one of those times.
"He's doing well. But, how did you know I'd spoken to him?"
Sarah laughed at her big brother's surprise. Then she became a little more serious. "Actually, I don't know. I guess there are some things I just sort of understand." Jarod could see that she was uncomfortable, so this time, he changed the subject.
"What do you think about going to school, little sister? It starts in a few weeks."
She thought for a few moments, then the smile returned to her face. "I would love to."
"Are you sure? All of the work will be very simple for you, even if you are enrolled above your grade level, and there might be times when we have to leave suddenly and not come back. I don't want you to be disappointed if that happens."
"I know. I just want to meet some kids my own age, though."
"Great," her big brother said enthusiastically.
********
"Here you go, Miss Parker," Broots said, laying a file on her desk. As she scanned through the information, Broots gave Sydney a summary of what he had found. "There is no record of Sarah before she was about two years old. When she was still really young, she was the only witness to the murder of her parents. After that, she was passed around through various foster homes. The last one was abusive."
"I remember when she was brought in here," Sydney remarked. "Sarah thought that we were social workers, coming to take her to a new foster home.
"What I want to know," Parker interrupted, "is why nobody heard of this kid when she was a baby."
"That is pretty odd," Broots admitted.
"Well, you'd better figure it out, then," she said.
Let Be There A Light
Part 2
By Tchabu
Sarah stood on the balcony of the hotel, watching the first sunrise she
had ever seen. The sky was gloriously aflame in a wash of colors;
lavenders, oranges, and roses all mixed together into an immense watercolor
painting. As she took in the gorgeous scene, she mulled over the past few
days of her life.
Less than a week before, she had decided that it was time for her to leave the Centre. The girl had been furious to find that her Sims had been used to track down an innocent man, and she had vowed never to help the Centre again. Shortly thereafter, she and Jarod, the man she had helped to bring in, escaped. Sarah felt so guilty of what she had, in her mind, done to him, that she knew she had to make it up to him. That is she had helped him to get out of that glorified prison.
Then, just the previous night, she had found a package addressed to herself in a safe deposit box. Inside were a photograph, a golden pendant that she now wore on a chain around her neck, and a letter that she had known would explain who she was. Sarah pulled the piece of paper out of her pocket, unfolded it, and read it once more in the early morning light:
You are reading this because you are now old enough to understand what we have to tell you. First of all, your father and I love you very much, but we couldn't raise you. You see, it would not have been safe for you. When you were born, your father and I were overjoyed because we had thought we were too old to have any more children. As you grew, we realized you would someday be what is called a Pretender. Pretenders are people who can become anybody on earth. They can learn how they think, what they feel, and take up any occupation they wish. It is a trait that runs in our family, and you have two older brothers who are also Pretenders.
However, there is a corporation called the Centre that takes young Pretenders to use as they please. The Centre took both of your brothers, Kyle and Jarod, from us when they were very small. At the time I am writing this, we haven't seen either of them for over fifteen years.
We didn't want you to be taken away from us, too, so we had to give you up to another family who we knew would keep you safe. It was a terribly hard decision for us to make, but we know that the Centre is watching us and will never leave us alone.
I hope that someday we will be able to meet you and get to know you. Your father and I both miss and love you very much, and we are so sorry that we couldn't bring you up ourselves.
It was signed, simply, "Your Mother," in the same beautiful hand that the letter was written in. She had had to read the letter several times, and the reality of it all was just now beginning to sink in. As she replaced the paper to her pocket, Sarah thought about Jarod's reaction. Just as with her, the contents had been so surprising that he'd been nearly speechless.
From his facial expression, it had been impossible to tell whether he was pleased with the news or not. The girl worried that she, as a sister, was a disappointment to him.
Sarah was still gazing at the perfect morning when she heard the glass door slide open and shut behind her. Without turning, she spoke to her older brother.
"Is there anything more beautiful, Jarod?" he asked, referring to the sunrise. She glanced at him, and the smile on his face quickly removed all doubts from her mind.
"I don't think so, little sister," he replied. Glancing at her, he added, "You look exactly like my photo of our mother." He handed her the picture he always carried. Sarah studied it. He was right; it was like looking into a mirror. They had the same deep, bright blue eyes and brilliant red hair.
"What do you know about our family... big brother?" she queried, trying out the last phrase somewhat hesitantly, and deciding she like the sound of it.
"Not a whole lot," he admitted. "I know our father's name is Major Charles, but I have no idea what our surname is. Kyle, our brother, was a few years younger than me, and under Raines' control for most of his life. He was being trained as an assassin. After he was supposedly released, they kept him in a cell down in Sub-Level-27." At this comment, Sarah looked away, remembering how Raines had treated her. She wondered how well her brother had held up under it. "He got out, though," Jarod continued, "and we met each other. He and I started to work together to find Mom and Dad. The two of us were trying to help a family out, when Lyle murdered him." As he spoke, Sarah could see him struggling to keep his expression calm. Nevertheless, she knew what he was thinking: that he would have dearly loved to meet an unarmed Lyle, alone, in a dark alley. Of course she understood. She hated Lyle as well, for the brutal murder of her adopted parents. He had gleefully killed them, and then threatened to do horrific things to anybody she chose to tell the truth to.
"Is that all he lives for?" she asked angrily. "To ruin other peoples' lives?"
"I don't know," Jarod answered truthfully.
********
The phone rang.
"This is Sydney," he stated clearly into the mouthpiece.
"Hello, Sydney," said a familiar voice.
"Jarod! I expected you to call much earlier," Sydney said, gently scolding his charge. "Eight months is a long time. How are you two?"
"As well as anybody involved with the Centre ever can be. By the way," he said sarcastically, "how are all of my dear old friends at the Centre?"
"Some better than others." Sydney smiled indulgently. "You should have seen Raines' face when he was informed that not only had you escaped again, but you had taken Sarah with you." He paused. "Why did you take her with you?"
"It was more the other way around," Jarod replied.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
"Eat lunch," Jarod said, purposefully misunderstanding his friend.
"Jarod, you know what I men. You can't possibly expect to raise a 14-year-old girl." Sydney looked up to see Miss Parker stalk into the room.
"It's not that simple, Sydney. Blood is thicker than water."
Knowing what was coming, Sydney quickly exclaimed, "Jarod, please don't hang-" he was too late, "up."
"So," Miss Parker said, "what are those annoying little guinea pigs up to? Any ideas on why he just picked some kid to take with him?"
"When I asked him why he took Sarah with him, Jarod said it was the other way around."
"Great. And how does he expect to take care of a teenage girl, Pretender or not?"
"He said that 'blood is thicker than water.'"
"Now, what the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked, growing quickly impatient.
"We will just have to wait and see, Parker," Sydney said philosophically. "Jarod will let us know when it is time."
"Damn it, Sydney, I can't be patient much longer. We'd been chasing your Pretender for two years, then, when we finally catch him, he disappears again. Only this time, he takes another one with him!"
"Parker, do you know what Sarah did while she was her?"
"Well, I assume she Pretended. After all, that was what she was here for, wasn't it?"
"At first, she simmed whatever Raines had her do. But when Jarod escaped, she was reassigned as a joint project. She was now to become Jarod." Sydney could see that Parker was intrigued, as she ordered and aide to go find Broots and send him to her. He continued. "Half of her time was spent with Raines, being him and trying to find him, and the other half was spent with me, completing sims Jarod had already done." He smiled again, remembering her work. "Sarah is so talented. At eleven years old, she was working on harder sims than Jarod ever did. I never saw one that she couldn't complete in less than twenty-four hours. In fact, it was one of Sarah's leads that brought us to Jarod.
"After Jarod was brought back in, Raines took Sarah to see the man she had helped to bring in. Apparently, it was a huge mistake. She became very angry and upset. There must have been something about him that told her he wasn't the dangerous man Raines had made him out to be."
"Did they ever actually meet?" Parker probed.
"No. Jarod couldn't have known she existed."
Broots entered, just as Miss Parker was saying, "We can't get to the bottom of this until we know why she went with him."
"You wanted to see me, Miss Parker?" he said.
"Yes, Broots. I want you to find out everything you can about the Pretender called Sarah. I want to know where she was born, who her parents were, and anything that can tell us why she is gone, too."
"I'll get right on it," Broots said.
********
Sarah was making her bed and singing softly when Jarod quietly poked his head into her room. She didn't notice him, so he remained silent. They were in the small, yet comfortable, two-bedroom apartment they had lived in for the past two months. After nearly eight months of freedom and lying-low, Jarod was noticing a change in his little sister. At first, she had been somewhat edgy, but now, she was more mature and much more at ease with her surroundings. He was pleased with her progress; he still hadn't quite adjusted to freedom. Just goes to show how kids bounce back from things, he thought.
"You have a beautiful voice," he said with a smile, "but why are you singing 'O Holy Night' in August?"
She blushed slightly at the praise, but returned a flashing grin as she said, "It's the first song I ever learned. I heard it plying once in Sydney's office, when I was in the vents with Angelo. Even after learning so many more songs, it's still one of my favorites." Jarod had soon found out that most of the time Sarah hadn't been simming was spent crawling around in the ventilation system. He was glad that she had found a friend in him, and sometimes suspected that a little of his gift for empathy had worn off on her.
"How is Sydney?" she asked, trying to change the subject. Jarod was amazed. This was one of those times.
"He's doing well. But, how did you know I'd spoken to him?"
Sarah laughed at her big brother's surprise. Then she became a little more serious. "Actually, I don't know. I guess there are some things I just sort of understand." Jarod could see that she was uncomfortable, so this time, he changed the subject.
"What do you think about going to school, little sister? It starts in a few weeks."
She thought for a few moments, then the smile returned to her face. "I would love to."
"Are you sure? All of the work will be very simple for you, even if you are enrolled above your grade level, and there might be times when we have to leave suddenly and not come back. I don't want you to be disappointed if that happens."
"I know. I just want to meet some kids my own age, though."
"Great," her big brother said enthusiastically.
********
"Here you go, Miss Parker," Broots said, laying a file on her desk. As she scanned through the information, Broots gave Sydney a summary of what he had found. "There is no record of Sarah before she was about two years old. When she was still really young, she was the only witness to the murder of her parents. After that, she was passed around through various foster homes. The last one was abusive."
"I remember when she was brought in here," Sydney remarked. "Sarah thought that we were social workers, coming to take her to a new foster home.
"What I want to know," Parker interrupted, "is why nobody heard of this kid when she was a baby."
"That is pretty odd," Broots admitted.
"Well, you'd better figure it out, then," she said.
