[Authors Note: Blah blah blah... i don't own the characters of THE PRETENDER; they are owned by Van Sickle and Mitchell and company... But the words of this story are my own and so is Riley...So back off! thank you...]
Project Unity
by Lichelle
Miss Parker's attention was diverted from Broot's report on Jarod's last breadcrumb. She couldn't help but notice Lyle standing in front of his office being approached by Willie, Mr. Raines sweeper. Something was happening, and she hated being kept out of the loop. She turned to Broots.
"Find out what's going on with our mysterious Mr. Lyle," she said through a puff of her cigarette.
Confused, Broots could only nod.
_________________________________
Lyle was just getting to the Centre when Willie gave him the news about Riley. He didn't even make it to his office, and Riley was already getting into trouble.
"Mr. Lyle," Willie said slightly out of breath. "I got here as quickly as I could."
"Yeah. What is it?" Lyle said not sure about what was going on.
"It's Riley. She's escaped."
"What?! Dammit! Not again," Lyle said upset. " Raines must be pissed."
"He is, Sir. Do you want to sound the alarm?"
"No," Lyle said now starting to walk towards surveillance. "This project is confidential. I don't want my annoying older sister to be breathing down my neck trying to find out about Riley."
"Where's Raines?"
"He's in surveillance."
"That's where I'm headed."
Mr. Raines was already looking through the surveillance tapes from the night before when Lyle walked in.
"I'm glad that you finally decided to join us," Raines said with a wheeze.
"Gimme a break. I just got here. What'd you get from the tapes?" Lyle said to Raines.
"There's nothing here," Raines said with disappointment. "She's in her space one second and the next she's gone. How could -"
"There! There she is!" Willie interrupted Mr. Raines when he saw Riley on surveillance from the night before.
"Great! She's out of the Centre," Raines said now furious. It showed Riley exiting the Centre from the front door.
"She couldn't have gone far," Lyle was trying to reassure Raines and himself. "She wouldn't."
"How could you be so sure?"
"I just know. Get some sweepers and search the entire perimeter of the Centre. I want every rock over turned and not an inch over looked. Find her," Lyle instructed. "And, guys, you know the rules with Riley. Don't hurt her. When you find her, contact me over the radio. Remember, not a word to anyone." With that over a dozen sweepers began to search for Riley.
______________________________
It was already morning, and Riley knew they would be searching for her soon. She knew she was in trouble, but the night before was so incredible that it made up for any punishment. The first time she escaped the Centre was when she was ten. Since then, they had locked up the air vent she had gone through.
Truth is, she had been going in and out of the Centre since the age of eight. But it was when she escaped at the age of ten that she got caught. Since then, getting out of the Centre was a lot harder, but that only meant more fun.
Now fourteen, Riley was well aware about the things going on in the Centre, and she knew even more about the people in the massive building. She almost knew every inch of the place. Keyword being ALMOST.
Last night was undoubtedly the best night Riley could remember. With help from Angelo, she got hold of a high access card that she used to get out of her room. She had configured the timing of the surveillance cameras perfectly, but the cameras taping for the DSAs couldn't be avoided.
She hid in the shadows when the cameras came back towards her. She traveled through the air vent by the elevator until she reached the elevator shaft. She climbed up a ladder twenty-two feet to get to the main floor. She got there just in time for the security guard at the front desk to leave to change shifts. Between 12:35-12:40 A.M.- five minutes exactly. Using the access card, she walked right out the front door without anyone even noticing. A perfect plan.
As soon as she stopped outside into the fresh air, Riley felt total euphoria. She walked over to the big fountain beautiful and flowing. She spent the night's hours dancing and strolling around the fountain with a child's innocence.
The acme hour of her night was the moment it turned to day. Minutes before sunrise, she left the fountain to walk along the water's edge. She watched the sun rise with all of its magnificence and brightness warming her heart. She stood there for what she thought was an eternity just feeling the sun's warmth on her skin.
Even though she stayed up all through the night, she found herself restless. Restless at the thought of confinement. Her mind restlessly taking all her surroundings. The tranquility. The warmth. The world outside Centre walls. She found herself walking once more staring out into the water. She wondered what was on the other end of the perpetual stretch of water. She wondered if she would ever get to see it.
So there she was in her own little world. Standing. Staring. Dreaming.
____________________________
Willie was the first to spot Riley standing at the waterfront staring at something only she could see. He motioned for the other sweepers to surround her on the other sides. He radioed Mr. Lyle telling him Riley's location.
"Get her, and bring her to my office. I'll meet you there," Lyle told Willie.
"Riley!" Willie yelled out to her prepared to run after her, but she didn't even flinch.
"Hey, Willie!" she yelled back without turning around. She recognized the familiar voice.
"What are you doing out here?" he said now closer with a caring tone.
"I needed some fresh air is all."
"Is that all?" he said now right by her. He motioned the other sweepers to stand down.
"Yup," she said absorbing in as much of the spectacular sight before her as she could. "Do we have to go in right this minute? I really do love it out here."
"You know I have to take you back in," Willie now had his arm around her. "Your brother is waiting for you in his office."
"Is my dad here?"
"I'm here so you know he's here. He's mad too."
"Don't ruin the moment Willie."
"Thought I already did," he said with a smile.
"At least it was you who is bringing me in, and not one of those trigger-happy rookies."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Lyle as standing outside his office doors when we got there. By the look on his face, he wasn't too much of a happy camper.
"Ly-" Riley started to say but was cut off.
"You know what? I don't want to hear it. I'm furious at you right now. Go in my office, and stay in there! If I see you out of it, you'll really be in for it. Now I have to talk to your father about your punishment, and I won't like it because I really hate to see you in trouble. What can I do? Trouble comes to you as if you were a magnet," Lyle was screaming at me in front of his office.
"Sorry?" It was all she could say.
"Sorry?! I don't believe this! Get in there," Lyle said as he locked Riley in his office. Then he and Willie went to go see her father, Mr. Raines.
_____________________________________
Miss Parker was on the other side of the hall watching Lyle and Willie walk away. Broots came up to her with news about Lyle's new endeavor.
"What do have for me?" Miss Parker asked him.
"You know Paul? The new cleaner with the glass eye?"
"I haven't had the pleasure. Get to the point."
"Well, Paul was telling me that he heard about some Project Unity. I looked that up on the Centre database, but there was no record of a Project Unity. On Mr. Lyle's computer, though," Broots had said.
"Wait a minute. You were on Lyle's computer?" asked Miss Parker with surprise.
"I figured you'd make me do it anyways. Since it was inevitable, I figured I'd get it done while Mr. Lyle was out of his office."
"There is a rebel somewhere in that dorky body of yours."
"Anyways, when I entered in Project Unity, there was an extensive report on a girl named Riley."
"Do you have the files?"
"I couldn't. Mr. Lyle started to come, and I barely got out while he was walking towards Willie. But I do know that Ril-"
"Hold on, Broots," Miss Parker now was distracted.
Miss Parker walked over to the railing, and looked towards Lyle's office where she saw a young girl coming out of his office. She walked out cautiously but without hesitation. She watched the girl of about fourteen years of age slip slyly into Miss Parker's own office.
"What is it, Miss Parker?" Broots asked.
"Riley."
Miss Parker started walking towards her office to see what it was that Riley was up to. Broots followed. There she was young and innocent sitting behind Miss Parker's desk staring at a picture of her mother. When Broots and Miss Parker walked in, Riley didn't look up or take notice of their presence.
"Riley?" Broots asked Miss Parker.
"One and only," Riley told him. She got up and walked towards Miss Parker. "These are bad for you," she said as she took the cigarette from her and took a long drag herself.
"You smoke?" Parker asked.
"Not officially." Then she put it out.
"What are you doing in here?"
"I wanted to see her. You know, a real picture. I see her in my head all the time, but I wanted to see her as a person."
"Who?" Miss Parker was completely oblivious to whom she was talking about.
"You know this tough girl facade you set up for yourself may fool him," Riley nodded towards Broots, "but it doesn't fool me. You miss her, but for a reason that I can't figure out, you won't let her in."
"Who?" Miss Parker was now annoyed.
"Where is she?" Lyle burst into the door. "There you are. Damn it, Riley! I told you to stay in my office."
Riley started walking over towards Lyle. "Sorry."
"I don't wan-"
"Lyle. No. Really. I am sorry, " Riley said with real sincerity.
"Okay. Wait in my office with Willie. Your dad's in there waiting too."
"Is he mad?"
"I wouldn't blame him."
"Come with me, please." Riley was now scared.
"Just go in there. I'll be right behind you."
Riley went across the hall to Lyle's office, and Lyle stayed behind to talk to Miss Parker. "What was she doing over here? Did you let her out?"
"No," Broots said.
"Well, any reason she was over here?"
"Who is she, Lyle? I want to know. Let me talk to her. She was saying something about wanting to see her. She wanted to see a picture of her."
"What are you talking about?"
"That's what I want to talk to Riley about. There is something about her, Lyle. Who is she?"
" I have to go. It's on a need to know basis, and frankly, you don't need to know."
"Lyle!" Parker called after her brother, but he kept on walking. "Broots, go back into Lyle's computer, and get all the information you can about Riley."
"Okay," Broots said as he started out the door.
Miss Parker's cell phone rang loudly startling her. "What?" Miss Parker said with her typical twinge of annoyance.
"Miss Parker. How's Riley?"
"Jarod?"
________________________________
As soon as Riley entered into Lyle's office, Willie and Sam grabbed her on both sides. She attempted to get out of their tight grasp, but her attempts failed. There she was in front of her father unaware of what was to happen next.
"Daddy, I-" Riley started, but the look on her father's face caused her to stop in the middle of her apology.
For a few minutes, no words were exchanged. Only looks. Bone chilling looks. Riley knew she was in for it this time. Without saying anything, it was like she was being berated by her father's looks of anger and disappointment. Relief came over her when she saw Lyle coming towards the office. Lyle walked in, and felt sudden tension. He looked at the scene in front of him and could only rub his forehead. Riley wanted to say something. Anything!
"Now what?" Lyle asked to Riley's relief.
"You disappoint me in the fact that you tried to get out," Raines said.
"Dad, I-" said Riley.
"It's not your place to talk!" Raines said making Riley flinch. "The fact that you actually got out undetected doesn't surprise me at all. At the age at fourteen, you managed to escape from a building as secure as the Centre. This only means you need to be housed in a more highly secured area."
Riley could only nod. She felt a pierce in her arm. Before she realized what was happening, everything around her got blurred. Blackness fell upon her. Willie and Sam held her and placed her in a wheelchair. She was completely out.
"Take her to SL-27. Restrain her and keep her sedated for a week. The room is secure, but one of you need to stay outside of her room," Raines ordered.
______________________________
Miss Parker stared from her office into Lyle's office, but she couldn't see what was going on. Jarod was on the phone, but she couldn't figure out how he knew about Riley when she just found out.
"Hey, Miss Parker," Jarod said.
"Jarod, how did you know about Riley?" Miss Parker wanted answers.
While taking to her, Jarod was watching an old DSA. "I met her a few months before I got out of that hellhole. She was only ten."
The black and white DSA showed Riley running into Jarod's locked room. On the DSA: "How'd you get in here?" Jarod asked young Riley.
"I used the key." Riley said showing a high access card. "Uh...do you live here too?"
"I'd prefer being outside these walls. You live here?"
"Since I was three."
"Where are your parents?"
"Mr. Raines is my dad. Well, technically, he's not my father, but he raised me as his daughter. But I do have two biological brothers. One that I'm close to and another I hope to get close to one day."
"What are you doing in my room anyways?"
"Like you, I don't have windows in my room. By looking at you, you seem to long for the scene of the outside world too. I don't plan on escaping or anything because I do have family here, but I tend to sneak out for fresh air now and then."
"You've gotten out of the Centre?"
"Since I was eight, but it seems like this will be the last time I'll be able to get out. I accidentally tripped an alarm."
"I never got your name."
"Riley. Jarod, right?"
"How'd you know?"
"I got a kind of sixth sense around certain people." Riley said with a smile. "Oh, no!"
The door to Jarod's room opened and Mr. Lyle appeared. It was one of the first times Jarod had seen him. Riley ran to hide, but Lyle saw her.
"Riley Madison Raines!" he said. He motioned for the sweepers to grab her. Riley was laughing.
"Hey, big brother," she said.
"Very funny," Lyle said.
On the way out, Riley faced Jarod. "Say hi to our father when you get out," Riley winked. When she was out of the room, Jarod realized he still had the access card in his hand.
"Jarod?" Miss Parker was getting tired of the silence.
"Yes, Miss Parker," Jarod answered forgetting he was still on the phone.
"What is it about her? I can tell that there is something special about her. For some reason, I feel a connection, and for some reason, I have reason to think you do to."
"When she was ten, I first met her trying to escape the Centre. She helped me escape."
"A ten-year-old helped you escape the Centre?"
"She gave me a push to act upon what I had been contemplating for years. Wonder why Lyle is part of the Unity Project?"
"Why do they call it the Unity Project?" Miss Parker was surprised the question didn't come along sooner.
"You can say that she unites all of us together. She is our sister. Through my father and your mother like Ethan."
"But my mother's been... dead for 29 years, and Riley is only 14. How is that? How?" Miss Parker's voice trailed off.
"It was part of Raines' experiment. He fertilized your mother's egg with my father's sperm, and she was born through a Seri gut mother."
Miss Parker looked across the hall to see Riley being wheeled out in a wheelchair. "They're taking her somewhere. She's knocked out."
"SL-27," Jarod said with anger.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I figured that you have the right to know."
"Thank you, Jarod," Miss Parker told him, but he was already gone and off the line.
"How is he?" A voice came from behind her.
"Sydney, you scared me. Wonder Boy is just fine."
"Do you keep all of your DSAs on Jarod on file?"
"When Jarod left the Centre, he left with my DSAs, but about a year or two before leaving, the Centre started making backups of all the DSAs into the Centre database. Why?"
"Where is Broots? I need answers."
____________________________
Once Riley was on her way down to SL-27, Raines and Lyle were left behind to talk.
"Riley is really getting sharp," Raines said with a smile if possible.
"You don't sound mad like I thought you would," Lyle said surprised at Raines reaction.
"I would be mad if only it didn't show her genius ability. A fourteen-year-old girl escapes from a securely locked unit 22 floors below ground level without detection. That has to show that we're doing something right in her training. She's loyal too. She didn't even try leaving Centre grounds. She 'wanted fresh air.'"
"A proud father if I ever heard one," Lyle said.
"I think she's ready to work with you."
"I agree," Lyle said trying to hide the excitement within him. He loved his sister dearly and was glad to spend as much time as possible with her.
"We'll start in a week. She can work with you to find Jarod and deals with clients, but only on Centre grounds. When she is ready she can go with you in the field. Okay?"
"Yeah."
_________________________
"Jarod Haskell," Jarod answered the receptionist when asked for his name. He was at the Centre's data file archive.
"Okay Mr. Haskell, the room is down the hall; last one on the left."
"Thank you," he said with a smile. Today he was pretending to be a technician to fix the archive's computers.
Once he was in the room, he went to work finding the DSAs pertaining to Riley. Once he found them, he placed them all on disks. It had taken him a while, but as soon as he as done, he left.
Back at his apartment, another temporary place of dwelling, he looked through all the DSAs one by one. Like himself, every moment of Riley's life since she had gotten to the Centre had been recorded on DSAs. As he was watching them, a knot in the pit of his stomach mixed with anger at the sight before him.
_________________________
Broots walked into the room with an amazed look on his face. Miss Parker had told him to search for DSAs with Jarod and Riley in them a few months before he escaped. He returned with only one, but it sure did packed a powerful punch. All three of them- Miss Parker, Sydney, and Broots- gathered around the DSA player to watch.
"She helped Jarod escape," Broots said amazed. He never thought a ten-year-old would have been capable of that.
"What is it about this girl, Sydney?" Miss Parker asked after the DSA had been played. "She was only ten, and she knew about Jarod and her real parents. She could get out of the Centre... Does she know we're sisters?"
"Most likely. You told me she was in your office earlier, right?" Sydney said as Miss Parker nodded. "What did you say she said?"
"She said something about wanting to see her. Only I don't know what she was talking about. She said something about seeing her in her head but never as a real person. It kind of freaked me out."
"Parker, she was taking about your mother."
"Do you think she has what Ethan has? The inner sense?"
"You have it too, but you won't let her in," Sydney told her.
"What did you say?"
"I said you have it too."
"No after that."
"I said that you won't let her in," Sydney answered her, baffled at her question.
"That's exactly what Riley said to me right before Lyle took her away. She knew that we're sisters through my mother. She wanted to look at a picture of my moth- our mother. She knew what I was feeling."
"The inner sense?" Broots asked.
"That's what I want to know. Broots, hack into Mr. Lyle's computer again, and find anything and everything you can on Riley," Miss Parker commanded. "I'll see if I can get baby brother to cough up what I want to hear."
"I doubt it, Miss Parker. Lyle's been hiding this for years. Why would he say anything to you about it now?" Sydney asked.
"I'll at least try." Miss Parker turned and left in search of her brother.
After she had left, Sydney's phone began to ring.
"This is Sydney," he answered.
"Why?" said the voice on the other side of the line.
"Jarod," Sydney said with relief that he called. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Riley. Why did they do to her what they did to me?"
"She's part of the Pretender Project? I had no idea."
"She was part of it. After Raines saw the potential in her, he created a new project... Project Unity."
"What exactly is Project Unity?" Sydney was unaware of this new project and wanted to know.
"She is a natural Pretender, like I am. No neurological treatments by Raines to enhance the development of certain parts of her brain like they tried on Angelo and young Davy. She has a VERY strong inner sense within her."
"Like Ethan?"
"And Miss Parker and me."
"Why call it Unity?"
"Her talents are like that of me and Angelo combined. This inner sense she has gives her the gift to sort of feel out people's souls; to get into their personalities. She has been trained to be a Pretender and is mentally maturing faster than I did at that age."
"Why do you suppose that is?"
"I've been watching her own DSAs, and she's doing sims for the assassinations since the age of eight. She's being molded by Lyle and Raines, but there is something about her."
"That seems to be the phrase of the day."
"How so?"
"Parker's been saying the same thing all day. Maybe this is uniting you two."
_______________________________
It had been a week that seemed to last an eternity. Riley had been drugged the whole time. Only what she didn't know was that while she was out, Raines inserted a tracking device into her shoulder. Just in case she got the urge to "get some fresh air" again. When she had first opened her eyes, Lyle was right there holding her hand. He started to undo the restraints on her arms and legs.
" How ya doin'?" he asked while stroking her head.
"Great," she said sarcastically, her throat sore like anything. Truth is that she felt like shit. The punishment was one that would stick. She hated being stuck in one place to long. Then the fact that she was too out of it to think straight annoyed her. She hated being sedated like that because her mind would always be roaming unable to concentrate on a single thing for more than five seconds.
"Get a little more rest, okay?" Lyle said. "You're still kind of out of it." She saw the smile of her big brother and smiled back. It was the smile she loved; it made her feel secure.
All she could thing was, Sleep?! MORE sleep? I'm tired of sleeping.... But Lyle was right because she was soon back to sleep.
She woke up the next morning refreshed and awake. It felt so good to be able to stretch. It was the first time she got to get a look at her new room. It looked newly made up. The walls had fresh paint and everything. She had no idea where she was. It didn't take her long, though, to find out why they had switched her rooms. She saw the room was more maximum security. Advanced lock technology and detection. Escape was unfeasible... for now.
She took a shower to the connected bathroom, and changed into fresh, clean clothes. A pair of comfortable jeans and a plain black tank top.
Lyle walked in not long after she had gotten out of the shower. "Good to see you're up and about," he said with a smile.
"Yeah, I feel better now."
"That's great. Come up with me to my office. Your dad wants to talk with you." Panic showed on Riley's face. After noticing that, he added, "You're not in trouble, Riley." He let out a chuckle.
When they got to Lyle's office, Raines was there waiting with Willie beside him.
"Hey, Daddy," Riley said. There was a bond there. She did love her father.
"Hey, Sweetheart," he said giving her a hug. "We've got a proposal for you. This "let's go out of the Centre and scare the hell out of everybody" game has got to stop, and it stops now, understand?" Riley nodded to him. "As long as you can assume me your good behavior, you can start staying with Lyle during the day." Raines looked to Riley to see her expression which was lit up with happiness.
"Are you serious?" As her father nodded, she gave him a hug and somehow a smile
crept onto his face.
"But because of that little stunt last week, you're not to leave the Centre under any circumstance," Raines said. "I'll be around; just call me on my phone if there are any problems. Be good."
"You're not screwing with my mind now, are you?" Riley couldn't believe.
"No. Isn't it great?" Lyle was happy too.
She sat on his desk, and went through it to look for a sucker. She got the habit from Brigitte. She got her hooked on them.
"Hey, Parker," Riley said.
"What?" Lyle asked.
Miss Parker walked into the room. Lyle smiled at Riley.
"I'll be damned," Lyle said.
"Sixth sense thing," Riley answered his unasked question. Lyle nodded as he understood.
"What?" Parker had no idea what was going on.
"Don't worry about it. What do you want?"
"I need to talk to you... privately."
"You can talk in front of Riley."
"I need to talk to you."
"Go ahead, Lyle," Riley said.
Parker and Lyle stepped outside the office doors.
"What's so important that you couldn't say it in there?" Lyle asked.
"It's about Riley. She's my sister, isn't she?"
"Where'd you get that from?!"
"Don't lie to me, Lyle. I know she's my sister. I want to be part of her life."
"Don't mess with this, okay? This is Raines..." Lyle was at a loss of words. He would have said project, but personally, Lyle hated to call Riley a project for she was his sister. "This is Raines's daughter."
"But she is my sister. I have a right."
"FYI- this is the Centre, remember? You don't have rights unless they say so," he said while going back into his office.
"She just wants the truth," Riley said as he walked in.
"How are you sure that's all she wants?"
"This inner sense thing does a hell of a job on psychoanalyzing people, especially family," she said with a smile.
"Okay, tell me about her," Lyle said with curiosity.
"She was once a happy child, but now she strives to hold on to happiness. She feels clouded by the Centre, and she's tired of the lies. Let's see. She plays a tough girl facade, but deep down there is a little girl that misses her mother and the happiness of life. She's a tough, no doubt there, but sometimes she wishes she had a normal life. Whatever that is."
"Is that it?"
"I guess so."
"You ever psychoanalyze me?"
"Of course. All the time. Since the first time we met."
"Lemme hear it then."
"The honest version or the 'I love my darling brother' version?"
"Keep it completely honest."
"To everyone you meet here at the Centre, you are a leader. You're ruthless and desire total power. You're, uh, eating habits are, well, peculiar. You're a cold-blooded man ready to make sacrifices on the way up to the top," I said as he tried to deny what I said, but I continued to talk. "Denial won't do any good."
"That's not fair."
"Sshh! I'm not done. You lie, cheat, and kill to get things done, and for that, you are
feared by many. But like I said, that's what everyone thinks of you at the Centre, but my opinion is different. Everybody sets himself or herself up with a facade; there's no way you can avoid it. For anyone, their real self is only revealed to themselves. That's my 'gift' Daddy rambles on about. I can see you as your true self."
"And what's that?"
"In 1995 when we first met, I was only nine. You came to me and told me that you were my brother, but I wasn't stupid. I knew it was an experiment Raines wanted to try. He wanted to see if I would cope with my situation better if I had someone to call my brother. But as you spent time with me, your true self began to show. I saw you as my real brother. You didn't know we were biologically siblings until 1998, but since we first met you've treated me like your sister. You want me to psychoanalyze you? You're the brother I love and look to. No matter what anyone else may think about you, there's love in your heart."
She looked at Lyle to see him in a pensive state. He couldn't get over the depth of what she said, the pure honesty to it. He looked at her and smiled the comforting smile she grew accustomed to. He didn't know what to say. She had really dove into his soul.
_____________________
Jarod had spent hours absorbing Riley's life through the DSAs. He was starting to get a picture of the extent of Riley's inner sense. He had watched Riley's life from the age of three. If Riley was created by Raines, why was she admitted to the Centre at the age of three and not sooner? Jarod was at age 12 for Riley.
Unlike for Jarod, Riley was given a birthday. The Centre wasn't sure on the date, but they knew it was between January and February so they gave her the date of January 30. He had watched everything. She was admitted on May 2, 1989 when she was three. What Jarod didn't know was where she was for those three years after birth.
Jarod saw that she had been hardened by the works of Mr. Raines. Anger began to flow through Jarod. While he was watching, he saw an undeniable innocence behind Riley's sims. To the naked eye, you might see a child without remorse for she designed a deadly stealth missile without hesitation, but Jarod could see an innocent child behind the sims. She would take the sims seriously and complete them with her best effort.
When she was done, she was a normal kid especially around Lyle. She had fun. Jarod could never imagine a child being happy inside Centre walls, but somehow Riley was. The Mr. Lyle on the DSAs before him was no Mr. Lyle Jarod had ever seen before. Riley brought something good out of everyone around her.
Jarod even stumbled upon a DSA with Riley at the age of eleven. It was a sim where they were trying to catch him through Riley's talents.
"He's a bad man, Riley," Raines told Riley in the DSA as pictures of Jarod flashed on the wall in front of her.
Riley stood silent just watching the pictures and studying the stuff from Jarod's previous lair. She looked to Raines and smiled.
"Come on, Dad. You don't expect me to believe that, do you?"
"Why contradict me?"
"You say that he is a bad man. You're contradicting yourself because I know he's no bad man."
"How do you know he's not?"
"Simple. He told me."
"I've merely shown pictures to you."
"He didn't tell me verbally. His eyes told me. They're so deep. Filled with sadness, curiosity, wonderment. He's like a child himself. Trapped in a world full of darkness and only glimpses of light. He's lost in the world where he can be anyone but himself. That's all he longs for. His identity. He's not bad, just sad."
"Okay, that's enough. The sim is over," Raines said reluctantly.
After she was alone in her room, there was a faint noise. "I hope Jarod gets out of Chicago soon."
Jarod paused for a moment and remembered that he had been in Chicago that week. For some reason, Riley held out on his location. He watched on going through days at a time. There was a routine of sims, but when he reached a time around the beginning of May, something happened. Jarod played the DSA he had found, starting it at the beginning.
Riley was asleep in her room. She was tossing and turning and screaming.
"No! Please, plea-! No Don't!" She suddenly sat up from her dreams, or nightmares. She looked around the dark room, alone. She got up quietly, crying. Out of all the years he had seen on the DSAs, Riley had never cried before. She was saying something that could barely be heard. "-yle. He's hurt. No! Jarod."
As Jarod watched he couldn't figure out what she was talking about. "-yle?" was all he could hear. Was she talking about Lyle?
Riley lay back down sobbing to herself. "No. Jarod. His heart is hurt." She lay curled up in a ball on her bed murmuring to herself. There she was in silence just staring.
Jarod fast-forwarded to the next morning.
Lyle walked in. " Wake up, Kiddo." He looked at her a little closer. As he felt her forehead, he stroked her head. She was drenched in sweat. "She's burning up!" he yelled. "Get someone in here!" He picked Riley up and began carrying her to the renewal wing.
Later on the DSA:
"What is it?" Lyle asked.
"She's gone into shock," Raines answered.
"Shock? Willie, get me the DSAs from the night before." Lyle said as he sat down by
Riley. He gave her a kiss on the forehead. "It's okay now, Kiddo." He started to walk out.
"Lyle?" the voice could be barely heard. He turned and ran to Riley's side.
"Riley? Riley?" he said holding her hand.
"You look like shit," Riley said with a small laugh because her throat hurt.
Lyle laughed and gave her another kiss on the cheek. "What happened?"
"I don't remember. I really don't want to either."
"Okay, okay."
Jarod wondered where he was during that time. He felt tears rushing to his eyes. It was the same time Kyle got killed. But Lyle was there... how could he? Had Mr. Lyle been in and out of the Centre that whole time? When Riley woke up crying that night on the DSA, she was saying Kyle, not Lyle. She knew about Kyle. She felt the pain Kyle did. The inner sense she had was stronger than Jarod had anticipated.
After more searching, Jarod found a DSA only a few days after she got out of shock.
In the middle of a sim Riley asked, "Did I ever live somewhere before I lived here?"
Jarod could easily tell that Raines was caught off guard by the question. "Why would you say that?"
"That night I had the bad dream. I dreamt of a fire and a gun shot at the same time. It
scared me. I saw people in the fire, but I couldn't really see them."
"Riley, you are a daughter to me, and that's all that matters. Now finish your sim, okay? I'll be right back."
The cameras stayed on Riley, yet another set followed Raines. He approached
Mr. Parker outside of the sim lab.
"I thought she had forgotten about all that," Raines said.
"You killed her parents in front of her? I'm surprised she would forget it at all," Mr. Parker said.
"Well, she had help. I hypnotized her to forget, and she did. What I don't understand is why she is suddenly remembering. Besides, they weren't her parents. The woman was a Seri gut mother. She would have lived if she didn't run off with Riley."
"I suppose so."
Jarod now realized that Riley's inner sense had triggered the memories. She had been taken back by the Centre around May in 1989 the same time of the year Kyle was killed. The sense given off by Kyle in May of 1998 triggered the memories of her "parents."
_______________________
Broots snuck into Mr. Lyle's office looking for information on Riley. He started on the computer.
"Here. I printed it all out for you."
"WAH!" Broots said scared. "Wha-? Riley? What are you doing up here?"
"I should be asking you the same question, but I know why you're here. Here you go.
Besides, Lyle had me set up a new security program on his computer. You wouldn't want it to detect you now, would you?"
Broots didn't know what to say. "O...kay." He took the file and started to look through it. "Thank y-?" Broots looked around to find Riley had disappeared. "Definitely related to Jarod," Broots said to himself.
Broots went back to Miss Parker's office walking cautiously as usual. "Did you get it?" Miss Parker asked.
"Uh...yeah."
"Did you have a hard time getting into his computer?"
"No. The file was already ready for me," Broots said with a hint of confusion.
"What?"
"Riley had it out for me when I went in there. She just gave it to me."
"She did?"
"Okay, Broots. I'll look over the files. I want you to see if you can find any DSAs for Riley."
"Yes, Miss Parker," Broots said as he left the room.
"Who are you, Riley?" Miss Parker said to herself.
"The same question should be asked of you," Riley said coming out from the shadows. "Who are you, Miss Parker?"
"Riley, where'd you come from?"
"Would it matter? I'm here," Riley said as she approached her sister.
"I guess not, but why?"
"Why what?"
"Why this?" Parker said while pointing to the file. "Why help me?"
"Because our mother would have liked it that way."
"Our mother," Parker liked the sound of that. "Do you know about her? The truth about her? Please, Riley, I need answers."
"The truth. There's something you don't get a lot in the Centre. Those whom you are
supposed to trust the most are the one's who feed lies to you constantly. Truth is that truth doesn't exist. It exists in you, and if would let your mother in, the truth about her will come in too." Riley turned to leave.
"Riley."
"Yes?"
"How do I let her in?"
"First, you have to let yourself into your life."
Parker had no idea what that meant. Riley left out of the room and went back into Lyle's office.
"I was looking for you," Lyle said smiling.
"I was walking around."
"Raines was happy with the outcome to the military deal you landed. He said you could come with me now. You know, out of the Centre now and then."
"Really? That's awesome."
Unyielding joy flowed through Riley. She would be able to go outside the Centre. Into the outside world. Into fresh air and sunshine. She felt a feeling of victory within her. She had gained the privilege of leaving the Centre on occasion. It was a privilege she would do anything to keep. She gave Lyle a hug of joy.
"So I can start going with you outside of the Centre?" she said not trying to hold back her happiness.
"There will be one thing you have to do before Raines will let you go. You have to give him solid information on Jarod's location. He says you can start out leaving the Centre on pursuits on Jarod. They have to be solid and real, Riley. Don't mess with Raines on this. He could revoke these privileges just as easily as he gave them to you. He told me if you don't follow through with this project, you'll be put in total isolation. Not even I will be permitted to see you. I don't want that to happen, Riley."
The sudden burst of joy Riley felt a mere few seconds before were quickly replaced by apprehension and anxiety. Torn between two brothers, unable to choose one to side with. The choice to give up Jarod's location and gain freedom or to deny the information and lose a beloved brother through forced solitude. A decision is to be made. Which one will Riley choose upon?
TO BE CONTINUED...
To anyone who reads this... PLEASE write a review on what you thought of my story. I need the feedback. THANKIES!
This belongs to Lichelle! Why? Because I wrote it!
Project Unity
by Lichelle
Miss Parker's attention was diverted from Broot's report on Jarod's last breadcrumb. She couldn't help but notice Lyle standing in front of his office being approached by Willie, Mr. Raines sweeper. Something was happening, and she hated being kept out of the loop. She turned to Broots.
"Find out what's going on with our mysterious Mr. Lyle," she said through a puff of her cigarette.
Confused, Broots could only nod.
_________________________________
Lyle was just getting to the Centre when Willie gave him the news about Riley. He didn't even make it to his office, and Riley was already getting into trouble.
"Mr. Lyle," Willie said slightly out of breath. "I got here as quickly as I could."
"Yeah. What is it?" Lyle said not sure about what was going on.
"It's Riley. She's escaped."
"What?! Dammit! Not again," Lyle said upset. " Raines must be pissed."
"He is, Sir. Do you want to sound the alarm?"
"No," Lyle said now starting to walk towards surveillance. "This project is confidential. I don't want my annoying older sister to be breathing down my neck trying to find out about Riley."
"Where's Raines?"
"He's in surveillance."
"That's where I'm headed."
Mr. Raines was already looking through the surveillance tapes from the night before when Lyle walked in.
"I'm glad that you finally decided to join us," Raines said with a wheeze.
"Gimme a break. I just got here. What'd you get from the tapes?" Lyle said to Raines.
"There's nothing here," Raines said with disappointment. "She's in her space one second and the next she's gone. How could -"
"There! There she is!" Willie interrupted Mr. Raines when he saw Riley on surveillance from the night before.
"Great! She's out of the Centre," Raines said now furious. It showed Riley exiting the Centre from the front door.
"She couldn't have gone far," Lyle was trying to reassure Raines and himself. "She wouldn't."
"How could you be so sure?"
"I just know. Get some sweepers and search the entire perimeter of the Centre. I want every rock over turned and not an inch over looked. Find her," Lyle instructed. "And, guys, you know the rules with Riley. Don't hurt her. When you find her, contact me over the radio. Remember, not a word to anyone." With that over a dozen sweepers began to search for Riley.
______________________________
It was already morning, and Riley knew they would be searching for her soon. She knew she was in trouble, but the night before was so incredible that it made up for any punishment. The first time she escaped the Centre was when she was ten. Since then, they had locked up the air vent she had gone through.
Truth is, she had been going in and out of the Centre since the age of eight. But it was when she escaped at the age of ten that she got caught. Since then, getting out of the Centre was a lot harder, but that only meant more fun.
Now fourteen, Riley was well aware about the things going on in the Centre, and she knew even more about the people in the massive building. She almost knew every inch of the place. Keyword being ALMOST.
Last night was undoubtedly the best night Riley could remember. With help from Angelo, she got hold of a high access card that she used to get out of her room. She had configured the timing of the surveillance cameras perfectly, but the cameras taping for the DSAs couldn't be avoided.
She hid in the shadows when the cameras came back towards her. She traveled through the air vent by the elevator until she reached the elevator shaft. She climbed up a ladder twenty-two feet to get to the main floor. She got there just in time for the security guard at the front desk to leave to change shifts. Between 12:35-12:40 A.M.- five minutes exactly. Using the access card, she walked right out the front door without anyone even noticing. A perfect plan.
As soon as she stopped outside into the fresh air, Riley felt total euphoria. She walked over to the big fountain beautiful and flowing. She spent the night's hours dancing and strolling around the fountain with a child's innocence.
The acme hour of her night was the moment it turned to day. Minutes before sunrise, she left the fountain to walk along the water's edge. She watched the sun rise with all of its magnificence and brightness warming her heart. She stood there for what she thought was an eternity just feeling the sun's warmth on her skin.
Even though she stayed up all through the night, she found herself restless. Restless at the thought of confinement. Her mind restlessly taking all her surroundings. The tranquility. The warmth. The world outside Centre walls. She found herself walking once more staring out into the water. She wondered what was on the other end of the perpetual stretch of water. She wondered if she would ever get to see it.
So there she was in her own little world. Standing. Staring. Dreaming.
____________________________
Willie was the first to spot Riley standing at the waterfront staring at something only she could see. He motioned for the other sweepers to surround her on the other sides. He radioed Mr. Lyle telling him Riley's location.
"Get her, and bring her to my office. I'll meet you there," Lyle told Willie.
"Riley!" Willie yelled out to her prepared to run after her, but she didn't even flinch.
"Hey, Willie!" she yelled back without turning around. She recognized the familiar voice.
"What are you doing out here?" he said now closer with a caring tone.
"I needed some fresh air is all."
"Is that all?" he said now right by her. He motioned the other sweepers to stand down.
"Yup," she said absorbing in as much of the spectacular sight before her as she could. "Do we have to go in right this minute? I really do love it out here."
"You know I have to take you back in," Willie now had his arm around her. "Your brother is waiting for you in his office."
"Is my dad here?"
"I'm here so you know he's here. He's mad too."
"Don't ruin the moment Willie."
"Thought I already did," he said with a smile.
"At least it was you who is bringing me in, and not one of those trigger-happy rookies."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Lyle as standing outside his office doors when we got there. By the look on his face, he wasn't too much of a happy camper.
"Ly-" Riley started to say but was cut off.
"You know what? I don't want to hear it. I'm furious at you right now. Go in my office, and stay in there! If I see you out of it, you'll really be in for it. Now I have to talk to your father about your punishment, and I won't like it because I really hate to see you in trouble. What can I do? Trouble comes to you as if you were a magnet," Lyle was screaming at me in front of his office.
"Sorry?" It was all she could say.
"Sorry?! I don't believe this! Get in there," Lyle said as he locked Riley in his office. Then he and Willie went to go see her father, Mr. Raines.
_____________________________________
Miss Parker was on the other side of the hall watching Lyle and Willie walk away. Broots came up to her with news about Lyle's new endeavor.
"What do have for me?" Miss Parker asked him.
"You know Paul? The new cleaner with the glass eye?"
"I haven't had the pleasure. Get to the point."
"Well, Paul was telling me that he heard about some Project Unity. I looked that up on the Centre database, but there was no record of a Project Unity. On Mr. Lyle's computer, though," Broots had said.
"Wait a minute. You were on Lyle's computer?" asked Miss Parker with surprise.
"I figured you'd make me do it anyways. Since it was inevitable, I figured I'd get it done while Mr. Lyle was out of his office."
"There is a rebel somewhere in that dorky body of yours."
"Anyways, when I entered in Project Unity, there was an extensive report on a girl named Riley."
"Do you have the files?"
"I couldn't. Mr. Lyle started to come, and I barely got out while he was walking towards Willie. But I do know that Ril-"
"Hold on, Broots," Miss Parker now was distracted.
Miss Parker walked over to the railing, and looked towards Lyle's office where she saw a young girl coming out of his office. She walked out cautiously but without hesitation. She watched the girl of about fourteen years of age slip slyly into Miss Parker's own office.
"What is it, Miss Parker?" Broots asked.
"Riley."
Miss Parker started walking towards her office to see what it was that Riley was up to. Broots followed. There she was young and innocent sitting behind Miss Parker's desk staring at a picture of her mother. When Broots and Miss Parker walked in, Riley didn't look up or take notice of their presence.
"Riley?" Broots asked Miss Parker.
"One and only," Riley told him. She got up and walked towards Miss Parker. "These are bad for you," she said as she took the cigarette from her and took a long drag herself.
"You smoke?" Parker asked.
"Not officially." Then she put it out.
"What are you doing in here?"
"I wanted to see her. You know, a real picture. I see her in my head all the time, but I wanted to see her as a person."
"Who?" Miss Parker was completely oblivious to whom she was talking about.
"You know this tough girl facade you set up for yourself may fool him," Riley nodded towards Broots, "but it doesn't fool me. You miss her, but for a reason that I can't figure out, you won't let her in."
"Who?" Miss Parker was now annoyed.
"Where is she?" Lyle burst into the door. "There you are. Damn it, Riley! I told you to stay in my office."
Riley started walking over towards Lyle. "Sorry."
"I don't wan-"
"Lyle. No. Really. I am sorry, " Riley said with real sincerity.
"Okay. Wait in my office with Willie. Your dad's in there waiting too."
"Is he mad?"
"I wouldn't blame him."
"Come with me, please." Riley was now scared.
"Just go in there. I'll be right behind you."
Riley went across the hall to Lyle's office, and Lyle stayed behind to talk to Miss Parker. "What was she doing over here? Did you let her out?"
"No," Broots said.
"Well, any reason she was over here?"
"Who is she, Lyle? I want to know. Let me talk to her. She was saying something about wanting to see her. She wanted to see a picture of her."
"What are you talking about?"
"That's what I want to talk to Riley about. There is something about her, Lyle. Who is she?"
" I have to go. It's on a need to know basis, and frankly, you don't need to know."
"Lyle!" Parker called after her brother, but he kept on walking. "Broots, go back into Lyle's computer, and get all the information you can about Riley."
"Okay," Broots said as he started out the door.
Miss Parker's cell phone rang loudly startling her. "What?" Miss Parker said with her typical twinge of annoyance.
"Miss Parker. How's Riley?"
"Jarod?"
________________________________
As soon as Riley entered into Lyle's office, Willie and Sam grabbed her on both sides. She attempted to get out of their tight grasp, but her attempts failed. There she was in front of her father unaware of what was to happen next.
"Daddy, I-" Riley started, but the look on her father's face caused her to stop in the middle of her apology.
For a few minutes, no words were exchanged. Only looks. Bone chilling looks. Riley knew she was in for it this time. Without saying anything, it was like she was being berated by her father's looks of anger and disappointment. Relief came over her when she saw Lyle coming towards the office. Lyle walked in, and felt sudden tension. He looked at the scene in front of him and could only rub his forehead. Riley wanted to say something. Anything!
"Now what?" Lyle asked to Riley's relief.
"You disappoint me in the fact that you tried to get out," Raines said.
"Dad, I-" said Riley.
"It's not your place to talk!" Raines said making Riley flinch. "The fact that you actually got out undetected doesn't surprise me at all. At the age at fourteen, you managed to escape from a building as secure as the Centre. This only means you need to be housed in a more highly secured area."
Riley could only nod. She felt a pierce in her arm. Before she realized what was happening, everything around her got blurred. Blackness fell upon her. Willie and Sam held her and placed her in a wheelchair. She was completely out.
"Take her to SL-27. Restrain her and keep her sedated for a week. The room is secure, but one of you need to stay outside of her room," Raines ordered.
______________________________
Miss Parker stared from her office into Lyle's office, but she couldn't see what was going on. Jarod was on the phone, but she couldn't figure out how he knew about Riley when she just found out.
"Hey, Miss Parker," Jarod said.
"Jarod, how did you know about Riley?" Miss Parker wanted answers.
While taking to her, Jarod was watching an old DSA. "I met her a few months before I got out of that hellhole. She was only ten."
The black and white DSA showed Riley running into Jarod's locked room. On the DSA: "How'd you get in here?" Jarod asked young Riley.
"I used the key." Riley said showing a high access card. "Uh...do you live here too?"
"I'd prefer being outside these walls. You live here?"
"Since I was three."
"Where are your parents?"
"Mr. Raines is my dad. Well, technically, he's not my father, but he raised me as his daughter. But I do have two biological brothers. One that I'm close to and another I hope to get close to one day."
"What are you doing in my room anyways?"
"Like you, I don't have windows in my room. By looking at you, you seem to long for the scene of the outside world too. I don't plan on escaping or anything because I do have family here, but I tend to sneak out for fresh air now and then."
"You've gotten out of the Centre?"
"Since I was eight, but it seems like this will be the last time I'll be able to get out. I accidentally tripped an alarm."
"I never got your name."
"Riley. Jarod, right?"
"How'd you know?"
"I got a kind of sixth sense around certain people." Riley said with a smile. "Oh, no!"
The door to Jarod's room opened and Mr. Lyle appeared. It was one of the first times Jarod had seen him. Riley ran to hide, but Lyle saw her.
"Riley Madison Raines!" he said. He motioned for the sweepers to grab her. Riley was laughing.
"Hey, big brother," she said.
"Very funny," Lyle said.
On the way out, Riley faced Jarod. "Say hi to our father when you get out," Riley winked. When she was out of the room, Jarod realized he still had the access card in his hand.
"Jarod?" Miss Parker was getting tired of the silence.
"Yes, Miss Parker," Jarod answered forgetting he was still on the phone.
"What is it about her? I can tell that there is something special about her. For some reason, I feel a connection, and for some reason, I have reason to think you do to."
"When she was ten, I first met her trying to escape the Centre. She helped me escape."
"A ten-year-old helped you escape the Centre?"
"She gave me a push to act upon what I had been contemplating for years. Wonder why Lyle is part of the Unity Project?"
"Why do they call it the Unity Project?" Miss Parker was surprised the question didn't come along sooner.
"You can say that she unites all of us together. She is our sister. Through my father and your mother like Ethan."
"But my mother's been... dead for 29 years, and Riley is only 14. How is that? How?" Miss Parker's voice trailed off.
"It was part of Raines' experiment. He fertilized your mother's egg with my father's sperm, and she was born through a Seri gut mother."
Miss Parker looked across the hall to see Riley being wheeled out in a wheelchair. "They're taking her somewhere. She's knocked out."
"SL-27," Jarod said with anger.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I figured that you have the right to know."
"Thank you, Jarod," Miss Parker told him, but he was already gone and off the line.
"How is he?" A voice came from behind her.
"Sydney, you scared me. Wonder Boy is just fine."
"Do you keep all of your DSAs on Jarod on file?"
"When Jarod left the Centre, he left with my DSAs, but about a year or two before leaving, the Centre started making backups of all the DSAs into the Centre database. Why?"
"Where is Broots? I need answers."
____________________________
Once Riley was on her way down to SL-27, Raines and Lyle were left behind to talk.
"Riley is really getting sharp," Raines said with a smile if possible.
"You don't sound mad like I thought you would," Lyle said surprised at Raines reaction.
"I would be mad if only it didn't show her genius ability. A fourteen-year-old girl escapes from a securely locked unit 22 floors below ground level without detection. That has to show that we're doing something right in her training. She's loyal too. She didn't even try leaving Centre grounds. She 'wanted fresh air.'"
"A proud father if I ever heard one," Lyle said.
"I think she's ready to work with you."
"I agree," Lyle said trying to hide the excitement within him. He loved his sister dearly and was glad to spend as much time as possible with her.
"We'll start in a week. She can work with you to find Jarod and deals with clients, but only on Centre grounds. When she is ready she can go with you in the field. Okay?"
"Yeah."
_________________________
"Jarod Haskell," Jarod answered the receptionist when asked for his name. He was at the Centre's data file archive.
"Okay Mr. Haskell, the room is down the hall; last one on the left."
"Thank you," he said with a smile. Today he was pretending to be a technician to fix the archive's computers.
Once he was in the room, he went to work finding the DSAs pertaining to Riley. Once he found them, he placed them all on disks. It had taken him a while, but as soon as he as done, he left.
Back at his apartment, another temporary place of dwelling, he looked through all the DSAs one by one. Like himself, every moment of Riley's life since she had gotten to the Centre had been recorded on DSAs. As he was watching them, a knot in the pit of his stomach mixed with anger at the sight before him.
_________________________
Broots walked into the room with an amazed look on his face. Miss Parker had told him to search for DSAs with Jarod and Riley in them a few months before he escaped. He returned with only one, but it sure did packed a powerful punch. All three of them- Miss Parker, Sydney, and Broots- gathered around the DSA player to watch.
"She helped Jarod escape," Broots said amazed. He never thought a ten-year-old would have been capable of that.
"What is it about this girl, Sydney?" Miss Parker asked after the DSA had been played. "She was only ten, and she knew about Jarod and her real parents. She could get out of the Centre... Does she know we're sisters?"
"Most likely. You told me she was in your office earlier, right?" Sydney said as Miss Parker nodded. "What did you say she said?"
"She said something about wanting to see her. Only I don't know what she was talking about. She said something about seeing her in her head but never as a real person. It kind of freaked me out."
"Parker, she was taking about your mother."
"Do you think she has what Ethan has? The inner sense?"
"You have it too, but you won't let her in," Sydney told her.
"What did you say?"
"I said you have it too."
"No after that."
"I said that you won't let her in," Sydney answered her, baffled at her question.
"That's exactly what Riley said to me right before Lyle took her away. She knew that we're sisters through my mother. She wanted to look at a picture of my moth- our mother. She knew what I was feeling."
"The inner sense?" Broots asked.
"That's what I want to know. Broots, hack into Mr. Lyle's computer again, and find anything and everything you can on Riley," Miss Parker commanded. "I'll see if I can get baby brother to cough up what I want to hear."
"I doubt it, Miss Parker. Lyle's been hiding this for years. Why would he say anything to you about it now?" Sydney asked.
"I'll at least try." Miss Parker turned and left in search of her brother.
After she had left, Sydney's phone began to ring.
"This is Sydney," he answered.
"Why?" said the voice on the other side of the line.
"Jarod," Sydney said with relief that he called. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Riley. Why did they do to her what they did to me?"
"She's part of the Pretender Project? I had no idea."
"She was part of it. After Raines saw the potential in her, he created a new project... Project Unity."
"What exactly is Project Unity?" Sydney was unaware of this new project and wanted to know.
"She is a natural Pretender, like I am. No neurological treatments by Raines to enhance the development of certain parts of her brain like they tried on Angelo and young Davy. She has a VERY strong inner sense within her."
"Like Ethan?"
"And Miss Parker and me."
"Why call it Unity?"
"Her talents are like that of me and Angelo combined. This inner sense she has gives her the gift to sort of feel out people's souls; to get into their personalities. She has been trained to be a Pretender and is mentally maturing faster than I did at that age."
"Why do you suppose that is?"
"I've been watching her own DSAs, and she's doing sims for the assassinations since the age of eight. She's being molded by Lyle and Raines, but there is something about her."
"That seems to be the phrase of the day."
"How so?"
"Parker's been saying the same thing all day. Maybe this is uniting you two."
_______________________________
It had been a week that seemed to last an eternity. Riley had been drugged the whole time. Only what she didn't know was that while she was out, Raines inserted a tracking device into her shoulder. Just in case she got the urge to "get some fresh air" again. When she had first opened her eyes, Lyle was right there holding her hand. He started to undo the restraints on her arms and legs.
" How ya doin'?" he asked while stroking her head.
"Great," she said sarcastically, her throat sore like anything. Truth is that she felt like shit. The punishment was one that would stick. She hated being stuck in one place to long. Then the fact that she was too out of it to think straight annoyed her. She hated being sedated like that because her mind would always be roaming unable to concentrate on a single thing for more than five seconds.
"Get a little more rest, okay?" Lyle said. "You're still kind of out of it." She saw the smile of her big brother and smiled back. It was the smile she loved; it made her feel secure.
All she could thing was, Sleep?! MORE sleep? I'm tired of sleeping.... But Lyle was right because she was soon back to sleep.
She woke up the next morning refreshed and awake. It felt so good to be able to stretch. It was the first time she got to get a look at her new room. It looked newly made up. The walls had fresh paint and everything. She had no idea where she was. It didn't take her long, though, to find out why they had switched her rooms. She saw the room was more maximum security. Advanced lock technology and detection. Escape was unfeasible... for now.
She took a shower to the connected bathroom, and changed into fresh, clean clothes. A pair of comfortable jeans and a plain black tank top.
Lyle walked in not long after she had gotten out of the shower. "Good to see you're up and about," he said with a smile.
"Yeah, I feel better now."
"That's great. Come up with me to my office. Your dad wants to talk with you." Panic showed on Riley's face. After noticing that, he added, "You're not in trouble, Riley." He let out a chuckle.
When they got to Lyle's office, Raines was there waiting with Willie beside him.
"Hey, Daddy," Riley said. There was a bond there. She did love her father.
"Hey, Sweetheart," he said giving her a hug. "We've got a proposal for you. This "let's go out of the Centre and scare the hell out of everybody" game has got to stop, and it stops now, understand?" Riley nodded to him. "As long as you can assume me your good behavior, you can start staying with Lyle during the day." Raines looked to Riley to see her expression which was lit up with happiness.
"Are you serious?" As her father nodded, she gave him a hug and somehow a smile
crept onto his face.
"But because of that little stunt last week, you're not to leave the Centre under any circumstance," Raines said. "I'll be around; just call me on my phone if there are any problems. Be good."
"You're not screwing with my mind now, are you?" Riley couldn't believe.
"No. Isn't it great?" Lyle was happy too.
She sat on his desk, and went through it to look for a sucker. She got the habit from Brigitte. She got her hooked on them.
"Hey, Parker," Riley said.
"What?" Lyle asked.
Miss Parker walked into the room. Lyle smiled at Riley.
"I'll be damned," Lyle said.
"Sixth sense thing," Riley answered his unasked question. Lyle nodded as he understood.
"What?" Parker had no idea what was going on.
"Don't worry about it. What do you want?"
"I need to talk to you... privately."
"You can talk in front of Riley."
"I need to talk to you."
"Go ahead, Lyle," Riley said.
Parker and Lyle stepped outside the office doors.
"What's so important that you couldn't say it in there?" Lyle asked.
"It's about Riley. She's my sister, isn't she?"
"Where'd you get that from?!"
"Don't lie to me, Lyle. I know she's my sister. I want to be part of her life."
"Don't mess with this, okay? This is Raines..." Lyle was at a loss of words. He would have said project, but personally, Lyle hated to call Riley a project for she was his sister. "This is Raines's daughter."
"But she is my sister. I have a right."
"FYI- this is the Centre, remember? You don't have rights unless they say so," he said while going back into his office.
"She just wants the truth," Riley said as he walked in.
"How are you sure that's all she wants?"
"This inner sense thing does a hell of a job on psychoanalyzing people, especially family," she said with a smile.
"Okay, tell me about her," Lyle said with curiosity.
"She was once a happy child, but now she strives to hold on to happiness. She feels clouded by the Centre, and she's tired of the lies. Let's see. She plays a tough girl facade, but deep down there is a little girl that misses her mother and the happiness of life. She's a tough, no doubt there, but sometimes she wishes she had a normal life. Whatever that is."
"Is that it?"
"I guess so."
"You ever psychoanalyze me?"
"Of course. All the time. Since the first time we met."
"Lemme hear it then."
"The honest version or the 'I love my darling brother' version?"
"Keep it completely honest."
"To everyone you meet here at the Centre, you are a leader. You're ruthless and desire total power. You're, uh, eating habits are, well, peculiar. You're a cold-blooded man ready to make sacrifices on the way up to the top," I said as he tried to deny what I said, but I continued to talk. "Denial won't do any good."
"That's not fair."
"Sshh! I'm not done. You lie, cheat, and kill to get things done, and for that, you are
feared by many. But like I said, that's what everyone thinks of you at the Centre, but my opinion is different. Everybody sets himself or herself up with a facade; there's no way you can avoid it. For anyone, their real self is only revealed to themselves. That's my 'gift' Daddy rambles on about. I can see you as your true self."
"And what's that?"
"In 1995 when we first met, I was only nine. You came to me and told me that you were my brother, but I wasn't stupid. I knew it was an experiment Raines wanted to try. He wanted to see if I would cope with my situation better if I had someone to call my brother. But as you spent time with me, your true self began to show. I saw you as my real brother. You didn't know we were biologically siblings until 1998, but since we first met you've treated me like your sister. You want me to psychoanalyze you? You're the brother I love and look to. No matter what anyone else may think about you, there's love in your heart."
She looked at Lyle to see him in a pensive state. He couldn't get over the depth of what she said, the pure honesty to it. He looked at her and smiled the comforting smile she grew accustomed to. He didn't know what to say. She had really dove into his soul.
_____________________
Jarod had spent hours absorbing Riley's life through the DSAs. He was starting to get a picture of the extent of Riley's inner sense. He had watched Riley's life from the age of three. If Riley was created by Raines, why was she admitted to the Centre at the age of three and not sooner? Jarod was at age 12 for Riley.
Unlike for Jarod, Riley was given a birthday. The Centre wasn't sure on the date, but they knew it was between January and February so they gave her the date of January 30. He had watched everything. She was admitted on May 2, 1989 when she was three. What Jarod didn't know was where she was for those three years after birth.
Jarod saw that she had been hardened by the works of Mr. Raines. Anger began to flow through Jarod. While he was watching, he saw an undeniable innocence behind Riley's sims. To the naked eye, you might see a child without remorse for she designed a deadly stealth missile without hesitation, but Jarod could see an innocent child behind the sims. She would take the sims seriously and complete them with her best effort.
When she was done, she was a normal kid especially around Lyle. She had fun. Jarod could never imagine a child being happy inside Centre walls, but somehow Riley was. The Mr. Lyle on the DSAs before him was no Mr. Lyle Jarod had ever seen before. Riley brought something good out of everyone around her.
Jarod even stumbled upon a DSA with Riley at the age of eleven. It was a sim where they were trying to catch him through Riley's talents.
"He's a bad man, Riley," Raines told Riley in the DSA as pictures of Jarod flashed on the wall in front of her.
Riley stood silent just watching the pictures and studying the stuff from Jarod's previous lair. She looked to Raines and smiled.
"Come on, Dad. You don't expect me to believe that, do you?"
"Why contradict me?"
"You say that he is a bad man. You're contradicting yourself because I know he's no bad man."
"How do you know he's not?"
"Simple. He told me."
"I've merely shown pictures to you."
"He didn't tell me verbally. His eyes told me. They're so deep. Filled with sadness, curiosity, wonderment. He's like a child himself. Trapped in a world full of darkness and only glimpses of light. He's lost in the world where he can be anyone but himself. That's all he longs for. His identity. He's not bad, just sad."
"Okay, that's enough. The sim is over," Raines said reluctantly.
After she was alone in her room, there was a faint noise. "I hope Jarod gets out of Chicago soon."
Jarod paused for a moment and remembered that he had been in Chicago that week. For some reason, Riley held out on his location. He watched on going through days at a time. There was a routine of sims, but when he reached a time around the beginning of May, something happened. Jarod played the DSA he had found, starting it at the beginning.
Riley was asleep in her room. She was tossing and turning and screaming.
"No! Please, plea-! No Don't!" She suddenly sat up from her dreams, or nightmares. She looked around the dark room, alone. She got up quietly, crying. Out of all the years he had seen on the DSAs, Riley had never cried before. She was saying something that could barely be heard. "-yle. He's hurt. No! Jarod."
As Jarod watched he couldn't figure out what she was talking about. "-yle?" was all he could hear. Was she talking about Lyle?
Riley lay back down sobbing to herself. "No. Jarod. His heart is hurt." She lay curled up in a ball on her bed murmuring to herself. There she was in silence just staring.
Jarod fast-forwarded to the next morning.
Lyle walked in. " Wake up, Kiddo." He looked at her a little closer. As he felt her forehead, he stroked her head. She was drenched in sweat. "She's burning up!" he yelled. "Get someone in here!" He picked Riley up and began carrying her to the renewal wing.
Later on the DSA:
"What is it?" Lyle asked.
"She's gone into shock," Raines answered.
"Shock? Willie, get me the DSAs from the night before." Lyle said as he sat down by
Riley. He gave her a kiss on the forehead. "It's okay now, Kiddo." He started to walk out.
"Lyle?" the voice could be barely heard. He turned and ran to Riley's side.
"Riley? Riley?" he said holding her hand.
"You look like shit," Riley said with a small laugh because her throat hurt.
Lyle laughed and gave her another kiss on the cheek. "What happened?"
"I don't remember. I really don't want to either."
"Okay, okay."
Jarod wondered where he was during that time. He felt tears rushing to his eyes. It was the same time Kyle got killed. But Lyle was there... how could he? Had Mr. Lyle been in and out of the Centre that whole time? When Riley woke up crying that night on the DSA, she was saying Kyle, not Lyle. She knew about Kyle. She felt the pain Kyle did. The inner sense she had was stronger than Jarod had anticipated.
After more searching, Jarod found a DSA only a few days after she got out of shock.
In the middle of a sim Riley asked, "Did I ever live somewhere before I lived here?"
Jarod could easily tell that Raines was caught off guard by the question. "Why would you say that?"
"That night I had the bad dream. I dreamt of a fire and a gun shot at the same time. It
scared me. I saw people in the fire, but I couldn't really see them."
"Riley, you are a daughter to me, and that's all that matters. Now finish your sim, okay? I'll be right back."
The cameras stayed on Riley, yet another set followed Raines. He approached
Mr. Parker outside of the sim lab.
"I thought she had forgotten about all that," Raines said.
"You killed her parents in front of her? I'm surprised she would forget it at all," Mr. Parker said.
"Well, she had help. I hypnotized her to forget, and she did. What I don't understand is why she is suddenly remembering. Besides, they weren't her parents. The woman was a Seri gut mother. She would have lived if she didn't run off with Riley."
"I suppose so."
Jarod now realized that Riley's inner sense had triggered the memories. She had been taken back by the Centre around May in 1989 the same time of the year Kyle was killed. The sense given off by Kyle in May of 1998 triggered the memories of her "parents."
_______________________
Broots snuck into Mr. Lyle's office looking for information on Riley. He started on the computer.
"Here. I printed it all out for you."
"WAH!" Broots said scared. "Wha-? Riley? What are you doing up here?"
"I should be asking you the same question, but I know why you're here. Here you go.
Besides, Lyle had me set up a new security program on his computer. You wouldn't want it to detect you now, would you?"
Broots didn't know what to say. "O...kay." He took the file and started to look through it. "Thank y-?" Broots looked around to find Riley had disappeared. "Definitely related to Jarod," Broots said to himself.
Broots went back to Miss Parker's office walking cautiously as usual. "Did you get it?" Miss Parker asked.
"Uh...yeah."
"Did you have a hard time getting into his computer?"
"No. The file was already ready for me," Broots said with a hint of confusion.
"What?"
"Riley had it out for me when I went in there. She just gave it to me."
"She did?"
"Okay, Broots. I'll look over the files. I want you to see if you can find any DSAs for Riley."
"Yes, Miss Parker," Broots said as he left the room.
"Who are you, Riley?" Miss Parker said to herself.
"The same question should be asked of you," Riley said coming out from the shadows. "Who are you, Miss Parker?"
"Riley, where'd you come from?"
"Would it matter? I'm here," Riley said as she approached her sister.
"I guess not, but why?"
"Why what?"
"Why this?" Parker said while pointing to the file. "Why help me?"
"Because our mother would have liked it that way."
"Our mother," Parker liked the sound of that. "Do you know about her? The truth about her? Please, Riley, I need answers."
"The truth. There's something you don't get a lot in the Centre. Those whom you are
supposed to trust the most are the one's who feed lies to you constantly. Truth is that truth doesn't exist. It exists in you, and if would let your mother in, the truth about her will come in too." Riley turned to leave.
"Riley."
"Yes?"
"How do I let her in?"
"First, you have to let yourself into your life."
Parker had no idea what that meant. Riley left out of the room and went back into Lyle's office.
"I was looking for you," Lyle said smiling.
"I was walking around."
"Raines was happy with the outcome to the military deal you landed. He said you could come with me now. You know, out of the Centre now and then."
"Really? That's awesome."
Unyielding joy flowed through Riley. She would be able to go outside the Centre. Into the outside world. Into fresh air and sunshine. She felt a feeling of victory within her. She had gained the privilege of leaving the Centre on occasion. It was a privilege she would do anything to keep. She gave Lyle a hug of joy.
"So I can start going with you outside of the Centre?" she said not trying to hold back her happiness.
"There will be one thing you have to do before Raines will let you go. You have to give him solid information on Jarod's location. He says you can start out leaving the Centre on pursuits on Jarod. They have to be solid and real, Riley. Don't mess with Raines on this. He could revoke these privileges just as easily as he gave them to you. He told me if you don't follow through with this project, you'll be put in total isolation. Not even I will be permitted to see you. I don't want that to happen, Riley."
The sudden burst of joy Riley felt a mere few seconds before were quickly replaced by apprehension and anxiety. Torn between two brothers, unable to choose one to side with. The choice to give up Jarod's location and gain freedom or to deny the information and lose a beloved brother through forced solitude. A decision is to be made. Which one will Riley choose upon?
TO BE CONTINUED...
To anyone who reads this... PLEASE write a review on what you thought of my story. I need the feedback. THANKIES!
This belongs to Lichelle! Why? Because I wrote it!