*Author's note: This part is not the final version of it. No major changes will occur, though. I will post the final draft soon. Sorry FOX and TnT...
Chapter 6 Dreams
Leigh woke with a start the next day. Lyle was towering over her. He stared at her with grim satisfaction.
"It seems as though I have been too lenient in letting you get away with some things."
"Lenient," she scoffed.
He ignored her comment and said, "This time, I won't go through the long and boring process of getting you to tell me what I need to know when I don't even have to ask."
"Like hell I'll wake him up, Lyle. It was you who tried to kill him."
He picked her up and led her out of the door. "You see, the Centre is about respect and cooperation. If you respect and cooperate with me, you will be rewarded with good treatment. Sort of like when Jarod was first here."
"He only respected you out of fear and the lack of hope."
"I don't care how."
They stopped in front of a door. She waited for him to unlock it, but when she turned towards him, he was staring intently at her. "Respect me, Leigh, and you will not be harmed."
She looked away when he leaned over her. She took several steps away from him and banged against the wall. Her breaths became faster when he brushed his hand over her face.
"Respect, that's all I am asking for. Look at me when I speak to you Leigh."
She glanced at his dark gray suit. Her eyes shifted nervously over his tie, collar and breast pocket. She avoided his eyes and face.
"Respect me Leigh. Look me in the eyes when I speak to you."
She abruptly closed her eyes. He leaned closer to her. He could smell her sweat and fear. He whispered in her ear: "Leigh, don't make me ask you twice."
She let out a staggered breath and stared into his deep blue eyes. Her knees buckled under her, but he caught her before she fell. He looked at her thoughtfully in his arms.
"You haven't Read me yet," he said bluntly; it was not a question. He opened the door to the room and carefully leaned her into a chair. He strapped her to it and continued.
"Why?"
"I'd rather not pick up tips on how to murder people."
"Your sarcasm is simply amazing."
He touched her cheek. She closed her eyes, imagining he wasn't.
"So let's wake up Jarod, shall we?"
"No, I am protecting him from your destruction. He's a human being."
"Leigh, I don't need to ask you whether or not you want to or are willing to Read him. I have already told you, Jarod invented a way to make you Read people. But if you willingly do so, you won't suffer possible brain damage from the effects of the program. So, Sanchez, you decide," he taunted mercilessly. "Most of test subjects had seizures or hemorrhages. They were left with as much brain function as a two-year old," his voiced drifted off with an eerie effect.
"You made them that way," she protested.
"You really haven't seen the good side of the Centre, have you. We have come up with ideas and designs for things that you take for granted today. Jarod was our best pretender, and all we want to do is to have him start working again."
"You've kidnapped me, experimented on me, beaten me, drugged me, exploited my Reading ability, and you have done even worse to Jarod and you think I should even believe there is a good side to the Centre? What do you expect? Understanding? Forgiveness? Lyle, you're crazy."
"And you would be crazy not to willingly reverse his coma. Why risk it, Sanchez? It won't help. You will Read him one way or another, you know that."
She took a deep breath, held it. "I wish I never had this ability," she whispered as she closed her eyes. Her mind went off to awaken Jarod.
When she was done, she opened her eyes. Lyle was sitting across from her.
"Did you do it?" he asked.
"Yes," she sighed, "He is awake now."
"Good," he turned around to the door.
"Lyle, what is the stuff you're giving me?"
He stopped, and turned around to face her. He asked: "What stuff?"
"Monohetris, I know you've been giving it to me and I want to know what it is."
"I am sorry, Leigh," he walked to the door, "That's…"
"No, wait Lyle, you have to tell me, you at least owe me that."
He turned to her, "Leigh, I don't owe you anything. The Centre owns you now, so get used to it."
He walked out of the room.
Jarod awoke back in his room with no idea what had happened. He remembered escaping to Leigh's room and talking with her. Then Lyle and lights, an explosion of color and pain, probably from the sweepers' assault.
Jarod looked around keenly. This time Lyle was smart for a change, Jarod's hands were restrained against the wall, separated. He hated the lack of control over himself. He never knew when he would wake up and where. The stress, fear and pure exhaustion haunted his every moment, even when he was free. It was a sick relief knowing that he did not have to run anymore. A sick relief that he was… home?
Lyle entered his room.
"Hey Jarod, glad to see you awake again."
Jarod scowled at Lyle.
"Why," he growled, "So your lackeys can beat me again?"
"No, Jarod, this time we are going to talk about something you seem to have forgotten."
Leigh struggled against the brace. She had to leave, now, or Lyle would hurt Jarod again. She finally managed to get one of her arms free. She tore off the rest of the bindings with speed born from desperation and ran to the door, locked. Damn it! She had to find something to pick it with. She looked around the room. There were two chairs, a table and an office desk with papers on it, papers. She rushed over to the desk and searched through the papers until she found what she was looking for. She pulled a paperclip out of the pile. She bent it until it fit into the lock. In a couple of seconds the door unlocked with a relieving click. She opened it and cautiously stepped out into the cold, dark and sterile hall. She closed her eyes and tried to find where Jarod was. A sign near his room said 3-508. Level 3, room 508. She turned around; the sign by her room said 3-527. She walked carefully down the hall until she found his room. Lyle was inside.
She saw him yell at Jarod, who was sitting on the bed, resisting the calamity of the words. Lyle struck him across the face. Jarod didn't budge. Lyle yelled at him again.
"You do remember!"
When Jarod shook his head Lyle shoved him against the wall choking him with his arm.
"Don't bother lying to me, Jarod, I know you too well."
Lyle backed away, spread his arms and said, "You were thrilled to use it, 'your greatest invention,' you had said."
Jarod stood up in defiance; "You made me. One of the drugs you forced to be added is a truth drug."
Lyle laughed, and continued, "What, did Raines tell you that? Test drug number 77-alpha is tap-fresh water."
"No," Jarod said hopelessly and fell weakly to his knees. He hung his head in shame.
Lyle kept on talking and pointed at Jarod who covered his ears and shook his head.
"You did it," Lyle shouted clearly, "You found her, and she found you. She would have been at the Centre anyway if you had not escaped!"
Leigh froze.
"No," Jarod moaned, "You made me!"
Lyle grabbed his hair so Jarod looked at him. "You will learn respect again, Jarod, both of you will learn it."
Lyle turned towards the door just as Leigh ducked out of sight. When he opened the door and she hid behind it. He strode off angrily down the hall; and she entered Jarod's room. He was still kneeling on the floor, covering his face.
"Leave me alone, Lyle, just leave me alone."
When she didn't move, he got up. He turned and lunged at her and barely stopped from hitting her when he realized that she wasn't Lyle.
"Leigh," he said surprised, "How did you get in here?"
She opened her hand. In it he saw a bent paperclip.
"Let's go," he said. They hurried out of the room.
"Which way did Lyle go?" he asked her.
"To the left."
He turned to the right and they walked down the hall. When they reached an intersection, he cautiously looked down the other halls. He kept going straight. She cautiously crossed, too, and sped up to him. After they had walked a while, she asked him:
"What were you talking to Lyle about?"
"He reminded me of something I should never have forgotten."
She heard a voice behind her. When she stopped to look, Jarod pulled her forward urgently and ran ahead.
"Jarod!" someone shouted.
She ran.
"Jarod, Leigh, stop!" Lyle yelled as he raced after them.
Jarod grabbed her hand and pulled her down another hallway, which was smaller than the other one. They could hear Lyle turning into the same corridor.
"Stop!" he yelled to them.
Lyle pulled out his gun and stopped running. He fired at them. Bang! The first shot flew past them. So did the second and the third. When Leigh heard the fourth being fired, Jarod tumbled, fell and pulled her down, too. Lyle ran up to them. Jarod's side was bleeding. He moaned in pain and pushed himself up against the wall. Jarod clawed at the grate that was near him, trying pull himself up into a sitting position. Leigh rolled over onto her stomach to get up.
"Don't move," Lyle said as he pointed the gun at them.
Leigh glanced at Jarod.
Lyle kneeled to inspect Jarod's wound. "The grate," she mouthed to Jarod. He nodded at her understanding. Leigh pushed herself up. Lyle turned to her and pulled out a syringe.
He started to inject a sedative into her arm, "I said…" he began.
Jarod ripped the grate off the wall. Lyle turned to the sound, but Jarod slammed it into Lyle's head before he could react. Lyle collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Leigh cried out when the needle still in Lyle's grasp tore through her arm.
She grabbed her shoulder to stop the bleeding.
"Can you make it?" Leigh asked Jarod.
He stood up, using the wall for balance. "Yeah," he said, wincing in pain, "How much did he give you?"
She picked up the syringe delicately, "Over half," she said. Jarod took it from her and inject the rest into Lyle's arm.
"Okay, let's get out of here," he motioned to the air-vent.
Jarod moved through the vents like he knew them well. They crawled as quietly as possible through the dizzying maze of pipes and wires. He turned left, right, right, left, right… after awhile, he went up. They went up through three levels. Then he opened a hatch above them. They stepped out into sunlight.
Leigh looked around. It seemed so long since she had been outside, free.
They turned down a path, which eventually led to a small dirt road. Jarod was having difficulty making his way between the rocks and roots that carpeted the ground. Leigh made her way behind him, guiding him. When he tripped over a dead log, she reached out to steady him. When he regained his balance, she let go. Her hand was covered in blood.
"Jarod!" she said in alarm.
He stumbled on a loose rock and fell, doubling over in pain. He winced and tried to get up, but fell down again.
She kneeled next to him, half falling in exhaustion.
"Oh, God, Jarod."
He gasped in pain, "Leigh," he whispered, "Go, go…" and closed his eyes. "No," she yelled, "Jarod, please get up!"
She was beginning to feel dizzy. The sedative, she realized. No, I have to stay awake!
She pressed her hands to his side. Blood flowed freely from the injury. She tried to stop it. She collapsed over him.
No, she thought, Jarod, I'm so sorry.
She fell asleep.
* * *
"Le-ee, WAKE UP," Lyle shouted in her face.
She jerked awake. He stood over her and slowly brushed a stray lock of her hair out of her face. His leather gloves were soft on her skin.
"Glad you are back."
He moved his hand over her cheek and brushed his thumb over her lips, staring deep into her eyes.
She looked away from his mesmerizing glare, "Jarod! What did you do with him?"
"Shh… its not his turn yet, Leigh, but it is yours," he said, straightening up where he stood, "See, we are going to take a run through Jarod's game; and you can have a front-row seat."
She tried to turn around in the chair, only to be stopped by the all-to-familiar bindings encompassing her body. Lyle picked up a syringe and bottle and withdrew some of the liquid.
She screamed in terror and sadness. But it felt…