The Pretender is the Copyright of TNT Valued Gateway Client Valued Gateway Client 3 890 2001-10-07T08:08:00Z 2001-10-27T02:33:00Z 2001-10-27T02:33:00Z 5 2194 12510 104 25 15363 9.3821

The Pretender is the Copyright of TNT.  The characters Jarod, Sydney, Miss. Parker, Broots, and Mr. Raines etc. are all the copyright of TNT.  The song Dust in the Wind belongs to Kansas.  No profit intended, no harm intended.   This is my first take at fan fiction and any errors are mine alone.

Chapter 6: All We Do Jarod's Quarters – the Centre

Jarod stood at the play yard fence and looked back at the street.  His mother waited in the car and waved goodbye to him.  The smile on her face showed how proud she was of him on his first day of school.  He grinned and waved back.  He was excited about being in school.  He skipped a few steps and joined the flood of children going in.

Jarod found himself watching the interaction and horseplay around him.  He was accustomed to the company of his small family and this was fascinating.  The things they were struggling to learn were things that he already knew.  That gave him lots of time to watch the other kids. 

School was over too fast.  He dragged his feet out of the school and looked for his mother.  She was where she had dropped him off that morning.  Kyle was hanging out the car window happily shouting for him.  Jarod looked both ways and ran across the sidewalk and up to the car.  He talked the whole way home.  He just couldn't wait until the next day!

When they pulled up into their house, he noticed the black car with the men again.  They looked familiar but they were not the two that were there the day before, or the day before that.   They just seemed to fit into a similar category.  Kyle danced into the house announcing that he was going to go to school with Jarod.

Dinner, bath and bed just didn't come fast enough.  Before he fell asleep he went over the names of all of the kids in his class.  He fell asleep repeating them over and over pleased to have met so many new kids.

Sweating and filled with anxiety, Jarod awoke to see Angelo sitting on the edge of his bed. 

"Angelo, what are you doing here?"

"Not time yet friend."  Angelo said and laid a hand on Jarod's arm.  Jarod resisted the darkness that he fell into but was soon lost.

Miss Parker knocked on Jarod's door the next morning while waving the sweepers down the hall and out of sight.  She knocked again when she didn't get an answer.  After the third set of knocks she opened the door with her passkey and walked in.

Conscious of their conversation the night before, she stood at the door and called his name.  She heard him ask her to come here.

"Where are you?"

"In the bathroom, I need your help for a second."

Miss Parker walked into the bathroom and to her surprise, saw Jarod sitting in the tub. 

"Jarod, what in the world are you doing?"

"Taking a bath.  But I'm having trouble getting out I'm too slippery.  I knew you would be coming shortly so I waited a few minutes."

Embarrassed, Miss Parker looked without looking.  Jarod looked pretty good sitting there, wet, buff, naked…

"Could you give me a hand?"

She pushed the wheelchair aside and moved to the edge of the tub. 

"What is that on your leg?"

Putting his hand on an inflatable leg brace Jarod looked up at Miss Parker.  He observed the blush on her cheeks and said, "I'm sorry, it didn't occur to me that perhaps we had not been intimate.  Would you rather call in one of the guards?"

"Um, no, I've seen lots of naked men.  Now give me your arms and let's lift you to the edge. When you're there I'll pull the chair over for you."

She may have been talking calmly and detached but she was anything but that.  She had seen lots of men naked but they weren't Jarod.  In doing her research on Jarod she had viewed years of video on him.  His entire life was on camera.  Everything including showers, medical exams, exercises, lots of naked Jarod pictures but they were nothing compared to the warm, firm, flesh and blood body in her arms now. 

Lifting his torso while he pulled himself with a handrail they got him to the edge of the tub.  He lifted the braced leg up on the edge of the tub with the other leg outside it.

The impulse to nuzzle his neck and run her hands across his back, chest and stomach …Stop already she told herself.  Looking for a distraction she so desperately needed she went back to the brace on his leg.

"So tell me about that life preserver you have on your leg.  That wasn't there last night."

"It's an inflatable leg brace.  Paramedics commonly use them because they take up less room, are portable, and easy to put on.  Just slide them under the injured limb and inflate them.  It's been several days since I took a real bath.  I called down to the infirmary and the doctor had one sent up for me.  Works pretty well doesn't it?"  He grabbed a towel and started to dry himself off.

"Uh huh." She agreed.  She grabbed another towel and started rubbing his back. 

He quickly realized that it was taking a long time to dry his back.  He stopped and looked at her face.  She was flushed and immediately met his eyes. 

"Jarod, I…"

With only a second's hesitation, he pulled her into his lap and kissed her. 

He tasted and felt every bit as good as she had imagined.  Her whole world was spinning.  The ringing of the phone brought her back to the real world.  No camera pointed here but it would have been noticed that she was in his bathroom. 

"That's probably Sydney wondering where we are.  Come on; let's get you dressed and ready to go.  I ordered breakfast for the Sim lab."

Slowly and intently she kissed him.  She ended the kiss and stood up.  "I'd better let them know we're fine of they'll send the cavalry up"

She nodded at his arousal and smiled "I'll give you a minute then help you finish getting dressed."  She stepped out and picked up the still ringing phone.  "What!"

"Miss Parker?  Is everything all right?  Nobody was answering and we couldn't see anyone in the cameras."

"Jarod was having trouble getting out of the bathtub.  Have someone come up and replace this tub with something he can get in and out of.  I want it done before we get back here tonight.  We'll be down in a few minutes.  Is breakfast there yet?"

Uh yes, I'll get right on it.  Um, the bathtub I mean, I'll get right on the bathtub."

Miss Parker hung up and headed back to the bathroom.  Jarod was toweling his hair dry.  Bending over and hugging him from behind she nuzzled his neck.  "Can we resume this tonight at my place?  No cameras," she added with a twinkle in her eye.

Taking her hand to his lips, he commented, "It's going to be a very long day."

She nuzzled him again and taking the towel from his hands, draped it over his lap.  She pushed the wheelchair into his bedroom and in view of the cameras.  She helped him slip on fresh hospital pants and replace the inflatable brace with the cloth and metal one.

She knew that this was painful by the sweat that broke out on his forehead.  She was as gentle as she could be until it was done.  She handed him a fresh tee shirt and admired the view as he pulled it over his head and settled it over his firm stomach.  She was openly staring at him in lust when he looked up at her to signal he was finished.  

As they headed down to the Sim labs, Jarod thought it was going to be very hard to concentrate with Parker in the room.

To Jarod's relief and disappointment, Miss Parker left after they had eaten breakfast. 

She was headed towards her father's office.  He had left word that he wanted to see her when the Pretender was at work on the Sim.  She knocked and walked into his office without waiting for his response.  She greeted her father and ignored Mr. Raines who was standing across the desk from her father.

"Daddy, did you want something?"

"Ah, Angel excellent job with Jarod.  I hear that everything is going as planned.  He hasn't resisted any of our instructions and is working up to our expectations."

"He seems relaxed and recuperating.  It's still critical that we continue with the plan.  Sydney          says he hasn't fully reprinted his personality yet.  Daddy if we want this to work I still need a hands off order."

"And you'll get it Angel, as long as we get what we want.  I want him to return to work on Gemini.  Despite the loss of the Gemini boy, the last experiment was a success.  Now with Jarod back we are ready to move onto the next phase which will perfect the technique and prepare it for multiple specimens at a time."

"Daddy, you're talking about cloning human beings!" 

"Angel I am not going to discuss this anymore.  What ever it takes, and I expect no less from you.  Am I clear on this?"

"Perfectly."   Miss Parker said as she turned and walked from his office.

"I'll order the lab set up."  Mr. Raines turned and dragged his oxygen tank from the room.

Hybrid Gardens – the Centre

Miss Parker headed to her office but couldn't think there.  After walking, she found herself in the same hybrid gardens that she and Jarod had been in earlier.  She looked for a quiet, private spot and sat.

The conversation that she and Sydney had the other day about Jarod came to mind.  With his memory loss Jarod was capable of working on Gemini but he wouldn't have any conscience about the implications.  Frankenstein would be creating more monsters for the Centre to loosen on the world.

She asked herself if she could she be apart of this again.  Did she even care?  She could write herself out of the Jarod story and leave the Centre.  Make Daddy honor his part of the deal.  Jarod was back and her part was done.  To hell with a job in corporate, she just wanted out.

But she had risked it all once to help the boy.  She had reached that decision before and gladly.  She had just not gotten there in time.  Jarod and his father had saved the boy.  Now it was Jarod that needed saving, and before he could create more clones. 

A plan.  She would need help from Sydney and Broots but could she trust them?  Should she involve them and risk their lives too?  Then there was Debbie to think of. 

She nearly jumped out of her skin when Angelo hopped down into a squatting position beside her.

"Angelo, my god you scared me!  How did you get out here?"

He shushed her.  "Feel daughter's pain.  Help."

"You shouldn't be out here.  Let's get you back inside."

"Help daughter.  Angelo can help."

"Help me?  Help me with what?"

"Angelo feels daughter's pain.  Can help free Jarod, stop Gemini."

"I wish you could Angelo, I wish you could."

"Can."  He nodded confidently.  "Angelo can get Jarod's help.  Jarod can pretend it."

"We can't get Jarod's help without telling him I lied to him.  Once he knew that, he would have no reason to trust me."

"Can."  Angelo continued confidently.

Miss Parker shook her head in disbelief and took Angelo's hand to lead him back inside.  He lifted her hand and put something into it.  When she looked at it, he turned and disappeared into the bushes. 

It was a DSA.  She hurried to her office and pulled out her DSA player.  Placing it to face a "dead" corner that she knew was safe, she turned it on.  

It was night in Jarod's rooms.  Jarod was sleeping quietly when he started to list out names.  None of them sounded familiar to her but he continued to list them.  Then he became agitated and began shouting NO and thrashing around.  From somewhere in the room, Angelo sat on the bed and touched him.  Jarod immediately woke up.

"Angelo, what are you doing here?" the DSA Jarod asked.  He sounded different.  Surprised but confident and secure, like the old Jarod.

"Not time yet friend."  The DSA Angelo said and touched Jarod again.  She could see Jarod go wild eyed and resist Angelo.  In just a minute, Jarod slumped down and seemed to fall back into a calmer sleep.

She stared at the blank screen in shock.  What was that all about?  What had Angelo done?  Jarod had been dreaming but what could he remember to dream about.  Angelo had said that Jarod was not there anymore.  Angelo had said it but why would he lie?  Could it be true?  It had seemed like a child's dream rather than a memory of the accident.  For just a moment, Jarod had acted like he remembered Angelo. 

Sub Level 20 Sim Lab 12 – the Center

Monitors were set up throughout the lab.  They displayed updating data from the New York Stock Exchange.  Current and projected events were displayed on an electronic world map on one wall.  Speeches by the movers and shakers around the world were being broadcast simultaneously.

Jarod rolled his wheelchair in a slow circle.  Occasionally he would stop and watch numbers scroll across a screen.  Cock his head and listen to something that was on the speakers.  He was absorbing the data like a sponge, weighing it, analyzing it.

Broots watched from an observation center in the lab.  He knew how much data was being piped in there since he was in charge of keeping it coming.  To him it was distracting and noisy; he knew that Jarod was assimilating the data.

They were well into the stock analysis Sim when Lyle came into the lab.  This made Broots nervous.  He stammered a greeting of sorts.

"Mr. Lyle, what are you doing here?"

Barely giving Broots a glance, Lyle watched the Sim intently.

"Yes Lyle, what are you doing here?" Sydney asked.

"Just checking on the Centre's investment.  Tell me Sydney, how does Jarod's performance measure up against his earlier Sims?"

Suspecting the purpose of Lyle's visit, Sydney was careful with his reply.

"Taking into account his injuries, I would estimate his responses and performance has improved since his return to the Centre.  His experiences outside the Centre, even forgotten have given him an improved perspective that he would not have had if he had remained."

"Really?  Well that is the only good thing about his little 'vacation'" Lyle said rubbing the stub of his thumb.  "How much longer until he gets results on this one?"

"Simulations are difficult to predict.  He has been at it for several hours but has not started to replay events or narrow down the scope.  It could be hours or days."

Lyle stood closer to the observation window and ignored them.

Twelve hours later, Jarod rolled his chair over to a computer and began a comprehensive projection report.  Several hours later he completed the Sim and rolled the chair back.  Finally feeling fatigue, he slumped in the chair and looked around the now quiet room.  Sydney stepped up and began a massage of his shoulders. 

"Are you ready for some food and rest?"

An exhausted Jarod just nodded.  Sydney rolled the chair from the room and headed back to Jarod's room.  As they arrived at his rooms, Miss Parker joined them.

"Jarod, Sydney.  Just in time.  I've put together a light meal for Jarod in my place.  I'd invite you Syd but I didn't make enough for three."

Sydney looked at her and wondered what she had on her mind. 

"Jarod, are you up to it?"  Sydney asked.

Looking at Miss Parker's suggestive smile, Jarod nodded, "I think a little bite before bed would be alright."

"See you in the morning Sydney," Parker said and turned Jarod's chair towards her rooms.  She looked over her shoulder and mouthed to Sydney, "We'll talk tomorrow."

Sydney nodded and headed for his office.