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 9: Nothing last forever but the earth and sky The CentreThe next few days were spent in long days at the lab. Jarod spent his time studying the research or setting up the lab the way he wanted. Miss Parker, Sydney and Broots worked on the details of Jarod's escape.
When he wasn't at the Sim lab, he was with Miss Parker. Over the last few days she had learned the exquisite pleasure of anticipation. Making love with Jarod was more than just an hour's frantic passion. It began each day with the dawn's first caress and didn't end until she drifted to sleep at night in his arms.
She had quickly found the cameras in her apartments and had Sam sweep her apartments each day before she and Jarod arrived. She pumped her sources and found out that Raines was responsible. A not-so-accidental meeting in the hall with him, a few very real threats about going to her father stopped the cameras. She continued to have Sam sweep the rooms for bugs or cameras. She wasn't entirely convinced that Raines was willing to give up that easily.
She was still wondering what to do about Lyle. She couldn't put it off anymore. The danger was too great for Jarod. She sought Angelo out in the lower sections of the Centre that he called home.
He was sitting quietly by a fan in SL25 when she found him. As she walked down the stairs slowly, she formed the questions in her mind.
Gracefully she sat down beside him. "Angelo, I need your help. I need to know about Lyle. He said you could tell me the truth. What is the truth?"
"Truth, Lyle is brother."
"Is he as bad as we think? Is his heart bad?"
"Brother hides secret. He is mother's son too."
"I know Lyle has a secret. I want to know what it is. Is Lyle evil?"
"Brother has done bad things but heart is not evil. Daughter has done bad things but heart is not evil. Brother seeks to end the evil like daughter does."
"Did he tell me the truth? Is my father one of the evils in the Centre?"
"Mr. Parker evil. Must stop Mr. Parker."
Sub Level 20, Sim Lab 12 – the CentreSydney watched as Jarod worked on the Gemini Simulation. This was not the first time that he was surprised at how quick and bright his protégé was. This time however, he had hoped that it would have taken him a little longer to prepare.
Miss Parker's rescue plan was not finalized. They wanted to destroy all of the Gemini files and enable all of them to disappear. All of the files were here but the bulk of them were in the Centre main frames. Broots could delete them but they would be caught in the act. They had to disappear before they could be stopped. That was the only condition that Broots had put upon his offer to help. All of them had to get out safe. He insisted that they were all his friends and he wouldn't leave any behind to the Centre's retaliations.
Miss Parker had told him that Angelo was still keeping Jarod mind blocked. Jarod nearly broke the lock every night. Sydney was worried for her if Jarod did break free. He would be furious and she could be in danger, from Jarod and the Centre.
Miss Parker arrived along with their lunch. She had insisted on bringing Jarod's breakfast and lunches to the lab. Dinners were still a late night event in her quarters. Her pretext of keeping the Pretender healthy and happy stood up against the suspicions of Mr. Raines.
It was obvious to everyone that the Pretender was happy with Miss Parker's company. They held hands and parted with a kiss. His injuries were nearly healed. The only evidence that he had been severely injured was a yellowing black eye and his limp from the nearly healed knee. His physical therapy was progressing on schedule. He walked without the use of crutches and only wore a small brace to support his knee. He worked long hours and to all appearances their fabricated story was working as planned.
In reality Miss Parker knew her appearances would distract Jarod for several hours for each meal. She made sure he was not thinking about the Sim each time she left the lab. It was the only legitimate way she could think of to stall the project. She convinced her father that Jarod had completely accepted his fabricated life and things were getting serious between them.
This was what he wanted to hear so he discarded all of the complaints expressed by Mr. Raines. Lyle supported her arguments in this. He had put up the appearance of ensuring the Pretender's continued support of the Centre in several conversations he had with Jarod. He was able to convince their father that Jarod was an asset now and there was no need for concern.
Lyle walked into the lab looking for Miss Parker. His sources had said lunch was being sent. He joined them for lunch and afterwards pulled his sister aside.
"My network has everything in place now. When the word is given, you and Jarod will be taken to a safe place. Sydney, Broots and Debbie will be moved to a different location. I have more time to get out so I'll follow after I see what the Centre is doing in the wake of your disappearances. Talk to Broots about finishing the program to destroy the files. We'll set a day when he's ready."
She nodded. "Stop by before I take Jarod back. I'll have the answer from Broots then." Keeping up appearances, she scowled at him for the cameras, and signed thank you to him with her hands.
He turned and left the lab. Heading back to his lab he thought he saw a shadow turn the corner ahead of him. Worried that someone was spying; he picked up his pace to reach the corner. When he reached it he looked both ways but saw no one. His suspicions still active, he planned on having one of his sweepers watch his back. He would advise his sister to do the same.
Miss Parker left the lab in a good mood. The plan was nearly complete. Broots said he could have the program done in two days. He had to be able to overwrite some of the mainframe defense programs he had written. He sheepishly explained that he had written them to be unbreakable. A minor hold up she thought.
Jarod was not quite ready to get back to work. He started to read the lab test results but was distracted by a bowl of pistachio nuts sitting beside the keyboard. He didn't remember anyone putting those there. He picked up a few and shelling them, popped them into his mouth. He unconsciously ate several more while he read the reports.
He had not finished the section he was reading when he began to feel strange. The room got suddenly very hot. His vision rapidly became tunneled and he felt his tongue swelling up in his mouth. Shaky and sick he stood up and lost his balance. Unable to move or speak he collapsed to the floor.
Broots looked up from his monitor in time to see Jarod stand and collapse.
"Jarod! What's wrong?"
He raced from the monitor room into the lab. Sydney looked up to see what Broots was shouting at and turned to see Jarod on the floor. He shouted at a sweeper to call the infirmary and get the doctor down here immediately.
He reached Jarod before the others did and could tell that Jarod was having trouble breathing. His skin was pale and clammy, his eyes unresponsive. His eyes looked around to see the source of Jarod's illness and swore.
"What is it Sydney?" Broots stammered.
"Pistachios! He's in
anaphylactic shock. Get that doctor
down here now or Jarod will die!"
"He must have eaten some of the pistachios. How did they get here? Did anyone see who put these here?"
No one including the sweepers had noticed anyone in the room that was not supposed to be there. The pistachios had not been on the carts with the lunch. The sweepers routinely checked the carts.
"Broots, pull up the surveillance tapes and tell me who put them there. You two put him up on the table there." The sweepers he was talking to swept the table of items and lifted Jarod. Sydney took the First aid kit that was handed to him and injected Jarod with a syringe of antihistamine he found there.
"Sydney, will he be okay?" Broots asked.
"I don't know. Jarod is deathly allergic to pistachios. Thank God it was made mandatory for all first aid kits to carry antihistamine after he collapsed as a child after his first taste of one, and that was just a pistachio by-product. This was the real thing."
The doctor and several nurses came running into the room with a gurney. Jarod was quickly examined and transferred to the gurney. In a few short minutes he was on his way to the infirmary with Sydney following. Sam took charge of the lab and held everyone that had been in the room. Broots was on the computer getting the lab security tapes for Sam.
In the infirmary, Jarod was quickly hooked up to a vitals monitor, oxygen and an IV. He was given a stronger antihistamine when he didn't seem to be improving from the first.
Word got out quickly, Miss Parker and Lyle rushed in followed by Mr. Parker. Mr. Raines arrived shortly after. A frantic Miss Parker held Jarod's hand and questioned Sydney.
"What the hell happened Sydney, I was just down there!"
"We had gone back to work after lunch. I heard Broots shouting and turned around and saw Jarod collapsed on the floor. There were pistachios all over the floor next to him. Based on his reaction, he must have eaten several."
"Oh my God, this is our fault. We put so much thought into the story to make it believable but we never thought to tell this Jarod that he was allergic to them.
"How is he doctor?" Mr. Parker asked.
"It's serious I'm afraid. His respiratory system has arrested. I think Dr. Greene got the drugs to him in time but he will be in here a couple of days. I'll know more when the medication starts to work. I'll have to keep him on oxygen and sedated when he wakes up, to rest his respiratory system"
"I want to know how this happened. Heads are going to roll for delaying the Gemini project!" Mr. Parker bellowed and left the room.
Miss Parker and Sydney remained with Jarod. Lyle went to check on Sam's progress.
Despite their best efforts the lab tapes were inconclusive. They showed a shadow moving just below the tables and a shadowed, gloved hand slipping the bowl of dangerous nuts onto the table. The shadow couldn't be more defined, there were no fingerprints and everyone was accounted for in the room.
Jarod's breathing improved in a couple of hours but he was still unconscious. Miss Parker sat at his bedside holding his hand and talking to him.
Jarod woke in the infirmary. He tried to push the oxygen sheets away from his face but Sydney appeared and held his hands down.
"You must leave the oxygen tent alone Jarod."
"What happened Sydney? Why am I here?"
"You had an allergic reaction to the nutritional supplement you had with your lunch. It was a derivative of a nut called a pistachio. You must never eat anything that contains that in it. You are severely allergic to it."
"But how will I know if it does?"
"We've made special notes in your file. I just wanted you to know what it was called."
Jarod looked towards the door of the room and saw Dr. Raines and Mr. Parker watching him through the observation window. They scared him and he shuttered. He turned back to Sydney.
He closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
The nurse poked his finger with a pin and drew a drop of blood. He watched as she squeezed it onto a glass slide and left the room.
He pounded on the glass trying to get someone's attention, "Where's my mom and dad?"
He sat in the Lucite ball and screamed at the flames around the base.
He cried for refuge when the simulation scared him.
He touched the glass and could feel Miss Parker's soul through it.
He felt the electricity as she gave him his first kiss.
He remembered seeing Kyle before he knew he was his own brother, pouring the liquid on his hand only to discover that Mr. Raines and substituted it with acid.
He remembered the drug that Mr. Raines had gotten him addicted to.
He remembered showing the Janitor how to make origami swans.
He remembered Damien shooting him.
He remembered running through the fields with sweepers and dogs chasing him.
He remembered finding a new life outside.
He remembered finding Kyle, his father, Emily, seeing his mother.
He remembered these things not the lies that he had been told.
He jerked awake. He was enclosed in an oxygen tent. He tried to push the oxygen sheets away from his face but Sydney appeared and stopped him. It was an older Sydney and this was not a childhood memory.
"You must leave the oxygen tent alone Jarod."
"Where am I?"
"You're in the infirmary. You ate some pistachios and had a severe reaction."
"It's not a dream then."
The glare that Jarod turned on him caused Sydney to back up a step. Recovering quickly, he leaned back to whisper, "You've recovered your memory."
"Yes. How could you do this to me?"
"Listen to me Jarod. We only just learned what Angelo had done. Angelo knew you were the only one that could destroy the Gemini project for good. He also knew you would never voluntarily stay at the Centre. We thought you were really lost to us. They made up a story but it gave you freedoms here. Raines had to stay away. We were nearly ready to destroy the files and escape from here."
"I remember Sydney. I remember everything. Get out of my sight. Get away from me NOW!" Jarod's voice rose.
"Think about it Jarod. This is our only chance to destroy Gemini. If you could keep the pretend for a few more days we can stop them and be out of here."
"Get out of here Sydney."
Sydney left. Outside the door he stopped Miss Parker from entering.
"He remembers. He is feeling angry and betrayed. I don't know what his reaction to you will be. Please be careful."
Miss Parker choked back her tears and put on an ice queen face. Against Sydney's advice she entered the room.
