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 10: It slips away Infirmary – the CentreMiss Parker felt Jarod's eyes on her as she walked in the door and around the bed. She stopped and sat down beside the bed. Now that she was in the room, Jarod refused to look her in the eyes. She took a deep breath and hoped that Broots had scrambled the cameras.
"Do I get to explain or are you going to shut me down like you did Sydney?"
There was a cold silence before he answered, "Did you give me a chance? An Explanation? Or did you just do what you wanted like I was the lab rat you always called me?"
She was hurt by the hostility in his voice. She swallowed her shame and heartbreak and continued.
"We found you in Denver, unconscious near death. We brought you back. Angelo told us that your memory was gone. To keep you out of Raines's hands, Sydney and I came up with a plan. One that created a past life for you that gave you freedom but cost your cooperation. We only wanted to keep you safe. With your memory gone there was nothing for you in the outside world. The Centre was the only place we could keep you safe."
"I remember more than that. I remember you tricked me into thinking you cared. Tricked me into thinking that there was more." His voice broke.
"There was no trick. I do care about you. Sydney cares about you. What were we suppose to do? Give you to Raines and go our own merry way? Enjoy our freedom knowing that you were being tortured and abused and never even knowing why? Have you remembered nothing about us?" Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"They want to launch Gemini again. Angelo said you were the only one that could destroy it. That you would never stay willingly even for that. He said he had blocked your mind. We thought you were gone until he told us that. We've been working on a way to get out of here. We were almost ready. We just needed a couple more days for Broots to break into the main frames."
"I want to be alone. I need to think."
"I do love you Jarod. No trick, no lie. You and I are real. I never made that up." She stood and left the room before he could say anything to hurt her feelings. She wasn't strong enough to hear that.
She headed to the hybrid gardens. Away from people and cameras but she knew she couldn't run from herself.
In the gardens she wept. Deep, wracking sobs that couldn't reach the depths of her broken heart. She had betrayed his trust. The thing he most valued was honesty and trust and she had lied to him. She had always needed and wanted him so she used his trust and injury to get what she wanted. It didn't matter that her excuses were good. She had used him.
Despite everything that the Centre had done to him all of his life he had kept his soul. Put into her hands for only a short time and she had managed to steal that. She was so ashamed.
Other than her father, Lyle was the last person she wanted to see but he found her and sat down uninvited.
"I hear he was a little hard on you."
"I deserved it."
"Only if you think so but he doesn't have all of the facts." He paused, "A few days ago, you and the others believed the worst of me. I was guilty of everything wrong in the world, and I let you believe it for your own safety. Jarod thinks the same of you right now. I know it's not true, deep down you know it's not true. I've gotten to know him pretty well since he's been back, he'll come around."
"Thanks Lyle, but I don't think he will. I took something he had managed to keep safe from the Centre all these years. He won't ever forgive me."
"Time will tell - I got a second chance." He took a deep breath and continued, "I have something else for you to think about. You and baby Parker are in danger. Baby Parker is really Jarod's."
He waited for her shocked attention to continue. "When the Centre had Jarod after you were shot they took sperm samples. Trying to make up for not having any before he escaped the first time. They offered to artificially inseminate Bridgitte and she took it. She really did love dad. Thought it would cement his position in the Centre. A lot of good it did her." Lyle frowned.
"Which brings me to your problem. Baby Parker isn't a Pretender but he carries the gene. Funny thing about that gene, it doesn't pass on well. He's sterile, like Kyle, Angelo, Ethan and myself. It seems Jarod and you are the only ones able to pass it on."
"What are you saying?"
"Dad issued orders that your birth control be substituted with sugar pills. I heard him order it myself. Seems he wanted to encourage a pregnancy between you and Jarod. I don't think your wishes were a consideration. You need to get out now with baby Parker. They'll use one or both of you to keep Jarod in line."
the Centre
Sydney and Miss Parker were turned away at the entrance to the Infirmary. Jarod was declining all visitors claiming exhaustion. Broots went with them one of their trips to the infirmary.
"What's up with Jarod?"
Rather than telling him that Jarod had recovered his memory, Miss Parker slanted the truth. "Jarod's upset because we forgot to tell him that he was allergic to those damn nuts. He doesn't like feeling silly or stupid. It probably doesn't help that we can't find out who put the nuts there. They obviously knew what would happen. He's in danger and doesn't know what to do about it."
She knew that Broots talked to everyone in every corner of the Centre. She was hoping that she could avert suspicions long enough to let Broots finish the hacking and they could get out of here.
When Jarod was released from the infirmary the next morning, he returned to the lab and the simulation. Broots was the only one that he spoke to, and then it was just about the Sim.
It was late evening when Jarod surprised Broots by calling his name.
"Um, yes Jarod?"
"Could you come here for a minute?"
Broots hurried over to Jarod.
When he stood beside him, Jarod typed a sequence in and whispered to Broots.
"I've looped the cameras. You have less than ten hours to clear out. I've sabotaged the DNA for Gemini. They'll never be able to get it to work again. I've set viruses in the main frame to destroy all of the files and then some. If you have a plan for escape, you'd better use it."
He typed another sequence into the computer, stood up and went out the door. The sweepers surrounded him and he was gone.
Broots stood there in shock. It took a moment for Jarod's words to sink in. When they did he hurried from the room and headed straight for Sydney's office. Sydney was staring into space when he rushed into the room.
"Sydney! Jarod's done it! He says we have less than ten hours to clear out before all hell breaks out!"
"What? Slowly Broots." Sydney asked.
Broots lowered his voice and hastily whispered. "I was in the lab with Jarod. He called me over to say that he was done. He's sabotaged the DNA and files and gave us less than ten hours to get out. Do you think he means it? Shouldn't we be going?"
"He means it."
"Miss Parker" Sydney said on the phone, "It's time."
That launched their escape plan. Miss Parker socialized with her father only long enough to say that she was headed to her cabin for the weekend. She left and didn't look back. Sam and Debbie were already in the car waiting for her. Broots met them in a Blue Cove supermarket where he had parked his car. Sydney said his goodbyes and left, implying that he was on his way to a comedy club with a date. Baby Parker was being lifted out of a laundry hamper into Lyle's waiting arms. He was going naked in case there was tracing devices in his nursery wear. Miss Parker had instructed Broots to get everything they would need to take care of a baby. He got into his car and drove off Centre grounds. Angelo prowled the Centre checking to see that everyone was out safe.
Jarod was already in a rental car and headed for the state line, his mind in turmoil. Knowing the Gemini DNA structure like he did, he had no trouble re-designing it to breakdown when all elements are together. If they studied it between now and it's disappearance, they would never know that he had changed it.
He had also set an exploding virus to seek out and degrade everything with that file type and replace it with random chemical formulas so that it couldn't be recreated or traced. The virus attached itself to files, that way, if they copied it, it would still self-destruct. It was set in motion the moment he typed in the second set of commands. As soon as he returned to his room, he asked not to be disturbed. He scrambled the cameras, set them into a loop to show a few couch pillows in his bed and crawled out through the vents. Using his old escape route he was in Blue Cove and in the rental car in no time.
He had destroyed Gemini, sabotaged the Centre mainframes and escaped but he was not feeling satisfied or validated. He was feeling very off balanced.
Somewhere out of DelawareThey met at a prearranged safe house. Broots nearly had a heart attack when Lyle walked in the door. Miss Parker had kept Lyle's secret very secret, even from them. It took a lot of explaining to convince them that the Centre was not coming any minute.
Lyle had arranged this portion of their escape. His contacts at the Triumvirate had ensured their safety with all of the resources at their command. Lyle left them there. He was returning to the Centre to run interference and alert them if their location was discovered.
They were quickly and quietly moved to a very private military base on some island. They were kept in the dark about the exact location. They were housed in the base housing and asked to blend in. Miss Parker took charge of baby Parker. This was something that she could do for Jarod. If she had nothing else to give, she could surround this little boy in her love.
Miss Parker was not surprised at the influence of the Triumvirate in the military. They seemed to have their hands into everything. She was hoping that she had not gotten them out of the frying pan and into the fire. What if the Triumvirate decided that they wanted Pretenders working for them?
Jarod's quarters - The CentreDan the Sweeper pushed the breakfast cart up to the door of the Pretender's room. He mumbled to the two sweepers guarding the door about being reduced to room service. He knocked on the door. Irritated he knocked again longer and harder. Still no one answered. The guards at the door looked at each other and the one with the room key opened the door. They stepped in and Dan called for Jarod.
They spread out and began to check out the apartment. The first into the bedroom was suspicious immediately at the lumps in the bed. They might have tricked the camera above the door but ground level they were obviously just pillows.
A call was immediately made. That call turned into several others and in just minutes, Mr. Parker was shouting at Mr. Raines in his office.
"What the hell do you mean he's gone? You were in charge of security! How did he get out? When did he get out?"
"I was against this unsecured plan from the beginning. This is the fault of Miss Parker and Sydney. We were all tricked. They were obviously in league with him."
"That's garbage. Angelo said he couldn't remember a thing. My daughter is no where around."
"Exactly, she's gone, he's gone, they're all gone."
"Well get them back here!"
"They're not answering their phones. I've sent sweepers to their listed locations."
"What about the Gemini project? Was it done?"
"Yes. I checked it when I heard that he was gone. I've locked up the main frame so that no one can access those files except for myself. I don't want to take any chances with it."
"Good. I want to talk to my daughter as soon as she gets in."
Excusing Mr. Raines he stared out the window. How the hell did he get out like that? What kind of a two-bit operation was this anyways?
A buzz at his desk diverted his attention from the cove.
"What is it?"
"Mr. Lyle is here."
"Send him in."
Lyle put on his best bad boy face and strutted into his father's office.
"Is it true? Jarod's gone?"
"Yes, sometime in the night. Worthless security couldn't guard a concrete block. They don't even know when he left. Thank god he finished the Gemini project before he left.
Where's your sister anyways? She should be on top of this. She was suppose to keep him happy."
"Angelo said that Jarod couldn't remember anything, how do you know that Jarod left on his own? We never did find the person that put those nuts out."
"That could be a possibility. That idiot Raines is checking into it."
"Maybe I should go down and help him. That way, if he's involved he can't cover up his tracks."
"Good thinking. Don't you fail me like your sister has."
Lyle didn't wait to be excused. He was quickly headed to Jarod's quarters to try and determine what they knew about Jarod's escape. That would be some trick, since he didn't know Jarod had escaped before they had.
