You know the drill.  I don't own any of the Pretender characters.  They belong to the geniuses at NBC who created them.   

THE INSANITY OF OUR LIVES

Chapter 5.  Foreshadowing

"Where's the Major now?" inquired Raines.

            "He's lying on the couch.  We gave him a heavy sedative, so he should be out for some time," replied Willy.

            "Good.  We should take him back to the Centre, and set up a meeting with Jarod.  We'll get Jarod no matter what happens."

            "If I may say so, Mr. Raines, we've tried this scenario twice in the past.  Both times we failed.  We need to make sure Jarod can't capture any of our important personnel, and we have to find a location where Jarod can't sneak in or out," said Lyle.  Lyle always had an idea for everything.  Half of them never worked.  But he did have a point this time.

            "You're right.  We'll discuss where later.  In the mean time send a message to Jarod telling him that we have his father, and if he wants him alive he must come alone, and trade himself in.  Also be sure to note that if he sends someone else in his place, we'll be forced to use drastic measures."

            "I'll take care of that," said Willy.

            Now all they had to figure out was a location that no one, not even Jarod, could make their way through unnoticed.  This would be the hardest part of all.  Jarod was a genius, and although Lyle may under-estimate him, he certainly didn't. 

            ************************

            "Jarod!  It's so good to see you!" exclaimed Emily as he climbed out of his car.

            " It's good to see you too!  Since I was only an hour away I decided to drop by and pay you guys a visit.  So, what's been happening here lately?" he asked excitedly.  It felt good to see his family.  It had been a month since his last visit.  In actuality a month wasn't that long, but when you have so much catching up to do with your family, a month can seem like forever. 

            "We can talk about that kind of stuff in a few minutes.  You gotta come inside, and say hello to everybody first," she said.  She was both surprised and happy to see Jarod.  Dad would have been elated to see him, but he had gone in search of their mom.  She wondered how Jarod would take the news.  She noticed he hadn't changed much since their last visit, but one thing did catch her attention.  As he strolled up to the door, she realized he was limping.  So Ethan had been right. 

            "What'd you do to your leg?" she asked.  Of course she already knew the answer, but she wanted to see what he would say.

            "I'm surprised you don't already know," he said opening the door for her.

            "What do you mean?" She had to give her brother some credit.  He definitely was smarter than he looked.

            "The way I figured, you're only an hour away from Clarksville, which was where I had my last pretend t, so you probably caught the story on the news.  You've also got Ethan with his Inner Sense." 

            "Rats!  You're too good Jarod.  Yeah we do already know, but I had to ask.  A nice, caring sister would want to know why her brother was limping."

            " Who said anything about you being nice and caring?"

            " Oh shut up Jarod!" she yelled, pushing him playfully.

            "Hey everybody guess who's decided to drop in, and pay us a visit?" she yelled.

            "Who?" asked Gemini as he came bounding down the stairs, "Jarod!  It's good to see ya!"

            "Likewise."

            " Jarod's here?  No way!" said Ethan, already knowing that what he said was the truth.  He had known Jarod was on his way for about an hour, but he didn't want to spoil the surprise for everybody else.

            "Yes way," replied Jarod, "So where's dad at?"

            "We received an anonymous tip the other day about the current whereabouts of mom.  He decided to go check it out," said Gemini.

            "Really?  How long has he been gone?" Jarod asked excitedly.

            "Just about a day.  His plane left yesterday at about 2:00 p.m.  If mom's there he's found her," said Emily, before Gemini could reply. 

            " That's great.  I hope it's not another dead end."

            "You never know.  It may or may not be," replied Emily, with a smile on her face.

            "Ethan, did the voices tell you anything before he left?" inquired Jarod.

            "I didn't really ask.  Should I have?"

            "Yes, you should have.  This could have been a trap made by the Centre," he said, "Ask them now."  He was starting to feel a little uneasy.  The Centre had proven in the past that they were very well capable of doing these kinds of things.

            "Oh no!  It was a Centre trap.  This is entirely my fault!  I should have asked the voices right then and there.  Instead, I didn't think.  Now not only could dad be in serious trouble, but you could too Jarod!"

            He knew what he meant by that.  The Centre was more than likely planning on using his father to get him.  If they were, they were forgetting one thing.  He was a genius.  No matter what, he'd find a way out of the situation. 

            "It's not your fault Ethan.  If it's anybody's fault it's mine," said Jarod angrily.

            No matter what, he'd find a way out of whatever situation they placed him in.

So?  Has my fanfic been good up to this point? Yes? No?  Please R&R and tell me what you think.  I'd really appreciate it.  I hope you've enjoyed this so far.  And don't worry, there are plenty more surprises in store.  I'm sorry about the wait, but I've been a busy little beaver lately, with homework and everything else in the world.  I'll try to have the next chapter posted much sooner! J