"Sydney!"
Sydney turned at the sound of his name to see Broots standing across the common area. Broots waved to him to stay where he was. Syd had been just about to enter his office to put down the armful of personal items he'd brought with him from home. Five seconds later, Broots was standing in front of him; a little breathless with an anxious look plastered on his face.
"Good morning, Broots."
"Syd, Miss Parker has had me running all over the Centre looking for you this morning," Broots said, catching his breath at last. Sydney finally made it into his office with Broots following him as he laid down items on his desk.
"Broots, it's only," Sydney paused to glance at his watch, "A little after 9 o'clock in the morning. I know I am late but how bad can things get in a little over an hour?"
"Come to the Tech Room and see. Miss Parker is there. She told me to bring you there as soon as I found you," Broots replied, hurrying out of the room. "Come on."
* * * * *
Miss Parker sat in a room that faced the part of
the Tech Room where Broots' terminal was. Papers were strewn all over the
floor along with pieces of Jarod's latest little gift. Thankfully, Broots'
computer was still in one piece. Miss Parker stared at the cause of the
disaster area the room now was. She could scarcely believe it who had caused
it.
"Angelo?" she said gently, trying for the hundredth time to reach the empath. He was seated in a corner of the room on the floor, watching her intently. If she tried to move any closer to him, he got rather upset. "Angelo, you know I'm not going to hurt you," she said. Ever since she watched him save the young boy Davey from the life he was living, she'd felt a connection to him.
She thought about the conversation that she'd had with him when he'd been more Timmy than Angelo. She started to rise from her chair and again he reacted. Sighing, she sat back down again not really understanding what was going on with him.
"Parker, what the devil happened here?"
She jumped at the voice from behind, but she was grateful that Sydney had gotten here. Finally. She stood up, making her way gently towards him as not to startle Angelo. "You tell me, Freud," she snapped, trying to hide her concern for Angelo.
Sydney had slipped past her, making his way slowly towards Angelo. He knelt before the empath. "How long has he been like this?"
Broots cleared his throat. "I don't know how long he was in but this morning when Dana arrived to open up the Tech Room, Sam tells me she came screaming from the room. Angelo scared the crap out of her I think."
"Did he attack her, Broots?" Sydney asked, not taking his eyes off Angelo.
Broots shrugged. "She didn't say."
"I got a question for you, Scooby Doo, if Angelo came in here, possibly sometime in the middle of the night, then WHY didn't he set off every security system we have?" Miss Parker asked.
"I-I can't answer that," Broots stammered.
"And why not?" Parker snapped.
"Because I can't get anywhere near my computer without Angelo going nuts," he replied.
Sydney ignored their exchange, as he eased his way closer to Angelo. Angelo was muttering something Sydney couldn't quite make out with the argument going on behind him. Sydney turned again to his two companions. "May I have some quiet please?" Miss Parker stopped in mid-sentence to shoot him an irritated glare. "Please, Miss Parker, I need to be able to hear Angelo and you two aren't--"
Angelo blinked, sitting up as though he was suddenly coming out of a daze. He looked around, realizing he wasn't in the vents anymore. He looked at Sydney.
"Sydney?"
"Yes, Angelo, it's me. What's wrong? Why are you so upset?" Syd asked gently.
"Dead. Dead. Dead," Angelo replied.
Sydney looked back at Parker and then back to the empath. "Who's dead, Angelo?" He now was sitting on the floor across from him. "Who, Angelo?"
"Dead! Dead! Dead!" Angelo replied, all but yelling as tears streamed down his face. He turned away from Sydney, pulling his knees up to his chest. They all watched him in silence for a minute.
"Syd," Miss Parker began.
Sydney held his hand up. "Maybe you and Broots should leave for awhile, maybe go work in your office. I need to find out what's wrong with Angelo."
"Good idea," Parker agreed.
"Only one problem, all my work is at my terminal," Broots began.
"So use another computer in another Tech Room, moron," Miss Parker snapped.
"I suppose I could go to the Tech Room in Sublevel 4, but--"
"Broots! Just go! If you need authorization to work, I'll clear it!" she pushed him towards the exit. After he was out the door, she turned again to Sydney. "Let me know what's wrong with him as soon as you figure it out, would you?"
"Of course, Miss Parker."
"I'll leave Sam outside to make sure no one disturbs you."
"Thank you."
* * * *
*
Sometime later, Sydney knocked before he entered
Miss Parker's office. She looked up from the report she'd been reading.
"Well, have you figured out what's wrong with Angelo yet?"
Sydney nodded. "Yes, I have."
"Well?"
At that moment, Broots poked his head in the door. "Uh, Syd, is it okay if I go back to my terminal now?"
"Broots, drag your butt in here so Doctor Freud will tell me what is wrong with the resident empath," Parker snapped and to her satisfactory, Broots complied. "Well, Syd, would you please spit it out as we're all not getting any younger?"
Sydney sat on the corner of her desk, crossing his arms. "Angelo dreamt last night."
Parker stared at him. "That's IT? He tore up the Tech Room and smashed Jarod's latest little gift because of a dream?" Sydney nodded. "God, why is this my existence-- crazed empaths, psychiatrists, and computer nerds! Not to mention the world's LARGEST lab rat?! Why?"
Sydney ignored her tirade. "Angelo dreamed about death, more specifically about one of us dying."
Broots gulped. "Who? Did he say?"
Syd shrugged. "As you know with Angelo, he's never said much because his gifts are more about feelings than words."
"Sydney, what upset him so much?" Parker asked.
"I'm not entirely sure, Miss Parker, but I believe that he dreamed that I died and from what little I could make sense of his dream, he was seeing things through Jarod's perspective," Sydney replied.
"So he felt what Jarod would feel if-," Parker asked, unable to finish the question.
"Yes."
Miss Parker stared at him and shaking her head she stood up pulling on her jacket as she did so. "I'm going home on that note. Try not to be late tomorrow, would you, Syd? Broots, be in the Tech Room bright and early. We need to start tracking Jarod and with Angelo smashing things up, we're even more behind the lab rat than usual."
She left with that.
Broots glanced at his watch. "I need to get home myself. Didn't realize it was so late. Goodnight, Syd."
"Goodnight," Sydney said as Broots exited, leaving him alone in Miss Parker's office.
FIN
Alternate Ending B coming soon!