Authors: Sweetpea683 and IWOMAN

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Steve, Craig and NBC.

Title: Enemy Becomes You

Spoilers: The Pretender series and movies.

Genre: Angst/Action/Adventure

Rating: PG-13, for violence

Author's Note: Some of you have seen this story before and we apologize for leaving you stranded. We've finally taken the initiative to finish this story. We've have also gone through it again and fixed a few mistakes that were made the first time it was posted. Thank you for putting up with us!

*A special thank you to our Beta Reader Liz and to our little sister, Naomi!*

Chapter One:

Miss Parker paced back and forth in a rage. She was outraged at the thought that someone would have started a fire in the Centre. This was unheard of. No one had ever dared to enter the Centre and cause chaos besides Jarod.

She looked up as smoke hurled out of open windows. The smell was thick in the air and everyone around her was coughing profusely. Miss Parker looked around her to see if everyone was accounted for, but Sydney was nowhere among the crowd.

It seemed that he was the only one missing. She felt panic at the thought that he might still be in the building. She called out to the nearest sweeper. "Get in there and find Sydney."

~*~

Jarod spun the vegetables in circular motion as he let crystal clear water pour through the strainer. He had a mysterious smile on his face as if he knew something that everyone else didn't. Eleven other people were sharing the same room with him. They too were mixing vegetables but the head chef was pleased with Jarod's achievements. He always lingered a little longer at Jarod's table to see what Jarod would do next.

A student or two had asked him why he saw so much potential in Jarod and not among the other students. The chef replied with a simple answer and with little hesitation. "I see so much potential in Jarod because he does everything to perfection. I have not yet found a mistake with his cooking and he is a student that I admire and I always will."

Every time the students would leave his class in bewilderment. They never dreamed that their chef would admire anyone of them especially not a newcomer. But than again, who can tell the future and what it holds?

~*~

Sydney sat staring in the darkness. He knew someone was there but every time he asked who it was the reply that he received was deafening silence. His hands were tied together behind his back and his legs were strapped to the chair. He felt like a caged animal with no escape. His captor did not show himself and made his presence unknown.

Sydney tried to squirm in his chair but every movement shot pain through his body. The blow that he had received to the head did nothing to make things any better. He called out again to the darkness, but this time he felt the air leave his lungs.

~*~

Miss Parker finally found Broots and frowned. The poor man was covered in black soot. "What happened to you?" She asked, in a hurried voice.

"I was locked in my office." Broots replied.

"You locked yourself in your own office?"

"No, the door was locked from the outside. It took three sweepers to get the door open." Broots said, taking a rag and rubbing his face.

Miss Parker had to think quickly. Someone started this fire on purpose and she had to figure out who and why? Broots was almost killed and Sydney was still missing.

"Broots!" Miss Parker said, snapping her fingers. "We're going in."

~*~

Jarod walked into his new found home and smiled. The job was going off great! He had narrowed down the suspects to three men. All three were old students with a serious grudge against the chef. It seemed that he turned them all down for a job. The part he didn't quite get yet was the fact that this person was poisoning people. Why would he want to do that?

Jarod walked to his small desk and opened the envelope sitting there. It held the pictures of the three men. Jack Smith, Alex Whitemore, and Levi Brown. Jarod was leaning toward Jack Smith, but one could never tell. That had been proven many times before. He would just have to search the the police's database to see who had a criminal record. There was no way that the man would turn up clean. He was too sloppy.

~*~

Sydney received a hard punch to his lower stomach, knocking the wind out of him. As he coughed the man hit him across the face. He felt like he could die at any moment. He wanted to know who was doing this to him and why?

Sydney put his head up to reveal a bloody nose and a cut lip. Then he smiled. The man from the darkness came at him full force. Sydney's chair hit the floor hard, along with his already aching body. The collision with the floor did not agree with his head and he passed out.

~*~

Jarod sat at his computer and hacked his way into the police's mainframe. As he waited for the information to process on the computer he tapped his fingers against the desk. As he watched everything download, a familiar look came across his face. The one that said, I got you now and there is no escape.'

~*~

Broots and Miss Parker walked into the Centre. Sweepers were all around them. Miss Parker went to Sydney's office to see what she could find. Broots walked behind her in a nervous wreck.

Broots did not like that Sydney was missing and he was slightly disturbed that he had been locked inside of his own office. This did not add up at all in his mind. He walked closer to Miss Parker and asked, "Miss Parker, if Sydney is really missing and I was locked in my office on purpose why would they go through all this trouble and try to burn down the Centre?"

"Broots, you are asking someone that knows as much as you about what is happening around here!" She answered his question a bit harshly.

Broots backed off immediately. They reached Sydney's office and to their surprise not a single trace of smoke in the air could be found. Miss Parker slowly walked over to the desk and looked at the computer, and to amaze her further a note was stuck to the screen. She turned to Broots but he was gone.

~*~

Jarod typed faster then he ever thought possible. He would have to be quick in order to lead the trace the police were doing to a different computer. Jarod tapped into the satellite feed and fed in the information. After a few more moments of tampering, Jarod sat back and smiled. He looked down at his watch. "Oh no."

Jarod jumped up and ran to the bathroom. He had to be back at work in twenty minutes.

~*~

"What are you doing?" Broots asked, as he was pulled away from Miss Parker. But Angelo kept pulling. When they finally made it to the air ducts Angelo stopped.

"Sydney in trouble." Was all Angelo would say.

Broots looked at Angelo with a curious look. "Then we should go get Miss Parker." Broots turned around and started to walk back but Angelo grabbed him by the hand.

"No! Sydney in trouble now!" Angelo gestured to the air duct.

"Sydney." Angelo said, one last time before letting go of Broots and walking to the duct. Broots followed close behind as Angelo stepped into the air duct. Then they headed south... toward SL-27.

~*~

"Wake up!" Shouted the man as he hit Sydney across the face.

Sydney opened his eyes and glared at the man. "It had to be you, didn't it?"

~*~

Jarod walked into the class with grace and style. He was a few minutes early. Yet, everyone was already there. Of course they would be there! Everyone was trying to impress everyone. It made Jarod sick. He walked to his table and glanced at the menu. It would be duck tonight! Personally, Jarod didn't particularly like cooking duck. But anything to help put this case to rest.

He put down the menu and sat down at the stool seated beside his small table. The air smelled of vinegar and wine. Tonight he would find the culprit and he would also talk to Sydney. He just hoped that Sydney could get out of the Centre without much trouble. And that no one else read the note he had snuck in the night before. As the chef walked in, everyone stood. The chef walked around the room and walked directly towards Jarod with a smile. "Are we all ready tonight?"

~*~

Miss Parker read the note to herself outloud.

Sydney:

Meet me outside the Centre tonight at 11:00 p.m.

I have valuable information about Catherine Parker.

It has to do with the contract on her life. I do not

need to tell you that this will remain between you

and myself. I will visit Miss Parker tomorrow with

the information myself. I tell you first because it has

more to do with you then with Miss Parker. I hope

she will understand this when I talk to her. If she asks

you why you didn't tell her right away, tell her the following:

Jarod promised to go underground if I had told you.

P.S. You know as well as I do that finding me would be impossible.

Only the best can pull something like that off.

Jarod

~*~

Angelo continued to walk which seemed like hours to Broots. As they kept walking Angelo would not stop muttering the same words over and over. He kept saying, "Sydney, trouble."

Broots could not understand why Angelo had grabbed him like that. Why would Angelo not want Miss Parker to know what was going on? This didn't make sense, but Broots did not persist in the matter. Instead he followed Angelo with a growing curiosity.

They reached an intersection in the vents. Angelo stopped for a second to decide which way would be better to go. He took the left tunnel and Broots followed close behind. As they walked on a strange noise drifted to their ears. It sounded as if it was a distance away. The tunnel grew darker which caused Broots to think twice about this adventure. Broots wanted to ask Angelo how much longer, but he was too afraid.

The thundering sound became louder with each step. They neared the end of the tunnel and all that Broots could see was a small shaft at the far end. Angelo led the way to the shaft and peered through. He beckoned Broots closer to take a look, nervously he walked closer and peeked.

Broots' blood froze and his eyes could not believe what he was seeing. He blinked twice to be sure that his eyes were not playing tricks on him, but this was not a trick. In a moments panic he called out and then suddenly he was falling through the shaft.

~*~

Jarod stood over his delicious stir fry of duck. The chef lingered nearby waiting for the chance to try Jarods cooking. Eagerness played about the chef's face. Jarod looked from left to right to see who looked out of place. At the far corner a young woman was sitting at her chair with her shoulders slouched and head hanging down.

Jarod watched her closely. She sat there in complete silence and it appeared she was depressed. He cast his eyes upon the other students but no one else seemed to be bothered. Jarod let the thought slip by him. But he couldn't help one last look at that sad face. As he turned to look she too had done the same. Jarod froze for a second. Were his eyes deceiving him or was he seeing a ghost!

~*~

Miss Parker walked back out of the Centre with a determined look on her face. Sydney gone and now Broots! This was unbelievable! She headed straight for her car and grabbed her cell phone. She dialed Lyle's number and there was no answer. "What good has he ever been anyway," she said sarcastically. "When I get my hands on Sydney he'll regret the day he was born!"

~*~

Sydney laid motionless upon a cold surface floor. He was barely conscious, but he had heard a rumble come from above him. Now it seemed that everything was in slow motion. He thought that he heard Broots voice break the silence but there was no way that Broots would be here.

Suddenly, Sydney felt arms turning him on his back. Someone was speaking his name. It can't be Broots.' Sydney thought to himself. At that very second Sydney heard a loud thud and he drifted into a deep sleep.

~*~

Angelo watched from the vent above. He had not been seen or heard. His mind raced through all the stored information his brain held. He was trying to think whether he knew this man from his past, but as he watched from the shadows no name came to mind. He hit his head a few times to try and clear it of all the haze that tried to take control, but still there were no names that would come to mind no matter how much he tried.

He felt lost for a second then he thought of Miss Parker.

An idea seemed to play at the corners of his mind and he let out a grin. Then just as sudden as it had come it was lost. He tried in desperation to retrieve what he had lost in his memory, but there was no use. He would have to wait and see how this all would play out. He looked in again at the spectacle below but they were gone.

~*~

Jarod walked out of class with a worried look on his face. A few of the students had stopped at the outside of the door to wait and see if they could get a private moment with Jarod, but just before one of them could reach him a tap on his shoulder caused him to turn and snatch his attention away from his classmates.

Surprise shot across his face when he saw who it was that stood before him. Right there was the girl from his class.

She leaned closer and said, "Hi Jarod, how are you? Its been a while hasn't it?" All Jarod could bring forth as a reply was, "Yes, it has."

~*~

Miss Parker found herself in SL-27 once again. She always found trouble at this level. The memories brought back long forgotten adventures she had taken when she was just a little girl. She had always felt that someone was following her but could never find the pursuer. Even now she looked over her shoulder just to be sure that there was no one behind her.

With flashlight in hand she walked down the corridor searching, but she had no idea what to look for.

All she could sense was that something was out of place in this abandoned section of the Centre. She walked through the rubble of torn apart walls. She had forgotten long ago about that night in this very place when Jarod came to the Centre to talk to Finagore. Once she was told that Jarod's father was her mothers killer she pursued him down here. That's when the bomb went off and everything changed. They had lost a sweeper because of that explosion. She wondered through the dark halls, but paused as she heard a loud thud. She knew then, she wasn't alone.

~*~

Jarod sat in the diner stirring his coffee. He had learned a long time ago that coffee was just the jump start that most people needed when there was a serious conversation at hand. She sat right across from him and did not say a word. Her hands fidgeted on the table and she grew more nervous every moment.

Jarod leaned forward and whispered, "I thought you were dead?"

The girl replied, "So did I."

Jarod just stared at her waiting for an explanation. She let out a few gasps then sighed. Jarod could tell she was trying to calm herself. "Listen, I want to know all that happened but do not tell me until you are ready."

"Jarod, it has been too long!" She looked around her to make sure that no one was listening. When she was finally satisfied she turned back towards Jarod. "I'm sorry to be so paranoid, but I think you can understand."

Jarod raised his eyebrows in amusement. "More then you know."

~*~

Miss Parker stood still along one corner of the wall. She could have sworn that she heard footsteps no more then a minute ago. She clicked off the flashlight and listened, but nothing more reached her ears.

She slowly began her way through the mess. Trying to make as little noise as possible. As she was just about to climb over a pile of rubble a hand grabbed her in the dark. She was about to scream out of fright, but before she could a hand covered her mouth.

~*~

Angelo turned Miss Parker around. He could sense her fear, and he thought that it might not have been wise to have snuck up on her the way he had.

Miss Parker turned and saw Angelo covering his lips with his fingers, he was warning her to stay calm and quiet. She wanted to strangle him for scaring her like that, but she was thankful that it wasn't someone else.

Angelo beckoned Miss Parker to follow him and she did so without hesitation. He looked back at her and grabbed the flashlight from her hand. She was just about to take it back but instead she smiled to herself. Angelo was actually acting normal for a second. For her that was enough to allow him the access to her rights as leader.

She walked along side him and pointed her finger at him. "This once Angelo!" He looked back at her with a smile on his face.

~*~

TBC