Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or the basic story line. They belong to others so there is no infringement on my part and I'm not making any money off this. Suing me would be absolutely useless.
Author's note: This is my second try at fan-fiction. Please give me some feedback to let me know how you like it, this one is a bit darker than my first and it might be longer too.
Email: PennG436@msn.com Spoilers: IOTH Timeline: A few months after the conclusion of IOTH
Rating: Pg Category: S/R Keywords: MPJR
Promote at your own risk
Chapter I
By Callisto
The section of the building she had occupied for the past five years was unusually quiet. Before her father's apparent altruistic suicide by leaping from an airplane cruising at 30,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, there was the oddly comforting bustle of Centre employees walking by, chatting and scurrying around trying to meet their deadlines. Now all was eerily quiet, ever since Raines took over as chairman it seemed as though all the lower level employees were attempting to avoid notice by disappearing, something she wished she could do.
She was in a miserable trap. The thought of leaving was extremely tempting but she was very much aware that all her actions were being carefully monitored. Any move, however easily explained away would result in repercussions that she wasn't in the mood to contemplate much less endure. She sighed deeply, unable to turn her attention back to the dense pile of daily reports that were now required to justify her existence-literally.
'Another day in hell, made bleaker by the rise to power of a shuffling, soulless ghoul of a man who made the whole situation more horrifying by his apparent ignorance of a simple product that has been on the open market for decades: WD-40.' She thought glumly hearing that telltale squeak.
Her excellent hearing detected the hollow echo that the oil-deprived oxygen tank carrier wheels made as Raines slowly walked the deserted hallways. Unfortunately the irritating sound stopped abruptly outside her office. The door swung open immediately and revealed the presence of the very person she was learning to loath on a whole new and less rewarding level.
"Miss Parker, there are some things I need to clarify with you before I leave for my summit meeting," Raines said almost softly but breathing heavily.
Gritting her teeth in an effort to keep her usual nasty quips at bay, she merely looked up from her reports mutely with what she hoped would be a slightly helpful and mildly interested expression, but only managed to summon an intransient disinterestedness.
"During my absence, Mr. Craigon will be in charge of the day to day operations. He has all my instructions, which include that you are to be kept on the pursuit of Jarod. He will forward your daily progress reports to me personally. We don't want you to be distracted for any reason," he said with an imperious expression.
"I understand. You don't trust me with the keys to the kingdom?" she smiled humorlessly. "I actually prefer remaining on the Jarod pursuit anyway."
"When I receive some indication of your complete and unwavering loyalty, perhaps. As it stands your talents and attention are better served in the search for Jarod. Unlike my brother, I am not as patient with failure, don't keep me waiting Miss Parker," he said with a note of menace.
"How long will you be gone?" she asked impassively, ignoring the threat.
"A few months, plenty of time for you to find and recapture our wayward Pretender," he rasped, finally taking a disgustingly long, greedy gulp of bottled air. Seeing that he would get no further response from her, Raines took his leave dragging his last gasp nosily behind him.
As the loud squeak slowly faded into the distance, she settled back into her seat and stared at the door. She knew her days were numbered, that she had lasted this long was a bit surprising. There had never been any love lost between the two of them; bureaucracy must be bogging down the approval of his request to have her eliminated.
A few hours later she swept into the sim-lab area outside Sydney's office where the pursuit team usually met to confer on any of the typically obscure leads Jarod would leave them.
"Well Broots, any joy?" she asked as she entered the room. Her manner was unusually pleasant but her dress was typical, dark blue short skirt topped off by an impossibly white silk blouse.
Broots glanced up almost as shocked by her pleasantness as he was by her usual brusqueness. "No, Miss Parker, Jarod hasn't left us even the smallest clue. It's almost like he wants us to believe that he's dropped off the face of the earth. We're still scanning newspaper and national news reports to see if any thing matches Jarod's usual patterns."
"Good, I need a report on everything that you're doing, ad nauseam if possible. Old Wrinkled-bag-of-emptiness wants daily reports of our progress, the good news is that he won't be around for a few months," she said with a predatory grin and a quick lift of her eyebrows.
Refusing to feel cheered, Broots nodded seriously at his boss. "Yeah, I heard. Scuttlebutt has it that Mr. Craigon is in charge in Mr. Raines' absence. If Raines and Lyle had a child, he would be Mr. Craigon," Broots replied grimly.
Shuddering at the macabre thought she replied, "Cheer up, Scooby-doo. According to Raines, Craigon has been given specific instructions to leave us to our pursuit. If Raines wants Jarod back then he knows that he needs to leave us alone to do it. It's not like any of his efforts has gotten him even half as close to Wonder-boy as we have."
Still feeling apprehensive, Broots just silently nodded. "I'll start on gathering those reports for you right now," he said and hurried away. Broots was slightly worried about Miss Parker. Since she and the others had returned from Africa, her position at the Centre had become more tenuous and her cavalier attitude concerned him.
Walking over to Sydney's office, Parker stood in the doorway looking at the psychiatrist. He had overheard her conversation with Broots and silently agreed with his friend's concern for her welfare. Looking up after becoming aware that she hadn't entered his office, he caught her studying him.
"Is there anything I can do for you Miss Parker?" He asked solicitously.
"No, Syd. Just wondering again why you hang around this humble corner of purgatory. With all the horrible things that you know has happened here you stick around like a shell-shocked spectator unable to tear his eyes from the gore of a tragedy."
Chuckling at her colorful analogy, he leaned back in his chair and returned her gaze. "I could ask the same of you. What makes you stay? You have even less reason to stay than you did before you went to Scotland," he said a little more earnestly than he meant.
"I'm being watched 24/7. My every move is monitored and reported. If I even twitch wrong, Raines and Lyle will use that as an excuse to remove me permanently," she answered with a weary sigh. "No, I'm going to have to wait them out. Either they kill me first or I find my opening and leave."
"I have the distinct impression that is only a partial answer. To answer your question, there are still a few tortured and broken souls here that I can be of some assistance to, namely Angelo."
She nodded solemnly, still feeling the nagging guilt of her culpability in Angelo's mental condition. Wandering further into his office as their conversation continued, she paced around and eventually settled into one of the chairs in front of his desk.
"Broots tells me that Mr. Craigon has been given the title of Acting Chairman, that's quite a slight to you. I am curious why he didn't bestow this honor on Mr. Lyle?" he asked with considerable curiosity.
Laughing gently she settled herself more comfortably in the chair and answered evenly, "Lyle is away at a Centre sponsored symposium, my guess as a reward for his voluntary token of loyalty. As far as Craigon is concerned, he can have the Acting Chairmanship. That little brown-nosing weasel has been told to stay out of my way. I'm sure he'll be content aimlessly harassing and threatening his subordinates and making their lives more miserable than usual, instead of tangling with me."
"I have sensed an insecurity in him that would tend to make him feel the need to overcompensate---." The ringing of the phone on his desk interrupted him. Glancing apologetically at his guest who nodded her understanding, Sydney answered the phone.
"This is Sydney." He listened for a few seconds, and then glancing again at his guest he lifted his eyebrows in surprise and caught her attention.
"One moment please," he said into the receiver. Placing his palm over the mouthpiece he said, "Parker it's for you. Your secretary is looking for you."
With a slight frown of curiosity and annoyance, she grabbed the outstretched phone and in her usual manner answered, "What?"
Listening for a few seconds, she sighed deeply and asked, "Since you're contacting me I take it that Mr. Raines has already left the building, where is Mr. Craigon?"
She listened again for some time, lowering her head in concentration. Then lifting her head and throwing it back in a display of her growing agitation she said, "alright, have him hold, I'm on my way to the office now." She paused again, glancing at Sydney, she rolled her eyes and said, "go ahead, put him through."
Covering the mouthpiece with her hand, in a whisper she said, "I'm sorry Syd, this should only take a minute."
"Take all the time you need, do you need me to leave?" he asked kindly.
Shaking her head no, she abruptly spoke into the phone. "This is Parker."
"Yes, sir, I understand." She replied after a lengthy silence. Her expression was a curious mixture of caution and irritation.
"Yes, sir I will see that they are messengered to you within the hour." Another lengthy pause was followed by her response.
"No, Mr. Raines left him in charge. If you prefer, I could leave him a message to handle this request personally." The pause was much shorter this time but still leaving Sydney in the agonies of curiosity.
"I will have it on its way to you within the hour," she repeated more forcibly. Listening for a few more seconds, she pulled the phone from her ear in surprise. With another roll of the eyes she returned the phone to it's cradle and sighed a half chuckle.
"That was a Triumvirate member. Apparently he was promised some reports last week and has yet to receive them. Now Craigon has gone missing on a never ending lunch hour, leaving our poor beleaguered leader in Africa bereft at being forgotten and kicked to the curb like so much trash." She had gotten up during this speech and headed for the doorway. She turned as she crossed the threshold. "If you hear from Broots before I track him down tell him I need to see him, there are some reports I need him to pull for me that take priority over our pursuit dailies." She then walked purposely from the room leaving Sydney wondering what new intrigues were in store.
Just after seven o'clock Broots entered Miss Parker's office, eager to give her his last report of the day and head home for the night. Looking up Parker noticed the tired, slightly harried look on his face. She decided to go easy on him tonight and forego her usual sport of intimidating him.
"What's new Broots?"
"The productivity reports for the security and scientific divisions were completed and messengered over to the Triumvirate via Centre-Europe just after 2 this afternoon. I've finished the daily progress reports on our search for Jarod for both today and tomorrow," he said wearily. Seeing the surprised look on Parker's face he continued, "Umm, that's in the event that we find nothing new tomorrow, either. I prepared it and left room for revisions just in case." He finished hastily.
"Good work, Broots. Time for you to head home to Debbie, see you bright and early tomorrow," she said dismissively.
"Aren't you going home now, I thought everything that needed to be done was complete?"
"That just shows how much you know. I still have plenty of work to do," she said waving at the small mounds of paperwork that were scattered on her desk. She looked up again and glared at him pointedly to leave. Taking the hint, Broots nodded gratefully and left her office. His ever-present worry over her welfare was firmly rooted in place but minutely relieved by the absence of both Lyle and Mr. Raines.
When her worrywart coworker finally left her office, Miss Parker pushed back from her desk and walking over to a low credenza, she opened a bottom drawer removing a nearly full bottle of single malt with a small glass and proceeded to pour herself a generous helping of the drink. Replacing the bottle in its hiding place, she took a large sip letting the alcohol work its magic on her over-revved brain and taunt muscles. She was finally just beginning to relax when her phone rang. Knowing her secretary kept better hours than she, Miss Parker reached over and pushed the speaker button to answer.
"What?" she answered sounding irritable.
"Miss Parker? I was hoping that you would still be there. This is Third chair Mountesi calling, I take it that the items I asked for earlier today are on their way?" The Triumvirate member had a moderately exotic accent that would be pleasing if he hadn't been bothering her.
"Yes, sir they were sent out this afternoon," she replied sharply suppressing a disgusted sigh, as she returned to her seat.
"Good, that is very good to hear, Miss Parker."
There was a long pause that Parker at first was loathe to break but since he showed no signs of hanging up she inquired, "was that all, sir?"
"No, Miss Parker," he responded and resumed his silence as it stretched into another lengthy pause which began to irritate her even more. He eventually continued, "I have a proposition for you. I would like you to take over running the day to day operations of the Centre for the time being," he said softly, seductively allowing his even voice and strange accent to caress the words.
"I see," she replied carefully as she slowly sat up straighter in her seat. She was perfectly aware that she was the least favorite in her family of horrors with the Triumvirate. Wondering what this twist could mean, her mind began to turn over the numerous possibilities this offer would have in terms of her immediate health. Choosing her words with the utmost care and removing all emotion from her voice she continued, "Mr. Raines was very specific that I should remain on the Jarod pursuit full time and that distractions would not be tolerated."
"We tell Mr. Raines what we need and he provides it, in this case I want you to be in charge of the Centre, will that be a problem for you?" the voice was still smooth as silk.
"And the Jarod pursuit?" she persisted evenly.
"Will be postponed for the time being. I understand that there have been no new leads in that case for some time. Without leads then the computer clerks can continue without your assistance."
"Very well, am I correct in assuming that I really don't have much of a choice in the matter?" said she, testing the limits in the deep end.
A soft, almost sexy laugh followed. "While it is never good to assume anything, your astuteness is to your credit. I shall be very interested to see how well you get on with the change in responsibilities. Miss Parker, please do not disappoint me." The sudden burr of the dial tone signaled that the call was already disconnected.
Parker leaned forward thoughtfully and pulling open the small curio box that sat on her desk, she lightly tapped a button that ended the recording of the conversation. This new development resembled a pitted field fraught with mines, both hidden and exposed. Knowing that she would need a clear head in the morning, she downed the rest of her drink and straightening the papers on her desk, she shut everything down and headed home.
Late the next morning, Broots rushed into Sydney's office looking positively happy and more relaxed than he had since Miss Parker's return from her disastrous trip to Carthis. He walked up to one of his friend's office chairs and made himself comfortable. It was obvious from his behavior that he possessed some office gossip that Sydney had yet to hear.
Smiling at his young friend's obvious clues, Sydney asked the question he knew Broots was aching to answer. "I see from the look on your face that something has happened. What's the good news Broots?"
Returning Sydney's smile Broots said, "Effective immediately Miss Parker is in charge of the day to day operations of the Centre. That's by order of the Triumvirate."
Shocked by this information, Sydney sat quietly digesting this disturbing revelation. Looking at his friend Sydney asked, "when did this happen?"
"Early this morning, when I came in Miss Parker called me into her office and told me that she had just been reassigned by Mountesi, the junior member of the Triumvirate. An interoffice email was circulated throughout the building from the Triumvirate informing all department heads of the change."
"Hummm, I guess that's an incentive for me to check my email more often. Have you heard anything about how Mr. Craigon is taking his sudden demotion?"
Shaking his head Broots said, "No, no one has said anything about him. Hawkins, the sweeper guarding the employee entrance, told Buzzy that Craigon hasn't come in today. You don't think something happened to him, do you?" Worry was beginning to reassert itself on Broots' face.
"I don't know and I'm not too sure that I like this sudden change. I think I'll go see Miss Parker and try to find out more," Sydney said with an air of determination. He was faintly hurt that Miss Parker hadn't called him and told him about this change personally. Shrugging off the slight, Sydney was just getting out of his seat when his phone rang.
"Sydney," he answered abruptly.
"Hey there Syd, can you come to my office? There's something I would like to discuss with you," Miss Parker asked.
"Of course Miss Parker, I'm on my way," he replied and replaced the phone in its cradle. He was somewhat mollified by her call, and nodding encouragingly to Broots, Sydney made his way over to Parker's office. As he was walking across the open lobby area towards her office, he noticed the quiet and empty corridors. Since Raines took over the Centre the place had turned more solemn and depressing than usual.
Entering Parker's office, Sydney first noticed that she was directing all her attention to the computer screen on her desk. She was busily typing and concentrating on her work so much that apparently she hadn't noticed his entrance. She kept him waiting for a few seconds more and before Sydney could discreetly clear his throat, she turned and looked up at him.
"Have a seat," she said, relaxing in her chair and slightly tilting it back so that she could cross her shapely legs.
Wondering how she was going to proceed, Sydney obeyed and sat in the chair opposite her and took a careful look at her. She was dressed in a more moderate manner, he noticed that her black skirt wasn't as short as usual and her electric blue blouse was more conservatively buttoned. Her gray eyes reflected the blue of her blouse as she regarded him with a guarded if somewhat penetrating expression.
"I suppose Broots has already broken the news to you, one of the Triumvirate members has decided its time for me try my hand at running things here." She said with a cynical curl of her lips.
"Broots was in my office when you called. How did this happen and more importantly why?" he asked settling more comfortably in the chair.
"I was here late last night when I got the call from Mountesi. I'm not sure if he's trying to make his bones on my carcass or what form this latest stunt will take," she said almost sadly.
For a moment she reminded Sydney sharply of her mother, the same sadness was in her eyes and the knowledge of her own impending mortality was in her face. His fear for her increased ten fold and he sat up straighter in the chair.
"Did he say what it was that he wanted from you?"
"No, that's what worries me," she replied softly. Mentally shaking herself she offered him a ghost of a smile and continued, "While I'm in charge I plan on making the most of it. I want you to check the files of all our current inmates and determine what their current conditions are and surreptitiously try to find out how we 'acquired' these people and where they belong. That information could prove useful at a later date."
"I understand. Any ideas how long they plan on leaving you in charge?"
"None, but I have a feeling that this will last until Raines returns from his summit meeting, providing I refrain from taking 5 hour lunch breaks."
"What has happened to Mr. Craigon?"
"I have no idea, he hasn't bothered to show up to work today. I dispatched a sweeper team to his apartment 20 minutes ago but I haven't heard back from them yet."
"Yes, it would be best to find out what if anything has occurred to him. Raines won't be too happy to hear that Craigon has gone missing. It's important to know what it is exactly you're distancing yourself from and the best way to go about it."
"My thoughts exactly. It's nice to be on the same page with you again, Syd, by the way the Jarod pursuit has been regulated to backburner status. The computer geeks can continue the search alone. Besides, I need something to do once Raines returns," She replied with a grin.
Nodding firmly and rising from his seat, he looked thoughtfully at her. "Miss Parker, as always, if you need someone to talk to about this situation my door is always open."
She looked up at him, this time any genuine expression was completely obscured from her eyes. "Thanks, Sydney. I appreciate that."
He left knowing that she would probably never truly open up to him. He regretted that she felt this way, but there was still one person left in her life able to breach that impenetrable wall she so carefully built, unfortunately he hadn't heard from Jarod in some time.
It was the end to a long day. Sydney was settling back in the comfortable chair in his office enjoying a solitary drink and the classical music that played softly from the CD player sitting on top of his file cabinet. He had barely scratched the surface on his new assignment. After meeting with 4 different damaged minds he decided to stop and write up his assessment of their condition before continuing. He would need Broots' help to figure out where they had come from and where any family members might be staying. The events of the day were still monopolizing his thoughts, when his phone suddenly began to ring.
"This is Sydney."
"Sydney, have you ever wondered why anyone would purchase items they know won't work from infomercials?" Jarod asked in his usual abrupt manner.
Chuckling in amusement from his protégé's comment and with a sly appreciation for Jarod waiting so late to call, Sydney answered, "the phenomena is a reincarnation of the 17th century huckster selling snake oil to anyone gullible enough to buy it."
Propping his feet up on a desk, the Pretender readjusted his position while idly playing with a useless gadget he purchased from a television ad. "Most of this junk doesn't work and the ones that do aren't worth a fraction of the asking price."
"That's pretty much what I suspected. Jarod, I'm very glad that you've called, I was beginning to get worried, we haven't heard from you in some time."
"I decided to take a mini vacation from the chase. I've been enjoying myself so much that I think I will extend the vacation."
"I don't blame you but Jarod there are some things happening here that I need your help with," Sydney began.
"Are you alright, Sydney?" Jarod asked alarmed.
"Yes, I'm fine. It's Miss Parker; one of the Triumvirate members has decided to test her abilities and has temporarily put her in charge of the Centre. Jarod, it's a trap and she knows it but there is nothing I can do to help her." The psychiatrist's worry and concern were evident in his tone.
"They want to use her Sydney. I wouldn't be surprised if this hasn't been on their agenda for some time. How are Raines and Lyle reacting to this?"
"They are both conveniently away from the Centre for the next few months. Raines had put another one of his personal sadists in charge but the fellow made the mistake of taking a 5-hour lunch."
"I can see why you're worried, but Sydney what can I do to help you?" Jarod asked in bemusement.
"She won't talk to me. I know there is more to this situation than she is willing to admit. The look on her face this afternoon scared me, Jarod. It's as if she's staring her own mortality in the face. You are the only person left that has even the remotest chance of getting her to open up, I was hoping that you would try." Sydney concluded with an air of defeat.
"I'm sorry Sydney, but she never listens to me. I don't know what I could say that would be of any help, even if she did accept it, which I sincerely doubt she would. What happened to the 'you run, I chase' mindset? " Jarod inquired cautiously.
"According to Miss Parker, you have been officially demoted to backburner status. Jarod I don't know everything that has occurred between you and Parker, but right now she is alone. There isn't a soul around that she can talk to unrestrained without feeling that she is putting them in jeopardy. I'm hoping there is still enough regard between the two of you that will make it feasible for you to reach out and help an old friend. Despite all the snide and biting remarks she is worth the effort." Sydney held his breath knowing this was Parker's last chance to have a worthy ally to whom she could talk.
Chuckling softly, he knew Sydney was valiantly attempting to help his friend. Whatever her reaction or decision, Jarod silently promised that Parker would know how much his mentor truly cared for her. "Okay Sydney, you can take a breath now, I'll talk to her. I'm warning you, she probably will pull a gun on me and try to haul me back to the Centre, but I will try for you."
"Thank you, Jarod, I appreciate that more than you know. If you need anything, let me know." Sydney offered.
Smiling sadly Jarod responded, "Remember, I'm not making any promises. We're talking about a very stubborn, headstrong woman here."
**Two weeks later**
The Centre
Blue Cove, DE
Parker was still swamped in a sea of paperwork, with her added responsibilities came the added bureaucracy. She sighed in mild frustration, becoming Chairman wasn't on her list of things to achieve not even temporarily. Seeing the corrosive affects of this position on her 'father' were appalling enough, now she was facing the same gauntlet. Turning around to look out the window, she stood and placed a palm on the cool glass. She hadn't thought about the man she called Daddy for several days now. The tears had dried up quickly, probably more quickly than they should have. After the will had been read she was constantly haunted by a pervasive feeling of something left unfinished.
This latest development with the Triumvirate was a sample of that. So far her bosses in Africa were appeased, they seemed to quiet down once they realized their incessant reports would continue to arrive on time. Everyday for the past week, she waited for another call but so far she was gratefully disappointed. Waiting for the other shoe to drop was a tedious business.
There was a knock on the office door, and turning from her view of the seascape she deftly returned to her seat as she called out permission to enter. Her secretary entered with a parcel and handed it to her. She looked up and took the package from his hand. The postmark on the package indicated that it was routed via Centre-Europe from Africa.
'Ah, joy, the other shoe decided to arrive.' She placed the parcel on the far corner of her desk and looked up again. Her secretary had left the door open and she was startled to hear noises outside. She got up from her seat and walked outside her office. The once evacuated, silent corridors were now bustling with Centre employees wandering around, talking and scurrying to meet deadlines once again. She blinked her eyes slowly in disbelief at the activity. Two weeks free from Raines' influence and things are back to Centre normal, who knew?
Later that night, with the still unopened parcel perched on the corner of her desk, she was leaning back in her chair enjoying the quiet and solitude. What was quickly becoming a ritual, she waited for the Triumvirate to call. Tonight her patience was rewarded when her office phone began to ring. She let it go for 4 rings, staring at it, wondering if she should pick it up. Knowing they would try again tomorrow and that they were probably aware that she was in her office at this moment, she reached over and snatched up the handset.
"What?" she asked keeping a trace of irritability in her voice.
"Miss Parker, I am so glad that you are still there. I took a chance by ringing you this late in the evening." The accented, now slightly sinister voice said into the phone.
"Where you're calling from, it must be very early," she commented careful to keep all emotions out of her voice.
"It is my habit to be the first hard at work. The reason for my call is to congratulate you on your efficiency. My sources in the Centre have reported that you have done well to reestablish morale and confidence in your employees."
"Well, it helps that I haven't developed a habit of summarily threatening the lives of my subordinates," she said with a touch of sarcasm.
A long pause followed her comment. She was sick of his power pauses and resolved on leaving it up to him to break the silence. He obliged her by speaking first.
"I have another proposition to offer you," he began and fell silent once again.
"Let me guess, 'proposition' is just a turn of phrase for you. Let's cut to the chase, what is it that you want?"
Chuckling softly from the back of his throat, he said, "You have yet to disappoint me, I've heard about your legendary impatience. I am offering you a chance to prove your worth to the entire Triumvirate. The offer is this: there are a number of difficult projects that several of the Centre's clients, including the American government is currently attempting to resolve. I want you to review the vast number of these projects and choose one the Centre can solve immediately. Broker a deal with the American state department for example, and make the deal profitable to the Centre."
"Do I understand you correctly that I am at liberty to choose the project the Centre will tackle for the State Department?" sensing that this was the other shoe that was being dropped.
"Yes, the package on your desk contains an exhaustive list of the projects we are most interested in, however, if you find something else more to your liking than you are free to pursue it," he replied smoothly and confidently.
"Is there a time frame for this, uh, endeavor?" Parker asked a little mordantly.
"This is a fairly straightforward test of your abilities, so you should be able to complete it in a relatively short period of time." He paused again then continued more menacingly, "make no mistake Miss Parker, my phrasing of this request was merely my habit of being congenial. Your survival depends on how well you are able to complete this simple task. Miss Parker, please do not disappoint me." The connection was unceremoniously severed leaving Parker to wonder how she was going to extricate herself from this situation.
The next morning, Sydney was making his way to his office when he saw Broots hurrying off in the opposite direction. His attention was on a large sheaf of papers in his hand instead of where he was going so Sydney had no trouble running into him on purpose.
"Broots, are you alright? I'm sorry, here let me help you with that."
"Hi, Syd. Yeah, I'm all right I was just trying to get this report over to Miss Parker. She seemed to be very eager to get this."
After gathering the papers together the two men stood up straight and looked at each other. It had been over a week since they had seen each other. Parker was keeping Broots busy assisting her in keeping the Triumvirate satisfied with their constant need for computerized reports.
Smiling at his friend, Sydney asked, "Is there something special about this particular report?"
"Well, it's a report I obtained from the State Department about some problem projects they've been having trouble solving. Miss Parker wanted me to concentrate on all the humanitarian and non-military projects." Broots explained.
"Interesting, I think I'll go with you to Miss Parker's office, maybe I can be of some assistance." Sydney remarked aloud, wondering silently what would she want with the information Broots had.
As the men entered her office, they both noticed Parker looking intently at something on her computer screen. When she noticed them standing in front of her desk, she quickly cleared the screen and turned her full attention to them.
"Here are those reports you asked for, Miss Parker," Broots said solicitously.
"Broots, make sure the usual reports are immediately messengered over to the Triumvirate and after that your free as a bird, just keep your pager firmly attached incase I need something."
Giving her a large smile of appreciation, Broots thanked her sincerely and quickly left her office before she realized that she had just given him the rest of the day off and it was only 9 o'clock in the morning.
Watching Broots leave happily, Sydney smiled at the tech's back and returned his attention to Miss Parker. "You seem to be in a good mood, and it isn't even noon yet," he said smilingly.
"The way I've been working him, he should enjoy having at least one unscheduled day off. Sydney, I'm glad you're here. There are at least 4 Pretenders still here at the Centre, I want to meet one of them."
"Really? You have never shown any interest before, may I ask why now?" he inquired carefully. She had sparked his curiosity yet again and he still hadn't had the chance to question her about the sudden interest in State Department programs.
"You can ask, but I don't think it would be in your best interest if I answer. I'm interested in the pretender called Bryan have you worked with him before?"
"Yes, I have. Unfortunately he is on a low sub par of Jarod. Bryan has talent but he is often very recalcitrant and lately seems unable to focus his concentration for extended periods of time. There are others who show far more potential than he. If you tell me what it is you're after then perhaps I can help you," he asked trying a different tack.
"When you walked in I was going over his confidential profile. I think he is exactly what I need and according to his daily activities log he should be wide-awake and bushy tailed. Let's go now so you can introduce us before you start your day," she replied completely ignoring his question.
After briefly stopping by his office to deposit his briefcase and overcoat, Sydney proceeded with Parker to Sublevel 18 where the Pretender Bryan was currently working. When they were standing just outside the doors to the sim-lab Parker stopped Sydney by touching his arm.
"Look Syd, I appreciate you not pressuring me into answering your legitimate questions but I have my reasons," she said. Closing her eyes briefly and sighing deeply, she continued, "I know we have both heard these words a million times before, but I hope coming from me you will be believe them: trust me. The less you know about what I'm about to do the better." While she spoke she gently squeezed his arm and giving him a piercing look, she nodded once and quickly grasped the doorknob and entered the lab.
"Hello, Bryan. There is someone here that I would like you to meet. This is Miss Parker, she is the Acting Chairman, Miss Parker this is Bryan." Sydney made the introductions in the typically precise manner that he used whenever he addressed a pretender.
Parker nodded curtly at the pretender and silently examined him. He was an intense looking young man, sitting at a long metal table. He was in his late 20's and despite the loose fitting Centre issue clothing it was obvious that he was well developed and muscular. His close cut dark hair provided a striking contrast with his dark green eyes and his overall even featured face completed the handsome picture. The room was quiet as both Bryan and Parker studied each other. Parker seemed satisfied and turning to Sydney said, "thank you, Sydney. I would like to speak to Bryan alone for a few minutes."
"Very well Miss Parker. I will be in my office if you need me," Sydney answered and stealing one last look at Parker he left taking Bryan's psychiatrist along with him.
"I've read a lot about you, Bryan. There is a project that I need your help with, do you think you would be willing to help me?" Parker asked speculatively.
Laughing dryly, Bryan answered, "do I have any choice in the matter, Miss Parker?"
"I asked someone that same question last night, so I have an idea of what you might be feeling. Yes, you do have a choice, you can turn me down and I will approach someone else," she answered without taking her eyes from his for a second.
Seeing the truth of her statement in her eyes, Bryan averted his gaze for a few seconds as he considered her request. "Why are you asking me? You're the Chairman, you can force me to perform any simulation that you want," he countered trying to figure out what game she was playing.
"I'm not playing any games or trying to analyzing you. I'm asking because you have a tendency to become intractable and uncooperative. I want to avoid any negative, time-consuming delays before they happen. So what's your answer?" Parker asked, her patience quickly waning.
"You obviously don't like to be kept waiting but I have one last question: Why me?" he tilted his head in almost the same manner as Jarod.
"I want you because right now you're the only pretender whose abilities come any where near the vicinity of Jarod's," she answered simply.
His eyes widened in surprise at her statement, and smiling he replied with honest modesty, "I'm sorry, but I believe you have me confused with someone else."
"I've been on the pursuit of Jarod for over five years. I've studied his file, what I could find of it and have spoken with him often enough to know a good Pretender when I see one. You hide your abilities behind unruly behavior, now that's something I understand because I've been there and done that."
"What is it that you want me to do?" he asked looking down. When no reply came, he looked up and noticed the irritated look that suffused her features. Sighing deeply he nodded slightly and answered, "yes, I'll help you."
"Good, study this file," she said flicking her wrist towards the table she tossed a folder with the Centre logo embossed across the front. "I need you to come up with a viable solution to this problem within a week. I'm hoping it won't take you any longer than that."
Bryan gingerly turned the folder so it was right side up and opening the cover sheet he began to read. Quickly scanning the first page, he looked up at Parker with questions in his eyes.
"I know, it's a non-military endeavor but it's a problem that so far no one has been able to solve without creating bigger more pervasive problems. If you can come up with a workable simulation than we will have another....discussion. One that involves my thoughts on some tentative changes with the Pretender project."
"I'll do my best Miss Parker," Bryan said sincerely. The haunted look in her eyes told him that she was one of the good guys. It had been a long while since one of them had been interested in him.
Author's note: This is my second try at fan-fiction. Please give me some feedback to let me know how you like it, this one is a bit darker than my first and it might be longer too.
Email: PennG436@msn.com Spoilers: IOTH Timeline: A few months after the conclusion of IOTH
Rating: Pg Category: S/R Keywords: MPJR
Promote at your own risk
Chapter I
By Callisto
The section of the building she had occupied for the past five years was unusually quiet. Before her father's apparent altruistic suicide by leaping from an airplane cruising at 30,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, there was the oddly comforting bustle of Centre employees walking by, chatting and scurrying around trying to meet their deadlines. Now all was eerily quiet, ever since Raines took over as chairman it seemed as though all the lower level employees were attempting to avoid notice by disappearing, something she wished she could do.
She was in a miserable trap. The thought of leaving was extremely tempting but she was very much aware that all her actions were being carefully monitored. Any move, however easily explained away would result in repercussions that she wasn't in the mood to contemplate much less endure. She sighed deeply, unable to turn her attention back to the dense pile of daily reports that were now required to justify her existence-literally.
'Another day in hell, made bleaker by the rise to power of a shuffling, soulless ghoul of a man who made the whole situation more horrifying by his apparent ignorance of a simple product that has been on the open market for decades: WD-40.' She thought glumly hearing that telltale squeak.
Her excellent hearing detected the hollow echo that the oil-deprived oxygen tank carrier wheels made as Raines slowly walked the deserted hallways. Unfortunately the irritating sound stopped abruptly outside her office. The door swung open immediately and revealed the presence of the very person she was learning to loath on a whole new and less rewarding level.
"Miss Parker, there are some things I need to clarify with you before I leave for my summit meeting," Raines said almost softly but breathing heavily.
Gritting her teeth in an effort to keep her usual nasty quips at bay, she merely looked up from her reports mutely with what she hoped would be a slightly helpful and mildly interested expression, but only managed to summon an intransient disinterestedness.
"During my absence, Mr. Craigon will be in charge of the day to day operations. He has all my instructions, which include that you are to be kept on the pursuit of Jarod. He will forward your daily progress reports to me personally. We don't want you to be distracted for any reason," he said with an imperious expression.
"I understand. You don't trust me with the keys to the kingdom?" she smiled humorlessly. "I actually prefer remaining on the Jarod pursuit anyway."
"When I receive some indication of your complete and unwavering loyalty, perhaps. As it stands your talents and attention are better served in the search for Jarod. Unlike my brother, I am not as patient with failure, don't keep me waiting Miss Parker," he said with a note of menace.
"How long will you be gone?" she asked impassively, ignoring the threat.
"A few months, plenty of time for you to find and recapture our wayward Pretender," he rasped, finally taking a disgustingly long, greedy gulp of bottled air. Seeing that he would get no further response from her, Raines took his leave dragging his last gasp nosily behind him.
As the loud squeak slowly faded into the distance, she settled back into her seat and stared at the door. She knew her days were numbered, that she had lasted this long was a bit surprising. There had never been any love lost between the two of them; bureaucracy must be bogging down the approval of his request to have her eliminated.
A few hours later she swept into the sim-lab area outside Sydney's office where the pursuit team usually met to confer on any of the typically obscure leads Jarod would leave them.
"Well Broots, any joy?" she asked as she entered the room. Her manner was unusually pleasant but her dress was typical, dark blue short skirt topped off by an impossibly white silk blouse.
Broots glanced up almost as shocked by her pleasantness as he was by her usual brusqueness. "No, Miss Parker, Jarod hasn't left us even the smallest clue. It's almost like he wants us to believe that he's dropped off the face of the earth. We're still scanning newspaper and national news reports to see if any thing matches Jarod's usual patterns."
"Good, I need a report on everything that you're doing, ad nauseam if possible. Old Wrinkled-bag-of-emptiness wants daily reports of our progress, the good news is that he won't be around for a few months," she said with a predatory grin and a quick lift of her eyebrows.
Refusing to feel cheered, Broots nodded seriously at his boss. "Yeah, I heard. Scuttlebutt has it that Mr. Craigon is in charge in Mr. Raines' absence. If Raines and Lyle had a child, he would be Mr. Craigon," Broots replied grimly.
Shuddering at the macabre thought she replied, "Cheer up, Scooby-doo. According to Raines, Craigon has been given specific instructions to leave us to our pursuit. If Raines wants Jarod back then he knows that he needs to leave us alone to do it. It's not like any of his efforts has gotten him even half as close to Wonder-boy as we have."
Still feeling apprehensive, Broots just silently nodded. "I'll start on gathering those reports for you right now," he said and hurried away. Broots was slightly worried about Miss Parker. Since she and the others had returned from Africa, her position at the Centre had become more tenuous and her cavalier attitude concerned him.
Walking over to Sydney's office, Parker stood in the doorway looking at the psychiatrist. He had overheard her conversation with Broots and silently agreed with his friend's concern for her welfare. Looking up after becoming aware that she hadn't entered his office, he caught her studying him.
"Is there anything I can do for you Miss Parker?" He asked solicitously.
"No, Syd. Just wondering again why you hang around this humble corner of purgatory. With all the horrible things that you know has happened here you stick around like a shell-shocked spectator unable to tear his eyes from the gore of a tragedy."
Chuckling at her colorful analogy, he leaned back in his chair and returned her gaze. "I could ask the same of you. What makes you stay? You have even less reason to stay than you did before you went to Scotland," he said a little more earnestly than he meant.
"I'm being watched 24/7. My every move is monitored and reported. If I even twitch wrong, Raines and Lyle will use that as an excuse to remove me permanently," she answered with a weary sigh. "No, I'm going to have to wait them out. Either they kill me first or I find my opening and leave."
"I have the distinct impression that is only a partial answer. To answer your question, there are still a few tortured and broken souls here that I can be of some assistance to, namely Angelo."
She nodded solemnly, still feeling the nagging guilt of her culpability in Angelo's mental condition. Wandering further into his office as their conversation continued, she paced around and eventually settled into one of the chairs in front of his desk.
"Broots tells me that Mr. Craigon has been given the title of Acting Chairman, that's quite a slight to you. I am curious why he didn't bestow this honor on Mr. Lyle?" he asked with considerable curiosity.
Laughing gently she settled herself more comfortably in the chair and answered evenly, "Lyle is away at a Centre sponsored symposium, my guess as a reward for his voluntary token of loyalty. As far as Craigon is concerned, he can have the Acting Chairmanship. That little brown-nosing weasel has been told to stay out of my way. I'm sure he'll be content aimlessly harassing and threatening his subordinates and making their lives more miserable than usual, instead of tangling with me."
"I have sensed an insecurity in him that would tend to make him feel the need to overcompensate---." The ringing of the phone on his desk interrupted him. Glancing apologetically at his guest who nodded her understanding, Sydney answered the phone.
"This is Sydney." He listened for a few seconds, and then glancing again at his guest he lifted his eyebrows in surprise and caught her attention.
"One moment please," he said into the receiver. Placing his palm over the mouthpiece he said, "Parker it's for you. Your secretary is looking for you."
With a slight frown of curiosity and annoyance, she grabbed the outstretched phone and in her usual manner answered, "What?"
Listening for a few seconds, she sighed deeply and asked, "Since you're contacting me I take it that Mr. Raines has already left the building, where is Mr. Craigon?"
She listened again for some time, lowering her head in concentration. Then lifting her head and throwing it back in a display of her growing agitation she said, "alright, have him hold, I'm on my way to the office now." She paused again, glancing at Sydney, she rolled her eyes and said, "go ahead, put him through."
Covering the mouthpiece with her hand, in a whisper she said, "I'm sorry Syd, this should only take a minute."
"Take all the time you need, do you need me to leave?" he asked kindly.
Shaking her head no, she abruptly spoke into the phone. "This is Parker."
"Yes, sir, I understand." She replied after a lengthy silence. Her expression was a curious mixture of caution and irritation.
"Yes, sir I will see that they are messengered to you within the hour." Another lengthy pause was followed by her response.
"No, Mr. Raines left him in charge. If you prefer, I could leave him a message to handle this request personally." The pause was much shorter this time but still leaving Sydney in the agonies of curiosity.
"I will have it on its way to you within the hour," she repeated more forcibly. Listening for a few more seconds, she pulled the phone from her ear in surprise. With another roll of the eyes she returned the phone to it's cradle and sighed a half chuckle.
"That was a Triumvirate member. Apparently he was promised some reports last week and has yet to receive them. Now Craigon has gone missing on a never ending lunch hour, leaving our poor beleaguered leader in Africa bereft at being forgotten and kicked to the curb like so much trash." She had gotten up during this speech and headed for the doorway. She turned as she crossed the threshold. "If you hear from Broots before I track him down tell him I need to see him, there are some reports I need him to pull for me that take priority over our pursuit dailies." She then walked purposely from the room leaving Sydney wondering what new intrigues were in store.
Just after seven o'clock Broots entered Miss Parker's office, eager to give her his last report of the day and head home for the night. Looking up Parker noticed the tired, slightly harried look on his face. She decided to go easy on him tonight and forego her usual sport of intimidating him.
"What's new Broots?"
"The productivity reports for the security and scientific divisions were completed and messengered over to the Triumvirate via Centre-Europe just after 2 this afternoon. I've finished the daily progress reports on our search for Jarod for both today and tomorrow," he said wearily. Seeing the surprised look on Parker's face he continued, "Umm, that's in the event that we find nothing new tomorrow, either. I prepared it and left room for revisions just in case." He finished hastily.
"Good work, Broots. Time for you to head home to Debbie, see you bright and early tomorrow," she said dismissively.
"Aren't you going home now, I thought everything that needed to be done was complete?"
"That just shows how much you know. I still have plenty of work to do," she said waving at the small mounds of paperwork that were scattered on her desk. She looked up again and glared at him pointedly to leave. Taking the hint, Broots nodded gratefully and left her office. His ever-present worry over her welfare was firmly rooted in place but minutely relieved by the absence of both Lyle and Mr. Raines.
When her worrywart coworker finally left her office, Miss Parker pushed back from her desk and walking over to a low credenza, she opened a bottom drawer removing a nearly full bottle of single malt with a small glass and proceeded to pour herself a generous helping of the drink. Replacing the bottle in its hiding place, she took a large sip letting the alcohol work its magic on her over-revved brain and taunt muscles. She was finally just beginning to relax when her phone rang. Knowing her secretary kept better hours than she, Miss Parker reached over and pushed the speaker button to answer.
"What?" she answered sounding irritable.
"Miss Parker? I was hoping that you would still be there. This is Third chair Mountesi calling, I take it that the items I asked for earlier today are on their way?" The Triumvirate member had a moderately exotic accent that would be pleasing if he hadn't been bothering her.
"Yes, sir they were sent out this afternoon," she replied sharply suppressing a disgusted sigh, as she returned to her seat.
"Good, that is very good to hear, Miss Parker."
There was a long pause that Parker at first was loathe to break but since he showed no signs of hanging up she inquired, "was that all, sir?"
"No, Miss Parker," he responded and resumed his silence as it stretched into another lengthy pause which began to irritate her even more. He eventually continued, "I have a proposition for you. I would like you to take over running the day to day operations of the Centre for the time being," he said softly, seductively allowing his even voice and strange accent to caress the words.
"I see," she replied carefully as she slowly sat up straighter in her seat. She was perfectly aware that she was the least favorite in her family of horrors with the Triumvirate. Wondering what this twist could mean, her mind began to turn over the numerous possibilities this offer would have in terms of her immediate health. Choosing her words with the utmost care and removing all emotion from her voice she continued, "Mr. Raines was very specific that I should remain on the Jarod pursuit full time and that distractions would not be tolerated."
"We tell Mr. Raines what we need and he provides it, in this case I want you to be in charge of the Centre, will that be a problem for you?" the voice was still smooth as silk.
"And the Jarod pursuit?" she persisted evenly.
"Will be postponed for the time being. I understand that there have been no new leads in that case for some time. Without leads then the computer clerks can continue without your assistance."
"Very well, am I correct in assuming that I really don't have much of a choice in the matter?" said she, testing the limits in the deep end.
A soft, almost sexy laugh followed. "While it is never good to assume anything, your astuteness is to your credit. I shall be very interested to see how well you get on with the change in responsibilities. Miss Parker, please do not disappoint me." The sudden burr of the dial tone signaled that the call was already disconnected.
Parker leaned forward thoughtfully and pulling open the small curio box that sat on her desk, she lightly tapped a button that ended the recording of the conversation. This new development resembled a pitted field fraught with mines, both hidden and exposed. Knowing that she would need a clear head in the morning, she downed the rest of her drink and straightening the papers on her desk, she shut everything down and headed home.
Late the next morning, Broots rushed into Sydney's office looking positively happy and more relaxed than he had since Miss Parker's return from her disastrous trip to Carthis. He walked up to one of his friend's office chairs and made himself comfortable. It was obvious from his behavior that he possessed some office gossip that Sydney had yet to hear.
Smiling at his young friend's obvious clues, Sydney asked the question he knew Broots was aching to answer. "I see from the look on your face that something has happened. What's the good news Broots?"
Returning Sydney's smile Broots said, "Effective immediately Miss Parker is in charge of the day to day operations of the Centre. That's by order of the Triumvirate."
Shocked by this information, Sydney sat quietly digesting this disturbing revelation. Looking at his friend Sydney asked, "when did this happen?"
"Early this morning, when I came in Miss Parker called me into her office and told me that she had just been reassigned by Mountesi, the junior member of the Triumvirate. An interoffice email was circulated throughout the building from the Triumvirate informing all department heads of the change."
"Hummm, I guess that's an incentive for me to check my email more often. Have you heard anything about how Mr. Craigon is taking his sudden demotion?"
Shaking his head Broots said, "No, no one has said anything about him. Hawkins, the sweeper guarding the employee entrance, told Buzzy that Craigon hasn't come in today. You don't think something happened to him, do you?" Worry was beginning to reassert itself on Broots' face.
"I don't know and I'm not too sure that I like this sudden change. I think I'll go see Miss Parker and try to find out more," Sydney said with an air of determination. He was faintly hurt that Miss Parker hadn't called him and told him about this change personally. Shrugging off the slight, Sydney was just getting out of his seat when his phone rang.
"Sydney," he answered abruptly.
"Hey there Syd, can you come to my office? There's something I would like to discuss with you," Miss Parker asked.
"Of course Miss Parker, I'm on my way," he replied and replaced the phone in its cradle. He was somewhat mollified by her call, and nodding encouragingly to Broots, Sydney made his way over to Parker's office. As he was walking across the open lobby area towards her office, he noticed the quiet and empty corridors. Since Raines took over the Centre the place had turned more solemn and depressing than usual.
Entering Parker's office, Sydney first noticed that she was directing all her attention to the computer screen on her desk. She was busily typing and concentrating on her work so much that apparently she hadn't noticed his entrance. She kept him waiting for a few seconds more and before Sydney could discreetly clear his throat, she turned and looked up at him.
"Have a seat," she said, relaxing in her chair and slightly tilting it back so that she could cross her shapely legs.
Wondering how she was going to proceed, Sydney obeyed and sat in the chair opposite her and took a careful look at her. She was dressed in a more moderate manner, he noticed that her black skirt wasn't as short as usual and her electric blue blouse was more conservatively buttoned. Her gray eyes reflected the blue of her blouse as she regarded him with a guarded if somewhat penetrating expression.
"I suppose Broots has already broken the news to you, one of the Triumvirate members has decided its time for me try my hand at running things here." She said with a cynical curl of her lips.
"Broots was in my office when you called. How did this happen and more importantly why?" he asked settling more comfortably in the chair.
"I was here late last night when I got the call from Mountesi. I'm not sure if he's trying to make his bones on my carcass or what form this latest stunt will take," she said almost sadly.
For a moment she reminded Sydney sharply of her mother, the same sadness was in her eyes and the knowledge of her own impending mortality was in her face. His fear for her increased ten fold and he sat up straighter in the chair.
"Did he say what it was that he wanted from you?"
"No, that's what worries me," she replied softly. Mentally shaking herself she offered him a ghost of a smile and continued, "While I'm in charge I plan on making the most of it. I want you to check the files of all our current inmates and determine what their current conditions are and surreptitiously try to find out how we 'acquired' these people and where they belong. That information could prove useful at a later date."
"I understand. Any ideas how long they plan on leaving you in charge?"
"None, but I have a feeling that this will last until Raines returns from his summit meeting, providing I refrain from taking 5 hour lunch breaks."
"What has happened to Mr. Craigon?"
"I have no idea, he hasn't bothered to show up to work today. I dispatched a sweeper team to his apartment 20 minutes ago but I haven't heard back from them yet."
"Yes, it would be best to find out what if anything has occurred to him. Raines won't be too happy to hear that Craigon has gone missing. It's important to know what it is exactly you're distancing yourself from and the best way to go about it."
"My thoughts exactly. It's nice to be on the same page with you again, Syd, by the way the Jarod pursuit has been regulated to backburner status. The computer geeks can continue the search alone. Besides, I need something to do once Raines returns," She replied with a grin.
Nodding firmly and rising from his seat, he looked thoughtfully at her. "Miss Parker, as always, if you need someone to talk to about this situation my door is always open."
She looked up at him, this time any genuine expression was completely obscured from her eyes. "Thanks, Sydney. I appreciate that."
He left knowing that she would probably never truly open up to him. He regretted that she felt this way, but there was still one person left in her life able to breach that impenetrable wall she so carefully built, unfortunately he hadn't heard from Jarod in some time.
It was the end to a long day. Sydney was settling back in the comfortable chair in his office enjoying a solitary drink and the classical music that played softly from the CD player sitting on top of his file cabinet. He had barely scratched the surface on his new assignment. After meeting with 4 different damaged minds he decided to stop and write up his assessment of their condition before continuing. He would need Broots' help to figure out where they had come from and where any family members might be staying. The events of the day were still monopolizing his thoughts, when his phone suddenly began to ring.
"This is Sydney."
"Sydney, have you ever wondered why anyone would purchase items they know won't work from infomercials?" Jarod asked in his usual abrupt manner.
Chuckling in amusement from his protégé's comment and with a sly appreciation for Jarod waiting so late to call, Sydney answered, "the phenomena is a reincarnation of the 17th century huckster selling snake oil to anyone gullible enough to buy it."
Propping his feet up on a desk, the Pretender readjusted his position while idly playing with a useless gadget he purchased from a television ad. "Most of this junk doesn't work and the ones that do aren't worth a fraction of the asking price."
"That's pretty much what I suspected. Jarod, I'm very glad that you've called, I was beginning to get worried, we haven't heard from you in some time."
"I decided to take a mini vacation from the chase. I've been enjoying myself so much that I think I will extend the vacation."
"I don't blame you but Jarod there are some things happening here that I need your help with," Sydney began.
"Are you alright, Sydney?" Jarod asked alarmed.
"Yes, I'm fine. It's Miss Parker; one of the Triumvirate members has decided to test her abilities and has temporarily put her in charge of the Centre. Jarod, it's a trap and she knows it but there is nothing I can do to help her." The psychiatrist's worry and concern were evident in his tone.
"They want to use her Sydney. I wouldn't be surprised if this hasn't been on their agenda for some time. How are Raines and Lyle reacting to this?"
"They are both conveniently away from the Centre for the next few months. Raines had put another one of his personal sadists in charge but the fellow made the mistake of taking a 5-hour lunch."
"I can see why you're worried, but Sydney what can I do to help you?" Jarod asked in bemusement.
"She won't talk to me. I know there is more to this situation than she is willing to admit. The look on her face this afternoon scared me, Jarod. It's as if she's staring her own mortality in the face. You are the only person left that has even the remotest chance of getting her to open up, I was hoping that you would try." Sydney concluded with an air of defeat.
"I'm sorry Sydney, but she never listens to me. I don't know what I could say that would be of any help, even if she did accept it, which I sincerely doubt she would. What happened to the 'you run, I chase' mindset? " Jarod inquired cautiously.
"According to Miss Parker, you have been officially demoted to backburner status. Jarod I don't know everything that has occurred between you and Parker, but right now she is alone. There isn't a soul around that she can talk to unrestrained without feeling that she is putting them in jeopardy. I'm hoping there is still enough regard between the two of you that will make it feasible for you to reach out and help an old friend. Despite all the snide and biting remarks she is worth the effort." Sydney held his breath knowing this was Parker's last chance to have a worthy ally to whom she could talk.
Chuckling softly, he knew Sydney was valiantly attempting to help his friend. Whatever her reaction or decision, Jarod silently promised that Parker would know how much his mentor truly cared for her. "Okay Sydney, you can take a breath now, I'll talk to her. I'm warning you, she probably will pull a gun on me and try to haul me back to the Centre, but I will try for you."
"Thank you, Jarod, I appreciate that more than you know. If you need anything, let me know." Sydney offered.
Smiling sadly Jarod responded, "Remember, I'm not making any promises. We're talking about a very stubborn, headstrong woman here."
**Two weeks later**
The Centre
Blue Cove, DE
Parker was still swamped in a sea of paperwork, with her added responsibilities came the added bureaucracy. She sighed in mild frustration, becoming Chairman wasn't on her list of things to achieve not even temporarily. Seeing the corrosive affects of this position on her 'father' were appalling enough, now she was facing the same gauntlet. Turning around to look out the window, she stood and placed a palm on the cool glass. She hadn't thought about the man she called Daddy for several days now. The tears had dried up quickly, probably more quickly than they should have. After the will had been read she was constantly haunted by a pervasive feeling of something left unfinished.
This latest development with the Triumvirate was a sample of that. So far her bosses in Africa were appeased, they seemed to quiet down once they realized their incessant reports would continue to arrive on time. Everyday for the past week, she waited for another call but so far she was gratefully disappointed. Waiting for the other shoe to drop was a tedious business.
There was a knock on the office door, and turning from her view of the seascape she deftly returned to her seat as she called out permission to enter. Her secretary entered with a parcel and handed it to her. She looked up and took the package from his hand. The postmark on the package indicated that it was routed via Centre-Europe from Africa.
'Ah, joy, the other shoe decided to arrive.' She placed the parcel on the far corner of her desk and looked up again. Her secretary had left the door open and she was startled to hear noises outside. She got up from her seat and walked outside her office. The once evacuated, silent corridors were now bustling with Centre employees wandering around, talking and scurrying to meet deadlines once again. She blinked her eyes slowly in disbelief at the activity. Two weeks free from Raines' influence and things are back to Centre normal, who knew?
Later that night, with the still unopened parcel perched on the corner of her desk, she was leaning back in her chair enjoying the quiet and solitude. What was quickly becoming a ritual, she waited for the Triumvirate to call. Tonight her patience was rewarded when her office phone began to ring. She let it go for 4 rings, staring at it, wondering if she should pick it up. Knowing they would try again tomorrow and that they were probably aware that she was in her office at this moment, she reached over and snatched up the handset.
"What?" she asked keeping a trace of irritability in her voice.
"Miss Parker, I am so glad that you are still there. I took a chance by ringing you this late in the evening." The accented, now slightly sinister voice said into the phone.
"Where you're calling from, it must be very early," she commented careful to keep all emotions out of her voice.
"It is my habit to be the first hard at work. The reason for my call is to congratulate you on your efficiency. My sources in the Centre have reported that you have done well to reestablish morale and confidence in your employees."
"Well, it helps that I haven't developed a habit of summarily threatening the lives of my subordinates," she said with a touch of sarcasm.
A long pause followed her comment. She was sick of his power pauses and resolved on leaving it up to him to break the silence. He obliged her by speaking first.
"I have another proposition to offer you," he began and fell silent once again.
"Let me guess, 'proposition' is just a turn of phrase for you. Let's cut to the chase, what is it that you want?"
Chuckling softly from the back of his throat, he said, "You have yet to disappoint me, I've heard about your legendary impatience. I am offering you a chance to prove your worth to the entire Triumvirate. The offer is this: there are a number of difficult projects that several of the Centre's clients, including the American government is currently attempting to resolve. I want you to review the vast number of these projects and choose one the Centre can solve immediately. Broker a deal with the American state department for example, and make the deal profitable to the Centre."
"Do I understand you correctly that I am at liberty to choose the project the Centre will tackle for the State Department?" sensing that this was the other shoe that was being dropped.
"Yes, the package on your desk contains an exhaustive list of the projects we are most interested in, however, if you find something else more to your liking than you are free to pursue it," he replied smoothly and confidently.
"Is there a time frame for this, uh, endeavor?" Parker asked a little mordantly.
"This is a fairly straightforward test of your abilities, so you should be able to complete it in a relatively short period of time." He paused again then continued more menacingly, "make no mistake Miss Parker, my phrasing of this request was merely my habit of being congenial. Your survival depends on how well you are able to complete this simple task. Miss Parker, please do not disappoint me." The connection was unceremoniously severed leaving Parker to wonder how she was going to extricate herself from this situation.
The next morning, Sydney was making his way to his office when he saw Broots hurrying off in the opposite direction. His attention was on a large sheaf of papers in his hand instead of where he was going so Sydney had no trouble running into him on purpose.
"Broots, are you alright? I'm sorry, here let me help you with that."
"Hi, Syd. Yeah, I'm all right I was just trying to get this report over to Miss Parker. She seemed to be very eager to get this."
After gathering the papers together the two men stood up straight and looked at each other. It had been over a week since they had seen each other. Parker was keeping Broots busy assisting her in keeping the Triumvirate satisfied with their constant need for computerized reports.
Smiling at his friend, Sydney asked, "Is there something special about this particular report?"
"Well, it's a report I obtained from the State Department about some problem projects they've been having trouble solving. Miss Parker wanted me to concentrate on all the humanitarian and non-military projects." Broots explained.
"Interesting, I think I'll go with you to Miss Parker's office, maybe I can be of some assistance." Sydney remarked aloud, wondering silently what would she want with the information Broots had.
As the men entered her office, they both noticed Parker looking intently at something on her computer screen. When she noticed them standing in front of her desk, she quickly cleared the screen and turned her full attention to them.
"Here are those reports you asked for, Miss Parker," Broots said solicitously.
"Broots, make sure the usual reports are immediately messengered over to the Triumvirate and after that your free as a bird, just keep your pager firmly attached incase I need something."
Giving her a large smile of appreciation, Broots thanked her sincerely and quickly left her office before she realized that she had just given him the rest of the day off and it was only 9 o'clock in the morning.
Watching Broots leave happily, Sydney smiled at the tech's back and returned his attention to Miss Parker. "You seem to be in a good mood, and it isn't even noon yet," he said smilingly.
"The way I've been working him, he should enjoy having at least one unscheduled day off. Sydney, I'm glad you're here. There are at least 4 Pretenders still here at the Centre, I want to meet one of them."
"Really? You have never shown any interest before, may I ask why now?" he inquired carefully. She had sparked his curiosity yet again and he still hadn't had the chance to question her about the sudden interest in State Department programs.
"You can ask, but I don't think it would be in your best interest if I answer. I'm interested in the pretender called Bryan have you worked with him before?"
"Yes, I have. Unfortunately he is on a low sub par of Jarod. Bryan has talent but he is often very recalcitrant and lately seems unable to focus his concentration for extended periods of time. There are others who show far more potential than he. If you tell me what it is you're after then perhaps I can help you," he asked trying a different tack.
"When you walked in I was going over his confidential profile. I think he is exactly what I need and according to his daily activities log he should be wide-awake and bushy tailed. Let's go now so you can introduce us before you start your day," she replied completely ignoring his question.
After briefly stopping by his office to deposit his briefcase and overcoat, Sydney proceeded with Parker to Sublevel 18 where the Pretender Bryan was currently working. When they were standing just outside the doors to the sim-lab Parker stopped Sydney by touching his arm.
"Look Syd, I appreciate you not pressuring me into answering your legitimate questions but I have my reasons," she said. Closing her eyes briefly and sighing deeply, she continued, "I know we have both heard these words a million times before, but I hope coming from me you will be believe them: trust me. The less you know about what I'm about to do the better." While she spoke she gently squeezed his arm and giving him a piercing look, she nodded once and quickly grasped the doorknob and entered the lab.
"Hello, Bryan. There is someone here that I would like you to meet. This is Miss Parker, she is the Acting Chairman, Miss Parker this is Bryan." Sydney made the introductions in the typically precise manner that he used whenever he addressed a pretender.
Parker nodded curtly at the pretender and silently examined him. He was an intense looking young man, sitting at a long metal table. He was in his late 20's and despite the loose fitting Centre issue clothing it was obvious that he was well developed and muscular. His close cut dark hair provided a striking contrast with his dark green eyes and his overall even featured face completed the handsome picture. The room was quiet as both Bryan and Parker studied each other. Parker seemed satisfied and turning to Sydney said, "thank you, Sydney. I would like to speak to Bryan alone for a few minutes."
"Very well Miss Parker. I will be in my office if you need me," Sydney answered and stealing one last look at Parker he left taking Bryan's psychiatrist along with him.
"I've read a lot about you, Bryan. There is a project that I need your help with, do you think you would be willing to help me?" Parker asked speculatively.
Laughing dryly, Bryan answered, "do I have any choice in the matter, Miss Parker?"
"I asked someone that same question last night, so I have an idea of what you might be feeling. Yes, you do have a choice, you can turn me down and I will approach someone else," she answered without taking her eyes from his for a second.
Seeing the truth of her statement in her eyes, Bryan averted his gaze for a few seconds as he considered her request. "Why are you asking me? You're the Chairman, you can force me to perform any simulation that you want," he countered trying to figure out what game she was playing.
"I'm not playing any games or trying to analyzing you. I'm asking because you have a tendency to become intractable and uncooperative. I want to avoid any negative, time-consuming delays before they happen. So what's your answer?" Parker asked, her patience quickly waning.
"You obviously don't like to be kept waiting but I have one last question: Why me?" he tilted his head in almost the same manner as Jarod.
"I want you because right now you're the only pretender whose abilities come any where near the vicinity of Jarod's," she answered simply.
His eyes widened in surprise at her statement, and smiling he replied with honest modesty, "I'm sorry, but I believe you have me confused with someone else."
"I've been on the pursuit of Jarod for over five years. I've studied his file, what I could find of it and have spoken with him often enough to know a good Pretender when I see one. You hide your abilities behind unruly behavior, now that's something I understand because I've been there and done that."
"What is it that you want me to do?" he asked looking down. When no reply came, he looked up and noticed the irritated look that suffused her features. Sighing deeply he nodded slightly and answered, "yes, I'll help you."
"Good, study this file," she said flicking her wrist towards the table she tossed a folder with the Centre logo embossed across the front. "I need you to come up with a viable solution to this problem within a week. I'm hoping it won't take you any longer than that."
Bryan gingerly turned the folder so it was right side up and opening the cover sheet he began to read. Quickly scanning the first page, he looked up at Parker with questions in his eyes.
"I know, it's a non-military endeavor but it's a problem that so far no one has been able to solve without creating bigger more pervasive problems. If you can come up with a workable simulation than we will have another....discussion. One that involves my thoughts on some tentative changes with the Pretender project."
"I'll do my best Miss Parker," Bryan said sincerely. The haunted look in her eyes told him that she was one of the good guys. It had been a long while since one of them had been interested in him.