Disclaimer: Please see Part I for the usual remarks.
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Memory Ronin
Part IV
By Callisto
The Centre
Blue Cove, DE
Lyle walked purposefully into the Chairman's office. In his hand he held the final reports on the bombing of the Centre's main biotech facility in northern Pennsylvania. Raines was sitting at his desk engaged in what appeared to be an absorbing telephone conversation with someone from the Triumvirate. The Centre's newest Chairman had to report more frequently to his bosses in Africa. After the debacle with his brother Mr. Parker taking a flying leap with the all-important scrolls clutched tightly in his hands, Raines was now forced to become more responsive, if not obsequious with the Triumvirate's demands. What this meant for Raines is that he was the first Chairman of the Centre who did not enjoy a measure of autonomy from the dictates and caprices of the Triumvirate.
So as Lyle sauntered casually into the office, he was quick to notice the less than comfortable posture and the angrily irritated expression on his boss's face. Ever vigilant to any threats to his own well being, Lyle slowed his pace and in a chameleon-like move, which led credence to his red-file status, he changed his demeanor and posture to better fit the charged atmosphere he just walked into.
Raines, looking up at Lyle, gave the younger man a death-inducing scowl. His eyes then lit upon the report Lyle held up. He nodded to one of the chairs opposite his desk, indicating that Lyle should take a seat and keep his mouth shut.
After another 15 minutes of agreeing with almost everything demanded by the Triumvirate, Raines was finally permitted to hang up. Sighing deeply, then taking a healing breath from his constant supply of oxygen, Raines turned his amoral stare on Lyle.
"The final reports are in from the Pennsylvania bombing. We have no proof, of course, but we're fairly certain that Jarod was the culprit," Lyle said grimly. "It goes on to say that Miss Parker died as the result of standing practically on top of one of the charges. They attribute the lack of a body and the few found scraps of clothing on her proximity to the bomb. It's all here in a nicely, neat package." Lyle threw the report on the desktop with an air of disdain.
"From your attitude, I take it that you do not believe your sister died in the blast? Do you have any evidence to support your suspicions?"
"I'm from the old school. Without a body, I find it hard to believe she's really dead," Lyle replied dismissively. "I need more than just a few scraps of burnt clothing that possibly belonged to her as evidence of her death."
"Mr. Parker leaped out of an airplane cruising at 30,000 feet over the Atlantic. So far we haven't recovered his body either, are you telling me that you also believe he is alive?" Raines inquired, testing his personal sociopath.
"The look on Parker's face when she told us Mr. Parker had taken his final leap was proof enough. I can accept that he's fish food, this recent incident is something else altogether."
"What about the ballistics reports? Have they been finalized as well?"
"Yes. It's like you said. The chance that Jarod or his father killed our sweepers was slim to none. It had to have been Parker; it's the only scenario that makes any sense. My only problem with it is her squeamishness when it comes to murder," Lyle answered with a perplexed expression.
"I remember vaguely something my brother said years ago about her. He sent her abroad to be trained as an assassin while she was still in her teens but your mother's early training made the whole process problematic. The only reasonable explanation is that she decided on trying to leave and avoid her responsibilities as I predicted. When they opposed her, she killed the sweepers, one of them must have wounded her and the blast finished her off."
"That's a lot of supposing. How about letting me do a little snooping around to see if I can find out anything more?" Lyle asked hopefully. He wanted tangible answers as to why the sweepers were unsuccessful in following their orders to critically incapacitate her.
"You're sister was buried only yesterday and already you are trying to prove that she faked her death. Very good, Mr. Lyle, I will give you two more weeks to come up with something. After that, we will have to accept the inevitable," Raines said, taking another deep breath of oxygen.
"That should be enough time. I'll leave for Pennsylvania in the morning, also I'll need to take Wade along with me, I want him to get a closer look at the surveillance cameras."
"I understand but Broots would be more useful to you," Raines said carefully watching his protégé.
"Probably, if he didn't have a gargantuan crush on Parker. Right now, he's practically useless," Lyle scoffed derisively.
"Fortunately for him, he still has his uses. Has the report been sanitized for the Triumvirate?"
"Yes, the sanitized version is included in the portfolio," Lyle nodded at the thick sheaf of papers he had placed on Raines' desk. "All mention of the trap we had set up for Jarod and the large contingent of sweepers have been eliminated. Now it looks like Parker got a tip that our Pretender would be there and after her arrival with three sweepers, she went berserk; killing our sweepers, getting wounded in the process and inadvertently falling on top of one of the charges."
"Excellent, I have a feeling that isn't too far from the truth anyway. However, I will suspend any judgment until you return from your fact-finding mission. By that time Miss Parker's lawyers will be ready to read her will," Death-warmed-over replied.
"I'm still a bit confused by the delay. I wonder what she was thinking when she added that particular codicil to her will? I don't understand what she was trying to accomplish in forcing us to wait two weeks after her death. Well, there are only two things she could have done with her own and Mr. Parker's estate; either give everything to charity or leave it to one of us. It will be nice living in my mother's house," he commented confidently.
Otsu compound—Mid Summer 1973
Mie-ken Prefecture, Japan
At the end of her fourth month, Parker had to acknowledge even to her battered ego that she had improved dramatically. Still she doubted if she would be successful in besting Chiyo but knew that she would do a better job of holding her own.
Sensei was equally guarded in openly professing her improvement but secretly he felt vindicated in making such an impulsive and radical choice of apprentice. Parker's ability to adapt and imitate were superlative, so much so that Sensei Otsu took the unusual step of contacting the Saito Academy to further inquire into her history. What he had been told by one of the instructors was alarming. It seemed that not only had she come from a powerful and shadowy organization which it was rumored had managed to insinuate its tendrils into the belly of the prestigious Academy, but also was rumored to have ties and associations with highly placed moguls in Japan's financial and political realms. This particular girl was the daughter of one of the more corrupt and ambitious power brokers.
This information caused the retired headmaster of the venerated Tsuge Shogakka, the Ninja training school, to take a closer look at his newest protégé. Sensei Otsu took the trouble to get to know the young girl better. He posed hypothetically moral dilemmas to see how well she would answer. If she reflected her family's lack of moral character, then he would concede to his own lack of judgment and return her to the Academy. However, after she gave her answer to the first question, then the proceeding tests, all Sensei came away with was the verification of his first impression. She was a lonely, emotionally neglected child, who had received moral training, was tenacious, possessed a brilliant mind and the reflexes a lynx would envy.
Early one morning as Sensei was about to engage in his ritual meditation, he spotted Parker practicing Oishi-san's version of tai chi. Her movements were smoothly graceful but it was obvious her knowledge of the art form was extremely limited, yet another example of her imitative powers. Walking over to his student, he corrected her form and nodded for her to continue. When she was finished he looked at her keenly then purposely walked away from her in the direction of his favorite place to meditate.
Shrugging at her Sensei's instruction, Parker continued practicing and afterwards decided to go inside to grab a cup of tea before her daily routine of chores and practice began. She entered the kitchen and offered to assist in preparing the morning tea. The response from Mrs. Oishi was very cool. A bit puzzled at this reaction, Parker shrugged again, thinking that maybe there was something about today that was making everyone act differently. Quietly Parker drank her tea then eagerly headed out to do her chores since Mrs. Oishi refused to be drawn into any conversation.
By the end of the day, Parker was exhausted. Sensei was especially hard and demanding something he rarely was after introducing a new element to her training. Today he added three new techniques and became impatient with her. At dinner Mrs. Oishi was still taciturn and cool to her. This wouldn't do, the past few months had passed agreeably. The last thing Parker wanted was for things to return to the way they had been when she first arrived. Taking a few quick breaths she looked up and addressed Mrs. Oishi.
"Oishi-san have I done something to offend you? Please tell me, all day you have been cool to me and I don't understand why," Parker implored. She had meant to say this with a measure of impassivity, emulating the older woman, but her desperation won out.
"You have been spying on me. I do not like those who sneak around spying then go around flaunting their disdain for all to see," the woman answered with an air of calm anger.
"I swear I've never spied on you and I would never make fun of you!! Please you must believe me!" Parker was practically shouting now.
"Lower your voice, you will disturb Sensei. There is no need to lie; it is almost as despicable as spying. I saw you on the practice grounds with Sensei sneering at my form of tai chi," Mrs. Oishi said quietly. She had been extremely disappointed in Parker. She would never have believed that the child could have been so cruel.
Realizing that she had been found out, Parker became quiet. Her mind was racing as she tried to come up with a way to express herself and her motives without further alienating her friend.
"Oishi-san, you are my only friend. I would never do anything to offend or hurt you. I have been the victim of other's scorn since my father dumped me here. I was practicing your tai chi so I could be as graceful as you are. I had planned on showing you what I learned once I became more proficient. Sensei surprised me this morning when he caught me doing it. All he did was correct my form." Parker searched the older woman's inscrutable face. When she received no response from her explanation, Parker lowered her eyes and her shoulders slumped from the dejection she felt.
Sensing the truth in Parker's words, Mrs. Oishi carefully watched the young girl. Parker offered no more explanations or any excuses. That alone convinced Mrs. Oishi that Young Flower had no intentions of hurting her feelings. Mrs. Oishi still couldn't help but feel a bit of anger from being spied on, regardless of the reason. She decided to let the girl stew for a while longer then show her that she held no hard feelings.
After the meal was finished, Mrs. Oishi began to clear the dishes and a silent Parker left solemnly to begin her bedtime rituals. Once Parker was out of earshot, Mrs. Oishi finished the dishes and clearing in record time, and hurrying into the loose-fitting outfit she used for practice, she quickly padded to Parker's room and knocked quietly on the door. Sliding the door open, Mrs. Oishi found a tearful Parker trying to hide the evidence of her tears. 'Another effort to imitate me, I feel completely ashamed of myself. The girl is just trying to find her way in a world that has been nothing but cruel to her in the past three years.' Almost on the verge of tears herself, Mrs. Oishi beckoned Parker quietly to follow her.
Curious at why Mrs. Oishi kept waving to her to follow, Parker dried her tears and followed her friend outside. Once they were in the courtyard directly below Parker's bedroom window, Mrs. Oishi sat the girl down on a large stone that was part of the garden's border and began to practice her tai chi. Up close Oishi-san's movements were even more fluid. Parker sat quietly transfixed at the beauty of motion that Mrs. Oishi was displaying. Once she was finished with the routine, Mrs. Oishi silently beckoned Parker to stand behind her and began again, this time going much slower so Parker would have the opportunity to emulate her moves. The women practiced for an hour before finishing. Mrs. Oishi smiled and slightly bowed to Parker. Parker, relieved to find out that she had not lost her only friend, engulfed the older woman in a bone-crushing hug.
Jarod's family residence
Franconia, NH
Five days had passed since Miss Parker had been brought to New Hampshire. She was unaware of it but her funeral had been a solemn affair and her friends had spent the day mourning her passing and removing from her home personal items that would remind them of her.
In New Hampshire, the family there was wondering what they should do with her, and what she might have in mind for them. Major Charles and Jarod were fairly certain that she wouldn't return to the Centre once she was informed what had been done for her. The Major kept putting off telling her, when he analyzed his own feelings at Margaret's insistence, he realized he didn't want this strangely compelling woman to leave. He was certain the minute she was told how they falsified her death that she would take off for parts unknown and he would never have the opportunity of repaying her for saving his life.
Parker took this state of limbo in stride. It was like a mini-vacation from the Centre but she knew that she would have to return eventually. The longer she stayed away the more certain it became to her that Lyle and Raines would do something to hurt Sydney and Broots. Both men had families and after the revelations on Carthis, Parker who had no such encumbrances was unsure if she could live much longer in any semblance of peace knowing she shared a bloodline with a ghoul she had always despised.
Margaret was still nervous having an active Centre operative living in the house with them. She wanted to end her husband's stalling and bring the whole issue out into the open.
"Darling, I think it's time you told Miss Parker the reason why you brought her here," Margaret said, trying to nudge her husband into action.
Noticing the Major frowning slightly, Parker gave him a half smile and answered for him. "You want to know why I was going to return to the Centre, am I right?"
"Yes. You know they would be able to trace your weapon to the bullets found in the sweepers. Going back was signing your own death warrant."
"You're partially right. When Raines and Lyle told me that I would be in charge of springing one of their hapless traps on Jarod, I became suspicious. They made the mistake of telling me they were going to foist on me a 'hand-picked' cadre of the best and brightest of the Centre's sweepers to accompany me on this quest. I immediately brought a new weapon and practiced with it a public range. Once the trap had been set, I was sent off to Pennsylvania with a group of sweepers I had never met before. It was clear they took all their orders from Lyle."
Leaning back, shaking his head and softly laughing at himself, the Major looked at Parker. "The new weapon's ballistics wouldn't match your Centre issued 9mm. So they would blame the sweeper's deaths on me and Jarod."
"I'm getting to be a bit more pragmatic in my old age. They probably wouldn't believe either of you could do it, but they wouldn't have the proof to blame it on me either. At the most it would have taught them to be careful in handling both me and Jarod," she replied with a shrug.
"So you planned on killing them the whole time? Did I just get in the way?" the major asked disgustedly. He was now feeling foolish at insisting on trying to save a woman who was hell bent on framing him and his son for murder.
Watching the major's face become suffused with anger and embarrassment, Parker remained silent. It was Jarod who decided to let his father off the hook.
"Dad, I believe at most you stepped in the middle of something that neither of us had counted on. The sweepers were probably under orders to kill Miss Parker."
The major looked from Jarod's sympathetic face to the cynical expression which had suffused Miss Parker's face.
"You really think I'm a monster, don't you? I'm no assassin, if that helps clarify things for you," she said in a voice heavy in amused pessimism. She resolved petulantly never to reveal that her mother's voice warned her of the danger not only to herself but to the Major as well. This was the main reason she decided to assist him.
"You work for the Centre and have been hunting our son for almost 6 years. That alone set the bar of our opinion of you quite low to begin with anything else would have only been a mild surprise," Margaret said angrily.
"Fair enough, may I go now?" she addressed this question directly at Jarod.
Getting a little angry himself, Jarod glared at her and said, "the rest of it, I want you to tell us exactly why you did kill those sweepers."
Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Parker answered, "You already know. Yes, the sweepers were under orders to kill me or worse once you showed up and were in custody. If you didn't show, those morons were supposed to carry out their orders then return to the Centre. They decided that a cold, rainy night on a deserted airstrip would be the perfect place."
"Why did you run to my side of the airstrip? What was so important for you to do that? The only reason I followed you was because of the three sweepers who appeared to be tracking you," the major inquired. He realized that Jarod was correct there was a lot more going on here than met the eye.
"After I made sure the two of you saw me, I returned to the shelter to find 'thing 1' and 'thing 2' getting ideas. I had to pull my weapon to make sure I made it outside in one piece. I hid in the bushes for a few moments when I heard a loud- mouthed moron yell they had a sighting of you just north of the facility. I knew I had run out of time and I wanted Jarod to finish destroying the labs, so I headed on over before they could mobilize. You walked right into them. I realized right off they were more interested in your dead body than anything else, so I decided they should get a taste of it first," she concluded with a bored shrug and again started looking at the Major with a puzzled look on her face. The Major started looking guilty again like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't.
"Dad feels obligated to you for saving his life," Jarod explained gently, shooting her a wary glance.
Shaking her head, Parker said, "Well don't, I did what I had to do. They would have forced me to kill them anyway." Looking at Jarod with an expression containing equal amounts of exasperation and desperation she continued, "Look, I have to get back. If I don't they'll do something to Sydney or Broots thinking I ran away."
"I took care of that for you, I came up with the idea of faking your death. When you fell and hit your head, you were bleeding profusely; I used your shirt to staunch the blood and smeared some of the blood on your blazer. Jarod went back and wrapped your clothes around an incendiary bomb. The Centre thinks your dead and from what we can tell, they even gave you a nice funeral," the Major said watching the few emotions she allowed to show play across her face.
Looking directly at Major Charles with a look of utter confusion she asked, "Why? Why would you do that for me?"
"Because you saved my life three times. I wanted to know why you did it when all you had to do was to let them kill me and take the credit."
Leaning back into the cushions of the couch in the living room, Parker glanced briefly at Jarod's assembled family. Finally settling her eyes back on the Major she said, "At the risk of repeating myself, all I can say is that you really think I'm a monster." She then did something the Major hadn't counted on; she frowned unhappily at him.