Disclaimer: Alas, I cannot lay claim to this ingenious plot and storyline, that gift belongs to the true owners of Pretender alone. Oh woe is me.
PS I'm just having a bit of fun teasing Microsoft, Google, and E-bay. I don't mean anything by it.
Rating: A PG-13 at the worst. Only because of a few words though. Nothing too horrible.
Summary: The plan is set into motion, and the final pieces move into place on the chessboard that is the Centre. [Hey keep a look out, something might actually happen in this chapter! (Wink)]
!!! AUTHORS NOTE!!!: Okay, I am now reassured that there are still some lunatics still reading this story of mine. (Sniff) I feel so loved… Oh, and a special thank you to joonepur. I'm really amazed you can find subtle plot devices and themes in my story. I never could have found them. LOL. Glad to have you aboard and look forward to any help you can provide me. That goes for the rest of you people too! ;)
Feedback: (Shadow Elf thought she had made it to safety, only to discover a snare! Maverick was waiting for her, {though how he found her is a mystery even to the narrator} so she now has to get past him or stay in this realm forever!)
[Shadow Elf throws up her arms and looks to the sky] "Would the world please just swallow me up! Huh? Is that too much to ask?! I mean really, you've done everything else to me already! Am I just some victim for the universe?! The fool of a cosmic practical joke?!"
Maverick: [He sighs and taps his foot impatiently] Are you quite finished?
[She stops and looks over at him blankly and then sighs in defeat] "Yeah. Why?"
Maverick: I'd like to get on with this if you don't mind.
"Get on with what?"
Maverick: You know, the whole 'good vs. evil', fight for freedom, battle of brains and brawn! [There is a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye]
[Shadow Elf raises an eyebrow at him] "You don't get out much do you?"
Quote:
"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably why so few people do it."
---Henry Ford
Special Note!: while Sydney and Elf 17 sign to each other, will frame Sydney's signing, and {} will frame Elf 17's. Get it? Got it? Good.
-------ShadowElfBard
****************************************************************************
"Where oh where could the next chapter be, oh where oh where could it be?"
Two Days Later, Morning Of The Second Day
11:40 AM
Blue Cove, Delaware
The Centre
Sim Lab
"He has a gun to the man's head! What do you do? His life depends on your decision!"
"I can't, I can't!" Elf 17 yells at Raines, holding out a gun in front of her, tears rolling down her cheeks in the dim lighting of the lab.
Raines circles her, staring at her intensely. "You must choose. He has endangered lives before; he has taken lives before! You have seen him kill without mercy, and he will kill the man in front of you without remorse if something is not done!"
"But, but he's a human, a human being! An evil human but still a human! " She cries out at him. "I've never taken a life before!" She is so deep inside her pretend that she can't even see Raines as he stands at her side.
"He is taunting you, he is doing this all because of you. You will be the reason that the man in front of you dies if you don't stop the monster that holds him." Raines whispers by her slender pointed ear.
"I-I-" her voice is breaking and her heart races, and then she closes her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." and then, with tears blurring her sight, she pulls the trigger.
Ten minutes later…
Lyle pulled his hands out of his Armani suit pockets and turned away from the glass he'd been watching the sim through as he heard the door open. He turned and met Raines with a smirk.
"Strange choice for a sim Raines. I suppose there was a reason you made the girl simulate Jarod and his decision at the church?"
Raines kept a blank expression and turned to walk back out into the sim lab, Lyle walking beside him as he spoke. "Simulating Jarod when he made the choice to kill Damon does serve a purpose Mr. Lyle. Her respect for life is just as strong as Jarod's, maybe stronger. But she can't serve the Centre and Triumvate fully without being able to get past her own morals and ethics in a sim. She's of no use as a pretender if she can't completely immerse herself in her pretend."
"But she did it? She passed?" Lyle prompted the answer from Raines, eager to discover the results. The two-way glass is a natural sound barrier and it was also hard to see through clearly, even from his side. He only knew what sim she'd been doing by the photo of Damon on the projector screen. That and Lyle had seen the girl holding a gun at a wooden figure. You put the two together and it's not all that hard to figure out what she was simulating.
Raines stopped walking and then gestured to the wooden outline of a human that they'd used for Elf 17's simulation. "Look for yourself."
Lyle let his eyes go over the sim tool, scrutinizing every inch of the wood, and then grinned as he saw the clean bullet hole in the figures' head.
Raines saw the other's reaction and allowed himself a small chuckle. "Her first probable situation sim will be sent to the Triumvate tomorrow and we can begin selling them to our anxious customers. The Triumvate has decided on auctioning them off to get more of a profit."
Lyle turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Auctioning? Where?"
"E-bay."
Lyle stared at him incredulously. "E-bay? Isn't that a bit…public?"
"The Centre has it's own private selling corner on the website. No one will know of it except for the potential customers who've shown interest in purchasing our Sims."
"How did the Centre manage that?"
Raines gave him an amused look. "Who do you think it was that first designed the idea for e-bay?"
Lyle laughed. "Jarod outdid himself on that one."
"Actually it was Elf 17 who created the idea for e-bay. Jarod did however, create the first idea for Internet search engines like Google."
"I suppose next your going to say that Bill Gates didn't really create Microsoft?"
Raines just gave a wicked grin.
"Forget I asked."
1:18 PM
Blue Cove, Delaware
The Centre
SL-27 Holding Cell 24
Sydney walked purposefully down to the holding cell of Raines' project, wishing that he had Jarod's ability to pretend. It would make things easier.
He'd only seen Ms. Parker once yesterday, and she'd looked in horrible shape. Not that her father would notice it of course, the man was blind to every feeling his daughter had. Sydney and even Broots however, had seen how shaken up she'd been, and had noticed the ringlets under her eyes. She hadn't slept the night she'd gone down to see Raines' project, and she had ended up missing sleep last night as well. Something had been said down here that had pulled at Ms. Parker's usual resolve, and no one had been able to figure out what it was. All they knew was that it had happened when she'd met with Raines' project.
Sydney flashed the pass he'd been given to come down here at one of the sweepers standing guard to the sublevels, and after closely looking at it and recognizing Ms. Parker's signature, he was waved through. Sydney nodded his thanks and then entered; going through how he was going to get the information he needed from Raines' project without actually saying it.
They had been able to turn off the camera feed when Ms. Parker had gone down, but they couldn't do it every time. By turning it off every time one of them went to see her, the Centre would become suspicious, and the Centre was known for finding out what they needed to. Helping them by amiably providing suspects would not work to Ms. Parker and Sydney's advantage.
He walked over to the cell he needed to enter, and showed the sweeper at her door the other paper he'd brought with him after pulling it from his briefcase. The sweeper made Sydney stand back a few feet as he punched in the numbers to the security pad. When the green light flashed, the sweeper stood aside and allowed Sydney to enter, telling him that he had fifteen minutes.
Sydney went in, and switched on the lights, not feeling comfortable enough to stand in the dark for even a moment. The only time he'd sent the girl had been at the T-board meeting, and all he'd been able to learn about her was that she was fifteen, and deadly. Angelo had told him that she was a friend, and that she would help, but somehow those words didn't make him feel very comfortable when they came from the empath. Sydney had never known Angelo had never been wrong before, but there was a first time for everything.
As soon as the lights went up Sydney jumped in surprise and almost flung his briefcase from his hand. Elf 17 was standing barely an inch away from him, her emerald eyes sparkling with glee. He hadn't heard her walk over, hell; he hadn't even heard her breathing.
Elf 17 couldn't help but smile as she took a step back from the surprised psychiatrist. "Sorry, force of habit."
"It's quite all right. You just surprised me is all." He composed himself. "Now, why don't you take a seat on the bed and we can begin the session?"
There was the briefest flicker of her eyes as she stole a glimpse for no more than half a second at the camera mounted on the wall. She saw it's recording light on and gave the doctor another well-pretended smile. "So you've come to give me a psych analysis? All right, though I must warn you I could probably give you one better than you could me."
Sydney gave a small grin. "I'll thank you for the warning, but I'm not truly here to chat. At least, not as freely as you might hope."
"Oh you needn't worry about that. I have no wish to chat freely with anyone willingly associated with the Centre." She went over to her cot and sat down, her back to the wall.
Sydney looked around the room and noticed a small and very simple student's desk and chair in the corner of the room. He grabbed the chair and set it down directly in front of the camera's view so that now should someone be viewing this, all they'd b able to see is his back. He also blocked any view the camera might have of Elf 17. Which was of course, his intention.
Sydney's mind raced as he thought of possible ways he might communicate with her. Come on Sydney, think now. How could you talk with her so that the Centre wouldn't be suspicious? Then it came to him.
"Now then ms…"
"Elf 17 Dr. Green. But of course you already knew that. You are simply asking to make me feel more comfortable with your presence." She raised a hand at him to stop any protests he might have. "Don't try to deny it, I have worked with psychiatrists before, and I've simulated them."
"Very well Ms. Elf 17." Then Sydney put his plan into motion. He quickly signed to her with his hands, hoping that she knew how.
Do you know how to use sign language? If you do, we'll be able to carry on a fake conversation for the camera while signing to each other
{Sounds good to me}
Sydney smiled. Angelo was right, once again. She was kind and friendly, and even reminded Sydney a bit of Jarod.
"Well now on to the first question…" and he began talking.
Ms. Elf 17---
{Just call me Elf 17 Dr. Green.}
All right, so long as you call me just Sydney.
{Fine by me Sydney.}
Angelo came and informed us that you told him that you have the antidote prepared. Is this true?
{It's all finished.}
Sydney could have let out a sigh of relief. Oh thank goodness
{It's all finished, but it's not prepared.}
I'm sorry?
{I don't have access to the chemicals needed to prepare this! I may be a pretender but a pretender still needs something to work with. I have written down the preparations needed to prepare it, but actually making it is up to you.}
That might be a problem.
{You have Broots working with you. You'll manage.}
I hope so.
{Not as much as I do.}
Sydney was taken off guard by that signing, and he stopped talking for a moment. Elf 17 quickly covered for him though, cutting him off in the fake conversation, while she quickly signed.
{Keep Talking!}
Luckily Sydney recovered and continued on.
My apologies.
{It's fine Sydney. They won't notice that slip up, but this is dangerous water you're treading in.}
I know. How do you know that metaphor?
She almost grinned at him. {Ask Broots about it. He'll tell you.}
He signed the equivalent of a shrug. Well, just pass over the paper now and I guess we'll be done
Elf 17 paused in her signing. When she started again, she seemed sorrowful. {Sydney, I-I have my concerns in giving back Jarod his memory.}
What concerns?
{For one, because of the type of chemical given to him, there is only a forty percent chance of recovery. His mind will have to work with the antidote, and he'll need to be able to fully focus his subconscious}
What are you saying?
{I'm saying that he'll have to be asleep. You know, chemically knocked out. }
That shouldn't be hard to accomplish. But that's not all that's bothering you is it?
{No, but…} She deliberately got angry while she carried on the fake conversation, so that she'd be able to fully express her emotions on the subject to Sydney. {I don't want go through with giving Jarod his memory back if he has to stay in the Centre! It's not right!}
Sydney was confused. Who said that he was staying at the Centre? I had every intention of helping him escape.
Elf 17 paused. {She didn't tell you?}
Are you talking about Ms. Parker? No, she hasn't told me anything. Why?
{She's not going to let Jarod escape Sydney. She wants to give him back his memory, but that's all.}
Sydney was outraged, but carefully concealed it. But that's, that's preposterous! Surely she knows how horrible it is for him here! He doesn't deserve to be the Centre's lab rat.
{All I know is that she has something going on inside of her that's causing her to leave him here, some inner turmoil. But whatever the reason, she's keeping him locked up.} She continued talking, but stopped signing for the briefest of moments.
There's something about leaving him here that worries you in particular isn't there?
{Sydney, today they had me sim Jarod and relive a part of his life.} She tried to suppress a shudder but it escaped her anyway, and she looked almost as if she was going to throw up. {They didn't make me sim just any part of his life, they had me sim the time when Jarod killed Damon.}
Sydney's eyes widened and he glad that the camera couldn't see it. They made you sim the time that Jarod killed Damon? Why?
{They know how much I revere life. They want me to be able to get past any ethics or morals that might hold me back when I sim. If they're doing it to me, they're most definitely going to do it to Jarod. He's in the sim lab right now, though I think they aren't going to make him sim anything as intense as what I did until tomorrow. But Sydney, in the fragile mind set he's in, and the fact that he doesn't even know himself anymore, making him sim something where he has to kill another living creature, much less a human, it could hurt him. }
Hurt him how?
{It could change him Sydney. He could very well be so emotionally and psychically unprepared for the intensity of it that he'd change. He'd not only be able to get past his morals and ethics in simulations, but in real life as well. And the damage couldn't be fixed by a simple injection. It would be permanent.}
Like desensitization.
{Precisely.}
There was a banging on the door and both looked over. A sweeper called out from the other side.
"Dr. Green? You have three minutes left. Better start wrapping it up."
"Thank you, I'll be right out."
Elf 17 quickly pulled out a folded piece of paper and slipped it to Sydney.
{There are the instructions. But please Sydney, I beg of you, please find a way to make Ms. Parker see that he can't remain caged. He can't stay here, he just can't.}
I'll do all that I can.
Elf 17 smiled and stood up, then held out her hand. "It was nice 'chatting' with you Dr. Green."
Sydney took her hand. "Well it was nice to analyze you."
Then he turned and left, stuffing the folded paper inside the pocket of his briefcase.
6:46 PM
Blue Cove, Delaware
The Centre
Elevator [Going Up]
"So you have it Broots?"
"Yeah, I know someone who works in the chemical labs. He' the one who gave me the testing results on who Ms. P's brother was."
"Can you trust him?" Sydney asked, raising an eyebrow.
Broots shuffled his feet. "Yeah. I um, well, I black mailed him."
"Broots." Sydney scolded with a laugh.
"Well, hey, we needed the antidote made and I needed to make sure he wouldn't betray me."
"So what happens if he messed up?"
"Actually, I don't really mean to go through with the threat. But uh, supposedly, I'd tell Raines what actually happened to the back of his car."
Sydney furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"
"About a month ago I was talking to him in the parking lot, he had offered me a ride home while my car was in the shop and," he gave a little laugh. "He backed the car into Raines' bumper. No one was out there but us, and no one found out, but I'm pretty sure that Raines hasn't forgotten."
Sydney chuckled. "No, that doesn't seem like something he'd forget."
The elevator softy stopped and after the doors had opened with a melodious 'ding!' the two stepped out.
Broots looked around and after seeing that no one was watching he handed Sydney the vial and needle he'd been given. "I'll wait outside."
"Thank you Broots." Sydney said, and then began making his way to her office, to give her the cure for Jarod, and to hopefully get her to change her mind.
"I take it that she found the antidote then?" Ms. Parker asked, looking down at the tools in her hand that would bring back the Jarod she knew.
Sydney nodded. "She gave us the ingredients and Broots had someone make it for us."
She smiled. "Good. Then let's go give him his memories." She was all set to leave, but Sydney didn't move. She put a hand on her hip. "Why are you still standing there Spock?"
Sydney sighed. "Ms. Parker, we can't let Jarod remain in the Centre."
She didn't do anything for a moment. She just stood there, her expression unreadable. Then she shook her head slowly, angrily pursing her lips. "I knew you shouldn't have gone and talked to her."
"But she's telling the truth Ms. Parker! Giving him his memories while he remains in a cage will serve no purpose but to prolong the inevitable. The only way he can truly keep his memories will be if he is free to use them."
"No Sydney, I'm not going to open the door and let him waltz right out." She clenched her jaw. "He stays put."
"But why Ms. Parker?"
"Why? Because that's where he belongs."
Sydney clenched his fists. "That can't be it Ms. Parker. The man sitting in the cell some twenty to thirty floors below us has done more for you than you own father ever has."
She turned around abruptly and grabbed a piece of paper off the top of her desk. She walked up to Sydney and held it in front of his face, her tight hold on it crumpling the edge.
"Do you see this paper Sydney? It's a change of orders from my father." She flung it at him and he caught it. "That man is no longer my concern, according to those orders. I'm paying Jarod back for what he's done for me the exact same way he helped me."
She let her arms hang loosely at her sides, sadness and pain creeping slowly into her voice. "I'm doing what Jarod did, when he gave me all those clues and phone calls, and gifts that kept me awake at night. I'm giving him the tools to dig up what he needs to free himself. But I'm going to make him dig through ten feet of hard, cold empty earth to find it." She gave a rueful smile. "Truth Sydney. Truth can kill you or set you free. I'm giving him his truth, but he's going to have to go through what I did to find it. If it's even there."
Sydney opened his mouth, but whether to console her or to argue his point, she never found out, because he suddenly stopped, and hung his head sadly before he turned and left. But not before he dropped the paper Ms. Parker had thrown at him and let it float softly to the floor.
Ms. Parker watched him go, her mouth set in a firm line. She turned and went back into her seat, setting the needle and vial in her pocket and leaning back in her chair.
"Ms. Parker?" Broots asked, halfway leaning through the door.
Ms. Parker groaned. "Go away Broots!"
"Ac-actually, I can't do that Ms. Parker. Not this time."
Ms. Parker looked up in surprise, and saw that Broots had actually come inside her office and was standing in front of her desk, actually standing still and tall and not cowering or twitching or nervously playing with his hands. He actually looked calm, and had a cool gaze.
Ms. Parker was a bit curious and didn't immediately rise up to bite his head off. "What is it Broots?"
Broots paused for a moment, looking very thoughtful, and then gave a quick, small smile. "Ms. Parker, I don't claim to know anything about the politics of the Centre, and frankly I don't understand how people can kill each other for power, or for recognition. I'm, well, I'm part of the furniture, one of the little people who work behind the scenes that you never see. You and Sydney have made names for yourself here, everyone knows you and some consider you a threat. People here, like your brother or Mr. Raines, or even Mr. Parker, they don't see me as a threat." He laughed. "Heck, I'm not entirely sure if they see me at all."
Ms. Parker kept quiet, a bit in awe of what he was saying, and the courage he was showing for saying it. She decided to let him finish his speech.
"Well, what my point is Ms. Parker, is that by being a mousy little decoration, an invisible presence, I'm able to see a lot of things that most people aren't able to. I listen Ms. Parker, and I watch. And I've come to learn who the people at the Centre really are. I've seen their souls." His eyes turned compassionate. "And I've seen yours Ms. Parker. And I've seen the tears you let roll down your cheeks when you think that no one's looking, I've seen the times when you smile. Not smirk or curl your lip but really smile, out of sheer happiness. And I've seen your pain." He licked his lips, beginning to feel uncomfortable, but knowing that he had to continue. "Ms. Parker, you are not an evil woman. You aren't even a mean woman. You are harsh sometimes yes, and you don't let anyone past your barriers because you're afraid of the pain they might cause, but you are good inside. Really, really good, and kind, and decent. You, you would have made your mother proud of you."
Ms. Parker was overwhelmed by how much his words were getting through to her, and she could feel her throat getting tight.
"Ms. Parker, I know that it would be hard to live your life, and I find it amazing that you're still able to have so much good inside of you after living in the Centre since you were a child, having your mother killed in front of you, and finding out things about your family that cause your own heart to bleed, from an innocent man that you've been hunting for years." He took in a deep breath, his voice still quiet and soothing. "But I also know Ms. Parker that you, well, that you love Jarod. Somewhere deep inside of you, you love him."
Ms. Parker's eyes widened but stuck to the promise she'd made to herself and let him continue.
"And I know what love can do. I've felt the confusion and had the moments when you pray to god that the feeling would go away, that you wouldn't have to love the person anymore because the fact that you can't have them causes you so much pain and torment. " He shrugged and gave a weak laugh. "I've felt it nearly everyday for you." Then a look of a determination entered his eyes. "But I also have realized that it doesn't go away Ms. Parker, no matter how much you pray. You could find someone else, you could ignore the person completely, you could lock them away or tell yourself every morning in the mirror that it's foolish to care for them when they'll never see you the way you see them. But the feeling will stay with you Ms. Parker, and there's no escaping it. And no matter how much anger and frustration and total hopelessness you may feel and that the love you have can never be shared with the person, and that they have to be abandoned, you can't punish them for it. Because in the end it's not their fault."
He gave a sad smile, and Ms. Parker realized that he was holding back tears just as strongly as she was.
"Ms. Parker, I've watched, and I've listened, and I still can't claim to understand all that I've heard or seen, but I do know that Jarod deserves his freedom, and that you know it as well as me, Sydney, or Elf 17. You love him Ms. Parker, but locking him away and distancing yourself from him won't make the pain go away." He gave a little shrug. "And, that's uh, well, that's all I really have to say."
"You've been waiting a while to say all of that haven't you?" Ms. Parker asked him quietly.
"For months if not years." He replied lightly.
She was silent for a few moments, and Broots bit his lip, hoping that he'd gotten though to her by pouring out his soul and telling her his own secrets thoughts. He hoped he had, because he had nothing more to give.
Finally, Ms. Parker looked him in the eye, and then let out a loud groan. "Oh all right! Fine!"
She stood up and began walking to the door, grabbing Broots' shirt collar and dragging him along with her as she walked.
"M-Ms. Parker? Where are we going?" Broots asked, finally regaining his voice.
"We're going to free 'wonder boy' and cure everyone's strange obsession over him."
"Oh." He responded, confused but relieved.
The she stopped. "But I'm only going to help him escape if you promise never to barge into my office like that again."
He smiled at her, knowing that it was her way of saying that what had gone on in there was to remain a secret of the Centre. "Yes Ms. Parker."
"Good. Because I don't think I could stand to sit through another one of your heart-felt monologues." She said this seriously, but her lips curved into a smile nonetheless.
9:02 PM
Blue Cove, Delaware
The Centre
SL-27 Holding Cell 24
Elf 17 arose from her restful sleep with a jerk as she heard her door being opened. She rubbed her eyes and blinked, before doing a double take at seeing Ms. Parker and Sydney standing in her now lit- up cell.
She gaped at them. "M-Ms. Parker? Dr. Green?"
Ms. Parker tapped her foot with annoyance, her arms crossed. She raised a finely crafted eyebrow expectantly. "Well? Are you going to help us free Jarod or what?"
A sudden grin broke out on Elf 17's face as she heard this, and she leapt up to join them.
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Yes!! I got this one posted early and we're getting into the juicy part of the story plot. Yippee! Well, if anyone has something they might want to see or tell me something I did wrong, or something I did right, please give me feedback and tell me about it! Oh, and sorry for the people who don't like the long emotional speeches. I'm a sucker for those sorts of things. J
Talk to you later!