Ouroboros Chapter 6: Retribution
Written by JayVitolo
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Pretender. Does anybody know where I can buy them? Also, this story contains a character death and one that is up to the imagination.
A large gray room in SL-27 shelters the pretender, Jarod, from the rest of the world. Schematics and pictures are scattered along the metallic table and the cold chair is resting back first on the concrete floor. Jarod paces back and forth in the room as the silent camera drone tracks his movement. The large white door at the north end of the room slides open as Sydney walks in.
"Jarod, I have heard some rather disappointing news." Sydney has his hands in his coat pockets while wearing a disapproved look on his face.
"I refuse to do any Sims Sydney." Jarod continues to pace without looking in his mentor's direction. His voice carries his depression and almost echoes throughout the room.
"Why?" Sydney walks over to Jarod and tries to put his hands on Jarod's shoulders.
Jarod feels this and escapes Sydney's embrace before ripping a picture in half and throwing the schematics off the desk. He turns his head so Syd can only see the right side of his face. "I could ask you the same thing."
Sydney is able to detect the rage inside Jarod but walks over to the toppled chair. He sets it on the four legs and sits down looking at Jarod. "Don't do this Jarod. You know what they'll do to you if you don't complete the Sim."
Jarod come face to face with the man that raised him since he lived at the Centre. Pain and torment are visible in Jarod's eyes and it is evident that he has not taken good care of himself. "Tell me why."
Sydney's head falls into his hands as he lets out a sigh of annoyance. He looks back at Jarod as he leans back in the chair. "You have to finish the Simulation."
Anger starts to build up inside Jarod as he steps away from the table with his eyes locked onto Sydney's. "Why, so you can sell it to the next bidder? I don't think so Sydney. Every one of my damn Simulations has been used to hurt innocent people. Not anymore. I refuse to finish this Sim until you tell me why."
Sydney stands up from the chair and heads towards the door. The door slides open as he turns back to Jarod. "You know I can't answer that question."
"Why not?" Jarod looks at the psychiatrist. "You've always told me before."
"Because it would lead to further repercussions. I'm sorry Jarod. What happened has happened for a reason." Sydney's eyes start to tear up when he sees the look on Jarod's face. He wants to say it's all a lie and that Miss Parker is still alive, but that would lead to more pain for Jarod.
Sydney leaves the room as Jarod is visibly upset, sending the chair cascading into a far wall. In an instant he is huddled against another wall being bombarded by memories of Miss Parker. His first kiss, the pain she felt after the death of Faith, and the torment they both felt after Carthis. All of it taken away with a gunshot from the one he regarded as his father, Sydney. Did he ever really know Sydney? Was it all a lie?
"I promise to avenge you Parker. Even if it costs me my life." Jarod is in tears now as the memories dance in front of him. He blames Sydney for what happened, Sydney was the one with the gun after all. But why would Sydney kill someone like Miss Parker?
As Sydney walks through the halls, he passes Lyle and Raines. Lyle stops him by grabbing his left arm and looking into his eyes. "Has he agreed to finish the Sim?"
Sydney sighs as he knows what this means. He can't lie to them now the cameras caught everything. "No. Not until he knows why we, I, had to kill Parker."
Raines looks at Sydney with a cold glare. "Tell him it is not of concern. Inform him that if he doesn't agree to do the Sim, there will be dire consequences. Namely, he will never see his family again."
Sydney looks at Raines with a disturbed look on his face. "What are we going to do? We don't know where they are, we can't track them down."
"Who says they will be the ones to die."
"Sydney." Broots walks around a corner and sees him talking with Raines and Lyle. His movement stops as the three men turn to look at him, immediately he freezes.
"What is it Broots?" Sydney looks relieved that the tech has come bye.
"You, um, have a phone call." The lone tech starts to look nervous as Raines and Lyle keep staring at him.
Sydney pulls his arm away from Lyle and walks off with Broots as Raines turns to the man next to him. "Watch those two. They have something planned and I want to know what it is before it happens." Lyle fixes his tie as he turns to follow Broots and Sydney.
Sydney walks into his office while Broots watches through the glass windows of the door. The receiver is picked up just as Sydney sits in his chair. "This is Sydney."
"How's my favorite doctor doing?" Miss Parker seems happier than usual as she responds to Syd.
The older man spins his chair around so he is facing Broots. "Parker?! It's good to see you made it through."
"It feels good to be away. Does everybody think I'm dead?" Concern is evident in her voice as she asks Sydney.
Sydney sighs as he looks up at Broots. "Yes."
"By the tone of your voice, I can tell that is good and bad. Let me guess, Jarod hates you."
"Pretty much. He has refused to eat, sleep, or concentrate on his work." Broots looks upset as Sydney informs Miss Parker of the latest news. "He doesn't trust me anymore, not that I could blame him."
"I'll see you two soon."
Sydney places the receiver back on the phone mount as he looks up at the tech standing in front of him. "She's coming back. Wait until Jarod sees her again, they he won't believe any of us."
Outside Sydney's door, Mr. Lyle is smiling. He heard everything from the beginning of the conversation to the bittersweet ending. Broots and Sydney have betrayed the Centre for the last time, and Miss Parker is coming back for some reason. Raines will love to hear this. He fixes his suit coat and tie before walking into Sydney's office.
"Hello gentlemen. I trust your personal affairs will be held in check while we ready Jarod for extradition." Lyle is still smiling as he states the Centre's plans. Inside he is fighting the urge to confront Broots and Sydney about the 'Parker incident', but he decided against it. Let Raines have some fun.
Broots spins around to come face to face with Lyle. Swallowing hard, Broots tries to leave the room but he is stopped by Lyle.
Lyle looks the frightened tech in the eyes before he glances at Sydney behind his desk. "Get prepared gentlemen, Arube arrives here in the next 36 hours." He chuckles before continuing. "And then there will be changes." He looks back at Broots before losing the grin on his face. "Drastic changes."
Lyle lets go of Broots' arm as the tech sits on Sydney's desk. With a flick of the wrist, Lyle is out of the room as Sydney and Broots trade glances. How much do you think he heard?" The tech ponders aloud.
"Too much." A sigh escapes the older man's lips.
Lyle walks into the cell where Jarod is being held and looks at the man who is almost broken. He tosses some clothes and a jug of water at the pretender before turning to leave. He looks over his shoulder before leaving the room. "Clean yourself up, you look like shit. Arube wouldn't be too happy if his prize looked like a Happy Meal."
Jarod looks at the clothes on the floor in front of him as Lyle exits the room. They are the same clothes he was wearing when he got captured this time, his black leather jacket, the dark gray jeans, and red shirt. The pile clothes is the last thing on his mind as he tears the jug open and drinks the contents, cooling the nerves in him. If Miss Parker was still alive, she would have come to free him.
Now he could care less if he was taken to Africa, it would get him away from the torment and pain of the memories here. Damn Sydney. The only person he trusted stabbed him in the heart.
A black metallic helicopter glides through the sky on its route to the Centre. A group of men in black suits sit in the back; all check their handguns to ensure they're loaded. The one in the middle, towers over the rest by a foot, speaks up to address the entire contents.
"Today, we end a running problem for the Triumvirate. Jarod and the Scrolls will be ours, which means we no longer need the Centre." He looks at the men sitting beside him and the group in front of him. "Mr. Lyle thinks that he will gain control of our misfit creation once we receive what we require, but this is not in our views. You are to cleanse Lyle, Dr. Raines, and anybody else you feel need be. Just make sure we have the Scrolls and the Pretender." Arube folds his hands together before bowing his head in solemn prayer.
The sounds of clicking guns can be heard over the small murmur of the group. One man dares address the boss. "Sir, when are we due to land?"
"When we get there." Arube doesn't break his prayer, but his voice tells he is agitated. "One hour. Be ready."
Back at the Centre, Lyle is pacing anxiously on the helipad. Two sweepers stand next to him, one hold Jarod from behind and the other holds the chest containing the Scrolls. The helicopter comes over the horizon as a smile creeps across Lyle's lips. "Smile boys, here comes the future."
"I don't think so. Given me the Scrolls and give me Jarod." Lyle and the sweepers spin around to face the direction of the demands. A gunshot is heard as the sweeper holding the Scrolls falls to the ground. "Let me say this again. Give me the Scrolls and give me Jarod."
Lyle looks at the sweeper lying before his feet and back at the helicopter. He stares back at the shadows before he smirks. "Yeah, okay sis." Lyle draws his gun and releases two shots in the area he heard the voice.
Jarod looks up as he hears the word "sis" and his face starts to glow. The happiness on his face disappears as he sees Lyle's gun go off. The sweeper holding Jarod freezes as cold steel is buried in his left temple. The gun goes off and the sweeper falls, releasing Jarod. He spins around and sees a face he thought he lost.
"Miss Parker!" Jarod can hardly hold his enthusiasm at the sight of his lost love. He quickly embraces her as she responds with a warm smile. "I thought I lost you Parker."
Lyle spits on the ground before he runs his left hand across his chin. "I'm sick of these reunions." He points his gun at the back of Jarod's head as Parker looks over his shoulder. A look of terror covers her face as she tries to get her gun up in time.
"Drop it Lyle."
Lyle looks over his shoulder to see Raines pointing a gun at him. A look of confusion crosses Lyle's brow as he stares at his father. "Dad? Wait, what? Why are you threatening to shoot me? We had a deal!"
Raines laughs at Lyle's remark. "Jesus Lyle. I thought you of all people could figure that out. Smudge a few things, falsify a few medical records, and tamper with a few samples. You' be surprised what can be done." Raines is now smirking at the confusion on Lyle's face.
Jarod and Miss Parker are now standing side by side as Lyle has turned to face Raines. "Wait. So you're saying you aren't my dad? We aren't related?" Lyle starts to smile at the news.
"You think I would let something as twisted as you be raised by me?" Raines stares down the muzzle of his gun, pointing it at Lyle's forehead.
"That's a good point. Here I am, a murderer of mail-order-brides. And then there is you." In an instant, Lyle pulls his gun up and shoots Raines in his left leg. The older doctor drops in a heap holding his left leg as Lyle walks up to him.
"A person who corrupts another's mind for personal gains. Honestly, looking at it again, you and I are much alike. Expect for you thing. I'm alive." Lyle's gun is now pointing at Raines' heart.
"And you're dead." Lyle squeezes the trigger as a round lodges itself in Raines' cold heart. After the shot, Lyle turns around to see Parker and Jarod but throws his gun to the ground after noticing they have disappeared. He notices the chest is missing as he turns to face the body of Raines.
"Damn it." He kicks the now lifeless form of Raines before the helicopter lands. "They got in the Centre." He looks back to see a group of men climbing out of the aircraft. "Shit." Arube walks out with a group of his Zulu troopers flanking him.
"Mr. Lyle, I see you have had some troubles." Arube looks at the three lifeless forms scattered on the helipad as he adjusts his suit coat. "I trust you have Jarod and the Scrolls."
Lyle swallows as he looks at the ground. "Not on my person." He looks up at the towing Zulu in front of him, wincing inside.
Arube inhales deeply puffing his chest out and exhales slowly. "Then we have a problem." Every word is stressed; pounding more nails into the coffin Parker and Jarod have built of Lyle. Arube turns to the man on his right. "Take Mr. Lyle back to Africa." He looks back at Lyle who has become visibly concerned. "For interrogation."
Lyle opens his mouth to beg, but closes it again as he realizes he has no say. He has lost, his game is over, and he will be lucky to see the African coast. If he plays his cards right, he'll end up with Mr. Parker in the Atlantic. But then he would have to be extremely lucky. A betting man would say the helicopter is the last thing he sees.
Jarod and Miss Parker burst into Sydney's office startling the psychiatrist. He looks up to see the blood stand face of Jarod and the surprised look of Miss Parker. "Oh my god. What happened to you two?"
Jarod looks at his mentor for the first time since he was captured. Now he sees Sydney in a new light. Sydney is a man that holds another's concerns higher than his. He didn't mean to hurt or betray Jarod; he gave Jarod another reason to fight. The reason was the truth of Miss Parker's death, it was all a plan conceived by Sydney and Parker.
Tears fill Jarod's eyes as a flood of emotions hit. "Sydney, Sydney I'm sorry. I didn't know, I'm sorry for what I said."
Sydney waves it off like it never happened. However the truth is still there, Jarod's words hurt because they were meant to be. "I would have reacted the same way in your position. I wish I could have told you the truth, but I was afraid of it being used against you."
He looks over at Miss Parker sitting on a chair by the wall. "Are you okay Parker? You look like you have seen a ghost."
She looks up at him with tear soaked eyes. "Syd, is it possible? Is it possible to think you know somebody inside and out, only to be fooled by them when it matters?"
The psychiatrist looks at her with a dumbfound expression on his face. "What do you mean?"
"Lyle would have killed Jarod and I if." She looks back at the floor and tries to continue but can only end with a sigh.
Jarod picks up where she left off. "Raines stopped him." Sydney looks at Jarod with his mouth hanging open. "That foul demon prevented Lyle from killing us and died himself."
Miss Parker starts to speak again, but refuses to take here glare off the floor tiles of Sydney's office. "He died for us. The devil took a bullet for us." She trails off as tears stream down her cheeks. "The only question I'm left with is why?"
Sydney stares at the lights in his room as Jarod sits next to Miss Parker. She instinctively leans her head against his shoulder as her gaze falls back on the floor tiles. Jarod runs his hand through the back of her hair as he stares out Sydney's office window.
Back on the helipad, Arube barks orders to his men. "Find the pretender and those scrolls. If you have to, blow this forsaken place up. It is no longer of value to the Triumvirate. Go."
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Pretender. Does anybody know where I can buy them? Also, this story contains a character death and one that is up to the imagination.
A large gray room in SL-27 shelters the pretender, Jarod, from the rest of the world. Schematics and pictures are scattered along the metallic table and the cold chair is resting back first on the concrete floor. Jarod paces back and forth in the room as the silent camera drone tracks his movement. The large white door at the north end of the room slides open as Sydney walks in.
"Jarod, I have heard some rather disappointing news." Sydney has his hands in his coat pockets while wearing a disapproved look on his face.
"I refuse to do any Sims Sydney." Jarod continues to pace without looking in his mentor's direction. His voice carries his depression and almost echoes throughout the room.
"Why?" Sydney walks over to Jarod and tries to put his hands on Jarod's shoulders.
Jarod feels this and escapes Sydney's embrace before ripping a picture in half and throwing the schematics off the desk. He turns his head so Syd can only see the right side of his face. "I could ask you the same thing."
Sydney is able to detect the rage inside Jarod but walks over to the toppled chair. He sets it on the four legs and sits down looking at Jarod. "Don't do this Jarod. You know what they'll do to you if you don't complete the Sim."
Jarod come face to face with the man that raised him since he lived at the Centre. Pain and torment are visible in Jarod's eyes and it is evident that he has not taken good care of himself. "Tell me why."
Sydney's head falls into his hands as he lets out a sigh of annoyance. He looks back at Jarod as he leans back in the chair. "You have to finish the Simulation."
Anger starts to build up inside Jarod as he steps away from the table with his eyes locked onto Sydney's. "Why, so you can sell it to the next bidder? I don't think so Sydney. Every one of my damn Simulations has been used to hurt innocent people. Not anymore. I refuse to finish this Sim until you tell me why."
Sydney stands up from the chair and heads towards the door. The door slides open as he turns back to Jarod. "You know I can't answer that question."
"Why not?" Jarod looks at the psychiatrist. "You've always told me before."
"Because it would lead to further repercussions. I'm sorry Jarod. What happened has happened for a reason." Sydney's eyes start to tear up when he sees the look on Jarod's face. He wants to say it's all a lie and that Miss Parker is still alive, but that would lead to more pain for Jarod.
Sydney leaves the room as Jarod is visibly upset, sending the chair cascading into a far wall. In an instant he is huddled against another wall being bombarded by memories of Miss Parker. His first kiss, the pain she felt after the death of Faith, and the torment they both felt after Carthis. All of it taken away with a gunshot from the one he regarded as his father, Sydney. Did he ever really know Sydney? Was it all a lie?
"I promise to avenge you Parker. Even if it costs me my life." Jarod is in tears now as the memories dance in front of him. He blames Sydney for what happened, Sydney was the one with the gun after all. But why would Sydney kill someone like Miss Parker?
As Sydney walks through the halls, he passes Lyle and Raines. Lyle stops him by grabbing his left arm and looking into his eyes. "Has he agreed to finish the Sim?"
Sydney sighs as he knows what this means. He can't lie to them now the cameras caught everything. "No. Not until he knows why we, I, had to kill Parker."
Raines looks at Sydney with a cold glare. "Tell him it is not of concern. Inform him that if he doesn't agree to do the Sim, there will be dire consequences. Namely, he will never see his family again."
Sydney looks at Raines with a disturbed look on his face. "What are we going to do? We don't know where they are, we can't track them down."
"Who says they will be the ones to die."
"Sydney." Broots walks around a corner and sees him talking with Raines and Lyle. His movement stops as the three men turn to look at him, immediately he freezes.
"What is it Broots?" Sydney looks relieved that the tech has come bye.
"You, um, have a phone call." The lone tech starts to look nervous as Raines and Lyle keep staring at him.
Sydney pulls his arm away from Lyle and walks off with Broots as Raines turns to the man next to him. "Watch those two. They have something planned and I want to know what it is before it happens." Lyle fixes his tie as he turns to follow Broots and Sydney.
Sydney walks into his office while Broots watches through the glass windows of the door. The receiver is picked up just as Sydney sits in his chair. "This is Sydney."
"How's my favorite doctor doing?" Miss Parker seems happier than usual as she responds to Syd.
The older man spins his chair around so he is facing Broots. "Parker?! It's good to see you made it through."
"It feels good to be away. Does everybody think I'm dead?" Concern is evident in her voice as she asks Sydney.
Sydney sighs as he looks up at Broots. "Yes."
"By the tone of your voice, I can tell that is good and bad. Let me guess, Jarod hates you."
"Pretty much. He has refused to eat, sleep, or concentrate on his work." Broots looks upset as Sydney informs Miss Parker of the latest news. "He doesn't trust me anymore, not that I could blame him."
"I'll see you two soon."
Sydney places the receiver back on the phone mount as he looks up at the tech standing in front of him. "She's coming back. Wait until Jarod sees her again, they he won't believe any of us."
Outside Sydney's door, Mr. Lyle is smiling. He heard everything from the beginning of the conversation to the bittersweet ending. Broots and Sydney have betrayed the Centre for the last time, and Miss Parker is coming back for some reason. Raines will love to hear this. He fixes his suit coat and tie before walking into Sydney's office.
"Hello gentlemen. I trust your personal affairs will be held in check while we ready Jarod for extradition." Lyle is still smiling as he states the Centre's plans. Inside he is fighting the urge to confront Broots and Sydney about the 'Parker incident', but he decided against it. Let Raines have some fun.
Broots spins around to come face to face with Lyle. Swallowing hard, Broots tries to leave the room but he is stopped by Lyle.
Lyle looks the frightened tech in the eyes before he glances at Sydney behind his desk. "Get prepared gentlemen, Arube arrives here in the next 36 hours." He chuckles before continuing. "And then there will be changes." He looks back at Broots before losing the grin on his face. "Drastic changes."
Lyle lets go of Broots' arm as the tech sits on Sydney's desk. With a flick of the wrist, Lyle is out of the room as Sydney and Broots trade glances. How much do you think he heard?" The tech ponders aloud.
"Too much." A sigh escapes the older man's lips.
Lyle walks into the cell where Jarod is being held and looks at the man who is almost broken. He tosses some clothes and a jug of water at the pretender before turning to leave. He looks over his shoulder before leaving the room. "Clean yourself up, you look like shit. Arube wouldn't be too happy if his prize looked like a Happy Meal."
Jarod looks at the clothes on the floor in front of him as Lyle exits the room. They are the same clothes he was wearing when he got captured this time, his black leather jacket, the dark gray jeans, and red shirt. The pile clothes is the last thing on his mind as he tears the jug open and drinks the contents, cooling the nerves in him. If Miss Parker was still alive, she would have come to free him.
Now he could care less if he was taken to Africa, it would get him away from the torment and pain of the memories here. Damn Sydney. The only person he trusted stabbed him in the heart.
A black metallic helicopter glides through the sky on its route to the Centre. A group of men in black suits sit in the back; all check their handguns to ensure they're loaded. The one in the middle, towers over the rest by a foot, speaks up to address the entire contents.
"Today, we end a running problem for the Triumvirate. Jarod and the Scrolls will be ours, which means we no longer need the Centre." He looks at the men sitting beside him and the group in front of him. "Mr. Lyle thinks that he will gain control of our misfit creation once we receive what we require, but this is not in our views. You are to cleanse Lyle, Dr. Raines, and anybody else you feel need be. Just make sure we have the Scrolls and the Pretender." Arube folds his hands together before bowing his head in solemn prayer.
The sounds of clicking guns can be heard over the small murmur of the group. One man dares address the boss. "Sir, when are we due to land?"
"When we get there." Arube doesn't break his prayer, but his voice tells he is agitated. "One hour. Be ready."
Back at the Centre, Lyle is pacing anxiously on the helipad. Two sweepers stand next to him, one hold Jarod from behind and the other holds the chest containing the Scrolls. The helicopter comes over the horizon as a smile creeps across Lyle's lips. "Smile boys, here comes the future."
"I don't think so. Given me the Scrolls and give me Jarod." Lyle and the sweepers spin around to face the direction of the demands. A gunshot is heard as the sweeper holding the Scrolls falls to the ground. "Let me say this again. Give me the Scrolls and give me Jarod."
Lyle looks at the sweeper lying before his feet and back at the helicopter. He stares back at the shadows before he smirks. "Yeah, okay sis." Lyle draws his gun and releases two shots in the area he heard the voice.
Jarod looks up as he hears the word "sis" and his face starts to glow. The happiness on his face disappears as he sees Lyle's gun go off. The sweeper holding Jarod freezes as cold steel is buried in his left temple. The gun goes off and the sweeper falls, releasing Jarod. He spins around and sees a face he thought he lost.
"Miss Parker!" Jarod can hardly hold his enthusiasm at the sight of his lost love. He quickly embraces her as she responds with a warm smile. "I thought I lost you Parker."
Lyle spits on the ground before he runs his left hand across his chin. "I'm sick of these reunions." He points his gun at the back of Jarod's head as Parker looks over his shoulder. A look of terror covers her face as she tries to get her gun up in time.
"Drop it Lyle."
Lyle looks over his shoulder to see Raines pointing a gun at him. A look of confusion crosses Lyle's brow as he stares at his father. "Dad? Wait, what? Why are you threatening to shoot me? We had a deal!"
Raines laughs at Lyle's remark. "Jesus Lyle. I thought you of all people could figure that out. Smudge a few things, falsify a few medical records, and tamper with a few samples. You' be surprised what can be done." Raines is now smirking at the confusion on Lyle's face.
Jarod and Miss Parker are now standing side by side as Lyle has turned to face Raines. "Wait. So you're saying you aren't my dad? We aren't related?" Lyle starts to smile at the news.
"You think I would let something as twisted as you be raised by me?" Raines stares down the muzzle of his gun, pointing it at Lyle's forehead.
"That's a good point. Here I am, a murderer of mail-order-brides. And then there is you." In an instant, Lyle pulls his gun up and shoots Raines in his left leg. The older doctor drops in a heap holding his left leg as Lyle walks up to him.
"A person who corrupts another's mind for personal gains. Honestly, looking at it again, you and I are much alike. Expect for you thing. I'm alive." Lyle's gun is now pointing at Raines' heart.
"And you're dead." Lyle squeezes the trigger as a round lodges itself in Raines' cold heart. After the shot, Lyle turns around to see Parker and Jarod but throws his gun to the ground after noticing they have disappeared. He notices the chest is missing as he turns to face the body of Raines.
"Damn it." He kicks the now lifeless form of Raines before the helicopter lands. "They got in the Centre." He looks back to see a group of men climbing out of the aircraft. "Shit." Arube walks out with a group of his Zulu troopers flanking him.
"Mr. Lyle, I see you have had some troubles." Arube looks at the three lifeless forms scattered on the helipad as he adjusts his suit coat. "I trust you have Jarod and the Scrolls."
Lyle swallows as he looks at the ground. "Not on my person." He looks up at the towing Zulu in front of him, wincing inside.
Arube inhales deeply puffing his chest out and exhales slowly. "Then we have a problem." Every word is stressed; pounding more nails into the coffin Parker and Jarod have built of Lyle. Arube turns to the man on his right. "Take Mr. Lyle back to Africa." He looks back at Lyle who has become visibly concerned. "For interrogation."
Lyle opens his mouth to beg, but closes it again as he realizes he has no say. He has lost, his game is over, and he will be lucky to see the African coast. If he plays his cards right, he'll end up with Mr. Parker in the Atlantic. But then he would have to be extremely lucky. A betting man would say the helicopter is the last thing he sees.
Jarod and Miss Parker burst into Sydney's office startling the psychiatrist. He looks up to see the blood stand face of Jarod and the surprised look of Miss Parker. "Oh my god. What happened to you two?"
Jarod looks at his mentor for the first time since he was captured. Now he sees Sydney in a new light. Sydney is a man that holds another's concerns higher than his. He didn't mean to hurt or betray Jarod; he gave Jarod another reason to fight. The reason was the truth of Miss Parker's death, it was all a plan conceived by Sydney and Parker.
Tears fill Jarod's eyes as a flood of emotions hit. "Sydney, Sydney I'm sorry. I didn't know, I'm sorry for what I said."
Sydney waves it off like it never happened. However the truth is still there, Jarod's words hurt because they were meant to be. "I would have reacted the same way in your position. I wish I could have told you the truth, but I was afraid of it being used against you."
He looks over at Miss Parker sitting on a chair by the wall. "Are you okay Parker? You look like you have seen a ghost."
She looks up at him with tear soaked eyes. "Syd, is it possible? Is it possible to think you know somebody inside and out, only to be fooled by them when it matters?"
The psychiatrist looks at her with a dumbfound expression on his face. "What do you mean?"
"Lyle would have killed Jarod and I if." She looks back at the floor and tries to continue but can only end with a sigh.
Jarod picks up where she left off. "Raines stopped him." Sydney looks at Jarod with his mouth hanging open. "That foul demon prevented Lyle from killing us and died himself."
Miss Parker starts to speak again, but refuses to take here glare off the floor tiles of Sydney's office. "He died for us. The devil took a bullet for us." She trails off as tears stream down her cheeks. "The only question I'm left with is why?"
Sydney stares at the lights in his room as Jarod sits next to Miss Parker. She instinctively leans her head against his shoulder as her gaze falls back on the floor tiles. Jarod runs his hand through the back of her hair as he stares out Sydney's office window.
Back on the helipad, Arube barks orders to his men. "Find the pretender and those scrolls. If you have to, blow this forsaken place up. It is no longer of value to the Triumvirate. Go."