i) Thanks to Sabrina, Michelle, MMB, Miss Dynamite, gemini006007, Nancy, and Melanie Anne for your reviews.
ii) 'Where do you go when it is all complicating?, where do you go when you steer it all away?' (OCS, 'Going nowhere for a while')
"You wanted to see me, Dad?" Lyle asked as he entered Mr Parker's office. He managed to stifle a yawn, the long night and alcohol taking it's toll.
"Yes." Mr Parker walked around his desk to face Lyle. "Things are changing Lyle and we need to be careful. We Parkers need to stick together."
Lyle put on his most genuine smile, "Of course Dad." He manged to bite back a comment about Miss Parker not adhering to that statement.
Mr Parker eyed his son suspiciously. He had no choice really other than to trust someone. Raines, he was most sure, was still in league with the Triumverate - indeed Mtumbo's surprise arrival seemed to confirm that for him. Trusting Raines had led him onto trouble before. No it had to be Lyle. "Lyle I need you to look out for Brigette." Seeing his son's perpelexed expression he decided to reveal more about Donoterase, about everything. His legacy rested with Lyle now, now that his Angel had betrayed him.
Lyle swallowed hard, managing to retain his smile. He knew some of The Centre's deepest secrets and now he was in as deeply as he could go. He muttered his consent to Mr Parker, but already he was contemplating how best to use this information.
"Once the child is born I will be secure in my position once more - and I want you to be at my side. This is a family business." Mr Parker forced out his best fatherly smile, the one he frequently used on his daughter. The one that in retrospect clearly hadn't worked all that well.
"I'll get right on it Dad." Lyle smirked. His father was clearly unaware of how closely he had been 'attending' to Brigette. "I take it she's over at Donoterase? Or what's left of it."
Mr Parker's face fell at the question. "Yes. Raines sent her over straight away." He felt a little uneasy at Brigette's prescence there, even if she was unaware of exactly what she was involved in. He watched Lyle make his way out of the office and, to his dismay, Raines enter.
Raines noted Lyle's visit but didn't comment on it. He could find out later what it was about. He walked up to Mr Parkers desk as the other man seated himself. "Mtumbo has his sights on Miss Parker's office." Raines stated once he had caught his breath.
Mr Parker let the information digest before he replied. He wondered what else could possibly go wrong, now he was going to have the Triumverate breathing down his neck. He glared at the man stood opposite him but Raines stood firm under scrutiny. All the more reason not to trust him. "Then we'll have to be careful won't we?" He wouldn't be able to deny Mtumbo his request.
"The Triumverate are not going to wait forever." In Raines' opinion they had been too lenient to begin with. Now if he were in charge... He hoped that they wouldn't wait long to usurp Mr Parker, as long as he himself was their choice of replacement. Of course Project Gemini would be ruined now that he'd been outside and in Miss Parker's care. He would have to start all over again.
"I am aware of that. Was there anything else?" Mr Parker watched as Raines responded in the negative and shuffled out of the office. Sighing he rested his head against the back of the chair. Raines was not going to make this any easier on him, he had probably already informed Mtumbo as to the circumstances regarding Donoterase. He hoped Raines was too wrapped up in Project Gemini to realise what else was going on there. What worried him most though was who was responsible for the attack on Donoterase. He could only hope that whoever it was hadn't bothered to look around first.
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Sydney paused outside Miss Parker's office and, looking over his shoulder, assured himself that no one was observing him. He quietly snuck inside only to jump slightly when he realised someone else was already in the room. He was just as surprised to see Broots as Broots was to see him.
"Er.. Sydney I was just..." Broots sunk his hands into his pockets and looked suitably guilty. As soon as he heard on the grapevine that Miss Parker's office was going to be seconded he'd made his way there for one last look.
"I heard Mtumbo was claiming her office too", Sydney explained as he walked further in. "I suppose her belongings will go in to storage."
"Yeah", Broots muttered slightly relieved that it was only Sydney that had discovered him trespassing.
Sydney could read him like a book, "You came to take something?" When the younger man did not reply Sydney guessed he was right. "I wanted to speak with you Broots, if I may." Sydney had made his way to her office with much the same intentions as Broots, he feared he would never see Miss Parker again and wanted to feel her prescence one last time. Now however he would take the opportunity to set things straight with Broots.
Broots squirmed uncomfortably, he could guess what Sydney wanted to know. He wanted desperately to confide in his friend but could he trust him? Hadn't Sydney 'gone over to the dark side'? That was why Miss Parker had taken the boy, there was no one else she could trust. It was why they hadn't involved Sydney in the escape plan, other than to distract him. His loyalty to Miss Parker won over and he held his tongue. Just as he had with Lyle and Brigette. He hoped Miss Parker would be proud of him. "Er... I have things to do Syd. I've had a really stressful morning, I've been accused of betraying The Centre, I've had very little sleep and I haven't seen my daughter this morning." He paused for breath before adding, "And now Mtumbo wants me to review Centre security, immediately."
Sydney persisted. "Then maybe a walk in the grounds would rejuvenate you and we can have our conversation in privacy." Sydney held his breath as he waited for Broots to reply. He hoped to enlighten Broots as to his real reasons for becoming involved in Project Gemini, though obviously it was not something he wanted The Centre to become aware of. He watched the younger man contemplate the question then finally, to Sydney's relief, he consented.
Broots walked uncomfortably at Sydney's side in the mid morning sun until they had some distance from The Centre. He was willing to hear Syd out, there was no harm in that surely?
Sydney began to explain his true intentions regarding the boy. "I saw an opportunity Broots, and I took it. I couldn't let it happen again." He stopped walking and Broots mirrored him. "You must believe me Broots."
Broots smiled shyly at the older man. He was quite relieved at Sydneys revelation, he wondered how he was going to survive at The Centre without Miss Parker or Sydney. "Miss Parker is pretty pissed at you. She thought, well we thought, that you'd sunk as low as Raines."
"That's what I needed you to believe, I didn't want to take either of you into my confidence in case things went badly wrong. It appears you both had other ideas."
Broots smirked a little at this. "Yeah it was all Miss Parker's idea really. I never imagined she would ever do something like that." He proceded to tell Sydney what had transpired.
"So you didn't interfere with the cameras?", Sydney asked surprised. His list of potential candidates was getting smaller.
"No. It wasn't me and it wasn't Miss Parker. How do you think she's doing, Syd?" He was glad that he could now discuss this with someone else, someone he could trust.
"I imagine it will be quite a journey for both of them." Noting Broots' smile fade a little he added, "They will be okay Broots. Miss Parker can take care of herself and we can make sure The Centre stays off their backs." He sighed inwardly at the thought of another 'child' he had lost, another two souls to worry about. He disgarded the thought, at least Miss Parker was away from The Centre, and she'd saved another soul in the process.
"Syd, how were you going to let Jarod know about the boy?" Broots suddenly asked.
"Ah that is where I need a favour from you. I left a message for him on the mainframe, do you think you could dispose of the evidence?"
"I'll see what I can do. Things are changing around here Syd." Broots commented as they turned around and made their way back towards The Centre. "What are we going to do?"
"We continue on as normal, looking for Jarod. We may be asked to help look for Miss Parker and the boy too. Either way we should keep our eyes and ears open and be prepared." Sydney had the feeling that things were only just beginning, but he would protect his children as best as he could.
"For the worst?"
"For the time when we ourselves may have to disappear."
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"Couldn't sleep?"
Miss Parker smiled wearily at her kindly host. "Something like that, Ben", she replied as she eased herself into a chair. She wasn't sure if it was the coffee she'd imbibed in order to stay awake or something deeper. When she and the boy had arrived at Ben's she'd felt ready to drop but once she'd lain down she could only manage an hour or two and then found herself unable to get any more sleep. Maybe it was the urge to keep running. Maybe this was why Jarod would call her in the middle of the night, but who was she going to call?
"Are you hungry yet? I can soon fix you something to eat", Ben asked as he took a seat opposite Miss Parker.
Miss Parker shook her head even as her stomach growled. They had stopped on route to Ben's and she had introduced the boy to fast food; a burger, fries and milkshake. A lifetime of nutritional meals courtesy of The Centre made the food even more appealing and the boy had adored it, especially the milkshake.
"Sounds as if you are", Ben chuckled.
"I'll wait for him to wake" she replied indicating the sleeping boy upstairs with a nod of her head.
"Coffee then?" Ben persisted.
"Please. You must have plenty of questions Ben." They had turned up unannounced at his house earlier in the day and if Ben had been surprised to see them he never revealed it. Instead he had greeted her warmly, saying it had been too long and welcomed them both into his house. She hadn't had chance to offer up any explanations as Ben had seen how fatigued they both were and had ushered them upstairs to get some rest. Now she felt that she owed him some kind of explanation.
"I do", Ben replied as he rose from his seat and began to make their drinks, "But as I told your mother countless times - you don't have to explain anything to me."
Miss Parker watched as Ben finished his task and returned to the table with two fresh cups of coffee. "I took the boy, Ben. He doesn't belong to me but he didn't belong there either. And now, now we're on the run." She stated this rather calmly, a slight quiver in her voice at the end of the sentence revealing the sudden realisation of what she had done.
Ben reached across and held her hand reassuringly. He had already assumed that much. "You are both welcome to stay here for as long as you need to." So much like her mother.
Miss Parker smiled at his offer but she was reluctant to accept, it would be too risky for him. And this was her mother's sanctuary she didn't want it tainted with The Centre. Before she could decline the conversation was interrupted by shouting from upstairs. Miss Parker broke quickly into a run towards the commotion. As she threw open the door to the boy's room she found him sat upright on the bed. A quick surveillance of the room showed no one else present. "Bad dream?"
The boy swung his legs over the side of the bed and felt for the floor. He swallowed thickly and nodded his head.
Miss Parker sat down on the bed next to him, his face was white with fear. "It's ok", she soothed and snaked her arm around his shoulder. She let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and felt her own heart beat begin to slow down. The panic that had overtaken her began to recede.
The boy leant in to her, he felt better the moment she had entered the room. He tried to relax in an effort to exorcise the dream from his mind and looked up towards his protector, "I dreamt Mr Raines came here and he was angry and he... he..." The words stuck in his throat.
"It's okay. I won't let him hurt you ever again", Miss Parker whispered softly as she silently cursed Raines. She kissed the top of the boys head and she felt him finally relax. On the way to Ben's they had also stopped at a department store for clothes and essentials; looking at the boy now Miss Parker realised it would take more than the jeans and running shoes he wore to become a normal kid.
Ben watched the scene unfold from the doorway, more pieces of the puzzle fitting together. He felt sure Catherine would be proud of her daughter.
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Jarod sat in front of his laptop waiting for it to boot up and glanced at his father who slept soundly. They had made their way back to the hunting shack that morning after their exploits at Donoterase and had tried to get some rest. His father had no problems in that department but Jarod could only manage a negligible amount of sleep; tossing and turning the rest of the time, thanks in part to his usual nightmares, and now the added worry of Miss Parker and the boy. His attention turned on to the backpack, he really needed to go through the information he had stolen that morning but a beep from the laptop, indicating new mail, made him hold that thought.
He watched the screen intently as he viewed the video file Angelo had sent him. He sent a silent thanks to his old friend for once again giving him an insight into The Centre. Once the video had ended Jarod stood up in disbelief; had Sydney betrayed him? It appeared that he had been involved in Project Gemini, had apparently lied to Jarod when he said he knew nothing about it. Jarod paced in front of the laptop and tried to organise his thoughts; he trusted Sydney of that he was sure - maybe it was all a ruse on Sydney's part? He sat back down in front of the laptop, if The Centre were keeping a very close watch on it's employees, as the file from Angelo suggested, then it would be impossible to speak to Sydney freely about this. He would have to find a way around that.
Thanks to Angelo he now knew that Brigette was in charge of his own, and his father's, capture; and also, more worryingly, that Lyle was taking the lead in the hunt for Miss Parker and the boy. His thoughts then naturally turned to her and the boy; where would she go? He could SIM her but he'd never resorted to that before, he'd always felt uncomfortable about doing it. Besides, he knew her well enough not to need to throughout their game of 'chase'. He'd dug into her past, her family's past; he knew more about her than probably anyone else, and about her mother. Jarod grinned to himself, he suddenly had an idea as to where she may have gone.
ii) 'Where do you go when it is all complicating?, where do you go when you steer it all away?' (OCS, 'Going nowhere for a while')
"You wanted to see me, Dad?" Lyle asked as he entered Mr Parker's office. He managed to stifle a yawn, the long night and alcohol taking it's toll.
"Yes." Mr Parker walked around his desk to face Lyle. "Things are changing Lyle and we need to be careful. We Parkers need to stick together."
Lyle put on his most genuine smile, "Of course Dad." He manged to bite back a comment about Miss Parker not adhering to that statement.
Mr Parker eyed his son suspiciously. He had no choice really other than to trust someone. Raines, he was most sure, was still in league with the Triumverate - indeed Mtumbo's surprise arrival seemed to confirm that for him. Trusting Raines had led him onto trouble before. No it had to be Lyle. "Lyle I need you to look out for Brigette." Seeing his son's perpelexed expression he decided to reveal more about Donoterase, about everything. His legacy rested with Lyle now, now that his Angel had betrayed him.
Lyle swallowed hard, managing to retain his smile. He knew some of The Centre's deepest secrets and now he was in as deeply as he could go. He muttered his consent to Mr Parker, but already he was contemplating how best to use this information.
"Once the child is born I will be secure in my position once more - and I want you to be at my side. This is a family business." Mr Parker forced out his best fatherly smile, the one he frequently used on his daughter. The one that in retrospect clearly hadn't worked all that well.
"I'll get right on it Dad." Lyle smirked. His father was clearly unaware of how closely he had been 'attending' to Brigette. "I take it she's over at Donoterase? Or what's left of it."
Mr Parker's face fell at the question. "Yes. Raines sent her over straight away." He felt a little uneasy at Brigette's prescence there, even if she was unaware of exactly what she was involved in. He watched Lyle make his way out of the office and, to his dismay, Raines enter.
Raines noted Lyle's visit but didn't comment on it. He could find out later what it was about. He walked up to Mr Parkers desk as the other man seated himself. "Mtumbo has his sights on Miss Parker's office." Raines stated once he had caught his breath.
Mr Parker let the information digest before he replied. He wondered what else could possibly go wrong, now he was going to have the Triumverate breathing down his neck. He glared at the man stood opposite him but Raines stood firm under scrutiny. All the more reason not to trust him. "Then we'll have to be careful won't we?" He wouldn't be able to deny Mtumbo his request.
"The Triumverate are not going to wait forever." In Raines' opinion they had been too lenient to begin with. Now if he were in charge... He hoped that they wouldn't wait long to usurp Mr Parker, as long as he himself was their choice of replacement. Of course Project Gemini would be ruined now that he'd been outside and in Miss Parker's care. He would have to start all over again.
"I am aware of that. Was there anything else?" Mr Parker watched as Raines responded in the negative and shuffled out of the office. Sighing he rested his head against the back of the chair. Raines was not going to make this any easier on him, he had probably already informed Mtumbo as to the circumstances regarding Donoterase. He hoped Raines was too wrapped up in Project Gemini to realise what else was going on there. What worried him most though was who was responsible for the attack on Donoterase. He could only hope that whoever it was hadn't bothered to look around first.
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Sydney paused outside Miss Parker's office and, looking over his shoulder, assured himself that no one was observing him. He quietly snuck inside only to jump slightly when he realised someone else was already in the room. He was just as surprised to see Broots as Broots was to see him.
"Er.. Sydney I was just..." Broots sunk his hands into his pockets and looked suitably guilty. As soon as he heard on the grapevine that Miss Parker's office was going to be seconded he'd made his way there for one last look.
"I heard Mtumbo was claiming her office too", Sydney explained as he walked further in. "I suppose her belongings will go in to storage."
"Yeah", Broots muttered slightly relieved that it was only Sydney that had discovered him trespassing.
Sydney could read him like a book, "You came to take something?" When the younger man did not reply Sydney guessed he was right. "I wanted to speak with you Broots, if I may." Sydney had made his way to her office with much the same intentions as Broots, he feared he would never see Miss Parker again and wanted to feel her prescence one last time. Now however he would take the opportunity to set things straight with Broots.
Broots squirmed uncomfortably, he could guess what Sydney wanted to know. He wanted desperately to confide in his friend but could he trust him? Hadn't Sydney 'gone over to the dark side'? That was why Miss Parker had taken the boy, there was no one else she could trust. It was why they hadn't involved Sydney in the escape plan, other than to distract him. His loyalty to Miss Parker won over and he held his tongue. Just as he had with Lyle and Brigette. He hoped Miss Parker would be proud of him. "Er... I have things to do Syd. I've had a really stressful morning, I've been accused of betraying The Centre, I've had very little sleep and I haven't seen my daughter this morning." He paused for breath before adding, "And now Mtumbo wants me to review Centre security, immediately."
Sydney persisted. "Then maybe a walk in the grounds would rejuvenate you and we can have our conversation in privacy." Sydney held his breath as he waited for Broots to reply. He hoped to enlighten Broots as to his real reasons for becoming involved in Project Gemini, though obviously it was not something he wanted The Centre to become aware of. He watched the younger man contemplate the question then finally, to Sydney's relief, he consented.
Broots walked uncomfortably at Sydney's side in the mid morning sun until they had some distance from The Centre. He was willing to hear Syd out, there was no harm in that surely?
Sydney began to explain his true intentions regarding the boy. "I saw an opportunity Broots, and I took it. I couldn't let it happen again." He stopped walking and Broots mirrored him. "You must believe me Broots."
Broots smiled shyly at the older man. He was quite relieved at Sydneys revelation, he wondered how he was going to survive at The Centre without Miss Parker or Sydney. "Miss Parker is pretty pissed at you. She thought, well we thought, that you'd sunk as low as Raines."
"That's what I needed you to believe, I didn't want to take either of you into my confidence in case things went badly wrong. It appears you both had other ideas."
Broots smirked a little at this. "Yeah it was all Miss Parker's idea really. I never imagined she would ever do something like that." He proceded to tell Sydney what had transpired.
"So you didn't interfere with the cameras?", Sydney asked surprised. His list of potential candidates was getting smaller.
"No. It wasn't me and it wasn't Miss Parker. How do you think she's doing, Syd?" He was glad that he could now discuss this with someone else, someone he could trust.
"I imagine it will be quite a journey for both of them." Noting Broots' smile fade a little he added, "They will be okay Broots. Miss Parker can take care of herself and we can make sure The Centre stays off their backs." He sighed inwardly at the thought of another 'child' he had lost, another two souls to worry about. He disgarded the thought, at least Miss Parker was away from The Centre, and she'd saved another soul in the process.
"Syd, how were you going to let Jarod know about the boy?" Broots suddenly asked.
"Ah that is where I need a favour from you. I left a message for him on the mainframe, do you think you could dispose of the evidence?"
"I'll see what I can do. Things are changing around here Syd." Broots commented as they turned around and made their way back towards The Centre. "What are we going to do?"
"We continue on as normal, looking for Jarod. We may be asked to help look for Miss Parker and the boy too. Either way we should keep our eyes and ears open and be prepared." Sydney had the feeling that things were only just beginning, but he would protect his children as best as he could.
"For the worst?"
"For the time when we ourselves may have to disappear."
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"Couldn't sleep?"
Miss Parker smiled wearily at her kindly host. "Something like that, Ben", she replied as she eased herself into a chair. She wasn't sure if it was the coffee she'd imbibed in order to stay awake or something deeper. When she and the boy had arrived at Ben's she'd felt ready to drop but once she'd lain down she could only manage an hour or two and then found herself unable to get any more sleep. Maybe it was the urge to keep running. Maybe this was why Jarod would call her in the middle of the night, but who was she going to call?
"Are you hungry yet? I can soon fix you something to eat", Ben asked as he took a seat opposite Miss Parker.
Miss Parker shook her head even as her stomach growled. They had stopped on route to Ben's and she had introduced the boy to fast food; a burger, fries and milkshake. A lifetime of nutritional meals courtesy of The Centre made the food even more appealing and the boy had adored it, especially the milkshake.
"Sounds as if you are", Ben chuckled.
"I'll wait for him to wake" she replied indicating the sleeping boy upstairs with a nod of her head.
"Coffee then?" Ben persisted.
"Please. You must have plenty of questions Ben." They had turned up unannounced at his house earlier in the day and if Ben had been surprised to see them he never revealed it. Instead he had greeted her warmly, saying it had been too long and welcomed them both into his house. She hadn't had chance to offer up any explanations as Ben had seen how fatigued they both were and had ushered them upstairs to get some rest. Now she felt that she owed him some kind of explanation.
"I do", Ben replied as he rose from his seat and began to make their drinks, "But as I told your mother countless times - you don't have to explain anything to me."
Miss Parker watched as Ben finished his task and returned to the table with two fresh cups of coffee. "I took the boy, Ben. He doesn't belong to me but he didn't belong there either. And now, now we're on the run." She stated this rather calmly, a slight quiver in her voice at the end of the sentence revealing the sudden realisation of what she had done.
Ben reached across and held her hand reassuringly. He had already assumed that much. "You are both welcome to stay here for as long as you need to." So much like her mother.
Miss Parker smiled at his offer but she was reluctant to accept, it would be too risky for him. And this was her mother's sanctuary she didn't want it tainted with The Centre. Before she could decline the conversation was interrupted by shouting from upstairs. Miss Parker broke quickly into a run towards the commotion. As she threw open the door to the boy's room she found him sat upright on the bed. A quick surveillance of the room showed no one else present. "Bad dream?"
The boy swung his legs over the side of the bed and felt for the floor. He swallowed thickly and nodded his head.
Miss Parker sat down on the bed next to him, his face was white with fear. "It's ok", she soothed and snaked her arm around his shoulder. She let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and felt her own heart beat begin to slow down. The panic that had overtaken her began to recede.
The boy leant in to her, he felt better the moment she had entered the room. He tried to relax in an effort to exorcise the dream from his mind and looked up towards his protector, "I dreamt Mr Raines came here and he was angry and he... he..." The words stuck in his throat.
"It's okay. I won't let him hurt you ever again", Miss Parker whispered softly as she silently cursed Raines. She kissed the top of the boys head and she felt him finally relax. On the way to Ben's they had also stopped at a department store for clothes and essentials; looking at the boy now Miss Parker realised it would take more than the jeans and running shoes he wore to become a normal kid.
Ben watched the scene unfold from the doorway, more pieces of the puzzle fitting together. He felt sure Catherine would be proud of her daughter.
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Jarod sat in front of his laptop waiting for it to boot up and glanced at his father who slept soundly. They had made their way back to the hunting shack that morning after their exploits at Donoterase and had tried to get some rest. His father had no problems in that department but Jarod could only manage a negligible amount of sleep; tossing and turning the rest of the time, thanks in part to his usual nightmares, and now the added worry of Miss Parker and the boy. His attention turned on to the backpack, he really needed to go through the information he had stolen that morning but a beep from the laptop, indicating new mail, made him hold that thought.
He watched the screen intently as he viewed the video file Angelo had sent him. He sent a silent thanks to his old friend for once again giving him an insight into The Centre. Once the video had ended Jarod stood up in disbelief; had Sydney betrayed him? It appeared that he had been involved in Project Gemini, had apparently lied to Jarod when he said he knew nothing about it. Jarod paced in front of the laptop and tried to organise his thoughts; he trusted Sydney of that he was sure - maybe it was all a ruse on Sydney's part? He sat back down in front of the laptop, if The Centre were keeping a very close watch on it's employees, as the file from Angelo suggested, then it would be impossible to speak to Sydney freely about this. He would have to find a way around that.
Thanks to Angelo he now knew that Brigette was in charge of his own, and his father's, capture; and also, more worryingly, that Lyle was taking the lead in the hunt for Miss Parker and the boy. His thoughts then naturally turned to her and the boy; where would she go? He could SIM her but he'd never resorted to that before, he'd always felt uncomfortable about doing it. Besides, he knew her well enough not to need to throughout their game of 'chase'. He'd dug into her past, her family's past; he knew more about her than probably anyone else, and about her mother. Jarod grinned to himself, he suddenly had an idea as to where she may have gone.