Disclaimer: Please see chapter 1 for the usual statements.
Author's note: As my beta reader puts it, I have greatly sanitized this portion of the story. My point is not to gross anyone out with my warped imagination, but to illustrate how evil a corporation like the Centre can truly be. In answer to some reviews, a few additions were included to clear up any vagueness.
The things I do…
Chapter VIII
By Callisto
The Renaissance Hotel
Pittsburgh, PA
The television was tuned to a program neither sibling was bothering to watch. Instead they were engrossed in conversation. Ethan nodded thoughtfully at Parker's impassive account of her time in the Centre as a prisoner. He paused a few beats before asking, "How are you coping with what was done to you there? From what I understand the Centre was your life for some time."
Parker looked blankly at her youngest brother. Gathering her thoughts for a few moments she answered, "We both knew what the stakes were and what was needed to free Margaret. Getting captured was the point, the only way to fully distract the sweepers watching her and I've been around the Centre long enough to know what they would do next—especially without my father's protection. Since his death, I've had plenty of time to consider my life, my past and my future." She rose with an ingrained grace to refresh her glass of water. As she poured, another thought hit her and turning she looked at her brother for a few seconds while sipping at her water. "You're probably thinking the choice to leave my exciting and glamorous life as a bad guy and run off with Jarod came out of the blue."
Ethan shook his head but his eyes betrayed the questions in his mind. Parker smiled bemusedly at her brother and said, "The reason I left the Centre for good six months ago, is that when Jarod asked, practically begged me to go with him I realized that it had been a while, at least a couple years since someone who truly cared and wanted me asked for me to leave with him. The last time I hesitated and lost someone special. This time I was determined not to repeat that mistake because I suspected the next thing I would have lost would be my own life as well." The sounds of the returning pretenders put a definitive end to Parker's explanation as both siblings left the room to see how their little outing went.
Jarod and Alex entered the hotel room quickly with Alex carrying a partially zipped, large duffle bag carefully in front of him. He gingerly sat the bag on the couch and unzipped it completely to reveal his still frightened but groggy passenger. Parker and Ethan entered the living room from one of the bedrooms where they had been watching TV. The sight of the obviously terrified child made them both pause and turn their eyes on their returning companions. Parker glanced at her twin, and then her lover and asked them with a heavy feeling, "What happened?"
Jarod landed in a chair opposite the couch and answered sadly, "We were too late. Our target had finished and left before we even got there."
"What about him? Did he see….?" Ethan asked with a sinking stomach.
"We're not sure what he saw or didn't see. As you can tell, he's not exactly in the mood for a chat," Alex answered evenly.
"This isn't a conversation we should be having in front of him," Parker replied in Danish, smoothly switching languages so the others would follow suit. Then glancing at the boy she added, "How about you two tell us what happened tonight. I'll put him to bed first, then we'll talk."
The other three watched as Parker roused the exhausted boy and walked him into the bedroom. A few minutes later she returned to the room, leaving the bedroom door halfway open where they could watch their guest.
"We could tell something happened the second we set foot in the house. We didn't find the boy until we were ready to leave. Would have left without him if he hadn't made a sound," Jarod explained continuing the conversation in Danish.
Alex, like Jarod was staring into the middle distance, deeply engrossed in his own thoughts when he spoke up. "It must be the twist they put on the Jongewaard protocol. That could be the only answer. Erebus left the child untouched on purpose. I wouldn't put it past him to have stuffed the kid in the cabinet himself."
"For what purpose? And what is the Jongewaard protocol?" Ethan asked thankful for the first time that the Clausons insisted on him learning Danish, as his frustration at being left out of the loop began to increase.
"The Jongewaard protocol involves the acquisition and training of executive-level Centre sweepers and assassins. It involves the killing of a target's parents followed up with the eventual mentoring, education and training to shape the target into a loyal employee, who wouldn't flinch at the occasional assassination," Parker explained casually. "My personal sweeper, Sam was subjected to the protocol and I'm sure Willie, Raines' sweeper was also a recipient. "
Before Ethan could ask a follow-up question, Jarod answered him, "The twist to this is the Centre has identified a Pretender and now wants him to undergo similar training as a sweeper. This is their way of obtaining a Pretender without kidnapping him but still twisting his emotions and intellect to suit their goals and then turning him on an unsuspecting public."
"Who's Erebus? Is he the one who killed the boy's parents?" Ethan asked.
"Before we go into any further explanations, you should have a look at this DSA. It'll explain some of the details. There are some things I need to check on before we take our next step," Alex replied distractedly as he handed his twin a small DSA case containing the disc. Parker looked at the disc and heaving a large sigh retreated to the other bedroom where Alex had his player stored.
The Centre - 1979
Blue Cove, DE
A smallish looking man stood at the table where a youthful Alex sat staring at the reports he had been given to evaluate. "Now Alex, given this data I want you to extrapolate a probable outcome for this scenario. It doesn't matter where the changes came from, all we need are projected results and any suggestions for improvement," Dr. Thompson intoned as he continued to circle his protégé.
"Sir, the best suggestion I could give is not to do this. From what these reports are saying, so far the results have been disastrous. Using this protocol to manipulate the emotions of a person who is expected to think his way though almost any scenario will result in that person turning on his handlers."
"Alex, I want you to concentrate and not to let extraneous emotions and empathy cloud your judgment. We need answers that only you can supply. The future of the project is in your hands and I am confident that you can come up with a viable solution. The Jongewaard protocol is sound and it has worked on numerous occasions. We have even sold the outlines of the protocol to at least two very satisfied buyers. Make this work in a new application and you will be amply rewarded."
"You'll tell me about my family? Show me pictures of them?" Alex asked eagerly with sharpened interest.
"If you're successful then I will arrange for you to find out something about them, though obtaining pictures of them for you to view may be out of my hands," Tommy Thompson answered with measured sympathy.
Alex took a moment to consider this compromise, then looking up with a grim expression he answered, "The protocol would work if the target pretender were nearby during the slaying and left alone with the bodies of his dead parents. Severing all ties to his past would make him more malleable to suggestion and allow him to become attached to his mentor, seeing that person as a replacement parent. However, killing my parents now would only inspire further resentment and increase my desire to escape," Alex added giving his mentor a knowing look.
"These methods are being considered for future pretenders, not for our current class," the psychiatrist countered evenly, ignoring Alex's threat.
"The manipulation of the child would have to be designed specifically for that particular individual. A protocol wouldn't help your cause at all. You will find only the bare outline would be useful, making the entire operation, time consuming and resource draining before the subject is even brought here. Also, due to his age at the time of acquisition, intensive psychological conditioning would be necessary in securing emotional stability and focus in the pretender, much more so than is presently used with today's 'class'."
"We will revisit this issue in one week's time to allow you to flesh out a modified sim explaining the changes needed to make this prospective project a workable reality," Dr. Thompson commented with confidence. The screen faded to black after revealing that Alex had been presented with the sim in front of a panel of executive Tower staff.
~~~
Jarod had remained in his seat, listening to the audio portion of the DSA and mentally grinding his teeth at the sim that had been foisted on Alex. Jarod had no illusions that his new found ally had been involved in some deeply troubling and morally corrupting projects, however hearing it again was still very aggravating.
"So this is the environment Mr. Raines wanted me to live in? I've never been so glad of missing an opportunity in my life," Ethan said mostly to himself as he wrapped his arms around his body. Looking up he glanced between Jarod who was still staring into space and Alex who was busily typing on his laptop. "Erebus, who is he?" Ethan asked again.
"Erebus is the brainchild of Raines and my mentor Tommie Thompson. He's scary, efficient, deadly, twisted and a genius to boot. He embodies the first successful application of the modified protocol. He scares anyone who knows what his methods are and he takes his role very seriously," Alex answered nonchalantly.
"Well at least he picked an appropriate name for himself. In Greek mythology the name belongs to the son of Chaos. As the story goes, Erebus is the embodiment of primordial darkness," Parker commented in a tone that mirrored her twin's explanation. Ethan stared at her and nodded quietly to himself, absorbing the meaning behind her words.
"Murdering parents seems to be a common practice with the Centre. Mr. Raines had my foster parents killed in order to get me to go along with him. I wonder what was done to Erebus' parents to make him this way," Ethan replied softly.
"According to Raines' note to the Triumvirate, there is one more child to be put through the Jongewaard wringer. He doesn't give specifics but at least this gives us one last chance to catch this monster before he destroys another family in an effort to replicate himself." Glancing at Ethan, Jarod continued, "Apparently the Centre has fallen on hard times. They've decided to create more Pretenders like Erebus who manages to kill on command. The assassination business is very lucrative and with the popularity of the modern day serial killer, murdering a target then covering it up with the deaths of a few more innocents is a method they're no longer reluctant in using."
After a long pause, Parker walked over and sat next to Jarod on the couch where he relocated when he replaced Alex at the laptop. She leaned forward resting her elbows on her thighs. As though coming to a tough decision she messily brushed her hair away from her face and asked grimly, "I have a bad feeling that the way the victims died is significant, only because neither of you has mentioned it. Tell me what happened to them and while you're at it explain why the Centre would need pretenders to do their wet work? They have trained, marginally bright assassins like my dead step-mother Brigitte for that."
A fond smile briefly lightened Jarod's grim expression. "You have a way of cutting to the chase that is uniquely your own," he responded with a smile. "What I understand of it is from bits and pieces Alex has told me of his time with the Triumvirate." Looking up he glanced at Alex, "Why don't you start?"
"The best way to answer your questions is to tackle them backwards. The problem with assassins, such as the deceased Brigitte is that she wasn't too bright. An order would be issued, a sim, depending on the difficulty of the operation, on how to commit the murder would be presented to the executioner along with details supplied for the most obvious of contingencies. At that rate, the Pretender, as the powers that be finally surmised, could have done the deed himself in less time and been able to work around any unexpected situations, if they arose. With a money-hungry beast like the Centre, cost effectiveness is always of paramount concern," Alex explained softly.
Jarod immediately picked up where Alex left off. "There were two victims—a husband and wife. On the surface, it appeared as though they both had been systematically crushed. Are you sure you want to hear this?" He asked worriedly.
"I'm sure, go ahead," Parker, answered tightly.
The clinician in Jarod peeked out as he explained the condition of the bodies in gruesome detail. Finishing up, he concluded, "Of course most of the damage was done to hide the true cause of death. I'm curious as to what sort of weapon was used to cause the extensive damage to the male victim."
"From your description, the cause of death is a tie between bleeding to death and shock from all the trauma," Parker stated with some surprise.
"No, that's not what killed them, though I would bet the County Coroner won't be able to determine the true cause of death. From what I could tell without disturbing the bodies too much, both victims were poisoned."
"Poisoned? I thought almost every bone in their bodies had been crushed."
"This is a bit of conjecture, but the killer probably injected some lethal concoction directly into one or two targeted internal organs. Their deaths would have been agonizingly slow," Jarod said with a touch of anger.
"Did he kill them slowly for their son's benefit?" Ethan asked with horrified dread.
"Erebus is conducting a sim within a sim. The original and primary sim is to affect the deaths of the parents as part of the Jongewaard protocol. The secondary sim is to conduct experiments on whatever new poison or drug the Centre needs a live test on. Once the test is complete, Erebus probably using a local or mild anesthetic, removes the entire organ for further testing, then cauterizing his handiwork damages any poison evidence left behind that the Coroner might be able to find. The mess he leaves is another combo deal—part signature and part method to hide his secondary goal. The cops are probably dismissing him as a sick serial killer, allowing their emotions to blind them from the true purpose," Alex explained indifferently. An unsettling thought occurred to him as he realized that neither of his siblings had an accurate idea of what they were up against.
"While Jarod was busy making a forensic assessment of what was done to the victims, I was making an assessment of my own. Let's be clear on this: Erebus is the culmination of the type of pretender the Centre—specifically Raines has been attempting to develop. Erebus came to them with certain inbred weaknesses in his moral character. While my sense of empathy was being burned and conditioned out of me, it was an exercise that wasn't needed in Erebus' case. He is evil—trained, educated and seasoned. Not the kind of evil you see in bad horror movies or Stephen King bestsellers but real, actual and lethal. Finding his next target is absolutely essential, not only to our own survival but in order to severely cripple the Centre."
During Alex's reflection of Erebus' motives, Parker got up and walked to the liquor cabinet. Fortunately her stomach was feeling stronger as she poured herself a drink of single malt liquor. Slowly draining the glass, the realization of what was truly intended washed over her like a polluted tide.
"To watch two people helplessly writhe from the gunk he injected into them, crack most of their bones, give them a local anesthetic, open them up and remove body parts while they're still alive, slop their remains all over the room and then leave the mess for the victim's child to discover—is beyond comprehension. Hearing their screams would scare the poor kid shitless. Then the silence would be deafening, he would have to go to them, to see if they were okay, if some semblance of his world was still intact. It would drive anyone over the edge to find their parents in that condition, more so an extraordinarily intelligent child. He would cling to his mentor after hearing assurances of his safety from the monster who killed his parents. The Centre itself would become a safe haven. This Erebus must be one cold, calculating son-of-a-bitch," she stated calmly.
There was a thread of empathy in her voice that made Jarod study her more closely as he was reminded of another child who had lived most of her life believing she had found her mother dead in an elevator. Although she recently learned the truth, Parker had lived with the psychological ramifications of that trauma all her life. It had been one horror she was unable to rationalize and anticipate as she had her capture by the Centre.
"No. I'm one cold, calculating son-of-a-bitch. Erebus, he's something else altogether. It's going to be a challenge not just catching up to him but putting him down as well," Alex replied as he joined his twin in having a drink.