Chapter 4
Ms. Parker pulled herself together and marched over to Jarod and Sydney.
'What the hell are you talking about?' she asked.
Jarod looked at Sydney who shook his head, then scratched the back of it. Broots was still breathing heavily, against the wall.
'That creature is really Dr. Banner. The creature is why the Centre wants him.' Jarod answered.
Ms. Parker squinted at Jarod, before looking at Sydney, then back at Jarod again.
'So now, under your realm, we're what? We're recruiting REAL monsters? Like we don't have enough masquerading as humans in that godforsaken place? Speaking of, where is that wonderful brother of mine?'
All of them heard a moan from within the bathroom. Broots came away from the wall, as the four of them walked into the Men's bathroom. Lyle was on the floor and was just regaining consciousness.
He coughed and sputtered. No one offered to help him up.
'What happened? Where's Banner?' he sniffed.
'Gone.' Sydney said.
'Gone?' Lyle repeated. He then glared up at them.
'Hey! Scooby Gang! Someone help me up!'
Jarod reached his hand down and pulled Lyle up forcefully. It was too quickly, and Lyle felt light headed. He rubbed his temples, then looked at Jarod.
'What happened, Jarod? Why are the four of us left here in some Men's room with egg on our faces?'
Jarod was about to say something, when Ms. Parker moved in on Lyle.
'That's what I'd like to know.' she said, eyeing Lyle.
'Sis, this really isn't the time.'
'You're right. Because pretty soon, the police are going to want know what we were doing here, and what we saw and yadda, yadda, yadda! I'm getting out of here and when we get back on that damned plane, I want a full explanation as to why I was not told that this Banner guy was less than human!'
'I don't owe you anything, Parker! You were cut out of the loop because you've been slacking off, that's why!' Lyle snapped.
'When Daddy gets back...'
'IF he comes back! And if he does, his position will be severely down sized. You won't be able to hide behind his skirts when you screw up. You might just have to take your medicine for once...just like all of the rest of us.'
Lyle then looked from Ms. Parker to Jarod.
'We need another game plan.'
Jarod nodded. He was relieved that Lyle hadn't seemed to have figured out that this whole thing had been meant to fail.
'I agree. We've promised the Triumvirate a prized possession and we need to deliver.'
Sydney sighed.
'Banner could be anywhere by now. The trick to his transformation is the anger. Once he calms down, he'll return back to normal. But with the creature's strength and speed....well, there is no telling where he is now.'
Ms. Parker looked at Broots, who looked wide eyed and still very fearful. She then looked at Jarod and Sydney.
'So you have no plans to maybe help cure this man? I mean he wasn't born a creature.'
Lyle looked at her with disgust!
'Hell no! We are not in the 'curing' business, sis! God! For a minute there, you sounded like Jarod USED to be! Let's get the hell back to the plane and come up with another idea quick!'
Lyle then put an arm around Broots shoulders. Broots flinched, but was forced to move with him. He looked back at Sydney, who followed after them. Jarod started to leave too, but Ms. Parker reached out and grabbed his arm. Jarod sighed. He knew he was about to hear an earful. He turned back and gave her smirk.
'What? Another lecture about how you don't trust me?'
Ms. Parker looked into Jarod's eyes.
'Whatever used to be between us, where you ran and I chased, you had to know, deep down, that if and when we did catch up to you, you wouldn't have been mistreated...that I would've made sure that you weren't beaten or tortured or anything like that. Sydney as well.'
'And that thought always made up for the fact, that you had no business keeping me there in the first place.' Jarod said snidely.
Ms. Parker let go of his arm. Now she smirked and pointed at him.
'I knew it! I knew it!'
'Knew what, Ms. Parker?'
'Knew that you hadn't changed one damned bit! I could see it in your eyes just now. The anger and resentment...you're not really in with Lyle, are you?'
Jarod wasn't ready to play his hand yet, and probably never would be to her. He decided to do something unspeakable. Something that he hated. He forced himself to be deliberately cruel.
'Ms. Parker, I would back off.'
'Or what, Boy Genius? My days of taking orders from you and write-ups for a messy desk, are over!'
'If you tell your brother your suspicions, I'll just have to counter with my own.'
'Oh what? What? What could you possibly have on me? Nothing! Nada!' she sneered and pushed at him. Jarod just barely moved.
'I will tell him that your accusations are just ravings of a woman going through her first pregnancy. You are pregnant, aren't you, Ms. Parker?'
Jarod had not meant to say anything to her until she was showing. He had never had any doubts that she would keep the baby. He knew how much she had loved Thomas.
Ms. Parker backed off a bit.
'No! No, I'm not! Why would you make up something like that?! Just shut up!'
Jarod flinched. And it was not her words that made him do so, but her tone. Ms. Parker didn't sound mean now. Though she was putting her best foot forward. She sounded desperate.
'I tell Mr. Lyle of my suspicions, and he probably will make you submit to a Centre pregnancy test. You'll probably have the baby in SL 27 or something. I hear the stir ups are made of metal.'
Ms. Parker shoved him aside and walked out of the bathroom. She tried to quell the growing fear inside of her. Jarod had spoken the truth. Her baby would end up growing up and working at the Centre. Thomas would want to die again if he knew she had let something like that happen to their child.
Jarod, for his part, closed his eyes briefly before leaving the bathroom. It had to be done. He couldn't afford for Ms. Parker to go running her mouth to Lyle, this soon after their failure with Banner.
What neither Lyle, nor Sydney knew, was that Jarod had had his own plan all along. When Lyle fired those darts into Banner, they were not to knock out the creature. They were homing devices. He had counted on Banner's transformation. Jarod pulled out a small monitor from inside his jacket pocket and turned it on. A green blip appeared on the screen. Jarod could now keep tabs on Banner's location for some time. Until he could get to him and or find a way to help him.
****
Hours later, Ms. Parker opened the door to her house, still stunned by Jarod's threat earlier. She could not believe he threatened to tell Lyle about the baby! How did he even know?
Ms. Parker rolled her eyes. That was a stupid question. Jarod could probably diagnose a sick goat just by looking! She sighed and turned on a lamp. She then screamed!
'Angel, it's me!'
Ms. Parker looked her father up and down. He looked no worse for wear. She slowly made her way over to him.
'Daddy? Daddy, oh thank God you're safe!' she cried, hugging him hard. He hugged her briefly, before letting go of her.
'Safe enough for now. What is this crap I hear about Jarod and Lyle running the Centre? What the hell is going on?'
'Daddy, let me help you...and Brigitte. What can I do?'
'Angel, you can answer my question.'
Ms. Parker lurched away from him in a childish fit of rage!
'I don't want to talk about Jarod now! I've had it up to here with him! I can't tell you how nauseating it is having to work for him!'
Mr. Parker, seeing his daughter's distress, enveloped her back into his arms.
'There, there. It will be alright. Daddy is going to take care of everything...including Jarod. When I'm through with him, he'll be back in the sub-levels...where he belongs! Now, I just came back to see how you're holding up. Believe me, this arrangement won't be permanent. Your brother and Jarod will pay.'
'Lyle? Daddy, Lyle killed Raines, didn't he? I knew it! From day one I thought that creep had murder in his eyes!'
'I'll take care of everything, Angel. Now I really have to get going before I'm seen. You know that's how the Centre works. Someone's always watching.'
Ms. Parker touched her father's arm, as he began to move away. Mr. Parker looked at her quizzically.
'What is it, Angel? What's bothering you?'
'Daddy...if I help you get rid of Jarod and Lyle...can I leave the Centre.'
Mr. Parker looked confused. He removed her hand from his arm.
'Angel, I thought we were through with this kind of talk...you know, after your young man died.'
'Daddy, my 'young man's' name was Thomas! And he didn't just die! Someone killed him! Probably someone from the Centre!'
'Honey, there was never any proof of that! Now pull yourself together! The future of our family is riding on you keeping your cool.'
'Daddy, please, just humor me.' she begged, not wanting to tell him about her baby. But Jarod's ominous warning had made her more aware than ever, that she needed some sort of plan for this child. Some sort of future.
'We'll talk about it later. This isn't an easy thing for me to decide...I mean, you're all I have.'
'You'll have Brigitte and the baby. You'll have a new family. Daddy, you won't need me around anymore.'
Mr. Parker looked surprised, then relieved. He hugged her.
'Oh, honey! Is this what this is all about? You think I won't need you after your little brother or sister is born? Perish the thought! Now I really have to go!'
Mr. Parker let go of her and walked to the front door. He turned and smiled at her briefly, before walking out of it. Ms. Parker turned and sat down on the couch. She put her face in her hands.
Ms. Parker pulled herself together and marched over to Jarod and Sydney.
'What the hell are you talking about?' she asked.
Jarod looked at Sydney who shook his head, then scratched the back of it. Broots was still breathing heavily, against the wall.
'That creature is really Dr. Banner. The creature is why the Centre wants him.' Jarod answered.
Ms. Parker squinted at Jarod, before looking at Sydney, then back at Jarod again.
'So now, under your realm, we're what? We're recruiting REAL monsters? Like we don't have enough masquerading as humans in that godforsaken place? Speaking of, where is that wonderful brother of mine?'
All of them heard a moan from within the bathroom. Broots came away from the wall, as the four of them walked into the Men's bathroom. Lyle was on the floor and was just regaining consciousness.
He coughed and sputtered. No one offered to help him up.
'What happened? Where's Banner?' he sniffed.
'Gone.' Sydney said.
'Gone?' Lyle repeated. He then glared up at them.
'Hey! Scooby Gang! Someone help me up!'
Jarod reached his hand down and pulled Lyle up forcefully. It was too quickly, and Lyle felt light headed. He rubbed his temples, then looked at Jarod.
'What happened, Jarod? Why are the four of us left here in some Men's room with egg on our faces?'
Jarod was about to say something, when Ms. Parker moved in on Lyle.
'That's what I'd like to know.' she said, eyeing Lyle.
'Sis, this really isn't the time.'
'You're right. Because pretty soon, the police are going to want know what we were doing here, and what we saw and yadda, yadda, yadda! I'm getting out of here and when we get back on that damned plane, I want a full explanation as to why I was not told that this Banner guy was less than human!'
'I don't owe you anything, Parker! You were cut out of the loop because you've been slacking off, that's why!' Lyle snapped.
'When Daddy gets back...'
'IF he comes back! And if he does, his position will be severely down sized. You won't be able to hide behind his skirts when you screw up. You might just have to take your medicine for once...just like all of the rest of us.'
Lyle then looked from Ms. Parker to Jarod.
'We need another game plan.'
Jarod nodded. He was relieved that Lyle hadn't seemed to have figured out that this whole thing had been meant to fail.
'I agree. We've promised the Triumvirate a prized possession and we need to deliver.'
Sydney sighed.
'Banner could be anywhere by now. The trick to his transformation is the anger. Once he calms down, he'll return back to normal. But with the creature's strength and speed....well, there is no telling where he is now.'
Ms. Parker looked at Broots, who looked wide eyed and still very fearful. She then looked at Jarod and Sydney.
'So you have no plans to maybe help cure this man? I mean he wasn't born a creature.'
Lyle looked at her with disgust!
'Hell no! We are not in the 'curing' business, sis! God! For a minute there, you sounded like Jarod USED to be! Let's get the hell back to the plane and come up with another idea quick!'
Lyle then put an arm around Broots shoulders. Broots flinched, but was forced to move with him. He looked back at Sydney, who followed after them. Jarod started to leave too, but Ms. Parker reached out and grabbed his arm. Jarod sighed. He knew he was about to hear an earful. He turned back and gave her smirk.
'What? Another lecture about how you don't trust me?'
Ms. Parker looked into Jarod's eyes.
'Whatever used to be between us, where you ran and I chased, you had to know, deep down, that if and when we did catch up to you, you wouldn't have been mistreated...that I would've made sure that you weren't beaten or tortured or anything like that. Sydney as well.'
'And that thought always made up for the fact, that you had no business keeping me there in the first place.' Jarod said snidely.
Ms. Parker let go of his arm. Now she smirked and pointed at him.
'I knew it! I knew it!'
'Knew what, Ms. Parker?'
'Knew that you hadn't changed one damned bit! I could see it in your eyes just now. The anger and resentment...you're not really in with Lyle, are you?'
Jarod wasn't ready to play his hand yet, and probably never would be to her. He decided to do something unspeakable. Something that he hated. He forced himself to be deliberately cruel.
'Ms. Parker, I would back off.'
'Or what, Boy Genius? My days of taking orders from you and write-ups for a messy desk, are over!'
'If you tell your brother your suspicions, I'll just have to counter with my own.'
'Oh what? What? What could you possibly have on me? Nothing! Nada!' she sneered and pushed at him. Jarod just barely moved.
'I will tell him that your accusations are just ravings of a woman going through her first pregnancy. You are pregnant, aren't you, Ms. Parker?'
Jarod had not meant to say anything to her until she was showing. He had never had any doubts that she would keep the baby. He knew how much she had loved Thomas.
Ms. Parker backed off a bit.
'No! No, I'm not! Why would you make up something like that?! Just shut up!'
Jarod flinched. And it was not her words that made him do so, but her tone. Ms. Parker didn't sound mean now. Though she was putting her best foot forward. She sounded desperate.
'I tell Mr. Lyle of my suspicions, and he probably will make you submit to a Centre pregnancy test. You'll probably have the baby in SL 27 or something. I hear the stir ups are made of metal.'
Ms. Parker shoved him aside and walked out of the bathroom. She tried to quell the growing fear inside of her. Jarod had spoken the truth. Her baby would end up growing up and working at the Centre. Thomas would want to die again if he knew she had let something like that happen to their child.
Jarod, for his part, closed his eyes briefly before leaving the bathroom. It had to be done. He couldn't afford for Ms. Parker to go running her mouth to Lyle, this soon after their failure with Banner.
What neither Lyle, nor Sydney knew, was that Jarod had had his own plan all along. When Lyle fired those darts into Banner, they were not to knock out the creature. They were homing devices. He had counted on Banner's transformation. Jarod pulled out a small monitor from inside his jacket pocket and turned it on. A green blip appeared on the screen. Jarod could now keep tabs on Banner's location for some time. Until he could get to him and or find a way to help him.
****
Hours later, Ms. Parker opened the door to her house, still stunned by Jarod's threat earlier. She could not believe he threatened to tell Lyle about the baby! How did he even know?
Ms. Parker rolled her eyes. That was a stupid question. Jarod could probably diagnose a sick goat just by looking! She sighed and turned on a lamp. She then screamed!
'Angel, it's me!'
Ms. Parker looked her father up and down. He looked no worse for wear. She slowly made her way over to him.
'Daddy? Daddy, oh thank God you're safe!' she cried, hugging him hard. He hugged her briefly, before letting go of her.
'Safe enough for now. What is this crap I hear about Jarod and Lyle running the Centre? What the hell is going on?'
'Daddy, let me help you...and Brigitte. What can I do?'
'Angel, you can answer my question.'
Ms. Parker lurched away from him in a childish fit of rage!
'I don't want to talk about Jarod now! I've had it up to here with him! I can't tell you how nauseating it is having to work for him!'
Mr. Parker, seeing his daughter's distress, enveloped her back into his arms.
'There, there. It will be alright. Daddy is going to take care of everything...including Jarod. When I'm through with him, he'll be back in the sub-levels...where he belongs! Now, I just came back to see how you're holding up. Believe me, this arrangement won't be permanent. Your brother and Jarod will pay.'
'Lyle? Daddy, Lyle killed Raines, didn't he? I knew it! From day one I thought that creep had murder in his eyes!'
'I'll take care of everything, Angel. Now I really have to get going before I'm seen. You know that's how the Centre works. Someone's always watching.'
Ms. Parker touched her father's arm, as he began to move away. Mr. Parker looked at her quizzically.
'What is it, Angel? What's bothering you?'
'Daddy...if I help you get rid of Jarod and Lyle...can I leave the Centre.'
Mr. Parker looked confused. He removed her hand from his arm.
'Angel, I thought we were through with this kind of talk...you know, after your young man died.'
'Daddy, my 'young man's' name was Thomas! And he didn't just die! Someone killed him! Probably someone from the Centre!'
'Honey, there was never any proof of that! Now pull yourself together! The future of our family is riding on you keeping your cool.'
'Daddy, please, just humor me.' she begged, not wanting to tell him about her baby. But Jarod's ominous warning had made her more aware than ever, that she needed some sort of plan for this child. Some sort of future.
'We'll talk about it later. This isn't an easy thing for me to decide...I mean, you're all I have.'
'You'll have Brigitte and the baby. You'll have a new family. Daddy, you won't need me around anymore.'
Mr. Parker looked surprised, then relieved. He hugged her.
'Oh, honey! Is this what this is all about? You think I won't need you after your little brother or sister is born? Perish the thought! Now I really have to go!'
Mr. Parker let go of her and walked to the front door. He turned and smiled at her briefly, before walking out of it. Ms. Parker turned and sat down on the couch. She put her face in her hands.
