A/n thanks again to Onisius.....
Sunday Night Sydney's House
This had been by far one of the longest weekends Sydney had ever experienced in his adult life. He was torn. He was desperate to see Jarod, but he knew forcing the issue would only make matters worse. He had barely slept, his wild nightmares of what was being done to Jarod had kept him awake. He was almost sick with fear. He knew that Jarod would resist, and that would only make things harder on him. The only comfort he had was that Raines had promised that he would see Jarod soon. Sydney hoped that that meant they wouldn't dare inflict too much damage on Jarod.
Sydney knew that Jarod would never cooperate with them. In his years of freedom, he had learnt to hate The Centre. He would rather die than allow his work to be used to hurt more people. Sydney recalled that phone call, not long after Jarod had first escaped. Jarod had listed the sims that had been used to hurt and kill people. Sydney could still remember the anger in his voice, and the pain underneath it. He feared the lengths that they would go to, to ensure Jarod's cooperation. And he also knew that Jarod would not give them that cooperation. He was afraid of what it would cost Jarod to refuse.
All of Jarod's life, Sydney had at best, stood by and done nothing. How many times had he turned a blind eye in the name of research? How many times had he stood back, doing nothing to prevent what he knew to be wrong? All the old excuses now seemed hollow. How many times had he done nothing to prevent some new outrage to be inflicted on Jarod, believing that he was protecting him from worse? He had somehow managed to justify everything he had done, or not done, cloaking it in the miserable excuse of...."well he could have been worse off".
But not this time. Somehow he was going to make a difference this time, even if it meant giving up his own life. Jarod deserved some kind of real life. And Sydney was going to do everything in his power to ensure that. He did not know yet what he planned to do, but he would not allow Raines to destroy Jarod. Of this much, if nothing else, he was certain.
The phone rang. He picked it up. "This is Sydney........yes......I will be there in an hour."
His heart was beating faster. He had a summons from Lyle. He would be allowed to see Jarod. He prepared to leave. During the drive, excitement and fear were each chasing through him. He brutally clamped his emotions down. He needed to be level headed. He did not know what to expect, but he knew that he had to get some objectivity back. He could not afford to be openly hostile in front of Lyle and Raines. He had to appear to at least be willing to work with them. He could not allow them to see the depth of his feelings for Jarod. By the time he pulled up at The Centre, he appeared nothing more than a professional who was excited at the prospect of a new and interesting case.
As Sydney entered the lobby, he saw Cox waiting for him.
"This way please Doctor" he instructed as he ushered Sydney into a waiting elevator car.
Sydney followed him in but made no effort at any conversation. He watched closely as Cox entered a code into the elevator keypad, but was unable to see the digits. They rode down in silence.
As they exited at SL-27, Cox turned and smiled at Sydney.
"I hope you like what we have done down here doctor" Cox was pleased with Sydney's apparent shock over the newly renovated sub level. "I imagine it is not quite what you expected."
They had made their way to a door. Sydney was yet to speak. Cox paused and indicated that Sydney should open the door.
"It's always a pleasure to confer with colleagues doctor, I am sure your insights will be invaluable."
Sydney opened the door and entered a small room. He was not surprised to see Raines and Lyle already there. Along one wall was a darkened window.
"Ahh, Sydney, glad you could join us" Lyle was almost bouncing with glee. "Please sit down."
"Where is Jarod? I want to see him."
Lyle ignored Sydney's abrupt tone and continued.
"In a moment, but first we need to get a few things straight." He then flicked a switch and the window brightened.
Sydney barely repressed a strangled cry as he saw Jarod strapped down to a table thrashing and moaning. He made a move towards the door, only to be stopped as Lyle's hand grabbed his upper arm.
"Please stay. I want you to watch this. You need to understand how things are going to be. Why don't you make yourself comfortable."
Sydney allowed himself to be guided into an empty chair. He did not take his eyes off Jarod.
"Lyle, what have you done to him?"
But it was Cox who answered.
"Nothing really, we have introduced some drug cocktails...." He saw Sydney's sharp look, and he continued "...but don't worry, there will be no permanent damage. He is suffering from some very intense nightmares and I hear the nausea afterwards is very severe. But I assure you, he will be more or less back to normal after the treatment has run it's course."
"You call this 'treatment'?" Sydney's outrage was complete. "This is nothing but torture!" All of Sydney's carefully constructed professionalism was gone. "You must know by now that you cannot coerce him this way. He will resist you even until death."
"That's exactly right" Lyle purred. "That is why we need you Syd."
"You are insane if you think I will help you with this" Sydney was looking at Jarod.
Lyle was on his feet now, very close to the older man. Almost whispering in his ear.
"Oh, we will have your help Sydney. Because if you don't get the genius working, this is only the beginning of what we will do to him. He thinks he has suffered, always bemoaning how unfair his life has been, well he has no idea just how bad things can really get."
Sydney closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was almost too afraid to ask.
"What will you do to him?" It was barely a whisper.
Lyle looked at Raines and then at Cox.
"We will do whatever we please. I believe Mr Cox has some innovative ideas on research for pain thresholds...."
"Not even you Lyle, would go that far."
"Don't count on that Sydney.....an uncooperative Jarod is the same as ......a dead Jarod......If he is not willing to work.....he is of no use to us.......But his genetics are invaluable......now you have a choice......either help get him working.....or abandon him to Lyle and Cox......" Raines finished with a laugh that sounded more like a cough.
Sydney was defeated. He looked up at Lyle. "May I go to him?"
"Why of course you can" and he opened the door for Sydney.
Sydney entered the room and moved over to the table. There were tears in his eyes. He looked down at Jarod who had stopped thrashing for the moment, but was making small anxious noises. He brushed the hair back from Jarod's sweaty brow. Jarod made no move to indicate that he was aware of Sydney's presence.
"Ohhh, Jarod, what are they doing to you? I am so sorry."
Lyle and Cox entered the room.
"It's time to go now Syd. Mr Cox here will explain some of the basic ground rules, but I am sure you have got the picture."
Lyle put up his hand as he saw that Sydney was about to protest.
"Sorry Syd." he gestured to the sweepers who came and unstrapped Jarod and dragged him from the room. ".....go with Cox, get a schedule worked out, you two are going to be working closely together on this one. But right now I got some work to be doing myself." And with that he left the room, following Jarod and the sweepers.
Sydney followed Cox to what appeared to be a huge sim lab, complete with an office for Sydney. He was still in a state of shock and was not taking in any of Cox's inane babble. After a brief tour, Cox suggested that perhaps Sydney would be better off going home and thinking about he wished to proceed. After escorting him back to the lobby, Cox returned to speak with Raines.
Sydney stood in the lobby for quite some time before he had the presence of mind to make his way home. He was desperate to believe that Jarod would be okay, but he knew that Lyle would do anything to get him working again. Sydney loathed the idea that he would allow himself to be used by Lyle against Jarod, but the alternative was so unthinkable. Lyle had said that he had till Monday morning to think about it, but Sydney already knew that he could not allow Lyle to hurt Jarod anymore. He knew that he would do anything to save Jarod from more pain, even betraying his trust.
When Cox rejoined Raines, he could see that Raines was happy with the way the session had gone. Raines was very pleased with Sydney's reaction, there was no doubt in either man's mind, that Sydney would cooperate. All they needed was a little bit of pressure exerted, and they practically owned Sydney. They knew that eventually they would get their Pretender working, it was now just a matter of time. After tying up a few things, they both left the sub level, very happy with the days progress. Project Jarod had gotten off to an impressive start, and now Raines could turn his attention to the problem of his daughter.
The 'treatments' continued, leaving Jarod sicker and weaker each time. By the time he woke in his cell on Monday morning, he no longer cared if he lived or died.
Monday Mr Raines Office
Miss Parker strode into the Chairman's office, confident and exuding power. There was no evidence of the emotional turmoil that had raged through her over the weekend. She sat down opposite her father and calmly waited for him to start.
"I am very proud of you......"
She smiled in acknowledgement of the compliment.
"Now that Jarod is back....."
"I am free to leave" she interrupted him.
Raines shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, he is back, but he is not cooperating..."
"Wait one damn minute" she was on her feet now, hands on her hips. "We had a deal. I brought back your Boy Wonder and I want out."
Raines was clearly losing patience. He did not like being dictated to.
"That deal was with Mr Parker....."
The strength went out of her with that comment.
"What are you saying? Jarod's pursuit is over. There is no need for me to be here anymore." But she knew she was fighting a losing battle.
"Yes....the pursuit is over.....but I have a new deal for you......you help get Jarod working....and then you can be done with it......" he knew he had her now.
"And if I go anyway?"
"Well there would be......consequences..."
She couldn't believe it. She should have known better. Of course he was going to renege on the deal. She looked at him with utter loathing. Her gun was in her hand before she had made a conscious decision to use it. She buried the barrel in Raines' chest.
"You son of a bitch. I should kill you right now!"
Raines' watery eyes didn't even blink. They both stood there, a moment frozen in time.
"Consequences......Miss Parker......consequences...." he finally wheezed out.
She tore her eyes away from his and looked down at the gun, quickly weighing up whether the consequences would be worth it. Could she kill her own father? But he was not just her father, he was the man that had killed her mother. She slowly replaced the gun to its holster.
"Wise decision." Raines let out a shallow raspy breath.
She put her fists on his desk and leaned in very closely, almost touching his face.
"I help to get Jarod working, and I am out. Not negotiable. If you try to pull anything, I will show you what consequences really mean. Are we understood?"
"Lyle is in charge of the.... project, and I will not allow you .......to undermine...."
Her eyes flashed.
"I will get him working, and then I am gone."
"You get Jarod working.... and you have my personal guarantee..."
She stormed out his office before he could finish and made her way to her own.
As she entered the elevator, her eyes involuntarily sought out the corner. It was no longer there. Someone had finally fixed the hole, but she could feel it's presence. It was almost like a living thing. She resisted glancing upwards again. And for the first time, she thought that she really understood how trapped her mother had felt. How desperate she must have been to have taken such extreme measures. The knowledge that the suicide had not been real did little to dispel Parker's unease.
She entered her office and slumped down in the chair. She had known that he wouldn't let her go. But she had not wanted to face the reality of it. She had considered trying to slip away, but she knew that they would find her. So now she was stuck here and she had sold Jarod into slavery for nothing. Despair was eating at her. She knew that Jarod would never cooperate with them and she imagined that they both would be here the rest of their lives, both trapped in their own private hell.
She didn't believe that Raines would let her go, even if Jarod was cooperating. She could not see a way out. She took the photo of her mother and silently asked it "Oh momma, what am I going to do?"
"Parker", Sydney popped his head in through her door.
She looked up from her desk and sighed heavily.
"What do you want Syd?" She was preparing herself for another fight.
"Have you seen Jarod yet?"
This was not what she was expecting.
"No"
"Lyle and Cox have him down on SL-27"
"What?"
Sydney informed Parker about what had been going on with Jarod and what Lyle and Cox were expecting from him. She then relayed what went on with her meeting with Raines. After both stories were told, Parker looked at Sydney and asked "So you are going to help them? You are going to try to get Jarod working?" She watched the emotions run across his face, the sadness in his eyes, the internal battle that he was waging. Finally he answered.
"Yes. What other choice do I have? I cannot leave him in their hands. It is the only thing I can think to do to protect him." He was almost begging for her understanding. "What else can I do?"
He looked down at his hands and neither of them said anything for a while.
"What are you going to do Parker?" he finally asked.
"I don't want to face him Syd" she finally spoke in a voice so low that Sydney was not sure he hadn't imagined it.
She looked up at him, and he was reminded of when she was a little girl. She seemed so alone and so vulnerable. There was nothing in her at this moment of that hard woman he was so used to. He gently took her hand. She made a move to snatch it away. But he held firm and looked into her eyes.
"You have to do this. I know it will be hard, but if you care about him at all, you will need all of your strength. For your own sake, as well as Jarod's, you need to be strong. We both do. We must behave in the way that they expect us to. It's the only thing we can do. Otherwise.....we will all be damned."
SL-27
The lock disengaged and Jarod looked up. Sam was there with a tray and a bottle of water.
"How you feeling Jarod?" he sniggered.
Jarod looked up at him apathetically. He was exhausted. His body was aching from the mistreatment he had suffered and his stomach from the endless bouts of retching. His throat was burning and his wrists looked like they might be infected.
Sam looked down at him. "Eat" he instructed.
When Jarod made no move to touch the food, despite the demands his stomach was making, Sam moved over and leaned down towards him.
"Eat!" Sam raised his hand, but lowered it when he saw Jarod flinch. He left the cell with a satisfied smile.
Jarod poked at the food. He was hungry, but he had to force himself to finish it. Gagging on almost every mouthful, each one reminding him of that which he could no longer have. What he really needed was some solid sleep. His body was yearning for it.
He heard the lock disengage again and looked up, expecting to see Willie and Sam. He was surprised to see Lyle. He backed up uneasily into the corner.
"Good morning Jarod."
Jarod slowly stood up, grimacing as he did so. Sam entered, quickly followed by Willie. Willie made a move toward the cornered Pretender, handcuffs at the ready.
"There will be no need for those Willie". Willie paused, clearly surprised.
"But Mr Lyle....." he started.
"Jarod, I want you to come with me..."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
Willie started to move forward again.
"I said, that won't be necessary. Jarod is going to come with us, he is not going to resist. Are you Jarod? I want a doctor to look at those wrists of yours. They look pretty bad."
Willie looked over at Sam and then to Jarod who was as clearly confused by the situation as they were.
"Mr Cox wont like this" Sam stated.
"I don't care what Cox likes or not. We are going to the infirmary. Now Jarod, you can either come with me, or they can drag you. But we are going."
Jarod moved forward, but Willie did not move. After a deadly look from Lyle, Willie finally stepped back. Jarod followed Lyle out of the cell and was flanked by the two sweepers, but they did not touch him. He was not sure what Lyle was up too, but he was very suspicious.
"What's going on?"
"I'm taking you to the doctor. You need some treatment." Lyle spoke as if he was explaining a complex problem to a ten year old.
They entered what appeared to be some kind of medical room. Jarod hesitated at the door when he saw the surgical table. But Lyle gently grabbed his arm and urged him forward.
"It will be alright. No-one will hurt you while I am here."
Jarod relaxed a degree. He sat on the table as he was instructed to, and a doctor came over to examine him. After a shot of some penicillin, the doctor cleaned both of Jarod's wrists and gently wrapped them in bandages.
Cox stormed in. "What the hell is going on here?"
Lyle stood up to face him. "He needs some medical attention. He is no good to us dead. And I don't want any hard restraints used on him until those wrists are fully healed."
"You don't have any say in what goes on down here. He is my project now and your interference will not be tolerated."
The fight continued. Jarod felt as if he had stepped through some weird osmotic lens. He couldn't believe that Lyle was defending him. A memory surfaced of Lyle and kindness, but Jarod shook his head. He must be confusing reality and his experiences under the influence of the drugs they had been pumping into him. Perhaps he was drugged now. That would explain Lyle's behaviour. He shook his head again.
"We will see about that." Cox nodded to Sam and Willie and they grabbed Jarod, tore him from the table and dragged him out the room. But they did not attempt to put the cuffs on him. As they dragged him down the hall, he looked back to see Lyle sadly shaking his head. They reached the now familiar room and Jarod was once again left to the tender mercies of his endless nightmares.
Lyle and Cox watched Jarod from the surveillance room. They were both exceptionally pleased with how things were going. Lyle was chortling with laughter.
Miss Parker's Office
Broots had joined Sydney and Parker in her office.
"What's the news Broots?" Sydney asked.
Broots looked nervously over at Parker and then back at Sydney.
"Well. I can't get in. The system is completely secure. I need to actually be down there....and even then.... I don't know."
Parker was pacing now. "There's got to be some way in. You're just not trying hard enough."
"You don't understand Miss Parker. This is airtight. I've never seen anything like it before." Broots was looking morosely at the floor. He finally admitted. "I don't think I can do it."
Both Sydney and Parker looked at him in shock. Never before had he admitted defeat so completely. Sydney stood up, he was clearly frustrated.
"But, I did find these." Broots held up two DSAs. "Well, it was more like they found me."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Parker snatched them out of his hands.
"They were sitting on my desk."
"Lyle, he wanted us to see what has been going on." Parker surmised.
They watched the discs, showing Jarod undergoing his 'treatments', and Jarod in his cell, fighting with the sweepers. Parker was sickened by what she saw. And she knew now, that she could no longer avoid that turning point. She had been fooling herself up until now. It was time to choose and she knew that she could not be a party to this. Raines would never let her go, but she would make him pay. They would do what had to be done to save Jarod from Lyle in the short term, and in the long term, somehow they would get Jarod out.
"Every minute we waste up here, they are hurting Jarod down there. I have to get down there and if it means getting him to cooperate and work on their damnable sims, then that is what I am going to do. Parker, are you with me?"
"Syd, you know he won't do it. He won't give in, he will force them to destroy him."
"Don't you think I know that? That is why we have to do it." Sydney sat back down, his outburst apparently over. "We have to save him from himself. I don't care what it takes, I will not let Lyle destroy him."
"But, what can we do? "
"We have to get him to do the sims."
"But you will be playing right into their hands. That's what they want."
"I don't care!" Sydney was shouting now. "I just don't want him hurt."
"Syd, you are not making any sense. Jarod is not going to just roll over and do what you tell him."
Sydney had calmed down somewhat. "I know. I know that. But I will find a way. I don't know how yet, and I don't know what they have planned, but we have to get him working."
The week went by, and neither Parker nor Sydney were allowed to see Jarod. They spent much of their time taking nature walks in the hybrid biotracts, safely away from the ever-present cameras. Sydney was getting more desperate by the day to see Jarod. But over the course of the week, they had been working hard on ways of getting Jarod to cooperate. Sydney and Parker knew that he would not give in easily, but the two of them were also a formidable force. And they were both determined to keep Jarod alive.
Sunday Night Sydney's House
This had been by far one of the longest weekends Sydney had ever experienced in his adult life. He was torn. He was desperate to see Jarod, but he knew forcing the issue would only make matters worse. He had barely slept, his wild nightmares of what was being done to Jarod had kept him awake. He was almost sick with fear. He knew that Jarod would resist, and that would only make things harder on him. The only comfort he had was that Raines had promised that he would see Jarod soon. Sydney hoped that that meant they wouldn't dare inflict too much damage on Jarod.
Sydney knew that Jarod would never cooperate with them. In his years of freedom, he had learnt to hate The Centre. He would rather die than allow his work to be used to hurt more people. Sydney recalled that phone call, not long after Jarod had first escaped. Jarod had listed the sims that had been used to hurt and kill people. Sydney could still remember the anger in his voice, and the pain underneath it. He feared the lengths that they would go to, to ensure Jarod's cooperation. And he also knew that Jarod would not give them that cooperation. He was afraid of what it would cost Jarod to refuse.
All of Jarod's life, Sydney had at best, stood by and done nothing. How many times had he turned a blind eye in the name of research? How many times had he stood back, doing nothing to prevent what he knew to be wrong? All the old excuses now seemed hollow. How many times had he done nothing to prevent some new outrage to be inflicted on Jarod, believing that he was protecting him from worse? He had somehow managed to justify everything he had done, or not done, cloaking it in the miserable excuse of...."well he could have been worse off".
But not this time. Somehow he was going to make a difference this time, even if it meant giving up his own life. Jarod deserved some kind of real life. And Sydney was going to do everything in his power to ensure that. He did not know yet what he planned to do, but he would not allow Raines to destroy Jarod. Of this much, if nothing else, he was certain.
The phone rang. He picked it up. "This is Sydney........yes......I will be there in an hour."
His heart was beating faster. He had a summons from Lyle. He would be allowed to see Jarod. He prepared to leave. During the drive, excitement and fear were each chasing through him. He brutally clamped his emotions down. He needed to be level headed. He did not know what to expect, but he knew that he had to get some objectivity back. He could not afford to be openly hostile in front of Lyle and Raines. He had to appear to at least be willing to work with them. He could not allow them to see the depth of his feelings for Jarod. By the time he pulled up at The Centre, he appeared nothing more than a professional who was excited at the prospect of a new and interesting case.
As Sydney entered the lobby, he saw Cox waiting for him.
"This way please Doctor" he instructed as he ushered Sydney into a waiting elevator car.
Sydney followed him in but made no effort at any conversation. He watched closely as Cox entered a code into the elevator keypad, but was unable to see the digits. They rode down in silence.
As they exited at SL-27, Cox turned and smiled at Sydney.
"I hope you like what we have done down here doctor" Cox was pleased with Sydney's apparent shock over the newly renovated sub level. "I imagine it is not quite what you expected."
They had made their way to a door. Sydney was yet to speak. Cox paused and indicated that Sydney should open the door.
"It's always a pleasure to confer with colleagues doctor, I am sure your insights will be invaluable."
Sydney opened the door and entered a small room. He was not surprised to see Raines and Lyle already there. Along one wall was a darkened window.
"Ahh, Sydney, glad you could join us" Lyle was almost bouncing with glee. "Please sit down."
"Where is Jarod? I want to see him."
Lyle ignored Sydney's abrupt tone and continued.
"In a moment, but first we need to get a few things straight." He then flicked a switch and the window brightened.
Sydney barely repressed a strangled cry as he saw Jarod strapped down to a table thrashing and moaning. He made a move towards the door, only to be stopped as Lyle's hand grabbed his upper arm.
"Please stay. I want you to watch this. You need to understand how things are going to be. Why don't you make yourself comfortable."
Sydney allowed himself to be guided into an empty chair. He did not take his eyes off Jarod.
"Lyle, what have you done to him?"
But it was Cox who answered.
"Nothing really, we have introduced some drug cocktails...." He saw Sydney's sharp look, and he continued "...but don't worry, there will be no permanent damage. He is suffering from some very intense nightmares and I hear the nausea afterwards is very severe. But I assure you, he will be more or less back to normal after the treatment has run it's course."
"You call this 'treatment'?" Sydney's outrage was complete. "This is nothing but torture!" All of Sydney's carefully constructed professionalism was gone. "You must know by now that you cannot coerce him this way. He will resist you even until death."
"That's exactly right" Lyle purred. "That is why we need you Syd."
"You are insane if you think I will help you with this" Sydney was looking at Jarod.
Lyle was on his feet now, very close to the older man. Almost whispering in his ear.
"Oh, we will have your help Sydney. Because if you don't get the genius working, this is only the beginning of what we will do to him. He thinks he has suffered, always bemoaning how unfair his life has been, well he has no idea just how bad things can really get."
Sydney closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was almost too afraid to ask.
"What will you do to him?" It was barely a whisper.
Lyle looked at Raines and then at Cox.
"We will do whatever we please. I believe Mr Cox has some innovative ideas on research for pain thresholds...."
"Not even you Lyle, would go that far."
"Don't count on that Sydney.....an uncooperative Jarod is the same as ......a dead Jarod......If he is not willing to work.....he is of no use to us.......But his genetics are invaluable......now you have a choice......either help get him working.....or abandon him to Lyle and Cox......" Raines finished with a laugh that sounded more like a cough.
Sydney was defeated. He looked up at Lyle. "May I go to him?"
"Why of course you can" and he opened the door for Sydney.
Sydney entered the room and moved over to the table. There were tears in his eyes. He looked down at Jarod who had stopped thrashing for the moment, but was making small anxious noises. He brushed the hair back from Jarod's sweaty brow. Jarod made no move to indicate that he was aware of Sydney's presence.
"Ohhh, Jarod, what are they doing to you? I am so sorry."
Lyle and Cox entered the room.
"It's time to go now Syd. Mr Cox here will explain some of the basic ground rules, but I am sure you have got the picture."
Lyle put up his hand as he saw that Sydney was about to protest.
"Sorry Syd." he gestured to the sweepers who came and unstrapped Jarod and dragged him from the room. ".....go with Cox, get a schedule worked out, you two are going to be working closely together on this one. But right now I got some work to be doing myself." And with that he left the room, following Jarod and the sweepers.
Sydney followed Cox to what appeared to be a huge sim lab, complete with an office for Sydney. He was still in a state of shock and was not taking in any of Cox's inane babble. After a brief tour, Cox suggested that perhaps Sydney would be better off going home and thinking about he wished to proceed. After escorting him back to the lobby, Cox returned to speak with Raines.
Sydney stood in the lobby for quite some time before he had the presence of mind to make his way home. He was desperate to believe that Jarod would be okay, but he knew that Lyle would do anything to get him working again. Sydney loathed the idea that he would allow himself to be used by Lyle against Jarod, but the alternative was so unthinkable. Lyle had said that he had till Monday morning to think about it, but Sydney already knew that he could not allow Lyle to hurt Jarod anymore. He knew that he would do anything to save Jarod from more pain, even betraying his trust.
When Cox rejoined Raines, he could see that Raines was happy with the way the session had gone. Raines was very pleased with Sydney's reaction, there was no doubt in either man's mind, that Sydney would cooperate. All they needed was a little bit of pressure exerted, and they practically owned Sydney. They knew that eventually they would get their Pretender working, it was now just a matter of time. After tying up a few things, they both left the sub level, very happy with the days progress. Project Jarod had gotten off to an impressive start, and now Raines could turn his attention to the problem of his daughter.
The 'treatments' continued, leaving Jarod sicker and weaker each time. By the time he woke in his cell on Monday morning, he no longer cared if he lived or died.
Monday Mr Raines Office
Miss Parker strode into the Chairman's office, confident and exuding power. There was no evidence of the emotional turmoil that had raged through her over the weekend. She sat down opposite her father and calmly waited for him to start.
"I am very proud of you......"
She smiled in acknowledgement of the compliment.
"Now that Jarod is back....."
"I am free to leave" she interrupted him.
Raines shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, he is back, but he is not cooperating..."
"Wait one damn minute" she was on her feet now, hands on her hips. "We had a deal. I brought back your Boy Wonder and I want out."
Raines was clearly losing patience. He did not like being dictated to.
"That deal was with Mr Parker....."
The strength went out of her with that comment.
"What are you saying? Jarod's pursuit is over. There is no need for me to be here anymore." But she knew she was fighting a losing battle.
"Yes....the pursuit is over.....but I have a new deal for you......you help get Jarod working....and then you can be done with it......" he knew he had her now.
"And if I go anyway?"
"Well there would be......consequences..."
She couldn't believe it. She should have known better. Of course he was going to renege on the deal. She looked at him with utter loathing. Her gun was in her hand before she had made a conscious decision to use it. She buried the barrel in Raines' chest.
"You son of a bitch. I should kill you right now!"
Raines' watery eyes didn't even blink. They both stood there, a moment frozen in time.
"Consequences......Miss Parker......consequences...." he finally wheezed out.
She tore her eyes away from his and looked down at the gun, quickly weighing up whether the consequences would be worth it. Could she kill her own father? But he was not just her father, he was the man that had killed her mother. She slowly replaced the gun to its holster.
"Wise decision." Raines let out a shallow raspy breath.
She put her fists on his desk and leaned in very closely, almost touching his face.
"I help to get Jarod working, and I am out. Not negotiable. If you try to pull anything, I will show you what consequences really mean. Are we understood?"
"Lyle is in charge of the.... project, and I will not allow you .......to undermine...."
Her eyes flashed.
"I will get him working, and then I am gone."
"You get Jarod working.... and you have my personal guarantee..."
She stormed out his office before he could finish and made her way to her own.
As she entered the elevator, her eyes involuntarily sought out the corner. It was no longer there. Someone had finally fixed the hole, but she could feel it's presence. It was almost like a living thing. She resisted glancing upwards again. And for the first time, she thought that she really understood how trapped her mother had felt. How desperate she must have been to have taken such extreme measures. The knowledge that the suicide had not been real did little to dispel Parker's unease.
She entered her office and slumped down in the chair. She had known that he wouldn't let her go. But she had not wanted to face the reality of it. She had considered trying to slip away, but she knew that they would find her. So now she was stuck here and she had sold Jarod into slavery for nothing. Despair was eating at her. She knew that Jarod would never cooperate with them and she imagined that they both would be here the rest of their lives, both trapped in their own private hell.
She didn't believe that Raines would let her go, even if Jarod was cooperating. She could not see a way out. She took the photo of her mother and silently asked it "Oh momma, what am I going to do?"
"Parker", Sydney popped his head in through her door.
She looked up from her desk and sighed heavily.
"What do you want Syd?" She was preparing herself for another fight.
"Have you seen Jarod yet?"
This was not what she was expecting.
"No"
"Lyle and Cox have him down on SL-27"
"What?"
Sydney informed Parker about what had been going on with Jarod and what Lyle and Cox were expecting from him. She then relayed what went on with her meeting with Raines. After both stories were told, Parker looked at Sydney and asked "So you are going to help them? You are going to try to get Jarod working?" She watched the emotions run across his face, the sadness in his eyes, the internal battle that he was waging. Finally he answered.
"Yes. What other choice do I have? I cannot leave him in their hands. It is the only thing I can think to do to protect him." He was almost begging for her understanding. "What else can I do?"
He looked down at his hands and neither of them said anything for a while.
"What are you going to do Parker?" he finally asked.
"I don't want to face him Syd" she finally spoke in a voice so low that Sydney was not sure he hadn't imagined it.
She looked up at him, and he was reminded of when she was a little girl. She seemed so alone and so vulnerable. There was nothing in her at this moment of that hard woman he was so used to. He gently took her hand. She made a move to snatch it away. But he held firm and looked into her eyes.
"You have to do this. I know it will be hard, but if you care about him at all, you will need all of your strength. For your own sake, as well as Jarod's, you need to be strong. We both do. We must behave in the way that they expect us to. It's the only thing we can do. Otherwise.....we will all be damned."
SL-27
The lock disengaged and Jarod looked up. Sam was there with a tray and a bottle of water.
"How you feeling Jarod?" he sniggered.
Jarod looked up at him apathetically. He was exhausted. His body was aching from the mistreatment he had suffered and his stomach from the endless bouts of retching. His throat was burning and his wrists looked like they might be infected.
Sam looked down at him. "Eat" he instructed.
When Jarod made no move to touch the food, despite the demands his stomach was making, Sam moved over and leaned down towards him.
"Eat!" Sam raised his hand, but lowered it when he saw Jarod flinch. He left the cell with a satisfied smile.
Jarod poked at the food. He was hungry, but he had to force himself to finish it. Gagging on almost every mouthful, each one reminding him of that which he could no longer have. What he really needed was some solid sleep. His body was yearning for it.
He heard the lock disengage again and looked up, expecting to see Willie and Sam. He was surprised to see Lyle. He backed up uneasily into the corner.
"Good morning Jarod."
Jarod slowly stood up, grimacing as he did so. Sam entered, quickly followed by Willie. Willie made a move toward the cornered Pretender, handcuffs at the ready.
"There will be no need for those Willie". Willie paused, clearly surprised.
"But Mr Lyle....." he started.
"Jarod, I want you to come with me..."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
Willie started to move forward again.
"I said, that won't be necessary. Jarod is going to come with us, he is not going to resist. Are you Jarod? I want a doctor to look at those wrists of yours. They look pretty bad."
Willie looked over at Sam and then to Jarod who was as clearly confused by the situation as they were.
"Mr Cox wont like this" Sam stated.
"I don't care what Cox likes or not. We are going to the infirmary. Now Jarod, you can either come with me, or they can drag you. But we are going."
Jarod moved forward, but Willie did not move. After a deadly look from Lyle, Willie finally stepped back. Jarod followed Lyle out of the cell and was flanked by the two sweepers, but they did not touch him. He was not sure what Lyle was up too, but he was very suspicious.
"What's going on?"
"I'm taking you to the doctor. You need some treatment." Lyle spoke as if he was explaining a complex problem to a ten year old.
They entered what appeared to be some kind of medical room. Jarod hesitated at the door when he saw the surgical table. But Lyle gently grabbed his arm and urged him forward.
"It will be alright. No-one will hurt you while I am here."
Jarod relaxed a degree. He sat on the table as he was instructed to, and a doctor came over to examine him. After a shot of some penicillin, the doctor cleaned both of Jarod's wrists and gently wrapped them in bandages.
Cox stormed in. "What the hell is going on here?"
Lyle stood up to face him. "He needs some medical attention. He is no good to us dead. And I don't want any hard restraints used on him until those wrists are fully healed."
"You don't have any say in what goes on down here. He is my project now and your interference will not be tolerated."
The fight continued. Jarod felt as if he had stepped through some weird osmotic lens. He couldn't believe that Lyle was defending him. A memory surfaced of Lyle and kindness, but Jarod shook his head. He must be confusing reality and his experiences under the influence of the drugs they had been pumping into him. Perhaps he was drugged now. That would explain Lyle's behaviour. He shook his head again.
"We will see about that." Cox nodded to Sam and Willie and they grabbed Jarod, tore him from the table and dragged him out the room. But they did not attempt to put the cuffs on him. As they dragged him down the hall, he looked back to see Lyle sadly shaking his head. They reached the now familiar room and Jarod was once again left to the tender mercies of his endless nightmares.
Lyle and Cox watched Jarod from the surveillance room. They were both exceptionally pleased with how things were going. Lyle was chortling with laughter.
Miss Parker's Office
Broots had joined Sydney and Parker in her office.
"What's the news Broots?" Sydney asked.
Broots looked nervously over at Parker and then back at Sydney.
"Well. I can't get in. The system is completely secure. I need to actually be down there....and even then.... I don't know."
Parker was pacing now. "There's got to be some way in. You're just not trying hard enough."
"You don't understand Miss Parker. This is airtight. I've never seen anything like it before." Broots was looking morosely at the floor. He finally admitted. "I don't think I can do it."
Both Sydney and Parker looked at him in shock. Never before had he admitted defeat so completely. Sydney stood up, he was clearly frustrated.
"But, I did find these." Broots held up two DSAs. "Well, it was more like they found me."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Parker snatched them out of his hands.
"They were sitting on my desk."
"Lyle, he wanted us to see what has been going on." Parker surmised.
They watched the discs, showing Jarod undergoing his 'treatments', and Jarod in his cell, fighting with the sweepers. Parker was sickened by what she saw. And she knew now, that she could no longer avoid that turning point. She had been fooling herself up until now. It was time to choose and she knew that she could not be a party to this. Raines would never let her go, but she would make him pay. They would do what had to be done to save Jarod from Lyle in the short term, and in the long term, somehow they would get Jarod out.
"Every minute we waste up here, they are hurting Jarod down there. I have to get down there and if it means getting him to cooperate and work on their damnable sims, then that is what I am going to do. Parker, are you with me?"
"Syd, you know he won't do it. He won't give in, he will force them to destroy him."
"Don't you think I know that? That is why we have to do it." Sydney sat back down, his outburst apparently over. "We have to save him from himself. I don't care what it takes, I will not let Lyle destroy him."
"But, what can we do? "
"We have to get him to do the sims."
"But you will be playing right into their hands. That's what they want."
"I don't care!" Sydney was shouting now. "I just don't want him hurt."
"Syd, you are not making any sense. Jarod is not going to just roll over and do what you tell him."
Sydney had calmed down somewhat. "I know. I know that. But I will find a way. I don't know how yet, and I don't know what they have planned, but we have to get him working."
The week went by, and neither Parker nor Sydney were allowed to see Jarod. They spent much of their time taking nature walks in the hybrid biotracts, safely away from the ever-present cameras. Sydney was getting more desperate by the day to see Jarod. But over the course of the week, they had been working hard on ways of getting Jarod to cooperate. Sydney and Parker knew that he would not give in easily, but the two of them were also a formidable force. And they were both determined to keep Jarod alive.