CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
Miss Parker now went through the process of finding names for her offspring, since Jarod had no choice in naming his or her children. Charles, Emily, or Kyle would have put them in danger. Miss Parker did not want any of the children named after the Parkers
so she asked Lewison for suggestions. He told her not to call them after symbols or characteristics. The New Species were not primitive, for all their predatory nature. In the future, when history recorded them, mankind must not think of them with painted
bodies, kilts, and bones through their noses or even with long hair in braids and fringed garments, the men wearing swords. She decided on Adrian, Olivia, Jarvis, and Patricia, the last after a great aunt of Catherine Parker.
A day after she gave birth, she and Jarod talked about having the children baptized.
"I don't; remember mine," he said, "but considering I've changed, perhaps that fact kept me from killing more than I would have."
"I doubt it," said Miss Parker, "but it would embarrass Raines and my brother's face to see that I'm not hiding the babies in the cellar."
"Yes the cellar. If the Centre had a large HDTV down there, perhaps I would not have left."
She knew he was joking. "It would have made you leave sooner."
"Too bad the shows I've missed are in the old format. Now what one's do I have to watch now?"
"Let's see. You've seen all the Hogan Hero episodes, Starsky and Hutch, you have two more episodes of Magnum PI. Can't have my favorite possession miss out on the joys of the seventies and eighties, can I? And then I might get Lambourni to bring over his Cyndi Lauper collection."
"Are you trying to torture me?"
She took her cell-phone and called the Cathedral. "He says he'll be able to do it this Sunday. That's tomorrow. And the children have to look presentable. I've only got the christening robe my mother gave me. You didn't learn sewing during your pretends, did you?" Miss Parker looked so sweet when she begged.
"No. Unless we ask that lawyer with the extremely large family."
"Right." She dialed again. "Hello, this is Miss Parker. We're having the babies baptized tomorrow, but it seems I'm short three christening robes.—no trouble. Thank you."
Well as it was, the babies looked rather cute in their long robes, although Miss Parker had to take in Patricia's, Dominant babies being smaller than Sapien babies at birth.
It was a beautiful ceremony even though she had a hard time watching as the priest took each child in turn and baptized him or her in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Lambourni, true to his promised, agreed to be godfather and raise them according to the tenets of the church should something happen to their parents.
When they got home, Lewison said that her children were now free and the Centre could no longer claim them. He also mentioned that a representative of the Council would come in the next few months, but he was uncertain about the dates. She had no idea what he meant and disappeared before she could question him.
Later that day, the chief accountant, believing because of her recent birth, Miss Parker was in a more receptive state, informed her that Raines had made a generous contribution to an unknown charity and she should do so in kind.
"I already contribute to several charities," she said, "all legal, so what makes Raines's contribution different?"
"A million dollars," he said.
"Have you considered it to be a bribe for someone not to look the other way?" asked Jarod.
"Excuse me I was talking to Miss Parker."
"Well," said Miss Parker, "Jarod has a great knowledge of financial and legal matters. I always take his advice." She patted him on the back.
Jarod gave the accountant, a "we're in this together" smile and continued. "You all know Raines has a rather dubious past. Perhaps someone threatened to expose it unless he gave a million dollars to a certain institution. Now if this person was in a position where
their death would cause the Federal authorities to take notice, perhaps Raines would rather hand over the money than watch his life turn into a shambles."
The Centre returned to normal while Lambourni and his crew worked on the column, engraving the celestial signs, waiting for the finish where they would initiated those five year olds who would be the Chosen. Only it would be a bitter ceremony for their grandparents were marked in the Centre and their own parents being like Lambourni, almost a Chosen but not quite.
It was a bitter remembrance and someone would have to pay. When Cox had returned home, he had found Liza near death, shot by a Centre henchman and the children hiding in the kitchen closet. Although Cox was an evil man, he depended on Liza. It was Liza who was responsible for laying out his wardrobe every morning, Liza who made sure his suit went to the dry cleaners, Liza who made him feel like a king. He had never beaten her, nor talked down to her. He often took her to the theatre and smiled when they mistook her for his daughter. He opened his black bag and took out his equipment, but that would not do. Quickly he dialed a number on his cell phone. The man and woman who came over looked like any paramedics but their eyes had a cold glance. They were Dominants.
"Leave everything to us, Dr. Cox," said the woman who removed the bullets by waving a curved instrument over her body. He watched in astonishment as they departed out the same hole from which they entered. A second later, the woman took out another instrument, and passed it over the holes. The man than took a hypodermic needle and pressed it into Liza's arm. "This contains a healing substance that will start the repair process. Your kind is not ready for it yet. It's effect is marred by many of the chronic diseases inherent in your homo sapien systems."
There was nothing else Cox could do. He left, but not before making a call to the Dominant council. "I have information on eight children who are unmarked in the Inner Sanctum." He gave the Council the rest of the message and left for Miss Parker's. .
Lambourni was having some wine with Miss Parker and Jarod when Cox came over.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Someone's shot Liza. Look when I joined the Centre, there was one thing the Centre could not do was to harm anything that was mine." He looked at Jarod. "I wouldn't have killed Zoe. Roughed her up a bit, but I cannot vouch for Lyle. The man's sick, the same as Raines. Never liked them."
Twisted like you thought Jarod, but he did not say anything. He could remember all the times that Cox had hurt him, how he kidnapped Zoe, and no doubt would have killed her, in spite of his denials. Cox was an evil man, but like all evil men, he had the appearance of goodness and Liza and the children were that appearance.
"I know that Raines plans to starve all the Pretenders in the Inner Sanctum. I know how to get in there and that there are eight without the Centre id."
"You do?" asked Lambourni, his eyes glistening. "Oh could you send Gino over? I have an errand for him."
"Why of course."
When Miss Parker and Jarod entered the Centre the next day to show off the babies in full view of the staff, thereby preventing Raines or Lyle from harming them, they received the news or rather saw several bodies carted off to the morgue.
"What's going on?" she asked.
:"It's your fault," said Raines, "If you hadn't been cozy with that lawyer, this wouldn't have happened."
"Oh?" she asked in mock surprise, "This time, Jarod's not to blame?"
"My private Sanctum destroyed. My place of refuge gone. and someone used my credit card to charge up several items of clothes from the local Goodwill." He glared at the lawyer who told Lyle that, "The Centre has several unknown Pretenders. Someone must have miscounted, but now that Ted is unavailable, I thought it would be best that they work in the grounds, and in the Centre projects." He said this in front of Sydney, Broots, and of course, Raines, who could not protest.
Soon several of the Dominants from the Mexican group and the Centre staff had new drivers, housekeepers, bodyguards, and other workers. The unmarked free were mingled with the other free Dominant children. The Mentor and the Lawyer could not reveal to Jarod and Miss Parker that these were their offspring yet. It would be too dangerous.
Three months later, Lewison went over to Miss Parker's house,expanded because of the needs of growing children. He offered to lend one of the women to teach her how to care for her youngsters. The dungeon or at least, the wine cellar was filled with several
bottles of wine. The chains and metal bars were noticeably absent.
Just as the Mentor left, the lawyer appeared, staying just long enough to eat half the tin of Almond Roca and warn them that the Merging would happen soon. Miss Parker nodded sleepily and pulled her kimono tighter over her body. He mentioned something about "he's almost ready for the part. " That made Miss Parker wonder about the result of the coming Merging, because Jarod was unbuttoning his shirt, his trousers already on the floor.
Jarod and Miss Parker had so many visits from Lambourni that Miss Parker kept having a recurring dream.
She was out in a backyard, and saw behind her a large fence. Behind it Lambourni's head poked partially up and he said, "Hello neighbor!"
"Yes, I had that Home Improvement dream again."
"Perhaps you would consider watching Friend' then your dreams would take a... "
He had not had a chance to finish his sentence. Someone ripped the shirt from his back, another two grabbed his feet and under his arms, and another one threw a blanket over Miss Parker.
The ones that dragged them were Dominants, not Centre goons. They took them out to a van with darkened windows and drove out to a cave. Only this cave had a metal door. It must have taken them months to hollow it out and construct it. Someone shoved Jarod
inside and handcuffed his arms and legs to a bed. He lay there staring up at the ceiling.
It was the time for the Merging.
Miss Parker now went through the process of finding names for her offspring, since Jarod had no choice in naming his or her children. Charles, Emily, or Kyle would have put them in danger. Miss Parker did not want any of the children named after the Parkers
so she asked Lewison for suggestions. He told her not to call them after symbols or characteristics. The New Species were not primitive, for all their predatory nature. In the future, when history recorded them, mankind must not think of them with painted
bodies, kilts, and bones through their noses or even with long hair in braids and fringed garments, the men wearing swords. She decided on Adrian, Olivia, Jarvis, and Patricia, the last after a great aunt of Catherine Parker.
A day after she gave birth, she and Jarod talked about having the children baptized.
"I don't; remember mine," he said, "but considering I've changed, perhaps that fact kept me from killing more than I would have."
"I doubt it," said Miss Parker, "but it would embarrass Raines and my brother's face to see that I'm not hiding the babies in the cellar."
"Yes the cellar. If the Centre had a large HDTV down there, perhaps I would not have left."
She knew he was joking. "It would have made you leave sooner."
"Too bad the shows I've missed are in the old format. Now what one's do I have to watch now?"
"Let's see. You've seen all the Hogan Hero episodes, Starsky and Hutch, you have two more episodes of Magnum PI. Can't have my favorite possession miss out on the joys of the seventies and eighties, can I? And then I might get Lambourni to bring over his Cyndi Lauper collection."
"Are you trying to torture me?"
She took her cell-phone and called the Cathedral. "He says he'll be able to do it this Sunday. That's tomorrow. And the children have to look presentable. I've only got the christening robe my mother gave me. You didn't learn sewing during your pretends, did you?" Miss Parker looked so sweet when she begged.
"No. Unless we ask that lawyer with the extremely large family."
"Right." She dialed again. "Hello, this is Miss Parker. We're having the babies baptized tomorrow, but it seems I'm short three christening robes.—no trouble. Thank you."
Well as it was, the babies looked rather cute in their long robes, although Miss Parker had to take in Patricia's, Dominant babies being smaller than Sapien babies at birth.
It was a beautiful ceremony even though she had a hard time watching as the priest took each child in turn and baptized him or her in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Lambourni, true to his promised, agreed to be godfather and raise them according to the tenets of the church should something happen to their parents.
When they got home, Lewison said that her children were now free and the Centre could no longer claim them. He also mentioned that a representative of the Council would come in the next few months, but he was uncertain about the dates. She had no idea what he meant and disappeared before she could question him.
Later that day, the chief accountant, believing because of her recent birth, Miss Parker was in a more receptive state, informed her that Raines had made a generous contribution to an unknown charity and she should do so in kind.
"I already contribute to several charities," she said, "all legal, so what makes Raines's contribution different?"
"A million dollars," he said.
"Have you considered it to be a bribe for someone not to look the other way?" asked Jarod.
"Excuse me I was talking to Miss Parker."
"Well," said Miss Parker, "Jarod has a great knowledge of financial and legal matters. I always take his advice." She patted him on the back.
Jarod gave the accountant, a "we're in this together" smile and continued. "You all know Raines has a rather dubious past. Perhaps someone threatened to expose it unless he gave a million dollars to a certain institution. Now if this person was in a position where
their death would cause the Federal authorities to take notice, perhaps Raines would rather hand over the money than watch his life turn into a shambles."
The Centre returned to normal while Lambourni and his crew worked on the column, engraving the celestial signs, waiting for the finish where they would initiated those five year olds who would be the Chosen. Only it would be a bitter ceremony for their grandparents were marked in the Centre and their own parents being like Lambourni, almost a Chosen but not quite.
It was a bitter remembrance and someone would have to pay. When Cox had returned home, he had found Liza near death, shot by a Centre henchman and the children hiding in the kitchen closet. Although Cox was an evil man, he depended on Liza. It was Liza who was responsible for laying out his wardrobe every morning, Liza who made sure his suit went to the dry cleaners, Liza who made him feel like a king. He had never beaten her, nor talked down to her. He often took her to the theatre and smiled when they mistook her for his daughter. He opened his black bag and took out his equipment, but that would not do. Quickly he dialed a number on his cell phone. The man and woman who came over looked like any paramedics but their eyes had a cold glance. They were Dominants.
"Leave everything to us, Dr. Cox," said the woman who removed the bullets by waving a curved instrument over her body. He watched in astonishment as they departed out the same hole from which they entered. A second later, the woman took out another instrument, and passed it over the holes. The man than took a hypodermic needle and pressed it into Liza's arm. "This contains a healing substance that will start the repair process. Your kind is not ready for it yet. It's effect is marred by many of the chronic diseases inherent in your homo sapien systems."
There was nothing else Cox could do. He left, but not before making a call to the Dominant council. "I have information on eight children who are unmarked in the Inner Sanctum." He gave the Council the rest of the message and left for Miss Parker's. .
Lambourni was having some wine with Miss Parker and Jarod when Cox came over.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Someone's shot Liza. Look when I joined the Centre, there was one thing the Centre could not do was to harm anything that was mine." He looked at Jarod. "I wouldn't have killed Zoe. Roughed her up a bit, but I cannot vouch for Lyle. The man's sick, the same as Raines. Never liked them."
Twisted like you thought Jarod, but he did not say anything. He could remember all the times that Cox had hurt him, how he kidnapped Zoe, and no doubt would have killed her, in spite of his denials. Cox was an evil man, but like all evil men, he had the appearance of goodness and Liza and the children were that appearance.
"I know that Raines plans to starve all the Pretenders in the Inner Sanctum. I know how to get in there and that there are eight without the Centre id."
"You do?" asked Lambourni, his eyes glistening. "Oh could you send Gino over? I have an errand for him."
"Why of course."
When Miss Parker and Jarod entered the Centre the next day to show off the babies in full view of the staff, thereby preventing Raines or Lyle from harming them, they received the news or rather saw several bodies carted off to the morgue.
"What's going on?" she asked.
:"It's your fault," said Raines, "If you hadn't been cozy with that lawyer, this wouldn't have happened."
"Oh?" she asked in mock surprise, "This time, Jarod's not to blame?"
"My private Sanctum destroyed. My place of refuge gone. and someone used my credit card to charge up several items of clothes from the local Goodwill." He glared at the lawyer who told Lyle that, "The Centre has several unknown Pretenders. Someone must have miscounted, but now that Ted is unavailable, I thought it would be best that they work in the grounds, and in the Centre projects." He said this in front of Sydney, Broots, and of course, Raines, who could not protest.
Soon several of the Dominants from the Mexican group and the Centre staff had new drivers, housekeepers, bodyguards, and other workers. The unmarked free were mingled with the other free Dominant children. The Mentor and the Lawyer could not reveal to Jarod and Miss Parker that these were their offspring yet. It would be too dangerous.
Three months later, Lewison went over to Miss Parker's house,expanded because of the needs of growing children. He offered to lend one of the women to teach her how to care for her youngsters. The dungeon or at least, the wine cellar was filled with several
bottles of wine. The chains and metal bars were noticeably absent.
Just as the Mentor left, the lawyer appeared, staying just long enough to eat half the tin of Almond Roca and warn them that the Merging would happen soon. Miss Parker nodded sleepily and pulled her kimono tighter over her body. He mentioned something about "he's almost ready for the part. " That made Miss Parker wonder about the result of the coming Merging, because Jarod was unbuttoning his shirt, his trousers already on the floor.
Jarod and Miss Parker had so many visits from Lambourni that Miss Parker kept having a recurring dream.
She was out in a backyard, and saw behind her a large fence. Behind it Lambourni's head poked partially up and he said, "Hello neighbor!"
"Yes, I had that Home Improvement dream again."
"Perhaps you would consider watching Friend' then your dreams would take a... "
He had not had a chance to finish his sentence. Someone ripped the shirt from his back, another two grabbed his feet and under his arms, and another one threw a blanket over Miss Parker.
The ones that dragged them were Dominants, not Centre goons. They took them out to a van with darkened windows and drove out to a cave. Only this cave had a metal door. It must have taken them months to hollow it out and construct it. Someone shoved Jarod
inside and handcuffed his arms and legs to a bed. He lay there staring up at the ceiling.
It was the time for the Merging.