SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1The Saddest Little Valentine
Summary: The biggest game of cat and mouse just got bigger. The stakes are higher - lives are on the line this time around, and someone else is after Jarod... or so it seems. Who are they, and can they be worse than the Centre?
Rating: PG13
Chronology: Post-IotH.
Genre: Suspense/Mystery/Angst... and a little bit of romance, though short lived.
Disclaimer: Are you the author? I am today. Except I'm only pretending...
Notes: Later on in the chapter, Jarod remarks that he doesn't know what marshmallows are. Shortly after writing it, I watched Ghosts From The Past (you remember it, it's the one where someone's trying to kill Jarod and Miss Parker is oh so very distressed and has flashes from Keys... one of the best lines ever - "I still remember the little girl who gave me my first kiss." Don't tell me you don't know it!) At the end of which Jarod toasts marshmallows on the burning crucifix, which obviously contradicts the whole concept that he doesn't know what they are. Ignore it. Forgive. Forget.
Onward!
Chapter VII - Without A Trace
As a young child, she had always gone with her heart. But as the ice began to thicken, she forgot how to feel. Her emotions were locked inside of her, and she was yet to remember where she had hidden the key.
While generally misinformed, she had an almost perfect understanding of the world around her. However, her pining for family lead her heart astray. She found herself constantly in the dark and struggled against it, but the effort was futile.
An because the world had turned it's back on her, she turned her back on the world.
- Jarod Heart, The Saddest Little Valentine, chapter seven.
Red lips parted and a silent sigh went mercifully unnoticed. Her eyes scanned the items on her desk distractedly. A stack of papers included the file containing a birth certificate and surrogacy papers, silently reminding her to ask Broots if he had uncovered anything of interest.
When Sydney entered, she was ready for him. She had come to work early, accurately expecting his interrogation. The previous day had been spent at home, recovering and preparing for the questions that she would undoubtedly we bombarded with. The questions Sydney had refrained from asking at the hospital.
'How are you feeling?' he asked.
'Just hunky-dory, Sid,' she replied.
'You're lucky you escaped unharmed, Parker. The damage done to the annex was quite serious.'
Her fingers traced a cut on her lower lip. That, along with another on her forehead and a few grazes and scratches, was the only sign of the explosion she had been in two days ago.
'And I suppose I owe that all to wonder boy. What's a life or death situation without Jarod, right?' she asked dryly.
In all truth, the fact that they had gotten away without any serious injuries owed a lot to her sensitive hearing. Jarod hadn't noticed the ticking. If she hadn't been so thoroughly irritated that she had to identify the source of it, they may not have known to take shelter in the storeroom.
Sydney sighed.
'Parker, why didn't you tell us you were going to Florida?'
'I had a hunch that it was a phony. It involved me and me only, so I went alone,' she informed him coolly. 'And don't worry, your Pretender has already pointed my stupidity out to me, so your expertise isn't required this time around.'
Getting twitchy, she lit up a cigarette and puffed on it mercilessly.
'He was tempted to stay behind and investigate, I know,' she continued. 'He hates not knowing what's going on just as much as I do. Especially now that he's been dragged into it, which was something I wanted to avoid. The whole point of me going alone was to keep this to myself.'
The doctor observed her with interest for a moment before shaking his head, a wry smile on his lips.
'What?' she asked.
'Perhaps this experience was a good one for you, Parker.'
'Excuse me?'
'When you first returned from Carthis, the manner with which you approached the task of finding Jarod had changed. You were more... compassionate about it,' he explained. 'Now that the two of you have spent more quality time together -' at this she snorted and turned away, '- this attitude may be temporarily restored.'
'And I was beginning to think you actually had a faint idea as to what you were talking about,' she said with cool amusement. 'Don't,' she added, before he could speak again.
He didn't bother to hide his smile.
'Don't what?'
'I can see that look on your face. You're itching to get me lying down on a couch so you can start with the psychobabble. I'm not in the mood.'
He raised his hands in defeat.
'If you didn't want to discuss this, then why did you want to talk to me?'
'What do you mean?' she asked, raising her eyebrows. 'No offense, Sid, but a morning game of twenty questions was never on my agenda.'
Sydney's brow creased.
'Lyle told me that you wished to see me.'
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and she immediately got to her feet, the wheels turning.
'How much would you like to bet he wanted you out of your office?' she asked, striding across the room to the door.
The doctor shrugged.
'Why?'
'That is the question. Come on Freud. Let's go see what Tom Thumb's up to.'
When they got to Sydney's office, she wasn't too surprised to see her brother inside. A thousand and one ways to kill a rat flickered across her mind as she watched him with disgust.
'Wait here,' she told Sydney before pushing open the door. 'I think it's time baby brother and I had a little bonding session.'
Lyle, who had been searching through the desk, looked up in shock when she entered. The expression was replaced with a sigh as he prepared for the impending serve.
'I heard you had a pretty explosive weekend,' he commented.
'What do you think you're doing?' she asked brusquely, hands on hips.
'Something that's none of your business,' he returned, both his tone and stance stiff.
She glanced at what was in his hand - a map and the postcards Jarod had left them on his last goose chase - then back up to his face.
'Jarod is my business. Always has been, always will be. Especially when it also involves you and an intrusion into my shrink's office. Now what are you doing?' she demanded through gritted teeth.
He faltered under her frosty glare.
'Anderson sent me here,' he told her, relenting.
'Really? I never knew Raines's Mr Hyde had you so well... under thumb,' she smirked, raising her thumb to him before turning it so it was pointing downwards.
With incredible speed, she crossed the distance between herself and the desk and put her hands down on it, leaning forward so he could hear her icy whisper.
'I want to know exactly where you think you're going with those,' she said, looking pointedly at the postcards, 'and I want the truth. I know you sent Sydney to see me so that you could come and snoop, so don't even try to talk your way out of this.'
He observed her for a moment before speaking.
'The pursuit of Jarod is my job too, remember? I'm willing to do whatever it takes to bring him in. If you want to risk your neck by sitting idle, that's your choice,' he said, taking a step towards the door.
'I thought you were focused on Ethan?' she challenged, moving to block his exit.
'That doesn't mean Jarod is on the back burner.'
She glowered at him.
'I believe you have something of mine?' she ground out in a dangerously quiet tone.
He dropped the postcards on the desk and raised his palms defeatedly.
'Just for the records,' she added as he headed for the door, 'these are yesterday's news. Souvenirs from your little caper in Maine. Oh, and Lyle?'
He paused to hear her out, but didn't turn to look at her.
'Say hi to Xiu Ling for me, would you? That is, if she's still around.'
Lyle pushed through the door and nearly bumped into Sydney. Blatantly ignoring the older man's questioning gaze, he slithered off to an elevator. After watching his retreat, Sydney stepped into his office.
'He is up to something,' Parker informed him before he could get a word in. 'And he loves it that I don't have a clue what.'
'What,' Sydney sighed, 'was he doing this time?'
'Taking a sudden interest in tourism,' she supplied, picking up one of the postcards and flashing it at him. 'I think he was after more, but I interrupted him.'
'Has it occurred to you that perhaps Lyle is merely making an effort to track down Jarod? We do have an advantage with Jarod's... gifts,' he answered. 'Maybe he's just trying to even the score.'
She shook her head; there had to be more to it.
'Lyle is stupid, but not that stupid. He would have to be after something in particular before he would resort to risking his behind by sniffing around in here. He's under the impression that his ass is his best asset, and he'll go to great lengths to protect it.'
'You think that Lyle has something to do with your recent... encounters?'
'If not that, then something equally destructive. With him, who knows,' she sighed, perching on the edge of the desk in thought.
Sydney observed her as she contemplated something, and was all ears when she spoke again a moment later.
'As psycho as he is, I don't think it's Lyle that wants me dead. I'm family. Besides, he knows that if I found out I'd personally eradicate him,' she told him. 'But I'm interested to know what that goon Anderson has to do with this all. Do you know why he's here?'
The man shrugged.
'Not a clue.'
'Well I'm going to find out. And when I do...' she trailed off, massaging her forehead and glancing down at the floor.
'There's going to be hell to pay.'
* * *
Jarod sighed and took a bite out of the chocolate bar he had just bought. Almost a week had passed and he had put Florida far behind him. Colorado Springs was the scene of his latest pretend; one that surprisingly didn't involve a murder or a kidnapping or anything close. For the first time in what seemed like years he had decided to take things easy; he had opted for volunteer work in a community youth centre that provided free help and support for the younger locals, along with supplying them with a wide range of fun activities. He found himself slipping quite easily into the role of a mentor to some of the regulars, using his past to assist them with their issues. Needless to say, he had become quite popular.
This particular afternoon, he was enjoying the sunshine in the park that was next to the youth centre. The photograph that he had received over a year ago - the very one that had sent him to Carthis - was in his hand. More than twelve months had passed since then and he was no closer to deciphering its meaning.
As his gaze ran over the face of Catherine Parker, her daughter inevitably came to mind. He couldn't, as hard as he tried, shake the need to know more about the whole situation in Florida. It was obvious that it was no longer an empty threat; whoever was after her had illustrated quite clearly that a death, or a serious injury in the least, was on the agenda.
And then there was Kiya.
He hoped that she and Ethan would have the sense to split up. He felt guilty at having left so quickly, but as much as he wished that it were practical for them to keep together, things just didn't work that way. Especially now that they knew the Centre was after Ethan again.
Once again, it was that place that was putting up barriers between him and his family, and he was beginning to lose patience with it. He and his brother were still practically strangers, and he would have liked to have gotten to know Kiya better, too, but at the moment it just wasn't possible.
All the more reason that the trip to Colorado was more of a vacation than a pretend. He was taking things slow, and the game was, for the time being, on hold. He had done his bit with the postcards, now it was up to Miss Parker to look productive. It was his turn to take a time out from organizing safety nets.
'What have you got there?' a boy inquired, standing before Jarod with a basketball tucked under one arm.
'It's a photo of my mother,' Jarod explained.
'Can I see it?'
The boy, a twelve year old named Rhodry, took the extended photograph from Jarod's hand, tossing his head slightly to throw his messy blonde locks out of his face.
'Is that a friend of hers?' he asked.
'I don't know,' Jarod said honestly.
'Oh.'
Rhodry sat down on the bench next to Jarod and placed th ball on the ground. He pulled his hair out of his eyes a second time and stared ahead.
'Is there something wrong?' Jarod asked gently.
'No big deal.'
'Do you want to talk about it?'
'I said it's no big deal, OK?' the boy replied, somewhat harshly.
A moment later, he frowned and turned away.
'I'm sorry. Don't worry about it, it's nothing,' he said. 'I don't really want to think about it.'
Knowing better than to press the matter further, Jarod artfully changed the subject, going for something he knew would evoke a response.
'How's the basketball going?'
Rhodry was one of about ten kids that could be found at the youth centre almost every afternoon without fail. While he wasn't overly reserved, he didn't exactly open up to anyone. He skillfully dodged questions in a way that often reminded Jarod of himself; one of the reasons why the pretender was intrigued by the boy.
Just about the only thing he had wormed out of Rhodry so far was that he loved basketball. He lived and breathed the sport. Michael Jordan was his idol and it was a rare occasion that he was seen without his basketball.
'Good as always,' Rhodry said with a shrug, though lightening up. 'I have a game this weekend.'
'And I trust you've been practicing?'
'Of course.'
'Do you think you can win?' Jarod asked.
'I don't know. Our coach thinks we can, but he gets paid to say that.'
Rhodry picked up his ball and bounced it a few times on the ground in front of him.
'I've never played basketball, so I wouldn't know either way,' Jarod smiled.
'You've never played?' Rhodry asked as he stood. 'Not even as a kid?'
'No.'
'Jarod, you don't know what you're missing out on. Basketball is the king of all sports.'
'Maybe you could give me a few pointers,' Jarod suggested offhandedly.
Rhodry instantly brightened.
'Sure. Now?'
'Why not?'
Jarod tucked the photograph safely into his pocket and followed Rhodry as he crossed the small expanse of grass that lay between the bench and the courts.
'The key to basketball is getting inside your opponent's mind. Knowing what they're going to do next,' Rhodry explained, bouncing the ball a few times before moving to the left.
Jarod mimicked his stance and observed silently.
'It takes a bit of practice, but if you watch carefully, you can predict a few things.'
Rhodry moved to the right and Jarod shot forward and stole the ball off him, dodging to the left when the boy tried to counter the attack.
'You sure you've never played before?' Rhodry asked suspiciously.
'Never,' Jarod assured him. He glanced over at the hoop, then took a shot. The ball went straight in.
'I don't believe you. How can someone who's never played basketball get a shot like that? From this far back?'
'There are generally two components to all sports,' Jarod explained. 'Maths and psychics. I just happen to be good at both.'
'I'd like to keep my sport separate from my schoolwork, thanks,' Rhodry said. 'Basketball is my escape from maths.'
Jogging over to retrieve the ball, he lined himself up in front of the hoop and shot. The ball rolled around the rim a few times before dropping down through the centre.
Rhodry easily caught it on its way down.
'What goes up, must come down,' he grinned, brushing his hair away. 'And that's just about the only physics I know.'
'You can't be great at everything,' Jarod shrugged. 'But you're good at basketball, aren't you? As I said before, basketball is all maths and physics. You tell that to your teacher.'
'You're different to all the people around here,' Rhodry informed him. 'They spend so much time trying to get inside our heads... but you know just how to do it. The other counsellors are fun, but they ruin things by asking questions.'
'They're just trying to help.'
'I know, and I know they think that talking about it helps. But most of us come here to get away from our problems. Sometimes just talking about anything is better. Knowing that there's someone there if you want to discuss it, or whatever.'
He threw the ball up and landed it on his index finger, spinning it and balancing it effortlessly.
'Now there's something I doubt I could do,' Jarod laughed. 'Maths and physics or not.'
'Once upon I time, I never could,' Rhodry shrugged. 'It just takes practice. Here.'
He threw the ball at Jarod, who caught it easily.
'I'll give you a game. One on one,' the boy said, running his hand through his hair.
'Alright,' Jarod agreed.
Taking up his stance, he relaxed and focused on the game, all previous concerns forgotten. He had things to sort out, but for now, they could wait.
* * *
'I am going to kill that son of a -'
'Parker, is something the matter?' Sydney asked with a little amusement, appearing in the doorway.
In the height of her frustration she covered her face with her hands, blinked and breathed deeply a few times, then lowered her hands.
'No, Sid. Everything's peachy.'
'Are you sure?'
'Positive,' she said, enforcing it with a smile.
He eyed her warily a moment before speaking again.
'I was going to suggest we visit Jarod's last lair in Florida, if you were up to it,' he said.
She nodded somewhat mechanically.
'Have them get the chopper ready, and if you see Lyle, tell him I want him in here. Now. And find Broots. Where the hell has he gotten to?' she asked, jerking back to reality when she realised it had been awhile since she had seen the tech.
'I,' Sydney shrugged, 'don't know.'
'Well find him. He and I need to have words,' she replied, moving over to the window.
When she glanced backwards a few moments later, Sydney was gone.
She had lied when she had told him everything was fine. In all truth, she was mad. Very, very mad.
Lyle, not for the first time, had her seeing red. And she was adamant that he was going to feel the full force of her wrath. For all she cared at that moment in time, Jarod could go and blow up the entire universe and she wouldn't lift a finger to stop him - just as long as she got to her brother first.
'I hope you know who you're messing with,' she informed him icily as she sensed him entering the room.
'What have I done to set you off this time?' he asked with a sigh.
'Inertia with a capital I, Lyle. You're haven't done anything different to normal; except this time you screwed up. I found out about it.'
'How long is this going to take? Because I actually have to be -'
'Shut up,' she hissed, jabbing a finger at him. 'Just shut up.'
She massaged her forehead wearily before turning on him again, trying to ease the oncoming migraine.
'You want to know what you did? You advised Dr Frankenstein to have baby brother relocated. It was all your doing. And now, you're going to tell me where he was moved to before I relocate you to Renewal Wing,' she growled dangerously.
'I had nothing to do with that,' he said waspishly.
'I have the DSA,' she ground out in a low tone. 'Now where is he?'
'I wouldn't have a clue. I haven't seen him in over a year. Almost two.'
'Why did you tell Raines to move him?'
'Because I thought you were spending too much time with him. Getting attached. You know how much this place hates distractions,' he shot snidely.
Ignoring the cruel remark, she continued on testily, the throbbing in her head only shortening her patience.
'I'm going to find out where he is,' she informed him. 'And there's not a thing you can do to stop me.'
'Somehow I don't agree with that,' Lyle returned.
'There is no way I am going to let this place stand between me and another family member,' she spat. 'God knows he's one of the few sane branches of the family tree.'
'I'm wounded, sis.'
'Good. Fester and fall off,' she said coldly. 'Then I'll be one less bough away from the other non-psychopathic relative of mine. Because I mean it, Lyle. You touch Ethan and you will pay. I'll be out in a minute, Sid,' she added, not even having to look over at the door to know Sydney was there. Her Inner Sense seemed to be running full throttle. The doctor nodded and backed out of the room.
'You just make sure you watch your back,' she told Lyle. 'Because there's quite a few things that haven't been adding up lately, and you'll be surprised to know how many fingers are pointing right in your direction.'
Her eyes locked his for a moment, daring him to challenge her.
'And I'd be careful when dealing with awry assassination attempts,' she added coolly. 'If I find out you're connected to them in any way, you'd better be hoping it's third time lucky.'
She shot him a look that clearly said that the topic was closed and he was being dismissed. He swallowed, and she watched with satisfaction as his Adam's apple bobbed somewhat hesitantly. Busying herself with tidying her desk, she didn't look up until he had been gone a good minute.
Another sigh escaped and she rubbed her temples tiredly, wanting nothing more than to go home and relax in the bath, preferably with a nice strong drink.
Remembering what she had told Sydney, she holstered her gun and stepped out of the office, finding the older man waiting faithfully just outside the door.
'Is everything alright, Parker?' he asked gently.
'I'm fine. Where's Broots?'
'He's meeting us outside. Are you sure you're up to this?'
'It's just a headache, Sid. Nothing an aspirin can't fix,' she said, despite the fact that, owing to medical conditions, she couldn't take them.
'I meant returning to Florida so soon after the ordeal,' he said, giving her a knowing look, which she brushed off.
'So a building blew up, and I was in it. Nothing new,' she said dryly, starting towards the elevator. Sydney followed her.
'I fear that all this stress is getting too much for you, Parker. Just promise me that after this you'll slow down and let yourself recover from the emotional and physical ramifications of what happened.'
'Don't start with the big, psychological words, Sid. My brain's working double shifts as it is, and the new resident boom box isn't helping.'
The elevator doors opened and she stepped inside, throwing her hair over her shoulder and smoothing out her clothes.
'No sweepers,' she said abruptly. 'We know for sure that Jarod is no longer in Florida, so I don't want any of the Men in Black wannabes hanging around. No one is to know the specifics. There's the slight possibility that Ethan might still be in the neighbourhood and I'm not taking any risks.'
'I've arranged for the helicopter to take Broots, yourself and I to Florida. No one else.'
She nodded curtly in reply.
Her mind was elsewhere and she really wasn't in the mood to be barking orders at sweepers. In all truth she never was, but she was in such a state of annoyance at that moment that she was nearing her wit's end.
It had been almost two years since she had seen either of her half brothers - more than, in the case of the youngest. In both instances, it had everything to do with the Centre. Now that she had discovered that Lyle had made the suggestion for Master Parker to be moved, she had been supplied with a scapegoat at which she could vent all her frustration - and it looked like Lyle was in for it tenfold. She had vowed from the very beginning that the newest addition to the Parker family was never going to become another science experiment. From the sound of it, the oath had already been broken, but there was no doubt in her mind that the minute she found out where he was she was going to march in there and remedy that fact.
The elevator doors slid open and she polished up her frosty exterior, ready to take on whatever the heavens were about to throw at her. With eyebrows raised in an aloof manner, she turned to Sydney.
'Shall we?'
* * *
Jarod sighed and leaned back in his chair, casting a defeated look at the map he had up on the computer screen.
While Ethan had been able to give him equivocal directions as to where his father was hiding, there was no direct pinpoint as to their location. The ambiguity was not his fault, Jarod knew; Ethan had deliberately absorbed as little detail as to where they were staying so as not to pose a threat to their security by holding information on their position. In the case that he was to fall into the wrong hands, namely the Centre, there would be no real danger of him exposing them.
Although this was great news as far as their well being was concerned, it didn't help Jarod's current situation any.
Deciding to take a break, he closed the window and instead brought up the youth centre's home page, relaxing and browsing the site with mild interest.
'What you doing?' Rhodry asked, coming up behind Jarod's chair. At his side was his friend Ben, another regular keen on basketball, thought not quite to the degree that Rhodry was.
'Just looking,' Jarod replied, swivelling around in his chair. 'Did you want to use the computer?'
Rhodry shook his head.
'Computers don't interest me much,' he answered with a shrug. 'We just come to see what you were doing.'
Jarod nodded.
'How are you going, Ben?'
'Alright,' the other boy replied.
'Are you two going on the camping trip?' Jarod asked.
Ben shook his head.
'I am,' Rhodry said. 'Are you going?'
'I let Greg talk me into coming,' Jarod smiled, referring to one of the counsellors. 'I've never been camping before.'
'Never?' Ben asked, surprised. 'Didn't your dad ever take you?'
Jarod sighed and scratched the back of his neck.
'I didn't see my father much when I was young.'
'That sucks,' Ben said. 'My dad takes me all the time.'
'I've heard about some of the activities they have planned. It sounds like a lot of fun.'
Noticing that Rhodry had fallen strangely quiet, Jarod decided to shift the subject a little.
'How was school today?'
'Boring,' Rhodry supplied. 'I hate Tuesdays.'
'You hate every day other than Friday,' Ben pointed out. 'And weekends. Because you don't have sport on any of the other days.'
'I don't like school at all. Sport's only fun when we play basketball.'
Ben glanced down at his watch before looking back up. He passed the ball that had been nestled under his arm to Rhodry.
'I have to go,' he said. 'I have to be home by four thirty.'
'OK,' Rhodry said. 'See you.'
'Bye,' Jarod added.
'Yeah. See you tomorrow.'
Once Ben had left, Rhodry pulled up a seat next to Jarod and flipped his hair out of his face.
'So you've really never been camping?'
'I've done something similar,' Jarod shrugged. 'Orienteering. But I think this is going to be a little different.'
'For sure. There's so much to do when you're camping... campfires, marshmallows...'
'Marshmallows?'
'You know, the pink and white squishy things that you toast over a fire? Christ, Jarod. Did you live under a rock or something?'
'No,' he replied, eyes darkening a little. 'Somewhere far less civilized.'
'Jarod, my friend, stick with me and you won't go wrong. You have a lot to learn.'
'So I'm continually finding out,' the pretender replied with amusement.
'My dad never took me camping, either,' Rhodry admitted a moment later.
Jarod cocked his head with interest, encouraging him to continue, though only if he felt comfortable in doing so.
'I've been camping with friends, and with the youth group here, but not with my dad. He lives in California. I don't see him very often.'
'Are your parents divorced?' Jarod asked.
Rhodry nodded.
'When I was three. I've never really known any other way.'
'You and I have a lot in common, it seems,' Jarod smiled.
'We should stick together,' Rhodry concurred, nodding. 'And I can teach you all about marshmallows and basketball.'
'Sounds like a plan,' Jarod replied, a warm smile still present on his face. 'And maybe I could help you out with your maths, if you wanted.'
'Maybe we'll leave the maths for some other time,' Rhodry replied, grimacing. 'Camping is supposed to be fun. I know, I know,' he added, before Jarod could say anything. 'Basketball is all maths and physics. But if maths was half as fun ask basketball, maybe I'd be a little more enthusiastic.'
Feeling instantaneously happier at having progressed somewhat with Rhodry, Jarod's previous feeling exasperation towards tracking down his father evaporated.
'You know, I was looking at information regarding this camping trip,' Jarod began, 'and it says down the bottom here that no mobile phones or CD players are allowed.'
'Uh-huh,' Rhodry confirmed. 'The counsellors say that the whole point of camping is to get away from technology and spend time with nature, yadda, yadda, yadda. Why, got a problem with it?'
'Nothing major,' Jarod answered. 'I'll just have to take time out from a few phone calls.'
'Who?' Rhodry smirked. 'Your girlfriend?'
Jarod glanced at the boy with amusement.
'Not quite.'
'Well, whoever it is, I'm sure you'll be too busy to talk to them. The counsellors always have us up at the crack of dawn to give us some nature lesson.'
'Yes, they certainly do have a lot planned,' Jarod agreed. 'It looks like it's going to be a busy week.'
'I'd sleep in as much as you can in the next three days because believe me, you won't be getting much beauty rest, J-man. What?' he asked in reply to the slightly taken aback look that flittered across Jarod's features.
'Someone I know... they used to call me that.'
'Someone good, I hope.'
'Argyle grows on you,' the pretender said wryly.
'This trip is going to be so much fun,' Rhodry informed him. 'We're going somewhere different to normal.'
'So it will be something new for both of us, then.'
'Yep. And instead of the counsellors trying to teach me something, I get to teach one of the counsellors something,' he continued, pushing his hair away from his eyes.
'I'm sure the counsellors learn something new from you every day.'
Rhodry shuddered.
'Now you're starting to sound like my maths teacher.'
Jarod smiled again, feeling true contentment for the first time since the incident in Florida. This time off was going to do him good.
'I know, I know - no more maths, right?'
Rhodry grinned.
'Right.'
* * *
'Be free... be cool... be you,' Parker cooed patronizingly at Broots. 'What, did you get dressed in the dark this morning?'
The tech looked downcast as he glanced at his shirt; a Hawaiian that was obviously far too loud for her liking.
'Well, no...'
'Believe me, whatever image you were going for, you missed,' she informed him, sliding into the helicopter. 'You look like a reincarnation of the Village People.'
She snatched a pair of sunglasses off him and put them on.
Sydney shot him a condoling look, and Broots immediately understood that she was in one of her moods.
'Where have you been, anyway?' she demanded. 'I wanted to know if you'd found me anything new on Parallax.'
'Not yet, Miss Parker,' he sighed. 'Or the DSA's of SL-27. I still haven't managed to pinpoint where they've been relocated to.'
'Don't talk to me about relocation,' she growled in annoyance. 'Just make sure you get them soon, and before Dr Evil finds out what you're up to. I've had enough of being in the dark.'
* * *
It was only days after she had last been in Florida, and yet, with winter coming to an end, the weather was already noticeably warmer.
She stopped to survey her surroundings when she stepped out of the black sedan and onto the concrete driveway.
'Let's take a look inside, shall we?' she asked coolly, raising an eyebrow.
The two men followed her up to the door as she pressed the bell, not overly surprised when Ethan answered the door.
'Ethan,' she said, a smile taking over her mouth for the first time in what seemed like years. 'What are you still doing here?'
'Waiting for you,' he replied, stepping back from the doorway. 'I had a feeling you would be coming.'
'Well,' she said, raising her palms, 'here I am. Sid, you two have met. Broots, Ethan. Computer junkie, little brother number two.'
'Hello,' Ethan greeted, acknowledging them both with a nod.
'Hi,' Broots answered, glancing sideways at Sydney, who simply recognized Ethan with a tilt of the head.
'I hear you and Jarod have been playing happy families,' Parker commented, inviting herself inside. Noticing the awkward look that crossed her brother's face, she put her hand up. 'Don't worry. I'm not even going to ask you where he went,' she sighed. 'If he even told you.'
Ethan shook his head.
'No. The last time I saw Jarod was when he went out looking for you. I went out to try and find him, but when I returned from the annex he had gone. I was more concerned for you. I was told you were admitted to hospital, but I didn't want to risk visiting, in case there were sweepers. Apparently, they're after me again.'
'Raines wants you back,' she confirmed. 'As for me, it's going to take a lot more than an explosion to take this tiger down. They should know by now that nobody dies at the Centre.'
'Our mother did,' Ethan said quietly.
'Only the innocents,' she replied softly. 'Which I am far from. Then again, I suppose anyone is a saint next to Raines and his beast brigade.'
In an attempt to pull away from the disheartening topic, her pale blue eyes scanned over the room; taking in the couch and television, the pictures on the wall.
'What is this place, on rent?' she asked.
'It belongs to a friend of Jarod's,' Ethan supplied. 'I was told to stay as long as I liked. I figured that since the Centre would probably know Jarod had left Florida, it would be the safest place to be for the moment.'
'Smart move. Just about the only thing we know for sure about his current whereabouts is that it isn't here. Then again, that means nothing. Lyle was only just digging up a lead from a couple of months ago,' she said dryly, rolling her eyes. 'But with his microscopic brain I think it's safe to say he is, for the most part, incompetent. When one takes his current euphoric state into consideration, anyway. I'm beginning to wonder if Raines has been slipping happy pills into his coffee.'
'He was surprisingly unfazed when he stepped out of your office earlier,' Sydney agreed.
'When we get back I guess I'll have to rectify that, won't I?' she asked wryly, stepping into the kitchen.
'You guys have been living light,' she commented. 'I didn't know you were such a health nut.'
'Nothing to do with me. I've just gone with what Jarod had here,' Ethan replied.
Liar, liar, her subconscious screamed at her. That doesn't add up.
Ignoring it on the basis that she refused to believe that her brother would lie to her, she closed the refrigerator.
'Broots, don't even bother getting comfortable,' she warned, and the tech sprang away from the couch he had been about to sit on.
'You can't stay long,' Ethan noted, perching on the back of a chair.
'No,' she answered, her tone losing its edge. 'As much as I wish we could hang around, we should probably be getting back before someone's presence is missed.'
'Parker, we just got here -' Sydney began.
'And now we have to leave,' she interrupted. 'Ethan, it was wonderful seeing you.'
She flashed him one of her rare, genuine smiles before turning to her accomplices.
'Gentlemen?'
'Goodbye,' Ethan said, straightening up. 'I hope you find whatever you're looking for.'
'No you don't,' she contradicted, pausing and turning the side of her face to him. 'But thanks anyway.'
'I don't mean Jarod,' he told her. 'I mean what you're really looking for.'
She met his eyes and for a moment, no one spoke.
'Look after yourself, little brother,' was all she said, before turning on her heel and letting herself out.
* * *
'Are you going to tell me what that was about?' Sydney asked calmly once they were back on the road.
She glanced sideways at him, her blue eyes shielded from the white hot sun by the sunglasses she had taken from Broots earlier. Her gaze moved back to the road and she took a smooth turn before answering him.
'You tell me, Freud, and then we'll both know,' she replied tiredly, back to her usual aloof self. Noticing the look on his face, and realising that he wasn't going to be brushed off that easily, she sighed.
'I couldn't snoop around while he was there. I didn't even want to ask him anything, because I didn't want him to think I was expecting me to tell him something.'
'That's perfectly understandable, Parker.'
'Do you think Raines would say that if he knew that ten minutes ago I possibly had the means to track down the pretender he's been after for six years, not to mention another runaway project that he's equally interested in?'
'But Miss Parker,' Broots interjected. 'He doesn't have to know. Does he?'
'Needing to know and knowing are two very different concepts, Broots,' she returned.
She took another corner, this time with more aggression. While her life was far from mundane, it did consist of the same things, day in, day out - and it had a tendency to try her patience on many occasions.
'There has to be someone around here that we can talk to that isn't my brother,' she said after a minute of silence, slamming her hand down on the wheel in frustration.
'I highly doubt that Jarod would have told anyone where he planned to go,' Sydney said gently. 'Especially if he left without mentioning it to Ethan.'
'No, but they might be able to tell us a little about the company he's been keeping.'
'I don't follow, Parker.'
'They weren't alone, Sid,' she informed him. 'There was a female staying in that apartment.'
The doctor looked at her curiously, though skepticism was evident in his features.
'Think about it. That house was full of fruit and vegetables and all things lean cuisine. Jarod hasn't eaten an ounce of health food since he broke out.'
'Ethan was in the house, too,' Broots pointed out.
'But Ethan told us that it was what Jarod had left,' she reminded them. 'Besides, that place was way too clean. I know them both well enough to tell you that there is no way they could keep that apartment that clean for as long as they've been staying in it. Jarod's never had a problem with leaving his gadgets all over the place in the past. Just trust me on this one. I can feel it. I know.'
'Parker, if you're so sure,' Sydney asked, 'why didn't you ask Ethan about it?'
She glanced in the rearview mirror before meeting the doctor's eyes. She had the feeling he already knew the answer, but she gave it to him anyway.
'Because if I'd asked him, I know he would've answered, and he'd have told me the truth. I don't want him to feel obligated to telling me anything, because he's not. He has every right to want to protect Jarod and I'm not going to ask him to betray his family.'
Sydney smiled his annoyingly unreadable smile at her and she looked back to the road, able to guess, for once, exactly what he was smiling at.
'Broots, when we pull over, I want you to go buy a newspaper. Go into the store and look for a back issue that might have something to do with Jarod. Sid, you can organise lunch,' she commanded, turning into a car park outside of a general store. 'I don't know about you two, but I'm famished.'
'W-what are you going to do, Miss Parker?' Broots ventured.
She slid out of the car and shut the door with a quiet but defined click, searching her pockets for something.
'I'm going to have a cigarette.'
* * *
'It's very beautiful out here,' Jarod commented, taking in the scenery of the camping grounds.
'I guess,' Rhodry shrugged. 'Completely different to the city, anyway.'
'Yes,' the pretender concurred. 'Very different.'
He paused to adjust his pack, and Rhodry slowed down to wait for him. Somewhere nearby a bird's whistle echoed through the trees.
'Just you wait,' the boy warned. 'One of the counsellors will start in a minute.' He adjusted his tone and adopted an accent. 'And over to our right, we have a very rare specimen of the coconut honey eater...'
Jarod smiled.
'Surely this trip isn't going to be as bad as you're making out.'
'I never said it was going to be bad,' Rhodry grinned. 'But believe me, by the end of the week, you'll be sick of Greg and Krista and Luke. They start to get on your nerves.'
'Why Rhodry, we never knew we were so horrible,' Krista said with amusement, falling into step beside them.
Rhodry didn't even bat an eyelid.
'Krista, you turn into museum curators. We come on these things to get away from school,' he pointed out.
The counsellor laughed and poked Rhodry in the side playfully, flicking her long brown hair over her shoulder.
'We have to teach you something while you're out here. It's part of the agreement,' she said. 'Isn't that right, Jarod?'
'That's right,' he agreed. 'You have to learn things, or there would be no point in coming.'
'Not even just for fun?' Rhodry asked, one eyebrow raised.
'Fun and learning go hand in hand, Mr Everson,' Krista grinned.
'Someone needs to tell my teachers that,' he grumbled.
'You wouldn't happen to have something against teachers would you, Rhod? Because your good friend Jarod here happens to be an ex-teacher,' Krista said, bending down to remove a twig that had become tangled in her shoelace.
'You never told me that,' Rhodry complained. 'Why can't you come and teach my class?'
'Because at the moment, I'm trekking through the bush to a campsite so we can set up some tents,' Jarod replied, amused.
'We'll be there soon. Then we can sit down and have some lunch,' Krista said.
'What is for lunch?' Rhodry asked suspiciously. 'You didn't make it, did you?'
She laughed and exchanged a glance with Jarod.
'I wound up burning breakfast one year. The kids haven't let me forget it,' she explained.
'Well you can rest at ease, because Greg and I made lunch,' Jarod said. 'Salad rolls.'
'See? Health food. Please tell me you brought marshmallows,' Rhodry pleaded.
'Of course. What's camping without marshmallows? Jarod insisted,' Krista smirked.
'And so he should. Though I'm surprised he knows what they are,' the boy commented, giving his head a flick, sending his blonde locks bouncing. 'Can you believe he doesn't know what Spotlight is?'
'No?' Krista asked. 'We'll have to fix that, won't we? I'm sure Greg's got a game planned for tonight.'
She looked to Jarod for confirmation, and he nodded.
'I'm looking forward to it,' he supplied.
Krista pulled a water bottle out of her pack and unscrewed the lid to take a drink. After replacing the cap and putting it away, she jumped up onto a log and peered ahead.
'There we are,' she said, pointing. 'About a hundred metres in that direction.'
'Is that where we're staying?' a girl named Sascha asked as she and a few others, including Rhodry, joined Krista on the log.
'Indeed it is. Home for the next week.'
'It's pretty out here,' the Sascha commented.
'If we're lucky, we'll see some bears,' Greg said solemnly, coming up behind them.
'Will not,' quite a few argued.
'Greg's just delusional,' Luke said dismissively, taking his cap from his head and holding it to his chest. 'He means lions.'
Krista rolled her eyes.
'What have we all stopped for? Let's go set up.'
Jarod couldn't help but smile, feeling very much like he was in for an enjoyable time.
* * *
'Have you seen this man anywhere?'
Parker slid her sunglasses onto the top of her head and passed the photograph over the counter to the store owner, casting a glance over at Broots, who was over in the corner by a magazine rack. The man glanced at it, then handed it back.
'Sure, that's Jarod. The taxi driver. He came in here often with his daughter. Nice guy. The name's Jed, by the way.'
She threw a triumphant look at Sydney before returning her attention to the store owner, raising an eyebrow.
'Daughter?'
'Pretty thing. Late teens, I'd say. You his wife?' Jed asked conversationally.
Sydney gave a small cough, no doubt to conceal laughter. A broad smile refused to leave his lips, and was answered with an icy glare.
'What makes you ask?' Parker queried with fake geniality.
The man shrugged.
'The girl looked an awful lot like you, that's all. But if you're wanting to see them, you're too late. They left a couple of days ago.'
'We know. We're trying to find out where they went,' she replied.
'Can't help you there. They never did say.'
'There's something new,' she commented with sarcastic enthusiasm. 'So, lab rat has a new girlfriend. But I must say, Jarod, isn't this one a little young?'
She pocketed the picture of the pretender and walked over to the magazine rack, grabbing Broots by the shoulder.
'Come on, Fido. In the car,' she said.
'But Miss Parker -'
'When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you. Now let's go,' she hissed. 'Coming, Sid?'
He nodded, putting the brochure he had been reading back on its stand before following her outside to the car. She dropped her cigarette and pushed it into the dirt with her shoe, taking the time to lower her sunglasses, then slide gracefully into the front seat.
'What did you get from it, Sydney?' she asked with a sigh, resting her hands on the steering wheel.
'From the sounds of it, project Parallax has caught up with Jarod.'
'That, or Jarod has caught up with project Parallax,' she mused. 'Either way, things just turned interesting.'
'But if he knew who she was, why would he be helping her?' Broots asked.
'He defends the weak and abused,' she said, a dry smile on her lips. 'And in his eyes, the Centre is the abuse capital of the world.'
'You're right, Parker. This is too close to home for him,' Sydney agreed, hand on his chin.
'So what now?' Broots asked.
'We find the girl,' she said, pushing the key into the ignition. 'And hopefully, we find Jarod.'
* * *
There was something about being away from the city, something about nature, that Jarod had always loved. Being somewhere that he could feel the sun on his back or the rain on his face. Where he could hear the birds and see flowers blooming. All the things that he had been deprived of as a child.
And then there was just the whole freedom of it all. The fact that, no matter how hard they tried, the Centre could never really control nature. Control when the wind blew and when the snow fell. It did as it wished, and although it was quite easily harmed and destroyed by humans, it was never tamed, and never would be.
He titled his head back to look at the stars. There were so many, away from the bright lights of the city. Millions of twinkling dots scattered across the sky like specs of glitter on a sheet of blue velvet. The gibbous moon hung high above, shedding its eerie light over what lay below.
Something that Kiya had said came to mind.
I'd look up at the moon and I'd feel safe, because for that moment it was like I wasn't alone anymore. Like I was sharing a moment with my family, because everyone sees the same moon, right? But now I know it's stupid to think that someone was out there looking for me.
'No,' he sighed to himself, remembering. 'It's not stupid at all.'
A slight rustle to his left caught his attention, and he turned to see Krista sidling through some bushes.
'What are you doing out here, mountaineer?' she asked, coming to sit beside him on a moss-covered log.
'Watching. Listening. Thinking,' he shrugged.
'Well, there's a certain someone back at camp looking for you. Everyone's in for a game of Spotlight and I think Mr Everson is waiting to teach you the rules.'
'Yes,' Jarod replied, smiling. 'He promised me he would.'
'Plus, there's marshmallows,' she added, 'but who cares about those?'
'Hot chocolate, by any chance?'
'Of course.'
'You've talked me into it,' he laughed.
'Get a move on then,' she pressed, surprising him by kissing him on the cheek and getting to her feet. 'People are waiting.'
He observed her a moment, not quite knowing to think. He then stood, brushing off his jeans before taking a last quick glance around and following her back through the trees, the light of the campfire glowing like a beacon not too far away.
* * *
The remainder of the trip passed without event. While it was a relaxing relief to be without a murder or kidnapping or some similar scandal to be deciphering, he found himself constantly on alert, as if waiting for something to happen. But nothing did, and he ended up having one of the most entertaining weeks of his life.
Nonetheless, he wasn't too bothered when it came to an end. A strong bout of wanderlust seemed to be taking hold, and he found himself possessed with the unexplainable desire to move. Nothing had happened to trigger such a feeling. Somehow he sensed it had something to do with finding his family rather than avoiding the Centre, and was quite happy to give into the longing to leave Colorado, just as soon as he finished what he had started.
'You make sure you keep up your basketball, alright?'
'Jarod, that is a stupid question,' Rhodry replied.
Jarod smiled.
'It was, wasn't it?' he asked.
'Only a little. You've said stranger things. Like not knowing what Spotlight is.'
'Ah, but I can't say that any more, can I?'
'I suppose not,' Rhodry said.
'And just remember, whenever you start thinking you're not good at school...'
'That basketball is all maths and physics. I know,' the boy grinned.
He turned his hand into a fist and bumped it against Jarod's.
'Have fun in... where is it you're going?'
'I think I'll head south for the summer,' Jarod answered.
'For the summer? Geese head south in the winter, J-man, I hate to tell you.'
'I'm not a goose though, am I?'
'I don't know. That could be debatable,' Krista teased, approaching.
Jarod looked back to Rhodry.
'Maybe we'll meet again someday,' he offered.
'In Chicago,' Rhodry agreed. 'When I'm a superstar.'
'I'll come to your game. You'll have to give me your autograph.'
'No problem.'
Rhodry glanced back at the car where his mother was waiting, reading to take him home.
'I think you're mom's ready to,' Jarod said.
He nodded.
'Bye, Jarod.'
'Goodbye. Good luck.'
'Thanks!' Rhodry called back, pausing to wave before getting into the car.
Krista and Jarod waved back.
'He's a good kid,' Krista commented.
'He is,' Jarod agreed, his eyes following the blue car as it pulled out of the parking lot.
'I still wish I could talk you into staying,' she ventured.
'And I wish I could stay,' he replied. 'But I can't.'
'Wherever your journeys may take you, stick with what you do, Jarod. You have a talent. You worked wonders with Rhodry. He's opened up so much since you've been here.'
'We had a lot in common,' was the reply.
She nodded. After a short hesitation, she leaned up, placed her hands on either side of his face and pressed her lips against his. When she drew back, she was smiling.
'Good luck, Jarod. Maybe I'll see you at that game in Chicago one day,' she said. 'You never know.'
* * *
It was nearing five o'clock as a man with greyed hair moved about his office, finalizing his day's work. A desk, scattered with papers, craved his attention.
The task was delayed, however, when the phone rang.
'This is Sydney.'
'Somebody once said that too many people miss the silver lining because they're too busy looking for gold. Do you believe that, Sydney?'
The doctor relaxed back in his chair, smiling at the sound of his protégé's voice.
'I believe that a lot of people take the wonderful things in this life for granted. There are so many that don't realise the simple beauty of a flower in bloom, or the sun setting of an evening.'
'I recently spent some time amongst nature, and I have to say that I haven't felt so at peace in a long time,' Jarod replied.
'Nature is an amazing thing, Jarod. It is so full of life and intrigue. I'm not surprised that it has left you feeling refreshed.'
There was a pause on the other end, and a sound that could have been a bus or train.
'Maybe, one day, we could go camping together. And spend some time with nature.'
A beep signified the end of the conversation, and Sydney lowered the receiver, a serene expression on his features.
Jarod sighed, slipping his cell phone into his jacket pocket. And with that, the pretender stepped lightly onto the bus, a sad smile resting on his lips and reaching up to his eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*gasp* Jarod went the WHOLE CHAPTER without talking to Miss Parker. How on earth will he survive?
Then again, I got to write some Sydney. I do enjoy writing Sydney. Jarod needs to interact with Sydney more often. *nods*
Anyway, there goes another chapter. A rather insignificant one that took a strangely long time, but most of them will seem like that until we get further into the story and they are all pulled in together.
BTW, I've finished the storyboarding for the sequel, Dance of Souls. For those of you that liked the J/MP shared screen time... you'll like it :) The whole story is practically a lot of bogus attempts at trying to work together... most of them ending with Miss P spitting the dummy and basically threatening to kill him (though we all know otherwise). It will also give you your J/MP romance fix... this story will have some, of course, but it doesn't last long. DoS will be much more satisfying in that area.
For the moment DoS is going to be the final installment, but when it's all over I might go and do a third one just for the sake of closure, which will most probably be necessary since I love ambiguous endings :)
For the time being, there's still twenty three chapters of this ahead of me, so perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself. I just had to plan it all out so I know what I'm doing.
Reviews would be greatly appreciated.
SezZie
Thank you to:
Sauron764: I'm not really a pretender, I'm just pretending to be one... :S hmm...
Carnie
Dale
Claire
Tara
NEXT TIME, ON THE PRETENDER...
Taking The Cat's Way Home
Jarod sets off in search of his father and runs into an old friend along the way. Meanwhile, Miss Parker uncovers more secrets about Parallax, and focuses her attentions on tracking down Kiya...
It's leading up to one of three major climaxes in the story. (What's that? A plot? ::gasp::)
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