Disclaimer see Part 1.
After the Explosion
Part 4
Jarod reached for his shirt. Three days had gone by while he was still lying on his back doing nothing. And what was especially difficult for him, was, that he didn't know, what Cassie was up to. He knew she would never bring Ethan into danger, but her loyalties still lay with the Centre. She still hoped that one day her "Daddy" would finally show his affection to her... without wanting something from her.
If she contacted the Centre, all three of them would be imprisoned. None of them would ever see daylight again. Well, at least not Ethan and me, Jarod mused.
Even though Jarod knew, it was essential for one who had lost his memory to wait until it came back, he had asked Cassie and Ethan to tell him what had happened. They couldn't tell him much anyway, since he had spent almost all his time with Major Charles and Emily, before the explosion.
"Well, well, I guess there's no bait that'll keep you in bed another day or two?"
Cassie was standing in the doorway, trying to look disapproving.
"I can think of something...."
Jarod said, looking her up and down with a wicked grin. Where did this thought come from, he wondered.
"Give me a clue..."
Cassie stepped into the room and helped Jarod to put his shirt on. His back healed well, but the skin was still very sensitive and tense.
"That's what I've been doing for the last four years..."
Cassie was glad he still had his mocking grin. He had had nightmares, during his illness. Horrifying nightmares, as far as she could say. She coulnd't understand much, but she had seen enough of those Centre DSAs to know, what they would be like. With all those things been done to him, she found it more amazing, that Jarod had become the man he was. And she feared there would be much more to discover....
"Just be careful. I wouldn't have all your blood shed over the furniture...!"
Cassie rose and headed towards the door. Jarods gaze followed her, thoughtful. Cassie seemed to cope well with the changes in her life. Things would never be the same again. Carefully he tested his legs. Even though he was healing well, two weeks of doing nothing had weakened him. He would have to train. And he would begin with covering the distance to his laptop.
Maggie washed the dishes silently. She had not been crying for some time now, and she felt that she could cope with Jarod gone. She would do no good to the rest of her family, Charles and Emily, with a breakdown. Emily still needed time to fully recover. Thank god, that Jarod had been there, when she had needed him, Maggie thought. All Charles hat told about their oldest made her wonder, if Jarod would have become the same man, if he'd grown up with his family.
"Maggie?"
Charles was back. A smile spread in her face and her eyes shone.
"In the kitchen, love!"
She dried her hands with a towel and waited until Charles opened the door. He'd been gone for several hours to do 'something', as he had told her. Now she was curious, what that had been. She gave him a hug, then tried to eye into the living room across his shoulder.
Charles laughed at her impatience but didn't block her way. Maggie almost jumped into the living room, since she had exspected at least a tiny bit of resistance from her husband. She forgot her lost dignity, when she sensed that it was no 'thing' waiting in the room.
A young man stood there, next to the cupboard. Maybe 15 or 16 years old. He looked at her, shyly. His eyes of a gentle darkbrown, just like Emilys. And Jarods.
"Hello, dear."
Maggie said with a charming smile. Before he even knew what was happening to him she had placed him comfortingly on the couch and sat in the seat opposite to him. Charles watched amused, how his beloved wife circled her victim. There was no escape.
"What's your name, dear?"
Maggie asked with a gentle voice, not wanting to scare the boy. He looked at Charles, then back at her.
"They call me Gemini, but Jarod said it shall be Joshua!"
Startled Maggie looked up at her husband.
"You've met Jarod, dear?"
Josh nodded, then tried to keep himself from crying.
"Jarod saved me from the Centre, saved us both, while he was recaptured....I can't believe he's gone."
Maggie was close to tears, again.
"But, dear, we will find your parents, and you will finally lead the normal life you deserve!"
Maggie promised, even though she didn't know, how to keep this promise. Charles looked concerned, she realized. Something was wrong. She missed something.
"I have no parents!"
Joshua stated, matter of factly, as if he had told himself over and over again.
"So, they're dead?"
Maggie took his hand and waited for his reply.
"No, I have none!"
She could read in his eyes the truth. But did not understand. Questioning she looked up at Charles. He cleared his throat, then lowered himself into an armchair.
"Actually it's something in between....Josh has no parents in the common sense. He was created by the Centre in a lab. But we are his genetical parents...."
Maggie stared at Charles, Josh studied her reaction, whether she was repulsive. But she wasn't. Sheer disbelief was on her face, as she turned to Josh, taking a closer look.
"They stole our genes?"
She asked, not turning her gaze from Josh.
"Yes, Maggie, but they didn't steal our gene, but Jarods. Joshua was made of Jarods DNA. Technically he is a clone."
Josh looked away at the word clone. He didn't like it. It remembered him of his past. The abuse of the people he had trusted.
"You are telling me, that this dear boy here is our son as he would have been 25 years ago?"
Charles nodded.
" Actually I would put it a bit different. Joshs and Jarods bodies are the same, even most of their character. But they both are totally independent persons."
Josh seemed grateful. Charles knew, Josh didn't want to be a substitute for Jarod. And he didn't deserve.
Maggie got down on her knees in front of Josh and touched his cheek.
"Joshua, I'm glad to have you here with us..."
"Maggie..."
"Don't Maggie me, love!"
She said seriously.
"For more than 30 years we've been looking for our sons. We always had Emily, our sunshine, and the hopes of being a reunited family one day. Now, Kyle's dead, Jarod is as well. We will never know them. But we have a chance of giving dear Josh a life, see him become a man. That's the least everyone deserves. He might have been cloned, but he is our flesh and blood, our genes, our son. Joshua, not Jarod!"
With tears in her eyes she hugged Josh.
"Welcome home, Josh!"
She whispered.
Tbc
After the Explosion
Part 4
Jarod reached for his shirt. Three days had gone by while he was still lying on his back doing nothing. And what was especially difficult for him, was, that he didn't know, what Cassie was up to. He knew she would never bring Ethan into danger, but her loyalties still lay with the Centre. She still hoped that one day her "Daddy" would finally show his affection to her... without wanting something from her.
If she contacted the Centre, all three of them would be imprisoned. None of them would ever see daylight again. Well, at least not Ethan and me, Jarod mused.
Even though Jarod knew, it was essential for one who had lost his memory to wait until it came back, he had asked Cassie and Ethan to tell him what had happened. They couldn't tell him much anyway, since he had spent almost all his time with Major Charles and Emily, before the explosion.
"Well, well, I guess there's no bait that'll keep you in bed another day or two?"
Cassie was standing in the doorway, trying to look disapproving.
"I can think of something...."
Jarod said, looking her up and down with a wicked grin. Where did this thought come from, he wondered.
"Give me a clue..."
Cassie stepped into the room and helped Jarod to put his shirt on. His back healed well, but the skin was still very sensitive and tense.
"That's what I've been doing for the last four years..."
Cassie was glad he still had his mocking grin. He had had nightmares, during his illness. Horrifying nightmares, as far as she could say. She coulnd't understand much, but she had seen enough of those Centre DSAs to know, what they would be like. With all those things been done to him, she found it more amazing, that Jarod had become the man he was. And she feared there would be much more to discover....
"Just be careful. I wouldn't have all your blood shed over the furniture...!"
Cassie rose and headed towards the door. Jarods gaze followed her, thoughtful. Cassie seemed to cope well with the changes in her life. Things would never be the same again. Carefully he tested his legs. Even though he was healing well, two weeks of doing nothing had weakened him. He would have to train. And he would begin with covering the distance to his laptop.
Maggie washed the dishes silently. She had not been crying for some time now, and she felt that she could cope with Jarod gone. She would do no good to the rest of her family, Charles and Emily, with a breakdown. Emily still needed time to fully recover. Thank god, that Jarod had been there, when she had needed him, Maggie thought. All Charles hat told about their oldest made her wonder, if Jarod would have become the same man, if he'd grown up with his family.
"Maggie?"
Charles was back. A smile spread in her face and her eyes shone.
"In the kitchen, love!"
She dried her hands with a towel and waited until Charles opened the door. He'd been gone for several hours to do 'something', as he had told her. Now she was curious, what that had been. She gave him a hug, then tried to eye into the living room across his shoulder.
Charles laughed at her impatience but didn't block her way. Maggie almost jumped into the living room, since she had exspected at least a tiny bit of resistance from her husband. She forgot her lost dignity, when she sensed that it was no 'thing' waiting in the room.
A young man stood there, next to the cupboard. Maybe 15 or 16 years old. He looked at her, shyly. His eyes of a gentle darkbrown, just like Emilys. And Jarods.
"Hello, dear."
Maggie said with a charming smile. Before he even knew what was happening to him she had placed him comfortingly on the couch and sat in the seat opposite to him. Charles watched amused, how his beloved wife circled her victim. There was no escape.
"What's your name, dear?"
Maggie asked with a gentle voice, not wanting to scare the boy. He looked at Charles, then back at her.
"They call me Gemini, but Jarod said it shall be Joshua!"
Startled Maggie looked up at her husband.
"You've met Jarod, dear?"
Josh nodded, then tried to keep himself from crying.
"Jarod saved me from the Centre, saved us both, while he was recaptured....I can't believe he's gone."
Maggie was close to tears, again.
"But, dear, we will find your parents, and you will finally lead the normal life you deserve!"
Maggie promised, even though she didn't know, how to keep this promise. Charles looked concerned, she realized. Something was wrong. She missed something.
"I have no parents!"
Joshua stated, matter of factly, as if he had told himself over and over again.
"So, they're dead?"
Maggie took his hand and waited for his reply.
"No, I have none!"
She could read in his eyes the truth. But did not understand. Questioning she looked up at Charles. He cleared his throat, then lowered himself into an armchair.
"Actually it's something in between....Josh has no parents in the common sense. He was created by the Centre in a lab. But we are his genetical parents...."
Maggie stared at Charles, Josh studied her reaction, whether she was repulsive. But she wasn't. Sheer disbelief was on her face, as she turned to Josh, taking a closer look.
"They stole our genes?"
She asked, not turning her gaze from Josh.
"Yes, Maggie, but they didn't steal our gene, but Jarods. Joshua was made of Jarods DNA. Technically he is a clone."
Josh looked away at the word clone. He didn't like it. It remembered him of his past. The abuse of the people he had trusted.
"You are telling me, that this dear boy here is our son as he would have been 25 years ago?"
Charles nodded.
" Actually I would put it a bit different. Joshs and Jarods bodies are the same, even most of their character. But they both are totally independent persons."
Josh seemed grateful. Charles knew, Josh didn't want to be a substitute for Jarod. And he didn't deserve.
Maggie got down on her knees in front of Josh and touched his cheek.
"Joshua, I'm glad to have you here with us..."
"Maggie..."
"Don't Maggie me, love!"
She said seriously.
"For more than 30 years we've been looking for our sons. We always had Emily, our sunshine, and the hopes of being a reunited family one day. Now, Kyle's dead, Jarod is as well. We will never know them. But we have a chance of giving dear Josh a life, see him become a man. That's the least everyone deserves. He might have been cloned, but he is our flesh and blood, our genes, our son. Joshua, not Jarod!"
With tears in her eyes she hugged Josh.
"Welcome home, Josh!"
She whispered.
Tbc