Sphere of Influence: Intervention ---- by JayVitolo
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights. This is just for entertainment.
Author Notes: I plan on finishing this story soon; I'm on summer break from college. Good thing is I'm under less pressure next semester, I'm FINALLY off Academic Probation, and I should be able to write more stories. Bad News is I'm going to be working my summer job a lot so I don't know how much I'll be able to write now.
Additional: All text in single quotations, ('), should be considered a person's thought. Everything in double quotations, ("), is speech.
Anyways...this chapter is done and I hope you like it.
------
"You don't have much longer on this plane, Mister Lyle. I suggest you make the most of it now." A smug grin is plastered onto Viktor's face as he continues to speak. "I'll tell you what, you have ten seconds to start talking."
"And if I choose to not exercise this generous offer?" Lyle tries to remain unshaken, but the sweat on his forehead betrays him.
Viktor shrugs his shoulders as he responds. "Then, I'm afraid, Wilhelm will have to kill you." Lyle looks over his left shoulder and sees the smile on Wilhelm's face. Lyle's attention returns to Viktor as he finishes. "He's been aching to shoot something all day."
Viktor begins his counting as Lyle takes a deep breath. Once Viktor reaches nine, Lyle stops him. "Alright. I'll talk."
The smile on Viktor's face widens as Lyle can feel the gun being moved from his neck. The smile slowly fades from Viktor as he leans forward on his desk. "Proceed."
Lyle opens his mouth to speak but stops before a word leaves. He looks behind him at Wilhelm and then slowly returns his gaze to Viktor. "Not until stumpy leaves."
Viktor looks past Lyle and notices that Wilhelm stiffened at the comment. "I'm sure Wilhelm would love to hear what you have to say." Viktor's eyes return to Lyle. "Proceed."
Lyle sighs deeply. "Fine. There's a building I know of in Blue Cove, Delaware that will give us all the power we need to get rid of Jarod. It's called The Centre and the only thing preventing us from taking it is my sister Marie Parker."
------
The door to Sydney's office opens as the psychiatrist walks into the room. Without a sound, he walks towards his desk and drops a bundle of folders near the middle before beginning to unbutton his suit coat. The chair is pulled out as Sydney silently sits and turns towards a coffee maker he recently invested in. Once the small machine begins to brew a cup of coffee, he turns his attention to the stack of folders he brought in with him. He opens the top one and begins to read over it as the phone starts ringing.
With a sigh, he reaches to it and presses the speaker button. "Sydney."
"Has Jarod called you?" The voice on the other end seems to be frantic.
"No Marie. Jarod and I haven't spoken for a few weeks now." Sydney closes the folder and pulls the phone receiver from its cradle, effectively canceling the speaker mode. "Why do you ask?"
Marie sighs as she continues. "I can't find him anywhere Syd."
Sydney straightens in his chair before speaking again. "Like when we were hunting him?"
"It's worse. Seems like he just vanished." Marie's voice gets more frantic as he continues. "At least when we hunted him, he would be doing pretends to help other people. Now it feels like he's just given up. No games of cat and mouse. Just poof, gone with the wind."
A small beep signals to Sydney his coffee is done, causing him to turn towards the machine while still talking. "I'll have Broots check it out. Usually Jarod leaves a clue somewhere."
"That's what I'm saying Syd. There's nothing. It's like he doesn't exist anymore." Marie's voice cracks as emotion starts to intrude.
Sydney takes a sip of his coffee before responding. "Some would argue he never did exist. Think about it Parker; he doesn't have a last name, no Social Security number. He's not even registered to vote or for an Armed Forces Draft."
For once, silence hits the conversation as Marie thinks about what Sydney said. "You're right. The only reason we, The Centre, knew he existed is because we raised him." Her voice lowers as she continues. "Just please try and find him. Call me if he contacts you."
"What happened between you two? It's not like Jarod to not torment you in some way." Sydney places his now half empty cup of coffee on his desk as he pulls out a paper tablet.
"I know." A small chuckle escapes her before she continues. "I wish I could say it feels good to sleep through the whole night, but I just miss his awkward humor. Just find what you can."
Sydney sighs as he realizes Marie won't answer his question. "Will do Parker."
"Thank you Syd." Marie is the first to break the conversation causing Sydney to stare blankly at the wall in front of him.
"What happened Parker?" Sydney looks at the phone and slowly presses the power button on the receiver to turn it off. He presses the button again and begins to dial the number for the Tech room.
"Tech room, this is Broots." The balding technician seems rather cheerful today.
"You seem happy today." A smile crosses Syd's face. 'Why is it Broots always seems more cheerful than Parker?'
"Oh, you wouldn't believe it Syd. I just threw this really awesome party for Debbie last night. Did I tell you she got on of the lead roles in her high school play? You should see how much fun she's having." Broots seems to be getting even happier as he speaks.
"That's good to hear Broots. What play is it?" Sydney's voice shares the enthusiasm Broots is speaking with.
"Guys and Dolls. She really likes it there. The first performance is on Friday." The joy in Broots' voice would be enough to make even Miss 'Ice Queen' Parker happy.
"Give her my congratulations Broots."
Broots laughs before he responds. "Will do Sydney." He quickly calms down as he puts the phone receiver between his head and right shoulder. "Now what can I do for you?"
"I need you to try and track down Jarod." Sydney's voice loses all sense of humor and regains its seriousness.
"That won't be easy. He doesn't have a"
"Social Security number. Just try your hardest." Sydney cuts the technician off.
Broots picks up his remark where it was cut off. "I was going to say Bank Account, but I wasn't aware of the Social Security problem." Silence breaks the talking as Broots thinks. "Why doesn't he have a Social Security number?"
"Because when he was brought to The Centre, the Triumvirate had him pronounced dead. That way they could perform any test on him and if he died, it wouldn't matter. The Triumvirate would take his body to Africa and bury it so nobody would be any wiser." A deep sigh escapes Sydney as he recalls those dark plans. "That was a main reason Catherine tried to get all of the pretenders out. She couldn't stand what The Centre, or the Triumvirate, was doing."
"That explains it." Keys can be heard clicking as Broots begins to work. "Bad news Syd, this is going to take me a while. I'll get back to you as soon as I find something."
"Thank you Broots. Wish Debbie luck for me."
"No problem Syd. You're welcome to come if you can."
"I'll do that." Sydney hangs up his phone and returns to his cup of coffee. "Where are you Jarod?"
------
Water can be heard running in a bathroom as the door opens. Jarod walks out of the small room with a tower hanging around his neck and his hair still dripping wet. He walks towards a small refrigerator in the motel room he is renting and pulls out a can of Cherry Coke. He pops the can open and walks back into the bathroom before looking into the foggy mirror. After passing his hand over it, Jarod sees a set of eyes he is not accustomed to; ones that look empty. He hasn't shaven since Parker killed his mom and each day he feels more and more hollow inside.
Jarod puts his hands on the sides of the sink basin and opens the faucet to run the water. He scoops a handful of the water from the running faucet and splashes it onto his face, but he still feels unclean. This was his fifth shower today and he still doesn't feel normal; it's like the flame inside of him has been extinguished. It took him a couple of days but he realized that he would never truly be free until he disappears. Until then everybody and everything will be watching him, waiting for him to slip up and catch him.
He looks back at his reflection; the face still haunts him. "I can't allow the Centre to run my life anymore. As long as they know I'm still around, they won't leave me alone." Jarod looks back down at the running water and sighs. "They killed my mother, cost me my brother, and prevent me from living with my father and sister. Never again."
Jarod leaves the bathroom and grabs a shirt that was lying on the second bed. He quickly pulls it over his head as he walks towards the door. "I have to stop them before others end up getting hurt."
------
Marie Parker is sitting in a park watching duck's float in a pond. Even though she is away from everything, her mind is still racing as she tries to figure out where Jarod could be. It isn't like him to vanish like this. She casually pulls her cell phone from its holder and begins to flip it open and closed. The phone begins to ring after the third time, causing her to panic.
Parker quickly presses the phone's answer button and puts it to her ear. "Jarod?" The urgency in her voice betrays her emotions.
A laugh is her answer. Once the other person regains their composure, she gets an actual response. "Not even close sister."
Marie's face flashes red with anger as her grip on the phone tightens. "What do you want Lyle?" His name is dripping with venom, and she meant it.
"Oh, a little touchy today aren't we?" Marie can tell Lyle's wearing a smug expression from his response. Before she has a chance to respond, Lyle continues. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. You are beautiful when you're angry."
The more Lyle rolls with the punches, the more Marie's face turns red. At this rate, her ulcer is bound to act up. 'After this, I'm getting a drink. A BIG one.' Marie shakes her head to try and cool off; it doesn't work. "Keep going and you'll see how beautiful I can be."
"How's Jarod doing these days?" Lyle smiles at her building anger. He can't wait to tell her the reason he called.
She wants to scream. Scream and reach through the phone and strangle the smug jackass. "We aren't on speaking terms now."
"Really?" Lyle's surprise catches her off guard. "I thought you too were as inseparable as Siamese Twins. Or Broots and his computer girlfriend."
'Is he being sarcastic, or does he genuinely not know?' Shock tries to make its way onto her face, but only gets smothered by the anger already there. "Does this family chat have a purpose Lyle?"
Lyle clears his throat before responding. "Oh yes. Two things actually."
"REALLY. I'm just dying to know." The sarcasm in Marie's voice is still brimmed with anger, but it also has her razor wit along fro the ride.
"Funny you should mention 'dying'. As we speak you adopted father and birth father are being shot."
Marie springs to her feet, forcing the ducks to look in her direction. A rabbit quickly darts from the grass at her sudden movement. "What! This better not be a sick game Lyle."
Rustling can be heard as Lyle looks over his shoulder to see Wilhelm carrying a limp body down a corridor. "No game. Mr. Parker was just killed. I can't stay on long, they don't know I'm talking with you."
"Who? What?" The confusion in Marie's voice is evident as she tries to form a coherent thought.
"Listen up. These two guys, Viktor and Wilhelm, are going to try and take The Centre building. They have a group with them called "Followers" and they are under strict orders to kill anybody in their way. There are about 25 of them." The words fly out of Lyle's mouth faster than he can think them.
Miss Parker slowly sits back down at the influx of the information. "What can I do about it?"
"Tell Sydney and Broots. Get them to find all of the old Sweepers and Cleaners possible, cause you'll need them." Lyle's voice is becoming more frantic as he can hear footsteps coming his way. "I need to go. I'll be in the group, just look for a white shirt with a red tie."
"Wait, Lyle . . ." Before she is able to respond, Lyle turns his phone off. A deep sigh leaves Marie as she looks out to the pond. "First I lose Jarod and now there's a war on the Centre."
------
Lyle turns on his heels as he shut the phone. A smile passes over his face as he sees Viktor standing in front of him. "It's done. She'll bite; hook, line, and sinker."
Viktor places his hands behind his back as he straightens. "For your sake, she better."
As he goes to walk past, Lyle places his right hand on Viktor's right shoulder. "Calm down. Stress is not good for the body." Lyle grins as he catches a glance of Viktor.
As Lyle starts to walk away, Viktor grabs his wrist. "Neither is making promises you can't keep." Lyle turns as Viktor continues. "You know the consequences if your promise fails. We lose the Centre, you lose the opportunity to breathe."
Lyle stiffens as Viktor touches the scar on the right side of his face. Viktor begins to trace it as his voice becomes even more somber. "And I will not hesitate to exercise more extreme manners than the Triumvirate." A slight grin tugs at the corner of Viktor's mouth. "Now tell me again, where does this Mr. Cox fit in?"
------
A rather large framed woman places a menu in front of Jarod, causing the pretender to look at her with a smile. The woman's apron seems to be crusted with coffee stains and other food streaks, but her red hair is kept in place with a hair net. Judging from the aroma around her, she likes using perfume . . . lots of perfume.
The woman rearranges her apron as she speaks. "You want anything, shugah?" She bends over the table as much as her waist will let her and places a coffee mug in front of Jarod. She sets a pot of coffee beside the mug as she pulls a tablet out of her overstretched apron.
"Coffee. Black." Jarod's eyes fall to the menu as the woman starts to scribble on a pad. He looks back up to her with an inquisitive glance. "What makes Belgium Waffles different than other waffles? Are they from Belgium?"
The look from the waitress would be enough to kill small dogs. "What? Of course not." She doesn't look at Jarod as she pours coffee in his mug.
"Oh." Jarod looks back to the menu as he continues. "I'll have to eat both then. Give me two orders of each, I need to do some research."
Her gaze doesn't change; it only becomes more puzzled. "Okay shugah. Four waffles coming up."
"Two of those are Belgium waffles." Jarod folds the menu and hands it to her with a grin.
"Yeah. I know." The waitress shuffles off with the coffee mug in her hands, muttering something about assholes.
------
Sydney's phone begins to ring as soon as he opens the doors to his office. On the fourth ring, the psychiatrist removes the receiver from the cradle and answers. "This is Sydney."
"Syd, I have some good news and some bad news."
"Did you find Jarod?" Sydney sits on the corner of his desk while holding the phone close.
"Well. No." Broots' voice starts to fade as he turns to a camera monitor.
Sydney rubs his temples as he responds. "Then what is it?"
"You know those new cameras I installed around the Centre building?"
A sigh escapes Sydney's throat. "What about them Broots?"
Broots clears his throat as he tries to continue. "Well. There seems to be many, um, people with guns walking through the lobby." Squeaking wheels can be heard as a gasp escapes Broots. "I thought he was dead."
"Who? Who do you see Broots?"
Broots' eyes don't leave the monitor's screen as he tries to speak the person's name. "Ly, um, Lyle. And Cox." Broots rubs his eyes before continuing. "They're flanked by two other men, the rest of the group seems to be following them."
Sydney walks over to his filing cabinet and pulls the top drawer open. "What do they look like Broots?" He fishes around the papers and locates a pine wood box.
Sydney carefully sets the box on the desk as Broots replies. "One looks muscular and the other has glasses. Both of them are wearing three-piece black suits, white suits, and red ties. The rest of the group is dressed in a similar fashion." Broots swallows hard as he sees Lyle looks directly at the camera. "Jesus, you should see Lyle's face. Looks like somebody had fun with hot metal."
Sydney opens the pine box and looks at his silver handgun. He swore he'd never use it after almost killing Dr. Werner Krieg six years ago. "The Triumvirate can be unforgiving." Sydney pulls the gun out of the box and holds it up to the light. "Broots. Call Miss Parker and tell her to get back here."
"I would, Syd, but she's already here." Broots jumps backwards as she guns three of the men down, the small microphones on the cameras pick up the noise of the gunshots. "She just took three of the lackeys out. The four main guys are still standing."
"Good. Call the Sweepers; tell them to meet in the lobby with whatever guns they can find." Sydney loads the clip into the gun.
"What are you doing Syd? Did I just hear a click?" The technician's voice wavers as he speaks; his eyes refuse to leave the screen before him.
"If they want a war, I'll give them one. Just do what I ask." Sydney turns the phone off as he walks towards a closet and opens it to reveal a bulletproof vest; after removing it from its hanger, Sydney pulls it over his body. He slides the top of the gun backwards to chamber a bullet before opening the door to his office. 'I knew this day would come sooner or later. I just wish it would wait until I'm dead.'
------
The woman at the diner places a slip of paper in front Jarod as he leans backward sipping at his coffee. "You discover anything shugah?"
"Yes." A grin appears on Jarod's face as he sets the coffee down. "There is absolutely no difference between a Belgium waffle and a regular waffle."
"Could've fooled me." The woman sighs as she scoops up the plates and returns to the kitchen area.
Jarod grabs the slip of paper after taking a final gulp of his coffee and heads to the register. He pays for the meal and leaves a sizable tip, $20.00, and heads to his car. Once the engine starts, he makes the familiar trip to Blue Cove, Delaware; a trip he hopes will end the conflict inside of him.
------
Sydney paces in the Centre's lobby but quickly turns when he hears an elevator open. For one of the first times in his life, he's happy to see the swarm of sweepers as they head towards him. Most of them have the sweeper issue Smith and Wesson but a few have upgraded to automatic shotguns or submachine guns. Either way, they are ready to deal out punishment to anybody in their way. 'Thank god Jarod isn't here. I don't need him in this crossfire.'
Sam leads the sweepers as they come to Sydney. "Okay Sydney, where are the intruders?"
"The last Broots told me, they were in the parking lot with Miss Parker." Sydney crosses his arms in front of his chest as he speaks.
Sam looks back at the group of sweepers and begins to bark orders. "Teams 2 and 3, head to the elevators and serve distraction. Team 1, we're the full force. We take the stairs." He looks back at Sydney and notices the silver gun. "You know how to handle that?"
A smirk crosses Syd's face as he lifts his head. "Nearly ended Raines' tyranny seven years ago. Not too good with extended accuracy, but I can shoot."
"Good." Sam looks at his group of men. "Lets go."
------
After taking four people out, Marie Parker has been stuck behind the same damn car for half an hour. She'll be sent to hell in a hand basket if the patience she learn from hunting Jarod screws her up now. Every time the guns stop she peers through the passenger window to see if anybody is still there, every time they wait for her.
She hears a ding, followed by more gunshots. Carefully peering through the window she sees a group of sweepers pouring out of the two elevators, followed by more people dropping. The odds seem against the sweepers until she sees the stairwell door kicked open followed by more sweepers. Marie stands and begins shooting again, managing to take out two more intruders until Mr. Cox turns to her.
Time seems to slow to a halt as he winks at her. Next thing she sees is his gun fall to Sam's back. Parker watches in horror as Cox squeezes the trigger. Sam pitches forward at the waist and his head falls backwards, his face twisted in pain. Blinded by rage she unloads the final three shots in her gun on Cox. Two rip into his chest and the third strikes the wall by his head. He slumps against the wall, leaving a bloody streak as his back slides down the wall.
Lyle turns to her with a shocked expression. "What the hell?" Lyle's mouth creates the words, all sound lost due to the firefight.
Marie doesn't respond as she drops behind the car and drops the empty clip. She reaches into her coat and pulls out a second clip and slides it into the gun. As this is happening, a person crouches next to her. In one fluid motion she chambers a round and brings the gun to the other person's face. Miss Parker quickly drops the gun when she notices it's Sydney and a grin crosses her face.
It quickly disappears when she notices his blood stained shirt. "Jesus Sydney."
The psychiatrist waves the statement away as he settles against the car. "It's nothing." He looks to the ground before continuing. "Sam's dead."
A sigh leaves her as she continues. "I watched. It feels better to know that Cox is dead too."
Sydney looks back to her with a grim expression. "Listen Parker. I need you and Broots to get out of here." Sydney glances around the front of the car to the gunfight. "I don't know how much longer we can hold them off. They seem to be getting more determined with each one we kill."
"I'm not leaving you here Syd." Marie begins to stand back up when Sydney grabs her arm.
He pulls her back down and stares at her face. "You need to. If you die here, how will Jarod find out the truth?"
"But." She tries to counter his words but she can't. 'He's right but wrong at the same time.'
"No buts. You must leave. The sweepers will offer as much cover as possible." Sydney quickly glances over the hood and looks back at her. "Go. Now."
Marie quickly runs from behind the car as Sydney stands and begins firing. She makes it to the stairs and looks back to him in time to see Sydney get shot in right shoulder. "SYDNEY!"
Miss Parker starts to run back to him but stops when he looks at her. "Go." Sydney rolls onto his back as he applies as much pressure as possible to the shoulder.
With a tear forming in her eye, she turns and runs up the steps. She makes it to the top and begins to bang on the tech room door.
"Who. Who is it?" Broots' voice is really timid.
"It's me you moron."
The door swings open as Broots jumps out of the room. He quickly grabs her in a hug and squeezes tightly. "You're alive!" Marie's face is twisted in pain as she drives a heel into his foot, causing the tech to quickly let go. "What was that for?"
Marie bends at the waste as she gasps for air. "Air."
"Sorry. It's just, just, um." Broots looks at the ground as he begins to fiddle with his hands.
"We need to go." She grabs the technician by the wrist and pulls him along.
"Did you see Sydney?"
Marie sighs as she stops; her gaze falls to the tiles on the floor. "Yes." Footsteps can be heard on the stairs causing her to focus again. "We need to go. Now."
The two turn a corner but stop as Miss Parker sees a gun pointed at them. "Hi sis." Lyle steps forward and turns to Broots with a smile. "You miss me?"
"You really had me fooled little brother." Marie looks him in the eyes. "I actually thought you flipped."
"Emotions can be so misleading." Lyle grins a Cheshire cat grin. "But I was a good actor wasn't I?"
"No." Marie quickly knocks the gun from his hand before landing a fist to his face, knocking him into the wall. She goes to run past him but Lyle manages to trip her up. She lands on her side as he reaches into his suit coat to grab another gun. Miss Parker manages to roll over only to see Lyle pointing a second gun at her.
He wipes the blood from his mouth as he looks at her. "Always predictable. You never learn do you?" He chambers a bullet while staring at her. "On your feet." Marie quietly obliges as Lyle turns her around. He pulls out a set of handcuffs and binds her wrist tightly.
After wincing at the pain, she smiles slyly. "A little rough today little brother?"
Lyle chuckles slightly as he grabs her wrists and bends them at an angle. He whispers in her ear while leaning close. "I know you like it like that." Lyle presses the gun into her back and leads her to the elevators as one of Viktor's lackeys grabs Broots. "Let's go."
------
Jarod goes to pull his car into the parking lot but stops when he sees the bodies. He turns the car off and quickly exits as he sees Sydney. "SYDNEY!"
The psychiatrist turns to him and smiles. "Jarod. I'm glad to see you again."
"My god, you've been shot." Jarod kneels next to him and looks at his shoulder. "What happened here?"
Sydney coughs as he tries to sit up. "We were attacked by Lyle and some others."
"Are you okay?" Jarod moves the psychiatrist's hand and looks at the wound. "It's a graze. The bullet took off to layers of skin, but you'll be fine."
"Good to hear." Sydney looks Jarod in the eyes. "I don't know if it will mean anything coming from me, but Parker didn't kill your mom."
Jarod shakes his head. "You're wrong Sydney. I saw it happen before my eyes."
Sydney grimaces in pain as he straightens his arm. "What you saw was an imposter." The color flushes from Jarod's face as Sydney continues. "Her name was Madeline."
"What? How?" Jarod's gaze falls to the floor as he collects his thoughts. He looks back to Sydney before continuing. "How do you know?"
"I heard two men talking about it while I was lying here." The psychiatrist smiles at him. "Playing dead."
Jarod stands and looks around, his face twisted in anger. "Where did they go?"
Sydney motions to the stairs. "Up the stars. They went after Parker."
Jarod inhales deeply as he balls his fists. He starts to walk to the stairs, but Sydney grabs his leg.
"Jarod, you'll need this." Sydney hands Jarod his gun and smiles.
"Thank you Sydney. I'll be back for you." Jarod turns to the stairs and pulls the metal door open. The door slams against the wall with a thud as Jarod pulls the clip out of the gun. 'Ten shots and one chambered.' Jarod slams the clip back in the gun as the door closes behind him. 'It's time to end this. Once and for all.'
------
TBC. Usual drill. Read and Rate.
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights. This is just for entertainment.
Author Notes: I plan on finishing this story soon; I'm on summer break from college. Good thing is I'm under less pressure next semester, I'm FINALLY off Academic Probation, and I should be able to write more stories. Bad News is I'm going to be working my summer job a lot so I don't know how much I'll be able to write now.
Additional: All text in single quotations, ('), should be considered a person's thought. Everything in double quotations, ("), is speech.
Anyways...this chapter is done and I hope you like it.
------
"You don't have much longer on this plane, Mister Lyle. I suggest you make the most of it now." A smug grin is plastered onto Viktor's face as he continues to speak. "I'll tell you what, you have ten seconds to start talking."
"And if I choose to not exercise this generous offer?" Lyle tries to remain unshaken, but the sweat on his forehead betrays him.
Viktor shrugs his shoulders as he responds. "Then, I'm afraid, Wilhelm will have to kill you." Lyle looks over his left shoulder and sees the smile on Wilhelm's face. Lyle's attention returns to Viktor as he finishes. "He's been aching to shoot something all day."
Viktor begins his counting as Lyle takes a deep breath. Once Viktor reaches nine, Lyle stops him. "Alright. I'll talk."
The smile on Viktor's face widens as Lyle can feel the gun being moved from his neck. The smile slowly fades from Viktor as he leans forward on his desk. "Proceed."
Lyle opens his mouth to speak but stops before a word leaves. He looks behind him at Wilhelm and then slowly returns his gaze to Viktor. "Not until stumpy leaves."
Viktor looks past Lyle and notices that Wilhelm stiffened at the comment. "I'm sure Wilhelm would love to hear what you have to say." Viktor's eyes return to Lyle. "Proceed."
Lyle sighs deeply. "Fine. There's a building I know of in Blue Cove, Delaware that will give us all the power we need to get rid of Jarod. It's called The Centre and the only thing preventing us from taking it is my sister Marie Parker."
------
The door to Sydney's office opens as the psychiatrist walks into the room. Without a sound, he walks towards his desk and drops a bundle of folders near the middle before beginning to unbutton his suit coat. The chair is pulled out as Sydney silently sits and turns towards a coffee maker he recently invested in. Once the small machine begins to brew a cup of coffee, he turns his attention to the stack of folders he brought in with him. He opens the top one and begins to read over it as the phone starts ringing.
With a sigh, he reaches to it and presses the speaker button. "Sydney."
"Has Jarod called you?" The voice on the other end seems to be frantic.
"No Marie. Jarod and I haven't spoken for a few weeks now." Sydney closes the folder and pulls the phone receiver from its cradle, effectively canceling the speaker mode. "Why do you ask?"
Marie sighs as she continues. "I can't find him anywhere Syd."
Sydney straightens in his chair before speaking again. "Like when we were hunting him?"
"It's worse. Seems like he just vanished." Marie's voice gets more frantic as he continues. "At least when we hunted him, he would be doing pretends to help other people. Now it feels like he's just given up. No games of cat and mouse. Just poof, gone with the wind."
A small beep signals to Sydney his coffee is done, causing him to turn towards the machine while still talking. "I'll have Broots check it out. Usually Jarod leaves a clue somewhere."
"That's what I'm saying Syd. There's nothing. It's like he doesn't exist anymore." Marie's voice cracks as emotion starts to intrude.
Sydney takes a sip of his coffee before responding. "Some would argue he never did exist. Think about it Parker; he doesn't have a last name, no Social Security number. He's not even registered to vote or for an Armed Forces Draft."
For once, silence hits the conversation as Marie thinks about what Sydney said. "You're right. The only reason we, The Centre, knew he existed is because we raised him." Her voice lowers as she continues. "Just please try and find him. Call me if he contacts you."
"What happened between you two? It's not like Jarod to not torment you in some way." Sydney places his now half empty cup of coffee on his desk as he pulls out a paper tablet.
"I know." A small chuckle escapes her before she continues. "I wish I could say it feels good to sleep through the whole night, but I just miss his awkward humor. Just find what you can."
Sydney sighs as he realizes Marie won't answer his question. "Will do Parker."
"Thank you Syd." Marie is the first to break the conversation causing Sydney to stare blankly at the wall in front of him.
"What happened Parker?" Sydney looks at the phone and slowly presses the power button on the receiver to turn it off. He presses the button again and begins to dial the number for the Tech room.
"Tech room, this is Broots." The balding technician seems rather cheerful today.
"You seem happy today." A smile crosses Syd's face. 'Why is it Broots always seems more cheerful than Parker?'
"Oh, you wouldn't believe it Syd. I just threw this really awesome party for Debbie last night. Did I tell you she got on of the lead roles in her high school play? You should see how much fun she's having." Broots seems to be getting even happier as he speaks.
"That's good to hear Broots. What play is it?" Sydney's voice shares the enthusiasm Broots is speaking with.
"Guys and Dolls. She really likes it there. The first performance is on Friday." The joy in Broots' voice would be enough to make even Miss 'Ice Queen' Parker happy.
"Give her my congratulations Broots."
Broots laughs before he responds. "Will do Sydney." He quickly calms down as he puts the phone receiver between his head and right shoulder. "Now what can I do for you?"
"I need you to try and track down Jarod." Sydney's voice loses all sense of humor and regains its seriousness.
"That won't be easy. He doesn't have a"
"Social Security number. Just try your hardest." Sydney cuts the technician off.
Broots picks up his remark where it was cut off. "I was going to say Bank Account, but I wasn't aware of the Social Security problem." Silence breaks the talking as Broots thinks. "Why doesn't he have a Social Security number?"
"Because when he was brought to The Centre, the Triumvirate had him pronounced dead. That way they could perform any test on him and if he died, it wouldn't matter. The Triumvirate would take his body to Africa and bury it so nobody would be any wiser." A deep sigh escapes Sydney as he recalls those dark plans. "That was a main reason Catherine tried to get all of the pretenders out. She couldn't stand what The Centre, or the Triumvirate, was doing."
"That explains it." Keys can be heard clicking as Broots begins to work. "Bad news Syd, this is going to take me a while. I'll get back to you as soon as I find something."
"Thank you Broots. Wish Debbie luck for me."
"No problem Syd. You're welcome to come if you can."
"I'll do that." Sydney hangs up his phone and returns to his cup of coffee. "Where are you Jarod?"
------
Water can be heard running in a bathroom as the door opens. Jarod walks out of the small room with a tower hanging around his neck and his hair still dripping wet. He walks towards a small refrigerator in the motel room he is renting and pulls out a can of Cherry Coke. He pops the can open and walks back into the bathroom before looking into the foggy mirror. After passing his hand over it, Jarod sees a set of eyes he is not accustomed to; ones that look empty. He hasn't shaven since Parker killed his mom and each day he feels more and more hollow inside.
Jarod puts his hands on the sides of the sink basin and opens the faucet to run the water. He scoops a handful of the water from the running faucet and splashes it onto his face, but he still feels unclean. This was his fifth shower today and he still doesn't feel normal; it's like the flame inside of him has been extinguished. It took him a couple of days but he realized that he would never truly be free until he disappears. Until then everybody and everything will be watching him, waiting for him to slip up and catch him.
He looks back at his reflection; the face still haunts him. "I can't allow the Centre to run my life anymore. As long as they know I'm still around, they won't leave me alone." Jarod looks back down at the running water and sighs. "They killed my mother, cost me my brother, and prevent me from living with my father and sister. Never again."
Jarod leaves the bathroom and grabs a shirt that was lying on the second bed. He quickly pulls it over his head as he walks towards the door. "I have to stop them before others end up getting hurt."
------
Marie Parker is sitting in a park watching duck's float in a pond. Even though she is away from everything, her mind is still racing as she tries to figure out where Jarod could be. It isn't like him to vanish like this. She casually pulls her cell phone from its holder and begins to flip it open and closed. The phone begins to ring after the third time, causing her to panic.
Parker quickly presses the phone's answer button and puts it to her ear. "Jarod?" The urgency in her voice betrays her emotions.
A laugh is her answer. Once the other person regains their composure, she gets an actual response. "Not even close sister."
Marie's face flashes red with anger as her grip on the phone tightens. "What do you want Lyle?" His name is dripping with venom, and she meant it.
"Oh, a little touchy today aren't we?" Marie can tell Lyle's wearing a smug expression from his response. Before she has a chance to respond, Lyle continues. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. You are beautiful when you're angry."
The more Lyle rolls with the punches, the more Marie's face turns red. At this rate, her ulcer is bound to act up. 'After this, I'm getting a drink. A BIG one.' Marie shakes her head to try and cool off; it doesn't work. "Keep going and you'll see how beautiful I can be."
"How's Jarod doing these days?" Lyle smiles at her building anger. He can't wait to tell her the reason he called.
She wants to scream. Scream and reach through the phone and strangle the smug jackass. "We aren't on speaking terms now."
"Really?" Lyle's surprise catches her off guard. "I thought you too were as inseparable as Siamese Twins. Or Broots and his computer girlfriend."
'Is he being sarcastic, or does he genuinely not know?' Shock tries to make its way onto her face, but only gets smothered by the anger already there. "Does this family chat have a purpose Lyle?"
Lyle clears his throat before responding. "Oh yes. Two things actually."
"REALLY. I'm just dying to know." The sarcasm in Marie's voice is still brimmed with anger, but it also has her razor wit along fro the ride.
"Funny you should mention 'dying'. As we speak you adopted father and birth father are being shot."
Marie springs to her feet, forcing the ducks to look in her direction. A rabbit quickly darts from the grass at her sudden movement. "What! This better not be a sick game Lyle."
Rustling can be heard as Lyle looks over his shoulder to see Wilhelm carrying a limp body down a corridor. "No game. Mr. Parker was just killed. I can't stay on long, they don't know I'm talking with you."
"Who? What?" The confusion in Marie's voice is evident as she tries to form a coherent thought.
"Listen up. These two guys, Viktor and Wilhelm, are going to try and take The Centre building. They have a group with them called "Followers" and they are under strict orders to kill anybody in their way. There are about 25 of them." The words fly out of Lyle's mouth faster than he can think them.
Miss Parker slowly sits back down at the influx of the information. "What can I do about it?"
"Tell Sydney and Broots. Get them to find all of the old Sweepers and Cleaners possible, cause you'll need them." Lyle's voice is becoming more frantic as he can hear footsteps coming his way. "I need to go. I'll be in the group, just look for a white shirt with a red tie."
"Wait, Lyle . . ." Before she is able to respond, Lyle turns his phone off. A deep sigh leaves Marie as she looks out to the pond. "First I lose Jarod and now there's a war on the Centre."
------
Lyle turns on his heels as he shut the phone. A smile passes over his face as he sees Viktor standing in front of him. "It's done. She'll bite; hook, line, and sinker."
Viktor places his hands behind his back as he straightens. "For your sake, she better."
As he goes to walk past, Lyle places his right hand on Viktor's right shoulder. "Calm down. Stress is not good for the body." Lyle grins as he catches a glance of Viktor.
As Lyle starts to walk away, Viktor grabs his wrist. "Neither is making promises you can't keep." Lyle turns as Viktor continues. "You know the consequences if your promise fails. We lose the Centre, you lose the opportunity to breathe."
Lyle stiffens as Viktor touches the scar on the right side of his face. Viktor begins to trace it as his voice becomes even more somber. "And I will not hesitate to exercise more extreme manners than the Triumvirate." A slight grin tugs at the corner of Viktor's mouth. "Now tell me again, where does this Mr. Cox fit in?"
------
A rather large framed woman places a menu in front of Jarod, causing the pretender to look at her with a smile. The woman's apron seems to be crusted with coffee stains and other food streaks, but her red hair is kept in place with a hair net. Judging from the aroma around her, she likes using perfume . . . lots of perfume.
The woman rearranges her apron as she speaks. "You want anything, shugah?" She bends over the table as much as her waist will let her and places a coffee mug in front of Jarod. She sets a pot of coffee beside the mug as she pulls a tablet out of her overstretched apron.
"Coffee. Black." Jarod's eyes fall to the menu as the woman starts to scribble on a pad. He looks back up to her with an inquisitive glance. "What makes Belgium Waffles different than other waffles? Are they from Belgium?"
The look from the waitress would be enough to kill small dogs. "What? Of course not." She doesn't look at Jarod as she pours coffee in his mug.
"Oh." Jarod looks back to the menu as he continues. "I'll have to eat both then. Give me two orders of each, I need to do some research."
Her gaze doesn't change; it only becomes more puzzled. "Okay shugah. Four waffles coming up."
"Two of those are Belgium waffles." Jarod folds the menu and hands it to her with a grin.
"Yeah. I know." The waitress shuffles off with the coffee mug in her hands, muttering something about assholes.
------
Sydney's phone begins to ring as soon as he opens the doors to his office. On the fourth ring, the psychiatrist removes the receiver from the cradle and answers. "This is Sydney."
"Syd, I have some good news and some bad news."
"Did you find Jarod?" Sydney sits on the corner of his desk while holding the phone close.
"Well. No." Broots' voice starts to fade as he turns to a camera monitor.
Sydney rubs his temples as he responds. "Then what is it?"
"You know those new cameras I installed around the Centre building?"
A sigh escapes Sydney's throat. "What about them Broots?"
Broots clears his throat as he tries to continue. "Well. There seems to be many, um, people with guns walking through the lobby." Squeaking wheels can be heard as a gasp escapes Broots. "I thought he was dead."
"Who? Who do you see Broots?"
Broots' eyes don't leave the monitor's screen as he tries to speak the person's name. "Ly, um, Lyle. And Cox." Broots rubs his eyes before continuing. "They're flanked by two other men, the rest of the group seems to be following them."
Sydney walks over to his filing cabinet and pulls the top drawer open. "What do they look like Broots?" He fishes around the papers and locates a pine wood box.
Sydney carefully sets the box on the desk as Broots replies. "One looks muscular and the other has glasses. Both of them are wearing three-piece black suits, white suits, and red ties. The rest of the group is dressed in a similar fashion." Broots swallows hard as he sees Lyle looks directly at the camera. "Jesus, you should see Lyle's face. Looks like somebody had fun with hot metal."
Sydney opens the pine box and looks at his silver handgun. He swore he'd never use it after almost killing Dr. Werner Krieg six years ago. "The Triumvirate can be unforgiving." Sydney pulls the gun out of the box and holds it up to the light. "Broots. Call Miss Parker and tell her to get back here."
"I would, Syd, but she's already here." Broots jumps backwards as she guns three of the men down, the small microphones on the cameras pick up the noise of the gunshots. "She just took three of the lackeys out. The four main guys are still standing."
"Good. Call the Sweepers; tell them to meet in the lobby with whatever guns they can find." Sydney loads the clip into the gun.
"What are you doing Syd? Did I just hear a click?" The technician's voice wavers as he speaks; his eyes refuse to leave the screen before him.
"If they want a war, I'll give them one. Just do what I ask." Sydney turns the phone off as he walks towards a closet and opens it to reveal a bulletproof vest; after removing it from its hanger, Sydney pulls it over his body. He slides the top of the gun backwards to chamber a bullet before opening the door to his office. 'I knew this day would come sooner or later. I just wish it would wait until I'm dead.'
------
The woman at the diner places a slip of paper in front Jarod as he leans backward sipping at his coffee. "You discover anything shugah?"
"Yes." A grin appears on Jarod's face as he sets the coffee down. "There is absolutely no difference between a Belgium waffle and a regular waffle."
"Could've fooled me." The woman sighs as she scoops up the plates and returns to the kitchen area.
Jarod grabs the slip of paper after taking a final gulp of his coffee and heads to the register. He pays for the meal and leaves a sizable tip, $20.00, and heads to his car. Once the engine starts, he makes the familiar trip to Blue Cove, Delaware; a trip he hopes will end the conflict inside of him.
------
Sydney paces in the Centre's lobby but quickly turns when he hears an elevator open. For one of the first times in his life, he's happy to see the swarm of sweepers as they head towards him. Most of them have the sweeper issue Smith and Wesson but a few have upgraded to automatic shotguns or submachine guns. Either way, they are ready to deal out punishment to anybody in their way. 'Thank god Jarod isn't here. I don't need him in this crossfire.'
Sam leads the sweepers as they come to Sydney. "Okay Sydney, where are the intruders?"
"The last Broots told me, they were in the parking lot with Miss Parker." Sydney crosses his arms in front of his chest as he speaks.
Sam looks back at the group of sweepers and begins to bark orders. "Teams 2 and 3, head to the elevators and serve distraction. Team 1, we're the full force. We take the stairs." He looks back at Sydney and notices the silver gun. "You know how to handle that?"
A smirk crosses Syd's face as he lifts his head. "Nearly ended Raines' tyranny seven years ago. Not too good with extended accuracy, but I can shoot."
"Good." Sam looks at his group of men. "Lets go."
------
After taking four people out, Marie Parker has been stuck behind the same damn car for half an hour. She'll be sent to hell in a hand basket if the patience she learn from hunting Jarod screws her up now. Every time the guns stop she peers through the passenger window to see if anybody is still there, every time they wait for her.
She hears a ding, followed by more gunshots. Carefully peering through the window she sees a group of sweepers pouring out of the two elevators, followed by more people dropping. The odds seem against the sweepers until she sees the stairwell door kicked open followed by more sweepers. Marie stands and begins shooting again, managing to take out two more intruders until Mr. Cox turns to her.
Time seems to slow to a halt as he winks at her. Next thing she sees is his gun fall to Sam's back. Parker watches in horror as Cox squeezes the trigger. Sam pitches forward at the waist and his head falls backwards, his face twisted in pain. Blinded by rage she unloads the final three shots in her gun on Cox. Two rip into his chest and the third strikes the wall by his head. He slumps against the wall, leaving a bloody streak as his back slides down the wall.
Lyle turns to her with a shocked expression. "What the hell?" Lyle's mouth creates the words, all sound lost due to the firefight.
Marie doesn't respond as she drops behind the car and drops the empty clip. She reaches into her coat and pulls out a second clip and slides it into the gun. As this is happening, a person crouches next to her. In one fluid motion she chambers a round and brings the gun to the other person's face. Miss Parker quickly drops the gun when she notices it's Sydney and a grin crosses her face.
It quickly disappears when she notices his blood stained shirt. "Jesus Sydney."
The psychiatrist waves the statement away as he settles against the car. "It's nothing." He looks to the ground before continuing. "Sam's dead."
A sigh leaves her as she continues. "I watched. It feels better to know that Cox is dead too."
Sydney looks back to her with a grim expression. "Listen Parker. I need you and Broots to get out of here." Sydney glances around the front of the car to the gunfight. "I don't know how much longer we can hold them off. They seem to be getting more determined with each one we kill."
"I'm not leaving you here Syd." Marie begins to stand back up when Sydney grabs her arm.
He pulls her back down and stares at her face. "You need to. If you die here, how will Jarod find out the truth?"
"But." She tries to counter his words but she can't. 'He's right but wrong at the same time.'
"No buts. You must leave. The sweepers will offer as much cover as possible." Sydney quickly glances over the hood and looks back at her. "Go. Now."
Marie quickly runs from behind the car as Sydney stands and begins firing. She makes it to the stairs and looks back to him in time to see Sydney get shot in right shoulder. "SYDNEY!"
Miss Parker starts to run back to him but stops when he looks at her. "Go." Sydney rolls onto his back as he applies as much pressure as possible to the shoulder.
With a tear forming in her eye, she turns and runs up the steps. She makes it to the top and begins to bang on the tech room door.
"Who. Who is it?" Broots' voice is really timid.
"It's me you moron."
The door swings open as Broots jumps out of the room. He quickly grabs her in a hug and squeezes tightly. "You're alive!" Marie's face is twisted in pain as she drives a heel into his foot, causing the tech to quickly let go. "What was that for?"
Marie bends at the waste as she gasps for air. "Air."
"Sorry. It's just, just, um." Broots looks at the ground as he begins to fiddle with his hands.
"We need to go." She grabs the technician by the wrist and pulls him along.
"Did you see Sydney?"
Marie sighs as she stops; her gaze falls to the tiles on the floor. "Yes." Footsteps can be heard on the stairs causing her to focus again. "We need to go. Now."
The two turn a corner but stop as Miss Parker sees a gun pointed at them. "Hi sis." Lyle steps forward and turns to Broots with a smile. "You miss me?"
"You really had me fooled little brother." Marie looks him in the eyes. "I actually thought you flipped."
"Emotions can be so misleading." Lyle grins a Cheshire cat grin. "But I was a good actor wasn't I?"
"No." Marie quickly knocks the gun from his hand before landing a fist to his face, knocking him into the wall. She goes to run past him but Lyle manages to trip her up. She lands on her side as he reaches into his suit coat to grab another gun. Miss Parker manages to roll over only to see Lyle pointing a second gun at her.
He wipes the blood from his mouth as he looks at her. "Always predictable. You never learn do you?" He chambers a bullet while staring at her. "On your feet." Marie quietly obliges as Lyle turns her around. He pulls out a set of handcuffs and binds her wrist tightly.
After wincing at the pain, she smiles slyly. "A little rough today little brother?"
Lyle chuckles slightly as he grabs her wrists and bends them at an angle. He whispers in her ear while leaning close. "I know you like it like that." Lyle presses the gun into her back and leads her to the elevators as one of Viktor's lackeys grabs Broots. "Let's go."
------
Jarod goes to pull his car into the parking lot but stops when he sees the bodies. He turns the car off and quickly exits as he sees Sydney. "SYDNEY!"
The psychiatrist turns to him and smiles. "Jarod. I'm glad to see you again."
"My god, you've been shot." Jarod kneels next to him and looks at his shoulder. "What happened here?"
Sydney coughs as he tries to sit up. "We were attacked by Lyle and some others."
"Are you okay?" Jarod moves the psychiatrist's hand and looks at the wound. "It's a graze. The bullet took off to layers of skin, but you'll be fine."
"Good to hear." Sydney looks Jarod in the eyes. "I don't know if it will mean anything coming from me, but Parker didn't kill your mom."
Jarod shakes his head. "You're wrong Sydney. I saw it happen before my eyes."
Sydney grimaces in pain as he straightens his arm. "What you saw was an imposter." The color flushes from Jarod's face as Sydney continues. "Her name was Madeline."
"What? How?" Jarod's gaze falls to the floor as he collects his thoughts. He looks back to Sydney before continuing. "How do you know?"
"I heard two men talking about it while I was lying here." The psychiatrist smiles at him. "Playing dead."
Jarod stands and looks around, his face twisted in anger. "Where did they go?"
Sydney motions to the stairs. "Up the stars. They went after Parker."
Jarod inhales deeply as he balls his fists. He starts to walk to the stairs, but Sydney grabs his leg.
"Jarod, you'll need this." Sydney hands Jarod his gun and smiles.
"Thank you Sydney. I'll be back for you." Jarod turns to the stairs and pulls the metal door open. The door slams against the wall with a thud as Jarod pulls the clip out of the gun. 'Ten shots and one chambered.' Jarod slams the clip back in the gun as the door closes behind him. 'It's time to end this. Once and for all.'
------
TBC. Usual drill. Read and Rate.