CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Dec 19, 2001
Early the next day, Jarod, Miss Parker, and Geraldo left Lambourni's house while it was dark.
"You say you know this part of the Centre, Jarod?" asked Geraldo unfolding a map that looked as if it had been constructed by the finest mapmaker, instead of a boy of eight or nine.
"This area, I believe has been blocked off. I cannot say where the son of Parker and Brigitte is," said the Pretender.
"My son," said Miss Parker.
"You cannot be certain."
Before they left, Lambourni, who had returned and rushed in to change his suit, told them if the hidden child was Jarod's and Miss Parker's, he would not be killed. The Council had affirmed that, but Geraldo would still be the Chosen. Anyway, what difference would one more prince make in a Species that had not approached the ten thousand mark?
He did not tell them what would happen to the toddler if the child were really the son of Parker and Brigitte. All assumed Mr. Parker and Brigitte sterile, although Jarod heard of cases when a pregnancy resulted. Trouble was that such pregnancies usually happened to young teen girls or to women nearing their menopause — very troublesome. On looking through the records, he found Brigitte could indeed have children, but on digging deeper, he found that any child she had would have an over seventy-five percent chance of having the same condition she had. Therefore, Baby Parker was not Brigitte's. It was too risky.
After Jarod removed the cover from the well leading into the Centre ventilation system, the three descended the steps and slid down the long pipes. They now navigated the series of pipes, tunnels, and causeways over the Centre heating system until they reached one of the hallways and dropped down.
Much of this area of the Centre was deserted, except for the cells but even these were empty for the enslaved Dominants were busy, either being trained by their keepers, or working.
They spotted Mr. Parker talking with another man, as he walked towards a door from which emitted an antiseptic smell. "For someone who hasn't been in the Centre regularly for the last year, I hope you appreciate what my Angel has done," Mr. Parker said.
The other man agreed. "It's amazing how much you saved in following her suggestions as to the Pretenders' feedings. Even for my short absence, I noticed an improvement and the removal of the-um-additive have made the simulations more productive."
"It should have been done sooner. I believed that had it been taken out of Jarod's nutritional supplement when my niece was missing, Annie would have been found alive," said Mr. Parker.
"But that was against Centre policy and Raines wanted Jarod to be docile and obedient to perform the simulation."
"We do not need to worry now. My Angel has Jarod under her control and as soon as I regain my position, things will be back to normal."
"Ah yes, I learned much from that video you showed me. I'm interested in your daughter's complete subjection of the Pretender and, how he felt when he was under her." The voice had a slavering quality.
"I'd rather not talk about something that was Raines's idea. Now for what we were discussing previously, you wished to oust your president because he was against our interests…"
The voices faded in the distance.
"I guess he didn't want to elaborate on the other thing," said Miss Parker, dusting off her pants.
"So where do we go from here?" asked Geraldo.
"That's the infirmary and the sublevel nursery." She pointed where Mr. Parker and the other man had gone. "Angelo informed us that my baby brother is there and when he's six he'll be transferred to sublevel twelve."
Jarod gasped. He heard about sublevel twelve but never was on it. Actually, there were two sections to sublevel twelve, the ones most knew about it where they did certain experiments and a large enclosed area made to resemble somewhere out in the country with a small house and a garden in a forest along with a dirt road supposedly to the outside. Dirt had been spread along the floor up to a level to permit growth and for a small boy or girl to dig in without reaching the concrete. The walls were painted blue and pinprick holes pierced the ceiling at intervals where a hose was place whenever they needed rain.
At times, clouds floated by on the artificial ceiling, all this made possible because the whole walls and ceilings of the enclosure was a concave movie screen. The only two entrances were a manhole through the ceiling at a particular location inside the Tower and a manhole from the sublevel nursery that led up from the floor.
Two Centre employees served as the Pretender child's parents and put up a good act of screaming and shouting, "Where's my little boy (or girl)" along with the usual wailings of bereaved parents when other Centre goons grabbed the child, threw a hood over his head and removed him to the simulation laboratory.
The effect on the child prisoners was devastating, not because of their removal from their pretend parents, but because the children being Pretenders, that is Homo Dominants, knew that the covering was just that a covering, and not the sky. If they were released outside, not having been outside, they could not distinguish whether the sky above was real or whether it was a large movie screen. It was the ultimate in despair and made them easier to control.
Miss Parker silently pointed to a switch on the wall and an almost indistinguishable circle just below her feet. "Don't touch that."
"You might die?" asked Geraldo.
"Below is sublevel twelve."
"Move."
The switch on, a circle covered raised and they were able to open it and gasped as they saw what was below. Their view was blurred by a thick translucent plastic painted a light blue and by a white mist, but they could below the house, the path, and the woods. The child below about a year old was playing happily and seemed to stare up at them. Quickly they replaced the cover.
"There is a door at the right side where the Centre employees enter," said Miss Parker. "I have the key."
"I can tell the cleaning staff about it," said Jarod.
"When we're ready," said Geraldo.
"Ready for what?" asked Miss Parker, but Geraldo said nothing more.
They continued on their way, ducking every time they spotted a camera, and avoiding the rays that set up an alarm if anyone appeared in its vision, Jarod, Miss Parker, and Geraldo made their way down the hall where at the end was a wide metal door.
"This must be it," said Jarod.
"I have not reached my full maturity," said Geraldo, "open it!"'
As The Pretender pushed open the door after breaking the lock, he observed a room that had the antiseptic smell of a hospital, but the pseudo look of a fancy prison. There were barred windows with what looked like outside, but in reality were 3D movie screens that although were not as good as the one in the Sublevel 12, were enough to make anyone at first glance believe that all they had to do was to break the bars and they would be free. A white table stood in the center spread over with small blocks of various colors and shapes and on the floor was a large white cardboard on which sat a small boy with dark hair and eyes was working on. Over him, stood a woman in a nurse's uniform, but she showed no compassion or love as she pointed to a picture that flashed on the wall and ordered, "That is the Eiffel Tower, build!"
Throwing the Legos, his eyes still on the picture of the wall that lasted for only a few seconds, the child sat down on the cardboard, quickly constructed a miniature Eiffel tower, and looked at the nurse for approval. There was none and it was as if he expected none, his face now taking on the impassive look of those who received no reward, and he lower his head until another picture flashed on the wall of a crowd of people in black and white. This lasted less than a second.
At once, the nurse's shrill voice rose and her face rose in an imperative manner. "Identify the man in the right center corner, how many buttons are on his shirt," she said," and what color is it. Quickly or you will be punished!"
No child could be that observant, thought Jarod, but he did not have a chance to react for Geraldo brushed passed him while the woman had her eyes on the toddler. A second later, the boy had leapt on the table and before the woman could react, slit his switchblade along the woman's throat. Jarod quickly snatched the boy from being crushed by the nurse's dead body as she fell on the floor, the blood soaking into the cardboard, staining it a dark red as Geraldo put the knife back in his pocket and Miss Parker could only watch.
The man and boy wiped the blood from the soles of their soles as the child watched and then closing the door behind them, leaving the corpse of the nurse to rot.
"Here, I'll take him," said Miss Parker, picking up the small boy who did not protest, so used was he to being subservient to the bigger people.
They then, continued along the escape route until making a detour towards the main hallway of the Centre, they would mingle with the crowd coming in to welcome (it was assumed) Mr. Parker back as head of the Centre.
However, that was not to be, for Geraldo was whispering to Jarod.
"He thinks he sees someone he recognized from when he was here before," said The Pretender.
"So what's wrong with you two?" she said as they hid in the hallway, a vending machine blocking their view. "I thought you were extra careful."
"I don't think we should be here," said Jarod, "I know if we stay here, we will be discovered. Wait, we can slip into Lambourni's office."
"I agree with him. The precognition sense does not come into full force until one reaches fifteen, but even I feel something. Too late," said Geraldo.