Pretense

Chapter Two

Familiarity

            Jarod was working on his computer, rerouting the telephone signal through different locations.  They were in Blue Cove and he didn't want any warning bells to go off when he was talking to Miss Parker and Sydney.  He'd had a bad feeling about this revisit home and he would take every precaution.  He had to protect Samarah now, too.  It wasn't just him.  He couldn't just pick up and disappear to his next destination like he usually did.  Samarah would have to disappear also which would be a bit harder with them traveling together.  Samarah bounced over to the desk he was working at and perched herself on the edge.  "Has Dr. Jacob woken up from his coma yet?  I've never been able to keep up with Dr. Jacob.  Dr. Sydney has hid him well."

Jarod's face softened in sympathy, but it only made Samarah's heart drop instead of comfort her.

"What is it?"

"Jacob died a few years ago."

Samarah didn't know how to react.  Dr. Jacob had been her first doctor, her favorite doctor.  He had been kind and good and he'd tried his best to help her adjust to life at The Centre.  She'd missed him at first.  Dr. Jacob had been like a surrogate father to her.  She'd been without one for so long that at the first sign of love, she'd latched onto it.  Dr. Jacob had shown fatherly love to her.  In a world that was so lonely for a tiny girl, Dr. Jacob had made her feel so safe.  Unlike Dr. Raines.

"I'm sorry, Samarah."

"I'm okay."

Jarod reached up and took her hand to squeeze it.  "We've all lost people, Little One.  My brother Kyle died.  And others have as well."

"I know.  I'll be all right.  I promise."

"Are you ready to call?   You can talk to Sydney about Jacob."

"I'm ready.  Are you?"

Jarod smiled.  Samarah was one of the few people who understood how hard it was to call The Centre.  Jarod dialed the number quickly.

            "You have a video phone call."  The automated voice broke Sydney from the silent tension that had filled the office.  Sydney grinned and shot Miss Parker a look that plainly said, 'See, I told you he'd call when he got a chance.'  Broots and Miss Parker walked around behind Sydney's desk while Sydney accepted the call.

"Jarod!" His voice conveyed a delight he didn't even try to mask. 

"You knew it was me, Sydney.  I'm touched."

"You are the only one who calls me by video phone."

Jarod nodded, knowing it was true. 

"I see you are well.  I hope Miss Parker and Broots are unhurt as well."

"You were worried about us?"  Miss Parker asked mockingly as she ducked down enough for Jarod to see her on the video frame.  She looked flawless and angry as per usual.  Broots didn't say anything, just listened intently to the conversation.
"Ah, Miss Parker.  I see the explosion only made you angrier."

"I've been stuck at The Centre for over fourteen hours.  Of course it did."

"Watch your step.  You never know what might happen."

"What is that supposed to mean, Jarod?  I'm in no mood to play with your riddles today."

"I don't force you to play, Miss Parker."

The two stared at each other intensely, each challenging the other in a way only Miss Parker and Jarod could master. 

Jarod said, breaking his and Miss Parker's gaze, "Listen, Sydney, I have someone else here who wants to speak with you."

"I'm intrigued." 

Jarod stood from the chair and Samarah took his place in front of the computer.

"Hi, Dr. Sydney."

"Samarah!"

Sydney's entire face lit up at the sight of the young blond.  Miss Parker leaned closer, examining the girl on the screen.  She seemed almost familiar, but Miss Parker couldn't quite place her.

"Jarod told me about Dr. Jacob.  I'm so sorry about his death.  He was a good man, Dr. Sydney."

"Yes, he was.  You were very dear to his heart, Samarah.  He'd become very attached to you in such a short time.  When he woke from his coma, he asked how you were doing.  I believe he was quite ecstatic about your escape."

Broots finally cut in timidly, "She-she escaped?  Who is she, Sydney?"

Sydney replied casually, not taking his eyes off the computer, "A female pretender.  The only female pretender.  She escaped four years ago."

"Yes.  I was away and-"  Samarah cut herself off.  She'd felt so comfortable talking to Sydney she'd almost revealed how she had gotten away from The Centre's claws.

"Anyway, Dr. Jacob was my first project doctor.  When he fell into a coma, I was bounced between other doctors, Mr. Broots."

Broots jumped at the use of his name.  He didn't know her.  He'd never sent his girl in his life and she knew who he was?

"How'd you know my name?"

"I try to keep updated on all of The Centre's employees and exploits.  I've succeeded in following the team that has been searching for Jarod.  All three of you.  Don't worry, Mr. Broots, we haven't met.  You haven't forgotten…"

She trailed off when she noticed that the three on the screen had looked up at the sound of a door opening and shutting.  They were so silent as if they'd been caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing.

"What did I miss?"

Samarah froze.  She knew that voice.  It was him.  She would have hung up immediately if she thought it was physically possible for her to, but she was paralyzed with fear and disbelief.  He pushed through Miss Parker and Broots.  Samarah could only stare at him; the entire situation seemed surreal.  She didn't know what she had expected.  She was making contact with people that worked at The Centre.  He worked at The Centre.

"Samarah…"

Jarod noticed the surprised look on Sydney's face; the possibility that Lyle and Samarah knew each other had seemed slim.  Miss Parker and Broots seemed just as shocked, shock that mirrored Jarod's.  Yet the look on Lyle's face said it all.  Surprise.  Bliss.  Fear.  Confusion.  Lyle knelt down in front of the computer reverently.

"I thought I would never see you again."  His voice was gentle, something none of them had heard. 

"I intended for you not to."

Samarah pushed away from the desk, jumping to her feet.  Her hand moved to disconnect the line, but hearing Lyle's voice made her hesitate.

"Don't hang up, baby girl, please."

Endearments?  They were familiar with each other.

"I missed you."

Samarah's finger pushed the end button and the screen went black.
"I missed you, too."  She whispered it almost inaudibly.

            Jarod approached Samarah slowly.  She was dazed and unbeknownst to her; several tears had escaped from her crystal blue eyes.  He'd seen many responses to Lyle's presence, but he'd never seen a remorseful one.  Jarod slipped his arms around Samarah, pulling her into a brotherly hug.  Samarah took a deep breath, calming her raging emotions. 

"I didn't know you knew Lyle."

Samarah nodded into his chest and mumbled, "Yeah.  I met him when I was sixteen.  He'd just started working at The Centre.  He was twenty-one."

Jarod pulled Samarah back enough where he could look into her eyes.

"You were isolated, Samarah.  I only met with you nine or ten times during our entire stay at The Centre.  You had no way to enter your cell except through the guarded door.  How did Lyle meet you?"

A nostalgic look crossed over her features as she told Jarod how she'd met Lyle.
"Dr. Raines was showing him around and introduced Lyle to me.  Three months later, Lyle came to visit me.  He did, three times a week.  The guards always thought he was the head of a project concerning me.  He had the credentials to work with me and if they questioned him, he would give them a speech about harassing their superiors.  He visited me every week for three years.  That's when things changed."

"What changed?"

Samarah had closed her eyes, already lost in the memories of Lyle's visits.  Jarod wasn't even sure if she could hear him.

*Samarah sat on her bed, staring at the wall.  She was very bored.  Lights were out, but she wasn't tired.  Not yet.  It had been a slow day for her; no simulations and no missions.  She had simply wasted the day away by sitting in her room.  Dr. Lexan had taken her for a walk around The Centre.  She'd seen Jarod and another boy playing some kind of a game.  She wasn't allowed to play games.  She wasn't allowed to do much of anything.  That was why she liked going out into the world on her jobs.  She could be around normal people and watch television and listen to the radio.  She could play on computers and learn different games and eat junk food like Twinkies and Ding Dongs.  She was free for a few days, but she always had to return after the job was over.  Samarah groaned and flopped back in her bed in a dramatic motion.  She had nothing to entertain herself with.  Just a blanket and a pillow.  She closed her eyes, trying to find sleep or at least make up a story in her head, but she was disturbed by a commotion in the hall.  The door burst open and that man from a few weeks ago entered, smoothing his jacket.

"Good evening, Samarah."

She lifted herself up and scooted to the edge of the bed, curious as to why she had such a late visitor.  Actually, she almost never had visitors.

"Mr. Lyle.  Do you need something?"

He shook his head with a boyish grin on his face.

"I just wanted to talk to you."

"A new mission?"

She was so serious; Lyle found it both entertaining and irresistible.  He laughed, something he did rarely, but it sounded beautiful, like a little boy's.

"No.  I just wanted to talk to you.  About you.  About me.  About nothing at all.  And that sounded dangerously close to a pick up line."

Samarah tilted her head acutely, strengthening her appearance of an innocent child.

"What's a pick up line?"

"See.  Something to talk about."

"You want a regular conversation."  She stated, yet it was a question as well.  She'd let the pick up line question slide for a moment, but they would get back to it.  At least she hoped they would.  She liked to learn about new things.

"Yes, Samarah."

"Is this a test?  To see if I'm trying to defect from The Centre, looking for freedom and all that? I'm really tired of those tests."

Lyle shook his head again, a worried look striking his eyes as she said that.

"Of course not.  They don't know I'm here.  If they did, I'd be in a lot of trouble."

Samarah blew a long blond strand of hair out of her face, trying to decide if she trusted him or not.

"Well, okay.  But only if you'll tell me what a pick up line is."

Lyle loosened his tie with a huge smile, taking a seat next to her.*

            "Did you hear me?"  Jarod snapped his fingers in front of her face.  Samarah blinked, trying to push the memory away from her foggy brain.  She wanted to push Lyle away from her brain, also, but she'd been trying to do that for four years.

"Have you found anything out about project WYS (wise)?"

Jarod sighed.  "Don't change the subject.  We were talking about Lyle."

As if she were a two-year-old throwing a tantrum, she folded her arms across her chest.  "I'm done talking about him."

She stomped away, leaving Jarod well aware that he shouldn't try to follow her.

            Lyle straightened after staring at the blank screen for a few moments.  He was embarrassed at his pleading with Samarah; his weakness displayed in front of his sister, Broots, and Sydney.  No one had even realized that he knew the young pretender, much less been in love with her.  It seemed obvious now, to everyone.  Of course, the others had a hard time believing Mr. Lyle had any kind of feelings.  His love for Samarah dashed every preconception people had about him.  Seeing Samarah again, hearing her hypnotic voice had tossed him into an abyss of disappointment and pain.  All he could hear was, "I don't know what happened to you, but I hate what you've become," over and over again in his head.  The words were deafening and he felt like he was twenty-four again.

"You knew Samarah, Lyle?"  Miss Parker asked a bit intrudingly. 

"Obviously."

Sydney glanced at him, more questions in his eyes.  "Samarah wasn't one of your projects.  How did you know her?  She was isolated for the majority of her life."

"Yes, she was."

Lyle started to walk to the door, deciding to just completely stop the Spanish Inquisition he was about to be thrown into. 

"You didn't answer my question."

Lyle opened the door, "I don't intend to."  He was no longer interested in their conversation.  He wouldn't talk to them about Samarah.  They wouldn't understand.  No one else knew about his relationship with Samarah.  The less he talked about it, the better.  He didn't want to put her in danger or himself.  He shut the door behind him with a resounding click.

            "What was that exactly?"  Miss Parker asked, turning towards Sydney.  He shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know.  I know Samarah.  I know she wasn't allowed much contact with anyone except her doctors. I don't even know how Lyle gained access to her."

Miss Parker narrowed her eyes, irritated that another mystery had been presented to her.  She was so tired of everyone hiding something all the time.  Everyone at The Centre were pretenders.  What did they need Jarod and Samarah for?

"I'll start looking for DSA's that involve Samarah, Miss Parker."

"Yeah.  We're going to need to find out what happened, Broots." 

"Wait, Broots," Sydney cut in, "shouldn't we be looking for what Jarod warned us about?"

"He didn't give us any hints.  Maybe he didn't have time.  But until we get one, are we supposed to read his mind?"

Sydney smiled proudly, as a father would if his son had achieved some great accomplishment.  "Maybe his words are our hint.  Watch your step.  He stressed those words.  Play with the words.  Broots, I'll look for the DSA's."

Broots nodded obediently and exited the office to work on his computer.  Sydney stood and began digging around in his files of DSA's, leaving Miss Parker to think about what Jarod had said, and Lyle's relationship with Samarah.

            He chuckled to himself quietly.  So that was how he could get to Mr. Lyle.  Samarah.  He vaguely remembered her.  He'd seen her in the corridors of The Centre occasionally, but she was usually locked up.  Unlike him.  He was hard to lock up.  Had trouble keeping him from getting out with a flick of his eyes.  He'd been younger when he'd first seen Samarah, probably seventeen or eighteen. She'd been quiet and submissive, just as she'd been taught.  They were all taught to be submissive.  It made them easier to mold.  Just thinking about his younger years disgusted him.  He turned in the air ducts, but not before bumping into another in them.  Angelo's eyes widened in fear. 

"Cade!'  He'd touched Cade and he was suddenly very violent.  "NO! NOOOOO-OOOO!"

Angelo began to shout and bang his head on the overhead metal.  Cade flicked his eyes, pushing Angelo far down the shaft.  Cade scrambled out, worried that someone might have heard Angelo's yell.  The goons at The Centre wouldn't be pleased at the little present he'd sent them.