Pretense

Chapter Four

Pretender Lost

            Lyle sat in his office, staring into space.  He was supposed to be searching for Cade, but he couldn't concentrate.  He hadn't been able to concentrate since the moment he'd seen Samarah on the computer screen.  He was drowning in his memories of her and there was no escaping them.  He no longer cared about his projects or assignments for the Centre.  He didn't have the energy to care.  He was consumed with the need to find Samarah and make things right with her.  Of course, there was no making things right with her, but that didn't stop him from wanting to.  He wasn't going to apologize to her.  He wasn't sorry about what he'd done.  He was only sorry she was hurt.  Lyle drummed his fingers on his glass-topped desk, trying to find something else to focus on besides regretting what had happened with Samarah.  He needed to find something to do that would catch his attention.  Suddenly, a wave of anxiety hit him as the oddest feeling struck.  Something was wrong.  He could feel it deep inside.  He wondered sometimes if Parker's sixth sense had also been bred in him too.  He just didn't know how to listen to it, maybe.  Just as he calmed himself down, his phone rang.  He jerked it up before the piercing ring assaulted his ears again.

"Lyle."

"Hey, there, buddy.  What's going on?"

Lyle hesitated, trying to place the voice.  No one called him buddy.  Not even the people he said were his friends.

"Cade?"

"You know my voice.  I guess that happens when you put me in solitary confinement to be tortured, as a practice for expanding my gift, and all you can hear is my screams.  Although, I'm sure that didn't stick with you. You're probably used to hearing screams."

"That was a delightful display of your power the other day.  How'd you set the bomb off?  Trigger?"

"You know better than to ask that."

"I honestly thought you'd contact me sooner.  You know, to take credit and brag about the little mishap.  It had us delayed here for hours.  I found it quite annoying.  I had to break a date."

"Shame.  I'm sure Samarah would be heartbroken to find out you're dating again.  I wonder if it's possible to actually break a heart."

Lyle let out a soft breath, trying to stay calm.  Cade had brought Samarah up deliberately.  Why would he do that?'

"Samarah?  I haven't seen Samarah in many years, Cade."

"Yes, but you still love her.  Or so you think.  I guess we'll find out soon enough, won't we?"

"How will we find out?"

"It was lovely talking to you again, Lyle.  I've missed our heart-to-heart conversations."

"Cade?  Cade, don't hang up!  Cade!"  Lyle realized he was panicking.  Cade probably didn't even know where Samarah was.  How could he?  The Centre couldn't even find her.  The click on the other end told him the conversation was over and the worst thing was, he'd let his weakness show.  Now Cade would be determined to find Samarah because he'd lost his cool with Cade on the phone.  Lyle cursed silently as he jumped out of his chair.  He stormed towards Miss Parker's office to ask her for help, no matter how humbling that experience would be.  She would help him.  She had a soft spot for lost pretenders.

            Jarod awoke suddenly with a sharp, shooting pain in the back of his head.  A bit of blood matted his hair and he had the congealed substance on his forehead, but it wasn't enough to make him terribly worried.  He would be okay.  He took a deep breath, trying to adjust to his surroundings.  Where was he?  A hotel room.  Good.  The Centre hadn't found him.  What had happened?  Samarah!  He bolted upright and glanced around.  She was nowhere to be seen.  Where was the pretty little pretender?  Cade had been the one to barge through those doors and knock him out.  He must have taken Samarah.  Panic set in. He hadn't been able to protect Samarah.  He'd been pushed down without much of a fight and he'd left Samarah fending for herself.  He didn't have a doubt that she was a master at fending for herself, but still, he felt like he should have been able to protect her.  Hopefully, Cade wouldn't feel the need to hurt a fellow test subject of The Centre's.  Maybe he just wanted to use her abilities.  Oh, who was he kidding?  Cade wanted to use Samarah to get back at Lyle, the unfeeling jerk who wouldn't lift a finger to help Samarah.  He'd probably think she deserved it since she ran away.  But then again, he did seem to care about her.  He had seen it when the two had spoken on the phone.  Maybe Lyle would help them get Samarah away from Cade.  Jarod moved towards his laptop, still in tact.  He dialed the phone number to Sydney's office and waited for them to pick up.  Sydney's face appeared on screen first.

            "Sydney!" Jarod seemed worried, panicked almost.  Sydney became instantly upset at the sight of Jarod, blood covering his forehead and his neck.

"Jarod?  What's wrong?  Why is there blood on your forehead?  What happened?"  Sydney leaned closer to the screen, as if he thought it would make him closer to Jarod. 

"There was a bit of an accident.  Have you heard from Cade lately?"
"Cade?"

"One of Lyle's projects.  Has he contacted The Centre?"

"Not that I know of.  Jarod, what is this about?"

"Samarah's gone.  Cade broke in, knocked me over the head and took Samarah."

The door had opened as Sydney listened to Jarod.  It was Lyle.  His heart sank as he heard Jarod speak the words he'd been dreading.  He had been holding on to the unrealistic hope that Samarah was alive and well with Jarod.  He had almost wanted to warn Jarod about Cade coming after Samarah, but he was too late for that.  Samarah was now getting the backlash of his assignments.  Lyle walked to the computer briskly and pushed Sydney out of the way.  He was now face-to-face with Jarod.  He didn't look too happy at seeing Lyle, but he didn't hang up immediately.  That's when Lyle knew how serious the situation was.  Jarod was afraid for Samarah.  And if Jarod was afraid for her, Lyle knew he should be too.

"He really took her then."
"You knew he was going to?"  Jarod's voice conveyed his anger at the thought of Lyle concealing Cade's threats. 

"I just got a call from Cade, bragging about the bomb.  Then, he started talking about Samarah.  I got the impression he was going to go after her.  I guess he already did."

"Yes, a few hours ago.  He must have taken her after he knocked me out.  There's no clues here of where he's taken her."
"Well, pretend you're Cade."
"It doesn't work that way, Lyle."
"Well, you could try it that way.  I could get Angelo to start impathing Cade if you would start working your magic.  We could find her that way."
"Do you care if we find Samarah?  Or do you just want to find your pet project?"

"Just do it, Jarod."

Jarod disconnected the phone call before Lyle could say anymore.  Lyle cursed and slammed his fist down on the desk.  His eyes flashed dangerously as he straightened himself up. 

"Get Angelo, Sydney.  Now."

Sydney nodded, prepared to appease Lyle at any cost.  He looked like he was ready to kill something.  And Sydney didn't really want to get caught in that line of fire.  Apparently, Lyle really cared about the young pretender.  Apparently, Lyle really cared about something.

            Broots bumbled into Miss Parker's office awkwardly, clutching a DSA close to his chest.  Miss Parker looked up at the disturbance and saw the look on Broots' face. 

"What'd you find?"
"A fight between Samarah and Lyle.  I think it might explain some things.  It mentions Project WYS."

Miss Parker scooted her chair over so Broots would have access to the computer.  He slid the small disk into the drive and waited for it to come on.  They stared at the screen, fascinated.

"I can't believe you, Lyle!"  Samarah's hands were on her hip, her blue eyes flashing immeasurable anger.  She looked like a woman who had just been betrayed by the man she trusted most in the world.  Lyle stood defensively near the door, his hands folded across his chest in a protective posture.  His tie was crooked and he looked like he hadn't slept in a couple of days.

"WYS is a project, Samarah.  It's nothing personal to you.  WYS is just another project."
"I'm a project, Lyle.  That doesn't mean it's right.  I mean, you always said you hated the way Raines treats me."
"I do.  You deserve so much more than this.  You deserve a life."

"And so does everyone else at the Centre!  All of us deserve to be out, allowed to live our lives.  The Centre shouldn't even exist!"

Samarah looked like she was ready to throw something at Lyle.  Of course, she had nothing in her cell to throw except for a pillow.  And she did throw it.  It hit him squarely in the head and he started to laugh.  Which was definitely the wrong thing to do.

"This isn't funny, Lyle.  I trusted you.  I believed you when you said you wanted me out of here.  I stayed here to be with you, even when you devised that escape plan for me.  I stayed here because I loved you.  I don't even remember why I loved you now."

"Samarah, I think you're blowing this out of proportion."

"Of course you do.  I mean, Cade is just another job, right?  You were given the project.  It's not like you had a choice."

"Actually, I had a choice.  WYS is a good advancement for my career."
"Oh, and what a career it is.  His name is Cade, by the way.  If you insist on calling him by his project name, then you must call me Mirror."

"You're more than a project, Samarah."

He walked towards her, his hands out to touch her.  She shied away from his touch, flinched when his hand reached her arm.  He stepped back like she'd burned him.  In a way, she had.  She was disgusted by his touch.

"I thought you were on my side, Lyle.  I thought you were just another victim of circumstance, like me, a victim of The Centre."

Lyle watched her, feeling the same attraction to her as he always had.  She was so beautiful angry, so stubborn in what she thought, so headstrong.  She was so fascinating, but he had the feeling if he told her what he was thinking, she would be even more disgusted.  She was really mad at him.

"Samarah, don't make this about us.  WYS has nothing to do with us."

"It has everything to do with us.  It has to do with who you've become. 

I always believed that you had my best interests at heart.  I always thought you were here by force, not choice.  I loved you; I loved who you were.  I don't know what happened to you, but I hate what you've become."

Lyle turned immediately, no longer wanting to hear anymore of that conversation.  The hurt on his face showed for a moment before he quickly disguised it.  He opened the door to Samarah's cell without remorse.  As he shut the door, he turned with one more word, "In the end, it doesn't matter what you think.  Because you're still a lab rat in a cell and I'm free in the world."  Lyle slammed the door shut.

"You're not free, Lyle!  If you were, you wouldn't be working here!" She called out to him.

Samarah flung herself on her bed.  His words had cut into her more than he would ever know.  She had loved him.  She had stayed at the Centre for him.  But now she had no reason to stay there.  Her next mission would be her last.

"Samarah escaped two days later.  She was on a mission at a convent and she just disappeared without a trace.  Her tracker was removed and left in a trashcan.  The Centre could never find her." Broots added as the screen froze on Samarah's form crying on her bed.

"So that's what drove Samarah away."

"Apparently.  And Lyle was willing to help her escape before."

Miss Parker glanced at Broots, her eyes full of curiosity at this side of her brother.  He seemed to have had a whole life that they had been completely unaware of. 

"But she wouldn't leave until she found out about Project WYS."

"Maybe she didn't know he was working on projects of The Centre.  She probably didn't know what Lyle's job was and she must have found out." Broots added.

"I'm wondering if Lyle knew how she escaped.  Do you think he just let her go?"
"Mr. Lyle?  I don't know.  He seems to be nice to Samarah most of the time.  Except for during this fight.  Maybe he did let her go."
"That doesn't sound like my brother, though, does it?"

"No.  Not really."

"She mentioned a name.  Cade.  He's Project WYS.  What do we know about Cade?"

"We're learning more.  We'll see what we can turn up."

The door opened, Sydney standing in the door jam.

"Samarah's been kidnapped by Cade.  Lyle is insisting we try to find them, though whom he wants to find is up for debate.  I'm going to get Angelo."
"We'll come with you, Freud."

"I thought you might want to be there."

"I'll got get Angelo.  Broots, you fill Sydney in on what we've found."

Broots nodded and started talking immediately to Sydney.  Miss Parker strode out of her office to find Angelo.