Chapter 3

WARNING: character death, although it is a character that no one likes much anyway, and this story doesn't go all angsty.

Disclaimer: Ring-a-ring-a-rosy, A pocket full of posies, a tissue, a tissue, we all fall down

mfkngst: Thankyou fro your review. I can see you have thought about the whole parker/Jarod thing. It comes a little later, you'll see.

gemini 006007: thanks for reviewing but don't worry about Parker's sudden lack on concience. All will be revealed in time.

pretender fanatic: Thankyou for a particularly enthusiastic review, it puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day, hearing things from you. Let's just say Jarod has a 'special amnesia' ok? : D Anything is possible. Or maybe Sydney just wants to annoy Mr Parker.

While Parker was lying on a beach and kicking it in the clubs of Tahiti, sinister things were being set in motion in the Centre's dim hallways. Jarod's return and Parker's leaving had been the catalyst for a plan that had been brewing for a long time

The takeover bid was so well planned that Mr Parker was practically helpless against it. By the time the two schemers walked into his office, he had no one left to turn to. His demise had avalanched out of control so quickly that soon anyone with any sense would have very little to do with him. Out of favour with the triumvirate and shunned by his rich and powerful friends, the old man had very little choice but to back down when the challenge was laid across his desk. His head was bowed as he cleaned out his office, and he didn't speak to anyone as he stepped into the elevator carrying the last of his possessions. Sydney and Broots watched on the security feed as he trailed through the lobby alone, looking old and worn. Then he stepped out the doors for the last time and disappeared, just five days after his daughter.

Parker woke briefly in her dark hotel room to the sensation of a chloroform soaked cloth being placed over her mouth. She couldn't make out her assailant in the humid darkness of the Tahitian night but she landed a couple of good kicks before everything went fuzzy and her muscles involuntarily relaxed.

She awoke again with a headache and a bad mood. Before she even opened her eyes she could tell she was on a plane. It was something about the smell, and the dull roar in the background, although that may have been her freshly conscious mind playing tricks on her. It was bright, on the other side of her eyelids, and one hand was handcuffed to the armrest. She pulled at the constraint as she opened her eyes. The overly bright sunlight streamed in through the plane's windows and reflected glaringly off the white furnishings. Parker squinted against it, her headache taking it up a notch.

'You shouldn't go on holiday without telling people where you're going' stated Lyle cheerily as he breezed past with a drink in hand.

'It wouldn't be a holiday if you knew where I was' snapped Parker with enough acid in her voice to burn through steel. 'I swear, if you don't tell me what the !&% you are playing at right now, I will strangle you with your own optic nerves little brother.' She noticed she was still wearing the crumpled and dirty clothes she had fallen asleep in and didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed.

'Now now 'big sister,' calm down.'

'Right Now Lyle'

'Well, I'll give you the bad news first- Daddy isn't chairman anymore.'

'And the good?' asked Parker sarcastically, not portraying any dismay she may have felt over the news.

'Out with the old, in with the new'

'You?' she asked incredulously, more disdain in her voice than shock.

'Didn't think I had it in me, did you sis?'

'No dear brother, I've always known that you are a murdering, lying cheat. I just thought that once I left, you and the ghoul would be so busy squabbling that you'd have no time left to actually take power.'

'Actually, we banded together'

'Now that is a surprise- the devil and the psychotic choir boy actually working together'

'Only long enough to completely destroy the old man's power base and kick him out of the tower' replied Lyle modestly, 'then I had Raines assassinated. And well, as you can see, now the Centre's all mine.'

'Yay for you' said Parker dryly, 'but why the hell does this new toy of yours have to involve kidnapping me from the first holiday I've had since the labrat escaped?'

'You'll be pleased to know, it's about the labrat'

Parker swore in French. Lyle raised his eyebrows. 'More specifically, the labrat's amnesia'

'Oh, fucking brilliant. Just brilliant. You can't get him to remember so you cart me in from the other side of the world just to jog his memory about the six lovely years I spent chasing him all over North America.'

'Not to mention your childhood together before that. Sydney has failed. You should feel honoured that you have been chosen for this momentous task.'

'Don't even try that bullshit on me Lyle' He held up his hands in defence. 'It was worth a try. How about this- not only will we let you go when he can name the molecular weight of every element in the periodic table, we'll let Sydney go too.'

Parker's reply to that would not have been printable in even the crudest tabloid. A sweeper took that moment to enter the rear part of the plane to inform Lyle that they were beginning their descent. Parker noted with satisfaction that the beefy man walked with a limp. Lyle nodded and followed the sweeper to the front of the plane so they could strap in for landing. Parker was left to stare out the small window as they descended through the thick cloud cover and down towards the Centre airstrip. The bright sunlight in the plane faded, along with her burning anger, leaving only empty depression. The sight of the massive brooding stone building under the dark grey rain clouds made her shiver and her heart sank even further.

She had no idea what Lyle had done with Sydney, and she was doubtful that he'd keep to his word even if she did manage to help the pretender regain his memory. Still, there was very little she could do until an opportunity presented itself for escape. She leaned her forehead on the cold glass of the window as the first drops of rain began to fall and sighed.
TBC.