Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pretender characters. They belong to MTM, NBC and TNT. No money was involved and no infringements intended. The only characters I have soul rights to are: Catherine (which has nothing to do with Parker's mother), Rose Griffin, Joseph Pike Henderson, Michael John Morgan and Charles James Cliff.
THE NEW PRETENDER
Chapter Six
The police and the K-9s were scouting around the trees looking for Catherine, Jarod and Major Charles. Miss Parker was looking also but was coming up with nothing. She started getting upset when she saw something ahead of her. As she walked she came into a clearing. She looked to her right and saw more trees but when she looked to her left she saw something that made her eyes light up in happiness. It was Jarod's truck. It was still stuck in the ravine with the nose in the water. She climbed down to the drivers side and peared in. She looked around and was trying to figure out how they got away. She noticed that the keys was still in the ignition, so she took those and was about to leave the ravine when she spotted something on the other side of the ravine. So, she used the trucks hood as a step and walked over to what she saw. It was a piece of cloth. And it had a medium about of blood stained on it. She figured it had to be either Catherine's or Jarod's. She hoped that it was Jarod's cause she didn't want to mess with Catherine. She took it and placed it in her coat pocket. And then walked away.
Back in the cave...
Catherine was trying to open the steel door but it would not open. She tried every angle and it wouldn't budge.
So, she sat down next to Jarod and said, "Well, I guess we are caught. I don't know how to get in."
Jarod looked at her and spoke, "Don't say that Catherine. We will get out of this...somehow." Then he thought of something that Sydney once taught him.
Sydney once told him to look at his surroundings and try to really check to see if there was another way out. So, he looked at Catherine and said, "Why don't you keep looking. I know you can find the way in. All you have to do is just keep looking. This cave will keep them guessing for a day or so."
He said, as Catherine looked at him. She sighed and then got up and went over to the cave walls. She took her hands and felt every crevice and holes and other things. She felt high and felt low and she was just about to give up when her hand touched something near the steel door. Her hand went through the brush, and she went over and pulled them aside to reveal an opening. It was small so they would have to go on their hands and knees. She looked over at Jarod and smiled.
She said, "Look Jarod. I found an opening. I don't know where it leads but we could look."
Jarod smiled back and got up and walked over to the opening. As Jarod got on his knees he looked inside and noticed it was very dark. So, he looked over at Catherine and said, "Maybe you should go. It is big enough for you but too small for me. Just forget about me."
As he said that, Catherine looked over at him and slapped him in the face. "How dare you say that. Both of us are going in. I don't want to hear anymore crap from you about me leaving you...I made it this far with you and I'm not about to give up on you."
Then she felt in her knapsack that she had around her waist and took out a flashlight. She looked at Jarod and then said, "Now MOVE!"
She pushed him inside along with the flashlight. She then looked back through the brush and tried to make it look like it was never touched. She then took out a bottle and sprayed it all over the brush. She then went on her hands and knees and caught up with Jarod. As they were getting farther they both heard something that made their hairs stand up...Miss Parker.
Outside the cave...
Miss Parker and her team got to the cave and looked around. They looked high and low for any sign of Jarod and Catherine. She started to get very aggravated and walking back and forth when she noticed the same blood stains that were on the cloth as right at her feet. There was a lot of blood at the entrance to the cave. Her team and even Miss Parker tried to open the steel door but it wouldn't budge. So, she went back over to the blood stain and took out some kleenex and dabbed some of the blood on it to find out whose blood that was.
Then all of a sudden one of the police officers found the small entrance and called her over, "Miss Parker. I found something."
She looked over at them and walked up to see them peering into a dark hole behind the brush. She bent down and peered in and knew that it was too small for Jarod and it would be too small for her. She got up and walked over to the Captain. "How far does this small cave go to?"
"Well, I don't know. I never knew that this was even here. It must have been hidden for some time." said the captain.
"Well, give me an estimate, then." She said getting more and more aggravated.
"Ok. Then I would have to say maybe 10 maybe 20 miles at least." said the captain. At the sound of that, Miss Parkers' eyes opened. She looked away for a minute then looked back at the Captain.
"Do, you or your men have any plans or things for underground mines of this area?" Miss Parker asked.
"Well, I don't know. But let me check." Then he walked away.
Inside the cave...
As Jarod and Catherine were going along they noticed different other paths to take but they kept going straight. Maybe that might lead them out. As they were going farther they both felt a huge burst of cool air hit them. Then they both fell a foot. They got up and looked around. Jarod and Catherine could not believe what they saw. They looked around and everywhere they looked they saw a tomb. So, they both went and started looking at the tombs. Catherine looked at the first tomb and read the inscription:
Rose Griffiin
A Pretender from
Montgomery
1819-1849
Then Jarod found another inscription. It read:
Joseph Pike Henderson
A Pretender from
Little Rock
1830-1860
Then Catherine was looking and found another inscription:
Michael John Morgan
A Pretender from
Augusta
1840-1870
Then as they both looked around they finally reached the one in the middle and they both read the inscription and the look on Jarod's face was shocking. It read:
Charles James Cliff
A Pretender from
Dover
1800-1830
Here was the very 1st Pretender ever made. And none of these were even related to Miss Parker or her father. Her father may have made some Pretenders but these were the very first ones. There must be at least 100 Pretender tombs down here.
Catherine looked at Jarod and spoke, "Jarod, do you see a pattern here?"
"What do you mean?" Jarod asked.
"Well, look at the dates." Catherine said as she looked around.
"Ok. So, what is their significance?" Jarod asked.
"Well, if you really look, all of these Pretenders were 30 yrs old when they all died. Not one is older than 30. And also it looks like there were no more than 2 at a time. This must be where all of the Pretenders go when their services are not needed anymore." Catherine said. Then they looked up from the middle tomb and saw another opening in the cave wall. So they decided to leave and start looking for a way out.
Outside the cave...
The captain came back to Miss Parker with the plans and excavacations of the area. From what it looks on the map there are hundreds of underground passageways. The only thing on the map that shows very big to walk around was a huge opening maybe a few feet from the entrance of the little hole beside the door.
She looked up from the map and spoke to the captain, "Can you tell me what this area is?"
"Well, ma'am we bury people that we don't need anymore. Like the sick, diseased, and/or dying." said the captain. She was shocked at what she just heard from the captain.
"Is there a way to get down there without using that small hole?" asked Miss Parker.
"Well, lets see." said the captain as he looked on the map. "Well, it looks like it is a tunnel and there are some openings but the one you are looking for is over here."
Miss Parker looked at the map and couldn't help but smile. She kept thinking that she will finally catch Jarod.
So, she looks at the captain and said, "Ok. Lets go." She got back in the car. Her team, herself and the captain drove off toward the opening of the tunnel. Miss Parker hoping that when she reached it she would finally have Jarod.
Inside the cave...
"I can't believe how long this tunnel is." Jarod said while him and Catherine were looking for a way out.
As they were looking for a way out, Catherine spoke, "Jarod. Why did you save me?" Jarod stopped and turned around and looked at Catherine.
"Why did I save you? Catherine...you are a young girl that needs to be young." said Jarod.
As Jarod was walking away Catherine shouted to him, "That is not an answer! Why did you save me?" Jarod stopped again and looked at Catherine.
"Ok, you want to know why I saved you? The reason is because I can't stand what The Centre is doing to these kids. Understand that I was just like you. But, look at me now. I'm getting chased to go back to the one place that I dread. I finally found my parents and I find out about you. That is why I saved you." As he was saying this he saw the deer-in-the-headlight-look and knew that he had said what he needed to say.
Then Catherine said something that made Jarod cringe, "You know, Miss Parker isn't that bad once you get to know her."
Jarod spun around and walked right up to her, making her stand still. "Miss Parker is ALL bad! She is the one that is chasing us. If you keep this up I just might decide to leave you here and let her catch you! Don't let me hear you say stuff like that again!" He said as he shook her so she would understand.
He then turned around and started walking when he heard sobbing. He turned around and saw Catherine sitting on the very spot Jarod left her with her legs pushed up against her chest. She was crying. Jarod could not believe this. He walked over to Catherine and then sat down next to her. He looked at her but she made no acknowledgement that she felt him near her. Then, he put his arm around her and she moved so she was leaning on his chest. She cried in his embrace for a minute. After she cried herself out she sat up and looked at him with tear-stained eyes.
"I'm sorry." Catherine said.
"It is ok. I'm sorry for yelling at you. I know that you are going through some tough times right now." Jarod said to calm her and make her understand that he is here to help her.
Outside the cave...
Miss Parker and the captain were in his car and she was on her cell phone. "Yes. I want the rest of the team to come out here so that we can finally get our job done." She said as she was sitting there. "Ok. Just have them ready then. I'll call to let you know." Then she hung up.
She was just about to put her phone away when it rang again. The captain looked at her and she looked at him. Then she answered it and couldn't believe who was talking to her right now. "What!"
"Boy, I haven't talked to you in like 7 hours. That must be a record for me." Said the low voice on the other end. Miss Parker just stared out the windshield and for once couldn't think of what to say.
"Jarod. I was wondering when you were going to call. I was getting worried that you were eaten by a wolf or died of dehydration." Miss Parker said while smiling.
She saw the captain look at her when she said that. "Oh, come now, Miss Parker. This may be the desert but there are no wolves in the desert. And I think I know better than to stand in the sun and get dehydrated. You should know me better than that." Jarod said.
"Where is your location, Jarod?" Miss Parker asked.
"Well, wouldn't you just like to know that answer. Well, this one you will have to figure out yourself. Cause me and Catherine are getting out of this thing." Jarod said.
Miss Parker was sitting there smirking and then her face became grim. "Jarod. I need to warn you about something. It has to do with Catherine." Jarod looked at Catherine as she sat where Jarod left her to talk on his phone.
He smiled. "Miss Parker there is nothing wrong with her. She is perfectly safe with me and I'm getting her out of this."
"Jarod, I'm just telling you that Mr. Raines has trained her so that she would kill anyone and even capture you. She may be 13 but she has more power than you know." Jarod looked at Catherine again and said in the phone.
"Well, I guess we'll just find out, won't we?" Then he hung up before Miss Parker could say anything.
Jarod turned around to find Catherine gone. He looked around frantically but couldn't find her. He searched around and couldn't figure out where she went to. Just then he turned around and saw Catherine running at him with what looks like a knife in her right hand. She lunged at him but he moved out of the way in time. She almost lost her balance but regained it and turned around to lunge at him again.
"Catherine, what are you doing? I'm trying to help you." Jarod said while trying to stay one step ahead of Catherine so she doesn't stab him.
She doesn't say anything while she lunges. Finally, Jarod thinks to himself that he has to put a stop to this. So he grabs her wrist with the knife and brings it down on his knee...making the knife fall from Catherine's hand. Then he went and hit her...knocking her out. She fell to floor unconscious. Jarod stood over her and tried to think of what to do with her. So, he picked her up and carried her over his shoulder. He walked and walked and walked silently looking through some of the smaller open passeges to see where he was. He has been walking for about 4 hours now and was starting to show his strain. So, he stopped by a small open passege and laid Catherine on the ground. He then went to one of the holes and knelt down and felt the nice cool nighttime breeze. He ended up falling asleep where he sat. He woke up hearing cars passing by. So he looked out and saw about 6 cars speeding past him. He looked over by Catherine and saw she was still laying where Jarod left her. Because of the sleep, he got his strength back and decided to start walking and carrying Catherine.
Outside the cave...
"Well, Miss Parker. We are here. This is the end of the line." Said the captain as everyone got out of the cars.
Miss Parker looked and saw a huge opening to the tunnel. She stared at it and smiled. She will finally show her father that she is capable of taking on Jarod. "Good. Now lets start going in there." said Miss Parker as she started walking toward the entrance. But, then she was held back by hard hands. She turned around to see the captain. "What are you doing, captain. They are in there and I want to get them out."
"Not like this you don't. This place is sacred...I will not let you go in there with your gun." he said. She stared at him with angry eyes and then looked at the entrance. She was just about to say something when she looked around and noticed she was outnumbered anyway. So, she gave the captain her gun.
He gave it to one of his men and said to her, "You'll get them back when you leave the tunnel." So, then Miss Parker, the captain and 3 of his men started walking toward the entrance. The same entrance that Jarod is walking toward.
Back inside the cave...
As Jarod was walking faster he overheard voices. It stopped him in his tracks cause he heard a voice that made him cringe. Miss Parker! He turned around and started walking the other way briskly. He kept turning around to make sure that no one was following him. The voices started getting farther and farther away. All of a sudden he felt something move on his shoulder and knew that Catherine was waking up. She, opened her eyes to see the walls going away from her and then looked down to see she was hanging over Jarod's shoulder. But, she didn't want to stay like that so she started so move and she kept telling Jarod to put her down. Jarod didn't want to do that. So, he kept walking. Her voice started rising and he kept himself from hitting the girl but soon he kept thinking she is going to ask for it. So, finally he lowered her to the ground and grabbed her wrist and pulled her with him the other way.
"Jarod, what are you doing? Let go of me. I thought we were leaving. Why are we going back this way?" Catherine kept struggling but she couldn't shake his hand off her. "Jarod!"
All at once he turned around and looked at her. "Catherine, be quiet! I'm not going to let you go, ok. Miss Parker is at the other end and I'm not going to get caught. So, keep your voice down and do as I say!" Then he pulled her with him as they walked.
As he started getting near to the other part of the cave he felt the pain again. In his rib cage. He stopped and dropped to his knees clutching his ribs. Catherine stood there shocked. Catherine kept wondering where Major Charles was. She was also looking around for a place to run. She started to run to an opening when she looked around and saw Jarod collapse. She couldn't believe this. She just stood there looking at Jarod and then looked at the opening and pondered over which one. She finally chose Jarod. She walked over to him and tried to lift him up but he was just too heavy. She was near the mouth of the cave and trying to pull Jarod up when she felt hands over her waist. She jerked back and rammed into the person behind her. She fell on her back and looked up to see a very angry Major Charles. Then he looked inside the cave and saw Jarod's body. He was at the mouth of the cave so Major Charles just started pulling him up by his jacket collar. As he got Jarod all the way out he heard the dreadful sound of voices. He turned and carried his son to a waiting car. He piled Jarod in and was about to get in himself when he noticed Catherine was standing at the mouth of the cave.
Inside the cave...
"Captain, all I'm saying is that Jarod needs to be with his own people. We have brought him up since his parents past away and I need to bring him back." said Miss Parker.
"Miss Parker..." then he was cut off by her phone.
She answered it, "What!"
"Well, I see why Jarod likes talking to you. You have a very harsh attitude." said Major Charles.
"Major Charles. How nice to talk to you. Where is Jarod?" Miss Parker asked.
"Jarod is not up for talking. He is coming with me along with the girl." he said. Then Miss Parker heard him call Catherine and she heard her object to his command.
"Having a little trouble, Major Charles?" asked Miss Parker as she ran toward the entrance.
"Nothing I can't handle." said Major Charles. All of a sudden Miss Parker heard a scream at the mouth of the cave and ran to it, only to see Major Charles push Catherine inside the car.
But she didn't see Jarod. "He must be inside there too. Damn it!"
Inside the car...
As Major Charles was trying to calm Catherine down the driver was noticing some black cars coming after them. Major Charles turned to look and noticed them and told him to punch the gas. They were ahead of the black cars until they finally slowed down. The driver looked in the rear view mirror and noticed it and pushed off the gas. Major Charles was still busy trying to tell Catherine that he took her to save her. Then, he looked in the back seat and saw his son still unconcious. They drove on to the nearest town. As night was beginning to fall, Catherine fell asleep on Major Charles lap with her head on his chest. He looked down at her and thought she looked peaceful. Finally the next day they came upon a town. Major Charles found out where the hospital was and brought Jarod in. The hospital bandaged his ribs and told him that he could leave now. He is fine. So, Major Charles decided to find a hotel for them tonight. He gave Jarod and Catherine one room and he took the adjoining room. As they were getting themselves settled...Major Charles came into the room and sat down. He saw Catherine sitting in the chair and Jarod was lying on the bed. He lifted his head to see his father walk in the room. He looked at Catherine who just stared at him and then put her head down.
Major Charles spoke first, "Catherine. What were you doing back over there at the cave? Were you trying to get yourself taken or even killed?" Catherine didn't look up.
She didn't want to look in the face that she swore looked like Mr. Raines when he was angry. "Catherine, look at me!"
Her head shot up and both Major Charles and Jarod saw her tear-stained cheeks and knew she was crying. Jarod walked over to Catherine and touched her only to feel her cringe and start shaking. Major Charles and Jarod looked at each other and then at Catherine.
Jarod spoke, "Catherine, are you ok? Is something wrong?"
They had to strain their ears to hear Catherine speak, "Please don't hit me. I'm sorry." Then she looked up. "I don't mean to be mean. Please I'm really sorry." Then she started sobbing again.
Jarod took her over to the other bed and sat her down. He sat next to her and rubbed her back while she cried. He held her until she finished crying.
Then Major Charles asked, "Did someone hit you before?" Catherine looked up at Major Charles and nodded. Then she looked down. They both looked at each other. Then Jarod felt Catherine go limp and carried her to the other bed and laid her down and covered her up with the comforter.
AT THE CENTRE...
"Parker, Parker Parker...you lost him again. Geez can you at any time get him?" Lyle said while he was looking through Mr. Parker's desk. Miss Parker closed the doors and stood there. She was not in the best of moods. She walked over to the desk and slammed her hands down making him jump back.
"If you still want to be alive and stay as my brother, then you better not ask me that question again." She said in her low angry voice. Lyle sat in the chair and had the deer-in-the-headlight-look. Then she asked, "Where is my father?"
"You mean "our" father? I don't know." Lyle said.
"Well, that depends if you keep acting like an idiot and asking stupid questions. I'll go look for him." said an aggravated Miss Parker.
Just as she left Lyle let his breath go and out came Mr. Raines from in the adjoining room. "I swear that woman will give me a heart attack." Raines said.
"Well, at least we know that Jarod is taking very good care of your invention." Lyle said.
"Yes. I'm surprised that his body hasn't turned up anywhere. Or even where is Catherine?" said Mr Raines.
"Don't worry, Raines. We will get them both back. And kill Major Charles." They both smiled at one another.
To be continued...
