Crazyrussiangal- So happy you like the last chapter. And I'm glad you were pleased with Sam's choice
Erikstrulove- Hey your back! So how many chapters did you have to read to catch up? 12? Well here's another one for you to read before you leave again. As for your questions. Yes Lyle will be turning around a bit in the next story. I did make him a right evil bastard in this story huh. Hope I pull his turn around off well enough. You'll get your glimpse of around chapter 7 of Lyle, but then disappears for a long, long time, but when he comes back after his vacation he isn't a happy man.
As for Markus. You'll get your answer. I can tell you that if you look closely at Chapter 54 I do allude to Markus. You'll find out what really happened to him in Chapter 21 of Exodus. Yes I know it's so far away. But I promise you'll be happy. I hope.
Pretender Fanatic- Wow everyone's back this week. And might I say good luck with you and your track.. 13 hours, man are you better than me, I use to have a schedule like that between, theater, soccer, and horseback riding, not to mention school. But then my soccer team got disbanded -really funny story there- and I got tired of horses. So now I have a lot of free time to write yay me.
Glad you enjoyed the last few chapters. I am a complete dork when it comes to Angel and Buffy allusions I can't help but insert them in to my story's. So Alley can thank my endless hours of watching Angel re-runs for her middle name. 'Winifred but you can call me Fred'.
And yes Will is Sam's new secretary. You should see how neat he keeps his files. And you really liked Sam being an heir to the triumvirate? Sweet I was hoping that it would go over well.
Oh and I pre-ordered season 1 of the pretender today. Thank you Amazon. March 22 can't get here soon enough.
CHAPTER 50
BROKEN
January 17, 2000
2:21am
Blue Cove, Delaware
Home of Miss Parker
Sam entered Parker's house using his old key. The past few days had been hell for Parker. She had discovered Thomas's killer and helped deliver her baby brother. Sam entered the house to find Parker asleep on the couch Thomas's old flannel shirt in her hands.
"Mor," Sam whispered. Parker turned in her sleep, but did not awake. Sam reluctant to wake his sister decided to let her sleep. Not wanting for her to spend the night on the couch, Sam lifted Parker up and carried her into her room. Once Parker was safely in bed for the night Sam took the couch and dozed off.
Sam awoke a little after seven to the smell of coffee. Sam got up from the couch yawning and stretching. He entered the kitchen when Parker stood poring two cups of coffee.
"I don't know who enters my house more, you or Jarod," Parker said with a wry grin as she passed Sam a mug of coffee.
"Hey at least I didn't remove your firing pin," Sam replied.
"Sammy...I don't really drool in my sleep do I?" Parker asked
"No, of course not," Sam said trying not to smile as he and Parker sat down at the kitchen table. "So, I've heard the rumors, can I get the truth?" Sam asked.
"Bridgette... she, killed Thomas. She was following orders but from who she doesn't know. She just said that the orders came from high up," Parker said softly as she stared into her coffee
"You believe her?"
"She had no reason to lie. She was dying...I was going to kill her Sammy. I wanted to so bad. But I saw her laying there, and I couldn't do it," Parker spoke tears threatening to fall. "I wanted to avenge Tommy's death so much. He was a good man, Tommy didn't deserve to die. If he had never gotten involved with me, then he'd still be alive."
"Jarod, he knew Tommy. They were friends. I think that Jarod sent Tommy to me, so that I could have a chance at love."
"I don't understand this dance you two do. I don't pretend to either. I don't think anyone can hurt Jarod the way you can, and vise versa. You two live to torture each other. And yet he wants for you to be happy, to have that bit of normalcy. Both of you pretend that you don't care about each other. I remember the first year of Jarod's escape when he found his first girlfriend. God you were so jealous that your childhood sweetheart found someone," Sam said grinning.
"Please, I could care less about that lab rat. Jarod is my ticket out of the Centre remember."
"Oh I remember. I remember that when we where kids you were head over heels for Jarod," Sam teased.
"Sammy I swear that if you don't shut up I'm going to shoot you," Parker said cross. But she couldn't help but to smile. She knew that Sam was trying to make her feel better after the previous days strenuous events.
"Alright, alright fine a new topic then. Tell me about your new brother. Kid have a name yet?"
"No," Parker replied her smile gone. "I helped to deliver him you know. Then Daddy came and took him. I haven't seen him sense. Daddy didn't even ask if it was a boy or a girl."
"So what's his name?" Sam asked.
"Sammy I told you I don't know. As far as anyone knows he's Baby Parker."
"Then you name him Mor. Look lets be real, your Dad wasn't around much when you were growing up. Do you want history to repeat it's self with your baby brother. Hell at least you had Mom. This kid may have no one. He's gonna need you to be their for him Mor. He's gonna need to grow up knowing that he's loved. It's going to fall on to you to make sure that your brother doesn't end up as screwed up as the rest of the family," Sam told her. "So to reiterate my question, what is his name?"
"Peter. Peter Simon Vincent Parker," Parker whispered.
"Peter. Parker," Sam said staring at Parker.
"Yes. It has a nice ring to it don't you think?"
"Oh Yeah," Sam said trying not to laugh. 'Poor kid's gonna get teased for the rest of his life.'
January 17, 2000
6:21am
Blue Cove, Delaware
The Centre
Will found himself yanked off of his cot by the scruff of his neck, and then flung into the wall, wearing nothing but his Centre issued pants. Dazed Will looked up and could make out the blurry figure of Miller. Will hated Miller more than any other sweeper at the Centre. Miller was a brute whose only pleasure came from hurting others. Jake had endured a run in with Miller six months prior, shortly before the five youngest Black Files had ended up in a coma. Will had witnessed the damage Miller, had done to Jake, it wasn't pretty.
"Get up," Miller said coldly.
"Are we taking a little stroll?" Will asked voice full of sarcasm. Miller backhanded Will, and the boy sunk to the floor. Rising to his feet, Will used the wall for support. The boy spat a mouthful of blood at Miller's feet in retaliation. Miller then knocked the wind out of Will. Normally Will would have been compliant, but he had a very good idea to where he was being taken. Back in September, Raines had found a way to control Will. Every month Will was beaten just enough so that Will had difficulties controlling his abilities.
Raines made sure that who ever dealt Will's blows, always stuck the boy in areas that would be covered by Will's Centre uniform. Raines did not want for Sam to know what Will was being put through each month. And Raines knew that Will was too stubborn to tell anyone about his beatings.
Recently Raines had taken to trying to break Will. But Will was too stubborn to let Raines win. The former doctor was trying to make Will give up his name. As far as Will was concerned his name was the only thing that he had. And there was no way he was giving it up.
Wheezing Will rose to his feet. He knew that if he angered Miller just enough, Will wouldn't have to endure a whipping. Raines liked to alternate on ways to break Will. It had been a while since Raines had last used his steel studded whip on Will. But the day prior Raines had gloated to the nine year old that he had pulled out the whip just for Will.
"Hey Miller, anyone ever tell you that you're nothing but Raines's butt monkey?" Will grinned his blood stained teeth showing. Miller pulled his arm back and was just about to deal Will a blow that would knock the boy unconscious, when Raines stopped the sweeper.
"Don't," Raines wheezed. Will's grin fell, the young pretender had been banking on Miller knocking him unconscious before Raines arrived. Though Miller was quite ferocious, any beating form Miller, was better than what Raines had in store for Will.
"Escort young Phoenix to the room," Raines said to Miller. Miller grunted in reply and shoved Will in the direction of their destination. Once in the dark room, Miller clasped one end of a manacle around Will's right hand.
"What big guy no dinner first," Will sneered. Had Sam seen his charged he would have realized in that moment that Will was not the same person he was when Alley was alive. Will wasn't even the same boy he was six months ago. Will had grown cold, and had taken on much of the same characteristics of his mother.
When he's beatings had first started Will would beg, scream and cry for Raines to stop. But as they continued Will no longer gave Raines the satisfaction for hearing Will cry. It was rare Will even let out a whimper. Will knew that any emotion was a sign of weakness, and to survive the Centre you couldn't be weak.
Ignoring Will's remark Miller cuffed Wills other hand and hung the boy by the manacles from a hook in the ceiling. Miller then left but not before dealing Will another blow in the stomach that sentthe boy twirling.
Will then heard the squeak of Raines's oxygen tank, and another set of footsteps. The door opened and Raines entered with a sweeper behind him. Will was expecting Willie, but was shocked to see Reed, one of the Centre's more pleasant sweepers. It was upon sight of Reed that Will realized that what ever Raines had planed was not just about Will. Reed had done something to anger Raines and now the sweeper was being punished.
"Ah Phoenix," Raines wheezed. "Are you ready to begin?"
"Just waiting on you baldy," Will replied. Raines nodded his head towards Reed and the sweeper nervously stepped forward, unfurling the whip in his hand. There was a loud crack as the whip came in contact with Will's back.
"What is your name?" Raines asked Will.
"William," Will said between clenched teeth. Another crack filled the air. Will noted that Reed's hands were trembling. 'At this rate I'll out last him,' Will thought. Eight more times the sequence repeated itself.
"Do I need to ask you again?" Raines wheezed. "I have all day."
Will's body rotated and along his back ten long slashes are visible, blood seeping from the various lashings. But Will showed no sign of giving into Raines.
"You can make this easy or hard, Phoenix." Raines warned. "Cooperate and this will all end now. Continue with this foolishness and you will spend the next few months of your life very uncomfortable."
"My name is William, not Phoenix." Will said and spat in Raines' face. Raines smacked the boy sending him crashing into the wall.
"Your decision." Raines hissed walking away. As he went to exit the room he motioned towards Reed. Reed walked back towards Will unfurling the whip again. Reed then repeatedly begins to hit Will. Each time the whip made contact with Will's back, Will bit back a scream. Blood oozed down his back, down his legs, and dripped off of his toes pooling below his feet, and yet Will refused to cry out or even shed a tear.
Reed unable to stand what he was doing to the boy began to beg Will. "Please Phoenix. He won't let me stop until you give in."
"My name is William, Reed. And I'll never give that ghoul the satisfaction of giving in." Will said, in between lashings. Unable to stand it any longer Reed dropped the whip.
"I can't. I can't," The sweeper began to mumble over and over. Will stared at the broken form of the man. And though Will had always been rather found of the sweeper the boy felt no sympathy for Reed.
January 17, 2000
8:06pm
Blue Cove, Delaware
Home of Nathan Reed
Reed sat on his bed and stared at his hands. He hated himself for what he was forced into doing. Reed had joined the Centre thinking that they were a decent corporation. Never in his life did he think he would get involved in to the horrors of the Centre. He had just need a job to pay off his debt and the Centre was hiring.
Reed had never wanted to hurt Will. Will was a good kid, whose only crime was being a pretender. That boy hadn't deserved what Reed had done to him. Reed picked up the gun that was sitting next to him. He then inserted the barrel into his mouth and pulled the trigger.
Up Next: The kids have the day off, so Jeremiah does a bit of exploring. What does he find?
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