Pretender Fanatic- Computer Lit is a good class to catch up on your reading. I had a class like that my sophomore year in highschool. It was call Biology.

I liked Reed but alas the man had to go. I would of ended up bringing him into Exodus and as you saw from the 'cast' list I have more than enough characters. Besides I kinda like killing of my characters, well the ones I'm not to attached to. An dif I don't kill my characters I just put them through hell...like Will. I think I need to start going easy on the poor kid. I know I'll mess with Jeremiah for a while.

And yes as of Tuesday Pretender season one will be in the mail and one it's way to me. Can't wait. I may do the snoopy dance when it arrives.

Erikstrulove- Yeah my characters have a habit of dying around me. Hell there's someone dying in this chapter. But no worries about Reed he didn't have a family behind, which kinda sucked for him.

As for Markus I can't give you anymore hints on what I've done, with out giving it all away.

Author's Note: This chapter may look slightly familiar to those of you have read The Black Files, but it was too important not to put in.


CHAPTER 51

FOUND AND LOST


February 18, 2000

8:35pm

Blue Cove, Delaware

The Centre

Jeremiah was bored. There had been no sims that day so the Black Files had been able to spend all day in their room. Jeremiah had spent most of his time reading Shakespear. But he was done with Othello and not yet ready to start, a new play.

Jeremiah got up from his bed and went to see what his brother and sister were doing.

"You go first," Greg told Melissa, the two sat in front of a chess board.

"No you go," Melissa replied.

"Ladies first." Greg insisted.

"I'm no lady." Melissa said a frown on her face.

"That's no surprise," Marc snorted. He then has hit by a knight.

"There I moved," Melissa grinned at Greg.

"That didn't count," Greg said.

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

Jeremiah shook his head at his brother and sister. The two were never really happy unless they were fussing at one another. Jeremiah looked around the room to see what the other children were doing. Marc and Cassie were drawing with charcoals. Jake and Rachael were whispering furiously in the corner. Terra and Tobias had decided to take a nap, and the two were asleep next to each other in Terra's bed. Mike, Maddie, Aaron, Andros, and Alex were putting together a ten thousand piece puzzle. The five children were not looking at the picture on the box, and they had flipped all of the puzzle pieces over so only the backs were showing.

"Show offs," Jeremiah mumbled. Alex looked up from her section of the puzzle and stuck her tongue out at Jeremiah. Jeremiah just grinned at the younger girl. He was glad the Alex and the others were back to their normal selves. Jeremiah had been worried that after what Lyle had done to the little girl, Alex would never be the same again.

Jeremiah sighed. There was nothing for him to do. Chess was a two player game; he didn't feel like drawing or doing a puzzle.

"I'll be back," Jeremiah said as he sat the camera's in the room on a loop.

"Where are you going?" Melissa asked her brother.

"For a walk," Jeremiah replied as he entered the ventilation system.

"Need company?" Alex offered.

"No I'm fine," Jeremiah said and closed the cover, leaving the other children behind. He went up two five sub levels to SL-17 and began to walk the corridor. Jeremiah had no real idea where he was going. He had never been to Sl-17 before, but it looked like all the other Centre sub levels. Dark and cold.

run go back run go back

A voice whispered in Jeremiah's head. Jeremiah stopped for a moment trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. He came to the conclusion that he had tapped in to one of the other kids' abilities subconsciously. It was a rare occurrence for such a thing to happen. But Jeremiah thought nothing of it and continued on his walk, the voice still whispering.

When Jeremiah reached door 1719 the voice grew louder.

you don't want to be here

The voice repeated over and over growing louder with each repetition. Jeremiah's head began to pound, his eyes watered in pain. He stood rooted in spot unable to move due to the intense pain racing through his head. Suddenly the voice stopped and Jeremiah collapsed in relief. He knelt on his knees, head down, staring at the floor as he panted, regaining his composer.

As the pain subsided Jeremiah looked up at the keypad to the door, he was in front of. He shakily got to his feet, leaning against the wall for support. The boy stared at the keypad for minutes, prompting the voices to return. Finally the voice began to whisper the numbers 5-3-7-7-9 over and over. Jeremiah punched in the numbers and heard the electronic lock release. He pushed open the door and was greeted with the sight of a sleeping woman.

Jeremiah had heard of angels from the books he had read. With one look at the sleeping woman Jeremiah was convinced that the Centre had managed to capture one of the heavenly creatures.

The woman's long red hair fanned out across her pillow, framing her pale, porcelain like face. She was petite and barely looked twenty-five. Never before had Jeremiah seen such a beautiful woman, and doubted he ever would.

Jeremiah walked over to touch her to see if she was real or not, or just a figment of his imagination. As his fingers came in contact with her face and the woman's dazzling green eyes flung open. She sat up gasping her heart pounding. Startled Jeremiah jumped back. The woman stared at him. As she studied him her expression changed from fear, to compassion and then back to fear. But the second type of fear was a different type of fear. A fear for his safety, not hers.

"You shouldn't be here baby." The woman said with a slight Irish accent as she walked over to him. She knelt down to his eye level taking in his appearance. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. "You're more beautiful than I'd thought you'd be." She said gently running her hand down the side of his face. "I never thought I'd get to see any of you again."

"W-who are you?" Jeremiah asked, even though part of him already knew the answer.

"I'm your Mother baby." She whispered.

"My, my mother. But Mr. Lyle said you were dead."

"Your father lied to you." His mother said a slight hint of anger in her voice. "After you, your brother, and sister were born. Mr. Raines, Mr. Cox and your father took the three of you from me."

"Wait, wait, Mr. Lyle is my father?" Jeremiah said gasping.

"Yes, but he is unaware of is."

"I don't... I-I can't. This is all to much." Jeremiah said sitting down on his mother's bed. "I don't even know your name. How did the Centre get you? How do you even know who I am? How do you know that Lyle is my father? Why did the take me, Greg and Lissa form you?" Jeremiah asked quickly.

"Slow down sweet heart. I can only answer one question at a time. My name is Alannah. I spent the first five years of my life in an orphanage. My parents –your grandparents- gave me up for adoption. While at the orphanage the Centre tested me. The Centre quickly learned that I'm a psychic. They then brought me here."

"When I was nineteen they artificially inseminated me. Nine months later you and your brother and sister came along. While I was pregnant with the three of you I over heard Raines telling Cox that Lyle is your father. As for how I knew who you were, you have my eyes and hair. Did I mention that I was a psychic?" She said smiling. Jeremiah returned her smile as he nodded in response to her question.

"The reason that Raines took the three of you away from me is because they did not want for me to have any say in the rearing of you. Nor did they want for the three of you to have any emotional ties to me. From what I later learned Raines's master plan was to have a group of children who were loyal to themselves as well as the Centre. His goal is to turn your group into skilled assigns as well as pretenders. Around your ninth birthday they will start training you in hand to hand combat as well as weaponry. When you all reach your teens Raines wishes to sell you all to the highest bidder." Alannah told him. Jeremiah stared at his mother in shock.

"I take it that this is a little too much for you." She said pulling him in to her arms. Jeremiah stiffened for a moment but then quickly relaxed. He breathed in the scent of his mother, committing it to memory. "You know what? I know nothing about you, your brother or sister. Not even your names." Alannah said sadly.

"Well I'm Jeremiah. I'm your second born, Gregory –or Greg- is the oldest. Melissa -we just call her Lissa for short- is the baby. We look exactly the same. We like to confuse Mr. Raines, Lyle and Cox by pretending to be each other. And Greg and Lissa like to fight with each other." He said grinning deviously. Alannah smiled at him.

"You're really my Mom?" Jeremiah asked partly afraid that she wasn't, and partly afraid that she was. He knew that Raines would never allow for he, Greg and Melissa to be with their mother. Yet with her was the only place he wanted to be at that moment. With the exception of Sam, Jeremiah had never felt safer being in anyone else's presence. In his mother's arms it was as though the evils of the Centre couldn't touch him. The last time Jeremiah had felt that way Sam had been holding him.

"Yes I'm really your Mother." Alannah said dropping a kiss on top of his head.

"I never had a Mom before." Jeremiah said as tears fell from his eyes.

run. leave her. run. leave her.

'Shut up! Go away!' Jeremiah thought savagely as the voice began to speak again.

"Jeremiah you, your brother, and sister have always had I mother. And I have always loved the three of you. And I always will. Nothing, nothing will ever change that." Alannah told her son

"If we get out do you think that we'll be able to be a real family?" Jeremiah asked innocently, ignoring the voice wishing that it we're lying. He felt a drop of water fall on his head and knew that his mother was crying. Alannah wiped away her tears and then her son's.

"Listen to me baby, no matter what I'll always be your family." She told him as she kept the tears at bay.

"Something bad is about to happen isn't it?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yes baby it is. But all that matters is that I got to see at least one of my babies again… one last time. I love you. Remember that, and tell Greg and Lissa that I love them too." She said.

"I will." Jeremiah promised he was once again crying, for he knew now that he would never see his mother again.

"Quickly now baby, you must go before he finds you." Alannah said wiping the last of the tears from her son's face and kissing him. Jeremiah nodded his head and pulled out a shard of metal from the waistband of his pants. He set himself to the task of unscrewing the cover to the air vent.

"Come with me." He begged.

"I can't baby." Alannah said hugging her son for the last time.

"It's not fair." He murmured into his mother's chest.

"Life never is, for people like us. Now you have to go he's coming. I don't want for him to find you. No more tears my dear sweet boy. I'll be with you always" Alannah said easing Jeremiah into the air vent.

"I love you Mommy." Jeremiah said as Alannah replaced the cover. "Always." He added sticking his fingers through the gaps in the vent. Alannah gently kissed his tiny fingers.

"I love you to baby. Now go." Alannah told her son. She then heard the electric lock unbolt and quickly composed herself. Lyle strolled into her cell.

"Hello Alannah." Lyle sneered.

"Lyle." Alannah spat. She knew that her end was coming and she was determined to face it bravely. She would not give Lyle the satisfaction of seeing her beg for her life.

"It is my duty to inform you that the Centre feels that you no longer serve a purpose. I find it hard to say that your termination order was singed fifteen minutes ago by no other then me. I'm sorry Alannah."

"Like hell you are Lyle." She said calmly.

"Actually Alannah I am. You see you're such a fine specimen to waste." Lyle said running a finger along Alannah's cheek. "Maybe if you make it worth my while I could… change the Chairman's mind. It is a pity that you aren't Asian although in your case I'm willing to make a slight exception." He jeered. Alannah spat in his face, and Lyle backhanded her knocking her to the ground. As she fell Alannah caught sight of Jeremiah's horror struck face. Slightly Alannah prayed that her son would run before he would witness her end. Yet it was an unanswered prayer.

"Fine then Alannah have it your way." Lyle said. Jeremiah looked on in horror as Lyle pulled out his 9mm and shot Alannah point black. The sight of his mother's brains coating the wall would haunt Jeremiah's dreams for the rest of his life.

Shocked at what he had witnessed, Jeremiah laid curled in a fetal position, trembling and unable to move as Lyle walked out of the cell. An hour later Jeremiah somehow made his way back to the room. Pale and covered in sweat and dust, Jeremiah climbed out of the vent and into this bed that was in between Greg and Mike's and immediately fell asleep.


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Up Next: Jeremiah is in a catatonic shock. Alex, and Jake have a slight scuffle. Alley goes to vist Jeremiah.