Part Five
Bridgette walked with determined strides toward her husband's office.
How dare that...that Dr. Frankenstein speak to her that way! Jarod was
her project now that the Parker bitch was dead. If she wanted to
torment him, it was her right. She had earned it.
"Hello, Darling," Bridgette greeted Mr. Parker brightly as she stepped
into his darkened office. This was another disappointment. The great
Mr. Parker turned to a shell of a man just because his daughter was
dead. He would lose it all if he didn't snap out of it. "I just left
Jarod. He's doing well, although I think Sydney's too overprotective.
We should probably rethink his position in Jarod's life at the Center."
Mr. Parker smiled. "Jarod loves Angel. He had since he was a little
boy. We arranged it. And Angel loved him. That's why she pursued
him so relentlessly. I think she was hurt that he didn't take her with
him." Mr. Parker lapsed into silence. His eyes sparkled with unshed
tears.
"How touching." Bridgette rolled her eyes. This had to stop. She was
going to be sick and it would have nothing to do with her pregnancy.
She reached out and ran her fingers through Mr. Parker's thinning
hair. Weak and feeble were not turn-ons. "It's so glum in here,
Darling, why don't we open the shades." Bridgette did just that
without waiting for agreement. She put on her best sympathetic wifely
concerned look. "There that's better. It's time that we looked to
the future and our own bundle of joy rather than lament the past. Our
baby needs a strong, powerful father." She took her husband's hand
and placed it on her extended abdomen.
"My sister was a remarkable woman, she won't be forgotten." Mr. Lyle
stood in the office doorway, his arms crossed and his gaze cold. He
walked toward them, sorrow etching itself onto his features. "I only
wish that I had more time as her brother. That we had been closer."
"Yes. Angel was such a bright young girl. She, Jarod, and Angelo
were always getting into things here at the Center. Things they had
no business getting into..." Mr. Parker trailed off and stared dreamily
into space. After a moment, his gaze hardened. He glared at his wife
and son. "Maybe if you two had grown up together she wouldn't have
gotten so close to such bad influences. Have you found Major Charles
and the Jarod clone?"
"I'm afraid not. The plane landed in Hawaii, but no other aircraft
was rented or leased on the island by anyone who didn't return them
after that." Lyle sighed. "I'm afraid hunting was never my forte. I
was always better at persuasion."
"Yes." Mr. Parker's eyes gleamed and his teeth flashed in a cruel
smile. "That is one of your talents. Perhaps Jarod could use some
persuasion in telling us where his father and the clone are."
"You would kill him before Jarod would tell you where his father is."
Bridgette looked aghast at the two men. Lyle was not going to take
Jarod away from her. He was her chance to prove to the Triumvirate
that she was a real player in their game and not just a lackey. If
she turned Jarod into a useful tool for the Center than her reward just
might be her husband's office and she wouldn't need to use him or her
unborn brat anymore. "He probably doesn't even know where they are
and Sydney wouldn't stand for it. Jarod is like a son to him."
"Yes, you are right, my dear. Sydney is much too overprotective of
Jarod and his position in Jarod's life here should be rethought." Mr.
Parker nodded. "It was Jarod's attachment to my daughter that
endangered her life. It's only fair that he rejoin her if he becomes
any more of a problem for us. The recapture of the clone will satisfy
the Triumvirate. Bridgette, I believe that you will have better luck
tracking down Major Charles."
"But, the baby." Bridgette patted her belly. "I can't fly around the
world chasing after Jarod's father when I'm pregnant with your child."
"I'm sure you'll think of some other way then. Lyle, you're in charge
of Jarod now." Mr. Parker waved in dismissal to both of them. His
Angel was dead and it was Jarod's fault. She had never really trusted
him, had always questioned his love for her and that was Jarod's fault
as well. And now Jarod would find out what it was really like to be
a prisoner and pawn of the Center. It certainly wouldn't be anything
like his idyllic childhood - for one thing he wouldn't have his Angel
for company.
*****
The search for Miss Parker was taking too long. Jarod lay down on his
pallet and covered his eyes with his arm. The Center was a horrible
labyrinth of secret sectors and sublevels and it had only grown since he
had left. Finding Miss Parker was making him feel like a mouse
searching for cheese in a cruel maze where every turn led to a dead
end.
"Frustrating, isn't it?" Miss Parker's voice was strangely amused.
"Chasing after someone who is so close, but so far away. I guess the
only difference is that I want you to find me."
"I didn't want you to catch me," Jarod corrected, mumbling softly out
loud. He knew that the ever present Center cameras would record his
behavior, but hopefully his watchers would just think talking to
himself was a habit he had picked up. It just seemed right to talk to
her like she was there in front of him and not just in his head. "I
always wanted you to find me."
"Why did you leave me, Jarod?" Miss Parker asked the question that had
plagued her since Jarod's escape. The one that had spurred her
stubborn pursuit of him. "I know why you left the Center, but why did
you leave me?" Without giving Jarod time to answer Miss Parker
continued, "Never mind, don't answer that. There are more important
questions like does Angelo have any idea where the hell I am?"
"He narrowed it down to some newer sectors in sublevel S76. They
aren't on any of the blueprints, but Angelo knows they exist. He's
going to check them out tonight." Jarod let Miss Parker's moment of
vulnerability go without comment. He wasn't sure if he wanted to
answer that question, it would have left him open. Right now they were
experiencing an intimate connection, but who knew what would happen
once Miss Parker was found and back with her father. She had chosen
them over him too many times. "Don't worry, we'll find you. I'll find
you."
"Not if we find them first," Mr. Lyle unwittingly interrupted. "You
certainly have bounced back from your psychotic break after my sister's
unfortunate death. So, where are Major Charles and the clone?"
"I have no idea." Jarod didn't bother to remove his arm from over his
face to look at the other man. He despised Mr. Lyle. It sickened him
to think that the psycho shared a familial bond with Miss Parker.
"You wouldn't tell me if you did." Mr. Lyle smirked with anticipation.
Not only did he have his lovely sister under his control, but he also
had the opportunity to torture Jarod - the wonder boy. He nodded at
the sweepers at his side and they entered the cell and pulled Jarod to
his feet. Mr. Lyle chuckled. The irony was delicious. He was about
to punish his sister's adored Jarod for her 'death.'
"What's so funny?" Jarod glared. "Is that how you mourn your sister?"
"No, I have other ways that I enjoy so much more. I'm here to inform
you that Bridgette is now in charge of tracking down your father and
errant clone and I am in charge of you." Mr. Lyle frowned. Jarod
didn't look as dispirited as he had expected. For some reason he
wasn't broken any more. Oh, well, that would just make this more fun.
"You put my sister where she is now. When I'm in pain, I like to
inflict pain. You won't be running any Sims for a while, Jarod. At
least not until you're fully healed."
*****
If it had been physically possible, Miss Parker would have been sick.
She hated Lyle, he was a monster. She felt the waves of pain that
crashed through her connection with Jarod. Since the beating had
started, there had been no words between them. She had tried to
comfort Jarod as best she could, but soothing didn't come naturally to
her. Anger did. She was mad as hell at Lyle for what he was doing to
Jarod and to her. She needed to get out of here - this blue place
where her only contact was with Jarod. She had finally recognized the
voice that hissed such vile and horrible things at her when she had
heard it again. It was Lyle's.
*****
The body on the bed convulsed, prompting the two men in the room to
rush over to her. "What's wrong? Is she waking up?" the younger man
asked. He was dressed in a dark suit and immediately took out a cell
phone. He stood back and waited while the man in a white lab coat
checked the woman. She convulsed again and a fountain of foul smelling
bile spilled from her lips and wet the sheet under her chin.
"Contact Mr. Lyle. I don't think I can administer any more of the drug
and she might be regaining consciousness."
The man in the suit nodded. "Mr. Lyle, we need you in the Correction
Chamber. She may be coming out of her coma."
*****
The room was insanely bright. White walls practically vibrated with
the sunlight that streamed in from the large windows that looked out
onto the rolling green hills and wave tossed blue ocean. Jarod was
alone, but he was in no shape to escape even if he had wanted to at
that moment. After an hour of beating him, Lyle had finally stopped,
but only because of a phone call. Jarod groaned and tried to lift his
head. He was sitting on a metal chair with his hands handcuffed
behind him. His chest ached with each labored breath - Lyle had
concentrated most of his blows on his torso - and he could almost feel
the bruises as they formed.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Miss Parker whispered in his mind. She had
stayed with him the whole time. At first he had gotten an uncertain
sense of concern and tentative warmth from her, but soon that was
overpowered by anger. He liked the anger, it had helped blot out the
pain, and he liked that she was angry because of what was being done to
him. Compassion and concern could be felt for strangers - Jarod knew
that well enough - but the consuming, burning anger he had felt from
Miss Parker only happened when you really cared. She cared when he was
hurt.
"No." Jarod tried to shake his head. "Not your fault." He could
taste the salty residue of his blood on his cracked lips as he spoke.
A pounding rush at the back of his head alerted him to impending
unconsciousness. He had to tell her something first. He didn't care
how vulnerable it made him to her, she had to know. "I came to you the
night I escaped. I waited in the dark outside your house. It had been
so long since I had last seen you. I was afraid...afraid I had lost
you to the Center."
"Never. Jarod, you'll never lose me to the Center," Miss Parker
vowed, but she didn't expect a reply. Jarod had already passed out.
To be continued....
Bridgette walked with determined strides toward her husband's office.
How dare that...that Dr. Frankenstein speak to her that way! Jarod was
her project now that the Parker bitch was dead. If she wanted to
torment him, it was her right. She had earned it.
"Hello, Darling," Bridgette greeted Mr. Parker brightly as she stepped
into his darkened office. This was another disappointment. The great
Mr. Parker turned to a shell of a man just because his daughter was
dead. He would lose it all if he didn't snap out of it. "I just left
Jarod. He's doing well, although I think Sydney's too overprotective.
We should probably rethink his position in Jarod's life at the Center."
Mr. Parker smiled. "Jarod loves Angel. He had since he was a little
boy. We arranged it. And Angel loved him. That's why she pursued
him so relentlessly. I think she was hurt that he didn't take her with
him." Mr. Parker lapsed into silence. His eyes sparkled with unshed
tears.
"How touching." Bridgette rolled her eyes. This had to stop. She was
going to be sick and it would have nothing to do with her pregnancy.
She reached out and ran her fingers through Mr. Parker's thinning
hair. Weak and feeble were not turn-ons. "It's so glum in here,
Darling, why don't we open the shades." Bridgette did just that
without waiting for agreement. She put on her best sympathetic wifely
concerned look. "There that's better. It's time that we looked to
the future and our own bundle of joy rather than lament the past. Our
baby needs a strong, powerful father." She took her husband's hand
and placed it on her extended abdomen.
"My sister was a remarkable woman, she won't be forgotten." Mr. Lyle
stood in the office doorway, his arms crossed and his gaze cold. He
walked toward them, sorrow etching itself onto his features. "I only
wish that I had more time as her brother. That we had been closer."
"Yes. Angel was such a bright young girl. She, Jarod, and Angelo
were always getting into things here at the Center. Things they had
no business getting into..." Mr. Parker trailed off and stared dreamily
into space. After a moment, his gaze hardened. He glared at his wife
and son. "Maybe if you two had grown up together she wouldn't have
gotten so close to such bad influences. Have you found Major Charles
and the Jarod clone?"
"I'm afraid not. The plane landed in Hawaii, but no other aircraft
was rented or leased on the island by anyone who didn't return them
after that." Lyle sighed. "I'm afraid hunting was never my forte. I
was always better at persuasion."
"Yes." Mr. Parker's eyes gleamed and his teeth flashed in a cruel
smile. "That is one of your talents. Perhaps Jarod could use some
persuasion in telling us where his father and the clone are."
"You would kill him before Jarod would tell you where his father is."
Bridgette looked aghast at the two men. Lyle was not going to take
Jarod away from her. He was her chance to prove to the Triumvirate
that she was a real player in their game and not just a lackey. If
she turned Jarod into a useful tool for the Center than her reward just
might be her husband's office and she wouldn't need to use him or her
unborn brat anymore. "He probably doesn't even know where they are
and Sydney wouldn't stand for it. Jarod is like a son to him."
"Yes, you are right, my dear. Sydney is much too overprotective of
Jarod and his position in Jarod's life here should be rethought." Mr.
Parker nodded. "It was Jarod's attachment to my daughter that
endangered her life. It's only fair that he rejoin her if he becomes
any more of a problem for us. The recapture of the clone will satisfy
the Triumvirate. Bridgette, I believe that you will have better luck
tracking down Major Charles."
"But, the baby." Bridgette patted her belly. "I can't fly around the
world chasing after Jarod's father when I'm pregnant with your child."
"I'm sure you'll think of some other way then. Lyle, you're in charge
of Jarod now." Mr. Parker waved in dismissal to both of them. His
Angel was dead and it was Jarod's fault. She had never really trusted
him, had always questioned his love for her and that was Jarod's fault
as well. And now Jarod would find out what it was really like to be
a prisoner and pawn of the Center. It certainly wouldn't be anything
like his idyllic childhood - for one thing he wouldn't have his Angel
for company.
*****
The search for Miss Parker was taking too long. Jarod lay down on his
pallet and covered his eyes with his arm. The Center was a horrible
labyrinth of secret sectors and sublevels and it had only grown since he
had left. Finding Miss Parker was making him feel like a mouse
searching for cheese in a cruel maze where every turn led to a dead
end.
"Frustrating, isn't it?" Miss Parker's voice was strangely amused.
"Chasing after someone who is so close, but so far away. I guess the
only difference is that I want you to find me."
"I didn't want you to catch me," Jarod corrected, mumbling softly out
loud. He knew that the ever present Center cameras would record his
behavior, but hopefully his watchers would just think talking to
himself was a habit he had picked up. It just seemed right to talk to
her like she was there in front of him and not just in his head. "I
always wanted you to find me."
"Why did you leave me, Jarod?" Miss Parker asked the question that had
plagued her since Jarod's escape. The one that had spurred her
stubborn pursuit of him. "I know why you left the Center, but why did
you leave me?" Without giving Jarod time to answer Miss Parker
continued, "Never mind, don't answer that. There are more important
questions like does Angelo have any idea where the hell I am?"
"He narrowed it down to some newer sectors in sublevel S76. They
aren't on any of the blueprints, but Angelo knows they exist. He's
going to check them out tonight." Jarod let Miss Parker's moment of
vulnerability go without comment. He wasn't sure if he wanted to
answer that question, it would have left him open. Right now they were
experiencing an intimate connection, but who knew what would happen
once Miss Parker was found and back with her father. She had chosen
them over him too many times. "Don't worry, we'll find you. I'll find
you."
"Not if we find them first," Mr. Lyle unwittingly interrupted. "You
certainly have bounced back from your psychotic break after my sister's
unfortunate death. So, where are Major Charles and the clone?"
"I have no idea." Jarod didn't bother to remove his arm from over his
face to look at the other man. He despised Mr. Lyle. It sickened him
to think that the psycho shared a familial bond with Miss Parker.
"You wouldn't tell me if you did." Mr. Lyle smirked with anticipation.
Not only did he have his lovely sister under his control, but he also
had the opportunity to torture Jarod - the wonder boy. He nodded at
the sweepers at his side and they entered the cell and pulled Jarod to
his feet. Mr. Lyle chuckled. The irony was delicious. He was about
to punish his sister's adored Jarod for her 'death.'
"What's so funny?" Jarod glared. "Is that how you mourn your sister?"
"No, I have other ways that I enjoy so much more. I'm here to inform
you that Bridgette is now in charge of tracking down your father and
errant clone and I am in charge of you." Mr. Lyle frowned. Jarod
didn't look as dispirited as he had expected. For some reason he
wasn't broken any more. Oh, well, that would just make this more fun.
"You put my sister where she is now. When I'm in pain, I like to
inflict pain. You won't be running any Sims for a while, Jarod. At
least not until you're fully healed."
*****
If it had been physically possible, Miss Parker would have been sick.
She hated Lyle, he was a monster. She felt the waves of pain that
crashed through her connection with Jarod. Since the beating had
started, there had been no words between them. She had tried to
comfort Jarod as best she could, but soothing didn't come naturally to
her. Anger did. She was mad as hell at Lyle for what he was doing to
Jarod and to her. She needed to get out of here - this blue place
where her only contact was with Jarod. She had finally recognized the
voice that hissed such vile and horrible things at her when she had
heard it again. It was Lyle's.
*****
The body on the bed convulsed, prompting the two men in the room to
rush over to her. "What's wrong? Is she waking up?" the younger man
asked. He was dressed in a dark suit and immediately took out a cell
phone. He stood back and waited while the man in a white lab coat
checked the woman. She convulsed again and a fountain of foul smelling
bile spilled from her lips and wet the sheet under her chin.
"Contact Mr. Lyle. I don't think I can administer any more of the drug
and she might be regaining consciousness."
The man in the suit nodded. "Mr. Lyle, we need you in the Correction
Chamber. She may be coming out of her coma."
*****
The room was insanely bright. White walls practically vibrated with
the sunlight that streamed in from the large windows that looked out
onto the rolling green hills and wave tossed blue ocean. Jarod was
alone, but he was in no shape to escape even if he had wanted to at
that moment. After an hour of beating him, Lyle had finally stopped,
but only because of a phone call. Jarod groaned and tried to lift his
head. He was sitting on a metal chair with his hands handcuffed
behind him. His chest ached with each labored breath - Lyle had
concentrated most of his blows on his torso - and he could almost feel
the bruises as they formed.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Miss Parker whispered in his mind. She had
stayed with him the whole time. At first he had gotten an uncertain
sense of concern and tentative warmth from her, but soon that was
overpowered by anger. He liked the anger, it had helped blot out the
pain, and he liked that she was angry because of what was being done to
him. Compassion and concern could be felt for strangers - Jarod knew
that well enough - but the consuming, burning anger he had felt from
Miss Parker only happened when you really cared. She cared when he was
hurt.
"No." Jarod tried to shake his head. "Not your fault." He could
taste the salty residue of his blood on his cracked lips as he spoke.
A pounding rush at the back of his head alerted him to impending
unconsciousness. He had to tell her something first. He didn't care
how vulnerable it made him to her, she had to know. "I came to you the
night I escaped. I waited in the dark outside your house. It had been
so long since I had last seen you. I was afraid...afraid I had lost
you to the Center."
"Never. Jarod, you'll never lose me to the Center," Miss Parker
vowed, but she didn't expect a reply. Jarod had already passed out.
To be continued....