Disclaimer: Please see Chapter 1 for the usual statements.

Author's note: I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for those of you with the patience to continue reading this saga. I didn't mean for the story to get so long but I suspect my muse had this in mind all along. I hope all those you read this story, truly enjoy it.

Time to Consider
Chapter 27
By Callisto

The Centre
Blue Cove, DE

The ride through the Centre turned out to be more harrowing than Sydney's simple plan had suggested. First of all the trip to the loading dock took longer than Jarod would've liked. The problem happend to be a bored yet chatty lab assistant. Crowley picked up the specimen cart, and then took a circuitous route through the Centre's numerous research labs slowly collecting additional samples. At one point, the cart stopped in front of Mr. Cox's new office while Crowley spoke animatedly to a dour sounding fellow who constantly complained about a ringing in his ears. Jarod rolled his eyes and shook his head at the truly strange cast of characters the Centre employed. It was during a particularly long trek down an anonymous hallway when things began to get dicey for Jarod. At the end of the passage there was a checkpoint where all large, incoming crates, carts and items large enough to carry a human were being diligently checked. Jarod peered through a discrete tear he created in the drop cloth and saw the choke point of people and packages entering from the open bay doors from the loading dock areas. Fortunately, it was as Sydney described, everyone coming into the Centre was being thoroughly examined and scanned—the exit was still clear. Not willing to take a chance, Jarod waited for the right opportunity. It soon came when a talkative Crowley abruptly stopped the cart and began chatting up a sweeper. A string of interconnected carts was passing them by when Jarod slid out from his hiding place unnoticed and untying his tennis shoe, made a show of retying it. Looking up surreptitiously, he then joined a group of odd-looking people headed out for their morning constitutional. Quickly messing up his hair, he partially stood up, hunching over for good effect and began walking with the rest towards the doors. It was a good thing he did, because Raines unexpectedly showed up, dragging his ever-present canister of squeakily compressed air behind him.

Stopping, the Centre's chairman asked grumpily, "Aren't these the samples that were supposed to be at the Meridian office? They should've been there over 20 minutes ago," the old cadaver accused disparagingly. Then without warning, he lifted the drop cloth draped over Crowley's cart while two of his sweepers hastily peeked at the empty undercarriage. Immediately giving their nod of an all clear, Raines released the cloth and staring askance at the chatty lab assistant, impulsively ordered Crowley's van to be inspected.

Still close enough to hear the rising tempo of Raines' suspicions Jarod maneuvered himself between a grossly obese nose picker and a man whose baldhead was tattooed with prominent post-operative scars. To better blend in, he allowed a thick column of drool to slip disgustingly over his lip and his eyes to take on an unfocused expression as the attendant began to section off his exercise group. The physical therapy assistant brought his damaged collection to a slow, shuffling halt and looked at his charges with rapidly fading enthusiasm. As his experienced eyes hastily surveyed the crowd, he frowned thoughtfully at Jarod. He didn't recall this one being part of the original number and that drool wasn't something he really wanted to deal with regardless of the excellent pay. He was about to check the number of defects he was supposed to exercise when he realized that he didn't have the attendance sheet with him. Yelling over at an overwhelmed sweeper, the assistant called out for the man to keep an eye on his group while he searched the common room the defects came from to get the roll. The sweeper responded with a querulous glance and turned to continue scanning the growing number of people and packages that kept queuing up to enter the monolithic Centre. The second the therapy assistant was out of earshot, Jarod glanced around to see Raines still unhappily surveying the growing incoming throng with quickly mounting anger. Lyle's gambit to keep Jarod out of the Centre and away from its expanding bevy of bizarre and morally corrupt experiments was coming at a high price. A price that Raines doubted was worth the effort.

It was taking too long to locate Crowley, as Sydney's impatience began to overwhelm him; his eyes finally spotted the lab assistant waiting with nervous apprehension while simultaneously shrinking away from Raines' sharp rebukes. Fear roiled unsteadily in the elderly psychiatrist's stomach. All he could do was watch helplessly while Raines' sweepers checked under the cart. When they shook their heads, Sydney's eyes immediately began to scan the large area around the entrance to the loading dock. His fear had started to turn to panic, when with a start and audible sigh; he finally spotted Gemini doing a wonderful job of blending in with the brain-damaged subjects who were scheduled for their weekly constitutional. However, Raines was beginning to examine the chaos the checkpoint was causing. It was easy to see why. Contrasting the ease with which personnel were exiting the complex against the bottlenecked phalanx of people, packages and supplies trying to gain entry, that were the lifeblood of the Centre, was intolerable. This thorough comparison was attracting the chairman's attention too much and drawing his eyes in Gemini's direction. Again thinking quickly, Sydney stepped up quickly and approached Crowley's cart.

"Crowley, you left before I had a chance to give you this," the Flemish doctor said briskly in his softly accented voice.

Sydney's tactic paid off—Raines turned to stare at him. Sydney nodded curtly to the Chairman and handed over the shrink-wrapped body part Angelo had removed from the cart. Raines studied the sealed package for a moment and then stared up at the proud doctor.

"Shouldn't you be readying the sim-lab for young Master Parker?" the Chairman rasped giving his former colleague a piercing glare. Sydney's loyalty to Jarod was one of the arguments he had used on the Triumvirate but to no avail. They had already agreed amongst themselves that the noted psychiatrist was the best choice to turn the genetically engineered project into the corporation's next profitable pretender. The fact that they hadn't used any of the proven pretender's DNA angered the Chairman beyond words. His bitingly critical remarks gave the Triumvirate all the ammo they needed to shut him out from all but the furthest periphery of the project which served as a slap in the face, given his long years of loyal service and dedication. His dead 'brother's' arrogance was beyond belief. A new day at the Centre, indeed!

"He's with his tutors as we speak. Progress reports showing all the latest results have already been prepared. I had an extra copy sent up to your office last night, in case you were interested."

Silently, the chairman frowned at the psychiatrist, then without acknowledging Sydney's concession, he abruptly turned and left with his small contingent of sweepers trailing behind.

During Sydney's life saving distraction, Jarod spotted a discarded lab coat that had been draped across an abandoned cart and quickly slipped it on. Once this was done, Jarod's demeanor immediately changed, wiping the drool from his chin with the lapel of the lab coat, he ran smoothing fingers through his hair and began directing the mentally challenged group into the waiting van. The sweeper who was supposed to be keeping an eye on the bunch never looked around. Jarod got each person into the van then walked around the passenger side and opened the door to find the attendance sheet for the group clipped to a board. Leaving the sheet, Jarod took the clipboard and walked purposely towards the fleet of parked Town Cars. He paused in front of a cluster of them pretending to check the license numbers against his imaginary clipboard list. When he spotted one with a license that matched the numbers on Sydney's key fob, Jarod slipped a hand in his pocket and pressed a button on the mechanism. Encouragingly, the lights flashed once and the doors unlocked. With ubiquitous officiousness, he walked purposely over to the Town Car and dropping into a squat and out of sight of the cameras, he opened the rear passenger door and slid flat across the sumptuous leather seats, closing the door behind him with a soft thump.

Sensory Enhancement Labs
Level 5, Tower

Often left neglected on the sublevels where he passed his non-productive hours, Angelo worked in the Tower's labs during the day at Raines' behest. His empathic abilities helped keep the Centre's head ghoul's money making projects on track. Often reluctant, recalcitrant or tightwad/deep-pocket clients had their vehicles and offices bugged with tiny cameras. In addition, personal items were taken from their homes and offices so Angelo could perform his magic, divining if the client was interested but dickering or just playing games. He was never wrong. This practice had yielded a hefty sum over the years—not as much as a pretender of Jarod's skill but then someone like that wasn't discovered everyday.

In a room dominated by an enormous desk on which sat 4 flat screen monitors whose radiance illuminated Angelo's face in a soft, blue fluorescent glow, he observed the action all the cameras offered simultaneously. The savant watched impassively as Jarod slipped out from under the covered cart unnoticed. Then, as Raines was about to look in his direction, Sydney appeared and diverted the monster's attention. Angelo knew his friend's instincts were still sharp and fresh, all the more still since his youth returned without touching his mind.

Ill at ease, Angelo leaned back in his chair and continued to watch as Jarod disappeared from view and presumably into Sydney's Town Car. The savant wondered if the pretender realized what he had deposited in his pocket—3 DSA recordings to take back with him through the portal. Angelo knew or rather felt that they would come in handy. What concerned him were the faint echoes of instability that radiated with gentle persistence from his friend. Returning to this time phase was a bad idea in the first place—though Angelo's empathy could do nothing more than sympathize with Ethan's lonely plight. Unfortunately, what Ethan couldn't have anticipated was their taking the age inhibitor. The event horizon Jarod came through caused a rippling effect on the merge. The first time around Time adjusted and imposed the merge with their other selves—unimpeded. On this trip, the age inhibitor prevented Time from making its proper adjustments. The only result possible was time warp instability. There wasn't any way Angelo could've warned his friend. It was only through his own empathic ability that the savant felt this trouble but there was little he could do to help. The only cure would be for both of them to return to the past—because Angelo felt they both would soon begin to feel the effects. A heavy curtain of sadness enveloped the savant as he effortlessly erased Jarod's sneaky new hiding place in Sydney's Town Car.

East Concourse Loading Dock
Blue Cove, DE

Sydney watched as Chairman Raines walked angrily away. Lost deep in thought, a loud explosion approximating a sigh from Crowley dragged him from his dark reflections. Abruptly smiling at the lab tech, Sydney nodded to him and extending his arm in the direction of the freshly searched van, the psychiatrist walked with the chatty lab tech, who was quickly overcoming the anxiety brought on by the Chairman.

"I wonder how much longer they'll be keeping this up?"

"I believe that decision will be up to Mr. Lyle," Sydney responded coolly.

"From the look on the Chairman's face, I think he'll be the one making that decision," Crowley responded sotto voce.

"Perhaps you're right," Sydney rejoined politely. He wasn't the least interested in the politics revolving around the Centre's upper echelon's secretive security concerns. For a moment, Sydney was drawn again to his own thoughts as he began to examine afresh the strange relationship between Mr. Parker and his so-called brother Raines. Their prior actions against each other still belied their connection causing Sydney to further doubt the earlier DNA results Broots had obtained almost 2 years ago.

Crowley finally noticed the older man's distraction when he received no answer to his on-going observations. Quietly the two men parted, each to his own vehicle. Crowley noticed that the elderly doctor opened the door to his Town Car without unlocking and disarming the alarm first. Shrugging, Crowley happily figured he would look up the statistics on car theft and remind Sydney of the virtues of locking up. He liked to be of service and the psychiatrist was one of his favorite people.

Mountain Spring Rd
Blue Cove, DE

They had been driving for about 10 minutes without a word being spoken between them. Sydney was being extra cautious. Jarod trying to gather his thoughts, though it actually took an effort—something with which he was unfamiliar.

"Okay, we're out of view of the Center," Sydney began after turning on the car's radio. "Please tell me what's going on. How did you get inside the Centre undetected and what were you hoping to achieve?"

"That's what I've been thinking about while I was waiting for you. The only answer I can come up with is Ethan. It had to have been a trap he set up. First they had to make contact. Once that was done, engage us in a conversation and for good measure, make sure Mari was there as well before springing it."

Sydney listened to him with growing confusion. "Gemini, what trap are you talking about? And what does Miss Parker's brother, Ethan, have to do with it? There's been a new search team assembled whose sole purpose is bringing him to the Centre."

Jarod absorbed this information while messaging his temples. A fierce headache was starting to throb in his skull. All he wanted right now was Mari safe and sound by his side but there were a few obstacles to that goal. "First off, I'm not Gemini. I realize this will be hard for you to take in all at once but here goes. A year ago, I was in Buenos Aires with Miss Parker still chasing after me. She was in danger from Raines and I purposely kept her on the move and away from his clutches. I factored in her persistence but didn't count on her using her inner sense so effectively to get that close. I had ducked into a derelict warehouse when she caught up. That's when it happened. We stumbled into an experiment on temporal portals and got caught in the middle." He stopped when he saw a familiar landmark of a large oak tree that was situated on a bend in the road. Using his elbow as a fulcrum, Jarod leaned upwards and peered out of the side window to find they were headed in the wrong direction.

"Are we headed towards Parker's house?"

"Yes. You said she was in trouble."

"Damn it! No, not her house but her father's house—Mr. Parker's house. That's where Angelo said to find her."

"Why the devil would she go there? If she were trying to avoid the Centre then she would try to get to her own house. Lyle's stationed sweepers there just in case Ethan shows up again and that's where we're headed."

The last part of Sydney's statement caused a number of questions to pop up in Jarod's mind. Clamping down on his own rising anger and the sense of urgency in Angelo's face when he spoke of Mari, Jarod took a deep breath. "Sydney, listen to me! She's at her father's place. It makes sense because the Centre is where the portal placed me because of my age. Look, the story is too long and involved for me to go into now. Just trust that I know what I'm doing and take me to Mr. Parker's old house."

"Gemini or whoever you believe you are, if Miss Parker was truly at her father's old house, than the Centre would already have her in custody. It's too late because Mr. Lyle moved into the house 3 weeks ago," Sydney replied while smoothly bringing the Town Car to a halt. They were less than a mile from Parker's house.

"I really am Jarod," came the reply from the backseat. Thinking of something that only Sydney would know Jarod immediately spoke up. "Remember the winter you gave me a snow globe? It was the first time anyone had ever given me a present. Or the time you hit me over the head in the hills of Kentucky when Nicholas had been kidnapped? Come on, Sydney, it's me Jarod. So many impossible things have happened to me. I know this is difficult and I can offer proof but first I need you to get me to Mr. Parker's house, now!"

Desperation rimmed Jarod's expressive brown eyes. There was truth and honesty there, just as they had been when he was that age. It was a look that genetics couldn't duplicate and convinced Sydney that he just might be talking to an impossibly youthful Jarod. The final straw came when Jarod opened the rear door. Sydney slammed the gears into reverse, forcing Jarod to stay inside and with smooth deliberation he turned the big car around and headed down a bumpy side road. Within minutes they were in sight of the large house and instantly knew there was trouble.

"Is that an alarm? Sydney, stop here and wait for me. I'm going in to see if she's still there," Jarod said urgently as he alighted from the barely stopped car.

"Jarod wait! I'm coming with you."

"No! Stay here. I'm going to get her out and we'll need you to get us out of here in a hurry. Don't worry Sydney, I'll do my best to get back quickly. You should know by now that as good as I was in deflecting you and Parker from some of my more sensitive pretends, I'm equally adept at freeing you from traps. Call it an occupational hazard," Jarod replied. It was then he gave his old mentor his trademark smirk which sent Sydney's mind reeling. He really was Jarod!

The pretender saw the flickering confusion of disbelief on his old friend's face and breathed a sigh of relief. At least with his mentor, he had some basis of credibility but it was as he thought. To try and explain what had happened to him to his father from the variant time frame would've proven impossible and ruin any credibility he had with him. Time travel was just too bizarre and out there for anyone to believe—anyone who hadn't experienced it. Even then, there were moments when he thought he needed to pinch himself to believe what was happening was true. But it wouldn't be anything Jarod would ever recommend—the side effects were horrendous.