Disclaimer: Please see Chapter 1 for the usual statements.
Author's note: Happy Memorial Day!

Time to Consider
Chapter 28

By Callisto

Ferrer Residence – Past
Mar de Azul, Portugal

Catherine looked down at the thick envelope Ana had shoved into her hands. So preoccupied, she barely noticed when her housekeeper gently squeezed her shoulder and slipped out of the room. The handwriting on the outside of the envelope was clearly written in a woman's hand. It was the type of script that usually comes from years of writing numerous papers, letters and memos. On the face was written: For my mother.

Several seconds ticked by as Catherine stared at those 3 words—even in this, her handwriting, Mari showed a shocking level of maturity. A shakily, deep sigh seeped unhappily from her as fresh tears of loss began to well up in her eyes. Unexpectedly the thought of her other child, Ethan sprang into her mind. Without much consideration or thought, Catherine blinked her eyes clear of tears and with the envelope still clutched tightly in her hand, she walked over to her son's room where he sat forlornly, absently staring at the plastic soldiers laying in front of him.

Ethan looked up at his mother's tear-stained face and continued to watch her as she walked over and sat next to him on the floor—much in the same way Mari would often do. Before she could get fully settled, he had his arms around her waist and his head buried in her side. Instantly empathetic to his needs, Catherine wrapped an arm around his body and then opened her letter.

'Momma,

If you are reading this, then it means that I and most likely Jarod as well, have mysteriously gone missing. Please believe me when I say it probably wasn't of our own accord but that time has finally caught up with us. Fortunately, our disappearance was sudden and more than likely strange enough to prepare you for what you're about to read. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have ever made the attempt to explain this but now, because of what's happened and with the voices in your mind backing me up, I think you will. '

After reading, then rereading the first few lines, Catherine sat up a bit straighter and for a moment wondered what could've possibly happened that her daughter, who seemed to have planned on 'disappearing' with Jarod, that she would've anticipated these terrifying circumstances. Not just terrifying to a loving parent whose child had runaway but strange to her, knowing the voices would inform her that their vanishing without a trace was far more than bizarre than an immature prank. Refocusing her attention on the letter, Catherine continued read. Half an hour later when Ana peeked in to check on her, she found the master bedroom empty. After straightening up a few things there, Ana walked out into the hall with an armload of linen and decided to pick up the laundry Ethan usually left scattered around his bedroom. She was about to knock on the partially open door when she spotted Catherine reading with concentrated absorption while simultaneously scratching Ethan's back as he lay across her lap sound asleep. Ana smiled and softly crept away careful not to disturb a woman who only thirty minutes ago seemed on the brink of an immeasurable abyss but now had the look of confused incredulity stamped on her features like a reader of the last few pages of a particularly involved Agatha Christie novel.

Kowaris Cannery – Present
Anchorage, AK

Daniel had gone over the reports, graphs and raw data extracted from the time machine. On the seventh review, he scratched his head for the hundredth time and sat back staring at the results. Norwood was correct. In comparing the data the only conclusion was that they had both made it back to this timeframe, however they hadn't shown up. On the chance that Daniel's shifting theory might be the case, Norwood contacted some friends of his in Buenos Aires to check on them and to see if perhaps they actually appeared in the abandoned warehouse where they originally disappeared. So far they hadn't heard back and as time stretched on, the odds that they were in South America began to dim. The major was more reluctant to relinquish this faint prospect but Daniel was more practical reasoning that had they shown up unscathed in Buenos Aires, Jarod would've found a way to contact his family.

While Daniel was speaking to Emily and the major, Emily noticed Ethan acting very strangely. Once again it appeared as though the voices were speaking to him and in doing so, causing him some pain. With his face pinched in a mask of discomfort, Ethan listened to something only he could hear. Slowly his expression eased and his eyes opened with a determined focus Emily had never seen before in her younger sibling. Urgency had apparently gripped him, as he looked frantically around, ran upstairs to the living quarters and then returned with a duffle bag overflowing with clothes. Abruptly standing, she inadvertently interrupted Daniel's scientific dissertation and smoothly blocked Ethan's hasty exit.

"What's going on? What did they tell you?"

"Norwood's right, they're here, in this timeframe. They're in danger and need my help. Dad was right, so was Daniel and everyone else, but I wouldn't listen, I couldn't. Now, I need to make this right," Ethan rambled distractedly. Remorse and regret lined his every feature and bowed his posture.

"Okay, take it slowly. You can't just run out of here half out of your wits. Start over and tell us what's going on now. You say the voices told you they made it back?" Emily asked in a calming voice, her hands held out as if to steady him.

Both the major and Daniel were listening closely and Norwood, who left to get a bite to eat, had returned to hear the last part of Emily's question. The scientist always thought Ethan was strange but voices?

"Yes, I don't have time for this! They need my help," Ethan yelled urgently.

"The last time you acted on impulse without filling us in. This time you're going to take a few minutes to tell us what the hell is going on," the major commanded sternly. He rose from his seat to stand next to his son and placed a reassuring hand on the younger man's shoulder.

The major's mixture of command and compassion encouraged Ethan to take a deep breath and gather his thoughts. "The voices. For a while they were quiet. It was strange. For once in my life everything was quiet. Then about a minute ago they started up again. They're here, Jarod and my sister. They're in danger and need my help. I have to go to them."

"Do you have any idea where you're supposed to be heading?" Emily asked curiously.

"They're in Blue Cove, near the Centre. Right now they're okay but the danger increases everyday and if I don't get to them, they'll get caught by a sweeper team. I have to reach them within the next day or two."

"Very well, we won't detain you but I'm coming along. If Jarod needs help, I'm going to be there to make sure both my son's come out of this intact," the major stated uncompromisingly.

At the desperate look on Ethan's face, the major nodded knowingly and continued, "There's no need for me to pack besides, and it looks like you've packed enough for a small platoon. Let's get going."

Ethan nodded enthusiastically and then looked at his sister. Emily smiled and nodded. "Go. Get your sister and Jarod and bring them back here, to safety."

Watching their hurriedly retreating figures, Norwood stepped forward and said aloud to no one in particular, "He hears voices in his head? And everyone says I'm strange!"

Parker family residence
Outside Blue Cove, DE

Parker had gained ground. Fainting left towards the back of the house; she doubled back unexpectedly and made a successful dash for the front door. The door opened readily but only a few inches. A security chain barred her escape as the burglar alarm began to blare obnoxiously loud. Slamming the door shut, Parker abandoned her gambit for freedom barely evading Lyle's silenced bullet as it tore through the side molding on the door. Another round of hide and seek brought the two on opposite ends of the same hallway. Lyle had finally reached the end of his patience.

"Game's over, honey. Time to show me yours," he called out menacingly.

Instinct made her stop in her tracks. The confident malevolence in his tone caused her to lift her hands in surrender. She knew Lyle had the upper hand and was fresh out of ideas on how to thwart his bourgeoning interest. There was no way she would ever submit to enduring Lyle's twisted perversions. Her predicament would quickly evolve into something neither of them wanted.

"I like a good game of cat and mouse as much as the next guy but now's the time for me to get a look at my catch. Turn around." When she remained stock still, he repeated more forcefully, "Turn around. Now!"

Slowly, she turned around and ever cognizant of her longer hair, she leaned forward and allowed the thick curtain to cover most of her face. The frustrated expression on his face urged a pleasantly cynical smile out of her.

"Feeling a bit coy? I have a cure for that. Now let me see your face!" The full force of his malice was diminished somewhat by the sudden ringing of the phone.

Jarod skidded to a stop at the side of the house. He had to jump the neighbor's large, smooth wooden fence to gain access to the Parker backyard. Fortunately, his pretend at the police academy had taught him a technique of scaling it easily. The alarm was still blaring when he reached the house, but he could hear the faint shrilling of a telephone inside. It had to be the alarm company on the phone wanting a pass code. Without it, the police would arrive in about 10 to 20 minutes. The affluence and small size of Blue Cove meant they would arrive soon rather than later. Jarod shucked off the Centre lab coat quickly and wrapping it around one arm, he used his elbow to break out a nearby window, the sound of which was easily dwarfed by the alarm. Immediately, he reached through the broken glass and unlocking the window, cleared a way of any sharp shards and crawled through. He had made it to the front when he could hear faint voices coming from the second floor. Lyle was giving the alarm company the codeword to abort any further action. As though hearing his thoughts, the alarm abruptly stopped and the house was washed in an uneasy silence. Looking around, Jarod spotted a 12 inch tall statuette of a Greek goddess. It was heftier than he anticipated. A grim smile of satisfaction touched his lips as he climbed the stairs quietly. As he neared the top, Lyle was once again speaking. Arrogance, desire and perversion were in his every word as Jarod approached silent and unnoticed.

The scene which greeted Jarod was that of an 18 year old Parker at the far end of the upstairs hallway with her hands up and her heavy, dark hair partially shielding her features. At his end, Lyle stood with a 9mm in his hand, shirtless and obviously aroused. Something inside Jarod's mind snapped. His habitual control had abandoned him where Lyle was concerned. First the sociopath had been involved in the experiment to stop his heart. Then he shot and murdered his brother Kyle in a sloppy effort to kill him again. Next, he kidnapped his mentor's son, Nicholas in a failed effort to capture him, leaving a bloody trail of bodies in his wake. After that, Lyle had shoved his sister, Emily from a window almost killing her and then followed up with the kidnapping Jarod's lover, Zoë to distract him from reaching Ethan. Now, he was holding a 9mm on Jarod's current lover, Miss Parker and from the looks of it, he had every intention of raping his own twin. With silent deliberation, he sneaked up behind Lyle and hit him with determined precision over the back of the head with the statuette. He stared down at the felled but still breathing murderer. Lyle had done much to hurt, harass and murder those with whom the pretender had formed an emotional bond. A soft sigh caught his attention as Jarod looked up to see the blatant relief on Parker's face.

When Parker saw Jarod appear slowly up the stairs behind Lyle, she was glad that her hair was obscuring most of her face. Never taking her eyes off Lyle to avoid rousing his suspicions, Parker watched as Jarod struck her sick brother in the head. Relief flooded her mind as she relaxed her arms and leaned against the wall. Once again the voices proved to be helpful. She had staved Lyle off long enough for Jarod to come in and clean his clock. Something she could've done but the results would've been far messier. A heavy sigh and grateful smile graced her face as she wordlessly expressed her thanks. The closed expression she received in return, confused her until she noticed that his eyes were once again turned on Lyle with a darkly ominous gaze.

In a rush, she ran up to Jarod and did something very un-Parker like—she threw her arms around his neck, forcing Jarod into a tight embrace, and preventing him from caving Lyle's head in with the pretentious statuette.

"It's alright, sweetheart. Everything's okay now. You have no idea how glad I am to see you," she whispered softly in his ear; first to express her relief in his taking care of Lyle and also in seeing him. Regardless of her intent, her embrace, soft voice and scent instantly calmed him. Having her in his arms is what his mind and heart needed as he returned her hug.

"He didn't touch you? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. I can take care of horny one-thumb hopping on one leg," Parker answered casually but she sighed in disgust as she stared down at her brother.

"If you haven't already noticed, we're back in our original timeframe. I was transported back to the Centre, probably because of that inhibitor we took. That's why you're here now. This is where you were during this time frame at your physical age."

"Back to the future and our messed up lives, now that's just super," she replied with biting chagrin. Her sarcasm masked the wonder in her mind at his ability to waltz in and out of the Centre at will.

"Yeah, getting anyone to listen is more challenging than ever. Have you taken a look at yourself in the mirror?"

"If you're any indication, than I take it that the inhibitor worked on both of us. I haven't had the chance to look in any mirrors. I've been keeping one step ahead of 9 fingers who just recently discovered his last digit was hiding in his pants. But what about you? Do they know you're back?"

"No. I avoided detection and with Sydney's help, I got out of the Centre. Apparently they've instituted a new security measure designed to keep me out of the complex—DNA-ident." At her shocked expression, he nodded and continued. "Yes, they've finally perfected it. Why they're using my DNA pattern to keep me out of the Centre is beyond me. I thought that's where they wanted me."

Parker's eyes took on a faraway gaze as she thought through this piece of information. "They must be up to something again. This time they want to keep you from ruining their trials."

"Let's worry about that later. We need to get out of here before he wakes up."

"Before we leave Lyle to his private torture den, I have an idea. I want to discredit any claims or excuses he'll give to Raines," she said as the idea formed fully in her mind. Jarod watched her face with interest, wondering where she was going with this. "Help me to clean up any traces of our presence in this house. That way, continuing to believe Lyle without any physical evidence, would mean that the Centre and most importantly Raines will have to go on faith—something that bald ghoul doesn't have a clue about," she said with a grim smile. Jarod gave her an amused smile, thoroughly aware of what she was doing and agreeing wholeheartedly. He nodded and surprised her by kissing her hard on the lips and jogging downstairs to start erasing their fingerprints. Once she was alone, Parker was unable to suppress the urge to kick Lyle in the ribs and raced back to her old bedroom. A couple minutes later she had wiped down every surface she touched and bundling the sheet she woke up on, ran down the back stairs and used the sheet to clean up all traces of her presence. She was determined that all Lyle would have to explain his outlandish story were his assertions and Raines' incredulity—the latter proving to be more influential. Downstairs she found Jarod wiping the window sill and statuette. His final touch was to take some small shards of glass and kick them under the window sill as though the window had actually been broken from the inside first. Only a close analysis would reveal the truth. Parker carefully placed the sheet in the washer, used a towel to press the correct buttons on the machine and started the cycle. Next, she joined Jarod in the living room, retrieved her box of photos and left with the Pretender.