Vanished

By Gemini-M

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Author's Note: Thank you, Elisa, ICD, pretender fan, airam4u, bloodymary2, Nans, Sirus183, phi4858, a reader, and Katt. for all the wonderful reviews. I'm glad that all of you are enjoying my story and I promise the future chapters will be worth the wait, but not too long of a wait. I promise. Thank you and enjoy. Mercy

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." Mahatma Gandhi

On the Road to Dover

The weather had turned for the worst all of a sudden and the downpour made it almost impossible to even see the road at times. Jarod raised one hand away from the steering wheel and looked at his watch again. Frustrated he slammed the steering wheel with his fist. It was 3:15 p.m. and he was still about 40 miles outside of Dover. "At this speed I'm not going to arrive on time." Jarod thought aloud. With blind determination, he pressed down harder on the accelerator and hoped that he would not run into any accidents or end up in one himself. He just had to make it to that meeting on time.

It was 3:50 p.m. when Jarod finally arrived at the warehouse district on the outskirts of Dover. The torrential rain had not let up all afternoon, but now this horrible weather was working to his advantage. Under the shroud of the heavy rain and fog, Jarod was able to conceal his car behind the abandoned building and make his way up the fire escape to the roof undetected. By the time he reached the roof, he was drenched and shaking uncontrollably. Ignoring the bone chilling cold biting his face and hands, Jarod focused on his plan and quickly searched the rooftop for an opened skylight or air vent. A sudden flash of lightning illuminated the entire rooftop making him dive for cover to avoid being struck or detected. When he re-opened his eyes again, he saw an opening about twenty feet ahead. Crouching like a cat, he slowly moved toward the opening. Once he was over the dilapidated window, he cautiously pulled it open as far as he could and peeked inside. Jarod sighed, relieved when emptiness and silence was all that greeted him. As he was about to squeeze through the narrow opening of the skylight, he saw the headlights of an approaching car in the distance. Jarod looked at his watch and smiled. "Right on time."

Once inside the building, Jarod found himself crawling on an elevated walkway that encircled the entire building about one hundred feet above the ground. Concealed by the darkness, the pretender cautiously started looking for a good vantage point where he could observe and hear the exchange between the mysterious guest and Mr. Lyle. He was still shivering and he felt like a drowned rat, but at the moment all he could do was rub his hands vigorously to try to give his numb fingers some warmth and circulation.

Just as he was about to climb down to hide behind some crates, the huge sliding door at the south end of the building opened slightly and Mr. Lyle walked in holding some kind of folder in his hand. "Damn" Jarod swore annoyed for not having enough time to reach the crates and be closer to this meeting. Instead he quickly dropped on his stomach and froze. From his place of surveillance up on the catwalk he really could not see Lyle's face clearly, but the gloved hand confirmed his identity. A few minutes later another figure, all dressed in black, moved out of the shadows and walked toward the center of the floor where Mr. Lyle was standing. The mystery man had his back towards Jarod and from the platform he neither could see his face nor hear their exchange, but there was something very familiar about this person and this exchange. It was like a strange Deja Vu.

The smaller man kept looking around nervously as he exchanged words with Mr. Lyle. After a few tense minutes, Lyle gave the folder to the dark figure and in return the other man handed over his briefcase and walked away swiftly. Immediately after the other man left, Lyle extracted his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number. Terminating the very short conversation, Lyle put away his phone, looked at his watch and started to inspect the content of the briefcase leisurely.

Jarod wanted to follow the mysterious visitor but apparently Mr. Lyle had been instructed to stay put while the other man made his getaway safely. "Damn" Jarod hissed to himself. "Why doesn't he leave?" He really wanted to follow this guy to find out who was behind this exchange and what was in that folder. Unfortunately, he had no other choice but to stay hidden until Lyle was out of there. The last thing he needed right now was to be re-captured by the Centre.

After about fifteen minutes, Lyle finally moved from his spot and exited the warehouse the same way he came in. As soon as Lyle was out of sight, Jarod jumped to his feet and climbed down from the platform as quickly as possible. The only alternative he had at the moment was to follow Lyle and maybe get some answers from him. He knew he was taking a big risk, but his gut told him Lyle had the answers to solve this little puzzle. Besides Lyle was long overdue for some payback, after what he had done to Kyle and Emily.

The Centre

For the past thirty minutes, Broots had been hiding in the bathroom stall trying to think of a way to persuade Miss Parker to leave the Centre like Jarod had advised. This was not going to be easy. Miss Parker was on the warpath today and Lyle and Mr. Raines were on the top of her list. She was determined to get to the bottom of Sydney's disappearance. "Maybe I could slip her a sedative and when she passes out..." Broots thought aloud. "Yeah right, and when she wakes up, I'm a dead man." He knew that sooner or later he would have to tell her about Jarod's call and then she was going to go ballistic. "I wish I could disappear like Sydney."

"BROOTS, ARE YOU STILL IN HERE?" Miss parker's infuriated tone snapped Broots back to reality.

"OH...yes Miss Parker, I'm here." Broots stumbled out of the bathroom stall. "I'm sorry Miss Parker, I...I wasn't feeling very good." Broots could almost feel her piercing stare, but avoided her eyes and hurried to the sink to wash his hands. "I think it was that breakfast burrito I ate this morning." Broots smiled nervously as their eyes met in the mirror. "I should have known better; every time I eat them I get sick as a dog."

"Okay, okay never mind." Parker raised one hand in the air to stop Broots' rambling. "That's way too much information."

"Sorry Miss Parker."

"Lets go Broots. We need to find Raines." Parker blurted out as she moved toward the door. "I went to his office and he's gone. His secretary said that he went home an hour ago."

"MISS PARKER WAIT!" Broots ran and blocked her exit. "You...you can't do that."

"And why NOT?" Parker glared at the nervously little man.

"Because...uh...Jarod called." The techie whispered.

"WHAT?" "What do you mean Jarod called?" Parker asked slowly as she approached Broots with a menacing look in her eyes.

"Well...he...he really didn't call me. He...uh...called...Syd...Sydney's number, and since I have Sydney's phone I...I spoke..."

"STOP!" Parker snapped at him angrily. Parker was standing so close; he could feel her breath on his face. "What did Jarod say?"

"Jarod said that you and I were in grave danger and that we should leave the Centre right away." Broots stopped and moved back a few inches to regain some control. "He also said that Raines and Lyle were gone and that if we followed them, Sydney's life would be in danger."

Broots stared at Miss Parker in silence while she took in all this information. He could see the anger rising in her, but for an instant he also had seen sadness in her eyes when he mentioned Jarod's name.

"Miss parker, I really think we should listen to Jarod." Broots said with dread.

"Since when do we listen to what the Lab Rat says?" Parker growled; the ice queen mask back in place.

"Miss Parker, I don't think Jarod would lie to us about this, especially if Sydney's life is in danger."

"I don't care what Jarod thinks, I'm going to find Raines and get some answers out of that ghoul." Parker said as she pushed Broots out of her way. "Are you coming?"

Broots nodded in defeat and followed Miss Parker out of the bathroom. All he could do now was to pray and hope that their actions might not cost Sydney's life or their own. Miss Parker knew Jarod better than anybody else, and even though he was a pain in the ass, he would never allow any harm to come to Sydney or her. "Why wouldn't she listen to Jarod?" Broots asked himself frustrated.

"Man, Sydney must have had his hands full with the two of you when you were kids." Broots mumbled behind Parker.

"What did you say?" Parker turned around and gave him a stern look.

"Uh...Nothing...M...Miss Parker." Broots stammered as he halted with panic written all over his face.

Narrowing her eyes she glared at the techie for an instant, but decided against scaring him any further. Broots was already a nervous wreck and she needed him with a clear mind to do his job. Besides, even though she had never told him, she really respected him and treasured his friendship. He was one of the few people she could truly trust in this snake pit.

"Lets go Broots, we don't have all day." Parker ordered as she turned to hide the smile that started to form in her lips.

The halls were almost deserted as Miss Parker stalked towards her office with Broots hurrying behind. As she pushed past the etched glass doors, Parker retrieved her cell phone from her jacket and dialed Sam's extension. While she waited for her sweeper to answer, Parker inspected the clip of her gun and then tucked it back in the holster at the small of her back.

"Sam, what do you have for me?" For the next few minutes Parker listened closely to Sam's report on his findings, while she paced the length of her office nervously. "I was afraid of that." Parker said more to herself than to the man at the other end.

After a few seconds of silence she continued. "Wait a minute Sam." Parker moved to her desk and started searching frantically through her address book. "Okay Sam, I have a new assignment for you. Write down this address. I need you to track Lyle's movements. Go to his apartment and wait there for me, but stay out of sight. Thanks Sam."

"Yes, call me immediately if he makes any move." Parker confirmed and then disconnected the call.

"Did Sam find anything?" Broots asked cautiously.

"Nothing." Parker replied with concern.

"Miss Parker, what are we going to do now?"

"We are going to Raines' home to have a little talk with that eel and he better have some answers." Parker cried out angrily and rushed out of her office with Broots at her heels.

Outside Lyle's apartment

The heavy clouds had dimmed the daylight significantly, but at least the rain had slowed down to a drizzle by the time Lyle reached his apartment. He parked his little sport car in his private garage and looked at his watch as he stepped out of his car. It was already 5:00p.m. Raines would be arriving in about an hour, but due to the new developments he needed to move up the meeting. Lyle leaned against the stairs that lead to his apartment and looked at the threatening clouds above as he pulled out his cell phone from his pocket. As he slowly climbed the stairs to his apartment, Lyle dialed a number and listen impatiently for a few seconds before the call was transferred to an answering service.

"Damn, where are you now?" Lyle curse annoyed, but decided to leave a short message. "Raines, we have a problem. Your Lab Rat has found himself a private assassin and I have a feeling he's up to something." He looked at his watch again. "It's 5:05 already, come over as soon as you can."

From the safety of his car across the street, the pretender waited until Lyle entered his apartment and the lights were switched on. While driving from the warehouse, he already had simmed the best way to gain access to the apartment. Breaking in would not be a problem, since he had memorized the layout of Lyle's apartment from one of his previous visits.

Jarod rubbed his tired eyes and rested his head on the steering wheel. He hated the thoughts that were rushing through his mind on what he might have to do in this confrontation with Lyle. "I've spared your life in the past, but this time you have gone too far Lyle and nothing is going to save you now." Jarod thought aloud. "Sydney, I hope you can forgive me, but I have no other option." After a few minutes, he raised his head again and fixed his eyes on the illuminated apartment as his mind worked the final details of his plan. The time had come to take action and his feelings of guilt and doubt gave away to anger and determination.

Before exiting his car, Jarod looked up and down the street once more to make sure Lyle's apartment was not under surveillance by the Centre or any of the other criminal organization that had dealings with the notorious Mr. Lyle. When he felt confident that there was no danger, he quickly exited his car and approached the apartment building.

As he reached the foot of the stairs, Jarod stopped and glanced around at the garage area. Everything was still, except for the sounds of the raindrops in the surrounding plants and the rainspouts. Daylight was slowly disappearing, veiled by the dark clouds above, and the street lights were already flickering to life. Jarod took a deep breath and started climbing the steps leading to the Lyle's apartment. Just as he was about to reach the midpoint of the stairs, he was suddenly blinded by a bright flash and the force of a huge explosion threw him over the rail to the driveway below.

When Jarod finally came to, he was surrounded by debris and smoke. His mind was in a fog. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious or what he was doing in front of Lyle's apartment, but it was dark and it was raining again. He blinked the rain from his eyes and looked up to where Lyle's apartment once stood. It was gone and in its place there was only rubble and fire. "Oh My God!" Jarod said stunned. Staggering and in shock, Jarod stood very slowly and looked around at all the destruction. By some miracle he didn't have any broken bones, except maybe for some bruised ribs, but the pain in his head was unbearable and his ears were ringing very loudly.

"Son, are you alright?" Said a concerned voice from behind him.

"I don't know." Jarod said confused. "What happened?"

Still kind of light-headed, Jarod felt someone taking him by the arm and leading him away from the building. When he looked down, he saw an old man smiling at him. The old man guided him carefully across the street and sat him down on the sidewalk right next to his car.

"Son, you better wait here for the ambulance. You have a very nasty cut on your head." The old man said softly. "I'll try to get you a blanket. Wait here and don't move."

With his vision still in a blur, Jarod saw the old man walking away rapidly towards the demolished apartment. By now the scene was of total chaos. People were running out of other neighboring apartments and the sounds of fire trucks and ambulances were approaching from all directions. Jarod pushed himself up by leaning against the bumper of his car and gasped in pain as the movement put pressure on his ribs. He closed his eyes and leaned heavily on the trunk of his car as a wave of dizziness overtook him. He had to get away from there before the authorities and the Centre arrived to investigate. He looked up and saw Ambulances and fire engines approaching. Soon the street would be blocked to all traffic.

When the dizziness subsided a little, Jarod started to move towards his car door. He had to try to leave as discreetly as possible, but the way he was swaying it was going to be very difficult. As he was about to open the car door, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"And where do you think you're going?" A voice said firmly.

Jarod froze in sudden panic and then slowly turned to face a paramedic and the kind old man that had helped him earlier. He was left speechless and the pounding headache was making matters worse. He just couldn't think of any good excuse.

"UH...I was going home." Jarod said sheepishly. "I feel fine."

"Son, I told you to wait here." The old man scolded him as he placed a blanket over his shoulder. "Now let these nice paramedics take care of that cut on your head."

"Young people, they never listen." The old man shook his head in disbelief as the paramedics escorted the pretender to the ambulance.

Since he could walk, Jarod was slowly guided to the back of the ambulance and once inside, the paramedics immediately started to treat him.

The street was now overflowing with spectators and the police had placed several barricades to keep the curious away and out of danger. Among the crowd, a suited man watched vigilantly as the pretender was taken into the ambulance. He moved through the crowd and walked back to his car. Once inside the car, he pulled the cell phone from his breast pocket and dialed a number. Shortly after, a female voice answered.

"Miss Parker, we have a problem." Sam said eagerly.

"I'm sorry to inform you, but there was an explosion in Mr. Lyle's apartment." He listened carefully to Miss Parker's reply before continuing. "It looks pretty bad Miss Parker." Sam stopped and listened again.

"I think he was home because his car is in the garage. Well, what's left of it."

"I don't know Miss Parker, but if Mr. Lyle was in there, I don't think they are going to find all the pieces to put him back together again." Sam said with a smile as he listened to his boss again.

"Yes Miss Parker, I'll try to find out right away."

"Miss Parker, there is something else." Sam paused for dramatic effect before breaking the news about the pretender. "Jarod is here and apparently he was pretty close to the explosion when it occurred, because he got himself all banged up. The paramedics are working on him right now." Sam stopped and waited a moment for his boss' next orders.

"Yes Miss Parker, I'll watch him closely. Don't worry he's not going anywhere in his present condition." Sam replied coldly.

Grinning and very confident, Sam closed his cell phone and returned it to his breast pocket. "This time the sly pretender is not going to get away. I'm not going to let Miss Parker down." Sam said to himself with determination. "It's time to put an end to this ridiculous man hunt." The big man exited his car and walked back to the crowd as he thought of a plan to snatch the pretender away from the paramedics without too much commotion.

TBC