Disclaimer: I don't own them!
A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update. I'm at the end of summer school and have a lot of tests. So the next chapter might also be long in coming. Sorry about that.
Chapter 23: Missing Persons
The grating fell to the floor with a loud clang. Miss Parker glared at Broots who was in front of her. He mumbled an apology and something about being bad with tools, but Miss Parker ignored him. She stepped cautiously out and scanned the hallway. Not a person in sight. She beckoned to Broots who followed her out.
They took the hall to the left. She hadn't gone to sub-level 26 during her brief stay at the Centre, but this Centre and hers seemed to be the same. Low lighting was on, so she and Broots could dispense with the flashlights. Miss Parker kept her gun drawn, just in case they ran into some unexpected company. She really hoped that didn't happen, though. Sweepers were the last thing they needed.
"Do you know where you're going?" Broots whispered, peering over her shoulder as they came to a split in the hall. Miss Parker quieted him and peered around the corner. No one was there. So far so good. A few seconds later, they had made it to the area with the holding cells. Miss Parker didn't even want to know who had been held in these. She assumed Kyle, Jarod, and Angelo, but probably other experiments as well. She shuddered involuntarily.
"Start over there." She told Broots, indicating to the right. "I'll start on the left side. Wave the flashlight if you find anyone."
"All right." Broots whispered back before heading to the far right of the hall. Miss Parker took the left. There were tiny windows in each of the cells, allowing for a small view inside. She secretly hoped her mom, Jarod, and Kyle were the only people inside the cells. She'd hate to wake any other occupant.
Shining her light into the first cell, she came up empty. No one lived in that cell. Moving along, Miss Parker scanned four more cells. No one. There wasn't anyone in any of them. Could they have taken them to a safe house? Miss Parker shook her head. No, they wouldn't have. It wouldn't make any sense to do that unless they were trying to hide them from the Triumvirate. But based on the papers Broots had found, the Triumvirate knew all about the portals and her being there. No, they had to be here. All she had to do was find them.
She glanced over in the direction Broots had gone, hoping to see his flashlight waving at her. She didn't see it, though. With the low lighting, Miss Parker could just barely make out Broots' figure peeking nervously into the cells. She resisted the urge to laugh. As she was turning back to the cell in front of her, she caught a glimmer of light. Her first thought was Broots, but when she turned to look in that direction again, she saw another person standing next to him.
Her heart caught in her throat. A sweeper? She squinted a little, but then relaxed. It was just Sydney. He and Angelo must have already deactivated the camera system for this sub-level. Good. That made their job that much easier. But, speaking of the camera deactivation, where was Angelo? She looked at the figures of Sydney and Broots, but couldn't see Angelo. Where was he? Had he been caught? No, if he had Sydney would have told her. Shaking her head at that mystery, she turned. A hand fell across her shoulders.
Miss Parker almost screamed, but the hand went from her shoulder to her mouth.
"Don't be alarmed. It's just me." Angelo whispered, a grin spreading across his mouth. Miss Parker was about to turn and lecture him about sneaking up on people in the dark when a light illuminated the ceiling above her. Broots' flashlight! Miss Parker and Angelo broke into a run. When they arrived, Broots and Sydney were helping a weaken Catherine from her cell.
"Mom!" Miss Parker exclaimed and then mother and daughter fell into each others' arms. "Are you okay? What happened?" Miss Parker asked looking at her mother's pale face.
"I'm fine, dear. A little tired and bruised from some mishandling, but nothing too serious." She looked up at Sydney and Broots and smiled. "Thank you for coming to my rescue…" Angelo stepped into her line of sight. Her hand flew to her mouth and Miss Parker stepped aside so that Catherine could embrace her adopted son. "Angelo, what are you doing here?" Catherine demanded.
"Well, Jarod rescued my life. It was only fair I return the favor." Catherine nodded and was about to say something, when Sydney held up his hand.
"I hate to interrupt, but we need to get moving. I don't know how long it'll be before they realize the cameras have been tampered with. We better find Kyle and Jarod, fast." Everyone nodded. Catherine opened her mouth to say something, but everyone besides Miss Parker had already dispersed.
Five minutes later, they were all back in front of Catherine's cell, shaking their heads. There was no sign of Jarod anywhere. And it baffled them all, because there was no other place to keep him.
"I just don't know where he could be." Sydney muttered. "These are the only holding cells. They wouldn't put him in the rooms on sub-level 15. Those are too exposed." Miss Parker agreed.
"Maybe he's at a safe house or something of that nature." Broots suggested. Sydney shook his head.
"No, they would have taken them all there if that was the case. But… wait. I remember seeing something about a sub-level 27 when I was in the security room. I didn't even know we had another sub-level." Catherine broke in.
"Yes, it's where Raines did a lot of his experiments. Not many people were allowed to know about it." She pressed her lips together. "I bet that's where they are. Come, I'll show you the way down there. But, first, there's something you all need to know." Miss Parker shook her head.
"Not now, Mom. You can tell us after we've gotten Jarod and Kyle. We don't have much longer before they realize we're here." Catherine nodded, but still looked troubled. Her face cleared however and she led them down the hall. Catherine led them down various halls until they came to a small utility room off the beaten path. She indicated a sewer cap.
"They've blocked up the original entrance. Probably to make sure no one besides a few special people can go down there. But this will lead us to it, I'm sure." Sydney and Broots pried open the cap and one by one they descended into the abyss. It was dark and dank down there. Miss Parker shined her flashlight along the walls, seeing cobwebs and water dripping down pipes.
"Looks just like the one back home." She commented. No one responded. Turning, she watched Broots help her mom down. A feeling of happiness washed over her. Her mother was alive and well. How much she had missed her. Maybe, when this was all over, they could go home and talk. Just maybe.
"Where to now?" Broots asked. They all glanced at Catherine.
"I think the cells are located down this hall a bit further." They all followed Catherine down the dark hallway. Two left turns and a right turn later, they found themselves gazing at cells neatly lined up in a row.
"Everyone pick one and start looking for them." Miss Parker commanded. They all scrambled to obey. Five minutes later, Sydney yelled and they all came running. Sydney had opened one of the cells and was trying to support a weaken Jarod in his arms.
"Oh, Jarod." Catherine whispered, helping Sydney support her son. Jarod looked at both of them and tried to smile. Pain coursed through him and he winced.
"It's not as bad as it looks." He whispered, though it took a lot of effort. "Just had a therapy session with Mr. Raines." Catherine bit back a smile at Jarod's attempt at humor.
"It's going to be all right now. We're going to get you out of here." Miss Parker said, coming up to Jarod. "And Jarod, I'm sorry for all of this. If I had only let you help me in the first place you wouldn't be here." She bit her lip and glanced at the Pretender. "I'm so sorry."
"It's all right." Jarod replied, as Sydney and Broots supported him between them. He draped one arm over Sydney's shoulder and the other over Broots'. "I forgave you a long time ago. I understand what it feels like to be dumped into a world vastly different than your own. And, Parker, you may not be my Andi, but I still love you." Jarod said, gazing intently at Miss Parker. She blushed and glanced down at her shoes.
"I wish I could say the same, but I'm not sure. In fact, I'm not quite sure about anything right now except that I want to get out of here." Everyone nodded in agreement. All differences could be settled once they were safe and sound.
"All right, then. Let's get out of here." Sydney said as he and Broots took a few steps in the direction of the exit. Catherine held up her hands.
"We can't leave yet. We haven't…" She was interrupted by a voice in the shadows.
"None of you are going anywhere right now. And you'll probably never go anywhere again." A voice declared from the darkened corner of the hall. Miss Parker, Jarod, Catherine, Sydney, Broots, and Angelo all turned as one. But nothing could prepare them for what they saw.