AUTHOR'S NOTE: Think 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Season Four, Two Part Episodes, Titled 'This Year's Girl' and 'Who Are You'.
Prequel: Takedown of the Centre-Morning
Jarod hurried in after the special forces of the FBI, and watched as Sweepers that he recognized, and some that he did not, were forced to the ground, shot, or were chased. Jarod ignored all of the goings ons around him, yet, he was very much aware that he had crossed into the line of fire, of many a Sweeper/FBI Agent confrontation.
He wanted a life with Zoe. That was when Jarod decided to pull his last Pretend.
He joined the FBI and 'found' evidence about a place in Blue Cove, Maryland called 'The Centre'.
It was over...finally.
Jarod hurried up the stairs of the concourse. He needed to get to Sydney, Broots and Ms. Parker.
Everyone was running wild and alarms were going off. Jarod half glanced over into an office, and saw Mr. Raines, Mr. Lyle and Mr. Parker, being taken away. Mr. Raines glared at him(what else was new?), Mr. Lyle smiled and Mr. Parker insisted on speaking with him. Jarod took a deep breath.
"Jarod, my boy! Now was this really necessary? We could have talked this out like family! If you had just given us back the DSA's..."
"It's over." was all Jarod said to him, before moving around past the criminal trio, and towards Sydney's office. Jarod stopped as Sydney and Broots were brought out.
Broots was crying.
"Jarod! Jarod...please...I have a little girl! It was never personal! Never! Please...oh God..."
The FBI agent that had him in cuffs, rolled his eyes at Broots's unmanly like behavior. But Jarod gave him a pitying look.
"I will do all I can to help you." was all he said, as Broots was shoved off down the hallway. Jarod then ran into Sydney. He looked into the older man's eyes.
"Sydney..."
"I understand. You will finally be able to live your life, Jarod. I have always wanted that for you."
Jarod smiled wanly, then hugged the man, that had been like his father, most of his life. Jarod soon let go of him. The FBI agent that had Sydney, started to push him off down the hallway, just as Jarod stared into Sydney's office.
It was empty.
Jarod hurried down the opposite hallway and threw open Ms. Parker's office door!
Her computer was smashed. All of the file cabinets were turned over...
Jarod hurried out of Ms. Parker's office and chased down Sydney and the FBI agent.
"WHERE is Ms. Parker? Sydney, answer me!"
"I don't know, Jarod..."
"How do you not know!" Jarod snapped. He then turned and threw open the door that led to the stairwell. He hurried down the stairs, until he got to the first floor concourse. He met Mr. Parker, Lyle and Mr. Raines, as they were being lead out of the actual building. Jarod's eyes were on Mr. Parker.
"WHERE is she?"
Mr. Parker smiled. His 'Angel' had gotten away! Good! And hopefully, she had found the present he left for her, in case of an emergency like this...
"You didn't think I'd let them catch my Angel, did you? She wouldn't survive prison. She's sensitive."
"Jarod," Mr. Lyle sighed, "you should have taken me up on my offer to run this place together."
Mr. Raines began to rasp.
"We should have killed you!"
Suddenly, another louder alarm went off, just as Broots and Sydney were being brought out into the concourse lobby. Everyone looked confused as to where it was coming from, but Jarod looked at Mr. Parker. Mr. Parker looked back at Jarod.
The alarm had a distinct tone to it. It was coming from SL27. Jarod hurried back through the stairwell door, only this time instead of going up, he went down. As much as he cared about Ms. Parker, Jarod was determined that no one get away. No one.
Jarod threw open the door that lead to the basement, and pulled a gun he had been carrying himself. This was it. He knew she was down here! And he knew there was an escape hatch in the ceiling. One that lead to the outside.
Jarod began to run down the semi-lit hallways, until he saw someone in high heels, pulling themselves up and through the hatch. Sunlight soon streamed in. Jarod put his gun in his belt and ran, catching Ms. Parker's legs, just as she was about to make it out!
"Damnit!" she screamed, as she writhed and twisted, trying to break Jarod's grip on her body! She was hanging on to a a utility box nearby, and it was the only thing that was keeping Jarod from pulling her back in! If she even let go with one hand...
"Give it up, Ms. Parker! I've got you and you can't win! It's over! Your father, Lyle, Raines, Broots...Sydney...is over!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it, Boy Genius!" Ms. Parker snapped, giving him a good kick in the shoulder with her high heel, and scampering up and out of the basement. Ms. Parker watched as Jarod grunted, giving her time to slam the hatch down...but not lock it.
Ms. Parker looked around desperately, her dark hair whipping about. She regretted her outfit choice of the day, which was a beige, leather pants suit. But the situation was what it was.
For a moment, she pondered what she had in her pocket. That strange, medallion object, that her father had told her to take with her, in case this day came. It had been in a box, with a small card/envelope, that her father told her to read, only when the time came to use it. Ms. Parker tried not to panic, but she sensed that time was now!
Jarod had finally taken those DSA's to the authorities! They were all going to prison. If Daddy had not helped her get this head start, she would be where Broots and Sydney were now. She could see Jarod outing Broots, but Sydney? That was low.
Ms. Parker looked down at the hatch, and realized Jarod was about to push it open! She started to run towards a concrete bridge, that looked as if it would take 2 hours to get across! If she could just get across it...well, it wouldn't matter. Jarod would just chase her anyway.
Ms. Parker started to run like hell across the bridge. She turned to look back every once and awhile, and saw that Jarod was still quite far back, and she was already three-fourths the way across. If she could just hide in the woods and find out what this thing was, that her father had given her!
"MS. PARKER!" Jarod stopped to scream. "I DON'T WANT TO SHOOT YOU! STOP! STOP!"
Shoot me then, boy genius, Ms. Parker thought, as she got across the bridge! She hurried into the woods, and then crouched behind a tree. She would not have long before Jarod began skulking through here, in search of her...
Ms. Parker looked at the medallion like object, then ripped open the envelope. Daddy's handwriting jumped out at her. She swallowed her sadness. She couldn't bear to think of him in prison.
Angel,
This was an invention that Raines invented, but thought he failed with. I stole it from him and had it tested, then perfected in secret. Turn on the switch and...
Ms. Parker could not believe what she was reading! There was no way something like this would work!
Suddenly, Ms. Parker heard thrashing around from an opposite direction! She crouched down low, and watched as a red head ran past her hiding spot. Ms. Parker squinted. Wasn't that that trashy looking woman, Jarod had been seeing at one time? Chloe or something another...what was she doing here!
"JAROD!" Zoe screamed. She knew she shouldn't have come, but she was so scared for Jarod. She had gotten a taste of what these people were like, back when Mr. Lyle and Mr. Cox had kidnapped her. She had broke away from the FBI agents, when she was told that Jarod had went after someone.
She knew it was that Ms. Parker woman. There was something about their connection...Zoe didn't know what it was, but it seemed to border on a little more than a brother/sister relationship.
Zoe had never liked it. If that woman got away, Jarod and herself would never be able to truly settle down and live a life with her. Jarod would always be looking for her.
She had heard Jarod's voice around here somewhere, which probably meant that...
Zoe whipped around, just as Ms. Parker jumped out of her hiding spot, clicked on the medallion and touched Zoe's arm with it! Waves energy streamed between the two women, as Ms. Parker leaped into Zoe's body.
And Zoe ended up in Ms. Parker's. The new, red-headed Ms. Parker, punched out her former self(that creeped her out), took the medallion back, then began calling for Jarod!
Jarod stopped! Zoe! What was she doing out here!
"Zoe! Zoe! Where are you?"
Zoe, Ms. Parker thought, right, that was this woman's name. God...she was pale and red-headed...but she would have to do. And this outfit...not that it mattered. She just needed to get away.
Jarod ran up on them, taking in the scene. Ms. Parker was lying on the ground, unconscious. He looked at Zoe.
"What happened?"
Ms. Parker coughed!
"I was worried about you...uh...'honey' and when I saw her trying to get away, I stopped her."
Jarod bent down and examined Zoe. Ms. Parker frowned. Why was he concerned at all? Jarod stood back up.
"She's unconscious. How hard did you hit her?"
"Jarod, she'll be fine. Look, here come the other agents." Ms. Parker replied, trying not to sound annoyed! God! The minutes were ticking away...the sooner Zoe was taken away, the sooner she could make her own getaway!
Ms. Parker tried to keep calm, as she answered a few questions, then tried to pretend to not be affected, as she watched her father, Lyle, Raines, Broots(who was crying) and Sydney, taken away. She watched as her father looked at his 'Angel' with concern, as she(Zoe) was put into an ambulance and taken away.
Ms. Parker looked around, then rummaged through the real Zoe's purse. How much cash did this woman have on her anyway? Any room on one of these credit cards? Not that it mattered. She would contact her father and he could help her arrange a getaway...
Ms. Parker was startled, and slightly put off, when Jarod suddenly slipped an arm around her waist and kissed the back of her neck. She struggled to stay composed.
"It's over. Now we can tell everyone that we're married. We have nothing to fear anymore." he whispered.
"Married?" she squeaked. She then noticed she WAS wearing a wedding ring! WHY hadn't she noticed that before?
"Let's go home," Jarod murmured, into her ear. "I have waited all day to be with you..."
Ms. Parker coughed loudly, and wriggled away from him! No! No and hell no! This thing here was not happening...
"Zoe? Honey, what is it?" he asked, stroking her arm.
Pull it together, Parker! Pull it together! Jarod was perceptive...a little too perceptive. She couldn't give herself away...she would just have to find a way to get away from Jarod...and get out of making love to him...whichever came first!