DISCLAIMER: Its not mine, too bad.
Learning to Run Again
Part 7: Not Knowing
The walls were damp and cool against Jarod's back as he sat up and leaned against it for support. He felt around him and realized he was on a large metal slab that he assumed was supposed to mimic a real bed. His surroundings spun due to the after effects of the sedative. It didn't take a genius to realize that he was back. The Centre had really out done themselves this time. A constant ray of red light shone bright down towards Jarod reminding him of the hundreds of eyes that it represented. The doorway was electronically sealed and a thumbprint scan was stationed above that. Apparantly just as he wasn't able to leave, a limited number of monsters were able to get in to torment him. Aside from the faint light coming in through the small window in the door, all that he could see by was the camera light. He tried to sit up and the cruel music of the handcuffs that bound him reminded him of his fate to be. He wondered what The Centre had planned for him. They knew that he would refuse to do any simualations that they presented him with, so that didn't leave much to hope for. The anticipation of his fate was even more terrible than knowing it. Jarod remembered telling Kyle this once before. Kyle, his lost brother, had been killed by Lyle years ago, and yet the pain and guilt had never really faded at all.
Jarod shifted his view from the door and realized that he was not alone in his cell. The warmth that he felt against his left leg was a very unconcious Miss Parker. She was slumped against the opposite corner of the tiny cot that he was now sitting on. Jarod realized that he had not only put himself back into this place, but Parker was going to suffer for his mistakes as well. It tore at his concience that he had pushed and pushed for her to leave The Centre, and then he had got her right back where she started only worse. This time, she was a prisoner just like him. Now he wondered what they were planning not only for him, but for Parker as well. Hopefully her father would have some variation of mercy. He doubted though that Mr. Parker would forgive his daughter for trusting 'Centre property' and not her own father. A digital shrill suddenly sounded in his ears, shaking him from his thoughts. He watched carefully as Parker shifted and opened her eyes. She tried to sit up but couldn't manage with the after effects of the sedative The Centre had used and the handcuffs she wore. Jarod reached over and pulled her up by the shoulder. She slightly nodded once to show her thanks in her own Parker manner. As their eyes met, they both heard the sound of metal against rust as the door creaked open and a shadow appeared on the ground of their cell. The chilling voice followed,
"Comfortable?"
"Just missing the french poodle," Miss Parker replied in a tired voice.
"I'll arrange for one ASAP, Sis," Lyle said with his wicked smile.
"Don't ever remind the public of that unfortunate relation."
"This isn't the public, its Centre employees, one of their pets, and you."
"Since when has Hell not been considered public?"
"In case you have forgotten, you are no longer in a position for cynical remarks like these, Miss Parker," Lyle reminded her. She put one of her fake plastic smiles on and abruptly stripped it off again.
"Someone's unusually quiet. At a loss of words today, Jarod?" The Pretender looked up.
"Only if you're at a loss of Asian women," he replied calmly. Parker smiled at the wise crack.
Lyle leaned in so that the cameras couldn't pick up his sound and he whispered threatenly, "I'd watch what I said if I were you. Things like that could put someone on their death bed."
"I'm too valuable to you for you to kill me now." Lyle smiled.
"But," he began, "She is not."
Jarod's smile vanished and his eyes narrowed. He was not going to jeapordize Miss Parker's life even more.
"That's what I thought."
"What do you want, Lyle?"
"I want you," he replied simply. The anguish showed in his eyes when he heard these three words as he returned his gaze to a puddle on the ground. Miss Parker shuddered. It was only two days ago that she had said words so much like these about Jarod. Now, she couldn't if she tried.
"What do you want?" she repeated slowly.
"What I want is for the two of you to refrain from asking so many questions. You'll know your fate when you are meant to."
"I was always taught to question," Jarod reminded his enemy.
"And I was born to snoop. I believe you know that already," Miss Parker said.
"Shutup!"
"Alright, but I must warn you- I've never been good at that." Jarod smiled. The two made quite a team when it came to phsycing an enemy out. Lyle growled in the back of his throat before he turned around and left in a cloud of steam. Obviously, the duo was not high on his list of friends though they were certainly number one on his long list of victims.
"Well that went well," Jarod began, "Parker. Parker I'm so sorry." He hung his head down in guilt.
"Sorry for what?" she whispered in return.
"For- for doing this to you. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here getting pneumonia waiting for Lyle to determine where your life is going."
"Jarod, this isn't your fault. Jesus, why do you always have to blame every late pizza delivery on yourself!? This is The Centre's fault. Our lives have been molded by The Centre and as soon as we stepped out of the ten by ten square they had set, they decided to clip our wings to make sure that we could never leave!" Parker's face was full of grief and remorse now.
"I'm sorry, Parker," he whispered. There were tears in her eyes as she reached her arm up to move a stray strand of hair out of her face.
"Ouch!" she yelped, very out of character, "There's something wrong with my shoulder! What did those bastards do to me?!"
Jarod gently removed the lock of hair from her face and smoothly turned her around while avoiding her injury. As he moved his left hand to examine, he also gave a yelp of pain. She turned around again.
"Jarod-"
"Shh. Let me see."
She faced the wall again and Jarod pulled the neck of her shirt back until her shoulder blade was exposed enough for Doctor Jarod to examine.
"Oh my God," he muttered shaking his head.
"What? What is it, Jarod?"
"Those bastards."
"Jarod!? Am I going to die or something!?"
"Not technically."
"What?"
"The Centre has decided not to ever lose track of us. I'm guessing that this square infected area of skin is the reminince of your latest surgery."
"Surgery?"
"A tracking device. This chip will always keep you close, unless I get it out for you. I'm guessing they did the same thing to me."
Parker turned back around and scanned Jarod's shoulder. Sure enough, a puffy red area of skin immediatly caught her sight.
"Can you get them out?" she said, shaking her head.
"Not here, " he said looking around, "but when we get out."
"You sound so sure that we will get out."
"Aren't you?"
"Have you not noticed the rennovations on security they've formed here in Alcatraz recently?"
"I doubt they'll send the bloodhounds or that we'll need to swim across a newly fabricated sea."
"I know I know. I just- I've just never been the victim before."
"You have, just not in the same way as me," Jarod explained.
After a brief pause, Miss Parker began again, "Well what does Boy Wonder think these twisted disturbed sociopaths are going to do to us?"
"I don't know. And that's worse than knowing."
Learning to Run Again
Part 8:
Til Death Do We Part
The fine furnishings bragged the wealth of which this corporation was run on. The completely sanitized hallways proved their lack of failure. None revealed to the common that anything out of the ordinary occurred here. There were some experiments conducted here, but they were all for the good of man kind. The public was oblivious to the fact that there were children torn from their mothers and fathers who would devote their lives to finding their children. The Centre. Not a soul in this place knew all of the secrets. Not one. Mr Parker had devoted his life along with his daughter and wife's lives to this place. Now his little girl was running free with the Centre's prize asset, Jarod. Who knew what lies he would try and implant in her head? The only person that Miss Parker was ever meant to trust was him. And it worked like this for many years after Catherine's death. Her Maxim, "Daddy is always right," had soon lost its truth as she discovered more and more of the lies she had been fed to quench her questions. Questions. They were what got a person killed in this place. He couldn't save Catherine, but when she died, he promised himself that he would make sure that his little girl's fate wasn't the same. But Miss Parker was too much like her mother. Jarod encouraged her to ask questions and not to accept everything that people told her. He had sealed her doom by making her do that. When it all came down to it, Mr Parker could blame Jarod for anything and everything in The Centre. All of the deaths- wouldn't have happened without Jarod. All of the remarkable discoveries- Jarod. To get one, you had to have the other. A life for a life. If only the two could see that. Ever since they were children, they denied that. And that's when this all began. When, Mr Parker, The Chairman of The Centre's daughter became best friends with the young Pretender, Jarod. Everyone in The Centre knew that this friendship could lead to something terrible, and if they were ever to depend on anything, it would be each other. They needed to rely on The Centre for their security or else they just might discover buried secrets that needed rotting. Jarod and Miss Parker, the two most incredible Red Files that anyone had ever come across. If they allied, they would be unstoppable. But of course, she was a Parker and that meant that she would be loyal to The Centre, "'til death do we part."
The Centre, 1971
The starch walls reminded her of death. She was young, but she already knew about the dreadful peaks and valleys of life. Young Miss Parker was on her way to see her friend, Jarod. This place was far too big. Whatever Daddy did here, she hoped she would never have to know. The young girl turned left down the hall and stopped short when she saw a familiar face walking toward her. His head was down as he read over some files and he was muttering to himself under his breath. Miss Parker giggled and alerted him to her presence. He looked over his clipboard at her, "Well hello Miss Parker. How are you, today?"
"I'm very good, how are you Sydney?"
"Well, I'm just doing a little paper work here."
"Its about Jarod isn't it? What do you write about him? Why is he here? Can I see him?"
"One question at a time, little lady. I have a feeling you're going to be a very demanding woman one day Miss Parker."
"I do too. Well?"
"Well, yes it is about Jarod. You've already been told countless times, Miss Parker, that Jarod is special and we want to know what we can learn from him."
"I know that's not the whole truth. I have a way of knowing these things, Sydney. And anyway, you never answered the last question. Can I see him?"
"Well Miss Parker, Jarod just finished working-"
"But Sydney! I haven't seen him in forever!"
"You just saw him four days ago. And besides, I never said you couldn't," he smiled compassionately at the little girl, "but be quick Miss Parker. He does need to rest after simulations."
Her eyes lit up with the same glint that he had seen in Catherine's eyes so many times. The light was so familiar and he knew that one day, she would run this place with the power of her father and the compassion of her mother. He smiled at the little girl, the little girl whom he thought of as his own. She was skipping off to visit with the little boy he thought of as his own. They were two of the dearest people in his life and he would be sure to protect them from harmful elements of the world, just like any loving father would. Seeing her turn the corner, Sydney headed back to his office with little girls skipping through his thoughts.
A smile was pasted to the face that peaked around the corner. A little boy was sitting at a desk in the middle of an isolated room. He looked up and instantly greeted her with an enormous gleaming smile.
"Miss Parker!"
"The one and only," she said.
"What?"
"Never mind, Jarod. I have something important to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I can't tell you here," she whispered in his ear, "come on!"
Jarod looked curious but also worried. Nothing had ever been so important that she couldn't say in front of the constant cameras, but he followed her anyway. The two children set off to the darkest corner of the room and were greeted with a pair of dark blue eyes and a shy voice, "Mmh, follow. Safe here," the little boy said.
"Thanks Angelo, can you help us get this off?" Angelo nodded and the three pried the vent cover off with some effort from both sides. When it finally fell to the ground with a loud clatter, Angelo held his hand out to Miss Parker while Jarod kneeled down to help her up. She clasped Angelo's tiny hand and felt Jarod lift her up. When she was up, the two on top held their arms down to help the Pretender. Eventually, they were all in the vent and Angelo began to wander away.
"Where is he going, Miss Parker?"
"We need to follow him," she replied instantly.
"How do you always know these things. Its like you have a sixth sense or something."
"I don't know. Mama says I have a gift but its different from yours."
Angelo's thumping against the metal inclosure was becoming more distant so they quickly picked up the pace. After about ten minutes of chasing Angelo in seemingly circles there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Curious, Jarod stopped and inquired his friend as to what could be creating such a great source of light so deep in an air ventilation system.
"You're so professional, Jarod. Lighten up a bit. This is what I wanted to show you."
She grasped his hand and pulled him closer to the opening in the vents. They could hear wind and once they got closer, could feel it. They were huge fans. They were in the center of the system and not only were there colossal fans on two walls, but complete glass on the other two and the ceiling. Jarod's eyes widened. He was seeing the outside world. He glanced toward Miss Parker who was simply smiling in anticipation of his reaction. Jarod ran to the window and stared out into the gorgeous outdoors. The sky had never looked bluer to anyone and the trees never so lush and green. He felt the wind of the fans, but for all he knew it was a fresh and salty breeze from the adjacent ocean. Every cloud, every beam of light, every soaring bird was a remarkable sight for the innocent eyes virgin to such a glorious every day sight.
"You can blink now. It won't disappear," she said with a smile.
"This is so amazing, so-so incredible, extraordinary, astonishing. I-I can't believe I'm seeing the outside world. This is where you swing with your mother."
"Yeah. The sun will set soon, and that is what you really need to see."
Jarod tore his eyes away from the world and put them back on his.
"Why did you show me this?"
"Because you deserve to see something as beautiful as our world! I thought that was obvious."
"Yes, well, you said you needed to tell me something."
"I do," she paused and looked at the buckles on her shiny black shoes, "I'm not even supposed to be seeing you right now. My father said that I have been spending too much time with you. He said that I'm distracting and infecting you with ideas and visions of the outside world. So I decided to really show it to you!"
"But he told you not to."
"Exactly."
"Oh. Well, does this mean that you won't be seeing me as much anymore?"
"No. It means that I can't see you- at-at-at all," she sputtered out. Her eyes were full of tears as she looked back into the eyes of her friend.
"What?! But- you have to come here with your father. How can you be so close and so far at the same time?"
"I'm not going to be here anymore. He's sending me to boarding school," her jaw twitched as she held back the tears that threatened to fall, "In Europe!"
"Europe! And this is all because of me. I'm so sorry," Jarod said.
"No. It's not your fault. I shouldn't have come so often."
"I shouldn't have encouraged you then."
"It doesn't matter. I just- I had to show this to you sort of like a good bye gift."
"But- I don't want you to say good bye."
The silence spoke enough, but the forgotten Angelo spoke up from the corner.
"Daughter go. Sad. Jarod sad."
The three silently sat down cross-legged in front of the window with Miss Parker in the middle. Slowly, they watched the sun fade away along with their friendship. Everything that they had ever relied on for happiness was leaving, one another. When the stars appeared in the dark night sky they knew that their time was limited, but each was afraid to voice their concerns first in fear that then, it would really be over.
"They must be down here, Sir!" a voice penetrated their meaningful silence. The children immediately bolted to their feet and stared at each other in disbelief that it was really time to say good-bye. Angelo hurried out the opposite air vent, but the other two children couldn't leave so abruptly. After slight hesitation, neither could bear the silence any longer.
"Good-bye Jarod!" Miss Parker said with blurry vision as she threw herself into his embrace.
"Good-bye Miss Parker," he enunciated slowly into her soft chestnut hair. He could hear her trying to stifle her cries.
Sweepers instantly clouded their little room and broke their bond. They were torn apart and Mr. Parker's gruff face was blood red as he saw his daughter crying.
"What the hell do you think you're crying for, huh!?" he asked his weeping daughter, "Answer me!"
"I-," she took a deep ragged breath, "I just am going to miss all of this. I know you said not to not to see J-Jarod again, but I had to say good-bye. I had to, Daddy."
"No daughter of mine will be seen crying over one of my projects! We'll discuss this at home. And you," he indicated the sweepers holding Jarod, "take him back to his cell and don't get him any dinner. He was never to see the outside world and now he has been spoiled! Damn it! Get him out of here, now!"
The sweepers followed his orders without protest as usual. Jarod turned his head back towards Miss Parker and mouthed a final good-bye before she did the same. His view was lost as he was thrown out of the air vents like a dirty rag doll. That was the last time he ever spoke with his best friend.
Learning to Run Again
Part 9:
Living For The Centre
Since that parting back when they were still young and innocent children, Jarod had tried time and time again to open up the part of Miss Parker that held the little girl he once knew. What locked that part of her up, he didn't know. One day, he would figure it out. Until then, he planned to continue chipping away at the wall in her heart.
*****
"Sydney you won't believe this!" Broots declared as he rushed into Sydney's office. Knocking over a lamp with his DSA player that was abruptly shoved on to the desk, Broots made sure to catch it before it shattered. His hands were shaking as he held one finger up to Sydney, "You have got to see this."
"Is there a problem, Broots?" Sydney replied to the anxious man.
"Well uh y-you could definitly say that, Syd."
"Broots-"
"Just watch this DSA from last night."
Broots flicked a shining DSA into the player with Sydney watched in disbelief as two sweepers dragged a lifeless Jarod into a small cell and left him lying on the metal cot on the side of the wall. Wiping their hands together, the two sweepers left under the watchful eye of Mr. Lyle. Thankfully, the black and white screen showed no blood on Jarod's body.
"Broots, why were we not informed?! We need to get down there immediatly!"
"No, just keep watching."
Lyle's grin grew wider as he watched Miss Parker's limp body being carelessly dropped beside Jarod's form. The steady rise and fall of the two's chests indicated that they were not dead, but simply unconcious. Lyle's voice called to the remaining sweepers, "Alright boys, mission accomplished. Parker may have caught up to Jarod, but now its my turn. Come on!" The sweepers left the room, but Lyle lingered longer rubbing his thumb's stump. "I win this time, Jarod," he said cryptically. Smiling his sick twisted trademark, he left the room. The door's closing echoed deep into the distance.
"Oh my God. Broots does anyone know that you have this in your possesion?"
"No. I made sure to delete all traces from the digital archives, and any trails from the mainframe are too minial for even Jarod to uncover. And I even made sure that anyone who started asking questions wouldn't find anything. A friend of mine, Max, who works in Transmissions, you know- the one who doesn't grow any finger nails so he has to wear those little ointment pads that-"
"Broots!" Sydney steered him back onto his original train of thought.
"Oh yea. Sorry, Sydney. Well anyway, he told me he'll stop any rumors from floating around."
Sydney nodded, "We have to get down there. Broots, will you do me a favor?"
Broots cleared his throat, "I'm guessing that this favor doesn't mean 'go down to the drugstore and pick me up some Pepto' does it?"
"I need for you to freeze the cameras in Jarod and Miss Parker's room and find out when security is most lax. I'll also need the door unlocked."
"Oh gosh, Sydney!" Broots' eyes bulged, "I don't know if I can handle this kind of pressure! I mean with Miss Parker not only gone, but being held prisoner, who else is there to do all of the dirty work? I just I just, oh gosh Sydney! I think I'm going to faint."
"Broots snap out of it!"
"Oh sorry, Sydney. When I'm nervous I talk, and right now I think I have a lot to be nervous about."
"Can you do it?"
"Technically, it will be a challenge, but I can do it. I can do it. I can do it," he repeated to himself several times, "I have to do this."
"For Miss Parker, Broots, and Jarod."
"Alright Sydney. When?" Sydney smiled at his young willing colleague.
*****
"Enjoying your trip down memory lane, Jarod?" Lyle coaxed.
"Of course. Maybe we should go a little deeper into the past. Say to before you monsters stole me from my parents?" he replied to the taunt.
"You will. All in due time," Lyle answered cryptically.
"Lyle!" Raines' jagged voice interrupted their battle with as much volume as he could muster up, "What do you think you are telling him?!"
"Don't worry, Squeaky. Everything will be just fine," he said, never once losing eye contact with Jarod who couldn't hide the sheet of worry layering his chocolate brown eyes.
Miss Parker warily eyed her brother and Jarod's exchange. Ever since they had arrived in this hell hole, the bickering had never stopped. Seeking some relief of any kind, Jarod's face turned towards hers.
"Welcome to my world," she said. His response was to raise his eyebrow and glance back to the arguing holders.
"Are you finished?"
"Shutup, Jarod!" Lyle replied.
"Well would you two just get to the point. What do you want?" Parker replied to Lyle's outburst.
"You want us to get on with it? Okay, Miss Parker. As you wish." Lyle snapped his fingers and three sweepers arrived on command like trained chihuahahs. They laced their motions together and swept towards the couple sitting on the cot. Each placed a firm hand on Jarod's shoulders and back while the helpless Pretender stared down at the ground with a small smile of defeat on his face. Parker knew that that was not neccesarily a bad sign. It meant he still had control of himself. As he was grabbed off of the cot he sat on, the sweepers dragged him along towards the exit of the cell. Jarod's feet shuffled as he attempted to keep up with their quick pace. Finally he stopped, the effort just wasn't worth it.
"Where are you taking me?" Jarod asked calmly.
"For some simple tests," Raines replied.
"Tests?" Parker asked cynically of the bald man.
"Yes, tests. We need to know what kind of health Jarod has maintained throughout these years of- disobediance. The doctors need to make sure he's healthy, along with his mind capabilities."
"What!?" Jarod demanded, "I don't need any tests done. What you see is what you won't get. And if my 'mind capabilities' are in question, you could always send me back to the real world."
"If your brain isn't as great as we thought, you will no longer be of use to us. Therefore, you will be exterminated."
"Well maybe that's not such a bad thing," he replied.
Jarod's cold stare said it all. Nothing was going to break his soul, not this time or any other. The upwards nod of Raines' head directed the trio of suited men down the hall, dragging their precious belonging in the middle with them.
*****
The innocent child-like voice went unheard throughout the drafty vents.
"Daughter... scared. Wants to go away. Jarod sick. Jarod needs help. Molly."
The cryptic analysis of his friends was of no help to anyone even if they had heard it. The thumps of a man's loud footsteps echoed through the system and Angelo feared for the safety of his friends. He needed to help them.
*****
"Has the testing begun?" Mr Parker's gruff voice inquired of his son. The two were standing behind the safety of a two-way mirror. On the other side of their shield was a group of doctors, Mr Raines, several monitors and pieces of equipment, and The Centre's ultimate prize shining beneath the straps of an operating table. It wasn't that The Centre planned on operating, yet. No, the leather straps were to keep their reluctant Pretender from- wandering. His stern face eximplified his pure anger at the Centre operatives for their mistreatment of him. The butterflies in his stomach would not leave as he wondered what these sick people planned to do with him. Testing- he'd believe that when Raines sprouted hair.
"Not yet, Dad. The doctors are still searching for his most recent records."
"Well tell them to get a move on. I don't have all day!" Mr Parker responded to Lyle's information. His son leaned in and pressed a button.
"Could we get this done sometime before Christmas?!" he barked through the intercom.
"We're doing our best, Sir. It appears someone has tampered with the subjects medical reports," a doctor replied.
"Gee, I wonder who that could be!"
Jarod looked into the mirror, knowing who was hiding behind it, and winked with a smug smile.
"Son of a-"
"Lyle! We'll deal with Jarod's misbehavior later," Mr Parker warned, "Right now, you need to ignore him. Jarod is obviously attempting to have you lose your control. Don't let his mind games work on you like they did on your sister!"
"Of course."
"Sir, what do we do about the lost medical records?"
"I believe its your job to know what to do, Doc! Jarod apparantly tampered with our mainframe," Lyle paused, "Wait a minute. Did you check the backup systems?"
Jarod was looking around expectantly but found nothing to suggest they had done such a thing. He tried to hide the smile, but his eyes gave away his hearty emotions. "Never mind. Just go ahead and make a new one. We'll sort this out later." The frustration was evident in his voice while he watched that cocky genius having such a good ole' time! "Are you having fun, Jarod?"
"Oh sure I am! Yes the leather straps inabling me from twitching are a bit," Jarod paused, "Mmm restriciting, but other than the loose feeling in my left knee I am just peachy!" He topped this off with a plastic smile, obviously having taken tips from Parker.
"Doctor," Lyle demanded the attention of the Centre operative who was scribbling on a clip board.
"Yes, Sir."
"I belive the straps on our subject should be tightened a tad."
"But Sir, the straps are already tighter than needed. These are minial procedures and I'm sure he'll be alright."
"Just do as I say unless you would like a cell reserved in Renewal Wing- now."
The doctor hurried over to his patient, examined the leather restraints, and looked into his eyes. They claimed innocence. Never had he looked into a soul with so much pain and compassion. He halted in his movements but the man whispered quietly, "Just do it. You'll be much worse off if you don't." The sacrifice was obviously one from a victim of neglect who was thinking of himself last and had been doing so for a long time. He shook his head but reluctantly tightened the bindings. Jarod cringed at the numbness that was spreading throughout his body due to the cut in circulation.
"Feel better now, Jarod?"
"Of course, Lyle, Daddy P. I'm just great," he said through clenched teeth. Lyle smiled at the Pretender in distress.
"Well then- let the games begin."
*****
All alone in this tiny cell. Was she claustraphobic? Maybe not before this. Miss Parker hated the confining feeling this place had always given her, but now it was magnified as her space was minified. A cockroach crawled across the toe of her stilleto heel. Atleast Lyle hadn't taken all of her weapons. Footsteps clicked down the hall, but these were steps of another set of heels. Unless Lyle had more secrets that she didn't know about, this was a woman. A flash of blonde appeared in the tiny window of the heavy door.
"Well hello, Love. New arrangement since the last time our paths crossed isn't it?"
"Brigette, wonderful to see you again. The last time I saw you, you were busy having a kid, and I was the one who kept you both from dying," Miss Parker replied to the fake accent.
"Well, that was before your father and Cox showed up and helped me."
"Whatever, now what do you want?"
"Can't Mommy visit her little stepdaughter without the third degree."
"Not when she's a brown-nosing bitch who tried to kill her own husband just for more power and a few brownie points with Raines. And by the way, luv, never think that you are a replacement for my mother. Don't even mention her," she hissed.
"Lets just put the past behind us shall we, Miss Parker? I still do not know why you defend the man who is letting his daughter rot down here underground."
"I'm sure he doesn't know. And besides that, I was not defending him, not anymore. He blew it when he blew our deal. You never answered my question."
"I have come down here to ask you a few simple questions, Miss Parker. Questions that you should answer truthfully or else," her liquid voice poured out.
"Or else what, Blondie?"
"Or else- those that you care about will suffer. I believe we proved our capabilites with that plumber, Tom."
"His name is Thomas and he was a carpenter. Don't you dare talk of him in my presence," she bolted to the window where the woman stood, "I have nothing to lose, therefore I have no one you can hurt, but me."
"So you're saying that Jarod means absolutly nothing to you?" she inqired calmly with a fake smile to go with her fake Brittish accent.
"That is what I am saying."
"And you wouldn't be the least bit upset if we told this to Jarod? Its obvious that his opinion differs."
"Jarod knows good and well what I think, so why don't you just go lounge with my family a while longer, closing hours are at five for sucking up you know," she replied.
"Hmph," she said eyeing her stepdaughter cautiously but leaned in whispering, "You should really watch who's toes you tread on, Miss Parker. Consider yourself warned."
"Or you'll go tell my Daddy. Tattle tale will go nicely on your resume," she answered to the threat. Brigette's eyebrows only rose as she strode back down the sickenly shining hallway. Parker sat down on the cot once again. She was certain that they would find any excuse to inflict another batch of pain on Jarod, but she had to pretend that they wouldn't to keep her concience secure.
Noises down the hall alerted her to more visitors. She listened carefully as Brigette's voice flooded the hall.
"Well well well. How are you doing, Love?"
"Never better," replied Jarod's raspy voice. He sounded extremely tired.
"Well Muffin, perhaps you should have been a good little boy and you and Miss Parker wouldn't be suffering right now. Hmm?"
Jarod was silent and obviously tired of the taunts meaning absolutly nothing.
"Come on," Raines ordered his sweepers. The door swung open and Willie's face appeared before two sweepers, with Jarod sandwiched limply in the middle, and Raines and his dear tank caboosing the end of the line.
"Recovering from that bullet that found its way into you, Willie?"
There was no reply which was enough to satisfy her. Jarod was abruptly dropped to the cement as Raines waved for them to exit.
"Thank you for the nice landing," Jarod mumbled as he tried in vain to lift himself up. Parker got down on her haunches and helped the weak man onto the cot.
"What did they do to you?! Why can't you move?" she asked him.
"They didn't damage me permanently, it will wear off in an hour or two I'd say. I was strapped to a table and was getting no blood flow."
"Oh really, well what is this blood here for then?"
"Oh. Well, they took some blood. That's all. Don't worry about it, Parker."
"I'm not. I was just wondering what was in store for me," she replied menacingly. The icy cold comment was brushed off. Jarod understood, this was her way of dealing with the pain.
Jarod's frail arm fell to the side as he drifted off to sleep. The Centre's legacy would continue if they didn't find a way out of here. Miss Parker crawled into the small space Jarod didn't occupy and leaned against the wall attempting sleep. The temporary escape finally came after an hour of pondering an escape. Neither noticed the red light flash once and finally fade away completley.
AN: I have no idea how the medical world works, those who do, I appologize. LOL. You'll have to let a few medical phenomenons slide! A
FEEDBACK/RR is appreciated as always!!
Aquagirl157@cs.com
Learning to Run Again
Part 7: Not Knowing
The walls were damp and cool against Jarod's back as he sat up and leaned against it for support. He felt around him and realized he was on a large metal slab that he assumed was supposed to mimic a real bed. His surroundings spun due to the after effects of the sedative. It didn't take a genius to realize that he was back. The Centre had really out done themselves this time. A constant ray of red light shone bright down towards Jarod reminding him of the hundreds of eyes that it represented. The doorway was electronically sealed and a thumbprint scan was stationed above that. Apparantly just as he wasn't able to leave, a limited number of monsters were able to get in to torment him. Aside from the faint light coming in through the small window in the door, all that he could see by was the camera light. He tried to sit up and the cruel music of the handcuffs that bound him reminded him of his fate to be. He wondered what The Centre had planned for him. They knew that he would refuse to do any simualations that they presented him with, so that didn't leave much to hope for. The anticipation of his fate was even more terrible than knowing it. Jarod remembered telling Kyle this once before. Kyle, his lost brother, had been killed by Lyle years ago, and yet the pain and guilt had never really faded at all.
Jarod shifted his view from the door and realized that he was not alone in his cell. The warmth that he felt against his left leg was a very unconcious Miss Parker. She was slumped against the opposite corner of the tiny cot that he was now sitting on. Jarod realized that he had not only put himself back into this place, but Parker was going to suffer for his mistakes as well. It tore at his concience that he had pushed and pushed for her to leave The Centre, and then he had got her right back where she started only worse. This time, she was a prisoner just like him. Now he wondered what they were planning not only for him, but for Parker as well. Hopefully her father would have some variation of mercy. He doubted though that Mr. Parker would forgive his daughter for trusting 'Centre property' and not her own father. A digital shrill suddenly sounded in his ears, shaking him from his thoughts. He watched carefully as Parker shifted and opened her eyes. She tried to sit up but couldn't manage with the after effects of the sedative The Centre had used and the handcuffs she wore. Jarod reached over and pulled her up by the shoulder. She slightly nodded once to show her thanks in her own Parker manner. As their eyes met, they both heard the sound of metal against rust as the door creaked open and a shadow appeared on the ground of their cell. The chilling voice followed,
"Comfortable?"
"Just missing the french poodle," Miss Parker replied in a tired voice.
"I'll arrange for one ASAP, Sis," Lyle said with his wicked smile.
"Don't ever remind the public of that unfortunate relation."
"This isn't the public, its Centre employees, one of their pets, and you."
"Since when has Hell not been considered public?"
"In case you have forgotten, you are no longer in a position for cynical remarks like these, Miss Parker," Lyle reminded her. She put one of her fake plastic smiles on and abruptly stripped it off again.
"Someone's unusually quiet. At a loss of words today, Jarod?" The Pretender looked up.
"Only if you're at a loss of Asian women," he replied calmly. Parker smiled at the wise crack.
Lyle leaned in so that the cameras couldn't pick up his sound and he whispered threatenly, "I'd watch what I said if I were you. Things like that could put someone on their death bed."
"I'm too valuable to you for you to kill me now." Lyle smiled.
"But," he began, "She is not."
Jarod's smile vanished and his eyes narrowed. He was not going to jeapordize Miss Parker's life even more.
"That's what I thought."
"What do you want, Lyle?"
"I want you," he replied simply. The anguish showed in his eyes when he heard these three words as he returned his gaze to a puddle on the ground. Miss Parker shuddered. It was only two days ago that she had said words so much like these about Jarod. Now, she couldn't if she tried.
"What do you want?" she repeated slowly.
"What I want is for the two of you to refrain from asking so many questions. You'll know your fate when you are meant to."
"I was always taught to question," Jarod reminded his enemy.
"And I was born to snoop. I believe you know that already," Miss Parker said.
"Shutup!"
"Alright, but I must warn you- I've never been good at that." Jarod smiled. The two made quite a team when it came to phsycing an enemy out. Lyle growled in the back of his throat before he turned around and left in a cloud of steam. Obviously, the duo was not high on his list of friends though they were certainly number one on his long list of victims.
"Well that went well," Jarod began, "Parker. Parker I'm so sorry." He hung his head down in guilt.
"Sorry for what?" she whispered in return.
"For- for doing this to you. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here getting pneumonia waiting for Lyle to determine where your life is going."
"Jarod, this isn't your fault. Jesus, why do you always have to blame every late pizza delivery on yourself!? This is The Centre's fault. Our lives have been molded by The Centre and as soon as we stepped out of the ten by ten square they had set, they decided to clip our wings to make sure that we could never leave!" Parker's face was full of grief and remorse now.
"I'm sorry, Parker," he whispered. There were tears in her eyes as she reached her arm up to move a stray strand of hair out of her face.
"Ouch!" she yelped, very out of character, "There's something wrong with my shoulder! What did those bastards do to me?!"
Jarod gently removed the lock of hair from her face and smoothly turned her around while avoiding her injury. As he moved his left hand to examine, he also gave a yelp of pain. She turned around again.
"Jarod-"
"Shh. Let me see."
She faced the wall again and Jarod pulled the neck of her shirt back until her shoulder blade was exposed enough for Doctor Jarod to examine.
"Oh my God," he muttered shaking his head.
"What? What is it, Jarod?"
"Those bastards."
"Jarod!? Am I going to die or something!?"
"Not technically."
"What?"
"The Centre has decided not to ever lose track of us. I'm guessing that this square infected area of skin is the reminince of your latest surgery."
"Surgery?"
"A tracking device. This chip will always keep you close, unless I get it out for you. I'm guessing they did the same thing to me."
Parker turned back around and scanned Jarod's shoulder. Sure enough, a puffy red area of skin immediatly caught her sight.
"Can you get them out?" she said, shaking her head.
"Not here, " he said looking around, "but when we get out."
"You sound so sure that we will get out."
"Aren't you?"
"Have you not noticed the rennovations on security they've formed here in Alcatraz recently?"
"I doubt they'll send the bloodhounds or that we'll need to swim across a newly fabricated sea."
"I know I know. I just- I've just never been the victim before."
"You have, just not in the same way as me," Jarod explained.
After a brief pause, Miss Parker began again, "Well what does Boy Wonder think these twisted disturbed sociopaths are going to do to us?"
"I don't know. And that's worse than knowing."
Learning to Run Again
Part 8:
Til Death Do We Part
The fine furnishings bragged the wealth of which this corporation was run on. The completely sanitized hallways proved their lack of failure. None revealed to the common that anything out of the ordinary occurred here. There were some experiments conducted here, but they were all for the good of man kind. The public was oblivious to the fact that there were children torn from their mothers and fathers who would devote their lives to finding their children. The Centre. Not a soul in this place knew all of the secrets. Not one. Mr Parker had devoted his life along with his daughter and wife's lives to this place. Now his little girl was running free with the Centre's prize asset, Jarod. Who knew what lies he would try and implant in her head? The only person that Miss Parker was ever meant to trust was him. And it worked like this for many years after Catherine's death. Her Maxim, "Daddy is always right," had soon lost its truth as she discovered more and more of the lies she had been fed to quench her questions. Questions. They were what got a person killed in this place. He couldn't save Catherine, but when she died, he promised himself that he would make sure that his little girl's fate wasn't the same. But Miss Parker was too much like her mother. Jarod encouraged her to ask questions and not to accept everything that people told her. He had sealed her doom by making her do that. When it all came down to it, Mr Parker could blame Jarod for anything and everything in The Centre. All of the deaths- wouldn't have happened without Jarod. All of the remarkable discoveries- Jarod. To get one, you had to have the other. A life for a life. If only the two could see that. Ever since they were children, they denied that. And that's when this all began. When, Mr Parker, The Chairman of The Centre's daughter became best friends with the young Pretender, Jarod. Everyone in The Centre knew that this friendship could lead to something terrible, and if they were ever to depend on anything, it would be each other. They needed to rely on The Centre for their security or else they just might discover buried secrets that needed rotting. Jarod and Miss Parker, the two most incredible Red Files that anyone had ever come across. If they allied, they would be unstoppable. But of course, she was a Parker and that meant that she would be loyal to The Centre, "'til death do we part."
The Centre, 1971
The starch walls reminded her of death. She was young, but she already knew about the dreadful peaks and valleys of life. Young Miss Parker was on her way to see her friend, Jarod. This place was far too big. Whatever Daddy did here, she hoped she would never have to know. The young girl turned left down the hall and stopped short when she saw a familiar face walking toward her. His head was down as he read over some files and he was muttering to himself under his breath. Miss Parker giggled and alerted him to her presence. He looked over his clipboard at her, "Well hello Miss Parker. How are you, today?"
"I'm very good, how are you Sydney?"
"Well, I'm just doing a little paper work here."
"Its about Jarod isn't it? What do you write about him? Why is he here? Can I see him?"
"One question at a time, little lady. I have a feeling you're going to be a very demanding woman one day Miss Parker."
"I do too. Well?"
"Well, yes it is about Jarod. You've already been told countless times, Miss Parker, that Jarod is special and we want to know what we can learn from him."
"I know that's not the whole truth. I have a way of knowing these things, Sydney. And anyway, you never answered the last question. Can I see him?"
"Well Miss Parker, Jarod just finished working-"
"But Sydney! I haven't seen him in forever!"
"You just saw him four days ago. And besides, I never said you couldn't," he smiled compassionately at the little girl, "but be quick Miss Parker. He does need to rest after simulations."
Her eyes lit up with the same glint that he had seen in Catherine's eyes so many times. The light was so familiar and he knew that one day, she would run this place with the power of her father and the compassion of her mother. He smiled at the little girl, the little girl whom he thought of as his own. She was skipping off to visit with the little boy he thought of as his own. They were two of the dearest people in his life and he would be sure to protect them from harmful elements of the world, just like any loving father would. Seeing her turn the corner, Sydney headed back to his office with little girls skipping through his thoughts.
A smile was pasted to the face that peaked around the corner. A little boy was sitting at a desk in the middle of an isolated room. He looked up and instantly greeted her with an enormous gleaming smile.
"Miss Parker!"
"The one and only," she said.
"What?"
"Never mind, Jarod. I have something important to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I can't tell you here," she whispered in his ear, "come on!"
Jarod looked curious but also worried. Nothing had ever been so important that she couldn't say in front of the constant cameras, but he followed her anyway. The two children set off to the darkest corner of the room and were greeted with a pair of dark blue eyes and a shy voice, "Mmh, follow. Safe here," the little boy said.
"Thanks Angelo, can you help us get this off?" Angelo nodded and the three pried the vent cover off with some effort from both sides. When it finally fell to the ground with a loud clatter, Angelo held his hand out to Miss Parker while Jarod kneeled down to help her up. She clasped Angelo's tiny hand and felt Jarod lift her up. When she was up, the two on top held their arms down to help the Pretender. Eventually, they were all in the vent and Angelo began to wander away.
"Where is he going, Miss Parker?"
"We need to follow him," she replied instantly.
"How do you always know these things. Its like you have a sixth sense or something."
"I don't know. Mama says I have a gift but its different from yours."
Angelo's thumping against the metal inclosure was becoming more distant so they quickly picked up the pace. After about ten minutes of chasing Angelo in seemingly circles there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Curious, Jarod stopped and inquired his friend as to what could be creating such a great source of light so deep in an air ventilation system.
"You're so professional, Jarod. Lighten up a bit. This is what I wanted to show you."
She grasped his hand and pulled him closer to the opening in the vents. They could hear wind and once they got closer, could feel it. They were huge fans. They were in the center of the system and not only were there colossal fans on two walls, but complete glass on the other two and the ceiling. Jarod's eyes widened. He was seeing the outside world. He glanced toward Miss Parker who was simply smiling in anticipation of his reaction. Jarod ran to the window and stared out into the gorgeous outdoors. The sky had never looked bluer to anyone and the trees never so lush and green. He felt the wind of the fans, but for all he knew it was a fresh and salty breeze from the adjacent ocean. Every cloud, every beam of light, every soaring bird was a remarkable sight for the innocent eyes virgin to such a glorious every day sight.
"You can blink now. It won't disappear," she said with a smile.
"This is so amazing, so-so incredible, extraordinary, astonishing. I-I can't believe I'm seeing the outside world. This is where you swing with your mother."
"Yeah. The sun will set soon, and that is what you really need to see."
Jarod tore his eyes away from the world and put them back on his.
"Why did you show me this?"
"Because you deserve to see something as beautiful as our world! I thought that was obvious."
"Yes, well, you said you needed to tell me something."
"I do," she paused and looked at the buckles on her shiny black shoes, "I'm not even supposed to be seeing you right now. My father said that I have been spending too much time with you. He said that I'm distracting and infecting you with ideas and visions of the outside world. So I decided to really show it to you!"
"But he told you not to."
"Exactly."
"Oh. Well, does this mean that you won't be seeing me as much anymore?"
"No. It means that I can't see you- at-at-at all," she sputtered out. Her eyes were full of tears as she looked back into the eyes of her friend.
"What?! But- you have to come here with your father. How can you be so close and so far at the same time?"
"I'm not going to be here anymore. He's sending me to boarding school," her jaw twitched as she held back the tears that threatened to fall, "In Europe!"
"Europe! And this is all because of me. I'm so sorry," Jarod said.
"No. It's not your fault. I shouldn't have come so often."
"I shouldn't have encouraged you then."
"It doesn't matter. I just- I had to show this to you sort of like a good bye gift."
"But- I don't want you to say good bye."
The silence spoke enough, but the forgotten Angelo spoke up from the corner.
"Daughter go. Sad. Jarod sad."
The three silently sat down cross-legged in front of the window with Miss Parker in the middle. Slowly, they watched the sun fade away along with their friendship. Everything that they had ever relied on for happiness was leaving, one another. When the stars appeared in the dark night sky they knew that their time was limited, but each was afraid to voice their concerns first in fear that then, it would really be over.
"They must be down here, Sir!" a voice penetrated their meaningful silence. The children immediately bolted to their feet and stared at each other in disbelief that it was really time to say good-bye. Angelo hurried out the opposite air vent, but the other two children couldn't leave so abruptly. After slight hesitation, neither could bear the silence any longer.
"Good-bye Jarod!" Miss Parker said with blurry vision as she threw herself into his embrace.
"Good-bye Miss Parker," he enunciated slowly into her soft chestnut hair. He could hear her trying to stifle her cries.
Sweepers instantly clouded their little room and broke their bond. They were torn apart and Mr. Parker's gruff face was blood red as he saw his daughter crying.
"What the hell do you think you're crying for, huh!?" he asked his weeping daughter, "Answer me!"
"I-," she took a deep ragged breath, "I just am going to miss all of this. I know you said not to not to see J-Jarod again, but I had to say good-bye. I had to, Daddy."
"No daughter of mine will be seen crying over one of my projects! We'll discuss this at home. And you," he indicated the sweepers holding Jarod, "take him back to his cell and don't get him any dinner. He was never to see the outside world and now he has been spoiled! Damn it! Get him out of here, now!"
The sweepers followed his orders without protest as usual. Jarod turned his head back towards Miss Parker and mouthed a final good-bye before she did the same. His view was lost as he was thrown out of the air vents like a dirty rag doll. That was the last time he ever spoke with his best friend.
Learning to Run Again
Part 9:
Living For The Centre
Since that parting back when they were still young and innocent children, Jarod had tried time and time again to open up the part of Miss Parker that held the little girl he once knew. What locked that part of her up, he didn't know. One day, he would figure it out. Until then, he planned to continue chipping away at the wall in her heart.
*****
"Sydney you won't believe this!" Broots declared as he rushed into Sydney's office. Knocking over a lamp with his DSA player that was abruptly shoved on to the desk, Broots made sure to catch it before it shattered. His hands were shaking as he held one finger up to Sydney, "You have got to see this."
"Is there a problem, Broots?" Sydney replied to the anxious man.
"Well uh y-you could definitly say that, Syd."
"Broots-"
"Just watch this DSA from last night."
Broots flicked a shining DSA into the player with Sydney watched in disbelief as two sweepers dragged a lifeless Jarod into a small cell and left him lying on the metal cot on the side of the wall. Wiping their hands together, the two sweepers left under the watchful eye of Mr. Lyle. Thankfully, the black and white screen showed no blood on Jarod's body.
"Broots, why were we not informed?! We need to get down there immediatly!"
"No, just keep watching."
Lyle's grin grew wider as he watched Miss Parker's limp body being carelessly dropped beside Jarod's form. The steady rise and fall of the two's chests indicated that they were not dead, but simply unconcious. Lyle's voice called to the remaining sweepers, "Alright boys, mission accomplished. Parker may have caught up to Jarod, but now its my turn. Come on!" The sweepers left the room, but Lyle lingered longer rubbing his thumb's stump. "I win this time, Jarod," he said cryptically. Smiling his sick twisted trademark, he left the room. The door's closing echoed deep into the distance.
"Oh my God. Broots does anyone know that you have this in your possesion?"
"No. I made sure to delete all traces from the digital archives, and any trails from the mainframe are too minial for even Jarod to uncover. And I even made sure that anyone who started asking questions wouldn't find anything. A friend of mine, Max, who works in Transmissions, you know- the one who doesn't grow any finger nails so he has to wear those little ointment pads that-"
"Broots!" Sydney steered him back onto his original train of thought.
"Oh yea. Sorry, Sydney. Well anyway, he told me he'll stop any rumors from floating around."
Sydney nodded, "We have to get down there. Broots, will you do me a favor?"
Broots cleared his throat, "I'm guessing that this favor doesn't mean 'go down to the drugstore and pick me up some Pepto' does it?"
"I need for you to freeze the cameras in Jarod and Miss Parker's room and find out when security is most lax. I'll also need the door unlocked."
"Oh gosh, Sydney!" Broots' eyes bulged, "I don't know if I can handle this kind of pressure! I mean with Miss Parker not only gone, but being held prisoner, who else is there to do all of the dirty work? I just I just, oh gosh Sydney! I think I'm going to faint."
"Broots snap out of it!"
"Oh sorry, Sydney. When I'm nervous I talk, and right now I think I have a lot to be nervous about."
"Can you do it?"
"Technically, it will be a challenge, but I can do it. I can do it. I can do it," he repeated to himself several times, "I have to do this."
"For Miss Parker, Broots, and Jarod."
"Alright Sydney. When?" Sydney smiled at his young willing colleague.
*****
"Enjoying your trip down memory lane, Jarod?" Lyle coaxed.
"Of course. Maybe we should go a little deeper into the past. Say to before you monsters stole me from my parents?" he replied to the taunt.
"You will. All in due time," Lyle answered cryptically.
"Lyle!" Raines' jagged voice interrupted their battle with as much volume as he could muster up, "What do you think you are telling him?!"
"Don't worry, Squeaky. Everything will be just fine," he said, never once losing eye contact with Jarod who couldn't hide the sheet of worry layering his chocolate brown eyes.
Miss Parker warily eyed her brother and Jarod's exchange. Ever since they had arrived in this hell hole, the bickering had never stopped. Seeking some relief of any kind, Jarod's face turned towards hers.
"Welcome to my world," she said. His response was to raise his eyebrow and glance back to the arguing holders.
"Are you finished?"
"Shutup, Jarod!" Lyle replied.
"Well would you two just get to the point. What do you want?" Parker replied to Lyle's outburst.
"You want us to get on with it? Okay, Miss Parker. As you wish." Lyle snapped his fingers and three sweepers arrived on command like trained chihuahahs. They laced their motions together and swept towards the couple sitting on the cot. Each placed a firm hand on Jarod's shoulders and back while the helpless Pretender stared down at the ground with a small smile of defeat on his face. Parker knew that that was not neccesarily a bad sign. It meant he still had control of himself. As he was grabbed off of the cot he sat on, the sweepers dragged him along towards the exit of the cell. Jarod's feet shuffled as he attempted to keep up with their quick pace. Finally he stopped, the effort just wasn't worth it.
"Where are you taking me?" Jarod asked calmly.
"For some simple tests," Raines replied.
"Tests?" Parker asked cynically of the bald man.
"Yes, tests. We need to know what kind of health Jarod has maintained throughout these years of- disobediance. The doctors need to make sure he's healthy, along with his mind capabilities."
"What!?" Jarod demanded, "I don't need any tests done. What you see is what you won't get. And if my 'mind capabilities' are in question, you could always send me back to the real world."
"If your brain isn't as great as we thought, you will no longer be of use to us. Therefore, you will be exterminated."
"Well maybe that's not such a bad thing," he replied.
Jarod's cold stare said it all. Nothing was going to break his soul, not this time or any other. The upwards nod of Raines' head directed the trio of suited men down the hall, dragging their precious belonging in the middle with them.
*****
The innocent child-like voice went unheard throughout the drafty vents.
"Daughter... scared. Wants to go away. Jarod sick. Jarod needs help. Molly."
The cryptic analysis of his friends was of no help to anyone even if they had heard it. The thumps of a man's loud footsteps echoed through the system and Angelo feared for the safety of his friends. He needed to help them.
*****
"Has the testing begun?" Mr Parker's gruff voice inquired of his son. The two were standing behind the safety of a two-way mirror. On the other side of their shield was a group of doctors, Mr Raines, several monitors and pieces of equipment, and The Centre's ultimate prize shining beneath the straps of an operating table. It wasn't that The Centre planned on operating, yet. No, the leather straps were to keep their reluctant Pretender from- wandering. His stern face eximplified his pure anger at the Centre operatives for their mistreatment of him. The butterflies in his stomach would not leave as he wondered what these sick people planned to do with him. Testing- he'd believe that when Raines sprouted hair.
"Not yet, Dad. The doctors are still searching for his most recent records."
"Well tell them to get a move on. I don't have all day!" Mr Parker responded to Lyle's information. His son leaned in and pressed a button.
"Could we get this done sometime before Christmas?!" he barked through the intercom.
"We're doing our best, Sir. It appears someone has tampered with the subjects medical reports," a doctor replied.
"Gee, I wonder who that could be!"
Jarod looked into the mirror, knowing who was hiding behind it, and winked with a smug smile.
"Son of a-"
"Lyle! We'll deal with Jarod's misbehavior later," Mr Parker warned, "Right now, you need to ignore him. Jarod is obviously attempting to have you lose your control. Don't let his mind games work on you like they did on your sister!"
"Of course."
"Sir, what do we do about the lost medical records?"
"I believe its your job to know what to do, Doc! Jarod apparantly tampered with our mainframe," Lyle paused, "Wait a minute. Did you check the backup systems?"
Jarod was looking around expectantly but found nothing to suggest they had done such a thing. He tried to hide the smile, but his eyes gave away his hearty emotions. "Never mind. Just go ahead and make a new one. We'll sort this out later." The frustration was evident in his voice while he watched that cocky genius having such a good ole' time! "Are you having fun, Jarod?"
"Oh sure I am! Yes the leather straps inabling me from twitching are a bit," Jarod paused, "Mmm restriciting, but other than the loose feeling in my left knee I am just peachy!" He topped this off with a plastic smile, obviously having taken tips from Parker.
"Doctor," Lyle demanded the attention of the Centre operative who was scribbling on a clip board.
"Yes, Sir."
"I belive the straps on our subject should be tightened a tad."
"But Sir, the straps are already tighter than needed. These are minial procedures and I'm sure he'll be alright."
"Just do as I say unless you would like a cell reserved in Renewal Wing- now."
The doctor hurried over to his patient, examined the leather restraints, and looked into his eyes. They claimed innocence. Never had he looked into a soul with so much pain and compassion. He halted in his movements but the man whispered quietly, "Just do it. You'll be much worse off if you don't." The sacrifice was obviously one from a victim of neglect who was thinking of himself last and had been doing so for a long time. He shook his head but reluctantly tightened the bindings. Jarod cringed at the numbness that was spreading throughout his body due to the cut in circulation.
"Feel better now, Jarod?"
"Of course, Lyle, Daddy P. I'm just great," he said through clenched teeth. Lyle smiled at the Pretender in distress.
"Well then- let the games begin."
*****
All alone in this tiny cell. Was she claustraphobic? Maybe not before this. Miss Parker hated the confining feeling this place had always given her, but now it was magnified as her space was minified. A cockroach crawled across the toe of her stilleto heel. Atleast Lyle hadn't taken all of her weapons. Footsteps clicked down the hall, but these were steps of another set of heels. Unless Lyle had more secrets that she didn't know about, this was a woman. A flash of blonde appeared in the tiny window of the heavy door.
"Well hello, Love. New arrangement since the last time our paths crossed isn't it?"
"Brigette, wonderful to see you again. The last time I saw you, you were busy having a kid, and I was the one who kept you both from dying," Miss Parker replied to the fake accent.
"Well, that was before your father and Cox showed up and helped me."
"Whatever, now what do you want?"
"Can't Mommy visit her little stepdaughter without the third degree."
"Not when she's a brown-nosing bitch who tried to kill her own husband just for more power and a few brownie points with Raines. And by the way, luv, never think that you are a replacement for my mother. Don't even mention her," she hissed.
"Lets just put the past behind us shall we, Miss Parker? I still do not know why you defend the man who is letting his daughter rot down here underground."
"I'm sure he doesn't know. And besides that, I was not defending him, not anymore. He blew it when he blew our deal. You never answered my question."
"I have come down here to ask you a few simple questions, Miss Parker. Questions that you should answer truthfully or else," her liquid voice poured out.
"Or else what, Blondie?"
"Or else- those that you care about will suffer. I believe we proved our capabilites with that plumber, Tom."
"His name is Thomas and he was a carpenter. Don't you dare talk of him in my presence," she bolted to the window where the woman stood, "I have nothing to lose, therefore I have no one you can hurt, but me."
"So you're saying that Jarod means absolutly nothing to you?" she inqired calmly with a fake smile to go with her fake Brittish accent.
"That is what I am saying."
"And you wouldn't be the least bit upset if we told this to Jarod? Its obvious that his opinion differs."
"Jarod knows good and well what I think, so why don't you just go lounge with my family a while longer, closing hours are at five for sucking up you know," she replied.
"Hmph," she said eyeing her stepdaughter cautiously but leaned in whispering, "You should really watch who's toes you tread on, Miss Parker. Consider yourself warned."
"Or you'll go tell my Daddy. Tattle tale will go nicely on your resume," she answered to the threat. Brigette's eyebrows only rose as she strode back down the sickenly shining hallway. Parker sat down on the cot once again. She was certain that they would find any excuse to inflict another batch of pain on Jarod, but she had to pretend that they wouldn't to keep her concience secure.
Noises down the hall alerted her to more visitors. She listened carefully as Brigette's voice flooded the hall.
"Well well well. How are you doing, Love?"
"Never better," replied Jarod's raspy voice. He sounded extremely tired.
"Well Muffin, perhaps you should have been a good little boy and you and Miss Parker wouldn't be suffering right now. Hmm?"
Jarod was silent and obviously tired of the taunts meaning absolutly nothing.
"Come on," Raines ordered his sweepers. The door swung open and Willie's face appeared before two sweepers, with Jarod sandwiched limply in the middle, and Raines and his dear tank caboosing the end of the line.
"Recovering from that bullet that found its way into you, Willie?"
There was no reply which was enough to satisfy her. Jarod was abruptly dropped to the cement as Raines waved for them to exit.
"Thank you for the nice landing," Jarod mumbled as he tried in vain to lift himself up. Parker got down on her haunches and helped the weak man onto the cot.
"What did they do to you?! Why can't you move?" she asked him.
"They didn't damage me permanently, it will wear off in an hour or two I'd say. I was strapped to a table and was getting no blood flow."
"Oh really, well what is this blood here for then?"
"Oh. Well, they took some blood. That's all. Don't worry about it, Parker."
"I'm not. I was just wondering what was in store for me," she replied menacingly. The icy cold comment was brushed off. Jarod understood, this was her way of dealing with the pain.
Jarod's frail arm fell to the side as he drifted off to sleep. The Centre's legacy would continue if they didn't find a way out of here. Miss Parker crawled into the small space Jarod didn't occupy and leaned against the wall attempting sleep. The temporary escape finally came after an hour of pondering an escape. Neither noticed the red light flash once and finally fade away completley.
AN: I have no idea how the medical world works, those who do, I appologize. LOL. You'll have to let a few medical phenomenons slide! A
FEEDBACK/RR is appreciated as always!!
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