Renee practically collapsed on her couch after she threw her things down on the table. Having to deal with Sandoval always made for a long, excruciating day. And there was something odd about his attitude, as if something else were on his mind, besides finding Joshua again. Renee knew that she couldn't allow him to recapture Joshua. She couldn't begin to imagine what Sandoval would do to him . . .
She thought back over Joshua's earlier request,
"And Renee, I . . . if Sandoval catches me again . . . I don't want to live through another six months of his . . . treatment. I'd . . . I'd ratherdie at my own choosing . . ."
Renee nodded, understanding what he was asking, "Joshua . . ." she began.
"Look, I know it won't be necessary, but just in case, it'll be comforting to know." Joshua said.
Renee found Sandoval's preoccupation with something else odd, because this was the kind of situation that Sandoval would HAVE to prove his superiority. To capture Joshua before word got out of his experience and he discredited the Taelons.
Renee sighed and picked up the disk she had found on the floor of the hideout. She turned it over in her hand, wondering what was on it . . . /Well, there's only one way to find out/. And she popped the thing into the disk reader.
As she watched the disk, she felt disgust creeping through her mind. To find this out . . . was unbelievable. She had trusted him . . . and he had lied.
Jarod entered the abandoned building cautiously. Joshua's urgent email had concerned him a lot. He had kept an eye on where Sandoval was looking, just in case, so he could warn Joshua. They had also set up a line of communication for emergencies only. Jarod had found out from Kara, the leader of the cell he had last been in, that Joshua was the new resistance leader. Only a few people knew so far, and Jarod knew he'd do a good job.
The email from him had come late last night. The message itself was very vague and cryptic, leaving this as the place to meet. What concerned him most was that Joshua had not answered the emails he had sent back. Jarod wondered if Sandoval was the problem. If Sandoval were to catch Joshua again, he'd likely be out of reach for everyone, including Jarod. And no telling what would happen to him.
Jarod turned around at a noise behind him and suddenly a sensation washed over him and he collapsed. Just before he lost consciousness, he saw teams of Volunteers and sweepers entering the building.
Joshua hurried toward the building he was to meet Jarod at. Jarod had sent him an urgent message. He hoped that nothing was bad wrong, but with their luck . . . And Joshua hated the fact that he'd run so late but there was so much to do before they announced him as leader, so much for him to look over and so on. He'd gotten into studying some files and had just totally lost all track of time.
Joshua turned a corner and suddenly ducked back. He'd nearly run right into a group of Volunteers, and he heard Sandoval nearby, giving orders. Could this be coincidence that the building he and Jarod were to meet at was just around the corner? He thought not.
/They probably have captured Jarod already and they're waiting for me . . . Thank God I was running late . . ./
Joshua pulled out the gun that Renee had insisted he carry with him, and backed into an alley. He pulled out his global, "Liam, I think we have a problem . . ."
Miss Parker exclaimed a stream of curses as she watched Jarod crumple to the floor. She turned her gun on Sandoval. "What is the matter with you? I said we were going to take him unharmed!"
"Relax, Miss Parker. Mr. Jarod is merely unconscious."
"You BETTER be right," She nodded to Sam. "Check him out. If he's alive, cuff him."
"Yes, Miss Parker."
"That won't be necessary, Miss Parker. My men will prepare Mr. Jarod for his journey to the mothership," Sandoval replied, nodding to the nearby Tate. Tate started forward at the same time as Sam and the two of them reached Jarod at the same time.
Parker laughed. "The mothership? I don't think so, Agent Sandoval. He belongs to the Centre; we have first rights to him when and if he's recaptured. Your freakazoid glow-in-the-dark alien bosses are just going to have to wait their turn. Sam, take care of Jarod. Now."
At Sandoval's signal, Tate pulled his gun on Sam, "Hold it!"
FBI, Volunteers, and a Sweeper Team stood ready to have a nasty shoot out when another party entire the room. "Oh, God-- Jarod!" Everyone in the room turned to see Sydney enter the room and before anyone could move or speak; he was already on the floor beside Jarod's still form. As he checked Jarod for signs of life he shot an evil look at Parker and Sandoval. "What happened here? He was supposed to be taken unharmed!"
"Sydney? How did you get here?" Parker snapped.
"I brought him," a new voice joined the group.
Sandoval turned to look at the new arrival. "Major."
"Sandoval," Liam acknowledged, "What's going on here?"
"Apparently there's been a slight miscommunication here. Agent Sandoval seems to be under the impression I allowed him to join my search for Jarod so that when we caught him, he could be carted up to the Taelon mothership," Miss Parker replied, shooting Sandoval an icy stare.
Sandoval smiled coldly at her. "There's been no miscommunications, Miss Parker," he replied, placing a sarcastic emphasis on her name, "We allowed your search teams access to Companion resources and weaponry to
capture your escapee. That gives us first rights to him."
"Over my dead body."
Sandoval looked at Sydney. "Don't tempt me, Mr.-"
"It's doctor, and I don't respond very well to threats," Sydney replied.
"Doctor, as I was saying, don't tempt me to have you all arrested for several violations of the Taelon/Human accords, not to mention for use of weapons against federal agents. The legal mess that would cause would be a very nasty inconvenience for all parties involved," Sandoval replied.
"You are NOT taking Jarod to the mothership," Parker replied.
"Uh, Miss Parker? Jarod is starting to wake up," Sam said.
"Cuff him, Sam. NO arguments from you, Syd!" Miss Parker said, not taking her eyes off Sandoval. "Oh I hope that's okay with you, Agent Sandoval, because I am NOT going to have Jarod escaping from us again while we standing here trying to decide where to send Jarod." Her voice was heavy with sarcasm but still Sandoval raised an eyebrow.
"If I may make a suggestion?" Liam said, stepping in-between Parker and Sandoval.
"What?" Parker asked.
"Make your suggestion, Major."
"Since there seems to be some debate as to what party has legal rights to take Mr. Jarod into their custody, may I suggest we move him to a neutral but trustworthy location. Say, Doors International? I've already talked with Miss Palmer before coming here and she agree to help us out," Liam suggested, looking at each as he spoke.
"There's just one problem with that suggestion, Major--"
"The Centre and Doors International are currently engaged in merger talk."
"I'm aware of that, Agent Sandoval, Miss Parker. However, both parties officially ended the talks nearly 20 minutes ago without being able to reach an agreement that both were happy with. The Centre AND DI are still separate corporate entities and therefore, Doors International would be the best neutral site to send Mr. Jarod until we can decide WHO has legal claims to him. Agreed?" Liam asked.
"I'll have to clear it with my superiors," Parker said.
"As will I," Sandoval added.
"All right."
Each stepped aside to make global calls.
Sydney walked up to Liam. "Thank you, Major Kincaid."
"For what?" Liam asked.
"For giving Jarod a chance to remain free from Hell a little while longer," Sydney replied.
Miss Parker was the first to return. "Major, if we do this, let's get something straight. I WILL BE sending a team of sweepers along with Jarod to Doors International. They will have orders to shoot to kill if he even tries to escape."
"Miss Parker, that goes against the orders of the Triumvirate, not to mention your father's orders regarding Jarod," Sydney said.
"Frankly, Sydney, I don't care! I am TIRED of chasing Jarod around. He will be delivered to the Centre even if it means we have to present him to the Triumvirate, stone cold in a body bag. He WILL be delivered," she replied.
Sandoval returned at that moment. "Zo'or has agreed to this arrangement for the time being. I will also be sending along my own team to guard Mr. Jarod."
Even when he was drugged, Jarod was restless. By some miracle, Sydney had been allowed to sit in the small room that was serving as a cell for Jarod. Sydney was so grateful that the sweepers and FBI agent where seated just outside of the closed door, giving him the privacy he needed while he did some much needed thinking.
Could he really let the Centre take Jarod back? Before he'd lost consciousness after being drugged for the second time since being stunned by the Volunteers forces, Jarod had looked at Sydney, his eyes almost pleading as he spoke in a frightened whisper to the man he saw as a father.
"Sydney, please, don't let them take me back there. I can't live through that again."
Jarod. . .
How could he have helped the Centre rob another human being's life like that?
Sydney thought about the beginning of the Pretender project, and he remembered how excited he had been at the thought of actually helping one of the child geniuses who would be coming into the Centre to hone and sharpen their natural abilities, to help them apply them in any number of applications that would eventually help thousands of people.
Once the Centre had been a force for good in the world. . .
Now they used any information they got through research for their own purposes.
"He should have lived a normal life." Syd had told Miss Parker one time when they were trapped in that condemned building and he was hurt badly. He admitted to her, he should have gotten Jarod to freedom and not has been afraid of what they could do to him.
"You can't kill someone who's already dead." he had told her when she said they would have killed him.
It was true.
You couldn't.
Now Sydney sat as a guardian watching over Jarod's sleeping form, struggling with his own demons even as he hoped Jarod's own demons weren't tormenting him as he slept. If the room were bigger, Sydney would have paced but instead all he could do was sit and watch Jarod.
"Dear God," he breathed. He stopped as he realized he was about to pray for help in getting Jarod free again. "Couldn't hurt." he finally muttered. He left the chair he'd been sitting in, kneeling to pray even as he crossed himself.
Sam the sweeper leaned forward as he saw Sydney kneel on the floor. Tate also leaned forward as Sydney began silently to pray. Tate actually began to laugh as they continued to watch. Sam gave Tate an evil look.
"What IS your problem, FBI?" he asked.
"I can't believe he's praying, like God can help him or that sleeper now," Tate replied.
"What's wrong with praying, FBI?" Sam replied.
Tate rolled his eyes. "Nothing is wrong with it . . .but that's only if you're a child or a simpleton. Only they have faith in a higher, supreme power."
"Doctor Green is hardly a simpleton, FBI. I find that offensive. In fact I find your entire attitude offensive. Heck, I find you offensive period!" Sam said.
Tate snickered. "Don't tell me you believe in God too?"
"What if I do, FBI?"
"Listen, the name's Tate and you're a simpleton!"
Sam stood up, ready to cross the room and pound Tate's face in. Another sweeper stepped in between them. "Both of you, cool off! We're supposed to be watching Jarod because if he escapes, Miss Parker will have our butts in a sling! Sit down, FBI!" Tate complied but Sam remained standing. "You too, Sam."
Sam sat down, muttering a few obscenities about the FBI under his breath before he returned his attention to the screen. He'd be very happy when this whole thing was decided and they could return to the Centre where they would leave this imbecile FBI agent behind.
His mother had always encouraged both him and Jacob to pray whenever they faced a situation that seemed beyond their control. She'd told them God would hear their prayer and would send them the help they needed in some form or another. When he was a boy, Syd had believed what she'd told him, but had stopped believing in God for a time after the Nazis had killed his parents in the gas chambers at Dachau. Years later, his faith in God had returned in small measures but it was never as strong as it had been before his parents' death
Sydney crossed himself again, ending the prayer. He didn't know if it'd really help or if God was even interested in listening to him anymore, but he knew he felt a little better about the situation. If they took Jarod back to the Centre, he had promised himself and God that he'd helped Jarod not only live through that situation but also he'd find a way to see him free again, once and for all.
"I still think we should use the portal." Joshua argued.
"I don't think that will be possible." Renee said.
Liam had come to them about 20 minutes ago and had filled them in on a little situation. That Jarod HAD been captured by Sandoval and the Centre as Joshua had feared and that he was being held in Doors International till an agreement was reached.
Joshua sighed, "Why not, Renee? It's easy, it's fast."
"And it also requires an access code. The only one I have is mine and we cannot use that one."
"The code is the easy part." Joshua said.
Liam looked at him quizzically, "Why do you say that? Do you know someone elses' code?"
"No, but did Doors International ever take the time to deactivate mine?" Joshua asked, "I still have it."
"That could actually work," Renee said.
"It has too." Joshua said intensely, "We can't leave him in their hands. He saved my life and I owe him that much."
After he finished praying, Sydney sat back down beside his protégé, surprised at how much the prayer seemed to lift the burden off of his shoulders. Yes, the situation was still grim but Sydney now felt, as though he were not alone in this anymore, that Jarod would be free again. At that moment he smiled as he could swear to hearing his mother's voice just then, whispering encouragement.
"God never forsakes those who are His children, even if we forsake Him. If you ever feel alone, mon chéri, call on God and He will answer you."
"Merci, Maman. Papa," Sydney whispered.
Sydney's thoughts were interrupted by a loud crack . . . that sounded like thunder. It was so loud that Sydney found himself wondering if this was some answer to his prayer. Almost immediately, the room began filling with a smoke . . . Sydney heard Sam and several of the other sweepers yelling on one side and the sound of a portal activating on the other.
A voice spoke, "We've got to get out of here . . ." and grabbed one of Jarod's arms.
Sydney quickly grabbed the other, "I thought I told you to stay out of Centre politics . . ."
Joshua grinned, "Fine, you can yell at me later. And I'm not sure this qualifies as politics. More like . . . war?" They quickly got Jarod to the portal through which Joshua had just come through and disappeared.
Seconds later, Tate and Sam arrived just in time to see the portable portal blown to smithereens.
Both winced, knowing they were both likely in deep trouble . . .
Renee had arrived shortly before to sit with Jarod so Joshua made his way to the elevator and up into the sanctuary of St. Michael's. Sydney had gone up there earlier, and it concerned him that Sydney had not yet returned.
Joshua found Sydney sitting in the back row of pews, his head bowed in prayer or perhaps thought. Joshua came and quietly sat next to him.
Sydney looked up, "How are you doing?"
Joshua gave a half-smile, "I think I should be asking you that. I'm sorry. I didn't really intend for Renee to see the DSA. I had even forgotten that I had it . . ."
"She would have discovered the truth anyway. Don't worry about that."
"I think I understand why you stayed with the Centre - you wanted to try and make a difference and you were worried about what might happen to your friends and the children if you did leave. You thought that by staying there you were helping . . ."
Sydney nodded. "But I should have tried to be more active about things and I might have saved Jarod . . ."
Joshua nodded, "And you might have also been killed trying to do so and then Jarod would have been left there alone." He paused, "Sydney, I know Renee doesn't approve but I've found a way that you can go back if you want to . . . without problems. I'm not trying to get rid of you. You're welcome to stay as long as you need, but Jarod told me that you'd want to return."
Sydney looked up, "As odd as it may sound, that is where I belong. That is where I can make a difference, maybe even help Jarod find out who he is. What's your plan?"
"I'll announce that the Resistance kidnapped the two of you. Jarod is actually a logical person to want to kidnap and he can stay with us. You were, of course, in the wrong place at the wrong time, so the Resistance lets you go."
Sydney smiled, "Liam mentioned that you were now the leader of the Resistance."
Joshua grinned back, "I'm not entirely sure I'm up to the task but I'm doing my best."
"You'll do fine."
"Well to be honest Sydney, I'm not sure what the heck I'm doing half the time." Joshua stifled a yawn.
Sydney looked amused, "Looks like you should be spending more of your time sleeping."
"And on that happy note, I think I'm going to go do just that." Joshua said, "Let me know what you decide to do and I'll take care of the rest." With another yawn, Joshua disappeared back down into the hideout.
With the drugs finally cleared from his system, Jarod was finally able to stay awake. It was agreed that someone would be present in the hideout with him and Sydney until their situation had been resolved. With both the Centre and the Taelons looking for them, the safest place for them to be was there in the former Resistance headquarters.
So Renee, Liam, Street, and Doctor Belman all took turns coming to stay at the underground. Renee was pointedly avoiding Sydney during her watch in the hideout. She'd bring work with her to the headquarters, only talking to Jarod when he'd ask her a question. If Sydney was hurt by her actions, he hid it well, choosing to read the books Belman had brought him at his request.
"You're being unfair," Jarod said.
They were alone as Sydney had gone above to spend sometime in the sanctuary of St. Michael's. Nearby, Joshua was napping on one of the many couches scattered throughout the room. Renee was seated at a table getting some work done that she'd brought with her from Doors International.
She looked up at him. "Come again?"
"I said you're being unfair," Jarod repeated.
"Who am I being unfair to? You? Joshua?"
Jarod nodded no. "You've treated me very fairly and as to how you've treated Joshua, well then only you can be the judge of that."
"Wait a minute, if you're about to go and say that I've been unfair to Sydney, then stop right there," Renee said. She got up and walked over to the kitchenette that Augur installed in the place before he left to fix herself a cup of coffee.
"What has Sydney ever done to you?" Jarod asked, joining her.
Renee looked him in the eye. "He lied to me about his work, what he's been involved with. And how can you of all people, Jarod, defend him? He helped those people keep you from your family and locked away for over 30 years."
"Yes, it's true. Sydney did help them keep me from my family, a family he believed was dead. He also helped them to keep me in that place and the truth is I have struggled with trying to forgive him for everything he played a role in at the Centre. I'll be struggling with the issue for a long time to come. But, Renee, you have no idea what my life would have been like without Sydney's presence in my life. He protected me from a lot of what they wanted to do to me," Jarod said.
Renee gave him a look of skepticism before going to sit back down on the couch. She sipped her coffee in careful thought a minute before she set the cup down, and set back to look at Jarod as he resumed his seat across from her.
"How exactly was your life at the Centre?"
Jarod's eyes closed as painful memories resurfaced. "I won't lie to you, Renee. It was a lonely, isolated existence. I had my childhood robbed from me because I had no idea what life was like on the outside for other kids."
"You said that Sydney protected you in there. What I want to know is, in what way did he protect you?"
"In the Centre," Jarod began, "There was another doctor named William Raines and like Sydney he was part of the Pretender Project." Jarod paused again, his tone of voice chilling Renee. "This man should have never been allowed to work with children, much less called himself a doctor."
"What kind of things did this doctor do?"
Jarod got up to move around the room as he talked. "Raines had several gifted children entrusted to his care but the two I know for certain he destroyed was a boy named Timmy. Timmy was also showed the gifts of being a Pretender like me but unlike me he wasn't fortunate to have a mentor like Sydney who was patient enough to mold his gifts at his pace of development."
Jarod took a deep breath before continuing, "As a result being impatient, Raines tried an experiment on Timmy to speed up the development of his mind. He used electrical shocks on an innocent young boy, Renee, and as a result the boy known as Timmy died that day."
"You mean Raines killed him?"
Jarod nodded no. "No, he didn't kill him in the usual sense of the word. Raines erased all the original personality that little boy had. He made Timmy into a person who is now more like a human sponge, absorbing in the emotions of others around him and giving him another name to complete the process."
Renee stared at him in disbelief. "Is he still alive?" Jarod nodded yes. "How could someone do that to a child?"
"I don't know."
"Jarod, what does this have to do with Sydney?"
"Besides teaching me the skills I've used to help Joshua as well as countless other people since I escaped the Centre, Sydney also protected me from Raines. Raines always wanted the Triumvirate-"
"The who?"
"The Triumvirate are the powers behind the Centre, the powers that be if you will. They are the force that gives the Centre its power over other people's lives," Renee nodded, "Anyway, Raines always wanted them to hand me over to his care so that he could have me working on the projects that he wanted, in the way he wished."
"There was another Pretender in the Centre I knew, a boy named Kyle who was under the care of Raines. We worked on several projects together before one day they took him away, never letting me see him again. It wasn't until years later, after I escaped from the Centre that I knew what had happened to him.
Raines secretly kept Kyle on a level of the Centre no one but him knew existed. He kept Kyle there, working with him even further when he should have been released and he turned a gifted young boy into a cold, violent sociopath."
Renee shuddered, and reached forward to pick up her coffee. Jarod knew that she was shocked and appalled by what she'd heard. He had only told her a small part of everything, electing to not tell her that Kyle was his younger brother or that he was now dead. He hoped that maybe, she'd now understand that Sydney wasn't the horrible man she thought he was.
Finally after a moment, Jarod picked up his jacket from a nearby chair, slipping into it. He turned to Renee, "Think about what I've said. Sydney is a good man at heart. He just hasn't always made the right choices but his heart was in the right place for the choices he has made." He walked to the elevator. "Think about it, Renee."
"Mr. Raines? Can you hear me? Mr. Raines?"
It had been over five minutes since the transfer had ended but Raines had yet to open the eyes of his new body. The doctor looked at his nurse concerned.
"Maybe it didn't work, doctor," she suggested.
"Oh no, it did work. He's just not waking up," the doctor replied. "Mr. Raines? You need to open your eyes, sir."
Suddenly the bio-surrogates eyes snapped open and William Raines stared back at the other man. "I see that it worked." He drew in a deep breath, enjoying the sensation of being able to breathe again without horrendous pain.
And without that oxygen tank!
"Yes, sir, it worked better than we expected it to."
Raines sat up and looked at his decrepit body and he nearly shuddered at the sight of his opened eyes as they stared up lifeless into the dark ceiling of SL-17. The nurse brought over a set of clothing for Raines even as the doctor began to speak.
"Shall I have your old body taken to the morgue, sir?" the doctor asked, facing away from him as he wrote some down on a clipboard.
Within the next second, the doctor dropped to the floor with a thump, dead. The nurse screamed and ran for the door but Raines reached it before she did. She slowly backed away from him, tears in her eyes as she searched for a means to stay alive.
"Please, sir. I won't tell anyone about this," she breathed. He backed her into a corner. As she passed a cart, she grabbed a hypodermic needle as her only means of defense. "Please don't kill me."
Raines only came closer to her. . .