A Pretender Story
part XVI
by Evanescent

"I'm going back to the Centre." Major said, getting up, this time no one stopped him, instead they followed him out of the hotel.

****

The Centre
1000 Hours

Jarod crawled into the air vent, he had just caused all the surveillance cameras to malfunction, that should at least give him half an hour to find the family.

He crawled through the tunnels, suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder, he quickly look back and saw a man holding cracker jacks. His mind drifted into an unfamiliar memory.....

(Flashback)

Jarod: Who is it?
(No answer came from the door.  Jarod walked to the door and cautiously opened it a little, his eyes widened when he saw who it was and he opened the door all the way)
Jarod: Angelo! (Laughing the two men embraced one another)
Angelo: (Standing in the doorway) I got here as quick as I could.
(Jarod laughed with a shocked look on his face)
"Angelo?" Jarod asked cautiously. Angelo grinned and started crawling ahead of him, gesturing him to follow. Jarod quietly followed him until he saw the Petersons through one of the vent openings. "Thanks Angelo." He whispered and opened the air vent.  He jumped down, startling the family.

Mr. Peterson gathered his family behind him, though he was afraid of this man, he would not let him harm his family. "Mr. Peterson, I need to talk to you," Jarod said.

"About what?  You already got what you wanted, what else do you want?!" Mr. Peterson yelled, Danny grabbed his father pant leg and held tight.

"Look Mr. Peterson, the Centre is going to hold you and your family until they have no further use for you, after you are of no value to them, they will kill you and your family.  Now I could get you out of this alive, but you would have to trust me.  Can you do that?"

Peterson looked into Jarod's eyes, for the first time he saw compassion and for some reason pain in his eyes.  He slowly nodded.

"All right, now this is what I want you to do.." Jarod whispered.

After 15 minutes he climbed back into the air vent and back to his room.

****

Hunting Shack
1000 Hours

"Jarod, I want you to stay here." Major said softly

"No! I want to help him!" Young Jarod cried

"Jarod-" Sydney pleaded,

"Son, if you go, the Centre will definitely try to break you," Major yelled, he grabbed Young Jarod's shoulders and bend down to look directly at him, "Then we all would have something more to worry about than just trying to get Jarod out of there alive,"

Jarod reluctantly nodded, he knew his father was right. "I'm going to keep the computer here so you could find out more information about Jarod." He then got up and walked toward the door.

"Dad!" Young Jarod cried. Major turned back toward his son with sorrow in his eyes, "I love you."

"I love you too son." Major replied and walked out the door, Sydney, Broots, and Ms. Parker followed him. Suddenly the room felt very cold to Young Jarod.

****

The Centre
1100 Hours

"Daddy." Ms. Parker said. Mr. Parker jumped and turned around. Sydney, Broots, and a handcuffed Major opened the door and walked into his office.

"Angel!" He cried and wrapped his arms around her, "I'm so glad your back!  I even hired Raines to go after you." To get Jarod Ms. Parker thought painfully.

"Daddy.  I caught Major Charles." She replied pretending to be triumphant, her heart beating wildly inside.

"Good job Angel."  He walked over to his phone and after pressing a few numbers in, he pressed the speaker on "Willie. Take the Major to his cell." Willie immediately showed up and dragged the handcuffed Major out of the room.

"But the clone escaped us." Ms. Parker said, she quickly explained, "So I think in the mean time we shouldn't do anything to the Major so we could get information out of him."

"Your right honey. I'll make sure that he doesn't. We'll get the clone at a later time."

Mr. Parker looked over at his daughter, and slowly said, "Jarod came in on his own.  You already know that don't you?"

"Yes Daddy.  I have." She turned away, not allowing anyone to see her pain, Mr. Parker looked away, cringing inside.

"Let us see what our best pretender is doing." Mr. Parker said and opened the door for his daughter as they walked out toward the direction of Jarod's room.
 
 
 

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