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Chapter or StoryAuthor's Chapter Notes:
MANY MANY thanks to Dianne for beta-reading it for me! You are such a big help! Thanks really a lot!
“Major Charles, I thought we were over this. Jarod just told me he…” but he couldn’t finish his sentence as Jarod’s father roughly grabbed him and pushed him against the wall. “Major!” Sydney tried to push him away, but the other man had the advantage of being in better physical condition.
“You are enjoying this, aren’t you? So generous of you to allow me to see my son.” He hissed. That was when Sydney lost his patience. He tried to control himself and tried to keep in control, but he just couldn’t go on like this. Just as he was about to hit back they both heard a sound; a sound that they had both heard quite a few times in their lives. The cocking of a gun grabbed their attention and when they were given an order, they both obeyed.
“Don’t move!” Parker said in a cold tone.
The Major turned his head just enough to see her. She was aiming his gun at them. He then realized his mistake.
“Parker!” Came a deep voice from the door.
Miss Parker simply turned towards him and aimed the gun at his chest. Her grip tight and arm steady, she was ready to shoot if it was needed. “Hello, Jarod.” She said in a tone that reminded him of the old times, the old times when her only aim in life was to catch him and take him back to that hellhole.
“Very funny, but put it down. We have other issues to solve.” Jarod said, briefly glancing at his father and Sydney. He took a step inside, but instead of lowering the gun, Parker raised her other hand and using both hands, aimed the gun at him.
“I’ll show you funny!” She growled.
“Parker!” Jarod said in a deep voice, he was obviously annoyed with her.
“Jarod, no!” Sydney said as he eased the Major’s hands away from himself.
“So, you are the Jarod they are fighting over.” She said.
A confused expression appeared on Jarod’s face before a bulb lit up in his genius mind. “Oh my God… re-education?” He asked, turning to Sydney.
“I wish I could say I’ve enjoyed my stay, but I haven’t, so it’s time for me to go.” She said, carefully taking a step aside while still aiming the gun at Jarod. “Dare to move and I’ll blow your head off!” she warned.
“I know you will.” He said, taking a step back and standing next to his father and Sydney.
“Parker, don’t. There are many things you don’t understand.”
“I know, Sydney, but I’m going to find out everything on my own.” She said and backed out of the room. She flashed them a fake smile before she closed the door and then they heard the door being locked.
Unknown Place
1:13 pm
Upstairs
Ethan sat on his bed trying to chase away the voices. They were louder than in the last two days, but this time he could not understand what they were saying. He had no clue what his mother was saying and it was driving him crazy. Deciding that sitting alone in his room for two days was enough, he got up to go out and get some fresh air. It was about time for him to start visiting his siblings anyway.
Stepping out of the room, he glanced to the end of the corridor where the stairs were. A strange feeling crept into his mind, but the voices didn’t warn him about any possible danger so he ignored it. Suddenly, a noise grabbed his attention; someone was trying to open a door and was shouting the name Parker. Ethan soon identified the voice; it belonged to his brother. With a frown on his face, he went to the door where the shouting was coming from. He tried to open it, but it was locked.
The young man looked around and spotted the key on the table next to the door. Someone had intentionally taken it out of the lock to prevent Jarod and whoever else was in the room from getting out. Grabbing the small item, he unlocked the door. Ethan found himself face to face with Jarod, Sydney and his father. They were staring at him in surprise.
Unknown Place
Downstairs
Broots stepped inside, closing the front door behind him. The house was big and comfortable and the front door opened straight into the living room, which was huge. He had never been in such a big living room. He was about to go further into the house when he spotted a newspaper on the table in the living room. He was headed for the item that had grabbed his interest when the house keys slipped from his hands. Turning back, he bent down to pick them up and heard a gun cocking. He froze, he knew that sound too well and after his latest adventure, he had hoped he wouldn’t hear it again any time soon. Raising his hands to show that he would not make any sudden moves, he straightened up. He tried to stop shaking, but he was sure the person behind him had noticed.
“Turn around slowly!”
Broots let out a sigh of relief as he heard the familiar female voice. “Oh, Miss Parker, it’s just you. You scared me.” He said, spinning around and smiling with relief. His eyes went wide as he saw Parker raise the gun and aim it straight between his eyes. He suddenly realized his mistake; she didn’t remember him.
“Twitch and you will get a third eye!” She growled. The tech put his hands back up immediately, not saying a word. “Is there a car here?”
“I, ah, I, yes, yes, there is. There is one.” Broots babbled, obviously nervous. He saw a small predatory smile on her face and it sent a chill down his spine. He had seen her smiling… bitterly, sweetly - mostly when they talked about Debbie - angrily and the fake one she often gave to her opponents. But this one… this smile he had never seen before and it frightened him.
She wasn’t looking at him like she used to. He knew the way Miss Parker treated strangers and he remembered when they’d first met. She was cold, determined to get what she wanted and did not give a damn who she had to shove out of the way to do so. This smile very much reminded him of that time, a time when she did not try to protect him or care about what happened to him. Knowing that they had erased a huge deal of her memory and the way she reminded him of another self of hers scared him. He knew she was capable of shooting him, he was sure of it.
“You don’t need the car, Parker.” Came a voice from the stairs and Broots was close to fainting from relief until he saw the woman in front of him step beside him with a sudden move. She turned to face the others, but kept her gun aimed at his temple.
“Move and I will solve your little friend’s shaking problem forever.”
Sydney and the Major stood on each side of Jarod. Sydney, with a hand movement, tried to reassure Broots who just nodded to him. The Major was staring at Miss Parker, trying to meet her gaze. He could not believe that he had been foolish enough to turn away from her; he should have known she’d seen the gun. Now they were paying the prize.
“Parker…”
“It’s Miss Parker to you!” She said.
“Miss Parker… we don’t want to hurt you, there’s no need to use the gun.” Jarod said.
“If you stay there, then there definitely won’t be.”
“Miss Parker, please put it down.” Parker looked at the Major, but didn’t reply.
“What do you intend to do?” Sydney asked.
“Leave!” She said simply.
That was the obvious answer and Sydney feared it. If she left, she would go seeking for answers. For those answers, she would go back to the Centre and once she was back in the Centre, there was no way out. They couldn’t let that happen; he could not let it happen. “The Centre is not what it seems. Just think about Lyle… if memories do not deceive me, you wanted to make him pay.” The psychiatrist said calmly.
“You aren’t what you seem either.” She shot back. Sydney took a deep breath.
“Well, that is something we agree on.” The Major said and took a step towards her. Miss Parker immediately aimed the gun at him, her expression serious. “You want answers? Ask.” The older man saw the frown on the woman’s face.
Jarod felt Sydney take a small step forward and knew he wanted to speak. He put out a hand, preventing his old mentor from going any further, signaling him to wait. Sydney knew what his protégé meant. He probably thought that his father was doing it right, but the Major didn’t know Parker, Sydney thought, he did, if someone had a chance to convince her, it was him. Before he could say anything, Parker spoke.
“You talked about my mother.” She said then stopped. Jarod saw that her mind was reeling. She wanted to ask, but had her usual inner struggle - should she ask or should she not. Usually, her curiosity won. And he was right this time too. “You said you knew her and Sydney said she was the head of S.I.S.”
“Yes, that is true. Catherine Parker spent quite a long time in the security section.”
“Liar! My mother never worked for the Centre.” She said, raising her chin.
“She did, she was my colleague.” Sydney said.
“Catherine Parker was working for the Centre, that is how she found out about their dirty deeds. That is how she found out about my son and what they were doing to him. And that is why she wanted to rescue him… and you, but they murdered her.” The Major told her and watched as she raised an eyebrow.
Jarod winced, maybe he shouldn’t have told her that. He remembered how she’d reacted to the fact that her mother wanted to save him. “For you, Jarod. The way I see it, she died trying to save you… I won't stop chasing you and I won't chase my past any more.” That time she was not standing in front of him with a gun in her hand and he was grateful then. Now, however, the situation was different.
“My mother was mentally ill. She and my father had problems with their marriage and she couldn’t take it. She hated him so much that she went to the place where he worked and killed herself in an elevator just to make him feel guilty. My mother committed suicide, not giving a damn about the people who loved her. End of story!” She said coldly. Her voice lacked emotion, but Jarod knew deep inside it was tearing her apart.
“If you really believe that, why would you want to go back there asking questions?” The Major asked. Jarod knew his father was doing the right thing. That was exactly what he wanted to ask.
“That’s none of your damn business!” She bit back.
Sydney took a step forward, but Parker had her gun aimed at him in a second. “Miss Parker, if you go back to the Centre, you will never get your answers.”
“Why? Will YOU give me my answers?”
Sydney didn’t know what to reply. He didn’t want to lie to her. He may have kept things from her, but he had never intentionally lied to her about her past.
“Miss Parker, you can’t deny it, the Centre’s main interest is always their own. Those interests may be the opposite of yours, which means you’ll never get your answers from them. They will not only lie to you, but they will make sure you never ask those questions again. Put the gun down, stay here and we can think about how to go on.” Major Charles told her earnestly.
Much to Jarod’s surprise, he saw that Parker was considering his father’s suggestion. For a long moment, they all stood in silence. Ethan was watching as well. He had been standing there from the beginning, but he hadn’t said a word. It wasn’t time for him to talk yet.
Gazing straight into the Major’s eyes, Parker replied. “I can think about how I go on?”
“Sure. You are free to do whatever you want.”
“And the gun stays with me.” She added.
“Of course.”
Parker finally lowered the gun and put the safety back on. Broots released a long sigh of relief, probably the longest in his whole life. He leant against the wall and put his hands to his waist. That was tough.
“Now, I think we all should think about eating, we need to keep ourselves strong.” The Major said.
“I agree. I still need to get some strength back.” Jarod said, admitting he still wasn’t a hundred percent.
The Major noticed Miss Parker’s expression; she was looking at him confused as if she didn’t understand what he was saying. Then he watched as her attention turned to the floor, she raised her hand to her head and swayed. The Major was the first one there to catch her as she fell since he was standing the closest. Jarod was at her side immediately, helping his father.
“What happened? What’s up with her?” Broots asked confused, stepping closer in case they needed any help.
“Parker? Parker!” Jarod tried to wake her, but couldn’t. “We should lay her down.” His father nodded and they lay her down on the sofa. Jarod grabbed his upper right arm; his wounds hurt.
His father noticed his movement and the slight trace of pain on his face. “Are you alright, son?”
“I’m better than her.” He said.
Sydney bent down and touched her forehead. “No fever. She needs to lay in a comfortable position, the sofa is too small.” He said.
“Yes. We have to take her upstairs.” The Pretender said and slid his arm under her knees.
His father put a hand to his shoulder. “No. You have to heal too. Ethan, can you help me?” Ethan was at his side in a second.
“I’m fine, Dad.” Jarod tried to argue, but this time it was Ethan who spoke.
“No, you are not. Let me help take her upstairs.” Jarod just let out a sigh and nodded.
The Centre
Mr. Lyle’s office
1:30 pm
“This screws up our plan.” Lyle said angrily.
“I’m glad you finally grasped that.” Raines bit back.
“We were in the middle of the process.” Lyle said, looking at him.
“I know, and we have to get them back before the Triumvirate finds out that we are off schedule.”
“And before our “work” wears off,” Lyle said, his brows furrowed. Raines looked at him angrily before he turned around and left. When the door closed behind him, Lyle slammed his fist down at the table. “DAMN you, Sydney, you will pay for this!” He swore.
Unknown Place
Upstairs –Miss Parker’s room
1:34 pm
“Parker! Parker, wake up!” Jarod called her name, but nothing happened.
Sydney sat next to her on the bed, checking her pulse. “Everything seems fine, she’s just unconscious.” The psychiatrist told them.
“Just like the other times,” The Major said, his brows furrowed.
“Other times?” Jarod and Ethan asked in union.
Charles noticed that Ethan actually talked when it was about his sister or his brother. Shaking this thought out of his head, he replied. “Yes. Two days ago when I entered the room, she was lying on the floor. I thought there was something wrong and I was ready to give her first-aid help, but it wasn’t necessary because she woke up when I put her on the bed. Then yesterday as I tried to convince her that the food that I’d brought for her wasn’t poisoned, she fainted again. Both times, it wasn’t for longer than 5 minutes. I thought it was because she was weak and she just needed some food and liquids.”
“You should have let me know that she wasn’t feeling well.” Sydney said.
The Major turned a lethal gaze at the other man and Jarod noticed for the second time that there was a lot of tension between them. “You were too busy with separating my son from me and everyone else.” He hissed.
“I can’t help if you can’t see clearly, Major.” Sydney said.
Jarod was surprised at the tone his mentor used, he hadn’t heard it for a very long time and Sydney was obviously angry. Before his father could reply and they could start a fight, Jarod spoke, “Dad, that is something I want to talk to you about, but let’s talk about it later. Please.”
His father kept on staring at Sydney for a while before he gave a response. “Alright, son. Let’s just hope, there will be nothing preventing our time together.” He said bitterly.
Jarod knew he had to find out something before their problem could reach higher levels. He had his issues with Sydney, but he couldn’t deny the fact that he had feelings for him. He just had to make his father see that if someone is the wrong place, they have to hold on to any positive things they can find. He glanced from Sydney to his father and spotted their intense glare at each other. He was about to speak when he noticed Parker’s gaze on him; she had regained consciousness, and for a short while, they just kept on staring at each other.
“Welcome back.” Jarod finally spoke. The Pretender saw her facial expression. Not a good sign.
“Get away from me!” She growled and pulled her hand away from Sydney. Jarod knew she was dangerous when people got too close, especially if she hadn’t allowed it. Sydney was sitting right next to her, the Major on the other side of the bed while he and Ethan were standing behind his mentor. Basically forbidden areas, he thought.
Both Sydney and the Major stood up and took a step back. Parker tried to sit up, but her head was pounding. She managed to lean against the headboard, but the pain was disturbing.
“Let me get you a cup of tea and a pill.”
“You and your tea and pills!” Parker growled at the offer from Major Charles.
Sydney folded his arms. The Major obviously knew a lot more about her condition than he did, after all, he’d spent the last two days with her. Whenever Sydney had left Jarod’s side for a short while, the Major was nowhere to be found and many times he’d exited Parker’s room as the psychiatrist was returning to his protégé.
Major Charles chuckled at her response and left the room. He was surprised to see that Ethan was following him. He looked at him questioningly, hoping that he wanted to come with him when Ethan spoke.
“I’m just going to Broots. Maybe he needs a cup of tea too, and I will let him know that my sister is feeling better.” He said. Probably one of the longest sentences he had spoken him, the Major thought. He nodded to his son and disappeared down the stairs.
“What kind of headache do you have?” Sydney asked.
“The painful kind!” Parker bit back.
Jarod felt relieved; her sarcasm was back so she must have been feeling better.
Sydney, on the other hand, didn’t like her reply. He didn’t need her rejection, he wanted to help her, but he couldn’t do anything if she turned him down. “It’s important to know what kind of headache you have, where you feel the pain. Does it pound periodically or do you feel a constant pain?” Sydney explained.
“Where’s the gun?” Parker asked instead of replying and raised her head to look at them sharply. Jarod raised it up with a smug grin on his face. Now she knew where she had seen the grin on the Major’s face before, but how could she remember it when she had never met this guy before? And she was sure she would have recalled meeting him, it would be hard to forget such a handsome man.
“You don’t need the gun, Miss Parker.” The Pretender said. “You are free to do whatever you want, the door isn’t locked.”
“Not anymore.” She murmured, massaging her temples.
Jarod shot a confused glare at Sydney, but his mentor was busy studying Parker. His brows were furrowed, his arms folded and his hand was at his chin - he was thinking. Turning back to Parker, the Pretender noticed her quickly run a hand over her abdomen. He knew what it meant and he was sure Sydney had noticed it too. “Your ulcer? Is it acting up?” Jarod asked.
“I don’t have an ulcer.”
Jarod started to get upset. He knew they had their horrible, selfish, disgusting reasons for erasing her memories and lying to her about her past, but not telling her about her ulcer made him angry. They obviously didn’t give a damn about her health; they just wanted their own profit. “Yes, you do. They just forgot to tell you.”
“Here,” Sydney said, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a small bottle, “Your antacid. I put it into my pocket during the mess.” The older man said and held out the small item.
“No thanks, I’d rather take the pain.”
“Parker, this is about your health!” Sydney insisted.
“Look, I don’t know what the hell you want from me. It’s my problem, my pain, my health! You have no say in it, so please, get out of my life. Go back to fighting for Jarod or whatever you were doing with the Major, but forget about me!”
She was being stubborn again and Jarod wanted to reply, but it wasn’t the right time.
“I can’t.” Sydney spoke before Jarod could say anything.
“Oh really, give me one reason.” Miss Parked moved her gaze to look at him again. Her expression was a mixture of hatred and boredom. For a moment, Jarod thought Sydney was going to come out with it.
“We all have our reasons for acting the way we do.” The psychiatrist said. Talking about being stubborn, Jarod thought and let out a sigh. He now knew where Parker got her “virtue” from, which basically, made sense.
“There was still enough tea for one mug from the one that I made this morning. I just needed to warm it up.” The Major said, entering the room again. With the mug and the pill in hand, he walked to the bed and held them out for her.
Jarod figured they would have a hell of a time convincing her to take at least the tea, but much to his and Sydney’s surprise, she took it from his father without question. She put the pill in her mouth then took a sip from the tea. Sydney raised his eyebrows and looked at Jarod briefly. Jarod couldn’t do anything except return his surprised look.
“You must have a lot of time.” Parker stated before she took another sip of the tea.
“Excuse me?” The Major asked.
Turning her head, she looked at Sydney and Jarod again. “Don’t you have anything else to do besides stand here watching me drink a cup of tea?” She asked sharply. “I’m sure the Major would be kind enough to make some for you too; he’s been so generous.” She said.
Jarod’s father shook his head slightly and a smile appeared on his face. Jarod noticed that his father had learnt how to deal with the small rude lines from Parker. He had a feeling, however, that his father had not met the really mean Parker yet.
“We are not interested in the tea, we are more interested in your health.” Jarod said in response.
“What does one say at these times? I guess thank you. Well then, consider it my thank you, but now you should get out of here.”
“Not until you tell me about the pain. It’s important to find out what’s causing your black-outs.” Sydney said.
“Well, I have the answer for that. It’s due to your incredible personalities. You all have such sorry lives it makes me faint.”
This kind of defense mechanism in Parker was something that Sydney had not seen in years. In the last couple of years, she would simply tell him that she didn’t want to talk about it or that he should leave her alone. This kind of wall around her was typical of when they’d started working together after Jarod’s escape. Sydney just hoped it was not going to take as long to get close to her again as it had the first time. He didn’t have years and he didn’t have the patience to wait for years. He suddenly realized that he missed the old Parker and what it meant to him that he’d managed to build a relationship with her that many others couldn’t. And he’d almost thrown it away. Looking at Jarod, he nodded to him. They both knew it was time to leave her alone. They’d told her she was free to do whatever she wanted and if she wanted privacy, they had to give it to her. After all, they weren’t the Centre.
“Alright. I’ll check back later to see how you’re feeling.”
“I’ll feel better after you leave.” She said coldly.
Jarod shook his head and turned to leave; his wounds were hurting and he needed to rest. He figured it was better if he got his strength back so they wouldn’t have to deal with two sick people; one was enough.
Sydney followed his protégé, but stopped at the doorway when the Major didn’t move from the chair he was sitting in. Jarod turned around at the voice of his mentor. “Are you coming, Major?”
Jarod’s father stood up and walked to the door. Sydney stepped out; expecting Jarod’s father to follow, he turned back to wait for him to discuss a few things; it was about time. Both he and Jarod watched with surprise as Major Charles stopped at the doorway and said, “I will come to see you later, son, we can talk then.” And with that, he closed the door. Jarod’s eyebrows rose while Sydney’s furrowed. That was an unexpected turn.
“He will tell her too much.” Sydney said, disapproval evident in his voice.
“About what, Sydney?” Jarod asked with a frown.
“About things that she’s not ready to hear yet.”
“Don’t worry. He doesn’t know about your secret.” Jarod said and this time sarcasm was evident in his voice.
Sydney looked at him. “Jarod, it’s not about me.”
“Who are you telling that to, Sydney? Me or yourself?” Sydney kept looking at him without any reply. Jarod raised an eyebrow before he turned and disappeared into his own room. That was a good question. It was a good question indeed.
To Be Continued...
“You are enjoying this, aren’t you? So generous of you to allow me to see my son.” He hissed. That was when Sydney lost his patience. He tried to control himself and tried to keep in control, but he just couldn’t go on like this. Just as he was about to hit back they both heard a sound; a sound that they had both heard quite a few times in their lives. The cocking of a gun grabbed their attention and when they were given an order, they both obeyed.
“Don’t move!” Parker said in a cold tone.
The Major turned his head just enough to see her. She was aiming his gun at them. He then realized his mistake.
“Parker!” Came a deep voice from the door.
Miss Parker simply turned towards him and aimed the gun at his chest. Her grip tight and arm steady, she was ready to shoot if it was needed. “Hello, Jarod.” She said in a tone that reminded him of the old times, the old times when her only aim in life was to catch him and take him back to that hellhole.
“Very funny, but put it down. We have other issues to solve.” Jarod said, briefly glancing at his father and Sydney. He took a step inside, but instead of lowering the gun, Parker raised her other hand and using both hands, aimed the gun at him.
“I’ll show you funny!” She growled.
“Parker!” Jarod said in a deep voice, he was obviously annoyed with her.
“Jarod, no!” Sydney said as he eased the Major’s hands away from himself.
“So, you are the Jarod they are fighting over.” She said.
A confused expression appeared on Jarod’s face before a bulb lit up in his genius mind. “Oh my God… re-education?” He asked, turning to Sydney.
“I wish I could say I’ve enjoyed my stay, but I haven’t, so it’s time for me to go.” She said, carefully taking a step aside while still aiming the gun at Jarod. “Dare to move and I’ll blow your head off!” she warned.
“I know you will.” He said, taking a step back and standing next to his father and Sydney.
“Parker, don’t. There are many things you don’t understand.”
“I know, Sydney, but I’m going to find out everything on my own.” She said and backed out of the room. She flashed them a fake smile before she closed the door and then they heard the door being locked.
Unknown Place
1:13 pm
Upstairs
Ethan sat on his bed trying to chase away the voices. They were louder than in the last two days, but this time he could not understand what they were saying. He had no clue what his mother was saying and it was driving him crazy. Deciding that sitting alone in his room for two days was enough, he got up to go out and get some fresh air. It was about time for him to start visiting his siblings anyway.
Stepping out of the room, he glanced to the end of the corridor where the stairs were. A strange feeling crept into his mind, but the voices didn’t warn him about any possible danger so he ignored it. Suddenly, a noise grabbed his attention; someone was trying to open a door and was shouting the name Parker. Ethan soon identified the voice; it belonged to his brother. With a frown on his face, he went to the door where the shouting was coming from. He tried to open it, but it was locked.
The young man looked around and spotted the key on the table next to the door. Someone had intentionally taken it out of the lock to prevent Jarod and whoever else was in the room from getting out. Grabbing the small item, he unlocked the door. Ethan found himself face to face with Jarod, Sydney and his father. They were staring at him in surprise.
Unknown Place
Downstairs
Broots stepped inside, closing the front door behind him. The house was big and comfortable and the front door opened straight into the living room, which was huge. He had never been in such a big living room. He was about to go further into the house when he spotted a newspaper on the table in the living room. He was headed for the item that had grabbed his interest when the house keys slipped from his hands. Turning back, he bent down to pick them up and heard a gun cocking. He froze, he knew that sound too well and after his latest adventure, he had hoped he wouldn’t hear it again any time soon. Raising his hands to show that he would not make any sudden moves, he straightened up. He tried to stop shaking, but he was sure the person behind him had noticed.
“Turn around slowly!”
Broots let out a sigh of relief as he heard the familiar female voice. “Oh, Miss Parker, it’s just you. You scared me.” He said, spinning around and smiling with relief. His eyes went wide as he saw Parker raise the gun and aim it straight between his eyes. He suddenly realized his mistake; she didn’t remember him.
“Twitch and you will get a third eye!” She growled. The tech put his hands back up immediately, not saying a word. “Is there a car here?”
“I, ah, I, yes, yes, there is. There is one.” Broots babbled, obviously nervous. He saw a small predatory smile on her face and it sent a chill down his spine. He had seen her smiling… bitterly, sweetly - mostly when they talked about Debbie - angrily and the fake one she often gave to her opponents. But this one… this smile he had never seen before and it frightened him.
She wasn’t looking at him like she used to. He knew the way Miss Parker treated strangers and he remembered when they’d first met. She was cold, determined to get what she wanted and did not give a damn who she had to shove out of the way to do so. This smile very much reminded him of that time, a time when she did not try to protect him or care about what happened to him. Knowing that they had erased a huge deal of her memory and the way she reminded him of another self of hers scared him. He knew she was capable of shooting him, he was sure of it.
“You don’t need the car, Parker.” Came a voice from the stairs and Broots was close to fainting from relief until he saw the woman in front of him step beside him with a sudden move. She turned to face the others, but kept her gun aimed at his temple.
“Move and I will solve your little friend’s shaking problem forever.”
Sydney and the Major stood on each side of Jarod. Sydney, with a hand movement, tried to reassure Broots who just nodded to him. The Major was staring at Miss Parker, trying to meet her gaze. He could not believe that he had been foolish enough to turn away from her; he should have known she’d seen the gun. Now they were paying the prize.
“Parker…”
“It’s Miss Parker to you!” She said.
“Miss Parker… we don’t want to hurt you, there’s no need to use the gun.” Jarod said.
“If you stay there, then there definitely won’t be.”
“Miss Parker, please put it down.” Parker looked at the Major, but didn’t reply.
“What do you intend to do?” Sydney asked.
“Leave!” She said simply.
That was the obvious answer and Sydney feared it. If she left, she would go seeking for answers. For those answers, she would go back to the Centre and once she was back in the Centre, there was no way out. They couldn’t let that happen; he could not let it happen. “The Centre is not what it seems. Just think about Lyle… if memories do not deceive me, you wanted to make him pay.” The psychiatrist said calmly.
“You aren’t what you seem either.” She shot back. Sydney took a deep breath.
“Well, that is something we agree on.” The Major said and took a step towards her. Miss Parker immediately aimed the gun at him, her expression serious. “You want answers? Ask.” The older man saw the frown on the woman’s face.
Jarod felt Sydney take a small step forward and knew he wanted to speak. He put out a hand, preventing his old mentor from going any further, signaling him to wait. Sydney knew what his protégé meant. He probably thought that his father was doing it right, but the Major didn’t know Parker, Sydney thought, he did, if someone had a chance to convince her, it was him. Before he could say anything, Parker spoke.
“You talked about my mother.” She said then stopped. Jarod saw that her mind was reeling. She wanted to ask, but had her usual inner struggle - should she ask or should she not. Usually, her curiosity won. And he was right this time too. “You said you knew her and Sydney said she was the head of S.I.S.”
“Yes, that is true. Catherine Parker spent quite a long time in the security section.”
“Liar! My mother never worked for the Centre.” She said, raising her chin.
“She did, she was my colleague.” Sydney said.
“Catherine Parker was working for the Centre, that is how she found out about their dirty deeds. That is how she found out about my son and what they were doing to him. And that is why she wanted to rescue him… and you, but they murdered her.” The Major told her and watched as she raised an eyebrow.
Jarod winced, maybe he shouldn’t have told her that. He remembered how she’d reacted to the fact that her mother wanted to save him. “For you, Jarod. The way I see it, she died trying to save you… I won't stop chasing you and I won't chase my past any more.” That time she was not standing in front of him with a gun in her hand and he was grateful then. Now, however, the situation was different.
“My mother was mentally ill. She and my father had problems with their marriage and she couldn’t take it. She hated him so much that she went to the place where he worked and killed herself in an elevator just to make him feel guilty. My mother committed suicide, not giving a damn about the people who loved her. End of story!” She said coldly. Her voice lacked emotion, but Jarod knew deep inside it was tearing her apart.
“If you really believe that, why would you want to go back there asking questions?” The Major asked. Jarod knew his father was doing the right thing. That was exactly what he wanted to ask.
“That’s none of your damn business!” She bit back.
Sydney took a step forward, but Parker had her gun aimed at him in a second. “Miss Parker, if you go back to the Centre, you will never get your answers.”
“Why? Will YOU give me my answers?”
Sydney didn’t know what to reply. He didn’t want to lie to her. He may have kept things from her, but he had never intentionally lied to her about her past.
“Miss Parker, you can’t deny it, the Centre’s main interest is always their own. Those interests may be the opposite of yours, which means you’ll never get your answers from them. They will not only lie to you, but they will make sure you never ask those questions again. Put the gun down, stay here and we can think about how to go on.” Major Charles told her earnestly.
Much to Jarod’s surprise, he saw that Parker was considering his father’s suggestion. For a long moment, they all stood in silence. Ethan was watching as well. He had been standing there from the beginning, but he hadn’t said a word. It wasn’t time for him to talk yet.
Gazing straight into the Major’s eyes, Parker replied. “I can think about how I go on?”
“Sure. You are free to do whatever you want.”
“And the gun stays with me.” She added.
“Of course.”
Parker finally lowered the gun and put the safety back on. Broots released a long sigh of relief, probably the longest in his whole life. He leant against the wall and put his hands to his waist. That was tough.
“Now, I think we all should think about eating, we need to keep ourselves strong.” The Major said.
“I agree. I still need to get some strength back.” Jarod said, admitting he still wasn’t a hundred percent.
The Major noticed Miss Parker’s expression; she was looking at him confused as if she didn’t understand what he was saying. Then he watched as her attention turned to the floor, she raised her hand to her head and swayed. The Major was the first one there to catch her as she fell since he was standing the closest. Jarod was at her side immediately, helping his father.
“What happened? What’s up with her?” Broots asked confused, stepping closer in case they needed any help.
“Parker? Parker!” Jarod tried to wake her, but couldn’t. “We should lay her down.” His father nodded and they lay her down on the sofa. Jarod grabbed his upper right arm; his wounds hurt.
His father noticed his movement and the slight trace of pain on his face. “Are you alright, son?”
“I’m better than her.” He said.
Sydney bent down and touched her forehead. “No fever. She needs to lay in a comfortable position, the sofa is too small.” He said.
“Yes. We have to take her upstairs.” The Pretender said and slid his arm under her knees.
His father put a hand to his shoulder. “No. You have to heal too. Ethan, can you help me?” Ethan was at his side in a second.
“I’m fine, Dad.” Jarod tried to argue, but this time it was Ethan who spoke.
“No, you are not. Let me help take her upstairs.” Jarod just let out a sigh and nodded.
The Centre
Mr. Lyle’s office
1:30 pm
“This screws up our plan.” Lyle said angrily.
“I’m glad you finally grasped that.” Raines bit back.
“We were in the middle of the process.” Lyle said, looking at him.
“I know, and we have to get them back before the Triumvirate finds out that we are off schedule.”
“And before our “work” wears off,” Lyle said, his brows furrowed. Raines looked at him angrily before he turned around and left. When the door closed behind him, Lyle slammed his fist down at the table. “DAMN you, Sydney, you will pay for this!” He swore.
Unknown Place
Upstairs –Miss Parker’s room
1:34 pm
“Parker! Parker, wake up!” Jarod called her name, but nothing happened.
Sydney sat next to her on the bed, checking her pulse. “Everything seems fine, she’s just unconscious.” The psychiatrist told them.
“Just like the other times,” The Major said, his brows furrowed.
“Other times?” Jarod and Ethan asked in union.
Charles noticed that Ethan actually talked when it was about his sister or his brother. Shaking this thought out of his head, he replied. “Yes. Two days ago when I entered the room, she was lying on the floor. I thought there was something wrong and I was ready to give her first-aid help, but it wasn’t necessary because she woke up when I put her on the bed. Then yesterday as I tried to convince her that the food that I’d brought for her wasn’t poisoned, she fainted again. Both times, it wasn’t for longer than 5 minutes. I thought it was because she was weak and she just needed some food and liquids.”
“You should have let me know that she wasn’t feeling well.” Sydney said.
The Major turned a lethal gaze at the other man and Jarod noticed for the second time that there was a lot of tension between them. “You were too busy with separating my son from me and everyone else.” He hissed.
“I can’t help if you can’t see clearly, Major.” Sydney said.
Jarod was surprised at the tone his mentor used, he hadn’t heard it for a very long time and Sydney was obviously angry. Before his father could reply and they could start a fight, Jarod spoke, “Dad, that is something I want to talk to you about, but let’s talk about it later. Please.”
His father kept on staring at Sydney for a while before he gave a response. “Alright, son. Let’s just hope, there will be nothing preventing our time together.” He said bitterly.
Jarod knew he had to find out something before their problem could reach higher levels. He had his issues with Sydney, but he couldn’t deny the fact that he had feelings for him. He just had to make his father see that if someone is the wrong place, they have to hold on to any positive things they can find. He glanced from Sydney to his father and spotted their intense glare at each other. He was about to speak when he noticed Parker’s gaze on him; she had regained consciousness, and for a short while, they just kept on staring at each other.
“Welcome back.” Jarod finally spoke. The Pretender saw her facial expression. Not a good sign.
“Get away from me!” She growled and pulled her hand away from Sydney. Jarod knew she was dangerous when people got too close, especially if she hadn’t allowed it. Sydney was sitting right next to her, the Major on the other side of the bed while he and Ethan were standing behind his mentor. Basically forbidden areas, he thought.
Both Sydney and the Major stood up and took a step back. Parker tried to sit up, but her head was pounding. She managed to lean against the headboard, but the pain was disturbing.
“Let me get you a cup of tea and a pill.”
“You and your tea and pills!” Parker growled at the offer from Major Charles.
Sydney folded his arms. The Major obviously knew a lot more about her condition than he did, after all, he’d spent the last two days with her. Whenever Sydney had left Jarod’s side for a short while, the Major was nowhere to be found and many times he’d exited Parker’s room as the psychiatrist was returning to his protégé.
Major Charles chuckled at her response and left the room. He was surprised to see that Ethan was following him. He looked at him questioningly, hoping that he wanted to come with him when Ethan spoke.
“I’m just going to Broots. Maybe he needs a cup of tea too, and I will let him know that my sister is feeling better.” He said. Probably one of the longest sentences he had spoken him, the Major thought. He nodded to his son and disappeared down the stairs.
“What kind of headache do you have?” Sydney asked.
“The painful kind!” Parker bit back.
Jarod felt relieved; her sarcasm was back so she must have been feeling better.
Sydney, on the other hand, didn’t like her reply. He didn’t need her rejection, he wanted to help her, but he couldn’t do anything if she turned him down. “It’s important to know what kind of headache you have, where you feel the pain. Does it pound periodically or do you feel a constant pain?” Sydney explained.
“Where’s the gun?” Parker asked instead of replying and raised her head to look at them sharply. Jarod raised it up with a smug grin on his face. Now she knew where she had seen the grin on the Major’s face before, but how could she remember it when she had never met this guy before? And she was sure she would have recalled meeting him, it would be hard to forget such a handsome man.
“You don’t need the gun, Miss Parker.” The Pretender said. “You are free to do whatever you want, the door isn’t locked.”
“Not anymore.” She murmured, massaging her temples.
Jarod shot a confused glare at Sydney, but his mentor was busy studying Parker. His brows were furrowed, his arms folded and his hand was at his chin - he was thinking. Turning back to Parker, the Pretender noticed her quickly run a hand over her abdomen. He knew what it meant and he was sure Sydney had noticed it too. “Your ulcer? Is it acting up?” Jarod asked.
“I don’t have an ulcer.”
Jarod started to get upset. He knew they had their horrible, selfish, disgusting reasons for erasing her memories and lying to her about her past, but not telling her about her ulcer made him angry. They obviously didn’t give a damn about her health; they just wanted their own profit. “Yes, you do. They just forgot to tell you.”
“Here,” Sydney said, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a small bottle, “Your antacid. I put it into my pocket during the mess.” The older man said and held out the small item.
“No thanks, I’d rather take the pain.”
“Parker, this is about your health!” Sydney insisted.
“Look, I don’t know what the hell you want from me. It’s my problem, my pain, my health! You have no say in it, so please, get out of my life. Go back to fighting for Jarod or whatever you were doing with the Major, but forget about me!”
She was being stubborn again and Jarod wanted to reply, but it wasn’t the right time.
“I can’t.” Sydney spoke before Jarod could say anything.
“Oh really, give me one reason.” Miss Parked moved her gaze to look at him again. Her expression was a mixture of hatred and boredom. For a moment, Jarod thought Sydney was going to come out with it.
“We all have our reasons for acting the way we do.” The psychiatrist said. Talking about being stubborn, Jarod thought and let out a sigh. He now knew where Parker got her “virtue” from, which basically, made sense.
“There was still enough tea for one mug from the one that I made this morning. I just needed to warm it up.” The Major said, entering the room again. With the mug and the pill in hand, he walked to the bed and held them out for her.
Jarod figured they would have a hell of a time convincing her to take at least the tea, but much to his and Sydney’s surprise, she took it from his father without question. She put the pill in her mouth then took a sip from the tea. Sydney raised his eyebrows and looked at Jarod briefly. Jarod couldn’t do anything except return his surprised look.
“You must have a lot of time.” Parker stated before she took another sip of the tea.
“Excuse me?” The Major asked.
Turning her head, she looked at Sydney and Jarod again. “Don’t you have anything else to do besides stand here watching me drink a cup of tea?” She asked sharply. “I’m sure the Major would be kind enough to make some for you too; he’s been so generous.” She said.
Jarod’s father shook his head slightly and a smile appeared on his face. Jarod noticed that his father had learnt how to deal with the small rude lines from Parker. He had a feeling, however, that his father had not met the really mean Parker yet.
“We are not interested in the tea, we are more interested in your health.” Jarod said in response.
“What does one say at these times? I guess thank you. Well then, consider it my thank you, but now you should get out of here.”
“Not until you tell me about the pain. It’s important to find out what’s causing your black-outs.” Sydney said.
“Well, I have the answer for that. It’s due to your incredible personalities. You all have such sorry lives it makes me faint.”
This kind of defense mechanism in Parker was something that Sydney had not seen in years. In the last couple of years, she would simply tell him that she didn’t want to talk about it or that he should leave her alone. This kind of wall around her was typical of when they’d started working together after Jarod’s escape. Sydney just hoped it was not going to take as long to get close to her again as it had the first time. He didn’t have years and he didn’t have the patience to wait for years. He suddenly realized that he missed the old Parker and what it meant to him that he’d managed to build a relationship with her that many others couldn’t. And he’d almost thrown it away. Looking at Jarod, he nodded to him. They both knew it was time to leave her alone. They’d told her she was free to do whatever she wanted and if she wanted privacy, they had to give it to her. After all, they weren’t the Centre.
“Alright. I’ll check back later to see how you’re feeling.”
“I’ll feel better after you leave.” She said coldly.
Jarod shook his head and turned to leave; his wounds were hurting and he needed to rest. He figured it was better if he got his strength back so they wouldn’t have to deal with two sick people; one was enough.
Sydney followed his protégé, but stopped at the doorway when the Major didn’t move from the chair he was sitting in. Jarod turned around at the voice of his mentor. “Are you coming, Major?”
Jarod’s father stood up and walked to the door. Sydney stepped out; expecting Jarod’s father to follow, he turned back to wait for him to discuss a few things; it was about time. Both he and Jarod watched with surprise as Major Charles stopped at the doorway and said, “I will come to see you later, son, we can talk then.” And with that, he closed the door. Jarod’s eyebrows rose while Sydney’s furrowed. That was an unexpected turn.
“He will tell her too much.” Sydney said, disapproval evident in his voice.
“About what, Sydney?” Jarod asked with a frown.
“About things that she’s not ready to hear yet.”
“Don’t worry. He doesn’t know about your secret.” Jarod said and this time sarcasm was evident in his voice.
Sydney looked at him. “Jarod, it’s not about me.”
“Who are you telling that to, Sydney? Me or yourself?” Sydney kept looking at him without any reply. Jarod raised an eyebrow before he turned and disappeared into his own room. That was a good question. It was a good question indeed.
To Be Continued...
