A Way by Ambrosia, admin
A Way II by Ambrosia
Disclaimer: You know the drill, the characters belong to the owners of The Pretender as do all the other little bits and pieces related to it. The rabbit's name and idea for it are mine, but go ahead and use it if you wanna.



A Way II

By Ambrosia






Miss Parker's Cottage
Blue Cove, Delaware
June 15th 1998

'Fake our deaths,' Parker mused. It seemed such an obvious idea. Lyle had done it successfully, twice, why couldn't she?
Jarod had promised he could get all the answers to their pasts. He promised he could get her anything she wanted. He promised to keep her safe, just like he always said he would.

(Flash back)
Sim Lab 20, The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
July 1971

"Jas, it's so scary there," she complained softly. "It's even creepier than corridor fifteen, and the teachers are meaner and scarier than Doctor Raines! I wish we could always stay here with no one watching, taking notes."

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. He liked it here in the dark, when the Simulation Labs weren't being used the security cameras we turned off. While Sydney thought he was in his space reading up on NASA's latest Apollo, Mr Parker thought Miss Parker was in the staff lounge. They had a rare opportunity to talk alone. "One day we will be. I promise one day I'll take us where no one will ever find us."


Miss Parker's Cottage
Blue Cove, Delaware
June 15th 1998

She was shaken out of her reverie by Lil-Jas nibbling her fingers. After a long deliberation since deciding to keep the bunny, Parker had decided that naming the rabbit Jarod had sent her last Christmas Lil-Jas, after him, wasn't too embarrassing. Rather, a token of their childhood together.

Making her decision to go along with the Fake Our Deaths to Escape from The Centre Plan, she reached for the cell phone Jarod had given her. He said that Raines was tapping her home phone and her office phone, and they needed a secure line to talk on.

Hitting the speed dial on the number marked 'This One', she listened to the ringing of the phone and then the smooth sound of his voice on the other end. Foregoing pleasantries she smiled.

"Deal me in and tell me how to play the game. I want to know all the details, from start to finish."

"Miss Parker," he spoke, ignoring her request. "Nice to hear from you, I assume that this means you're coming with me?"

"Well, yes, I thought that much was obvious. When can I know the details?"

"Hang on a minute, can you open your backdoor. You've got, like, about seven locks on this thing!"

She pressed the End button on the phone and made her way to the back of the house. And after unlocking the remaining five bolts, saw his happy face and looked back in shock. He was happy to see her? But then, he did offer to save her life. They were partners now, no longer Hunter and Prey, she just had to keep remembering that.

When she didn't invite him in, Jarod moved closer and stepped inside the house, closing the door behind him. Heading towards the living room which she had so recently vacated, Jarod looked about her house. He had only ever seen it from the outside, and it was as comfortable as it looked.
At first Jarod had found it hard to imagine someone as hard as Miss Parker living in a home painted in soft pinks and reds. But as he got to know the real her and when he remembered the Miss Parker from his childhood, he could understand it better.
Finally moving from her position near the back door, Parker followed Jarod into the living room. She found him seated on the couch with Lil-Jas on his lap.

"What did you name him?" he asked innocently.

She blushed, not a frequent occurrence.

"What? It can't be that bad," he pressed, smiling.

Taking a deep breath and controlling the flush of her cheeks, Parker decided to just tell him. He'd understand, he'd remember the significance. "I ? I named him?Lil-Jas."

Jarod grinned, "you named him after me?"

"Yeah, well, I just thought with the rabbit twins and all? I just thought it was kind of fitting, you know? I mean, when we were little and I called you Jas we used to save the rabbits. It fit."

"I get it," he replied softly. "So, do you want to know what you've gotta do so I can kidnap you?"

She tilted her head to the side, "kidnap? I thought we just were faking deaths." Quickly becoming defensive, "you weren't lying about that were you? Because I promise, if you were, and you think that screwing with my head, getting me to open up and say that I'll leave everything to run away with you was fun. I'll rip each and every appendage from your body starting with your thumbs. Maybe you and Lyle, will be able to make a club, 'Thumbs aren't us'."

"Hey," Jarod responded to her outburst. "Settle, do you want The Centre and everyone to think that you came along willingly?" With a shake of her head he continued. "I didn't think so, so if I kidnap you, then somewhere in our escape, we die, that eliminates us both and keeps you 'loyal til the end'."

"Oh, well then, you should have said all that in the first place."

Abandoned Warehouse
Brewster, Nebraska
June 19th 1998

"Jarod," Parker called into the darkness. "Jarod, we know you're in here, if you come out now, then I promise to aim away from all your major organs."

Her heart pounded with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. She didn't know the entire plan, he'd refused to tell her more then what she needed to know. And all that she knew was that she needed to be in that spot near a small exit door, and that everyone that she'd bought had to be inside the dusty building.

Miss Parker's three sweepers were searching the cluttered back end of the warehouse where Jarod had seemed to have made a home for himself. Sydney and Broots were standing in the centre of the building looking lost, chatting together about her strange mood today.

Suddenly she felt a strong arm encircle her waist, and her gun pulled from her hand. Parker cursed loudly in shock, bringing attention to the rest of the search party.

Holding Parker's gun to her head, Jarod waited for the inevitable threat from the head sweeper Sam, and the attempted insight from Sydney. 'Must have shocked them more than I thought it would' he thought faintly, when for once, neither came.

So, Jarod simply took aim over Parker's shoulder and shot out the rope holding the heavy roller door open. Effectively cutting off one exit, he proceeded to half drag, half carry Parker through the only other. Once outside, he locked and bolted the small door firmly, giving them at least an hour before they would be free.

Turning to her he grinned. "Come on, the car's this way."

"Where to now?" She asked nervously, hoping this could all be over soon.

"The Centre Air Strip, out plane is being prepped right now."

"The Centre's WHAT?"

"Air Strip," he wondered if she'd heard him, or was saying it for dramatic effect.

"And you thing they're just gonna let you walk right in and take a plane!"

"We'll be driving, and yes, they will. Look," he decided to tell her now rather than later. "Well, I've been working there this past week, as a pilot. And I told them that I have a special delivery for the Centre's head office in Georgia. So they said, they'd get right on to prepping the plane. They're actually making Mr Raines wait, so they can help me escape!" He laughed at this last bit, it was his favourite part of the story and he couldn't wait to tell Sydney.

Reaching the rusting utility she smiled sweetly, "well then, that makes it all better then."

Centre Airstrip
Brewster, Nebraska
July 17th 1998

By the time Jarod had stopped the car in the car park, Miss Parker looked like a true kidnapping victim. Her wrists were taped together, behind her with thick electrical tape and her ankles were shackled together and they were both wearing bulletproof vests for protection. She'd even added some fake blood for a pretend head wound. She was glad Jarod'd done the sting as a SWAT cop.

For once in a long time, Parker did exactly what Jarod had told her to do. When they were only a few feet from the plane, and Mr Raines and his personal sweeper Willie were about to enter into the airport terminal. Parker let out a loud string of curses, ending in her telling him what he could do with his kidnapping plan.

Though they were far apart, her voice had carried on the wind and it was all Willie needed to notice the duo. Willie turned and aimed his gun, clicking off the safety, Mr Raines turned to look at what Willie was aiming at, Jarod turned and waved to the pair before pushing Parker into the small plane and hopping in lightly after her.


Jarod's plane
Somewhere over Wyoming
July 17th 1998

"Jarod, please tell me you don't want me to jump from this plane," she said nervously when he handed her a parachute.

"Well," he relied patiently. "Firstly, this plane is programmed to fly into some mountains in about fifteen minutes, and yes, we have to jump out of here, or we're going into the mountains with the plane."

"You have got to be joking."

"Nope," he grinned like a little boy with a new toy. "This plane has so much fuel stored in it, then only thing that won't burn to ash will be The Centre's logo on the tail. Like I said to begin with, dead people can't be found."

Parker nodded, it made sense. Holding the harness up to get a better look at it, she asked him, "so how does this thing go on?"


The Drop Zone
Three miles from Worland, Wyoming

They were standing at the door, Jarod looking excited and Parker looking sick. "You ready?" he called to her. She nodded and he jumped, pulling her with him into the air.

After a terrifying few moments of free falling, Parker pushed away from Jarod and searched her side for the string which would release the chute. Calling to him frantically, "Jarod, help! I can't find the string!"

Well, what do you think? I got an 'A' for it in English.
I thrive on feedback, so please send any comments, be they good or bad!!


This story archived at http://www.pretendercentre.com/missingpieces/viewstory.php?sid=164