The Love of the Chase
by Andrea



I stand at the edge of the ocean. Looking at the crashing and breaking waves. Which bring me peace of mind. The waves remind me that the world goes on, sometimes peacefully, and sometimes not so peacefully. The waves remind me that life goes on, even if you are being pursued and sought after everywhere you go.

You see, I’m a Pretender. I’m on the run from the Centre. They want me back, because I used to do SIMs for them, which made them a lot of money. I had always thought that my SIMs were being used to help people. Then I learned the truth. They were used for evil. And I escaped…leaving everything and nothing behind me.

Now, I have a human bloodhound on my trail. Miss Parker. She used to be the centre of my world, the one who brought me happiness, even in the dreary Centre. Then, her mother was killed. Parker was sent away to boarding school, and when she came back she was no longer the young girl I had known.

She had transformed from a sweet, innocent child into a woman with an icy demeanor. I missed the child she had once been.

She’s on my trail, trying to find recapture me. Parker has a deal with her father, bring me back, leave the Centre. She was foolish enough to believe him. But I know that he will never let her go.

She still loves him, even after what he’s done to her.

Sydney is after me as well, along with Broots. I’ve worked with Broots once or twice, he’s a nice guy. I think he has a crush on Parker…but that will never become a reality.

Sydney is the one who trained me. He was my father during those years at the Centre. I turn to him when ever I need him.

I realize the time. It is 2 in the morning, time for my call to Miss Parker. I dial the number, and wait for her to pick up.

"What?" she half screams, half growls into the phone.

"Hello," I say.

"Jarod. What do you want now?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to check on you."

"Yeah, sure." Her voice is tired.

I say nothing for a few minutes, listening to the silence. Just before I am ready to end this conversation, I hold the phone out over the deck.

After I hang up, my thoughts turn once more toward my childhood friend, now my enemy, the Hunter.

Its amazing Parker isn’t dead, after all she’s been though. Just a few months ago, she’d been shot while trying to save father. It was not her first. A few years ago she had been shot, by Brigitte, while again trying to save her father. Add to that the stress of working at the Centre, and the strain of living under lies…it’s a miracle she’s still alive.

But Parker’s always been a fighter. Always will be.

The sound of a car parking interupts my thoughts. I can tell that it Parker’s Porsche Boxter. As with most things of her’s, it is black. A car door slams, and footsteps start toward me.

I turn, and watch her.

She heads for me, her hand at her back. I just stand there, watching.

I’m not surprised that she found me so fast. Parker’s been getting better at following my abstract clues.

Most people would look dead at 2 in the morning, but of course Parker doesn’t. Its 2 in the morning, and she’s in a business suit. One of her usual Centre outfits. I guess she doesn’t pack anything else.

Parker reaches me, and draws her gun. "Jarod."

I still stand, just watching. But as she goes to grab my wrists, I suddenly run.

Of course, she isn’t surprised. Parker starts following, but she won’t be able to catch me, for my car is parked a few yards away. I jump into my Jeep, and start the engine.

I leave her, standing there. I leave her standing there. Even though I want to take her with me, take her away from the Centre I leave her there.





Author's Note: I'd like to thank everybody that helped me with this fic, especially Amiee, Nash, and Kerry.

Disclaim: I do not own the Pretender.

Like it? Hate It?

The Love of the Chase
Part 2

*Broots*

by Andrea



When I started working for the Centre, I thought it was a dream come true. Of course, I didn’t know the real truth.

I applied for the job because it sounded perfect for me, it was near where I lived, high salary (well, better than what I was getting), technology, ect.

A few months after I started working, I was assigned to the Jarod pursuit. Jarod’s a Pretender, somebody that escaped from the Centre. It’s my job to find him.

I work with Miss Parker, and Sydney. Syd is the nicest guy, except when something gets him really mad. He’s the one who trained Jarod to be a Pretender. I think that he doesn’t want Jarod to be recaptured, and does everything in his power to make sure that it doesn’t happen.

Miss Parker is a different story, though.

Her father is the Chairman of the Centre, or he was. She wants to bring Jarod back. From what I can tell, she has a deal with her father: Bring Jarod back, and she can leave the Centre.

I, personally, would like to see her leave. Not because I don’t like her, because I do, but because of what the Centre has done to her. She’s almost died so many times…she’s been hurt so many times.

Now, that her father is missing, she wants to find Jarod even more. I guess that he has contacted her or something, because the search has stepped up. Sometimes I track over twenty leads a day.

Sometimes, I hope that Jarod is never recaptured, because I like working with Parker. But, sometimes…Parker isn’t the person to work for.

When I first started working for her, I was scared of her. I still am, occasionally.

Debbie, my daughter, admires Parker so much. She’s told me that she wants to be just like Parker when she grows up. That shocked me.

I’ve worked with Jarod, and I think he’s really nice. He’s willing to put just about anything on the line to help somebody, which is something I think is great. Especially when some of the risks he takes could make him easier to find.

Footsteps jolt me out of my thoughts. "Have you traced the lead yet, Broots?" Miss Parker asks.

My answer, "I’m working on it," begins my usual day. A day filled with tracking Jarod, the one whom upon everything depends.

Disclaim: I do not own The Pretender, NBC does.

The Love of the Chase
Part 3
Sydney

by Andrea



My mind isn’t on the paperwork on my desk. Instead, it is on Jarod. The escapee I am assigned to find.

Although, I must say, I am certainly not helping my colleagues find Jarod. I’m more interested in helping him escape the Centre forever. I do everything I can to help him.

I suspect that Miss Parker knows my motives.

But do I really care, I ask myself. And the answer is NO. For I helped hold Jarod captive in this place for over thirty years.

I feel like a father to him, although I shouldn’t. I told Jarod over and over that our relationship was a business one…but we grew close. Now, he turns to me whenever he needs help, or if he doesn’t understand something about the world, or if he just wants to talk.

I am happy that he escaped. That he left this hellish place.

And I want him to stay out of the Centre.

This wish is made harder by the fact that I am assigned to recapture Jarod, along with Miss Parker and Broots. Broots is a great guy; he wouldn’t hurt a flea. But Miss Parker is a different matter. She is determined to capture Jarod, so that she can leave the Centre.

My thoughts turn away from Jarod to Miss Parker.

She is like a daughter to me.

I cannot believe all the things the Centre has done to her. Like Jarod once said, it’s a miracle she’s still alive.

When she first started coming to the Centre with her mother, she was the sweetest little girl. Then her mother died, and everything changed.

Her father, who wanted his daughter to be just like him, sent her to boarding school. He succeeded in his quest. When Parker came back, years later, she was different. Just like her father, cold and ruthless.

She started working for the Centre, something I hoped that would never happen. She was determined to make her way to Corporate, and she did. After a few years as a Sweeper, then she spent 3 years as Head of Security.

A few months after she made Corporate, Jarod escaped. Parker was called back into the field to find him, something she wasn’t happy about.

At first, she was determined to catch him. Then, Jarod started opening her eyes to the lies around her, with the truth buried beneath them. Then, she didn’t care about catching Jarod as much.

Parker doesn’t give as much energy and time to finding Jarod as she did before. Something I am grateful for. For I know that she has the Pretender gene, and if she really wanted to catch Jarod, she could.

When I think of Jarod and Parker, I always think of the SIM that helped them meet. They fell in love at the first sight of each other, and they were inseparable. Then, Catherine died, and everything changed.

"Syd?" It is Broots, awaking me from my reverie of memories. I leave the thoughts behind, and start a new day of chasing.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Pretender or any of the characters. They are used without permission.
Note: This, in case you can’t tell, is Emily’s thoughts about the chase. Not the best fic I’ve written, though. Try to enjoy it.


The Love of the Chase
Part 4
Emily

by Andrea


I’ve been on the run my entire life.

Ever since my brother, Jarod, was captured by the Centre, my family has been on the run. Seperately.

My mother and I are together, and my father and the clone are together. My other brother, Kyle, was also kidnapped by the Centre.

I never knew Jarod, except through pictures and stories. I haven’t seen my father or my younger brother either. I only know that he exhists because my father managed to contact us once. I knew Kyle, for a few short years, then he too was taken.

My mother and I never tried to look for Jarod because it was too dangerous. If they had known that we were still alive, they would have been after us. For that matter, they are now after me.

I left Mom, because I wanted to find Jarod myself. I was tired of not knowing him.

I messed up. Big time. Somehow, some Sweepers found me. Now, they are on my trail too.

But they’ll never find me.

I have been on the run my entire life. I’m used to it. Used to the shabby motels, the roach infested rooms. Used to a life on the run. Used to not attracting attention.

As I think about myself, my thoughts turn to my brother.

He has been on the run longer than me. For four years, he has evaded the Centre. I have learned a lot about him, just by reading the newspapers. But I can never catch him, it seems. He stays in one place just long enough to help somebody, then he’s gone.

I also have learned that the Centre has sent three people to capture Jarod. I’ve even seen them, once. I was staying at a hotel where Jarod had been days ago, and they had come to look for clues.

Miss Parker, Sydney, and Broots. The two guys seemed pretty nice, but Parker didn’t. What a b*tch. Believe me, that is the approiate word. Syd and Broots seemed like they wouldn’t hurt a fly, but she…she, I knew, would do anything to capture Jarod.

Mom taught me a lot about the Centre, so I would be aware. She told me about the Parkers, the heirarchy of the Centre. What the Centre does, how they do it…I was horrified.

So, I knew about her. I knew her history. That, Mom had known too. Mom had had a friend on the inside, who sometimes told her bits and pieces of what was happening. That’s how she learned Jarod escaped, finally, after 30 years of captivity. But, she didn’t learn anymore. Her friend was killed.

Soon after that, I left to try and find Jarod. I almost succeded once. Almost. I ran into some Sweepers, and I had to leave. I had tracked Jarod to a small town. But, the Centre had found him too. A few hours after I arrived, they came.

I think that Jarod knows about me now. I know he never knew he had a sister. Once, I had forgotten something at a motel. I had had to leave in a hurry, and I ended up coming back to get it. The manager told me that a man had come around looking for me. The man he described was a perfect picture of Jarod.

Now that Jarod knows, I have to believe that he will come looking for me, instead of the other way around.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Pretender or any of the characters, they are used without permission.


The Love of the Chase
Part 5
Mr. Lyle

by Andrea


A knock sounds at the entrance to my office, and a minute later my sister walks in.

"Broots has a lead on Jarod."

"Now?" I ask impatiently.

"Well, Lyle, you don’t expect Jarod to wait on you, do you?" she asks sarcastiacally. "Be at the hangar in ten minutes, " Parker says, then leaves.

Jarod. The very word makes me mad.

Jarod made me lose my thumb to the Yakuza. I tried to cut his thumb off, for revenge…didn’t succed, though.

One day, he’ll pay.

For everything that he’s done to me.

The humiliation. The pain.

I hate him so much.

I wish I could kill him. But I can’t. Especially not when I’m supposed to bring him in. Even if I could kill him, Parker wouldn’t let me.

Sure, she talks tough, but if push came to shove, she wouldn’t kill him, even though she’s proclaimed many times that she wants to. Parker’s had a lot of chances to get Jarod, the time they were together in that bank in Dover, and when they were both at Nugenesis. But she never brought him in. That leads me to believe that she doesn’t really want Jarod back at the Centre. Even though her deal with "Daddy" depends on Jarod being recaptured.

I, for one, wish that Jarod had never escaped. I know that Syd is happy that Jarod did leave. Parker complains all the time about how his escape pulled her back into the "field." But I think she doesn’t really care.

I want to run the Centre, not run after Jarod. I was running it for a while, until Dad came back. I think I did a pretty good job, too.

I was assigned to the Jarod pursuit, to keep an eye on Parker, Syd, and Broots. That’s what I was told, anyway. Of course, that isn’t what I want to do.

So I brought Mr. Cox in. He was my "watchdog," which left me to run the Centre.

Now that Dad is back, I’m back to the "chase." And I hate it.

"Uhm, Mr. Lyle?" Broots , at my office door, asks hesitantly.

"What?"

"Miss Parker’s ready to go. She sent me to get you."

"I’ll be there in a minute." Broots leaves.

After a few minutes, I get up and follow him.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Pretender or any of its characters, they are used without permission.


The Love of the Chase
Part 6
Angelo

by Andrea



I remember when Jarod was at the Centre. When Miss Parker was here too, and when I was still Timmy.

I cannot remember much of when I was Timmy. It’s hard. Ever since Mr. Raines turned me into Angelo its hard.

I remember Miss Parker’s mother. She tried to save me. Me and Jarod.

Then she was killed. By the man in the dark suit. I saw it.

I live in the air ducts of the Centre. The place that took me away, just like it did to Jarod and Timmy. The place that destroyed me, turned me into what I am now. The place that created me.

I live with all the ghosts of the Centre’s past.

I remember the explosion. The big bomb that Sydney set off. I saw him do it. I see so many things at the Centre that I’m not supposed to see.

I hate this place. I hate what it did to me.

I’m happy that Jarod escaped. That he got away.

I help Miss Parker find info. She’s my sister. And she knows. Everybody else thinks that Lyle is her brother. But I know different. I’m the one who would know. I can sense it.

I can also sense that she too, is happy about Jarod’s escape. How he managed to get away. Now, she wants to get away. Which is something she may not know right now, but she does. And the only way she can escape is to bring Jarod back.





Note: Angelo’s part was very hard to write. I’m sorry if there are any mistakes, or it seems a little nonsensical.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Pretender or any of the characters, they are used without permission.


The Love of the Chase
Part 7
Sam

by Andrea



It was while we were on the way to Jarod’s newest layer that Miss Parker asked me the question.

"Sam," she said, and paused. "What do you think about this whole Jarod chase?"

Her question surprised me. But I was determined to answer it the best I could.

And I started my answer with some history of mine…

"As you know, Miss Parker, my father worked at the Centre his entire life, that’s how I started working there." A flash of recognition passed her face. "I’ve worked for the Centre my entire life, at one time, I’d have done anything for the Centre."

"But, after 4 years of chasing Jarod, I’m not so sure. I remember when you had me watch Debbie Broots for you. You and I picked her up from school, so that Lyle wouldn’t find her. And then we took her to your house, and I watched her. She was a really nice girl. I knew that the Centre, if they believed Broots was the leak, would do anything to get him. Even if that included sacrificing his daughter. I knew that, of course, from working at the Centre. I’ve even seen it happen before. But, somehow, this time, it was different. It wasn’t just my job anymore."

"I remember when we first started chasing Jarod. You would have done anything to bring him in. So would I. But I was with you when you discovered some of Jarod’s "surprises." After a while, I learned more about Jarod’s life at the Centre. I had already known a lot, but some of it shocked me."

"What do you think of Lyle?" Parker asked. "Do you think he should continue to work on the Jarod chase?"

I hated Lyle. But…she was his sister. I had to be careful…even though I knew of the rivalry between the two. "Lyle, he’d be better off at a desk job. He hates coming with us to track Jarod; it’s a big bother to him. But, yet, he feel’s like he has to come, that if he doesn’t something will go wrong."

That seemed to satisfy her curiosity. She leaned back in her seat. But I still had something to say. "Miss Parker, I’m more loyal to you than Lyle, I think you know that. I would do anything for you. If you decided that, for some reason, you didn’t want to bring Jarod in, I would go with your decision, and not try to capture him myself. Loyalty is a concept I keep."

Note: Sam’s part, again, was hard to write. I hope that you liked it, and it gave you an insight into the Sweeper that has worked with Miss Parker. This fic, of course, was to give you an idea of his feelings.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Pretender, or the characters. They are used without permission.


The Love of the Chase
Part 8
Mr. Parker

by Andrea



While I was waiting for the elevator I ran into my daughter. "Daddy."

"Angel. How are you?"

"Fine."

"How is the Jarod chase coming?" The elevator beeped, and we both stepped in it.

"Same as usual. He has Broots following hundreds of false leads."

"Well," I said, "He can’t outwit a Parker forever."

She started to say something, then stopped. I hoped that she wasn’t going to bring up her mother again, just like she had, one year ago, in this very elevator. The elevator that Catherine had died in. She couldn’t believe what everyone had been told, it had been a suicide, nothing more, nothing less.

Or, rather, for a long time she had believed that. Until Jarod opened her eyes to the truth. I hate that Pretender. At first, when he had escaped, I had assigned my daughter to the chase. Knowing that Jarod wouldn’t be able to outthink her for long. Apparently, I was wrong.

It’s been four years since the chase started, and she hasn’t come close to catching Jarod. Oh, once or twice she has been stuck with him, like that time in Dover. But she didn’t manage to bring him back where he belongs.

"Daddy, about our deal." Her voice draws me out of my thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Daddy, it’s obvious that I can’t catch Jarod. Why don’t you let Lyle do it? I’m sure that’s what he wants, anyway. I’ve tracked Jarod for four years, and I haven’t been able to catch him. Why don’t you just let me leave?"

Leave? That’s what she wanted to do. She’d told me that once before, and we had made a deal. Parker brings Jarod back to the Centre, and she gains her freedom. But from what I’ve seen, she’ll never be able to bring him back.

And even if she did, I wouldn’t let her leave. Yeah, sure. I’d let the only person capable of running the Centre after I leave.

I’ve trained Parker from childhood to be my replacement as Chairman. Everything was planned from her birth. When I thought that she was getting too soft, and weak, I had Catherine taken care of. After that, when she grew too close to Jarod, I had her sent to boarding school. When she was through with school, I started her at the Centre.

I was doing the right thing, training my heir for the days ahead.

Then, Lyle came along. I cherished him as the son I never had, although Parker filled that role almost completely.

At first, I dismissed Lyle as a power-hungry underling. Then, after he was set up by Jarod, lost his thumb, and stole the chip to repay the Yakuza, he lost any respect I might have had. When he stole that chip, I sent Parker after him to take care of the "problem." She did so. My perfect tool, assassin.


When Lyle came back, as my son, I cherished him, even after his history. While I was in hiding in Africa, he tried to run the Centre, and he bungled it big time. I had to send Mr. Cox in to keep an eye on him.

I’ll make sure that Lyle never again takes over the Centre. When I leave power, my daughter will fill my spot, whether she wants to or not.

She’s a Parker.

My perfect tool. I can send her into almost any situation, whether it be a T-board meeting with the Triumvirate, or to take care of a problem like Lyle, and I know that she will triumph. I’m proud of her.

"Daddy." Once again, her voice interrupts my thoughts.

"Angel, I know you can catch Jarod. You just have to try a bit harder."

"But, Daddy…" she trails off.

"Angel, you fulfil the deal, and you can leave." The elevator stops. I kiss her on the cheek, and walk out, thoughts still rolling in my head. Leave? Ha. As if I would ever let her leave.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Pretender or any of the characters, they are used without permission.


The Love of the Chase
Part 9
Mr. Cox

by Andrea



When I first started at the Centre, my job was clear. Keep Parker and her brother out of the way.

I had been hired by Mr. Parker in Africa, during the time in which he had been in hiding. His job description to me was clear enough, watch things at the Centre, and report to him what was going on.

Ever since I had learned about the Centre, I had wanted a career there. Because I didn’t want to start out as a Sweeper, and work my way up, I had waited for the right opportunity. I had found it with Mr. Parker. He offered me a position, money, and prestige. All the things I wanted.

When I started, Mr. Lyle introduced me to the pursuit team. Sydney, Broots, and Miss Parker. When I had asked him what each person was like, he had told me about the two men, but the only thing he would say about Parker was: "Parker’s Parker."

I was puzzled, but I didn’t press the subject. I was interested in meeting this woman for myself. And I did.

I heard Parker, after Lyle’s introduction, call me a new "Player." That was an accurate assumption, I think. Lyle then called me a one-man internal affairs department. That’s accurate too.

The moment I saw Parker, I was entranced. I couldn’t wait to get to know her better.

A few weeks passed, and the next time I saw her was when she came to my "office" and confronted me about stalking her.

I, of course, denied any participation.

Miss Parker was contacted by her father once, something I didn’t know about at the time. He asked her to bring him the strongbox I had put in SL-22 in case of an emergency.

I hadn’t known what was in the box; he’d just given it to me, and told me to put in SL-22.

While Lyle ran the Centre, I supervised through the background, making sure that there wasn’t a huge disaster.

After a few months, Mr. Parker contacted me, and said it was time to put our plan in motion.

I started by killing Mutumbo. Then I accused her and Lyle of contacting their father. She covered up her visit with her father well, which I didn’t know about at the time.

Later, I snuck into her house, and planted the Z3 file that identified Brigitte as Mutumbo’s secret killer.

After Parker found Brigitte, and helped her with the birth of the baby, Mr. Parker and I went to the cabin, to finish everything. The gun was planted on Brigitte, and the house was doused in gasoline. Then I torched it.

My job was described to Parker and Lyle as their father’s inside man during his absence.

During his disappearance, I did everything I could to divert Parker from the trail of her father. Mr. Parker awarded me with a position high in the Centre, something I wanted, and new orders.

Now, I follow Miss Parker and her team many times, tracking their process. If she ever manages to catch Jarod, I am to take over, and make sure of his safe delivery. I’ve come to hate Jarod. All his little tips and tricks become very annoying after a while. I can’t wait until Parker manages to catch him, and I can be free, too.





Note: Once again, Mr. Cox’s part was hard to write, because not a lot is known about him. So I just took info, and added what I thought. I hope you liked it anyway.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Pretender or any of the characters, they are used without permission.


The Love of the Chase
Part 10
Miss Parker

by Andrea



I’m a Parker. The Centre is my blood, my life. My past. My future, too, unless I can catch Jarod…

When I catch Jarod, I can leave the Centre. That’s the deal I have with my father.

At first, I thought it would be easy. Before Jarod had escaped, I was working in Corporate. Then, when he escaped, I was called back into the "field." I wasn’t expecting Jarod to put up much of a fight, I thought all I had to do was find him, and bam, he’s back.

I was wrong. Terribly wrong. Jarod put up a fight. He still does.

I’ve come to hate his little tricks, breadcrumbs, etc. He loves to torment me. He just loves it. Over the last four years, I’ve stayed in more dingy hotels than I care to count. Or been humiliated, especially in front of my team.

A few times, I’ve had the chance to catch Jarod. Like that time when we were together in Dover, or when I found him near NuGenesis. Somehow, I didn’t capture him. I let him go.

Daddy, of course, wasn’t happy.

But sometimes, I don’t care. If there’s any good result of Jarod escaping, its what he’s learning. About me. About Lyle. About my mother. About the Centre.

Jarod has shown me so much. Yet I want to take him back so badly.

To the place he hates.

Sometimes, I don’t know what I would do if I actually captured Jarod.

I’d be able to leave…

But I’d miss Sydney and Broots.

I’ve known Syd since I was a baby. When I stayed at the Centre with Daddy, I was always in his office. I think he counts me as his daughter. Just like he counts Jarod as his son…

Broots is one of the nicest guys I ever met. He would never hurt a fly.

I love Debbie, his daughter. I once looked after her for a week while Broots was away. We hit it off, after a bumpy start. She looks up to me, I can tell. When Broots came back, he was shocked to see her dressing like me…

But, still...

Is my freedom worth Jarod’s?

Note: Hey guys! This is the last part of my series, "The Love of the Chase" I hope you liked it! If you want a sequel…well, you know what to do!