Disclaimer: Although the characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Center, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and they were used without permission, the character ‘Isabel’ belongs to me. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended, so don’t sue!

Author’s Note: Some quotes were used without permission and for that I am sorry! This is a Pretender fanfic (my first actually), although at first it might sound like a completely different story! Feedback would be a great help! Carol: I’m sorry for all the trouble you had with me…thank you so much matey!




The Prophecy
part 1
by Amelia



"The human language is like a cracked kettle on which we beat out a tune for a dancing bear, when we hope with our music to move the stars." Closing the book she faced the man that sat across her.

"Excellent Isabel." His piercing blue eyes gazed over her like a snake would gaze over its prey. The tone in which he spoke was soothing but cold. She hated that feeling of being trapped, defenseless, she hated the smell of that white sterilized room and she hated Fridays. Those were the days they made her perform those endless tests.

"Why did you choose Madame Bovary for our session today?" For a second her eyes wondered over the book’s red cape. A small smile crept to her delicate face. "Why are you smiling?" He asked, his tone rising a bit.

"I didn’t choose Madame Bovary for any particular reason" She stated dryly. "Only this quote."

"Would you explain to me why?" He asked back in his cold soothing tone.

"I liked it" She answered moments later, her eyes now gazing over him.

"And why did you like it?" It was obvious the man was losing his patients ‘Good!’ she thought ‘That way I can control you!’

"Words are one of the most powerful weapons Mankind possesses. With them you can control people, you can destroy an empire, with them you can build walls around your heart or destroy them in that same moment. But can they actually move the stars?" She smiled her usual gotcha smile "A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought"

"Tell me Isabel" She felt the urge to suppress a shiver every time he pronounced her name. "What is the most important thing to you?"

"Loyalty" She answered not a second later, because it would only raise the suspicion that she was lying, that she was having thoughts of her own, and that they would never allow. Behind her blue eyes her mind screamed ‘Freedom!’ but her lips remained sealed.

"Text book reply" His eyes locked on her own "But I wonder if it’s the true answer". If he was going for any reaction, any light change in her features he missed it, because Isabel was the master of coldness. They had taught her well.

"Truth is the safest lie" She rested her chin on her hand, eyes firmly locked on the man in front of her.

"It seems you have some sort of a settlement for proverbs"

"They fascinate me. They reflect popular knowledge in the most unusual of ways"

"Good" Was his bored reply. While he was searching for something in his papers Isabel had the opportunity of studying him a little. ‘Expensive watch, expensive suite, perfect fingernails. He breathes elegance and ambition. One could think he’s the ruler of the world. Ah, but he has trouble concentrating for long periods of time – Not going to get very far I’m afraid.’

"Well Isabel, my work here is done. Thank you very much for this wonderful chat" He was smiling those kind of smiles that melted a mother’s heart, but his eyes were cold…dead.

"Could I have the pleasure of your name?". her question caught him off guard and his first reaction was to look at the camera placed right over her head, on the white ceiling in that white room. ‘Gotcha there puppet!’ She jolted, but on the outside she was emotionless. Clearing his throat, not at ease with the situation - he answered.

"I am Dr. Price. Now excuse me." Approaching the door he knocked on it twice, stealing a second glance at Isabel before leaving the room. She sat quietly, hands over her lap a small smile playing on her lips. Minutes after Mr. Price’s departure two guards entered the room. It was time to lock away the performing monkey again.

-*-*-*-*

"What did you think of our beautiful prodigy Mr. Raines?"

"A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought" Mr. Raines recited Isabel’s answer in his usual out-of-breath tone. "Do you know who said that?" He questioned.

The two men next to him exchanged surprised looks and just shook their heads as he continued on.

"…And may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and the time in which it is used. This is a quotation gentleman, of Mr. Parker back in 1918" - Raines breathe shallowly, his eyes focused on the screen in front of him - There she was: the Center’s most precious prize, the biggest secret of them all.

At the age of 18 she was perfect, beautiful, utterly intelligent and most importantly, she trusted them completely. As a child, she did not know evil back then, and so had trusted the Devil. Compared to her, Ethan was a shadow, and Jarod was just a smart man. Next to her there were no competitors. The Center would win!

"Mr. Parker?" One of the men asked, apparently confused with that statement.

"Yes, the one person you have to thank for creating this place. Isabel is coming back with me. She’s ready." And with no more delays Mr. Raines exit the room leaving two very surprised men behind.

-*-*-*-*

Three hours later they were ready to take off. Isabel hadn’t spoken a word since they had told her she was about to be moved to another place. She had anticipated that change though. She had felt his presence early that morning when he passed through her room’s door. She knew he had watched her through the surveillance cameras and now, facing him she just wanted to run away as far as her legs would let her go.

"You know who I am?" He asked with his rough shrilling voice. Isabel just nodded, lost in the image of the man sitting in front of her. No one had ever told her who he was, but she knew him. He had plagued her thoughts for many years and he was a constant presence in her nightmares. "Good then, there’s no need to pretend we don’t know each other"

"Why am I being moved?" She asked, her eyes fixed on the man, every emotion drained from her system.

"The time as come." Was his simple but sharp response. "I watched your session with Dr. Price"

"I know" She interrupted him mid sentence. For a moment Mr. Raines looked surprised but said nothing.

"Where did you hear that?"

Isabel took a while to answer. Should she pretend not to understand what he was talking about, or should she dazzle him with her wits? - ‘That quote represents a beginning for us’…

"A little bird told me" She responded - A mocking smile playing on her lips.

"Don’t play with me child!" Raines roared at her. Isabel almost jumped out of her seat. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were menacing…evil. "How…did…you…know…that?" He wheezed.

"I saw it."

"Where?"

"In my mind."

The plane suffered from the heavy turbulence, shaking and bouncing everyone inside. "I saw them clear as water."

"Excellent" He whispered - his mind lost in thoughts. So it was true…she could read the Scrolls. "Magnificent".

Isabel looked out the window. The blue ocean extended as far as the eyes could see. She had seen many pictures and had read many things about the vast ocean. One day she just wished she could stand on the shore watching the waves kissing the sand, the warm sun in her face while the wind blew soothing words in her ear.
One day it would all be over…

*-*-*-*

"Broots!" Miss Parker called from the door, scaring the poor technician. "What’s this fuss all about?"

Broots was still shaking as he tried to gather his thoughts - "Umm…I don’t know?" Was his answer-sort-of-a-question. He had been locked up down there for the entire day. How was he supposed to know what was happening in the Madhouse?

"You are so over-paid" She snapped bitterly "Find out what’s going on and do it quietly." She warned him with a menacing look. "I have a weird feeling about this." She stated just before closing the door.

"Weird feelings are my daily bread." He said under his breath, typing fast on his keyboard.

-*-*-*-

Walking straight to Sydney’s office, Miss Parker couldn’t shake off that nasty little voice that said something big was about to happen. She had felt it in her gut ever since she had gotten up that morning. She almost could see it, but somehow it eluded her. She needed Syd’s help.
"Come in" Was Sydney’s soft reply to her urgent knock on the door. She entered immediately and closed the door behind her. "Good afternoon Miss Parker, can I help you with anything?" His voice was calm and soothing, just like a lullaby which made her heart soften a bit.

"Yes Syd, I need you to help me with my Inner sense." She said, pacing his office.

"Anything, but that" Was his sharp reply.

"Please Syd." - Was she begging? She definitely needed a vacation! " I’ve been having these flashes of a room, a Center room and today I can’t shake off the feeling something’s about to happen, something important. Please help me to understand it."
Sydney watched her in silence for a few moments, clearly fighting a battle inside his heart.

"I can’t promise you anything." He finally responded. Miss Parker’s face lit up at his words. ‘Good old Syd! You say Please and he’ll agree with anything!’

"I don’t need your promises Syd, just your help" She said, sitting comfortably on his couch - she waited for him to begin whatever it was that made her talk about her visions.

-*-*-*-

*White. Everything’s white, the table, the chair, the floor, the ceiling, the door…everything. Everything’s been sterilized; I can still smell the detergent they used. The light is burning in my eyes…I can’t see, I can’t focus, I want to scream, it hurts! Help me! Why don’t you help me? Find me…I’m in you and you’re in me! Please help me…it’s Friday again!*

Disclaimer: Although the characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Center, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and they were used without permission, the character ‘Isabel’ belongs to me. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended, so don’t sue!



The Prophecy
part 2
by Amelia



Miss Parker woke with a start. ‘What the hell just happened?’ Looking at Sydney she could see him moving his lips, but no sound was coming out of them.

"Miss Parker!" Sydney called once again. "Are you alright?" He was scared, she could see the fear in his eyes. He had tried to shake her out of that daydream, but with no success. Parker had been too far-gone, unreachable and for a couple of minutes he heard her whisper words like "help me" and "stop" But there was nothing he could do to help her!

"Miss Parker?"

"I’m ok Syd!" She snapped, a little too harsh. Getting up from the couch, she started to pace the room. Something had scared her and Sydney wondered what it could be.

"I saw a white room…in my dream." She started, still pacing the room and rubbing behind her neck with one hand. She felt exhausted, her muscles were tense and her head was starting to pound.

"A Center room?" Sydney asked, watching her closely.

"I don’t know…it could be. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Everything was so white, pure… no, immaculate. It felt…weird."

"Weird? How?"

"Just the thought makes me ill…It was like a T-board room without the T-board: it had the same purpose. Then, I heard this voice."

"What kind of voice?"
Sydney studied her while she kept pacing. She was pale and her hands were trembling. Something had definitely scared her.

"I don’t know Syd." She said, sitting again frustrated. What was the point on having a gift if it couldn’t be understood?

"Was it a male voice or a female one?"

"I don’t know!" She snapped. "I felt what it felt Syd! Do you know the fear you feel when you’re going through a nightmare?"
Sydney nodded, but said nothing. "It was exactly like that: panic, terror…Pain. But in this case, everything was real!

"Nightmares usually seem real." Sydney tried to calm her fear.

"This one was painfully real." She stated with sorrow.
"How do you know that? For all we know it could be another premonition."
Miss Parker pondered his words for a moment and then shook her head.

"No Syd" She said, getting up again and heading towards the door. "It happened, whatever it was…it happened many times."

"What are you going to do?"

"Right now, I just want to know what the hell is going on in this place. I’ll deal with this later."

"What do you mean?"

"Any clue to where Mr. Raines has been hiding these last couple of days?"
Parker watched Sydney shake his head.

"Have you tried Broots?" Sydney said as resumed his seat behind his desk.

"Broots?" She asked with disdain "He doesn’t know anything…He doesn’t even suspect much."

"Don’t be so hard on him Miss Parker. He’s been working overtime, looking for Jarod."

"Yes, he does the work of three men: Moe, Larry and Curly. I wonder how Jarod still manages to elude us every time." She said sarcastically, opening the door of Sydney’s office.

"Speaking of which, heard from him recently?" Syd questioned

"Why should I be the one having news from Jarod and not you, Syd? After all he was your pet…not mine." She answered with a sly smile.

"Jarod was never my pet, Parker." He stated - stung by her remark.

"No?" She rose one brow, emphasizing her fake surprise. "You fed him, played with him, taught him some nice tricks and at the end of the day you locked him up…Funny Syd, that’s what I did with my dog." Miss Parker pronounced as stepped out of his office, and let the door close shut - leaving a very stunned Sydney behind.


-*-*-*-*

Sitting comfortably on the park’s bench, Jarod watched the crowd from behind his sunglasses. He was eating a vanilla ice cream, the warm sun playing on his face. He wasn’t on any pretend, he was just enjoying that beautiful spring afternoon.
Since he had arrived back from the Island of Carthis in Scotland, he had decided to cut back a little on the pretends. He had to find his mother, that was his main goal! - And he would not find her if he kept delaying it due to pretends. It was time to be a little selfish, to want things for himself, to help himself instead of a stranger. But he had to recognize that he had never felt so free as when he was helping others. Besides, cutting back on the pretends had kept the Center at bay, which was good thing. The last time he had spoken to Sydney was three weeks ago.
Jarod found himself more and more unable to speak with Miss Parker – It made him feel uneasy. Something had changed between them: he could no longer taunt her with his witty remarks about her family, her life…He wasn’t sure what exactly had changed: him, or his way of seeing things. Every time he felt the urge to call her, he would just ignore the feeling and concentrate on something else. He had to ignore it…she had made it perfectly clear that whatever had happened on that island had been derived from a moment of weakness and he wasn’t about to argue with that. He was still confused about…
Suddenly a familiar face appeared in the busy crowd. Could it be? Jarod rose immediately, a smile playing on his lips.

"Ethan!" Jarod called - truly amazed by his presence there. Ethan approached him and although he too was smiling, something in his eyes told Jarod that his young brother had been through a lot lately.

"It’s good to see you." He said, embracing him for a moment.

"It’s good to see you too, brother." Ethan replied equally enthusiastic.

"What are you doing here in Boston?" Jarod asked, still utterly amazed. The last thing he expected was to find one of his missing family members in a park, somewhere in Boston.

"I was looking for you." - Ethan looked nervously around before facing Jarod.

"Looking for me?" Jarod wondered perplexed. "How did you find me?" - For five years he had done a pretty good job in covering his tracks. No one could just "find him"!

"I used my Inner Sense to track you down, so to speak." Came Ethan’s simple answer.
Jarod’s face went from amazed to worried. "Why? Isn’t that how my sister does it when trying to find you?"

"If she did, we wouldn’t be here speaking to each other." Jarod said feeling insecure all of a sudden.

"Maybe she can’t track you down because you’re not connected with her that way."

"I hope so. The last thing I need right now is to have your sister sharpening her hunter skills.”

"She is relentless isn’t she?" - Ethan and Jarod chuckled. That was one way to put it…

“Come, tell me why were you looking for me." Jarod motioned for Ethan to walk with him.

"I was wondering if you could help me with this vision I’ve been having." - They walked side by side.

"What kind of vision?"

"I don’t quite understand it…its some sort of a white room. Everything’s white: the chair, table, door, floor, ceiling." Ethan explained.

"You think it’s related to the Center?" Jarod asked, watching the people in the park.

"I was hoping you could tell me…the only contact I had with the Center was through Raines."

"All the rooms at the Center are dark, metal…cold. I’ve never been to a white room like the one you’ve describe."

"I can hear this voice too, asking for my help..." Ethan said as he stopped and faced his brother - Jarod could see his glittering eyes. "…It’s a familiar voice, but I can’t seem to place it." - He kicked a stone, frustrated.

"Why did it ask for your help?" - Jarod was trying to analyze everything Ethan was saying. His brother had come for his help and he was going to do everything in his power to help him.

"I have no idea, Jarod. All I know is that I have a really bad feeling about this. It sounded as if someone was in deep suffering, in pain."

"Could it be just a weird feeling?" - They had to analyze it from every aspect.

"No, this was real brother. Someone desperately needs my…our help."

-*-*-*-*

Disclaimer: Although the characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Center, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and they were used without permission, the character ‘Isabel’ belongs to me. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended, so don’t sue!



The Prophecy
part 3
by Amelia




*My new room…or should I say, cell? It really isn’t much different from my former accommodations - it has the same books, the same paintings and drawings hanging on the wall, the same furniture, the same carpet and the same fake daylight provided by some lamps artistically hidden in some cracks in the ceiling. I also have a brand new computer and a stereo. Oh, they actually allowed me to have a TV with a wide screen and a DVD- latest model! I have a huge collection of films and CD’s. My, oh my…isn’t this a wonderful golden cadge? Ha! They are trying to provide me with everything I’ll ever need…or think I’ll need, but they really don’t have a clue about what I really want. It’s almost pathetic! One thing is different though…I can’t find any cameras, but I know they are watching my every move. I can almost see them, in some dark room, looking at several screens, all showing the same images, but from different angles: me. I know what they want…what he wants, Mr. Raines – it’s his name, I over-heard a guy calling him when they brought me to this place. There’s no way in Hell I’m going to tell him what I saw, what I see every time I close my eyes: those scrolls. I know they have "ways" to make me talk, but it won’t work. I know this, but they don’t…He cannot know what it is written on those scrolls…he mustn’t or everything will be doomed. "A boy named Jarod…" I have to find this boy, wherever he is! He’s the key…I have to get out of here! *

-*-*-*-*

"Girl needs help." Angelo whispered watching Isabel, hidden in the dark vents. "Jarod not here, Daughter scared…Angelo help"

-*-*-*-*

"Miss Parker, can I come in?" Asked Broots entering his boss’ office. He had found something fishy about Mr. Raines’ disappearing act and he knew how Miss Parker loved those ‘smelly’ things.

"You’re already in, Broots." She stated, not bothering to raise her eyes from the file she was studying.

"Yeah, I found out why Mr. Raines is, well…was missing. He went to Africa." He said with a pleased smile on his face.

"He’s back? In one piece?" Parker asked. She had to bite her tongue not to laugh at Broot’s perplexed face.

"Y-Yeah. Too bad, uh?" He chuckled, but seeing she wasn’t smiling he dropped it. Clearing his throat, Broots continued. "The thing is, he took two sweeper teams with him on that journey to the Black Continent." He smiled, still pleased with the discoveries. Parker just stared at him bluntly.

"So…?" She asked annoyed.

"So, why didn’t he take Willie along too? Or instead? Why would Mr. Raines need two sweeper teams to go on a journey to Africa?"

"Because he likes to be surrounded by big, strong men, armed with big powerful guns and Willie was already taken…?" She purred with a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Broots swallowed hard. Suddenly Mr. Raines wearing nothing but a leopard thong came to mind. He was going to throw up.

"I don’t think that’s the case Miss Parker" Broots answered, trying to block any images of Mr. Raines.

"So, why did he need two teams?”

"Well, he didn’t go to a meeting that’s for sure." He grinned.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Miss Parker, no one at the Center, goes to Africa to have just a meeting. They usually return in body bags or don’t return at all! My guess would be that Mr. Raines and his men went there to deliver something."

"Raines isn’t a ‘delivery-boy’. He has Lyle for that."

"Then he went there to pick something up, something extremely valuable. Why else would he need two sweeper teams?"
“What is Raines up to now?” Miss Parker wondered.

"I don’t know…yet." Broots added, seeing her not-so-pleased face.

"Find out what, and do it…"

"Quietly, I know." Broots finished for her. No one felt safe any more at the Center, especially Miss Parker - since Mr. Parker had jumped to his freedom and to a presumable death. No body had been found, nor the Scrolls for that matter. "What about Jarod?" Parker looked at him instinctively.

"What about him?"

"Do you think he knows what Raines has been doing? Maybe he could help us find…"
"Jarod isn’t our ally, Broots!" She snapped a little too annoyed. "He’s the jerk we’ve been chasing all around the damn country for the past five years! Or haven’t you been paying any attention?"

Broots had grown short in his seat. ‘Mental note: don’t mention Jarod to Miss Parker’ He thought. Needing no more clues, he exited her office and headed back to his work place. Right now, he wouldn’t trade places with Jarod, even for all the riches in the world.

-*-*-*-*

"You think we’ll find anything in the Center’s mainframe?" Ethan asked, watching Jarod work.

"It’s a good place to start looking." He said typing very fast, entering endless codes in the computer’s screen.

"Don’t they have a tight security?"

Jarod grinned, his eyes firmly gripped on the screen.

"Yes, very tight." Jarod said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. Ethan wasn’t sure if his brother was serious or if he was just joking. Suddenly, a red box with a message popped up on the screen, saying Level 4 license required. Jarod typed in a ten-digit code and immediately the small box turned from red to green: code accepted.

"Tight uh?" Ethan and Jarod exchanged knowing looks. "Ok genius, now what?" Ethan grimaced.

"Now we take a pick at doctor Frankenstein’s inbox. We’ll look for the most recent entries and see if anything sounds out of place." Jarod explained while he read the several names and dates of the e-mails. "Although I suspect we’ll find many things sounding out of place." He said under his breath.

"Look here Jarod." Ethan pointed to an e-mail received the day before. Jarod clicked over it and they found an encrypted message. "Oh, great!" Ethan uttered, disappointed. "I don’t suppose you know how to break that code…?"

"I could try, but I’ll need your help." Jarod pointed to the other computer. Understanding, Ethan sat in front of it and waited for Jarod’s instructions.

"This is nice, you know?" Ethan smiled, after a while.

"What, going through Mr. Raines sordid life?" Jarod smiled back, playing with Ethan.

"No, us…working together."

"I know what you mean. I wish we could do this more often, but I understand you don’t want to be around a fugitive." Jarod was trying to be funny, but his sad look gave him away.

"I am a fugitive too, remember? I just wished my hunters were a bit more like yours." The wicked grin in Ethan’s eyes was enough to warn Jarod.

"You have no idea what you’re talking about."

"What, you don’t think I’d like to have a tall, leggy and beautiful huntress like my sister, chasing me around? Believe me brother, I know exactly what I’m talking about!"

"You’ve changed…" Jarod decided to avoid the subject. There was no point dwelling on things he wasn’t sure he wanted to dwell in. To talk about Parker with his brother could be fatal for him...in many ways! "…You’re not as timid as you were." Jarod’s worried, but playful face made Ethan laugh.

-*-*-*-*
Half an hour later, both Jarod and Ethan rejoiced when the encrypted message became readable. They found out that the whole e-mail was a bunch of messages.

"Apparently Mr. Raines was in Africa." Ethan said, reading one of the messages.
"Yes." Was Jarod short reply. He was focused on something else, the last part of the message to be exact. "And he went to pick up something. Whatever it was, its well guarded and away from all peering eyes, and is now somewhere in the facilities of Blue Cove."

"Maybe this thing Raines went to pick up in Africa is not a thing…but a person! The one who asked for my help!" Ethan started to pace, his mind working fast. It made sense! "What do you think?"

"It’s possible…There’s only one way for us to find out." - Jarod faced his brother, a small contented smile on his lips and glowing eyes.

"You’re going to ask my sister?" Ethan offered with a sly smile. He knew Jarod cared more for her then he’d liked to admit. For some reason, he was enjoying taunting Jarod.

"No. I think it’s better to leave your sister out of this." Jarod replied all serious. He looked menacing at Ethan.

"Yeah, she might disagree with you." Ethan was mocking him. That little brat! – Jarod thought.

"That’s not exactly news." They both chuckled. Ethan decided to leave it there. He wasn’t going to push Jarod to talk about a thing he obviously didn’t want to talk about. The time would come…he just hoped that he was right about the vibrations he was getting from his brother…and sister, for that matter.

"So, that plan of yours…?"

"Right, we have to get inside of the Center, search for this mysterious person or thing Raines is protecting and then we rescue it. Then, I think you and me will have a little chat about your witty remarks." Jarod said playfully.

"Get inside of the Center, as in…really inside?" Ethan asked, dumbfounded. Jarod nodded. "I hate being the one to burst your bubble, but I think you have a screw lose!"

"That’s not exactly news either." Jarod grinned. "Good plan?"

"Good plan." Ethan confirmed. It was going to be a hell of a ride.

-*-*-*-*

Disclaimer: Although the characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Center, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and they were used without permission, the character ‘Isabel’ belongs to me. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended, so don’t sue!

Author’s note: Thank you for all the feedback! It really means a lot when we’re writing a fic for the first time! Carol, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…you know why.




The Prophecy
part 4
by Amelia



“How she’s doing, gentlemen?” Raines asked, watching on the screens Isabel’s sleeping form. He couldn’t see her face, but her breathing told him she was fast asleep.

“She’s calm sir.” One of the dark suited men said. “She’s been reading and working over the computer and now she has fallen asleep.”

“Good.” Raines wheezed. “Has Dr. Price called yet?”

“Yes sir. The drugs are ready.”

“Excellent. Let her rest a few more minutes, then contact me.” He said, while exiting the dark room, dragging the oxygen tank behind him. Soon he would find out what exactly had scared Mr. Parker so much that had caused him jump out of a plane, in the middle of the ocean.

-*-*-*-*

“Who are you?” Isabel whispered, a little scared. Earlier that day she had felt a strange presence in her room. Someone, beside the men behind the cameras, had been watching her. Only after she had lied down on the bed, had the stranger talked to her. He was hidden in some kind of a vent, just above her bed. Knowing they were watching her every move, she remained still, as if she was sleeping.

“Girl sad. Angelo help girl” Was the stranger soft reply.

“Help me?” Isabel felt her eyes begin to fill with tears. Had someone heard her pleas? But…How? Or was this just another trick of that man and his crazy doctors?

“Girl wants to be free?”

“Yes.” She answered in a sob. Whoever this was, he had a gentle soul, Isabel could almost touch it. Angelo said nothing. For a couple of minutes there was no sound, nothing that could refute the idea that “Angelo” was nothing but her mind playing tricks on her. She had wished to be free for so long and now she was finally going mad. But then, the mysterious stranger returned, but this time he was right beside her bed, in some lower vent.

“Girl has to be strong. Evil doctor wants to know what girl knows ” Angelo whispered.

“I know, that’s why I have to get out of here. He’ll stop at nothing to get that information.”

“Jarod will help girl. Daughter will come for girl too.”

“Jarod?” Isabel almost jumped at the mention of his name. “You know Jarod? Where is he?” She practically demanded.

“Jarod free. He’ll be here soon to help girl. Angelo has to go now.”

“Thank you Angelo” She whispered, but heard no reply. The stranger was gone. So, there were others like her and Jarod…Jarod was coming to rescue her? How could that be? He was no longer a boy, that was for sure.

*If he’s no longer a boy and no longer a prisoner then the prophecy is going to come true! Angelo said something about a Daughter coming for me too…I wonder if she’s the heiress...*

Isabel couldn’t finish her thought as two men had entered the room. She sat and faced them with fake surprise.

“Mr. Raines wants to have a word with you:” They said and handcuffed her.

“Mr. Raines is afraid I’m going to attack him?” She asked mockingly, showing them the handcuffed hands. The two men just looked at her, emotionless.

“Let’s go!” They ordered and guided her out the door and through the corridor.

-*-*-*-*

Miss Parker sat quietly in her office, several documents scattered all over her desk. She wondered if any one had noticed how, lately, she liked to bury herself under the often ignored paper work. She hated it, but she had to occupy her mind with something…anything else. Her life had just gone from bad to worst. Two months had passed since her so-called father had presumably died and still they couldn’t find his body anywhere. Lyle had insisted on a funeral and Mr. Raines had practically threatened to kill her if she didn’t attend the ceremony. Now, the grave next to her mother’s was no longer blank. Her parents had been buried side by side, as they would have wanted…ironically both coffins were empty, still waiting for the respective bodies to show up.

Than, there was that little thing going on between Lyle and her. Raines really did know how to do things around there! Turn brother and sister into rivals was the safest and quickest way to get things done. Whatever happened, Raines would always win…Miss Parker had no choice, but to hunt Jarod until the most remote ends of the Earth, or she would end up like her father and mother…missing…

Jarod…

Closing her eyes, she sighed. Now that was a path she definitely could not cross! Her mind was torn between having to hunt him like an animal and to let him have his freedom. Her heart…now more then ever, she knew that whatever her mind decided, she would always lose. Did Jarod know that? She wondered, but immediately dismissed the idea. She didn’t want him even to suspect it.

“Miss Parker!” Broots stormed into her office like a bullet. Parker sat up straight, scared with Broots entry. The man was breathing erratically.

“You do that again Broots and by God you won’t see the coming of another day.” She uttered through grounded teeth.

“I’m s-sorry.” - Broots gulped. “ But I found out what Raines did in Africa, better yet, what he brought back.” He showed her a file.

“What am I looking at?” She asked, reading the file.

“File number 120383, code name: NEM.” Broots pointed out. Parker just stared at him and waited for more details. Broots gulped again. “It’s a person. Raines brought back someone from Africa.” He finally said.

“Another science experiment?” Miss Parker said as she got back to reading the file.

“The two teams make sense now.”

“Let’s hope whoever it is doesn’t turn out to be like Alex.” She frowned , with a disgusted look.

“Whoever it is, I’m sure they’ll be a freak. Can you imagine being raised in a place like that, by those crazy Zulu people? I can’t even begin to imagine the horrible things they did!” - Broots was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t see Miss Parker rise from her chair with an alarmed look on her face.

“And I’ve seen pretty repulsive ‘things’ in my life. When you work in a place like this we have to get used to those kinds of things, I know, but still…Miss Parker, are you alright?”

“Broots, find out where they’re keeping whoever Raines brought from Africa.” She ordered with a frantic look.

“I-I already did: SL-22.” Broots whispered, terrified with Miss Parker reaction. “Why, what are you planning to do?”

“We are going to have a chat with this fellow.” She stated firmly.

“We? Oh no Miss Parker…We already have enough troubles. Besides, this person is heavily guarded. Even if we could pass through the cameras, there’s no way we’re going to pass the armed guards!”

“I’ll take care of the guards, Broots. Can you over-write the system and shut off those cameras for a few minutes, so I could have my talk?” She questioned as she started to pace behind Broots, making him edgy.

“It can be done, but not for long. Whoever is watching will get suspicious if suddenly all the cameras went off.” He turned to look at her.

“Then, can you tape five minutes of whatever is happening in that place, copy it and make the cameras show the same thing over and over again, so they won’t notice I’m there?”

“Yeah. Which films have you been watching lately Miss Parker?” Broots asked, amazed with his boss chain of thoughts.

“What?” She stopped pacing and looked at him confused.

“Nothing.” He gulped. “When is this going to happen?”

“Tonight. I have a feeling that the sooner I speak to this person the sooner I’ll be able to sleep properly.”

“Tonight…tonight? He jumped out of his seat. “Oh no…no, I’m not ready! I have to distinguish the closed-circuits to those cameras from hundreds of different closed-circuits - not to mention the correct wires between thousands of different wires, so I’ll be able to tape, copy, and show the same image in the right cameras!" Broots was frantic.

Parker looked over her silver watch.

“Then you have four hours to do all that. I suggest you start now!” She barked in his ears, dragging him out of her office by the lapels of his shirt.

-*-*-*-*

“Hello again Isabel.” Dr. Price greeted her in his impeccable white smock. Isabel watched him furiously. She sat in what seemed to be a dentist chair, feet and hands tied roughly against the cold metal of the piece. Her right harm was bare and they had glued two wires to her temples to measure the electromagnetic impulses, or so she thought. Another wire had been placed over her heart. “You don’t need to be scared. This will be over as soon as you tell us what we want to know.” Isabel remained silent, but her angry eyes flamed the man.

“Now, shall we start?” Dr. Price smiled, pleased with the situation. Isabel closed her eyes and swallow hard. ‘Jarod…hurry’

“What can you tell us about the scrolls?” He asked, standing on her right side.

“Nothing.” Was her sharp answer. She refused to face the doctor. He simply grinned.

“I figured you’d say that. That’s why I brought this along.” He showed her a syringe, filled with some blue liquid. He placed it just over the skin of her right harm and searched for a vein.

“It won’t work.” She warned, still not looking at what he was doing.

“We’ll see about that.”

…All the liquid was drained into her system.

-*-*-*-*

Disclaimer: Although the characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Center, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and they were used without permission, the character ‘Isabel’ belongs to me. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended, so don’t sue!



The Prophecy
part 5
by Amelia



Jarod and Ethan halted to a stop, ducking behind a ventilation exit-box. They were breathing fast due to the run and their breaths could be seen in the chilly night.

“Here’s where we go in.” Jarod said, peering over the box searching for a guard. ‘None…as usual. Those security boys are about as smart bait!’ Jarod thought, while opening the box’s gate. Some red lasers could be seen blocking the entrance. Ethan grinned when Jarod, using two mirrors, channeled the lasers into a thin tube - clearing the entrance.

“I can see you do this a lot.” Ethan said with a smile, helping Jarod go down the vent.

“It helps me to exercise my demons.” Jarod replied, catching his brother’s back-pack. Ethan landed softly, like a cat, next to Jarod. “I’m impressed!” He said with both eyebrows raised. Ethan chuckled.

“Where to now?” He asked.

“Follow me.” Jarod gestured. They both ran quietly through the main vent.

“Do you have any clue where they have placed it?” Ethan questioned, after a while of running through the vents.

“Probably in one of the lower sub-levels. But I will only have the right location once I get my hands on Mr. Broots computer.”

“Mr. Broots?” Ethan asked, starting to climb up the vent’s stairs, right behind Jarod.

“One of your sister little helpers.” Jarod whispered. Stopping climbing, he searched for any movement outside, in the main corridor.

At that hour, the Centre was almost a ghost town…almost. Slowly he opened the vent gate and slipped to the ground, making no noise. Ethan followed him shortly afterwards. They both looked for any guards or employees that could be working late at night, but all the lights were off in every office. They walked next to the walls, the dark shadows of the night hiding their forms. They stopped again at the end of the corridor and peeked around the corner. - No one was in sight.

Broots’ office was just down that next corridor so they hurried up. No light in his office either. Slowly Jarod opened the door and peered inside, while Ethan watched for any signs of in coming people. Everything was quiet. They both entered and closed the door behind them.

“Ok, everything has gone as planned…so far.” Ethan whispered. Jarod went over to Broots’ desk, immediately starting to work his way into Broots’s program system. Ethan stayed close to the door in alert. “Anything?” He asked after a couple of minutes.

“Apparently Mr. Broots has some ‘solid’ leads to my whereabouts. According to him, I’m somewhere on the West Coast.” Ethan and Jarod exchanged amused looks and both chuckled.

“You’re somewhere, alright.”

“Here we go.” Jarod said when he finally accessed the recent files. “Strange, he too has been checking on Raines.” He stopped and opened his mouth in mocking surprise. “He found about something on SL-22. My guess would be he found out what Raines brought from Africa.”

“That’s a good thing right?” Ethan asked, getting closer to the desk.

“Not when he has been looking for the same thing we have. If he has this information so does Miss Parker.”

“And I can see that’s a problem for you.” Although Jarod couldn’t see Ethan’s face too well, he knew he had a wicked smile.

“For you too, if she catches you here, peering on her extra curriculum activities …brother or no brother.”

“You made sure she was at home, right?” Ethan inquired, returning to his post near the door.

“No.” Jarod kept typing at the keyboard.

“You didn’t call her? But you know where she is, right?” Ethan asked concerned. He liked his sister very much, but the idea of a third degree encounter with his brother’s huntress, wasn’t exactly what he was looking for.

“I have no clue where she is.” Jarod replied, still focused on the computer. He admired Broots - for he was one of the few, if not the only man that could master him when it came to computers.

“So she could be right outside this door?” Ethan whispered, a little too nervous. That caught Jarod’s attention.

“Yes. Why?” He whispered back. Ethan looked at him and nodded frenetically.

“I think she’s outside the door!” Ethan mouthed more than he whispered. Jarod froze in the seat.

-*-*-*-*

“Sometimes I wonder if you are brain-dead!” Parker jolted through ground teeth when she entered Broots office, followed by the man in question.

“Y-You didn’t say I had to go along with you! You just said to take care of the cameras!” Broots said, turning the lights on.

“One could think that, after all this time, you’d get the general idea of the we thing.” She snapped, but noticed that Broots was whiter than a ghost, his eyes focused on something behind her back. Turning around to Broots’ desk, her world came tumbling down.

Jarod sat calmly at Broots’ desk, his hands claps together over his lips. He wasn’t entertained, but there was something about that peculiar situation that amused him. Ethan stood behind him.

“J-Jarod?” Broots blurred out, in shock. “Oh my God! What are you doing here?” He whispered, stepping closer to his desk afraid Jarod would vanish into thin air at any time.

“Good evening, Mr. Broots.” Jarod greeted, a smug smile on his face, his eyes firmly locked on the person behind Broots.

“Well, well…this might be my lucky night after all!” Parker uttered with a cold smile, folding her arms over her chest. She felt her throat going dry.

“Hello Miss Parker.” Jarod had one of his usual ‘gotcha’ grins.

‘That son-of-a bitch…’ Parker thought with rage, flaming Jarod with her eyes.

For a moment, Parker was mute. For the first time in her life she didn’t know what to say, but she had a pretty good idea what she wanted to do. Pulling her 9mm S&W out, she aimed it at Jarod’s head. Broots immediately stepped out of her way. For all he knew, Jarod was already dead!

“Up.” Ordered Parker through ground teeth, her eyes capable of killing him on the spot. Jarod rose slowly serious now.

“Miss Parker!” Ethan called. For a moment, Parker didn’t seem to hear her brother. All she could think of was how much she wanted to shoot Jarod. “Miss Parker!” He called again, this time stepping between her gun and her target. Parker blinked and acknowledged his presence.

“What the hell are you doing here, Ethan?” She inquired, lowering her gun so not to shoot at her own brother. Due to an uncontrollable wish for blood, her eyes were still locked on Jarod’s.

“I had this vision…”

“What kind of a vision?” Parker questioned abruptly, facing Ethan.

“Of a white room.” He answered. Miss Parker sighed and then started to chuckle. “What’s wrong?” Ethan asked, surprised with his sister’s reaction.

“I should have guessed…We had the same vision!” She explained with a cynic smile.

“Then, you know whoever Raines brought from Africa, needs our help!” Ethan added. Parker’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“I will have a nice chat with our little friend down on SL-22, but right now I have more important things to do.” She pronounced with a deadly smile, turning her attention back to Jarod. “You…face the wall.” She gushed, her gun aiming at Jarod again.

“You really think you can go down there by yourself?” Jarod asked, facing the wall, hands behind his back.

“Shut up!” She ordered. “I want nothing out of you, but breathing…and very little of that.” She said in a deadly tone, gun against his head.

“I could help you to take care of those four armed guards down on SL-22.”

“Which part of ‘shut up’ didn’t you understand?” She pressed the gun harder.

“Miss Parker, Jarod is right. You’ll never pass through those guards alone.” Ethan was starting to worry for Jarod’s safety. He had never seen his sister so mad.

“Broots is going with me.” She stated.

“Broots?” Jarod inquired, turning around to face her. She kept the gun pressed against his forehead. “No offense, but Broots is a geek and his place should be behind the computer.”

“None taken.” Broots replied which earned him a glare from his fire-breathing-dragon boss.

“First, I didn’t ask for your opinion, secondly I told you to shut up!” She snapped at Jarod.

“Don’t tell me you’re angry because I don’t call, I don’t write any…” He couldn’t finish his mocking remark, because Parker whacked his face with her gun.

“You haven’t seen me angry Labrat!” She warned with an icy glow in her eyes. Ethan wondered why was Jarod deliberately trying to infuriate Parker.

“Wonderful!” Jarod replied in the same cold tone, cleaning the blood that had started to rush from the corner of his lower lip. “You know, I’m really getting tired of your attitude.”

“Deal with it!” She spat. Suddenly her mind was flooded by hundreds of different images, all showing at an incredible speed: a laboratory, a dentist chair, a syringe with a blue liquid, a white smock, the beeping of a heart being monitored…it made her yelp in pain. She couldn’t even breathe for it was so intense!

* Help me…please hurry… *

Ethan couldn’t bare the pain in his head, it was too sudden, too extreme for his young body to take. He felt his knees giving away under him and in an instant, he was on the floor, hanging for dear life to his head.

Miss Parker started to fall down aswell, but Jarod caught her mid way. As suddenly as they had come, the pain and images were gone and she was able to breathe again.

“Are you ok?” Jarod asked, concerned. For a moment, Parker was lost in his eyes, butterflies filling her stomach. She wondered how, after all she had said and done to him, he could still be worried about her.

“Are y-you alright Miss Parker?” Broots ran to her side, calling her back to reality.

“I’m fine.” She finally said, pulling herself from Jarod’s grip, not taking her eyes from his.

“Ethan!” Jarod called, running to his brother’s side, helping him to sit up. He was still shaken and amazed…and confused with what had just happened. Did Parker and he just have a “moment”? Whatever it was, that was neither the place nor the time to think about those things.

“What happened?” Broots asked, visibly concerned.

“That voice again…so much pain.” Ethan tried to explain, catching his breath.

“Broots, is everything ready?” Parker asked.

“Yes. Why?”

“I’m going down there. Give me the gear.” She ordered.

“I’m not letting you go alone Parker.” Jarod uttered, helping Ethan to a standing position.

“I didn’t ask for your permission.” She spat while inserting the tinny headphone in her ear.

“I’m going with you.” Jarod insisted - the other headphone in his ear. “Besides, who’s going to watch over me while you’re down there? The security guards? I don’t think so, I’d escape in no time. Lyle?” He caught her attention with that one.

“You’re lucky my brother isn’t here. I’m tempted to hand you over to him just to see what he’d do.” She bit back.

“We’d probably end up sharing the same cage and I would definitely qualify that as Hell.”

“You’re right, I should bring you along with me because, if you cross me… I’ll feed you to the guards” She yelled to the microphone hanging from the headphone. “Hear that Broots?” She asked testing the gear. Jarod just glared at her.

“L-Loud and clear, Miss Parker” Was Broot’s reply into his own mic.

-*-*-*-*

Disclaimer: Although the characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and they were used without permission, the character ‘Isabel’ belongs to me. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended, so don’t sue!



The Prophecy
part 7
by Amelia





“Sir, I think we have a problem.” One of the dark suited men, down in the surveillance room, said over the phone.

“What kind of a problem?” Dr. Price snapped back, annoyed.

“We’ve detected a security breach down on SL-22.” He informed.

“What?” Dr. Price barked, furious now.

“We’ve just sent two of our men down there…the girl is missing, sir.”

“Morons! How can she be missing?” Dr. Price yelled at the phone.

“They found the guards unconscious on the floor and someone messed with the cameras’ system. We’re trying to determine what happened as we speak.”

“Find her fast…and don’t inform Mr. Raines about this, yet.” He ordered, hanging off the call.

-*-*-*-*

“Do you think she’ll be alright?” Miss Parker asked while driving, always keeping an eye on her rearview mirror in case someone was following them. Fortunately earlier that week, Broots had managed to rid her car off bugs, so they couldn’t be tagging her.

“I don’t know what kind of drugs they were using on her, but I guess she’ll be fine. She will need a lot of rest and a lot of fluids.” Jarod replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

“She looks so fragile.” Parker noticed with a frown. “Could she be another Pretender?”

“I don’t know…probably.” Jarod answered after a while. “But I’m planning to find out what exactly she is and especially…what Raines wanted from her.”

“Ditto.”

“So, how long to this lair of yours?” She questioned after another moment of silence. The night was starting to give its place to the morning light.

“Turn left at the next cross-road. It won’t be long after that.” Jarod kept looking outside the window, his mind working on borrowed time. Parker too was starting to feel the results of a long night crawling up and down the vents. She just prayed that Jarod had a nice cozy bed in his den, where she could rest for a couple of hours…or someone would end up severely hurt.

-*-*-*-*

“Anything?” Dr. Price demanded more than he asked.

“We’ve detected an error on the film of the cameras down on SL-22 and in the main entrance, but we can’t find the source of that error. Apparently someone replaced the original film for a copy, so we couldn’t see whoever was down there.”

“Have you found out who tempered with the system?” Dr. Price inquired, taking a good look at the copied film of Isabel’s room showing on all of the screens. In it, she was still sleeping in her bed.

“We’re not sure, but we’ve found this out.” Stopping the film, the man replaced the DSA for another CD. Jarod and Ethan were shown running through one of the main vents. The men froze the image when both their faces became clear.

“Jarod!” Dr. Price hissed with rage. “Call Mr. Raines and inform him of the situation. Tell him that Jarod has Isabel.”

“But sir…” The man started to protest.

“Do what I say.” Dr. Price roared with a crazy look in his eyes. The man just nodded and picked up the phone. Dialing Mr. Raines’ number he waited for him to answer.

-*-*-*-*

Miss Parker stopped the car in front of what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse. Jarod stepped out and opened the gate so she could park the car inside. Stepping out herself, she observed her surroundings. She frowned with disgusted after a while.

“Not exactly your style?” Jarod questioned, scooping the girl up in his arms and kicking the door shut.

“You couldn’t have stayed in a luxurious hotel for a change, could you?” She hissed through ground teeth, catching the keys Jarod had thrown her way.

“Nope. I like the ‘down to Earth” kind of accommodations.” He said with his usual ‘gotcha’ smiles. He knew how she had hated all those primitive warehouses he had inevitably dragged her to. “At least here no one asks embarrassing questions.”

“Yes, I can see you are a ‘down to Earth’ person…but not quite far down enough for me.” She muttered under her breath, trying to unlock the door of that pitiful block of wood. Succeeding, she kicked the door open and stepped inside, followed by Jarod.

He immediately walked up stairs, carrying the girl still tucked in the blanket. Parker saw him placing her over a bed and covered her up with more blankets. She looked around, trying to see another bed, a couch…something where she could lay down for a moment. Her back was killing her and her head had already been pounding for a long period of time. She started to massage her temples, trying to ease the ache.

“Would you like something…like a tea or a hot chocolate?” Jarod asked, stepping down the stairs. “I have to prepare something for her to drink so…” He added seeing Parker’s tired look.

“The last thing I need right now is for you to ‘play nice’ at me.” She snapped annoyed. Where were Broots and Ethan?

“Fine.” Was his sharp answer. He then walked to the part of the warehouse that looked a bit more like a rustic kitchen. Parker watched him fill a kettle with water.

“I thought you didn’t like to be around the Centre. This shack of yours just refutes my suspicious.” She commented, taking off her jacket.

“Me and Ethan just arrived this morning.” He explained, turning around and leaning against the washstand, folding his arms over his chest. “We haven’t been able to unpack properly.”

“I can imagine you have a lot to unpack.” She uttered sarcastically, taking another look around the place.

“Thanks to you, I don’t own much luggage.” He said with bitterness. She gazed over him and then chuckled with mocking disdain.

“Thanks to you I don’t have a life. We’re even, don’t you think?” She remarked slyly.

“You’ve chosen not have a life while I was deprived of having one…we’re not nearly even.” He hissed with anger and sorrow. She let out a small laugh, but not a bit amused.

“Oh please Jarod.” She snapped. “I think we’ve been over that issue one time too many. Lets not engage in a topic we know we’ll both lose!” She bit back, still smiling.

“As usual, you avoid the subject.” He stated with a smug smile.

“And what subject would that be?” She inquired.

For a moment neither said anything, they just stood there, staring at each other.

The whistle of the kettle broke the spell. Jarod turned to finish preparing the tea and Parker sighed, more relieved than she would like to admit. For a second, she feared Jarod would mention the events back in the Scottish isle and she didn’t have the will or the power to discuss it with him.

“How long do you think she’ll be out?” She questioned, rubbing the back of her neck.

“A few hours, at least. You should go home and rest.” He said, filling a cup with tea.

“I’m not going anywhere.” She uttered firmly. Parker almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the sound of something hitting hard against the wooden counter of the kitchen.

“Damn it Parker” Jarod spat at her furious. “I’ve just trusted you with my life! Can’t you trust me just this once? I’ll be here when you come back!” He yelled.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you!” She yelled back in the same furious tone. “But I don’t think I can drive all the way back to my house without falling asleep behind the wheel!” She finished through ground teeth. Her headache had just gone from bad to intolerable. “And where the hell are Broots and Ethan?” She added, seeing Jarod’s perplexed look.

“We’re here.” Ethan said entering the place followed by Broots. “ What did we miss?” He asked first looking at Jarod and then to his sister.

“Years of distrust.” Was Jarod’s enigmatic answer, still looking at Parker. She just glared back.

“Ok…” Ethan replied, nodding slowly.

“Did you encounter any difficulties exiting the Centre?” Parker inquired, avoiding Jarod’s stare.

“No…no problems at all.” Broots replied.

“How’s the girl?” Ethan wondered.

“Heavily drugged. She’s going to sleep through the next couple of hours so I suggest we do the same.” Jarod said, taking his cup of tea and heading up stairs, where he could watch over the girl. Right now, he wanted to be as far away as he could from Parker or he feared he’d end up doing something or saying something he’d regret later…

“Miss Parker, I think we should call Sydney.” Broots stated after Jarod’s departure. Parker glanced at him and then at Jarod, up stairs sitting comfortably on a chair, sipping his tea. “He could help us…he might know something about this girl.”

“I seriously doubt that Freud would of hid anything like this…especially from me.” Miss Parker snarled.

“I think he would…especially from you.” Broots retorted. Parker seemed to ponder his words for a moment.

“Ethan, do you have any toys in that bag of yours that could scramble my phone?” Parker questioned, taking her cell out.

“Yeah.” Was Ethan’s reply.

-*-*-*-*

“How did this happen?” Raines wheezed, furious. “How did Jarod find about Isabel?”

“We don’t know, sir.” Dr. Price sat calmly across from Mr. Raines, hands clasped together over the desk.

“Have you tracked her down?”

“Not yet, but soon we’ll have her exact location. What are your orders regarding Jarod and Ethan?”

“We need Jarod alive…” Raines informed in a cold tone.

“And Ethan?”

Mr. Raines smiled.

“Just Jarod.”

-*-*-*-*

Disclaimer: Although the characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Center, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and they were used without permission, the character ‘Isabel’ belongs to me. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended, so don’t sue!

Author’s Note: Once again, the quotation was used without permission and once again: I’m sorry for that! Carol, thanks a lot for your support matey!!! You’re the best!



The Prophecy
part 8
by Amelia




"This is Sydney." A sleepy voice answered on the other side of the line.

"Syd, it’s me. Sorry for waking you up, but we need your help." Parker started to pace around the wooden floor of the warehouse.

"Is everything alright Miss Parker?" Sydney questioned concerned.

"Yes…no." She rambled. "Do you remember my vision, the one I insisted you’d help me with?"

"Yes, the white room. What did you find out?"

"Lots of things and none of them make any sense!" She said, releasing a heavy sigh. "We’ve just rescued a girl from the dark corners of the Centre, one of Raines little experiments."

"We?" Sydney inquired curious. Parker cursed silently over the phone. How was she going to explain that one to Freud?

"Me, Broots, Ethan and…Jarod." The last name was almost inaudible. For a second she even doubted Sydney had caught on to what she had just said.

"I must had heard you wrong Parker…did you just say Jarod." Sydney sounded too pleased for his own good.

"Yes, that’s exactly what I said." Parker snapped annoyed. "You should have seen the girl’s room! "She continued, trying to avoid the subject of she and Jarod teaming up. "It wasn’t like Jarod’s, Syd. It had virtually everything and I mean everything: computer, stereo, television…does this make any sense to you?" She questioned.

"Not really. Are you sure she was locked up? You could be misinterpreting things."

"No Syd, she was locked up and heavily guarded…and she had been drugged."

"Raines drugged her? Why?"

"We haven’t discovered that yet…that’s why I’m calling you. Do you know of any Raines’ twisted little experiments carried out down in Africa?" Parker waited for Sydney’s reply, still pacing the place.

"No…in Africa?"

"Yes, he went to Africa to pick up the girl."

"No Miss Parker, I don’t know anything about Raines work in Africa." Parker sighed again, frustrated.

"I figured you wouldn’t." She muttered.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No Syd. We’ll have to wait until the girl wakes up, to learn about all the sordid details."

"You sound tired." He noticed.

"I am tired. I’m not going to work today so, cover my tracks will you?"

"Of course. What about Broots?" Parker looked over at where Broots and Ethan sat and her heart softened a little. He had stood by her side like a rock and thanks to him the ‘rescue operation’ had ran smoothly.

"I’m going to send him home. He’s work here is done."

"Take care Miss Parker and keep me posted." Sydney stated.

"I will Syd." She ended the call. Walking back to where the two men sat, she took the little gadget off her phone and threw it at Ethan.

"So, what did Sydney say? Did he know anything?" Broots asked when she sat down next to them.

"As usual, the good Doc was as useful as an ashtray on a motorcycle." She answered playfully. Ethan and Broots chuckled.

"Broots, you should go home." She uttered after a while. "You can take my car."

"I can take him home if he wants." Ethan offered with a smile.

"I’m going to accept your offer Ethan. You might need the car, Miss Parker." He explained. Both Ethan and Broots got up from the table.

"Be careful Miss Parker and if you need anything, call me." Broots said on his way out of the warehouse.

"You know I will, Broots." Was Parker’s reply.

-*-*-*-*

* ’One day everything will be well, that is my hope. Everything's fine today, that is our illusion’ Voltaire’s words echo in my head, their sound propagating like a rush of blood through my system. I’m awake now, but I can’t open my eyes…I feel something warming my face…I hear birds singing and the air smells like…I don’t know…it has it’s own fragrance. Everything’s quiet, but not as quiet as it should be. I try to open my eyes again and this time they obey…*

-*-*-*-*

Isabel slowly opened her eyes. The sun was shinning directly on her face, but she didn’t try to look away, shielding herself from the intense light…she didn’t dare for, the first time in her life, she was looking at the sun. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she let a single tear slide down her cheek.

‘It’s really warm!’ She thought, seeing how the ray of light fell upon her hand. She smiled.

Raising her head a bit she took in her surroundings. She was tucked under some old blankets in what seemed to be an old wooden bed. The sun beamed through a skylight and it seemed she was on the top level of the house, because she could see the stairs leading to the ground floor. Her head was pounding, but she ignored it. At her right she spotted someone sleeping. She gasped, suddenly scared. Bolting up right, she was invaded by a wave of dizziness and she frowned.

Jarod woke with a start. Looking over the bed he saw the girl watching him scared. For a moment neither said anything, each waiting for the other to take the ‘first step’. Sensing this, Jarod rose from the chair, but immediately the girl stepped out of the bed, trying to distance herself from him as much as she could.

"Don’t be scared." He said in a soothing tone. Isabel was shaking and looking at the stairs, she tried to find a way to escape. "I’m not going to hurt you." He reassured her. Isabel shook her head, tears starting to slide through her cheeks.

"Where am I?" She demanded through ground teeth, seeming furious and at the same time, utterly scared.

"You’re somewhere safe." Was Jarod’s reply. He tried to get closer, but the girl just ran towards the stairs. Jarod tried to catch her, but failed. Isabel ran down the stairs, with every step she took the pain in her body increased. "Wait!" Jarod called back. The girl was already nearing the door.

"Wow!" Ethan released when he entered the warehouse, startled by the girl, grabbing her by the waist. "Where are you going with such hurry?" He questioned playfully, turning her around. Isabel stopped fidgeting as soon as she saw who was holding her.

"You!" She gasped with amazement.

"I know you!" Ethan whispered, still holding her. Jarod and Parker had approached them and now were watching the scene with intrigued looks. "How do I know you?"

"Let me go!" The girl demanded, pulling Ethan away.

"Please, calm down. We’re not going to hurt you." Jarod tried to reason with the girl. She looked like a trapped animal.

"Who are you!" She yelled at Ethan.

"I’m Ethan, and this is my sister, Miss Parker and my brother, Jarod." Ethan pointed. "And you are…?"

The girl didn’t seem to understand the question. She kept staring at Jarod and Miss Parker, pale and with glowing eyes.

"Are you alright?" Parker questioned worried, for the girl was whiter then a ghost.

"Jarod?" The girl managed to ask. Both Jarod and Miss Parker exchanged confused looks.

"Yes." Jarod stepped forward.

"I’ve been looking for you my entire life!" She whispered, tears running down her cheeks freely. Stepping closer to him, she touched him softly in the face and then smiled, relieved to see he was real.

"You know who I am?" Jarod inquired, puzzled. The girl just nodded.

"Who are you?" Parker questioned.

"Birth name, Nem, later I changed to Isabel." She answered with a pleased smile. "You are the heiress, aren’t you?" She asked, now facing Parker. "Of course you are." She continued, not letting Miss Parker question back. "You’re here together, you and Jarod."

"Heiress of what?" Jarod inquired, trying to follow everything Isabel was saying.

"And we’re not together." Parker added sharply, which earned her a glare from Jarod.

"You’re not?" Isabel’s smile faltered.

"It’s complicated." Jarod answered, after a moment of hesitation.

"It shouldn’t be complicated." She muttered under her breath, her mind lost in her own thoughts.

"Why shouldn’t it be complicated?" Ethan questioned, calling her back to the present situation. For a moment the girl seemed lost.

"Voltaire’s words!" She blurred out, looking franticly at them. "Everything's fine today, that is our illusion."

"Mind explaining it?" Parker looked at Ethan and then to Jarod: both had the same confused look.

"We have to get out of here!" She practically yelled with fear back in her eyes.

"What’s wrong?" Jarod asked.

"They’re coming for me…and for you Jarod! We have to leave…now!"

"How do you know that?" Parker wondered, but she felt Jarod grabbing her arm and turning her to him.

"You warned them, didn’t you? You called them!" Jarod spat furious, shaking her.

"How dare you talk to me like that?" She bit back with rage. "Let go of me!" She demanded, but Jarod kept his hold.

"I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you! You are, and always will be their bounty-hunter!"

"She didn’t warn them!" Isabel tried to interfere, shocked with the scene." They can always find me. I think they’ve implanted some kind of ‘tracker’ inside of me." She finished.

Jarod looked perplexed, still holding Parker’s arm. He didn’t have time to let her go, let alone apologize, as she whacked him in his jaw, making him fumble a few steps backwards.

"That’s the second time today you’ve hit me." Jarod frowned hurt.

"It’s the second time today you’ve misjudge me. I’ve killed men for lesser than that." She snapped, still mad. Deep down inside, Parker knew Jarod had every right for being suspicious and not trusting her - she had never given him any reason to do so, to trust her…in fact, she had given him every reason to always watch his guard around her.

"You pull that again on me and I’m dragging you back to the Centre…in a body-bag!" She warned in a cold tone. Jarod glared back, still holding his sore jaw.

"You want to take him back…to that place?" Isabel questioned.

"My sole purpose in life." Parker stated sarcastically.

"Yes, Jarod escaped from the Centre five years ago and Miss Parker has been chasing him ever since." Ethan explained.

"Why?" Isabel faced Parker.

"That’s the million dollar question." Jarod said, playfully. "If you ever find that out…please…tell me." He added with a sly smile. "You know, we used to be friends when we were kids and suddenly she became my arch-enemy. I really would like to know what happened." He finished, now facing Parker.

"I grew up!" She snarled, not too happy with the course of the conversation.

"I think we should get out of here." Ethan interrupted, seeing they would go nowhere fast if they kept arguing. Parker sighed and went to pick up her jacket. Jarod decided to grab his things aswell. Luckily, they hadn’t had time to unpack.

"Are they always like that?" Isabel inquired, turning to Ethan with a confused look. He just chuckled.

"They’re worse." He answered. "You’ll get used to it." Ethan added. "How did you know they’re coming? You have a Inner Sense, don’t you?"

"If you’re talking about the voices I hear and the things I see, then yes, I have what you said." She answered. "You have it too?" She questioned after a long pause.

"Yes and Miss Parker does too, although she has only recently discovered it." Isabel nodded, understanding. "That was how I…we heard you asking for our help."

"I didn’t know someone was listening." She confessed with a small smile. "For all I knew, I was completely alone."

"Well, you’re not alone anymore." Jarod caught on what she said, handing Ethan his bag. "Shall we go?" He asked, opening the door.

Ethan and Isabel nodded and exited the place. Parker and Jarod followed them, the DSA case firmly gripped in his hand. Isabel stopped as soon as the morning’s fresh air invaded her lungs. Taking another deep breath she smiled happy. The sky was blue and the sun was shinning directly on her face.

"She’s your kindred soul." Parker said mockingly, facing Jarod.

"It’s better if we go in separate cars…it’ll be easier to elude the Centre’ goons." Jarod pointed out.

"Fine. Isabel’s coming with me." Parker informed. Jarod chuckled.

"Isabel is not going with you. I’m not that crazy." He said with sarcasm.

"It’s either you or Isabel. I’m not going to let my two prize-birds to flee away together." She bit back, in the same sarcastic tone.

"You know, you’re the most intolerable, stubborn, annoying, irritating woman I’ve ever met!" He snapped, turning away and heading for his own car, along with Ethan.

"Why, thank you!" She said loud enough for him to hear it.

-*-*-*-*

Disclaimer: Although the characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Center, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and they were used without permission, the character ‘Isabel’ belongs to me. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended, so don’t sue!




The Prophecy
part 9
by Amelia




“I’ve never seen so many different types of green in my life!” Isabel said, looking through the window of the car, her eyes trying to register everything that passed them by. “Can I open the window?” She questioned, facing Parker. She just nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. Isabel peered outside as soon as the window was all the way down and laughed, feeling the wind brushing through her long dark hair. “This is amazing!” Isabel yelled over the noise. Parker smiled amused. Seconds later her cell started to ring.

“What?” She answered annoyed, knowing exactly who it was.

“What’s she doing out of the window? I though you were going to keep an eye on her.”

“Jarod…” Parker sighed frustrated. “Do me a favor, no…do us all a favor and stop being such a pain in the ass! The kid is just having some fun! You talk like you’ve never done this before.” She pointed out, slyly.

“We’re doing 80 on a freeway, Isabel has no seatbelt on and she’s leaning out of the window! The last thing we need is to have the cops after us!” Jarod retorted.

“You’re doing 80 on the freeway…I’m just trying to keep up with you.” She bit back mockingly. Jarod instantly slowed down and Parker chuckled over the phone. “You really are pitiful.”

“Get Isabel inside the car, Parker.” He practically demanded.

Alright!” Parker spat, feeling her headache returning. “Where are we going?”

“We need to stop somewhere to eat…say, the next gas station?”

“Fine!” She then hung up still annoyed. ‘How on Earth did I let myself involve in such a mess?’ She wondered, releasing a sigh. There she was, driving along the freeway, heading to God knows where, running from the Centre with Jarod’s female version, not to mention with Jarod himself…oh boy, her life couldn’t get lower than that! “Isabel, you have to sit down and put the seatbelt on. ” Parker warned, keeping her eyes on the road.

“Can I leave the window open?” Isabel asked, sitting down properly.

“Well, it’s not exactly summer, but if you want…” Isabel smiled at her.

“You’re nice.” She said with shining eyes. Parker snickered.

“No I’m not…I’m just tired and hungry.” Parker said with a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Isabel stared at her with a mist of fascination and confusion. “What?” Parker asked after a moment of silence, feeling the girl’s eyes opening a hole on the side of her head.

“It’s so confusing.” Isabel uttered, still staring at her.

“Tell me about it! I’ve been trying to figure out who you are and what the hell you were doing down on SL-22 locked away from the world!” Parker blurred out, stealing a side-glance at Isabel. The girl sighed, trying to find a way to explain everything.

“It’s very complicated to explain what I am.” She started.

“Try me.” Parker interrupted sarcastically.

“Well, I’m a hybrid…not a clone, not your usual human being either…just a hybrid.” Isabel said, sorrow dripping from every word.

“And what exactly is a hybrid?” Parker inquired feeling sick all of a sudden.

“You want the shorter version? A biological hybrid it’s an improved being that is a mixture of two very different things.” Isabel stated quietly. Parker stared at her completely shocked. “Of course though, in my case, it’s much more complicated than that.” Isabel continued, ignoring the look of utter horror in Miss Parker’s face.

“Complicated…how?” Parker didn’t even recognize her own voice.

“Well, when you deal with human beings, instead of plants and other animals like you were supposed to, things tend to get a bit more complicated. They didn’t use two different things to…produce me.” Parker heard Isabel’s voice tremble with commotion. “They mixed different chains of human DNA…and they didn’t just use two…they recombine several.” She muttered slyly. Miss Parker kept her eyes on the road, but her mind was in autopilot.

“How many chains did they recombine?” Parker whispered, for she was having difficulties in assimilating everything Isabel was saying.

“Eight…they recombine eight different strings of human DNA.”

“Oh. My. God…” Parker gasped.

-*-*-*-*

“Sir, they were here, but they left at least an hour ago.” One of the sweepers informed. Dr. Price swore loudly. They were in the middle of a now abandoned warehouse, several men were scattered all over the place, analyzing every single detail of that block of wood.

“How long until you pinpoint her again?” He asked frustrated.

“It will take at least half an hour to know her exact location again. The further she gets, the longer it’ll take to…” The man was cutoff by Dr. Price.

“Then do it quickly…or you will be the one to pay the consequences!” Price threatened though ground teeth, turning away from the man.

-*-*-*-*

The two cars parked side by side, in the station’s parking lot. Parker was the first to get out of the car and with firm steps, she walked in the direction of the dinner, leaving her companions behind.

“Parker!” Jarod called back, intrigued with her behavior. “Where is she going?” He wondered.

“I don’t think she was feeling too well…” Isabel informed, walking besides Jarod and Ethan.

“Why?” Ethan questioned.

“Maybe it was something I said…” Isabel answered, entering the dinner, followed by Jarod and Ethan.

“And what did you say?” Jarod inquired, sitting down at one of the booths near the window.

“Well, she asked me who I am…and I sort of explained it to her.” Isabel was now facing the two men.

“And you are not going to believe what she has to say.” Parker stated, sitting down next to Isabel, her face pale and her blue eyes glowing intensely.

“Are you alright?” Ethan inquired. Miss Parker seemed shaken…weak.

“No and you won’t be either after she’s finished…” Parker commented, glancing over to Jarod.

“Who are you?” Both Ethan and Jarod questioned, looking at Isabel. She sighed and cleared her throat.

“Man has always tried to create the perfect human being” Isabel started. “Prometheus tried to built the perfect man out of mud, clay…just like God had done. The Nazi’s developed studies about what made some people smarter than others, what made some people special. The Centre, along with the modern technology, found a way to create their perfect guinea pig…their masterpiece. For years they researched and gathered information about people they thought were…’unique’ for their abilities. Those ‘unique’ people were very rare and they could only be ‘tagged’ through their blood. Science taught them how a human being was ‘built’, so they started analyzing their genes. They soon found which gene was the one responsible for those particular gifts.”

“The Pretender gene!” Jarod stated with wide eyes.

“What’s a ‘pretender’?” Isabel questioned, confused. Jarod opened his mouth to say something, but Parker cut him off.

“Oh please…let me!” She begged sarcastically. “A ‘pretender’ is a person that can become whoever they want to be. One day a doctor, the other…a crocodile wrestler.” She mused. “Generally, they are just a big pain in the ass!” Parker mocked, looking at Jarod. – Who glared back and sighed.

“It wasn’t a crocodile…it was an alligator” Jarod emended. “Go on Isabel.” He commanded.

“Of course then they didn’t just try to produce the perfect human being…They also had to gain something from it and one of their aims was to learn about the origin of the Centre…the power behind those Vespusian Scrolls they feared and revered at the same time.” Jarod and Parker exchanged knowing looks.

“Then, they decided they could no longer watch things from afar…they had to have a direct control over those special people, they had to see, register and perform experiments on those gifted people so they could chose from among them which they could actually use.”

“That’s when they started kidnapping children and locked them down.” Jarod stated angry, through clenched teeth.

“Yes. After long years of research they finally gathered a group of, lets call them ‘finalists’…”

“Eight ‘finalist’ to be precise.” Miss Parker said firmly, looking at Jarod.

“The Red Files?” Jarod asked, trying to process everything that Isabel was saying.

“Kyle, Timmy AKA ‘Angelo’, Lyle, Eddy, Alex, Damon, me and …you, Jarod.” Miss Parker explained with glittering. “It makes sense!”

“Two decades ago, they initiated the creation of a human hybrid…me, by recombining several strings of DNA, all containing the special gene and consequently, the gifts they needed.”

“They could actually produce a hybrid out of DNA chains?” Ethan asked shocked.

“I’m the living proof they could…and can.” Isabel added. “I couldn’t just be smarter…I needed to be faster, to endure more, to be able to focus under any circumstances. I can literally use 70% of the brain capacity while the average human being can only use 30%! They wanted me to ‘work out’ one special gift though: the ability of hearing things…of seeing things in my mind that no one could possibly know.”

“The Inner Sense?” Jarod questioned in a quiet voice.

“I know its name now.” Isabel replied, gazing over Ethan. “They tried to give me everything I would ever need in the course of my life. I had access to all kinds of music, books and films.” Isabel chuckled, lost in her thoughts for a moment. “I learned many things with the movies, so I can’t say I was really locked away…I was just locked up.”

“They tried to correct all the wrongs they made with me.” Jarod noticed.

“But by trying to ‘correct the wrongs’ as you put it, they made a bigger one. They showed me, through the movies, how life was outside those white walls. They had tried to manipulate me, through the voices, but when the Voices told me what was on those Scrolls, I knew I could no longer let them control me…”

“You know what’s on the Scrolls?” Parker and Jarod both asked at same time, with the same surprised tone. Isabel just nodded.

“One day, by mistake, they found out I could read the Scrolls…that I was everything they had ever wanted me to be. That’s when things started to get ‘ugly’ for my side. Every Friday they performed endless tests to discover what I knew, until one day Mr. Raines came to move me to another place. They used drugs on me…drugs that had no effect, because my nervous system is much more complex than the average nervous system. As I said, I can endure things that most people can’t, but at some point, they would have killed me with the drugs, if you didn’t rescue me when you did…” Isabel finished, her eyes low, looking at the table. No one said anything…they were still too shocked and trying to understand everything, so they couldn’t utter a word.

“My God…” Ethan whispered, rubbing his forehead.

“I think God has nothing to do with this.” Parker noted.

“There’s no limit for the Centre’s wickedness…” Jarod muttered under his breath.

“So, what are you going to order?” A blond waitress with a heavy Bronx accent approached their table, a notebook in her hands, ready to take whatever their orders were. The group just looked at the waitress dumbfounded, confused and speechless. They had forgotten why they were there…

“I’m not hungry anymore.” Parker stated with a disgusted look.

“Well sugar, you have to order something.” The waitress replied, her eyes gazing over Jarod. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Deaf, dumb and blond…” Parker muttered under her breath, focusing on Jarod. “Quite the lethal combination, wouldn’t you agree?” She questioned him. He remained silent for he didn’t want to piss her off more. She would probably end up taking her anger out on him… The waitress remained at her side, oblivious to Parker’s remark.

“We’ll have three ‘breakfast specials’…” Jarod looked at Ethan and he nodded and then at Isabel who nodded aswell. Parker sighed.

Parker sighed - “Make it four…’honey’” Parker added with bitterness.

“Okey dokey.” Was the waitress’ answer.

“What’s a ‘breakfast special’?” Isabel inquired in a low voice after the waitress was gone.

“It’s a special breakfast where you’ll have the opportunity to try out one of the most greasy delicacies of this country.” Parker explained and chuckled when Isabel looked positively disgusted.

“You will love it…you’ll see.” Jarod comforted her. Ethan and Parker exchanged amused looks.

“I understood everything you said, Isabel” Jarod stated after a while. “But I just don’t get this one thing. To create a human being you need more than just DNA chains…you need the raw material…you need an embryo to begin with, a zygote that won’t be rejected and consequently die due to the recombined strings. The chances of them finding those two perfect female and male gametes that could produce such zygote are like none…they would have to cheat on Mother Nature and I think that not even the Centre has that kind of power!”

“You’re wrong Jarod. They have that power and the knowledge. By altering the genetic information in two gametes, they artificially produced the zygote they needed and after that…you already know the story.”

“How could their sordid work go unnoticed for so many years?” Parker questioned no one in particular. She was still in shock….there were no limits for the Centre’s ambition.

“That’s where the Scrolls come in.” The waitress returned with the food. The trio just looked at Isabel momentarily speechless.

“This smells good!” She stated with wide eyes looking at the bacon and scrambled eggs on her plate.

-*-*-*-*

“Sir, we have the preliminary reports from the assault down on SL-22.” The dark suit man said over the phone.

“So? How did Jarod and Ethan take the girl out of a heavily secured room?” Mr. Raines wheezed back.

“That’s the problem, sir. We analyzed the bullet that almost killed one of the sweepers. We’re not sure Ethan was directly involved in it. The bullet belongs to a 9mm S&W…lady model.”

No reply came from other side of the line except silence.

“That doesn’t mean anything! They could have taken the gun from anyone.” Raines practically roared.

“Not in this case, sir. We’ve also analyzed the fingerprints we found and…some belong to Miss Parker…” Once again, the man heard nothing from the other side of the line.

“I want them found…immediately!” Raines barked after a while.

“What are the orders regarding Miss Parker? You want her alive?”

A long pause.

“…Preferably.”

-*-*-*-*





The next part of my fic might take a little longer to be posted because well…real life is calling me back! College vacations are over and so is my spare time to write…but, I will try my best to continue my work. Thank you so much for the feedback…I can’t believe you actually like my story! Peace peeps!