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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
She grabbed her things and made her way to the door. On her doorstep, she stopped abruptly. Parker remembered her 'shadows' somewhere out there on the road. She could not allow them to find out about her next destination. If it would be only about her, she would not give a damn. But some other lives were on the line here as well.
Miss Parker sneaked up to the car hidden behind some trees a few yards from her house. Crouching down to avoid being seen in the review mirror, she slowly made her way to the door. With one swift motion she opened the door on the driver’s side and trained her gun on the head of one sweeper.
"Don't even think of moving a finger or you'll be snoring dirt for the rest of eternity."
Both sweepers froze. They knew better than to tempt her.
"You," she motioned to the second one, "take your handcuffs and favor your friend here with them." The sweeper looked up and pondered about his options. He had his orders from Lyle.
Apparently he just got re-assigned. Lyle and Raines, both terrified him. But of course so did Parker when she was like this. And she was here, right in front of him, eyes blazing and gun in hand. Lyle was several miles away, and if the sweeper chose to cross Miss Parker now, there wouldn't be much left for his boss to terrify. So he did as he was told.
Parker threw in her own pair of cuffs and ordered him to put them on himself. Both sweepers were secured now, but not secure enough in her opinion. With her gun still trained on them, she ordered them out of the car. Both men, big as they were, were told to get into the trunk. She didn't care if there was enough room. In order to survive, they would arrange themselves somehow together in it.
Trunk closed shut, she allowed herself a sigh of relief. She was safe for now, but she knew that wouldn't last. Her only hope was that the newest developments at the Centre were enough to keep Lyle from thinking too much about his lost sweepers for just a little while.
On the way to her own car she took her 'emergency-mobile' from her pocket and dialled a well-known number. “Syd, I need you at Broots’ house. NOW!” She hung up without adding anything else. Parker knew that the doctor would immediately hop into his car, probably forgetting to get dressed and arriving there in his PJ’s, a robe and house-slippers.
She drove the short distance to her tech's home in a state of a marginally controlled frenzy. She had a plan now, and she wanted to get on with it. But impatience wouldn't get her there any faster. This needed some good thinking. She knew she needed to restrain herself and to work on her own tendency to act too quickly.
From her car Parker called Broots as well to let him know to expect them. Her devoted colleague was already waiting for her on the front porch.
When the doctor arrived as well – in his sleeping outfit, indeed - the three gathered in Broots’ backyard. None of them felt safe to discuss anything in the house. Illuminated only from the moon and the stars, Sydney and Broots looked at her expectantly.
Pacing around them like a caged tiger, Parker explained what she had planned. But in order for them to understand, she started at the beginning.
Something she had witnessed sitting in her car at a red light, had made her suddenly aware that she intended not only to tell them everything simply because they needed to know.
Shortly before she had arrived at Broots’ place, she had stopped at a traffic light. Impatiently waiting for it to change green, Parker had glanced around. It was semi-suburban Blue Cove at 12h30. There was a bar on the corner, she saw the doors opening up and three people came out. From their attire, they looked like business people, probably office colleagues who had taken a drink after work and apparently forgot the time. Two men and a woman walked out of the bar smiling. They looked very comfortable in each other’s presence, the friendship they shared wasn’t lost to Parker.
To Parker, those three people were the kind of friends that shared office-gossip over the Xerox-machine, colleagues who once in a while went for a after-work drink together talking about their families; what plans they had for the next vacation and the fears they had about their children’s choice of college.
All these thoughts went through her head during her the two minute drive from this red light to her destination. And in those two minutes she decided that the two men she had worked with so closely for the last six years, deserved to hear the whole story. Even more than they needed it to hear it, they deserved it.
Told in short-cut sentences they finally found out a few things about their boss’s latest endeavours. Parker told them a comprised version of everything that had happened over the last two weeks.
From Jarod’s initial contact to tell her about Margaret, to her demand that he finally leave. She told them about Ethan’s late-night visit as well as her last meeting with the pretender. And Parker told them also how her night with Daniel fit into this picture. The only thing she left out was how awfully devastated she had felt the night she had left Jarod behind and ended up in Daniel’s arms.
But this was something neither of her two friends really needed to hear. They saw it in her face, in her eyes. A pair of night-blue orbs that glimmered in the moonlight. Eyes that so often hid the pain and sorrow that this incredible woman had to bear for so long.
When she was finished, Broots and Sydney witnessed how the pain and sorrow in those eyes were replaced by sheer fire and determination. A fire that made the tech slightly afraid and the doctor mightily proud.
Parker told them about her idea, about her intention to end this once and for all. And both of them were sure that nothing could stop her anymore – not even the Centre!
****
It all happened at once, late afternoon the next day. Her plan had worked faster than she had expected, but she didn't want it any other way; the sooner the better.
Raines' final mistake was to order the search for a new pretender and - once again - underestimating Miss Parker.
What she had asked Broots to do was to hack into the new search program and overwrite it. Her idea had been mightily successful. The search program, originally designed to detect specific data on exceptional human DNA in networks of fertility and maternity clinics, was 're-written'. In miraculous speed, Broots had found a way to change the search pattern without being detected.
After only two hours he had managed to make it as if the Centre now hacked into the highest level security networks, searching for security data and defense parameters.
The offices at the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Pentagon went stir crazy within a matter of minutes.
****************
Jarod looked in awe at the new developments on the screens of his laptop and his father’s, which was sitting parallel from his. One was tapped into The Centre’s Mainframe, the other followed some secret communication between the highest governmental defense offices.
The frenzy exchange at the latter was caused by the happenings of the first, which was clear to the pretender.
He had to smile at the development. She was damned good, but he had always known that. Though her latest stunt impressed him to a new extent.
His whole family was gathered around him as he explained what happened.
Still unbelieving he uttered: "She did it on her own. I can’t believe it. This is going to be their downfall !"
Only his mother was still too detached, still suspicious of what seemingly went on.
"What did she do, Jarod? Won't she be endangering all of us with this?"
Jarod turned around and looked straight into her eyes. He was ready to tell her once and for all in no uncertain terms to stop blaming Parker, to stop being so against her. But when he saw the sad and scared expression in his mother's eyes, he relented.
There was simply no way for his mother to forget thirty years of mistrust and hatred for that place. She still couldn't keep apart the Centre and Miss Parker. She needed time for that, and Jarod understood that he had to give her that time. There was no need to yell at her and force her to trust Parker within a matter of days. Hell, it had taken him some time as well. The day would come, he was sure of that. After this was over, even his mother would see Parker's good soul.
In a voice much softer than he originally had intended, he said with a loving smile:
"Trust me mom. If you can't trust her, at least trust me on this. Please!"
Major Charles wrapped his arms around her and whispered something into her ear. Margaret just let out a sigh and hid her face in her husband's chest.
Jarod realized, that she was still against this, still fighting, but was now ready to at least stay back and give them the benefit of the doubt.
He turned to his screen again and ordered Ryan to assist him on his next step. The new developments needed to get out, the media should be aware of this. In that case the government couldn't hide this 'breach' and secretly let the Centre off the hook.
No matter how good the contacts to the highest levels of the government were, the Centre would not get away with this. Jarod knew, that when the national media was made aware of this, the government would be ready to drop the Centre like a hot potato.
While Ryan worked on the task to send all necessary information to the major news-channels and print media, Jarod once more hacked into the Centre databanks. There was some data on the Centre personnel accounts that needed to be deleted.
Fifteen minutes later there was little to none information on a few people previously working for the powerful organization. Jarod deleted his own files from all the well-hidden places in the Mainframe, and he made sure that no data on Sydney, Broots and Miss Parker could be determined as criminal or compromising.
Ethan stood in the corner of the room with a satisfied smile on his face. Finally the Centre would fall, just as Catherine had planned. Raines’ eternal quest for power and his constant underestimation of the indescribable bond between Jarod and Miss Parker - that thirty years ago, he himself had initiated with a simulation - had become his final downfall. The two people destined to be separated by glass, by an external force, by indoctrinated hate, had found a way to overcome the enforced evil. Still separated but working together, the Centre didn't stand the least of a chance.
***************
The government had always been a secret partner of the Centre, but was now much more alert to security-breaches and not willing to let this go unpunished.
Especially since an unknown source had leaked the 'breach' to the national media. The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the CIA were over the Centre like a plague of grasshoppers.
Helicopters were circling around the huge complex like bees. Dozens of police cars were spread around the whole area, cutting off every possible way out. FBI agents as well as several high ranking NSA officers were gathered around and sweeping the whole building with guns ready and cell phones in hand. There was no doubt that this operation would end the Centre as it was.
FBI agent Clayton stood in Miss Parker’s office and took in her appearance. He had explained his orders to her and waited for her reply as well as for his colleagues to tell him that all offices were secured and all personnel accounted for.
The woman in front of him, though a high level operative, was cleared from charges and considered a crown witness. He had just asked her to assist in all following investigations and to work with the FBI as well as the DA.
Miss Parker hadn't said much ever since the agent had entered her office. Seconds before it had started, Broots had informed her of the curious changes in the mainframe and some 'Breaking News' on the internet and on CNN. She had expected it, though not that quickly. When she had turned on her TV in her office, she had to smile. Jarod. Of course, like always, he had known.
Now she only wanted to be told that Raines and Lyle were caught and secured. She would not feel safe before that, she would not talk to them before this was certain. Clayton was on his walky-talky, talking to colleagues, giving orders and cursing.
The agent was just informed that Lyle had been caught down in the garage while trying to hot-wire one of the FBI's own cars. He had apparently been putting up a fight, but in his very own best tradition knew when to step down. He had given up rather quickly and promised to spill his guts on every Centre secret he knew.
Parker listened in on the conversation and felt the urge to go down and ram a knife into her twin, preferably a sharp and rusty one. And every officer believing him should be punished in a similar fashion. Again, Lyle tried to dodge out of the situation, and again he seemed to find people who trusted him. She needed to clear up a few things about Lyle for agent Clayton.
As she turned to address the officer, he again started to yell into his walky-talky. He cursed and stomped his food into the ground.
Raines had disappeared.
Parker forgot her revenge on her twin immediately. Raines wasn't found. This news rang in her ears and screamed to her to get into action. Miss Parker, furious and determined not to let him get away yet again, decided then and there to go on a mission on her own.
The agent in charge followed her out of her office but quickly had to learn that this woman’s will was as fundamental as earth wind and fire. He soon lost her in the maze of the Centre, so unknown to him and so familiar to her.
***
Raines dragged along his tank as fast as he could. The authorities were sweeping the Centre, the sub-levels were crowded with officers and agents. All but the SIM Lab at SL-21. Raines had successfully retreated there without being detected. He had a plan how to get out. Down here was a vent that almost no one knew about; a vent that was not on the Centre blueprints. He knew about this vent only because Miss Parker had found it when they had been stuck there. It was when Brigitte had planned to kill Mr. Parker. It was the perfect way to get out.
Miss Parker arrived at SL-21 just as Raines tried to get his oxygen tank safely into the vent. From the moment she had heard about the old man’s disappearance she had known where to look for him.
Parker drew her gun and aimed it at her life-long enemy. The personification of death, of evil, of every horror in her life.
"Planning on hiding somewhere?" she growled dangerously.
"Miss Parker. Stay out of this, or you will be sorry."
"Ooooh. Now you don't sound as threatening anymore. But for the record you ghoul: I. Don't. Respond. Well. To. Threats." She accentuated every syllable to its deadly effect, her gun aimed right at his heart. Though, she wondered briefly if there was a heart to be hit after all.
"You will NOT get away. I'll make sure of that. It's over."
"If only you weren't so much like your mother, we could've ...."
"Don't you dare talk about my mother! You used her. You manipulated her. You betrayed her and of course there is this tiny detail that YOU EXECUTED her! I saw it, twice actually. And now...now I will watch you go down. It will not bring her back, but hell, if it will not bring me some sort of peace."
She cocked her gun, and slowly pulled on the trigger, just far enough, that he could hear it click. His eyes widened in disbelief. She had had many chances of killing him before, but she never had gone through with it. Raines thought desperately how to protract the situation. Where the hell was Willie?
"I still have answers, you so desperately seek."
"I don't care anymore. It's over."
Somehow he believed her. The feeling that she would not step down this time more and more settled in.
"Miss Parker! Take down the gun!" Agent Clayton had finally found her. He immediately understood what was going on here. The officer saw no alternative but to draw his own gun and aim it at her.
The situation granted that she felt a bit nervous - and she was - but she wouldn't show it. Parker didn't even look at the voice from behind. She kept her aim at the target and spoke to the agent.
"Clayton. You don't understand. He wanted to escape, I simply stopped him."
"Yes, Miss Parker. And it looks like you've caught him. And now, let me take over."
What neither Parker nor Clayton knew or had counted on, was that Raines had sent his loyal sweeper Willie to get an emergency oxygen tank from the infirmary. Raines wanted to make sure he wouldn't run out of air, while hiding in the secret vent.
A tall and armed figure crept around the corner.
"Anyone moving is dead!" Willie stepped out of the shadows, his own gun in hand, aimed at Clayton.
Miss Parker swirled around in surprise, but remembered her prime target and his attempt to get away. So she turned again towards Raines. "Looks like a dead end here. So what's it gonna be, Willie? Shoot, and Raines is dead."
There was a gun trained at her, maybe even two, but at this moment she couldn't care less. She had Raines, finally, and she had some things to settle with him. Raines' sweeper wasn't really scaring her, she was well beyond that now.
Death was certainly the last thing she feared. She had been waiting for death for years. The only thing she really feared at this moment was that Raines would get away, yet again. She would not allow this to happen, never again.
Willie pondered about his choices. His first priority was his own life. And as long as the federal agent was alive, he was as good as dead. The sweeper made up his mind. He shot. Miss Parker whirled in shock ready to shoot Willie. But she was a nanosecond too late. Willie had already chosen her as the next target and fired. The bullet hit her the very moment she took her own shot.
Willie was hit in the chest. He dropped his gun as his knees buckled.
Miss Parker looked down on her blouse. The spot of the impact was immediately coloured dead red. She was about to fall unconscious, but fought it with all her might. There was one more thing to do before she could give in. Wavering and faltering, she raised her gun again and aimed it at the bald man crouching in the vent.
During the shoot-out occurring before his eyes, Raines found time to draw his own gun from underneath his jacket. The time had come for him to shoot yet again at a female Parker.
Still fighting to keep standing, Parker saw him grabbing for his rifle. For a single second she closed her eyes, and hundreds of images flashed before her mind. All the images contained one common picture: Raines! Raines how he blew smoke into her face when she was a little girl. Raines when he was drugging Jarod as he was still a kid. Raines when he took away her twin from her mother. Raines in a dozens of more situations that all amounted to darken her soul. The last image was Raines as he shot her mother right after Ethan’s birth.
At this, her eyelids shot upwards, and with a last look in his evil eyes, a last look that portrayed all her anger, all her hatred, she pulled the trigger.
Raines was hit right between his eyes.
The last thing she saw, was the man who had destroyed her life, had taken away all her hopes and dreams, falling back into the vent, dead.
There was another shot, but Miss Parker didn't hear it anymore. She went down as well and lost consciousness. She didn’t see how a couple of agents arrived at the SIM Lab. One of them had taken another shot at Willie as he saw how the sweeper struggled to raise his gun and aim it at her one more time.
Miss Parker sneaked up to the car hidden behind some trees a few yards from her house. Crouching down to avoid being seen in the review mirror, she slowly made her way to the door. With one swift motion she opened the door on the driver’s side and trained her gun on the head of one sweeper.
"Don't even think of moving a finger or you'll be snoring dirt for the rest of eternity."
Both sweepers froze. They knew better than to tempt her.
"You," she motioned to the second one, "take your handcuffs and favor your friend here with them." The sweeper looked up and pondered about his options. He had his orders from Lyle.
Apparently he just got re-assigned. Lyle and Raines, both terrified him. But of course so did Parker when she was like this. And she was here, right in front of him, eyes blazing and gun in hand. Lyle was several miles away, and if the sweeper chose to cross Miss Parker now, there wouldn't be much left for his boss to terrify. So he did as he was told.
Parker threw in her own pair of cuffs and ordered him to put them on himself. Both sweepers were secured now, but not secure enough in her opinion. With her gun still trained on them, she ordered them out of the car. Both men, big as they were, were told to get into the trunk. She didn't care if there was enough room. In order to survive, they would arrange themselves somehow together in it.
Trunk closed shut, she allowed herself a sigh of relief. She was safe for now, but she knew that wouldn't last. Her only hope was that the newest developments at the Centre were enough to keep Lyle from thinking too much about his lost sweepers for just a little while.
On the way to her own car she took her 'emergency-mobile' from her pocket and dialled a well-known number. “Syd, I need you at Broots’ house. NOW!” She hung up without adding anything else. Parker knew that the doctor would immediately hop into his car, probably forgetting to get dressed and arriving there in his PJ’s, a robe and house-slippers.
She drove the short distance to her tech's home in a state of a marginally controlled frenzy. She had a plan now, and she wanted to get on with it. But impatience wouldn't get her there any faster. This needed some good thinking. She knew she needed to restrain herself and to work on her own tendency to act too quickly.
From her car Parker called Broots as well to let him know to expect them. Her devoted colleague was already waiting for her on the front porch.
When the doctor arrived as well – in his sleeping outfit, indeed - the three gathered in Broots’ backyard. None of them felt safe to discuss anything in the house. Illuminated only from the moon and the stars, Sydney and Broots looked at her expectantly.
Pacing around them like a caged tiger, Parker explained what she had planned. But in order for them to understand, she started at the beginning.
Something she had witnessed sitting in her car at a red light, had made her suddenly aware that she intended not only to tell them everything simply because they needed to know.
Shortly before she had arrived at Broots’ place, she had stopped at a traffic light. Impatiently waiting for it to change green, Parker had glanced around. It was semi-suburban Blue Cove at 12h30. There was a bar on the corner, she saw the doors opening up and three people came out. From their attire, they looked like business people, probably office colleagues who had taken a drink after work and apparently forgot the time. Two men and a woman walked out of the bar smiling. They looked very comfortable in each other’s presence, the friendship they shared wasn’t lost to Parker.
To Parker, those three people were the kind of friends that shared office-gossip over the Xerox-machine, colleagues who once in a while went for a after-work drink together talking about their families; what plans they had for the next vacation and the fears they had about their children’s choice of college.
All these thoughts went through her head during her the two minute drive from this red light to her destination. And in those two minutes she decided that the two men she had worked with so closely for the last six years, deserved to hear the whole story. Even more than they needed it to hear it, they deserved it.
Told in short-cut sentences they finally found out a few things about their boss’s latest endeavours. Parker told them a comprised version of everything that had happened over the last two weeks.
From Jarod’s initial contact to tell her about Margaret, to her demand that he finally leave. She told them about Ethan’s late-night visit as well as her last meeting with the pretender. And Parker told them also how her night with Daniel fit into this picture. The only thing she left out was how awfully devastated she had felt the night she had left Jarod behind and ended up in Daniel’s arms.
But this was something neither of her two friends really needed to hear. They saw it in her face, in her eyes. A pair of night-blue orbs that glimmered in the moonlight. Eyes that so often hid the pain and sorrow that this incredible woman had to bear for so long.
When she was finished, Broots and Sydney witnessed how the pain and sorrow in those eyes were replaced by sheer fire and determination. A fire that made the tech slightly afraid and the doctor mightily proud.
Parker told them about her idea, about her intention to end this once and for all. And both of them were sure that nothing could stop her anymore – not even the Centre!
****
It all happened at once, late afternoon the next day. Her plan had worked faster than she had expected, but she didn't want it any other way; the sooner the better.
Raines' final mistake was to order the search for a new pretender and - once again - underestimating Miss Parker.
What she had asked Broots to do was to hack into the new search program and overwrite it. Her idea had been mightily successful. The search program, originally designed to detect specific data on exceptional human DNA in networks of fertility and maternity clinics, was 're-written'. In miraculous speed, Broots had found a way to change the search pattern without being detected.
After only two hours he had managed to make it as if the Centre now hacked into the highest level security networks, searching for security data and defense parameters.
The offices at the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Pentagon went stir crazy within a matter of minutes.
****************
Jarod looked in awe at the new developments on the screens of his laptop and his father’s, which was sitting parallel from his. One was tapped into The Centre’s Mainframe, the other followed some secret communication between the highest governmental defense offices.
The frenzy exchange at the latter was caused by the happenings of the first, which was clear to the pretender.
He had to smile at the development. She was damned good, but he had always known that. Though her latest stunt impressed him to a new extent.
His whole family was gathered around him as he explained what happened.
Still unbelieving he uttered: "She did it on her own. I can’t believe it. This is going to be their downfall !"
Only his mother was still too detached, still suspicious of what seemingly went on.
"What did she do, Jarod? Won't she be endangering all of us with this?"
Jarod turned around and looked straight into her eyes. He was ready to tell her once and for all in no uncertain terms to stop blaming Parker, to stop being so against her. But when he saw the sad and scared expression in his mother's eyes, he relented.
There was simply no way for his mother to forget thirty years of mistrust and hatred for that place. She still couldn't keep apart the Centre and Miss Parker. She needed time for that, and Jarod understood that he had to give her that time. There was no need to yell at her and force her to trust Parker within a matter of days. Hell, it had taken him some time as well. The day would come, he was sure of that. After this was over, even his mother would see Parker's good soul.
In a voice much softer than he originally had intended, he said with a loving smile:
"Trust me mom. If you can't trust her, at least trust me on this. Please!"
Major Charles wrapped his arms around her and whispered something into her ear. Margaret just let out a sigh and hid her face in her husband's chest.
Jarod realized, that she was still against this, still fighting, but was now ready to at least stay back and give them the benefit of the doubt.
He turned to his screen again and ordered Ryan to assist him on his next step. The new developments needed to get out, the media should be aware of this. In that case the government couldn't hide this 'breach' and secretly let the Centre off the hook.
No matter how good the contacts to the highest levels of the government were, the Centre would not get away with this. Jarod knew, that when the national media was made aware of this, the government would be ready to drop the Centre like a hot potato.
While Ryan worked on the task to send all necessary information to the major news-channels and print media, Jarod once more hacked into the Centre databanks. There was some data on the Centre personnel accounts that needed to be deleted.
Fifteen minutes later there was little to none information on a few people previously working for the powerful organization. Jarod deleted his own files from all the well-hidden places in the Mainframe, and he made sure that no data on Sydney, Broots and Miss Parker could be determined as criminal or compromising.
Ethan stood in the corner of the room with a satisfied smile on his face. Finally the Centre would fall, just as Catherine had planned. Raines’ eternal quest for power and his constant underestimation of the indescribable bond between Jarod and Miss Parker - that thirty years ago, he himself had initiated with a simulation - had become his final downfall. The two people destined to be separated by glass, by an external force, by indoctrinated hate, had found a way to overcome the enforced evil. Still separated but working together, the Centre didn't stand the least of a chance.
***************
The government had always been a secret partner of the Centre, but was now much more alert to security-breaches and not willing to let this go unpunished.
Especially since an unknown source had leaked the 'breach' to the national media. The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the CIA were over the Centre like a plague of grasshoppers.
Helicopters were circling around the huge complex like bees. Dozens of police cars were spread around the whole area, cutting off every possible way out. FBI agents as well as several high ranking NSA officers were gathered around and sweeping the whole building with guns ready and cell phones in hand. There was no doubt that this operation would end the Centre as it was.
FBI agent Clayton stood in Miss Parker’s office and took in her appearance. He had explained his orders to her and waited for her reply as well as for his colleagues to tell him that all offices were secured and all personnel accounted for.
The woman in front of him, though a high level operative, was cleared from charges and considered a crown witness. He had just asked her to assist in all following investigations and to work with the FBI as well as the DA.
Miss Parker hadn't said much ever since the agent had entered her office. Seconds before it had started, Broots had informed her of the curious changes in the mainframe and some 'Breaking News' on the internet and on CNN. She had expected it, though not that quickly. When she had turned on her TV in her office, she had to smile. Jarod. Of course, like always, he had known.
Now she only wanted to be told that Raines and Lyle were caught and secured. She would not feel safe before that, she would not talk to them before this was certain. Clayton was on his walky-talky, talking to colleagues, giving orders and cursing.
The agent was just informed that Lyle had been caught down in the garage while trying to hot-wire one of the FBI's own cars. He had apparently been putting up a fight, but in his very own best tradition knew when to step down. He had given up rather quickly and promised to spill his guts on every Centre secret he knew.
Parker listened in on the conversation and felt the urge to go down and ram a knife into her twin, preferably a sharp and rusty one. And every officer believing him should be punished in a similar fashion. Again, Lyle tried to dodge out of the situation, and again he seemed to find people who trusted him. She needed to clear up a few things about Lyle for agent Clayton.
As she turned to address the officer, he again started to yell into his walky-talky. He cursed and stomped his food into the ground.
Raines had disappeared.
Parker forgot her revenge on her twin immediately. Raines wasn't found. This news rang in her ears and screamed to her to get into action. Miss Parker, furious and determined not to let him get away yet again, decided then and there to go on a mission on her own.
The agent in charge followed her out of her office but quickly had to learn that this woman’s will was as fundamental as earth wind and fire. He soon lost her in the maze of the Centre, so unknown to him and so familiar to her.
***
Raines dragged along his tank as fast as he could. The authorities were sweeping the Centre, the sub-levels were crowded with officers and agents. All but the SIM Lab at SL-21. Raines had successfully retreated there without being detected. He had a plan how to get out. Down here was a vent that almost no one knew about; a vent that was not on the Centre blueprints. He knew about this vent only because Miss Parker had found it when they had been stuck there. It was when Brigitte had planned to kill Mr. Parker. It was the perfect way to get out.
Miss Parker arrived at SL-21 just as Raines tried to get his oxygen tank safely into the vent. From the moment she had heard about the old man’s disappearance she had known where to look for him.
Parker drew her gun and aimed it at her life-long enemy. The personification of death, of evil, of every horror in her life.
"Planning on hiding somewhere?" she growled dangerously.
"Miss Parker. Stay out of this, or you will be sorry."
"Ooooh. Now you don't sound as threatening anymore. But for the record you ghoul: I. Don't. Respond. Well. To. Threats." She accentuated every syllable to its deadly effect, her gun aimed right at his heart. Though, she wondered briefly if there was a heart to be hit after all.
"You will NOT get away. I'll make sure of that. It's over."
"If only you weren't so much like your mother, we could've ...."
"Don't you dare talk about my mother! You used her. You manipulated her. You betrayed her and of course there is this tiny detail that YOU EXECUTED her! I saw it, twice actually. And now...now I will watch you go down. It will not bring her back, but hell, if it will not bring me some sort of peace."
She cocked her gun, and slowly pulled on the trigger, just far enough, that he could hear it click. His eyes widened in disbelief. She had had many chances of killing him before, but she never had gone through with it. Raines thought desperately how to protract the situation. Where the hell was Willie?
"I still have answers, you so desperately seek."
"I don't care anymore. It's over."
Somehow he believed her. The feeling that she would not step down this time more and more settled in.
"Miss Parker! Take down the gun!" Agent Clayton had finally found her. He immediately understood what was going on here. The officer saw no alternative but to draw his own gun and aim it at her.
The situation granted that she felt a bit nervous - and she was - but she wouldn't show it. Parker didn't even look at the voice from behind. She kept her aim at the target and spoke to the agent.
"Clayton. You don't understand. He wanted to escape, I simply stopped him."
"Yes, Miss Parker. And it looks like you've caught him. And now, let me take over."
What neither Parker nor Clayton knew or had counted on, was that Raines had sent his loyal sweeper Willie to get an emergency oxygen tank from the infirmary. Raines wanted to make sure he wouldn't run out of air, while hiding in the secret vent.
A tall and armed figure crept around the corner.
"Anyone moving is dead!" Willie stepped out of the shadows, his own gun in hand, aimed at Clayton.
Miss Parker swirled around in surprise, but remembered her prime target and his attempt to get away. So she turned again towards Raines. "Looks like a dead end here. So what's it gonna be, Willie? Shoot, and Raines is dead."
There was a gun trained at her, maybe even two, but at this moment she couldn't care less. She had Raines, finally, and she had some things to settle with him. Raines' sweeper wasn't really scaring her, she was well beyond that now.
Death was certainly the last thing she feared. She had been waiting for death for years. The only thing she really feared at this moment was that Raines would get away, yet again. She would not allow this to happen, never again.
Willie pondered about his choices. His first priority was his own life. And as long as the federal agent was alive, he was as good as dead. The sweeper made up his mind. He shot. Miss Parker whirled in shock ready to shoot Willie. But she was a nanosecond too late. Willie had already chosen her as the next target and fired. The bullet hit her the very moment she took her own shot.
Willie was hit in the chest. He dropped his gun as his knees buckled.
Miss Parker looked down on her blouse. The spot of the impact was immediately coloured dead red. She was about to fall unconscious, but fought it with all her might. There was one more thing to do before she could give in. Wavering and faltering, she raised her gun again and aimed it at the bald man crouching in the vent.
During the shoot-out occurring before his eyes, Raines found time to draw his own gun from underneath his jacket. The time had come for him to shoot yet again at a female Parker.
Still fighting to keep standing, Parker saw him grabbing for his rifle. For a single second she closed her eyes, and hundreds of images flashed before her mind. All the images contained one common picture: Raines! Raines how he blew smoke into her face when she was a little girl. Raines when he was drugging Jarod as he was still a kid. Raines when he took away her twin from her mother. Raines in a dozens of more situations that all amounted to darken her soul. The last image was Raines as he shot her mother right after Ethan’s birth.
At this, her eyelids shot upwards, and with a last look in his evil eyes, a last look that portrayed all her anger, all her hatred, she pulled the trigger.
Raines was hit right between his eyes.
The last thing she saw, was the man who had destroyed her life, had taken away all her hopes and dreams, falling back into the vent, dead.
There was another shot, but Miss Parker didn't hear it anymore. She went down as well and lost consciousness. She didn’t see how a couple of agents arrived at the SIM Lab. One of them had taken another shot at Willie as he saw how the sweeper struggled to raise his gun and aim it at her one more time.
