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Chapter or Story
Blackout
By Gemini-M
Chapter 1
A call for help
Disclaimer: The Pretender and its related characters are not mine. Just using them in this story for fun.
Author's Note: This is my second Pretender FanFic and I would like to dedicate it to Jaccione for all her wonderful help and words of encouragement. Thanks Jacci.
Deep in the bowels of the abominable structure fear, pain and screams where always present. Within those walls time stood still. There was no day or night, no seasons, no joy and no hope. They controlled his life. This was his world and he knew he would never leave it. He had survived the horrors all his life and in the process, he had found two friends. Now one of them was in need, it was his duty to help. Crawling through the maze of air vents, the little man with the wild hair searched for someone, anyone who would listen to him. His vivid dreams flashed in his tormented mind. His friend was scared, sad, and alone. His friend needed help. His first choice would be the old man. He cared for his friend and even though he concealed his true feelings for the AWOL Pretender, he always had protected him like a father. Quietly he removed the vent cover, descended to the floor, and crouched like a cat about to leap on his prey. In one swift move, he grabbed the old man’s arm, hauled him out of his chair and started to drag him toward the door. Sydney was startle by the little man’s sudden appearance, but more concerned about his behavior.
“Angelo, what’s wrong? Please calm down.” Sydney spoke with a comforting and serene voice.
Angelo was very agitated and kept mumbling something about a friend. With sadness in his voice, the little man pleaded, “Friend alone… sad. Friend needs help.”
Sydney knew that Angelo was not lying about this. Something was very wrong. Someone Angelo cared about was in trouble. His empathic abilities perceived that this person was in need and it sounded serious. The first person that came to Sydney’s mind was Jarod. Sydney crouched next to Angelo and secretly asked him, “Angelo, is Jarod in trouble, is he hurt?”
Angelo quickly nodded his head with a look of agony in his eyes.
Sydney rose and began to pace around the room. A million thoughts rushed through his mind about the wellbeing of his former protégé. He needed to find Jarod. How and where could he start the search? He could not do this alone. He knew he could trust Broots, but could he trust Miss Parker? He would have no other choice but to ask for their help. Whispering a silent prayer for Jarod, he made up his mind. Slowly he lowered himself down into the chair at his desk. He pulled the cell phone from his coat pocket and dialed Miss Parker’s cell phone. He had to be careful and keep this information away from Mr. Lyle and Raines. If Jarod were hurt, he would be more vulnerable. Sydney knew the risks he was taking but this time he would not stand by and do nothing. He was going to do everything in his power to help Jarod. Angelo was crouched in a corner rocking back and forth. He just kept repeating, “Friend alone needs help”.
“Don’t worry Angelo we will find him”. Sydney tried to calm the little man who obviously was extremely distressed.
After the third ring, Miss Parker finally answered her phone with a very frustrated tone, “OK LAB RAT, I’M GETTING REALLY TIRED OF YOUR LITTLE GAMES, AND IF YOU HANG UP ON ME AGAIN I SWEAR I’M GOING TO HURT YOU THE NEXT TIME I RUN INTO YOU!”
Sydney was shocked to hear Miss Parker screaming at the top of her lungs, but at the same time curious about the possibilities that she had just spoken to Jarod.
Sydney spoke in a calm and hushed tone,” Miss Parker is Sydney. Did you just speak to Jarod?”
“Well Yes and No. Your LAB RAT called me three times in the last half hour and keeps hanging up on me. You know what Sydney; I think he has really gone NUTS this time.”
“Miss Parker listen, I think Jarod is in trouble. Can Broots and I come over to your house this evening? We need to talk away from here.”
Miss Parker’s rage had quickly vanished when she heard the concern in Sydney’s voice. “Sure Sydney, I’ll try to leave early to check if there are any messages at home, I’ll see you later.” With that, she disconnected the call.
Sydney approached Angelo, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and explained his plan. “Angelo, don’t worry, we will find Jarod and help him, now go to your space.” With apprehension, Angelo disappeared into his world through the vents once again. The next step was to speak to Broots. Sydney quickly left his office and headed for SL-5 in search of the techie. As he was turning the corner to the Computer Lab, he nearly ran into Mr. Lyle. Sydney immediately tried to act as normal as possible to avoid any suspicion, but Mr. Lyle always enjoyed annoying the old psychologist.
“Where is the fire Sydney, or do you have any new leads on Jarod?”
The mention on Jarod’s name almost made Sydney’s heart stop, but he quickly fabricated an excuse for Lyle, “Sorry Mr. Lyle, but I’m running late in collecting the data of my latest research on behavior modification on twins and I really need to finish this before the weekend.” Lyle just rolled his eyes and went on his way, mumbling something about shrinks.
Once Lyle was out of sight, Sydney rushed into the Computer Lab in search of Broots. In the far corner of the Lab, Broots was absorbed in his work and did not hear Sydney’s approach. When Sydney placed a hand on Broots shoulder, the techie nearly jumped out of his skin. “OH My God Sydney! You almost gave me a heart attack; I thought it was Lyle again. You know that guy just gives me the creeps. Whenever he comes here, he starts to play with his thumb, well not his thumb; because he doesn’t have one any more… well you know what I mean.”
“Yes Broots I understand, but right now I need to ask you a favor. Can you come to Miss Parker’s house after work today? It’s really important.”
“Sure Sydney, What is this about? Is Miss Parker all right?” Broots was immediately concerned for his boss. Even though she was cold, intimidating and enjoyed making him squirm on a daily basis, he had grown to respect and care for her. No matter what people said, the Ice Queen had a soft spot in her heart for his Debbie. That was something that brought happiness to his little girl, and he would always treasure that friendship.
Sydney did not want to go into details now. It was not safe and the Centre had ears and eyes everywhere. “Broots, Miss Parker is fine, I cannot tell you nothing more. Please meet us at 6 p.m. at her house. It’s important.”
Broots was relieved that Miss Parker was fine, but he was very curious about this mysterious meeting. “OK Sydney, I’ll take Debbie to my brother’s and I’ll see you at Miss Parker’s house.”
“Thank you Broots, I knew I could count on you.” With that remark, Sydney turned and left the Lab. Back at his office he continued to pace. He felt like a trapped animal. He knew he would not accomplish any work today. His mind was in turmoil. He could not concentrate on anything. He would just organize his paper work to occupy his mind until it was time to go home. He had to remain calm to avoid arousing any suspicion. This was going to be the longest day of his life.
TBC
By Gemini-M
Chapter 1
A call for help
Disclaimer: The Pretender and its related characters are not mine. Just using them in this story for fun.
Author's Note: This is my second Pretender FanFic and I would like to dedicate it to Jaccione for all her wonderful help and words of encouragement. Thanks Jacci.
Deep in the bowels of the abominable structure fear, pain and screams where always present. Within those walls time stood still. There was no day or night, no seasons, no joy and no hope. They controlled his life. This was his world and he knew he would never leave it. He had survived the horrors all his life and in the process, he had found two friends. Now one of them was in need, it was his duty to help. Crawling through the maze of air vents, the little man with the wild hair searched for someone, anyone who would listen to him. His vivid dreams flashed in his tormented mind. His friend was scared, sad, and alone. His friend needed help. His first choice would be the old man. He cared for his friend and even though he concealed his true feelings for the AWOL Pretender, he always had protected him like a father. Quietly he removed the vent cover, descended to the floor, and crouched like a cat about to leap on his prey. In one swift move, he grabbed the old man’s arm, hauled him out of his chair and started to drag him toward the door. Sydney was startle by the little man’s sudden appearance, but more concerned about his behavior.
“Angelo, what’s wrong? Please calm down.” Sydney spoke with a comforting and serene voice.
Angelo was very agitated and kept mumbling something about a friend. With sadness in his voice, the little man pleaded, “Friend alone… sad. Friend needs help.”
Sydney knew that Angelo was not lying about this. Something was very wrong. Someone Angelo cared about was in trouble. His empathic abilities perceived that this person was in need and it sounded serious. The first person that came to Sydney’s mind was Jarod. Sydney crouched next to Angelo and secretly asked him, “Angelo, is Jarod in trouble, is he hurt?”
Angelo quickly nodded his head with a look of agony in his eyes.
Sydney rose and began to pace around the room. A million thoughts rushed through his mind about the wellbeing of his former protégé. He needed to find Jarod. How and where could he start the search? He could not do this alone. He knew he could trust Broots, but could he trust Miss Parker? He would have no other choice but to ask for their help. Whispering a silent prayer for Jarod, he made up his mind. Slowly he lowered himself down into the chair at his desk. He pulled the cell phone from his coat pocket and dialed Miss Parker’s cell phone. He had to be careful and keep this information away from Mr. Lyle and Raines. If Jarod were hurt, he would be more vulnerable. Sydney knew the risks he was taking but this time he would not stand by and do nothing. He was going to do everything in his power to help Jarod. Angelo was crouched in a corner rocking back and forth. He just kept repeating, “Friend alone needs help”.
“Don’t worry Angelo we will find him”. Sydney tried to calm the little man who obviously was extremely distressed.
After the third ring, Miss Parker finally answered her phone with a very frustrated tone, “OK LAB RAT, I’M GETTING REALLY TIRED OF YOUR LITTLE GAMES, AND IF YOU HANG UP ON ME AGAIN I SWEAR I’M GOING TO HURT YOU THE NEXT TIME I RUN INTO YOU!”
Sydney was shocked to hear Miss Parker screaming at the top of her lungs, but at the same time curious about the possibilities that she had just spoken to Jarod.
Sydney spoke in a calm and hushed tone,” Miss Parker is Sydney. Did you just speak to Jarod?”
“Well Yes and No. Your LAB RAT called me three times in the last half hour and keeps hanging up on me. You know what Sydney; I think he has really gone NUTS this time.”
“Miss Parker listen, I think Jarod is in trouble. Can Broots and I come over to your house this evening? We need to talk away from here.”
Miss Parker’s rage had quickly vanished when she heard the concern in Sydney’s voice. “Sure Sydney, I’ll try to leave early to check if there are any messages at home, I’ll see you later.” With that, she disconnected the call.
Sydney approached Angelo, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and explained his plan. “Angelo, don’t worry, we will find Jarod and help him, now go to your space.” With apprehension, Angelo disappeared into his world through the vents once again. The next step was to speak to Broots. Sydney quickly left his office and headed for SL-5 in search of the techie. As he was turning the corner to the Computer Lab, he nearly ran into Mr. Lyle. Sydney immediately tried to act as normal as possible to avoid any suspicion, but Mr. Lyle always enjoyed annoying the old psychologist.
“Where is the fire Sydney, or do you have any new leads on Jarod?”
The mention on Jarod’s name almost made Sydney’s heart stop, but he quickly fabricated an excuse for Lyle, “Sorry Mr. Lyle, but I’m running late in collecting the data of my latest research on behavior modification on twins and I really need to finish this before the weekend.” Lyle just rolled his eyes and went on his way, mumbling something about shrinks.
Once Lyle was out of sight, Sydney rushed into the Computer Lab in search of Broots. In the far corner of the Lab, Broots was absorbed in his work and did not hear Sydney’s approach. When Sydney placed a hand on Broots shoulder, the techie nearly jumped out of his skin. “OH My God Sydney! You almost gave me a heart attack; I thought it was Lyle again. You know that guy just gives me the creeps. Whenever he comes here, he starts to play with his thumb, well not his thumb; because he doesn’t have one any more… well you know what I mean.”
“Yes Broots I understand, but right now I need to ask you a favor. Can you come to Miss Parker’s house after work today? It’s really important.”
“Sure Sydney, What is this about? Is Miss Parker all right?” Broots was immediately concerned for his boss. Even though she was cold, intimidating and enjoyed making him squirm on a daily basis, he had grown to respect and care for her. No matter what people said, the Ice Queen had a soft spot in her heart for his Debbie. That was something that brought happiness to his little girl, and he would always treasure that friendship.
Sydney did not want to go into details now. It was not safe and the Centre had ears and eyes everywhere. “Broots, Miss Parker is fine, I cannot tell you nothing more. Please meet us at 6 p.m. at her house. It’s important.”
Broots was relieved that Miss Parker was fine, but he was very curious about this mysterious meeting. “OK Sydney, I’ll take Debbie to my brother’s and I’ll see you at Miss Parker’s house.”
“Thank you Broots, I knew I could count on you.” With that remark, Sydney turned and left the Lab. Back at his office he continued to pace. He felt like a trapped animal. He knew he would not accomplish any work today. His mind was in turmoil. He could not concentrate on anything. He would just organize his paper work to occupy his mind until it was time to go home. He had to remain calm to avoid arousing any suspicion. This was going to be the longest day of his life.
TBC
