Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Destiny
By: Gemini-M
Chapter 4
"One meets his destiny often in the road he takes to avoid it" Unknown.
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Author's Note: Thanks again to mfkngst, Brandy, Slayer-o, Joy and ICD for your reviews and encouraging words. They mean a world to me. Thanks and Enjoy.
Miss Parker had tried to act as normal as possible for the last few days, but the lack of news from Jarod was driving her insane. She could not eat and had only slept a few hours in the past few nights. She had not heard from Jarod in three days and to make things worse, Lyle and his team had not reported back from Butte, Montana. Miss Parker could do nothing but pace back and forth in her office. This silence was intolerable and she felt like a caged animal. A hundred scenarios kept invading her thoughts and none of them had a good outcome. "What if Lyle's team had found Jarod's mother? Maybe it was another trap to capture Jarod. What if Jarod's mom was very sick or had died? What if Jarod was...gone?" The last thought made her feel cold, empty and terrified. Once again, her inner sense was screaming at her that something was very wrong. Miss Parker started shaking and had to close her eyes as the room started to spin around her. She grabbed hold of the edge of her desk and slowly moved behind it to sit before her legs failed to support her any longer. She rested her head on her folded arms and waited for the dizziness to pass.
While trying to find some kind of relief to her dizziness and the migraine that was threatening to start, Miss Parker was unaware of the figure that had entered her office and approached her desk.
"Miss Parker are you alright?" A kind accented voice interrupted her thoughts.
Miss Parker straightened herself immediately and blinked back the tears that had formed in her eyes. "Syd what are you doing here?" She was trying to sound in control but the fear in her voice was obvious to the man that knew her so well. "Sydney, have you heard anything from Jarod?"
"Miss Parker you have not answered my question? How are you feeling?"
"Oh I'm just peachy Freud" She gave him one of her famous cold stares and continued, "Can't you tell?"
"Parker I'm not joking. I'm very concerned for you. I know you are very worried about Jarod. We all are, but not taking care of yourself will only make matters worse, and your behavior may cause suspicion."
"Are you done?" Miss Parker stood and started pacing her office once more avoiding Sydney's concerned gaze and ignoring his questions completely.
In defeat at his attempt to reach her, Sydney turned and started walking towards the door. Just before he exited her office, he turned and said, "I'll be in my office. Please keep me informed if you hear from Jarod."
Miss Parker looked at the old man and gave him a sad smile, "I'll call you as soon as I hear something. Syd.... I'm sorry. I know you mean well, but at the moment I just can't deal with...." She looked away in an effort to hide the tears from him. She walked toward her window and stood there staring at the ocean. In a defeated tone she continued, "I'm fine Sydney. Please don't worry."
Sydney smiled sadly and proceeded to open the door. Just at that moment, Miss Parker's private cell phone rang. She sprang from the window and grabbed her jacket searching the pockets frantically to locate the noisy device. At the sound of the phone, Sydney immediately turned around and stood in front of Miss Parker's desk. He looked at Parker anxiously and said a silent prayer for Jarod.
"Jarod?"
"Hello Jarod, is that you?" There was only silence.
"My God Jarod, what's wrong? Please talk to me." Parker's lips trembled as she pleaded for an answer from Jarod.
"Parker I found my Mom, but she....." Jarod could not finish the sentence, but it was not necessary, she knew what had happened. She could feel the pain in his voice. Jarod had suffered a great deal of physical and emotional abuse while he was imprisoned at The Centre, but he had always found a way to survive with his mind intact. What Miss Parker heard across the phone line frightened her. Jarod sounded broken and lost. It tore her apart not to be with him at this moment.
"Jarod, I'm so sorry" Miss Parker sat down at her desk while the tears started to make trails down her face. She wiped the tears with one hand and took a deep breath trying to control her emotions. She needed to be strong for him right now. She had to help him get through this, as he had done for her when she lost her mother. With a very gentle and calm voice, Miss Parker stated, "Jarod, please come home. We will get through this together."
At Parker's reaction, Sydney took a seat in front of Parker's desk and lowered his head onto his hands. He kept shaking his head in disbelief. Why did this have to happen now? Sydney looked at Parker with deep sadness and replied, "Parker, please ask Jarod how is he doing? I'm very concerned for his state of mind." Sydney paused for a moment to wipe a tear from his face and then he spoke his thoughts at loud. "My God this kind of blow could destroy Jarod. He had been searching for his mother for so long and now... Why is life so unfair to him?"
Parker nodded in understanding at Sydney's request and proceeded to ask, "Jarod are you going to be OK? Jarod, please tell me what happened? When are you coming back?"
There was a short silence and a sigh, "Parker I'll tell you everything when I get back home. Right now we need to finish what we have started." Jarod's voice sounded tired and empty, but she could hear the effort he was putting to remain focused. She understood that he could not deal with the emotional turmoil he was facing now. First, they needed to finish their plan and later they would deal with the pain. She silently prayed that he would have the strength to make it through this. She needed him now more than ever.
"Parker listen carefully. As soon as my family leaves for Canada in an hour, I'll be heading back to Delaware. I should arrive there in about 6 hours. On the way there, I will contact the FBI and send them the final information they'll need to move in. I want you, Sydney, Broots and Angelo to be out of The Centre by 5:00pm tonight. We will rendezvous at Sydney's home. Parker once you're out of The Centre, DO NOT RETURN THERE FOR ANY REASON. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? Thing are going to get pretty ugly when the authorities come crashing in."
"OK Jarod. Please be careful." Thinking about Jarod's state of mind, Miss Parker asked with concern, "Jarod are you flying back by yourself?"
"No Parker, a friend is going to fly me back." Jarod answered tiredly.
"Jarod, we'll be waiting for you. I need you home."
"Parker, it's almost over. I will see you soon. I love you Parker." Then the line went dead.
Parker dropped the phone on her desk, covered her face with her hands and cried. She cried for Jarod and his family. She cried for all the mistakes she had made in the past that had led to this tragedy. Why didn't she follow her mother's path earlier? Why didn't she take that turning point when Jarod had offered it to her so many times before? Maybe it would have saved Jarod's mother. Why did this have to happen now? They were so close to ending this nightmare, and yet fate had never been kind to either one of them.
Sydney approached Miss Parker and draped his arm over her shoulder while he spoke calmly, "Parker, I know is hard, but we need to be strong for Jarod right now. He is counting on us and he is going to need all of our support. Now we need to keep our heads clear and follow his instructions. Later we will deal with the pain."
Parker raised her tear-streaked face and looked at Sydney with deep sadness. "I know Sydney. It just so hard. I don't know how much more of this I can take. Will I be able to help Jarod?"
Sydney reached with his fingertips and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. Looking at Miss Parker affectionately he said, "Parker you both are very unique individuals and alone you both have survived a great deal of loss and pain in your lives. I know that together you will be able to survive this. Trust in yourself Parker. Jarod has always trusted you. Now you have each other and that is the most important thing."
At that precise moment, her office door flew open and Broots entered running. He stood in front of his shocked audience panting and waving his hands toward the door in an effort to explain his sudden entrance. "M...MISS PARKER, SYD, LYLE IS BACK! I...I just saw him heading for the infirmary with Willy. He was shouting orders left and right and he was furious. Miss Parker something is going on. Do you think he discovered Jarod's plan? Miss Parker what happened? Have you spoken to Jarod?"
"Broots calm down" Sydney answered for Miss Parker while she regained her composure.
"Miss Parker are you OK?" The nervous techie asked with deep concern when he finally noticed the tears in his boss' face. "Sydney what happened? Did they discover Jarod's plan?" Broots whispered at his colleague.
Miss Parker shot Broots one of her evil glares that almost made him flee from the room.
Broots scratched his head nervously and said, "I...I'm sorry Miss Parker. It just that I've never seen Mr. Lyle so furious. I think he was calling for reinforcements. I think he might be heading this way."
Miss Parker stood from her desk and headed for her private washroom. Before entering, she said over her shoulder, "If my psychotic little brother shows-up find out what he wants and make an excuse for me. I cannot deal with him today, and if I'm forced to do that I might kill him." She turned and left the two stunned men looking at each other.
Less than a minute later, Lyle entered the office followed by two sweepers. He looked at the two men standing by Miss Parker's desk and demanded, "WHERE IS MISS PARKER?"
Sydney moved forward staring coldly at Lyle and said, "Miss Parker is not feeling well at the moment. Can I help you with something?"
Lyle looked around the room suspiciously and then focused his attention on the nervous techie that stood by Miss Parker's desk. With an evil smirk he moved toward the little man and stated, "OH, Mr. Broots, just the man I needed to see. I will need your computer knowledge later. It seems that someone has gained access and removed very sensitive data from the Pretender archives. Meet me in the Computer Lab in 15 minutes." Lyle then turned his attention back to Sydney. He glared at the old man with hatred in his eyes and spoke in a threatening tone, "Tell my dear sis that I want to speak with her as soon as possible, and I will not accept any more excuses." He pushed Sydney aside and exited the room followed closely by his two sweepers.
As soon as Lyle had left the room, Miss Parker re-entered her office. She looked at Sydney and then at a very pale Broots. "Sydney, what did Lyle want?"
"Miss Parker he wants to speak with you as soon as possible, and he requested Broots' assistance. It seems that someone has removed sensitive data from the Pretender data base." Sydney explained to Miss Parker while looking at a very nervous Broots across the room.
Broots cross the room in a near panic and began stuttering, "M...Miss Parker, Sydney what am I suppose to do now?"
"Broots you are going to do exactly what Lyle asked" Miss Parker stated calmly. "You are going to go to the Computer Lab and help Lyle. Then at 5:00 pm, you are going to find some excuse to leave the Lab and get out of The Centre. Go to Sydney's home and there we will meet with Jarod. Don't be late!"
"OK Miss Parker. OH, God I hope I can live through this. If I do get out of this alive, I think I'm going to end up in the funny farm. Oh God!; What if Mr. Lyle knows something already? Just thinking that I'm going to be a...alone with him in the Computer Lab makes me sick to my stomach. What if I cannot leave at 5:00pm?" Broots stood in front of his friends shaking and rambling uncontrollably.
"BROOTS, WOULD YOU PLEASE SHUT UP AND JUST GO!" Miss Parker exclaimed with frustration.
Sydney just shook his head at Miss Parker in disapproval of her mistreatment of Broots, while the nervous techie scurried away.
"Please Sydney don't start now" She raised her hand to stop Sydney's reprimand and headed for the door. "I better go see what the snake of my brother wanted."
"Parker please be careful" He looked at her with deep concern. "We don't know what Lyle is scheming now, or if he knows something about Jarod's plans. Parker you know what Lyle is capable of."
"Don't worry Freud; I can take care of myself. Be ready to leave by five. I'll stop by your office to pick you up." With that said, Miss Parker exited her office.
On her way to Lyle's office, Miss Parker walked in a daze. She was oblivious to the coming and going of people around her. Her mind kept drifting back to her conversation with Jarod and his pain. She wanted to be with him now. She wanted to run, leave this house of horrors behind and never look back, but first they had to finish her mother's plan and put an end to the netherworld that was The Centre. She had to be strong for Jarod, for herself and their child. It was almost over and then they would all be free. She prayed that their plan would work, but something frightened her deeply. The constant buzzing of the voices in her mind where trying to warn her. Something was very wrong. She could feel pain and darkness, but what did these feelings mean? Miss Parker kept asking herself. Finally, she reached Lyle's office. She took a deep breath and entered his office.
"Sydney said you wanted to speak to me. What do you want Lyle?" Parker said coldly.
"Well hello Sis, where are your manners?" Lyle teased.
"Look Lyle I'm not in the mood for your games. What the Hell do you want?" Miss Parker stared at him with piercing eyes.
Lyle smiled at Miss Parker and continued, "I have received information regarding the whereabouts of Jarod's family. I need you to come with me to check on this lead."
"My assignment is to capture Jarod and not to go around chasing his family." Parker stated firmly.
"Well, I believe that Jarod might be in the same vicinity as his family and that makes it your assignment now." Lyle insisted.
"And where is that?" Miss Parker asked trying hard to contain her anger.
"They were spotted in Butte, Montana. Jarod's mother was in a hospital there, but someone managed to rescue her, I suspect Jarod." Lyle explained.
"So, what you are saying is that you had Jarod's mother and you lost her." Miss Parker said with a smile trying her best to irritate Lyle. "Well by now, Jarod and his family are probably long gone. I'm not going to waste my time going to Montana for nothing. If you want to go on a wild goose chase be my guest." Miss Parker turned around and headed for the door.
Lyle hurried and blocked her path, "Parker, we need to work together to bring Jarod back. Those are Dad's orders. Besides, this is the best lead we have had in months." Lyle emphasized while trying to contain his anger.
Parker pushed him aside and glared at him saying, "Lyle don't waste my time. When you have any solid lead on Jarod call me." With that, she exited leaving a very angry Lyle staring at her back.
The afternoon hours dragged on forever. She was counting the minutes to the moment when she would see Jarod again. She kept telling herself to remain calm. Everything was going to work out. Finally, they would have the freedom and happiness that was stolen from them so long ago. She looked toward the blue sky outside her window and said, "Momma, we are going to complete your plan. I hope I will make you proud."
Miss Parker looked at her watch. It was 4:45pm. She picked up her cell phone and pressed Sydney's number.
"This is Sydney" The soft voice answer immediately.
"Sydney we need to find Angelo. Have you seen him?"
"I'm sorry Miss Parker I have not seen him all day. Do you want me to go check his space?"
"Alright Syd, you go find Angelo and I'll call Broots with an excuse to get him away from Lyle. We will meet in the main lobby at 5:00pm. Don't be late." With that said, Miss Parker ended the call.
"Miss...Par?" Sydney frowned at the dial tone and said to himself, "She's starting to act like Jarod."
Sydney closed his cell phone and walked slowly across his office. Before exiting, he stopped and took a final look at his office. He never thought that this day would come. He finally had found the courage to walk away from the place that had controlled his life for so long and stolen his family. He looked at all his diplomas and certificates of merit and they no longer held any value. Now they were only shameful reminders that he had stood by and allowed so much wrong to take place in the name of science. This was something that would haunt him till his death, and then he would receive his well-deserved punishment. He could only hope that the person that he loved as a son could one day forgive him for being part of these atrocities. Sydney wiped a single tear from his cheek and closed the door behind him.
Miss Parker was the first one to arrive at the main lobby. She began to pace nervously while she waited for Sydney and Broots. She prayed that Lyle would not show up again. She had left him screaming obscenities in the Computer Lab after she had snatched Broots away from him with an excuse that her computer was down and she needed Broots back. After that, Broots had race to his office to collect some things. Now it was 5:00pm already and still there was no sign of Sydney or Broots. The elevator doors open and Miss Parker heart skipped a beat. She held her breath until finally she saw the Broots exit the elevator carrying his laptop and his backpack.
"Broots, over here! Where is Sydney? Miss Parker asked in a near panic.
"I...I don't know Miss Parker. I didn't see him. But I'm sure he's on his way." Broots tried to calm his boss.
At that precise moment, Sydney entered the lobby from the elevators. As soon as he saw Miss Parker and Broots, he dashed toward them. The old man was gasping for air and had to wait a minute to catch his breath before he was able to speak. "Miss Parker I couldn't find Angelo. What are we going to do now?"
"Sydney we can't wait any longer. It's not safe. We need to leave before the authorities arrive. Angelo will find a way out when he senses the danger. Don't worry he's very clever." Miss Parker tried to convince herself as well as the two men in front of her.
They arrived at Sydney's home at 6:00pm. Sydney invited everyone into his home cordially and proceeded to prepare some tea to calm everyone's nerves. Miss Parker followed Sydney to the kitchen to help her old friend and to keep her mind distracted. Sydney could sense that something was troubling her deeply. She was edgy and unfocused. Sydney looked at her with deep concern and asked, "Miss Parker what's wrong? You seem distracted and very nervous. Would you like to talk about what's bothering you?"
Parker just looked at Sydney and smiled at him fondly, "Always the shrink. I'm fine Syd. I'm just worried about Jarod. I need him here with us and I won't rest until he walks through that door."
Sydney looked at her and nodded in agreement. "I know, I'm also very concerned about his state of mind and how he's handling the loss of his mother."
All of the sudden Miss Parker jumped from her chair and said, "Oh my God I forgot to call Ethan."
"Ethan?" Sydney exclaimed.
"Yes Sydney, Ethan my little brother. He is waiting for me at my house. How could I forget? He showed up at my house three days ago when this nightmare started. I have to call him and tell him to come here." She explained very agitated.
"Miss Parker you need to calm down. You haven't been well lately." Sydney said with concern and then looked at her questionably. "Why did he come looking for you now?"
"Ethan said that the voices, well my mother's voice, was telling him to come and protect me and the..." Parker stopped her explanation suddenly and avoiding Sydney's eyes. "Syd, I better call Ethan right away. My house is not a safe place any more." Saying that she rushed out of the kitchen with her cell phone in hand, leaving the old man very confused.
Half an hour later, the three Centre deserters were still anxiously waiting for Jarod's arrival. Miss Parker kept pacing back and forth in the small family room and Broots kept fidgeting with the magazines and looking out the window for Centre goons.
Sydney sat on his easy chair trying to read his book, but the constant moment around him was starting to irritate him. He put his book down and said firmly, "WILL YOU TWO STOP THIS! I'm getting dizzy just by watching you both act like monkeys in a cage. I'm worried too, but we have to be patient. Jarod will be here soon and then...."
At that instant, there was a knock on the door. Miss Parker raised her index finger to her mouth to shush everyone and then cautiously moved toward the door and looked through the peephole. "Thank God!" Miss Parker exclaimed as she opened the door.
"Ethan! I'm so glad you're here." She quickly threw her arms around her brother's neck and pulled him into a warm hug. "Come in please. Did you make sure you were not followed?"
"Don't worry Miss Parker, nobody followed me. Where is Jarod?" Ethan looked at his sister with concern when this one paused to answer. Ethan could feel her fear. Her inner sense had heard the warnings also and it terrified her.
"I don't know Ethan. He asks us to meet him here, but..."
All of the sudden the door behind Ethan flew open, almost knocking him to the ground. "Hey, what's going on here?" Ethan exclaimed somewhat annoyed at the little man that dashed into the living room carrying something.
Miss Parker automatically drew her weapon at the intruder, but her anger and shock immediately vanished when she recognized the face hidden underneath the hood.
"ANGELO!" All of the occupants screamed at once.
Angelo ran to Miss Parker and handed her a metal box. He looked into her eyes pleading hysterically, "Friends must save baby. Secrets and lies. Bad secrets. Must save baby now."
Miss Parker looked at the metal box and frowned. She recognized the object from somewhere. "Angelo where did you get this?"
"Daddy's secret box. SL-22." Angelo said with one of his boyish grin.
"Yes, I remember now" Miss Parker exclaimed getting everyone's attention. "On SL-22, in the panel behind the fire hose. My fa... Mr. Parker asked me to get this box for him when he had to go underground with Brigitte because someone had put a hit on him. It was just before Brigitte had the baby."
Miss Parker immediately opened the box and extracted an envelope labeled, "Medical Records; Baby Parker." She looked at it and said, "I remember this envelope. I asked Mr. Parker about it, but he refused to tell me what it was."
She looked at the people around her and hesitated a moment before opening the envelope. As she started to read the documents, she felt as if she was falling into an abyss. The people around her disappeared and she felt all alone. As the documents started to reveal its dark secrets, she raised a hand to her mouth and her face became very pale. She had just discovered another Centre outrage. Suddenly a concerned voice pulled her back to reality.
"Miss Parker are you alright?" Broots asked alarmed while Sydney moved next to Miss Parker and guided her to the nearest couch. Miss Parker looked at Sydney and pleaded with urgency, "Sydney, do you still have the Red Files I gave you?"
"Yes Miss Parker, I kept them in a safe place like you asked me. Why?"
"Sydney, please get them. We need them to decipher some data in these documents." She asked trembling.
Sydney left her side and rushed to his den to look for the files while Broots and Ethan gave each other a puzzled look.
A moment later, Sydney came back with the files in hand. "Here are the files Miss Parker. What are you looking for?"
Miss Parker looked at Sydney with fear in her eyes and said, "Read this Sydney."
Sydney took the document from her hand, looked at the others in the room and started to read it aloud.
Date: August 08, 1999
Project: "ALPHA II PRETENDER"
Project Coordinator: Mr. Parker
Participant donors: Red File No. 12-072463-01 & 12-072463-08
Surrogate Participant: Brigitte Parker
Estimated delivery date: May 10th, 2000
Sydney looked back at Miss Parker in shock and asked, "Parker who's Red File numbers are these?"
With tears glistening in her eyes Miss Parker replied, "One of them is mine and the other I can only guess." She looked over at Broots and asked, "Broots can you please look up that number?"
Broots immediately grabbed the files from the table to find the number in question. Looking at his friends nervously, he opened the red file. After reading its content for a few seconds, he raised his eyes and looked at Miss Parker and Sydney with hesitation. "Miss Parker it belongs to..."
Miss Parker held his eyes for a moment and then she finished for him, "Jarod"
Broots just nodded in agreement. He had no words.
Slowly in a daze, Miss Parker sat on the couch, while the others looked at her in anticipation of what her reaction would be. Sydney approached her slowly and sat next to her. He draped his arm over her shoulder and said, "Parker I don't know what to say. This is outrageous! How can they have done this to you and Jarod?"
With tears trailing down her cheeks and her body trembling with emotions she said, "Sydney they stole our baby"
"I'm sorry Miss Parker. What are you going to do? What are you going to tell Jarod? You know how he feels about family. This might push him over the edge." Sydney said with deep concern for the two people he had always seen as his children.
While Sydney was talking, Miss Parker's mind blocked all sound around her and her thoughts traveled to a moment in the past. She was in the hospital with a bullet in her back and Jarod had been re-captured. Mr. Parker had come to see her in secret because he was still on the run from The Triumvirate. Then Mr. Parker's words flooded her mind. "Remember this Angel. Jarod is the Key to our survival. A family is a tyranny ruled over by its weakest member."
"Miss Parker are you listening. What are you going to do?" Sydney interrupted her reverie with his pleads.
"I'M GOING TO TELL JAROD THE TRUTH, BUT FIRST I'M GOING TO GET OUR SON OUT OF THAT HELL." Miss Parker felt her sadness give away to anger. "THOSE BASTARDS HAD PLANNED THIS ALL ALONG."
"Miss Parker you cannot go back to The Centre alone. Remember what Jarod told us." Sydney said alarmed.
"Miss P...Parker, Miss Parker look what I found. Is a birth certificate for...." Broots stopped suddenly when Miss Parker grabbed the paper from his hand.
"Adam Parker, born on May 10th, 2000. Parents: Mr. Parker and Brigitte Parker." Miss Parker read the document silently. Her emotions were in turmoil and she felt a furious rage. Her child had been created without their knowledge. For 4 years, they were unaware of his existence and yet she had delivered him when she went looking for Brigitte to make her pay for Thomas' murder. BUT NO MORE. She was going to find their son and bring him home to his true parents. She was not going to allow the story to repeat itself.
Miss Parker stood from the couch and looked at the four men with determination. Her eyes no longer held the hidden sadness. They were cold and filled with fury. The huntress was back. She reached behind her back and drew her gun for inspection.
At her action, Ethan crossed the room quickly and began to speak to Miss parker confidentially, "Parker you know I cannot allow you to do this. Think about the baby."
"ETHAN, HE IS MY SON TOO! I CANNOT LEAVE HIM THERE." Parker argued back menacingly. "I CAN'T ALLOW THOSE BASTARDS TO KEEP HIM A MINUTE LONGER, AND DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO STOP ME!"
Everyone in the room was looking questionably at the two siblings arguing. Angelo approached Miss Parker placed a hand on her stomach and smiled, "Keep baby safe. Angelo find Centre baby." After saying that, Angelo ran out of the house before anyone could stop him.
"ANGELO WAIT!" Miss Parker chased after him, but it was too late. The little man had vanished in the darkness.
"Ethan, Broots. You both are coming with me to get baby Adam out of the Centre." Miss Parker ordered the men with conviction.
"What about w...what Jarod said not to g...go back there after we left?" Broots asked stuttering.
"This is an emergency Broots. We have no other choice." Miss Parker answered coldly.
"I don't agree with this Parker." Ethan protested and glanced at Sydney. "Dr. please make her understand."
"Parker, your brother is right. Please listen." Sydney spoke softly.
"SYDNEY, THAT'S MY SON THERE AND I CANNOT STAND BY AND DO NOTHING." She shot him an angry look.
"WHAT ABOUT THE CHILD YOU'RE CARRYING? ISN'T HE IMPORTANT?" Ethan cried out suddenly
The two men in the room stared at Miss Parker wide-eyed and speechless. After a few seconds, Sydney broke the silence, "Miss Parker, does Jarod know?"
"No Syd, I couldn't tell him. When we last spoke, he was in too much pain. I didn't want to give him one more thing to worry about. I wanted to wait until he was here with us safe." She answered softly, keeping her eyes lowered.
"I understand Parker, but what you're trying to do now is crazy and dangerous." Sydney said while placing a hand on her arm. "Please wait for Jarod. He'll know what to do."
"I'm sorry Syd. There is no time. I have to do this and you can't stop me." She looked at him with sadness. "Now I understand what my mother and Jarod's mother went through. A mother should always protect her children. They never gave up on us and I'm not going to give up on my child."
Miss Parker walked away from Sydney and addressed the two other men, "Lets go boys. Time is running out." She looked back at Sydney and said, "Sydney you stay here and wait for Jarod. He is going to need you right now. Whatever you do, do not let him go to the Centre. We'll be back soon." Miss Parker turned around and pushed Broots out the door. "Come on Scooby, we don't have all night."
Just as Miss Parker was about to leave Sydney exclaimed, "Miss Parker what am I suppose to tell Jarod?"
"The truth Syd. No more lies."
The trio walked out of the house and Sydney was left standing in the middle of the living room to battle with his demons. Sydney said a silent prayer for their safe return and for the strength to help the son he had abandoned in that hell so long ago. He was no longer going to look the other way or hide his true feelings. He owed that much to Jarod. The Centre didn't control him anymore. At last, he was free. Sydney slowly lowered his tired body onto his chair and stared out the window while he waited for his missing son. He closed his eyes and said, " Please hurry home Jarod."
TBC
By: Gemini-M
Chapter 4
"One meets his destiny often in the road he takes to avoid it" Unknown.
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Author's Note: Thanks again to mfkngst, Brandy, Slayer-o, Joy and ICD for your reviews and encouraging words. They mean a world to me. Thanks and Enjoy.
Miss Parker had tried to act as normal as possible for the last few days, but the lack of news from Jarod was driving her insane. She could not eat and had only slept a few hours in the past few nights. She had not heard from Jarod in three days and to make things worse, Lyle and his team had not reported back from Butte, Montana. Miss Parker could do nothing but pace back and forth in her office. This silence was intolerable and she felt like a caged animal. A hundred scenarios kept invading her thoughts and none of them had a good outcome. "What if Lyle's team had found Jarod's mother? Maybe it was another trap to capture Jarod. What if Jarod's mom was very sick or had died? What if Jarod was...gone?" The last thought made her feel cold, empty and terrified. Once again, her inner sense was screaming at her that something was very wrong. Miss Parker started shaking and had to close her eyes as the room started to spin around her. She grabbed hold of the edge of her desk and slowly moved behind it to sit before her legs failed to support her any longer. She rested her head on her folded arms and waited for the dizziness to pass.
While trying to find some kind of relief to her dizziness and the migraine that was threatening to start, Miss Parker was unaware of the figure that had entered her office and approached her desk.
"Miss Parker are you alright?" A kind accented voice interrupted her thoughts.
Miss Parker straightened herself immediately and blinked back the tears that had formed in her eyes. "Syd what are you doing here?" She was trying to sound in control but the fear in her voice was obvious to the man that knew her so well. "Sydney, have you heard anything from Jarod?"
"Miss Parker you have not answered my question? How are you feeling?"
"Oh I'm just peachy Freud" She gave him one of her famous cold stares and continued, "Can't you tell?"
"Parker I'm not joking. I'm very concerned for you. I know you are very worried about Jarod. We all are, but not taking care of yourself will only make matters worse, and your behavior may cause suspicion."
"Are you done?" Miss Parker stood and started pacing her office once more avoiding Sydney's concerned gaze and ignoring his questions completely.
In defeat at his attempt to reach her, Sydney turned and started walking towards the door. Just before he exited her office, he turned and said, "I'll be in my office. Please keep me informed if you hear from Jarod."
Miss Parker looked at the old man and gave him a sad smile, "I'll call you as soon as I hear something. Syd.... I'm sorry. I know you mean well, but at the moment I just can't deal with...." She looked away in an effort to hide the tears from him. She walked toward her window and stood there staring at the ocean. In a defeated tone she continued, "I'm fine Sydney. Please don't worry."
Sydney smiled sadly and proceeded to open the door. Just at that moment, Miss Parker's private cell phone rang. She sprang from the window and grabbed her jacket searching the pockets frantically to locate the noisy device. At the sound of the phone, Sydney immediately turned around and stood in front of Miss Parker's desk. He looked at Parker anxiously and said a silent prayer for Jarod.
"Jarod?"
"Hello Jarod, is that you?" There was only silence.
"My God Jarod, what's wrong? Please talk to me." Parker's lips trembled as she pleaded for an answer from Jarod.
"Parker I found my Mom, but she....." Jarod could not finish the sentence, but it was not necessary, she knew what had happened. She could feel the pain in his voice. Jarod had suffered a great deal of physical and emotional abuse while he was imprisoned at The Centre, but he had always found a way to survive with his mind intact. What Miss Parker heard across the phone line frightened her. Jarod sounded broken and lost. It tore her apart not to be with him at this moment.
"Jarod, I'm so sorry" Miss Parker sat down at her desk while the tears started to make trails down her face. She wiped the tears with one hand and took a deep breath trying to control her emotions. She needed to be strong for him right now. She had to help him get through this, as he had done for her when she lost her mother. With a very gentle and calm voice, Miss Parker stated, "Jarod, please come home. We will get through this together."
At Parker's reaction, Sydney took a seat in front of Parker's desk and lowered his head onto his hands. He kept shaking his head in disbelief. Why did this have to happen now? Sydney looked at Parker with deep sadness and replied, "Parker, please ask Jarod how is he doing? I'm very concerned for his state of mind." Sydney paused for a moment to wipe a tear from his face and then he spoke his thoughts at loud. "My God this kind of blow could destroy Jarod. He had been searching for his mother for so long and now... Why is life so unfair to him?"
Parker nodded in understanding at Sydney's request and proceeded to ask, "Jarod are you going to be OK? Jarod, please tell me what happened? When are you coming back?"
There was a short silence and a sigh, "Parker I'll tell you everything when I get back home. Right now we need to finish what we have started." Jarod's voice sounded tired and empty, but she could hear the effort he was putting to remain focused. She understood that he could not deal with the emotional turmoil he was facing now. First, they needed to finish their plan and later they would deal with the pain. She silently prayed that he would have the strength to make it through this. She needed him now more than ever.
"Parker listen carefully. As soon as my family leaves for Canada in an hour, I'll be heading back to Delaware. I should arrive there in about 6 hours. On the way there, I will contact the FBI and send them the final information they'll need to move in. I want you, Sydney, Broots and Angelo to be out of The Centre by 5:00pm tonight. We will rendezvous at Sydney's home. Parker once you're out of The Centre, DO NOT RETURN THERE FOR ANY REASON. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? Thing are going to get pretty ugly when the authorities come crashing in."
"OK Jarod. Please be careful." Thinking about Jarod's state of mind, Miss Parker asked with concern, "Jarod are you flying back by yourself?"
"No Parker, a friend is going to fly me back." Jarod answered tiredly.
"Jarod, we'll be waiting for you. I need you home."
"Parker, it's almost over. I will see you soon. I love you Parker." Then the line went dead.
Parker dropped the phone on her desk, covered her face with her hands and cried. She cried for Jarod and his family. She cried for all the mistakes she had made in the past that had led to this tragedy. Why didn't she follow her mother's path earlier? Why didn't she take that turning point when Jarod had offered it to her so many times before? Maybe it would have saved Jarod's mother. Why did this have to happen now? They were so close to ending this nightmare, and yet fate had never been kind to either one of them.
Sydney approached Miss Parker and draped his arm over her shoulder while he spoke calmly, "Parker, I know is hard, but we need to be strong for Jarod right now. He is counting on us and he is going to need all of our support. Now we need to keep our heads clear and follow his instructions. Later we will deal with the pain."
Parker raised her tear-streaked face and looked at Sydney with deep sadness. "I know Sydney. It just so hard. I don't know how much more of this I can take. Will I be able to help Jarod?"
Sydney reached with his fingertips and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. Looking at Miss Parker affectionately he said, "Parker you both are very unique individuals and alone you both have survived a great deal of loss and pain in your lives. I know that together you will be able to survive this. Trust in yourself Parker. Jarod has always trusted you. Now you have each other and that is the most important thing."
At that precise moment, her office door flew open and Broots entered running. He stood in front of his shocked audience panting and waving his hands toward the door in an effort to explain his sudden entrance. "M...MISS PARKER, SYD, LYLE IS BACK! I...I just saw him heading for the infirmary with Willy. He was shouting orders left and right and he was furious. Miss Parker something is going on. Do you think he discovered Jarod's plan? Miss Parker what happened? Have you spoken to Jarod?"
"Broots calm down" Sydney answered for Miss Parker while she regained her composure.
"Miss Parker are you OK?" The nervous techie asked with deep concern when he finally noticed the tears in his boss' face. "Sydney what happened? Did they discover Jarod's plan?" Broots whispered at his colleague.
Miss Parker shot Broots one of her evil glares that almost made him flee from the room.
Broots scratched his head nervously and said, "I...I'm sorry Miss Parker. It just that I've never seen Mr. Lyle so furious. I think he was calling for reinforcements. I think he might be heading this way."
Miss Parker stood from her desk and headed for her private washroom. Before entering, she said over her shoulder, "If my psychotic little brother shows-up find out what he wants and make an excuse for me. I cannot deal with him today, and if I'm forced to do that I might kill him." She turned and left the two stunned men looking at each other.
Less than a minute later, Lyle entered the office followed by two sweepers. He looked at the two men standing by Miss Parker's desk and demanded, "WHERE IS MISS PARKER?"
Sydney moved forward staring coldly at Lyle and said, "Miss Parker is not feeling well at the moment. Can I help you with something?"
Lyle looked around the room suspiciously and then focused his attention on the nervous techie that stood by Miss Parker's desk. With an evil smirk he moved toward the little man and stated, "OH, Mr. Broots, just the man I needed to see. I will need your computer knowledge later. It seems that someone has gained access and removed very sensitive data from the Pretender archives. Meet me in the Computer Lab in 15 minutes." Lyle then turned his attention back to Sydney. He glared at the old man with hatred in his eyes and spoke in a threatening tone, "Tell my dear sis that I want to speak with her as soon as possible, and I will not accept any more excuses." He pushed Sydney aside and exited the room followed closely by his two sweepers.
As soon as Lyle had left the room, Miss Parker re-entered her office. She looked at Sydney and then at a very pale Broots. "Sydney, what did Lyle want?"
"Miss Parker he wants to speak with you as soon as possible, and he requested Broots' assistance. It seems that someone has removed sensitive data from the Pretender data base." Sydney explained to Miss Parker while looking at a very nervous Broots across the room.
Broots cross the room in a near panic and began stuttering, "M...Miss Parker, Sydney what am I suppose to do now?"
"Broots you are going to do exactly what Lyle asked" Miss Parker stated calmly. "You are going to go to the Computer Lab and help Lyle. Then at 5:00 pm, you are going to find some excuse to leave the Lab and get out of The Centre. Go to Sydney's home and there we will meet with Jarod. Don't be late!"
"OK Miss Parker. OH, God I hope I can live through this. If I do get out of this alive, I think I'm going to end up in the funny farm. Oh God!; What if Mr. Lyle knows something already? Just thinking that I'm going to be a...alone with him in the Computer Lab makes me sick to my stomach. What if I cannot leave at 5:00pm?" Broots stood in front of his friends shaking and rambling uncontrollably.
"BROOTS, WOULD YOU PLEASE SHUT UP AND JUST GO!" Miss Parker exclaimed with frustration.
Sydney just shook his head at Miss Parker in disapproval of her mistreatment of Broots, while the nervous techie scurried away.
"Please Sydney don't start now" She raised her hand to stop Sydney's reprimand and headed for the door. "I better go see what the snake of my brother wanted."
"Parker please be careful" He looked at her with deep concern. "We don't know what Lyle is scheming now, or if he knows something about Jarod's plans. Parker you know what Lyle is capable of."
"Don't worry Freud; I can take care of myself. Be ready to leave by five. I'll stop by your office to pick you up." With that said, Miss Parker exited her office.
On her way to Lyle's office, Miss Parker walked in a daze. She was oblivious to the coming and going of people around her. Her mind kept drifting back to her conversation with Jarod and his pain. She wanted to be with him now. She wanted to run, leave this house of horrors behind and never look back, but first they had to finish her mother's plan and put an end to the netherworld that was The Centre. She had to be strong for Jarod, for herself and their child. It was almost over and then they would all be free. She prayed that their plan would work, but something frightened her deeply. The constant buzzing of the voices in her mind where trying to warn her. Something was very wrong. She could feel pain and darkness, but what did these feelings mean? Miss Parker kept asking herself. Finally, she reached Lyle's office. She took a deep breath and entered his office.
"Sydney said you wanted to speak to me. What do you want Lyle?" Parker said coldly.
"Well hello Sis, where are your manners?" Lyle teased.
"Look Lyle I'm not in the mood for your games. What the Hell do you want?" Miss Parker stared at him with piercing eyes.
Lyle smiled at Miss Parker and continued, "I have received information regarding the whereabouts of Jarod's family. I need you to come with me to check on this lead."
"My assignment is to capture Jarod and not to go around chasing his family." Parker stated firmly.
"Well, I believe that Jarod might be in the same vicinity as his family and that makes it your assignment now." Lyle insisted.
"And where is that?" Miss Parker asked trying hard to contain her anger.
"They were spotted in Butte, Montana. Jarod's mother was in a hospital there, but someone managed to rescue her, I suspect Jarod." Lyle explained.
"So, what you are saying is that you had Jarod's mother and you lost her." Miss Parker said with a smile trying her best to irritate Lyle. "Well by now, Jarod and his family are probably long gone. I'm not going to waste my time going to Montana for nothing. If you want to go on a wild goose chase be my guest." Miss Parker turned around and headed for the door.
Lyle hurried and blocked her path, "Parker, we need to work together to bring Jarod back. Those are Dad's orders. Besides, this is the best lead we have had in months." Lyle emphasized while trying to contain his anger.
Parker pushed him aside and glared at him saying, "Lyle don't waste my time. When you have any solid lead on Jarod call me." With that, she exited leaving a very angry Lyle staring at her back.
The afternoon hours dragged on forever. She was counting the minutes to the moment when she would see Jarod again. She kept telling herself to remain calm. Everything was going to work out. Finally, they would have the freedom and happiness that was stolen from them so long ago. She looked toward the blue sky outside her window and said, "Momma, we are going to complete your plan. I hope I will make you proud."
Miss Parker looked at her watch. It was 4:45pm. She picked up her cell phone and pressed Sydney's number.
"This is Sydney" The soft voice answer immediately.
"Sydney we need to find Angelo. Have you seen him?"
"I'm sorry Miss Parker I have not seen him all day. Do you want me to go check his space?"
"Alright Syd, you go find Angelo and I'll call Broots with an excuse to get him away from Lyle. We will meet in the main lobby at 5:00pm. Don't be late." With that said, Miss Parker ended the call.
"Miss...Par?" Sydney frowned at the dial tone and said to himself, "She's starting to act like Jarod."
Sydney closed his cell phone and walked slowly across his office. Before exiting, he stopped and took a final look at his office. He never thought that this day would come. He finally had found the courage to walk away from the place that had controlled his life for so long and stolen his family. He looked at all his diplomas and certificates of merit and they no longer held any value. Now they were only shameful reminders that he had stood by and allowed so much wrong to take place in the name of science. This was something that would haunt him till his death, and then he would receive his well-deserved punishment. He could only hope that the person that he loved as a son could one day forgive him for being part of these atrocities. Sydney wiped a single tear from his cheek and closed the door behind him.
Miss Parker was the first one to arrive at the main lobby. She began to pace nervously while she waited for Sydney and Broots. She prayed that Lyle would not show up again. She had left him screaming obscenities in the Computer Lab after she had snatched Broots away from him with an excuse that her computer was down and she needed Broots back. After that, Broots had race to his office to collect some things. Now it was 5:00pm already and still there was no sign of Sydney or Broots. The elevator doors open and Miss Parker heart skipped a beat. She held her breath until finally she saw the Broots exit the elevator carrying his laptop and his backpack.
"Broots, over here! Where is Sydney? Miss Parker asked in a near panic.
"I...I don't know Miss Parker. I didn't see him. But I'm sure he's on his way." Broots tried to calm his boss.
At that precise moment, Sydney entered the lobby from the elevators. As soon as he saw Miss Parker and Broots, he dashed toward them. The old man was gasping for air and had to wait a minute to catch his breath before he was able to speak. "Miss Parker I couldn't find Angelo. What are we going to do now?"
"Sydney we can't wait any longer. It's not safe. We need to leave before the authorities arrive. Angelo will find a way out when he senses the danger. Don't worry he's very clever." Miss Parker tried to convince herself as well as the two men in front of her.
They arrived at Sydney's home at 6:00pm. Sydney invited everyone into his home cordially and proceeded to prepare some tea to calm everyone's nerves. Miss Parker followed Sydney to the kitchen to help her old friend and to keep her mind distracted. Sydney could sense that something was troubling her deeply. She was edgy and unfocused. Sydney looked at her with deep concern and asked, "Miss Parker what's wrong? You seem distracted and very nervous. Would you like to talk about what's bothering you?"
Parker just looked at Sydney and smiled at him fondly, "Always the shrink. I'm fine Syd. I'm just worried about Jarod. I need him here with us and I won't rest until he walks through that door."
Sydney looked at her and nodded in agreement. "I know, I'm also very concerned about his state of mind and how he's handling the loss of his mother."
All of the sudden Miss Parker jumped from her chair and said, "Oh my God I forgot to call Ethan."
"Ethan?" Sydney exclaimed.
"Yes Sydney, Ethan my little brother. He is waiting for me at my house. How could I forget? He showed up at my house three days ago when this nightmare started. I have to call him and tell him to come here." She explained very agitated.
"Miss Parker you need to calm down. You haven't been well lately." Sydney said with concern and then looked at her questionably. "Why did he come looking for you now?"
"Ethan said that the voices, well my mother's voice, was telling him to come and protect me and the..." Parker stopped her explanation suddenly and avoiding Sydney's eyes. "Syd, I better call Ethan right away. My house is not a safe place any more." Saying that she rushed out of the kitchen with her cell phone in hand, leaving the old man very confused.
Half an hour later, the three Centre deserters were still anxiously waiting for Jarod's arrival. Miss Parker kept pacing back and forth in the small family room and Broots kept fidgeting with the magazines and looking out the window for Centre goons.
Sydney sat on his easy chair trying to read his book, but the constant moment around him was starting to irritate him. He put his book down and said firmly, "WILL YOU TWO STOP THIS! I'm getting dizzy just by watching you both act like monkeys in a cage. I'm worried too, but we have to be patient. Jarod will be here soon and then...."
At that instant, there was a knock on the door. Miss Parker raised her index finger to her mouth to shush everyone and then cautiously moved toward the door and looked through the peephole. "Thank God!" Miss Parker exclaimed as she opened the door.
"Ethan! I'm so glad you're here." She quickly threw her arms around her brother's neck and pulled him into a warm hug. "Come in please. Did you make sure you were not followed?"
"Don't worry Miss Parker, nobody followed me. Where is Jarod?" Ethan looked at his sister with concern when this one paused to answer. Ethan could feel her fear. Her inner sense had heard the warnings also and it terrified her.
"I don't know Ethan. He asks us to meet him here, but..."
All of the sudden the door behind Ethan flew open, almost knocking him to the ground. "Hey, what's going on here?" Ethan exclaimed somewhat annoyed at the little man that dashed into the living room carrying something.
Miss Parker automatically drew her weapon at the intruder, but her anger and shock immediately vanished when she recognized the face hidden underneath the hood.
"ANGELO!" All of the occupants screamed at once.
Angelo ran to Miss Parker and handed her a metal box. He looked into her eyes pleading hysterically, "Friends must save baby. Secrets and lies. Bad secrets. Must save baby now."
Miss Parker looked at the metal box and frowned. She recognized the object from somewhere. "Angelo where did you get this?"
"Daddy's secret box. SL-22." Angelo said with one of his boyish grin.
"Yes, I remember now" Miss Parker exclaimed getting everyone's attention. "On SL-22, in the panel behind the fire hose. My fa... Mr. Parker asked me to get this box for him when he had to go underground with Brigitte because someone had put a hit on him. It was just before Brigitte had the baby."
Miss Parker immediately opened the box and extracted an envelope labeled, "Medical Records; Baby Parker." She looked at it and said, "I remember this envelope. I asked Mr. Parker about it, but he refused to tell me what it was."
She looked at the people around her and hesitated a moment before opening the envelope. As she started to read the documents, she felt as if she was falling into an abyss. The people around her disappeared and she felt all alone. As the documents started to reveal its dark secrets, she raised a hand to her mouth and her face became very pale. She had just discovered another Centre outrage. Suddenly a concerned voice pulled her back to reality.
"Miss Parker are you alright?" Broots asked alarmed while Sydney moved next to Miss Parker and guided her to the nearest couch. Miss Parker looked at Sydney and pleaded with urgency, "Sydney, do you still have the Red Files I gave you?"
"Yes Miss Parker, I kept them in a safe place like you asked me. Why?"
"Sydney, please get them. We need them to decipher some data in these documents." She asked trembling.
Sydney left her side and rushed to his den to look for the files while Broots and Ethan gave each other a puzzled look.
A moment later, Sydney came back with the files in hand. "Here are the files Miss Parker. What are you looking for?"
Miss Parker looked at Sydney with fear in her eyes and said, "Read this Sydney."
Sydney took the document from her hand, looked at the others in the room and started to read it aloud.
Date: August 08, 1999
Project: "ALPHA II PRETENDER"
Project Coordinator: Mr. Parker
Participant donors: Red File No. 12-072463-01 & 12-072463-08
Surrogate Participant: Brigitte Parker
Estimated delivery date: May 10th, 2000
Sydney looked back at Miss Parker in shock and asked, "Parker who's Red File numbers are these?"
With tears glistening in her eyes Miss Parker replied, "One of them is mine and the other I can only guess." She looked over at Broots and asked, "Broots can you please look up that number?"
Broots immediately grabbed the files from the table to find the number in question. Looking at his friends nervously, he opened the red file. After reading its content for a few seconds, he raised his eyes and looked at Miss Parker and Sydney with hesitation. "Miss Parker it belongs to..."
Miss Parker held his eyes for a moment and then she finished for him, "Jarod"
Broots just nodded in agreement. He had no words.
Slowly in a daze, Miss Parker sat on the couch, while the others looked at her in anticipation of what her reaction would be. Sydney approached her slowly and sat next to her. He draped his arm over her shoulder and said, "Parker I don't know what to say. This is outrageous! How can they have done this to you and Jarod?"
With tears trailing down her cheeks and her body trembling with emotions she said, "Sydney they stole our baby"
"I'm sorry Miss Parker. What are you going to do? What are you going to tell Jarod? You know how he feels about family. This might push him over the edge." Sydney said with deep concern for the two people he had always seen as his children.
While Sydney was talking, Miss Parker's mind blocked all sound around her and her thoughts traveled to a moment in the past. She was in the hospital with a bullet in her back and Jarod had been re-captured. Mr. Parker had come to see her in secret because he was still on the run from The Triumvirate. Then Mr. Parker's words flooded her mind. "Remember this Angel. Jarod is the Key to our survival. A family is a tyranny ruled over by its weakest member."
"Miss Parker are you listening. What are you going to do?" Sydney interrupted her reverie with his pleads.
"I'M GOING TO TELL JAROD THE TRUTH, BUT FIRST I'M GOING TO GET OUR SON OUT OF THAT HELL." Miss Parker felt her sadness give away to anger. "THOSE BASTARDS HAD PLANNED THIS ALL ALONG."
"Miss Parker you cannot go back to The Centre alone. Remember what Jarod told us." Sydney said alarmed.
"Miss P...Parker, Miss Parker look what I found. Is a birth certificate for...." Broots stopped suddenly when Miss Parker grabbed the paper from his hand.
"Adam Parker, born on May 10th, 2000. Parents: Mr. Parker and Brigitte Parker." Miss Parker read the document silently. Her emotions were in turmoil and she felt a furious rage. Her child had been created without their knowledge. For 4 years, they were unaware of his existence and yet she had delivered him when she went looking for Brigitte to make her pay for Thomas' murder. BUT NO MORE. She was going to find their son and bring him home to his true parents. She was not going to allow the story to repeat itself.
Miss Parker stood from the couch and looked at the four men with determination. Her eyes no longer held the hidden sadness. They were cold and filled with fury. The huntress was back. She reached behind her back and drew her gun for inspection.
At her action, Ethan crossed the room quickly and began to speak to Miss parker confidentially, "Parker you know I cannot allow you to do this. Think about the baby."
"ETHAN, HE IS MY SON TOO! I CANNOT LEAVE HIM THERE." Parker argued back menacingly. "I CAN'T ALLOW THOSE BASTARDS TO KEEP HIM A MINUTE LONGER, AND DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO STOP ME!"
Everyone in the room was looking questionably at the two siblings arguing. Angelo approached Miss Parker placed a hand on her stomach and smiled, "Keep baby safe. Angelo find Centre baby." After saying that, Angelo ran out of the house before anyone could stop him.
"ANGELO WAIT!" Miss Parker chased after him, but it was too late. The little man had vanished in the darkness.
"Ethan, Broots. You both are coming with me to get baby Adam out of the Centre." Miss Parker ordered the men with conviction.
"What about w...what Jarod said not to g...go back there after we left?" Broots asked stuttering.
"This is an emergency Broots. We have no other choice." Miss Parker answered coldly.
"I don't agree with this Parker." Ethan protested and glanced at Sydney. "Dr. please make her understand."
"Parker, your brother is right. Please listen." Sydney spoke softly.
"SYDNEY, THAT'S MY SON THERE AND I CANNOT STAND BY AND DO NOTHING." She shot him an angry look.
"WHAT ABOUT THE CHILD YOU'RE CARRYING? ISN'T HE IMPORTANT?" Ethan cried out suddenly
The two men in the room stared at Miss Parker wide-eyed and speechless. After a few seconds, Sydney broke the silence, "Miss Parker, does Jarod know?"
"No Syd, I couldn't tell him. When we last spoke, he was in too much pain. I didn't want to give him one more thing to worry about. I wanted to wait until he was here with us safe." She answered softly, keeping her eyes lowered.
"I understand Parker, but what you're trying to do now is crazy and dangerous." Sydney said while placing a hand on her arm. "Please wait for Jarod. He'll know what to do."
"I'm sorry Syd. There is no time. I have to do this and you can't stop me." She looked at him with sadness. "Now I understand what my mother and Jarod's mother went through. A mother should always protect her children. They never gave up on us and I'm not going to give up on my child."
Miss Parker walked away from Sydney and addressed the two other men, "Lets go boys. Time is running out." She looked back at Sydney and said, "Sydney you stay here and wait for Jarod. He is going to need you right now. Whatever you do, do not let him go to the Centre. We'll be back soon." Miss Parker turned around and pushed Broots out the door. "Come on Scooby, we don't have all night."
Just as Miss Parker was about to leave Sydney exclaimed, "Miss Parker what am I suppose to tell Jarod?"
"The truth Syd. No more lies."
The trio walked out of the house and Sydney was left standing in the middle of the living room to battle with his demons. Sydney said a silent prayer for their safe return and for the strength to help the son he had abandoned in that hell so long ago. He was no longer going to look the other way or hide his true feelings. He owed that much to Jarod. The Centre didn't control him anymore. At last, he was free. Sydney slowly lowered his tired body onto his chair and stared out the window while he waited for his missing son. He closed his eyes and said, " Please hurry home Jarod."
TBC
