Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: All characters and events in this story are fictitious, and any similarity to a real person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and unintended by the author. "The Pretender" is a protected trademark of MTM Television and NBC and the characters of that series are used herein with no mean intent or desire for remuneration. It is, instead, a tribute to innovative television, that rare and welcome phenomenon.
Welcome Home, Jarod
Chapter 1
Terri
Phoenix, Arizona
0700 hours
The sun was pounding down on another scorching Phoenix day as Jarod peered out a third floor window of the apartment building he had called home for the last two weeks. The scene playing out on the street below was a familiar one. Miss Parker and Sydney had just left the building after finding out all they could about recent tenant, Jarod Skywalker. Now, Sydney was telling her he was going to have one more look around Jarod's lair before they left. This was something Sydney had been doing for the last several months and Jarod had stayed around a few times to watch, wondering what the older man was up to. This time it was going to work to his advantage.
Jarod's trackers had arrived twenty minutes earlier and interrogated the apartment manager, Ms Rhodes, who, following Jarod's instructions to the letter, had given Miss Parker the latest red notebook. Inside were newspaper clippings about this building that told how the owner was going to evict the retired, low income tenants and convert it into expensive condo's. The last article told of one man, name and photo unavailable, who had uncovered the owners dirty business dealings and sent him to prison. The owners son had then taken over the building and given each resident a 50 year lease without increases in the rent.
Jarod smiled, picturing what Sydney must have thought when Ms Rhodes informed him Jarod was also working as a wingwalker with a local aerobatics team. Since his escape he had gone out of his way to pursue dangerous activities and make sure the news got back to Sydney.
Jarod watched, amused, while an obviously irritated Miss Parker lit another cigarette and climbed into the limo while Sydney headed back into the building. Jarod ran from the vacant apartment and up to the fourth floor where he had recently lived. He barely made it inside and into the bedroom before Sydney walked through the front door.
Sydney quietly closed the door behind him and looked around at the mess Jarod had left once again. He smiled at the familiar pez dispenser on the coffee table next to the Archie comic books and winced when he counted the empty wrappers from 3 dozen packages of ding-dongs and 15 empty pudding packs. The last apartment he had roamed through after Jarod's departure had been filled with pizza boxes from 4 different restaurants. The one before that contained over 40 boxes of doughnuts. Sydney had been greatly relieved to discover there were only a few of the treats missing from each box.
He reached down and picked up the Mickey Mouse pez dispenser and was not surprised to find it empty. He slipped it into the pocket of his suit jacket so he could add it to his collection back at the Centre. As he turned to leave, his attention was captured by a reflection in a mirror across the room. Sydney closed his eyes briefly and prayed that what he was about to do would not damn him to hell for all eternity.
"You should be bouncing off the walls with all of that sugar in you, Jarod, " Sydney commented as he slowly turned and sat down on the hard sofa facing the bedroom. The door creaked open immediately and Jarod stepped into the room. Sydney smiled and Jarod clenched his teeth together to keep from smiling back. He had missed Sydney but this certainly wasn't the time to admit it.
"You're looking well, despite your diet," Sydney commented warmly, looking over the lean, muscular build Jarod had developed. The urge to tell him to run was so strong, Sydney began to feel nauseous .
Jarod took a few steps closer. "Why didn't I ever get to eat anything like ding-dongs and pizza? And ice cream, too." he added earnestly. "It's very good."
As always, Jarod stood patiently, waiting for an answer and Sydney didn't have one that didn't sound ridiculous. What could he say? 'I wanted to give you a birthday cake once but the Centre would not allow it and anyway, you don't even know when your birthday is'? That would certainly bring up a whole new reason for Jarod to hate him. So, Sydney did what he had come to do best. He ignored the question.
"You didn't stay around here, so close to Miss Parker, to ask why you were never given junk food, did you? Which, by the way, you have had quite enough of," Sydney admonished quietly, gesturing toward the empty wrappers as he fought the desire to ask Jarod if he'd been to a dentist lately.
"I had a question......and I wanted to see you when I asked it," Jarod explained in a uncharacteristically anxious voice.
Sydney felt his stomach do another flip and wondered if he was going to be the next ulcer victim. This was destined to go down as one of his least favorite days. Jarod had a frustrating habit of asking impossible questions about things Sydney was not at liberty to discuss.
"Do you remember when I told you that I knew the Russell's were not my parents?"
Sydney groaned inwardly and cleared his throat before answering. "Yes, I believe that you had your blood checked against the samples in the Centre's computers and determined it was not a match."
Jarod was nodding, wanting to jump in before Sydney finished speaking. "That's right because I have this anomaly in my blood that was not found in theirs. I have, however, found it in someone else's blood and I was wondering if you could tell me how it got there?"
Sydney's mind raced. Where had Jarod picked up a sample of Sydney's blood without him knowing it? He made sure his medical records were destroyed as soon as he found out Jarod was checking blood samples in the Centre's computers against his own.
Sydney was trying to ask Jarod who's blood he had been checking when a familiar voice called from the hall, "Syd, what the hell is taking you so long?"
Miss Parker pushed the door open halfway and immediately took note of the expression on Sydney's face. In that second she knew Jarod was there. Yanking her gun from the back waistband of her pants she flung the door open and stepped into the room, clearing the threshold just in time to see Jarod's back as he left through the bedroom window.
She spun around and grabbed Sydney's arm as he rose from the sofa and yanked him toward her. Pulling his face down to hers she growled, "Get-him-now", then pushed him out the door as she raced toward the window to follow Jarod.
Sydney ran from the apartment into the stairwell and wondered briefly if Jarod was going up or down. He remembered Ms Rhodes telling them Jarod was performing as a wing walker and suddenly smiled. He knew exactly where Jarod was headed,
* * * *
Jarod made it across the narrow plank he had left on the roof between the two apartment buildings and had just dragged it across to his side when Miss Parker pulled herself onto the other roof. Weapon drawn, she aimed it at him and confidently demanded his immediate surrender.
He bent down and carefully laid the heavy board he was still holding onto the roof before standing to face her. This was going to be fun. Jarod wasn't quite certain why he enjoyed tormenting her so much, but lately he found himself going out of his way to do it.
"You're not going to shoot me," Jarod stated bluntly. He could almost see her blood pressure rising. To help it rise higher, he gave her his most charming smile.
"Don't count on it," Miss Parker sneered at him. "My orders are dead or alive. They do not....specify a preference."
"You've had quite a few chances to shoot me and you just can't do it," Jarod shook his head at her like she was an underachieving child. " As a matter of fact, I believe the only person you have ever shot is.....Sydney."
"I did not shoot him!" She cried indignantly and then softened her tone. "It was an accident."
"Oh. I heard it different but that's okay, he seems to have forgiven you. By the way, I forgot to tell you, you're welcome."
Miss Parker eyed him suspiciously and asked why. Jarod gave her an annoyingly devilish smile and replied, "For telling Broots where to find you. I bet you didn't thank him either but don't answer that now. I have to go. See ya."
Before she could register his words he was gone. It was then that she realized he had very slowly edged his way toward an enormous air-conditioning unit and was now out of her line of fire and making his escape. The door burst open on the roof a few feet from where Jarod had just been standing and three of her men charged through it.
"Great timing, you morons! Get him!" She pointed them toward the ground and yelled for Jarod to stop, knowing he was probably laughing at her.....again. Racing back to the fire escape on her building she raced down it three steps at a time.
As Jarod hit the ground running he could still hear Miss Parker yelling for him to stop and her hired muscle clambering down toward him from above. His escape already worked out, just in case, Jarod cut through the apartment's pool area, hopped a fence and started down the alley toward a field where he had hidden a motorcycle. The open desert was only a mile away and there was no way Miss Parker was going to take a limo that daddy had paid for on a ride through mesquite trees, washes and cactus.
Jarod was halfway down the alley and already congratulating himself when he heard pounding footsteps behind him and Sydney calling his name. Jarod glanced back, waved and kept on running. If Miss Parker wasn't so close he would have stopped to finish his conversation, but there was time enough for that later. He heard Sydney call again but this time he sounded different. Jarod risked one more look back and was stunned to see Sydney leaning against the alleys fence, clutching his chest. Jarod skidded to a stop and turned back toward Sydney without another thought. He was still about ten yards away when the older man fell to his knees then crashed onto his back. Jarod slid on the rocky ground and dropped down next to Sydney, his hand automatically searching for a pulse.
He was relieved to find a strong, very rapid heartbeat. He was so involved in what he was doing he never heard Miss Parker and her men until they had surrounded him in the otherwise deserted alley.
"Call an ambulance. He might have had a heart attack!" Jarod yelled at the foursome as they stood watching him. Nobody moved until Jarod stood up. Suddenly there were four guns pointed at him but at this particular moment he didn't care.
"Did you hear me?" he demanded to know, on the verge of losing his temper. Pointing at Sydney, Jarod shouted "He should be in a hospital."
Miss Parker looked down and lazily poked Sydney in the ribs with her toe. "Do you need to be in the hospital Syd, or just an acting class?"
Jarod looked down at Sydney, dumbfounded as the former heart attack victims' eyes opened and one of Parkers' men helped him to his feet. Jarod stared, slackjawed, as Sydney brushed himself off, avoiding eye contact with Jarod. This had been the second time Sydney had delivered him into the hands of the Centre but this time it was worse. This time he knew exactly what Jarod had to look forward to. Miss Parker, on the other hand, was delighted they had finally had a chance to put this old plan into action and Sydney had actually come through for her.
Jarod could hardly believe what he was seeing. Sydney had set him up. He had faked a heart attack knowing Jarod would stop to help him. He had to think fast. If he tried to run there was every possibility that someone would have the guts to shoot, if not to kill then at least to bring him down. In Florida, Parker had threatened to shoot him in the foot and then the knee. He didn't want to take the chance that her choice of targets would be slightly higher this time. He could try to escape before they got back to Delaware or just wait until they were at the Centre and try to get out the same way he did last time. Surely his old benefactor would be willing to help him out again. Jarod was having an unusually hard time concentrating. Well, he couldn't run but there was some unfinished business right here.
Sydney heard Jarod say his name and looked up in time to see the fist that would knock him cold. Miss Parker looked down at Sydney and then at Jarod who was rubbing his hand.
"I sure hope you enjoyed that enough to carry him to the car."
* * * *
When Sydney regained consciousness 20 minutes later he was in the limo and Miss Parker was on the phone talking about Jarod.
"Yes, Dad, we'll be at the airstrip in a few minutes and we'll be at the Centre at 1400 hours. Yes, " she replied slowly as she watched Sydney rub his jaw, "I think extra security would be a good idea. He wasn't exactly.....cooperative."
Sydney glanced around, taking note of the guard sitting next to him in the seat facing the front of the limo, the other two guards were in the front seat, and Miss Parker had the rear-facing seat across from Sydney all to herself. Sydney leaned over slightly and asked the man where Jarod was. He cast an uncomfortable look at Miss Parker who scowled at him while still talking to her father. The guard shrugged his shoulders and turned to gaze out the window. Sydney would have to wait until she was done. Fortunately, the call ended an instant later.
"How's your jaw, Syd?" she asked as she hung up the phone and reached for a pack of cigarettes. "I didn't think Frankenboy had it in him to hit his substitute mommy."
"Where is Jarod?"
Miss Parker looked at him and smiled coyly . "In the trunk."
Sydney blinked and was about to ask again when he realized she was serious.
"The trunk? THE TRUNK?!" he shouted. Sydney twisted in his seat to look out the rear window at the swirls of dust the limo was leaving as it crossed onto the private airstrip the Centre had 25 miles west of Phoenix. He turned and looked at Miss Parker like she was a complete lunatic.
"Are you insane? It must be over 120 degrees in there! What in God's name is he doing in the trunk?"
Miss Parked looked at him innocently and shrugged.
"It was his idea," she defended herself. "Don't get mad at me." She pulled the last cigarette out of the pack in her hand but before she could get it to her mouth Sydney snatched it away from her.
"Give me that!" she snarled, making a grab for it, but he held it out of reach.
"Miss Parker," Sydney quietly asked, " what could Jarod have possibly said to make you think he wanted to ride in the trunk?"
She leaned close to him and carefully replied, "After I handcuffed him and shackled his feet together I asked if he would like to ride next to me or next to you. He said that if those were his choices he'd rather ride in the trunk."
By now she was close enough to pluck her cigarette out of Sydney's hand. She sat back triumphantly and quickly lit it while Sydney processed the last bit of information.
"You knew, of course, that he wasn't serious." It was a statement of fact, not a question but Miss Parker felt compelled to answer.
"He's been gone a long time. Who knows what sort of strange habits he's picked up."
Sydney shook his head in amazement. "You were such a sweet child," he muttered to himself.
If Miss Parker heard him, she ignored it. Sydney opened his mouth to demand they stop the car but they were already pulling up to the hangar and he could see the Centre jet waiting on the runway.
As soon as the limo came to a stop Sydney and the others climbed out and moved quickly to the back. Sydney waited impatiently as Miss Parker tore the keys from the drivers hand and slowly sorted through them looking for the trunk key.
"Nope, not this one. This one's too big. This one's too small. Oh, this one's just.....no...my mistake, this is wrong too."
Sydney shuffled restlessly from one foot to the other. "Maybe I can find it," he offered, reaching for the keys. Miss Parker jerked her hand out of his reach.
"I found it. Here he is, safe and sound" she announced happily, turning the key in the lock. The trunk popped open and Sydney looked in to find Jarod glaring up at Miss Parker.
"Very funny, " he grumbled sarcastically. "Now get me out of here."
Sydney nodded to the guards and stepped aside as two of them reached into the spacious trunk, lifted Jarod out and set him on his feet. The guard that had been riding next to Sydney, grabbed Jarod by the arm as he tried to take a step, nearly falling in the process. He was a little unsteady from the hot ride and the chains on his ankles didn't help his walking ability.
"Remove the ankle chains, Miss Parker, he's not going to escape," Sydney assured her.
She looked at Jarod who was managing to look completely innocent at the moment. Maybe a little too innocent.
Her head lifted defiantly. "The chains stay on. I'm not losing him again. Okay, people, let's get moving," Miss Parker ordered. She looked at Jarod and smiled knowingly. "One of us has an appointment with the Board at 1400."
Jarod felt his stomach turn but there was nothing he could do now except bide his time. He certainly wasn't going to let anyone know that he was scared to death and he was amazed that nobody else could hear his heart pounding. The sound was almost deafening. He glanced down at his feet to gauge what size steps he could take without falling as the guard kept hold of his arm and propelled him toward the waiting aircraft.
As everyone moved toward the plane, Sydney lagged behind, disappointed. Jarod hadn't even looked at him. He desperately needed five minutes alone with him to explain why he had tricked him and what he was planning. There was no doubt in Sydney's mind that Jarod could take care of himself with the board, but he also knew what awaited Jarod if he could not lie his way out of the mess Sydney had made for him.
Everyone else had reached the plane and boarded and Syd jogged the last few dozen feet to catch up. He had no trouble imagining Miss Parker leaving without him. This was going to be a long flight.
* * * *
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
1350 hours
As the limo pulled through the security gate and under the cover of the side entrance to the Centre, Miss Parker cast one last disparaging look at Jarod before addressing Sydney.
"You couldn't have made him change clothes or shave during the flight? This is not the impression I wanted to make on the Board. You know they're all going to be waiting to welcome Jarod home."
Jarod made a show of looking over his ragged hiking boots, torn jeans and dirty tee-shirt before looking to Sydney and speaking for the first time.
"Yeah, Syd, what are they going to think. I look like I was thrown to the ground, chained up, tossed in a hot trunk and then flown across the country against my will." Jarod shook his head dejectedly. "Not the kind of impression we want to make."
Sydney fought a smile that would have enraged Miss Parker. He had secretly enjoyed watching Jarod push her buttons but this was not the time or place to encourage aberrant behavior. He was only going to have one chance to impress the Board with Jarod before they decided what to do with him. No one had ever left and been returned to the Centre in, what some might call, 'working order'. No, this was not going to be easy.
Sydney had already been filing reports on how well Jarod had adapted to the outside world and had told the Board that these 'life experiences' would ultimately make him a better pretender. Now he just had to convince Jarod to go along with him until sufficient time had passed and the Boards interest moved on to another project. His immediate problem was getting Jarod alone so he could explain that he was trying to help, no matter how it might look at the moment.
"Well, we're here," Miss Parker happily announced as the car stopped. She looked at Jarod with a self-satisfied smile. "I'd like to say it's been fun, but this is one assignment I am glad to see the end of."
She reached for the door handle then turned back toward Jarod.
"One last thing. Until we're inside you are not considered 'delivered'. Keep in mind I was told to bring you back dead or alive. Don't try anything stupid."
Jarod's expression was all innocence. "Who? Me? I don't want you to look bad in front of dear old Dad....again. Oh, and after I'm 'delivered' you'd better have Pops sign for me. You don't want someone to say that I never arrived or that there were parts missing."
"One more word and you will arrive with parts missing," Miss Parker shot back.
Sydney shook his head and opened the door on his side, "That's enough, you two, get out."
Jarod stepped out of the car and was immediately surrounded by Centre guards. He almost laughed. He was stiff, tired and his manacled wrists were attached to a chain around his waist. Even though every fiber of his body screamed at him to run and not look back, he stood his ground.
Except for the day he had escaped, Jarod had only one memory of being on the outside of this building. He was 11 years old and had climbed out through a vent to play in the snow. He had been so fascinated by the feel of it, the taste of it, that he hadn't heard the alarms until he was grabbed by two of the largest men he had ever seen. His adventure outside had taken place during Sydney's annual mystery vacation. Jarod blocked out the exact details of what he had endured for 5 days until Sydney had returned, looking for him, but the memory was hiding, just below the surface.
He knew from that day what the Centre was capable of and he fully intended to give them the answers they wanted. Jarod knew what to expect when he went through the doors in front of him. He knew what he had to say and how he had to act if he had any hope of avoiding the wrath of the Tower.
The memories were still crushing down on him but with great effort Jarod pushed them away and forced his heart rate and breathing down to normal levels. As one of the guards pushed Jarod past him to the doorway, Sydney could have sworn he heard Jarod mumble to himself, "Never let 'em see ya sweat."
Chapter 1
Terri
Phoenix, Arizona
0700 hours
The sun was pounding down on another scorching Phoenix day as Jarod peered out a third floor window of the apartment building he had called home for the last two weeks. The scene playing out on the street below was a familiar one. Miss Parker and Sydney had just left the building after finding out all they could about recent tenant, Jarod Skywalker. Now, Sydney was telling her he was going to have one more look around Jarod's lair before they left. This was something Sydney had been doing for the last several months and Jarod had stayed around a few times to watch, wondering what the older man was up to. This time it was going to work to his advantage.
Jarod's trackers had arrived twenty minutes earlier and interrogated the apartment manager, Ms Rhodes, who, following Jarod's instructions to the letter, had given Miss Parker the latest red notebook. Inside were newspaper clippings about this building that told how the owner was going to evict the retired, low income tenants and convert it into expensive condo's. The last article told of one man, name and photo unavailable, who had uncovered the owners dirty business dealings and sent him to prison. The owners son had then taken over the building and given each resident a 50 year lease without increases in the rent.
Jarod smiled, picturing what Sydney must have thought when Ms Rhodes informed him Jarod was also working as a wingwalker with a local aerobatics team. Since his escape he had gone out of his way to pursue dangerous activities and make sure the news got back to Sydney.
Jarod watched, amused, while an obviously irritated Miss Parker lit another cigarette and climbed into the limo while Sydney headed back into the building. Jarod ran from the vacant apartment and up to the fourth floor where he had recently lived. He barely made it inside and into the bedroom before Sydney walked through the front door.
Sydney quietly closed the door behind him and looked around at the mess Jarod had left once again. He smiled at the familiar pez dispenser on the coffee table next to the Archie comic books and winced when he counted the empty wrappers from 3 dozen packages of ding-dongs and 15 empty pudding packs. The last apartment he had roamed through after Jarod's departure had been filled with pizza boxes from 4 different restaurants. The one before that contained over 40 boxes of doughnuts. Sydney had been greatly relieved to discover there were only a few of the treats missing from each box.
He reached down and picked up the Mickey Mouse pez dispenser and was not surprised to find it empty. He slipped it into the pocket of his suit jacket so he could add it to his collection back at the Centre. As he turned to leave, his attention was captured by a reflection in a mirror across the room. Sydney closed his eyes briefly and prayed that what he was about to do would not damn him to hell for all eternity.
"You should be bouncing off the walls with all of that sugar in you, Jarod, " Sydney commented as he slowly turned and sat down on the hard sofa facing the bedroom. The door creaked open immediately and Jarod stepped into the room. Sydney smiled and Jarod clenched his teeth together to keep from smiling back. He had missed Sydney but this certainly wasn't the time to admit it.
"You're looking well, despite your diet," Sydney commented warmly, looking over the lean, muscular build Jarod had developed. The urge to tell him to run was so strong, Sydney began to feel nauseous .
Jarod took a few steps closer. "Why didn't I ever get to eat anything like ding-dongs and pizza? And ice cream, too." he added earnestly. "It's very good."
As always, Jarod stood patiently, waiting for an answer and Sydney didn't have one that didn't sound ridiculous. What could he say? 'I wanted to give you a birthday cake once but the Centre would not allow it and anyway, you don't even know when your birthday is'? That would certainly bring up a whole new reason for Jarod to hate him. So, Sydney did what he had come to do best. He ignored the question.
"You didn't stay around here, so close to Miss Parker, to ask why you were never given junk food, did you? Which, by the way, you have had quite enough of," Sydney admonished quietly, gesturing toward the empty wrappers as he fought the desire to ask Jarod if he'd been to a dentist lately.
"I had a question......and I wanted to see you when I asked it," Jarod explained in a uncharacteristically anxious voice.
Sydney felt his stomach do another flip and wondered if he was going to be the next ulcer victim. This was destined to go down as one of his least favorite days. Jarod had a frustrating habit of asking impossible questions about things Sydney was not at liberty to discuss.
"Do you remember when I told you that I knew the Russell's were not my parents?"
Sydney groaned inwardly and cleared his throat before answering. "Yes, I believe that you had your blood checked against the samples in the Centre's computers and determined it was not a match."
Jarod was nodding, wanting to jump in before Sydney finished speaking. "That's right because I have this anomaly in my blood that was not found in theirs. I have, however, found it in someone else's blood and I was wondering if you could tell me how it got there?"
Sydney's mind raced. Where had Jarod picked up a sample of Sydney's blood without him knowing it? He made sure his medical records were destroyed as soon as he found out Jarod was checking blood samples in the Centre's computers against his own.
Sydney was trying to ask Jarod who's blood he had been checking when a familiar voice called from the hall, "Syd, what the hell is taking you so long?"
Miss Parker pushed the door open halfway and immediately took note of the expression on Sydney's face. In that second she knew Jarod was there. Yanking her gun from the back waistband of her pants she flung the door open and stepped into the room, clearing the threshold just in time to see Jarod's back as he left through the bedroom window.
She spun around and grabbed Sydney's arm as he rose from the sofa and yanked him toward her. Pulling his face down to hers she growled, "Get-him-now", then pushed him out the door as she raced toward the window to follow Jarod.
Sydney ran from the apartment into the stairwell and wondered briefly if Jarod was going up or down. He remembered Ms Rhodes telling them Jarod was performing as a wing walker and suddenly smiled. He knew exactly where Jarod was headed,
Jarod made it across the narrow plank he had left on the roof between the two apartment buildings and had just dragged it across to his side when Miss Parker pulled herself onto the other roof. Weapon drawn, she aimed it at him and confidently demanded his immediate surrender.
He bent down and carefully laid the heavy board he was still holding onto the roof before standing to face her. This was going to be fun. Jarod wasn't quite certain why he enjoyed tormenting her so much, but lately he found himself going out of his way to do it.
"You're not going to shoot me," Jarod stated bluntly. He could almost see her blood pressure rising. To help it rise higher, he gave her his most charming smile.
"Don't count on it," Miss Parker sneered at him. "My orders are dead or alive. They do not....specify a preference."
"You've had quite a few chances to shoot me and you just can't do it," Jarod shook his head at her like she was an underachieving child. " As a matter of fact, I believe the only person you have ever shot is.....Sydney."
"I did not shoot him!" She cried indignantly and then softened her tone. "It was an accident."
"Oh. I heard it different but that's okay, he seems to have forgiven you. By the way, I forgot to tell you, you're welcome."
Miss Parker eyed him suspiciously and asked why. Jarod gave her an annoyingly devilish smile and replied, "For telling Broots where to find you. I bet you didn't thank him either but don't answer that now. I have to go. See ya."
Before she could register his words he was gone. It was then that she realized he had very slowly edged his way toward an enormous air-conditioning unit and was now out of her line of fire and making his escape. The door burst open on the roof a few feet from where Jarod had just been standing and three of her men charged through it.
"Great timing, you morons! Get him!" She pointed them toward the ground and yelled for Jarod to stop, knowing he was probably laughing at her.....again. Racing back to the fire escape on her building she raced down it three steps at a time.
As Jarod hit the ground running he could still hear Miss Parker yelling for him to stop and her hired muscle clambering down toward him from above. His escape already worked out, just in case, Jarod cut through the apartment's pool area, hopped a fence and started down the alley toward a field where he had hidden a motorcycle. The open desert was only a mile away and there was no way Miss Parker was going to take a limo that daddy had paid for on a ride through mesquite trees, washes and cactus.
Jarod was halfway down the alley and already congratulating himself when he heard pounding footsteps behind him and Sydney calling his name. Jarod glanced back, waved and kept on running. If Miss Parker wasn't so close he would have stopped to finish his conversation, but there was time enough for that later. He heard Sydney call again but this time he sounded different. Jarod risked one more look back and was stunned to see Sydney leaning against the alleys fence, clutching his chest. Jarod skidded to a stop and turned back toward Sydney without another thought. He was still about ten yards away when the older man fell to his knees then crashed onto his back. Jarod slid on the rocky ground and dropped down next to Sydney, his hand automatically searching for a pulse.
He was relieved to find a strong, very rapid heartbeat. He was so involved in what he was doing he never heard Miss Parker and her men until they had surrounded him in the otherwise deserted alley.
"Call an ambulance. He might have had a heart attack!" Jarod yelled at the foursome as they stood watching him. Nobody moved until Jarod stood up. Suddenly there were four guns pointed at him but at this particular moment he didn't care.
"Did you hear me?" he demanded to know, on the verge of losing his temper. Pointing at Sydney, Jarod shouted "He should be in a hospital."
Miss Parker looked down and lazily poked Sydney in the ribs with her toe. "Do you need to be in the hospital Syd, or just an acting class?"
Jarod looked down at Sydney, dumbfounded as the former heart attack victims' eyes opened and one of Parkers' men helped him to his feet. Jarod stared, slackjawed, as Sydney brushed himself off, avoiding eye contact with Jarod. This had been the second time Sydney had delivered him into the hands of the Centre but this time it was worse. This time he knew exactly what Jarod had to look forward to. Miss Parker, on the other hand, was delighted they had finally had a chance to put this old plan into action and Sydney had actually come through for her.
Jarod could hardly believe what he was seeing. Sydney had set him up. He had faked a heart attack knowing Jarod would stop to help him. He had to think fast. If he tried to run there was every possibility that someone would have the guts to shoot, if not to kill then at least to bring him down. In Florida, Parker had threatened to shoot him in the foot and then the knee. He didn't want to take the chance that her choice of targets would be slightly higher this time. He could try to escape before they got back to Delaware or just wait until they were at the Centre and try to get out the same way he did last time. Surely his old benefactor would be willing to help him out again. Jarod was having an unusually hard time concentrating. Well, he couldn't run but there was some unfinished business right here.
Sydney heard Jarod say his name and looked up in time to see the fist that would knock him cold. Miss Parker looked down at Sydney and then at Jarod who was rubbing his hand.
"I sure hope you enjoyed that enough to carry him to the car."
When Sydney regained consciousness 20 minutes later he was in the limo and Miss Parker was on the phone talking about Jarod.
"Yes, Dad, we'll be at the airstrip in a few minutes and we'll be at the Centre at 1400 hours. Yes, " she replied slowly as she watched Sydney rub his jaw, "I think extra security would be a good idea. He wasn't exactly.....cooperative."
Sydney glanced around, taking note of the guard sitting next to him in the seat facing the front of the limo, the other two guards were in the front seat, and Miss Parker had the rear-facing seat across from Sydney all to herself. Sydney leaned over slightly and asked the man where Jarod was. He cast an uncomfortable look at Miss Parker who scowled at him while still talking to her father. The guard shrugged his shoulders and turned to gaze out the window. Sydney would have to wait until she was done. Fortunately, the call ended an instant later.
"How's your jaw, Syd?" she asked as she hung up the phone and reached for a pack of cigarettes. "I didn't think Frankenboy had it in him to hit his substitute mommy."
"Where is Jarod?"
Miss Parker looked at him and smiled coyly . "In the trunk."
Sydney blinked and was about to ask again when he realized she was serious.
"The trunk? THE TRUNK?!" he shouted. Sydney twisted in his seat to look out the rear window at the swirls of dust the limo was leaving as it crossed onto the private airstrip the Centre had 25 miles west of Phoenix. He turned and looked at Miss Parker like she was a complete lunatic.
"Are you insane? It must be over 120 degrees in there! What in God's name is he doing in the trunk?"
Miss Parked looked at him innocently and shrugged.
"It was his idea," she defended herself. "Don't get mad at me." She pulled the last cigarette out of the pack in her hand but before she could get it to her mouth Sydney snatched it away from her.
"Give me that!" she snarled, making a grab for it, but he held it out of reach.
"Miss Parker," Sydney quietly asked, " what could Jarod have possibly said to make you think he wanted to ride in the trunk?"
She leaned close to him and carefully replied, "After I handcuffed him and shackled his feet together I asked if he would like to ride next to me or next to you. He said that if those were his choices he'd rather ride in the trunk."
By now she was close enough to pluck her cigarette out of Sydney's hand. She sat back triumphantly and quickly lit it while Sydney processed the last bit of information.
"You knew, of course, that he wasn't serious." It was a statement of fact, not a question but Miss Parker felt compelled to answer.
"He's been gone a long time. Who knows what sort of strange habits he's picked up."
Sydney shook his head in amazement. "You were such a sweet child," he muttered to himself.
If Miss Parker heard him, she ignored it. Sydney opened his mouth to demand they stop the car but they were already pulling up to the hangar and he could see the Centre jet waiting on the runway.
As soon as the limo came to a stop Sydney and the others climbed out and moved quickly to the back. Sydney waited impatiently as Miss Parker tore the keys from the drivers hand and slowly sorted through them looking for the trunk key.
"Nope, not this one. This one's too big. This one's too small. Oh, this one's just.....no...my mistake, this is wrong too."
Sydney shuffled restlessly from one foot to the other. "Maybe I can find it," he offered, reaching for the keys. Miss Parker jerked her hand out of his reach.
"I found it. Here he is, safe and sound" she announced happily, turning the key in the lock. The trunk popped open and Sydney looked in to find Jarod glaring up at Miss Parker.
"Very funny, " he grumbled sarcastically. "Now get me out of here."
Sydney nodded to the guards and stepped aside as two of them reached into the spacious trunk, lifted Jarod out and set him on his feet. The guard that had been riding next to Sydney, grabbed Jarod by the arm as he tried to take a step, nearly falling in the process. He was a little unsteady from the hot ride and the chains on his ankles didn't help his walking ability.
"Remove the ankle chains, Miss Parker, he's not going to escape," Sydney assured her.
She looked at Jarod who was managing to look completely innocent at the moment. Maybe a little too innocent.
Her head lifted defiantly. "The chains stay on. I'm not losing him again. Okay, people, let's get moving," Miss Parker ordered. She looked at Jarod and smiled knowingly. "One of us has an appointment with the Board at 1400."
Jarod felt his stomach turn but there was nothing he could do now except bide his time. He certainly wasn't going to let anyone know that he was scared to death and he was amazed that nobody else could hear his heart pounding. The sound was almost deafening. He glanced down at his feet to gauge what size steps he could take without falling as the guard kept hold of his arm and propelled him toward the waiting aircraft.
As everyone moved toward the plane, Sydney lagged behind, disappointed. Jarod hadn't even looked at him. He desperately needed five minutes alone with him to explain why he had tricked him and what he was planning. There was no doubt in Sydney's mind that Jarod could take care of himself with the board, but he also knew what awaited Jarod if he could not lie his way out of the mess Sydney had made for him.
Everyone else had reached the plane and boarded and Syd jogged the last few dozen feet to catch up. He had no trouble imagining Miss Parker leaving without him. This was going to be a long flight.
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
1350 hours
As the limo pulled through the security gate and under the cover of the side entrance to the Centre, Miss Parker cast one last disparaging look at Jarod before addressing Sydney.
"You couldn't have made him change clothes or shave during the flight? This is not the impression I wanted to make on the Board. You know they're all going to be waiting to welcome Jarod home."
Jarod made a show of looking over his ragged hiking boots, torn jeans and dirty tee-shirt before looking to Sydney and speaking for the first time.
"Yeah, Syd, what are they going to think. I look like I was thrown to the ground, chained up, tossed in a hot trunk and then flown across the country against my will." Jarod shook his head dejectedly. "Not the kind of impression we want to make."
Sydney fought a smile that would have enraged Miss Parker. He had secretly enjoyed watching Jarod push her buttons but this was not the time or place to encourage aberrant behavior. He was only going to have one chance to impress the Board with Jarod before they decided what to do with him. No one had ever left and been returned to the Centre in, what some might call, 'working order'. No, this was not going to be easy.
Sydney had already been filing reports on how well Jarod had adapted to the outside world and had told the Board that these 'life experiences' would ultimately make him a better pretender. Now he just had to convince Jarod to go along with him until sufficient time had passed and the Boards interest moved on to another project. His immediate problem was getting Jarod alone so he could explain that he was trying to help, no matter how it might look at the moment.
"Well, we're here," Miss Parker happily announced as the car stopped. She looked at Jarod with a self-satisfied smile. "I'd like to say it's been fun, but this is one assignment I am glad to see the end of."
She reached for the door handle then turned back toward Jarod.
"One last thing. Until we're inside you are not considered 'delivered'. Keep in mind I was told to bring you back dead or alive. Don't try anything stupid."
Jarod's expression was all innocence. "Who? Me? I don't want you to look bad in front of dear old Dad....again. Oh, and after I'm 'delivered' you'd better have Pops sign for me. You don't want someone to say that I never arrived or that there were parts missing."
"One more word and you will arrive with parts missing," Miss Parker shot back.
Sydney shook his head and opened the door on his side, "That's enough, you two, get out."
Jarod stepped out of the car and was immediately surrounded by Centre guards. He almost laughed. He was stiff, tired and his manacled wrists were attached to a chain around his waist. Even though every fiber of his body screamed at him to run and not look back, he stood his ground.
Except for the day he had escaped, Jarod had only one memory of being on the outside of this building. He was 11 years old and had climbed out through a vent to play in the snow. He had been so fascinated by the feel of it, the taste of it, that he hadn't heard the alarms until he was grabbed by two of the largest men he had ever seen. His adventure outside had taken place during Sydney's annual mystery vacation. Jarod blocked out the exact details of what he had endured for 5 days until Sydney had returned, looking for him, but the memory was hiding, just below the surface.
He knew from that day what the Centre was capable of and he fully intended to give them the answers they wanted. Jarod knew what to expect when he went through the doors in front of him. He knew what he had to say and how he had to act if he had any hope of avoiding the wrath of the Tower.
The memories were still crushing down on him but with great effort Jarod pushed them away and forced his heart rate and breathing down to normal levels. As one of the guards pushed Jarod past him to the doorway, Sydney could have sworn he heard Jarod mumble to himself, "Never let 'em see ya sweat."
