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Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc.and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.
Regeneration
part 7
by Gizmo
Lyle paced angrily. Now that he had recovered both his senses and his ability to act according to his own will, he was frustrated and angry that he could do nothing. His sister had deposited all of them at this hotel and left them. Gazing towards the bed, he noticed he wasn’t the only frustrated one. His half-brother, Ethan, was no longer dazed and out-of-it. Sitting in the chair beside the bed, Lyle glanced at him.
“We don’t look at thing alike,” Lyle commented.
“No,” Ethan replied. “We’re not alike.”
“Parker will get him. She’s good.”
“She’s too late.”
“What do you mean?”
“Cox already has him.”
“How do you know this?”
“The voices. My…our mother’s voice tells me things sometimes.”
Lyle smiled in disbelief. “Well ask her how to get Jarod back.”
“It doesn’t work like that.”
Sighing, Lyle stood and paced again. He smiled as something occurred to him.
“There is something we can do.”
“What?” Ethan looked up thoughtfully.
“Maggie and her brother. Cox will order them killed now that he has Jarod.”
Major Charles had filled him in on the entire story upon their arrival. The boy and his father currently resided in the room through the connecting door. Both had dropped off to an exhausted and worried sleep after Parker had left. Standing, Lyle shut the connecting door and reached for the phone. A moment later, he had contacted Willie and ordered him to bring Maggie and her brother to a meeting spot. Sneaking into the Major’s room, he swiped the car keys and left to meet the sweeper.
***
Parker slammed her car door shut. They had Jarod and there had been too many of them for her to try any interference. They would have to get him from the Centre.
She entered the room she had rented for herself and Emily. The younger woman was asleep, accustomed to the upheavals in her life and able to sleep despite them. Deciding against awakening her, she tapped softly on Ethan’s door. No one answered and she realized they had probably all fallen asleep. Perhaps she should try sleeping some too. It might help her think more clearly of a way out of this situation.
***
Two Hours Later
“Let go of me!” she demanded tearfully. She hadn’t slept in what felt like months and this strange man with cotton in his nose was hurting her arm. After the black guy had shoved them into a big black car, they had met up with this guy. The black man had gotten out of the car and spoken to him. From their glances back at them, she and her brother had obviously been the topic of the conversation. The cotton-nosed guy must have heard something he didn’t like because the next thing she knew, she was being dragged out of the black car and into the big SUV – leaving behind her brother.
Now, he was unceremoniously dragging her by the arm into a hotel. She was long past frightened and now was just really angry.
He stopped at a door and banged loudly. Several moments later, a sleepy-eyed Ethan opened the door.
“Ethan!” she exclaimed. She was shoved from behind and stepped into the room with a glare for the man behind her.
“Where’s her brother?” Ethan asked the man.
“Willie dropped him off a couple miles out of town,” he replied. “You’re not going to believe what he had in mind for his little sister here.”
“Patrick would never hurt me!” she defended.
“Strangely enough, I have to agree with you,” the strange man said with an eyebrow cocked. “I once tried to protect my sister by registering her at a psychiatric hospital too.”
“He was going to institutionalize her?” Ethan asked incredulously.
“Yes. According to Willie, he seemed to think it was the best thing for her. Told the police about her mother having these paranoid delusions about people in black cars and such.”
Things clicked into place for her. “Mom wasn’t crazy. You’re the people she was afraid of. She was always watching over her shoulder. Said they were coming for her children someday and she wouldn’t let them have us.”
“Your mother knew about the Centre,” Lyle stated.
Ethan sighed. “I really didn’t want her to know too many details. It could be dangerous for her.”
“It already is.” Lyle reached over and grabbed Maggie’s face. “Don’t you see it?”
***
Sydney could hear something. It beeped incessantly and he wanted to yell for someone to turn it off. Struggling against eyelids that seemed to weigh a ton, he managed to pry one open. The beeping, he realized, emanated from the EKG steadily reading his heart. More equipment surrounded his bedside. For a moment, he panicked – thinking of the Renewal Wing – until he saw the television set mounted on the wall. Another glance around and he surmised he was hospitalized. Shutting his eyes again, he tried to remember the events that had lead up to this moment. The phone call – he remembered – Emily and Ethan. And then a car in the dark rushing towards him. But he had to get to them. Reaching over, Sydney pressed the nurse call button frantically. Somehow, he had to find a way to contact Parker.
***
Major Charles sat up and rubbed his weary eyes. Checking the clock, he was amazed to see he had slept four hours. Looking over at the sleeping boy he went to the connecting door and knocked softly. A moment later, Ethan appeared at the door with a finger to his lips. Looking behind his son, he saw a red headed girl sleeping sprawled across one of the two beds.
“Maggie?”
“Yes.”
“Where’s Lyle?”
“He’s not here. He gave me a message.”
“What?” The Major let the younger man see all his mistrust for his half-brother.
Ethan shook his head. “We have to wait for Parker.”
“She isn’t back yet?”
“I haven’t seen her.”
“Okay, I’ll check Emily. Get back to bed, Son. You had surgery last night.”
Ethan nodded but first went to awaken Maggie. She protested sleepily but he was able to lead her into the other room and push her down onto the bed recently vacated by his father. She was asleep before he left the room.
His father returned with Emily and Parker behind him. Ethan informed him that he had moved Maggie so they could talk in here. Settling on the bed, he waited until everyone was seated to begin.
“Lyle went back to the Centre.”
Major Charles stood, a thunderous expression on his face and his half-sister cursed. Emily looked pale but didn’t comment.
“He can protect Jarod better in there than sitting around here,” Ethan argued. “He told me to tell you he’s having the review moved up. He’s going to get this over with now.”
“This has nothing to do with protecting Jarod!” Emily snapped. “He just got lucky and this whole thing worked out exactly as he wanted it to!”
“No,” Ethan replied firmly. “You’ve got to trust him. The voices – he wants to end this.”
“Why?” Parker demanded. “Why is it suddenly so important for Lyle to stop regeneration?”
Ethan shook his head. “You don’t understand. Lyle wants to stop the Centre. He knows what the Centre is trying to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“Maggie. She’s a part of this. They’re setting up the next phase of the pretender program. She was created – just like me.”
“Are you telling me that Maggie is my daughter?” Major Charles asked.
“No,” Ethan replied. “She’s your wife’s daughter. I’m not related to her at all. And her father is…”
“Mine,” Parker finished. “They were mixing us up – seeing what mix worked best – breeding us. She was implanted into a surrogate mother’s womb.”
“And raised to believe her two older brothers were biologically related when they weren’t,” Ethan continued. “Just like Lyle was raised by a surrogate family. Lyle said he won’t let them start another generation. Jeff would be the last, he said.”
“What did he mean by that?” Parker asked.
Ethan turned to stare at Emily. “Lyle was supposed to kidnap you. But he said he couldn’t do it.”
“Oh my god,” Emily breathed. “They wanted him to impregnate me. They wanted to start mixing it up again – see what they could get from our offspring.”
“Yes,” Ethan replied heavily. “The voices – she told me that Lyle wants it all to end. He’s tired of being controlled, manipulated.”
Parker stared at him. “She’s warning you that Lyle is going to take too many risks. But I won’t let him do that.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Go back to that hellhole and get Jarod and Lyle out.”
****
The Hellhole
Lyle smiled. He had planted the seed of doubt in his father’s mind and Mr. Parker was working through it mentally. Tapping his foot impatiently, Lyle wondered if he had gotten a little too used to Jarod’s lightening fast mind.
“We need to move the review up,” Lyle emphasized again. “You’ve seen how demented Cox really is. If I’m right…”
“Yes, I know.” Mr. Parker rubbed his forehead and sighed. The sponsors wanted progress, not these personnel distractions. “Do it. Move the review to Thursday. That will give everyone three days to make arrangements and arrive. But I’m leaving Jarod under Cox’s control until then.”
He didn’t want to appear too concerned about Jarod so he sighed, pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows.
“Dad, I don’t think that’s a wise decision. If Cox finds out we’ve moved the review up, he may try to sneak Jarod out of the Centre again.”
“He’ll be suspicious if we remove Jarod from his care,” Mr. Parker argued. “This way, no one but us knows the review date.”
“We want him to be a little worried. How are we going to catch him in the act if we don’t push him a little?”
“Good point. I’ll tell Cox that you’re being given unrestricted access to the pretender for half the time. That way, it looks like I’m allowing both of you equal time to use whatever methods it takes to get the pretender’s cooperation.”
Lyle nodded with satisfaction. Half was better than nothing, his mind reasoned. But, a little voice whispered, would Jarod be able to withstand three days of Cox in his condition? He’ll have to, Lyle thought.
He smiled slyly at how he had set Cox up. Leading his father to believe Cox had engineered Jarod’s escape last week had been brilliant. Cox’s demented possessiveness of Jarod and the regeneration project had worked in his favor. His father had bought it. Jarod would only have to endure three more days.
***
His right eye was swollen shut but he managed to blink open his left eye when the door to his latest cell creaked. Two days of Cox’s intense mistreatment had left him unable to do more than lift his head from the floor. Time had gotten scrambled up in his head and he wasn’t sure if it was Lyle or Cox entering. The intense light flooding into the room blocked his view of his visitor. Whoever had entered walked towards him and squatted down.
“Go away,” Jarod croaked.
“I see Cox is getting out of control,” Lyle commented. He could see the swollen right side of Jarod’s face even in the dim light. “He is supposed to keep you presentable for the upcoming review.”
“Cox believes he still has time for me to heal up before the review,” Jarod whispered.
“Well, then, he’ll be shocked when the sponsors show up tomorrow for the regeneration session, won’t he?”
Jarod nodded weakly and lowered his head to the floor. For the past two nights, Lyle had appeared after Cox left and together they worked out the Centre’s ending. But tonight, he didn’t know if he had the energy to run simulations. He heard Lyle sigh and leave the room. A moment later, the overhead lights flicked and Jarod groaned at the visual assault.
Lyle shook his head as he visually examined the pretender. He had reassured his sister that the pretender was hanging in there and the damage Cox was inflicting was nothing too serious. But tonight’s phone conversation would not be so comforting. He knew better than to lie to his sister though. One way or another, he would have a difficult time persuading her to stay away from the Centre.
Taking the supplies he had carried in, he set the box down and squatted beside the injured man.
“Come on, the cameras are off,” Lyle told him. “I need you to sit up.”
With a lot of groaning and heaving, he managed to get Jarod propped up in a corner of the bare cell. As he worked on cleaning wounds, he considered the best method to tell Jarod of what he had learned.
“Did Rachel say if they’re ready? Will she be coming with the VCTF?” Jarod asked tiredly.
“She’s coming,” Lyle responded. He wiped the blood from Jarod’s chin and sat back. “Everything is set up. I’m not here to do simulations tonight. You did a good job last night. We’re ready to go.”
“What is it then?”
“There’s something you need to know about regeneration…” Lyle looked aside, uncomfortable. “When they do this tomorrow – it won’t be what you’re expecting. I just found this out today.”
Jarod felt fear shiver up, cold and fast from his insides. “Tell me.”
“Jarod, Cox isn’t going to use the heart drugs. Cox believes this new method has a better chance of making regeneration work.”
He grabbed a fist full of Lyle’s shirtfront. “How?”
Lyle met his eyes. “He’s going to drown you – in freezing water – and then revive you.”
“Oh God,” Jarod whispered and released Lyle. He squeezed his eyes shut – knowing it was too late to stop what was already in motion. The FBI and VCTF were to catch them all in the act. As Catherine Parker had originally planned, they would stop these experiments permanently by getting them all. Although the Centre would probably find a way to escape this raid, without sponsors, it was only a matter of time before the money ran out.
Jarod looked up at Lyle. “Do you think this is what she wanted? Did she want me dead?”
“You’re not going to die – well, not for long anyway.” Lyle sighed and sat beside the pretender. Leaning his head back against the cold wall, he stared at the ceiling. “Ethan told me to tell you to have hope. Apparently, my half-brother believes my dead mother talks to him.”
“She does.”
“Anyway, Ethan wanted you to know that she said not to be afraid.”
“Easy for the dead to say,” Jarod said with a dark smile.
“I’ll be there tomorrow but…I won’t be able to stop…”
“I know. You have to stay in the act. Just stick with the plan.”
Lyle sighed and turned to him. “There’s something you should know – just in case it all goes to hell.”
“What?”
“I don’t remember killing your brother but I want you to know that I’m sorry. We’ve been excellent enemies but I’d like to believe that we’re even better as a team. I want you to know that I’m going to do everything I can to get you out of this alive – not because of my mother or your family – but because of who you are.”
Jarod raised his hand and Lyle clasped it. “When you call tonight…tell her – tell your sister that these past five years have never been about the Centre for me.”
Lyle smiled sadly and stood. He felt strength growing inside. Jarod had forgiven him and like a forest fire, it had burned him clean.
****
DAWN
The sunrise was painstakingly beautiful – pastel pinks and peaches. He was able to set aside the horror of what would happen today as he watched it. Unable to sleep last night, he had paced and wrung his hands until the first lights began streaking the sky. Slipping from the room where two of his sons slept, he had come here to watch. They would need his strength today.
He sighed and leaned forward, resting his hands on the hotel roof’s parapet. He needed her – his wife – here beside him today as they finally ended what had begun 33 years ago. The FBI agents had tried to find her. But, in the end, Major Charles had accepted that he would do this alone. Margaret had disappeared with Emily all those years ago knowing that she couldn’t keep Emily safe and free their sons. She had left him – knowing he couldn’t and wouldn’t give up searching for Jarod and Kyle. He wondered how she would feel when he presented her with two different sons. Ethan and Jeff were not whom he had set out to free. Would she blame him for not being able to save Jarod and Kyle after he had devoted his life and sacrificed their marriage to it?
He shook his head. No, Margaret would accept everything that had happened. It was part of the reason he loved her and always would. She didn’t blame or try to change him. She would love Ethan and Jeff with her entire heart – not as replacements but as sons.
Perhaps it was Maggie that had him missing his wife so sorely. The girl reminded him of her too much. Even the name was close and he smiled. He should have seen the resemblance immediately. But time had faded Margaret’s youthful image from his mind.
He accepted Maggie as his daughter although the girl had been raised by foster parents and wasn’t his biologically. Margaret would accept Ethan as her own – fully and without question. The irony was that Maggie’s foster parents were related to Ethan’s foster parents. If Maggie and Ethan had truly been the children of the people who raised them, they would be cousins. Instead they were part of the complex family that included the Parker twins.
He wondered if he could ever accept Lyle. Somehow, he had forgiven Miss Parker without even seemingly aware of it. It just seemed natural for her to be here. But part of it was probably her uncanny resemblance to her mother. He supposed if Lyle managed to free Jarod he would somehow find a way to tolerate his presence in their lives.
The worst part would be the waiting. The redheaded agent – Rachel Burke – had refused to allow him to take part in the raid. She had promised to get him inside as soon as possible but he was to wait outside. She obviously knew his son – perhaps intimately from the small smile on her lips whenever she said his name. But her life had obviously progressed since her involvement with Jarod. Another agent and her traded secret smiles.
The door leading to the roof opened and he turned to see Miss Parker approaching. She shivered at the cold wind and stood silently beside him.
“If Jarod dies, all these wasted years…” He stared ahead.
“They weren’t wasted. The new generation – Ethan, Emily, Maggie and Jeff – they’re free because of him. It kind of makes me feel old.”
Major Charles laughed. “You feel old? I’ve seen it since the beginning.”
“I meant that I feel like an outdated car. The technology to produce Jarod and I was so simple compared to what they did to make Jeff.”
“Sometimes that old ‘technology’ still produces the best results,” he replied with a smile.
“Yes,” she agreed. “Jarod is the best of us – isn’t he?”
“I think parents aren’t supposed to favor one child over another.”
She laughed. “But sometimes, exceptional children come along and exceptions have to be made.”
“You would know. Your mother loved you more than life. She gave up her life for you and Jarod.”
“And I’m going to make sure both of us live through this to appreciate it. He …he hasn’t had the chance yet – to live his own life.”
He nodded his agreement. Jarod had spent too much time making amends for wrongs he hadn’t committed. He remembered her words to the federal agents last night.
“You’re going to go in despite what Rachel said?”
“I have to. My mother – I know she wants me to. I’ve never heard her so clearly before.”
“Just be careful.”
She nodded and they smiled at each other.
The room was cold and he shivered slightly. Usually, the sounds of water invoked nature and peace. But the sloshing sounds emanating from the tank somehow managed to make the room eerier and more sinister. Perhaps it was the knowledge of what would occur here in just a few hours that made the even the dancing light from the water appear horrific.
Lyle shook his head at his fancifulness. He was getting to be too much like his half-brother – hearing sounds and voices where there were none. He had come here to prepare himself.
He turned to study the room. A mezzanine that circled the room halfway up the high walls had been extended so it reached the edge of the tank. The tank stood in the center of the room – a tall glass cylinder with various pipes, wires and other instruments attached to it. It rather reminded him of a huge drinking glass.
Seating had been arranged in front of the cylinder – two neat rows of leather chairs. Stairs led down from the mezzanine to the floor level. Luckily, Lyle observed, there was only one control panel. He would need to remain on the platform connecting the tank to the mezzanine. They would be bringing Jarod in at the door leading to the mezzanine level this time so it would make sense for him to be there.
The timing was critical. Everything had to happen at precisely the right time in order for them to get out of this alive. Three minutes were all Jarod’s brain could survive without oxygen. He prayed it would be enough time.
A highschool gymnasium shouldn’t be the place for so many guns, she thought. But they surrounded her as the men dressed in black SWAT uniforms and jackets emblazoned with FBI checked their weapons and talked nervously, the pre-raid anxiety and excitement obvious. She turned to watch Bailey reviewing the layout of the Centre with several team leaders. They had spread diagrams across a cafeteria table and used gym equipment to hold the rolled papers in place.
Bailey hadn’t been as shocked as she when they discovered who Jarod really was. Something had always seemed too suspicious to Bailey about Jarod. She had known he had a difficult past and had imagined foster homes, juvenile detention, abusive parents. But never an abusive organization exploiting the talents she had seen. It just made Jarod that much more unreachable to her.
The woman who identified herself solely as Miss Parker had taken her measure. They had reached a silent understanding in their challenging looks. There was no defeat in acknowledging the woman’s claim. Instead, she had let the woman know that she had shared that extraordinary person – if only briefly. Her life had gone in other directions.
The family worried her. Major Charles had moved the family to a nearby hotel and she knew his patience was limited. He had waited 33 years, she reminded herself. A brief flash in mind showed her a younger man staring at a boy’s empty bed with devastation. She shook off the image and picked up her own gun. Turning it over in her hand, she watched the gleam of the metal reflecting up at her.
He now knew what dawn looked like. It looks like hope, Jarod thought. Closing his eyes, he pictured it. It calmed him. He already knew what it felt like to be a doomed man. Having performed several simulations on men condemned to die, he had felt these feelings before. But now, he was experiencing it as Jarod.
He hadn’t slept last night. He had too much unfinished business. Lowering his head, he tried to regain the calmness. Miss Parker’s face floated into his vision and he breathed easier. At least he had been able to communicate some of what he felt through the message Lyle delivered.
He had only one hope for today – that he would be able to hold onto his dignity. His greatest fear is that he would be reduced to a sobbing, begging, pathetic weakling. He fumbled in the dim light for the picture Lyle had brought him.
“I’ll make you proud of me, Mom,” he promised.
***
Several hours later
Cox was shooting angry glares his way but Lyle ignored them. His father had obviously informed the demented man of the revised schedule. Even now, Jarod was being brought down from his cell.
Two doors opened simultaneously. Lyle raised his gaze and saw Jarod being drug out the door at the mezzanine level. Behind him, he heard the visitors’ cultured voices exchanging pleasantries as they filed in. Turning, Lyle watched Cox morph from angry to condescending as the sponsors seated themselves.
His father was not among the sponsors and Lyle looked at Cox questioningly.
“Someone unexpected decided to join today’s meeting,” Cox explained to everyone. “Mr. Parker will be with us momentarily with a visitor. Meanwhile, I’d like to review the project and our progress since your last visit…”
As Cox droned on, Lyle watched above as sweepers restrained Jarod to a metal table. Once the pretender was prone, he was out of viewing range. But Lyle knew what they were doing. Doctors would be fastening wires to Jarod’s forehead for the simulation. A sweeper would be checking the computerized control panel – ensuring water temperature was sufficiently cold and other parameters were met.
Lyle checked his watch and went to ascend the stairway to the platform. Halfway up, the door below opened and his father walked in. He paused when his sister accompanied his father into the room. Their eyes met and held. Be strong, he told her silently. She nodded at him and he turned to continue his climb.
At the top, a camera was being positioned by Willie. Jarod lay breathing harshly, staring at the ceiling. The doctors were busy with their equipment. Lyle went to the table and leaned over the pretender.
There was panic and fear in Jarod’s eyes and quick breaths.
“My sister is here,” he whispered to the pretender. It had the effect he hoped. Jarod’s eyes darkened. He could almost see the pretender steadying himself, drawing strength from unknown reservoirs. He nodded imperceptibly. Lyle straightened and stared a moment longer into his eyes. There was acceptance there, he realized.
“We’re ready,” Willie stated.
Lyle stepped back and the equipment hummed to life. Jarod’s brain waves etched scratches onto paper rolls and the doctors murmured. With the wires attached to his head, Jarod couldn’t fake the simulation. Shifting his weight, Lyle knew it was time. He ordered Jarod to perform the simulation.
Jarod almost smiled in relief. He knew the waiting was what had led to his almost losing it. If it hadn’t been for Lyle’s intervention, he would have started screaming. He should have been upset, angry upon learning of Parker’s presence. But somehow, knowing she was nearby had comforted him. It was meant to be this way, he knew. She was part of the beginning. He needed her to be part of the ending.
He let his personality slide and began feeling emotions that weren’t his in origin. Cox had force fed him enough information about the business entrepreneur he was to sim. He accepted the thoughts that leaked into his brain and felt strangely, at peace. It was time.
When the brain wave activity had changed sufficiently, Lyle checked his watch. They were too early. A delay tactic would need to be convincing.
“Is there any way to determine if he’s faking?” Lyle asked the doctors.
“Yes,” called a weak voice from behind them. Lyle turned to the doorway. Sydney was there, sitting in a wheelchair pushed by Broots. “I can determine if he’s fully into the simulation or not.”
“Dr. Green,” Lyle said surprised. “What a surprise! We’ve been concerned about you.”
Broots pushed Sydney onto the platform.
“That’s odd,” Sydney replied. “Since no one seemed interested in returning my calls, I assumed my whereabouts were not important.”
Sydney waved Broots aside and stood unsteadily. With an arm casted and his head wrapped in bandages, the older man appeared slight and frail. Limping to the table, he gazed down at his protégé. Tears stung his eyes.
“Jarod.”
The pretender turned his face to his mentor. Sydney looked as bad as he felt.
“Hello Sydney,” Jarod murmured. “Come to watch it this time, huh?”
“Yes,” Sydney whispered. Jarod’s eyes were gentle. A tear dripped down as he realized that Jarod knew and forgave him anyway. I didn’t want to know, he berated himself. I should have pursued it – found out what they were doing to you every time they sent me on some trumped up trip. “I’m sorry.”
Jarod nodded in acceptance. Sydney had walked the middle ground – unable or perhaps, unwilling to take sides. He had wanted to protect them all. This, watching the experiment, was his penance along with the knowledge that in the end, he had failed. His failure was complete – as a psychiatrist, as a protector and as a man. But Jarod couldn’t hate him for being too human.
“Mr. Lyle!” Cox shouted from below. “While this little reunion has been touching, our clients are more interested in seeing the experiment than a soap opera.”
Lyle stepped forward and Sydney turned to him with a hot glare.
“You’ll rot in hell for this!” Sydney threatened.
Lyle grabbed the older man’s shirtfront and leaned forward as if to whisper threats in his ear.
“Once he’s in the tank, I’ll take care of the sweepers,” Lyle whispered. “I’m not counting on the doctors to make any moves but if they do…”
Lyle shoved Sydey away as if in disgust. Sydney stared a moment as the implication sunk in.
“Broots and I are staying right here,” Sydney said loudly. “We’ll make sure these doctors do their job.”
Lyle flashed him a brief smile. Sydney sat back in the wheelchair and the doctors began removing the wires from Jarod’s forehead.
“Jarod,” Sydney began. “Tell me what you see. Tell me what you’re feeling.”
As Jarod and Sydney performed their magic, Lyle checked his watch. The timing wasn’t perfect but they had gone forward too far.
“He’s in the simulation completely,” Sydney announced. Lyle glanced at the shrink. Tears had escaped.
***
Moments after Jarod had been dumped into the tank and the lid secured, she turned her face away. But now, she forced herself to watch. Jarod sucked the last few breaths of air from the space between the lid and rapidly rising water. Her eyes filled along with the tank. Her mascara blotted and momentarily blinded her. Wiping at the inky black material, she left smears below her eyes. Like a mime, by the time Jarod sunk unresisting to the tank’s bottom, her makeup traced her agony down her face and she silently screamed.
Her vision returned and she realized her feet had carried her to the stairway leading to the tank platform. Her father was yelling something but she couldn’t hear. She felt nothing but the too hard beating heart beneath her ribcage as she climbed. A pain seared her arm but she ignored it. At the top of the stairs, her brother was engaged in a life or death struggle with a sweeper. She ignored them too. The lid to the tank was still firmly closed and she went to the control panel. The balding technician was there, fumbling with controls. A moment later, he hit something and turned to her with a triumphant smile.
She spun and kicked off her shoes as the lid moved aside. The water was icy cold.
She had expected evilness to emanate from the room. It did but she didn’t expect the faces on it. These weren’t the people who ate infants or sacrificed virgins. They were the people sitting across from you at the dinner table. Salespeople, she thought, not scientists with their poor social skills and lack of interest in proper attire. No, these people knew all the right things to say. They made a living manipulating people to buy or sell.
It had only taken moments to secure the room. They weren’t fighters – they hired lawyers to do that for them. The real battle had been getting to this room. Now, she took a moment to look for the cylindrical chamber she expected.
Instead, a glass walled tank loomed in front of her. Blood streaked the clear water. She stared open mouthed at the scene she was witnessing.
Miss Parker kicked up from the bottom of the tank, both arms secured around Jarod. The lid to the tank was closing. On the platform, a large man stood at a control panel while two men struggled with a gun behind him. A thin, balding man dangled from the platform edge by his fingertips while an older man desperately tried to pull him to safety.
She rushed up the stairway and killed the man at the controls without hesitating. Staring at the multitude of controls, she punched one and the sound of rushing water sounded behind her.
“YOU IDIOT!” Lyle screamed at her as he struggled with the sweeper. “You’re filling the tank again. You’re going to drown my sister!”
“Over here!” the older man called. “Broots can stop it!”
She knelt beside him and pulled the technician to the platform. Before the man could catch his breath, she had heaved him upright and dragged him to the control panel. The sound of pounding filled her ears and she spun around to stare at the closed lid.
“Hurry!” she screamed at Broots. A gun went off beside her and she watched Lyle and the sweeper sink to the floor.
***
Miss Parker pounded on the closed lid again and sucked her last breath before water filled her nostrils. She slowed her kicking to conserve oxygen and felt herself and Jarod sinking. Turning as she sunk, she watched through her watery prison as agents arrested Cox. She made out her father as he pushed indignantly away from the agents and stood at the tank’s bottom perimeter. As she watched, he pulled a gun and aimed it at her inside the tank. She released Jarod and faced her father through the glass wall.
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part 7
by Gizmo
Lyle paced angrily. Now that he had recovered both his senses and his ability to act according to his own will, he was frustrated and angry that he could do nothing. His sister had deposited all of them at this hotel and left them. Gazing towards the bed, he noticed he wasn’t the only frustrated one. His half-brother, Ethan, was no longer dazed and out-of-it. Sitting in the chair beside the bed, Lyle glanced at him.
“We don’t look at thing alike,” Lyle commented.
“No,” Ethan replied. “We’re not alike.”
“Parker will get him. She’s good.”
“She’s too late.”
“What do you mean?”
“Cox already has him.”
“How do you know this?”
“The voices. My…our mother’s voice tells me things sometimes.”
Lyle smiled in disbelief. “Well ask her how to get Jarod back.”
“It doesn’t work like that.”
Sighing, Lyle stood and paced again. He smiled as something occurred to him.
“There is something we can do.”
“What?” Ethan looked up thoughtfully.
“Maggie and her brother. Cox will order them killed now that he has Jarod.”
Major Charles had filled him in on the entire story upon their arrival. The boy and his father currently resided in the room through the connecting door. Both had dropped off to an exhausted and worried sleep after Parker had left. Standing, Lyle shut the connecting door and reached for the phone. A moment later, he had contacted Willie and ordered him to bring Maggie and her brother to a meeting spot. Sneaking into the Major’s room, he swiped the car keys and left to meet the sweeper.
***
Parker slammed her car door shut. They had Jarod and there had been too many of them for her to try any interference. They would have to get him from the Centre.
She entered the room she had rented for herself and Emily. The younger woman was asleep, accustomed to the upheavals in her life and able to sleep despite them. Deciding against awakening her, she tapped softly on Ethan’s door. No one answered and she realized they had probably all fallen asleep. Perhaps she should try sleeping some too. It might help her think more clearly of a way out of this situation.
***
Two Hours Later
“Let go of me!” she demanded tearfully. She hadn’t slept in what felt like months and this strange man with cotton in his nose was hurting her arm. After the black guy had shoved them into a big black car, they had met up with this guy. The black man had gotten out of the car and spoken to him. From their glances back at them, she and her brother had obviously been the topic of the conversation. The cotton-nosed guy must have heard something he didn’t like because the next thing she knew, she was being dragged out of the black car and into the big SUV – leaving behind her brother.
Now, he was unceremoniously dragging her by the arm into a hotel. She was long past frightened and now was just really angry.
He stopped at a door and banged loudly. Several moments later, a sleepy-eyed Ethan opened the door.
“Ethan!” she exclaimed. She was shoved from behind and stepped into the room with a glare for the man behind her.
“Where’s her brother?” Ethan asked the man.
“Willie dropped him off a couple miles out of town,” he replied. “You’re not going to believe what he had in mind for his little sister here.”
“Patrick would never hurt me!” she defended.
“Strangely enough, I have to agree with you,” the strange man said with an eyebrow cocked. “I once tried to protect my sister by registering her at a psychiatric hospital too.”
“He was going to institutionalize her?” Ethan asked incredulously.
“Yes. According to Willie, he seemed to think it was the best thing for her. Told the police about her mother having these paranoid delusions about people in black cars and such.”
Things clicked into place for her. “Mom wasn’t crazy. You’re the people she was afraid of. She was always watching over her shoulder. Said they were coming for her children someday and she wouldn’t let them have us.”
“Your mother knew about the Centre,” Lyle stated.
Ethan sighed. “I really didn’t want her to know too many details. It could be dangerous for her.”
“It already is.” Lyle reached over and grabbed Maggie’s face. “Don’t you see it?”
***
Sydney could hear something. It beeped incessantly and he wanted to yell for someone to turn it off. Struggling against eyelids that seemed to weigh a ton, he managed to pry one open. The beeping, he realized, emanated from the EKG steadily reading his heart. More equipment surrounded his bedside. For a moment, he panicked – thinking of the Renewal Wing – until he saw the television set mounted on the wall. Another glance around and he surmised he was hospitalized. Shutting his eyes again, he tried to remember the events that had lead up to this moment. The phone call – he remembered – Emily and Ethan. And then a car in the dark rushing towards him. But he had to get to them. Reaching over, Sydney pressed the nurse call button frantically. Somehow, he had to find a way to contact Parker.
***
Major Charles sat up and rubbed his weary eyes. Checking the clock, he was amazed to see he had slept four hours. Looking over at the sleeping boy he went to the connecting door and knocked softly. A moment later, Ethan appeared at the door with a finger to his lips. Looking behind his son, he saw a red headed girl sleeping sprawled across one of the two beds.
“Maggie?”
“Yes.”
“Where’s Lyle?”
“He’s not here. He gave me a message.”
“What?” The Major let the younger man see all his mistrust for his half-brother.
Ethan shook his head. “We have to wait for Parker.”
“She isn’t back yet?”
“I haven’t seen her.”
“Okay, I’ll check Emily. Get back to bed, Son. You had surgery last night.”
Ethan nodded but first went to awaken Maggie. She protested sleepily but he was able to lead her into the other room and push her down onto the bed recently vacated by his father. She was asleep before he left the room.
His father returned with Emily and Parker behind him. Ethan informed him that he had moved Maggie so they could talk in here. Settling on the bed, he waited until everyone was seated to begin.
“Lyle went back to the Centre.”
Major Charles stood, a thunderous expression on his face and his half-sister cursed. Emily looked pale but didn’t comment.
“He can protect Jarod better in there than sitting around here,” Ethan argued. “He told me to tell you he’s having the review moved up. He’s going to get this over with now.”
“This has nothing to do with protecting Jarod!” Emily snapped. “He just got lucky and this whole thing worked out exactly as he wanted it to!”
“No,” Ethan replied firmly. “You’ve got to trust him. The voices – he wants to end this.”
“Why?” Parker demanded. “Why is it suddenly so important for Lyle to stop regeneration?”
Ethan shook his head. “You don’t understand. Lyle wants to stop the Centre. He knows what the Centre is trying to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“Maggie. She’s a part of this. They’re setting up the next phase of the pretender program. She was created – just like me.”
“Are you telling me that Maggie is my daughter?” Major Charles asked.
“No,” Ethan replied. “She’s your wife’s daughter. I’m not related to her at all. And her father is…”
“Mine,” Parker finished. “They were mixing us up – seeing what mix worked best – breeding us. She was implanted into a surrogate mother’s womb.”
“And raised to believe her two older brothers were biologically related when they weren’t,” Ethan continued. “Just like Lyle was raised by a surrogate family. Lyle said he won’t let them start another generation. Jeff would be the last, he said.”
“What did he mean by that?” Parker asked.
Ethan turned to stare at Emily. “Lyle was supposed to kidnap you. But he said he couldn’t do it.”
“Oh my god,” Emily breathed. “They wanted him to impregnate me. They wanted to start mixing it up again – see what they could get from our offspring.”
“Yes,” Ethan replied heavily. “The voices – she told me that Lyle wants it all to end. He’s tired of being controlled, manipulated.”
Parker stared at him. “She’s warning you that Lyle is going to take too many risks. But I won’t let him do that.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Go back to that hellhole and get Jarod and Lyle out.”
****
The Hellhole
Lyle smiled. He had planted the seed of doubt in his father’s mind and Mr. Parker was working through it mentally. Tapping his foot impatiently, Lyle wondered if he had gotten a little too used to Jarod’s lightening fast mind.
“We need to move the review up,” Lyle emphasized again. “You’ve seen how demented Cox really is. If I’m right…”
“Yes, I know.” Mr. Parker rubbed his forehead and sighed. The sponsors wanted progress, not these personnel distractions. “Do it. Move the review to Thursday. That will give everyone three days to make arrangements and arrive. But I’m leaving Jarod under Cox’s control until then.”
He didn’t want to appear too concerned about Jarod so he sighed, pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows.
“Dad, I don’t think that’s a wise decision. If Cox finds out we’ve moved the review up, he may try to sneak Jarod out of the Centre again.”
“He’ll be suspicious if we remove Jarod from his care,” Mr. Parker argued. “This way, no one but us knows the review date.”
“We want him to be a little worried. How are we going to catch him in the act if we don’t push him a little?”
“Good point. I’ll tell Cox that you’re being given unrestricted access to the pretender for half the time. That way, it looks like I’m allowing both of you equal time to use whatever methods it takes to get the pretender’s cooperation.”
Lyle nodded with satisfaction. Half was better than nothing, his mind reasoned. But, a little voice whispered, would Jarod be able to withstand three days of Cox in his condition? He’ll have to, Lyle thought.
He smiled slyly at how he had set Cox up. Leading his father to believe Cox had engineered Jarod’s escape last week had been brilliant. Cox’s demented possessiveness of Jarod and the regeneration project had worked in his favor. His father had bought it. Jarod would only have to endure three more days.
***
His right eye was swollen shut but he managed to blink open his left eye when the door to his latest cell creaked. Two days of Cox’s intense mistreatment had left him unable to do more than lift his head from the floor. Time had gotten scrambled up in his head and he wasn’t sure if it was Lyle or Cox entering. The intense light flooding into the room blocked his view of his visitor. Whoever had entered walked towards him and squatted down.
“Go away,” Jarod croaked.
“I see Cox is getting out of control,” Lyle commented. He could see the swollen right side of Jarod’s face even in the dim light. “He is supposed to keep you presentable for the upcoming review.”
“Cox believes he still has time for me to heal up before the review,” Jarod whispered.
“Well, then, he’ll be shocked when the sponsors show up tomorrow for the regeneration session, won’t he?”
Jarod nodded weakly and lowered his head to the floor. For the past two nights, Lyle had appeared after Cox left and together they worked out the Centre’s ending. But tonight, he didn’t know if he had the energy to run simulations. He heard Lyle sigh and leave the room. A moment later, the overhead lights flicked and Jarod groaned at the visual assault.
Lyle shook his head as he visually examined the pretender. He had reassured his sister that the pretender was hanging in there and the damage Cox was inflicting was nothing too serious. But tonight’s phone conversation would not be so comforting. He knew better than to lie to his sister though. One way or another, he would have a difficult time persuading her to stay away from the Centre.
Taking the supplies he had carried in, he set the box down and squatted beside the injured man.
“Come on, the cameras are off,” Lyle told him. “I need you to sit up.”
With a lot of groaning and heaving, he managed to get Jarod propped up in a corner of the bare cell. As he worked on cleaning wounds, he considered the best method to tell Jarod of what he had learned.
“Did Rachel say if they’re ready? Will she be coming with the VCTF?” Jarod asked tiredly.
“She’s coming,” Lyle responded. He wiped the blood from Jarod’s chin and sat back. “Everything is set up. I’m not here to do simulations tonight. You did a good job last night. We’re ready to go.”
“What is it then?”
“There’s something you need to know about regeneration…” Lyle looked aside, uncomfortable. “When they do this tomorrow – it won’t be what you’re expecting. I just found this out today.”
Jarod felt fear shiver up, cold and fast from his insides. “Tell me.”
“Jarod, Cox isn’t going to use the heart drugs. Cox believes this new method has a better chance of making regeneration work.”
He grabbed a fist full of Lyle’s shirtfront. “How?”
Lyle met his eyes. “He’s going to drown you – in freezing water – and then revive you.”
“Oh God,” Jarod whispered and released Lyle. He squeezed his eyes shut – knowing it was too late to stop what was already in motion. The FBI and VCTF were to catch them all in the act. As Catherine Parker had originally planned, they would stop these experiments permanently by getting them all. Although the Centre would probably find a way to escape this raid, without sponsors, it was only a matter of time before the money ran out.
Jarod looked up at Lyle. “Do you think this is what she wanted? Did she want me dead?”
“You’re not going to die – well, not for long anyway.” Lyle sighed and sat beside the pretender. Leaning his head back against the cold wall, he stared at the ceiling. “Ethan told me to tell you to have hope. Apparently, my half-brother believes my dead mother talks to him.”
“She does.”
“Anyway, Ethan wanted you to know that she said not to be afraid.”
“Easy for the dead to say,” Jarod said with a dark smile.
“I’ll be there tomorrow but…I won’t be able to stop…”
“I know. You have to stay in the act. Just stick with the plan.”
Lyle sighed and turned to him. “There’s something you should know – just in case it all goes to hell.”
“What?”
“I don’t remember killing your brother but I want you to know that I’m sorry. We’ve been excellent enemies but I’d like to believe that we’re even better as a team. I want you to know that I’m going to do everything I can to get you out of this alive – not because of my mother or your family – but because of who you are.”
Jarod raised his hand and Lyle clasped it. “When you call tonight…tell her – tell your sister that these past five years have never been about the Centre for me.”
Lyle smiled sadly and stood. He felt strength growing inside. Jarod had forgiven him and like a forest fire, it had burned him clean.
****
DAWN
The sunrise was painstakingly beautiful – pastel pinks and peaches. He was able to set aside the horror of what would happen today as he watched it. Unable to sleep last night, he had paced and wrung his hands until the first lights began streaking the sky. Slipping from the room where two of his sons slept, he had come here to watch. They would need his strength today.
He sighed and leaned forward, resting his hands on the hotel roof’s parapet. He needed her – his wife – here beside him today as they finally ended what had begun 33 years ago. The FBI agents had tried to find her. But, in the end, Major Charles had accepted that he would do this alone. Margaret had disappeared with Emily all those years ago knowing that she couldn’t keep Emily safe and free their sons. She had left him – knowing he couldn’t and wouldn’t give up searching for Jarod and Kyle. He wondered how she would feel when he presented her with two different sons. Ethan and Jeff were not whom he had set out to free. Would she blame him for not being able to save Jarod and Kyle after he had devoted his life and sacrificed their marriage to it?
He shook his head. No, Margaret would accept everything that had happened. It was part of the reason he loved her and always would. She didn’t blame or try to change him. She would love Ethan and Jeff with her entire heart – not as replacements but as sons.
Perhaps it was Maggie that had him missing his wife so sorely. The girl reminded him of her too much. Even the name was close and he smiled. He should have seen the resemblance immediately. But time had faded Margaret’s youthful image from his mind.
He accepted Maggie as his daughter although the girl had been raised by foster parents and wasn’t his biologically. Margaret would accept Ethan as her own – fully and without question. The irony was that Maggie’s foster parents were related to Ethan’s foster parents. If Maggie and Ethan had truly been the children of the people who raised them, they would be cousins. Instead they were part of the complex family that included the Parker twins.
He wondered if he could ever accept Lyle. Somehow, he had forgiven Miss Parker without even seemingly aware of it. It just seemed natural for her to be here. But part of it was probably her uncanny resemblance to her mother. He supposed if Lyle managed to free Jarod he would somehow find a way to tolerate his presence in their lives.
The worst part would be the waiting. The redheaded agent – Rachel Burke – had refused to allow him to take part in the raid. She had promised to get him inside as soon as possible but he was to wait outside. She obviously knew his son – perhaps intimately from the small smile on her lips whenever she said his name. But her life had obviously progressed since her involvement with Jarod. Another agent and her traded secret smiles.
The door leading to the roof opened and he turned to see Miss Parker approaching. She shivered at the cold wind and stood silently beside him.
“If Jarod dies, all these wasted years…” He stared ahead.
“They weren’t wasted. The new generation – Ethan, Emily, Maggie and Jeff – they’re free because of him. It kind of makes me feel old.”
Major Charles laughed. “You feel old? I’ve seen it since the beginning.”
“I meant that I feel like an outdated car. The technology to produce Jarod and I was so simple compared to what they did to make Jeff.”
“Sometimes that old ‘technology’ still produces the best results,” he replied with a smile.
“Yes,” she agreed. “Jarod is the best of us – isn’t he?”
“I think parents aren’t supposed to favor one child over another.”
She laughed. “But sometimes, exceptional children come along and exceptions have to be made.”
“You would know. Your mother loved you more than life. She gave up her life for you and Jarod.”
“And I’m going to make sure both of us live through this to appreciate it. He …he hasn’t had the chance yet – to live his own life.”
He nodded his agreement. Jarod had spent too much time making amends for wrongs he hadn’t committed. He remembered her words to the federal agents last night.
“You’re going to go in despite what Rachel said?”
“I have to. My mother – I know she wants me to. I’ve never heard her so clearly before.”
“Just be careful.”
She nodded and they smiled at each other.
The room was cold and he shivered slightly. Usually, the sounds of water invoked nature and peace. But the sloshing sounds emanating from the tank somehow managed to make the room eerier and more sinister. Perhaps it was the knowledge of what would occur here in just a few hours that made the even the dancing light from the water appear horrific.
Lyle shook his head at his fancifulness. He was getting to be too much like his half-brother – hearing sounds and voices where there were none. He had come here to prepare himself.
He turned to study the room. A mezzanine that circled the room halfway up the high walls had been extended so it reached the edge of the tank. The tank stood in the center of the room – a tall glass cylinder with various pipes, wires and other instruments attached to it. It rather reminded him of a huge drinking glass.
Seating had been arranged in front of the cylinder – two neat rows of leather chairs. Stairs led down from the mezzanine to the floor level. Luckily, Lyle observed, there was only one control panel. He would need to remain on the platform connecting the tank to the mezzanine. They would be bringing Jarod in at the door leading to the mezzanine level this time so it would make sense for him to be there.
The timing was critical. Everything had to happen at precisely the right time in order for them to get out of this alive. Three minutes were all Jarod’s brain could survive without oxygen. He prayed it would be enough time.
A highschool gymnasium shouldn’t be the place for so many guns, she thought. But they surrounded her as the men dressed in black SWAT uniforms and jackets emblazoned with FBI checked their weapons and talked nervously, the pre-raid anxiety and excitement obvious. She turned to watch Bailey reviewing the layout of the Centre with several team leaders. They had spread diagrams across a cafeteria table and used gym equipment to hold the rolled papers in place.
Bailey hadn’t been as shocked as she when they discovered who Jarod really was. Something had always seemed too suspicious to Bailey about Jarod. She had known he had a difficult past and had imagined foster homes, juvenile detention, abusive parents. But never an abusive organization exploiting the talents she had seen. It just made Jarod that much more unreachable to her.
The woman who identified herself solely as Miss Parker had taken her measure. They had reached a silent understanding in their challenging looks. There was no defeat in acknowledging the woman’s claim. Instead, she had let the woman know that she had shared that extraordinary person – if only briefly. Her life had gone in other directions.
The family worried her. Major Charles had moved the family to a nearby hotel and she knew his patience was limited. He had waited 33 years, she reminded herself. A brief flash in mind showed her a younger man staring at a boy’s empty bed with devastation. She shook off the image and picked up her own gun. Turning it over in her hand, she watched the gleam of the metal reflecting up at her.
He now knew what dawn looked like. It looks like hope, Jarod thought. Closing his eyes, he pictured it. It calmed him. He already knew what it felt like to be a doomed man. Having performed several simulations on men condemned to die, he had felt these feelings before. But now, he was experiencing it as Jarod.
He hadn’t slept last night. He had too much unfinished business. Lowering his head, he tried to regain the calmness. Miss Parker’s face floated into his vision and he breathed easier. At least he had been able to communicate some of what he felt through the message Lyle delivered.
He had only one hope for today – that he would be able to hold onto his dignity. His greatest fear is that he would be reduced to a sobbing, begging, pathetic weakling. He fumbled in the dim light for the picture Lyle had brought him.
“I’ll make you proud of me, Mom,” he promised.
***
Several hours later
Cox was shooting angry glares his way but Lyle ignored them. His father had obviously informed the demented man of the revised schedule. Even now, Jarod was being brought down from his cell.
Two doors opened simultaneously. Lyle raised his gaze and saw Jarod being drug out the door at the mezzanine level. Behind him, he heard the visitors’ cultured voices exchanging pleasantries as they filed in. Turning, Lyle watched Cox morph from angry to condescending as the sponsors seated themselves.
His father was not among the sponsors and Lyle looked at Cox questioningly.
“Someone unexpected decided to join today’s meeting,” Cox explained to everyone. “Mr. Parker will be with us momentarily with a visitor. Meanwhile, I’d like to review the project and our progress since your last visit…”
As Cox droned on, Lyle watched above as sweepers restrained Jarod to a metal table. Once the pretender was prone, he was out of viewing range. But Lyle knew what they were doing. Doctors would be fastening wires to Jarod’s forehead for the simulation. A sweeper would be checking the computerized control panel – ensuring water temperature was sufficiently cold and other parameters were met.
Lyle checked his watch and went to ascend the stairway to the platform. Halfway up, the door below opened and his father walked in. He paused when his sister accompanied his father into the room. Their eyes met and held. Be strong, he told her silently. She nodded at him and he turned to continue his climb.
At the top, a camera was being positioned by Willie. Jarod lay breathing harshly, staring at the ceiling. The doctors were busy with their equipment. Lyle went to the table and leaned over the pretender.
There was panic and fear in Jarod’s eyes and quick breaths.
“My sister is here,” he whispered to the pretender. It had the effect he hoped. Jarod’s eyes darkened. He could almost see the pretender steadying himself, drawing strength from unknown reservoirs. He nodded imperceptibly. Lyle straightened and stared a moment longer into his eyes. There was acceptance there, he realized.
“We’re ready,” Willie stated.
Lyle stepped back and the equipment hummed to life. Jarod’s brain waves etched scratches onto paper rolls and the doctors murmured. With the wires attached to his head, Jarod couldn’t fake the simulation. Shifting his weight, Lyle knew it was time. He ordered Jarod to perform the simulation.
Jarod almost smiled in relief. He knew the waiting was what had led to his almost losing it. If it hadn’t been for Lyle’s intervention, he would have started screaming. He should have been upset, angry upon learning of Parker’s presence. But somehow, knowing she was nearby had comforted him. It was meant to be this way, he knew. She was part of the beginning. He needed her to be part of the ending.
He let his personality slide and began feeling emotions that weren’t his in origin. Cox had force fed him enough information about the business entrepreneur he was to sim. He accepted the thoughts that leaked into his brain and felt strangely, at peace. It was time.
When the brain wave activity had changed sufficiently, Lyle checked his watch. They were too early. A delay tactic would need to be convincing.
“Is there any way to determine if he’s faking?” Lyle asked the doctors.
“Yes,” called a weak voice from behind them. Lyle turned to the doorway. Sydney was there, sitting in a wheelchair pushed by Broots. “I can determine if he’s fully into the simulation or not.”
“Dr. Green,” Lyle said surprised. “What a surprise! We’ve been concerned about you.”
Broots pushed Sydney onto the platform.
“That’s odd,” Sydney replied. “Since no one seemed interested in returning my calls, I assumed my whereabouts were not important.”
Sydney waved Broots aside and stood unsteadily. With an arm casted and his head wrapped in bandages, the older man appeared slight and frail. Limping to the table, he gazed down at his protégé. Tears stung his eyes.
“Jarod.”
The pretender turned his face to his mentor. Sydney looked as bad as he felt.
“Hello Sydney,” Jarod murmured. “Come to watch it this time, huh?”
“Yes,” Sydney whispered. Jarod’s eyes were gentle. A tear dripped down as he realized that Jarod knew and forgave him anyway. I didn’t want to know, he berated himself. I should have pursued it – found out what they were doing to you every time they sent me on some trumped up trip. “I’m sorry.”
Jarod nodded in acceptance. Sydney had walked the middle ground – unable or perhaps, unwilling to take sides. He had wanted to protect them all. This, watching the experiment, was his penance along with the knowledge that in the end, he had failed. His failure was complete – as a psychiatrist, as a protector and as a man. But Jarod couldn’t hate him for being too human.
“Mr. Lyle!” Cox shouted from below. “While this little reunion has been touching, our clients are more interested in seeing the experiment than a soap opera.”
Lyle stepped forward and Sydney turned to him with a hot glare.
“You’ll rot in hell for this!” Sydney threatened.
Lyle grabbed the older man’s shirtfront and leaned forward as if to whisper threats in his ear.
“Once he’s in the tank, I’ll take care of the sweepers,” Lyle whispered. “I’m not counting on the doctors to make any moves but if they do…”
Lyle shoved Sydey away as if in disgust. Sydney stared a moment as the implication sunk in.
“Broots and I are staying right here,” Sydney said loudly. “We’ll make sure these doctors do their job.”
Lyle flashed him a brief smile. Sydney sat back in the wheelchair and the doctors began removing the wires from Jarod’s forehead.
“Jarod,” Sydney began. “Tell me what you see. Tell me what you’re feeling.”
As Jarod and Sydney performed their magic, Lyle checked his watch. The timing wasn’t perfect but they had gone forward too far.
“He’s in the simulation completely,” Sydney announced. Lyle glanced at the shrink. Tears had escaped.
***
Moments after Jarod had been dumped into the tank and the lid secured, she turned her face away. But now, she forced herself to watch. Jarod sucked the last few breaths of air from the space between the lid and rapidly rising water. Her eyes filled along with the tank. Her mascara blotted and momentarily blinded her. Wiping at the inky black material, she left smears below her eyes. Like a mime, by the time Jarod sunk unresisting to the tank’s bottom, her makeup traced her agony down her face and she silently screamed.
Her vision returned and she realized her feet had carried her to the stairway leading to the tank platform. Her father was yelling something but she couldn’t hear. She felt nothing but the too hard beating heart beneath her ribcage as she climbed. A pain seared her arm but she ignored it. At the top of the stairs, her brother was engaged in a life or death struggle with a sweeper. She ignored them too. The lid to the tank was still firmly closed and she went to the control panel. The balding technician was there, fumbling with controls. A moment later, he hit something and turned to her with a triumphant smile.
She spun and kicked off her shoes as the lid moved aside. The water was icy cold.
She had expected evilness to emanate from the room. It did but she didn’t expect the faces on it. These weren’t the people who ate infants or sacrificed virgins. They were the people sitting across from you at the dinner table. Salespeople, she thought, not scientists with their poor social skills and lack of interest in proper attire. No, these people knew all the right things to say. They made a living manipulating people to buy or sell.
It had only taken moments to secure the room. They weren’t fighters – they hired lawyers to do that for them. The real battle had been getting to this room. Now, she took a moment to look for the cylindrical chamber she expected.
Instead, a glass walled tank loomed in front of her. Blood streaked the clear water. She stared open mouthed at the scene she was witnessing.
Miss Parker kicked up from the bottom of the tank, both arms secured around Jarod. The lid to the tank was closing. On the platform, a large man stood at a control panel while two men struggled with a gun behind him. A thin, balding man dangled from the platform edge by his fingertips while an older man desperately tried to pull him to safety.
She rushed up the stairway and killed the man at the controls without hesitating. Staring at the multitude of controls, she punched one and the sound of rushing water sounded behind her.
“YOU IDIOT!” Lyle screamed at her as he struggled with the sweeper. “You’re filling the tank again. You’re going to drown my sister!”
“Over here!” the older man called. “Broots can stop it!”
She knelt beside him and pulled the technician to the platform. Before the man could catch his breath, she had heaved him upright and dragged him to the control panel. The sound of pounding filled her ears and she spun around to stare at the closed lid.
“Hurry!” she screamed at Broots. A gun went off beside her and she watched Lyle and the sweeper sink to the floor.
***
Miss Parker pounded on the closed lid again and sucked her last breath before water filled her nostrils. She slowed her kicking to conserve oxygen and felt herself and Jarod sinking. Turning as she sunk, she watched through her watery prison as agents arrested Cox. She made out her father as he pushed indignantly away from the agents and stood at the tank’s bottom perimeter. As she watched, he pulled a gun and aimed it at her inside the tank. She released Jarod and faced her father through the glass wall.
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