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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
The Little One Is Gone
pretender_gurl
The Centre Cemetery
Section G
Row 14
Plot 6
April 13, 1994
10:00
Miss Parker's eyes were red and bloodshot behind her designer sunglasses. She stood stoically before the black marble headstone. Kneeling down on the grass still wet with morning dew, Miss Parker replaced the flowers in the bronze vase with a fresh bouquet. Reaching out with a slender, polished finger, Miss Parker traced the engraved epitaph - LOVING MOTHER.
"Why did you leave me, Mama?" she choked.
"Your mother has never left you, Miss Parker," said a voice with a distinct French accent.
"Sydney? What are you doing here?" Miss Parker asked, turning to face the older man.
"I came to speak with a friend," he said, gesturing to the decorated gravesite. "Catherine was a very special woman."
Miss Parker nodded, and Sydney did not miss the tears that rolled down her cheek from behind the dark glasses. Miss Parker brushed them away angrily and turned back to the headstone.
"Before she died, my mother said she'd always be with me, Sydney. She let me down," Miss Parker said in a halting voice.
"Miss Parker, Catherine is still with you! She is inside of you! You just need to look within and you will find her compassionate soul," Sydney said, placing a hand on the young woman's shoulder.
Her mother is gone, and her father… well, she may never know who her father really is, Sydney thought remorsefully. Though he would never admit it, not even to himself, Sydney felt immensely paternal feelings towards Miss Parker. When she and Jarod were growing up at the Centre, Sydney had done his best to shield them both from the Centre's unforgiving wrath and lust for power.
February 22, 1980
Sydney had just left a meeting in the Tower and was anxious to get back to work. He walked briskly down the Centre corridors, stretching his long legs to lengthen his step. When he reached Sublevel 21, he entered the large simulation lab that was located just outside his office. But voices stopped him before he could descend the metal stairway to the SIM lab floor.
"Like this, Miss Parker?" a boy asked. Sydney recognized Jarod's voice.
"Yeah! You're really good at this, Jarod!" Miss Parker's young voice complimented.
There was a clunk and Jarod cried out. Miss Parker began to giggle and after a moment, Jarod joined in. The two children were laughing and chatting like they didn't have a care in the world.
Sydney's first reaction was pleasure that the children were enjoying themselves and each other's company, but this joy soon dissipated as he remembered where they all were. This was the Centre! Subjects like Jarod were not to have contact with those not in the program, and they certainly were not allowed to play and have fun! They could all get into severe trouble for this, Sydney included. Glancing up at the mounted cameras that spotted the walls, Sydney knew the damage had already been done.
Flying down the stairs, Sydney turned to see the two children hiding under the stairwell, each with a yo-yo in hand. Jarod had been smiling, but when he saw Sydney and the frustration upon his face, Jarod's entire demeanor shifted.
"You shouldn't be down here, Miss Parker," Sydney scolded gently. He didn't have it in his heart to admonish Catherine's daughter. "Jarod needs to focus on his work."
"I was just…" Jarod began, but Miss Parker cut him off.
"…taking a short break. He didn't know how to yo-yo, and my mama taught me, so I was showing it to Jarod. He's really good, Sydney! Jarod, show Sydney how you can walk-the-dog," Miss Parker chattered.
"I'd rather not," Jarod mumbled, aware of his mentor's growing impatience.
Miss Parker sensed the tension and politely excused herself, telling Jarod to keep the yo-yo. Once she had left the room, Sydney confiscated the wooden toy and reminded Jarod of the danger he was putting them all in when he disobeyed Sydney. Jarod apologized quietly and returned to the simulation waiting for him.
Later that day, Sydney was called to the Tower. The Chairman had viewed the surveillance, no doubt thanks to Dr. Raines. Mr. Parker was raging out of control, crying out about how the entire Pretender Program was a waste and that Jarod was not bringing in enough revenue. They had argued this point before on many occasions - with Sydney siding alongside quality while Mr. Parker and the Triumvirate heavily supported the theory of quantity.
"Kyle has been producing stellar results," Mr. Parker said.
"Yes, I've seen the reports," Sydney replied, not sure where this conversation was going.
"I'm thinking of giving Dr. Raines control of Jarod," Mr. Parker said, getting to the heart of the matter.
Sydney's chest constricted and his mind raced for excuses. "Sir, I don't believe that's necessary."
"The current stats say otherwise, Doctor. Now, you have two weeks to get Jarod's results equal to Kyle's or Dr. Raines will be given unilateral control of the Pretender Program. Is there anything, or anyone, that is hindering the Pretender?" Mr. Parker asked, most likely knowing that there was.
Sydney knew that he could save his own skin if he admitted that Miss Parker had been visiting the Jarod when he was supposed to be working. But Sydney had seen the bruises that Miss Parker tried to hide, just like her mother once did. While Sydney's blood boiled every time he saw the faint remnants of a purple handprint on Miss Parker's face, he knew that if he said anything he would only make matters worse. Besides, Sydney had seen Jarod escorting a limping Miss Parker down to the infirmary on more than one occasion. No, Sydney could never separate the two children. They needed each other.
"I am not aware of any such hindrance, sir," Sydney lied easily. The Chairman narrowed his eyes at the young doctor, finally dismissing him with a wave of his hand.
Sydney left, exhaling deeply when he exited the office. Despite the nagging feeling of guilt at the prospect of pushing Jarod harder, Sydney was thankful that he had kept the children safe from the darkest agents of the Centre. At least for now…
Miss Parker's voice brought Sydney back to the present.
"I've looked, Sydney, but it's too late," Miss Parker said, her voice steely and cold. "I have become my father's daughter, just like he always wanted me to be."
Miss Parker shrugged Sydney's hand off of her shoulder and knelt beside her mother's grave. Unable to control her tears and trembling, Miss Parker brought her hand to her lips and then placed it gently on the headstone.
"Goodbye, Mama," she whispered, so quietly that Sydney wasn't sure she had said anything at all.
Standing up, Miss Parker gave Sydney a momentary glance and then began to walk away.
"Miss Parker!" Sydney called, stopping Miss Parker in her tracks. He walked to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "If you ever need to talk, I'm always here for you."
Miss Parker nodded and turned to walk to her car. With one last glance, she slipped into the Mercedes and drove in the direction of the Centre. There was someone she needed to see.
SL-23: Room 2303
The Centre
10:58
Miss Parker was standing outside the door to Jarod's room, futilely attempting to talk herself out of what she was about to do. She looked down at her watch. She had bribed that geek Broots in the Tech Room to loop the camera feed for ten minutes, beginning in two.
10:59. She leaned her head back against the wall. For eight years she had hated this man with false cause. Apologies were not something she was accustomed to, and she wasn't even sure that he would forgive her. If she were in his position, she certainly wouldn't.
11:00. Time to find out. She moved to the keypad and typed in the code that Broots had given her after she introduced him to her Smith 'n Wesson. The door beeped and Miss Parker waited while the door slid open. She steeled herself for the encounter and walked in the room.
Jarod was sitting on his cot with a red notebook in his lap. He looked up when the door opened and was shocked when Miss Parker entered the room. Miss Parker was surprised at how well he looked considering he had attempted to escape the Centre and been caught by Raines's team.
"Miss Parker! I didn't think you would come," Jarod exclaimed.
"I… I watched the DSA, Jarod. I came to… to apologize."
"I didn't know that Parkers apologized," Jarod said, leaning back on his bed with a playful smirk.
"Spare me," Miss Parker replied. "Jarod, I really am sorry. If I'd known…"
Jarod stood with difficulty and limped over to her, taking her small hand in his bandaged one.
"We're together now, and that's all that matters."
"Jarod…" she began, but he put a slender finger to her lips.
Jarod brushed her hair back and gazed into her tear-filled eyes. He leaned down towards her and she lifted her head, inviting him closer. Jarod's rough lips brushed against hers and she felt warmth within herself that she had not felt in eight years. As he broke the contact, she put her arms around his neck and pulled him back again. Closing the gap between them, the two held each other tightly.
"I have to go. The cameras will be on any minute," Miss Parker said breathlessly.
"I'll never let you go again," Jarod whispered against her lips.
"You'd better not," she responded with a smile and one last kiss. With a final burst of willpower, Miss Parker pulled away and walked to the door. She turned around to see Jarod standing in the middle of the room, his face flushed.
"I'll be back later," she promised before closing the door behind her.
SL-25: Renewal Wing
The Centre
11:17
Her splitting headache woke Jira. She tried to reach her aching head, but found that she couldn't move her arm. Then she tried to move her head to see her arm, but found she couldn't do that either. There were straps across her bare torso, chest, forehead, wrists, and ankles that were holding her supine and spread-eagle on a table of sorts. Her eyes darted quickly around the room, but there was not much to see. Besides an IV pouch and the light shining above her, the room was a sterile white. Then Mr. Raines moved into her line of sight.
"Hello, Jira, and welcome to Renewal Wing," he crooned.
Renewal Wing! Every Centre subject knew about Renewal Wing, the place where insubordinate and failed subjects were permanently re-educated, a process said to be worse than death although no one knew for sure. Subjects that had been re-educated in Renewal Wing rarely spoke again.
"Since our little experiment with Jarod didn't go as planned, we're going to try another method to mold you into a successful Pretender," Raines informed.
He nodded to another doctor who came forward with electrodes and airplane glue. The doctor swiftly went to work, refusing to meet Jira's eyes. He had been at the Centre a long time and knew that the only way to do this job was to think of the subjects as experiments, not humans.
Jira felt the electrodes being placed on her temples, the back of her head below the occipital bone, chest, and lumbar regions. She deduced from their positions that these were neural electrodes, designed to deliver electro-chemical stimulants to her central nervous system.
When the doctor had finished gluing the electrodes in place, he tugged on Jira's chin and placed a mouth guard between her teeth and then proceeded to check all of the padded restraints. Then he took the wires from the electrodes and hooked them up to a formidable looking machine.
"Now you're sure that this procedure will not fail like it did with Timmy?" Raines asked the doctor.
"There is always a risk, but I am confident we will be able to hyper-develop the desired neural pathways," the doctor replied.
Her brow began to sweat as Jira listened to this exchange. They're playing with my brain! She began to struggle in a vain attempt to free herself. The table shook and the two men looked over at her. Raines smiled and turned back to the doctor.
"Do it."
Jira's eyes widened and she began to struggle more violently. The doctor moved over to the IV line and injected a dark blue solution into the tube. Jira felt her muscles begin to relax. The doctor began to set dials and settings on the machine beside Jira. After a few moments, he looked up at Mr. Raines who nodded. The doctor flipped one switch, then another. The third switch sent a current through Jira's nervous system that was unlike anything she had ever felt before. This wasn't like the Motivator that Willie used so liberally, this was a pain so intense that she couldn't see or think straight. She couldn't even scream.
Raines watched as Jira's body convulsed into a grand mal seizure and her body pulled at the restraints as her back arched. Her eyes had rolled back in her head and her face had drained of color.
Behind the vent covering, Angelo was hugging his knees and rocking back and forth. "The Little One is gone! Little One is gone!"
