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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: Not mine. These characters are NOT mine. I don't own them, just borrowing them. Again, if we're not clear, these people are NOT MINE!
AN: What stems from too much stress at work. God bless Kay and Kylie for betaing. All medical conundrums and info is from my head, I am not an expert so excuse anything that seems off!
To Catch A Pretender
part 1
by SaraC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lyle felt a chill as he entered Mr. Raines office. The man in question was staring out the Centre window with a decidedly satisfied expression on his face.
From experience, Lyle knew that could either be a very good or a very bad thing.
"Lyle, come in, sit down," Raines offered as he turned to watch the young man uncomfortably settle into a chair.
"You said you wanted to see me, what's going on?" Lyle asked, wondering at Raines' small smile.
"I have grown tired of waiting for Jarod to be returned to us, our need of him is great at the moment, so I have come up with a plan that will solve many problems all at once," he offered with another chilling smile.
Lyle swallowed hard.
"What exactly is this plan?" he asked, careful to keep his voice neutral.
Raines steepled his hands before replying.
"For years, the Centre has been working on a top secret project in connection with a radical faction of the government," he began as Lyle sat up straighter.
"It involves developing a completely undetectable, untraceable, yet extremely efficient virus that when administered can destroy the body's immune system in a short amount of time," he stopped as Lyle interrupted.
"Destroy the immune system? How is that possible? Does it work?"
Raines cut him off with a raised hand.
"It is experimental Lyle, we have tested it for years so we know it works, but something always goes wrong with the antidote," he mused as Lyle looked at him in confusion.
"Antidote?"
Raines sighed.
"Our virus was developed from a radical strain of the HIV virus found deep in the jungles of South Africa. In essence, we found a way to speed up the virus' cell destroying process, so it works in about a week, instead of over time, like the normal HIV virus."
Lyle looked at him in surprise.
"So what do they plan on using it for?" he asked.
"The goal was to use it in extreme circumstances. On death row prisoners or criminals of war, anyone the government needed to get information out of fast. Inject them with the virus, which can be as simple as slipping it into a drink, tell them they have a week to live, watch them give up all the information they know, then die anyhow," he offered simply.
Lyle was still trying to get everything straight in his mind.
"So this virus, it's been developed here and tested, but there is no antidote. Which is a problem why, if this government faction intends to let the victim die anyhow?" he asked.
"Unfortunately, higher ups expressed concern that if something happened and there was an accidental or unintended infection, they needed a way to reverse the process. But so far, we have not been able to create a working antidote," Raines finished.
"And the government won't pay up until you come up with this antidote," Lyle surmised as Raines nodded.
"We had hoped to have a workable antidote several years ago, but factors beyond our control prevented that. The government has now given us two weeks to develop the antidote, or they will drop the project and go public with many of the Centre's more unseemly experiments," Raines finished.
"Go public? But why? I'd think the Centre has been useful in its own ways to them, why would they want to expose it?" Lyle asked.
"Plenty of reasons," Raines wheezed. "But the biggest is that it is their way of ensuring we don't sell the experiment to someone else if we ever come up with an antidote. Not that it will matter if we are exposed, and that must never happen."
Lyle was silent for a moment, thinking about what he'd just been told.
"So your plan involves creating an antidote, and Jarod," he stopped as things became clear. "Jarod has to create it for you," he finished as Raines nodded.
"Yes, we need Jarod's mind. And what better way to get him to use it for us than to infect someone he cares for with the virus," Raines began as Lyle started to get an inkling of where this was leading.
"You're going to infect Sydney?" he asked, surprised when Raines began to laugh.
"Stupid boy, Sydney is not expendable. If something were to happen to him, too many questions would arise and undue attention would be drawn to the Centre. He has made many unsavory connections outside the Centre that unfortunately, protect him for now. We cannot risk the possible exposure."
"Well then who," Lyle stopped as another thought hit him, knowing he was right by the unholy gleam that appeared in Raines eyes.
"My sister. You're going to inject her with the virus," he stated calmly.
Raines smiled.
"Actually, you are Lyle," came the reply.
Lyle simply stared at him.
"How the hell do you expect me to do that? She doesn't trust me, hell, she hates my guts. How in the world am I going to inject her with the damn virus?" he raged as Raines watched him quietly for a few moments before replying.
"You will find a way, and you will find that way soon. We must use her to bait Jarod. We cannot wait any longer."
Lyle swallowed.
"You truly believe she will work as bait?"
"What better person? She knows nothing of the research, she is a sure draw and incentive for Jarod to return to us and she is expendable if he cannot find a cure in time," Raines replied in an emotionless voice.
Lyle now looked confused.
"You truly believe Jarod will help her? After all the running and chasing those two have been doing for years? I suspect he'd be rather glad to see her die," he offered, feeling offended when Raines burst into laughter.
"Stupid boy, do you really know so little? Miss Parker is the only person here that Jarod would return for. Their connection has always been strong, even as the hunter and hunted. That is why she can never capture him, in her heart, she doesn't want to," he finished as Lyle sighed.
"I admit, I suspected there were times she let Jarod go, but are you sure this is the best way to get him back?" he asked as Raines rapped his desk sharply.
"You question my methods? If you would like, I can take you out of the equation all together," he hissed, sending a chill down Lyle's spine.
"No, I think anything that will bring Jarod back is worth examining, but she is my sister, much as we might hate each other," he offered quietly.
Raines sighed.
"The time for choosing sides has arrived," he stated in a deadly voice. "You either agree to work with me, even though it could mean your sister's death, although I firmly believe Jarod will save her, and by rights, the Centre. Or you go against me and the Centre, and I do not think you would like that option," he offered cruelly.
Lyle sighed as he weighed his options for several moments.
"Okay, I'll go with your plan, what do you need me to do?" he finally replied, hearing a door slam inside his head as Raines smiled evilly and began to explain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three Days Later:
Miss Parker was tired.
She was always tired after spending time with her brother.
She had been surprised when Lyle invited her to dinner, claming he had some news about their father.
They hadn't really spoken since Raines had issued his "bring Jarod in or else" challenge upon their return from the Island.
She'd have been happy to never speak to her brother again to tell the truth.
But, as she knew it would, her curiosity and her need for even a scrap of information about their father had prevailed.
The dinner had been rather nice as well, and Lyle had sprung for it, including a bottle of wine that she alone had polished off. Lyle claimed to have quit drinking, at least for the week.
Right.
Unfortunately, his information had been lacking.
All Lyle could tell her was that the empty scroll case had been found washed up along the shoreline.
No sign of their father, or the scrolls.
She'd managed to endure the rest of dinner by wondering what Jarod was up to and if he'd found any more leads.
She knew she should probably have been on guard, Lyle must have had some ulterior motive for inviting her to dinner, but nothing had emerged.
So she'd let her mind wander while Lyle droned on.
She'd never noticed the nervous way he watched her drink her wine, his eyes going from the glass to her face with each sip.
Soon enough, the meal had been finished, the last glass of wine consumed and now she was finally relaxing with a cigarette and Broots' latest reports on Jarod's whereabouts.
One thing was for sure. She certainly lived vicariously through Jarod's 'pretends.'
Sighing, she began to read, trying to ignore the headache that had suddenly developed behind her temples.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two hours later the headache was nearly unbearable and she'd downed most of the painkillers in her home. Her entire body felt weak and lethargic and she found it extremely difficult to move from her sprawled position on the sofa.
She wondered if this was the bug Broots said Debbie had come down with last week.
Damn man had probably infected her with it as well.
Muttering to herself, she managed to drag her aching body from the sofa and into her bedroom, having just enough energy to reach the bed before collapsing onto it.
She whimpered at the pain that shot through her head as it hit the pillows.
Praying for oblivion, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on anything but the jabbing needles of pain pricking her temples.
Not so strangely, she found herself focusing on Jarod.
He would take away her pain.
He would protect her.
Even if she wasn't sure she wanted his protection.
His image fixed in her mind, she let her thoughts of him draw her into the darkness of sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Broots!"
Broots jumped as he heard Sydney's panicked voice from Miss Parker's bedroom. The two had come to her house when she hadn't show up for work by 10 and refused to answer her phone.
"What's wrong?" he called, dashing up the stairs and into the room. He came to a halt as he saw a distraught Sydney leaning over the still form of Miss Parker.
"She's sick. It might be the ulcer again, I don't know, but call 9-1-1," Sydney ordered.
Broots was already dialing.
"Is she going to be okay?" he asked when he hung up, assured the ambulance was on its way.
"I don't know. She's burning up, just like before, but something tells me this is different. It's just a sense I have," Sydney muttered as he stroked the damp hair from her forehead.
He jumped as Parker's eyelids suddenly fluttered and she whimpered low in her throat.
"Parker," Sydney whispered, "wake up, you can do it, come on," he chanted, feeling the fear claw at his throat as her eyes remained closed and her unintelligible whimpers continued.
"The ambulance is here," Broots called as he heard the sirens wailing, running to the door to let the paramedics in.
As they loaded Miss Parker onto a gurney, she continued to whimper in her fever induced sleep.
Within minutes, both men were tailing the ambulance to the hospital, praying they'd gotten help in time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jarod smiled to himself as he accepted the bag of cocaine from the seedy looking man across from him.
"Pleasure doing business with you. I think it's going to be a long while before you do any business again Juan," he offered with a hard smile.
Seconds later, the street was filled with police and a very irate looking Juan was being dragged off, cursing everyone to hell.
Jarod smiled.
After two weeks of pretending to be a desperate drug addict, he'd finally trapped the dealer, who's business had directly resulted in the murder of a young woman's husband over a deal gone bad.
The mother and daughter were now safe and he could move on.
Slipping into the shadows, he moved farther from the scene, his mind already turning to where he was headed next.
He needed to get to Los Angeles.
His latest lead had traced his mother to a detective agency there. Why she would be using an agency that had a reputation for dealing in 'unusual' problems was his main focus.
Reaching the hotel he'd been staying at, he quickly gathered his things, paid his bill and was off into the night.
Angel Investigations was going to be getting a very late night visitor.
As he drove, he found himself wondering what Miss Parker was up to.
It was a familiar thought, one he'd had almost every night since they'd begun their little cat and mouse game.
Only now, the scope of the game had changed.
Because of those few moments when she'd let her guard down, and nearly kissed him in front of Ocee's fireplace.
The principle might be the same, he ran, she chased, but the dynamics were a whole new ballgame now that emotions had been allowed in.
Smiling, he picked up the phone and hit the speed dial.
A shudder ran through his body as he heard the snide voice at the other end of Miss Parker's phone.
"Jarod, I figured you would be calling sooner or later."
Jarod almost dropped the phone as Raines' voice filtered through the line.
For a moment, he wasn't sure what to say.
But Raines spoke first.
"If you're wondering, Miss Parker can't come to the phone at the moment. She's rather, incapacitated," Raines murmured with laughter in his voice.
Jarod's blood chilled.
"What the hell did you do to her?" he asked in a deadly voice.
"Nothing that you can't fix," came the reply.
Jarod knew it was bad.
"Talk," he muttered, immediately reaching for a map to get him to the nearest airport.
"We simply infected her with a deadly strain of an extreme HIV virus we're developing. It's destroying her immune system, which should be non-functional by the weeks end."
Jarod's stomach turned.
"Why?" was all he managed, trying to push down the wave of horror flooding him at Raines' words.
"Simple. We need you to find the antidote. You do, she survives. If not, she dies," Raines replied with glee.
Jarod had to force the fear down as he tried to think rationally.
"Where is this antidote?" he asked, exiting the freeway and following the signs to the airport.
"That's the problem. We've been trying to develop it for years, no one seems to have the brain power to do it. Except you."
Jarod swallowed hard, the magnitude of the situation hitting him.
"You gave her a virus that could prove fatal, on the simple belief I could find a cure? Are you insane?" he railed, screeching past honking cars as he flew through the airport pick up zone.
"No Jarod. But we need that cure, and we'll do whatever it takes to get it. You have four days."
With that, the line was disconnected.
"Raines!"
Jarod slammed his hand against the steering wheel as he pulled into an empty parking space, trying to control the fear and anger surging through him.
What the hell was he supposed to do now?
He had no idea what kind of extreme virus this was, or what it did. How in the world was he supposed to find a cure?
He closed his eyes as Miss Parker's face swam before him.
Her life was now in his hands.
He had to find a cure.
Grabbing his overnight bag, he punched in Sydney's number as he strode into the airport, praying the man would be with Miss Parker.
"Syd, how is she?" he asked, no preamble in his question as the familiar voice answered.
"Jarod, it doesn't look good," Sydney replied, his heart lightening a bit at hearing Jarod's voice.
He did not even question that Jarod was aware of Miss Parker's condition.
"Define not good," Jarod muttered as he headed for the airline reservation counter.
"The doctors can't figure out what's wrong. Something is destroying her immune system at an abnormal rate," Sydney replied, trying to remain calm.
"How far along?" was the terse reply.
Sydney sighed as he rubbed his forehead.
"The doctors say nearly 25% of her system will be gone by tomorrow, most of it by the end of the week. Jarod, no one knows what's wrong, do you?" he suddenly asked, his own inner sense alerting him something was not right.
Jarod's whisper told him all he needed to know.
"The Centre's behind it, they're killing her."
Sydney closed his eyes, his worst fears realized.
"What did they do?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.
"They infected her with an experimental virus, something that destroys the immune system, have you heard anything about it?" Jarod asked desperately as he waited in line, his inner voice urging the people in front of him to hurry up.
Sydney's heart nearly stopped.
"Project Immunity," he replied quietly as he searched his brain for details. "I don't remember much about it, but there was talk of a government deal to create some form of virus that would be used to illicit information out of people, a very secret matter, especially since it more than likely was not ethical," he replied.
"Apparently the virus exists, but there's no antidote. It will kill her within the week if I don't find a cure," he replied, the pain in his voice bringing tears to Sydney's eyes.
"No antidote?" He sighed, everything suddenly becoming clear. "You're who they've always needed to create the antidote. It's a trap," he suddenly whispered, looking around knowing the Centre's operatives were no doubt lurking in the shadows.
"I know. Raines informed me of his 'plan' himself just a few minutes ago. Damn him!"
Jarod forced his emotions down as his outburst drew stares from those around him.
He had to remain focused.
He had to figure out a cure, without letting the Centre get a hold of it or him.
Miss Parker's life depended on it.
"Jarod, you must be careful."
Sydney's worried voice reassured him to a degree. He thanked God Miss Parker had Sydney and Broots with her. He hated to think of her being alone.
"I know. Syd, I'm on the next plane to Blue Cove, I'll stay hidden, but you have to get me her charts and any information the Centre has on this virus. I'm assuming everyone is expecting me to come for the information, so you shouldn't have a problem getting it," he replied.
"I can do that, contact me when you arrive. But be careful, as you said, they're expecting you to return, and I know you're going to be tempted to see her," Sydney began, only to be cut off.
"Get me the information, I'll worry about getting in to see her. I'll be careful Sydney, I promise," Jarod murmured.
Sydney was ready to hang up until he heard Jarod's soft question.
"Is she awake?"
Sydney looked over at the pale figure lying in the hospital bed, talking quietly with the nurse.
"She's awake, but she's scared," he offered, knowing the despite her brave façade, the woman he loved as a daughter was terrified.
And would be even more so when she learned what had been done to her.
Jarod closed his eyes as he willed her to be strong.
"Tell her I'm coming. I'll save her, I promise. Tell her Sydney," he whispered as he disconnected the call.
Sydney stared at the phone for a few moments after Jarod had hung up.
Knowing that the Centre was behind this, knowing that Miss Parker could die if Jarod could not find a cure, knowing that the two people he considered his children were in danger of losing their lives, it was enough to make his normally optimistic demeanor tremble.
Turning, he buried his emotions knowing people would be watching closely to note any change in his features.
He could not give anything away.
He knew they'd probably figured out he'd been talking to Jarod, but trusted Jarod's phone scrambling had done the trick.
Now if he could only find a way to get the files the Centre expected him too, along with a few other things he suspected they hadn't thought of.
But he had.
A plan began to form as he dialed Broots' number. As he waited for the man to pick up, his gaze turned again to the pale form lying in the hospital bed.
He only prayed Jarod could find a cure in time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN: What stems from too much stress at work. God bless Kay and Kylie for betaing. All medical conundrums and info is from my head, I am not an expert so excuse anything that seems off!
part 1
by SaraC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lyle felt a chill as he entered Mr. Raines office. The man in question was staring out the Centre window with a decidedly satisfied expression on his face.
From experience, Lyle knew that could either be a very good or a very bad thing.
"Lyle, come in, sit down," Raines offered as he turned to watch the young man uncomfortably settle into a chair.
"You said you wanted to see me, what's going on?" Lyle asked, wondering at Raines' small smile.
"I have grown tired of waiting for Jarod to be returned to us, our need of him is great at the moment, so I have come up with a plan that will solve many problems all at once," he offered with another chilling smile.
Lyle swallowed hard.
"What exactly is this plan?" he asked, careful to keep his voice neutral.
Raines steepled his hands before replying.
"For years, the Centre has been working on a top secret project in connection with a radical faction of the government," he began as Lyle sat up straighter.
"It involves developing a completely undetectable, untraceable, yet extremely efficient virus that when administered can destroy the body's immune system in a short amount of time," he stopped as Lyle interrupted.
"Destroy the immune system? How is that possible? Does it work?"
Raines cut him off with a raised hand.
"It is experimental Lyle, we have tested it for years so we know it works, but something always goes wrong with the antidote," he mused as Lyle looked at him in confusion.
"Antidote?"
Raines sighed.
"Our virus was developed from a radical strain of the HIV virus found deep in the jungles of South Africa. In essence, we found a way to speed up the virus' cell destroying process, so it works in about a week, instead of over time, like the normal HIV virus."
Lyle looked at him in surprise.
"So what do they plan on using it for?" he asked.
"The goal was to use it in extreme circumstances. On death row prisoners or criminals of war, anyone the government needed to get information out of fast. Inject them with the virus, which can be as simple as slipping it into a drink, tell them they have a week to live, watch them give up all the information they know, then die anyhow," he offered simply.
Lyle was still trying to get everything straight in his mind.
"So this virus, it's been developed here and tested, but there is no antidote. Which is a problem why, if this government faction intends to let the victim die anyhow?" he asked.
"Unfortunately, higher ups expressed concern that if something happened and there was an accidental or unintended infection, they needed a way to reverse the process. But so far, we have not been able to create a working antidote," Raines finished.
"And the government won't pay up until you come up with this antidote," Lyle surmised as Raines nodded.
"We had hoped to have a workable antidote several years ago, but factors beyond our control prevented that. The government has now given us two weeks to develop the antidote, or they will drop the project and go public with many of the Centre's more unseemly experiments," Raines finished.
"Go public? But why? I'd think the Centre has been useful in its own ways to them, why would they want to expose it?" Lyle asked.
"Plenty of reasons," Raines wheezed. "But the biggest is that it is their way of ensuring we don't sell the experiment to someone else if we ever come up with an antidote. Not that it will matter if we are exposed, and that must never happen."
Lyle was silent for a moment, thinking about what he'd just been told.
"So your plan involves creating an antidote, and Jarod," he stopped as things became clear. "Jarod has to create it for you," he finished as Raines nodded.
"Yes, we need Jarod's mind. And what better way to get him to use it for us than to infect someone he cares for with the virus," Raines began as Lyle started to get an inkling of where this was leading.
"You're going to infect Sydney?" he asked, surprised when Raines began to laugh.
"Stupid boy, Sydney is not expendable. If something were to happen to him, too many questions would arise and undue attention would be drawn to the Centre. He has made many unsavory connections outside the Centre that unfortunately, protect him for now. We cannot risk the possible exposure."
"Well then who," Lyle stopped as another thought hit him, knowing he was right by the unholy gleam that appeared in Raines eyes.
"My sister. You're going to inject her with the virus," he stated calmly.
Raines smiled.
"Actually, you are Lyle," came the reply.
Lyle simply stared at him.
"How the hell do you expect me to do that? She doesn't trust me, hell, she hates my guts. How in the world am I going to inject her with the damn virus?" he raged as Raines watched him quietly for a few moments before replying.
"You will find a way, and you will find that way soon. We must use her to bait Jarod. We cannot wait any longer."
Lyle swallowed.
"You truly believe she will work as bait?"
"What better person? She knows nothing of the research, she is a sure draw and incentive for Jarod to return to us and she is expendable if he cannot find a cure in time," Raines replied in an emotionless voice.
Lyle now looked confused.
"You truly believe Jarod will help her? After all the running and chasing those two have been doing for years? I suspect he'd be rather glad to see her die," he offered, feeling offended when Raines burst into laughter.
"Stupid boy, do you really know so little? Miss Parker is the only person here that Jarod would return for. Their connection has always been strong, even as the hunter and hunted. That is why she can never capture him, in her heart, she doesn't want to," he finished as Lyle sighed.
"I admit, I suspected there were times she let Jarod go, but are you sure this is the best way to get him back?" he asked as Raines rapped his desk sharply.
"You question my methods? If you would like, I can take you out of the equation all together," he hissed, sending a chill down Lyle's spine.
"No, I think anything that will bring Jarod back is worth examining, but she is my sister, much as we might hate each other," he offered quietly.
Raines sighed.
"The time for choosing sides has arrived," he stated in a deadly voice. "You either agree to work with me, even though it could mean your sister's death, although I firmly believe Jarod will save her, and by rights, the Centre. Or you go against me and the Centre, and I do not think you would like that option," he offered cruelly.
Lyle sighed as he weighed his options for several moments.
"Okay, I'll go with your plan, what do you need me to do?" he finally replied, hearing a door slam inside his head as Raines smiled evilly and began to explain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three Days Later:
Miss Parker was tired.
She was always tired after spending time with her brother.
She had been surprised when Lyle invited her to dinner, claming he had some news about their father.
They hadn't really spoken since Raines had issued his "bring Jarod in or else" challenge upon their return from the Island.
She'd have been happy to never speak to her brother again to tell the truth.
But, as she knew it would, her curiosity and her need for even a scrap of information about their father had prevailed.
The dinner had been rather nice as well, and Lyle had sprung for it, including a bottle of wine that she alone had polished off. Lyle claimed to have quit drinking, at least for the week.
Right.
Unfortunately, his information had been lacking.
All Lyle could tell her was that the empty scroll case had been found washed up along the shoreline.
No sign of their father, or the scrolls.
She'd managed to endure the rest of dinner by wondering what Jarod was up to and if he'd found any more leads.
She knew she should probably have been on guard, Lyle must have had some ulterior motive for inviting her to dinner, but nothing had emerged.
So she'd let her mind wander while Lyle droned on.
She'd never noticed the nervous way he watched her drink her wine, his eyes going from the glass to her face with each sip.
Soon enough, the meal had been finished, the last glass of wine consumed and now she was finally relaxing with a cigarette and Broots' latest reports on Jarod's whereabouts.
One thing was for sure. She certainly lived vicariously through Jarod's 'pretends.'
Sighing, she began to read, trying to ignore the headache that had suddenly developed behind her temples.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two hours later the headache was nearly unbearable and she'd downed most of the painkillers in her home. Her entire body felt weak and lethargic and she found it extremely difficult to move from her sprawled position on the sofa.
She wondered if this was the bug Broots said Debbie had come down with last week.
Damn man had probably infected her with it as well.
Muttering to herself, she managed to drag her aching body from the sofa and into her bedroom, having just enough energy to reach the bed before collapsing onto it.
She whimpered at the pain that shot through her head as it hit the pillows.
Praying for oblivion, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on anything but the jabbing needles of pain pricking her temples.
Not so strangely, she found herself focusing on Jarod.
He would take away her pain.
He would protect her.
Even if she wasn't sure she wanted his protection.
His image fixed in her mind, she let her thoughts of him draw her into the darkness of sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Broots!"
Broots jumped as he heard Sydney's panicked voice from Miss Parker's bedroom. The two had come to her house when she hadn't show up for work by 10 and refused to answer her phone.
"What's wrong?" he called, dashing up the stairs and into the room. He came to a halt as he saw a distraught Sydney leaning over the still form of Miss Parker.
"She's sick. It might be the ulcer again, I don't know, but call 9-1-1," Sydney ordered.
Broots was already dialing.
"Is she going to be okay?" he asked when he hung up, assured the ambulance was on its way.
"I don't know. She's burning up, just like before, but something tells me this is different. It's just a sense I have," Sydney muttered as he stroked the damp hair from her forehead.
He jumped as Parker's eyelids suddenly fluttered and she whimpered low in her throat.
"Parker," Sydney whispered, "wake up, you can do it, come on," he chanted, feeling the fear claw at his throat as her eyes remained closed and her unintelligible whimpers continued.
"The ambulance is here," Broots called as he heard the sirens wailing, running to the door to let the paramedics in.
As they loaded Miss Parker onto a gurney, she continued to whimper in her fever induced sleep.
Within minutes, both men were tailing the ambulance to the hospital, praying they'd gotten help in time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jarod smiled to himself as he accepted the bag of cocaine from the seedy looking man across from him.
"Pleasure doing business with you. I think it's going to be a long while before you do any business again Juan," he offered with a hard smile.
Seconds later, the street was filled with police and a very irate looking Juan was being dragged off, cursing everyone to hell.
Jarod smiled.
After two weeks of pretending to be a desperate drug addict, he'd finally trapped the dealer, who's business had directly resulted in the murder of a young woman's husband over a deal gone bad.
The mother and daughter were now safe and he could move on.
Slipping into the shadows, he moved farther from the scene, his mind already turning to where he was headed next.
He needed to get to Los Angeles.
His latest lead had traced his mother to a detective agency there. Why she would be using an agency that had a reputation for dealing in 'unusual' problems was his main focus.
Reaching the hotel he'd been staying at, he quickly gathered his things, paid his bill and was off into the night.
Angel Investigations was going to be getting a very late night visitor.
As he drove, he found himself wondering what Miss Parker was up to.
It was a familiar thought, one he'd had almost every night since they'd begun their little cat and mouse game.
Only now, the scope of the game had changed.
Because of those few moments when she'd let her guard down, and nearly kissed him in front of Ocee's fireplace.
The principle might be the same, he ran, she chased, but the dynamics were a whole new ballgame now that emotions had been allowed in.
Smiling, he picked up the phone and hit the speed dial.
A shudder ran through his body as he heard the snide voice at the other end of Miss Parker's phone.
"Jarod, I figured you would be calling sooner or later."
Jarod almost dropped the phone as Raines' voice filtered through the line.
For a moment, he wasn't sure what to say.
But Raines spoke first.
"If you're wondering, Miss Parker can't come to the phone at the moment. She's rather, incapacitated," Raines murmured with laughter in his voice.
Jarod's blood chilled.
"What the hell did you do to her?" he asked in a deadly voice.
"Nothing that you can't fix," came the reply.
Jarod knew it was bad.
"Talk," he muttered, immediately reaching for a map to get him to the nearest airport.
"We simply infected her with a deadly strain of an extreme HIV virus we're developing. It's destroying her immune system, which should be non-functional by the weeks end."
Jarod's stomach turned.
"Why?" was all he managed, trying to push down the wave of horror flooding him at Raines' words.
"Simple. We need you to find the antidote. You do, she survives. If not, she dies," Raines replied with glee.
Jarod had to force the fear down as he tried to think rationally.
"Where is this antidote?" he asked, exiting the freeway and following the signs to the airport.
"That's the problem. We've been trying to develop it for years, no one seems to have the brain power to do it. Except you."
Jarod swallowed hard, the magnitude of the situation hitting him.
"You gave her a virus that could prove fatal, on the simple belief I could find a cure? Are you insane?" he railed, screeching past honking cars as he flew through the airport pick up zone.
"No Jarod. But we need that cure, and we'll do whatever it takes to get it. You have four days."
With that, the line was disconnected.
"Raines!"
Jarod slammed his hand against the steering wheel as he pulled into an empty parking space, trying to control the fear and anger surging through him.
What the hell was he supposed to do now?
He had no idea what kind of extreme virus this was, or what it did. How in the world was he supposed to find a cure?
He closed his eyes as Miss Parker's face swam before him.
Her life was now in his hands.
He had to find a cure.
Grabbing his overnight bag, he punched in Sydney's number as he strode into the airport, praying the man would be with Miss Parker.
"Syd, how is she?" he asked, no preamble in his question as the familiar voice answered.
"Jarod, it doesn't look good," Sydney replied, his heart lightening a bit at hearing Jarod's voice.
He did not even question that Jarod was aware of Miss Parker's condition.
"Define not good," Jarod muttered as he headed for the airline reservation counter.
"The doctors can't figure out what's wrong. Something is destroying her immune system at an abnormal rate," Sydney replied, trying to remain calm.
"How far along?" was the terse reply.
Sydney sighed as he rubbed his forehead.
"The doctors say nearly 25% of her system will be gone by tomorrow, most of it by the end of the week. Jarod, no one knows what's wrong, do you?" he suddenly asked, his own inner sense alerting him something was not right.
Jarod's whisper told him all he needed to know.
"The Centre's behind it, they're killing her."
Sydney closed his eyes, his worst fears realized.
"What did they do?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.
"They infected her with an experimental virus, something that destroys the immune system, have you heard anything about it?" Jarod asked desperately as he waited in line, his inner voice urging the people in front of him to hurry up.
Sydney's heart nearly stopped.
"Project Immunity," he replied quietly as he searched his brain for details. "I don't remember much about it, but there was talk of a government deal to create some form of virus that would be used to illicit information out of people, a very secret matter, especially since it more than likely was not ethical," he replied.
"Apparently the virus exists, but there's no antidote. It will kill her within the week if I don't find a cure," he replied, the pain in his voice bringing tears to Sydney's eyes.
"No antidote?" He sighed, everything suddenly becoming clear. "You're who they've always needed to create the antidote. It's a trap," he suddenly whispered, looking around knowing the Centre's operatives were no doubt lurking in the shadows.
"I know. Raines informed me of his 'plan' himself just a few minutes ago. Damn him!"
Jarod forced his emotions down as his outburst drew stares from those around him.
He had to remain focused.
He had to figure out a cure, without letting the Centre get a hold of it or him.
Miss Parker's life depended on it.
"Jarod, you must be careful."
Sydney's worried voice reassured him to a degree. He thanked God Miss Parker had Sydney and Broots with her. He hated to think of her being alone.
"I know. Syd, I'm on the next plane to Blue Cove, I'll stay hidden, but you have to get me her charts and any information the Centre has on this virus. I'm assuming everyone is expecting me to come for the information, so you shouldn't have a problem getting it," he replied.
"I can do that, contact me when you arrive. But be careful, as you said, they're expecting you to return, and I know you're going to be tempted to see her," Sydney began, only to be cut off.
"Get me the information, I'll worry about getting in to see her. I'll be careful Sydney, I promise," Jarod murmured.
Sydney was ready to hang up until he heard Jarod's soft question.
"Is she awake?"
Sydney looked over at the pale figure lying in the hospital bed, talking quietly with the nurse.
"She's awake, but she's scared," he offered, knowing the despite her brave façade, the woman he loved as a daughter was terrified.
And would be even more so when she learned what had been done to her.
Jarod closed his eyes as he willed her to be strong.
"Tell her I'm coming. I'll save her, I promise. Tell her Sydney," he whispered as he disconnected the call.
Sydney stared at the phone for a few moments after Jarod had hung up.
Knowing that the Centre was behind this, knowing that Miss Parker could die if Jarod could not find a cure, knowing that the two people he considered his children were in danger of losing their lives, it was enough to make his normally optimistic demeanor tremble.
Turning, he buried his emotions knowing people would be watching closely to note any change in his features.
He could not give anything away.
He knew they'd probably figured out he'd been talking to Jarod, but trusted Jarod's phone scrambling had done the trick.
Now if he could only find a way to get the files the Centre expected him too, along with a few other things he suspected they hadn't thought of.
But he had.
A plan began to form as he dialed Broots' number. As he waited for the man to pick up, his gaze turned again to the pale form lying in the hospital bed.
He only prayed Jarod could find a cure in time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
