Vanished

By Gemini-M

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Author's Note: Thank you to my readers, Nans, phi4858, Airamu4u, and
Momo20 for their reviews and patience. I'm so sorry for the delay, but my
computer went belly-up near the end of this chapter and I had to wait a few days
for repairs. Hope that this long chapter makes up for the wait. Enjoy and thanks
again for your reviews.

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go
away." Philip K. Dick (1928-1982)

Sydney's Home1:30a.m.

"JAROD?...DAMN IT! I HATE IT WHEN HE DOES THAT." Parker said
through clenched teeth.

"Miss Parker, what happened?...Is Sydney okay?" Sam asked
concerned.

"Well, according to boy genius, he's fine, but I couldn't talk to him."
The tall woman said furiously. "But now we have a bigger
problem."

"What?" Sam asked apprehensively.

"We have to find my brother, Ethan before he blows the Centre to
kingdom come."

"OH MAN, NOT AGAIN." Sam murmured as he folded the blue prints and
stuffed them back into the backpack.

Parker glared at the big man and was about to reply when suddenly
something moving at the edge of her peripheral vision caught her attention. With
lighting speed, Parker pulled her gun from her holster and swirled around
pointing her weapon at the intruder.

Confused by Parker's abrupt reaction, Sam immediately dropped the backpack
on the floor and followed her actions, drawing his own weapon and taking aim as
well.

"Angelo, what are you doing here?" Parker asked surprised, quickly
returning her weapon to its holster.

But the little man just stood frozen on the spot, his eyes fixed on
something on the floor by the door.

"Angelo what's wrong?" Parker asked softly, not wanting to frighten
the empath.

Slowly, Angelo reached behind the curtain by the door and picked up
something from the floor. When the empath raised his hand, he was holding a
bloody blade in his hand. Parker and Sam silently stared at the blood stained
knife in Angelo's hand, afraid to say what was running through their minds, but
they quickly realized that either Jarod or Sydney had been stabbed during some
kind of struggle with the man lying dead a few inches away.

"Angelo, please put the..." Before Parker was able to finish her
command, Angelo dropped the bloody knife and began running around the living
room in a state of complete panic. Holding his arm, Angelo dropped to the floor
and began screaming, "FRIEND HURT...FRIEND HURT BAD...PAIN!"

"Angelo, please calm down." Parker said as she slowly approached
the panicked little man and knelt next to him.

"FRIEND NOT SAFE!...HURT...SAD...EVIL COME...EVIL WILL HURT FRIEND!"
Angelo continued his nonsense babbling.

"Who's hurt Angelo?" Parker spoke softly, trying to remain calm as
well, but now her newly awaken inner sense was screaming at her that something
terrible was about to happen.

"FRIEND HURT!" Angelo cried out with tears in his eyes.

"Angelo, do you know where Jarod and Sydney went?"

"REFUGE!...GONE TO REFUGE, BUT REFUGE NOT SAFE!" Angelo said
shaking his head frantically.

"Angelo, what do you mean?" Parker asked concerned.

"NOT SAFE!...DANGER!...JAROD AND SYDNEY HURT...HURT BAD!" Angelo
cried out with a look of horror in his eyes.

Parker and Sam looked at each other in total confusion and alarm. Angelo
was not making any sense, but something had him spooked. Whatever the empath
sensed after touching that bloody knife was not good. Angelo felt that Jarod or
Sydney had been hurt and that they were definitely in danger from someone, but
who?

"Miss Parker, I have an idea" Sam said walking back to the coffee
table and grabbing the file they had found. "Miss Parker let Angelo look at
this file and maybe he can tell us something about who is after Jarod and
Sydney."

"Good idea Sam" Parker replied taking the file from Sam.

"Angelo, we found this file with information about Jarod's family. Can
you try to...?" Even before Miss Parker finished her question, Angelo
grabbed the folder from her hand and stared at it with fear in his eyes.
Suddenly, the empath began to grimace in disgust and dropped the file on the
floor like if it had burnt his hands. Totally out of control, Angelo covered his
head and began to scream again, "EVIL MAN HUNT JAROD AND SYDNEY...EVIL MAN
KILL JAROD'S FAMILY...WANTS REVENGE...EVIL...REVENGE...REVENGE."

"Angelo, who is going to hurt Jarod and Sydney?" Miss Parker asked,
her voice filled with concern.

"EVIL MAN WILL KILL FRIEND!" Angelo said with despair, but he was
just too frightened to make any sense of his jumbled feelings. "MUST HELP
FRIEND!"

Suppressing her fear, Parker jumped to her feet and said frustrated,
"Now is not the time to psychoanalyze marshmallow brain here. We still have to
find Ethan before he sets off the explosives at the Centre."

"Miss Parker is 2:00a.m. already. How much time do we have?" Sam
interrupted concerned.

"DAMN! We better get moving. Sam get the backpack and the file. I'll
bring Angelo out." Parker ordered, ignoring her sweeper's question.

"Lets go Angelo, we're running out of time." Parker said as she
helped the empath to his feet and directed him towards the door.

"Miss Parker, do you think it's a good idea to bring Angelo with
us?...I mean, he's kind of spaced-out at the moment."

"When is Cousin It not spaced out? Parker snapped back then sighed
tiredly. "Sam, I have no choice. Jarod told me to take Angelo because he
could help us find Ethan."

At the mention of Ethan's name, Angelo turned towards the tall woman and
said, "Sister scared?"

"Yes Angelo...Do you think you can help us find Ethan?" Parker
asked hopefully.

Angelo just nodded his head timidly and then took her hand gently. The
frightened little man looked up; his big sad eyes meeting the tall woman's
concerned but controlled gaze, and then he whispered, "Angelo
help."

"Thank you Angelo."

Just as they were about to board the Centre's black sedan, Angelo halted
and pulled on Miss Parker's hand. He looked at the woman with pleading eyes and
said, "Sister help friend?"

"Yes Angelo we will help Jarod and Sydney, but first we must find
Ethan. He's in trouble and Jarod ask me to find him."

The empath nodded his head with resignation and slipped into the vehicle
quietly. A few seconds later the black sedan silently pulled away from the dark
driveway and headed towards Blue Cove.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

En Route to White Clouds

The drive to Sydney's cabin had taken longer than Jarod anticipated. Due
to the poor visibility in the mountains and his extreme fatigue Jarod had been
forced to drive much slower. For almost twenty-four hours he had been on alert
and running non-stop. Furthermore, the lack of food, sleep and his injuries were
finally wearing him down physically. Even though Jarod was used to this type of
physical abuse in his race for survival, the latest revelations about his origin
and Sydney's part in the lies and betrayal were a lot more damaging and weighing
heavily on his mind. He needed to get some rest and soon if he wanted to keep
his sanity, but most of all he just wanted to run away and be alone. He needed
time to think things through. Impatiently, Jarod looked at his watch; it was
2:30a.m and they still had about another half hour drive before they reached
White Clouds. Trying to stay awake, Jarod shook his head slowly and rubbed his
eyes tiredly. He thought about turning on the radio, but he didn't want to
disturb Sydney's peaceful sleep, and at the moment he was trying to avoid his
mentor's prying questions.

"How's your arm Jarod?" The soft accented voice startled the tired
pretender.

"It's fine." Jarod replied dryly.

"Jarod, we need to talk." Sydney said simply.

"No Sydney..." Jarod paused for a moment. "I think I heard
everything already."

"Jarod, you cannot believe everything that PSYCHO said.
He..."

"THAT PSYCHO TOLD ME THE TRUTH YOU NEVER HAD THE COURAGE TO TELL ME."
Jarod spat back angrily. "SYDNEY, YOU ONLY FED ME LIES!"

"Jarod, I was afraid that..." Sydney simply had no words to
continue.

"YOU WERE AFRAID THAT I WOULD DISCOVER THE TRUTH!" Jarod looked at
Sydney with pain in his eyes. "THAT I WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A LAB
EXPERIMENT...YOUR SPECIAL SCIENCE PROJECT!"

"NO JAROD, YOU'RE WRONG." Sydney drew a deep breath and continued
quietly, "I never saw you that way. You are very important to me. We lied to
protect you."

"WHAT?"

"Jarod, we knew that you would react like this and that would
jeopardize your life." Sydney paused trying to find the right words to
explain. "Jarod, you were only a child, and even though you are a genius,
psychologically you're very fragile. If we had told you the truth back then, you
would have become alienated and rebellious. Then Raines would have taken over
the Pretender project and destroyed you, like he did with Angelo and
Alex."

"WE?" Jarod gave Sydney a quizzical look.

"Catherine Parker along with your mother discovered the truth after you
were abducted."

Suddenly, a flash of memory invaded Jarod's mind and he remembered his
conversation with Ocee when he met the old woman in the Island of Carthis.

"What was my mother searching for?" Jarod remembered asking
Ocee.

The blind woman had touched his face and said, "Find out who you
are?"

"What do you mean, who I am?" He had asked puzzled.

"All I know is what she spoke. She and another woman had been trying to
discover the truth for a long time." Then turning towards Miss Parker, Ocee
said, "That must have been your mother."

Jarod snapped out of his reverie and glared at his mentor. "YOU HAD
CONTACT WITH MY MOTHER?"

"NO JAROD, I NEVER SAW OR SPOKE TO YOUR MOTHER. I SWEAR. THIS IS THE
TRUTH." Sydney looked at his protégé; his eyes begging for his forgiveness.
"Catherine Parker told me the truth about you just before her planned
suicide. She had plans to rescue her daughter, Angelo and you, but then she
vanished." Jarod could hear the pain in his mentor's voice.

"You mean she was murdered by Mr. Raines." Jarod said with
repugnance.

"Yes, we learned about her death much later, when we found the DSA's of
Ethan's birth."

"Sydney, why didn't you tell me the truth later on or after I escaped?"
Jarod asked now more calmed.

"Catherine Parker made me promise that I would never tell you. She
begged me to protect you, Angelo and Miss Parker if anything happened to her."
Sydney said lowering his eyes. He was silent for a moment then continued,
"Catherine wanted to rescue the children above all, but she was deeply
tormented by all these secrets and all the lies. They launched her into a deep
depression and affected her judgment."

"Her Inner sense." Jarod said quietly.

"Yes, and in a way, I'm responsible for her death." Sydney
whispered sadly.

"What do you mean?"

"I helped Catherine Parker understand and refine her gift of the Inner
sense...Soon after that she was gone."

"No Sydney, you didn't kill her, but you contributed to the betrayal
and lies."

"I'm sorry Jarod. I was trying to protect you." Sydney glanced at
the pretender looking for understanding, but all he could see was anger and
pain.

"BY LYING TO ME FOR THE LAST THIRTY YEARS!...SYDNEY, YOU WERE
THE ONLY PERSON I TRUSTED AT THE CENTER. YOU WERE LIKE A..." The emotions
made Jarod choke on his words, making him look away.

"Jarod, I was afraid of your reaction. I didn't want to see you hurt."
Sydney tried to explain desperately. "Discovering the truth would have
made you confused, furious and non-compliant and at the Centre that meant
termination. Then, after you escaped, Miss Parker was put in charge of your
pursuit and our contacts were very limited. I thought that sooner or later you
would find your mother and she would explain everything to you."

"Sydney, you could have told me the truth during one of our encounters
after my escape...You knew that I've been searching for the truth all these
years." Jarod replied in a tortured voice. "Why didn't you tell
me?"

"Yes I know, but I was afraid that if I told you the truth I would
never see you again. I'm sorry Jarod. I guess it was selfish of me." Sydney
said blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. "I didn't want to lose
you as well."

Jarod was quiet for a moment, absorbing the painful truth. He was so
angry, but at the same time he felt hurt and betrayed. He still could not accept
the fact that Sydney had lied to him all these years. Since he was a child he
had been searching for his own identity and his family and now he felt as if he
had lost both again. Sydney had taught him everything he knew, had protected him
from many evils at the Centre and even had put his own life at risk to do so,
but now this new revelation was shattering the special bond and trust that had
taken so many years to form.

Finally, after a long uncomfortable silence, Jarod glanced at his anxious
mentor and said almost inaudibly, "You're right Sydney; I probably would have
vanished a long time ago if I knew the truth."

"I'm really sorry Jarod. I hope that some day you can forgive me."

"I don't know Sydney." Jarod replied in a defeated tone as he
rubbed his tired eyes once more. He was desperately trying to keep his eyes
focused on the road, but the exhaustion and the heated argument with his mentor
had made his pounding headache almost unbearable.

Sydney's concern for his protégé went up a notch when he noticed how tired
and pallid Jarod looked.

"Jarod are you okay?...You're very pale."

"I'll be fine. Just need some rest." Jarod replied simply.

"Jarod when was the last time you ate or slept?" Sydney could not
hide the scolding tone in his voice.

"Sometime ago."

"Jarod, you should know better. Under stress your body will not resist
that kind of mistreatment. That's just not normal or healthy." The old man
continued his reprimand.

"NORMAL?...Now there is a joke." Jarod laughed sarcastically and
then continued embittered, "Sydney, I never had a NORMAL LIFE and when you're
running for your life, there is no time for schedules."

Jarod's harsh response caught the old man by surprise, but he knew that
his pupil was right. Jarod's life was the furthest from normal that any human
being could have. This extremely talented man had lived most of his life as a
condemned prisoner of a notorious organization that functioned outside every law
known to man, and for the past six years he had become a fugitive without the
possibility of obtaining the freedom to live a normal life.

Avoiding his pupil's penetrating and angry gaze, Sydney looked at his
hands instead and spoke softly, "I'm sorry Jarod...You're right...There is
nothing normal about your life, but I hope that someday soon all that will
change...I pray that you'll be reunited with your family and live a good
life...You deserve that more than anybody."

Now it was Jarod's turn to look away to hide the tears that had welled in
his eyes. The emotional anguish was consuming him alive, but deep inside he
could not be angry at the old man. Sydney had become like a father figure for as
long as he could remember; even though, the Centre had forbidden them to adopt
or express such a connection.

Finally, Jarod exhaled deeply breaking the tense silence. He looked at his
watch again before he began quietly. The pretender kept his eyes fixed on the
road ahead avoiding his mentor's scrutinizing gaze, but Sydney could detect the
sadness in his voice.

"I'm sorry Sydney. I shouldn't put all the blame on you...You're just
another victim of the Centre and...you have suffered great lost as
well."

"But I had the freedom and the choice to stop what was happening."
Sydney argued softly.

"And end up like your brother Jacob or Catherine." Jarod said
returning his mentor's gaze momentarily.

"Jarod, the Centre can't kill someone who's already dead." Sydney
said mournfully.

The silence enveloped the inside of the car for a few minutes before
Sydney spoke again, "Jarod, what are you going to do when this is
over?"

"It will never be over for me Sydney. As long as they see me as their
property; I will be trapped in this race for survival."

"What if the Centre is finally destroyed?" Sydney said
hopefully. "Jarod, then you'll be free to find your family and stop the
running!"

"If the Centre is destroyed then that leaves the Triumvirate to
continue the hunt." Jarod replied bitterly, remembering Miss Parker's
shocking news about the bounty on him, but Jarod chose not give the details of
this new development to Sydney. His mentor had been through enough of an ordeal
in the last twenty hours and learning about this new threat would only cause him
more worry and torment.

"Sydney try to get some rest, I'll call you when we're almost there."
Jarod said kindly, trying to avert the previous topic of their
conversation.

"No Jarod, I better stay awake to keep an eye on you. I already had
some rest, but you look like you're going to crash at any moment." Sydney
said with concern, obtaining a brief but sad smile from the tired
pretender.

"Okay Sydney. Do you mind if I turn the radio on?" Jarod asked
quietly.

"Good idea Jarod. Some music will help us stay alert."

After a few minutes of friendly argument on their musical preferences,
they both finally concurred on listening to a classical station. Sydney leaned
back against the headrest, but kept a weary eye on the stubborn and very
exhausted pretender. The remainder of their trip would be made in a comfortable
silence, but Sydney knew that there were still many things to discuss in order
to help Jarod deal with the painful truth that had come to light. Sydney closed
his eyes for a moment and vowed to himself that he would do everything in his
power to help the man he had considered like a son for so many years, but most
important of all he had to prevent Jarod from vanishing forever.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Somewhere outside the Centre3:00a.m.

"ANGELO, WHERE ARE WE GOING?" Miss Parker asked frustrated.

"ANGELO KNOWS; HURRY!" The little man replied as he ran ahead of
Miss Parker and Sam.

"Angelo I've ran Centre security for over five years and I know there
is no access of any kind this far off the grounds."

"Hurry, hurry. Entrance near!" Angelo whispered while waving at the
others to follow.

"MISS PARKER, I THINK ANGELO IS NUTS; WHERE IS HE GOING?" Sam
protested.

"I don't know Sam, but we have no other choice than to follow
him."

For the last half hour they had been following Angelo as he effortlessly
zigzagged through a dark orchard. Following the empath's directions, the trio
had abandoned their vehicle on a deserted dirt road about half a mile away from
the Centre grounds and had started their trek through the desolate farm
land.

"DAMN IT, I JUST RUINED ANOTHER PAIR OF SHOES." Parker growled,
looking at the torn heel.

Just when Miss Parker was about to put a stop to their little tour, Angelo
stopped abruptly in the middle of a dark field and began to clear away a mass of
branches that conceal some kind of structure. When Parker and Sam approached the
nervous little man, they were stunned by the discovery. A few feet before them
stood a dilapidated and almost invisible air shaft.

"Well I'll be damned! That's how Boy genius got out." Parker
exclaimed surprised.

"Very clever." Sam added.

"MUST GO NOW!" Angelo urged the others. "LONG WAY."

"Wait Angelo!...We need some kind of diversion before we try to sneak
back into the Centre. With all the police and fire department snooping around
after my car explosion, I really don't want to be caught crawling out of some
vent." Parker thought out loud and then looked at her sweeper.

"Sam, give me your phone."

"What are you going to do Miss Parker?" Sam asked inquisitively.

"I have an idea." Parker said her eyes sparkling mischievously.
"Lets create a little chaos to hide our arrival."

Parker quickly dialed a number from memory and waited for the line to
connect. A few seconds later a timid voice answered.

"He...llo?"

"Broots, listen carefully."

"M...Miss Parker, where are you?... Did...did Jarod call
you?"

"BROOTS; SHUT-UP AND LISTEN!"

"Sorry Miss Parker." Broots replied nervously. "I'm
listening."

"Broots after I hang-up, wait fifteen minutes, then call the Centre.
Tell them to evacuate the entire facility PRONTO because there is a bomb and it
will explode at any time."

"A BOMB!" Broots cried out. "OH MY GOD!"

"Don't worry Broots; we'll leave The Centre before the fireworks
start."

"YOU'RE AT THE CENTRE? Broots began to panic. "M...MISS
PA...PARKER WHA...WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?...I MEAN, YOU SHOULDN'T BE NEAR THAT
PLACE IF IF THERE IS A BO...BOMB!"

"BROOTS, LISTEN!" Parker interrupted the techie's hysterical
ramblings. "It's complicated, I'll explain later. Broots, just be
ready to leave as soon as we arrive."

"O...Okay Miss Parker."

"Broots have you heard from Jarod?"

"No Miss Parker, the last time I spoke to Jarod was when I gave him
Sam's number. He wanted to talk to you." Broots said cautiously. "Miss
Parker, do you think they're okay?"

"Lets hope so." Parker was silent for a moment. "Jarod said that
he would call you as soon as he had Sydney in a safe place and that was almost
two hours ago. I hope Boy Wonder knows what he's doing."

"Miss Parker, if I hear from Jarod, I'll call you right away."

"No Broots. Don't call us. Wait for my call."

"Alright Miss Parker...Miss Parker..." Broots started, but all he
heard was the dial tone just before he finished his thoughts."...be careful."

Miss Parker turned off the small device and handed it back to Sam.
"Leave the phone off. We don't want any surprise calls while we're crawling
through Angelo's maze."

"Yes Miss Parker." Sam replied firmly.

"Sam according to Jarod, the bomb will go off at sunrise, that's around
5:23a.m." Parker glanced at her watch and then continued. "It's 3:15 now,
so that gives us about two hours to find Ethan and get the hell out of
here."

"Then we better get moving Miss Parker."

Without delay, Parker turned towards Angelo, who was eagerly waiting by
the open air shaft and said, "Okay Angelo, show us the way."

"Find Ethan?" Angelo asked with anticipation.

"Yes Angelo, lets go find Ethan and hurry please. We're running out of
time."

Angelo smiled at Miss Parker and began the descent into his secret
underworld.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sydney's Cabin, White Clouds.3:15a.m.

Slowly, Jarod brought the little sports car to a stop a few meters from
the steps leading to the entrance of the cabin. Jarod yawned tiredly and glanced
at his mentor, who was quietly staring at the darkness and lost in thought.

"Sydney we're here." Jarod spoke listlessly and stepped out of the
car.

The sound of Jarod's voice brought the old man back to reality. Without
reply, Sydney opened his door and slowly began to shift his brittle and sore
body to extricate himself from the little sports car, but as soon as he stood
Sydney cried out in pain and dropped heavily against the roof of the car.

"SYDNEY WHAT'S WRONG?" Jarod asked concerned, rushing to his
mentor's side.

"IT'S MY DAMN KNEE." Sydney said grimacing. "I think I twisted
it when I fell down earlier."

"Here lean on me." Jarod said as he placed Sydney's arm over his
shoulder and supported the old man's weight. "And try to keep your weight off
that knee."

"Jarod, this is not necessary. Just give me a few minutes and my knee
should feel stronger." Sydney argued softly.

"Sydney, the sooner we're inside; the sooner we can get some rest.
Please don't argue." Jarod said wearily.

"I guess you're right Jarod." Sydney said defeated and allowed the
haggard pretender to help him up the steps.

When they finally reached the door, Jarod looked at Sydney and said, "I
hope you have a spare key hidden somewhere out here."

Already out of breath, the old man pointed at the fixture hanging by the
door. "There's one behind that...lantern."

"Good, because I don't think I could pick a lock right
now."

While Sydney leaned on the door's frame, Jarod walked over to where the
lantern was attached and reached behind the glass feeling for the key.

"I got it!" Jarod announced somewhat pleased.

The pretender quickly unlocked the big wooden door and once again helped
his mentor by supporting most of his weight like a human crutch. As they slowly
entered the dark cabin, Jarod felt the walls with his hand searching for a light
switch, but found none.

"Sydney, where's the light switch?" Jarod asked
impatiently.

"Jarod, there's a lamp on a small table by the window. It's a few feet
to your right."

"Okay Sydney, stay here and don't move." Jarod instructed his
mentor and started to walk towards the direction of the window. "Let me find
the light before we both trip over something and break our necks."

"I couldn't agree more." Sydney replied with a half smile.

As soon as the light was switched on, Jarod heard Sydney's alarming
scream, "JAROD WATCH OUT!"

Unfortunately, Sydney's warning came too late. With his eyes still
adjusting to the sudden brightness, Jarod only had a split second to detect the
blurred figure that had jumped from behind the curtain. Before the pretender had
a chance to react and stop the attacker, something solid made contact with his
skull and everything faded into blackness again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Centre.4:00a.m.

After crawling through the Centre's ventilation labyrinth for almost an
hour, the trio finally reached SL-20.

It was plainly visible that Broots had called the Centre with the bomb
threat as planned. Most of the sub levels were already deserted and the
emergency evacuation system had been put in effect. Between the emergency
flashing lights and the deafening noise from the alarms, Miss Parker thought she
was going to go insane. Covering her ears to block the blasting noise, Parker
shouted at Sam, "SAM, WE NEED TO SPLIT UP TO COVER MORE GROUND."

"ALRIGHT MISS PARKER; WHERE SHOULD I START SEARCHING?"

"SAM, YOU GO CHECK THE CENTRE'S DEHYDRATION CORE AND GENERATOR
COMPARTMENTS; ANGELO AND I WILL CHECK THE INFIRMARY AND ALL THE
LABS."

"ALRIGHT, MISS PARKER."

"SAM, WE MEET BACK HERE BY 5:00a.m SHARP, WITH OR WITHOUT ETHAN."
Parker said firmly.

"YES Ma am!" Sam agreed and took off running down the hall.

"Ethan, please help us here. I can't leave you behind now." Parker
pleaded silently as she watched her loyal sweeper disappear from sight.

Lost in her thoughts, Miss Parker didn't notice when the little man
approached her. When Angelo pulled on her sleeve to get her attention, Parker
jumped alarmed.

"What's wrong Angelo?"

"Don't be sad...Angelo find Ethan." The empath said reassuringly.

"I hope you're right Angelo."

"Come, we go now!" Angelo cried suddenly and began running towards
the hall leading to the Infirmary with Parker following close behind.

For nearly forty-five minutes, Parker and Angelo had been searching
through the Infirmary and all the Centre's labs in the lower sub-levels, but
they had come up empty-handed. Feeling defeated and frustrated, Parker glanced
at her watch as she paced nervously in front of Angelo. Time was running out and
she didn't want to face the possibility of leaving her brother to die in this
bottomless pit.

Suddenly, Parker faced the timid empath and shouted angrily, "COME ON
ANGELO! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE ETHAN COULD BE?"

"Sorry...brother lost...scared." Angelo cried out confused. Then
staring at the tall woman with fear, he said, "Brother
searching."

"ANGELO, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WE ARE SEARCHING FOR MY BROTHER."
Parker said annoyed.

"YES...YES, SEARCHING FOR BROTHER!"

"WHAT?" Parker replied puzzled.

"Ethan...searching...below." Angelo answered shivering as he
pointed to the sub-level below them. "Brother...below."

Suddenly, Parker understood what Angelo was trying to say and the reason
for his fearful reaction. Right below them was SL-27, where Raines had carried
out his diabolical experiments that had robbed Angelo of his life and where he
had kept Kyle and others locked-up in those dungeon-like cells for most of their
childhood.

"HE'S LOOKING FOR JAROD!" Parker stated with shock.

Angelo was too distressed to speak and simply nodded vigorously while
backing up against the wall and sliding down to the ground. Parker slowly
approached the panic stricken little man and knelt next to him. Tenderly she
rubbed his shoulder and said, "Angelo, you stay here. I'll find
Ethan."

Once again, Angelo nodded in agreement while hugging his knees
protectively and making himself as small as possible.

Without delay, Parker raced to the secret manhole entrance she had found
with Sydney and Broots a few years earlier, when they first discovered the
existence of SL-27. To her surprise and relief, she found the entrance already
open, indicating that someone had gone down recently. Immediately, Parker
withdrew her 9mm and started her descent into the forbidden and lifeless
sub-level.

As Parker entered the blackened and frigid halls of this hidden torture
chamber, she could almost feel the evil that lurked within these walls. In her
mind she could hear the screams of the children. She could feel the pain and
terror they had experienced. Children, like Timmy, Kyle and many others that had
lived trapped in the darkness for so many years. The same children her mother
had tried to rescue from the Centre. But her mother had failed, and as a result
she had paid the ultimate price. Was this to be her fate as well? A wave of
panic began to creep inside of her. Her heart was racing and she felt as if she
was suffocating. She was terrified and she was losing control. Parker stopped
momentarily, closed her eyes and taking a deep breath she reprimanded herself,
"Get a hold of yourself Parker! FOCUS! I'm not my mother and I'm not
going to die here. DAMN IT! I'm going to find my brother and leave this chamber
of horrors behind forever."

Finally, regaining control of her jittery nerves and more determined than
ever to change her fate, Parker resumed her frantic search for Ethan. After
searching through an endless number of empty cells, Parker detected a faint
light in one of the last cells at the end of a dark hall. Ignoring her fatigue,
Parker dashed to the entrance of the small cell and froze.

There sitting in a small metal cot was her brother Ethan. He looked dazed
and completely unaware of her presence. Dangling from his hands was a small
flashlight and at his feet was a small back pack, like the one Sam had found at
Sydney's home.

Once again, another perilous event had brought them together. Before she
had a chance to react, flashes of memory began running inside her head. Images
clear as day from their first meeting. She could see herself, Jarod and Ethan
running inside that doomed train and then jumping off the train just before the
explosion. It was so real it made her shudder with fear. Then on their second
meeting, when Ethan had come to her rescue after the explosion in the lab where
she was searching for Tommy Thompson. Ethan just appeared from nowhere and
managed to pull her from the rubble just in time to save her life, just like in
the vision she had about her mother. It seemed that every time she met with her
mysterious little brother their lives hung on a balance between life and death.

Parker shook her head to pull herself from these hair-raising memories.
This was not the time to reminiscent on her past brush with death. Now, it was
her turn to save Ethan, but something was preventing her from moving beyond the
doorway to reach her brother. It was fear. Suddenly, Parker realized that she
was afraid of what her bother's reaction might be. 'What if Ethan didn't
trust her?' 'What if Jarod had turned him against her?' 'What if Ethan hated her
for hunting his half-brother?' 'How could she convince him that she was there to
help him?' The torturing questions increased her hesitation with every
passing minute.

After what seemed like an eternity, Parker finally pushed aside her fears
and pushed herself away from the doorway. Cautiously and praying for the best,
she approached her brother very slowly. When she moved closer, Parker could see
that Ethan was trembling and his face was covered with a thin film of
perspiration.

When she was a few feet away, Parker stopped and spoke softly, "Ethan,
are you alright?"

A pair of frightened eyes looked up at the tall woman and widened with
surprise. For a brief moment Ethan's face lit up with delight when he recognized
the person before him, but his joy quickly vanished and the fear and pain took
over his features once again.

"Miss Parker!" Ethan whispered her name, unable to raise his
voice.

"Ethan, what are you doing here?" Parker asked gingerly, kneeling
by her brother. "Are you hurt?"

Unexpectedly, Ethan became very agitated. With a look of terror in his
eyes, he jumped to his feet, knocking Miss Parker to the floor. Ignoring Miss
Parker's presence, Ethan began pacing the small cell in an insane manner.

Alarmed with Ethan's reaction, Parker quickly stood from the floor and
moved against the wall and away from the disturbed young man.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Ethan shouted at the woman avoiding her eyes. The
distraught young man continued his frenzied pacing while he pressed his hands
against his ears as if not wanting to hear what was said to him. "LEAVE ME
ALONE!"

"Ethan, please calm down." Parker was now truly frightened.

"THEY KEEP SHOUTING AT ME!...MAKE THEM STOP!" Ethan cried out in
pain and dropped to the floor with a loud thud.

Putting aside her fears, Parker rushed to her brother's side and knelt
next to him. Unaware of her actions, Parker gently held her brother for a few
minutes until he regained some control of his emotions and then she carefully
helped him into a sitting position on the floor. Still holding his hands, Parker
asked, "Ethan, please tell me what's wrong?"

Ethan glanced at his sister and said with despair,"THE VOICES...THEY
KEEP SCREAMING AT ME!"

At the sound of Ethan's words, Parker felt a cold chill run through her
entire body. It was like they had been locked inside a freezer and every nerve
in her body was slowly dying, but her mind was racing and it was telling her
that something was very wrong. Then she remembered Jarod's words about Ethan's
gift, "It's your mother's voice he can hear Miss Parker, maybe you can hear
it too. Trust that voice."

Parker grasped Ethan's chin gently and lifted his face so he could look
into her eyes. She was trying to stay focused and hide her own fear from her
brother, but the panic was plainly visible in her eyes and in her voice,
"Ethan...what are the voices saying?"

Ethan hesitated for a moment but then he saw all the sadness and concern
in Miss Parker's eyes.With a trebling voice, Ethan began, "The voices...Her
voice...is telling me that he's in trouble...My brother...Jarod is in trouble."

Without saying a word, Parker stood very slowly and began pacing the small
cell as she nervously ran her hand through her hair. After a few minutes, she
turned to Ethan and said calmly, "Ethan don't worry, Jarod will be
okay."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Ethan argued softly.

"I spoke to Jarod a few hours ago and he was fine. Please don't
worry." Parker reassured him averting his penetrating gaze. Very gently,
Parker grabbed her brother by the arm and helped him off the floor. "But
right now, we need to get out of here."

"Miss Parker, please promise me that we will find Jarod when we leave
this place." Ethan insisted.

"Okay Ethan, we will find him I promise." Parker replied as she
picked-up the backpack from the floor and walked back to were Ethan was
waiting.

"Ethan...Do you remember why you came down here?" Parker asked
cautiously.

Ethan just looked at his sister with confusion and shook his head
negatively.

"Ethan...Jarod told me that Alex sent you here to set some
explosives...Do you know where they are?" Parker looked at her brother
hopefully.

"WHAT?" Ethan replied horrified. "NO...NO, I DON'T KNOW!...I
DON'T REMEMBER!"

"It's okay Ethan." Parker squeezed his arm gently. "Don't worry
about that, the main thing is to get out of here." Parker said as she rushed
her brother out of the small cell. "Lets go; we don't have much
time."

By the time Miss Parker, Ethan and Angelo met with Sam on SL-20, where
their search had started, it was already 5:10a.m.

"MISS PARKER, WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!" Sam said alarmed as he
ran towards Parker and the others.

"SAM, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ARM?" Parker asked with concern staring
at the blood on Sam's sleeve.

"Oh that; don't worry, it's only a flesh wound. I ran into Willy and he
was the stubborn jackass as usual."

"WHERE IS HE?" Parker asked, her fury rising.

"Lets just say that Willy is not going to bother us anymore." Sam
replied with a smile.

"GOOD" Parker said coldly. "Now he can keep his boss
company."

"Miss Parker, we have less than fifteen minutes. We are not going to
make it out on time if we try to exit the same way we came in." Sam
whispered, trying to avoid alarming the others.

"I know Sam. We will have to leave along with everyone else."
Parker whispered back. "So get ready to blend in with the panicked crowd
upstairs."

"Yes Ma am!"

"Sam, you bring Angelo and if we get separated we'll meet in the
parking lot by Sydney's car."

"Okay Miss Parker."

"Sam, I hope that you still remember how to hot-wire a car?" Parker
said over her shoulder as she hurriedly guided Ethan to the elevator. "We're
going to need another car to get Broots, Ethan and Angelo to a safe
place."

"I think I can manage Miss Parker." Sam answered simply.

"Good; now lets get the hell out of here!"

In a matter of seconds, the Centre's defectors were finally on their way
to ground level and freedom.

TBC