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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: Ditto the disclaimer in chapter 1.
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Seizing Destiny
Part 3
09/12/04
-
He was skulking. He knew it and he hated it. He was skulking around the hallways like some cliché from a bad novel. It irritated him to no end. His anxiety however, was only visible in the way he absently rubbed at his mangled hand. The leather glove he wore tended to distract others from the deformity, but it did nothing for the pain.
The multiple surgeries he had undergone several months ago had changed things. Before that, the phantom thumb had ached only on occasion. At times, Lyle had even managed to forget about the missing thumb, only remembering when he tried to pick up something without thinking. But the hours long procedure to attach a new thumb had involved a great deal of nerve reconstruction. The doctors, the best in their field, had assured him that the tedious process was necessary in order to actually gain use of the appendage one day.
The second surgery had of course, been much more rapid. A local anesthesia and a few quick slices had been all it took to undo the work of the first operation. The reconstructed nerve endings had protested, still protested. The ache in Lyle’s hand had not abated. At times the pain escalated into a burning fire that raced up his arm to his elbow. The agony sometimes forced Lyle to wear a sling, immobilizing the entire limb.
It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Giving the stolen thumb back to his new father was the perfect way for Lyle to show Raines his loyalty. As a matter of fact, Raines had implied that such a display would be required from him, and from his sister. So Lyle had given away the thumb, submitting to Raines’ promises of inheritance. It was such a little thing. Besides, Lyle had another.
Now though, Lyle realized that it had been a mistake. He had wound up giving Raines more than just a thumb. He had given the older man power, the authority to command Lyle’s obedience. The subservience Lyle had been forced into was a feeling that had become all too familiar to him.
To make matters worse, the required sign of loyalty had never been given by Lyle’s sister. Never would be given, he knew. Parker’s defiance and outright derision for their father had actually strengthened her position within the Centre. She refused to accept Raines as her sire, despite all medical evidence to the contrary.
Parker balked Raines’ wishes at every turn. Stopping barely short of outright insolence, Lyle’s sister behaved as if she were the one in charge, not their wheezing father. Her royal demeanor and queenly commands grated on Lyle’s nerves. He resented the fact that she could get away with it.
Lyle knew that it was only a matter of time before Raines tired of her behavior and had the child removed from the game. He knew that Parker knew it as well. She knew and yet plowed on, barreling through the obstacles Raines placed in her path. She was a force to be reckoned with, an unpredictable power to be feared, a strength to be admired.
Lyle’s feelings for his sister were horribly conflicted. Parker was a beautiful and intelligent woman. If Lyle had not known when they first met that they were siblings, he would have pursued her with vigor. But she hated him, always had. Over the years, he had learned to resent nearly everything about her.
And yet, with each new crisis that Parker managed to survive, Lyle saw her more and more clearly. His sister was no ignorant damsel in distress. She held her own against the worst of them. Lyle had even seen her stand up to Mutumbo once and no one had ever argued with that crazy Zulu before. Despite all the lies and the secrets that had been kept from her, Parker continued to prevail. She carried on without surrendering her soul. Lyle envied her that.
It was this jealousy that fed Lyle’s need to upstage his sister at every opportunity. This only served to increase the hostility between them but Lyle just couldn’t seem to stop it. Somehow they always seemed to find themselves on opposite sides of every battle.
So now, Lyle was skulking in the corridors like a criminal, nervously glancing at his watch. He and his sister had been summoned to their father’s office. “Noon,” Raines had hissed at him over the phone this morning. “Don’t be late.”
Lyle refused to be early, appalled at the prospect of having to wait meekly like some child in the principal’s office. But as the minutes ticked away and twelve o’clock came closer, he began to wonder if Parker might not just blow off the meeting. With a shrug, Lyle decided that his sister’s absence could only benefit him. He strode across the hall and knocked on Raines’ office door at precisely twelve.
“Where’s your sister?” Raines asked as Lyle entered the room.
With a shrug and a jaunty smile Lyle answered. “I didn’t realize it was my turn to keep track of her.”
“It’s your job,” Raines snapped. “I thought you understood the situation.”
“Situation?” Lyle raised his eyebrows. He did his best to portray a casual nonchalant air.
Just then the door flew open and Parker strode into the room in all her glory. Lyle glanced at his watch just in time to see the minute hand shift to 12:01. She hadn’t been late. The frown on Raines’ face caused Lyle’s smile to change into the real thing rather than a pasted on mask. He nearly laughed. God, but she was magnificent. For the briefest of moments, Lyle almost loved her.
“You wanted to see me?” Parker asked with arched brows. No “us”, no greeting, just a curt, business-like inquiry. She stood, her hands clasped behind her back, as if she was standing at attention. She wore her gray suit, the one that was all jacket and made her look tantalizing and cold at the same time.
“No,” said a deep voice from the doorway. “But I did.”
Lyle and Parker both whirled around and stared in dumbfounded wonder. Parker found her voice first. “Daddy?” she gasped.
Lyle felt the sudden sadistic urge to correct her but his own shock prevented it.
“Angel.” Mr. Parker grinned as he crossed the room with open arms. Parker stepped into the embrace and hugged the older man, holding on as though a stiff breeze would knock her down.
“Daddy,” she breathed. “We thought you were dead.”
“You can’t kill a Parker,” he replied. “You know that,” he added in a scolding tone.
“But were have you been for the last four months?” she asked.
“There were one or two loose ends that I had to get cleared away,” Mr. Parker said. When it looked as though Parker might argue with him, he cut her off. “Now Angel, when I can tell you more, I will. But for now let’s just concentrate on what needs to be done. Everything is status quo.”
“Back to normal,” Parker said sadly.
“Exactly. We’ll all get together for dinner tonight,” Mr. Parker promised. “You can bring me up to date on the Jarod pursuit.”
“But, Daddy,” Parker tried again.
“Later Angel,” Mr. Parker said sternly. “Raines. Come along. They are waiting for us in the boardroom.”
With that, the two older men left the room, leaving Lyle and Miss Parker to stare after them.
“Did you know about this?” Parker turned on Lyle with a vicious glare.
“No!” he protested. “I’m as astonished as you are.”
“What loose ends?” Parker growled to herself. “Something must have happened, something big. Something so important that it could put Daddy back in the driver’s seat.”
Lyle approached his sister until he was only inches away from her. Standing behind her, he leaned forward until he was nearly whispering in her ear. “Parker,” he said softly. “I could find out what it was.”
She turned and shot him an icy stare.
“I know things that you don’t,” Lyle added quickly.
If looks could kill his heart would have stopped. But Lyle rushed on. “He’s lying to you,” Lyle said. “You know that. But do you know exactly how much?”
Parker crossed her arms to keep herself from strangling her brother. “I’m listening,” she told him frostily.
“I can get proof that he’s been lying to you all along,” Lyle said.
“And why would you suddenly share this information with me, dear brother?” Parker snarled.
“Because it is becoming all too clear to me,” Lyle explained. “Neither of them is ever going to hand power over to us.”
“You mean, to you,” she scoffed.
“To either me or you,” Lyle frowned. Anger and resentment abruptly boiled in his voice. “They are playing us, moving us around on the game board like pawns. And frankly I’m sick of it. I’m tired of playing their game. Tired of trying to win when they keep changing the rules.”
“Poor baby,” Parker cooed. “What has your frustration got to do with me?”
“You are as much a victim of their machinations as the rest of us, Parker,” Lyle said. “Perhaps more so. I think it’s time that you and I did something about it. It’s time for the Parker legacy to move on. Time for the next generation of Parker twins to rule what is rightfully ours.”
“You’re talking about a coup,” Parker said.
“Together we could do it,” Lyle said confidently. As the words left his lips, he knew them to be true. Alone Parker would have had a shot at the Chairmanship if she’d ever decided she wanted it. Lyle wanted to kick himself at the realization. He had chosen the wrong side to ally himself with. She was the one who could raise Lyle past his present position. With Lyle’s cooperation, Parker’s chances at success rose significantly.
“I can’t trust you,” Parker said. “You change sides faster than a tennis ball at Wimbledon.”
“You can’t trust anyone,” Lyle agreed. “But let me show you. I’ll give you the proof of his betrayal. The only way this will ever end is if we decide to end it.”
“What you propose is risky.” Parker chewed thoughtfully at her lower lip.
“Very,” Lyle nodded. “But I’m tired of being their lackey. Do you really want to go on kow-towing to those old men?”
Parker heaved a large sigh then answered. “I want to see this proof of yours before I make any decisions.”
Lyle smiled. Her readiness to even consider the possibilities spoke volumes. “I’ll bring it by your place first thing in the morning. We’ll have all weekend to debate our strategy.”
“I haven’t agreed to anything,” Parker warned. Turning on her heel, Parker strode from the room without looking back.
“Yet.” Lyle said with a grin to the empty office. “But you will.”
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Seizing Destiny
Part 3
09/12/04
-
He was skulking. He knew it and he hated it. He was skulking around the hallways like some cliché from a bad novel. It irritated him to no end. His anxiety however, was only visible in the way he absently rubbed at his mangled hand. The leather glove he wore tended to distract others from the deformity, but it did nothing for the pain.
The multiple surgeries he had undergone several months ago had changed things. Before that, the phantom thumb had ached only on occasion. At times, Lyle had even managed to forget about the missing thumb, only remembering when he tried to pick up something without thinking. But the hours long procedure to attach a new thumb had involved a great deal of nerve reconstruction. The doctors, the best in their field, had assured him that the tedious process was necessary in order to actually gain use of the appendage one day.
The second surgery had of course, been much more rapid. A local anesthesia and a few quick slices had been all it took to undo the work of the first operation. The reconstructed nerve endings had protested, still protested. The ache in Lyle’s hand had not abated. At times the pain escalated into a burning fire that raced up his arm to his elbow. The agony sometimes forced Lyle to wear a sling, immobilizing the entire limb.
It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Giving the stolen thumb back to his new father was the perfect way for Lyle to show Raines his loyalty. As a matter of fact, Raines had implied that such a display would be required from him, and from his sister. So Lyle had given away the thumb, submitting to Raines’ promises of inheritance. It was such a little thing. Besides, Lyle had another.
Now though, Lyle realized that it had been a mistake. He had wound up giving Raines more than just a thumb. He had given the older man power, the authority to command Lyle’s obedience. The subservience Lyle had been forced into was a feeling that had become all too familiar to him.
To make matters worse, the required sign of loyalty had never been given by Lyle’s sister. Never would be given, he knew. Parker’s defiance and outright derision for their father had actually strengthened her position within the Centre. She refused to accept Raines as her sire, despite all medical evidence to the contrary.
Parker balked Raines’ wishes at every turn. Stopping barely short of outright insolence, Lyle’s sister behaved as if she were the one in charge, not their wheezing father. Her royal demeanor and queenly commands grated on Lyle’s nerves. He resented the fact that she could get away with it.
Lyle knew that it was only a matter of time before Raines tired of her behavior and had the child removed from the game. He knew that Parker knew it as well. She knew and yet plowed on, barreling through the obstacles Raines placed in her path. She was a force to be reckoned with, an unpredictable power to be feared, a strength to be admired.
Lyle’s feelings for his sister were horribly conflicted. Parker was a beautiful and intelligent woman. If Lyle had not known when they first met that they were siblings, he would have pursued her with vigor. But she hated him, always had. Over the years, he had learned to resent nearly everything about her.
And yet, with each new crisis that Parker managed to survive, Lyle saw her more and more clearly. His sister was no ignorant damsel in distress. She held her own against the worst of them. Lyle had even seen her stand up to Mutumbo once and no one had ever argued with that crazy Zulu before. Despite all the lies and the secrets that had been kept from her, Parker continued to prevail. She carried on without surrendering her soul. Lyle envied her that.
It was this jealousy that fed Lyle’s need to upstage his sister at every opportunity. This only served to increase the hostility between them but Lyle just couldn’t seem to stop it. Somehow they always seemed to find themselves on opposite sides of every battle.
So now, Lyle was skulking in the corridors like a criminal, nervously glancing at his watch. He and his sister had been summoned to their father’s office. “Noon,” Raines had hissed at him over the phone this morning. “Don’t be late.”
Lyle refused to be early, appalled at the prospect of having to wait meekly like some child in the principal’s office. But as the minutes ticked away and twelve o’clock came closer, he began to wonder if Parker might not just blow off the meeting. With a shrug, Lyle decided that his sister’s absence could only benefit him. He strode across the hall and knocked on Raines’ office door at precisely twelve.
“Where’s your sister?” Raines asked as Lyle entered the room.
With a shrug and a jaunty smile Lyle answered. “I didn’t realize it was my turn to keep track of her.”
“It’s your job,” Raines snapped. “I thought you understood the situation.”
“Situation?” Lyle raised his eyebrows. He did his best to portray a casual nonchalant air.
Just then the door flew open and Parker strode into the room in all her glory. Lyle glanced at his watch just in time to see the minute hand shift to 12:01. She hadn’t been late. The frown on Raines’ face caused Lyle’s smile to change into the real thing rather than a pasted on mask. He nearly laughed. God, but she was magnificent. For the briefest of moments, Lyle almost loved her.
“You wanted to see me?” Parker asked with arched brows. No “us”, no greeting, just a curt, business-like inquiry. She stood, her hands clasped behind her back, as if she was standing at attention. She wore her gray suit, the one that was all jacket and made her look tantalizing and cold at the same time.
“No,” said a deep voice from the doorway. “But I did.”
Lyle and Parker both whirled around and stared in dumbfounded wonder. Parker found her voice first. “Daddy?” she gasped.
Lyle felt the sudden sadistic urge to correct her but his own shock prevented it.
“Angel.” Mr. Parker grinned as he crossed the room with open arms. Parker stepped into the embrace and hugged the older man, holding on as though a stiff breeze would knock her down.
“Daddy,” she breathed. “We thought you were dead.”
“You can’t kill a Parker,” he replied. “You know that,” he added in a scolding tone.
“But were have you been for the last four months?” she asked.
“There were one or two loose ends that I had to get cleared away,” Mr. Parker said. When it looked as though Parker might argue with him, he cut her off. “Now Angel, when I can tell you more, I will. But for now let’s just concentrate on what needs to be done. Everything is status quo.”
“Back to normal,” Parker said sadly.
“Exactly. We’ll all get together for dinner tonight,” Mr. Parker promised. “You can bring me up to date on the Jarod pursuit.”
“But, Daddy,” Parker tried again.
“Later Angel,” Mr. Parker said sternly. “Raines. Come along. They are waiting for us in the boardroom.”
With that, the two older men left the room, leaving Lyle and Miss Parker to stare after them.
“Did you know about this?” Parker turned on Lyle with a vicious glare.
“No!” he protested. “I’m as astonished as you are.”
“What loose ends?” Parker growled to herself. “Something must have happened, something big. Something so important that it could put Daddy back in the driver’s seat.”
Lyle approached his sister until he was only inches away from her. Standing behind her, he leaned forward until he was nearly whispering in her ear. “Parker,” he said softly. “I could find out what it was.”
She turned and shot him an icy stare.
“I know things that you don’t,” Lyle added quickly.
If looks could kill his heart would have stopped. But Lyle rushed on. “He’s lying to you,” Lyle said. “You know that. But do you know exactly how much?”
Parker crossed her arms to keep herself from strangling her brother. “I’m listening,” she told him frostily.
“I can get proof that he’s been lying to you all along,” Lyle said.
“And why would you suddenly share this information with me, dear brother?” Parker snarled.
“Because it is becoming all too clear to me,” Lyle explained. “Neither of them is ever going to hand power over to us.”
“You mean, to you,” she scoffed.
“To either me or you,” Lyle frowned. Anger and resentment abruptly boiled in his voice. “They are playing us, moving us around on the game board like pawns. And frankly I’m sick of it. I’m tired of playing their game. Tired of trying to win when they keep changing the rules.”
“Poor baby,” Parker cooed. “What has your frustration got to do with me?”
“You are as much a victim of their machinations as the rest of us, Parker,” Lyle said. “Perhaps more so. I think it’s time that you and I did something about it. It’s time for the Parker legacy to move on. Time for the next generation of Parker twins to rule what is rightfully ours.”
“You’re talking about a coup,” Parker said.
“Together we could do it,” Lyle said confidently. As the words left his lips, he knew them to be true. Alone Parker would have had a shot at the Chairmanship if she’d ever decided she wanted it. Lyle wanted to kick himself at the realization. He had chosen the wrong side to ally himself with. She was the one who could raise Lyle past his present position. With Lyle’s cooperation, Parker’s chances at success rose significantly.
“I can’t trust you,” Parker said. “You change sides faster than a tennis ball at Wimbledon.”
“You can’t trust anyone,” Lyle agreed. “But let me show you. I’ll give you the proof of his betrayal. The only way this will ever end is if we decide to end it.”
“What you propose is risky.” Parker chewed thoughtfully at her lower lip.
“Very,” Lyle nodded. “But I’m tired of being their lackey. Do you really want to go on kow-towing to those old men?”
Parker heaved a large sigh then answered. “I want to see this proof of yours before I make any decisions.”
Lyle smiled. Her readiness to even consider the possibilities spoke volumes. “I’ll bring it by your place first thing in the morning. We’ll have all weekend to debate our strategy.”
“I haven’t agreed to anything,” Parker warned. Turning on her heel, Parker strode from the room without looking back.
“Yet.” Lyle said with a grin to the empty office. “But you will.”
