CENTRE INFIRMARY

Lysander groaned as reality welcomed her back. She tentatively opened her left eye, fearful of what would await her. She was awarded with the unmistakable fluorescent glare of industrial lights.

Welcome back to the living.

She could remember little of what had happened. During her medical exam, Lys had stolen a bottle of carelessly discarded sedatives, and return them undetected to her cell. Bras apparently did have a purpose. She had taken the entire bottle, before moving the bed, hoping any onlookers would believe she was just in a deep sleep. She also remembered an ear-piercing screeching sound, and flashes of Jarod. Had he been the one who had condemned her back to life?

When Lysander had been thirteen years old, one of her dearest friends had tried to commit suicide. It had been a rough year for the poor girl, her mother had passed away from cancer and Lys had always suspected the father was physically abusive. Never the less, it hadn't been a very successful attempt, as the girl had simply swallowed a cocktail of what she found in her dad's medicine cabinet. They had pumped her stomach, and then Lys had sat at her bedside, waiting for her friend to come back to life.

Lys distinctly remembered the look on her friend's face as she came back from her oblivion; tears had instantly flowed from the girl's eyes. Lys could find no words of comfort, instead had just opted to hold her friend's hand. They had sat like that for hours. That moment had haunted her ever since that terrible day. Lys had never stopped imagining what it would be like to work up the courage to close the book on life, only to wake up and find yourself surrounded by the same consuming pain. She had concluded one would feel incredibly trapped, almost suffocated by the knowledge that you didn't even have the power to leave. She also had promised herself that no matter how much crap life would throw at her, she would never be weak enough to try and opt out prematurely. Funny how some things change.

Lys let her eyes wander slowly over the room. Everything was a blinding, sterile white, like they were trying to neutralize the raw emotions that were screaming beneath the surface. Colour was not part of her world. Looking down, Lys was not entire shocked to find herself in padded shackles, unable to move either of her hands and feet more than a few inches. There would be no comforting moments for her, no friends to hold her hand as she coped with the pain. Instead they would probably try and punish her for this. Her thoughts turned to Conrad, her former handler at the Conglomerate, he had been a victim to the war she had been unwillingly been made a key player in. As much as he had tormented her, Lys missed the familiarity. She almost wished he could be here, just to yell at her. Anything would be better than this sterile white room, with it's complete and utter silence. Talk about freaking Stockholm syndrome.

The door to the small infirmary room was opened, and an elderly looking gentleman walked in hesitantly. Lysander met his eyes with a cool glare, only to soften her features slightly as she realized that the man didn't wear the same hard scowl that her keepers typically did.

"Lysander– My name is Sydney."

"What do you want?" She questioned uncaringly.

"I'm just here to talk." The older man replied evenly.

" I've been locked up enough to know everyone wants something. Idle chit chat, not something that's on been on my allowed activity list. Please don't insult my intelligence with a silver-plated lie. Now what do you really want?"Lysander returned bitterly.

Sydney sighed patiently. The rumours had said that the predictor was incredibly spirited and she hadn't disappointed him. He had seen passion like hers with only two other in his lifetime, one of them the man being held several sublevels below. "I'm a psychiatrist. I really do just want to talk. I've made a career out of it." He told the restrained woman.

Lysander rolled her eyes. "Is this one of those sessions where I'm supposed to get in touch with my feelings? No one has given a second thought to my feelings since I was kidnapped two decades ago. You can't expect me to believe that because I popped a bottle of pills that things will be all hugs and puppies from now on, especially when I wake up like this." Lys added, giving a tug on her arm restraints in protest.

Sydney shook his head slightly, but decided to be fully honest with the woman before him.

"Ok. In truth, I'm here because the Triumvirate has demanded a full psych examination be done on you and -" the shrink stopped himself.

Lysander studied him intently before finishing off his sentence. "Myself and Jarod. What, they want to know how far they can push us before we become Alex version 2.0? Yes, allow me to be of complete assistance in that department."

Sydney had to suppress a smile. "Have you considered the possibility that I might actually have your best interest in mind?" He challenged.

He was not disappointed. "Are you going to recommend that they turn me loose as a way to prevent further emotional scarring? They don't give a rat's ass about what's going on in my head, unless it prevents me from doing what I apparently do best. Sorry doc – my brain is the only left that belongs to me. I'll kill myself before I let them take it away."

"And think at how successful you were the first time you tried it Lysander." Lyle's sarcastic voice sounded from the doorway. "We won't allow you the opportunity to try again."

Lysander groaned inwardly, swearing she saw the psychiatrist standing beside her do the same. She lifted her head laboriously, catching a glimpse of the dangerous man, with three sweepers behind him, holding an empty wheelchair, padded restraints opened at the ready on its small frame.

"What, coming to escort me to the loonie ward?" She spat sarcastically before turning her head away from the group.

"Lyle I was ordered to do a complete psychiatric exam on her." Sydney protested. "Besides she's in no condition to be moved. She still has an IV in for goodness sakes."

"Save it Sydney. I've sure you've seen enough to stumble your way through the report the Africans want. She is just a pain in the ass that will do anything for a little attention." The twin smirked at the predictor before him. "Don't worry dear, we won't be taking our eyes off of you until you get on that plane in two days." He finished.

Lys couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or threatening her, likely a combination of the two. She remained silent as the sweepers came to her bedside, lifting her out from under the blanketed warmth, before securing her in the wheelchair. Lys shivered, not sure if from the coldness that enveloped her, or her apprehension of what was to come next.

"Give me five minutes alone with her Lyle. I would hate to have to tell the Triumvirate about your interference." The psychiatrist threatened. Lyle glared insolently at the shrink before conceding.

"Fine Sydney, you can have your magical five minutes. However if I were you I would be more concerned about your boy downstairs. He's been rather inconsolable since he committed Angelo to a death sentence the other day. Which reminds me, have you see that creature lying around? You think with every gun in this place searching for him, someone would have put him out of his misery by now." Lyle taunted.

Sydney's face darkened, and Lysander could sense he was trying very hard to keep his emotions neutralized. "The Triumvirate also stipulated I was to complete an examination of Jarod." he reminded the twin.

"Relax Sydney, he's doing penance down on SL-26. He should be available by tomorrow morning. I'll have my people call yours." The twin chuckled, almost madly. "Enjoy the chat." He offered, patting Lysander on the shoulder, before exiting the room, his three sweepers following him out like lost puppies.

Sydney seemed lost in thought for a few moments, before he pulled himself together. "Who is Angelo?" Lysander questioned softly.

Sydney smiled down at the woman, he couldn't bear to tell her the truth about Angelo's role and ensuing condemnation regarding Lysander's suicide attempt. Despite her hard, sarcastic exterior, Sydney could feel the raw emotions that he so keenly sensed in Jarod. He wouldn't add more guilt to her already fragile psyche. Pushing his anxiety over Angelo out of his head, he crouched down to the predictor, now bound in the wheelchair. "He's no one you need to worry about right now." He offered kindly, but he knew from the doubt visible on Lysander's face, that she was not entirely buying his words.

"And Jarod?" She pressed on.

The psychiatrist studied the desperation in Lysander's eyes. "They were not thrilled to find him out of his room." He answered weakly, knowing she knew enough about Centre hierarchy to not need any more details. Not that he had any himself. Broots had frantically told him about the death warrant out on Angelo, coupled with rumors of Jarod being found in Lysander's cell around the same time the predictor had been taking to the infirmary for a suspected suicide attempt. He was incredibly fearful for his protégé, but the urgency of the situation required him to focus his efforts on saving Angelo. Not that the empath appeared to need any help, he had seemingly vanished from Centre radar.

"I begged him to let me go!" Lysander whispered, as her brief interaction with Jarod resurfaced in her memory. "Why couldn't he just have listened? We all would have been better off."

Sydney gently patted the women on her knee. "I can imagine that Jarod feels responsible for failing to get you away from the Centre. If he had done what you had requested, he would have felt your death was his fault."

"It wasn't his decision to make. It's my life." Lys remarked bitterly. "Tell me doctor, what would you do if you knew you had about two days, give or take, until your brain was going to be scrambled like tomorrow's breakfast omelet?"

Sydney didn't know what he could say to comfort the woman before him. Instead he reached out and grasped her left hand in his two, giving it a comforting squeeze.

THE CENTRE – CORPORATE WING

Miss Parker sighed contently, sipping her scotch. After years of chasing around the genius of year she was back where she belonged – the civilized world of corporate.

No guns – no games – no lies. Life was wonderful.

Her thoughts turned to Angelo. Although she had been avoiding her brother and Raines like the plague since she had fled the safehouse, the rumours had still managed to filter up to the Corporate wing. She was somehow surprised that neither Broots nor Sydney had tracked her down, begging her to do something. Not that she could, the name Parker no longer held the power it once did. Maybe they had finally realized that.

Parker didn't know why she cared so much, he was a freak. But he had shown them all so much kindness. She wondered how long he could hide away before one of the Centre's goon managed to put a bullet in his brain.

Fortunately Parker had learned the lesson her mother never managed to – you can't save them. It was much easier just to forget. The ghosts can't haunt you, if they don't exist in the first place.

Scotch on the other hand was a wonderful companion. It had always been there for her, thru Tommy's death, Jarod's endless torments, her father's disappearance, Raines' chairmanship.

Miss Parker was brought out of her thoughts as her office intercom sounded.

"What?" She grumbled at the secretary.

Her eyes widened slightly as she listened to the timid woman on the line. Raines wanted to see her. Anything concerning that ghoul was bad news.

THE CENTRE – SYDNEY's OFFICE

Sydney stared at the empty glass before him. He had kept a bottle of Johnny Walker in his desk for darker occasions. Given where he worked – he was surprised he hadn't crack into his stash more often.

He had to wonder, how had things gone so wrong?. When Jarod had first escaped, Sydney had been as eager to get him back as anyone had been. However his protégé had slowly made him aware of the lies, the degree of deception. Jarod belonged outside these walls, and Sydney had promised himself he would do whatever it takes to keep his protégé safe; Another empty promise. He couldn't get within hundred feet of Jarod's room without being escorted away by a sweeper.

Sydney and Broots had spent the last couple evenings working with Major Charles and Jay, Jarod's clone. Everything was in the hands of Jarod's family now – the last hope. He and the tech had provided much needed insider information, but Sydney himself was at a loss at exactly what the Major had planned. He only prayed that whatever it was, that they wouldn't fail. It was becoming blatantly obvious to him, that Jarod couldn't get out from where they were keeping him and the fact that the pretender had escaped the last two times had he been forced onto Centre aircraft, they would not be taking any chances. If Jarod reached that airplane – he would be lost to them all.

He couldn't bare the thought of Jarod being slowly destroyed.

"Mind if I join you?" Sydney looked up, surprised to see Miss Parker at his doorway. Another stab of guilt overcame him. After Broots had informed him about Parker's erratic behaviour at the safehouse, Sydney knew the younger woman was in pain. Parker had built up such powerful defenses, anger masking her true feelings. He had meant to go to her, but instead had been forced to focus his efforts on Jarod, on Lysander, on Angelo.

"Of course Miss Parker – please have a seat." The psychiatrist offered, handing her an empty glass. She poured herself a generous helping. "I can't believe you drink this crap Sydney."

"Considering its purpose, I find it unfitting to splurge on a more palatable brand." The shrink replied.

"Angelo?" Parker questioned tentatively.

The shrink shook his head. "There has been no sign of him."

Parker visibly relaxed. "What happened? His scrambled brain has been roaming these halls for years."

"Lysander managed to steal a lethal quantity of sedatives from the infirmary. Angelo must have sensed her desperation and from what I heard went immediately to Jarod, helping him escape the confines of his cell. Jarod alerted the sweepers, and the medical team was able to revive her."

Miss Parker smiled sadly. "Let me guess – Lyle was furious that Jarod had gotten out - nevermind that he had saved her life."

Sydney nodded. "I didn't know how he became privy to Angelo's involvement. I highly doubt Jarod would have confessed his involvement. Broots did some digging, and found out Lyle had sent in a screwdriver for fingerprint analysis. Angelo's prints were on it. I can only assume that is what Jarod used to get out of his cell."

Miss Parker sucked in her breath. "Do you think Angelo has ran away?"

Sydney shook his head. "I honestly don't think Angelo can survive on the outside. Even the few times he has left, he has always come back. The outside world can't understand him – I mean we created him and we barely do. This is all he knows."

Parker's eyes darkened. "The Africans are arriving tomorrow – but something tells me you likely already know that."

Sydney nodded.

Parker laughed a little. "Broots is very good at his job."

Sydney smiled, but remained silent, sensing Parker had more to say.

"I've been asked, sorry, I've been ordered to escort Jarod and Lysander to the airfield in two days. Apparently the Triumvirate requested me personally. They believe I'm the only one competent enough to see that those two get on that damn airplane without any incident."

Sydney closed his eyes, the turmoil present in the woman before him was clairvoyantly obvious. Her defenses were coming down.

Parker continued. "As far as I am concerned, I'm done with Jarod. I warned him not to pull that escape stunt, but he still did, losing whatever cards we had left in play to keep him on the continent."

"Miss Parker you can hardly blame him for trying to escape." Sydney interrupted.

"Save it Sydney. I'm not going to stand by watching as they slowly tear Jarod into pieces. As far I am concerned he's gone. I've forgotten, and so should you. It's easier this way, then trying to pick up the fragments that will be left if he gets sent back here."

The psychiatrist shook his head sadly.

"We were best friends once." Parker continued. "I don't even know how you would classify what we were the past six years. Huntress-Prey? Tormentee-Tormentor? Now I get to escort his sorry ass to his demise. This is twisted, even for the Centre."

Sydney searched desperately for words that could offer comfort to the woman before him, but he couldn't even find the words to comfort himself.

"Friend alone." Both Parker and Sydney shot up at the sound of Angelo's voice.

"Angelo, you have to go, it's not safe." Parker warned. The empath put up his hand, silencing her.

"Jarod alone. Need to know you still care."

"I'm done caring Angelo. Jarod's leaving, and he won't be coming back. At least not the Jarod I wish to know." Parker replied bitterly.

"Past doesn't hide." The empath returned, adding. "Daughter cares. Always has. Always will."

Parker turned to Sydney. "A little help please?" She said, her voice edgy. Sydney had to suppress a small smile. He personally thought Angelo was doing just fine on his own.

"Friend needs to know."

"Right Angelo - I'll just waltz over to Jarod and give him a big hug before I push him on that airplane and chain him down. That will get the message across."

The empathy shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Jarod understand. But Angel need to show him."

"Angelo, is there anything we can do to help you?" Sydney interjected, sensing Parker needed a moment to compose herself.

The empathy smiled sadly. "Time to go."

Sydney wrinkled his forehead in confusion.

Angelo walked over to where Miss Parker now sat, leaned over on the chair, massing her temple. He touched her face softly. Sydney was surprised when she didn't flinch away from the empath's gentle touch.

"Promise me. Only Daughter can save Jarod. Tell-him. Friend needs to know Angel still cares."

"I can't Angelo. The script was written for Jarod and I years ago. There is nothing left to be done, and after Jarod gets on that plane, I'll be the only character left. How's that for a happy ending?" Parker asked softly. Sydney could see her eyes were moist with unshed tears.

"Angel can do it. Angelo knows - Timmy knows."

Miss Parker studied the empath's face intently.

Angelo got up from his crouched position.

"Where will you go now Angelo?" Sydney questioned. "Where is your refuge?" He knew the empath would react to the use of Jarod's safeword.

Angelo shuddered. "No refuge for Angelo in here. No refuge for Angelo anywhere. Time to free Timmy." Instead of turning in the direction of the air vent where he came from, he moved towards the doorway.

"Angelo, you can't go there. Everyone is looking for you." Sydney stated. "Please let us help you."

Miss Parker shot up from her chair, as realization dawned on her. "He knows Sydney. He's trying to tell us it's his time. He wants to go."

"Free Timmy." The empath repeated.

"No Angelo, you can't be serious!" Parker pleaded. Since when had the Centre become the suicide capital of Delaware?

The empathy reapproached the woman before him. "Time for Timmy to be free. Angel has friend. Friend needs Angel."

"Sydney?" Parker asked, her voice breaking.

The psychiatrist found himself muted.

"Promise Timmy, Angel will help friend."

Parker stared at the floor brokenly. "I promise."

The empath smiled and continued on his path to the doorway.

"Angelo– NO." Sydney ordered.

"Timmy at peace." The empath stated before dashing out the door. Sydney moved to follow after him, but was stopped by Parker.

"Let him go."

"He'll be killed the second someone sees him." Sydney begged.

Parker nodded, a small tear escaping down her cheek. "He's been trapped in that mangled brain of his for decades. He's stuck around this long just to help Jarod but now…" She choked, unable to finish the words.

"They've taken that away. There is nothing left for Angelo in our world anymore." The psychiatrist finished for her. "Miss Parker, you are wrong. I don't deny he's been a great ally to Jarod, but he's also always been trying to help you. You and Jarod. He's given you everything in his life, so you two can have a chance at happiness."

The pair flinched as the sound of two gunshots consumed the sublevel.

Parker gazed into the psychiatrists eyes, unable to prevent the tears that now fell freely from her face. "Godspeed Timmy." She whispered, before collapsing into Sydney's arms.