PARKER MANSION

It was nine a.m. when Lyle heard some noise coming from the entrance. He had fallen asleep on the couch a few hours ago, when fatigue and soreness took control over him. He abruptly opened his eyes, awaken by the sound of some steps coming from the other room. He lifted his arm, aiming the gun towards whoever had just come into the house.

“Who’s that?” he asked, trying not to sound too much worried.

“With instinct like that, you should be dead already.” The voice of the pretender vibrated all over the room as Jarod walked below the huge arch that separates the living room from the entrance.

“Jarod.” Lyle lowered the weapon and stood up immediately. “Took you long enough.”

“If I could have arrived sooner, I would be here already, trust me.”

“I’m not confident in trusting someone who might be the cause of my girlfriend’s kidnapping.”

Jarod voluntarily ignored Lyle and threw a red file on the table, “He’s the one you must blame.”

Lyle took the file and greedily opened it, noticing that he was holding another proof of the Parkers’ sins in his hands. He instantly distinguished a picture of the man that his sister had asked him to find something about.

"Meet Gabriel.” Jarod stated.

When Lyle had come back to the Centre under his father’s request, he didn’t know anything about the red files. They were a dead argument, anyway. With Jarod on the run and Parker convinced that Major Charles had killed Catherine, the months following the revelation about the red files had passed by and since the interest of his sister and the Pretender had been caught elsewhere, so had been Lyle’s.

“Who is he?”

Jarod grimaced, “Now don’t tell me you don’t know him.”

“I have no idea who this man is, Jarod. I told Miss Parker that I had never seen him, and I was honest to her.”

Jarod tried to seek the truth in Lyle’s eyes. If the Centre had made Parker and him forget about the simulation involving all the red files, maybe they had erased that memory from Lyle’s mind too. Perhaps he was trustful – for once in a lifetime.

“Gabriel was one of us. In 1971 all the red files were involved in a simulation the aim of which was to find out how our abilities should be exploited by the Centre.”

“Meaning?” Lyle stared at him, his mind in turmoil.

“They wanted to establish what kind of training give us.”

“Bad or good guys.” Lyle completed the sentence, finally understanding Jarod’s words.

“Precisely. The SIM not only was a way to separate us, but also a means that made the powers to be understand that the pretender gene was to be developed in different ways for different lab rats.”

“So that’s why they made the Bowmans adopt me while you were stuck here at Disneyland?”

Jarod nodded, “I assumed Raines thought that was the best way to have ascendancy over you.”

Lyle took a couple of seconds to internalize this new discover. “What about Gabriel? The red file says he was sent to renewal wing. Which, I presume never happened?”

“I believe that Gabriel was actually sent to the Triumvirate.”

Lyle shook his head, “I would have known about that. Forgot I’m the one who trained Alex?”

“I know that.” Jarod replied so sternly that Lyle for a moment thought that he wouldn’t answer his questions anymore. “Gabriel was probably under cover. He wasn’t trained as an exploited pretender; he is part of the equation. He works for the Triumvirate.”

“Wait, like I worked for the Triumvirate?!”

Jarod assented, “He must be very important. He is the main reason the Centre still exists after all these years without other pretenders. Gabriel is no backup, he is the leader.”

Lyle sighed. “Now I figure it out.”

“What?”

“How the Centre survived until now. Gabriel performed the SIMs and the Centre took benefit from his work.”

“Business as usual.” Jarod commented.

After a few moments of silence, Lyle spoke again, “What does he want?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Jarod smiled sadly. Why was the Centre so keen in having him back was still a mystery after forty years. But it was no secret that the Triumvirate had ordered his pursuit since he had escaped in 1996.

“Gabriel asked me to surrender in exchange of Parker and the children. I have no idea why he kidnapped your fiancé. But I guess he has a goal.”

“And you think he’s going to let Parker and the kids go away? Then you haven’t learned anything yet. If there’s one thing I know it’s that the Centre doesn’t negotiate. With anyone. Not even you.”

Jarod smiled, “For the first time in my life I agree with you. And I’m afraid of what might happen if Gabriel finds out about my kids’ abilities.”

Lyle was shocked, “You mean they are…”

Jarod’s mobile rang. The pretender was glad that their conversation had been interrupted. He was talking too much. He didn’t want to put his children’s lives in jeopardy more than they already were. He still didn’t know if he could trust Lyle.

“What?” he asked to the interlocutor.

“It’s Sydney. I’m going to Blue Cove.”

Jarod almost panicked, “I told you not to interfere, Sydney!”

“I couldn’t leave you behind, Jarod. Not this time!”

The pretender sighed. Though his former mentor was too dear to him to put his life in danger, he was incredibly relieved that he was coming to help rescue his children.

“Wait a second.”

Jarod put the call on speakerphone. “Lyle’s here.” He informed Sydney.

The old man was surprised and resented Jarod when he realized that he had decided to put his trust on Lyle instead of himself. But he had no intention to question Jarod’s motives.

“Sydney, long time no see.”

Jarod’s mind was thrilling. He was finally figuring out a plan. Sydney could be really helpful in spite of the impatient spirit that had unexpectedly brought him to Delaware.

“So, what are we going to do? We are a bit too old to play 3 Men and a Baby.”

“Lyle, you will go back to the Centre as if anything had happened.”

“What?” Lyle almost screamed. “I’m not going to be the victim of another one of your insane plans!”

“Nothing must change.” Jarod continued, imposing his voice, “If they believe that you don’t know anything about this, maybe we have a chance. They don’t know that we are going to fight them together.”

“What makes you think so?” Sydney asked.

“Because Gabriel knows that I’d rather die than pact with Lyle. Or at least that’s what he’s sure of. He thinks he knows me well. He doesn’t know how much paternity changes a man.”

“Are you sure of this? If you’re mistaken I’m going to seriously risk my ass.”

“I hope so, Lyle. That’s the only way you might be able to discover where they are keeping my family. And also yours.”

“They could be anywhere, Jarod!” Sydney screamed through the phone.

Lyle shook his head, “There wasn’t enough time. The most reasonable location to imprison them was the same as always. The Centre.”

Jarod gave Lyle a questioning look.

“My sweeper Jude reported seeing three hooded persons dragged to the Centre. Two of them looked like kids.”

Jarod felt his anger growing.

“What did you expect? This is a Schedule 47. Their cell will be surveilled more than Fort Knox. We won’t be able to make them escape. You won’t break into the Centre without a help from the inside.”

Jarod smiled for the first time, “Why do you think I came to you first?”