"Unless it became so bad," Catherine admitted. "So bad, that we didn't have a choice but to interact again." She looked straight at Jarod. "I am not the one who bore Miss Parker, but I am a Catherine.”

It was tough to believe, but Jarod couldn’t deny it. “The Centre had cloned me too,” he told her. “They succeeded once with me.”

Catherine chuckled. “Oh, Jarod. They’ve succeeded more than once with you. You only found the match that was the most perfect to use and keep.”

Jarod was afraid he’d hear that. Let’s get this over with. “Miss Parker, the one who was birthed, she died shortly after birth. I understand that. Where is the Miss Parker that I knew as a child? The one that used to chase me?”

Catherine didn’t answer Jarod’s question. “”Inner sense pretender clones was what they always wanted. They've achieved each separately, but never together. This is their goal, and now that one of mine has got in their way of stopping their favorite experiment? I am afraid all of the Miss Parkers are in danger."

"This is bad." They needed computer access right away. He looked over toward Sydney and called to him.  "Sydney, contact Broots again. Make sure he isn't doing anything stupid." Jarod had to think.

Miss Parker's clones were all in the average range of intelligence. Average testing could be performed. But pretenders? Experimenting was risking genius. The Centre most likely kept the pretender kids safer after what happened with his clone in Donoterase.

"Jarod." He watched Sydney come back toward him. "Broots was called in at five this morning. He said they had multiple ideas of where she had been kidnapped too."

"Kidnapped?"

"Yes. The Centre put out the word you kidnapped the children and her," Sydney stated. "So that a standard search and rescue Centre process would begin. He had to enter a huge list of addresses of possible locations to search."

Jarod felt himself sinking. "No."

"Yes. Broots put in all the data." Sydney rubbed his forehead. "All 234 locations. He says he sent what information he could."

"What?!" That many? Jarod looked back toward Catherine. "You only had five, how many clones of your daughter are there?"

"Oh, I was early work for The Centre," Catherine reminded Jarod. "Very early. While the world was discovering computers, The Centre had already gone so much further, and I'm sorry." She nodded toward him. "I tried. I tried to act like I didn't know, but at the same time, I tried to stop the Gemini Projects."

Jarod didn't know what to say to that. "234 . . . Miss Parkers?"

"They perfected it as well as they could so as not to waste as much with the next goal. The Gemini Project," she reminded him. “It’s nowhere near 200 though, don’t worry.”

So more clones of me. "They are right next to the clones of Parker, aren't they?"

"It would save observation space."

"How many of me?" Jarod asked.

"I think they had plans for five successes, but to say they are perfect clones is a stretch. I believe they were chimeras. Considering how close they kept the Gemini project, he is probably your only true clone." She shrugged. "Either way, after they lost him, those out in the field can't be recollected as easily. They weren't groomed in the same way. They didn't want them groomed, they wanted to see them raised in different ways too. You . . . are different than us, Jarod. Than the Catherine's and the Misses. You stayed separate from their minds. There was no twinning they were cloned from."

"Wait," Sydney stopped her as he came out with a piece of paper. "Are you saying these pretender children all have twins?"

"Yes, and The Centre has already called more in," she confirmed. “They actually have triplets I think. Could be more. We don’t involve ourselves as deeply, but we try to do what we can.”

Hundreds of those pretender kids. “Hundreds of Stephanie’s, Ronald’s, Lucas’, and not even named except with a code.” Terrible. They were coming. "Once they perfect that, there will be hundreds of pretender children."

"Considering the technological advancement of the normal world outside The Centre, I am guessing more in the thousands in a few more years," Catherine corrected him. "Designed to think together, just like us. It doesn't matter still though, you want to know where the Miss Parkers are that you knew? Physically? Don't you?"

"There are 234." Jarod didn't want to say it that way. "Did they die and get replaced?" He had to know. Did every Miss Parker he really know, just . . .

"No, no. The ones that were the right ages would get 'called in', and then sent back to their own lives," Catherine said. "Watching them grow, progress, go through different events, have children, study their children, study addictions that sprang up, feelings that sprang up, it was worth all the data to The Centre. However?” Her voice went darker. “The mind sharing will disappear if two certain clones are lost. The heart and mind.” She shook her head. “There will be no more Miss Parker as a whole, only parts, if anything happens to them..”

"I'll save everyone I can," Jarod promised. "Parts or whole. Rene Grossberg then?"

"She might not have the memories of Miss Parker, but she is still essentially trained to be Miss Parker. She will take care of her family. We need to help others, if we can. I can help quiet their mind. Not only that, we need to help Maggie."

Maggie? "Maggie, the mother? Is she another clone of Parker?"

"No. She's a clone of the original Catherine’s sister," she admitted. "We are close to her. She is the mother of the pretender kids. She is in an institution, under Centre control."

Great, another person to help. "I will do what I can." He already had way more than he could take care of, he knew that. 234.

Jarod was still trying to understand. He didn’t want to sound mean, but she still hadn’t answered his question and it didn’t look like she would. To her, they are all the same. 

"I have the list," Sydney said coming toward Jarod. "Broots could only stay on for so long to type. Lyle is hanging around him mostly, he gave me what he could."

Jarod looked at the list. Hundreds of different names and different places. Which one did he grow up with? Which one was on the island? Which one did he give the flu too? "All over the world." He could get some, not all. "My dad and Gemini can help too.”

"A good idea," Sydney agreed. "I'll try and get in touch with Broots again."

"Sydney." Maybe it did offend that Catherine, but Jarod said it anyhow. He had to.  "See if Broots can locate our Parker."

"Too many Parkers." He heard the stigma in 'Catherine's' voice. "Is Rene not her? Weren't you shocked with how much time you spent with her, not knowing she was not her?"

"Whose physical body was at The Centre as your daughter?" Sydney said it for Jarod.

"Many," she said again. "They liked bringing them in and out, to see if the adaptation to the main mind role as Miss Parker was completely accepted. Especially as children." She covered her bottom lip with her top lightly. “They each have two different lives. One personal and one shared mind with shared thoughts.”

"Who had the ruptured ulcer?" Jarod asked more clearly. Moving into physical ailments.

Catherine took a deep breath. "I don't know. I love 234 people, but I don't know who was who and where at what time. I also don’t know who the mind or heart had been. Only The Centre knows that."

Try again. “What is the heart and mind pieces? Were they Miss Parker more often?”

“No,” she said quickly.”Yes and no. I don’t know who was Miss Parker, I said that.”

Damn. Simpler. “What is the heart and mind?”

“The most recognized pieces,” she said. “The heart is the personality of Miss Parker. The mind is the intellectual traits, however after the mind’s excellent traits, the rest of the Miss Parkers tend to fall in a line for sharing.”

“Donating ideas?” Sydney asked. “So, the heart is essentially Miss Parker without any fringes?”

“Fringes?” Catherine was offended again. 

“The great traits of the mind and the other Miss Parkers,” Sydney said. “I’m sorry. Let me rephrase, Catherine? If Miss Parker A is good at math but excels in german, and Miss Parker B is bad at math and excels at her french studies?”

“Yes, the good pieces come first until the contribution is more subtle,” Catherine said. “That will disappear if the mind and heart disappear. They will start to suffer, making killing them even easier.”

“The heart is Miss Parker without any memories,” Sydney said to Jarod, his manners disappearing again.

“They form a line, like a train.” Jarod was starting to see it. “They aren’t like the Catherine’s, just sharing wildly between each other. Hm, if that were possible, The Centre would have sent out more than one Miss Parker at a time. They don’t know about each other’s existence. The strengths unconsciously come before the weaknesses.”

“Yes, one Miss Parker,” Catherine agreed, “while the rest continue to live their lives. It’s like a switch, and The Centre always controls that switch. None of them are any better or any worse. Save who you can, don’t waste time figuring out a heart and mind. By the time everything is said and done, most likely, they will be gone anyhow. The template will snap. Just bring who is left here, and I’ll help quiet the mind.”

Jarod shook his finger at her. "You are so confident I shouldn’t waste time figuring it out, but you are confident you need to save Maggie!"

"She connects with my daughters!" Catherine admitted. "I hate to say it, but? The. The reasons they are going after them, it may be less of just the kids. Their minds. I have a strong connection with my soul sisters, but I can connect with the Miss Parkers lightly. Being related to them as well, I believe Maggie is the one changing that connection. She is making their minds remember parts of the other lives that weren’t part of the shared mind. That is making them a burden to The Centre." She breathed deeply. "She has always been the switch The Centre used. Instead of working for it, she is sacrificing them to give her children time to escape The Centre."

What? "You want me to concentrate on saving a woman, who is making everyone lose their cover?!" Now it made sense. Rene was fine as Miss Parker, but then she started to become like Rene Grossberg for no reason. “Interference in however they worked?"

"She had her children taken," Catherine said again. "She isn't all there. She's been trapped for years by The Centre as the switch. You need to save her eventually, she'll know more. You'll need her access later on. Don't forget her."

"I don't buy this, this isn't right! Miss Parker cried out all the time, and no Catherines were ever there! No one heard her cries. No one soothed her. You soothed Ethan but not her? Not her, not Rene, not any of your so-called daughters! But the sister who is responsible for all of this? Oh don't leave her behind!" Jarod was angry, he was seeing right through to her. 

She didn’t have any extra love for any part of Parker. This was just the nearest ‘Catherine’ to intercept them. She cared more about keeping this Maggie safe than any of the Miss Parkers.

"Name and locations of the Miss Parkers I know?" Jarod asked. “Are they all near Delaware?”

"To go after them, even if they are far away from here?" Catherine responded. "Will you honestly play favorites?"

"Oh, I honestly will!" Jarod was getting tired of it, his capacity for being polite was disappearing.  "I don't really know if you yourself were at The Centre taking turns as Catherine. I don’t think just talking and sharing information makes you into each other, and I don’t think you do either.”

“They are all unique people, but Miss Parker is the shared mi-”

“I don't know who the woman was that I talked to personally last night like Parker. I don’t know who is the heart or the mind, and neither do you. I do know that I am going to rescue the women I knew all those years as Miss Parker!" That was a damn fact. "Name and locations, Sydney!"

"Then you forsake any of the young dears you could have saved around here," Catherine reminded him. "The young dears at school? All the Little Misses, still so innocent out there? Just because they never took a turn as Miss Parker?"

Sydney laid his hand on his shoulder. "I know this is difficult, but all we have are location, name, and Broots found the ages..”

“They are all Miss Parker,” Catherine said firmly. “Their names are separate, their lives are separate, and their memories are separate. It’s only when The Centre pulls them in, that those shared memories become Miss Parker. Every bit of her life that was lived by the others, it all forms in the mind and creates Miss Parker.” 

“I already get it,” Jarod said firmly back. Jarod glared at her, trying to keep his feelings in check. "Address of where Maggie is, and Sydney can watch over it." Maggie was safe inside of a building, Sydney could watch people come in and out. Most likely since she wasn't even Miss Parker, she would stay safe. "I'll have my dad and Major Charles help once I call. Wherever they are right now, they can get the closest ones to them." 

Jarod tried to think logically with his mind instead of just his heart too as he called. There was no time for a long warm conversation about how long it had been since he’d seen them. “Can you concentrate on finding the younger Miss Parker clones?.”

Jarod just hoped The Centre wasn't moving too fast. If it was set for a quick elimination with a reward? Fast. Efficient. Enticing.

It Begins . . .

---------------------

Fran checked her fare. She waited for the next person to come in. "Where-"

----------------

"Seriously? You just called me for dinner!" Clarissa whined. Her parents were interrupting her game again. At least it was only one more year of high school and-

---------------------

"Whoah there, that is not how much I pay for groceries," Jillian complained as she looked at her grocery ticket. "What is this, highway robbery? What in my groceries cost-"

-----------------------

Florence stared at her wallet as she waited for her friends to arrive. Hopefully none of them asked for extra money. She heard the man yell 'tickets' and she went up to the ticket man. "Three for-"

-----------------------------

Seattle, Washington

"Hi there." Mabel welcomed the teenagers coming to Kathleen’s Ice Cream Truck. She was doing her a favor for a small cut of the profit that day. "What would you like?" They didn't look happy. "What is it?"

"Where's the sexy one with the legs?" One of them asked. "The hot ones always working at this time. Not you."

Oh. Her nose wrinkled only a minute. "Not everyone is gifted with Kathleen Davis’ looks." These kids!

"Yeah, you're telling me. One snowcone, Tigers Blood."

Oh, Kathleen so owed her! Mabel bent down to get the cup ready for the snowcone. When she looked back up-

-----------------------------------------------

Dimple’s Diner

Kathleen Davis took off her tennis shoes for some softer shoes when she came into the diner she worked in. It was so stupid, one of those teenage punks decided to flake on her. So who had to come in? Her, and that was bullshit. It was late and kids were out playing around. Those brats needed cold treats. The kids and the teen boys that came around to stare. She usually charged their butts double since they were only there to linger at her. She was an attractive woman, but looks weren't enough to get by in the world. Well, unless you wanted to do something unscrupulous with those looks. 

At least she got Mabel to cover for her, but she still had to split some of the profits.

She rested in the back room for a little while before her shift began. The TV was on a special report. Probably weather. The weather always sucked. She looked toward it, eyewitnesses to whatever local weather problem was going on. People overreacting too, downright crying.

"The ages are all different, yet the synchronicity of this horror can't be ignored. These victims with what families say all share the same kind of features so much with each other, they practically look like twins. They all have dark-"

"Hey!" Kathleen complained as her 'mini-boss' came in and turned off the TV. Manager's favorite pet. "I was watching that."

"You're on duty," he said. "Get out there."

"I had two minutes before I started, and you should be thankful," Kathleen said as she tied her softer shoes. "I should be making money off brats and leering teens."

"You know as much as you hate people, you'd think you'd find something else different," the Manager's pet neighed to her.

"I take these stupid people jobs so I can make enough to . . . find something else." To get the hell out of there, but she couldn't go too far. She'd get fired, and she didn't want that again. Her last job reference swore she left and never came back. That didn't rub her employers the right way. Proven hospital stay records of an accident? Oh no, she just left with no excuse. Stupid bastards. She went out toward the front, waiting for the orders to come in.

That moron Cuyler better not show up today.

Tallahassee, Tennessee

Clarice ignored the notes being passed by her in school, she was trying to concentrate. She moved her feet back and forth by her desk. There was nothing more horrifying than geography. She felt a note landing on her chin, bouncing to her table. She rolled her eyes and looked at who did that.

"Clarice? Are you passing notes?"

"What?" The teacher was blaming her. "No, it was Terrence." She gestured toward Terrence.

"Uh huh." The teacher didn't believe her. "Why don't you give us an interesting state fact of anywhere other than Tennessee, hmm?"

"Um."

"Stand up and speak loud and clear," the teacher insisted.

Clarice looked at the geography map. She didn't know the world that well at all. Somewhere besides Tennessee. Her eyes went over toward Delaware. It was always an interesting state to her. "Delaware gets a lot of rain each year." She watched her teacher. She wasn't impressed, but not denying it either.

"Sit down, Clarice and pay attention." The teacher went back to teaching.

Geez. She didn't even do anything. Clarice looked toward the door though. A boy was lingering out the door. Staring at her. He looked familiar. He looked a lot like the boy Brandon she knew from science, but his hair was different. Brandon had cool different colored hair. Different colored eyes too. No, he was clearly someone different.

Her eyes drifted to the clock. It's where everyone's eyes were settling. Almost time for school to get out.

—----------------------

Gemini moved away from the schoolroom door and dialed on his cellphone. "I found her. What should we do, Major Charles?"

"Hope we are extremely lucky. I'm coming. Watch out for anything suspicious. You sure you are up to this, Gemini?"

"Yeah. She's a clone, like me," Gemini admitted. "There's no way I can just leave her out here to be killed off. Not this time, we have to make this one." He was taking some heat and some chances. He knew it. The attempts were moving fast, and no one cared about the ages of anyone involved. Major Charles and him had found the nearest clone of Miss Parker and she was taken out in the name of The Centre.

So was the second. 

The third was a teen, like the one now. She was already gone too.

He didn't want to mess around again! The names on the list were getting shorter, and the news were doing their fair share of the name dropping too. This wasn't just The Centre, it was like a bunch of groups assigned to kill asap! 

The original Jarod had no luck. They'd be lucky if any of them saved just one. 

He kept his eyes on the empty hallway. At the end of school, it would probably happen. They didn't want a big commotion in the way, they were wanting just their target.

While the older ladies were being warned by the media now, there were significantly younger ones. The last ones to be born. Only four according to the full list so there was no warning for them at all. When the bells rung, everyone started to pour out. He watched as she came out and walked to the left. He quickly tried to catch up. Schools were huge, people really poured out of them once it was over.

He was the only one young enough to get into a school building. He was the only option to get this done. Waiting later was too dangerous.

He wouldn't lose her. He moved, twisted and bent around everyone trying to catch up with her. She was heading out the front doors. He picked up the pace, practically dashing. Please! They could be anywhere. "Wait up!" He called.

She was moving along the sidewalk, looking at it as she walked.

He finally caught up to her, out of breath. "Wait."

She stared at him, but didn't stop walking. "You look familiar. Have we met?"

Wow. Even not being triggered to be a 'Miss Parker' she recognized him as Jarod. "My name's . . ." Catch up on his breathing. Crossing the street didn't help.

"Jarod." She said it like it was a certainty. "I mean, I think it's Jarod? You look like a Jarod. That was horrible of me. Sorry." She shrugged. "You're related to Brandon, right?"

"Gemini," he spoke. "My name's Gemini. How do you do?"

"Oh. Hi." She gestured to the road. "Do you walk home this way too?"

No. She needed to get out of such an easy spot. "You shouldn't walk home by yourself right now."

"I live like four blocks away," she said. "My mom and dad come to pick me up, but most times they are so late. It takes less time to just walk home. Oh, wait." She smiled and waved at a car. "There they are."

Gemini watched the car come close to the road and park. She tried to get in. "No, don't go."

"Don't talk that way to my daughter," the driver said. Clearly her dad.

"Don't talk that way to the nice boy," the passenger said. Most likely her mother. "He just wanted to talk longer."

"She doesn't need to be talking to boys," her father said. "Get in, Clarice."

Gemini would have protested again, but he saw it. Coming up from behind. He grabbed and pushed her down to the ground. 

Shots rang out above them. 

He held on tightly to her, she was trying to get up on instinct to get away to safety. "Don't move!" From the angle and the speed it was an attempt at a drive-by. That should give them just enough time before they could pull back and try again. She screamed, scared and traumatized. Hopefully he made her duck down fast enough to miss her family's end. 

Gemini pulled her up slightly and moved to the right as Major Charles’s car came careening around the side. As it stopped, he got the door opened and kept her ducked down still.

Major Charles pulled away just in time as shots rang out again. Gemini made her duck her head.

"Damn!" Major Charles yelled. "You get her, she okay? You okay too?"

"Yeah." He got her. She was crying, emotional, and screaming.

But alive.