Florida

Miss Parker looked at the fountain. It felt ridiculous that Daddy wanted to have a family vacation in the middle of her school year. That was her Daddy though. Most times, she never even got to see him. He was a business man. She didn't really care for him that much. He wasn't a warmhearted individual. Just like her original daddy.

"Miss Parker?"

She looked toward the bushes.  Yep, there he is.  "Couldn't you at least wait for college, Jarod?"  

Jarod smiled. "No. This was a rapid vacation decision because you won tickets but only if you went immediately. I saw some strange things being sent out, and I . . .watch The Centre like a hawk and I always will.”

That didn’t sound good. Jarod was rarely ever nervous. “What came through?”

“Some strange order came through about someone being a mole. I can't make heads or tails of it, but your address was in there," Jarod said. “I had to get you out as soon as possible to watch out for you.”

"Daddy's address? I mean, my current Dad's address?" she corrected herself. "Centre still has me sometimes, I guess."

"We'll always feel it." Jarod approached her after looking around again. "You're okay?" She nodded. "Okay. I'm going to look into it deeper. You can’t come off vacation until I figure it out. If need be, your family might win a longer vacation. You need to stay away from your address. Okay? Are you okay?" He asked it again.

"Of course I'm okay," she insisted. Although? Maybe she wasn’t feeling exactly as okay as she tried to lead him on. "I'm Miss Parker. I'm always okay, right?" She tried to smile for him.

"You don't look okay." Jarod approached her side by the fountain. "What is it? Nobody knows where you are at, I promise."

"The nightmares," she confessed. "They're returning." She touched the side of the fountain. "I'm older. You're older. You were never freed from The Centre."

"I get nightmares still too," Jarod said. "I'll always have them. It's important to remember that's all they are. Just nightmares. You're 18. I'm 19. That's all. Ignore it."

"I . . . I feel like I'm not me at times. Especially during the nightmares, Jarod." He just didn't seem to understand. "Lately today? It's been hitting really hard. It's lost. I feel lost. I feel. I don't know. Like I'm just not there. Like I'm just not whole. I remember The Centre, but I don't, and I remember a Broots and Sydney. I told you that before but. . . someone was shooting at me. I was behind a cash register, scratching a ticket. I ran for a gun. I went home. I ran into you, older. Really older, Jarod."

She heard his sigh. Somewhere between tired and concerned. That was Jarod. "Listen? I'm going to look into this whole thing more deeply. Okay? It's just stress, Parker. Nothing else."

"But, him. I see him. I always see him, Jarod." Raines.

"Was he the one shooting the gun?" Jarod asked.

"No. I mean, not in this dream, but I always see him. I just?" Geez. She tried to hold her hands over her eyes as she cried. She couldn't keep it together today and that wasn’t good!

Jarod made her feel strong. Protected. He wasn’t good with emotions though, if she didn’t quit, he’d bail. "I’m sorry. What's wrong with me, Jarod?"

"Nothing. It's just the consequences of having lived at The Centre when we were kids," Jarod told her once again. "I'm not old. You aren't old. You don't work for The Centre. There is no Broots or Sydney like in your last dream. I mean no one big in The Centre with the names. You know what I mean, nothing to do with us. Look? It's okay." He put his hand over hers. "Don't focus on it, just ignore it. Alright?"

“But? It feels like I lost something. Someone today. Someone precious I loved. Daddy jumped out of an airplane and Momma was shot in the elevator."

"Oh Miss Parker." He was concerned yet getting annoyed. "I don't know how your real parents went. I just know they are gone." He shrugged "I've got to figure this new problem out now. Be alert, but be okay."

She moved past the fountains. He could go if he needed but she felt like her heart was absolutely crushing within her chest. She couldn't hold back her grief, even if it would drive him away.  "I've been thinking about children so much lately. I don't want to be a mother, and yet I do? Cute little girl called Stephanie. Weird little boy called Ronald. Sharp tongued boy called Lucas. I'm going insane, I feel like I'm going insane, Jarod."

"You're not." Jarod came over beside her, trying to calm her down. "You're just 18, you aren't interested in babies or kids and you've never met this Broots or Sydney. You've got to see it for what it is. The Centre wasn’t a typical place for childhood, as we get older, there will probably be mental consequences. We went through this many times. If you need to, get therapy when you get older."

She looked toward Jarod but he was losing patience. He was the one really trapped in it being a pretender, so when she complained about The Centre, it always irritated him. He felt like he had way more right to be mad at it and complain, she just left with him. They each even had decent families Jarod found for them. 

Things couldn’t be better, and here she was, drudging it all up again. She wasn’t getting better though. She tried to wipe her eyes, but it wouldn’t be good enough. "Sorry."

"Grow up." Jarod shook his head. "I can't do this right now, Miss Parker. Things are intense on a different front, keep yourself together! Get back in touch with me when you get yourself back under control. I'm out." He went back into the bushes and went away.

Of course. That was Jarod. He never was a real people person.

"I . . ."

Miss Parker turned and saw him back. He'd changed his clothes pretty fast, but Jarod could do anything for any reason. "I feel like I'm breaking." She was driving him away again though. Jarod didn't do well with emotions. He was never taught about them as well at The Centre.

—-------------------

Gemini stared at her. He'd just caught her talking with another boy named Jarod, that looked just like . . . him. There is another clone out here too? It was so hard to believe.

He seemed almost like him, except with a lot less grace toward the end with her. Impatient. He was impatient too, to try and get her out. That impatience did save her life though. The computer guy Broots had missed her on the list because of the swift address change that particular Jarod must have caused. Things are going to get complicated. "Miss Parker. I need you to come with me." She had been crying, almost losing her balance into the fountain. He moved closer and caught her. "It's okay. I'm here."

She grabbed him and clung to his shirt. "Something's wrong, Jarod, I know you don't believe me. I'm sorry, but I know. My nightmares are telling me something’s wrong!" Her whole body was trembling.

“Yeah, something is wrong,” he agreed. Gemini didn’t know this Miss Parker, any part of her, but he felt for her. Just like Clarice. "I know. Let's go." He comforted her and aimed her toward their destination.

Outside Seattle

Someone was using me like a temporary flashlight needed for the dark. She was nothing. On the scale of it all, she was nothing. Her thoughts were theirs to manipulate. Being used and then deleted like old files to make way for the new. "Was I always watched as Kathleen Davis, Jarod . .  um.? What’s your last name?"

Once again, it’s like she said something wrong to him. "I don't know,” he said a little standoffish. “At least not when everything was set off," Jarod guessed. "You were in the wrong area to them. They knew your scheduling. Someone else was killed, I’m sorry."

Ice Cream truck? “Mabel?”

“It was a woman and I believed her name was Mabel,” Jarod confirmed. “I’m sorry. Was she a friend?”

“Uh.” Keep it together. She scratched her shoulder. She looked beside herself. Mabel wasn’t the closest friend in the world. She didn’t keep a ton of the same friends when she moved from job to job, but yeah. Damn, Mabel. I’m sorry. Shit! 

“Are you okay?” Jarod asked her. 

Kathleen didn’t want to talk about her friend’s death with a stranger. Instead, she found herself focusing elsewhere. "There's three brats around me and there's no one here." Her mind rejoining. "There's someone looks like you. Maybe a son or something? There's a person in the front seat. Older?”

"You might be seeing Major Charles and Gemini. They are more clones of me," Jarod said.

"Creepy." Too creepy. "I shouldn't see this side. I don't want to connect in some weird psychic fashion, not to another life I don't understand." She grabbed her head.

Too much. Her friend had been killed. People were after her to kill her. She was stuck riding with someone she didn’t know. And to top it all off?  "I'm staring at myself!" She shook her head back and forth. "Screw this, I hate this, make it stop!"

—---------------------

Not good. Jarod dialed up Major Charles again. "Major Charles? What's going on?"

"Is your Miss Parker getting it too?" Major Charles asked over the phone.. "Yeah. These girls freaked out once they saw each other and tried to talk. They're mirroring each other and they don't mean to be. We separated one from the backseat to the front seat."

Jarod could hear the panicked crying though. Catherine was used to being connected, but none of the Parkers were. None of them saw each other. Suddenly knowing couldn't be easy.

"Stranger yet? One of these girls knew even another clone of you, Jarod. He's the one who moved her, probably saving her life."

Jarod smiled slightly. Good work. 

"His name was Jarod, they called her Miss Parker, and they basically remembered The Centre. Oh, and this clone of you? He's very good. And now - how did he manage that?"

"Manage what?" Jarod asked.

"He's in the middle of the road, demanding the car to stop."

Once again a smile. "Nice to see him doing the right thing. Pick him up too, Dad." He hung up and looked over to Kathleen. "Better?"

"I'm not staring at myself." She nodded. "I don't have any peanuts."

"Peanuts?"

"The flight. The kids. I don't have any peanuts, they keep pestering me for some." She shook her head again. "I missed my brats? I don't ever miss brats. It's disgusting.”

A good comparison, he understood it. "Rene Grossberg again." Yeah. On her flight, with her husband and kids to safety. "Maybe that's how she handled them so well." Maybe that's why Rene took the full reigns of taking care of the PK's. She'd been a mother. 

Did the qualities of the individual identity cross to Miss Parker too? Did it help make Miss Parker?

He watched Kathleen in the corner. She didn't look so good at all. She tried to hide it. How she felt about it all, but even the toughest woman in the world couldn't shrug off feeling different, personal lives running through their mind. Maybe Catherine could help the forms of Miss Parker. Maybe a Catherine could help, he corrected himself.

Her expressions. What she shared was like the tip of the hardest iceberg. He could see in her expression, she was finding it hard to keep it all together. Her nose wrinkled. It was like hearing bad news after bad news, but trying to soak it up in the corner. Knowing there was no other way out.

Rene had her life together, she deserved it back. Kathleen deserved it too. All of them did. It hurt at first, learning the truth. He had felt betrayed, believing Miss Parker was just one person.

Just Miss Parker. 

Just like he'd always believed in the rest of them. Having two identities, with one joining other minds. That can't be easy for her either. More appropriately. He was starting to understand things better, seeing how this one remembered Rene's time with him and the kids, just like she'd been there. Even if it wasn't the same feelings. "You don't have to squirm in the corner, Kathleen."

She glanced back to him. She looked out the window. Still shifting. Still probably feeling things she shouldn't be feeling. “I’ll take you out if you start playing Pink Floyd in the car.”

A couple of more hours. At least. Jarod turned on his wipers as rain started to come down. "Are you sure about taking me out if I play Pink Floyd in the car?" he teased, wanting to get to the bottom of that statement. 

"Yes, you did that." Then, she moved funny and looked at him. "When I rescued you. When another me rescued you," she corrected herself, "she introduced it to you. You tried it. I mean, he tried it and it was his favorite."

"Music is pleasing to hear, especially when you first leave The Centre."

"Not everyone likes it though," she said.

Hm. "What do you see?"

—------------------------

Florida

Gemini shifted in his spot as this clone of Jarod, named Jarod, believing he was Jarod, stared down at him. Gemini got out and tried to explain the situation. Meanwhile, Jarod was obviously trying to figure out how to break 'Miss Parker' free. In the meantime, he just glared at him as Major Charles tried to calm him down with what he said was his favorite music. He carried it around with him in a small CD case he kept in a duffel bag. The music was different, but that wasn't what was bothering him. "Could you not stare so much?"

"How could I be your clone?" Jarod asked. "You're not confident, you're lousy, and I don't like you at all."

Gemini just tried to stare ahead as he spoke to Major Charles. "How much longer before we reach Jarod?"

"I am Jarod," the clone insisted. He had made Gemini take the side seat while he took the middle so he could be beside his Miss Parker. This Jarod wasn't raised by Raines, but he wasn't raised in a nice way, it was obvious. 

Gemini looked over the seat past Jarod. Miss Parker wasn't looking too good. "Are you okay?"

"She's my business, not yours," Jarod told him off.

Gemini looked toward the front and saw something similar happening to the one called Clarice. "Are you okay?" Neither of the girls looked good.

"How are you doing, Clarice?" Major Charles was trying to be sympathetic to Clarice. 

"I could come to the front seat and keep her more company?" Gemini asked. There was less room up front but he could squeeze in. Only thing was, the other Jarod might take off with Miss Parker. "Nevermind." Yeah, he probably would. Gemini didn't mind Major Charles. He was decent. This Jarod was decent too but, he was highly suspicious, way too overprotective of the Miss Parker he'd apparently grown up with, and wasn't willing to even bend to listen to them. He seemed to verge on the edge of a bully toward Gemini and he had little patience. While this Jarod was concerned for Miss Parker, he wasn't actually offering comfort though. Just keeping Gemini separated.

It was unnerving.

"Jarod," Miss Parker said to him nicely. "Be nice to your clone."

"I didn't even know The Centre had those," Jarod complained to her as he eyed Major Charles and Gemini. "It's a trick, I know it."

"Jarod. I don't think it is," Miss Parker tried to speak up. "I hurt. I hurt really bad, if there are other Miss Parkers out there getting killed, then it explains it." She tried to hold back her tears. "All these weird feelings I've felt."

"Sure." Jarod answered her in a non-believing way. "Don't worry, you'll get better. Turn up the music." His nostril flared. "I need to concentrate on something good to drown out the bad, like someone taking away Miss Parker." He glared back at Gemini.

"I'm not bad," Gemini told him. "Major Charles, how much longer to the other Jarod?"

Outside Seattle

"It's all about association. Your bullying yourself right now," Kathleen said to Jarod.

A bullying clone? I can't do anything right now. He’ll have to learn how to stick it out. "We'll all meet soon."

"I don't really want to," she said. "It'd be much better if you just dropped me off  and - what the hell?!"

Jarod kept his eyes focused on the road and watched someone do a swift U-turn on him. He got out. Oh, great.

"Cuyler! Recognize that greasy hair scumbag anywhere." Kathleen started to get out, which meant Jarod better follow.

"Ah, ah." Cuyler wagged his finger at her like she was being bad. "What do you think you're doing, Kitty Katty?" Not surprisingly, he recognized Jarod as looking similar to him. “Oh no.” He didn’t look well. “Is The Centre after my part?”

His part? Then he was watching over her. "You need to get out of the way. I am taking her to safety."

"Kathleen Davis is my responsibility,” Cuyler replied. “I know it might sound like I’m the enemy, but I’ve been training her to be evasive if anything bad happened. I’ll take care of her until the coast is clear. You go and save more parts of Miss Parker. We need to save everyone that we can.” 

"You don’t take care of me," she complained as she pushed him. "I've got a lot of issues right now, go away."

"I keep her on her toes,” Cuyler said to Jarod, ignoring Kathleen. “I can’t be a gentle friend and teach her what she needed, but I’ve never actually hurt her.” He gestured to her. “Read her, Jarod.”

Jarod watched her.

“You  . . . make life hell,” she growled.

Well? I’ve got more I have a chance of getting. Each one more is a life saved. Jarod would have to trust that Cuyler was telling the truth. If Cuyler had  known her all that time, and never actually threatened her, then maybe he was right. While her eyes said ‘annoyed’, he’d seen those eyes plenty of times. Her stance said not scared though.  “Take her to this address.” Jarod started to write it down. “There is someone there that will help her mind.”

“She’s losing connection with the others?” Cuyler asked. “That’s bad. Is Catherine here?”

Yeah, he wasn’t clueless. Jarod would remember to ask him more, when he had time. It looked like they had the same goal. 

“You are as moronic as him!” Kathleen yelled as Jarod went back to his car.

Still, Jarod didn’t have time. Another one saved, but he could still save more. He took off in his car.

—-------------------------------------

“Stupid!” Kathleen yelled back at him. She thrust her finger at Cuyler. “And you? You are an asshole, give me one good reason that I have to go with you!”

“You’re in the middle of nowhere?” Cuyler shrugged. “Don’t worry, Kitty Katty.” He smiled. “You are safe. I just have to make a call.”

“You better have something up your sleeve, someone was trying to kill me,” Kathleen grumped. With no choice left, she grabbed hold of the door. She didn’t know much about that last guy except he had a ride to get her out and then just left her with Cuyler.

Which meant? Absolute asshole too. “I’m not up for tricks today, Cuyler.” She remembered Mabel’s death again. A friend was dead, thanks to her.

“You know about Mabel.” Cuyler was actually being empathetic. “I’m sorry. I tried to watch out, but things moved so fast. Just come with me. We’ll get it straightened out, I promise.”

Well? This was the middle of nowhere. Someone was shooting to kill her. “Go with the devil you know.” As she got in though, she felt a pulse of pain and a voice telling her it would be okay.

Then, she slowly went to sleep.

—-----------------------------------

The Centre

Mister Raines heard his phone ring and looked at the number. Yep. “Hey there 68.”

“Why are you shooting at Kathleen?”

Yep, it was Cuyler.

“Kathleen never left Seattle, not once! I don’t care what is going on with the other parts of your so-called Miss Parker, but I will not let you kill her,” Cuyler warned him. “Now, why are you shooting at Kathleen, and can I do something to change it?”

Ah. Jarod’s clones or chimeras tended to be quite smart. Not as smart as the chosen one in Donoterase, but technically pretty genius. None of them had their gifts honed at The Centre except a very chosen few. But, Cuyler? 

That clone had spunk, he’d noticed a clear difference the few times he’d associated with him. “Maybe you can. There is a mole, one of the Parkers we believe are hiding some pretender kids. They took them from The Centre. Can you get them back for us?”

“Pretender kids? You made more pretender clones again or something?”

“A new set,” Mister Raines announced. “They are a combination of Miss Parker’s genes and actual pretender dads. They are going to make the future bright at The Centre, but only if we get them back. So?” He waited.

“Kathleen is surveyed in Seattle, and I write reports over her all the time. She is not in this and you know it.”

“She is a clone of Miss Parker,” Mister Raines reminded him.  “I can’t set out a kill order but say, ‘hey, watch out for this one’.”

“You lousy Centre scumbag!” Cuyler yelled. “Every time you get your greasy paws on her, she ends up in the hospital or hurt! You set me to watch over her for a reason, she is the heart of Miss Parker! Don’t be so stupid as to lose the entire package because of some little misplacement of kids! You will want her in the future.”

Hmm. “If you find those pretender kids for us? I’ll set across a cease and desist over The Centre. We’ll embed a chip in her arm that’ll prevent our little squad from gunning her down. She can come straight to work with no fear.”

“What about the mind?” Cuyler asked over the phone. “Her head is everywhere right now. I know you killed the mind piece, didn’t you?”

“She’s probably a little funny because she’s technically being killed left and right,” Mister Raines joked. “It’ll end soon.”

“What about the mind?” Cuyler insisted again. 

“You are just going to have to have some lessons to get her through,” Mister Raines answered. “Mind was zapped in the taxi, one of the first kills. It’s the reason they are all scatterbrained right now I bet.”

“No, it’s not. Jarod saved her, and according to my bug on her, there is a woman named Maggie playing havoc with their minds,” Cuyler said. “It sounds like she is the one you are really after, she’s just messing with all the parts to distract you.”

“So Maggie is to blame?” Damn. “You are good. You really should have been picked for The Centre instead of detail duty in Seattle,” Mister Raines complimented him. 

“Nah, I’m good. I prefer the rain.”

“There’s a lot of rain out here,” Mister Raines noted. “In fact? You don’t sound so certain about our intentions with Kathleen Davis.” He smiled. “How would you feel about working right beside her at The Centre? You’ll get the same chip to keep your identity straight. You can keep her training up, fill in some details, and make sure she knows she’ll be killed if she leaves. Beautiful house, nice wealth, and the greatest name in the world.”

It was silent for a little while. Mister Raines waited for the pretender’s mind to catch up with the words.

“You aren’t going to just tell them it’s a Maggie, are you?” Cuyler asked.

“No.” Not now. If The Centre had figured it out first, he would have called off the whole thing. Having Miss Parker at The Centre worked well, and she had been a choice to take over it one day. However, he saw more potential now.. “You usually don’t show this much intellect in your work. I’ve seen you use your brain here and there but nothing to call attention to yourself.” Hm. “Probably on purpose, wasn’t it, Cuyler?” 

“How many pretender kids?”

“Just, four,” Mister Raines answered honestly. “Damien’s daughter Stephanie. Alex’s son Lucas. Angelo’s. . .”

“I don’t know other pretenders,” Cuyler interrupted him. “I’ve only got a little info on Jarod and I’m fine with that. Now. How many clones of those kids?”

“So far, three sets but we are going to be making it into the thousands in a few years with the success we’ve seen so far.” A sigh. Not surprising. “I need an answer.” He snapped. “The Centre waits for no one, what do you want to do?” 

“If you pause it, I’ll give you an answer in 24 hours. I need time to think.”

Normally, Raines didn’t like to wait, but this one was worth it. “Fine, it’s paused but not canceled. Decide quickly.” Raines heard the phone hang up.