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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.
Miami truths 2
Title: Miami’s truths 2
Author: Nelle
E-mail’s author: nelle_aep@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: S/AV
Spoilers: 1,2,3 seasons
Keywords: JMPR
Washington D.C
Same night
Jarod's lair
Mickael was sitting in front of the window in the back of the living room, the town’s lights were playing shadows on his face but he didn’t notice it, nor the bursting activity down there. The night had fallen for a quite long time now but the child had been totally oblivious of the time lapse, being closed eyes, sitting in his favorite yoga pose.
Margareth had been watching him for more than two hours like this. She had tried to talk to him, to make him eat something but he refused everything but a glass of water and some soup. She was getting worried about him, she had known the little boy for less than a week. During this short period, he had appeared like a normal five years old child but now she didn’t know what to do with him anymore. He had shut out everything and refused to talk or sleep since Ms Parker’s departure.
“Mrs Russell, you're still up? " asked a yawning Broots, he walked quietly to the table and took a seat next to her.
“I tried to put Mickael to bed but he wouldn't hear any of it… I know that it's because he is worried for them, but still…" she replied in a tired voice, she took a look at her watch, 00:03 am, this was going to be a long stressing night, she thought, as she looked back at the unmoving little boy.
“He still didn't talk? " questioned Broots, watching the young telepath.
Magareth shook her head then let out a heavy sigh, she didn't know what to do. She looked back at Broots, who felt her eyes and turned back toward her.
“I manage to make him eat some soup but beside that he refused everything. "
“He will get better soon." He whispered reassuringly.
“He won't talk until she comes back." Jarod's mother told him, he nodded in agreement. He too had been the witness of the amazing bonding of the little boy with his boss.
“Then he will talk tomorrow. " Broots said self-confidently.
“Yes, you’re right. It’s just … When I look at him, I can’t help wondering if it’s how Jarod acted when he was brought in this hmm facility. ” She spat out the last word with difficulty.
“I can’t tell you, but Sydney showed me once a piece of DSA concerning Jarod’s first 36 hours in the Centre. He was building the Empire State Building model at that time! ”
Margareth’s lips curved up slightly in a sad smile.
“ That’s my little boy. He was always dismantling or building something. ” She told him, still able to picture herself her two and a half years old boy playing with anything he got an hand on.
“ Jarod has become a wonderful man, Mrs Russell. Though my job was about catching him, I always admired what he did since he broke out of the Centre. ”
“ Doctor Green’s education must be the result of it… ” She mumbled bitterly then bit her lower lip when she saw the strange look Broots gave her at her statement.
“ I’m sure Sydney did everything in his powers to secure Jarod’s safety. ”
“ I’m sure he did. But Mr Broots, he was the one to spend the last thirty six years with my son. ”
Broots didn’t speak after her painful statement, he couldn’t even imagine what the Russell family had endured.
“ Don’t get me wrong, I know he took care of my boy in that place, however he is partially responsible of the torture my son’s endured. Doctor Green protected my child, yes, but he didn’t try to save him from the Centre. He didn't try to give me my boy back in all those years. ” She whispered shakily, her eyes avoiding Broots’ ones as she said this.
“ He lost his twin brother and Catherine Parker because of this. I do not know what I’d have done if parachuting in this particular situation, but I can understand what he did. ”
“ … I know my family wasn’t the only one to suffer, I know Doctor Green must have endured his own share of pain … But I can’t help myself but being resentful of him being the one with my son during all that time … ”
“ You have him back now and with some times and a little help you'll find Emily, your husband and the boy soon. ” Broots replied softly, then stood up and headed back to his room.
“ Yes. ” she whispered equally low, her voice refunding her calm and caring quality bit by bit.
“ Mr Broots? ” she called out before he closed the door behind him.
Hearing her voice, he stood in the doorway waiting.
“ Thank you. ” She told him genuinely.
He smiled at her briefly in answer before finally closing the door.
The whispering had ceased, Mickael could tell that it was Mr Broots who had left, being still able to grasp the worries of Jarod’s mother.
He wished he could tell her that he was ok, but if he did so, she would try to dissuade him to do what he was performing for more hours than he was able to recall.
Miss Parker had told him to stay with the caring old woman and he had obeyed her, however she hadn’t told him not to reach her by his ability. And that’s what he was trying to achieve. Finding her had been really difficult, he couldn’t explain how he did it but he succeeded in localizing her. Now he was doing all he could to not lose the precious link, he could feel tiny drops of sweat pearling on his forehead, he ignored them.
Breathing slowly, in and out, while focusing on her …
He fell deeper in the link, being able now to decipher her thoughts, giving him more relief and happiness than he could have imagined by doing so. The bad point in this ability was the headache he procured to his user. And right now he was experiencing a really bad one. The kind of metabolic problem, which meant that he should stop in a few minutes. Once, he had gone over his limits and had blackened out in front of Mr Raines. A day later he had awaken in SL-30 infirmary under the cold gaze of his unsatisfied mentor.
He was going to stop for the sake of Margareth watching over him, but not now.
Breathing in deeply, he forgot about where he was, about his own body or own thoughts, his focusing revolving only on Ms Parker.
Suddenly something really unexpected happen: He could hear distinctly the foot steps she and Angelo were making on the air vent, also feel the concrete rasping her hands and knees, all the while hearing her thoughts and experiencing her feelings.
‘ Could somebody tell me why I decided to wear these high heels today?
Oh yeah, so that Lover boy would have that gleam in his eyes while watching me! '
He heard the soft sounds she and Angelo were making in the air vent as they crawled slowly to Mr Raines' office sub-level.
“ Daughter tired … " Angelo soft voice reverberated in the emptiness of the air duct.
' Yes, but soon we will be in D.C with answers. ' She contacted Angelo, not wanting to waste any breath she had.
The empath was used to crawling in the confined space for years, feeling at ease and surely at home in it contrary to Parker who was experimenting the first edge of claustrophobia.
' And if we don't find anything in the Wheezer hole, what will I do then? '
His excitement and expectation about this particular thought gave him away. Miss Parker stopped crawling all of a sudden, she touched Angelo’s left calf making him turn back instantly toward her.
Mickael was becoming worried, he wasn’t able to hear any of her thoughts and the pounding in his head was making him feel dizzy. He was going to close the link and try to get it back later when he heard her full force, like she was standing right in front of him.
‘ MICKAEL!! What on earth do you think you are doing?! ’
God, he was so much in trouble now! Mickael had never seen her this angry toward him … What had he done? Why hadn’t he just gone to bed and slept like Margareth had wanted him?! Now he was sure he had lost the only chance he had to stay with her.
‘ Oh Mickael … ’ this thought was colored with such love that it brought tears to his closed eyelids.
‘ I’m sorry … I-I just wanted to know how you were, I didn’t want to … I mean I just ’
‘I'm coming back. As will Angelo, Jarod and Sydney. In less than 8 hours we'll be in D.C. Now I want you to listen to me very carefully young man, you're going to bed… No, first you eat properly, ask for an aspirin then you go to bed. And when you wake up I will be there, ok? ’
He couldn't help but laughed softly, she was using this link as well as him, even better, he guessed. At that moment, he couldn't hide anything from her.
‘ All right. ’
‘ Good boy, now go to Margareth and tell her what I have just said. ’
‘ Tomorrow, you will-’
‘ I’ll be there, I promise. ’
He felt her thoughts drifted away from him, in a childish impulse he tried to reach her back but this time his link crashed on a wall making the contact impossible.
After a few others seconds in silence, he opened his eyes and took a shaky breath while whipping his forehead. His headache was hitting him strongly now but he didn’t mind it, it had been worthwhile. He stood up and almost fell down, his legs unable to support him after the long hours of stillness, he took hold on the wall and saw from the corner of his eye that Margareth was coming to him quickly, not trusting his legs anymore he sat back on the sofa. Not five seconds had passed when she reached him, her worried eyes watching him intensely.
“ Mickael? Are you all right? ”
“ Yes. Miss Parker, hmmm, she wants me to eat properly and have an aspirin before going to bed. ” He whispered guiltily, knowing he didn’t deserve her gentle caring when he had been this impossible with her.
“ What? ” she said as she stared at him, then it hit her “ Ho! ” she added shaking her head in wonder. Now she better understood what had been going on with the little boy. This ability was utterly puzzling… And obviously very tiring. She took the young child in her arms while making a mental note to talk about this with Sydney and Miss Parker when they would be back.
Blue Cove, Del
The Centre
“ How are you doing, Sydney? ”
“ I must admit that I’m a little too old for this kind of activity. ” Jarod’s mentor answered a bit out of breath but kept the same rhythm as he followed the younger man’s path in the dark air vent.
“ We are almost there, you’ll be able to catch your breath in the Chairman office. ” Jarod said sympathetically. He wished they could stop right now, hearing the tiredness in Sydney’s voice but he also knew that they couldn’t afford it.
Jarod took on the right, at the end of the vent he could already see the grating opening out into Parker’s father office. Looking at his watch briefly, he was relieved to see that they weren’t late on schedule. He was now advancing on the four, there was no light in the room and as he squinted his eyes, he saw that the cameras were turned off. Angelo was really a genius, he thought genuinely.
He pushed the grating and slipped quietly in the room, he turned on his flashlight, waving it quickly around the room to make sure nothing was unusual, satisfied, he returned to the air duct entrance and helped the older man to get out safely from it.
“ I am ok, Jarod. You should go to Mr Parker’s computer. ” He whispered softly.
Jarod did as asked, put on the laptop and began working on the password codes. Sydney took position behind him, watching the screen upon his protégé’s shoulders. They stayed like this a few minutes in comfortable silence then Jarod’s hacking ability got the better of the security system program, Mr Parker’s files were now accessible.
Jarod frowned at what he saw there, important files were missing like his own in particular, then typing quickly a chain of command he noticed that everything concerning the prodigy project had disappeared.
“ Seems that the Parker man lost the one thing he had fought to take control over for the last 30 years. ” Jarod muttered as he rechecked his chain of commands.
“ Are you sure, Jarod? It’s not according to what Angelo told us. ” The calm voice of his mentor cut the oppressing silence.
The pretender thought back of Angelo’s words, then said.
“ You think Mutumbo is trying to dupe Raines? Using Parker has a paw? ”
“ The only thing I am sure of is that Mr Parker didn’t do anything to be put aside from the most important project the Centre ever had. However, this computer shows us something else. ”
“ Mutumbo don’t trust … ” Jarod repeated Angelo’s sentence, then he ventured in a more detached voice “ He is going to test Raines’ loyalty, not toward the Centre, but toward the Triumvirate. And I’m pretty sure Mr Parker is still aware of the prodigy project, Mutumbo wouldn’t risk it by giving all control to the good doctor Billy. He knows from past experiences what results it can cause. ”
“ Can you still find the prodigy files? ” Sydney asked as he squeezed the pretender’s shoulder.
“ Yes, but it will take me more time to do so than I planned previously.
They must be hidden so that Raines techies are unable to localize them. ” Replied Jarod who had turned toward his mentor, his features showing is uneasiness in spending more time than he had wanted in the Centre.
“ You won’t have a such an occasion in a long time Jarod, Lyle and Raines already went ballistic with your last trick. And you have seen like me how the Centre security already changed because of it. ”
“ You’re right. ”
That said Jarod immersed himself in his work, Sydney checked his watch and hoped Lyle reacted as Jarod and Parker had predicted, if not he didn’t want to imagine what could result.
Centre Jet
Same moment
Sam looked around him, the sweepers coming along with him under Mr Lyle’s orders were extremely quiet, each of them trying to get invisible, Miss Parker’s formal sweeper guessed.
Being under Lyle’s orders wasn’t something he really appreciated either but he couldn’t do anything about it, so he did what he did the best: keep his mouth shut and eyes and ears wide opened.
His attention drifted to his new boss. For once Lyle didn’t seem upset, he didn’t seem excited either. He saw him frowned his eye-brows, Sam gathered that the Parker son was thinking about his preys and the way he should process to not let them slipped away from him this time.
Sam wasn’t eager to bring back his formal boss, though he still wished to be under her command, he was actually please that she was far away from this damned place. He himself was preparing his secret departure, being in the Centre under a psychotic case was not really entertaining to say the least.
Still watching Lyle, he was the only one to see the transformation of the man’s features: his eyes widened first, then the hand laying on the armrest gripped it so tightly that his knuckles turned white, his jaws clenched and then came the low predatory growl.
There was a problem but with Lyle it could become Armageddon. Now was it going to fall on his shoulders or not, Sam questioned himself, while preparing himself to get hold of his gun.
“ STOP THE JET!! ” the man howled making all the sweeper's heads popped up in fright.
Lyle stood up and in four long strides reached the cockpit to bark his orders to the bewildered pilot.
The jet made a 180° turn, heading back to Blue Cove. Looking at his watch, Sam estimated that they wouldn’t land off in the Centre before 2:45 am. Lyle sat back in his seat, his jaws still clenched. If he was acting like this, the head of the sweeper hypothesized, it was because the Pretender or Miss Parker were surely back in the Centre for some twisted reasons. The sweeper hoped that whoever might have been in the Centre had left it before 2:45 am.
Blue Cove, Del
The Centre
2:35 am.
Parker and Angelo had reached doctor Billy’s office 20 minutes earlier. Since their arrival Angelo was working on the laptop of his torturer as Miss Parker was going through the files contained in Raines safe. Finding the code hadn’t been too difficult for the Empath, a slight touch on the metal door had been enough, ten seconds later he was giving a series of number to her.
Parker was getting impatient, she couldn’t help herself but thinking that this whole operation would be a waste of time. If she had learnt anything from the past years working for the Centre, it was that even when you found an answer, the Centre machinations would throw 5 more questions in your face. The files she had in her hands were the perfect example, they gave small hints of what old Wheezy had been working on however it never gave you what you really wanted, like an identity, a birth certificate or a death’s one …
She was studying blue files, earlier she found some concerning Kyle and some concerning the balls sucker being her brother. After another reading of what twisted experiment the walking corpse had put his pupils through, she tossed the files back in the safe.
She checked her watch and decided that they would have to leave in 10 minutes. After clearing her head a bit from her previous reading, she came closer to Angelo and put a hand on his tensed shoulders.
“ Anything? ” she whispered, she knew that they were alone on this entire sub-level but she couldn’t help herself.
Angelo shook his head and kept tapping on the key-board, his right hand only leaving it less than a second when in need to use the mouse.
Three other minutes passed in the oppressing silence, Parker was pacing in front of the desk, cursing herself to not have brought her cigarettes along. When she heard a weird sound coming from the Empath, she quickly got back to his side.
“ What is it? ” she snapped as she would have with Broots, this simple fact showing her tension and frustration.
“ Mickael … Here! ” he said as he showed her the screen with his index finger.
“ Make a copy. ” she ordered as she read the page herself. It was concerning the red files, she instantly knew, as she recognized one pattern of number. Reading further, realization came to her in a more ugly way that she had thought possible for something coming from Raines. The rescued children from the prodigy project hadn’t been executed for erasing traces but because of what they could have reclaimed if they had found out.
Miss Parker had a surge of rising bile in her throat, she took a deep breath, forcing the acid to go back to her knotted stomach.
“ Done. ” Angelo told her in a defeated voice, understanding that now the little boy they both cared about would never know his genitors.
Parker looked back at her watch, it was now 2:42 am. They ought to leave already, she thought, but she still didn’t have her answers concerning her mother’s death … She was still struggling with this matter when she saw Angelo’s eyes widened as his whole body began to tremble.
“ Problem … Angry, come back, need leave now! ” Angelo whispered in a more frightened voice Parker’d ever heard him uttered, he stood out of his chair, hands now flying over the keyboard. In ten seconds he had the laptop shut off and the new disk in his pants pocket.
“ What is going on? ” she asked, obliged to take the frantic man by the arm to make him focus on her.
He only said one word next but it was enough to run cold Parker’s blood.
“ Lyle … ”
The mental picture assaulted her as were the feelings associated to it, her breath was caught in her throat as the fear rose in her, leaving nothing but the patent feeling of danger and pure fright.
Lyle was back in the Centre, he hadn’t hooked to their bait in Idaho, and from what Angelo could feel from the sociopath, she was convinced that Lyle knew they all were in the Centre. He was on his way for them and this time he wasn’t going to let them get out alive from the Centre.
“ Let’s get the hell outta here. ” she hissed.
The Centre
SL-2
Sydney was sitting on the right corner of Mr Parker’s desk, Jarod was still working on the search of his family locations, his swift tapping being the only noise in the room.
The Centre psychiatric had had time to think during the last thirty minutes, he’d remembered his argument with his twin brother before his accident, whose words had taken their full meaning after his death. He had also let his tortured mind recalled Catherine’s last cession with him … Ms Parker would think that he was betraying her not telling her what had been discussed between her mother and him. But she didn’t know, and if one day it ever came to light it would do even more damage after all this time, now wouldn’t it?
No, he had already taken this decision a few decades before and he would respect it.
‘Why Parker? Why taking such a risk?? You can begin the life you’ve always dreamed of.’
‘ For the same matter that Jarod has never really left the Centre, Sydney. For Answers, but mostly for revenge.’
‘ And is it worth it?’
‘ It’s all I have Sydney. Unlike Jarod I don’t have a loving family to find. It’s mine who wants me in a cage or right now under five feet earth.’
Sydney shook his head in dismissal, as a shrink he knew that his guilt would pursued him all his life however his life was already much started on. He would keep on dealing with it for the next decade. He knew her too well… It was for the best.
The old man glanced at his protégé and was going to check his watch but stood up quickly when he noticed light coming from under the door.
“ Jarod?”
“ I’m almost done Sydney, just two others files and we’ll go.”
“ I’m afraid we won’t have enough time for that.”
“ What-??”
Now footsteps could be heard, Jarod and Sydney’s eyes locked, reading the same thing in each other eyes: Lyle was back.
“ You go now Sydney, I’ll catch you later.”
“ But”
“ Listen, you take the same way but at the latter turn, you’ll take right.”
“ To where?”
“ You’ll get out in the woods, there is a car there, a half mile right away.”
“ Then take my gun.”
“ I already have one.”
“ I’m sure it will come in handy.”
The Centre
“ Tell me you got them.” Lyle barked harshly in the mouthpiece of his Cellular.
“ No sir. We’re sweeping every rooms.»
“ I don’t want to hear from you before you’ve fund them!”
Lyle cut the communication with Willie, his eyes locked on Sam’s figure.
“ Sam.»
“ Mr Lyle.»
“ Take five of this bunch of larva and bring me the intruders. Miss Parker is not here to cover your ass, so you better do your job for once. ”
Sam didn’t reply, he wasn’t going to give Lyle a reason to let off steam. He just nodded then called out his five favorite men.
“ Jake, Rick, Walter, Will, Andrew. You come with me!”
“ And Sam! You sweep the air vent system first, that’s where rats usually hide. ” Lyle smirked as he headed to his office.
“ You heard him? Come on!” Sam told them while damning Lyle to put him on Ms Parker’s trail. Knowing his formal boss, she would shoot first then ask question. Maybe it was the right night to make his reverence to the Centre, he mused as he and his team entered in the duct.
“ Sam? Where do we go first?”
“ Where do rats go?”
“ Sub-level? Like SL 26?”
“ We’ll go straight to there. If someone is trying to escape, he will have to go through it. ”
------
“ Angelo, Angelo, come on we’ve got to move quicker than this! ” Parker hissed at the trouble man.
Since his contact with Lyle, he was like closed in his own tortured world, sometimes he wouldn’t even hear her. At these moments, she was obliged to use her ability to reach him, which took too much of her focus in their situation.
Lyle and his teams were after them, the only solution of this problem was to put as much miles as possible between them and this social case.
She slowed down their pace at the end of the vent, they had to crawl down two levels then run the rest of the way to reach the exit, the car would be there waiting for them if … She checked her watch nervously 2:51 am. They could make it.
“ You go first, I’ll be right behind you. ” she told him softly but firmly, to her relief Angelo nodded.
“ Escape .” He whispered as he began his descent.
She had known that at a moment or another they would have to encounter some of the Centre sweepers but she wished it wouldn’t have been this soon …
First she had heard the ring of a cellular, a fault that her sweeper team wouldn’t have made in her presence, at that sound she pushed Angelo to the back of a corner. The both of them stayed there waiting in the shadow, a few cursed came to them with footsteps and loud breathing.
“ There is a ventilation cage that has been removed.” Reported one of the sweepers.
“ Let’s go over here.»
She recognized the second voice instantly, Sam was here. She knew this man as well as the back of her hand, he was good at what he did, too good, if he wanted to find them so would he.
“ We slip, two men by team.”
He was doing the right thing covering all the area, she and the empath were going to be surrounded.
“ Rick, you take the right.”
“ But Sam-”
“ Do as I say, you want a personal appointment with Lyle? Now go!”
The footsteps were coming right in their direction, she tightened the hold of her gun and removed the safety. It was something she had done too many times for her liking but that’s what being raised in the Centre did to you, didn’t it?
“ Ms Parker?”
God it was Sam! Alone! She had made the right choice taking him as the leader of her sweepers.
‘ I’m over here.’ She told him by her ability, reading at the same time the surprise then disbelief of her sweeper. She came out of her hiding place and came face to face with him.
“ Ms Parker? What? How?” asked a bewildered Sam.
“ We have no time for this now. How many teams are after us?” she asked him with her usual authority.
“ Us? How many are you?” he questioned again, still not able to picture himself his boss being civil nor teaming with the fugitive Pretender.
“ I thought I was the one to be answered?” she snapped.
“ Well, all the night teams are searching the Centre and Lyle called all the morning ones which will arrive in hmm ten minutes.” he answered her.
She sighed heavily, leaving Blue Cove was going to be a bitch in this condition.
“ Angelo is with me, Jarod and Sydney are in another Sub-level. Now tell me, what are you going to do?”
He chuckled at this.
“ The same thing than you Ms Parker, leaving.”
For the first time since they have met she smiled at him, which disturbed the sweeper. He knew he’d a soft spot for her but her smiling at him made him want to, no he wouldn’t go there, he already knew that she was inaccessible.
“ You need-”
“ I’ve already my arrangement. Thank you Ms Parker.»
That’s how they left, they made their way together a few meters then they separated, Angelo and Parker going straight away while Sam got on the first left of SL-27.
Blue Cove.
Sydney was running for a long time now, his exhausted legs were reminding him of his old age every stride he made. During his course, a few times a single thought came to him ‘ Why do you keep running? You stop then it’s over. No more what if, no more secret.’ But he kept running, like he had all his life. After what? He couldn’t even tell! He felt as if he had run the NY marathon! Anyway he fund the car, which Jarod had hidden, he just prayed it would functioned. How long had it stayed in the wood? When did Jarod plan to visit the Centre? Too much questions …
He sighed in relief when he sat down on the passenger side, now all he had to do was wait for his pretender. He didn’t notice a half-mile away on the road a car waiting there, its driver observing him through binoculars.
The Centre
Undetermined Sub-level
Jarod could hear their footsteps and their screams, hunting him the same way they had during his first escape. This thing was really getting old he mused as he increased his speed, passing another grating not taking the time to pull it back behind him.
He would make it. For his mother, for Sydney, but mostly for her and himself. They deserved that much.
Lyle was here waiting for him somewhere, he was still unable to tell where, but he knew it would be at a strategic point so there were three possibilities:
_ The end of the vent.
_ The car he had hidden in the woods, where Sydney had to be at the moment … Or worse
_ The meeting point …
No, Lyle couldn’t have thought about this last location. And if he had, no matter what he had told her, he wouldn’t leave Blue Cove without her.
Stop being this pessimistic Jarod, he chastised himself. They would be okay, now that he had found out the possible locations of his father and the boy.
Soon he would have the family he had dreamed of, he just had to get to the car and leave this God for saken hole. The moonlight was peering at the end of the vent, the fresh air caressing his warm cheeks. He didn’t wait, he got out of the duct and kept running, the Centre lights were following every paths he took but he didn’t panic, the woods would be safe, he just had to reach it first.
“ Jarod!! Stop Right Now You Son Of A Bitch!!”
‘Lyle, God Dammit!’
Jarod increased his speed, clouds of steam coming out of his mouth in the freezing night. Five shot came in his direction, he zigzagged as much as he could while avoiding holes, branches and trees roots. He shot behind him half the clip of his own gun, making Lyle and some sweepers back off and in search of a shelter.
The good thing in Lyle being after him was that it meant that Parker was out of the Centre. Otherwise, this sicko would have just waited for him to go free her from his grasp.
Only a half mile, he thought, as he heard glints of Lyle still cursing behind, yelling at his sweepers to get moving their ass and kill him. He took Sydney’s gun from his waistband and made good use of it, he heard three yells of pain behind him, but didn’t look back guessing it couldn’t have been Lyle. He didn’t care, the car was now into view, he used what little strength he possessed and made a sprint to the driver seat, he didn’t acknowledge Sydney talking, he started the machine which protested against his abrupt way but started none the less. Lyle’s shot blew out the windshield, Sydney put his head between his knees while Jarod increased their speed. Choosing to take his chance, he drove straight to Lyle as he hid his head behind the car board, he heard a muffled noise as the car hit Lyle who flew in the air. A few shots came hitting the back of the car, the new hunter was as obstinate as his sister, Jarod thought while looking quickly as the rear-view mirror. Lyle was laying flat on his stomach slowly lowering his gun down as he accepted the truth of the situation, the pretender had won once again.
The car got through the wood and emerged on the road, only then did Jarod allow himself to break at full speed. However his best efforts, he couldn’t avoid being followed by Centre’s sedans. Neither Jarod, nor the Centre sweepers noticed the blue Ford Taurus tailing them from a secured distance.
A few hours later
Washington D.C
It was eight past 27 minutes and Miss Parker still wasn’t back, Mickael was getting scared. She should already be back, he thought as his eyes locked on the door, willing it to open … Margareth was at her fourth cup of coffee since she had woke up, it was the only thing she could do to occupied herself and her mind …
The little boy sighed deeply, he knew she had left yesterday to find answers about him and about her mother, but all he had ever wanted since he was out of the Centre was to be with Ms Parker, that was all … Why did she think he wanted to know his parents?! If they had cared for him or know about him, they would have tried to free him or contact him, no?
But they never had tried …
The door burst open, he got up from his chair instantly but it wasn’t her, Jarod and Sydney were back. He was happy to see them back without harm, he liked them a lot, but Ms Parker and Angelo were the two people he felt the closest from all he could remember.
“ Mom!” Jarod took her in his arms in a bear hug.
“ Jarod, are you all right?” She inquired as she tightened her hold on her son.
“ I’m okay Mom … Where, where is Mel?” Jarod asked her when his eyes had swept all the room without finding her there.
“She is not here, I thought she was with you … God Mickael must be worried sick about her, seeing you without her…”
“ I’m sure Ms Parker and Angelo are all-right. She knows the Centre maybe better than you do Jarod. She will be here soon.” Sydney replied confidently, he knew her, he had been the witness of her stubbornness and incredible strength. She was going to come back, things couldn’t be otherwise. Jarod’s eyes bored into his owns searching, Sydney hoped his eyes didn’t betray him. She was going to come back, wasn’t she? She had to come back otherwise he wouldn’t forgive himself …
Mickael jumped into the old man’s arms and began to sob brokenly in his neck. Sydney wasn’t prepared for this, he himself was trying to cope with the situation but he soothed the young child nonetheless …
When Jarod was able to refrain himself of thinking some dreaded thoughts about Ms Parker, he took the still sobbing child from the arms of his mentor into his owns. Sydney watched the exchange, then his eyes trailed off in the room and fell on Broots ones. The formal Centre Tech was unsure, from what he could read, Sydney knew he was blaming himself about something, but the old man was too overwhelmed to go to him.
“ Come on Mickael, don’t cry young man … You know she’ll come back, she promised. And Angelo is with her, he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her, right?”
Mickael’s sobbed subdued enough for him to respond.
“ But what if, what if Doctor Raines found her again?”
“ Don’t worry, she is far much too fast to be caught by him! He has to trail an oxygen tank behind him, remember! I’m sure they are on their way.”
A knock reverberated in the room, Mickael rushed to the door and opened it before anyone could tell him anything. A young woman was there, looking at him strangely. He closed his eyes tightly willing himself not to cry in front of a stranger. He felt Jarod came behind him, when he was unable to hide the tears anymore he ran back in Sydney’s arms.
“ What can I do for … Emily? Emily?!”
She nodded, unable to find her voice, after so many years of imagining her brother, here he was: As shocked as she was! Jarod took her in his arms, tightening his hold to reassure himself that she was real.
“ How on earth did you find us?”
“ I followed you … I never dreamed that you’d be in Blue Cove yesterday but you were there. After that I just had to follow you, I must admit I had a really hard time to do so! God I almost lost you five times on your way to D.C.!”
“ Mom is not going to believe it!”
“ What? You, you mean Mom is here, with you?”
“ Mom! Come here!” he shouted excitedly, he was sure he was smiling like a fool but God he was so much happy now that he didn’t give a damn! His sister! His sister was here!!
“ Jarod? What is it?”
Emily hugged her mother before she could say anything else, it had only been two weeks but it’d felt like months to her since their separation.
After a few minutes of hugs and tears, the three came back in the apartment.
“ How is it possible that you too are here together? I mean, Mom and I search you for so long! And just when we get separated you two end together!”
“ It’s a very long story sweetie. It’s all went back to L.A. escape from Lyle.” Margareth told her, her voice breaking a bit from the emotion.
Another knock on the door made her pause, again Mickael was the first on the door followed closely by Jarod who had Sydney’s gun in his hand. If his sister had been able to follow him all the way back to Blue Cove, so could have cars of the Centre. However he put it back in his waistband when he saw a big smile erupt on Mickael’s face. The little boy opened the door and literally flew in the arms of Miss Parker. Jarod watched them and decided that they needed a little privacy.
He and a grinning Angelo left Parker and the young telepath alone. Emily was watching the empath suspiciously, but her brother didn’t notice his sister’s stance, her right hand heading to the small of her back.
“ It’s Angelo. He is a friend.” He explained her as he smiled broadly, at this sight his sister relaxed.
“ Sister fund Friend and Mother!” Angelo told the pretender happily.
Jarod nodded in agreement then went back to the doorstep. Miss Parker saw him as she put down Mickael. The little boy headed back in the apartment, knowing better than to stay between them.
“ You really like to be desired, don’t you?” He told her as he watched her, from head to feet, searching for any kind of injury.
“ As a matter of fact I do. But actually, we had to escape half of the morning sweeper teams!”
“ And I’m sure you enjoyed every minutes of it! I’m surprised, Angelo doesn’t seem to suffer from this ordeal?”
“ On the contrary, he had a lot of fun! Well, when no bullets were flying in the car!”
“ What?!”
She didn’t let him finish, she kissed him hard and felt him responded instantly.
“ Is that your way to tell me I talk too much?”
“ Maybe.”
At this he pouted, she chuckled and went back in his arms. When they were sure each other was all right they separated. Jarod leaded the way, Parker saw a flash a black curled hair on her left, Mickael was back at her side. She took his handing hand in her left one and squeezed it softly.
“ How in the Hell!!” Emily hissed as she drew her gun on Ms Parker who had instantly her gun in her hand. She aimed it at a young woman she didn’t recognized.
“ What is going on here?!” Jarod voiced everybody’s thought.
“ You tell me Wonder boy?” Parker replied anxiously as she put Mickael behind her.
“ Jarod! She is … It’s Ms Parker for Christ’s sake!”
“ Your point being?” He responded harshly as he took two steps in order to stand before Parker.
Emily felt like her jaws had hit the floor, had she really heard a threat coming from her brother!
“ She is working for the Centre! She is the one chasing you!” She hissed, feeling herself tensing a bit more at the mention of the Centre.
“ Not anymore. Calm down, Emily. She left the Centre, all right? Put the gun down.”
“ Don’t tell me you fell for this! At the first occasion she will turn you and Mom in.”
‘ This cold heartless bitch is just waiting that you find Dad again and then … I’m not letting this Centre Cleaner hurt our family more than the Centre already have!’
“ Emily put your father’s gun down.” Margareth ordered coldly.
“ Mom! Not you! I can imagine Jarod’s reason to be fooled, but you?”
Parker couldn’t take it anymore, the thoughts coming from Jarod’s sister were hitting too close. At her first thought of leaving the place she felt Mickael tightening his grip on her pants.
“ How can you think and say these things about Ms Parker?! You witch!”
“ Mickael!”
Parker couldn’t believe what she had just heard from the five years old, using her ability she fund the association of word and picture; right now was the face of Brigitte sneering. She knew how too well who he had learnt that from. She would have laughed if the situation hadn’t been so screwed.
She re-holstered her 9 mm slowly then she and Mickael headed to the entrance door.
“ No, Parker. She doesn’t know, please stay!” Jarod pleaded as he took her by the arm, his strong grip preventing her from leaving.
‘You are right Jarod, she doesn’t know. So don’t you think it would be a good idea to explain her, Genius?’ She contacted him, a brief tender smile crossing her lips, too quick from anyone else but him to see it.
‘ Yes, I wanted to but I didn’t have the time… I can imagine what kind of things she had thought about you, but you’re none of it. You well know how I think of you, right?’ He thought back while caressing her right cheek with his index finger.
‘ I know. I won’t be long gone anyway. I’m kind of exhausted, no wonder why?’ she thought back putting as much sarcasm as she could.
He grinned and let her go, when she was gone he faced back his sister intending to make his point clear concerning the most important person of his life.
“ Emily! I hope you’ve got pretty good reason to have acted like this toward this woman!” Margareth barked. It was the first time that Jarod saw his mother raised her voice and showed her anger this openly. She looked pointedly at the gun in her daughter hand in a hard strong stare. Even if the situation was going havoc, Emily handed her father’s gun.
“ Beside her working for the very facility that pursued our family all our lives? And her being the huntress of my brother? I don’t even understand why we’re arguing here!” Emily shouted back, tears of frustration, fear and stress of the past two weeks glowing in her eyes.
“ All right. Everybody calms down.” Jarod said as he raised his hands in surrender.
“ Emily, take a sit. Mom, give me the gun. Please.”
The women did as told, Jarod put the gun in the left drawer of his desk then locked it. Briefly he tried to consider how he was going to explain the four years last events, he knew from this that he would need some help.
“ Sydney, do you mind to…”
“ No problem, I will do as best as possible.”
“ Thank you Sydney.”
They joined the Russell women. After taking a sit and collected his thoughts, Jarod began.
“ I understand why you acted like this, you’re just trying to protect us. The only problem here is that Ms Parker isn’t a threat.”
His sister opened her mouth ready to argue about his last point, Jarod didn’t let her the time.
“ Listen to me, I’ve lived in the Centre for three decades there. I met her when I was 13. I know her better than anybody for the exception of Sydney.”
“ He is right, Ms Russell. He knows her as much as she knows him.” Added Sydney using his calmest tone on the young woman.
“ That is why the Centre decided to put her on the head of the chasing team.” Jarod told her, knowing that again she would try to make her point.
“ So you finally admit that she is your huntress!” Emily snapped not bothering to hide her anger from her voice.
“ Emily Russell, if I were you I would shut up and listen to your brother.” Magareth replied still mad at her daughter.
“ She chased me for more than four years but she had her reasons. Her father and Raines had made a deal with her, one she couldn’t refuse: her freedom for mine. She just had to bring me back there, dead or alive. They had a slight preference for the latter. So she chased me and anyway she didn’t have much of a choice, you don’t say no to the power that be.”
“ Ms Parker and I were on the trail of your brother, but that didn’t mean that we didn’t have any contact. Your brother loved to wake her up at three am.”
At this, Jarod Sydney and Margareth shared a brief smile before Sydney continued to Emily disbelief. Had everybody gone totally insane??!
“ But that is not what is going to convince you, right?” he asked her, she nodded curtly her head in answer.
“ A little more than two weeks ago, Ms Parker discovered that Lyle was working on a new project, one her father and brother had been trying to hide from her. So she decided to follow her twin, that drove her to Los Angeles.”
From there, Margareth told her daughter what she could recall of Lyle ambuscade.
“ When you were gone, having … hmm Willy on your heels, Lyle burst in the street. I was trapped, he was aiming his gun between my eyes with his sick self-confidence only a sociopath possessed. But I held my ground. He kept menacing me. That time I was sure I wasn’t going to be brought in the Centre alive. Imagine my shock when I saw him raise his hands to the sky then watched him fall on the ground motionless. Ms Parker saved me, darling, just like she let you run away from the street.” She paused, gauging her daughter’s reactions to her tale.
“ After that, she was shot protecting me. We left L.A. and stayed in a motel. During her short convalescence, your brother happened to call her. She allowed us to meet and left to go back to the Centre. She kept her words never coming back with a sweeper team.”
Sydney took on.
“ When she was back at the Centre, Mr Raines and the Triumvirate had already decided that with Jarod and the boy on the run, she was the last key the Centre could use. After kidnapping her, Broots’ daughter and myself they made her passed some tests and made her do some simulations. During that time she discovered her mother’s gift and the little Mickael, who was a permanent resident of SL-30. Your brother and mother came to rescue us with the help of Broots and Angelo. From that day a new chase has begun. Mr Lyle is its leader.” Sydney finished the explanation.
“ And why wouldn’t she try to buy her place back there, turning all our family would sure make it easy for her.”
“ Because she is more valuable to them than I am. She also is taking care of Mickael and because we are… hmm we’re together. And I won’t let anyone, even a member of my family interfere in this matter.”
With one look in the eyes of her brother, Emily knew he was dead serious. Then she turned her head on her right and held the eyes of her mother. She was not really surprised to see the same look laying there.
“ What is her mother’s gift? Why is she so valuable?”
“ Beside being a pretender like me and surely like you, she is telepath. So is Mickael.”
“ She may be even more.” Added Sydney remembering Raines eagerness in being allowed to test her ESP power.
“ She can read mind? Can we be serious please, I’m definitely not in the mood.”
“ That is true, Emily. Catherine had this gift and so has her daughter.” Margareth told her, her anger had vanished from her voice Jarod noticed relieved.
“ I don’t ask you to become her best friend Emily. I simply want you to let her be. You’ll learn from yourself that Me- ,Ms Parker is trustworthy.”
In perfect timing the formal Centre cleaner and Mickael stepped back in the flat.
“ Talking about me?” she asked smugly as she watched the four people gathered around the table.
“ Only good things Ms Parker.” Sydney replied his lips curving up in his typical smile at her tone.
“ That must have been short then.” She replied and saw the two men shook their heads at her comment.
Emily watched her with chirurgical precisions, the tall brunette bent down to tell the young child she was going to sleep and asked him to stay with Angelo and her mother. Then she looked at Jarod, not moving, nor speaking. A few seconds past like this before her brother stood up while saying that he was going to lye down himself. The two left together without another word.
“ And you agree with this situation?!” Emily hissed leaning over her mother.
“ Emily, listen to me. We have finally fund your brother and he happens to care for this woman. And thanks to her, I’m still alive and the three of us are together.”
“ Don’t tell me you trust her?! Mom we are talking about-”
“I well know who we are talking about. Don’t you get it? She was-is and will be as much at risk by the Centre as us! What more proof do you need? She already saved my life, she brought us Jarod back in our life! I trust her and care for her. And so do your brother.” Her tone showed that the argument was closed.
“ I have heard so many stories about her, Mom… And they weren’t flattering at all! She is a cleaner for God sake! One of the Centre’s bests.” Emily tried in a softer voice, but her mother had already her opinion.
“ I never said she was a saint. And remember that I shot to kill too.”
“ It’s not the same! You were protecting me and yourself from them!”
“ I know you don’t understand but please! Do as your brother asked. He cares for her, more that you can imagine. I have known it even before they were together. Let them be.”
-----
“ It must be silly of me but I think your sister hates me!”
“ So? I hate your brother.»
“ My brother is a sociopath that is understandable.”
“ Look, I know what you think. But that is not going to happen.”
“ And what am I thinking Wonder boy?”
“ That I might come to chose between you and my family. And like I said that is not going to happen! I’ve made my point perfectly clear. And if I may add, my mother likes you very much! ”
She looked at him, he was laying on the bed next to her on his side, wearing his favorite boyish grin. When she didn’t respond and her eyes left his, he came closer and cupped her cheek with his left hand.
“ What’s wrong?”
“ It’s about Mickael. Angelo and I, we fund out his parents… They were two of the children rescued by my mother. From their files, they both had ESP abilities, but only his father was a pretender.”
“ Did they know about him?”
“ No Jarod, they couldn’t have known.” She posed then whispered to herself
“ God those fucking sick bastards…” before continuing “They dye two years before Mickael was conceived… I don’t know if I have to be happy to say that he was the only success of the experiment… How am I going to tell this to him? For God sake, he is only five years old!”
He took her in his arms as he felt the tension increase inside her.
“ I know he is young… However he deserves to know this.” He told her softly, his voice soothing.
“ This? What this? That he is an experiment? That his parents were dead before he… Christ!” She burst out as she swung her legs of the bed, her back now facing him.
“ For now, I think you should tell him that his parents are dead. For a long time.” He whispered as his hand traveled up and down her back trying to ease her tension away.
“ And if he wants to know more?” She forced the words out, and damned herself when she heard her voice break.
“ I don’t know…”
She turned back to him, eyes shining from unshed tears, before replying.
“ I would rather lie to him than tell him this.”
“ I know… I understand…”
On this, they fell silent. Jarod tightened his hold on her waist as she buried her head in his chest.
A few hours past before Parker and Jarod walked back in the living, there sat Sydney listening to a soft music as Mickael was watching a TV show silently. They hadn’t got completely in the room before Broots came to them with a serious look on his face.
“ I need to talk to you. I think I’m going to leave with Debby pretty soon. It’s not good for her to be out of school. And I also need to find a job… I know it must be somewhat inappropriate right now but…”
Jarod spoke, understanding shining in his eyes.
“ We understand Broots. If you don’t mind, I happen to know where you could find these things. Like have a new identity, a lucrative work without risk in a town, which happen to have a pretty good school in it.”
Broots looked at him amazed, he never thought that the pretender would think that way about him, seeing how he had been behaving recently towards them.
“ Parker, can you show him what is in my computer? If you agree, I just have to E-mail three friends and you’ll be able to leave whenever you want.”
Broots nodded and followed Parker to Jarod’s laptop before immersing himself to the pretender project.
Jarod watched his mentor who was sitting closed eyes listening to a French music, the pretender listened to the lyrics.
“ Moi je n’étais rien et voilà qu’aujourd’hui
Je suis le gardien du sommeil de ses nuits
Je l’aime à mourir
Vous pouvez détruire tout ce qui vous plaira
Elle n’a qu’à ouvrir l’espace de ses bras
Pour tout reconstruire, pour tout reconstruire
Je l’aime à mourir »
Jarod opened his eyes and saw that Sydney was watching him with his sad smile that he had learned during more than thirty years.
“ It’s a really beautiful song, sad but beautiful.” The pretender told him as the singer’s voice continued his declaration.
“ Yes, it is. It can depress anyone who is able to recognize himself in these words.” Replied his mentor with a nostalgic voice.
“ Yes, indeed. Are you all-right?”
“ I will be. Don’t worry for me Jarod. I think you should go to your sister. This situation must be really difficult for her.”
Jarod knew him too much to try to made him talk about what was bothering him. Sydney was a really good listener but when it happened to concern him he always dealt with his problems alone.
TBC
Title: Miami’s truths 2
Author: Nelle
E-mail’s author: nelle_aep@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: S/AV
Spoilers: 1,2,3 seasons
Keywords: JMPR
Washington D.C
Same night
Jarod's lair
Mickael was sitting in front of the window in the back of the living room, the town’s lights were playing shadows on his face but he didn’t notice it, nor the bursting activity down there. The night had fallen for a quite long time now but the child had been totally oblivious of the time lapse, being closed eyes, sitting in his favorite yoga pose.
Margareth had been watching him for more than two hours like this. She had tried to talk to him, to make him eat something but he refused everything but a glass of water and some soup. She was getting worried about him, she had known the little boy for less than a week. During this short period, he had appeared like a normal five years old child but now she didn’t know what to do with him anymore. He had shut out everything and refused to talk or sleep since Ms Parker’s departure.
“Mrs Russell, you're still up? " asked a yawning Broots, he walked quietly to the table and took a seat next to her.
“I tried to put Mickael to bed but he wouldn't hear any of it… I know that it's because he is worried for them, but still…" she replied in a tired voice, she took a look at her watch, 00:03 am, this was going to be a long stressing night, she thought, as she looked back at the unmoving little boy.
“He still didn't talk? " questioned Broots, watching the young telepath.
Magareth shook her head then let out a heavy sigh, she didn't know what to do. She looked back at Broots, who felt her eyes and turned back toward her.
“I manage to make him eat some soup but beside that he refused everything. "
“He will get better soon." He whispered reassuringly.
“He won't talk until she comes back." Jarod's mother told him, he nodded in agreement. He too had been the witness of the amazing bonding of the little boy with his boss.
“Then he will talk tomorrow. " Broots said self-confidently.
“Yes, you’re right. It’s just … When I look at him, I can’t help wondering if it’s how Jarod acted when he was brought in this hmm facility. ” She spat out the last word with difficulty.
“I can’t tell you, but Sydney showed me once a piece of DSA concerning Jarod’s first 36 hours in the Centre. He was building the Empire State Building model at that time! ”
Margareth’s lips curved up slightly in a sad smile.
“ That’s my little boy. He was always dismantling or building something. ” She told him, still able to picture herself her two and a half years old boy playing with anything he got an hand on.
“ Jarod has become a wonderful man, Mrs Russell. Though my job was about catching him, I always admired what he did since he broke out of the Centre. ”
“ Doctor Green’s education must be the result of it… ” She mumbled bitterly then bit her lower lip when she saw the strange look Broots gave her at her statement.
“ I’m sure Sydney did everything in his powers to secure Jarod’s safety. ”
“ I’m sure he did. But Mr Broots, he was the one to spend the last thirty six years with my son. ”
Broots didn’t speak after her painful statement, he couldn’t even imagine what the Russell family had endured.
“ Don’t get me wrong, I know he took care of my boy in that place, however he is partially responsible of the torture my son’s endured. Doctor Green protected my child, yes, but he didn’t try to save him from the Centre. He didn't try to give me my boy back in all those years. ” She whispered shakily, her eyes avoiding Broots’ ones as she said this.
“ He lost his twin brother and Catherine Parker because of this. I do not know what I’d have done if parachuting in this particular situation, but I can understand what he did. ”
“ … I know my family wasn’t the only one to suffer, I know Doctor Green must have endured his own share of pain … But I can’t help myself but being resentful of him being the one with my son during all that time … ”
“ You have him back now and with some times and a little help you'll find Emily, your husband and the boy soon. ” Broots replied softly, then stood up and headed back to his room.
“ Yes. ” she whispered equally low, her voice refunding her calm and caring quality bit by bit.
“ Mr Broots? ” she called out before he closed the door behind him.
Hearing her voice, he stood in the doorway waiting.
“ Thank you. ” She told him genuinely.
He smiled at her briefly in answer before finally closing the door.
The whispering had ceased, Mickael could tell that it was Mr Broots who had left, being still able to grasp the worries of Jarod’s mother.
He wished he could tell her that he was ok, but if he did so, she would try to dissuade him to do what he was performing for more hours than he was able to recall.
Miss Parker had told him to stay with the caring old woman and he had obeyed her, however she hadn’t told him not to reach her by his ability. And that’s what he was trying to achieve. Finding her had been really difficult, he couldn’t explain how he did it but he succeeded in localizing her. Now he was doing all he could to not lose the precious link, he could feel tiny drops of sweat pearling on his forehead, he ignored them.
Breathing slowly, in and out, while focusing on her …
He fell deeper in the link, being able now to decipher her thoughts, giving him more relief and happiness than he could have imagined by doing so. The bad point in this ability was the headache he procured to his user. And right now he was experiencing a really bad one. The kind of metabolic problem, which meant that he should stop in a few minutes. Once, he had gone over his limits and had blackened out in front of Mr Raines. A day later he had awaken in SL-30 infirmary under the cold gaze of his unsatisfied mentor.
He was going to stop for the sake of Margareth watching over him, but not now.
Breathing in deeply, he forgot about where he was, about his own body or own thoughts, his focusing revolving only on Ms Parker.
Suddenly something really unexpected happen: He could hear distinctly the foot steps she and Angelo were making on the air vent, also feel the concrete rasping her hands and knees, all the while hearing her thoughts and experiencing her feelings.
‘ Could somebody tell me why I decided to wear these high heels today?
Oh yeah, so that Lover boy would have that gleam in his eyes while watching me! '
He heard the soft sounds she and Angelo were making in the air vent as they crawled slowly to Mr Raines' office sub-level.
“ Daughter tired … " Angelo soft voice reverberated in the emptiness of the air duct.
' Yes, but soon we will be in D.C with answers. ' She contacted Angelo, not wanting to waste any breath she had.
The empath was used to crawling in the confined space for years, feeling at ease and surely at home in it contrary to Parker who was experimenting the first edge of claustrophobia.
' And if we don't find anything in the Wheezer hole, what will I do then? '
His excitement and expectation about this particular thought gave him away. Miss Parker stopped crawling all of a sudden, she touched Angelo’s left calf making him turn back instantly toward her.
Mickael was becoming worried, he wasn’t able to hear any of her thoughts and the pounding in his head was making him feel dizzy. He was going to close the link and try to get it back later when he heard her full force, like she was standing right in front of him.
‘ MICKAEL!! What on earth do you think you are doing?! ’
God, he was so much in trouble now! Mickael had never seen her this angry toward him … What had he done? Why hadn’t he just gone to bed and slept like Margareth had wanted him?! Now he was sure he had lost the only chance he had to stay with her.
‘ Oh Mickael … ’ this thought was colored with such love that it brought tears to his closed eyelids.
‘ I’m sorry … I-I just wanted to know how you were, I didn’t want to … I mean I just ’
‘I'm coming back. As will Angelo, Jarod and Sydney. In less than 8 hours we'll be in D.C. Now I want you to listen to me very carefully young man, you're going to bed… No, first you eat properly, ask for an aspirin then you go to bed. And when you wake up I will be there, ok? ’
He couldn't help but laughed softly, she was using this link as well as him, even better, he guessed. At that moment, he couldn't hide anything from her.
‘ All right. ’
‘ Good boy, now go to Margareth and tell her what I have just said. ’
‘ Tomorrow, you will-’
‘ I’ll be there, I promise. ’
He felt her thoughts drifted away from him, in a childish impulse he tried to reach her back but this time his link crashed on a wall making the contact impossible.
After a few others seconds in silence, he opened his eyes and took a shaky breath while whipping his forehead. His headache was hitting him strongly now but he didn’t mind it, it had been worthwhile. He stood up and almost fell down, his legs unable to support him after the long hours of stillness, he took hold on the wall and saw from the corner of his eye that Margareth was coming to him quickly, not trusting his legs anymore he sat back on the sofa. Not five seconds had passed when she reached him, her worried eyes watching him intensely.
“ Mickael? Are you all right? ”
“ Yes. Miss Parker, hmmm, she wants me to eat properly and have an aspirin before going to bed. ” He whispered guiltily, knowing he didn’t deserve her gentle caring when he had been this impossible with her.
“ What? ” she said as she stared at him, then it hit her “ Ho! ” she added shaking her head in wonder. Now she better understood what had been going on with the little boy. This ability was utterly puzzling… And obviously very tiring. She took the young child in her arms while making a mental note to talk about this with Sydney and Miss Parker when they would be back.
Blue Cove, Del
The Centre
“ How are you doing, Sydney? ”
“ I must admit that I’m a little too old for this kind of activity. ” Jarod’s mentor answered a bit out of breath but kept the same rhythm as he followed the younger man’s path in the dark air vent.
“ We are almost there, you’ll be able to catch your breath in the Chairman office. ” Jarod said sympathetically. He wished they could stop right now, hearing the tiredness in Sydney’s voice but he also knew that they couldn’t afford it.
Jarod took on the right, at the end of the vent he could already see the grating opening out into Parker’s father office. Looking at his watch briefly, he was relieved to see that they weren’t late on schedule. He was now advancing on the four, there was no light in the room and as he squinted his eyes, he saw that the cameras were turned off. Angelo was really a genius, he thought genuinely.
He pushed the grating and slipped quietly in the room, he turned on his flashlight, waving it quickly around the room to make sure nothing was unusual, satisfied, he returned to the air duct entrance and helped the older man to get out safely from it.
“ I am ok, Jarod. You should go to Mr Parker’s computer. ” He whispered softly.
Jarod did as asked, put on the laptop and began working on the password codes. Sydney took position behind him, watching the screen upon his protégé’s shoulders. They stayed like this a few minutes in comfortable silence then Jarod’s hacking ability got the better of the security system program, Mr Parker’s files were now accessible.
Jarod frowned at what he saw there, important files were missing like his own in particular, then typing quickly a chain of command he noticed that everything concerning the prodigy project had disappeared.
“ Seems that the Parker man lost the one thing he had fought to take control over for the last 30 years. ” Jarod muttered as he rechecked his chain of commands.
“ Are you sure, Jarod? It’s not according to what Angelo told us. ” The calm voice of his mentor cut the oppressing silence.
The pretender thought back of Angelo’s words, then said.
“ You think Mutumbo is trying to dupe Raines? Using Parker has a paw? ”
“ The only thing I am sure of is that Mr Parker didn’t do anything to be put aside from the most important project the Centre ever had. However, this computer shows us something else. ”
“ Mutumbo don’t trust … ” Jarod repeated Angelo’s sentence, then he ventured in a more detached voice “ He is going to test Raines’ loyalty, not toward the Centre, but toward the Triumvirate. And I’m pretty sure Mr Parker is still aware of the prodigy project, Mutumbo wouldn’t risk it by giving all control to the good doctor Billy. He knows from past experiences what results it can cause. ”
“ Can you still find the prodigy files? ” Sydney asked as he squeezed the pretender’s shoulder.
“ Yes, but it will take me more time to do so than I planned previously.
They must be hidden so that Raines techies are unable to localize them. ” Replied Jarod who had turned toward his mentor, his features showing is uneasiness in spending more time than he had wanted in the Centre.
“ You won’t have a such an occasion in a long time Jarod, Lyle and Raines already went ballistic with your last trick. And you have seen like me how the Centre security already changed because of it. ”
“ You’re right. ”
That said Jarod immersed himself in his work, Sydney checked his watch and hoped Lyle reacted as Jarod and Parker had predicted, if not he didn’t want to imagine what could result.
Centre Jet
Same moment
Sam looked around him, the sweepers coming along with him under Mr Lyle’s orders were extremely quiet, each of them trying to get invisible, Miss Parker’s formal sweeper guessed.
Being under Lyle’s orders wasn’t something he really appreciated either but he couldn’t do anything about it, so he did what he did the best: keep his mouth shut and eyes and ears wide opened.
His attention drifted to his new boss. For once Lyle didn’t seem upset, he didn’t seem excited either. He saw him frowned his eye-brows, Sam gathered that the Parker son was thinking about his preys and the way he should process to not let them slipped away from him this time.
Sam wasn’t eager to bring back his formal boss, though he still wished to be under her command, he was actually please that she was far away from this damned place. He himself was preparing his secret departure, being in the Centre under a psychotic case was not really entertaining to say the least.
Still watching Lyle, he was the only one to see the transformation of the man’s features: his eyes widened first, then the hand laying on the armrest gripped it so tightly that his knuckles turned white, his jaws clenched and then came the low predatory growl.
There was a problem but with Lyle it could become Armageddon. Now was it going to fall on his shoulders or not, Sam questioned himself, while preparing himself to get hold of his gun.
“ STOP THE JET!! ” the man howled making all the sweeper's heads popped up in fright.
Lyle stood up and in four long strides reached the cockpit to bark his orders to the bewildered pilot.
The jet made a 180° turn, heading back to Blue Cove. Looking at his watch, Sam estimated that they wouldn’t land off in the Centre before 2:45 am. Lyle sat back in his seat, his jaws still clenched. If he was acting like this, the head of the sweeper hypothesized, it was because the Pretender or Miss Parker were surely back in the Centre for some twisted reasons. The sweeper hoped that whoever might have been in the Centre had left it before 2:45 am.
Blue Cove, Del
The Centre
2:35 am.
Parker and Angelo had reached doctor Billy’s office 20 minutes earlier. Since their arrival Angelo was working on the laptop of his torturer as Miss Parker was going through the files contained in Raines safe. Finding the code hadn’t been too difficult for the Empath, a slight touch on the metal door had been enough, ten seconds later he was giving a series of number to her.
Parker was getting impatient, she couldn’t help herself but thinking that this whole operation would be a waste of time. If she had learnt anything from the past years working for the Centre, it was that even when you found an answer, the Centre machinations would throw 5 more questions in your face. The files she had in her hands were the perfect example, they gave small hints of what old Wheezy had been working on however it never gave you what you really wanted, like an identity, a birth certificate or a death’s one …
She was studying blue files, earlier she found some concerning Kyle and some concerning the balls sucker being her brother. After another reading of what twisted experiment the walking corpse had put his pupils through, she tossed the files back in the safe.
She checked her watch and decided that they would have to leave in 10 minutes. After clearing her head a bit from her previous reading, she came closer to Angelo and put a hand on his tensed shoulders.
“ Anything? ” she whispered, she knew that they were alone on this entire sub-level but she couldn’t help herself.
Angelo shook his head and kept tapping on the key-board, his right hand only leaving it less than a second when in need to use the mouse.
Three other minutes passed in the oppressing silence, Parker was pacing in front of the desk, cursing herself to not have brought her cigarettes along. When she heard a weird sound coming from the Empath, she quickly got back to his side.
“ What is it? ” she snapped as she would have with Broots, this simple fact showing her tension and frustration.
“ Mickael … Here! ” he said as he showed her the screen with his index finger.
“ Make a copy. ” she ordered as she read the page herself. It was concerning the red files, she instantly knew, as she recognized one pattern of number. Reading further, realization came to her in a more ugly way that she had thought possible for something coming from Raines. The rescued children from the prodigy project hadn’t been executed for erasing traces but because of what they could have reclaimed if they had found out.
Miss Parker had a surge of rising bile in her throat, she took a deep breath, forcing the acid to go back to her knotted stomach.
“ Done. ” Angelo told her in a defeated voice, understanding that now the little boy they both cared about would never know his genitors.
Parker looked back at her watch, it was now 2:42 am. They ought to leave already, she thought, but she still didn’t have her answers concerning her mother’s death … She was still struggling with this matter when she saw Angelo’s eyes widened as his whole body began to tremble.
“ Problem … Angry, come back, need leave now! ” Angelo whispered in a more frightened voice Parker’d ever heard him uttered, he stood out of his chair, hands now flying over the keyboard. In ten seconds he had the laptop shut off and the new disk in his pants pocket.
“ What is going on? ” she asked, obliged to take the frantic man by the arm to make him focus on her.
He only said one word next but it was enough to run cold Parker’s blood.
“ Lyle … ”
The mental picture assaulted her as were the feelings associated to it, her breath was caught in her throat as the fear rose in her, leaving nothing but the patent feeling of danger and pure fright.
Lyle was back in the Centre, he hadn’t hooked to their bait in Idaho, and from what Angelo could feel from the sociopath, she was convinced that Lyle knew they all were in the Centre. He was on his way for them and this time he wasn’t going to let them get out alive from the Centre.
“ Let’s get the hell outta here. ” she hissed.
The Centre
SL-2
Sydney was sitting on the right corner of Mr Parker’s desk, Jarod was still working on the search of his family locations, his swift tapping being the only noise in the room.
The Centre psychiatric had had time to think during the last thirty minutes, he’d remembered his argument with his twin brother before his accident, whose words had taken their full meaning after his death. He had also let his tortured mind recalled Catherine’s last cession with him … Ms Parker would think that he was betraying her not telling her what had been discussed between her mother and him. But she didn’t know, and if one day it ever came to light it would do even more damage after all this time, now wouldn’t it?
No, he had already taken this decision a few decades before and he would respect it.
‘Why Parker? Why taking such a risk?? You can begin the life you’ve always dreamed of.’
‘ For the same matter that Jarod has never really left the Centre, Sydney. For Answers, but mostly for revenge.’
‘ And is it worth it?’
‘ It’s all I have Sydney. Unlike Jarod I don’t have a loving family to find. It’s mine who wants me in a cage or right now under five feet earth.’
Sydney shook his head in dismissal, as a shrink he knew that his guilt would pursued him all his life however his life was already much started on. He would keep on dealing with it for the next decade. He knew her too well… It was for the best.
The old man glanced at his protégé and was going to check his watch but stood up quickly when he noticed light coming from under the door.
“ Jarod?”
“ I’m almost done Sydney, just two others files and we’ll go.”
“ I’m afraid we won’t have enough time for that.”
“ What-??”
Now footsteps could be heard, Jarod and Sydney’s eyes locked, reading the same thing in each other eyes: Lyle was back.
“ You go now Sydney, I’ll catch you later.”
“ But”
“ Listen, you take the same way but at the latter turn, you’ll take right.”
“ To where?”
“ You’ll get out in the woods, there is a car there, a half mile right away.”
“ Then take my gun.”
“ I already have one.”
“ I’m sure it will come in handy.”
The Centre
“ Tell me you got them.” Lyle barked harshly in the mouthpiece of his Cellular.
“ No sir. We’re sweeping every rooms.»
“ I don’t want to hear from you before you’ve fund them!”
Lyle cut the communication with Willie, his eyes locked on Sam’s figure.
“ Sam.»
“ Mr Lyle.»
“ Take five of this bunch of larva and bring me the intruders. Miss Parker is not here to cover your ass, so you better do your job for once. ”
Sam didn’t reply, he wasn’t going to give Lyle a reason to let off steam. He just nodded then called out his five favorite men.
“ Jake, Rick, Walter, Will, Andrew. You come with me!”
“ And Sam! You sweep the air vent system first, that’s where rats usually hide. ” Lyle smirked as he headed to his office.
“ You heard him? Come on!” Sam told them while damning Lyle to put him on Ms Parker’s trail. Knowing his formal boss, she would shoot first then ask question. Maybe it was the right night to make his reverence to the Centre, he mused as he and his team entered in the duct.
“ Sam? Where do we go first?”
“ Where do rats go?”
“ Sub-level? Like SL 26?”
“ We’ll go straight to there. If someone is trying to escape, he will have to go through it. ”
------
“ Angelo, Angelo, come on we’ve got to move quicker than this! ” Parker hissed at the trouble man.
Since his contact with Lyle, he was like closed in his own tortured world, sometimes he wouldn’t even hear her. At these moments, she was obliged to use her ability to reach him, which took too much of her focus in their situation.
Lyle and his teams were after them, the only solution of this problem was to put as much miles as possible between them and this social case.
She slowed down their pace at the end of the vent, they had to crawl down two levels then run the rest of the way to reach the exit, the car would be there waiting for them if … She checked her watch nervously 2:51 am. They could make it.
“ You go first, I’ll be right behind you. ” she told him softly but firmly, to her relief Angelo nodded.
“ Escape .” He whispered as he began his descent.
She had known that at a moment or another they would have to encounter some of the Centre sweepers but she wished it wouldn’t have been this soon …
First she had heard the ring of a cellular, a fault that her sweeper team wouldn’t have made in her presence, at that sound she pushed Angelo to the back of a corner. The both of them stayed there waiting in the shadow, a few cursed came to them with footsteps and loud breathing.
“ There is a ventilation cage that has been removed.” Reported one of the sweepers.
“ Let’s go over here.»
She recognized the second voice instantly, Sam was here. She knew this man as well as the back of her hand, he was good at what he did, too good, if he wanted to find them so would he.
“ We slip, two men by team.”
He was doing the right thing covering all the area, she and the empath were going to be surrounded.
“ Rick, you take the right.”
“ But Sam-”
“ Do as I say, you want a personal appointment with Lyle? Now go!”
The footsteps were coming right in their direction, she tightened the hold of her gun and removed the safety. It was something she had done too many times for her liking but that’s what being raised in the Centre did to you, didn’t it?
“ Ms Parker?”
God it was Sam! Alone! She had made the right choice taking him as the leader of her sweepers.
‘ I’m over here.’ She told him by her ability, reading at the same time the surprise then disbelief of her sweeper. She came out of her hiding place and came face to face with him.
“ Ms Parker? What? How?” asked a bewildered Sam.
“ We have no time for this now. How many teams are after us?” she asked him with her usual authority.
“ Us? How many are you?” he questioned again, still not able to picture himself his boss being civil nor teaming with the fugitive Pretender.
“ I thought I was the one to be answered?” she snapped.
“ Well, all the night teams are searching the Centre and Lyle called all the morning ones which will arrive in hmm ten minutes.” he answered her.
She sighed heavily, leaving Blue Cove was going to be a bitch in this condition.
“ Angelo is with me, Jarod and Sydney are in another Sub-level. Now tell me, what are you going to do?”
He chuckled at this.
“ The same thing than you Ms Parker, leaving.”
For the first time since they have met she smiled at him, which disturbed the sweeper. He knew he’d a soft spot for her but her smiling at him made him want to, no he wouldn’t go there, he already knew that she was inaccessible.
“ You need-”
“ I’ve already my arrangement. Thank you Ms Parker.»
That’s how they left, they made their way together a few meters then they separated, Angelo and Parker going straight away while Sam got on the first left of SL-27.
Blue Cove.
Sydney was running for a long time now, his exhausted legs were reminding him of his old age every stride he made. During his course, a few times a single thought came to him ‘ Why do you keep running? You stop then it’s over. No more what if, no more secret.’ But he kept running, like he had all his life. After what? He couldn’t even tell! He felt as if he had run the NY marathon! Anyway he fund the car, which Jarod had hidden, he just prayed it would functioned. How long had it stayed in the wood? When did Jarod plan to visit the Centre? Too much questions …
He sighed in relief when he sat down on the passenger side, now all he had to do was wait for his pretender. He didn’t notice a half-mile away on the road a car waiting there, its driver observing him through binoculars.
The Centre
Undetermined Sub-level
Jarod could hear their footsteps and their screams, hunting him the same way they had during his first escape. This thing was really getting old he mused as he increased his speed, passing another grating not taking the time to pull it back behind him.
He would make it. For his mother, for Sydney, but mostly for her and himself. They deserved that much.
Lyle was here waiting for him somewhere, he was still unable to tell where, but he knew it would be at a strategic point so there were three possibilities:
_ The end of the vent.
_ The car he had hidden in the woods, where Sydney had to be at the moment … Or worse
_ The meeting point …
No, Lyle couldn’t have thought about this last location. And if he had, no matter what he had told her, he wouldn’t leave Blue Cove without her.
Stop being this pessimistic Jarod, he chastised himself. They would be okay, now that he had found out the possible locations of his father and the boy.
Soon he would have the family he had dreamed of, he just had to get to the car and leave this God for saken hole. The moonlight was peering at the end of the vent, the fresh air caressing his warm cheeks. He didn’t wait, he got out of the duct and kept running, the Centre lights were following every paths he took but he didn’t panic, the woods would be safe, he just had to reach it first.
“ Jarod!! Stop Right Now You Son Of A Bitch!!”
‘Lyle, God Dammit!’
Jarod increased his speed, clouds of steam coming out of his mouth in the freezing night. Five shot came in his direction, he zigzagged as much as he could while avoiding holes, branches and trees roots. He shot behind him half the clip of his own gun, making Lyle and some sweepers back off and in search of a shelter.
The good thing in Lyle being after him was that it meant that Parker was out of the Centre. Otherwise, this sicko would have just waited for him to go free her from his grasp.
Only a half mile, he thought, as he heard glints of Lyle still cursing behind, yelling at his sweepers to get moving their ass and kill him. He took Sydney’s gun from his waistband and made good use of it, he heard three yells of pain behind him, but didn’t look back guessing it couldn’t have been Lyle. He didn’t care, the car was now into view, he used what little strength he possessed and made a sprint to the driver seat, he didn’t acknowledge Sydney talking, he started the machine which protested against his abrupt way but started none the less. Lyle’s shot blew out the windshield, Sydney put his head between his knees while Jarod increased their speed. Choosing to take his chance, he drove straight to Lyle as he hid his head behind the car board, he heard a muffled noise as the car hit Lyle who flew in the air. A few shots came hitting the back of the car, the new hunter was as obstinate as his sister, Jarod thought while looking quickly as the rear-view mirror. Lyle was laying flat on his stomach slowly lowering his gun down as he accepted the truth of the situation, the pretender had won once again.
The car got through the wood and emerged on the road, only then did Jarod allow himself to break at full speed. However his best efforts, he couldn’t avoid being followed by Centre’s sedans. Neither Jarod, nor the Centre sweepers noticed the blue Ford Taurus tailing them from a secured distance.
A few hours later
Washington D.C
It was eight past 27 minutes and Miss Parker still wasn’t back, Mickael was getting scared. She should already be back, he thought as his eyes locked on the door, willing it to open … Margareth was at her fourth cup of coffee since she had woke up, it was the only thing she could do to occupied herself and her mind …
The little boy sighed deeply, he knew she had left yesterday to find answers about him and about her mother, but all he had ever wanted since he was out of the Centre was to be with Ms Parker, that was all … Why did she think he wanted to know his parents?! If they had cared for him or know about him, they would have tried to free him or contact him, no?
But they never had tried …
The door burst open, he got up from his chair instantly but it wasn’t her, Jarod and Sydney were back. He was happy to see them back without harm, he liked them a lot, but Ms Parker and Angelo were the two people he felt the closest from all he could remember.
“ Mom!” Jarod took her in his arms in a bear hug.
“ Jarod, are you all right?” She inquired as she tightened her hold on her son.
“ I’m okay Mom … Where, where is Mel?” Jarod asked her when his eyes had swept all the room without finding her there.
“She is not here, I thought she was with you … God Mickael must be worried sick about her, seeing you without her…”
“ I’m sure Ms Parker and Angelo are all-right. She knows the Centre maybe better than you do Jarod. She will be here soon.” Sydney replied confidently, he knew her, he had been the witness of her stubbornness and incredible strength. She was going to come back, things couldn’t be otherwise. Jarod’s eyes bored into his owns searching, Sydney hoped his eyes didn’t betray him. She was going to come back, wasn’t she? She had to come back otherwise he wouldn’t forgive himself …
Mickael jumped into the old man’s arms and began to sob brokenly in his neck. Sydney wasn’t prepared for this, he himself was trying to cope with the situation but he soothed the young child nonetheless …
When Jarod was able to refrain himself of thinking some dreaded thoughts about Ms Parker, he took the still sobbing child from the arms of his mentor into his owns. Sydney watched the exchange, then his eyes trailed off in the room and fell on Broots ones. The formal Centre Tech was unsure, from what he could read, Sydney knew he was blaming himself about something, but the old man was too overwhelmed to go to him.
“ Come on Mickael, don’t cry young man … You know she’ll come back, she promised. And Angelo is with her, he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her, right?”
Mickael’s sobbed subdued enough for him to respond.
“ But what if, what if Doctor Raines found her again?”
“ Don’t worry, she is far much too fast to be caught by him! He has to trail an oxygen tank behind him, remember! I’m sure they are on their way.”
A knock reverberated in the room, Mickael rushed to the door and opened it before anyone could tell him anything. A young woman was there, looking at him strangely. He closed his eyes tightly willing himself not to cry in front of a stranger. He felt Jarod came behind him, when he was unable to hide the tears anymore he ran back in Sydney’s arms.
“ What can I do for … Emily? Emily?!”
She nodded, unable to find her voice, after so many years of imagining her brother, here he was: As shocked as she was! Jarod took her in his arms, tightening his hold to reassure himself that she was real.
“ How on earth did you find us?”
“ I followed you … I never dreamed that you’d be in Blue Cove yesterday but you were there. After that I just had to follow you, I must admit I had a really hard time to do so! God I almost lost you five times on your way to D.C.!”
“ Mom is not going to believe it!”
“ What? You, you mean Mom is here, with you?”
“ Mom! Come here!” he shouted excitedly, he was sure he was smiling like a fool but God he was so much happy now that he didn’t give a damn! His sister! His sister was here!!
“ Jarod? What is it?”
Emily hugged her mother before she could say anything else, it had only been two weeks but it’d felt like months to her since their separation.
After a few minutes of hugs and tears, the three came back in the apartment.
“ How is it possible that you too are here together? I mean, Mom and I search you for so long! And just when we get separated you two end together!”
“ It’s a very long story sweetie. It’s all went back to L.A. escape from Lyle.” Margareth told her, her voice breaking a bit from the emotion.
Another knock on the door made her pause, again Mickael was the first on the door followed closely by Jarod who had Sydney’s gun in his hand. If his sister had been able to follow him all the way back to Blue Cove, so could have cars of the Centre. However he put it back in his waistband when he saw a big smile erupt on Mickael’s face. The little boy opened the door and literally flew in the arms of Miss Parker. Jarod watched them and decided that they needed a little privacy.
He and a grinning Angelo left Parker and the young telepath alone. Emily was watching the empath suspiciously, but her brother didn’t notice his sister’s stance, her right hand heading to the small of her back.
“ It’s Angelo. He is a friend.” He explained her as he smiled broadly, at this sight his sister relaxed.
“ Sister fund Friend and Mother!” Angelo told the pretender happily.
Jarod nodded in agreement then went back to the doorstep. Miss Parker saw him as she put down Mickael. The little boy headed back in the apartment, knowing better than to stay between them.
“ You really like to be desired, don’t you?” He told her as he watched her, from head to feet, searching for any kind of injury.
“ As a matter of fact I do. But actually, we had to escape half of the morning sweeper teams!”
“ And I’m sure you enjoyed every minutes of it! I’m surprised, Angelo doesn’t seem to suffer from this ordeal?”
“ On the contrary, he had a lot of fun! Well, when no bullets were flying in the car!”
“ What?!”
She didn’t let him finish, she kissed him hard and felt him responded instantly.
“ Is that your way to tell me I talk too much?”
“ Maybe.”
At this he pouted, she chuckled and went back in his arms. When they were sure each other was all right they separated. Jarod leaded the way, Parker saw a flash a black curled hair on her left, Mickael was back at her side. She took his handing hand in her left one and squeezed it softly.
“ How in the Hell!!” Emily hissed as she drew her gun on Ms Parker who had instantly her gun in her hand. She aimed it at a young woman she didn’t recognized.
“ What is going on here?!” Jarod voiced everybody’s thought.
“ You tell me Wonder boy?” Parker replied anxiously as she put Mickael behind her.
“ Jarod! She is … It’s Ms Parker for Christ’s sake!”
“ Your point being?” He responded harshly as he took two steps in order to stand before Parker.
Emily felt like her jaws had hit the floor, had she really heard a threat coming from her brother!
“ She is working for the Centre! She is the one chasing you!” She hissed, feeling herself tensing a bit more at the mention of the Centre.
“ Not anymore. Calm down, Emily. She left the Centre, all right? Put the gun down.”
“ Don’t tell me you fell for this! At the first occasion she will turn you and Mom in.”
‘ This cold heartless bitch is just waiting that you find Dad again and then … I’m not letting this Centre Cleaner hurt our family more than the Centre already have!’
“ Emily put your father’s gun down.” Margareth ordered coldly.
“ Mom! Not you! I can imagine Jarod’s reason to be fooled, but you?”
Parker couldn’t take it anymore, the thoughts coming from Jarod’s sister were hitting too close. At her first thought of leaving the place she felt Mickael tightening his grip on her pants.
“ How can you think and say these things about Ms Parker?! You witch!”
“ Mickael!”
Parker couldn’t believe what she had just heard from the five years old, using her ability she fund the association of word and picture; right now was the face of Brigitte sneering. She knew how too well who he had learnt that from. She would have laughed if the situation hadn’t been so screwed.
She re-holstered her 9 mm slowly then she and Mickael headed to the entrance door.
“ No, Parker. She doesn’t know, please stay!” Jarod pleaded as he took her by the arm, his strong grip preventing her from leaving.
‘You are right Jarod, she doesn’t know. So don’t you think it would be a good idea to explain her, Genius?’ She contacted him, a brief tender smile crossing her lips, too quick from anyone else but him to see it.
‘ Yes, I wanted to but I didn’t have the time… I can imagine what kind of things she had thought about you, but you’re none of it. You well know how I think of you, right?’ He thought back while caressing her right cheek with his index finger.
‘ I know. I won’t be long gone anyway. I’m kind of exhausted, no wonder why?’ she thought back putting as much sarcasm as she could.
He grinned and let her go, when she was gone he faced back his sister intending to make his point clear concerning the most important person of his life.
“ Emily! I hope you’ve got pretty good reason to have acted like this toward this woman!” Margareth barked. It was the first time that Jarod saw his mother raised her voice and showed her anger this openly. She looked pointedly at the gun in her daughter hand in a hard strong stare. Even if the situation was going havoc, Emily handed her father’s gun.
“ Beside her working for the very facility that pursued our family all our lives? And her being the huntress of my brother? I don’t even understand why we’re arguing here!” Emily shouted back, tears of frustration, fear and stress of the past two weeks glowing in her eyes.
“ All right. Everybody calms down.” Jarod said as he raised his hands in surrender.
“ Emily, take a sit. Mom, give me the gun. Please.”
The women did as told, Jarod put the gun in the left drawer of his desk then locked it. Briefly he tried to consider how he was going to explain the four years last events, he knew from this that he would need some help.
“ Sydney, do you mind to…”
“ No problem, I will do as best as possible.”
“ Thank you Sydney.”
They joined the Russell women. After taking a sit and collected his thoughts, Jarod began.
“ I understand why you acted like this, you’re just trying to protect us. The only problem here is that Ms Parker isn’t a threat.”
His sister opened her mouth ready to argue about his last point, Jarod didn’t let her the time.
“ Listen to me, I’ve lived in the Centre for three decades there. I met her when I was 13. I know her better than anybody for the exception of Sydney.”
“ He is right, Ms Russell. He knows her as much as she knows him.” Added Sydney using his calmest tone on the young woman.
“ That is why the Centre decided to put her on the head of the chasing team.” Jarod told her, knowing that again she would try to make her point.
“ So you finally admit that she is your huntress!” Emily snapped not bothering to hide her anger from her voice.
“ Emily Russell, if I were you I would shut up and listen to your brother.” Magareth replied still mad at her daughter.
“ She chased me for more than four years but she had her reasons. Her father and Raines had made a deal with her, one she couldn’t refuse: her freedom for mine. She just had to bring me back there, dead or alive. They had a slight preference for the latter. So she chased me and anyway she didn’t have much of a choice, you don’t say no to the power that be.”
“ Ms Parker and I were on the trail of your brother, but that didn’t mean that we didn’t have any contact. Your brother loved to wake her up at three am.”
At this, Jarod Sydney and Margareth shared a brief smile before Sydney continued to Emily disbelief. Had everybody gone totally insane??!
“ But that is not what is going to convince you, right?” he asked her, she nodded curtly her head in answer.
“ A little more than two weeks ago, Ms Parker discovered that Lyle was working on a new project, one her father and brother had been trying to hide from her. So she decided to follow her twin, that drove her to Los Angeles.”
From there, Margareth told her daughter what she could recall of Lyle ambuscade.
“ When you were gone, having … hmm Willy on your heels, Lyle burst in the street. I was trapped, he was aiming his gun between my eyes with his sick self-confidence only a sociopath possessed. But I held my ground. He kept menacing me. That time I was sure I wasn’t going to be brought in the Centre alive. Imagine my shock when I saw him raise his hands to the sky then watched him fall on the ground motionless. Ms Parker saved me, darling, just like she let you run away from the street.” She paused, gauging her daughter’s reactions to her tale.
“ After that, she was shot protecting me. We left L.A. and stayed in a motel. During her short convalescence, your brother happened to call her. She allowed us to meet and left to go back to the Centre. She kept her words never coming back with a sweeper team.”
Sydney took on.
“ When she was back at the Centre, Mr Raines and the Triumvirate had already decided that with Jarod and the boy on the run, she was the last key the Centre could use. After kidnapping her, Broots’ daughter and myself they made her passed some tests and made her do some simulations. During that time she discovered her mother’s gift and the little Mickael, who was a permanent resident of SL-30. Your brother and mother came to rescue us with the help of Broots and Angelo. From that day a new chase has begun. Mr Lyle is its leader.” Sydney finished the explanation.
“ And why wouldn’t she try to buy her place back there, turning all our family would sure make it easy for her.”
“ Because she is more valuable to them than I am. She also is taking care of Mickael and because we are… hmm we’re together. And I won’t let anyone, even a member of my family interfere in this matter.”
With one look in the eyes of her brother, Emily knew he was dead serious. Then she turned her head on her right and held the eyes of her mother. She was not really surprised to see the same look laying there.
“ What is her mother’s gift? Why is she so valuable?”
“ Beside being a pretender like me and surely like you, she is telepath. So is Mickael.”
“ She may be even more.” Added Sydney remembering Raines eagerness in being allowed to test her ESP power.
“ She can read mind? Can we be serious please, I’m definitely not in the mood.”
“ That is true, Emily. Catherine had this gift and so has her daughter.” Margareth told her, her anger had vanished from her voice Jarod noticed relieved.
“ I don’t ask you to become her best friend Emily. I simply want you to let her be. You’ll learn from yourself that Me- ,Ms Parker is trustworthy.”
In perfect timing the formal Centre cleaner and Mickael stepped back in the flat.
“ Talking about me?” she asked smugly as she watched the four people gathered around the table.
“ Only good things Ms Parker.” Sydney replied his lips curving up in his typical smile at her tone.
“ That must have been short then.” She replied and saw the two men shook their heads at her comment.
Emily watched her with chirurgical precisions, the tall brunette bent down to tell the young child she was going to sleep and asked him to stay with Angelo and her mother. Then she looked at Jarod, not moving, nor speaking. A few seconds past like this before her brother stood up while saying that he was going to lye down himself. The two left together without another word.
“ And you agree with this situation?!” Emily hissed leaning over her mother.
“ Emily, listen to me. We have finally fund your brother and he happens to care for this woman. And thanks to her, I’m still alive and the three of us are together.”
“ Don’t tell me you trust her?! Mom we are talking about-”
“I well know who we are talking about. Don’t you get it? She was-is and will be as much at risk by the Centre as us! What more proof do you need? She already saved my life, she brought us Jarod back in our life! I trust her and care for her. And so do your brother.” Her tone showed that the argument was closed.
“ I have heard so many stories about her, Mom… And they weren’t flattering at all! She is a cleaner for God sake! One of the Centre’s bests.” Emily tried in a softer voice, but her mother had already her opinion.
“ I never said she was a saint. And remember that I shot to kill too.”
“ It’s not the same! You were protecting me and yourself from them!”
“ I know you don’t understand but please! Do as your brother asked. He cares for her, more that you can imagine. I have known it even before they were together. Let them be.”
-----
“ It must be silly of me but I think your sister hates me!”
“ So? I hate your brother.»
“ My brother is a sociopath that is understandable.”
“ Look, I know what you think. But that is not going to happen.”
“ And what am I thinking Wonder boy?”
“ That I might come to chose between you and my family. And like I said that is not going to happen! I’ve made my point perfectly clear. And if I may add, my mother likes you very much! ”
She looked at him, he was laying on the bed next to her on his side, wearing his favorite boyish grin. When she didn’t respond and her eyes left his, he came closer and cupped her cheek with his left hand.
“ What’s wrong?”
“ It’s about Mickael. Angelo and I, we fund out his parents… They were two of the children rescued by my mother. From their files, they both had ESP abilities, but only his father was a pretender.”
“ Did they know about him?”
“ No Jarod, they couldn’t have known.” She posed then whispered to herself
“ God those fucking sick bastards…” before continuing “They dye two years before Mickael was conceived… I don’t know if I have to be happy to say that he was the only success of the experiment… How am I going to tell this to him? For God sake, he is only five years old!”
He took her in his arms as he felt the tension increase inside her.
“ I know he is young… However he deserves to know this.” He told her softly, his voice soothing.
“ This? What this? That he is an experiment? That his parents were dead before he… Christ!” She burst out as she swung her legs of the bed, her back now facing him.
“ For now, I think you should tell him that his parents are dead. For a long time.” He whispered as his hand traveled up and down her back trying to ease her tension away.
“ And if he wants to know more?” She forced the words out, and damned herself when she heard her voice break.
“ I don’t know…”
She turned back to him, eyes shining from unshed tears, before replying.
“ I would rather lie to him than tell him this.”
“ I know… I understand…”
On this, they fell silent. Jarod tightened his hold on her waist as she buried her head in his chest.
A few hours past before Parker and Jarod walked back in the living, there sat Sydney listening to a soft music as Mickael was watching a TV show silently. They hadn’t got completely in the room before Broots came to them with a serious look on his face.
“ I need to talk to you. I think I’m going to leave with Debby pretty soon. It’s not good for her to be out of school. And I also need to find a job… I know it must be somewhat inappropriate right now but…”
Jarod spoke, understanding shining in his eyes.
“ We understand Broots. If you don’t mind, I happen to know where you could find these things. Like have a new identity, a lucrative work without risk in a town, which happen to have a pretty good school in it.”
Broots looked at him amazed, he never thought that the pretender would think that way about him, seeing how he had been behaving recently towards them.
“ Parker, can you show him what is in my computer? If you agree, I just have to E-mail three friends and you’ll be able to leave whenever you want.”
Broots nodded and followed Parker to Jarod’s laptop before immersing himself to the pretender project.
Jarod watched his mentor who was sitting closed eyes listening to a French music, the pretender listened to the lyrics.
“ Moi je n’étais rien et voilà qu’aujourd’hui
Je suis le gardien du sommeil de ses nuits
Je l’aime à mourir
Vous pouvez détruire tout ce qui vous plaira
Elle n’a qu’à ouvrir l’espace de ses bras
Pour tout reconstruire, pour tout reconstruire
Je l’aime à mourir »
Jarod opened his eyes and saw that Sydney was watching him with his sad smile that he had learned during more than thirty years.
“ It’s a really beautiful song, sad but beautiful.” The pretender told him as the singer’s voice continued his declaration.
“ Yes, it is. It can depress anyone who is able to recognize himself in these words.” Replied his mentor with a nostalgic voice.
“ Yes, indeed. Are you all-right?”
“ I will be. Don’t worry for me Jarod. I think you should go to your sister. This situation must be really difficult for her.”
Jarod knew him too much to try to made him talk about what was bothering him. Sydney was a really good listener but when it happened to concern him he always dealt with his problems alone.
TBC
