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.

Okay, this little idea popped into my head and since I didn't have time to write it alone, I drafted some friends to help me. Fortunately or unfortunately, the little idea has turned into what will be an epic by the time it's done. So we decided to post this first part now. Be warned that there are spoilers for virtually everything involving Mr. Lyle since his debut, and basically for all four seasons of the show. For those who haven't seen it yet, this picks up directly from the last scene of Mr. Lyle and Parker together in "Agent of the Year Zero"

Renwal Wing is a group of authors :Niceole, Trish, Shannon, Paula and Nicolette.

This little piece is dedicated to Lois for her utter devotion to "The Pretender" overall, and to Mr. Lyle in particular.



The Road Taken
part 1
by Renewal Wing




"You're insane."

Lyle watched as Parker finished speaking, her eyes taking in the smile he had plastered on his face. Then, almost shivering, she turned and walked out of the room.

His smile fell instantly. Moving quickly toward his desk, he picked up the phone and dialed in a pager number. Following the succession of beeps, he entered the 3-digit code 999 - it meant only one thing to its recipient - I need to talk now.

Lyle returned the Chinese food container to the refrigerator, grabbed his suit jacket and then pulled on the expensive piece of craftsmanship. He paused in front of the mirror to make certain his usual cold Mr. Lyle face was in place. Then he turned and exited the office.

***

Corinna St. John strolled through the parking garage toward the elevator that would take her to the condominium she purchased for when business brought her to Blue Cove. Fortunately, that wasn't often. Her life and her career were in Washington, but there were times when her presence here was required.

The elevator ride was a brief one and soon the doors opened on the fifth floor of the Franklin Regency Towers. She walked to her front door, fumbling momentarily with the keys. Then she opened the door and entered her darkened temporary home.

He was sitting in a chair that stood next to her fireplace. The only light in the room came from the slats in the patio door blinds, and they cast strange thin shadows on his face. She saw that his fingers were crossed, forming a kind of steeple as the tips rested against his chin.

Corinna took her time removing her coat and gloves, then she crossed to the sofa. She did not turn on the light. That he had not done so himself was an indication of how troubled he was, and she felt it best to let him set the tone for their talk.

They sat that way, together in the dark, for a long while, and then finally, Lyle lowered his hands and began to speak.

"She's terrified of me."

"I thought that's what you wanted. That was the goal, wasn't it?"

"She tries to cover it, to pretend that she isn't afraid, but I saw it in her eyes today. She really believes..."

His voice trailed off, and Corinna shifted her position so she could lean closer to him. The sun was moving, and the shadows that had given her some view of his face were disappearing, yet she felt a need to keep direct eye contact with him.

"Lyle, isn't that what you wanted? Parker can't be allowed to become an obstacle, we're agreed on this."

"I know that. I haven't forgotten what I'm trying to accomplish."

"Then what's the problem?"

"When it's over, what if it's too late?"

To Corinna, business had always been strictly business. Lyle had changed that. Their collaboration often left her feeling more emotional, more vulnerable than anything else in her life. She knew all too well the demons that had driven Lyle onto his current course, and despite her best efforts to stay distanced from him, she could never shake the emptiness she detected inside of him during these talks.

"It's never too late for the truth, Lyle. Never."

***

It was late when Lyle finally left Corinna's, and instead of heading upstairs to his own home, he went down to his car and drove off into the night. After a series of twists and turns, he was on the road to the coast, the moon illuminating his way down the winding drive along the ocean's shore.

This was not what he'd envisioned for himself all those years ago when he'd been walking across the Bowman farm and seen his father waving him over to meet the man from the "adoption agency." Back then he had planned to follow in his father's footsteps, maybe expand the farm into horse breeding. But meeting William Raines had changed all that.

>From that first day Raines had begun to work on him, striving to program him to be a tool of the Centre. Raines's aim was simple - Lyle was meant to be an assassin, and he'd had every intention of turning the boy into one. The old bastard had even had a master plan to perfect Lyle's killing techniques, one that had begun with the murder of the teen's best friend.

Lyle still remembered with horror the sound of the shovel crashing into the boy's skull. He'd turned around to see his friend falling and Raines standing there with a near maniacal look on his face. Shocked, his stomach knotting with fear, Lyle had tried to turn away, but Raines had called out to him.

"No. It's time for you to move on. You need to finish this to prove to me that you are ready."

Then the ghastly creature held out the shovel to Lyle. When Lyle had hesitated, Raines narrowed his eyes, fixing his most terrifying glare on the boy.

"Now, Bobby. I've done the hard part. Now, you dispose of the body."

Back in the present, Lyle shook his head, trying to push away the memories of that terrible day. It was true that it had been his choice to frame Lyle Bowman for the murder, he who had cut off the boy's head and hidden the body away until it had decomposed enough to prevent identification by anything other than the tattered remnant of clothing found on the body, but still, Lyle knew that Raines had set him on a path that day that almost nothing could have ever saved him from.

Nothing but the truth.

Funny how the truth finds you. When he'd enrolled at the University of Virginia under his alias Jan Hooper, it had been under Raines' strict instructions. Business courses were enrolled to help develop his abilities to handle the complex negotiations of the Centre's multinational enterprises, ROTC to teach him strategy and leadership.
At the time, Lyle simply did as he was told, not knowing the future his "mentor" had planned for him, only that it was easier and far less painful to cooperate than it was to question.

Neither could have known that his placement at the University was the one decision that would give him the secret key to finding who he really was.

Lyle had been sitting on campus, just three days past his 20th birthday when the man had approached him. Lyle had looked up from his book when
he noticed that whomever had stopped in front of him had no intention of moving.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Mr. Hooper?"

"Yes. Can I help you?"

"I have some interesting ideas for your future, Mr. Hooper, or should I call you Mr. Bowman?"

Lyle had almost panicked. This man knew who he really was? Why? Raines had promised no one would ever find him. As if the man were reading Lyle's thoughts, he gave the answers the younger man had so desperately needed.

"Not to worry, your ability to become someone completely new is exactly why we're interested in you. Come here, tomorrow at 10 a.m."

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. Lyle nervously took it and read the name C. Carver. That was all it said on the front. On the back was an address. 5570 Westchester Way.

By the time Lyle looked back up from the card, the man had vanished. He had looked and looked, trying to find some trace of him, but Lyle soon realized that the only way he'd see the man again would be to show at the appointed meeting place the next day.

That infamous next day had come in what seemed minutes, and Lyle found himself at 5570 Westchester Way. It was an unassuming home in the suburbs, and he had almost turned around and left until he saw the man from campus in the window watching him. For some reason, Lyle began walking toward the door. It opened before he could knock. The man stood in the doorway.

"Welcome. I'm glad you could come. Now that you're here, we can get started."

Lyle looked into the living room and saw a young woman about his same age sitting on the couch. She had dark hair and brown eyes, and she looked as nervous as he felt. The man indicated that Lyle should sit next to the girl, and so he did so.

"Mr. Bowman," the man saw Lyle begin to protest, and he raised his hand to stop him, "no pretenses here, Mr. Bowman. I'd like you to meet Corinna Scott. The two of you are being given a remarkable opportunity here today."

"To do what?" It was the woman, Corinna, who spoke, and Lyle looked anxiously from her to the man again, waiting for an answer.

"Let's begin again. My name is C. Carver, and I work for the CIA."

***

Carter was still giving them his "wonderful opportunity" speech when he suddenly favored them with a congenially arrogant smile and compliments for "having keen minds -- company assets."

"We need intelligent people like the two of you," he continued, a smile on his face, a shade more bored than was necessary. "It's your wits that got you through life, Mr. Bowman, Miss Scott, no matter how its packaged, its raw intelligence that counts. I must say I'm pleased by the way the two of you have turned out."

"So, the reason that we are here, sir," Corinna asked, in a low voice.

"Opportunity knocks, you answer it, don't you?"

"Are you challenging us, sir?" Lyle said evenly.

"In a sense, I suppose I am, Mr. Bowman," the smile faded and was replaced with tight lips.

***

Pulling the car into the parking lot, Lyle looked out at the ocean view, the city lights that twinkled like crystals in the distance, and leaned his head back against the headrest, closing his eyes. In hindsight, that first day was nothing, yet it had been full of omens and the phone call that he received later that day was the first of them.

The metallic shrill of the phone had interrupted his studies and he reached out his hand for the ivory receiver. He propped it between shoulder and ear.

"Hello?"

"Jan?" the voice on the other end replied, "Congratulations are in order, my boy. You did it, and sooner than I expected." There was silence for a long moment, and then Lyle spoke his first words in to the receiver.

"Go to hell," he said, bitterly as he recognized the voice.

The recipient on the other end did not seem disconcerted in the slightest. Instead he said nothing; merely waited for the young man to gather his wits about him. And gather them, he did.

"Well, sir, it seems that the opportunity presented itself, and I seized it. It is what you wanted, isn't it? My life has been in your hands since the beginning. It's not something I asked for. To be relieved of the responsibility. . . .to be normal. . ." Lyle let go a deep sigh, and there was the slightest tremble in his words, "it would almost be a blessing."

"It is irrelevant to discuss that as an option, Bobby," the voice responded coolly, "It simply isn't done that way, being relieved of one's duty to the Centre is ending up in a pine box. This is what I've trained you to be -- a mole in the most important agency in the federal government."

"You mean a pawn, sir."

***

Forcing his memories away, Lyle placed his hand against the car window, palm flat, and was struck by how cold the pane of glass was. He started to feel his blood boil thinking back to the scene in his office, earlier. How dare she judge him. . .if only she knew the entire story. He opened the car door and stepped out, breathing in the salt-scented air, then he looked up at the stars, seeking the one that he always looked for when he called out for his mother's help.

"When this all over can she accept me for me, not the persona I've become through manipulation, incrimination and necessity, Mom?" He watched as one star in particular twinkled in response to his question. "Once the layers are peeled away, can she look at me with out revulsion in her eyes. Can I?"

***

Corinna paced the living room, a gamut of emotions from fury to concern coursing through her body. As she paced across the plush beige carpet, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Upset was an understatement. She was so inflamed that it took her several moments to regain her composure and to articulate her thoughts. He did this to her every time part of his past was discovered by his sister, each part a little more sordid than the last. She wondered if this was the straw that would break the camel's back. . . this latest revelation was to say the least repulsive.

She remembered the first time she had met Lyle. It was when both had been recruited by the Agency. He'd entered the living room that morning uncertain of what the meeting would mean to him. The pretty speech that Carter had given them was seen for what it was -- a pretty speech. Still, both were soon accepting the opportunity given to them. The reason she had was because it was what she had wanted. Spending years alone in boarding schools, passed from one relative to another over the summer holidays, treated like an outcast by her fellow classmates, it had all led to this. Corinna spent hours on end studying and preparing for someone to see the potential for greatness she knew lived inside of her, for this very opportunity. One that came sooner than she anticipated, but was welcomed.

Her partnership with Lyle was not something she foresaw. He was a tricky devil, very resourceful, sneaky and also charming, when the need arose, but inside was a man who was ruled by his rage. She told him once that she firmly believed that his rage fueled his need to survive. He had actually laughed at that and told her that there was more to life than survival, one had to believe in oneself; otherwise how could one accomplish one's goals.

Sighing, Corinna walked into her bedroom, shrugged out of her travel clothes and into a deep forest green sweat suit. She sat down on the edge of the bed and tied her Nike sneakers, then left the room. She was on edge. He did this to her every time, so she knew that sleep would not come easy. Picking up her keys from the desk that was next to the front door, she exited the condo and made a beeline for the stairs. She took them two at a time, hoping to expend some of the tension he had instilled in her. She entered the floor above her's, and located the door quickly and knocked thrice. Upon receiving no answer, she let herself in. She had a key and it was only to be used in an emergency. She felt that this time it was.

"Lyle?" she called out, heading in the direction of the bedroom. She noticed that it had not changed much since her last visit. He was still taken with the Orient and who could blame him, really. She understood where that came from. A tribute to the Fong sisters, for they had introduced him to a whole intriguing culture at college.

For a moment, Corinna considered checking another location for her missing partner, but decided against it. He wouldn't be there, not yet. She left and reentered the stairwell and jogged down the stairs into the main lobby. Stuart, the gatekeeper of the condo complex, greeted her.

"Miss St.John, what are you doing up this late?" he grinned as he opened the gate.

"Couldn't sleep, Stuart."

"That's what Mr. Lyle told me a few hours ago when he asked me to get his car for him. Must be something in the air."

"Thought that I would go for a run," she returned the grin. So, Lyle went for a drive. That in itself was a good sign. He'd done something else instead of chaining himself up and letting the demons haunt him.

This latest revelation was the hardest one to stomach and she wasn't being funny. The past that the agency had established for Lyle was emerging, and he was beginning to doubt who he really was. She hoped that this wouldn't be a problem. She would hate to see all the hard work that they put into this evaporate. Perhaps it was time to remind him why he was doing this and for who.

"You be careful, Miss St. John."

"Sorry, did you say something, Stuart?"

"Be careful, Miss St. John."

"I will Stuart."

Corinna smiled at the man, and started down the sidewalk for a quick run to clear her head. This habit had started almost fifteen years ago, that fateful day that she met Mr. Carter at the University of Virginia, who in turn introduced her to Bobby Bowman, aka Mr. Lyle. Under Carter's instructions, they spent the summer months at Quantico, training, however Carter explained that they would be returning to classes in the fall. Although they didn't dorm together at Quantico, every spare moment they had was spent together, and when they returned to the campus, they had orders to have at least three classes together.

It was during this time that he met the Fong sisters in his Asian Studies course. It was one of the few classes that they didn't take together. When Corinna asked him why he was taking it, he just shrugged his shoulders and mumbled something about it being necessary. Granted, she had enrolled in Foreign and Domestic Policies of the 20th Century, but that had been under orders from Carter. He had told her that there would be certain courses that each would need to take separately, so she made the presumption that this was one of those times. Lyle had introduced her to Cindy and Sue, one afternoon, just before they had a scheduled meeting with Carter. She remembered it like it was yesterday, as she started to run a little faster, staring into the velvet night sky.

It had been a cool autumn day, the majestic trees had begun to lose their leaves and the skyline was punctuated with the ruby reds and golden yellows of fall. She had told Lyle that she would meet him in front of the student union at 12:30. Both could grab a bit to eat on the way to the meeting and then make it back for their 2:00 class. He was waiting for her, but wasn't alone. Two very pretty girls were standing with him, both giggling and smiling at something he must have said. As she approached them, he caught sight of her and introduced her as his study partner for Genetics with Professor Campbell.

"Ewwwww," Sue said, smiling, "I took that last semester, managed a B average. It's where I met. . . ."

"Don't think about it, Sue," Cindy replied, placing a protective arm around her sister, feeling Sue shudder.

"Is he still causing trouble?" Jan asked, concerned. The two girls nodded.

"What's the problem?" she had asked.

"My ex-boyfriend just can't seem to get the picture that we are through. Jan was nice enough to tell him to knock it off or he'd report him to the campus police, but it won't do any good."

"We did tell them. Unless he physically hurts her, there's nothing they can do."

"Jan, I hate to . . .but we have that meeting and if we don't move it..."

"Rinna, loosen up. We have time." He flashed that smile of his then turned to the girls. "I'll stop over later tonight, okay? I'm still confused about the different dynasties, so maybe you two will be so kind as to explain them to me, again."

"Around 9:30. I don't get home from class till 8:45 and Cindy works till 8:30," Sue replied, and smiled at him shyly, lowering her eyes as well.

"9:30, it is then." The two sisters left them and they headed for the parking lot, realizing that they no longer had time to eat. Walking toward the car, it was she who had broken the silence.

"She has a crush on you, you know."

"Are you jealous, Rinna?"

"No, it's just that starting a relationship could hamper our training and mission."

"If I didn't know better...I still think that you're jealous. What mission?"

"Drop it, Bobby. That's what the meeting is about today."

"Hey, you aren't suppose to do that. If anyone heard you..."

"Then drop it, okay."

"Consider it dropped."

Corinna turned the corner and bent at the waist, placing her hands on her thighs, stretching. She almost wished she could turn off the images that started to filter into her brain but it was too late for that. She remembered when he had called her to tell her that Parker had learned about the murders and that he had been considered a suspect. It had been almost a year ago and they had been locked up in a trailer courtesy of Jarod. In fact it was Jarod that had left the newspapers for Parker to find.

Once he and Parker had returned from Texas, missing the pretender again, he had tried so hard not to call her. Luckily for him, she had just gotten into town that afternoon for one of their scheduled meetings the next morning. Insomnia had set in and she decided to meet him that night. She found him locked in that damned shed, handcuffed to the bed, rambling. The same ramblings that she heard that night when he called her, telling her that the Fong sisters had been brutally murdered.

She remembered that night as vividly as her meeting with the girls. Lyle had called, and after hanging up the phone she had tossed on a sweat suit and headed over to the address she had finally managed to coax out of him. She found the place swarming not only with the campus police but with the Fairfax County Police as well. He was standing behind a squad car, pale, visible shaken and retching. Death was not something that he handled well. Even now it rattled him. She only hoped that he would find a way to deal with his growing emotional turmoil - one healthier than a return visit to the shed.

****

The CIA, like most federal agencies, has a number of business jets at their disposal. C. Carter preferred the Silver Ghost for long trips because of its size and the fact that a small office was set up for him in the back. There was a partition in front of it so he also had some privacy. He was traveling with only his secretary.

"C, the president is on the blue phone. He wants to talk to you."

"This is Mr. Carver," he said, as he picked up the receiver.

"One moment, please, sir," the switchboard answered. A moment later the voice was that even a grade school student could identify came on the line.

"Hi there, Cyrus. How are you today?"

"Fine, Mr. President. What can I do for you?'

"I want some answers, Cyrus," said William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States. "I'm sitting here with the vice president and Madeline Albright. You do know them, don't you? And we are trying to understand how it is a man capable of such atrocities against humanity was allowed into this country. So, Cyrus, care to enlighten us?"

"I can, Mr. President. As complicated as it sounds we had plans for this man that fell through. We needed to terminate him and this was the most expeditious way to do it. I'm sure you all understand."

"Of course we do, Cyrus."

"My man in charge believes that the Delaware company is becoming more sinister than originally thought, sir. It was a working partnership with the wicked at one time, Mr. President, but now they seem to be closing ranks and cleaning house. My agent tells me that when following the serpent you have to slither in the dirt sometimes, to achieve the goal necessary."

"I understand, you tell your agent in charge to just keep the operation going the way it is then. Slither if you have to. Don't back off, but don't provoke them, either. You're on the same page as I am on this, right, Cyrus?"

"Yes, Mr. President. I understand."

"That's great. Now y'all have a great day, Cyrus, and keep up the terrific work."

"Melody, can you locate Lyle for me, it's important, and then try and contact Corinna. She went to Blue Cove. Thon's appearance and subsequent death has escalated this project. It's time to step it up another notch."

"And will you meet them at the usual place?"

"The house in Virginia. Tell the pilot to head home, as well." C. Carter leaned back in his leather chair, closing his emerald eyes. He hoped that Lyle could hold out a little longer. Things sure had changed from when they originally recruited the young man. He went from Centre mole for William Raines to agent with an agenda once he discovered the truth, an agenda that he had sanctioned, wholeheartedly.

Cyrus Carter hated it when his schedule was thrown off. From September until May, he reserved Friday mornings for visiting his daughter Devin in California. She attended the University of Southern Cal, and this was their time together. He had become both father and mother to his little girl when his wife, Clare, had died from ovarian cancer fifteen years ago.

However on this Friday, he had had to attend a Board of Directors meeting for CDC Industries, one of the three he sat on since taking over his wife's duties. Although being a board member gave him a more than comfortable living, he only stayed on because his daughter would eventually take his place, and he in good conscience could not give up his position at the company. Now his time with Devin would have to be postponed indefinitely. The President wanted action and results regarding Thon and the Centre. In other words, this was the number one priority at the moment. The American people wanted answers on how a murderer from another country almost made a mockery of the United States and all it stood for by nearly becoming a citizen.

"Melody, this coffee tastes like mud," he said. "No. It's worse than that." He placed his cup on the desk, pushed it away, and lit his pipe.

"Sorry, C," she said as she brought the cell phone over to him, "Lyle's on the line."

"Lyle, it's Cyrus. I want to tell you that everyone, and I mean everyone, including the guy in Oval Office himself, thinks you're doing a great job with a lousy situation."

"Cyrus, let's cut the crap. Things suck and they're only going to get worse. A lot worse."

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm the one buried in this up to my ass and the deeper I get the more I forget just who the hell I am. My God, I've gone from wife killer to cannibal in my sister's eyes. The fear in her eyes. . . she tries to hide it but it flickers to the surface for mere moments before she can bury it under her tough as nails exterior. What juicy revelation is Jarod going to find now to give her, that I molest children? I have a son to think about when this is over."

Cyrus propped his elbows up on his ebony desk, and signaled for Melody to leave him alone with the phone. He hadn't forgotten about the little infant that was ensconced in the Centre's nursery. When Lyle had come to him and told him what the old man wanted him to do, it nearly curled his toes and he was a hard man to repulse.

"I realize that Lyle, and don't worry about it. He's going to eventually understand why you did this just like your sister will?"

"And Jarod, what about him? Will he understand? I killed his brother. He doesn't forgive let alone forget."

"Kyle was a threat, a loose cannon, and it was an accident.'

"That's right I was only suppose to wound him so that your boys in dark suits could come and get him," his voice was bitter. "Yet another plan involving me that went a little off course." He paused. "Let me know what you plan for me next."

"We need to meet; tomorrow night; the usual place."

"I live to serve." Lyle cut the connection.

Cyrus closed his cell phone. Lyle was on the edge but he was also an asset, and possibly the cleverest operative they'd ever had. His biggest weakness was overcompensation for the feelings of worthlessness that Raines, that bastard, had instilled in him. Lyle's original goal had been to take down The Centre at any cost. Now that was tempered by a need to protect his newfound sister, and somewhat unexpected son. The family connection was a nuisance, but the man had deserved some truth.
His entire existence was based on Centre lies.

The agency had made mistakes with Lyle. Revealing his parentage, or at least the timing of that revelation, was one of the worst. The CIA could not save him from Yakuza punishment, and admitting CIA involvement would have been disaster. Lyle had realized he was out there on his own. Cyrus had not understood how fragile Lyle was afterward. Corinna had some idea; she had wanted Lyle to have a six-month forced medical leave with counseling. The staff shrink determined that Lyle was fit for restricted duty.

Lyle was assigned to set up a Las Vegas sting operation. He was given a new name, a new persona, and a new mail-order bride. The "wife," Che Ling, was a Chinese intelligence agent assigned to work with the CIA. She and Lyle had an excellent rapport that Cyrus suspected went deeper than their working relationship. The assignment progressed smoothly.

Then Cyrus made a tactical error. Lyle's infiltration was key to bringing down The Centre; they did not have another agent capable of taking over. The committee suggested acquiring Jarod - that would have been a feat - or trying to turn Miss Parker. Cyrus set up a meeting with Lyle to discuss options, and Lyle shot down every one. He wanted another chance at the assignment. Cyrus promised it to him when his current assignment was completed.

As part of the promise, Cyrus gave Lyle the CIA's sketchy information on The Centre's genetic experimentation, and told him that accessing more in-depth information would definitely get Lyle back into The Centre. Lyle was blasé about the genome project; he had peripheral knowledge of Raines' cloning experiments but was never involved.

Lyle's disinterest hit a raw nerve with Cyrus. Looking back, he knew it stemmed from memories of Clare's suffering and death. As another example of poor timing, Cyrus had scheduled the meeting on his late wife's birthday. Cyrus's outrage at The Centre's attitude toward human life and suffering got the better of his judgment. All the problems The Centre could put their genius and wealth to work on, all the cancers and genetic diseases they could have cured, and they decide to build the perfect brain. How God-like of them, how inhuman. His feelings had distracted him, made him careless. Cyrus handed Lyle the information on his genetic background. The Red File Program made everything personal.

Finding out he was a Parker had not had a desirable effect on Lyle. The quest for the genetic key to The Centre became an instant obsession. Two weeks later, he disappeared. His next stop was a Centre facility in Hartford, Conn. Lyle had gone over the edge. If his return to power at The Centre involved deaths, so be it. Raines' training had finally proved successful; Lyle had innocent blood on his hands.

The Vegas Project was compromised and collapsed. It was an embarrassment to the CIA and Chinese intelligence, and a major mess to clean up afterward. By the time Lyle resurfaced back in Vegas it was all over. He asked about Che Ling, but he was persona non grata, and got no answers. He disappeared again. The committee felt Lyle was irretrievable. Corinna disagreed with their decision. Cyrus hoped they were wrong, that Lyle would nurse his wounds and pull himself together. Via Corinna, he dropped Lyle the information that Kyle was still alive. Who better to catch one Centre trained CIA operative than another?

Lyle and Kyle, Cyrus wondered if that was Raines' little joke. Of course, Lyle had chosen that name himself. He called it a tribute to his adoptive father, the man who had forced Bobby to call him "Mister Lyle," and who had helped Raines warp Bobby into the tool The Centre wanted. Kyle was an inside Centre project of Raines' manufacture. Anything Raines touched became damaged goods. Recruiting Kyle had been an error in judgment. Cyrus had hoped for another CIA operative in The Centre, but Kyle was Centre controlled, and could not be turned. Still, he had been useful, and the main goal of the Red Rock Retrieval was to capture him, or at least injure him enough to be captured. Cyrus had not known that Lyle had drawn Jarod into the mix, and that Jarod brought in Lyle's sister.

Lyle and Jarod were another conundrum. Lyle had respect for Jarod's intelligence, something Jarod did not appear to return. He seemed jealous of Jarod's closeness to Miss Parker (a hell of a way to address your own sister) and Sydney. Jarod's black and white vision of the world would only allow him to see Lyle as an enemy. For the most part, they acted like playground rivals, jockeying for king of the mountain on a very adult and dangerous jungle gym. That turned out to be the reason for Jarod's presence at the Retrieval. Lyle, in his temporary insanity, saw Jarod as the way back to The Centre. He also saw the taking of Jarod's thumb as retribution for loosing his own. Blame, juvenile in two such intelligent men, but there you have it. Cyrus shook his head.

Jarod was a variable who both helped and hindered their projects. In the case of Thon, Jarod had ruined the CIA's original plan. Lyle had brought Ki Mok, Colonel Chen Thon, to Patriotic Hall on the pretense of arranging citizenship and a cushy job. Corinna had brought the blind woman, Kim Che, there to implicate Thon. The CIA was supposed to swoop in and "save" Thon from justice, then use him to get deeper into both the Oriental and Venezuelan undergrounds. Jarod had thrown in the monkey wrench; Lyle had attempted to repair the damage, with little success; the project had been scrapped. The backup plan had been simple, elimination of embarrassment. A good move, considering the President's reaction to the debacle. Lyle was the only one left hanging...again.

Lyle had worked on this project since college. The Oriental studies demanded by both the CIA and The Centre were no coincidence. The agendas of the two organizations ran parallel at times; it was their final destinations that caused the roads to diverge.

****

"I live to serve." Lyle said it to C. Carver and repeated it to himself. Yes, that was the purpose for which he was bred and trained. Raines had beaten that into his head, with the help of his father, rather the man he knew as father for the first years of his life. His biological father had supposedly thought him dead, ordered his death, and then brought him under his wing. Lyle slipped the cell phone into his pocket, and tried to put those thoughts aside. Some scars were not visible, some were. He rubbed at the ache in his phantom thumb, while he watched the pre-dawn light creeping over the edge of the Atlantic.

Another sleepless night, like so many before, it got harder to sleep every day. Jarod slept fitfully; that made Lyle smile. Jarod should sleep like a baby after all the rescues and good deeds he performed, including the cure of Kim Che and the saving of Emma Barrett from the Yakuza. The only problem was that Jarod's successes regularly screwed Lyle's plans.

Jarod had reason to hate him. He had assisted Mr. Raines in several experiments on the pretender and others. Lyle felt some shame for his actions, but they had been necessary to cement his position in The Centre. The end justified the means. Somehow, that seemed less valid when he woke in a cold sweat at 2:00 in the morning, or spent the night wondering if he could build a life after he completed his mission. Grudgingly, Lyle admitted that, in some small corner of his mind, he had enjoyed torturing Jarod into submission after capturing him at the airport. That Jarod had faked his surrender was mild irony. Lyle's entire life was a ruse.

Lyle wanted to grab his son and run, but he knew that was not possible. The child was the next generation of Red Files, far too valuable for The Centre to just release, and Lyle would not risk his life. Instead he got back into his car and drove home.

He could not remember the drive or walking into his home. When he came back to himself he was standing in the shed shaking violently. Thoughts streamed through his head. Thoughts of claiming the murdered prostitute's body from the Bangkok morgue; paying off the attendant; and what he had to do to her cold, lifeless body. He threw himself through the closet door and ripped off his clothes on the way to the shower. He stood under the steaming water until his skin was bright red and his breathing had calm. He had enough trouble differentiating between reality and his constructed persona. Then Jarod dredged up another episode from his deliberately checkered past, and he found himself in the shed reliving his nightmares. Damn him, the judgmental
SOB! Why does he have to hang around Blue Cove and The Centre? Why does he have to throw my past in Parker's face? Why can't he just go away?

Lyle turned off the water and stood for a time with his face against the cool tile. He got out of the shower and toweled off, scrubbing absently at the tattoo on his arm. He noticed his actions and stopped. The oureboros, symbol of eternity and life from death, twisted by Colonel Thon until it became the Cambodian symbol for cannibalism -- It was etched into his skin just as the memories of what Thon taught him were etched into his mind. It had taken fancy footwork and quick thinking to avoid putting Thon's teaching to use. Lyle felt the bile rise in his throat and gagged. He brushed his teeth till his gums bled.

Reaching into the closet for clothes he could feel the shed call to him, telling him it was dark and quiet, he could sleep and be safe. He put on his Lyle persona with his suit. He adjusted his objets d'art until they were properly aligned. Picking up a small china bowl he remembered the woman who gave it to him, Mai Lin. Lyle knew that was not her real name; he did not want to know her real name. It was better this way; anonymity was safer for CIA operatives. May Lin was the name she chose for the part of a waitress at The Hidden Truth, the part of a serial killer's victim. So much blood was on his hands; it was hard to tell the difference at times, but it made a difference to him. Her death was not real, she was safe, or at least alive and elsewhere on another assignment. He hoped she was safe; she had reminded him so much of Che Ling, the last woman he would allow himself to love.

Lyle exited his condo and headed back to the parking garage he'd left what seemed like only moments before. He was late for the Centre. Not that it mattered. Mr. Parker was away on business again and it wasn't as if his sister would be waiting to greet him with a loving smile. God, he wondered as he hit the highway in his Mercedes, what would it be like to have her smile at me as if she were really glad to see me? He'd seen that smile on her face when she didn't think he was looking. When she was grateful to Sydney for some help he'd given her or when Broots said something to make her laugh. They were both good men, and he was glad she had them, but Lyle was fully aware of how much he envied both. They got the part of her that should have belonged to him.

What was meant to be a quick stop in his office turned into a 2-hour marathon of paperwork - a task that fell heavy on him while the Chairman was away. Lyle rarely even looked at what he was signing anymore. They were orders to do terrible things to more people, some innocent some not so, but still, what was the point of caring anymore? He had to do these things to accomplish his goal. That brought a small smile to his face, and made him think of someone he wanted to see. Standing, he left his office and wandered down the hallway to the office that now served as a nursery for his "baby brother."

Lyle pushed open the door and found the nurse sitting at her desk working on reports. She did not question his appearance. Both he and Parker as well as Sydney and Raines had blanket access to this room. He hated that Raines was allowed anywhere near his son, but his arguments about trust had fallen on deaf ears. Mr. Parker believed he could control Raines. Foolish, foolish, man, Lyle thought. If you could really control him, my life wouldn't be the hell it was...that it is.

He gazed down at the baby who lay inside his crib happily playing with a set of soft fabric blocks Lyle knew had been a gift from Parker. The baby boy smiled up at him, and Lyle felt a catch in his throat. He didn't do this often. Coming near the baby usually only reminded him of how much he had to lose, but somehow today he needed this. Needed to see his son and remember that there was a chance for a future when this was over. Then he did something he never did. He reached out to touch his son. His hand was about to grasp that of his son when he heard her voice from behind him.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Lyle heard the combination of anger and fear in Parker's voice and he took a deep breath before turning around. It was like a knife in his heart to know that she feared he would hurt the baby. As his eyes fell on her, as he took in the fury in her ice blue eyes, part of him wanted to grab her and shake her and say, "Don't you understand? He's my son! You're my sister! I love you both! Don't you understand?"

But he couldn't do that, and he knew it. At least, he couldn't do it yet. Instead he reminded himself to focus in on what was good about the look in her eyes. Parker would never, never let Raines or anyone else hurt his son. Lyle knew that in the deepest part of his heart, and it was sometimes all that kept him going. Still, he had to deal with the situation at hand. He took another deep breath and pulled his Mr. Lyle cloak more tightly around himself.

"I was visiting the baby. Do you have a problem with that?"

Parker narrowed her eyes and stepped forward. Clearly, despite the fear she'd felt surge up yesterday after confronting him about his past, Parker was still willing to challenge him when she felt it necessary. She kept moving closer until she was standing directly in front of him, arms crossed in front of her.

"The baby is off limits to you."

"Says who?"

"Says me. You are not going to rub your disgusting, pathetic habits off on this child, do you understand me, Lyle?"

"Gee, Parker, that biological clock's wound a little tight, don't you think? Besides, Dad doesn't have a problem with me coming here. I do have permission, you know."

"I don't care." She spoke the words slowly, accentuating each and every word. Her gaze was so intense that Lyle felt himself step back from her, then he cleared his throat and headed for the door as she continued speaking.

"I ever catch you or Raines playing any of your sick little games with this baby and you'll both wish to God that you'd never been born."

Lyle turned around again, his best grin on his face. God, she was magnificent. A mother bear ready to strike down any threat to her young. He had meant it when he told her how beautiful she was when she was angry. She dropped her mask then. No more Miss Parker the uncaring - instead she was fierce and amazing. Still, he knew that "Mr. Lyle" couldn't think those thoughts. He had to be angry with her for what she'd said. He had to wound her to keep the façade in place. And so Lyle swallowed hard and opened his mouth and added another mark to the column of reasons why Parker should hate him.

"Quite the little mother, Sis. Too bad you've never managed to bring Jarod back. Then you could be off raising a litter with the carpenter - well, if he were still alive."

Lyle saw the pain that rushed through Parker's body at the mention of Thomas and his murder. He turned quickly, moving to the door because he knew that's what she expected him to do. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her step toward the crib and pick up the baby.

He headed back to his office to gather up some work then left for the day. He needed to get on the road if he were going to make it to Virginia in time for the meeting with Carver. It was only after he was on the highway, speeding more than 100 mph down the road that he let himself feel sorry for what he'd said to his sister. He felt an overwhelming urge to cry, suddenly, but he fought it off. He didn't do that - couldn't do that. Once he started crying, Lyle was afraid with all he had to cry for he would never stop.

Disclaimer in part 1

Renwal Wing is a group of authors :Niceole, Trish, Shannon, Paula and Nicolette.

This little piece is dedicated to Lois for her utter devotion to "The Pretender" overall, and to Mr. Lyle in particular.



The Road Taken
part 2
by Renewal Wing



It was the incessant beep beep of the alarm that woke her from her slumber. When she glanced at the red digital numbers, she cursed. The jog through the park had exhausted her, something she had prayed for after last night's meeting with Lyle, however, the morning seemed to have gotten away from her. Corinna pushed back the forest green bed sheets and stretched her lithe, slim body. Then rising slowly out of her bed, she figured it was time to face the day and its problems.

She headed into the kitchen, her body calling for a hot cup of coffee to get her moving. The aroma of roasted coffee hung in the air as she entered the kitchen's doorway. Well, at least the coffee machine was working. Perhaps today would be a good day. As she reached for the coffee mug, which held a double cup -- a gift from Lyle -- a smile started to form. She poured the hot black liquid nearly to the brim and inhaled deeply, then padded over toward the phone to check her messages. The small red light on the answering machine just stared back at her, unblinking.

Lyle had probably left for the Centre and another day in hell, at least as far as he was concerned. What he needed was some downtime. She would talk to Cyrus and arrange it. A few days to gather his wits - her cabin at Dream Lake seemed to be calling.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the shrill of her telephone. Reaching for the receiver, she pulled it off the cradle, expectantly.

"Lyle?"

"No, Corinna, it's Melody. Cyrus wishes to speak with you."

"Put him on," she replied, a sense of foreboding hitting her.

"Good morning, Corinna. You are a hard woman to track down," he said lightheartedly, and yet a sense of urgency was laced within.

"You could have paged me."

"I did, twice. You ought to check your pager."

Damn, she thought, in the whirlwind of last night's turmoil with Lyle, she had forgotten to check her pager when she had gotten in from her run. She had headed into the shower and then crawled into bed, sleep had conquered her almost immediately.

"My fault, Cyrus. Lyle had an identity crisis last night. I warned you, even recommended six months forced sick leave with scheduled visits to the Agency shrink. He managed to convince you and the shrink he was fine. Now he goes along the dark road, whence they say no one returns."

"I didn't know you read Odes, Corinna?" Cyrus responded dryly.

"Devin recommended it to me." she said," It's the truth, Cyrus. He's so tightly wound...he's going to snap again. I just hope that no one dies, this time. He still has vivid nightmares regarding the deaths of the people he killed at the Centre's Hartford office."

"That's one of the reasons behind the call. He's on his way to the house for a meeting. You too. I'll arrive around 6:00. I want to see him, talk to him before we step this operation up a notch. The President himself wants this to continue on the course it's on."

"Damn it, Cyrus! He doesn't need anymore bullshit from the agency. He could use a break. Some downtime."

"I understand, Rinna, I do, but..." he said her name softly, "Jarod's interference, it screwed up everything. I need to know that this isn't going to affect him. He needs to see this mission through to the end. The agency cannot have another fiasco like Vegas. Once I have his reassurance, then a few days off won't hurt."

"My, aren't you generous, Cyrus?" Her voice was sharp as she spoke.

"Six o'clock, Corinna."

"I'll be there. I just hope that you know what you are doing." She returned the phone to its cradle and headed for the bathroom.

Cyrus stared at the phone. He gathered his wits, cleared his throat and waited for Melody to poke her head into the office.

"How long before we land?" he asked, his hand reaching for the phone.

"About two hours, sir."

Cyrus picked up for the phone and dialed. He listened to the rings. The call was picked up in the third ring, as usual.

"It's Carter, here. Put me through to Channing, Teresa."

"Of course, Mr. Carter. One moment."

"Hello, Cy." The voice had quietness to it, but one could detect an edge of authority, too.

"Tucker, I need to know where Jarod is?"

"You could say hello first, Cyrus. I am still your superior." Her laugh echoed over the line, clear as crystal. "Lyle in rough shape?"

"Son of a bitch. You have got to stop doing that," he responded. "It's unnatural."

"Cyrus, you only inquire about Jarod's whereabouts when he's messed something up regarding Lyle and Corinna. And with the headlines screaming about Thon's death, I figured it would only be a matter of time before you called. You need him out of the way for a while, I take it?"

"That's why you're the boss, Tucker."

"Can it, Cy, just keep me informed regarding the Centre and Lyle. You know that you have carte blanche regarding this mission, but if Lyle goes off half-cocked again, he's finished, done. Nothing will save him. Understand?"

"Loud and clear, Tucker."

"As for the genius, there's always some individual that needs help somewhere. Will do what's necessary on this end regarding him."

Lyle pulled the car into the driveway and exited the vehicle, taking his briefcase into the house. He was the first one to arrive. Typical. Cyrus had been in the air when he called to inform him of the meeting here. Corinna was probably on her way. Stuart had told him this morning that she'd been out late running. So he had gotten to her again. He didn't mean to, but she understood him as well as Che Ling had.

Che Ling, he hadn't thought about her in such a long time, but something about Kim Che remind him of her. Entering the house, he made his way to the living room, and found himself sinking into the armchair. He snapped open his briefcase and was removing some of the unfinished paperwork from earlier this morning when his eyes caught sight of a photograph buried underneath the folders.

Taking hold of the photo, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Che Ling. A beautiful woman -- delicate, small and exquisite. Her face looked as though it had been carved of the finest ivory, her eyes were dark onyx, and her scent - lotus flowers. She'd been brilliant, speaking English, French, Japanese and, of course, Chinese. Her knowledge of world affairs put his to shame.

Lyle wondered just how much Cyrus had known about their relationship. That he had wanted to marry her had nearly bowled him over. That she reciprocated the feelings astounded him. For once something good came to him.

When he had asked her to be his wife, she tried to make light of the situation, but both realized how serious that moment had been for them. They talked about everything at great length -- what it meant to their lives, their careers and about their future. Then his world crashed and burned, and it was the truth regarding his parentage that caused the fiery inferno. He became obsessed, out of control, and when he returned to his senses, things would never be the same again.

Innocent people had lost their lives and his career with the agency almost hit rock bottom, but Corinna spoke up for him. The worst part was that the Vegas operation crumbled because of his temporary insanity and his beloved was lost to him.

He had so wanted to leave Che Ling out of Centre affairs, but leave it to Jarod. Che Ling's memory was besmirched and his twisted. The truth was buried and replaced with a warped version to fit his persona. He should have been used to being viewed as a killer by then, but somehow, seeing that identity of him burning in Parker's eyes...that had been so much worse than anything he'd ever seen before.

Tucker Channing leaned her head back in the leather chair, a small flicker of a smile on her features. She had been expecting Cyrus's call the moment that Teresa had brought the faxed article from the AP into her office. Thon's demise was naturally a blow to the agency, but one they could recover from.

She had warned Cyrus that Jarod had been keeping rather close tabs on Mr. Lyle, and now her help was needed. She had been in this business as long as Cyrus, in fact the two of them had been recruited their second year of college, in very much the same fashion as he had recruited Lyle and Corinna. Lyle had been a coup for Cyrus and the Agency. If it hadn't been for Claire's death, fifteen years ago, it would be Cyrus sitting in this chair and not her.

Reaching for the telephone, she quickly dialed the number that she needed and waited impatiently.

"Hello," the male voice answered on the other end.

"Hello, A?"

"Boss Lady, good to hear from you. How are you this fine day?"

"If I were in a good mood, I wouldn't be calling A. You know that. Where's our boy?"

"J-man's roaming around the Grand Canyon. Why?"

"He involved in anything at the moment, A?"

"Nah, just seems to be relaxing. Anything I can do for you, Boss Lady?

"Yes, there is, A. I need to keep him out of Agency, as well as Centre affairs for a while. He walked in on a rather sensitive case and well, suffice it to say, the whole operation went south. Anything happening that might get his attention?"

"Funny that you should call, there's a young woman that was just found in the park high as a kite on heroin. Seems that she was suppose to show up in court regarding custody of her son. Instead she nose-dived into a little bag of white powder. Right now she's in rehab at Vista House."

"And you think that might interest our boy, how?"

"Name's Jill Arnold, Boss Lady. I do my homework. Her dad used to work at the Centre. He supposedly died in a drowning accident about twenty years ago. I figure that J-man will check it out."

"Fine, you do what you have to do to interest him in this Jill Arnold, and you stay out of it this time, but keep me informed. You do understand, don't you?"

"Yes, Boss Lady. Get J-man's focus off the Centre for a while."

"Thanks, A. Have a good day, and give Dog a hello from me."

"We'll do, Boss Lady. I'll call you only if it doesn't work out."

Tucker terminated the phone call and knew that she didn't have to worry. Her operative may look like the biggest fool in the whole world, but the saying looks can be deceiving certainly rang true with him. If anyone could get Jarod's attention away from the Centre, it was Argyle. She'd let Cyrus know that Jarod was in Arizona and that her operative had the situation under control, for the time being.

Corinna glanced at the dashboard clock. 4:00. She had made better time than she thought, yet she hated these emergency meetings. She had been trying to reach Lyle's cell phone for the last thirty minutes and got the damned answering service. He was probably at the house. If there was one foible about Lyle, it was his concept regarding punctuality - never late, not after the deaths of Cindy and Sue. He never forgave himself for that. He'd been ten minutes late that night. He always believed that if he had been on time, he could have prevented the tragedy. She wondered what woul
d have happened if he had prevented the ex-boyfriend from killing the girls, for it was their deaths that became an important building block in establishing "Mr. Lyle's" dossier.

She turned the blue Lexus on to the tree-lined street. The neighborhood was peacefully quiet. A few families were exiting their homes, some children were being ushered into the front doors for dinner, and a few dogs barked at the cars that cruised the street.

She pulled the car into the driveway and parked it next to Lyle's. Her hunch had been right on the money, already here. Exiting the car, she singled out the key to the front door and entered the house. The aroma of food permeated the house, and her stomach rumbled with the first pangs of hunger.

"Lyle?"

"In the kitchen, Rinna," he called out, so she made her way through the living room and caught sight of his briefcase on the floor. She deposited her blazer across the back of the armchair before entering the kitchen, pushing up the sleeves of her navy silk blouse, and offered to help by setting the table.

"What smells so good?" she said, as she looked at the man that had been so depressed only last night.

"Your favorite, smoked tomato and shiitake mushroom risotto. So, I hope you're hungry," he turned and grinned.

"Famished. You realize that Cyrus hates vegetarian."

"I made him risotto with prosciutto." He turned back to his work, chuckling.

"You seem to be in a better mood." Corinna walked to the cupboard that housed the dishes and took out three plates, then pulled open the drawer below removing the necessary silverware.

"Cooking is a wonderful way to relax, and with Cyrus on his way to evaluate my mental stability after this debacle with Thon, I figured the easiest way to bribe my partner was through her stomach. I have a feeling that Cyrus is pretty upset over this and that my neck is on the line. Then again, when hasn't it been? Since this started, something or someone always seem to screw it up."

"You don't need to bribe me Lyle, but you do need to talk about things more often. You know that a couple of sessions with the Agency shrink won't hurt. Helps clear the head. Especially after being kidnapped by Jarod this time." She watched his shoulders tighten at the mention of the pretender's name.

"You know what would clear my head, a few days away at Dream Lake."

"Well, the cabin's always available. You know that."

It was the roar of an engine that halted the conversation from the two in the kitchen. Corinna finished setting the table, while Lyle removed three crystal long-stemmed glasses from the overhead rack, along with the chilled bottle of wine from the fridge. They were in their seats when Cyrus appeared in the doorway.

"Good, you're both here. Let's get down to business."

He took his seat across from his two agents, his eyes never leaving Lyle'
s.

"I can not believe he said what he said." Lyle paced, frustrated, in front of the table. "He can't be serious about this!"

"Calm down please." Corinna started to move toward him, but stopped.

"Calm down? Corinna, didn't you understand what he said?" Lyle's hand pointed towards Cyrus' now vacant seat. "He expects me to...oh no, I can't even think about this --" he interrupted himself, shaking his head in misery.

Not knowing what to do, Corinna picked up her glass of wine and took a small sip of the now warm liquid. He had every right to be upset. Of all of them, he had made the biggest sacrifices and all they did was ask more. The prospect of having a family afterwards had kept him up and going - a sister and a son who both loved him. Now he was looking at the ashes of his dreams, of his life.

Almost if he had read her thoughts he turned on his heels and looked her in the eyes. "Call me Phoenix."

With this he was gone.

***

"What do you want to do?" Sydney asked in a low, calm voice, closely observing the young woman in front of him. She reminded him of a tiger worried about one of her cubs. During the last thirty minutes she had developed and dismissed more plans to keep Lyle away from her baby brother than he would have believed possible. He had not seen her so upset since, well, since longer than he cared to remember.

A frustrated expression washed over Miss Parker's face, and she leaned over Sydney's desk. "If I had the slightest idea how to keep that psycho's slimy fingers off the baby, would I be here asking you?" she replied in an accusing tone. She hated feeling weak. Even before she walked into the doctor's office she had been sure that he had no solution; all she needed was to talk to somebody who would listen so she could feel safe to reveal her feelings.

This was a kind of private game -- she pretended not to need him and he pretended not to know. This silent agreement gave her the security she needed. The knowledge that she did not fool him made it easier for her to keep up her facade. He read between the lines. He always had been able to do that.

Sydney leaned back into his chair, turning a pencil in his hands whilehe kept eye contact with his colleague. After she lost Thomas he had missed the fire in her eyes; the man's death had killed a part of her as well. She had looked like the little girl that lost her mother. Sydney had feared they finally succeed in breaking her, but now he could see the fire burning again. She was ready to fight. She was alive. Unconsciously, he started to smile.

"What is so funny, Dr Frankenstein?" Miss Parker asked in a harsh tone, but his smile was so warm and infectious that she had a hard time notsmiling back.

Sydney brought his face back under control in a split-second "Sorry, I was just thinking," he replied.

"Well, while you are deep in pleasant thoughts, I will do somethinguseful." Miss Parker pushed herself away from Sydney's desk and walkedtoward the door.

"What do you intend to do?" Sydney asked, alarmed.

"Don't worry, Mom," she answered without looking back, "I just want to make sure Lyle does not touch my brother again."

She hesitated a second, then turned around and gave him one of her rare real smiles. It made him want to take her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be all right.

"And it is time for my little brother's bottle."

Before Sydney could react, the doors closed behind her. Leaning further back, he closed his eyes and brought her smiling face to his inner eye. She was more like her mother than she ever dared to hope. She had the same spirit, but one advantage -- unlike her mother she was trained to survive.

Jarod paced in his small lair; he was irritated. Irritated? That was the understatement of the year. He was used to knowing the way another person thought, but he was failing with Lyle. He had failed with Miss Parker at times as well, but that never really bothered him, maybe because he was used to it. She had fooled him more than once when they where children, and that made it fun to play with her.

Since he had escaped they played a very adult version of the hide and seek they once played in the Centre's dark tunnels. More than once she had done things that had surprised him, but this made things interesting. Sending her a new hint was like playing with fire. One day she might figure things out too soon, and he would get burned.

Well, Jarod thought with huge smile, she would not do so as long she worked with Sydney and Broots. She always relied too much on them instead of trusting her instinct and judgment. On the other hand, he was never sure what she was really doing or thinking. Sometimes he was not sure if he was still free because of himself, or just because....

He shook his head vehemently. This was a trail of thought he had no time to follow. Later maybe, much later. It could mean finding out things he was not sure he really wanted to know; it also required dealing with his feelings and memories, something he was not ready to do. Instead, he turned his attention back to the problem of Mr. Lyle.

Jarod had told Parker that somebody had to stop Lyle before it was too late. Since then he had kept a close eye on him, but Lyle was smart. He had been able to escape his observation several times. Damn! Argyle had chosen just the wrong moment to ask him to save a family on the brink of loosing everything. The pretend had taken only two days but in the mean time, he had lost track of Lyle again. That made him worry.

Every shred of information he uncovered about his nemesis made him more concerned for the people in Blue Cove he cared about, and yes, though he didn't want to let his thoughts wander back there, that list included Miss Parker. If Lyle could do the things to strangers that he did, people who had done nothing to him, what would he do to Sydney or Miss Parker if they got in his way once to often?

Now in the middle of one of the most tense and important times at the Centre in recent history, Lyle seemed to have dropped off the radar. The reappearance of Edna Raines had been both unexpected and a little frightening for Jarod. He knew that she could be the key to unlocking the secrets of the Centre, but he couldn't fight off the sense that whatever it was Edna wanted to tell Miss Parker would unlock a Pandora's box from which none of them might escape.

It was time for him to pay Edna a visit. He'd tracked her down to a halfway house in Harlem, and before he sent Miss Parker down the path to find her, he wanted to try and get the woman to open up to him. Once he got settled again, he would search the new government files he'd hacked into recently and see if there was any information there on his "friend" Mr. Lyle.

****

The gentle waves from the lake reached shore and worked to calm Lyle a bit, and he realized that the days he'd spent here had been good for him, even they hadn't solved his problems. God, how could Cyrus expect him to do this? It was simply not possible; he would loose everything. None of his sacrifices would have done any good; nothing would bring him a little peace. No, this would destroy it all. If his sister ever got even a piece of this information, he was sure the next thing he would get from her was a bullet in his head.

Knowing Jarod, it would not take him long to "discover" this, and there was no way he would not tell her about it. Damn it, life was complicated enough; with Jarod around it was even harder. Jarod was so smug, he was the knight in the shining amour and all the others were stupid little kids, waiting for him to tell them the truth. Damn him for all those games he had played with his sister. He could break every bone in Jarod's body...helping her, sure, helping her.

The short period of time Jarod had been back in the Centre and under Lyle's control had been a relief of sorts. Jarod was unable to complicate the CIA's plans, and Lyle had an excuse to get rid of some of his hard feelings for the Pretender. It shamed him to admit it, even to himself, but God, he had enjoyed torturing Jarod. He shook his head and the memory away.

He turned to Corinna's lovely cabin behind him. Here it was perfect, a perfect space, and a place out of time and reality. Looking around, Lyle realized there was only one possibility. He needed to get his sonand his sister before he lost them both forever. It would not be easy, that was sure, but the only chance he had was to reach them before Jarod could reach his sister and tell the latest dark secret he found. If he were too late he would never have a chance to come close enough to get them.

While driving back to Blue Cove, a plan formed in Lyle's mind. Thoughts of kidnapping his own son were unpleasant, but he knew as soon as he had the baby in his arms his sister would follow like a lamb. He could only hope she would give him time to explain everything, and even more that she would believe him. No matter what, his life was over.

It had all begun to unravel in the most unexpected manner a few days ago. Mr. Parker had summoned him - he couldn't manage to think of him as his father anymore, not since what had happened with Brigitte and the baby - and they'd discussed what seemed to Lyle to be fairly unimportant matters. Then the Chairman had stood up and started pacing behind his desk.

"You know, son, there are a lot of things I would like to accomplish here, plans I've made I'd like to set in motion."

"Dad," he had nearly choked on the word, but managed to get it out without showing his revulsion, "you know that I will do anything to help you."

Mr. Parker had stopped walking then, stopping so he could stare Lyle in the eye.

"And what makes you think I'd trust you with something so important?"

The statement had taken Lyle aback. After everything he had done to prove himself to this man, including setting his own sister up for failure, endangering her life time and time again, still this man could question his loyalty?

"Dad, I know that things haven't always gone as we've planned..."

"As we've planned? You mean that you've consistently failed me. I've come to expect that from your - from others around here, but I expect better from my son. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Lyle opened his mouth to speak, but Mr. Parker turned his back, and the younger man had been around the Centre long enough to know a dismissal when he saw one. Swallowing his pride, Lyle turned and exited the room and headed toward his own office.

On the way, he'd passed by his sister's office, and it was one of those rare occasions where the door stood open. He glanced inside and he saw Parker at her desk, Broots and Sydney flanking her. The three of them were laughing about something, and he saw that smile she reserved for so few people. Someday, he'd thought, someday that smile will be for me.

Lyle knew that he was not a good man. He had enjoyed too many of the tasks given him by both of his masters, and he had taken life without provocation. There had been days when he had almost been too far down the road to turn back. That was when Catherine Parker would come into his thoughts, a picture of her visible in his mind as clearly as if he'd actually seen her once in his lifetime. Could her child really be unsalvageable?

Now, driving down the twisting highway that led home, it seemed that the someday he had dreamed of hung by a tenuous thread, and the only way to secure it was to do the impossible - he had to make Parker trust him.

Damn it, it was his own fault. He'd headed back to the office that day and beeped Cyrus. They met later that day, and he'd told his boss about the scene with Mr. Parker. Cyrus was clearly disappointed that the Centre chairman was so unwilling to trust his operative, and he knew that something was going to have to happen to change things.

Lyle understood the thinking when he stopped being angry. If his father wouldn't trust him, then he had to believe he could control his son. What Lyle hadn't expected was for Cyrus to use something that was tied to the most painful part of his past.

He remembered bitterly the months following Che Ling's disappearance, and the aimless, vengeful fog he had lived in. Then he had found new purpose in his life, and he set out to accomplish two goals. He would save his sister, and he would save the life of the one other person on earth Che Ling had loved.

He'd disappeared again, dropping out of the agency's radar and heading for the streets of Bangkok. That was where his search for redemption had to begin. And his first step was a girl named Li Nam.

A horn blared, ripping Lyle's thoughts back to the present. Startled, he looked up and realized he had drifted across the divider of the roadway. He jerked the wheel, moving back to his own side, his eyes blinking wildly.

Sleep deprivation. He'd suffered from it enough to know the signs, and he knew he shouldn't be driving, but Lyle was a man with a mission, one as strong and driving as those he'd undertaken years ago when the CIA had asked him to return to the Centre.

He reached down and hit the switch on his CD player, and soon the wonderful sounds of Kaiko Matsui filled the Mercedes. The music calmed his nerves, and he used an old meditation trick to focus his thoughts again by concentrating on a particular selection of beats. Corinna had actually taught him the technique, and again he had something to thank her for.

The rest of his drive proved uneventful, and he arrived home shortly after 2:00 a.m. He immediately went upstairs and opened his email. Breathing a sigh of relief, he leaned back in his desk chair. The program he'd installed to trace Parker's email showed nothing from Jarod, so for now, he still had time to put his plan in motion, but there was no telling how long that would last. It was time to get to work. A sly smile crossed his face as Lyle realized he had a golden opportunity to gain an extra benefit from his latest scheme - he would make Jarod sorry he had ever made him look bad in his sister's eyes.

Lyle lay back on the cushions of his couch, exhausted. The sleeplessness was definitely beginning to get to him, and he doubted that he could get any shuteye with his ideas about Parker and the baby whirling around in his mind, but he had to try. After half an hour of fighting to keep his eyes shut, he moved to the bedroom, but not before lighting some incense to try and help him relax.

Finally, his mind began to let go of the plans it had to make and the obstacles it had to overcome, and as his eyes drifted closed, Lyle's internal vision filled with an image of a smiling 11-year-old girl with black eyes and a smile that hid all of the horror she had endured in her short lifetime. He held on to that picture as he finally surrendered to sleep. If he could save Li Nam, he could save his own family. He had to.

Two days later, Lyle returned to the Centre. He was ready to begin the most important task of his life, and he could not envision anything that would get in the way. Hell, not even Jarod could ruin things this time as long as he implemented things today.

Then he walked in his office, and he felt his gut drop to the floor.

Mr. Parker was waiting for him. He had a file in his hands marked "INTERPOL - CONFIDENTIAL." Lyle knew what it was without needing to have it opened.

"Son, I think we need to have a talk."

Lyle nodded and closed the door. He moved to his desk, and sat on the edge as Mr. Parker moved closer, throwing the file on the desk.

"I think you know what's inside that, yes?"

"Sir, I am not involved any longer -"

"I should be completely disgusted by what I read in that file. That any child of mine would be involved in - the only reason I'm willing to give you any kind of chance to redeem yourself is because you are my son.

"The fact is, as I told you, I have plans. They begin with a task that I am going to assign to you. Complete it, and you will be given the ultimate prize - control of the Centre, at least, control under a Triumvirate run by me, of course."

The Chairman reached out and picked up a large envelope from the corner of Lyle's desk. Only then did Lyle realize he hadn't noticed it though it had been there all along. His father extended the packet towards him, and Lyle took it in his good hand.

"Read this. It'll get you up to speed. You'll find instructions on your assignment in there as well."

With that, Mr. Parker headed toward the door. Just as his hand reached out to push it open, he turned back to face his son.

"And be sure to take Willie and Covington with you. I want confirmation that the task has been completed. Otherwise, the FBI might just find the man they're looking for - only he might be missing a lot more than a thumb by then, hmm?"

An hour later, Lyle pulled his car over to the side of the road about seven miles away from the Centre. He barely made it out of the car before his stomach lurched and emptied its contents onto the dirt beneath him.

His mother - his poor mother. Lyle closed his eyes tightly against the tears that threatened to break free for the second time in so many weeks. He fought until the moisture dissipated, and he felt he had control again. Mirage - what a horribly ironic and evil name for the project that had robbed Parker of the mother he'd already lost so many years earlier than his sister had. If she found out about this -- Lyle felt his fists clench at the thought. Nothing could destroy Parker like this information could, and he had no choice but to go along with the twisted plot their father had put into play if he had any hope of keeping the CIA off his back long enough to get her and the baby out of the Centre.

And now a new person to find, this Ethan - this child his mother had died for. Damn Raines. Damn him straight to hell for what he'd done to their family.

Breathing deeply, he stood and climbed back into the car, then he reached over and picked up the envelope that held all the damning secrets of his family. He flipped through the pages, forcing his eyes away from the photos of his mother lying dead, her beautiful face torn away by Raines' gun, and he found what he was searching for. 56772 Lexington Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That's where his "task" was waiting, a task he had no desire to undertake. The thought of taking another innocent life, even this one - he just didn't know how he was going to do it, and he didn't know how he could avoid it.

He sat there for hours, his mind whirling as he tried to think up a way out of the situation he was now in. Finding none, he picked up his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Willie, get Covington and meet me at the airfield. We have a job to do."

He hung up and closed his eyes again as he flipped the phone over onto the passenger seat. Then he reached out and gripped the wheel, and he let a few heartfelt words slip from his lips as he started the car.

"Please, Mom, please help me."

Just thinking of his mother made the images from the file photographs flash through his mind again, and Lyle felt a scream rising up inside his throat. Damn them. Damn them all - Mr. Parker, Raines, and even Cyrus. That made Lyle realize he had one other call he had to make before he left to meet Willie. He snatched the phone back up from where it had landed and dialed in another familiar number. After just one ring, Cyrus' strong, low voice responded from the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

"Did you know?"

"Know what, Lyle?"

"Did you know about what they did to my mother? Did you know about Mirage?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Your mother was murdered at the Centre two decades ago, I thought we'd established that."

"Cyrus, if I find out you know about -"

"Watch yourself. You don't have that many favors left with me."

Those words made Lyle stop before he said another word. He had been lied to so many times by so many people, he just didn't know how much more he could take. Still, there was a chance Cyrus hadn't known about this, and Lyle realized it had been foolish to attack him without finding out first.

"Cyrus, I just need to know."

"I told you what I knew." Cyrus felt Lyle evaluating him during the silence that followed his statement. He knew he deserved that scrutiny. It had been him, after all, that had kept the truth of Lyle's parentage a secret for years.

"My mother didn't die in that elevator."

For the next five minutes, Cyrus listened as Lyle recounted to him the sickening story revealed in the file Mr. Parker had so callously handed to the younger man earlier in the day. He also listened as Lyle revealed his assignment to eliminate Emily Russell.

"I know you'll do what's best when it comes to the Russell girl. Call m
e when you get back."

There was a pause, and Lyle was about to hang up when he suddenly heard C
yrus' voice again.

"I didn't know, Lyle, and I'm sorry you do."

Cyrus disconnected the line then and sank deeper into his chair. He'd meant what he said. No child should have to know that his mother had suffered the fate Catherine Parker had. It had been bad enough when Lyle had believed the story of her murder in the Centre by the mysterious dark-suited man who had most probably been William Raines, but this - Raines had truly proven himself to be the most heartless creature Cyrus had ever seen in his 40 some odd years with the CIA. The bastard had whatever was coming to him.

***

Miss Parker was struggling to stay upright as she walked down the hallway that led toward the baby's nursery. Last night had been - what words could she use to describe it? Last night she had dug up her mother's grave. She didn't know what kind of person that made her, only that thinking about it made the bucket of scotch she'd consumed last night slosh around in her stomach. Finally, she thought, the Centre had made her a ghoul just like all the rest of them. And yet, what if she had not done it? She would still be in the dark, still believe that her mother...

She couldn't even bring herself to finish that thought. It was more important to focus in on the why of the grave being empty than the possibilities opened up by its state of disuse.

Slowing, Parker reached the nursery. Normally she would have strolled in and picked the beautiful little boy up in her arms, and on any other day, that would have worked miracles on her disposition, but today she didn't want to touch him. Somehow she felt dirty and she didn't want to be responsible for putting Centre filth on the little boy any more than she wanted Lyle doing it. So today she just stood at the door, looking in as he worked at standing up in his crib, his little fists tight around the railings of his crib.

Parker shook her head, forcing herself to move away from the nursery and complete the journey she'd begun this morning. She was going to find her father, and she was going to get some answers. Instead, she found Lyle. He was sitting behind their father's desk. Seeing him there suddenly made all of her anger rise to the surface

"Well, it's about time you got back, Lyle. So, what's the flavor of the day, little brother, Mail-order Mama's from Malaysia, or Cannibal Quiche from the Kalahari?"

Lyle had looked up when she'd opened the door, and it had torn him away from thoughts of what had happened in Philadelphia earlier this morning. That in itself was reason to be happy to see her, not that he could show it. The flaming arrow she'd shot his way was easy enough for him to deflect, and he pasted on his best Mr. Lyle grin, but it was clear something was bothering her, and he was curious about what it was. He mentioned that their father was gone, and she'd gone for his throat. That's when Lyle smelled the scotch reeking off of her, and it when his stomach twisted into a knot -- what in the world had happened?

Then, the unthinkable happened - she apologized to him. That set Lyle's alarms off at full tilt. Parker never apologized to him.

"Okay, now I know you're sloshed. What's going on, Parker?"

She'd started to tell him. For one moment, Lyle had actually thought that she was going to trust him. She'd begun to explain what was wrong, something about their mother not "being there." Then her eyes caught something on the desk, and she froze up.

"You wouldn't understand anyway."

She stood and walked shakily across the room, her inebriation stopping her from stalking out the way she wanted to. Lyle watched her go, his heart warring between the need to know what had happened to his sister, and the fear of what he suspected it might be.

"But I want to know."

"I'll bet you do."

With that she was gone, and Lyle turned around and moved back toward the desk. Her words rang in his ears. "She's not there." And though he wanted to do nothing more than deny it, he knew that he had failed to protect her from even this most horrible revelation. His phantom thumb began to throb the way it always did when he was wound so tight emotionally, and he angrily tore off his glove as he dialed the number of someone who needed to know that Mirage might be in trouble.

"It's me. I've got a bad feeling Miss Parker knows about Catherine's empty grave."

He disconnected the line and continued to rub his thumb. Cyrus would call as soon as he got the message, and until then, there was nothing he could do.

The morning talk with Dad had been less than comforting. After finding out that Parker was on the track to finding out they had a brother, Mr. Parker's comment was "I don't want her knowing, for her own good. Hell, if she knew the truth she'd only wish she didn't." Lyle knew that was true, he wished he didn't know the reality of his mother's death, and suspect the truths behind it. Lyle promised his father and himself, to keep Parker "way behind the curve." He set up a surveillance, which his sister promptly circumvented. Another failure to protect the people he loved.

His father had said that Raines would be a blip on their radar if everything went well with Mirage. Mirage was such a wonderfully impersonal name for a person, dehumanizing, then again, The Centre liked to dehumanize everything and everyone, always for some ethereal greater good. Lyle did not have to fake enthusiasm for that part of the project. Getting Raines in his sights seemed a wonderful idea, and getting Mirage - Ethan - away from that bastard was even better.

Lyle spent the morning waiting for information and pretending business as usual. Willie waylaid him at the elevator with a newspaper headline that Emily was still alive. Lyle found his reply, "You try to kill with kindness," sadly amusing. He had done that. His actual orders had been to use the silencer and silence her. Willie came to help him and, Lyle was sure, to witness Emily's murder. He had to do something or Willie would. Emily backed away from them toward the window. Lyle tried to calculate the odds of surviving a two-story fall versus a bullet. The night janitor ended his reverie and forced his hand. Lyle turned and aimed at the startled man, who turned and ran without seeing the sweepers. Then Lyle grabbed Emily and threw her out the window, blocking thoughts and the image of her terror from his mind with action.

The return trip to Philly was tense and silent. Lyle found himself hoping for once, that Jarod got there first. He had, but Lyle's father did not share his relief, "It's your fault that she was still alive."

Yes, it was, thank God. His father inquired about Mirage then said something that chilled Lyle, "My daughter's searching for a ghost. My son's searching for a monster. Last one alive wins...hmm?" Was Ethan a monster? Time would tell. Was this supposed to be a contest to the death? Not if Lyle could help it, he had to get his sister out of The Centre.

***

Jarod was also neck-to-neck with him in the pursuit of Ethan. He found Campbell's home shortly after Raines' sweepers had killed them and shortly before Lyle's sweepers got there. The sweepers saw Jarod leaving the house but the police presence had prevented them from closing in on him. Cox's news that someone had hacked into the NuGenesis records for information on Ethan's father had made things worse. It did not seem possible to keep his sister safely out of this operation. The only hope was to get Jarod off the trail, and Cox found a way, Zoe.

Zoe's capture was simple and uneventful. She was clueless, foolish of Jarod to keep her that way. From bitter experience, Lyle knew that it was safer not to involve yourself with anyone who could be used against you. Taunting Jarod had been pleasant enough. Major Charles rescue had been a surprise. Lyle had not known about the father-son reunion. Unfortunate. He would have to be sure Cox took the blame for that one.

Willie's afternoon surprise, Raines' intercepted communiquE9 to the Triumvirate, was salvation. Lyle enjoyed setting up Raines' fall from power down to SL-25, where he belonged. He remembered telling the bastard that he thought he was his "only special project on the outside." He wished that he had been. He had a half-brother out there that Raines had damaged, a brother he still had to find. Raines had believed Lyle's offer to share power with him, and Mr. Parker had approved Lyle's fawning revelation of the plan. Lyle meant what he said about Raines' Holly Roller gag; praise was from one consummate actor to another. It was inspired but it did not save him in the end. Seeing the look on his face when he discovered the set up was priceless. Looking at his body after Mr. Parker finished the job was not nearly as satisfying.

Back in his apartment that night Lyle reflected that the coup put him back in his father's good graces, and in power, as planned. But Raines had managed to send Parker after Ethan and directly into the path of 7677. She almost died.

Lyle's heart sank at the thought. How Jarod had managed to save her, and Ethan he assumed, was a mystery. The sweepers, seconds late as usual, found only Miss Parker in a puddle in a side passage. There was no sign of Jarod or Ethan. The police investigation produced no bodies so far, and the sweepers were still searching.

Jarod had a throbbing headache, a consequence of proximity to a C4 explosion. Survival was an unexpected outcome. Jarod was amazed that his worst injury was the burn where his FBI identification card had partially melted into his skin. It was good he wore leather.

Ethan had sprung into motion as they jumped from the subway car. He ran, shouting at the voices that drove him, directly into a side tunnel under repair. There was a leaking water pipe and a braced wall, the crumbling infrastructure common to large cities. Once in the tunnel, Ethan again collapsed, Miss Parker went to him and Jarod threw himself over both of them. He heard Miss Parker's beginning protest, immediately drowned out by the concussion of the blast. The tunnel wall behind them disintegrated, partially sealing the passage and pelting them with rubble. The water pipe burst, showering them. Then came the heat that seemed to last forever.

Jarod suspected he had lost consciousness sometime during the ordeal; he remembered the surreal silence afterward. He realized they were lying in a shallow pool and the water flow was slowing. Jarod heard Ethan moaning but Parker was silent. His heart stopped as he looked at her. The majority of Parker's body was submerged in the puddle; her face at it's edge. He gently turned her over and checked for a pulse; it was strong. She moaned, all things considered, a good sign.

Jarod turned his attention to Ethan. His brother was trying to move from under a wood beam that had fallen over his shoulder. Jarod got to his feet, checking bones and joints as he rose. Nothing broken; everything bruised. Jarod lifted the beam enough for Ethan to slide from under it. Ethan screamed. Jarod dropped to his knees to examine Ethan's shoulder and arm. He held them oddly, and blisters were forming on his face. Jarod was torn between getting Ethan away before anyone came, and staying with Parker. He heard yelling at a distance. The authorities could not have responded that quickly; it had to be The Centre. Jarod managed to get Ethan to his feet and they struggled away.

Now Ethan was hospitalized under a false name. He had a fractured shoulder, a concussion, and second-degree burns on his face and hand. Jarod had crashed and set fire to his car as a cover for Ethan's injuries. He refused treatment for his own, allowing only a bit of ointment on the back of his neck and hands when a concerned nurse insisted. Jarod refused to leave Ethan. He would not be late to save his family again. Jarod put the time to use checking the new government files he'd found before this fiasco started. He wanted to check for information on Mr. Lyle.

Lyle was drowning. He struggled to the surface but the water washed over him. Washed. A vision of Raines washing someone's feet, a woman he could not see, flashed through his mind. Raines turned to him and smiled. Lyle heard him say, "Wash away your sins with the water of Salvation." Lyle wanted to scream "You're dead!" but his mouth filled with water. Mr. Parker's voice said, "If it gets deep enough it'll drown you." Water under the bridge. Something ahead... Lyle searched for a hold as the water swept him on but there was nothing to hold to. Salvation would never be his. He looked up at the bridge as he passed beneath, and saw his mother and Ethan watching him. Catherine put out her hand; Lyle reached for it but she was too far away. Catherine withdrew her hand. Water clouded his vision and when he blinked Catherine became his sister. Miss Parker turned away from him and embraced Ethan.

As the torrent pulled him under, Lyle heard a baby crying. He knew that cry. He surfaced. He could hear his son but not see him. Desperate, he grabbed at a tree root and hauled himself out of the river. He saw his father on the far bank, carrying the baby. His son reached for him. He heard his father's voice over the rushing water, "...it's for a cause bigger than both of us ... I don't expect you to understand, but in the end it does all add up." Mr. Parker held up the baby with both hands and dropped him into the river. As the writhing child hit the water Lyle looked at his father's face, and saw himself. He screamed, "No...!" and dove into the river. He almost caught the baby's hand but they were swept apart. Somehow, he found him again and grabbed him, but he knew his son was lifeless in his arms. He held him to his heart and allowed the water to take them into the darkness.

Lyle woke coughing and gagging. He was lying on his own couch, soaked with sweat. Lyle scrubbed at his face then reached for the beeping cellular phone that had rescued him from his nightmare.

Jarod glanced at his sleeping brother. Ethan was doing well and would be discharged in a day or so. He looked back to the screen of his laptop, on the table in front of him. He had discovered something that made him sick beyond belief. He stared at the information till his eyes burned, not really seeing anything anymore. Blinking to focus, he realized that he cried silent tears, tears for the innocent victims who could not defend themselves, not then and some never again. He had to tell Miss Parker about the monster that was her twin brother. He pulled out his cellular phone.

***

Miss Parker came through the ordeal with singed hair, a mild concussion, bruises, and a bad attitude. She was annoyed at Jarod for leaving her unconscious and soaked while he ran off. She was almost frantic with worry about Ethan... and him. Now she was trapped at home and Broots refused to feed her information on anything. She had coerced the Centre doctor into allowing her to return to work tomorrow. She would get updated then or someone would be sorry.

The phone rang. Parker grabbed it, glad for any break in the boredom, "What?"

"Miss Parker, I'm sorry to disturb you."

Jarod apologetic? Something was wrong. "It never stopped you before." Fear crept into her voice, "Is Ethan dead?"

"No, he was injured but our brother will survive. I'm calling about your other brothers."

"Lyle and the baby? What about them?"

"The baby is fine but you have to get him away from Mr. Lyle."

"Why the sudden concern for the baby. You've never shown more interest in him than his father."

"I can't tell you over the phone. Check your secure email when you get back to work. I'll leave you more information than you want to know. More than I want to tell you..."

"More than you want to tell me? Jarod, you have dug up all my family's dirty secrets. What could you not want to tell me?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Parker, just read. I have to go, this line is not secure." Jarod cut the connection.

"Jarod? Jarod!" Miss Parker slammed down the receiver. Damn him. Parker groaned her way out of bed and into clothes. If the answer was at The Centre then that's where she needed to be.

Lyle picked the cellular up from where it lay on his jacket, draped across the back of the couch.

"Yes?" Better to keep his side of the conversation short until he was sure of the caller and his voice.

"Lyle? What the hell happened today?"

"Cyrus. Glad you could finally return my call."

"You are not my only operative, Lyle."

"No? I thought I was you only project, aside from Corinna of course, just like I thought I was Raines'. Unfortunately my mother and Ethan both preceded me."

"Lyle."

"Back to the point, Emily survived her little accident. Her brother came to the rescue and saved her from the evil twin. It appears that she is safe with her family. So is Jarod's latest fling, a woman by the name of Zoe."

"Zoe?"

"She's of no particular importance at the moment. I had her and the good Major took her back. They ran away together, probably off to see the wizard or the clone."

"The Major is back in the picture?"

"Not at the moment, at least I hope not, that's all I need right now," Lyle rubbed at his face distractedly.

"And your sister?"

"She found out about Catherine's use as an incubator for our Father's little project, or more correctly our brother, Ethan. I'm sure she wishes our family tree had a lot fewer branches."

"Have you tracked Ethan?"

Lyle laughed shortly, "Heard from the DC Metro lately?"

"The Centre was behind that?" Cyrus was surprised but not shocked. "There are at least five terrorist groups claiming responsibility for the explosion."

"Doesn't matter. One of them would have taken the blame anyway. It was a
failed operation, missed the target, so we won't get paid."

"Care to tell me the real target? Or should I guess, the hotel at Freedom
Station?"

"Good guessing; that's why you get paid the big bucks."

"Your excellent mood has a better reason than loss of payment. They haven't found any bodies."

"I don't think they will. Parker was there and she survived. She's not badly injured in case you care."

Cyrus did care, but decided not to feed Lyle's bad mood. "She didn't set the bomb. I assume it was Ethan. Where is he?"

"I don't know, missing along with his half-brother. Jarod to the rescue again. He whisked Ethan safely away from The Centre's clutches. I'm sure he'll gather Emily onto his white charger and join good old Dad at the family castle."

"It might not be a bad thing if Jarod is preoccupied. He may stay out of Centre business." Cyrus knew that sentence was a mistake the second he uttered it.

"A, Jarod is never too busy to put his nose in Centre business. B, Ethan is my brother too. And C, I have a slightly bruised sister who just found and lost a brother, all in one day. She's already told me to stay the hell away from the baby; this will make her worse."

"You've handled her before. How will all this affect the project?"

"Oh the project is moving along swimmingly" Lyle smiled as he pulled at the front of his sweat-soaked shirt. Swimming, just like in the dream. Now if he just didn't have to sacrifice his son for the greater good. "I am back in my father's good graces and I expect to have the power to go with it. Oh, and by the way, Raines is dead."

"You?"

"No, no murders today. There's always tomorrow though."

Cyrus sighed silently. One of these days Lyle was liable to climb a clock tower with a semiautomatic and a good scope. He wondered how far down the victim list his name would be. "Lyle, you know the next steps in our plan. If you need any help, contact Corinna or myself," he paused, "and I'm glad your sister is all right."

"Yes, of course, thanks."

Cyrus cut the connection; Lyle followed suite. He could not tell Cyrus that he had added a step to their plan, a small one involving a small boy. Lyle got up and headed for the shower. He needed to change and get moving. Miss Parker was due back at The Centre tomorrow. The kidnapping had to happen tonight.

***

The tunnel was probably the dirtiest in all of the Centre and Lyle had to fight feelings of revulsion and disgust as he made his way through the maze. The air was stale, and cobwebs that were as thick as cotton impeded him. The fine dust that made a cloud that, as he maneuvered his way to the control box, tickled his nostril hairs, making him sneeze and cough, harshly.

He wanted a safe nest in which to raise his son, he thought, as his hands forced back the panel door on the control box. He leaned back, momentarily, until his shoulders touched the wall, closed his eyes and drew in a long, deep breath of the dry, musty air and let his thoughts wander. He, his son and perhaps his sister and brother. . . .what a dream.

Crackle---he swung around. A noise in the tunnel. Looking around there was no place to hide. His heart beat rapidly against his ribcage. Still alone. Turning back to the task at hand, he pulled out a small palm-sized computer unit, attached it to the wiring inside and turned it on. The only sounds to be heard were the soft whirrs of the computer system at work.

Within moments, the unit began to flash, and the numbers on the control panel recalibrated themselves to those he had programmed in their stead. He resisted the urge to pat himself on the back, mostly because this was the first stage of getting his son out of this hellhole, and there was still a great deal to be done.

She'd been in a bad mood all day, until Jarod's phone call. Now she had a reason to be here, and for the first time since the explosion, Parker felt a smile break out on her face--any chance to give Lyle a bad moment. Knowing Jarod this had to be worth all the pain that she endured just to get here. There was a certain beauty in imaging Lyle's simpering face once she relegated him to the position of caretaker of the Centre's refuse department. She lowered herself into the black leather chair, stabbed at her computer's activation button with a manicured finger, and impatiently waited for her mail screen to open. Scrolling quickly through the garbage that had accumulated in her absence, she found what had motivated her out of a warm bed at this ungodly hour. Until she knew what Jarod had unearthed regarding her demented twin, Sydney and Broots would remain in the dark. They were on a need to know basis, so when they needed to know, she'd tell them.

The Centre's silence was disrupted by the shrill of its' smoke alarms and within seconds of the clamor, the sprinkler system engaged itself. For those few moments, when water sprinkled down, most of the night-shift staff were to stunned to react.

Even though she was still bruised, battered and stiff from her recent encounter with an apron of concrete, her first thoughts were for her baby brother in the nursery located just down the hallway, and not for the email on the computer that literally went kaput the minute water cascaded down, frying the insides. Jarod's email would have to wait. Literally, flying out of her office, she navigated the long, curving corridor and abruptly stopped at the nursery doors. The doors were open; she could see there was no sign of water or smoke inside. She did however, fairly vibrate with outrage as she tried to find the proper words to express her fury and sense of betrayal at seeing him standing there comforting the baby. The emotions all came roiling to the surface. She reached behind her back, her fingers wrapping around the butt of her gun that she kept tucked there.

"I told you to stay away from the baby, Lyle," Parker said, her voice strong and clear, her gun in hand," Now put him down."

"Damn," he muttered under his breath, his mind quickly working through his timetable, if she didn't back down, in say ten minutes, then he'd have to hurt her. Not something that he really wanted to do, but he was going to win this one. For once in his life, he was going to accomplish his goal. His best course of action now was to take her with him. He had to pique her interest in why.

Lyle turned slowly, lowering the baby from his shoulder to rest in the crook of his left arm. The baby boy, was pale-skinned, and wide-eyed with tear tracks that had dried on his cheeks. Lyle was staring at her, and he wasn't smiling. It was the first time she'd ever seen him when he wasn't smiling. It froze the marrow in her bones.

"Put the baby down," she said. "Gently. Do it now."

Lyle stared at her.

"Do it, Lyle."

Very slowly, he began to crack a smile. He started to walk toward her, his right hand dipping into his jacket and coming out with his own gun.

"Going to shoot me, sis>" Lyle said softly. "Might hurt baby brother, here."

Parker released the safety of her Smith & Wesson with a flick of her thumb, readjusting her arm.

"Down! I mean it Lyle!" The baby whimpered.

"No!" It was barely a whisper. "You're scaring him."

He was close now, still holding the little boy in the crook of his left arm. He brought his gun up level with her forehead, cocking it slowly.

She was staring right at him, he wasn't more than two feet away, and she knew what would happen next. There was only one thing to do. Take him out, her mind screamed, but she couldn't risk endangering the baby. She'd be damned if she was going to let him grow up surrounded by monsters. She had promised his mother that her son would survive.

"Drop the gun, Parker. Then we are going to walk out of here. The three of us. There's a car with the keys already in the ignition, waiting in the parking lot. We're going for a drive." He started to jostle the baby gently, his gun still pointed directly at her forehead.

"This was your idea," she cocked her head toward the hallway, where the sprinklers were still spraying water, "why?"

"Ingenious, if not diabolical, wasn't it? Now stop stalling for backup, it won't work. I programmed the computer to simulate a fire on SL-16, and that, my dear sister, is on the other side of the Centre, so, most if not all of the staff are trying to figure out where. I am leaving and with Thane, so if you want answers, do yourself a favor, drop the god-damn gun and move."

Something brushed against her temple. She flinched and looked. The barrel of Lyle's gun. Sloppy, she chided herself, extremely foolish on her part. She had kept her eyes on the baby, who seemed content in his arms, and not on Lyle.

"Seconds matter, decide now!"

She turned to look her brother in the eyes as she slowly released the trigger of her gun, she knew this was a mistake on her part, but this wasn't typical Lyle behavior. Why wasn't she dead? Why did he want to take the baby? Slowly, she lowered her arm, the gun clattering to the floor.

"That's a good sister, now move."

Everything was different, the fight was different, Parker thought as the three of them made their way out to the car that Lyle had waiting in the Centre's parking lot. Lyle paused, momentarily as they reached the black sedan, the night sky starting to lighten with the dawning of a new day.

"Open the door, Parker. Now get in," he waved his gun at her, slightly. He watched as she slid in the driver's side of the car, past the steering wheel and stopped next to the infant carrier he had seat-belted to the front passenger side.

"Now, I'm going to sit and then hand you the baby, put him in the infant seat. Don't think of trying to play heroine, leave that for those better suited to the title," he said as he slid behind the wheel and then handed her the infant. Lyle slammed the door to the sedan and started the engine as Parker strapped the little boy into the seat next to her. She didn't like being caged in the front seat with Lyle mere inches from her. It not only reminded her of when they were locked in the tractor-trailer box but it also gave her a rather claustrophobic feeling; so she turned her attention to the little boy in the car seat instead.

Stony silence ruled the day until Lyle turned briefly to check on his passengers. Parker was staring out the front window, his son, oblivious to all this, was busy sucking his fist. A sure sign that he would want his breakfast, and soon, Lyle thought.

"Threats, theft, murder, and now kidnapping -- in the real world, Lyle, these are enough to condemn a man to prison or death," she said softly, her eyes still staring straight out the window.

"But in the Centre, Parker, they're a rite of passage," he replied, the corners of his lips turning upwards, "your point?"

It was a start, he thought to himself, as he felt his smile grow, and she had initiated it.

"Back there. . ." she started then stopped.

"Yes?" he glanced at her, then returned his gaze to the road.

"You said something, that has me a bit puzzled."

"And that would be?"

"You called our brother, Thane," she took her eyes off the road and looked at the man seated next to her, looked at him hard.

"He's a baby and should have a name, his own little identity. Master Parker is not a name. It's a label, impersonal to say the least, like Mr. Lyle or Mr. Parker."

Or Miss Parker, she thought, trying to figure out who this person in the car sitting next to her was. His reaction to her question had completely disarmed her. It was only the timbre of his voice that revealed that it was the same person, yet something about him had changed.

"You're speeding, you know. Nine miles over the speed limit," changing the subject.

"Don't see any cops, do you?" he said. "Since when have you been a stickler for the traffic laws, sis? I've seen you leave the cops in the dust."

"Since there's a baby in the car, Lyle," she replied, "so lets keep it under the speed limit, okay."

"Fine." He smiled and lifted his foot from the accelerator and carefully slowed down. "Get some rest, Parker, we have a long drive."

The last of the early morning mist vanished as the sun broke the horizon line. The landscape was covered with the green foliage of lush trees, the trill of birds echoed through the air and a baby's cry pierced it.

"He's hungry," Lyle said, softly. "There's a bottle in the bag in the back. You don't mind feeding him, do you?"

"No, I don't mind," she said softly, as she shifted around to reach the bag in the back of the car.

"Only a couple of hours to go," he said as he watched his sister feed his son.

The car turned up the long, curved pathway in the highlands adjacent to Dream Lake, and the sight literally took Parker's breath away. A sienna brown log cabin loomed out the front window like a photograph in one of those coffee table books. The cabin was surrounded by a copse of evergreens, a forest painted in variegated shades of springtime green, azaleas and rhododendrons bloomed across the front lawn, and were edged by platycodon and dogwood and a path wrapped around the house leading to the lake.

"Why are you . . . .?"

"Taking matters in to my own hands," he replied as the car stopped and Lyle shut off the engine. He exited the car and walked around the front, opening the passenger side door, "You really want to know?"

She watched as he unlatched the seat belt that restrained the infant seat that held their baby brother; then removed it from the car, talking to the infant as he did so.

"Yes," she replied, perplexed by his actions.

"Good, since, there's no where for you to go," his voice echoed back to her, as he entered the front door of the cabin with his son.

It was Parker's shriek that caused Lyle to react instinctively as he sprinted to his fallen sister's side.

"What happen?" he asked as he noticed that her left ankle was twisted at a rather odd angle under her.

"I slipped. You could have told me that the pathway was damp from the morning dew. Now help me up."

Sydney and Broots were in the office, grimly surveying the water damage caused from the fire sprinklers, when the phone rang.

"This is Sydney," the voice was fluid.

"Sydney?" the voice on the other end said, somewhat shocked, "Where's Miss Parker? I've tried her at home, and now you're answering her phone. What's going on?"

"Jarod, when's the last time you spoke to her?" he closed his eyes, hoping that the worst was behind them. No such luck.

"Early this morning," he replied," I sent her information on Lyle via secured email. Why?"

Disclaimer in part 1


Okay, boys and girls, here is part 3 of our little epic. We have decided that for posting at Nic's we needed a group name, so for this story Trish, Paula, Nicolette, Shannon and me (Niceole) will hereafter be known as Renewal Wing. Hope you enjoy

This little piece is dedicated to Lois for her utter devotion to "The Pretender" overall, and to Mr. Lyle in particular.



The Road Taken
part 3
by Renewal Wing




She tried to put pressure on the left ankle only to grimace in pain. Unbelievable, she thought. I manage to escape incineration at the hands of the Centre in a subway tunnel only to be trapped like a wounded animal with my demented brother. Safety -- Parker reflected upon the concept. Almost everything she did involved risk, except, she thought, protecting her baby brother -- until now. So perhaps the concept of safety was self-delusional to a degree, or at least relative. A soft voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Let me help."

She looked up into blue eyes that reminded her so much of her mother that she had to force herself to remember to whom they belonged.

"I don't want to leave Thane alone in the cabin, Parker. Please, let me help."

There it was again, that softness that she never saw in his eyes or heard in his voice in all the time she had known him. What was going on? What prompted him to take their baby brother away? Surely he had reasons...

She nodded her head in acceptance of his help and felt her skin tingle in revulsion as he placed strong yet tender hands around her and helped her up. Parker sighed resignedly as she let Lyle guide her into what she could only consider to be her prison. For how long, she had no clue, and with her ankle swelling as well as throbbing, she was at his mercy. Oh, well, at least she could keep an eye on the baby.

As she entered the cabin a small gasp escaped her lips, for just inside the front door was a sitting room filled with antiques including two upholstered chairs located in front of a massive stone fireplace with a gleaming, dark mantel. A beautiful clock chimed softly from its perch on the mantel. The baby was strapped in his infant seat, which rested on top of the coffee table between the chairs. He was still sleeping, oblivious to his surroundings, his tiny lips curling in a small smile -- the result of some sweet dream. On the other side of the table sat a comfortable looking sofa.

Lyle eased his sister onto the sofa then pulled the footstool from the corner over, gently placing her injured foot upon it. After rotating it as tenderly as possible, he stood and moved to leave the room. After a few steps, he stopped and turned to move the baby so he sat on the sofa beside Parker. Then he left her alone in the room. Leaning her head back in the chair, eyes closed, she replayed the events that had transpired since her phone call from Jarod. What the hell was going on was the thought going through her head when the pressure from something cold on her ankle startled her. Looking up she found Lyle standing over her with their baby brother in his arms, the small boy contented to be sucking on his tiny fist. An ice pack was resting on her ankle.

"It's not broken, but badly sprained," stated Lyle as he eased himself into one of the chairs that sat opposite the sofa.

"So now what?" she snapped, irritated. "How long do you think you can keep me here before Daddy starts to worry?"

"Since when has he cared about anything but himself and his precious position?" Lyle replied. His voice was low, but menace laced the words.

****

Biting his lip in response to Jarod's revelation, Sydney stared out the gray-glassed windows. The rain had begun to spatter against them, but the movement of someone in front of him caused his head to jerk back with a start and sent his mind off in a different direction. If Jarod didn't know where she was, what did they do next?

"Sydney?" Jarod asked.

"Sorry, there was a problem at the Centre early this morning and..."

"Miss Parker," the panic rising to the surface of Jarod's normally cool voice, "did she access her computer?"

"Apparently so, but when the fire alarm went off, it triggered the sprinkler system. Broots is working on recovering whatever was on her computer." Sydney lowered his voice, speaking in hushed tones. "This mysterious little fire drill isn't our only problem...she's missing, Jarod, along with the baby."

With a big gulp, Jarod leaned against the hard, cold vinyl of the chair that was situated next to Ethan's bed. He had sent her some rather sordid information regarding Lyle. That she acted upon it so quickly showed that she believed him. He was so deep in thought, Jarod missed what Sydney had said next.

"Jarod, did you hear me?"

"Sorry, Sydney, what was that?"

"I said that Mr. Parker and Cox seem to think that you are responsible for this. Seems that one of the sweeper's found her gun in the nursery, and her car is still in the parking lot. Obviously they are wrong, but..."

A feeling of uneasiness began to build in the pit of Jarod's stomach at this latest development.

"Jarod, was there something in that email that would cause Miss Parker to take her baby brother and leave?"

"A warning, nothing more. I'll start searching for her on my end. I have an idea. I'll start there, first."

"What kind of warning?" Sydney asked as he stood slightly behind Broots, who was attempting to restore the computer with notable difficulty. Sydney watched as the technician's fingers played the keyboard like a piano. Surprisingly, despite the ghastly appearance of the garbled information on the computer screen, it didn't take him long to establish a link. Broots began to read the ghost images left from the mail that had been previously deleted. There was only one that had been opened and from the timestamp, she would have barely had time to read any of it when the computer fritzed out due to the sprinkler system.

"Syd," he said, his voice low, "I found it, but it's badly damaged. I'll restore as much of it as I can, but she never got to read it. Tell him she never got to read any of it."

Broots returned his attention to the keyboard, his magic restoring the damaged text message. Thanks to his slow and painstaking work, bits and pieces began to appear along with scattered sentences that formed mini-paragraphs.

"Jarod," Sydney began, "Broots says that she never got to read it. The computer suffered water damage from the sprinkler system. It's been destroyed in parts, but he's trying to restore it."

"If she never got to read it, then --" His response was interrupted by a high groan.

"Ohmygod! Ohmygod! I'm going to be sick," Broots moaned and paled.

"Jarod, she's in danger, isn't she?" Sydney asked as his eyes scanned the restored segments of email text. It was the lack of verbal response that made him realize that Jarod had already hung up the phone.

***

Parker looked at Lyle, inwardly agreeing with his assessment of their father.

"Anyway I can handle him," he gave her a surprised, mock-hurt look, and then chuckled as he handed her the baby and pulled out a cell phone from his jacket pocket.

Parker was drawing a blank, what the hell was happening here. After Thomas had died, Parker vowed to never again make the mistake of not paying attention. Now she was in a spot where something definitely felt odd, and she couldn't even figure out where her attention should be focused. Meanwhile Lyle's fingers flew across the phone's number pad.

"Dad."

"Lyle! Where are you?" the chairman's growled, his voice cracking.

"I'm following up on the investigation with DC Metro just like you asked? Why, what's happened?"

"Apparently Jarod was in Blue Cove again. Your sister and the baby are
missing." There was a moment's silence, and then Parker saw Lyle's grin return 3-fold.

"Really! You're sure, just like that? He had to have a good reason to come to Blue Cove. I can understand taking my sister, but the baby. It doesn't make sense. Why saddle himself with an infant?"

"Who knows with Jarod. I have Mr. Cox working on it. When you've finished up there, head back. We need that baby back."

"And Parker?"

"Whatever." After that Lyle heard nothing but dial tone. He didn't have to look into a mirror to know that his expression was tart as an unripened grapefruit. So many paths, he thought, as he snapped the phone closed. His father was offering one, but there was only one path that he wanted for the future, one single path that he wanted to follow. This was the first step in preparing for that goal.

"I hope you understand what could be at stake here," Parker said, her face grim, her blue eyes large and deadly serious.

Lyle looked over at his sister, digested her statement and then he leaned his head back, rubbing his throbbing temple with his ungloved hand. He was exhausted, and it cut deep. Granted, fatigue was nothing new to him, and insomnia had plagued him since his first meeting with Raines, but this was different, alien. He would have to do something about it, and quickly.

"Do I understand what's at stake?" he said with a smirk. "Could cost us our lives if this doesn't play out right."

"Play out? Lyle, what the hell is going on?" she asked curtly as her blue eyes narrowed.

"It's very simple," Lyle replied. "You listen to what I have to tell you..." she began to speak, but he held up a gloved hand to prevent her from interrupting. "...with an open mind, and then once you've considered all the information, all I ask in return, is your help."

"My help! You want my help! Why would I want to help you? What could you possibly tell me that would make me want to help you," she sneered, her voice even, for the sake of the baby in her lap.

"You're my sister," he said, looking at her, a flicker of hope in his eyes.

"Don't remind me!"

"Parker, please." There it was again, a plea for help coming not only from his lips, but his eyes - she couldn't miss the hopeful look in them. Still, when she did not respond immediately, he spoke again. "Then do it for Thane, please. All I ask is that you listen. Seventy-two hours. Give me that at least."

She couldn't trust anyone right now, yet with her options limited by the situation and her injury, she decided flexibility was essential. "For the baby, I'll listen, but if I don't like what I hear, then I go back, and I'll take him with me, even if I have to kill you, Lyle, understand?"

He nodded, and a tired smile returned to his face.

***

The shrill of the phone on the desk interrupted the meeting with her secretary, who withdrew from the office the moment that she saw Corinna's features darken. Corinna watched her go, wishing she, too, could escape the conversation.

"Corinna," Cyrus said, "We have a problem in Blue Cove. Seems that Jarod absconded with Miss Parker and the baby. This is not good. If Lyle finds out about this, I don't want to think about what could happen." Corinna listened in silence then scowled. This was going to be bad. She could feel it.

"What do you want me to do, Cyrus?"

"He's suppose to be in DC today. Find him."

"And tell him, what? 'Oh, in case you didn't know the pretender that irks you so much just made off with your sister as well as your son?' Please, don't insult his intelligence or overestimate my power over him. He'll go off."

"Just find him, Corinna. Call me when you do." The line went dead and Corinna stared at it, stunned.

"Damn," she murmured as she picked up the phone and dialed the emergency code for him to meet on her turf.

As she waited, Corinna picked up a pen and began tapping it, creating the only noise in the room. She glanced at her watch. It had been over an hour since she paged Lyle and no response. Reaching for the telephone, she punched in the three numbers again. Leaning back in her chair, she turned to look out the window. This would be hell on earth, telling him what had happened. Hell on earth, Corinna mused. She always thought it was of your own making, but if you were of a mind to turn the abstract into the physical, then hell on earth was Lyle's life as defined by the Centre and the Agency. Now the question was could she pull him back from the flames or would she lose him for good this time to the all-consuming fire.

****

After Mr. Parker hung up the telephone, he turned his attention to the DSA viewer that was situated on the left side of his desk. He'd watched the video of the events that had occurred in the past fourteen hours. He saw his daughter leave her office the moment that the sprinkler system had engaged itself and head in the direction of the baby's nursery. After that, the video feed no longer worked; the water from the sprinklers had short-circuited the system. So when the sweepers finally realized that the fire alarm was a false one, they immediately fanned out, looking for what they believed to be the obvious -- Jarod. It was Willie that had found his daughter's gun in the nursery, also discovering the air vent pried off its hinges and the baby gone. He checked only to find her car still in its assigned space.

Mr. Parker had now turned the task of discovering what had happened over to his second in command, Mr. Cox. Someone damn well better get that baby back to him, he thought. His future depended on it. If it turned out his daughter came back safely too, well, then so much the better, but it was not his primary concern. It was the boy who was important to the Centre. After everything he'd done to create him, the chairman would be damned if he'd lose him now.

***

Jarod sat by his brother's bedside, his eyes closed, trying to calm himself. He refused to accept what he knew had happened. If Lyle had Parker and the baby, he had to get to them. He couldn't let Lyle get away with this. Sighing heavily, the pretender wondered what the hell had even been going through Lyle's mind when he did this. Even a psychotic like him should know by now that endangering the people Jarod loved only brought retribution. Either Lyle was extremely confident in himself or immensely stupid. The muscles in Jarod's jaw tightened. He opted for the second choice as he opened his eyes.

It meant leaving Ethan with the good sisters that had helped his father and him recently with Emily. He nervously tapped his cellular phone. This new model was sleek and thin, with programming so sophisticated that he could perform any kind of communications wizardry on it. He urged himself to think, to plan. He picked up the phone and dialed.

"Good morning, Sister. I hate to impose but I am in need of your assistance again. My brother needs someplace quiet to recuperate. I want to stay with him, but a friend of mine is in serious trouble."

*****

"She's in trouble, isn't she, Syd?" The computer tech's voice was low, or lower than usual Sydney realized.

"Yes," came the reply. "If Lyle has any suspicions that Parker knows about this," his hand waved toward the computer screen, "then she's in serious trouble."

"This is really scary," Broots said, feeling Sydney squeeze his shoulder in an attempt to rally him from the fog the revelations in the email had induced. "The more I learn about Mr. Lyle the less I like him."

"It seems that we are not alone in that, Broots. Obviously, Jarod feels the same way or he wouldn't have sent this to Miss Parker. He didn't play his little mind games with her this time."

"Syd, we can't let them know about this."

As Sydney nodded, Broots reached inside the desk drawer and withdrew a disc, which he slipped into the slot on the computer. With a few swift strokes on the keyboard, the information that was on the screen was now stored safely on the disc. Sydney watched as Broots then proceeded to erase any further traces of the email. When he was finished, he removed the disk and handed it to Sydney.

"We have to find her, Syd."

"I think Jarod is planning on doing that."

"We have to make sure she's all right. I'm going to start searching for more information on Lyle. There's got to be something to help us figure out where he would take her."

"Good idea. While you're at it, see if you can find anything else about Mr. Lyle. We have to know as much as we can about this latest horror."

Broots nodded and stood to head back to his own computer. His stomach felt like he'd swallowed a rock. He wasn't certain if it was from worry about his friend or disgust at having to read even one more word about Lyle and his "habits." Either way, he would face it. He had to help get Miss Parker back before Lyle did anything to hurt her.

****

"I know that you distrust me, Parker," Lyle said gently, "not that I blame you."

She gave him a veiled look that held no small amount of anger. Yet she realized that in her present situation listening was her only option -- and she had to listen carefully. She continued to stare directly into Lyle's eyes. There. She caught a glimpse of another person in those eyes. As she tried to make sense of just what was happening, Lyle smiled inside as he watched her looking at him. There it was, the defiance that made him respect her. It was far from over. She was considering her options, deciding the safest path to take with him. That meant he at least had a chance.

He got up from his chair, and paced the room. Parker could feel the energy and anxiety emanating from him. Reassurance entered him, his shoulders loosened up. Given the same circumstances, he'd do it all over again, kidnapping and all. This was the one shot he had at getting the truth in front of her eyes before Jarod filled her head with rumors and lies, and he was going to take it. No hiding from her, no half-truths. He would show her who he really was. Standing next to her, he looked her in the eyes. Parker noticed that he suddenly had an air of confidence that only comes from absolute power. What she didn't realize was that he felt he finally had power over himself.

"You keep the secrets buried, but eventually they become whispers, loud whispers," Lyle said softly, and for a few seconds his mind went completely blank as he stared at his sister. Then he saw her smile, and that made it better, or worse. He wasn't quite sure. He sounded so tough, then surprisingly he choked, and tears rolled down his face. Parker reached up impulsively with her hand, only stopping when she became conscious of the move she had made. She promptly drew her hand through her hair, trying to cover what she had almost done, but a truth was beginning to take root inside of Parker. At present, it was just a seed, but it was there, and she couldn't shake it. They were alike, her and Lyle, in all their deepest, darkest places.

She broke their eye contact, her hand reaching over toward the baby who was sleeping happily in his seat on the couch beside her. One of his tiny fists was stuffed into his mouth. She reached over and stroked his other hand with her finger, and he promptly wrapped his little fingers around her single one, holding to her as if for life. This did not go unnoticed by Lyle. It wasn't that he didn't fully understand the connection between his sister and his son, it was that it awed him. She had hated Brigitte so much, yet she had never let that hatred impede on her feelings for Thane. That more than anything was proof that she was definitely their mother's daughter. He only hoped that spirit would help him now.

"Thane loves you very much." As he spoke, her eyes moved back toward him. He watched as her brow scrunched slightly, a question forming on her face.

"Why? Answer that question first, Lyle. Why do you care at all about this baby? He's a threat to you, to your position, and you know it. I'm really supposed to believe that after the, what, half dozen times you've tried to kill me, that you only want what's best for him?"

Lyle swallowed hard and looked at his son and then back at his sister. There was no better time to jump off the cliff than now.

"I care, Parker, because he isn't my brother. Thane is my son."

The words were out there now, hanging between them, and Lyle had already predicted the two likely reactions his sister would have. She would either call him a liar and jump up, bad ankle and all, and try to kill him or she would rail at him for betraying their father. The killing part still an option.

"He's your what?"

"He's my son, Parker."

The words tore into heart again, this time more deeply. She had known it was a possibility of course. After what Broots had seen and heard, it had been even money that Lyle was the baby's father, but she had convinced herself that the boy belonged to her father; it was easier that way. Less danger somehow to herself and to the child she had come to love so much. Now that illusion of security was gone. Lyle had taken it away. Instinctively, she reached over and pulled the baby from his seat into her arms. As she did so, she leveled her eyes at her brother, her voice coming out far more full of fear than she would have liked.

"Get away from him."

"Parker..."

"I said get away!"

Lyle could see that she was genuinely panicked right now and so to try and prove that he was not a threat he did as she asked. He stood, crossing the room to stand by the fireplace as she gingerly moved herself and the baby to the farthest end of the couch. Once she settled, she began to rock gently back and forth, soothing Thane, who was growing a tiny bit upset at having been woken up.

"I would never hurt you, either one of you."

"Of course not, Lyle. Of course you wouldn't. That's why you locked me up in a nut house while I had a bullet in my back? Why you sent me into a building that was supposed to blow up? The list goes on, you want me to continue?"

He didn't. He didn't want to be reminded of all the things he'd had to do to push Parker away. He was about to say so when her voice stopped him.

"So you slept with your stepmother. Nice, Lyle. Is this little piece of information supposed to change how I feel about you? Because all it does is tell me that you're as soulless and vile as I thought you were. And if you think for one second that I'm going to let this baby end up in your hands, you have lost your mind."

"Yes, I slept with Brigitte, Parker, but that isn't the beginning and end of the story. What you need to know is why."

"Why? I don't want to know why." Parker looked around, desperate for an escape, but her bad ankle had her trapped. Even if she could hobble away to another room on her own, she couldn't do it and manage the baby and she was not about to leave him alone with Lyle. "I don't need to know any details about what happened in your little Oedipal scene, brother dearest."

"Not even if it's about our father?"

That got her attention. For the moment she stopped plotting her escape and turned her eyes back to her brother. He took advantage of that by continuing.

"You see, dear old Dad wanted to secure his position at the Centre, and he knew that only a new pretender, one raised under the strictest control could do that. Problem was, to get that kind of authority, you'd have to create the child at the Centre, and it had to be a child not connected to Jarod or else we ran the same risks as we had with the clone, Jarod's emotional involvement."

"What are you saying, Lyle?"

"Dad wanted a pretender he could control. He knew that he'd missed out on his opportunities with us, but if the child were his...Parker, he ordered me to sleep with Brigitte. He ordered me to get her pregnant. So I convinced her that we would use the baby to take control of the Centre away from Dad and she went for it."

"He wanted you to...but I don't understand, why didn't he just do it him-" Parker didn't finish the sentence. She didn't have to. Words Jarod had spoken to her years earlier echoed in her mind. Ben, the visits her mother made to "Aunt Dorothy" in April - if her father needed Lyle to father the baby then -- no, even though those thoughts terrified her right now, she had to push them aside. What was happening with Lyle was confusing enough. She could see genuine disgust on his face, and it was disgust with himself. She had never seen him remorseful before, and it unnerved her. Tears she could not control sprang from her eyes and ran down her face as she held the sleeping infant closer to her.

"Lyle, who the hell are you?"

Carefully, Lyle began to move back toward the two people on the couch. He stepped slowly, waiting for Parker to order him away again, but she did not. He reached the couch, then lowered himself down on the point farthest away from his sister and son.

"Will you let me tell you now, Parker? I want to. I want to tell you all of it."

And though he never would have believed that she'd agree, her silent nod told him that it was time to lift the veil off of Lyle Parker and Bobby Bowman.

"Well, I had no reason to think I was anyone but Bobby Bowman for a long time, and my life was good until the day Raines showed up."

******

Jarod arrived in Delaware with clean clothes, a portable telecomputer with a built in satellite interface and a dossier full of ammunition against Lyle. He settled into an abandoned warehouse just outside of downtown Blue Cove. It had been difficult to come here, his concern for both Ethan and Miss Parker warring with each other, but ironically it had been Ethan who'd made it possible for him to leave.

"Jarod, I talked to mother." Ethan smiled and reached out to touch his brother's shoulder. "She said to go and do what you have to do. I'll be fine."

Jarod looked into his brother's dark chocolate eyes and gave Ethan a pained smile. He wished he could talk to Catherine Parker so that she could tell him just how Lyle had turned out the way he had. Despite everything Parker had done that he disapproved of, it still amazed him that she could be the twin of that monster.

Ethan's words had made his decision for him, and now here he was back "home" so to speak. He settled into his hideout and then set out to put the plan he'd been formulating in motion, which started with a call.

"This is Sydney."

"Any news?"

"Jarod! Nothing other than the fact that Mr. Parker ordered Mr. Cox to find the baby and Miss Parker."

It was at the moment that Broots entered the office, his breathing labored and the expression on his face one of puzzlement, his hands frantically moving in front of his chest.

"Syd, I was digging around in the archives on sub-level 12, and Mr. Parker and Mr. Cox passed by as I was about to leave. Seems that Mr. Lyle called Mr. Parker from DC. According to Mr. Parker, Lyle agreed with the theory that Jarod was behind the kidnapping. Mr. Parker also told Mr. Cox that finding the baby takes precedent over everything else and that Miss Parker's return is of no importance."

"I presume that you heard," Sydney asked of the person on the other end of the phone.

"I heard. Cold-hearted bastard," Jarod replied. "Has Broots been surfing the web, lately? There's a wonderful site on snakes, you really should check it out." With that said, Jarod terminated the phone call.

"What's his plan, Syd?" Broots asked in a quiet voice.

"Seems there's a wonderful website about snakes he wants us to check out." Syd looked at his companion and smiled. Broots, taking the hint, pulled the chair out from in front of the computer and immediately accessed his personal email.

Later that afternoon, Sydney and Broots pulled their Centre issue car into the parking lot of the Blue Cove railroad station, where they parked the car. Next to them was a midnight blue Jeep Cherokee, left by Jarod from them to continue on journey to meet him.

He heard the honk of a horn, glanced quickly at the video camera, then reached over and picked up a palm-sized remote, which he pushed, raising the large garage door, so that Sydney and Broots could drive into the building with the Jeep. They found him sitting in a swivel chair behind a desk, a yellow legal-sized pad in his left hand and a pen in his right, the portable telecomputer on a small table located next to the desk. Looking up at the sound of footsteps on the concrete floor, he half-smiled at his friends and silently extended them an invitation to sit down.

"Wow!" Broots exclaimed as he took in the site of the computer to the left of Jarod, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Well, just don't gawk at it Mr. Broots. Work your magic." Jarod replied his eyes locking on to Sydney's.

"S-seriously?" Broots stammered as he took a seat in the chair located next to the table and watched as Jarod nodded his head in the affirmative. "Oh, this is so awesome. High-tech, state of the art. This must have set you back a pretty penny."

"Not me, Centre funds," Jarod replied. "Any trouble leaving?"

"No. Finding the baby has become top priority, so no one noticed us leaving, but to be safe I followed the instructions that you gave us. Curious snakes, those sidewinders," Sydney added, smiling half-heartedly. "So what happens next?"

"That's why you're here. It might take me too long to find her alone, and somehow I knew I could count on you two for help."

As silence fell in the room, Broots sat at the desk, hands poised above the keyboard, and he stared at the computer's screen for several seconds before turning his head toward the others with him. He was not smiling. On the screen was an open folder from the Centre's mainframe, its contents disgusting. He shook his head once before he brought his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose and rubbed. Sydney said nothing and Jarod's expression was noncommittal. They sat there in silence as they all tried to think of what their next move should be.

***

The shrill of the phone startled Corinna from her thoughts, and she reached over she brought the phone to her ear, hopeful that it was Lyle.

"Corinna," the voice was low, but she recognized it as belonging to Melody, Cyrus' secretary. "He's on his way and he pissed."

"Thanks Mel, I owe you," she replaced the phone back in its cradle, and sat up a little straighter in the chair. She had paged Lyle four times in the last two hours and heard not a word from him. A call to one of her contacts inside the DC metro had yielded no new leads regarding the explosion, either. Corinna pulled her private cell phone from her briefcase and was about to call a very private number in the hopes that he had gone there, when the door to her office opened and in stormed Cyrus. She snapped the cell phone closed and slid it back into the briefcase, then turned her full attention to her rather irate boss.

"Where the hell is he?" Cyrus boomed, as he placed his hands palm side down on her desk, his eyes locking with Corinna's.

"I'm working on it. I understand that there's a serious time constraint here, Cyrus." She returned the stare only to be interrupted by the computer's 'You've got mail' announcement. Corinna quickly placed the cursor on the mailbox icon and pushed. The screen opened to reveal message from a source inside the Centre. Turning the screen for Cyrus to read, Corinna watched as his tan face paled.

"So he knows about the kidnapping. This is not good. Corinna, direct order from me is to find that son-of-a-bitch before he does anything stupid. Everything else can wait. I don't need a Lyle and Jarod confrontation at the moment. If he's gone off the deep end again because of this, he's finished. Do you understand?"

Corinna nodded. "I'll find him, Cy." Corinna picked up the phone and buzzed her secretary. "Shelly, cancel all of my appointments, tell them I had an emergency that couldn't wait and those that need to be handled immediately, call Tristan. She's filled in for me before."

"I'll talk to Tristan, myself," Cyrus said as he left the office. Once alone, Corinna leaned her head back in her chair, closed her eyes and said a prayer that finding Lyle would be easier this time around. It wasn't just that she had orders to find him; she needed to find him. Lyle had always been the target of Cyrus's anger in the past and bore it all. She on the other hand had always managed to escape it until now.

Cyrus's mandate, find Lyle at all costs, defied definition. It had been his tone that conveyed that there was more at stake. Quickly she gathered her things and headed out of the building. Forget the phone call. She'd head to the cabin and hope to God that he was there.

****

Parker sat in the same position on the couch, cursing her bad ankle yet again. What she wanted more than anything was to be able to pace. She needed to move, to do something to help her brain absorb everything that Lyle had told her. It was quite a story. Hell, if it had been a movie she would have said it was ridiculous and had too many twists and turns. The Bowmans, Raines, the murdered best friend, this Cyrus man and the CIA, it really was all too much to be believed. Wasn't it? She realized as she watched him rise up and go get a bottle for Thane that some part of her did want the yarn to be true. Because if it was true, then she wasn't alone anymore.

No, she told herself as she shook her head. You are dreaming. Lyle is Lyle, the same person who tried to kill you and Jarod, the man who gunned down Kyle, who killed those girls. You know that, Parker, you know that! The words ran through her brain at breakneck speed and no sooner had Lyle left than he'd returned. As he sank down onto the couch again, Parker involuntarily moved closer to the arm that blocked her from moving farther away from her twin. Lyle noticed this, but he chose to pretend he hadn't. He extended the warm bottle toward her, knowing she would not abide him feeding the baby. She settled Thane in her arms and then took the bottle, carefully avoiding eye contact with her brother.

"I know it's a lot to take in all at once. Believe me, I've lived it and sometimes I can't believe it. I just hope...I want you to know that I really did come back to try and find out about you, to get to know you. I could have asked for another assignment after the Yakuza mess, Parker, but I didn't. I wanted to know who my sister really was. I wanted to try and protect you."

"And that would be why you put me away in St. Catherine's?"

"Mutumbo was livid about what had happened. You weren't supposed to be at the airfield, Parker. He forbade it. I was afraid he would let you die just to teach everyone a lesson. Hiding you was my only choice."

She looked down at the baby's sweet, tiny face and startling eyes. They were Lyle's eyes. Now that she looked at him with that in mind, there was no doubting it. So that part was true. This child she loved so much was her nephew and not her brother. She was left with only two brothers now. One she didn't know and one she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"What about him, Lyle?" Her eyes swept down and indicated the baby. "Was sleeping with Brigitte your only choice? You could have said no."

"No, I couldn't. Not if I wanted to protect you."

"Again, you're protecting me. From what this time? Surely Daddy didn't expect me to make a baby with Brigitte."

"No, but he did expect you to make a baby."

Parker narrowed her eyes as she glared hard at Lyle.

"What are you talking about?"

"He wanted a pretender, Parker. And you and I were the only ones handy to use as donors. If it wasn't me, it was going to be you."

"He would nev..." but her voice trailed off. He would, and she knew it. Flashes of her mother pregnant with Ethan went through her mind. Oh, God, yes, he would have. He would have stolen her child as surely as the Centre had stolen Ethan.

She sat silently for a moment, fighting back the tears that threatened now. She couldn't weaken, not yet. There was too much to settle with Lyle, too much at stake for all of them, she now realized. So she decided to ask him the one question she could not find an answer to.

"Supposing I believe that, Lyle, that I believe you had no choice, please tell me why I should believe anything else you've said. How do I know it isn't all some fantasy you've concocted in order to...I don't know, to set me up yet again?"

Lyle sighed heavily, uncertain what he could say to make her believe him. He wanted her on his side so much. Now that he was this close, he wanted that more than anything. Perhaps the only way to achieve that goal was to reveal his final secret to her.

"Parker, if I took you to meet someone, someone who knows I'm not the monster I had to make you believe I was, would that help?"

"What are you going to do, Lyle, take me to your leader?"

"No, I want you to meet some friends of mine. That's actually where I wanted to take Thane. They'll take good care of him and keep him safe. You can meet them, and if you approve, then we'll leave him there until we've settled things with the Centre."

"If I approve? You'll abide by my decision?"

"Yes, I will. But I'm sure you'll like them, especially..."

Parker saw the now familiar flash as his voice trailed off. Something brilliant and light and almost happy flashed through Lyle's eyes as he thought of this mysterious person.

"Especially who, Lyle?"

"Her name used to be Li Nam, and there's a lot about her you need to know."

Disclaimer in part 1



Well, sorry it took so long, but you guys know how real life is. Anyway, here's part four of our little epic. If you need to catch up on the first three parts again, their posted at Nic's site, www.the-pretender.de, under our group name Renewal Wing. Enjoy...Niceole

This little piece is dedicated to Lois for her utter devotion to "The Pretender" overall, and to Mr. Lyle in particular.



The Road Taken
part 4
by Renewal Wing






Sydney had spent years watching Jarod's frustration when a pretend wasn't going well. The signs were obvious. First, his eyes would begin to wander, as if he were looking around the room for the answer to what came next. Then his hands would begin to fidget. Finally, there was the pacing. That was the stage the Pretender was in now. Both Jarod and Broots had spent nearly six hours looking through Centre records on Lyle's travel patterns hoping to get some idea of where he might have taken Parker and the baby. Six hours, and still they knew nothing.

The doctor knew his protégé well enough to know that what was really upsetting Jarod were his feelings of culpability in what had happened.
There was no proof, of course, that the information he'd sent Parker had triggered this latest chain of events, but Jarod would not believe that until circumstance proved it. He believed he had endangered not only Parker but the little boy she loved so fiercely, and there would be no rest for any of them until they found her.

Sydney looked up as Broots walked back into the room, a cell phone in his hand. The technician had hated being chosen to call in and report on his and Sydney's whereabouts, but it was important to keep up the appearance that their search for Miss Parker had nothing to do with
Lyle. There was no telling what kind of crossfire their friend could get caught in if the Centre were to learn of Mr. Lyle's involvement in her disappearance.

"Damn it." Jarod's angry and frustrated words startled Broots and sent the rattled technician scrambling back to his keyboard. Sydney stood and walked over to the pretender he knew so well.

"You have to relax, Jarod. You have to look at Lyle dispassionately. You cannot indulge in hate." Jarod wasn't listening to him. Instead, he had started to pace again. His fists kept clenching and unclenching, as if he was envisioning what it would be like to have Lyle's throat between his fingers.

"I can't relax, Sydney, and it's rather hard not to hate Lyle. We have to figure out where she is. If anything happens to her..."

"We are giving Lyle all of our time and attention, Jarod. Yet, if we truly resent and hate someone, then it becomes too hard to focus. You need to be more interested in him than you have in anyone else in your life. We all do."

"I know. Usually I'm victim driven. This time I have to get into the soul and mind of an asshole."

"What the hell?"

The sound of Broots' voice stopped Jarod's speech in its tracks. Both he and Sydney rushed to the techie's side.

"What is it, Broots?" Jarod asked excitedly. "What did you find?"

"Well, something that seems kind of strange. Of course, after that information you found out about Mr. Lyle, I guess nothing should seem strange."

Jarod's shoulders tensed as he waited for Broots to explain what clue he might have found. Sydney almost smiled at the similarity in Jarod's reaction to the one Miss Parker often had to Broots' need to editorialize his findings. Hoping to head off any confrontation, Sydney cleared his throat, cluing his friend in to the situation.

"Oh, uh, anyway, I had programmed the computer to search for any regular pattern in Lyle's travel habits. I was hoping it would give us a target location."

"And did it?" Jarod's eyes glistened with hope and anticipation.

"Well, for some reason, he made five trips to San Francisco during his first three months back at the Centre...I mean, after he came back from the whole thumb thing."

Jarod placed his hand on Broots' shoulder. "Does it say where exactly he went?"

"No. He used the corporate jet to fly out there the first four times, but he didn't expense any hotel charges. The fifth time, he flew commercial. I checked against Centre records...we had the jet that day chasing after you. He must have been in a hurry not to wait for it."

Jarod was glaring at the screen with the kind of quizzical look that usually indicated something was amiss. He smelled a hidden clue between those lines and was suddenly dissecting the words like a surgeon, cutting into soft flesh.

"What is it, Jarod?" Sydney asked, having seen that look on many occasions before, "You see something, don't you?"

Jarod's mouth was set in a grim smile, and his eyes looked very far away, as if he was drawing on something far away or into himself. He stood, finally feeling as if they had something to go on.

"Let's get ready. We have a trip to take."

***

She had always found him repulsive. Yet, in a single microsecond, she was certain she saw truth. Could she believe him? Did she need to believe him? If he could protect his son--she shuddered slightly at acknowledging that connection--but if he could protect Thane from living inside the Centre's dark walls, what was holding her back? Was it fear of failure? She had recalled the vow that she made to protect the baby that night and yet it was Lyle that had acted. Perhaps she was just resentful of that fact. If that were true, then she knew she had to fight against it. She couldn't allow her nephew to suffer because of her own ego.

As all of these thoughts ran through Parker's mind, Lyle watched her closely. In a fraction of an instant he saw fear and uncertainty, and then something else in those clear, blue eyes. He saw candor.

Then the lids narrowed and the bravado was back.

"Fine, Lyle, tell me about this Li Nam."

Lyle smiled and stood, his hand reaching out toward her.

"I'll tell you on the way. Right now, why don't you let me help you into the bathroom and you can take a hot bath before we leave."

"I don't have anything to put on after a bath, Lyle."

"Shame on you, Parker. You don't think I'd kidnap you without being prepared, do you? Those bags I brought in earlier have clothes for you in them, too."

A small laugh threatened to break free of Parker's lips, but she fought it down. It was far too soon for her to take Lyle's new personality at face value. Still, a hot bath sounded wonderful, and so she took his hand and let him help her off the couch.

"Fine, a hot bath and then we leave. But remember our deal, brother.
If I don't like what I hear or see, how to best care for Thane is my decision."

Lyle felt his oft-used muscle start to reflex, and a smart-mouthed retort came to mind, but he pushed it aside. He was nearing some newfound understanding with his sister, and he was not willing to risk it to score the last point in their conversation. Instead he helped his sister across the room. And it didn't escape either's attention that the last thing they both did before crossing the threshold of the bathroom was to cast back a glance at Thane, who was sleeping peacefully in his seat as if he was in the safest place on Earth.

An hour later, Parker emerged from the bedroom, dressed not in the usually tailored skirt-suit, but in the jeans and shirt that Lyle had brought. His taste in casual wear was as impeccable as his taste in the finely tailored suits he wore. The clothes were top quality, but soft and comfortable. She took a few steps forward, but stopped, standing in the shadow of the doorframe. From there she could see him sitting in the chair, dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. Thane was nestled in his arms, the baby dressed in fresh clothes, and Lyle was--she blinked, a little stunned--talking to his son about her. She couldn't make out exactly what he was saying, but she'd definitely heard her name.

"Lyle?" she called out.

"Parker, how long have you been standing there?" Lyle answered, a flush coloring his cheeks. "Do you need help?"

"Not long and no, I don't," she hobbled over to the couch, "but some answers would be nice." She opened her hand to reveal the prescription bottle. "I found it in the medicine chest. That is your name on it, isn't it? Prozac? How long, Lyle?"

"It started several months ago, shortly after I discovered the truth about Thomas' death..." he stopped and looked into his sister's blue eyes, waiting for the snipe that never came. "Anxiety, depression, all the stress...can you really blame me?"

Parker's eyes widened, a stricken expression on her face.

"It was me that left you the Rumor file," he said softly, not taking his eyes off of Thane. "You can't imagine the thoughts that were going through my head then. I didn't want you to kill Brigitte, but I knew you had a right to your answer. And I knew that you would never do anything to hurt the baby. Ironic, isn't it, you being the first person to hold my son? It's a bond between us that can't be broken, Parker, not by anything. The three of us are a family. I hope I can convince you of that."

Lyle turned away then, and placed Thane in his baby seat. "I thought we'd have dinner before heading to the airport. Lyle indicated the plates on the table located off the living room. "I made La Chiso Ch'ao Chi--your favorite."

Parker set the medicine bottle on the coffee table and looked at him curiously. "Lyle, if I recall that last time we had a meal together, it was...by the way, how would you know what my favorite meal is?"

He favored her with a reproachful look. "Now what kind of brother would I be if I couldn't find out a simple thing like that?" She took a seat at the small dining room table and scooped out some of the chicken chunks laden with red Szechwan peppers. Taking a whiff of the aromatic spices, she snagged the chopsticks next to the napkins. Parker finished her meal and watched as Lyle tossed their paper plates into a garbage bag. For a brief moment, he looked sorrowfully at the remains of the food in the bowl, and then without another thought dumped them in the garbage as well. "What a shame!" he muttered, as Parker watched in astonishment. "It's so good at breakfast, especially when you add a few scrambled eggs. Delicious."

"Strange, Lyle. You are really strange."

He laughed. That's when Parker saw that he'd already packed up the rest of their things, and her brother smiled at her nervously as he went into the bathroom to gather up the toiletries she'd used in her bath. He returned moments later, and as he put the few items away, Parker couldn't help but say the words that came into her mind.

"It was the most incredible moment of my life, you know. Holding him, looking down into that new face...I didn't know I could..."

Parker's voice caught in her throat and she turned away, unable to go on. Then she heard Lyle's voice come from behind her.

"I knew, Parker. I knew you could love like that. I counted on it."

"So, where are we off to Lyle?" Parker asked, the shakiness in her voice evidence that she was changing the subject for her own benefit.

"Wherever the road may lead," Lyle said.

Something about his tone struck Parker as almost wistful, and she had to put a hand to her mouth to cover her broad smile as Lyle sat down next to her. For his part, Lyle took a deep breath, the ramifications of what had just transpired between them still sorting themselves in his brain.

You're crazy, she kept telling herself, but she knew that it was too late. She'd made the choice and now she was going to have to live with it. At least, she hoped she could live with it. Her inner voice kept saying that, and yet she felt as if, when she looked him in the eyes, she knew everything about him...everything and nothing. She saw pain in those eyes, pain as endless as the skies, but also the strength to endure the circumstances that had inflicted that pain on him. His face was a literal roadmap of all that he had endured. Some of the places he had been were not clear, but the roads used to get there were certainly evident enough. There had never been a time in Parker's life when she didn't know what she was supposed to do, supposed to be, and supposed to accomplish. The fact that there was no uncertainty in her life had become so normal for her that she had simply learned to take
it for granted. Until now.

***

Cyrus was pacing, and that he was only served to add to his ire. He hated to be pushed to this point, and when he was, Lyle was usually involved. Damn it. Of all the horrible timing for something like this to happen. The President himself had called for a more intense action against the Centre, and Lyle had to choose now to go off and play one of his bizarre games?

Finally exhausted, Cyrus walked back to his desk and plopped down in his chair. Corinna had better find him and get him back, and she'd better do it fast. Because this time, Cyrus was certain he could not save Lyle from another mistake.

***

Corinna felt a sudden sharp, icy pang of fear, like a cold hand on her back, when she pulled the car up the long driveway of her cabin. There were tire tracks, new tire tracks, in the driveway, but no vehicle was present. Corinna had a bad feeling. This feeling seemed stronger than usual, and hoping that she was wrong, she stepped through the door and was greeted with the aroma of cumin and turmeric, as well as the wood smoke from the fireplace. Another scent wafted in the air as well. Perfume. Chanel, if she wasn't mistaken. What had Lyle done?

She continued looking around the cabin, but she stopped in the kitchen when she saw a white sheet of paper tacked to one of the cabinet doors. She reached for it and read its words, her stomach tightening as she did so.

"Corinna, I knew you'd come here looking for me. I'm trying to save my family. I promise, I haven't lost sight of the goal, but if I don't do this now, there will never be another chance. Lyle."

Taking a deep breath, Corinna turned so she could lean against the counter for support. He seemed rational enough. No ravings, no declarations of forgetting their larger mission. He simply wanted a few days to try and make things right with Parker. The question was, how could Corinna help him do that and keep them both out of Cyrus' crosshairs? She can hear it now, undercover partners are suppose to keep track of each other and...God, Cyrus will crucify him. And yet, Corinna knew that they all still faced an even greater threat...the Centre.

***

Chinatown. Brightly lit. The shops and restaurants were open even though it was late. Tourists and locals walked the sidewalks. A city within a city, rooftops shaped like ancient pagodas, dragons edged the streetlights, neon business signs in both Chinese and English flashed in the night.

Drums and cymbals crashed, sparklers burned white-gold starbursts. A festival dragon was winding its way through the streets. The lead dancer held the great paper-mache dragonhead in his hands---silver eyes, a massive forehead with a fringe of white beard, and a bright green collar. Behind him, a line of dancers meandered carrying the long body.

While everyone else was involved in the festivities, three people obviously were not. They had more important matters on their minds as they hurried away from the crowds and the brightly lit streets.

The three men approached a busy shop on one of the side streets that seemed to have heavy pedestrian traffic. Broots had entered cautiously with Syd, but Jarod strode into the shop as if he owned the place and the chattering inside dwindled to urgent whispers, and finally to silence. Broots had to admit that Jarod's sheer presence was nothing short of remarkable. Jarod did not move so much as an inch, had not made the slightest threatening gesture, and by letting the silence hang for what seemed an unconscionably long time, he was changing the mood of the whole place. Surprisingly, Jarod seemed in no hurry to move things along. This seemed like a place where someone might know something. Surely they would get some answers here.

Jarod was trembling with rage once they had left the shop, albeit suppressed rage, Syd not quite believing it. This was the man who had been the epitome of peace, the advocate of negotiations. Sydney could see that Jarod's temper was seesawing with the heat, and by dusk he was downright nasty. Frustrated, the men headed back to their car with the bit of information they had been able to gather.

"It's better than nothing."

The look Jarod leveled at Broots reminded the technician of one of Miss Parker's famous glares. He quickly turned away, regretting ever speaking.

Having forced Broots into silence, Jarod turned his eyes back to the street ahead of him. Better than nothing...they had less than nothing. He was certain his hunch had been right. The travel records had certainly pointed to this as Lyle's likely destination on all of those mysterious trips. Yet everyone they'd spoken to seemed to have no recollection of Lyle, including several key players in the Chinatown district and people Jarod knew from his days on a pretend as an undercover organized crime officer here in San Francisco. If any of them knew Lyle, they weren't talking, only vaguely saying they'd seen a man who "looked like" Lyle, but they couldn't remember when. This mystified Jarod, because deep down, he knew that he was on the right path. The question was, what could inspire anyone to keep a secret for Lyle, and what secret were they hiding?

***

The road ahead of them was fairly clear, at least as far as the weather was concerned. What it would lead to, Parker had no idea. Still, she felt remarkably certain she had made the right choice in coming with Lyle. Stretching, she glanced at her brother, and than back at Thane, who was enjoying some sweet dream in his car seat. They had been driving for a little over three hours, and she knew they would have to stop soon in order to eat and feed the baby. The trip had, so far, been conducted mostly in silence. She had tried to prod a few bits of information out of her brother, but so far, not much had resulted from her attempts.

"How much farther do we have to go?"

Lyle, whose thoughts seemed to be someplace far away from the moving vehicle, glanced sideways at his sister before returning his eyes to the Interstate.

"We'll go another hour if Thane can make it. Then after we eat, we have a few more hours."

"Are you ever going to tell me where we're going? Other than knowing it has something to do with someone named Li Nam...I'm pretty much running on blind faith over here."

Lyle sighed heavily, knowing the truth of what his sister was saying. He had promised her answers, yet as they drove, he found himself trying to organize all of the jumbled facts that made up the long story of his journey with Li Nam.

"I'm sorry, I guess I just kind of got lost in the past and forgot I was supposed to be sharing it with you."

Parker nodded, and Lyle glanced up in the rear-view mirror, taking in the sweetness of his son's face once more before he returned to the terrible details of Li Nam's past.

"The first thing you need to know is that Che Ling was more than just some mail-order bride, some woman I used. And I did not hurt her."

"So you've said."

"I did let Dad help me fix the situation, but only to gain his trust. If he thought he had something on me, it made it easier for him to open up to me. I was less of a threat that way."

Now it was Parker's turn to sigh. Much as she hated to admit it, that was definitely the way her father operated - get leverage on your kids, then use it.

"Anyway," her brother continued, "that's not the important part. But Che Ling is. She was a Chinese Intelligence officer, working on a joint venture with the CIA. She was my...partner, I guess, is the best way to describe it."

Emotion--deep, heart-wrenching emotion--crept into Lyle's voice, and Parker couldn't help but feel it in her own heart. Clearly, Che Ling was far more to her brother than a "partner." Yet he chose to gloss over this fact as he kept going with the story of how he'd spiraled out of control after learning he was really a Parker, about the criminal and cruel way he'd been robbed of the life he should have had. It was during those months that he had attacked the Centre's Hartford office, killing its staff to get the Centre's attention. It was also during this time-period that he had done the one thing for which there would never be full redemption - he had killed Kyle.

"That was never my intention, Parker. I know that doesn't make any difference, but..."

Choosing to ignore the statement, what could she say really, Parker asked a question to which she needed an answer. "Would you have really killed me?"

"That day in Arizona?" Lyle considered for a moment, remembering the terrible state he'd been in that day. "I honestly don't know, Parker. I think I could have. I was so out of control then. I don't even think it had registered to me that you were my sister - I just wanted to make someone pay for what had happened to me."

Parker nodded, understanding. She'd felt that way many times in her life, and she, like her brother, had made Jarod the target of those feelings. Not liking the feelings that thought brought up, she directed another question at Lyle.

"Do you know what really happened to Che Ling?"

"She was killed by the drug dealers we were investigating. The CIA 'allowed' the Centre to find the information and helped make it look like I'd been involved somehow. The rest you know."

"So what does all of this have to do with this Li Nam person?"

Lyle swallowed hard, feeling once again as if he were about to jump off of a very steep cliff. He knew this was the one thing that could make his sister see and believe the truth about him, and if he blew it, he might lose her and his son forever, because he meant to honor his deal - if Parker decided after this that Thane wasn't safe with him, he would let the boy go.

"Li Nam was, back when all this started, a very scared little girl in Thailand. She is Che Ling's cousin, and I'm afraid her story makes even ours look like a happy one."

***

The press had learned about the bombing of the subway train, and it made for sensational headlines. A sketch artist's rendition of a possible suspect was featured in story after story, and terrorist groups were still climbing out of the woodwork to claim responsibility, which meant that the case continued to be a full-blown media event. This was all serving to make Mr. Parker increasingly nervous, not to mention irritated.

Picking up the latest article clipped from the "Washington Post", he stared at the picture. The likeness wasn't completely accurate, and no one who didn't know Ethan would ever be able to put the two together. That was good news. What was not were reports that the crime-scene investigators had blanketed the site, combing it for evidence. Government agency technicians had also gone over every square inch of the subway, and they had discovered small pieces of highly sophisticated computer components in the debris. Mr. Parker had been led to believe that Lyle and his cleaner team had taken care of the site, obliterating any traces of his sister, Jarod and Ethan. News that anything had been recovered now called that into question.

Angrily he threw the slip of paper back on his desk. It was all going to hell. He couldn't afford to have the Triumvirate looking for answers about the bombing and the cover up, not when he had to get the baby back where he belonged. Damn Jarod for interfering. It had to have been him that had taken his daughter and the child away...and Mr. Parker swore silently to make the pretender pay dearly for putting all that he had planned in jeopardy.

***

Corrina's beeper went off as she searched the cabin for any clues as to
the whereabouts of Lyle or his sister and son. What she found was a pacifier wedged between two sofa cushions. It only confirmed what she already knew...Lyle was somewhere with his family, the question was where.

She unhooked the pager from her hip expecting to find Cyrus's number flashing, instead it was a special code that she and Lyle used to let the other one know that things were all right. Well, that was good news, she supposed. But what she needed was to actually hear from him, to let him know how unhappy Cyrus was. Quickly moving to the phone, Corinna dialed in Lyle's pager number and punched in a return code of 555. It meant call immediately, and she hoped that Lyle would heed her advice.

As she waited, Corinna opened her briefcase and pulled her laptop free. After a few moments, it hummed to life, and she used her wireless modem to check on the status of the subway bombing investigation. Thankfully, the few steps she had taken before leaving to search for Lyle were working beautifully. A media frenzy now surrounded the aftermath of the explosion, and Corinna was hoping that it would keep Mr. Parker distracted long enough to buy Lyle some time, but she was the first to admit she wasn't as attuned to Centre politics as Lyle was. She may have caused him more trouble, she wasn't sure. But it was a chance she'd had to take.

Anxiously, Corinna leaned back, hoping the phone would ring soon, and praying that she could keep Cyrus happy until Lyle resurfaced.

***

"I think a cup of hot coffee would be something we could both use right about now."

Parker nodded in agreement with Lyle's words as the car pulled into the parking lot of a small diner. They were, in truth, only 30 minutes from the airport and the plane that would take them on the rest of their journey, but he was tired and Thane was definitely hungry. Lyle watched as his sister opened the passenger door and reached around to the back seat to take out the baby.

Somehow, he felt a surreal urge to laugh. Anyone watching them would think they where a normal family. The whole situation was so normal, but so strange for the three people involved.

The smile disappeared as he thought of what came next. He knew the hardest part was still to come. It would do no good to push it away any longer, in fact, it might make it harder, and he could feel his courage slipping. If he was right, Jarod was in contact with Broots and Sydney by now, and the pretender would understand the meaning of his sister's gun laying on the floor inside the nursery. Lyle could kick himself for not taking it with him. It would have bought him
a little more time. And right now, he needed time.

His gaze was still on his sister as she picked up his son. Seeing her move a bit clumsily, he remembered that she should not be moving much at all, let alone with an additional weight in her arms.

"Wait, let me help you," Lyle said as he moved out of the car. Slamming the door shut, he hurried around the car and took the baby out of his sister's arms. Carefully he unclenched the small hand that his son had wrapped around a handful of fabric from Parker's shirt.

Holding the baby always had a calming effect on him, but it wasn't quieting his thoughts today, and his mind began to wander again. The mother of his son would have not been his first choice, if he had a choice back then, but looking back, it could have be worse. The reality was he hadn't know Brigitte very well, but in a way she was a victim of the Centre, too, and the power struggles of those old men in charge. Often he wondered what would bring a woman to give her child to an organization like the Centre. Often he imagined that her reasons for agreeing to this deal had been as complicated as his own, fighting for something they both thought would be worth risking everything. He only hoped that what she'd wanted was as important to her as his family was to him.

Miss Parker watched her brother carefully. After he'd taken the boy from her arms, he seemed to be lost in his memory. The little boy seemed not to mind. He was still smiling and his eyes followed
every movement of his father's hands as he tried to grab it and softly
squeaked with pleasure every time he was able to touch Lyle.

'Listen to him, give him a chance, he loves you both.'

The words of her mother was suddenly so clear it was like the woman was standing next to her and whispering them into her ear. Ever since she had asked Sydney to help her and they'd had their first session, the voices had grown clearer every day, though that was her secret. She didn't dare to say anything, not even to Sydney. And though she had a million reasons why, the truth was she was still too unsure what was happening to her to want others involved too deeply. If she was hearing her mother's voice, who the hell's voice had her mother heard? And why did she hear them when it seemed Lyle did not? Thoughts like this plagued her more and more, and only added to the uneasiness she was feeling with her brother.

"Do you need help?" Lyle stood halfway between the door and the car, looking at her. She realized that he had said something to her before, but she had been lost in her thoughts. 'Damn it, Parker,' she scolded herself silently. If she really wanted to find out what was going on, she needed to stay alert and not loose herself in thoughts best left for another time. At the moment the safety of her little brother...no not brother, nephew she corrected herself, was priority number one. Everything else could wait.

"Just go ahead I will follow." Carefully she hobbled after her brother into the building, her ankle throbbing. When she'd dismissed his offer to help she had seen a flash in his eyes that he wanted to object. Luckily he had decided against it, maybe sensing that she still needed some space.

Carefully Miss Parker followed her brother inside, making sure she didn't wobble too much, thus gaining the attention of the other visitors. It was important to stay inconspicuous, but on the other hand, every step was hurting like hell and by the time she finally reached the table, Lyle had already placed his son in a high chair. The effort had taken a lot out of her, and she could feel cold sweat running down her back. Gratefully, she sat down.

Lyle and Parker were both quiet as they settled into the booth, feeling a little uncomfortable, maybe a lot uncomfortable. It was Thane who made the situation more tolerable, his big blue eyes alert to his new surroundings and his toothless smile comforting them both. Parker reached into the baby bag she had dragged along with her and pulled out his bottle. The baby smiled widely when he saw it, and both his father and aunt couldn't help but chuckle when he eagerly slapped his hands on the sides of the plastic, greedily sipping down the formula inside.

A bored and slightly overweight waitress came and took their order for coffee. She returned after a moment and placed big mugs in front of both of them, shoving two menus onto the table. Lyle watched her waddle away, knowing that with every step the waitress took, the point came closer when he would had to face his sister again and pick up the story of Li Nam. He could not remember when he had been so nervous before. Not even the Yakuza could terrify him the way her blue-eyed glare could.

When he turned back to face his sister, he could see that walking in from the parking lot had caused her a lot of pain, but his past experiences with her told him that she would never give into it, so he said nothing. Inwardly he sighed, but on the other hand, he was grateful that she was so stubborn. No matter what the future held for him, she would never give up on his son. Not for the first time, he wondered if maybe it had been a mistake to step in for her. Maybe if Thane had been her son or daughter, she would have taken the baby and left already, and a lot of the horrible events of the last few months would have never happened. But this train of thought was fruitless because there was no possibility to change the past, only a hope for the future.

"So where was I?"

"You were about to tell me how you started looking for Li Nam."

Miss Parker studied Lyle's behavior carefully as he tried to gather his thoughts. Already he had revealed so much to her about his relationship with Che Ling and how their mission had gone so wrong, all because of him, or so he thought. As he spoke of her, she saw so much emotion in him. It was a level of feeling she'd never expected to see in him, and it meant she was faced with only two options: he was a much better pretender than anybody knew, or he was telling her the truth.

Honestly she was not sure what was the better option. If he was now being honest, it meant he had been lying since his return to the Centre and she had not even suspected it. The side of Parker that hated to be fooled in this way felt very defensive. That in this case, their great pretender Jarod would have also been fooled was, at present, no real comfort for her troubled mind.

The truth was, she wanted to believe him, and this realization shocked her. Parker wanted him to be the brother she wished for from the moment she knew he existed.

"Just tell me, Lyle."

"What?" Lyle looked up at Parker, then he smiled slightly. She'd said that to him at least half a dozen times today. 'Just tell me.' How miraculous was that? He knew that just a few hours ago, he'd have been lucky to keep her from shooting him if he hesitated even a moment. But she had not shot him. She was ready to listen, and he had to make her believe his words. He had to make that belief so strong that it could not be shaken, not by anything Sydney or Broots might find, and not by Jarod.

Even thinking about the pretender gave him a big headache. Every time he thought things where under control, that he might be able to come a step closer to his sister, Jarod had stepped in and made things worse than before. He was not sure how long they would have before the Centre or the agency would be on their tails again. As if on cue, he felt his pager begin to vibrate. Cautiously, he looked down at the message. He was about to excuse himself to call Corinna back when the door opened and a man walked in black jeans and a black leather jacket.

For just a second Lyle thought his heart would stop and that everything was over. Then he realized it was not Jarod, just a man who looked like him, and on a second look, not as much as one might expect for the reaction it had sent through Lyle's overstressed nerves. His mind was just playing a trick on him, but it also made it clear that his time was running out rapidly. Corinna would have to wait.

"The agency wanted me back at the Centre right away, and I was in no position to put them off. Still, I needed to go back and see if I could find anything about who had killed Che Ling. I wanted to know his name."

Parker nodded, understanding. It was exactly how she'd felt about finding out who Thomas' killer was.

"Anyway, I went back and met this couple who had taken over our apartment in Vegas."

As Lyle related the story, it came to life in his memory. He remembered the moment when Grace, the woman at the apartment, had told him about the mysterious phone call they'd received just a week before his return.

"The woman's name is Linda Reed. She works with some organization in Thailand. She mentioned UNICEF, but it's not them. She said something about finding a girl on the street who said she was related to 'Che Ling.' I thought the girl had given her a wrong number, but I kept the information just in case." As she had finished speaking, the woman handed him a small notepad with a name and phone number written on it.

"If I had known she had the right number, I would have looked into it. It's just, we didn't know the names of the couple who...I'm sorry."

Lyle nodded, understanding so much more about the situation than the woman could have known. Che Ling had spoken about wanting to take a leave of absence to go to Vietnam and search for her missing cousins. They were all the family she had left, and it had mattered a great deal to her. The Vietnamese authorities had said simply that the family was dead, but Che Ling was not so easily dissuaded. She had spoken often about finding them, but Lyle had not paid a great deal of attention. After all, there had been time to listen later...

"You loved her," Miss Parker said with a warm clarity that made Lyle look up at her. "You loved Che Ling."

"Yes, I did. I still do."

Parker nodded and watched as her brother's eyes cast downward to the table.

"I had some fake FBI credentials, so I checked out the name of the woman who called and found out her name was Monica Saunders. She was an attorney who was overseas working to help exploited children. I tracked her down and she told me about the condition Li Nam had been in when she'd seen her."

"But you said the family was from Vietnam, and this woman called about a girl in Thailand?"

Lyle took a deep breath, wishing he could spare Parker the gory details, yet knowing there was no other way to win her over but to tell her the whole truth.

"Che Ling's cousin Li An had been going to college in Nanjing. She met and married a Vietnamese man named Troung Van Than. Than became a historical researcher for the Vietnamese government, and so they moved back there and had Li Nam and a little boy, Van Son."

"And then something went wrong?" Parker could sense the darkening in her brother's mood, and it indicated the direction the story was about to take, still she sensed that she needed to hear it.

"Than complained about some corrupt government officials, and the family ended up on the run. They hid all over the place trying to find safety. They were hoping they could reach Bangkok and contact Che Ling to help get them into the U.S., but the trip through Laos was very difficult. They all got dengue fever and it took a long time to reach a town that had a doctor.

"Once they finally got help, Li Nam and her mother and brother got better, but Than died. The family was destitute and couldn't pay the doctor for what he'd done. So the doctor came up with a plan to help them repay the debt. Li Nam was seven then, and the doctor and a "friend" of his suggested she go work as a servant in one of the homes in Bangkok to help pay off her family's debt. Li Nam wanted to help her family, and she thought she could try and reach Che Ling once she was in the city. Of course, things weren't what any of them were expecting once she got there."

Parker closed her eyes and nodded, understanding completely what her brother was saying. She had seen the news reports about children being sold into prostitution in Thailand, girls and boys as young as five being given over to the sick men and women who used them. It made her stomach turn, and it seemed a thousand times worse than the exploitation the Centre had perpetrated against "their" children. Looking up, she noticed the pain in her brother's eyes. This was no pretend, and she knew it.

"What did you do?"

"The only thing I could do, Parker. I found her."

***

Jarod lay on the bed, fingers interlaced behind his head, gazing up at the ceiling. His eyes had become sore with fatigue and that was usually a good indicator for Sydney to tell him it was time to call it a night. But once he was reclining, he felt his fatigue evaporating as he replayed in his head, once again, the past eighteen hours.

He didn't want to. There was no purpose to it, nothing to gain. And yet, no matter how many times he thought about it, he kept wondering... had there been something he'd overlooked? He had tried to warn Parker. Could he have prevented...this? His mind spun, questioning and second-guessing over and over and finally it was very clear why he wasn't able to sleep. With everything tumbling about in his mind, what person could have slept?

"Damn you," Jarod muttered, although it wasn't clear, even to himself, just who he was cursing. Was it him for starting this by sending the e-mail or Lyle for starting it by being born?

***

Ethan rolled over in the bed, his body aching with soreness from his injuries. Still, he was lucky to be alive at all, and he knew that he had his brother and sister to thank for that. His sister - just thinking the words filled him with a sense of longing and worry. He knew she was in some kind of trouble - it's why Jarod had left, and why his mother's voice had told him to let Jarod go in search of her. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something else was happening, something different than what Jarod thought.

"He's not what he seems. His truth is in his past."

Cringing with the pain his voices often brought crashing in on him, Ethan clutched at his head. Who was he? He'd been thinking of Jarod, but surely it wasn't him who...no, Lyle, it was Lyle they were speaking of.

Moving carefully, Ethan climbed from the bed and found his cell phone. He hit the speed dial button that would reach his brother and relayed the cryptic message of his inner sense. Then, exhausted, Ethan returned to his bed. Lying there, he felt the slightest hint of his sister's tumultuous emotions, but sleep quickly overcame the connection. This mystery was one for his older siblings to play out - his job now was to get well.

***

Cyrus sat in his darkened living room, a drink in his right hand. He stared at the only source of light in the room, the remaining embers of the fire that was about to die out. On nights like these, when work seemed to have spun out of control, he missed his wife, and he wished that he could have her back for just a few hours. He could have called his daughter, but interrupting her life with the ugliness of his seemed wrong to him somehow.

The ringing of his phone broke the quiet of the room, and Cyrus rose and walked over to the entry hall table, taking the receiver in his hands.

"Yes?"

"Where is he?"

Cyrus knew the voice on the other end of the phone all too well. The director...and there was no doubt who the "he" was in the question.

"He's taking care of some loose ends. Nothing to worry about."

"There better not be, Cyrus. Our timetable has been set. This thing with the Centre, it has to end sooner than later. You understand that, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Good, then make sure Lyle and Corinna do as well. The president wants this settled before he has to start campaigning again. That's our deadline."

"We'll make it."

The other end of the line went dead, and Cyrus sighed as he hung up the phone. Corinna and Lyle...of the many agents he'd recruited over the years, these two had proven more exceptional and more troublesome than any of the others. He only hoped he hadn't misjudged them.

***



That's the end of this one. We'll try not to let it take quite so long for the Part 5, but no promises. Feedback will help encourage us (hint, hint.)


Feedback please

Disclaimer in Part One. All prior parts are posted at www.the-pretender.de. Feedback encourages us to continue...(hint, hint). This part got very long, so it's broken into two parts. Enjoy!



This little piece is dedicated to Lois for her utter devotion to "The Pretender" overall, and to Mr. Lyle in particular.



The Road Taken
part 5a
by Renewal Wing



Corinna felt like she had been staring at the phone for hours; a quick check of her watch negated the feeling. Only thirty minutes had passed since she paged Lyle. She walked out onto the porch and flopped into the swing. Her momentum made the chains groan and she expected to be dumped on the floorboards. Instead it set to swinging. She pulled her legs up beside her and practiced her relaxation techniques. They worked.

A pair of robins quarreling over a worm woke her from a doze; she jumped to her feet. The swing hit her in the back of the knees and she sat down again. Her laugh startled the birds. It also relaxed her more than the impromptu nap. She walked back inside and redialed Lyle's number; this time she added six fives. If she could have added six exclamation points she would have.

***

["What did you do?" Parker asked.
"The only thing I could do, Parker. I found her," Lyle answered.]

Just then the waitress returned to take their order. Homemade chicken soup and salads were quite a departure from the previous day's cuisine, but several patrons were eating soup so it seemed a safe choice.

While eating, Lyle and Parker became lost in their thoughts. Lyle relived the trip to Vietnam and Thailand to search for Li Nam. He had found her and punished the people who victimized her. What would Jarod think of that? Probably not much, Lyle thought, he tended to leave the perpetrators alive.

Parker spent the time trying to rectify her image of Lyle with the man across the table, not yet sure how they met to form reality. The soup came and went, followed by more coffee, and continued silence. Parker decided to break the spell, "At the risk of becoming repetitive:
Just tell me, Lyle."

Lyle pulled his thoughts from the distance and gave her a small smile. "Sorry, sometimes I get caught up in the past. It can be hard to escape.

"I did find Li Nam, and I brought her here to America. She's an inspiration to me. She came through that dung heap she was thrown into and it didn't kill her soul.

"Her family is here too. They've put their hardships behind them, and embraced the 'American Way of Life', especially Van Son, or, rather, Sonny as he prefers to be called. He plans to be a singer; says all he needs is Cher," Lyle chortled. "They are good people. That's where I'm planning to leave Thane." He noticed the look that crossed Parker's face. "That is, if you agree once you meet them." He smiled in what he hoped was an endearing manner.

Parker let it ride.

Lyle grabbed at his pocket as the beeper vibrated again. He pulled it out and looked at the message. Corinna apparently did not care to wait any longer. "I have to take this call, Parker."

"Daddy?"

"No, someone much nicer most of the time, though probably not at the moment. I will arrange for you to meet her in a bit."

Parker cocked an eyebrow.

"No not that kind of nice," Lyle said, rising. "We've worked together a lot over the years. She has more sense than to get involved with me." He realized that sentiment might also apply to his sister; so did she.

"Take your call. I'll change Thane and meet you at the car."

Lyle paid the check and dialed the phone as he exited the diner.

Corinna grabbed the receiver on the first ring.

"Lyle?!"

"Hello, Corinna."

"Are you alright? Where are you? Where the Hell was your brain?"

"Where it should be, on my son. You're responsible for the 'clues' the FBI found in DC?"

"Wasn't sure you were paying attention, but yes, I am. I thought it might give people something to think about besides your whereabouts. It didn't work well with Cyrus."

"Cyrus will get his results," Lyle assured her. "I had to do this first. Thanks for the decoy. I need you to do one more thing though... take a little trip West."

"My pleasure. Will I be meeting anyone there?"

"Yes."

"That'll definitely make the trip worthwhile. Are you two playing nice?"

"We're in truce mode. That's enough for now." Parker and Thane approached the car. "See you in two days. Bye."

Lyle cut the connection before Corinna got out, "Bye." She stared at the phone for a moment. What was she going to tell Cyrus?

Miss Parker had a bit of difficulty carrying Thane to the car; her ankle hurt, and still felt ready to give out any minute, but she was not quite willing to allow Lyle to see weakness. Settling Thane in his car seat was even harder.

"I think he's had about as much of the open road as he can take, Lyle. How soon will we get where we're going?"

"Half an hour to the airport; another five in the air." Parker groaned. Lyle fought the urge to laugh. "The flight doesn't leave for another hour or so. We can lay down some blankets on the floor and let him stretch. He should sleep a good bit of the flight."

"We can hope." She gave Thane a few toys and settled herself into her seat. "Let's get moving." They drove for several minutes before Parker cleared her throat, "Why yesterday?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why did you decide to take Thane? Why yesterday?"

"Because the day before yesterday the CIA decided to add another sordid chapter to the Life Story of Mr. Lyle. They added my name to the list of owners of a series of brothels across the Southwest and LA. To top it off they made me the 'silent' partner in a certain brothel in Bangkok."

"The one where Li Nam...?"

"Yes, the fabrication goes deeper than that. The brothel caught fire right after I got her and the other children out. A few of the people involved in the child prostitution ring disappeared." Lyle glanced at his sister to check her reaction.

"No loss," she said simply.

"The police report has it listed as an internal takeover attempt and fight. They were just as happy to have someone else clean up that particular nest of snakes.

"The children were given to relief agencies and most were returned to their families. Some couldn't go home; some were to sick; some had AIDS." He paused; sighed silently, "One young boy died only two weeks after we 'rescued' him. I took Li Nam back to her family and then I got them the Hell out of the hovel they were living in and away from the doctor who 'helped' them."

"Did you pay their debt?" Lyle laughed; it was the kind of laugh that sent shivers down your spine, Parker mused. "I guess that means no?"

"I let him live; that was repayment enough for his good deeds. I smuggled the Troungs into this country. The CIA was not thrilled with me but I had information they wanted. A woman named Khun Mae, it means honorable mother although she was neither," Lyle snarled, "funneled women and children from Thailand to procurers from this country. I gave the CIA names and locations of brothels that were smuggling people into the US. They passed the information on to the FBI. It resulted in a major sting operation, about seventy-five arrests, and the release of over one hundred women and children.

"My bosses, my other bosses, forgave me. Later, they went back and created a false trail of ownership to me, so it looked like I was importing Oriental women for my own use. You know what that use is..."

"My God, Lyle. What if Daddy found out?"

"He did. He was outraged." Lyle laughed again. "He hardly cared. It's just something else he can use to coerce me into doing his dirty work. I was more concerned with what you would think and do. With Jarod always sticking his nose into our business I knew it was just a matter of time before you found out."

Parker nodded thoughtfully, "That must be what he hated telling me."

"Who, Jarod?"

"Yes. He sent me an email; you fizzled it as part of the escape."

"Then I was right about acting immediately. You never would have let me take him if you'd read that first. And Jarod knows... about the children and probably about me taking you. Shit." Lyle gripped the steering wheel and fell silent.

Parker chewed on the inside of her cheek until they reached the airport. "Lyle, maybe I should call Sydney and tell him everything is alright."

"Alright?" he smiled at her. "Does that mean you believe me?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm trying."

"No, I can't take a chance on anyone knowing I'm the one who took Thane. I set it up to look like a Jarod job to buy time. As soon as we get parked and settled I have to call dear Dad and pretend to be a concerned brother; just too busy covering Centre tracks in DC to follow Jarod's."

"Jarod will be looking for us, and he doesn't give up."

"He's a worry for later. I don't give up either. If I did, I would have been dead long ago." Just then Thane screamed from the back seat. "I guess it's true. Once you have a child you never have a moment's peace."

Once Lyle and Parker got Thane and their luggage into the airport, Lyle checked in with Mr. Parker, listened to the tirade, threats and orders, then pacified him for another day. The threesome boarded the plane and headed into the sunset.

***

Corinna returned to Washington briefly, to settle a few small matters and leave instructions for her secretary. She avoided the problem of what to tell Cyrus by not talking to him. She called at midnight and left a short message on his office answering machine about having a good idea of where Lyle might be and following her instincts. That fragment of truth might buy them another twenty-four hours. She hoped that was enough time for Lyle to come to terms with his sister. Cyrus was going to hit the ceiling when he found out Lyle had taken the baby; he would go into orbit if they were not back on track before then. The big plus in this whole situation was that once Thane was safe, Lyle could concentrate on The Centre's downfall.

Early the next morning she drove to New York, parked her car in a long-term lot, accessed a false identity that (she hoped) was still unknown to the CIA, and caught a flight to LA.

***

Jarod's mind spun around itself for half the night. Finally, he got up and started walking. The ups and downs of San Francisco's streets were exhilarating and exhausting. By dawn he was close enough to the Bay to watch the sun rise over the Bridge. Sunrise, a new beginning...a new beginning, like the people Lyle enslaved had, after they were freed by the FBI. When the Arizona brothels were shut down many of the refuges came here to live, so they could start over among people who spoke their language and kept their customs. Jarod was convinced that Lyle would have maintained a hold on at least some of his previous victims. The perfect place to keep a captive was with others who had been victimized; they were less likely to turn you in.

There had to be reasons no one would reveal Lyle's whereabouts. His victims might be too intimidated. The street scum could be paid off. It was not beyond belief that he had threatened even casual acquaintances. Maintaining a hiding hole and a level of intimidation seemed the most logical reason for Lyle's frequent trips here, but when he wasn't here someone had to enforce his rule. That person could be traced. Jarod hurried back to the hotel and browsed the FBI and INS files from the brothel sting.

What Jarod found was the name of a lawyer, Monica Saunders, who helped with the naturalization of several of the women. The interesting thing was that she spent time in Thailand at the same time Lyle did his bit of dirty work there. She was supposed to be helping the children but she might have been working with Lyle to victimize them. And wouldn't you know, she lived right here in San Francisco.

Jarod woke Sydney and Broots to share the information. Sydney spent the next ten minutes trying to keep Jarod from going to the woman's apartment and shaking her out of bed. Finally, totally frustrated, Jarod said, "Don't you care about what he might do to her or the baby?"

"Jarod, how can you ask that?" was Sydney's response. "You know I want to find them, but not at the expense of tramping over the woman's life. She may be totally innocent."

"No one touched by Lyle can be innocent."

"Do you have proof that he did, indeed 'touch' her?"

Jarod paused, "No."

"Then you will wait until her office is open and she is in it. Now, go take a shower and at least attempt to rest."

Jarod turned on his heel and literally stomped into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Broots spoke up for the first time, "That went well."

Sydney grunted and returned to his bedroom to dress. Broots tightened the belt on his flannel robe and sat down at the computer to reread the files Jarod had just accessed.

Jarod took a shower, tried to rest, pouted a bit, then dressed and slipped out of the room. His goodbye barely registered on Broots who was reshuffling databases to see what might fall out.

The Pretender discovered both a pancake house and a huge appetite as he walked out the front door of the hotel. He spent the next two hours depleting the breakfast buffet. By the time he was full, Ms. Saunders' office was open. He camped in the reception area until the lawyer got out of court at eleven A.M. Her secretary had warned her about the new masculine office decoration, but she had been expecting him for a long time and she was ready. The secretary showed Jarod into her office.

Monica rose to greet him and offered her hand, "I'm sorry I kept you waiting, Mr..."

"Just call me Jarod, Miss Saunders." He took her hand and tried to form an opinion. His first impression was that she was older than he expected, mature, not beautiful but attractive. She had a firm handshake, a good smile and an open expression. She seemed slightly nervous but that could be attributed to a strange man demanding an immediate appointment.

"Very well, Jarod, but I must tell you it would have been better if you had made an appointment. I have very little time before I have to be back at court." She pointedly did not ask him to use her first name.

"I'm in a hurry too. So I'll get right to the point. Where's Lyle?

"Lyle whom?"

"Mr. Lyle."

"I don't know a Mr. Lyle," she paused, "no, wait I think I know the name. Let me check my computer." She spent several moments accessing files. "Yes, here it is." She read, "Oh, that case. Yes, I know about a Mr. Lyle but I never actually met that man. He was implicated in a ring of brothels across the Southwest. I was involved in a later civil suit; it had an out of court settlement. That was three years ago. Is this the person you mean?"

"Yes. You're sure you've never met him?"

"According to my records he was never in California for the civil suit, and I was not involved in the criminal case."

"How about in Thailand?"

"Thailand? He was that closely involved in the procurement?"

"Possibly."

"I think I would remember him. I wasn't in Thailand that frequently and I have a list of all the American contacts I made while there. He isn't on the list."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"Perhaps if you checked your files again."

"I'm sorry, I can't help you."

"I need the names of your Thai contacts."

"One woman I know would not mind your contacting her, especially if it helps children. Her name is Linda Reed; she's been working in Southeast Asia for the better part of ten years. She is the person who filed the civil suit I spoke of, on behalf of some of the exploited women. I'm her personal lawyer and I do some work for several children's aid organizations because of her. The problem is that she is working in northern Cambodia right now. She won't be back in the States for about two months and most of the hamlets where she's working don't even have phones."

"I can't wait that long. Do you have her address in Cambodia?"

"If you plan to go to Cambodia to talk to her let me know, I have three months worth of mail you can take with you," Monica laughed briefly. "Seriously, I'll give you a list of organizations and addresses," she handed him the list. "I wish you luck in finding what you need."

"Thank you, Miss Saunders, I need to find Mr. Lyle as quickly as possible. Two people's lives may depend on it." They shook hands; Jarod left. Monica immediately made a local call; then she dialed an out of town number.

Jarod was disgusted. Monica Saunders seemed both sincere and truthful. Another dead-end. He returned to the hotel to find the television playing an old John Wayne movie while Broots napped on the couch,
"Broots." Jarod said as he slammed the door. The named man jumped to wakefulness. "I assumed you would be working while I was gone."

"I was; I am. The computer is compiling data so I can look for discrepancies."

"I did that."

"You checked the FBI sting files versus INS court cases. I crosschecked both with Social Security, IRS and health insurance." Broots moved to the computer. "Yep, here's something, there were several more people naturalized in the last three years than were rescued from the brothels or legally immigrated." Jarod walked over Broots and looked over his shoulder. "Now, all we have to do is trace them back and find out who they are."

"How many people?"

"Twenty-two."

"Could Lyle have smuggled them in?"

"Probably not twenty, Lyle isn't responsible for everything in the world. I'd say some of this was the Feds." Broots started hitting keys. Jarod leaned over him and tapped his foot. His fists clenched and unclenched. Finally, his impatience registered on Broots.

"Do you want to do this, Jarod? I need to get dressed." Broots vacated the chair; Jarod took his place. "Oh, by the way, what did you think of Attorney Saunders?"

"She seemed legit." Jarod glanced around the room, "Where's Sydney?"

"Chinatown. He thought a less...intimidating person might get a little cooperation."

Jarod scowled.

Broots muttered, "I'll get dressed now," hurried from the room.

In the ten minutes it took Broots to dress, Jarod had eliminated ten of the twenty-two mystery guests; twenty additional minutes resulted in four less candidates. Two hours later Jarod stood up to exercise his legs. "It appears the Federal Government has granted citizenship to a few interesting people. One of them has ties to The Centre, but he is currently in Blue Cove. There are still eight people unaccounted for. Your turn, Mr. Broots."

Broots took Jarod's place and set to work. Despite the distraction of Jarod's constant pacing, Broots eliminated another candidate within an hour. "Down to seven, a family of three in LA; a mother and son in Austin, Texas; and a couple, also in Austin. Both families appeared three years ago. The couple came later. The threesome has always lived in LA; the mother and son lived here for a year before moving to Austin; the couple pretty much went directly to Austin. Monica Saunders sponsored all of them. Other variables are equal."

"I'll check the ones in Austin; you check the others. Let's get Sydney and get moving."

***

Upon arrival in Los Angeles, Lyle took Thane and Parker directly to the Truong's home. Actually there were no Truongs anymore; they had changed their name to Neu, from a traditional Vietnamese story. (http://www.thingsasian.com/goto_article/article.780.html) They had Americanized their first names to Leann, Sonny and Lillian.
Lyle could hardly wait to see them, it had been six months since he managed to get out West and he felt he had neglected them. They greeted him with hugs and kisses and three narrations of the past months all at one time. Lyle was laughing so hard he almost forgot the real reason he was there.

Miss Parker was quickly made welcome. They were pleased to show her their house, including Thane's room. Leann told her they had hired a Feng Shui Master to double check the house and especially the baby's room. A child who had been through so much in his life needed his chi supported and protected. The living room had even been rearranged to promote family harmony and clear communication. It was no trouble they assured her, they owed Lyle their lives.

Miss Parker suspected it was more than gratitude; they obviously loved Lyle like family. It heightened her feeling of unreality. In her experience no one loved Lyle and no one had any reason to. The Lyle across the room from her was proudly introducing his son and hugging two other smiling children.

Leann told Lyle about more pressing business, a call from Monica Saunders that he was asked to return as soon as possible. Lyle gave Thane to Leann. She carried him toward the kitchen to refill his bottle, speaking to him in Vietnamese. Thane hung on every word. Lyle smiled, "He seems to like her."

"He'll be bilingual by the time most kids learn to talk."

Lyle nodded, then walked into the hallway to make the call. When he returned he was not smiling. "Jarod's in California. It's too bad we weren't as good at trailing him as he is at trailing us. A friend of ours put him off a bit and she's having him tailed. It probably won't take them long to figure things out. Sydney and Broots are here too." He sat on the couch near Parker.

"Here?" she asked.

"San Francisco, but I wouldn't be surprised if they come straight here to this house. Broots is good at his job."

Lyle had just complimented Broots; now Miss Parker knew the world had tilted. "Are we leaving again?"

"No, this is where Thane will stay...if you agree."

"This seems like a good place, a nice neighborhood, and a good family. Are you sure they know what they're getting into?"

"I explained the risks. I told them about Thane and said I might be taking him away for a while so they wouldn't worry if I lost touch. They insisted on taking him. I thought I'd done everything necessary to make them invisible. Apparently I it wasn't enough."

"Broots and Jarod working together? No one could hide from them. Jarod's no danger to the Neus or Thane..."

"Unfortunately you can't say the same about me. I just want you to know, Parker, I won't allow Jarod to take Thane away from me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lyle, I do."

Lillian walked into the room with Thane on her hip. She was a lovely twelve-year-old with long black hair and eyes to match; she was at that age when girls alternately flow gracefully and bounce. Sonny orbited her, teasing in the way of all 9-year-old brothers. Thane almost twisted his head off trying to watch him, not sure whether he should laugh or be frightened of these dancing strangers.

"Little Brother will be very happy here, Uncle Lyle."

"Little Brother? Are you trying to take him away from me, Lilli?"

"No, Uncle Lyle... but he is so much nicer than Sonny. Maybe you'd like to trade?" she gave Lyle her most endearing look.

"I'll take him back now," Lyle reached for his son. Lilli pulled back, breaking into giggles.

Sonny jumped between them, "I'll protect you, Lilli."

"Who'll protect me from you?"

Sonny whirled, growling; Lilli squealed and turned to run. Thane's eyes were the size of saucers; so were Lyle's.

Leann came in, "I will protect both of you with my wooden spoon if you're not careful. Now we take Thane up for a nap, and you let him in peace." Leanne herded the laughing, bickering children from the room.
Parker and Lyle looked at each other. "So," she asked, "is that how brothers and sisters are supposed to act?"

"Apparently. I think we took it a bit farther. We should have had a referee."

"Sydney with a wooden spoon. That's a picture." They both laughed; then fell sober and silent for a bit. Miss Parker spoke first, "Is she really alright, Lyle?"

"Lilli? She tries to be. Most of the time you'd never know her biggest problem isn't other kids teasing her. Other times I still see the little girl I found locked in a tiny room in Bangkok. Leann says she has nightmares some times and she cries, but the psychologist says she is dealing with things well. She was on the Honor Roll all last year," Lyle smiled again. "Not bad for just learning English."

"Lyle, tell me the rest of Lilli's story, and yours."

Lyle and Parker talked for the rest of the day. Thane spent the time getting used to his temporary home; Lyle and Parker spent it beginning to form a family.

***

Sydney returned to the hotel following Jarod's call. Pleading jetlag and a headache, he virtually refused to fly to Los Angeles until morning. Jarod was not pleased but further argument was unproductive. He left for the airport and Austin after a quick supper.

Broots very audible sigh of relief made Sydney smile, "You seem pleased by Jarod's departure."

"Just tired. It's not that I don't want to go; I just need some sleep."

"You should not allow Jarod to coerce you. If you object to something you must voice your opinion."

"Miss Parker trained me too well... Do you think she's alright, Sydney?"

"I believe that if Lyle had intended to harm her he would have done so at The Centre."

"But why take her at all? And why take Baby Parker?"

Sydney shook his head, "Possibly Miss Parker surprised him; perhaps he took her to care for the child. Who can understand Lyle's thought process?

"After reading what Lyle did to those children in Thailand, I wish she hadn't gone with him or let him take the baby."

"She may not have had a choice, but she will not allow any harm to come to Master Parker. Now I need to rest, I really do have a headache and we have an early flight." Sydney rubbed the side of his face and started toward his bedroom, "And Broots, tomorrow be sure to bring your weapon."

Broots swallowed and nodded.

***

Corinna circled LAX at sunrise. It reminded her of the scene in "City of Angels" where angels greet dawn on the beach. She only hoped the angels were watching over Lyle and Thane.

After landing, she took a taxi downtown, then a bus to the Neu's neighborhood. Sonny had been watching for her from various windows since the plane's arrival time. He opened the door before she could knock and bowed her into the house. In the middle of the living room, closely guarded by Lillian, sat Thane. Corinna had never seen him before, but there was no denying his parentage. Thane eyed her up and down; then smiled. She was captured by his smile; she knew she would do anything to protect him from all The Powers That Be.

Miss Parker limped out of the kitchen with a mug of coffee in her hand, still favoring her ankle, though it felt much improved. She saw the chestnut-haired stranger in the doorway and reached for her gun. Unfortunately - or fortunately for Corinna - Parker did not have a gun in her bathrobe. "Shit." She practically dropped the coffee on a small table and moved between Thane and the door, pain forgotten. "Who the hell are..."

"Miss Parker I presume?" Corinna interrupted. She smiled and extended her hand. Parker did not reciprocate. Corinna lowered her hand but maintained the smile. "Lyle has spoken of you often. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Corinna."

Parker grunted in response. She looked at the children, who obviously recognized the woman, and relaxed. "Lyle told me I would be meeting someone; I assume it's you. He neglected to tell me your name or when you'd arrive."

"Where is Lyle?"

"Sleeping like a log. He's had a hard couple of days," Parker smiled sardonically. Corinna was so relieved by Parker's attitude toward Lyle that she almost laughed.

"Care for some coffee?" Parker asked as she retrieved her cup. "I'd tell you to make yourself at home but I seem to be the new kid on the block." She turned and walked into the kitchen, "I'll be more hospitable after I finish this," she indicated her mug; then took a sip. "The upside to this little cross-country jaunt is that it's three hours later in Delaware and my body thinks it's still in that time zone. It comes in handy when the local munchkins hit the floor running at the crack of dawn. The downside is that it takes a lot more coffee to get me civil."

Corinna followed Parker. The kitchen smelled of sesame and sweet spices. Corinna poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. "Is Leann at work?"

Miss Parker nodded, "You just missed her. She's teaching this morning."

"Between that and working on her thesis she barely has time to sleep, but she loves it."

"She does seem happy and so do her kids." Parker glanced back toward the living room where Thane could be heard giggling. She smiled slightly, "Leann's the kind of mother Thane deserves. This is the life he needs."

"He has what he needs, a family who loves him," Corinna looked pointedly at Miss Parker.

Parker leaned against the counter studying Corinna. Her eyes narrowed and Corinna waited for the other shoe to fall. After a moment Parker also sat. "I know you."

"We have met."

"You had blonde hair with highlights, bluer eyes, glasses, and a white uniform..." Parker concentrated; light dawned, "and you were my nurse when my ulcer ruptured!"

"You were pretty observant for someone at Death's door," laughed Corinna.

"You were in and out of my room constantly for the two weeks I was in the hospital and a couple times while I was on home care. Why? Did Lyle want me watched?"

"Not exactly. He was out of town, way out, Thailand and Cambodia. And he was very worried about you."

"You couldn't tell by the way he acted when he finally came back," Parker sounded hurt.

"The Mr. Lyle he made you believe in is a far cry from the Lyle you don't know yet." Corinna laughed lightly, "He only called me every hour the first four days. After that he kept it down to five times a day. He said he bought you flowers?"

"Yes, and I threw them right in the trash," she paused, "Don't tell him I did that."

"I won't. So," she changed the subject, "how were my nursing skills? You never know when you'll need a second career."

"I survived. Was that your skill or my luck?"

"More likely it was having a great doctor and being too stubborn to die. You know you have that in common with your brother."

"Well, neither of us gives up easily, for better or for worse." Parker thought for a moment. "Why was Lyle in Asia that time?"

"Officially, Centre business, unofficially, playing nice with that sleaze-ball Colonel Thon. Lyle told you that project had both CIA and Centre blessings? All their plans got flushed by your friend."

"Jarod is not exactly my friend. That took over a month?"

"Lyle had his own agenda, he was searching for the runaway sister of a boy he rescued from the same... from Bombay."

"Did he find her?"

"Yes, he brought her here to join her mother and brother. Then he went back and brought over the young man she loved." Parker raised her eyebrows; Corinna continued, "They all live in Austin, Texas. Lyle found them a small duplex and a very low interest loan - very low," Corinna winked. "They're a very nice family but we don't really keep in touch; it's safer all around."

"Lyle as matchmaker. Curiouser and curiouser."

"Yes, it must seem strange."

"Well, not compared to the things I believed up till now."

"Made up your mind?" Corinna asked.

"About?"

"About me; about Lyle; Thane; the Neus."

"I'll let you know when my brain stops spinning," Parker answered as honestly as she could. Corinna nodded.

Lyle walked in, bleary eyed, and went straight for coffee. Corinna smiled when she saw him.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"I was," he mumbled, "Sonny informed me that I was needed down here." Lyle glanced at the doorway where Sonny was watching; the boy ducked back. "He pretty much jumped on my head till I got up because he was worried about you two. No blood on the floor; both still alive; everything's fine. I'm going back to bed." Lyle turned around, cup in hand.

"How can you tell? Your eyes aren't open," Parker pointed out.

"Good morning to you too. Excuse me, my son actually wants to see me." Lyle shuffled out the door.

"We are not morning people," Parker mused.

For the next several minutes, aside from the voices of the children, the only sound in the Neu house was the sipping of coffee.

***

Broots ordered a double latte at the LAX coffee shop; Sydney opted for an herbal tea. Both men felt better for a good night's sleep. Their flight from San Francisco had been uneventful; they rented a car and resumed the search.

The morning was spent following Leann and doing background checks. That proved unproductive so they went to her house. The neighborhood was quiet and clean, the neighbors friendly; it hardly seemed a place where Lyle could keep slaves or a hideout. In fact, from appearances and the information they gathered, the men doubted this could be Lyle's destination. Leann was too independent and the neighbors too involved with one another. They hoped Jarod was having better luck.

***

In the Neu house, the day progressed smoothly. Lyle updated Corinna on the situation. She retold and corroborated his narrative to Miss Parker. Parker just listened and shook her head.

Lilli and Sonny entertained Thane...a bit too well. By early afternoon he was so over-stimulated that he would not eat or take a nap. All he seemed to want to do was scream. Lilli and Sonny's attempts to pacify him only made things worse.

Miss Parker handed Thane back to Lyle after trying to calm him for several unsuccessful minutes. "Maybe we should get out of here?"

"Running away, Parker?" Lyle grimaced as Thane shrieked in his ear.

"Race you?" Parker replied as she straightened her hair and dress.

"I don't know what to do with him," Lyle moaned, "He's never been like this,"

"He's never been out of The Centre, let alone around other children. He needs a break." Parker thought for a moment. "Ice cream."

Lilli and Sonny paid immediate attention.

Lyle looked at her like she was crazy, thought about it, and nodded agreement, "Maybe he'll do better in a quiet house. I'll take them; you take him."

"Wait a minute, you get ice cream; I just get scream," Parker managed to scowl and half-smile at the same time. Thane stared at her with tears rolling down his cheeks; then snuffled his nose into his father's shoulder. The look on Lyle's face was priceless.

"Sounds like a deal to me," she said as she took Thane. "We'd rather stay here anyway, wouldn't we?" she asked her nephew. Lyle changed shirts. He and Corinna ushered the two children out the door.

"Wave bye-bye," Parker said as she watched the foursome pull away. She let the curtain drop back; then started pacing with the baby. She continued walking and softly talking for some time. Thane finally relaxed, his head nestled on Parker's shoulder, his breath softly brushing her neck. Parker smiled down at him.

***

Broots and Sydney watched the house for two hours. Finally, they agreed this was a dead end and they should either return to San Francisco or take a flight to Austin. Then their jaws dropped, as Mr. Lyle exited the house. Two children and a woman accompanied him. They appeared unrestrained and happy. And Mr. Lyle was smiling, a smile of honest contentment.

Sydney and Broots watched Lyle drive the group away; they were about to follow when they noticed the curtain move at a window. They looked at each other.

"Do you think it's Miss Parker?" asked Broots.

"I believe we must discover who it is."

"Shouldn't we call Jarod first?"

"There appears to be much more to this than we know. We need facts before we make any calls," Sydney gave Broots a meaningful look.

Broots sighed, "I guess so."

They exited the car and walked to the front porch.

***

The doorbell rang. Parker decided to hold Thane rather than chance waking him while laying him down. She opened the door, to find Sydney and Broots staring at her.

The three adults were too stunned to speak for a second. Broots recovered first, "Miss Parker, you're not tied up or anything." (Well, almost recovered.)

Miss Parker gave him a disgusted look, "Disappointed?"

"N-n-no, of course not, I mean we thought..."

Sydney took in the scene and interrupted, "We were quite concerned about you. It appeared that Mr. Lyle had kidnapped you and your young brother," he indicated the baby.

"You think Lyle could hold me prisoner for long?" She glanced around the street. "We should have this conversation in private. Come in, both of you."

Broots skirted Miss Parker, "Are you sure Mr. Lyle won't be back?"

"I'm sure he will be; I'm sure he won't be pleased to see you; but I'm sure you'll be less panic-stricken" she looked pointedly at Broots, "once you hear the whole story."

Sydney studied Parker. "You don't appear to be a prisoner."

Parker closed the door. "I'm not, not now. Lyle took the kids for ice cream so Thane could calm down and nap" she jostled the baby slightly.

"Thane?"

"My nephew's name," Parker said with emphasis.

"Nephew?" Sydney nodded, "That explains much. When did you find out?"

"About half way here."

Suddenly, something clicked in his brain and Broots caught up, "Nephew? Like Lyle's son?"

"Unless I have more brothers and sisters hidden under rocks somewhere."

Sydney allowed the implied question to pass. "He did take you by force?" Parker nodded. "But now you are free to leave? Even with your bro...nephew?" Parker nodded again. "Yet you stay?"

"Lyle had his reasons."

"He did not trust you with them?" asked the doctor.

"He didn't feel he could take that chance. You know what he's supposed to be, and Jarod uncovered something even worse."

"Miss Parker," Broots cut in, "you need to know what Jarod just found out."

"I know, Broots. Lyle is supposed to have be part-owner in a series of brothels from here to Bangkok. He kidnapped and smuggled young women and children for his... for his personal use."

"Y-yes, pretty much that."

"It's not true. Lyle's no saint, but he's not quite the perverted evil we think he is. He may not even kill you two when he finds you here."

Broots gulped. Sydney asked, "And you believe him? You trust him?""

"Yes. The jury's not in yet on whether I trust him completely but I don't think he's guilty of all the things we were led to believe. We'll wait for Lyle and Corinna to come back. Corinna is the woman you saw with Lyle. She and the Neus are his most convincing evidence. And once you see him with Thane you'll understand why he took his son. In the mean time get yourselves coffee or something to eat. I have to put Thane to bed," she turned to go upstairs, then paused on the first step. She gave the men a strict order, "No phone calls until after you've listened."

"We will wait, Miss Parker," Sydney assured her.

Disclaimer in Part One. All prior parts are posted at www.the-pretender.de. Feedback encourages us to continue...(hint, hint). This part got very long, so it's broken into two parts. Enjoy!



This little piece is dedicated to Lois for her utter devotion to "The Pretender" overall, and to Mr. Lyle in particular.



The Road Taken
part 5b
by Renewal Wing



Jarod was getting more irritable by the minute. From his perspective the trip to Austin was turning into a complete waste of time. The plane was delayed because of engine problems. When it finally took off it had to return to San Francisco. The passengers and baggage were transferred to another plane. In the process a slightly inebriated passenger fell and injured himself, causing another delay.

The departure delays put Jarod's Austin-Bergstrom arrival smack in the middle of the night. A severe thunderstorm forced the plane to circle for forty-five minutes before landing, making things even worse.

Jarod skipped baggage pickup but there were only two car rental agencies still open and both had lines. Jarod picked the wrong line. Half an hour later he reached the desk and the end of his patience. Unfortunately, so had the rental agent. Jarod found himself at the end of the opposite line. When he came face-to-face with that agent, he made an effort to be polite, and got a car.

When the rental got a flat tire two miles from the terminal, Jarod felt less lucky. After kicking the tire a few times he limped to the trunk and put on the temporary spare. He got back in, banged his head on the steering wheel and returned to the terminal. What devils had Lyle paid off?!

Jarod left the terminal again with an apology, a new tire and a full-size spare. He drove directly to the Chinese section of Austin. And the plan dissolved again. The address in the INS computer files was incorrect. Jarod fell fitfully asleep in the car. The landlady beating on the car with a broom awakened him at dawn. Her American was not the best and Jarod's groggy Mandarin was worse. They finally communicated enough to determine that the mother and son, the Niratpattanasais (NI-RAT-PAT-TA-NA-SAI.), had bought a house, she did not know where, and if he did not leave, she would call the police.

Another two-hour wait for the courthouse to open and a quick search through paper records not yet entered into the computer, uncovered the family's new address. Jarod found the house with ease. He wasted an hour surveying the house and neighborhood. Impatience got the best of him and he knocked on the door.

His FBI badge frightened the woman who came to the door. She politely answered his questions. Yes, she did know Mr. Lyle; no, she had not seen him since he brought her from Thailand. Yes, she would do anything for him; but no, he had never asked for anything.

"You do not understand, Mr. Lyle saved my son from that place and returned him to me."

Jarod's continued questioning made her uneasy. Jarod pressed.
Mrs. Niratpattanasai exploded.

"My husband sold my son. Is that what you wanted to hear? He sold his own son to pay gambling debts. He would have sold my daughter too if she hadn't run away. When I finally found out what my husband had done I went to Bangkok to find my son.

"There I met Mr. Lyle. He was working with Missy Reed and Missy Saunders to send the children home. He burned down the house where they kept the little ones. He killed the man who bought my son and sent Khun Mae away. We could not go home, my husband would have beat us and then sold us both.

"I don't know what you want me to say about Mr. Lyle but I will only say what is true. He saved them all. My son would be dead. He brought us here to America and helped after we came, to find my daughter. I have work and a good life. You can make trouble for me but you cannot make me lie about Mr. Lyle even if you send me back." She stood defiantly with lip trembling and tears threatening to fall.

Jarod was confused, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Niratpattanasai. I don't want you to lie. I didn't...I won't make trouble. I'm sorry I upset you." He quickly left the house.

Jarod drove back to the airport. Who was that woman talking about? Not Lyle, it couldn't be Lyle. Lyle must have plans for her and her children. Her daughter--yes, that was it. He wanted her daughter for the future. Jarod shivered. And she had defended that bastard. Jarod needed to get to L.A. as quickly as possible. If this was the wrong trail, that meant Syd and Broots were on the right one. He punched Sydney's cell number into his phone.

***

Corinna and Lyle allowed the children to chatter uninterrupted all the way to the Dairy Queen. On the return trip there was silence in the back seat as Lillian and Sonny worked on their large twist cones. Leann would not be happy if they ruined their supper but the absence of sound was fabulous.

Corinna reached over and turned on the radio. Lyle was about to stop her when he realized why she was doing it.

"I guess you want to talk?"

"Duh comes to mind."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Am I going to have to hit you?"

Lyle laughed, a bit ruefully, "I know, I need to call Cyrus."

"And?" she prompted.

"And The Centre?"

"I could care about The Centre. They're your problem. Cyrus is coming down on me because of you; that makes it my problem."

"Okay."

"A situation that you are going to take care of when?"

"As soon as we get back to the Neus?"

"Very good. And what are you going to do when you call?"

"Are you going to prompt me through the call?"

"Lyle!"

"I'm going to tell him I'm fine and returning to Delaware in two days or so, ready to go back to work."

"Very good."

"No dead bodies and no good stories."

"He'll be thrilled, cleanup is expensive."

"Yes, I'm sure. Apparently I'm worth the expense," Lyle said, a little sarcastically. "Second call will have to be to my other employer."

"How are you planning to explain all this away to The Centre?"

"Jarod kidnapped Thane and my sister. Didn't you know? I'm in DC looking for clues on Ethan right now, but when I get back I'll be spending a lot of time trying to track Jarod in a spasm of brotherly love."

"Are Sydney and Broots going to help you with that?"

"Just can't stand to see me happy, can you?"

"Actually, I would love to see you happy, Lyle. But you need to be more careful if you want to live to see it."

"I expect Sydney and company to show up here, maybe tomorrow. Then you get to tell them my life story and they'll come over to our side."

"When did you become an optimist?" It was nice to have Lyle in a good mood, but seemed dangerous to his health. Lyle just smiled.

"If they're as smart as you say they are, yes, they'll listen. If they listen, they'll believe. And God knows, they have to want to bring down The Centre."

"See? Easy."

"And then there's Jarod..."

"Who?"

"I don't think I like you cheerful," she was smiling. "And 'who' is your evil nemesis."

"Oh, him. No problem. Evil nemeses never win."

"You might want to check the color of your cowboy hat. I think it needs a little bleach. Off topic, I like your sister."

"Now I'm frightened."

Corinna hit him on the arm.

"With two such beautiful and violent women on my side I have nothing to worry about."

"When we get back, we're going to sit you down and work out a plan."

"Oooh, I love it when a plan comes together."

Corinna realized it was a loosing battle. She laughed. Lyle looked over at her and laughed too, an unfamiliar sound. Lillian and Sonny decided the adults were crazy but they joined in the laughter.

***

Sydney's cell phone beeped as Lyle walked through the front door. Lyle was shocked to see the psychologist; he instantly regretted that his gun was unloaded and locked in his suitcase upstairs. He was about to make a dive for the cellular when Sydney turned and held up his hand,
"I promised Miss Parker I would not use the phone."

Lyle stopped short, "Where is she? Where's the baby?" He looked around the room, searching for the two mentioned persons and another, absent,
"Where's Jarod?"

"Far away at the moment, although I imagine he will be coming if I don't contact him. You sister and your son (he emphasized the word) are upstairs."

Corinna and the children came in. Corinna had her gun and tentatively reached for it. Sydney turned his attention to her.

"Miss Corinna, I presume."

Corinna relaxed a touch, "Just Corinna. You must be Sydney." Life with Lyle was an adrenaline ride.

"Pleased to meet you. Miss Parker tells me you have a life story to tell me; I am very interested in hearing it."

"Ah, the Real Life Story of Lyle. Yes, I think you'll find it interesting, maybe even illuminating." Corinna paused, but a question soon formed that needed asking. "Do you have caller ID on that thing?"

Sydney was nonplussed.

"On your cellular," Corinna clarified, "because if you do and if it was your little do-gooder friend, we will need you to pacify him for a bit until we figure out just what to do about him."

"Do I get to make suggestions?" Lyle asked with a leer.

"NO!" came from Corinna and Miss Parker in stereo. Parker finished descending the steps, "How are we supposed to make them believe you're harmless if you go around threatening mayhem."

"Mayhem? Me?" Lyle feigned innocence, "Never."

"Whatever, Corinna rejoined. "The object of my question was that we might want to keep Jarod away until we have come up with a plan, something that has been sorely lacking in this venture thus far."

"Well, excuse me for improvising," came Lyle's sarcastic reply.

"I think," Parker added, "what you mean is for going off half-cocked."

"Whatever," said Lyle. "When you all get this Plan thing going let me know. I'll be in the backyard with the kids. Lilli, Sonny come on, let's go sit on the deck."

"Can we play checkers, Uncle Lyle?" Sonny asked.

"I don't think we should, Sonny," Lyle looked at the women out of the corner of his eye, "that requires strategic thinking."

"Huh?" Sonny said with a quizzical look on his face.

"Sure, we'll play checkers." Lyle gave Sonny a quick pat on the shoulder and the boy ran to get the game. Lillian held back until Lyle and Sonny were outside.

"I think you hurt his feelings, Aunt Rinna," she reproved.

"He's alright, Sweetie, he just likes to have the last word," Corinna responded. "He knows we love him." She hugged Lillian

Sydney looked questioningly at Miss Parker. She avoided his gaze, glanced at him, shrugged, and turned to Lillian.

"We just want to protect him and Thane, and you," Parker added. "Okay?"

"Okay," Lillian nodded, still offended for Lyle. "Do you want me to stay and tell these men about Uncle Lyle?"

Sydney stepped forward, "I think introductions are a bit overdue, young lady. This is Mr. Broots and my name is Sydney. Pleased to meet you." He bowed and smiled.

"Hello," she murmured cautiously, "my name is Lilli. That's my brother, Sonny," she pointed toward the deck where Lyle and Sonny could be seen through the patio door. "You know my 'Uncle?'"

"We thought we did. Perhaps we have a new opportunity to learn."

"You'll like him." She flashed her charming smile.

"If you do, I'm sure we will," Sydney returned the smile; Lillian was reassured. Sydney continued, "However, you don't need to tell us the story. I think we have two excellent teachers. Why don't you go join your brother."

"All right." She waited a beat for other opinions; then went out the door and threw her arms around Lyle's neck from behind. Sydney watched her and Lyle's reaction to her. He turned to Miss Parker.

"As I told Broots earlier, there appears to be more to this than we know. Would you care to enlighten us?"

"We better sit down for this," Parker said, motioning as well to reinforce the point. They all sat down and then she continued. "Sydney, this is Corinna. Corinna, Sydney and Broots, friends of mine. Corinna is Lyle's friend and co-worker, but not from The Centre. She will tell most of the story. I really just come in at the end."

The group talked for two hours. Sydney's phone range twice during their conversation; Sydney did not answer the call but confirmed that all the calls were from Jarod.

Lyle kept the children outside until Corinna let him know things had been settled. Lyle gave Sydney a questing look.

"Did they make me sound harmless?"

"I'm not sure what to say. Not quite. It may take us time to assimilate this new information."

"I understand. I don't expect you to change your opinion of me completely, or immediately. I spent a lot of time and misinformation getting you to hate me."

"Mr. Lyle, you are a master of understatement."

Lyle smiled. Thane's voice, which had been a soft background burble for some time, rose to a demanding wail. "The reason for all these dramatics needs attention. I'll bring him down."

"I'll get him a bottle," Lillian volunteered; Sonny followed her into the kitchen.

Parker waited until the children were out of earshot. "No matter what we accept as true, Sydney, we still have the Jarod Problem," she said. "We need to make him listen long enough to hear what you just heard."

Sydney nodded, then added, "Lyle killed his brother. I fear there will never be any love lost between them, but I think we may negotiate a truce."

Lyle came down the stairs with Thane. "Now why all the serious faces?"

Corinna smiled, "Plan forming time."

"You mean what to do about Jarod so we can get back on track at The Centre before C has a major fit?"

"Exactly."

"Well, you're on your own for first contact. He won't listen to me. Thane's hungry. I'll give him to Lilli and come listen to the Plan." Lyle walked into the kitchen.

"Whatever we plan, it can't happen here," Corinna added, "not near the children." Parker nodded agreement. After a moment, Sydney pulled out his phone.

"I know of a place."

***

Jarod was impatiently waiting for his flight at Austin-Bergstrom. He kept one eye on the departure announcements while he scanned the terminal doors. Any of the people questioned about Lyle could contact their quarry or his bosses. This constant exposure to the eyes of The Centre made him nervous. Jarod knew how quickly he could switch from pursuer to pursued. Equally troubling, Sydney had not answered his calls. Did Lyle have him incommunicado? Jarod startled when his cell phone beeped.

He answered immediately, "Sydney?"

"Yes, Jarod. Did you have any luck?"

"This is a complete dead end, and I've been calling you."

"I couldn't answer at the time."

"If Lyle's not here he must be in LA. Are you sure everything's all right?"

"Yes, we believe we have a good lead on him. We need to strategize."

"Did you see him? Does he have Parker and the baby? Are they at the Truong's?"

"The Truongs are not involved, Jarod. When will you arrive in LA?"

"My flight is leaving now; I'll be at LAX in three hours. Are you sure there's no problem? ...the calls."

"I'm sorry it took longer than expected to get back to you."

"I'll meet you at the Truong's house."

"I think it best we meet elsewhere. How about at the rose garden in Exposition Park? Open, yet private. I have a few things to arrange before then. Call when you land."

"I will. Sydney, be careful."

Just as Jarod was about to cut the call he heard a baby's giggle. He closed the phone. It could be a coincidence, or another baby. Sydney had not said where he was. He had been evasive about the calls, yet made a point of saying the Troungs were not involved. What if Lyle was in the background orchestrating Sydney's side of the conversation? Jarod boarded the flight and worried.

***

When Thane's giggle echoed from the kitchen Sydney clamped his had over the mouthpiece. The adults in the room caught their breath. Lilli's shhhh... was just as loud. All eyes turned to Sydney. He listened briefly before he put the phone away.

"Jarod cut the call just before Thane laughed."

"Thank God," said Parker. "How long?"

"We have just over three hours."

"Good," came a voice from the front door. Leann entered. "That gives us plenty of time to eat a good meal."

"Mama!" Sonny came from the kitchen at a run, wrapped his arms around her and took off just as quickly.

Lillian came in more sedately, Thane on her hip, "Hello, Mama. How was class?" She walked over and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. Thane grinned broadly. Leann brushed his forehead with a kiss.

"Fine, and you look like you've had a busy day." She smoothed Lillian's hair and rubbed a bit of dirt from her cheek. "I see we have guests for supper." Lillian quickly made introductions.

"Welcome to my home," Leann said warmly. "Who is helping to cook?" She looked at the children and Lyle.

"Apparently I volunteer," he said.

They went into the kitchen, then the foursome on the couches turned to the logistics of detaining Jarod without alarming him.

Supper and a rudimentary plan were ready at the same time. Supper included Cha Gio (Vietnamese Spring Rolls), Guaiwei Ji (Chinese Strange-Flavored Chicken) and Pad Thai (Thai Fried Noodles) so that the group could have a taste of the family's travels. Leann forbade any discussion over dinner; it was bad for the digestion; allowable topics ranged from gardening to how well Thane dealt with finger food.
After the meal, when the table was cleared, Leann sent the children to the back yard and served a pot of gingered green tea.

"So, is this man dangerous?" she asked Sydney.

"Man?"

"The one you spoke to, who you do not want to come here."

"His name is Jarod, and he is not a danger to you or Thane."

She turned to Lyle, "He may be dangerous to you, though?"

"I'm just tired of his interfering in my plans."

"Plans are castles made of sand, beautiful but not permanent. When they go with the wind or water, what is left is also pleasant."

"Jarod and I do not have a pleasant past."

"Then work on the future. When he comes here I will tell him the same."

"He's not coming here."

Parker cut in, "At least not until we talk to him."

Broots checked his watch; then spoke up, "If we want to be ready before he gets there we have to leave now."

Everyone agreed. They left in two cars. Parker and Corinna each took their guns, just in case.

***

Jarod used the flight to Los Angeles to review all information in his laptop, looking for alternatives. By the time he landed he was sure. Lyle was in LA and he had somehow influenced Sydney during his earlier call. The meeting at Exposition Park was either a trap or a ruse to keep Jarod away from something. If Lyle didn't want him visiting the Truongs, that's where he was going. He disembarked, and called Sydney.

"Sydney here."

"Hello, I just landed. Where are you?"

"Exposition Park, the Rose Garden, near the Museum of Science and Industry."

"I know the place. I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Broots and I will be waiting for you."

And who else? Jarod cut the call. He picked up a car and drove to the Truong's house.

***

Inside the Neu's, Thane was grouchy so Lyle put him to bed for an after-dinner nap. He probably would not stay down long but he might readjust with a little quiet time.

Lyle was concerned. The plan sounded good. But what if Jarod bolted when he saw Parker or refused to believe what they told him? Lyle had no intention of letting Jarod take Thane or interfere with his arrangements. He needed to get back to work and Jarod was in the way. If Jarod came here, there was bound to be a fight, and Lyle did not want the Neu's involved in anything resembling violence. He went to Leann.

"If I ask you to leave, will you?"

"This is my home now, Lyle. I will not run again."

"Not to run, just to stay away for a few hours."

Leann was silent.

"For me."

"I do not like it. I can speak for you, if he does not believe the others. And Lilli will, you know that."

"I know." He waited.

"If you are sure. We will go to Grandmother Chen's. She has been ill and I promised to visit her. We will take Thane."

"No. Thank you, but Thane stays with me."

Leann nodded. She wrote a phone number on a note pad. "Call me as soon as things are settled." She got Lillian and Sonny, and walked out the door and down the street.

Lyle went upstairs to check on Thane and load his gun. There were too many windows in this house.

***

At Exposition Park, Parker was trying not to pace. Her ankle was much better but she was favoring it in case she had to chase someone. She and Corinna were hiding in the old Museum of Science and Industry. She looked at Corinna, who was doing some sort of Zen thing against the wall. She peaked out at Sydney and Broots, sitting on a bench among the roses. They looked as worried as she felt. Jarod should have been here by now. Sydney checked his watch and consulted Broots, who gestured nervously. Sydney pulled out his cellular phone, punched in a number, listened a moment, then put it away. Both men stood and walked to the door of the Museum. Corinna was instantly attentive.

Broots spoke, "Umm, I think if Jarod was coming, he would be here."

Sydney added, "His phone is turned off."

Parker nodded, "We need to call Lyle."

"No," Corinna said. "He's ready; a call will just make him more edgy."
"Then we need to get our butts back there."

The group hurried to their cars.

***

Jarod watched the Truongs walk away from the house. The children were smiling but the mother seemed troubled. With Lyle threatening her, she should be troubled.

Now there were three less people in the house. Sydney and Broots were at Exposition Park. Lyle and Parker were either with Syd or in the house, and there was no way to tell from outside.

Jarod left his car and walked casually to the front door. The lock was easily jimmied, sloppy of Lyle, he thought, and he quietly opened the door.

Lyle stood watching Thane sleep. It was hard to believe he and Brigitte produced something that wonderful. The Centre would never twist his son the way it had his parents; Parker would make sure of it; she would raise him well. Corinna and the Neus would help.

Lyle realized he had taken himself out of the picture. Worry or precognition, he wondered. The Centre was not what sent him up here to guard his son. Jarod could try to take Thane away. Lyle would try to stop him. One of them would die.

Thane made a small sound in his sleep and Lyle replaced the light blanket his son had kicked off.

As the front door opened with a muffled click, Jarod heard the sound from upstairs. Baby Parker was here, and at least one other person. Jarod started up the stairs carefully to avoid making a sound. He was almost to the top when a stair creaked as he raised his foot. He froze.
In Thane's room, Lyle froze. He knew this was coming. He turned to face the stairs.

Jarod heard the slight movement and took the last three steps in one stride. They stood, facing each other from opposite sides of the door.

"Hello, Lyle."

"Hello, Jarod."

"Where's Parker?"

"With Sydney. Where you're supposed to be."

"I try never to be where you expect me."

"Actually, I rather expected you here." Lyle pulled his gun from behind his back. Jarod followed suit.

"So, now what, Hero? Do we stand like this till the others figure out you're not showing, or do we take each other out in a blaze of glory?"

"I'm not waiting for your reinforcements. One question though, how did you get Miss Parker to help you take the baby?"

"At the time she had little choice."

"What about Sydney?"

"That's a second question, but since you ask, he came to understand what I'm doing. He was willing to listen."

"Listen to your lies? I find that hard to believe." Jarod took a step into the doorway.

Lyle sidled to keep himself between Jarod and Thane, "You'd never let truth interfere with your beliefs."

"No more than you let morals interfere with your actions. Step away from the baby, Lyle."

"I don't think so. By the way, his name is Thane, and here's a shocker, he's my son."

Lyle was gratified by Jarod's surprise. "Well well, something you didn't know. And there's more."

"It doesn't really matter. I'm not listening."

At that moment Thane rolled over and saw the angry stranger. He immediately felt the tension in the air and it frightened him. He announced his fright with a wail.

Lyle glanced at his son, distracted. Jarod flinched; then rushed forward. Lyle brought his gun up, but it was too late, Jarod knocked the gun from his hand as he brought his own to bear. Lyle grabbed Jarod's gun with both hands, and took a left cross. He saw stars but refused to release the gun. He slammed Jarod's fist against the doorframe and the fight moved into the hall.

Jarod shoved Lyle against a wall, the gun now held above their heads.

"I won't let you turn him into another you."

"You can't have him."

The two men wrestled for control. Lyle smashed Jarod's gun hand against the wall several times. Finally, when he hit it against the banister, the gun slipped from Jarod's hand and fell to the bottom of the stairs. It did not discharge.

The wrestling turned to hammering each other with their fists, a scene accompanied by Thane's weeping. The fight circled into the room and back out again. Neither man was winning; both were getting bloody. Lyle got in a good right cross and Jarod stumbled back against the banister. Lyle pressed the advantage, intent on pushing him over. Jarod bounced off the banister and returned the right cross, Lyle staggered to the side and Jarod hit him again. Lyle's foot slipped off the edge of the top step; he fought for balance. Jarod did not care that his opponent was in trouble; he hit him again. Lyle lost orientation. He was falling. All he could hear was Thane's scream. Then he felt excruciating pain when his back hit the steps and he bounced to the landing. Then blackness.

Jarod stood at the top of the steps, catching his breath. Lyle lay unmoving at the bottom. Jarod battled a wave of vertigo. He turned, bracing himself with the wall and found the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face until his head cleared.

He returned to the Thane's room. The baby stared at him uncertainly.
"I hear your name is Thane. Hello, my name is Jarod. I'll be taking care of you for a while." Jarod smiled.

Thane was not completely convinced, but stopped crying and allowed himself to be picked up. Jarod carried Thane down the steps cautiously, keeping an eye on Lyle.

They were just above the landing when the front door burst open. Miss Parker rushed in, gun in hand. She glanced at Jarod; then saw Lyle and ran directly to him. "Jesus God, Jarod, what have you done?!"

Another woman, auburn-haired with flashing green eyes, followed her. Her gun was pointed directly at Jarod's head. "Stay where you are, you son-of-a-bitch, or I'll drop you. Parker, is he..."

Parker had her fingers against Lyle's throat, "I've got a pulse."
Parker looked up at Jarod; Thane put out his arms for her and would have taken a dive if Jarod hadn't restrained him. "Give me the baby."

"Maybe not. Your friend here might be more inclined to shoot."

"That's right, coward, hide behind Thane." Corinna's words dripped with fury.

Jarod was about snap back, and probably get himself shot when Parker interceded (to protect the baby), "Lyle's alive. Let's worry about him first." Corinna did not lower her gun, but she took a deep breath and relaxed her stance.

Parker turned to Jarod, "Give me Thane." He did, and slowly raised his hands. Thane threw his arms around Parker's neck and popped a thumb into his mouth, sniffling slightly.

"Where are the Neus?" Corinna asked.

"Neus?"

"The Truongs, the family whose house you invaded."

"They walked down the street before I came in."

Sydney and Broots walked in. Both stopped in shock at the sight of the bloody man on the floor.

"What kept you?" Parker asked.

"Every red light we came to," Broots replied, "Is he?"

"No. Sydney, come look at him." Parker moved so Sydney could take her place. "Broots call for an ambulance."

"No ambulance," Corinna ordered.

"But Corinna..." Parker started.

"He would never want to involve the Neus. Or take a chance on leading The Centre here."

Parker nodded understanding. Lyle groaned, and Parker returned to his side. "Lyle can you hear me? Can you speak?"

Lyle groaned again. He blinked his eyes; then focused on his sister. He tried to speak, coughed from blood in his throat, and tried again, "P-Parker," he whispered, "so much for the Plan."

For a second she was not sure whether to laugh or hit him. He tried to smile but it turned to a grimace of pain.

Sydney took over, "Can you feel your legs?"

"Yeah, every bruise."

"Move them for me." Lyle did so. "Your arms." Again he complied. "Do you have any numbness?"

"I wish."

"Pain in your neck or back?"

Lyle thought for a few moments. "My neck may be the only thing that doesn't hurt. Let me sit up." Sydney assisted him into something resembling a sitting position; he was listing heavily toward the wall. "My back hurts like hell."

Sydney ran his hand experimentally over Lyle's backbone. When he pressed on the area over his left kidney, Lyle grunted.

"You should go to a hospital."

"No, not here. I'll see an Agency doc when I get back to DC." He paused collecting his thoughts, "Thane!" His head came up, bringing on another groan and a curse.

"Right here." Parker showed him the baby.

"Okay. Where's Jarod?"

"Standing above you."

Lyle turned his head slightly. "Okay. I assume your Plan failed?"

"He came straight here," said Parker.

"Next time I'll stick to improvising."

"Lyle," Corinna interjected, "do you know where the Neus are?"

"Leann left the number in the kitchen. I guess you better call her now that the action's over."

Corinna was unwilling to move. Parker looked from her to Jarod and back. "Jarod, are you going to listen now?"

"It seems I have no choice."

"You always have a choice," Corinna told him. "Feel free to try something else."

Parker looked at her and cocked an eyebrow. She watched Corinna as she spoke, "Jarod, go sit on the couch; move slowly. Broots, check him for weapons."

Jarod complied. Once he was seated, Corinna put the gun down but did not holster it; she waited for him to twitch wrong. He sat very still.
Sydney and Parker offered to help Lyle to the other couch but he declined, not quite ready to move.

Broots gathered up the dropped weapons and neatened the fight scene.
Parker called Grandma Chen's house and the Neus returned home.
When all were gathered, Leann told Jarod what Lyle had done for her family. Broots entertained the children while Corinna retold The Life Story of Lyle. Jarod listened with stubborn skepticism. Finally, when Parker explained why Thane was conceived and why Lyle removed him from The Centre, Jarod grasped the truth.

Sydney monitored Lyle's condition and he was not pleased. Lyle's blood pressure was slightly low and he looked pale. At first he refused pain medication but finally relented. After thirty of morphine he let Sydney and Corinna help him to bed.

Corinna finished the presentation with a synopsis of what the Agency had planned for The Centre. "...and if I don't shoot you we might be able to use your help."

"I guess I should offer to help then. I'll think about it," Jarod replied. He turned to Parker, "I guess I owe you an apology."

"Me?"

"At first I worried that I'd gotten you kidnapped. But for a bit there I thought you were in league with Lyle."

"I am," Parker said, still a little unable to believe she truly was.

"I mean...I guess...I should..."

"You mean the fictional Lyle. You guess you were wrong. And you should apologize to him."

"I don't think I'm ready to go that far."

"No, neither do I." Parker stood. "Corinna, did you bring any good restraints? Until Lyle's back 'home' I think Jarod will have to stay here." Corinna rose to look as Jarod gave a surprised look to Parker.

"You're not going to try to take me back?"

"Not unless Lyle wants to as part of his strategy. Consider it a reward for coming to my 'rescue.' As for me, I may not go back at all."

Corinna put Jarod in her room, and took first watch. Leann insisted on setting up the couches as beds for Broots and Sydney. Parker went to Lyle's room. She sat by the bed and wiped dried blood from his face with a warm cloth. Lyle dozed.

"I'm sorry, Lyle," she said softly.

"About what in particular?" he mumbled, surprising her.

"I'm sorry about trying to shoot you, before I knew you were family."

"Not to worry, Parker. You may find it hard to believe, but compared to some of the things they've done to me, that was a love tap," Parker looked at him, shook her head and smiled. Lyle smiled back and fell asleep.





That's it for this round. Stay tuned for more :)

Disclaimer in Part One.

As we post this part, we'd just like to restate our initial dedication to the inspiration for this little odyssey. Lois, you've always gone above and beyond in your dedication to The Pretender, and you've clearly never had more on your plate than you did during the months it took to organize the Living the Dream convention. Thanks so much for all your hard work! We hope this new part will give you back some of the pleasure you helped to give to all of us!



The Road Taken
part 6
by Renewal Wing

Parker's eyes were locked on the sleeping form of her brother, but her thoughts at the moment centered mostly on her brother's condition, more specifically on who had caused that condition. Jarod. Then again, when wasn't it Jarod? Whenever some major change occurred in her life, the Pretender seemed to be knee-deep in whatever was going on, and this time had proven to be no exception.

Parker wasn't allowed to let her attention wander for long. Lyle was rustling in his sleep, muttering to himself, so she rose up out of her chair and eased herself onto the mattress as gently as possible. The pressure of the mattress dipping startled Lyle, who, forgetting his injuries, tried to sit up. He groaned loudly from the sharp pain emanating from his lower back as he did.

"Don't." Parker said, a soft undertone to her voice, but the message was clear when he felt her hand on his chest. He lifted his head groggily from the pillow and looked over at his sister.

"Oh," he said, "It's true."

"What's true?" asked Parker as she glanced at her brother briefly before reaching for the water glass that sat on the nightstand.

"I had a dream that all this was a dream. Or rather..." he wet his lips, "but no it's all true, isn't it?"

"What's all true, Lyle?" Parker positioned the straw between his lips.

"You know that Thane is your nephew, you're not thinking of me as the enemy, at least not as much of one...and yet..."

"There's always an enemy, Lyle," Parker said, with a shrug.

"Okay. You've depressed me," Lyle responded.

"How about I cheer you up, then? Thane is sleeping peacefully. Today's events didn't seem to faze him in the least."

"And Jarod?" Lyle asked, trying to keep the bitterness from his voice.

"Corinna's keeping him company," Parker informed him.

"And?"

"As far as I know," Parker chuckled, "he's being very cooperative. Restraints tend to do that to a person."

Lyle tried to laugh but it was cut short by a sharp hiss and a grimace. "Thank you, " he whispered.

"For?"

"A few more minutes could have made a great deal of difference."





Jarod leveled a stare at the woman holding the gun on him. Her long, thin fingers and their commanding grip on the handle let both of them know who was in charge.

"Lyle thinks you're an interfering pain in the ass," Corinna said softly, her emerald eyes flashing with something that belied the somewhat gentle tone of her voice.

"I think highly of him as well." Jarod threw back his head and chuckled, then his face grew serious and his heart slammed inside his chest.

"Jarod, you are such a child. You test the limits, irritate and provoke. He's right. You are a pain in the ass. You always this predictable?"

"Creature of habit," Jarod responded. "He's charmed you, hasn't he?"

"Lyle?" Corinna shots him a look that he knew would leave a bruise.

"Who else?"

"Oh, that's right. Lyle monster, Jarod angel of deliverance." Corinna's expression darkened as a swell of rage crashed against the base of her skull. Even her fingers clenched tighter on the gun's butt. "Look beyond, Jarod."

"Beyond what, the snake's skin?"

"Back off, Barnum, this isn't a sideshow. Lyle's been vilified by both the Centre and the Agency so that he could accomplish the tasks given him. And you continually pop up like toadstools after a warm summer rain just to annoy and destroy everything he's worked on." Her response came as a measured, low snarl, and yet behind the outburst, there was a pain in her voice that caught him off guard.

"Look at the man who faced life with courage, given the circumstances," she continued. "He's unique in his own right and beneath that so called monster exterior that's been created for him, he's passionate in his beliefs. He's also a survivor."

"You make him sound like Mithridates."

Corinna smiled, amused by his response.

"I like that, comparing him to the guy who survived assassination by eating a little bit of poison everyday so that once they attempted to kill him with it, his body was already immune. He has been affected by all this, and he'll still have to eat the poison, unfortunately."

"I still think that it's a ruse. Once a snake, always a snake."

"You don't sound convinced, Jarod," came Corinna's sarcastic response. "So, I guess I'm going to have to put a little more effort into this. Up for a long night?"

"I'm not going anywhere, remember," Jarod looked her and rattled the bracelet attached to his right wrist as well as the brass headboard. There was barely a breath in the room.

"I've known him a lot longer than you, Jarod." Corinna relaxed her grip on her gun, and both it and her hand came to rest on the chair's arm.

"But not as long as the Centre and Raines..." he'd drawn in his breath and started to argue, but after the first few words he realized the futility of it and stopped.

"Really, you think so?" Corinna was amused, "Well then, let me throw out another bit of truth for you, Jarod. All this information that implicates Lyle..."

"What about it? Information is information. Sooner or later it begins to fit together," his response was full of attitude and came along with that smug smile.

"Did it ever cross that genius brain of yours that whomever fed this information to the Centre had access to Centre archives? He or she knows things that almost no one else does." Corinna watched his smile turn into a knitted brow of consternation. For an instant, the beat of a heart, Jarod was astonished. Then the beat passed and it all made perfect sense: his discoveries of Lyle's past, his warnings to Parker. He'd been used.

"I need to think," he muttered and turned onto his side. It was a brutally honest answer.




A knock on the bedroom door interrupted the conversation that Lyle and Parker were engaged in. Pulling herself away from her charge, she opened the door to find Sydney standing there with a smiling Lilli. Allowing them entrance, she placed a gentle hand on Sydney's shoulder, signaling him to stay back and to give young Lilli a few minutes alone with Lyle. Parker questioned him about Lyle's injuries, her eyes never straying from the two figures across the room, the animated Lilli and the captivated Lyle. Since arriving here, Parker kept sneaking glances at her brother and the little girl. In doing so she'd discovered something fascinating. There was an energy around them.

"Parker," the touch of a hand on her arm alerted her to the fact that she had been too absorbed in the interplay between child and man and had forgotten about Sydney. "You need to take a break. I'll stay for a while."

"Are you sure? It's not like he's on your best guest list," she smiled weakly. "I mean he was responsible for Nicholas's abduction."

"All the more reason that I want to stay. Perhaps he'll feel like talking." Sydney walked over to the bed and gently placed his hands on Lilli's small shoulders. "You promised, ma petite fleur."

"Promised what?" Lyle asked raspily.

"That after she wished you goodnight, she would go to bed. She was frantic about you and the only thing that seemed to placate the child was for Leanne to give in and allow her to see for herself that you are fine."

"Just a little battered and bruised, Lil. I'll be fine. Now off to bed, yes?"

" Okay, but...."

"No buts, off to bed with you," Lyle said, a yawn escaping. "We can talk in the morning. Now scoot. And don't give your mother a hard time, or else..." Lilli giggled and placed a quick kiss on Lyle's cheek before she scampered off to find her mother and brother. "You too, Parker. I'm in fine company with Sydney. Go and rest, especially that ankle. As much as you believe yourself invincible, you're not."

"All right. I'll be back first thing in the morning, though," Parker replied as she closed the door behind her, appreciating the break. She needed time alone to take inventory of the past few days, to figure out what she would do next. Her whole life seemed to be depending on the choices she made in the coming days, and she needed to get a grip on the tumult of emotions she was feeling.

As it turned out, what she would do immediately next seemed beyond her control. She had walked down the hallway absently, and looking up, Parker realized she was standing directly in front of the door to Thane's room. Quietly, she pushed it open and a smile broke out on her face as she saw him lying there, wide awake, apparently fascinated by the new discovery that he could hold his toes and pull his feet all the way to his mouth. The new game lost its appeal, however, when Thane saw who had come into the room. As Parker leaned over the railing of the crib, the little boy reached for her. Parker obliged and soon she was staring out the window with the little boy cradled in her arms.

How many times, she thought, had she journeyed to the Centre nursery to do just this? To hold this baby and feel, just for a few moments, a sense of peace. Snuggling him closer, Parker wondered if peace was really on the agenda for their future. Never had she imagined a happy life for Thane. She'd wanted to, of course, but having grown up around the Centre, Parker knew how futile a dream that was. Which was why the way she was feeling now frightened her so much. It was so much easier to live with no hope than it was for her to suddenly have a glimmer of a possibility that life for she, Thane and Lyle could be anything but the nightmare it seemed destined to be only a few days earlier. Some part of her knew how sad a thought that was...to almost wish for the days when there'd been no hope, but Parker was smart enough to know that she'd come by that fear honestly. A few days was certainly not enough time to change it.

Looking down, Parker saw that Thane had fallen asleep as her mind rambled on. Carefully, she returned the infant to his crib, then realizing she wasn't quite ready to go to bed herself, she headed for the kitchen, where she found Leanne brewing a pot of tea. Accepting a cup, she made her way out on to the patio and curled up in one of the deck chairs, her mind replaying the events of the day, trying to figure out where all this was heading.

She knew how close they had come to losing Thane today. Though Parker was certain that Jarod would never hurt the baby, he could have easily disappeared with her young nephew, and Parker knew that that would have finally been the straw to break her. She couldn't help but want to shake Jarod and ask him if he knew that, if he understood what he'd almost done to her today, but she couldn't let those feelings overtake her. That's not what it was all about, she reminded herself. It was about her brother and his son and the chance for them to live a safe, free life. Focusing on that thought, Parker looked up at the stars, praying silently that they or someone could tell her what she should do next to make certain that happened.






Lyle groaned as he tried to sit up more and Sydney looked at him with a look the younger man had seen the doctor level at his sister on more than one occasion. Oddly, the disapproving glance made Lyle feel a little happy.

"Lay still. If you hurt yourself any worse, she'll never get any sleep tonight."

Despite his desire to throw out some quick barb, Lyle bit his tongue. He knew Sydney was right. One yelp of discomfort, and Parker would come running back in the room and never close her eyes, and he knew she needed to rest. Hell, in the space of a few days she'd been blown up in a subway, kidnapped, almost broken her ankle, learned that nothing about her father and brother was what it appeared to be, faced losing Thane both to him and to Jarod's superiority complex, and found her newly allied brother lying in a heap at the bottom of a staircase. It was a lot to ask even the strongest person to take in without any upset, and though Parker put on a good show, Lyle had seen how deeply wounded she could be.

Sydney watched Lyle settle back against his pillows, a look of concern crossing over the face of Miss Parker's twin. Despite himself, Sydney found that he was intrigued. He had seen, of course, several similarities between the siblings over the years, but he'd tried to deny them, not wanting to find anything of the monster he believed Lyle to be in the woman he cared for so deeply. Yet now, faced with the possibility that Lyle was not what he'd believed him to be, Sydney wondered about the connection between twins, about their similarities and about what might have been had Lyle not been ripped away from the mother and sister who would surely have loved him as deeply as they had loved each other.

"Whatever you're looking for, I doubt you'll find it."

Lyle's voice startled Sydney out of his internal dialogue, and he looked over at him. He really had meant to question this man about the day he'd kidnapped his son, Nicholas, in an effort to capture Jarod. But now, watching him, the doctor's mind clicking through the inventory it was assembling, he found he had a new question that more urgently required an answer.

"Why did you do it, Lyle?"

"Sorry, Sydney," Lyle responded, "but despite the fact that I'm not the boogey man you all thought I was, I have still done a few things in my time. You'll have to narrow it down."

"Why did you come back to the Centre after the incident in Arizona? From what you've told us, you could have easily made a case for a new assignment. Yet, you came back, knowing it would mean facing your father, continuing to deal with Jarod despite your killing of his brother...there must have been a reason."

"You don't really need me to answer that, do you, Sydney?"

The doctor smiled slightly, but his eyes leveled with Lyle's own.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

As Sydney's gaze continued to bore into him, Lyle realized what it was the doctor was after. He needed confirmation. He wanted to be certain that Parker wasn't pinning her hopes on and giving away a piece of her heart to someone planning to betray her.

"I knew it was too late to save myself. But she could still be saved, Sydney. She still can be. I can live with who I am, who I allowed myself to become, but I won't stand by and let that bastard of a father of ours destroy her, too. Not her and not my son."

Silence fell between them as the doctor considered what Lyle had said. The words could have been an empty declaration, and a few days ago, Sydney would surely have thought they were, yet now, the well of pain that Lyle was unable to keep out of his eyes...Sydney knew that look so well. It was the same one Parker had each time she'd spoken of the baby. It was the same look Catherine had once had in her eyes as she spoke of trying to save her daughter so long ago.






Parker started, suddenly aware of her surroundings after what seemed like hours. She wasn't sure how long she had been outside, but her tea had gone cold, and so she headed back into the kitchen for a new cup. Suddenly the silence of the house was pierced. Her first thought was of Thane, but she quickly discovered that the sound was not coming from her young nephew.

A rending scream rang through the small house, followed by phrases of French interspersed with English and Thai. The piercing cry startled Corinna, who was staring out the window at the night sky, all the while watching the reflection of the sleeping form of the pretender in the glass pane. The door to the bedroom opened and Corinna turned to find Leanne standing in the doorway, a harried expression on her features.

"Rinna," she spoke softly so as not to disturb the sleeping man on the bed but the fear was there, "it's Lil. She dreams. I can no settle her down. Lyle no can come, please." The desperation was there, as Corinna glanced at Jarod, who seemed oblivious to Lilli's cries of fright. How could they have been so utterly stupid, she thought? They, in their infinite wisdom, had not given one iota of thought to Lil's well being or her state of mind. And because of their selfishness, her nightmares seemed to have returned in full force, which would only cause Lyle to feel even more guilty than he was already feeling.

Corinna stopped at the foot of the bed and after a deft shake on the sleeping pretender's leg to check and see if he was awake and faking, she left the room under the impression that he was securely restrained. The moment the door closed, Jarod relaxed, his breathing returning to normal. The anguished cries had hit close to home, but he had been given an opportunity and he was going to seize it. Taking a page from Miss Parker, Jarod clenched his teeth tightly as the pain of dislocating his thumb coursed through his body.

Down the hall, feeling helpless and trapped, Lyle lay in bed while he listened to the anguished cries of Lilli, pitiful sounds that echoed through the house. Tears welled up in his eyes as the sound filled him. Lilli's pain always touched him deeply, taking him back to those terror-filled nights he had spent locked in Lyle Bowman's shed. That either of them had survived their "childhoods" was a miracle, and Lyle knew it was that bond between them that had replaced his original motive, devotion to Che Ling, when it came to caring for the family. However he knew that tonight there was nothing he could do to help the little girl but lay still and heal. The sooner he returned to the Centre, the better for everyone's sakes, especially the two young children with whom his heart would stay behind.





Parker sat inside Thane's room cradling her nephew protectively. Lilli's nightmare had disturbed the young boy's slumber and since Corinna and Leanne were busy trying to settle down Lilli, the task of calming Thane fell to her. Then she would have to check on her brother. Hearing the distressed cries of both children would have worried him, and she imagined finding him half out of bed, trying to get to them but paralyzed by the pain of his injuries. After all, he was no less stubborn than she was. Perhaps, he was even more so.

"Are you sure you want to risk this, Parker?"

The voice came from out of the darkness. Looking up, Parker found Jarod standing in the shadows, watching her.

"So much for restraints."

"I wanted to talk to you, unencumbered." He grinned, massaging the thumb on his right hand. "So are you sure you want to risk trusting Lyle?"

"There's that unfailing predisposition to be the Boy Scout." It was impossible to miss the fact that she was irritated by the Pretender's statement as she glared at him without bothering to hide her pique. "Isn't that what you've wanted me to do these past five years, learn to trust?"

"Me," Jarod whispered, pausing briefly, "not your brother, the Grade-A quality psycho!"

"God, you're smug," she retorted, her voice becoming a harsh whisper in her effort not to wake the sleeping baby, "but you're right about one thing, he's my brother." She watched his smile flat-line. "So, it's different. Don't you get it? This isn't just about Lyle or me for that matter. It's about giving my nephew the type of life we never had because of the Centre."

"Those are noble intentions, Miss Parker, but again, I ask, are you sure you can trust him? What happens if the Centre finds out what you've done or what you're planning to do? Are you sure he won't be the one to slither away if you get caught, leaving you to face your father's wrath alone, because I'm not." Jarod snapped.

"Oh...you're so..." she said angrily, her control over her tone and her emotions slipping quickly.

"What?"

"Full of yourself, Jarod. This isn't about you. It's not your choice to make. That trust you keep talking about, it's a secret combination to a lock. Two turns of faith, one turn of fantasy, and half a turn of truth. Do you know how hard it was for me to not try and take Thane away from that place? But I couldn't. I had nowhere safe enough to take him, but his father...Lyle risked everything to get his son out of that place and to create an opportunity to tell me the truth. Now you want me to turn my back on that? He did what my mother and your father both failed to do, Jarod, and I'm not willing to just pretend it didn't happen."

His face remained a mask of doubt and concern, and for some reason the concern seemed to make Parker more upset than the doubt. The latter she could truly understand. Lyle had certainly given all of them enough reason to question his motives, Jarod especially, but damn him for not understanding why she didn't have a choice in this.

"Come on, Jarod, this is what you've always wanted, isn't it? For me to see the Centre for what it is?"

Still, there came no response from him, and Parker looked away, her eyes lowering to the small boy she held. Gently, she kissed the top of his head, and though she hadn't meant the words to be spoken aloud, they came out softly, quietly, and Jarod couldn't help but hear them and feel the raw emotion that had given them life.

"They're the only family I have."

He knew then that he was defeated because she was right. So often his anger at Parker had been born partly of her refusal to see what was right in front of his face. This time, it was him who wasn't seeing. Parker loved Thane more than her own life, and she was unwilling to deny her brother a second chance to prove himself to her. Whether she was right or wrong really was irrelevant now, it was the course she had decided upon, and he could either help her or leave her alone to face the dangers it might pose.

"Fine." As he spoke the word, his tone full of surrender, Jarod slumped and leaned against one of the walls in the bedroom. Parker wasn't certain what "fine" meant, but she left the word dangling in the air, unwilling or unable to face anymore confrontation with him on this night.





When Lyle woke the next morning, sunlight streamed through the window causing him to squint. In a rush, his aching body reminded him of what had happened the day before: every joint seemed to creak, every muscle had frozen into unyielding stiffness, every available inch of skin felt torn or bruised. Lack of sleep hadn't helped much. He'd lain awake for hours until his sister had finally convinced him that both Lilli and Thane were safe. Then she'd held his hand as he had finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.

"You look like hell, Lyle," Jarod said, pensively.

Lyle forced his eyes open wider as he searched the room for his nemesis. He found him, his eyes taking in the full sight of the pretender. "You don't look any better," Lyle replied, a small chuckle escaping his lips.

"We can do without the laugh track," Jarod said as he shoved his hands into his pockets. He tried to maintain a good front, but he felt uneasy, emotions betrayed by a slight slump in his shoulders and his eyes quickly looking down toward his boots. He grew very quiet.

"I swear you pushed me into this deliberately," Lyle said quietly, his gaze never wavering from the pretender.

"Right, it's my fault that you put Parker through all of this..."

"I haven't done anything to my sister but tell her the truth."

"Is it the truth? It damn well better be, Lyle, because if you've gotten her involved in something that's going to get her hurt..."

Lyle threw his legs over the edge of the bed, ignoring the burning pain in his lower back as he did so. Laying still had almost let him forget about his tumble down the stairs, but now, he didn't care about the discomfort moving caused him. He used every ounce of strength he could muster to push himself up so that his eyes were level with Jarod's.

"No one has hurt my sister more than you, you self-centered bastard, so don't you come in here and start trying to tell me anything about her."

"I'm not the one who locked her in a mental institution."

"No, you didn't have to lock her in one, you almost drove her to one. I mean, really, genius, do you ever think about the consequences of what you do? Or are you just so wrapped up in the idea of your own brilliance that it just never occurred to you that you've been destroying Parker a piece at a time?"

"Go to hell, Lyle. You don't know what you're talking about."

"No? So then tell me this, Jarod. Why did you have to tell her about Thomas, hmm? I mean, you could have just said that you'd met him later. That you checked him out, ended up being friends with him. You could have bent the truth to protect her feelings."

"I don't lie to Parker, that's your job."

Lyle smiled and shook his head as he realized that his point had been completely lost on Jarod.

"That's exactly what I mean. You couldn't bend your precious code, not realizing for a second how completely violated and manipulated she would feel, and that didn't matter at all to you, did it?"

"Thomas didn't do anything wrong."

"I know that, you idiot. But you did. You are a bastard to her. You break into her house, you torment her with bits and pieces of the truth about her life. You keep walking in, making decisions for her and then you can't understand why she isn't grateful. What you don't realize is that you're just as bad as Mr. Parker, Jarod."

The barb was so sharp that Jarod felt certain he'd felt it lodge deep in his chest. Just like Mr. Parker? It was a total lie, of course, just some mind game on Lyle's part, he told himself. But if that were true, why was a dull ache forming in his gut as the words sank more deeply into his brain.

"And another thing, Jarod..."

The sound of a throat being cleared stopped Lyle mid-sentence. He and Jarod both turned to see Parker and Corinna standing in the doorway. Parker shook her head, whether in disbelief or to shake loose the echo of the words she'd heard Lyle say to Jarod, she wasn't sure. As the thought overwhelmed her, Parker leaned her forehead to rest in her right hand as Corinna flashed a large, fake smile, her voice filling the room.

"Oh, yeah, this is going to go really well. Nice spirit of cooperation, boys."

With reluctance, Lyle tore his attention away from the man standing in front of him. Corinna was right. Arguing was going to get them nowhere. But he was so sick and tired of Jarod's holier-than-thou attitude. A dark cloud sank over Lyle's mood as he sighed heavily, hoping his sister hadn't heard any of the argument that had been going on.

For his part, Jarod regarded Lyle with renewed interest, scanning his enemy's face intently, studying it as if the man were part of a new pretend. It was not a face he liked, but both Corinna and Parker were right, there was no mistaking the intelligence in it, or the immense strength of will. Could he believe that all that passion he'd just seen was real devotion to Parker? Jarod shook his head. He just couldn't imagine it. He couldn't see Lyle as Parker's protector. But he faced the hard reality that he was going to have to learn to deal with the man on some level.

"I need to shower," Lyle said, breaking the silence that had fallen in the room. He strode, or rather tried to appear as if he were moving easily when in fact he was terrible pain, toward the door. He was almost out of the room when he turned and looked the pretender directly in the eyes. "Because of your exaggerated sense of self importance, you've placed yourself at the center of this, so you can't sit around anymore and wonder what if, you know that, right?"

Jarod stood silently, but Parker's voice, taking in the intense tone of the gaze between brother and, what should she call him, she wondered, enemy, ally? At any rate, she voiced what seemed obvious but what bore saying. "Then I guess it's better to have him on our side and working with us instead of plodding in like a bull in a china shop and causing everything to crash like he normally does."

Corinna almost smiled at that remark. The dynamic between these three people really was terribly fascinating, and some part of her was going to enjoy watching it develop over the course of their plan.

Jarod, who had fought down his urge to deliver a snappy retort to Parker's words, instead spoke with his eyes still locked on Lyle's. "Do either of us have a choice in the matter?"

"No, not really." Parker replied.

"That's what I thought," the pretender and Lyle said in unison.

In response, Parker looked at both men.

"One must make adjustments as necessary, Sis. Despite assiduous planning, not everything can be foreseen. And you, Jarod were not part of my equation. My mistake. Seems I forgot CIA Spook Rule 12."

"We'll have to tell Cyrus what's happened, Lyle, you do realize that?" Corinna said softly, trying to steer him away from his current train of thought. She knew that he would see Jarod's involvement as a failure of some sort on his own part. That was just how Lyle was wired, but they couldn't afford it right now, and she needed to try and distract him. Lyle thought about her statement for a moment, and then shook his head and started toward the door again.

"Maybe when this is all over, Jarod, you and Cyrus should meet. You two will probably have a lot to talk about."

Something in Lyle's voice struck Jarod and almost flared up his anger again. How could he seem so damn placid?

"You're taking this rather calmly," Jarod replied. Lyle met his eyes.

"Only on the surface."

Lyle headed for the bathroom at the end of the hallway, and now, free to let his emotions wash over him, a mixture of anger from his argument with Jarod and guilt from his participation in yesterday's brawl quickly put him back into the dark corner of his soul that so much resembled that horrible shed on the Bowman Farm. It was a place he knew all too well. When he was there, he felt alone, separate from everything. He was a renegade, with allegiance to no one. It was so much easier that way, wasn't it? But it would never really be that way, not ever again. Ever since he had felt his connection to Parker take hold, he knew that he would never feel alone again. Even when she had hated him, just knowing she was in the world made the layers of masks and cloaks he wore seem easier to bear.

Lyle stuck his head under the showerhead, wishing he could stand under the hot water for at least a month or two. This was where he would purge the dark feelings that were trying to build inside him. Someday, he hoped he could do this, sort through his emotions, anywhere and anyplace he wanted to, but for now, he accepted that he was still in some ways that scared little boy in Lyle Bowman's shed. He needed the confined space of the shower to think.

The truth was he was having trouble with Jarod's presence here. Theirs was a bitter rivalry that had lain unacknowledged in words, yet it had been exploding in deeds for some time. The feud would rage out of control if they let it. Suddenly a fleeting memory of Red Rock crossed his mind. As often happened when he remembered those confused days, the guilt started to boil to the surface. He winced, then shook his head and rubbed his temple to try and expunge the memory, but as he moved his fingers, Lyle was suddenly aware of...what was it? Some sense of something, some change that seemed to echo through his being.

He climbed out of the shower and stared at the mirror, expecting to see the same tired eyes and guilty countenance he always saw when he faced these memories, but instead the truth was staring him in the face. It took a few moments, but as the reality of it sunk in, Lyle almost felt lightheaded. For the first time since learning who he was, the familiar gut-wrenching guilt that hit him every time he thought about Kyle and Red Rock, it had disappeared. In its place was a simple, bittersweet sadness.

It was a revelation. Sadness. Simple regret. They were normal feelings. He hated what he had done, but for the first time, he didn't have the time or the energy to hate himself. Lyle almost smiled as he stood there staring at his reflection. He had not sunk to the depths of the dark place. It was too much to hope that it marked some permanent change in how he saw the world, but today, for this moment, he knew there were more important things in the world than his past. His fears about what might happen to him in the coming months were also irrelevant. Parker had come with him. Thane was safe. And for the first time in his entire life, Lyle knew what it meant to have hope.

Lyle left the bathroom and made for his room as quickly as possible to dress. He had been aware of Corinna's eyes watching him earlier, and he knew that she was always able to detect it when he slipped into his dark place. He couldn't make her worry, and he didn't want to waste any more of the time he had with both she and Parker. They couldn't afford to. Tonight they had to set a course.





In all the years Corinna had known him, she had never seen Lyle so aloof. She was used to his personality, certainly, after all this time. He could be moody and unjustly hard on himself. She remembered with a slight shiver how the allegations regarding the prostitution ring had tipped him into that darkness from which he had so often struggled to resurface. Standing there in his room, she'd watched him carefully, and from the stiff angle of his shoulders, she could tell he was allowing the events of the last few days to weigh him down. Not for the first time, she wished she could think of a way to console him. Over the years, though, she'd found that the slightest words of encouragement seemed to Lyle to be offerings of false hope.

Still, she hoped that he could see that maybe, just maybe, the tide had finally turned in his favor. What had occurred in the last few days might mean that they were no longer walking that fine line that for so many years could have meant not only failure in their assignment, but, in Lyle's world, the destruction of the one person that had given meaning to his life. Now, with both Parker and Thane's lives in the balance, she sensed a new commitment in him, and she new that she could convince Cyrus to give them this chance. Lyle would not fail--not the agency, and not his family.

"I have a phone call to make, so if you'll excuse me, I'll meet you downstairs out on the deck," Corinna stated calmly, leaving Parker and Jarod standing in Parker's room, where they had seemed to wander with no real purpose following Lyle's exit.

An immediate sense of awkwardness settled between them, and Lyle's words ran through Parker's mind again. She had never really thought about how much Jarod manipulated her. She knew he did it, of course, but she had resisted acknowledging it. And now that she had, she hated knowing it. Still, she felt a small sense of pride at how Lyle had stood up to Jarod on her behalf. God, she wanted so much to really believe, to commit 100% of herself to her brother. She knew no one would blame her for feeling a twinge of doubt...if he were telling the truth about everything, Lyle had worked very hard to make sure she would never trust him.

Jarod watched her as her mind whirled. He felt he should say something, and yet what was there to say? She had made her choice. She was going to follow this path with Lyle, and Jarod knew he had no choice but to go with them. He could not leave her alone, not until he was finally convinced of her brother's newfound sincerity. He only hoped he wasn't letting her walk down a road that would lead to the greatest heartbreak of her life.





Thousands of miles away, distant in his office in Washington, Cyrus answered the telephone on the third ring. His distinctive rumble of a voice filled the transmitter, instantly recognizable to the woman on the other end.

"Hello."

"Cyrus."

"Tell me what I'm dealing with, Corinna?"

"That abduction that's been credited to Jarod. Not true." Corinna cringed when she heard the sharp intake of breath coming across the receiver.

"Well, then, let me take a stab in the dark at this one. Tell me, Corinna, has he gone completely insane this time?"

"No, Cyrus, Lyle's as sane as you or I. Bottom line, it's under control."

"Under control? I did I hear you correctly, right? Because kidnapping his own sister and child sounds more like a bit out of control to me."

"With his son no longer a pawn to be used by Mr. Parker, Lyle's more determined than ever to finish this."

"What about Jarod? If he finds out that Lyle's responsible for Parker's abduction... "

"Jarod already knows, and let's just say that they've worked out their frustrations for the time being. They both look a lot uglier but..." Corinna tried to keep the smile off her face, "And Parker's helping to convince Jarod to stay out of things. It'll be all right."

"Interesting. A lack of interference from Jarod would definitely be a welcome change. So it seems that the playing field has changed and that we might finally have the advantage."

"I hate to sound overly optimistic where Jarod and Lyle are concerned, but I'd say we just might."

"Then it's time to play hard ball with the Centre, Corinna. There's no mistaking the urgency from the director's office. We have two months until the president kicks off his election campaign for the VP. That's our timeframe. Get to work. Oh, and tell Lyle that I'm glad that his son's safe."

Cyrus reached out and disconnected the line, but sat holding the dead receiver momentarily. After a few seconds, he replaced it and hesitated long enough to glance at his daughter Devin's photograph, which rested on his desk. What fathers will do...

When the fog cleared, he snatched up the receiver again and pressed a memory dial button for Channing's private line.

"Yes."

"It's me. Lyle's still in the game. The timeframe has been put into play. I'll call you with a more detailed update in a few days."

"Glad to here it, Cyrus. Despite all the trouble he's been, Lyle is much too valuable to lose."

Hearing the "click" that indicated Channing had disconnected her end of the call, Cyrus returned the receiver of his phone to the cradle and sat back in his chair. Years of work, of his life, and all of the sacrifices that he, Lyle and Corinna had made...it all came down to 61 days. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen to all of them on the 62nd.





Corinna snapped the cellular phone shut, and then sat a few seconds in thought before realizing that Lyle had been standing in agonized silence, watching her and waiting for a summary.

"Wondering how Cyrus took the news, Lyle?"

"Yes."

"He's glad that your son's safe and that you didn't go insane. Down the road named 'a tad bit out of control,' but he considers that an improvement over some of your past episodes." Corinna stated, a smile on her face.

"Seriously?" Lyle remarked, his eyes starting to shine. "Next time I talk to him, I'll tell him that he's never seen me out of control, let alone insane. Like that line? I co-opted it from my sister. Well, kind of." There was something brave and very determined in his eyes that gave her a surge of hope that perhaps the depression that had been weighing him down had lifted a bit.

"So what did he say before he said all that nice stuff?"

"Actually," Corinna answered, stepping closer to her partner, "he said the nice stuff first, then he said that it's time to play hard ball with the Centre. Apparently the director thinks that they've been on the most wanted list too long. We have two months."

"Gee, that long?" Lyle winked at her, and Corinna knew she had not lied to Cyrus even a little bit. Lyle was present and ready, and it was time to move forward. Yet she was not surprised when his face grew serious, not from worry, but from concentration.

"He knows about Jarod?"

"Yeah," Corinna said, nodding as confirmation. "He was...intrigued."

"I'll bet," Lyle responded before letting his eyes drop as several ideas ran through his mind.

"We should meet tonight. We need to put a plan in the field if we're going to do this thing in two months."

"Agreed."

"Okay, I'm going check on Thane and then I'm going see what Leanne has in that kitchen. I'm starving."

Corinna couldn't help but laugh at that one. "I guess that's a good sign."

Lyle smiled back in response, then started out of the room before a thought stopped him and made him turn back around.

"He actually mentioned Thane? He never does that."

"Yes, he did. Seriously, Lyle, you of all people know that Cyrus isn't your typical armchair director. He has always hoped that you could do your job and protect your family."

Lyle's only response was to nod, then he walked out of the room and toward the kitchen.






For a house that had seem almost peaceful upon her arrival there, the suburban home was now bursting at the seams and Parker took to the patio in order to get a moment's peace and quiet.
Her mind had been unable to process the onslaught of emotions that had been unleashed by this morning's confrontation between Lyle and Jarod. For so long, Jarod had been trying to defend her from her brother. Now the tables had turned, and Lyle was defending her from Jarod. Yet, if she was honest for even a second, she knew that she needed both of them. She needed her brother so that she could have a family for the first time since her mother's murder. And she needed Jarod because, no matter how much she hated it, she had needed him in her life ever since that first day they had met so many years ago. That meant that she had to get them on the same page, and their reassurances that they both knew they had no choice but to work together didn't really seem like enough of a guarantee. She had to unite them in a common cause, and remembering her own plans before all of this had begun, she knew what that cause should be.

The feeling that she was being watched caused Parker to look up from her chair. She saw Lyle standing there with a mixture of concern and uncertainty in his eyes.

"Sydney and Broots are on their way back from the hotel," he said, then asked in all seriousness, "Can we talk before they get here?" Parker was sure she heard a quiver in his voice, and it shocked her. She motioned for him to take a seat.

"If I recall when this whole thing started, I left the decision regarding Thane's care in your hands."

"You did," Parker replied, nodding and sighing.

"Well?" Lyle was surprised to find a bemused expression on his sister's face.

"You really don't expect me to take him back now that he's got a safe place to stay? Like I told Jarod last night, you did what I couldn't."

Silence was what answered her back, so she took the opportunity to ask a question that had been plaguing her most of the morning.

"On that note, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Your plans for the Centre once you return?"

"Oh, that."

"Yes, that."

"Forgive me, but isn't that why we're having a meeting?"

"I'm not talking about the plan, Lyle. I'm talking about you and the Centre. How are you going to handle them?

"Truthfully, Parker, my gut tells me the only way to beat Dad and the Triumvirate at their game is to adhere to the doctrines of Sun Tsu.

"Sun Tsu?"

"A Chinese philosopher, sort of."

"What do you mean sort of?"

"Let's just say the man was light years ahead of his time in regards to war and how to fight the enemy."

That peaked Parker's curiosity. "Explain."

"According to Sun Tsu," Lyle began, "all warfare is based on deception. Who better to deceive them but me? I am a certified pro at it now. However the more important question he asked is why anyone would fight an enemy on the enemy's terms."

It was at this point that Jarod made his presence known by stepping out onto the porch.

"Sun Tsu asks of the one in charge to choose the road to either safety or ruin," Jarod added.

"Did you have your ear against the door the entire time?" Lyle asked as he turned to look up at the pretender.

"I came to tell you that Broots and Sydney are here. I didn't realize the CIA taught Sun Tsu."

"They don't, " Lyle replied, "A friend taught me about him."

A friend...Parker knew instantly who that friend was. Che Ling. Hoping she could head off any bad memories that might ambush her brother, Parker stood, touching Lyle's arm lightly.

"Let's go inside. There's something I need to tell you..." Parker looked from Lyle to Jarod, "both of you."

The two men, now curious about what Parker had to say, followed her inside. Corinna, Sydney and Broots met them in the living room. As they took seats around the room, the house suddenly seemed oddly quiet to Parker, and Corinna noticed her looking around with a quizzical look on her face.

"Leanne took the kids to the movies as soon as Thane went down for his nap. She knew we needed time to talk."

Parker nodded, then she stood and looked around the room.

"So, if I've gotten all this straight, Lyle you infiltrated the Centre in order to learn about all of its operations so that the federal government could dismantle it? That's the basic idea, right?"

Lyle nodded.

"Then I might know of something that could help."

Lyle narrowed his eyes, more intrigued than ever by what his sister seemed to know.

"Parker, what's going on?"

It had seemed much easier in her head when she'd thought about doing this. But preparing to say it out loud was bringing back so much of the horror she'd felt that day as she watched the DSA of her mother's murder. Her voice broke a bit as she went on.

"After I...after I found out about Ethan and Mirage, I went to confront Raines. It was after you and Dad had him detained. He told me that mother made a DSA before she died. Apparently no one at the Centre knows where it is."

Jarod leaned forward, his eyes eager with anticipation. Even if it meant working with Lyle, a real chance to get to the heart of the Centre, to possibly find his own answers...

"Parker, what's on the DSA?" Jarod asked a little impatiently.

"Raines said it was her plan for stopping the Centre. He didn't say anything more, just that he'd never been able to find it."

"But that doesn't mean no one else did, " Corinna broke in. "I mean, your father, the Triumvirate, someone else could have it."

"I don't think so," Parker answered. Lyle looked at her intently.

"Why do you say that?"

"Raines was about to tell me who else might know what was on the DSA when Daddy shot him. Why would Daddy be worried about anything Raines said if he had the DSA secured already?"

Silence ruled the room as everyone mulled over that question. Sydney thought about Mr. Parker's typical behavior and Broots analyzed odds in his head. Not surprisingly, though, it was Jarod who spoke up first.

"I think she's right. Ever since I escaped, Mr. Parker's acted like a man with something to worry about, and it's more than just me being on the loose."

Broots, suddenly very nervous, stood up and began to pace.

"Well, what do we do next? I mean, do you have any ideas where the DSA might be, Miss Parker?"

"No, not really. I know it's not in my house anywhere. I already tossed it upside down looking for it."

Lyle stood now, approaching his sister.

"Make a list of every place you can imagine she might have hidden it, Parker, and then you and Corinna can split them up and go looking for it."

Parker raised her eyebrows, her face turning into a question mark.

"What do you mean? I'm going back to the Centre with you."

"No, Parker. You're clear of that place, and I want you to stay clear. They think Jarod has you locked up somewhere. They have no idea that you're on the loose and looking for the truth. Let's keep it that way."

"Lyle, they're not going to keep believing Jarod is toting me and Thane across the country."

"They will if I help make them believe it."

Jarod's voice seemed loud and flat, and it took a few moments for what he'd said to really register in the minds of his audience. Sydney looked at his former student with interest.

"What are you thinking, Jarod?"

"I can leave breadcrumbs, Parker and baby related breadcrumbs, in my lairs. Or I can leave a bunch of false trails to places I could have them stashed. I can keep them guessing."

"That's not a bad plan," Broots chimed in. "I was actually thinking of something along those same lines for Sydney and me."

"What do you mean?" Lyle asked.

"Well, when we left we didn't give much of an excuse, and I don't know about Sydney, but I don't really want to spend my first day back in front of a T-Board."

Parker nodded, understanding. "So?"

"So I was thinking, what if we make it look like we were sent on a wild goose chase."

"By Jarod?" Sydney asked.

"No, by Mr. Lyle," Broots responded.

The beauty of the plan immediately came into focus for the rest of the group. Lyle was, after all, supposed to be looking for Ethan, and Sydney, who was obsessed with finding Jarod, would assume Jarod would come looking for Ethan. Lyle could always argue that he didn't want the shrink interfering in his search, so he'd planted some false leads on Jarod to keep the two male Stooges occupied, not realizing that it had allowed "Jarod" an opportunity to hide his sister and son somewhere seemingly impossible to locate.

"Mr. Broots," Lyle said, "it seems my sister's constant faith in you has not been misplaced. All right, so we've got Sydney and Broots chasing their tail then back at the Centre, I've come up empty on Ethan and will go face Dad's wrath and Corinna and Parker will go look for the DSA. While you two ladies are searching, the three of us can dig around and see what other dirty little Centre secrets we can hand over to the Agency."

Lyle seemed pleased. They were on their way, in some manner, and once he was back in the flow of things, he could meet with Cyrus and plan further strategy. He was about to suggest they begin working on the false computer trails they needed to lay when he heard Jarod's voice behind him.

"What do you want me to do?"

Lyle turned, facing his nemesis-come-ally. What did he want Jarod to do? Now that the pretender was involved, they couldn't just ask him to lay low and do nothing, could they? Yet other than providing the fake abduction evidence, there really wasn't anything Lyle wanted him to do.

"I...well..."

Parker watched the two with great interest. She had played her ace in the hole, her mother's DSA, as a way of making them see they were, at least for now, on the same side. The question was, had it worked? Jarod was used to being a featured player, and yet Parker sensed that her brother would be most happy to keep him in a cameo role in whatever came next.

"Jarod," Lyle finally spit out, "the truth is, I just want you to let us be for a while. I need to make sure my father is still buying my act. To do that, I just need a little time."

"But there's got to be something else..." Jarod began, only to have his words halted by Parker clearing her throat. He looked at her and saw a plea in her eyes. And damn it, he knew exactly what she wanted him to do...give in.

"Fine," Jarod muttered, albeit unhappily so. Almost pouting, he walked out to the patio, leaving the group of Centre staff and CIA operatives stunned. Had they actually just gotten Jarod to do something he didn't want to do? Lyle shook his head. He wasn't going to waste time analyzing it. There was too much work to do.

"Broots, we should get to work on those computer records."

Broots nodded, moving to boot up his laptop as Corinna and Sydney gathered round him. Lyle moved to join them, but took the time to notice his sister headed for the patio.

Jarod heard footsteps approaching him, but he didn't look up as Parker stopped and stood beside him.

"I know that was hard for you."

"Parker, it's ridiculous. I've been investigating the Centre for five years."

"And gotten no further than I have, Jarod, not really. This might be our chance to finally get the answers we need. Does it matter who does what if that's the end result?"

When they'd been children and Parker would say things that Jarod knew were true yet didn't fit with his own limited scope of logic, it had driven him insane with frustration. As an adult, he found it was no different. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do more, scream or beat up Lyle again.

"There is one other thing you can do."

That finally got Jarod to look at her, and Parker saw the mixture of anger and hope on his face.

"What?"

"The things you've found of my mother's...they were scattered all over the place. You probably know more places I should look than I could ever come up with on my own. Help me figure out where to go."

Supressing the slight twinge of guilt that Parker's words, and the memory of Lyle's accusation, had brought to him, Jarod nodded, then followed Parker back into the house. A few hours later, Broots and Sydney were on a plane to Yakima, Washington in order to cement their "chasing Lyle to get to Jarod" story, and Corinna and Parker had amassed a list of just over a dozen places the DSA might be hidden. Now all that remained was to see if the tenuous agreement forged between the Parker twins and the pretender could hold for 61 days.





Two days later, Lyle stood in his father's office, trying not to let anger creep into his neutral expression. He knew he had to undergo this tirade if he wanted to come to any kind of agreement with the man. He needed that in order to get back to work so he could make his meeting with Cyrus at 5:00. Yet he couldn't think about that now. Instead the scowling face of his father filled his vision.

"Lyle, I simply can't believe that you were unable to discover anything useful in D.C. I swear, sometimes you seem totally incompetent."

"I'm perfectly competent. If you have anyone to blame, it's Jarod. For interfering...for...."

"Enough! We're wasting valuable time, meanwhile he has the baby."

"And my sister."

Lyle watched with a tiny bit of enjoyment as his father struggled to cover up that glaring omission.

"Yes, of course he has Angel, but she can take care of herself. That baby is the one the Triumvirate is waiting to get back here, and we need to do it now."

"I can take over the search if you like. You could put Cox on Ethan."

"No."

The resounding rejection had been expected, but it still stung Lyle a little bit to have such a large helping of disrespect thrown in his face.

"We need Ethan back here, too. Mirage is still an open program. Find him, and no more mistakes. I don't need to remind you that I've done a great deal to protect you and your secrets, Lyle. I expect my effort to be repaid."

"Of course, Dad." With that, Lyle knew he'd been dismissed, and he gratefully took his leave from the room. It was time to get back to work.

Disclaimer in Part One.

By the way, in case we never noted it, this story does not acknowledge that the Pretender 2001 movie ever happened at this point. Just in case anyone was wondering about that. And it also takes place before last year's presidential election.



The Road Taken
part 7
by Renewal Wing



Lyle wanted to get back to work immediately, working to protect his son, but he had enough trouble just making it to his office. His back hurt more today than it did yesterday, in fact it hurt like hell. He carefully sat down at his desk, making every effort not to jar anything. It was all he could do not to fold in half; he was so tired; and the bruising on his side seemed to be spreading rather than clearing. Lyle was beginning to suspect something was seriously wrong and he had no time for it.

Mr. Parker had said, "That baby is the one the Triumvirate is waiting to get back..." Not your son; not my grandson, just that baby. Mr. Parker had proved he did not give a damn about either of his children, and now his grandson was just another tool to be used and dismissed. Lyle had hoped against hope that he would be allowed to take over the search for Thane, just to ensure the Triumvirate continued to wait for what they wanted. His father knew Thane was really his son, even though Lyle pretended indifference, yet he did not trust him to take over the investigation. He was to find Ethan.

Lyle spent an hour reviewing possible leads on Ethan. Jarod had made no effort to reveal his half-brother's location, not that Lyle had expected it, and he was curious to see just how well Ethan was hidden. He did not really intend to bring him in to The Centre, but finding him would be an interesting mental exercise.

According to Parker, Ethan was more functional now that he knew what the voices were. According to Jarod it was because Raines was gone. Lyle tended to agree with the latter opinion. Either way, Jarod was welcome to taking care of Ethan. It would give him something to do while he was staying out of The Centre's and Lyle's, business. Lyle wondered how long that would last.

There were no plausible leads on Ethan in the stack of reports but Lyle had to give Jarod credit, there were a few good false leads. If Lyle had not known exactly - he rubbed absently at his back, noting the pain had lessened -where Jarod was three days ago he might have bought the lead to Mexico City.

He filed the reports and left a message for his assistant, saying he had a meeting with a private informant then was going home. He was on his way out the door when Mr. Cox walked in. Lyle assumed an aggressive posture and tone, "Did I forget an appointment?"

Cox, always strange, had not been on good terms with Lyle since taking the blame for Zoe's failed kidnapping. Lyle had warned him not to underestimate Jarod. Major Charles had come as a surprise to both of them but it had been Cox's plan and, therefore, his failure.

Cox was in a foul, if soft-spoken, mood. "I hear you want to take over the search for Miss Parker. Do you know something you're hiding?"

"I know a lot of things, most of which I have no intention of telling you. In the case of my sister, I would love to see her brought back to the bosom of her family, but I can't help you there."

"I won't brook interference with my investigation, Mr. Lyle," stated Cox with his typical menacing tone. "You aren't the only one who knows things. Miss Parker is mine."

Lyle felt his stomach tighten. To hear anyone say something like that about Parker would make his blood boil, but for this freak Cox to say it...but he couldn't cave into an emotional response. He needed to keep his Mr. Lyle persona firmly in place.

"Jarod may have something to say about that at the moment, Coxy, and my sister will definitely have an opinion."

"I'm warning you..."

Lyle moved inches from Cox's face. "Don't finish that sentence. My father seems to value your work, but that'll only take you so far. Blood is still thicker than embalming fluid." Lyle straightened Cox's lapels and smiled a snake's smile as he took a step back.

Cox eyed Lyle for a beat but kept silent.

Lyle's smile disappeared. "If I ever want to see you in my office again, I'll let you know. Now get out."

Mr. Cox turned and walked out the door.

"That went well," Lyle mumbled. He picked up his discarded briefcase and exited The Centre.

***

The very same day that Lyle returned to the Centre, Parker and Corinna arrived at Dulles International Airport at 6:00 in the morning. They were both exhausted, the events of California having left little chance of restful sleep during their last few days there or on the flight. Parker had started to drift midway through the trip only to be awakened by a nightmare regarding Lyle. After, she had been unable to fall back to sleep. Corinna had thought to ask her companion about what had upset her, but seeing a look on Parker's face that she knew all too well from her years with Lyle, the agent passed on the idea.

Once they were on the ground, the two women rented a nondescript car and drove to the outskirts of D.C. where they would set up their base of operations.

The apartment Parker found herself in was a renovated warehouse that had been secured by Corinna when she'd been assigned permanently to Cyrus' staff. It had mostly served as a place that was safe for Lyle and her to meet no matter what the other's current cover might be. Now it was a safe haven from the Centre and the agency for Corinna and Parker. Too tired to eat, both stumbled into their respective bedrooms.

Parker closed her door, dropped her bag and sank onto the bed. She was unaffected by being in a strange place; the years of chasing Jarod half way around the globe had made her impervious to feeling displaced no matter where she was. Growing more tired by the second, Parker leaned back against the pillows, her low energy level starting to make her silk pants suit seem like an attractive pajama option. She was just about to drift off when she curled instinctively onto her side and her eyes fell on a picture that told her instantly who's room it was she was borrowing.

She and Thane-the picture had clearly been culled from the Centre's security cameras during one of Parker's lunchtime visits to her little bro...to her nephew's nursery. The baby was laughing as Parker held him up and smiled up at him.

Suddenly wide awake, Parker sat up and took the picture in hand, looking closely at her own face in it's stolen image. No hint of what was to come...of the revelation of secrets, of the change in allegiances that had put her on such a new and dangerous path, not that her old one had been so secure. Lightly, her fingers glanced over the sweet face of the little boy she held in the photo, her heart suddenly aching for him and yet feeling absolute relief that he was in California, far from the Centre's clutches. If she could do anything meaningful with her life, she would make certain he remained so.

And what was Lyle doing now, she wondered? Was he missing his son? The son he had so rarely been able to see or hold.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Parker wanted very much to speak to her brother, but she knew she could not. There was no reason her "captor" Jarod would let her call her brother, so any contact between them right now, at least initiated by her, would alert the Centre to something being amiss. No, better to let them keep thinking she was being dragged around the country by Jarod with her "little brother" in tow.

Still, she thought as she finally stood and stripped out of her clothes, she wished she could talk to him. Climbing into bed, Parker couldn't fight off a slight flash of the nightmare that had woken her on the plane. Lyle was hurt and alone, and he was calling out to her and Thane, but no one was answering him. Shivering, Parker tried to push the image from her mind as sleep finally claimed her.

***

Cyrus' wanting to see for himself that Lyle was on top of the game did not disturb Lyle in the least. He was fully aware that he had given the Company plenty of reasons to mistrust him. There was no agenda for today's meeting; Cyrus just wanted to be sure that Lyle had one that was directly connected to his assignment.

Lyle was running late for their meeting and that did disturb him. He preferred being early so he couldn't be scrutinized as he entered a room or exited his car. Lyle swore under his breath as he pulled into the small roadside rest area. Cyrus had beaten him to the meeting and was leaning against his car with arms and legs casually crossed. Lyle parked so that the driver's side doors of the cars were facing. He checked his wristwatch as he pulled the keys out of the ignition. Five minutes till five; early but still a tick too late. He wondered if he should take this as an omen of the future; he put a smile on his face and hoped not.

"Not much traffic coming out of D.C. tonight?" he asked by way of greeting.

"I was in Alexandria most of the day. The meetings went better than expected so I got a good start." Cyrus blatantly examined Lyle until he was satisfied. "Nice makeup job, Lyle. Any comments on it or the shiner it's covering?"

"It's The Centre; a little cover-up is par for the day. My father was more interested in ripping my face off than looking at it. The only other person I let get near me was Cox, and he's a whole lot weirder than makeup."

Cyrus nodded. "Are you okay?"

Lyle leaned against his car and imitated Cyrus' stance. He moved carefully to hide his persistent back pain. "Fine, just cosmetic damage. I'm putting off the plastic surgery until I need a new identity."

"That's good to hear and not what I meant."

"I'm fine as long as Thane and my sister are safe. Jarod's on our side; all's right with the world."

Cyrus nodded again. "I take it that your father still doesn't trust you enough to allow you access to all the files we need?"

"No, and he probably won't, not in the new timeframe. I have a couple other options. Broots can be put on it if absolutely necessary, and he already showed me a few little tricks.

"Dad is going out of town in a week or so. I'm sure I'll be watched, but I'll have a bit more freedom to cruise the sublevels."

"What about what's his name...ah, Angelo?"

"We're not exactly the best of friends. I've made sure he kept his distance. If he ever guessed the truth, he might have blown everything. Besides that," Lyle cleared his throat, "he gives me the creeps."

"Just a thought."

"I'll keep it in mind. Anything else?"

"No."

"Then this was a productive day for you?"

"Very gratifying."

Lyle smiled, "I'll be in touch with Corinna when it's safe. In the meantime, she knows how to reach me."

Cyrus pushed himself upright. "Be careful, Lyle, but remember the timetable is absolute. We have enough to shut the doors on The Centre now, but the Director wants the place to implode and all the branches sucked into the vacuum."

They parted ways.

Cyrus hit speed dial on his cellular a mile down the road.

Tucker Channing answered on the second ring. "Yes."

"Lyle says, 'All's right with the world.'"

"Should I take that to mean he really is functioning as promised?"

"By the looks of him, he and Jarod came to terms by pummeling each other, but they did come to terms. He's definitely on the job."

"And the timeline?"

"There are still access problems, but Lyle is confident. He has options."

"I have a meeting with the Director; he'll be happy to hear that. A lot is on the line. Keep me updated."

"Will do." Cyrus cut the call. He drove on thinking about the culmination of years of work and worrying about what would happen to the players afterward.

***

Tucker went to her meeting with empty hands. The Director preferred it that way. His office was microwave hardened and he wanted no extraneous objects brought into the room. Tucker suspected all incoming traffic was x-rayed. A few of her Agency acquaintances said he was conspiracy crazy, but Tucker knew he needed to be. And she knew too much.

Tucker had ambition; she had fought hard to climb through the government's glass ceiling before it was acknowledged. Ambition had gotten her where she was today, and it had gotten her deeper than she wanted. But she forged on because the Director dangled the carrot of the position she really wanted, his.

She hit the elevator button to take her up. When had Peter Karnes become "the" Director? When had that title with a capital letter become synonymous with only him? It had, and some people took it as a joke, but Karnes was not joking. His ambitions ran far beyond the Agency and now Tucker was along for the ride.

The Director's secretary was absent so Tucker knocked on his inner door and looked at the visible surveillance camera while she waited for admission. She knew for a fact that there were several other, unauthorized, cameras in this area and his meeting room. She also knew that his inner office was swept daily to make sure there were no surveillance devices in it at all.

Karnes opened the door himself; as expected the Director was the only person in the room. He was silent until he sat at his desk. "Channing, what did Carver have to say?"

Tucker was not surprised that he knew about Cyrus' call. "The situation is stable and everything is moving along. The timetable is a problem. Lyle has been unable to establish the degree of trust we hoped for. He's exploring alternatives."

"Is there any way of moving in one of our other players?"

"Miss St. John is following possible leads outside The Centre."

"She certainly won't find anyone willing or able to talk about Centre misdoings. They clean up their leaks quite well.

"Cyrus wasn't specific," Tucker replied, her tone staying even. "It's probably some piece of information from Lyle or his sister. Corinna might find the break we need...but she'll give it to Lyle."

"Just how expendable is Lyle?"

"Not expendable. Lyle is our main inside operative. No one but him could get even this close to the Chairman. Sacrificing him at this point would gain nothing."

"How expendable?" the Director asked again.

Tucker was silent.

The Director continued, "If Lyle cannot deliver, we need options. Removing him from the equation may provide a better outcome."

"I disagree. Jarod wouldn't interfere; he hates Lyle. But Lyle's sister and St. John might become difficult, and if Miss Parker is endangered Jarod would become a major problem."

"St. John can be replaced. Lyle has marginal potential value. But Jarod and Miss Parker are essential to our future. Avoid damaging either of them." What about the Parker baby?"

"He's fine," Tucker remarked, "hidden somewhere outside The Centre."

"Do we need to search for him?"

"No, he's safe, and enough people know his whereabouts that we can find him when we need to."

"Good. Then I'll leave the details to you for now. As soon as any new information's in our hands I want to know."

The Director paused, looking at her as though evaluating her for the first time. "By the way, I have someone who wants to meet you, the man who convinced me there were benefits to preserving certain Centre projects rather than dismantling everything. He's pleased with your work, and I assume he wants to tell you so himself. I'll let you know when and where." He began to turn, "And Channing, if Lyle even hints at being a problem, cut your losses."

With that, the Director turned his back to her and Tucker was dismissed.

***

The drive back to Lyle's condominium, after the meeting, was short, but it seemed endless to Lyle. The constant ache in his back became a deep burning pain that spread to his right side and ribs. It hurt like the devil; and at one point he felt that he was on the verge of blacking out.

Lyle parked the car and kept himself erect by force of will, only doubling over when the door to his home closed behind him. Bracing himself against the wall, he made it to the bathroom. He was hardly surprised to see that his urine was bright red with blood. He found himself lying on the bathroom floor a few moments later. Lyle checked his watch; he had not been out for long. He lay on the floor and waited.

After some time the pain seemed to improve and Lyle was able to sit up, braced against the sink. Trying to stand up was not an option, so he turned, kneeling, to face the sink and splashed cold water on his face. He drank a couple glasses of water just to see what would happen. They stayed down and the dizziness improved. He tried to stand again, but vertigo forced him to crawl to his bed.

He already knew what was wrong; had since the day after the fight. He'd seen blood on his first trip to the bathroom that morning but had not wanted to worry anyone; more important things were happening. He had hoped the bleeding would clear up on its own. Later that day, he had accessed a symptoms database on the Internet, and self-diagnosed a bruised kidney. Conservative treatment was usual and it should have improved by itself. By today's episode he suspected something a bit more serious was wrong. Should he call somebody? No, it was better to die here than get anyone outside The Centre involved. He rolled himself into a ball and waited.

He spent the majority of the night worrying about what would happen to Thane if he died right now. As long as The Centre existed, neither his son nor his sister would ever be safe. His best hope was that Jarod would go off the deep end someday and blow the place up. He tried not to smile at the vision of Jarod blowing up with the Centre.

***

In a motel room 1,700 miles away, Jarod spread out the items he'd brought with him: baby bottles, formula cans, some of which he partially emptied or emptied completely, diapers (he'd stumbled upon a unique mixture of baby foods, bacteria and chemicals to formulate "pretend" baby poop - the sweepers were going to love it), blankets, baby powder and clothes. After he was done with that, he grabbed another bag, this one containing several items of clothing that Parker had reluctantly surrendered to him. He almost smiled, remembering her scowl as he'd told her the sweepers would expect some "personal" items. If looks could have killed...

Still, he didn't smile. There was too much at stake right now for him to find much humor in the present situation. He'd put trust in Lyle, a risky proposition if there ever was one, he'd left Parker alone with a stranger and he'd promised not to interfere. Worse, he'd made the promise to her...and there would be hell to pay if he went back on it, he knew that. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't be watching Lyle like a hawk. One slip up, and Jarod was prepared to swoop in and settle everything in his own way.

Happy with the lair he'd created, Jarod set the timer for the lights and then exited. It would take a few days for the Centre to find this place. Just enough time for that chemical and baby food mixture to really settle in.

***

By morning the faintness and pain in Lyle's back were bearable. He even managed to stand after three attempts and made it to the bathroom. Lyle took the hottest shower he could tolerate and popped half a dozen pain pills.

While choosing the designer suit of the day, Lyle thought about the secret room behind the closet, and shed it duplicated. He shivered as he remembered one particularly bad beating, when he'd had similar pain on his left side and the same kind of bleeding. Lyle Bowman had locked him in the shed and he thought he was going to die there. He ran fevers for days and had been too weak for chores, earning him no medical attention, and another round of beatings. But he had survived; he could tough this out, too.

Lyle dressed and returned to The Centre.

Lyle got to his office and was informed that Sydney and Broots had returned. He immediately went to Sydney's office.

"Well, Sydney, how was the latest hunting trip?" Lyle asked as he walked in the door, masking their new understanding with his expected attitude.

"You might know, Mr. Lyle, it appears you are the one who sent us on a false trail." Sydney looked closely, trying to detect any difference.

"Sydney, how could you say that? I'm wounded." He smirked and placed a hand over his heart.

"You know that you have interfered with our finding Jarod."

"Plan to blame all your failures on me? Your record of Jarod-finding is unimpressive up to now. I didn't need you muddying the trail to Ethan."

"Jarod has your sister and the baby."

"My sister can take care of herself. And do-gooder Jarod would never harm an innocent little child. Besides, Mr. Cox is assigned to the search for Parker and my little brother."

"Mr. Cox?"

"Yes. If you're that worried about my sister perhaps you should wish him luck...and stay out of his way.

"You can keep searching for Jarod or just sit on your thumbs; the outcome's the same--a waste of Centre money." Lyle turned to go. "I, on the other hand," he waggled his left hand, "have every intention of locating Ethan. And since my sister isn't here to baby-sit you two, you report to me. If you get any messages from Jarod, I want to see them 10 seconds after you do."

"As you wish, Mr. Lyle."

"You'd better hope things go as I wish." Lyle added as he walked out of the door.

***

Lyle felt a surge of relief as he rounded the corner and his office was in sight. He had pulled off the meeting. Sydney had not mentioned, and hopefully not noticed, his condition.

The hall seemed to lengthen and his vision began to tunnel. Damn it, damn it, not now, he thought. Lyle fought the need to lean on the wall, something added to the constant urge he felt to double over. Thank god, there was no one in the hall. He made it into his office, closed the door, and somehow ended up at his desk. He literally felt his way to his chair, then rested his head on his desk; everything went black.

Lyle regained consciousness to the sound of Sydney's voice, filled with concern.

"Lyle, Lyle, can you hear me?" This was followed by a slight shake and an order. "Talk to me, Lyle."

He attempted to lift his head but could not seem to make it obey. "I'm okay, Sydney. I'm okay. What do you want?"

"If you saw yourself you wouldn't need to ask that question." Sydney gently raised Lyle's head for a better look. "Your lips are colorless and you are blue around the eyes." He lifted an eyelid. "Even a layman could see that you are severely anemic. How much pain are you in?"

"Not bad; nothing I can't tolerate."

"Hmph. Do you think you can stand?"

Lyle tried. He managed a sitting position and nothing more.

"Apparently not." Sydney turned to another person in the room. "Broots, get a wheelchair from the Infirmary."

"Right away, Syd." Broots, always the master of unobtrusiveness, left immediately.

"No," Lyle said, his voice much softer than he intended, "no wheelchair, no Infirmary."

"We could take you directly to the morgue," Sydney paused for effect, "but how could I explain that to..." he lowered his voice, "Thane." He paused again. "You really have no choice."

Lyle tried to deny Sydney's words, but he could not. "All right." He lay his head back down on his arms and drifted in grayness until he felt Broots and Sydney lifting him by his arms. "How's this going to look? You helping me?"

"Appearances be damned," Sydney murmured. "Can you sit up?"

"Yes," and he did.

Lyle hung onto consciousness until Broots pushed him into the Infirmary and they got him onto a table. Lying prone improved his alertness but exacerbated his pain.

Broots quickly excused himself, mumbling something about checking a program. Sydney stood to one side, watching the on-duty physician examine Lyle. The sight of Lyle's side and back made Sydney wince. They were badly discolored. Lyle was obviously at the end of his stamina. He flinched and groaned when the physician palpated the area. The bruising was much more extensive than Sydney remembered from three days ago. He regretted not forcing Lyle to get a thorough examination immediately.

Lyle's cover story, a thwarted mugging in D.C., was noted by the doctor without comment. Sydney was familiar with the man treating Lyle and asked him to call his office when testing was complete. The doctor agreed. Lyle watched warily as the nurse drew blood, hung an IV, and injected morphine. His parting request to Sydney was "Don't tell anyone."

Sydney nodded in agreement. "I'll return later." And he left.

Broots anxiously waited in his office. "How bad is it, Sydney?"

"Bad, but Mr. Lyle is a survivor. Perhaps too stubborn for his own good, but I think he will be alright."

"Should we call...anybody?"

"Lyle prefers that no one else knows. We'll abide by his wishes...for the moment." Sydney turned his attention to paperwork. "I think it best that we attend to our own business." Broots took the cue and left. Sydney worked for a few minutes but soon found himself staring into space worrying about a man he thought he had come to hate.

Several hours later Sydney was called to the Infirmary for a report. The doctor was encouraging. "Mr. Lyle is badly injured but stable. The delay in treatment could have been, probably was, life threatening. If he had passed out at home or while driving he could be dead right now." The physician shook his head. "Apparently," he consulted the chart, "three days ago Mr. Lyle was beaten and knocked down a flight of stairs by a would-be mugger. During the fight he suffered a few surface contusions and abrasions. More seriously, he also sustained fractures of the 11th and 12th ribs and probable fractures to the transverse processes of three lumbar vertebrae. None of the fractures is displaced, which is fortunate because we could be talking about paralysis or a punctured lung at the moment. He is very anemic." He looked at Sydney emphatically.

Sydney nodded. "There's internal bleeding?"

"Not as extensive as I feared. His right kidney is badly contused; on CT scan a small tear is appreciated." He held up a transparency and pointed out the tear. "The bleeding was relatively slow and intermittent. It's stopped for the moment. Mr. Lyle was very lucky."

Sydney smiled at the thought of Lyle and lucky in the same sentence. "Treatment?"

"Conservative. Total bed rest. Repeat CT in three and seven days. If the bleeding continues or worsens, or he becomes septic, immediate surgery. That's where the problem lies." The doctor paused. Sydney focused his attention on another CT transparency that the doctor presented. "Mr. Lyle's left kidney is completely nonfunctional. When I questioned him, he spoke about a sports injury and infection when he was in high school.

"He refused the transfusion I recommended, and is resistant to staying here. I would appreciate it if you would talk to him, convince him of the necessity of compliance. If I'm forced to remove that kidney, Mr. Lyle will be my first dialysis patient. I would rather not explain that to the Chairman." The doctor was visibly concerned.

Sydney reassured him, "I will speak to him."

Sydney brushed aside the curtain and entered Lyle's cubicle. The man on the bed was pale but peaceful. "Lyle?"

Lyle opened his eyes, instantly alert. "Hello, Syd. Don't think this means that you don't have to keep me updated on Jarod and Ethan, and of course, my sister and little brother."

"You need complete relaxation for the next two weeks."

"Can't relax. Things to do, places to go."

"Traveling will be more difficult hooked to a dialysis machine."

Lyle studied Sydney's expression. "That serious?"

"Yes. You cannot afford to be cavalier about this. Listen to the doctors."

"If I'm a good little boy, everything will be fine?"

Sydney knew better than to reply.

"Funny, that never worked before." Lyle held up a hand. "Before you pull out the trump card, I'm properly scared and I will stay down. One week not two. Agreed?"

"We will see," Sydney replied. Lyle nodded and closed his eyes. Sydney left him to his rest.

***

Corinna had just pulled dinner out of the oven when she heard Parker
let loose with a string of profanity that would have made a Flatbush streethustler blush. Dishing up the casserole, Corinna quickly scooped up two plates and headed for the living room.

"What happened?"

"Jarod, what else?" Parker ended the statement by standing up, crumpling up a piece of paper and hurling it against the far wall.

"Parker, what's wrong?"

"I just got done reading through all of his notes about the things he found in my mother's safety deposit boxes. The nerve of that man! You should see some of the things he's kept from me. She was my mother, damn it."

Corinna sat down and took a bit of her casserole. As she chewed, she watched Parker pace back and forth on the side of the couch, her irritation with Jarod a palpable force in the room. Yep, the stride was the same as Lyle's, getting shorter and more clipped as her anger grew. I guess those twin studies aren't far off, Corinna thought to herself. They have no idea how much alike they are.

"Your dinner is getting cold."

The words found there way to Parker's ears, but they didn't mean anything to her just then. She was too upset and too frustrated.

"I thought that the safety deposit box locations weren't on the list of places we were checking." The statement was Corinna's next attempt at conversation. This one met with more success.

"They aren't, but what he found in them is what he used to come up with his suggestions of places we should look for the DSA. He's had her diary for four years, Corinna. Four years!"

The last words brought a sense of surrender to Parker's movement, and she returned to her seat on the couch and picked up her fork. She began to idly play with her dinner.

"He really gets to you, doesn't he?"

Had Parker seen the smile on Corinna's face, she might have been less inclined to give the response she did, but since she hadn't, she didn't know that Corinna was once again comparing brother to sister. Their mutual annoyance at the man called Jarod was another common thread.

"Yes, he does, damn it, and I hate it."

With that, Parker finally attacked her meal. She was suddenly starving and she cleared her plate as the two sat in an easy silence. Finished, Parker leaned back on the couch. She looked over and saw Corinna relaxing, waiting for a time when she felt conversation could be picked up again.

"So," Corinna finally started, "do any of the ideas we came up with seem more likely to ante up the DSA than any others?"

Parker nodded. Several of the locations she, Jarod and Lyle had come up with in Los Angeles could be likely hiding places.

"I've got three likelies and two doubtful but maybes," Parker announced. "We still have to check the others, too, but I think we can head there last."

Corinna stood up and took both of their now empty plates. "Then I guess we should get to work."

Nodding, Parker grabbed her laptop and turned it on. Within minutes she was on a travel website checking plane departure and arrival times for a trip to Southampton, Long Island.

***

Lyle spent three days in an Infirmary bed with nothing to do. He was more than ready to leave, but a couple of things kept him from ripping out the IV and walking out the door.

Mental willingness notwithstanding, Lyle was fairly sure he would not make it to the door. He felt no stronger than the day he was admitted. The pain was better. He had been able to forgo the morphine since yesterday, but the vertigo remained. He had blustered, sweet talked, and finally whined his nurse into letting him out of bed long enough to avoid the indignity of the bedpan. If she ever found out how close he came to passing out during those little walks he would need a gun to get past her again.

The other reason, which Lyle would never admit, was that he was scared. He had no particular fear of death, although he suspected that, as Queen sang, Beelzebub has a devil put aside for him. Four years ago he would not have cared if he lived or died, but somewhere along the line he had found a sister and a half-brother, fathered a son, and acquired responsibility for their safety. What Lyle feared was letting them down. If he died before The Centre was destroyed, it would be the ultimate failure.

Today's CT scan showed little improvement. The bleeding had stopped, at least for the moment. The doctor warned against overconfidence. He patiently explained what would happen if his kidney ruptured, or a clot cut off circulation, or the tear just continued to seep blood. The kidney or Lyle himself could die, and his plans with him. So Lyle decided to suck it up and listen to the doctor. He thought of his sister and smiled. Wouldn't Parker be proud? If she knew, which she never would - as long if Sydney kept his word - unless she was looking for him, unless she needed him and he was not there for her, or dead because he did not listen to the doctor. It was a circular argument.

Sydney had stopped to check on him the day after his collapse, and Lyle made the older doctor reiterate his promise not to tell anyone outside The Centre what was happening. Sydney also promised to update him periodically, instantly if anything vital changed.

If Sydney wavered, Lyle had a marker to call. When Sydney was blind and being taunted by Raines in Renewal Wing, Lyle had come to his rescue. Sydney, one of the men who failed to protect him and the other children, who knowingly participated in the Pretender Project, owed him big. Contrary to Parker's assumption that Syd had sold his soul in exchange for freedom, their agreement was that Sydney would keep Parker safe and as far from the truth as possible. Sydney had kept little of the past from Parker; it just kept slithering out of every little Centre crack. He still owed Lyle one unquestioned favor, so Lyle felt he could relax, for today.

The feeling of relaxation ended when Mr. Parker entered Lyle's room. "What the Hell's going on? What are you doing in here? I had to find out from your assistant when I sent for you."

Lyle lifted an eyebrow, "Sent for me?"

"I, we, got a call from Jarod this morning."

Lyle perked up, "What did he say? Any mention of Ethan?"

"Nothing useful, just taunting me. I'm having the call analyzed for clues and background noises. It was foolish of you to think you could keep something like this from me, Lyle, I'm your father. Surely I've proven myself by all the things I've done for you."

"You've proven yourself."

"So I want to know what happened. The doctor said you were mugged?"

"That's what I told him. Knocked down a flight of steps."

"Foolish to put yourself in danger, that's what sweepers are for. When do you get out?"

"Not for a few days."

"Well, I'll send you a report on the call. You're keeping up with things, aren't you?"

"Not exactly. The doctor was pretty adamant about resting."

"That won't do. Gotta keep a hand in. I'll see you get all the reports. Can't have you gathering dust, no good for you, no good for us. Too much is at stake."

Lyle mumbled, "Better than pushing up daisies."

Mr. Parker was backing from the room, a smile on his face, his attention already elsewhere. "I have to get moving. I'll stop around again as soon as I can. Lots happening, lots to do, lots to keep an eye on. Gotta keep the Triumvirate appeased till we can give them what they want. Get up and around fast, eh? Remember you're a Parker."

Lyle bit back on the reply that bubbled to his lips--I wish to God I wasn't. He kept his silence and smiled as the man he called "Dad" left the room. He doubted he would be getting many more "personal" visits.

Lyle's estimation of Mr. Parker's visits was correct. The elder Parker popped in only once over the next several days and carried on a cell phone conversation the entire time he was there. Sydney was more faithful, stopping every day until he had to leave town on a Jarod hunt triggered by the trace Mr. Parker had put on Jarod's earlier phone call.

The report that came back on the Jarod incident did much to make Lyle chuckle. Jarod had done his part and then some. The sweepers had reported a hideous odor that could only have come from well-used diapers left far too long in a trash can as well as many other baby and Parker-related effects. The sweepers, along with Sydney and Broots, had concluded there could be no other possibility but that "the Pretender is, in fact, planning to keep Miss Parker and the infant with him for some time."

Just imaging the fury that quote would bring to the faces of Misters Parker and Cox made Lyle feel better than any medicine ever could.

***

A CT scan marking the seventh day of Lyle's stay in the Centre Infirmary showed that the kidney laceration was slowly healing. It also showed a spot that could be infection. The doctor was concerned because Lyle was still anemic and had been running an intermittent fever for the past two days, so he prescribed IV antibiotics.

Lyle was sitting up in bed reading the report on Jarod's latest pretend. There was not a hint of information on Ethan in the file. Jarod had left copious evidence that he still had custody of Parker and the baby. More empty formula and juice cans, ripe diapers and, for added effect, leg shackles were found in the latest lair. Sydney and the sweepers were two days behind Jarod. In other words, status quo.

Mr. Parker strode into Lyle's room, full of bon mot and power. "Well Lyle, m'boy, how're ya doin? When do I see you back at work?" He noticed the new IV attached to Lyle's arm. "What's going on? I thought you were improving."

Lyle frowned up at the IV bag. "Antibiotics. The doctor didn't like something on the CT."

"Well this won't do. You've been lying around too long. Nothing keeps a Parker down; there's work to be done. I'll just have to go talk to that doctor. We'll spring you outta' here, don't you worry." He slapped Lyle jovially on the shoulder and bustled out of the room.

"Nice of you to visit. Don't want to keep you," Lyle muttered. The truth was that he was stir-crazy. If Jarod wanted him to gain appreciation of what he had gone through, he could not have chosen a better way. Lyle needed to get out of this place. He needed to be able to move, and search for the information the CIA required.

The doctor entered Lyle's room ten minutes later, frowning and rattled, "Mr. Parker says that you want to be discharged. He demands it."

Lyle smiled, "Does that mean you're releasing me?"

"No, I disagreed, but I was overruled. You will stay until all that IV is in. You will be chauffeured home. No driving. You take oral antibiotics as prescribed. You work half-days and stop in here before and after work."

"Is that all, Herr Doktor?"

"Any vertigo, if you even feel like your blood pressure is dropping, any bleeding, any sharp pain, you get your butt in here. And if that fever does not disappear in 48 hours, you'll be back in that bed with another IV."

"Sounds reasonable. My father agreed to all this?"

"He's not happy about the half-days but I convinced him. I want to keep you alive."

"Nice to know somebody does." The doctor was not amused.

Lyle made a major effort to be compliant over the next four days. His fever disappeared and he had no pain or bleeding. The most trying part of the recuperation was not checking on Parker. He knew she must be wondering why he hadn't called, but he had nothing to report except his medical problems, and he did not want her to worry about those.

On the fifth day Mr. Parker called him into his office.

***

Looking in the mirror, Parker realized that the person that was staring back was unrecognizable. A straight nose, sculpted cheekbones, green eyes and a crown of red hair, her own little pretend as it were. For two weeks, she had downplayed her attractiveness, wore little or no makeup and hid behind these props to protect herself and her family as she followed the tracks of her mother's past in an effort to secure the future. Reaching up carefully, Parker removed the wig, and folded it neatly before placing it on the bathroom counter. She quickly removed her green contact lenses, then headed out of the room.

Tired, Parker walked toward her bed and sat down on the edge of it. Her eyes darted toward the phone, then away again. She had to admit, she was a little surprised that she hadn't heard from Lyle. She and Corinna were beginning to worry that the silence might indicate a foiled attempt to convince Mr. Parker of his loyalty. To assuage her worry, she'd called California on her secure cell phone to check on Thane at least once a day. Hearing that her nephew was happy and well made it easier to forge ahead despite her worry about her brother.

As these thoughts were making the rounds in her mind, Parker's cell phone rang. She reached for it and brought the phone to her ear.

"What?"

"Still the gentle voice of..."

"Well, if it isn't Mary Poppins," she said, stifling a yawn. "So why the call?"

"I'm going to offer you some help," Jarod said, putting Parker instantly on the alert.

"What sort of help?"

"Don't get nervous on me, Miss Parker. It's a small thing, really. A computer program designed to target all the banks that your mother might have had access to on the East coast. I e-mailed you the exe file."

She wanted to tell him that reminding her of his knowledge of her mother's past, knowledge he'd kept from her except when he saw fit to dole it out, was probably not the smartest thing he could have done, but she was really not in the mood for him and she just wanted to get off the phone.

"Actually, I'm really beginning to believe that it's all nothing but a wild goose chase.

"Is the great huntress getting a little tired?"

Parker stifled the reply that wanted to jump out of her gut. Why the hell was he trying to bait her?

"So is that all you wanted, Jarod, to tell me about this program?"

"Not really..."

She groaned. Of course not. It couldn't have been that easy. "What else?"

"I just...I wanted to tell you to trust in yourself and use your inner sense, Parker. It won't deceive you. It just might lead you to the truth. You can't be afraid of it."

"I'm not afraid," she snapped at him just a bit too quickly.

"Are you sure? Seems to me that you've been surrounded by despots and liars of all sorts for so many years, that maybe you're afraid you wouldn't recognize the truth it if it jumped up in front of you."

She wanted to scream at him, to swear at him. Instead Parker once again fought for control. "I have a full-time shrink in residence, Jarod, but thanks anyway."

Silence came from the other end of the line, and Parker thought she was about to get out of the tedious conversation when Jarod's voice chimed in again.

"By the way, have you or Corinna heard from Lyle, or has he reverted to type now that he's gotten you out of the Centre?" The implied 'and out of his way' remained unspoken.

That was the proverbial last straw. He wasn't getting away with that, not when she was sitting here worried sick about her brother.

"Jarod, nobody asked for you to be involved in this, you know? You, as always, barged in uninvited and where you were not welcome. Feel free to bail out anytime." There was enough ice in her voice to push the season forward by months. The receiver was away from her ear and almost back into the cradle when she heard his voice.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

That got her attention. She brought the receiver back up.

"I realize I'm exhausted, but did I just hear the almighty Jarod apologize?"

"Just check your computer," Jarod said, and then he was gone.

Parker let out a loud Argh! as she slammed the phone down. She'd been ready to kill him one second then ready to forgive him when he'd uttered his barely audible apology. But even that was too simple for them. Instead of acknowledging that he'd been a creep, Jarod had done what he always did, ended the conversation on his terms.

Thinking back over the conversation, Parker felt herself growing even angrier. Sure, he'd called to help her, but then he'd had to get his dig in on her brother, hadn't he? Why was he like that?

No, she told herself, she wasn't doing this. She had work to do. Yet even as she moved off the bed and headed for the living room to start working, his words skipped and jumped through her mind like small unruly animals. She tried to focus, but she could not dismiss them. Or him. That man! And that thought made her even angrier. Why was she thinking about him? She was supposed to be focusing on saving her family. It was ridiculous that he should affect her so strongly.

And yet...

And yet she could not rid herself of his voice, his face, his presence, the trio working on her like garden tools on firm earth, digging and hoeing and shoveling, breaking up her resistance with their sharp edges, with their implacable certainty. How did he manage that, when no one else could?

No, she would not do this, Parker told herself. She was stronger than him, stronger than his ability to provoke her emotions. Taking a steadying breath, Parker turned and grabbed the laptop that Jarod had supplied her with before they had left California. She ignored his name in her thoughts and turned the computer on. After making herself comfortable on the couch, she thought about her next course of action.

Maybe she would download the program that Jarod had called to tell her about. If it helped in locating her mother's missing DSA, then she couldn't let her anger at Ja---, at him get the best of her. And finding the DSA would certainly cheer her up. The list of dead ends she and Corinna had pursued read like a laundry list of small east coast enclaves. One more bed and breakfast and folksy, hi-y'all inn keeper, and Parker might be ready to turn herself into Renewal Wing.

The screen came to life, and she scrolled down the new messages. There it was. A few strokes of the keyboard and computer chips began to process and analyze with blinding speed. The download screen indicated it would be 13 minutes till the program was completely installed.

Thirteen hours later, Parker was still sitting there in front of her computer. She had kept going out of sheer determination, out of stubbornness and out of certainty that if she stopped, she'd lose the momentum her anger had built up in her. Despite the stiffness starting to make itself very much known in her back and shoulders, Parker wasn't going to give into fatigue and tension, not when the voice inside of her was so firm and compelling. What had Jarod said, she needed to trust her inner sense? Well, her inner sense certainly trusted Jarod.

All Parker had to do was close her eyes and listen. The voice insisted she do as Jarod had told her to do, to trust in herself. And really, wasn't that was all she had to rely on, her mother's voice at work inside her, giving her direction, leading her at last, hopefully, to the answers they all needed so they could be free. They just had to hope that there were no other unexpected twists and turns to come.

***

The Director was physically unremarkable, slightly taller than average, medium build with dark blonde hair. There was nothing you could put your finger on, nothing to draw unwanted attention, but there was something attractive about him. A touch of gray was making its way through his sideburns and he used reading glasses; these were the only signs of age. Tucker Channing had never seen him do anything physical but all his movements hinted of strength. He delegated well and conducted meetings with an assured style that gave a mere glimpse of his personal power, but he remained aloof. He barely spoke to her, or anyone, in the halls. When he did talk, people listened.

Tucker was slightly concerned. This was the first time Peter Karnes had asked her to meet him outside his CIA office. Tonight's meeting was at Rock Creek Park, just outside DC. The Director had not stated any reasons but Tucker knew it was more important than an update on the "seemingly stalled" Centre project.

The Director sat in his Town Car until Tucker had parked and exited hers. He got out and stood beside his car, compelling her to come to him. As she walked toward him she noted that he was not alone. Another man still sat in the car. She became more concerned.

The Director spoke first. "I brought someone I would like to introduce to you."

Tucker relaxed slightly; Karnes had mentioned another player.

The other man exited the Town Car and walked toward them. He was shorter than Karnes, slighter, and had more gray. He wore a friendly smile, but even in the low evening light, Tucker could see that it did not extend to his eyes.

When the man reached them the Director placed a hand lightly on his back. "This is Alex Renfro. A man with the vision to see the potential of Centre projects fulfilled under the proper direction."

Renfro immediately took over the conversation. "The Centre has brilliant scientists, mathematicians, computer specialists and 'thinkers,' what they call pretenders. You may have thought that Jarod was the only one, but there are others with lesser degrees of talent. They can mold the future of the world, cure diseases, and find the answers we need to survive what we've done to this planet.

"We cannot allow that knowledge, or the mechanisms that produced it, to disappear. What we can do is take the information out of the Marketplace, manage it properly, and make it available to those that really need it, the people, the world."

"You're preaching to the choir," Tucker replied, still uneasy.

"I just want to make sure that you understand the implications, what's at stake. Because there may come a time when you don't like some of the means we need to use to attain our goals."

"Overthrowing The Centre has been a CIA goal for years."

"A long-term and rather ethereal goal. If Clinton hadn't gotten involved through that idiot brother-in-law of his and his more unsavory connections, it would still be sitting on the backburner."

"What about the President?"

"He is more concerned with...personal problems."

"And Gore?" Tucker asked.

"He's trying to set up a Presidential Campaign. He wants The Centre taken care of before they can become an issue. He has plenty of those already. And he doesn't care to know details. At this point, what he doesn't know won't hurt him or us. And after this thing is done...it has a title now. Did you know? M3. After M3's done, he can take credit for it. It will seal victory for him and us."

"Karnes tells me he brought you into this project because you have the ability to think and work outside the box," Renfro continued. "Are you onboard?"

"Yes, there are things worth saving there." Something in the back of her brain wanted to say no, but she was already in a too deep.

"You have personal operatives?" Renfro raised one eyebrow questioningly. "Can you trust their discretion?"

"Three, and they know the value of silence," was Tucker's reply.

"If they don't, they'll be taught. Find two more and, if necessary, I can loan you two. Karnes tells me you've lost track of young Master Parker."

"He's not exactly lost. At first we thought Jarod took him." Tucker noted that Renfro twitched at the mention of that name. "Now I've learned that Lyle has him hidden somewhere, supposedly far from The Centre. Lyle, his sister, St. John and Jarod apparently all know where the baby is."

"Tsk, tsk, too many people. The more people that know a secret, the less likely it will remain one." There was a snakelike charm to Renfro's voice. "It's essential we locate that baby. Does your friend Carver know?"

"No, and I doubt that he would have asked. He has a thing about protecting family."

"You have family?"

"Not really, the CIA, career, all that." Why was she telling him so much?

"Good. I don't need anybody interfering with M3 because of entimentality," he said, emphasizing 'anybody.' "I also need you to keep tabs on Jarod. We can't let him get in the way."

"I have an informant, in a manner of speaking"

Renfro nodded. "That's all for now." Renfro turned to the Director, "I'm satisfied," and back to Tucker, "We'll meet again, My Dear, M3 will succeed. Three's the charm."

The "My Dear" sent chills down her spine, and she was positive that Renfro noticed it. His smile broadened as he returned to his seat on the opposite side of the car.

The Director straightened up, changing his position from that of leaning against the car. "I'll give you the name of two analysts we can trust. He means it about the Parker baby, but especially about Jarod. Make sure this doesn't come crashing down around our ears." With that the Director got in the Town Car and drove away.




Whew! I don't know about anyone else, but I'm exhausted (that's Niceole talking).