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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Hayley
Ten
Melanie-Anne
January 7
Somewhere on the road to Blue Cove
The children were upset.
When Lyle had said he was leaving them for a while, Jason had clung to him and begged him to stay. He'd thrown a tantrum but Lyle had stayed firm. Hayley had just gone quiet, and when Lyle had said goodbye, he'd seen her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. He'd hugged her, but she'd been stiff in his arms. He'd promised that he'd only be gone a short time, and hoped that was the truth.
They would be safe in the meantime. He trusted Anna with his life. She would look after them.
Anna was the one part of his life he'd managed to keep hidden from the Centre. She'd known him when he was still Bobby Bowman and, for a long time, she'd been the only friend he had. One day she'd arrived at school with a black eye. The next time her father hit her, Lyle had repaid him in kind. She had saved his life once too, but then he became Mr. Lyle and decided it would be in her best interest if he stayed away from her.
But he'd never forgotten her, or what she had done for him.
*
Sydney's House
Blue Cove, Delaware
Broots sat in an armchair, nervously drumming his fingers on his legs. Both he and Sydney kept darting glances at the phone, willing it to ring.
An hour passed.
"Maybe he changed his mind," Broots suggested. "I mean, it's not like there's any love lost between him and Miss Parker."
Sydney shook his head. "No, I think he was telling the truth. I believe he does want to help."
"I don't know, Syd . . . Mr. Lyle just gives me the creeps."
Sydney regarded the younger man in silence. He leaned forward in his chair. "What did you find out about Hayley?"
Broots pulled a disc from his shirt pocket and moved to Sydney's computer. "She was born at the Triumvirate's facilities in Lesotho. Her mother died from complications just after the birth. Apparently she's got some telekinetic abilities—cool! She can move stuff—Hey, Syd. Here's a picture." Broots looked up, his eyes wide. "She looks a lot like Miss Parker. You don't think—"
"She's Lyle's daughter."
Broots fell silent. He returned his gaze to the computer screen. "Okay. Well, now things are starting to make sense. Except—" He looked at the DSA case leaning against the wall and shifted uncomfortably.
"What's wrong?"
"I found something else." He took a DSA out of his pocket and passed it to Sydney, and waited.
Sydney opened the case and inserted the disc. He watched the scene unfold, his face impassive.
"What kind of man would hit his own child like that?" Broots asked.
"I didn't know then."
Sydney and Broots turned to the door in surprise. Neither had heard Lyle enter.
"Raines wanted her punished," Lyle continued. "I had to make it look real. I only found afterwards that she was mine."
"Where is she now?" Sydney peered past Lyle, as if he expected to see her standing there.
"She and Jason are safe. They're with a friend of mine. There's no way the Centre can find them."
Sydney nodded and gestured for Lyle to sit. "Angelo's the only one who could tell us anything about what happened. Jarod is on SL 20 under heavy guard. He's still trying to track Miss Parker down."
"Jason said Jarod and Parker were planning to get them out. They would have succeeded too, if I hadn't gotten there first." Lyle stared down at his hands and sighed.
"Hey, hang on. Jarod and Miss Parker were working together? Syd, did you know about this?"
Sydney nodded slowly and now wished he'd told Broots before. "I knew they were seeing each other. Parker told me a few days ago, but I've suspected it for a while."
Broots' face reddened and he opened his mouth to speak, then abruptly closed it again. "And you withheld it from the T-Board. Maybe it's a good thing I didn't know."
Sydney smiled, relieved that there was no ill feeling between them. "So, Lyle, did you have a plan?"
*
January 8
The Renewal Wing
The Centre
Angelo peered through the air vent, shaking his head and mouthing, "No, no, no."
Parker lay still in a bed. There was a nurse in the room with her back to Angelo. She turned, giving him a glimpse of her profile. He smiled. He knew Hilde, Hilde was his friend. He pushed the cover of the vent open and slipped into the room.
"Angelo! What are you doing here?"
"Help Parker. Must help Parker."
Hilde shook her head. "Angelo, she needs to recuperate. She was shot, you know. Mr. Raines is . . . he's helping her get better."
Angelo shook his head. Hilde was wrong. Raines was hurting her. He had to make Hilde understand. His forehead creased in concentration, he managed to put a stilted sentence together. This was important. "Helping her . . . like . . . he helped . . . me."
"Angelo—"
"Raines hurts. Jarod can help." He grabbed her hand.
Hilde looked at Parker and sighed. She was about to betray her boss, and there would be no turning back. "He's busy re-educating her. You know what that means, don't you?"
Angelo nodded. But he had no doubt that Jarod would be able to fix things.
"Wait here," Hilde said. "I'll be right back."
While she was gone, Angelo laid his hand over Parker's and smiled. Everything was going to be okay.
Hilde returned with a plastic zip-lock bag of syringes and another one containing tiny bottles of painkillers and antibiotics. "Alright, listen carefully. You need to give her these every four hours. Do you know how to use a syringe?"
Angelo nodded.
Hilde touched Parker's shoulder, gently pinching her. "Miss Parker. Miss Parker, come on. Wake up."
The minute Parker opened her eyes, Angelo knew there was a problem.
*
SL 20
The last time Lyle had crawled through air vents was the night he'd escaped with the children. He'd never thought that he'd be doing the same to rescue Jarod.
Then again, these days he was doing a lot of things he'd never thought he would.
He wondered how Parker was and hoped Angelo had managed to find her. They had agreed on separate rescue missions only because Sydney was worried that Jarod might not withstand much more captivity. He'd felt that Parker was less of a risk, especially if her relationship with Jarod was still a secret. Lyle had his doubts about Parker's safety, but he kept quiet about them. In two days' time, it wouldn't matter. Both she and Jarod would be out and everything would be fine.
Lyle shone his torch on the map Angelo had given him. He looked back at Sydney. "We're almost there, I think."
Broots had the easy job, he thought. All he had to do was wait for a signal from Angelo, then take him, Parker and Debbie to Anna.
*
The Renewal Wing
"Am I going home?" Parker asked. Her head ached and her throat was dry. She had the feeling that something wasn't quite right, but ignored it. "Where's my father?"
Hilde looked at Angelo, then back at Parker. "Uh, Mr. Parker is dead."
Parker frowned. What was this woman talking about? And what was Angelo doing here? She tried to sit and winced as a pain tore through her abdomen.
Oh, yes. That's what had happened. That bastard had shot her! When she got her hands on him, he'd wish—
"Miss Parker, you don't have much time. You need to go with Angelo."
"Go where?" Her eyes narrowed. Something was definitely going on.
"To Jarod," Angelo said.
"Jarod?!" There was no way in hell she was going to Jarod without a loaded weapon. He'd shot her!
Angelo took her hand. "Jarod will help."
She scoffed. "I don't need his help."
Angelo dropped her hand as if her touch burned. "Too late . . . Raines hurt you."
"No. Jarod hurt me. He's the one who shot me—"
"No! Not Jarod!"
"Oh, come on. I was there. I think I should know who . . ." A flicker of doubt sprang to life in her mind. Her gut had never been wrong before, and it was telling her now that Jarod would never hurt her. She knew that, she'd always known it.
Jarod, stealing a kiss in an alley. Sharing a blanket in front of a fireplace. Murmured "I love you's."
What the hell was going on? That had never happened, had it?
Jarod's finger delicately tracing the scar tissue of her previous bullet wound. An argument about leaving. Breakfast in bed.
She looked at Angelo, confused and just a little bit frightened. "What's going on?"
"You're in the Renewal Wing," Hilde said, as if that explained everything.
And for Parker, it did. She was being re-educated. Something had happened and she had been sent here. Somehow, Angelo had managed to find out where she was before it was too late.
If her brother was behind this, there would be hell to pay.
She swung her legs over the edge of her bed and slowly stood. "Okay. Let's go."
Ten minutes later, she was following Angelo through the air vents when she felt something tear. She gasped at the sudden pain and pressed a hand to her side. When it came away wet and sticky, she knew she was in trouble. Crawling through air vents with a gunshot wound was stupid, but it was the only way out.
She hoped she made it that far.
"Angelo," she whispered. She was dizzy and thought she might pass out. "Ang—"
Barely conscious, she had no memory of Angelo half-dragging her the rest of the way out. Broots' horrified expression when he saw her stitches had ripped open. Debbie, asking what was going on. Changing cars a mile out of town.
She didn't remember Faith either, holding her hand and telling her she was going to be okay.
*
Near the Maryland/Delaware border
"Angelo, we need to get her to a hospital." Broots glanced at Parker in the rear view mirror. She was horribly pale and Broots was certain she would die before they got to Silver Springs.
"Too dangerous."
Angelo was right. If they went to a hospital, the Centre would find them. Broots glanced helplessly at the speedometer. He couldn't go any faster without the risk of being stopped by a cop.
As they crossed the border into Maryland, he realized that in all the confusion, he hadn't remembered to call Lyle. And now his phone was lying on the side of the road somewhere, thrown out of the window by Angelo who was worried about being traced.
Ten
Melanie-Anne
January 7
Somewhere on the road to Blue Cove
The children were upset.
When Lyle had said he was leaving them for a while, Jason had clung to him and begged him to stay. He'd thrown a tantrum but Lyle had stayed firm. Hayley had just gone quiet, and when Lyle had said goodbye, he'd seen her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. He'd hugged her, but she'd been stiff in his arms. He'd promised that he'd only be gone a short time, and hoped that was the truth.
They would be safe in the meantime. He trusted Anna with his life. She would look after them.
Anna was the one part of his life he'd managed to keep hidden from the Centre. She'd known him when he was still Bobby Bowman and, for a long time, she'd been the only friend he had. One day she'd arrived at school with a black eye. The next time her father hit her, Lyle had repaid him in kind. She had saved his life once too, but then he became Mr. Lyle and decided it would be in her best interest if he stayed away from her.
But he'd never forgotten her, or what she had done for him.
*
Sydney's House
Blue Cove, Delaware
Broots sat in an armchair, nervously drumming his fingers on his legs. Both he and Sydney kept darting glances at the phone, willing it to ring.
An hour passed.
"Maybe he changed his mind," Broots suggested. "I mean, it's not like there's any love lost between him and Miss Parker."
Sydney shook his head. "No, I think he was telling the truth. I believe he does want to help."
"I don't know, Syd . . . Mr. Lyle just gives me the creeps."
Sydney regarded the younger man in silence. He leaned forward in his chair. "What did you find out about Hayley?"
Broots pulled a disc from his shirt pocket and moved to Sydney's computer. "She was born at the Triumvirate's facilities in Lesotho. Her mother died from complications just after the birth. Apparently she's got some telekinetic abilities—cool! She can move stuff—Hey, Syd. Here's a picture." Broots looked up, his eyes wide. "She looks a lot like Miss Parker. You don't think—"
"She's Lyle's daughter."
Broots fell silent. He returned his gaze to the computer screen. "Okay. Well, now things are starting to make sense. Except—" He looked at the DSA case leaning against the wall and shifted uncomfortably.
"What's wrong?"
"I found something else." He took a DSA out of his pocket and passed it to Sydney, and waited.
Sydney opened the case and inserted the disc. He watched the scene unfold, his face impassive.
"What kind of man would hit his own child like that?" Broots asked.
"I didn't know then."
Sydney and Broots turned to the door in surprise. Neither had heard Lyle enter.
"Raines wanted her punished," Lyle continued. "I had to make it look real. I only found afterwards that she was mine."
"Where is she now?" Sydney peered past Lyle, as if he expected to see her standing there.
"She and Jason are safe. They're with a friend of mine. There's no way the Centre can find them."
Sydney nodded and gestured for Lyle to sit. "Angelo's the only one who could tell us anything about what happened. Jarod is on SL 20 under heavy guard. He's still trying to track Miss Parker down."
"Jason said Jarod and Parker were planning to get them out. They would have succeeded too, if I hadn't gotten there first." Lyle stared down at his hands and sighed.
"Hey, hang on. Jarod and Miss Parker were working together? Syd, did you know about this?"
Sydney nodded slowly and now wished he'd told Broots before. "I knew they were seeing each other. Parker told me a few days ago, but I've suspected it for a while."
Broots' face reddened and he opened his mouth to speak, then abruptly closed it again. "And you withheld it from the T-Board. Maybe it's a good thing I didn't know."
Sydney smiled, relieved that there was no ill feeling between them. "So, Lyle, did you have a plan?"
*
January 8
The Renewal Wing
The Centre
Angelo peered through the air vent, shaking his head and mouthing, "No, no, no."
Parker lay still in a bed. There was a nurse in the room with her back to Angelo. She turned, giving him a glimpse of her profile. He smiled. He knew Hilde, Hilde was his friend. He pushed the cover of the vent open and slipped into the room.
"Angelo! What are you doing here?"
"Help Parker. Must help Parker."
Hilde shook her head. "Angelo, she needs to recuperate. She was shot, you know. Mr. Raines is . . . he's helping her get better."
Angelo shook his head. Hilde was wrong. Raines was hurting her. He had to make Hilde understand. His forehead creased in concentration, he managed to put a stilted sentence together. This was important. "Helping her . . . like . . . he helped . . . me."
"Angelo—"
"Raines hurts. Jarod can help." He grabbed her hand.
Hilde looked at Parker and sighed. She was about to betray her boss, and there would be no turning back. "He's busy re-educating her. You know what that means, don't you?"
Angelo nodded. But he had no doubt that Jarod would be able to fix things.
"Wait here," Hilde said. "I'll be right back."
While she was gone, Angelo laid his hand over Parker's and smiled. Everything was going to be okay.
Hilde returned with a plastic zip-lock bag of syringes and another one containing tiny bottles of painkillers and antibiotics. "Alright, listen carefully. You need to give her these every four hours. Do you know how to use a syringe?"
Angelo nodded.
Hilde touched Parker's shoulder, gently pinching her. "Miss Parker. Miss Parker, come on. Wake up."
The minute Parker opened her eyes, Angelo knew there was a problem.
*
SL 20
The last time Lyle had crawled through air vents was the night he'd escaped with the children. He'd never thought that he'd be doing the same to rescue Jarod.
Then again, these days he was doing a lot of things he'd never thought he would.
He wondered how Parker was and hoped Angelo had managed to find her. They had agreed on separate rescue missions only because Sydney was worried that Jarod might not withstand much more captivity. He'd felt that Parker was less of a risk, especially if her relationship with Jarod was still a secret. Lyle had his doubts about Parker's safety, but he kept quiet about them. In two days' time, it wouldn't matter. Both she and Jarod would be out and everything would be fine.
Lyle shone his torch on the map Angelo had given him. He looked back at Sydney. "We're almost there, I think."
Broots had the easy job, he thought. All he had to do was wait for a signal from Angelo, then take him, Parker and Debbie to Anna.
*
The Renewal Wing
"Am I going home?" Parker asked. Her head ached and her throat was dry. She had the feeling that something wasn't quite right, but ignored it. "Where's my father?"
Hilde looked at Angelo, then back at Parker. "Uh, Mr. Parker is dead."
Parker frowned. What was this woman talking about? And what was Angelo doing here? She tried to sit and winced as a pain tore through her abdomen.
Oh, yes. That's what had happened. That bastard had shot her! When she got her hands on him, he'd wish—
"Miss Parker, you don't have much time. You need to go with Angelo."
"Go where?" Her eyes narrowed. Something was definitely going on.
"To Jarod," Angelo said.
"Jarod?!" There was no way in hell she was going to Jarod without a loaded weapon. He'd shot her!
Angelo took her hand. "Jarod will help."
She scoffed. "I don't need his help."
Angelo dropped her hand as if her touch burned. "Too late . . . Raines hurt you."
"No. Jarod hurt me. He's the one who shot me—"
"No! Not Jarod!"
"Oh, come on. I was there. I think I should know who . . ." A flicker of doubt sprang to life in her mind. Her gut had never been wrong before, and it was telling her now that Jarod would never hurt her. She knew that, she'd always known it.
Jarod, stealing a kiss in an alley. Sharing a blanket in front of a fireplace. Murmured "I love you's."
What the hell was going on? That had never happened, had it?
Jarod's finger delicately tracing the scar tissue of her previous bullet wound. An argument about leaving. Breakfast in bed.
She looked at Angelo, confused and just a little bit frightened. "What's going on?"
"You're in the Renewal Wing," Hilde said, as if that explained everything.
And for Parker, it did. She was being re-educated. Something had happened and she had been sent here. Somehow, Angelo had managed to find out where she was before it was too late.
If her brother was behind this, there would be hell to pay.
She swung her legs over the edge of her bed and slowly stood. "Okay. Let's go."
Ten minutes later, she was following Angelo through the air vents when she felt something tear. She gasped at the sudden pain and pressed a hand to her side. When it came away wet and sticky, she knew she was in trouble. Crawling through air vents with a gunshot wound was stupid, but it was the only way out.
She hoped she made it that far.
"Angelo," she whispered. She was dizzy and thought she might pass out. "Ang—"
Barely conscious, she had no memory of Angelo half-dragging her the rest of the way out. Broots' horrified expression when he saw her stitches had ripped open. Debbie, asking what was going on. Changing cars a mile out of town.
She didn't remember Faith either, holding her hand and telling her she was going to be okay.
*
Near the Maryland/Delaware border
"Angelo, we need to get her to a hospital." Broots glanced at Parker in the rear view mirror. She was horribly pale and Broots was certain she would die before they got to Silver Springs.
"Too dangerous."
Angelo was right. If they went to a hospital, the Centre would find them. Broots glanced helplessly at the speedometer. He couldn't go any faster without the risk of being stopped by a cop.
As they crossed the border into Maryland, he realized that in all the confusion, he hadn't remembered to call Lyle. And now his phone was lying on the side of the road somewhere, thrown out of the window by Angelo who was worried about being traced.
