The Me Series by RRP
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
A/N: It just keeps coming! I swear, it's like F-14 bombings! The reviewers! They won't let me leave this project alone!
Free Me
by RRP
"We have to tell Broots." Sydney told Sam, as they left the restaraunt. "He's absolutely heartbroken, as it is." Sam nodded slowly.
"Who's going to tell him?"
"I will, Sam. Don't worry."
"Too late." Sam muttered, looking at his arm.
*-*-*
"Jarod, what have you found on the baby?" Parker asked him, leaning over his shoulder and handing him some more chocolate milk.
"I'm drawing blanks. This baby just appeared one day, pouf, out of nothing, according to what I've found." Jarod replied, his tone clearly relaying his disappointment.
"What about the man Broots saw?"
"You don't really think he saw someone, do you?"
"He said he did, and he said Cox yelled at him."
"Anything else?"
"He said the man's name was Eli." Jarod gasped, then paled a little.
"They told me he was dead!"
"What? You know him?" Parker asked. Jarod nodded, slowly.
"I might."
*-*-*
Jarod leaned back on the couch, in the darkness, and let the memories wash over him. Eli had been such a great friend...
*-*-*
A young boy, about fifteen, sat at a table, reading a book. He was reading intently, until a door swung open, and another boy, a little bit younger, entered.
"Hi! Lunch time!" He slid a tray of food onto the table, and sat down across from the other boy.
"Who are you?" The boy asked, taking the food and eyeing it.
"My name's Eli. You're Jarod right?" The boy nodded. "Pleased to meet you, Jarod!" Eli stuck his hand out, and Jarod tentively shook it.
"What's this?" Jarod asked, poking at the strange, meat pattie and bread on his plate.
"A hamburger! I made it myself. Finally convinced 'em to let me cook. All the Sweepers like my steaks!" Eli explained in one breath, his eyes shining with excitement and pride.
"A hamburger?"
"Yeah, you pick it up and eat it like a sandwich." Eli demonstrated with his hands, and Jarod nodded, as he picked the hamburger up and took a bite.
"This is good!" He finally managed, and Eli grinned.
"Thanks!"
"They don't usually let people see me. Why are you here?" Jarod asked out of pure curiousity.
"I'm the new cook, and that's part of my payment! I made them agree to let me see you once a week."
"Really?" Jarod's eyes brightened at the thought of someone visiting him every week.
"Yep." Eli's grin grew larger. "I've seen you around several times, and I've always wanted to meet you,"
"I've seen other people, but they never let me meet anyone," Jarod sulked, taking another large bite of the hamburger.
"Ahh...crimey, that can't be fun. But, you're meeting me!" Eli said nothing about his deal with Raines and Mr. Parker, nothing about what he was giving up just to see Jarod once a week. But, he had seen Jarod in the hall several times, and felt sorry for him.
"Crimey?" Jarod questioned, and Eli laughed.
"Crimey. Like, darn, or drat,"
"Oh," Jarod finished the hamburger, and gulped down the water.
"You don't have any games, or anything back here, do you?" Eli asked, looking around the drab room.
"No." Jarod sighed, and stared at the book. "Nothing like that."
"Paper?"
"Yes," Jarod answered, brightening a little.
"Pencils?"
"Yes."
"Get them! I'll show you how to play a game!" Eli stood up suddenly, and Jarod jumped up as well, excited at the prospect of learning a game. The paper and pencils were quickly found, and they sat back down. Eli scribbled a line on the first piece of paper, then handed it to Jarod.
"Add something to it. Another line, a shape, whatever. Then I'll add something, and we keep going until we have a picture." Jarod drew a circle, and slid it back to Eli. Sydney watched quietly from the doorway, his presence unnoticed by either of the boys. He smiled, as Jarod and Eli grinned, and their eyes shone with excitement, and they laughed at their picture. They started another one, and Sydney's smile contintued to grow, happy that his 'project' was having a bit of fun.
*-*-*
So, the weeks went on, and grew into months, as Eli continued to visit every Friday. Sometimes, he would bring hamburgers, sometimes Jarod's normal 'health' food, and once in a great while, a steak. Every week, Jarod learned something new to make with paper, and Eli never ran out of ideas. Sketches of Sydney were done, and Sydney secretly took them later, to stash in his desk. Eli sketched a portrait of Jarod, and Jarod of Eli.
One day, about five months after the visits had started, Jarod did a light sketch of a girl, and handed it to Eli.
"She looks familar, but I'm sure I've never seen her before!" Eli murmured, staring at the paper with a surprising intensity.
"That's Miss Parker." Jarod answered quickly.
"They never told me Mr. Parker had a daughter!" Eli exclaimed, setting the paper down on the table.
"They didn't? She's come to see me before," Jarod said, smiling at the memory. "But, she doesn't come anymore." He added, his smile drooping, and a frown taking it's place.
"I've never heard of her. But, craters! she looks familar. Almost...oh, never mind."
"Craters?"
"Haven't you ever seen Star Tre-" Eli stopped, and frowned at the room. "No, you haven't. Never mind. It's another word like crimey."
"Oh. Craters. I like it!"
"You're cool, Jarod." Eli suddenly said, looking over at his friend.
"You think so? I've always thought I was boring. Maybe that's what no one ever comes to see me." Jarod said, looking back at Eli.
"Nah. You're rad. I come!"
"Yeah. You're cool too! What's 'rad' mean?" Jarod asked, his brow furrowing, slightly mad and embarassed that he never knew any of the latest terms.
"Rad is like cool. It's short for radical." Eli patiently explained, and Jarod nodded, glad that Eli never minded Jarod not knowing.
"Rad." Jarod repeated, as if searing it into his memory.
"Hey, I gotta go." Eli said, standing up and looking at his watch. "I'll see if I can bring you a soda next week, okay?"
"Soda?"
"Carbonated drink in different flavors." Eli supplied, as he grabbed Jarod's lunch tray and left the room. Jarod looked back to his drawing, and began working on it again, never thinking that it would be the last time he would ever see his friend.
*-*-*
Jarod sat up abrubtly, as the memory faded. Eli couldn't be alive still, could he? But they had told him Eli was dead! Then again, they always lied...
*-*-*
Eli paced back and forth in his cell. One side of him was smiling, as he remembered the events of the past few months. That man Cox had been using the drug on, escaped, and lived as he was told. But the other half of him was frowning, as each day brought on more frustration, and anger. He couldn't get out, he couldn't escape, but he wanted to so badly. For a second, he thought that he must be feeling the same way Two-Face from all his old Batman comics felt like. Caught in the middle, and the ground on both sides of the fence shaky and unstable.
Hours paced before he finally laid on the bed, exhausted, and closed his eyes, as the nightmares that constantly haunted him, attacked again.
*-*-*
Eli walked into the kitchen, with Jarod's empty tray, and he dumped it in the sink. Suddenly, Mr. Parker appeared at the door.
"Eli!" Eli looked up sharply, and saw him.
"Mr. Parker!" He began, startled.
"Eli, did Jarod show you a picture of my daughter?"
"Yes, sir!" Eli answered truthfully, afraid to lie.
"Do you know who she is?" Mr. Parker thundered, and Eli shook his head.
"N...no," Mr. Parker snapped his fingers, and three Sweepers stormed into the kitchen, and grabbed Eli, as he struggled helplessly.
"What? I don't understand! Let go of me!"
"Eli, that's your twin. Miss Parker is your twin sister." Mr. Parker thundered. "You weren't supposed to know, and Jarod and Parker should never know."
"My twin?" Eli stopped struggling, his face showing his complete surprise.
"Take him." Mr. Parker nodded to one of the Sweepers, and turned.
"No!" Eli started struggling again. "Dad! Dad, no! Please don't!" Eli begged. Mr. Parker ignored him, as the Sweepers dragged Eli out of the room.
*-*-*
They pulled up to a Centre safehouse, and a Sweeper roughly grabbed the hooded Eli out of the backseat, and dragged him inside the building.
"Welcome home, kid. For the next, lifetime." The Sweeper laughed maliciously, and hit Eli in the stomach.
"Ow...what was that for?" Eli moaned, holding his abdomen.
"Cause I can." The Sweeper replied, punching Eli in the stomach again.
"No!" Eli gasped, realizing what it meant.
"Yep. Your own house of torture, kid. For however many years you live."
A punch to the jaw, and Eli slumped to the floor.
*-*-*
Eli sat up, gasping for air, and sweating profusely. The Sweeper had been right. House of Torture. Eli faintly remembered the lady he thought was his mother, singing to him, and reading to him out of a small book. What had the book been? A little Bible. Yes, it had been a children's Bible.
"My God! Oh, my God! Save me!"
And the Lord Almighty, in heaven, sent angels to guard the man named Eli, and He wept, at His child's pain.
*-*-*
Jarod sat for hours before he fell asleep, and the memories grabbed hold of him once again.
*-*-*
"Sydney!" Jarod exclaimed, as Sydney walked in with his lunch tray. It was Friday. "Sydney, where's Eli?"
"He's, not able to come today Jarod." Sydney said slowly, obviously uneasy with what he had been told to tell Jarod.
"Will he come next week?" Jarod pushed, frowning at the health food and water, instead of the hamburger and soda he had been promised. He had been looking forward to the soda all week!
"No, Jarod. I'm afraid he won't be able to," Sydney said, a little firmer this time.
"Where is he, Sydney?" Jarod jumped up from the table, and demanded. "What did they do to him? Where is he?" He was yelling now, and Sydney cringed a little. Sixteen year old Jarod was a little more intimidating than twelve year old Jarod.
"Jarod, he's dead." Sydney said quickly. "It was an accident." He quickly added. "A rack of pans fell, and a big twenty five gallon stainless steel hit him on the head. He died instantly." Jarod sat back down so fast there was an audible thud.
"Sydney, he was my friend," Jarod slowly croaked.
"I know, Jarod. I'm sorry."
"You're sorry? For what, Sydney? For locking me up here, then killing my only friend?" Jarod stood up again, and grabbed Sydney by the collar.
"Jarod!" Sydney started to snap, but Jarod cut him off.
"Sydney," Jarod was speaking in a low, threatening whisper, "Don't lie to me. It was not an accident, and you know it. Do not, Do not lie to me!" Jarod shoved Sydney backwards, and he sat back down, burying his head in his arms. Sydney turned, so Jarod wouldn't see the tears that were beginning to flow.
*-*-*
Jarod walked in front of the Sweeper, as he was escorted to his bedroom for the night. He went through the door, and the Sweeper slammed it shut, and turned to take his place as guard. Something on the bed caught Jarod's eye, and he went over to see what it was.
A can of something called COCACOLA lay on the bed, with a note. Jarod picked up the can, and then the note.
"This is soda. Forgive me, Jarod. I'm sorry. -Sydney"
Jarod turned his back to the camera, and forced a small smile.
"Forgiven, Sydney. This time, anyway." Jarod popped the small tab on the can, and took his first sip of soda.
*-*-*
Jarod opened his eyes, but didn't sit up. He had almost forgotten about the soda. He smiled, thinking now about what Sydney had risked when he put the small can and note on his bed. Maybe now he could sleep without the dreams...
*-*-*
Eli sat, doing nothing, saying nothing, until his eyes closed, from pure exhaustion.
*-*-*
"No! NOOOOOOO!" WHAM! *gasp* WHAM "please, no, please..." WHAM! *moan* "oh please, stop..." WHAM! blackness. again. this wasn't life, this was a scarred shell of being. no one to trust, no one to love. and blackmail.
"run, and we kill your twin." Eli couldn't let them kill her! he couldn't!
"NOOO!" WHAM! pain, blurred pictures of vivid reds and yellows and whites, screaming pain and agony.
"please, don't! not again!" WHAM! They enjoyed it! How could they? The Sweepers actually enjoyed it!
"oww...please stop! please!" WHAM! Eli doubled over, holding his swollen and bruised stomach. His eyes were both black, his nose broken and bleeding, and his lip puffy and bleeding.
WHAM!
WHAM!
WHAM!
blackness.
what is hope?
*-*-*
Eli and Jarod each fought through the sleepless, tortured, dream-filled night, thinking of a friend lost, and pain endured.
Jarod had come to a decision. If Eli was alive, he had to rescue him.
Eli had come to a decision. He had to get out, no matter what the cost.
no matter what the cost...
*-*-*
Sydney knocked on the door of Broots' house the next morning, and Debbie answered.
"Hi, Sydney! You want my Dad?" Sydney nodded, smiling at Debbie.
"Who is it, Debbie?" Broots asked, coming down the hall. "Sydney! Come in!" Sydney stepped in, and Broots shut the door.
"What's going on?" Broots asked, his head cocked slightly.
"We need to talk, Broots. It's about Miss Parker." Broots gulped, and slowly nodded.
"Okay, you wanna sit down?" He asked, leading Sydney into the living room. Sydney shook his head.
"No thank you, but you should." Broots cocked his head even more, as Debbie went back into the kitchen.
"Okay," Broots lowered himself to the couch. "What is it?"
"She's alive, Broots."
"What?" Broots yelped, standing up. "She's alive, Syd?" Sydney nodded. "Have you seen her?"
"No. Angelo told me, and I wormed it out of Sam."
"And?"
A phone rang. Sydney pulled his cell phone out, and snapped it open.
"I'm, I'm having nightmares again, Sydney." Jarod's voice had a sad air about it.
"With Miss Parker there? I'm not surprised." Sydney smiled slyly.
"How'd you find out?" Jarod snapped quickly.
"Sam. I made him tell me."
"Where are you?" Jarod asked, almost panicking.
"Broots' house." Sydney replied, and Jarod sighed with relief.
"Can I talk to him?" Jarod asked,
"Can I talk to her?" Sydney countered.
"Yes. But I'll only take a second." Sydney nodded resolutely, and handed the phone to Broots.
"Hello?" Broots asked, hesistantly.
"Broots? Do you remember Cox mentioning someone named Eli?" Jarod questioned.
"Yes. I saw him as well. He was yelling at Cox, and Cox was screaming at him,"
"And he called him 'Eli?" Jarod pushed.
"Yes. Eli." Broots replied.
"Thank you, Broots. You can give the phone back to Syd." Broots handed Sydney the phone, and minutes later, Sydney exclaimed,
"Miss Parker!"
"Hi, Syd. Nice to talk to you again," Sydney smiled. She sounded happy!
"Where are you, Miss Parker?"
"Some little town in West Virginia, is all I can say."
"Oh. How are you?"
"Great! And you?"
"Good." Sydney replied honestly. He looked over at Broots. "But I won't be, if I don't let Broots say hi." Parker laughed.
"Give him the line."
"Hi? Miss Parker?" Broots asked, doubting.
"Hi Broots!" Miss Parker answered.
"Miss Parker!" Broots exclaimed. "You're really alive!"
"Yes. I'm alive." A flash of pink, purple, and dark hair almost knocked Broots over, as Debbie flew into the room.
"She's alive? Is she alive?" Debbie squealed, as Broots nodded, and reluctantly handed her the phone.
"Miss Parker!" Debbie squealed again.
"Hi, Debbie!" Miss Parker greeted. "I need to talk to Sydney, okay? We'll take later, when I have time, okay?" Miss Parker hated to tell Debbie she couldn't talk, but she needed to lay some things out with Syd.
"Okay," Debbie's disappointment was obvious, as she handed the phone back to Sydney, and trudged back to the kitchen.
"Yes, we'll help!" Sydney exclaimed, as Broots looked on worriedly.
"Help with what?" He asked, and Sydney waved a hand to silence him. He frowned, and sat down on the couch.
"Okay, call me tommorrow, and we'll put everything together." Click. Sydney looked at Broots, as he slid his cell phone back in his pocket.
"Help with what?" Broots repeated.
"Rescue Eli, and find out who the baby is."
*-*-*
Mr. Lyle was sifting through some reports when he heard Broots and Sydney talking excitedly in the hall. He hadn't heard them talk like that since his twin was alive! He guessed they didn't know he was in the storage room right next to where they were standing. Lyle decided not to tell them.
"So, have you heard from Jarod, today?" Broots was asking Sydney,
"No, Miss Parker. But Parker says Jarod's found the baby." Sydney replied.
"Really? Where is he?"
"Miss Parker didn't say." Lyle sat down with a gasp. Miss Parker was alive? His twin was alive? When he had found she was dead, it was like his whole world had come crashing to the ground around him. His only link to humanity, his link to himself, was gone. But now she was alive? He couldn't help jumping out and asking more.
"Miss Parker's alive? Really?" Lyle flung the door open, and practically ran into Sydney.
"What?" Broots gave a startled cry, and Sydney's face echoed Broots' surprise. Sydney looked closely at Lyle, and was also surprised to see...was it, desperation? It wouldn't be worth lying to Lyle, he had probably already heard everything.
"She's alive, Mr. Lyle." Sydney said slowly, and Lyle leaned against the near-by wall.
"Sydney!" Broots gasped, and Sydney shook his head. Suddenly, Sydney had a gun, and was pressing it into Lyle's chest. Lyle was too surprised to even taunt.
"Lyle, if you breathe one word about this to anyone, anyone, I will shoot you, and make sure you stay dead. Do you understand?" Lyle nodded weakly, and Sydney put the gun back in his pocket. Broots stared at Sydney, eyes wide, and heart pounding so hard he was sure everyone could hear it.
Lyle's heart, meanwhile, leapt with joy. She was alive, after all! Alive, alive, alive! Sydney glared at him one last time, and turned and walked towards the elevator. Broots followed hurriedly.
Lyle was slumped against the wall, and he sank to the floor. She was alive!
~~*~~
"Lyle," Mr. Parker began as Lyle strode into his office. "Cox has a lead on Jarod. I want you to go with him." Lyle nodded briskly, and smirked at his Father. I know something you don't know! I know something you don't know! The thought played to some bizarre children's rhyme tune over and over.
Mr. Parker looked at Lyle, and glared at the smirk upon his face. He was still suspicious. Had arranged Miss Parker's death? But, it wasn't anything unusual, so it didn't mean much to Mr. Parker anyway. Mr. Cox slipped into the office.
"Ready?" He asked, and Lyle nodded, as a plan formed in his mind. Cox was obviously mad that Lyle had to come, but didn't protest much at the time.
They walked out to the corporate jet, and boarded. Several Sweepers sat on board already, and Lyle saw Sam, Miss Parker's Sweeper, among them. He wondered if Sam knew, then realized that he had to know if he was on the plane when they came back. The seat next to Sam was empty, and Lyle sat next to him. Sam shifted uneasily in his seat, Lyle noticed, with another smirk. Cox sat several rows ahead of them, out of earshot. Lyle looked around at the other Sweepers, before leaning over to Sam, and speaking.
"Ready to catch two fish?" He whispered, and Sam turned around.
"What?" Sam's expression didn't change in the least, and Lyle was disappointed.
"Two fish...oh, never mind." Lyle leaned back in his seat, and Sam eyed him carefully, before turning his gaze back to the window. "Cox, where are we going?" Lyle called out after several minutes, and Cox turned around.
"It's Mr. Cox, to you. Some dinky town in West Virginia."
"Morgantown." Sam muttered under his breath, and Lyle grinned eerily, pleased with both answers.
*-*-*
"Isn't this nice?" Jarod breathed, looking out over the river.
"Jarod, we're in a trailer, next to a junk yard and a half-sunken, rusted barge, only two miles from the dam, and you expect me to think this is nice?" Miss Parker snapped, looking at the brown river water.
"You forgot the 'dinky town in West Virginia' part."
"Right." They watched, as across the river, a small dot of white and red moved down the bike trail.
"It is pretty, though, nevertheless."
"In a strange way, yes." Miss Parker admitted, looking back at the water. All of a sudden, shouts were heard from over the gravel hill, only yards away from them.
"He's right over here!"
"I'm coming!" Lyle and Cox. Jarod looked at Parker, and Parker looked at Jarod.
"The barge!" Jarod whispered fiercely, and they scrambled for the river bank. Jarod looked back, expecting to see Cox and Lyle standing on top of the gravel hill, but they weren't.
"Hey, Cox!" He heard Lyle yell, and Cox curse at him. Jarod heard a splash, and turned to see Parker dive under the water, and under the barge. He quickly followed, and resurfaced in an air pocket underneath the large rusted, metal, boat, just as Cox topped the hill, now running for his life. Lyle ran after him, waving a gun.
Cox slid down the bank, and jumped. He landed with a heavy thud on top of the barge, and Lyle soon followed. Jarod and Miss Parker listened from underneath, shivering. Jarod tried to look around in the darkness, but it was useless. In the deep midnight under the barge, blindness ruled. He shivered in the sunless, dark water, and tried to touch the bottom of the river, his feet slipping off slime crusted rocks, and being sucked into oozing mud. Miss Parker squirmed next to him, and he leaned forward.
"What?" Jarod whispered in her ear, trying not to squirm himself.
"Fish!" She whispered in reply, as Jarod felt something colder than the water, and smooth, and slimy, slide past him, brushing against his leg and sending an unpleasant chill up and down his spine.
Footsteps vibrated above them, and Jarod and Parker strained their ears, trying to hear what was being said.
"Why?" An angry voice asked.
"Because I wanted to! Because I could!" Another equally angry voice replied.
"I should have killed you months ago!"
"And answered to whom? What do you think the Triumvirate would have said?"
"I'm going to kill you anyway, so, I guess I'll find out what the Triumvirate says about it."
Two gunshots echoed, and Jarod felt an woosh of water by his feet, and around his legs, as scared fish darted for safety near the middle of the river. There was a thud as a body fell. Jarod held a finger to Miss Parker's lips as they clung to each other in the mirky blackness.
A splash came next, as a body was tossed into the water, and then an agonizing wait.
Suddenly, they heard a tap on the barge, and another.
"Hey, sis, are you in there?" Lyle's voice sounded strange through the metal, and Parker debated for a mintue whether she should answer or not. Finally, she did.
"Yes."
"Jarod with you?"
"I'm here, Lyle." They both ducked, and swam out from underneath the barge, into the blinding daylight. Miss Parker and Jarod shivered as they climbed from the cold water, and Lyle jumped back onto the firm ground.
Jarod was fully expecting a gun and handcuffs, but the gun was no where in sight, and Lyle looked like he was ready to hug Miss Parker. Jarod noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that the red and white dot was still there, making slow progress down the trail.
"Lyle!" Sam's voice came first, followed by his head, then his body, as he topped the hill, and came sliding down the other side. He froze when he saw Lyle grinning at Miss Parker and Jarod, and both of them soaked and shivering. He had been surprised enough in the past several months, and it was getting annoying.
"Sam," Miss Parker snapped. "How'd he find out?"
"I, I don't know!" Sam shrugged helplessly, and Lyle's grin widened.
"I heard Sydney and Broots talking." Lyle explained. Jarod finally spoke through chattering teeth.
"Let's go in the trailer and get some towels and stuff." Miss Parker nodded, and they both turned towards the trailer as Sam and Lyle followed.
It took a while for them to dry off, start some coffee, and change, but it was finally all done, and Lyle, who still hadn't shown any intention of taking them back to the Centre, just sat and enjoyed it all.
"Two fish, Sam! Two fish! I caught them both!" Lyle finally said with yet another smile.
*-*-*
"Lyle, how in the world do we know we can trust you?" Miss Parker asked again, as Lyle frowned, and tugged at the handcuffs. This was definatly not what he had planned.
"Well, I shot Cox," Lyle started.
"That's normal, Lyle. Something unusual." Miss Parker corrected.
"I didn't tell Dad, when I had the chance."
"Good point, number one." Jarod muttered.
"I didn't try to drag you back when I had the chance." Lyle added.
"Good point two." Jarod said.
"I'm the one in handcuffs." Lyle finished.
"Point three. Take your base." Jarod murmured, with a sigh.
"Um, I missed you?" Lyle added, hesistantly, yet truthfully.
"Bonus point one, for a total of four." Jarod fought a smile, as he tried to make himself remember what Lyle had done in the past.
"Okay. You have me half convinced." Miss Parker sighed.
"Can you take off the handcuffs?" Lyle asked, tugging again.
"Fine. Sam, take the things off him." Parker ordered, and Sam jumped to his feet, and undid the handcuff lock. Lyle pulled his hands away, and shook them.
"Thanks, finally." Lyle said, rubbing his wrists.
"Anything you've forgotten to mention?" Miss Parker asked, slightly annoyed for some strange reason.
"Would it help if I shot myself in the arm?" Lyle asked eagerly. Jarod almost laughed, then he paused.
"You're serious." Jarod stated. Lyle nodded.
"If it would help!"
"Not nessecary." Jarod finally said. "There's already been too much blood."
"What can I do?" Lyle asked, looking around.
"Find what you can on the baby, from the inside." Miss Parker instructed warily, and Lyle nodded.
"Sure thing, sis. Anything else?"
"Don't get yourself killed." She added slowly. He beamed.
"I'll try not to."
*-*-*
"Cox is dead." Lyle said flatly, as he walked into his father's office.
"What?" Mr. Parker almost yelled.
"Same man that shot Miss Parker. Sam saw him, and positively identified him." Lyle said, adding a mock air of sadness to his tone.
"What a shame." Mr. Parker finally murmured. Lyle smiled a fake sad smile.
"I've got work to do. I'll talk later, okay?" Lyle said, heading out of the office. Mr. Parker nodded.
"Sure thing, son." Lyle left the room, and headed for Broots' lab.
"Broots, do me a favor."
"Lyle!" Broots jumped. "Don't scare me like that!"
"Find anything you can on this baby they've found, okay?"
"But-"
"It's cleared with Jarod. I talked to him. Just do it, okay?"
"Sure, I'll get to it right away." Broots finished slowly, still undecisive.
*-*-*
The black-clad figure slipped out of the building, and as he reached the edge of the property, alarms began to go off. He had almost escaped.
He began to run, as fast as he could, leaping underbrush, ducking tree branches, racing for the Canadian border.
As he ran, a bitter-sweet thought came to mind. He was just like a Negro slave of the eighteen hundreds, running the Underground Railroad, to freedom and the north.
The crack of gunshots in the woods behind him sharpened his senses, and his fear. He ran faster, not caring to jump, or duck.
The light of the moon could occasionally be seen through the trees, flickering, providing little viewing range. Branches whipped his face, like angry, bony, hands, trying to catch him, slow him down, drag him back. The fear pushed him on, faster and faster.
Brambles, thorns, bit at his legs, clawed and scraped and bloodied his legs and lower chest. His legs stung from lack of oxygen, and scrapes. But he couldn't stop. His feet were sore, and stinging. But now was not the time to stop.
More angry shouts sounded behind him. They were getting closer! How was it possible? One thought echoed through his mind, over and over and over.
Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death. Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death. Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death. Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death. Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death. Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death. Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death.
There was a ravine ahead. Not far, but still far. Would he make it? Could he jump the distance? He would have to tr-
KATHUNK!
All was blackness, and silence. He knew in the depths of his mind what had happened. He had run into a tree. What a stupid thing to do! He couldn't rouse himself, no matter how hard he tried. He was out, out cold.
*-*-*
Lyle had taken the corporate jet to Yoder, as soon as he heard of a mysterious, 'potential' pretender's disappearance. He knew who it was. It had to be Eli. What a better way to prove his loyalty to Miss Parker than bring her Eli?
Now, he combed the woods with other, unsuspecting Sweepers, and Sam. He wasn't quite sure how Sam had managed to come with him. The past few hours were in a sort of daze, for some strange reason. Had he asked Sam? Had Sam asked him? Then another thought hit him, and got him back on the right track. Did it really matter how Sam had come? The answer was obviously no, for unobvious reasons, that still eluded Lyle.
But for the task at hand. Combing the wild, North Dakotian forests, and the border of Canada, in the early morning hours, minus a cup of coffee.
He could see a ravine ahead, and he wandered forward, hoping he wouldn't find a body at the bottom. He neared the edge, and as he was passing a large oak, he tripped over a big something.
"Oouf!" Lyle lost any air that was in him, as he fell on a large rock, with a thud. He looked back at his feet, and couldn't resist a grin.
Hidden in the underbrush, was the unconscious form of the man who could only be Eli.
"Sam!" Lyle called out, and several Sweeper's turned. "Nothing!" He waved the other Sweepers off. "I just fell, and I'm kinda stuck. Sam! Come help me!" Sam jogged over to help Lyle up, and Lyle wordlessly pointed.
Sam's mouth turned into a half-grin. If he had had any doubts about Lyle's loyalty (which he had), they were all lost right then and there. He bent down, as if to help Lyle up.
"How are we going to get him out of here?" He whispered, and Lyle grinned.
"Easy. I'll go to the other side of the building, and say I've found something."
"What will you find?" Sam couldn't help asking, knowing that the Sweepers weren't exactly dumb, however they may seem.
"This." Lyle reached down, and pulled off one of Eli's shoes. To any of the other searchers, it would have just looked like Lyle was freeing his foot.
"You get Eli to the Suburban you said Jarod hid, while I chew out all the Sweeper's for chasing a dumb deer last night, while the escaped 'pretender' went the other way." Sam nodded.
"Okay. You going to meet me at the Suburban?" It was Lyle's turn to nod. "You follow the gravel road we came in on for a mile. There's a hidden dirt turnoff, that leads to a clearing. I'll get him in the van, and wait for you at the turnoff." Lyle smiled, as he stood up, and brushed himself off while shoving the shoe in his jacket. Sam turned around, and pretended to be interested in the ravine itself.
Minutes ticked by before the faint shouts of 'Over here!' could be heard. All the Sweepers started running for towards the yell. Sam watched them go, waited another minute to make sure it was safe, then dashed back over to Eli.
He picked him up, surprised by how light the man was, slung him over his shoulder, fireman style, and set off at a jog towards the Suburban, about a mile away.
By the time he made it to the SUV, and found the keys in the end of the exhaust pipe, Eli had become very heavy. He unlocked the car, and put Eli in the back, as he remembered a similar rescue, from the same place, a little less than a year ago.
He did a quick check over of Eli, then shut the door, locked it, and headed for the dirt turnoff.
When he stopped to wait for Lyle, he realized how much his arm still hurt, and he rubbed it, trying to numb the area and make the dull ache go away.
Lyle rounded a corner minutes later, and waved. Sam waited, not wanting to waste energy by lifting his arm.
"You have him?" Lyle asked, as soon as he got close enough. Sam nodded.
"Yes. You ready to go?"
"Where are we going to?" Lyle inquired, realizing he hadn't thought that far ahead yet.
"Jarod has a cabin in Canada. We went there when we rescued Broots. We'll go there, then contact him."
"Okay. And the jet?"
"You figure something out." Sam muttered, tired, and not looking forward to the long drive. "Let's go." Lyle climbed in the back, to check out Eli, while Sam jumped in the driver's seat once again, to drive.
*-*-*
"Hello?" Jarod answered his cell phone, and leaned back on the couch in the medium-sized, Trenton, N.J. apartment.
"Jarod, we have Eli." Lyle said quickly, pausing to let it sink in.
"What? Where?" Jarod sat straight up, his idea of relaxing instantly abandoned.
"In your cabin in Canada. Sam brought us here."
"Sam's with you?"
"Yes." As faint as it was, Lyle still caught Jarod's sigh of relief. "So, what now?"
"Wait there!" Jarod said quickly.
"Okay. Waiting, but I can't stay that long, or my Father's going to get suspicious." Click.
"Miss Parker! They have him!" Jarod said excitedly.
"Have who, Jarod?" Miss Parker asked groggily, from the bedroom.
"Eli! Let's go!"
*-*-*
"Sydney! Look at this!" Broots exclaimed in an excited whisper. Sydney leaned over, to see the computer screen. "It says that Eli is the baby's father!"
"Who's the mother?" Sydney asked, surprised, but trying not to show it.
"It doesn't say. It says the egg was from NuGenesis, a frozen harvested egg." Broots said, unconsciously blushing as he read.
"Trace it." Sydney ordered.
"Okay." Broots stuttered, before starting to type again.
Sydney's cellphone rang, and Sydney grabbed it and pushed the talk button.
"Sydney, Lyle and Sam have Eli at my cabin in Canada. Do you have anything new?" Jarod said, in one breath.
"Eli is the baby's father." Sydney responded.
"Um, okay. Who's his mother?"
"We don't know yet." Sydney sighed.
"Find out! Please, Syd!" Click.
*-*-*
Eli blinked, and stared at the strange ceiling, trying to figure out where he was.
"Hello?" He whispered hoarsely, as a strange man came into the room.
"Oh, hey. Lyle! He's awake!" The man shouted out the door. "You've been out for at least twelve hours. How do you feel?"
"Strange. My head hurts." Eli moaned, blinking.
"We can take care of that, I think."
"Where am I?" Eli asked, looking around.
"Jarod's cabin, in Canada. I'm Sam." Eli's eyes brightened.
"Jarod?"
"Yes. He's on his way." Another man walked in, and Eli smiled a little.
"Lyle, I presume?"
"Yes. I'm Lyle." Lyle smiled as well, and Eli closed his eyes.
"I'm finally free..."
*-*-*
by RRP
"We have to tell Broots." Sydney told Sam, as they left the restaraunt. "He's absolutely heartbroken, as it is." Sam nodded slowly.
"Who's going to tell him?"
"I will, Sam. Don't worry."
"Too late." Sam muttered, looking at his arm.
"Jarod, what have you found on the baby?" Parker asked him, leaning over his shoulder and handing him some more chocolate milk.
"I'm drawing blanks. This baby just appeared one day, pouf, out of nothing, according to what I've found." Jarod replied, his tone clearly relaying his disappointment.
"What about the man Broots saw?"
"You don't really think he saw someone, do you?"
"He said he did, and he said Cox yelled at him."
"Anything else?"
"He said the man's name was Eli." Jarod gasped, then paled a little.
"They told me he was dead!"
"What? You know him?" Parker asked. Jarod nodded, slowly.
"I might."
Jarod leaned back on the couch, in the darkness, and let the memories wash over him. Eli had been such a great friend...
A young boy, about fifteen, sat at a table, reading a book. He was reading intently, until a door swung open, and another boy, a little bit younger, entered.
"Hi! Lunch time!" He slid a tray of food onto the table, and sat down across from the other boy.
"Who are you?" The boy asked, taking the food and eyeing it.
"My name's Eli. You're Jarod right?" The boy nodded. "Pleased to meet you, Jarod!" Eli stuck his hand out, and Jarod tentively shook it.
"What's this?" Jarod asked, poking at the strange, meat pattie and bread on his plate.
"A hamburger! I made it myself. Finally convinced 'em to let me cook. All the Sweepers like my steaks!" Eli explained in one breath, his eyes shining with excitement and pride.
"A hamburger?"
"Yeah, you pick it up and eat it like a sandwich." Eli demonstrated with his hands, and Jarod nodded, as he picked the hamburger up and took a bite.
"This is good!" He finally managed, and Eli grinned.
"Thanks!"
"They don't usually let people see me. Why are you here?" Jarod asked out of pure curiousity.
"I'm the new cook, and that's part of my payment! I made them agree to let me see you once a week."
"Really?" Jarod's eyes brightened at the thought of someone visiting him every week.
"Yep." Eli's grin grew larger. "I've seen you around several times, and I've always wanted to meet you,"
"I've seen other people, but they never let me meet anyone," Jarod sulked, taking another large bite of the hamburger.
"Ahh...crimey, that can't be fun. But, you're meeting me!" Eli said nothing about his deal with Raines and Mr. Parker, nothing about what he was giving up just to see Jarod once a week. But, he had seen Jarod in the hall several times, and felt sorry for him.
"Crimey?" Jarod questioned, and Eli laughed.
"Crimey. Like, darn, or drat,"
"Oh," Jarod finished the hamburger, and gulped down the water.
"You don't have any games, or anything back here, do you?" Eli asked, looking around the drab room.
"No." Jarod sighed, and stared at the book. "Nothing like that."
"Paper?"
"Yes," Jarod answered, brightening a little.
"Pencils?"
"Yes."
"Get them! I'll show you how to play a game!" Eli stood up suddenly, and Jarod jumped up as well, excited at the prospect of learning a game. The paper and pencils were quickly found, and they sat back down. Eli scribbled a line on the first piece of paper, then handed it to Jarod.
"Add something to it. Another line, a shape, whatever. Then I'll add something, and we keep going until we have a picture." Jarod drew a circle, and slid it back to Eli. Sydney watched quietly from the doorway, his presence unnoticed by either of the boys. He smiled, as Jarod and Eli grinned, and their eyes shone with excitement, and they laughed at their picture. They started another one, and Sydney's smile contintued to grow, happy that his 'project' was having a bit of fun.
So, the weeks went on, and grew into months, as Eli continued to visit every Friday. Sometimes, he would bring hamburgers, sometimes Jarod's normal 'health' food, and once in a great while, a steak. Every week, Jarod learned something new to make with paper, and Eli never ran out of ideas. Sketches of Sydney were done, and Sydney secretly took them later, to stash in his desk. Eli sketched a portrait of Jarod, and Jarod of Eli.
One day, about five months after the visits had started, Jarod did a light sketch of a girl, and handed it to Eli.
"She looks familar, but I'm sure I've never seen her before!" Eli murmured, staring at the paper with a surprising intensity.
"That's Miss Parker." Jarod answered quickly.
"They never told me Mr. Parker had a daughter!" Eli exclaimed, setting the paper down on the table.
"They didn't? She's come to see me before," Jarod said, smiling at the memory. "But, she doesn't come anymore." He added, his smile drooping, and a frown taking it's place.
"I've never heard of her. But, craters! she looks familar. Almost...oh, never mind."
"Craters?"
"Haven't you ever seen Star Tre-" Eli stopped, and frowned at the room. "No, you haven't. Never mind. It's another word like crimey."
"Oh. Craters. I like it!"
"You're cool, Jarod." Eli suddenly said, looking over at his friend.
"You think so? I've always thought I was boring. Maybe that's what no one ever comes to see me." Jarod said, looking back at Eli.
"Nah. You're rad. I come!"
"Yeah. You're cool too! What's 'rad' mean?" Jarod asked, his brow furrowing, slightly mad and embarassed that he never knew any of the latest terms.
"Rad is like cool. It's short for radical." Eli patiently explained, and Jarod nodded, glad that Eli never minded Jarod not knowing.
"Rad." Jarod repeated, as if searing it into his memory.
"Hey, I gotta go." Eli said, standing up and looking at his watch. "I'll see if I can bring you a soda next week, okay?"
"Soda?"
"Carbonated drink in different flavors." Eli supplied, as he grabbed Jarod's lunch tray and left the room. Jarod looked back to his drawing, and began working on it again, never thinking that it would be the last time he would ever see his friend.
Jarod sat up abrubtly, as the memory faded. Eli couldn't be alive still, could he? But they had told him Eli was dead! Then again, they always lied...
Eli paced back and forth in his cell. One side of him was smiling, as he remembered the events of the past few months. That man Cox had been using the drug on, escaped, and lived as he was told. But the other half of him was frowning, as each day brought on more frustration, and anger. He couldn't get out, he couldn't escape, but he wanted to so badly. For a second, he thought that he must be feeling the same way Two-Face from all his old Batman comics felt like. Caught in the middle, and the ground on both sides of the fence shaky and unstable.
Hours paced before he finally laid on the bed, exhausted, and closed his eyes, as the nightmares that constantly haunted him, attacked again.
Eli walked into the kitchen, with Jarod's empty tray, and he dumped it in the sink. Suddenly, Mr. Parker appeared at the door.
"Eli!" Eli looked up sharply, and saw him.
"Mr. Parker!" He began, startled.
"Eli, did Jarod show you a picture of my daughter?"
"Yes, sir!" Eli answered truthfully, afraid to lie.
"Do you know who she is?" Mr. Parker thundered, and Eli shook his head.
"N...no," Mr. Parker snapped his fingers, and three Sweepers stormed into the kitchen, and grabbed Eli, as he struggled helplessly.
"What? I don't understand! Let go of me!"
"Eli, that's your twin. Miss Parker is your twin sister." Mr. Parker thundered. "You weren't supposed to know, and Jarod and Parker should never know."
"My twin?" Eli stopped struggling, his face showing his complete surprise.
"Take him." Mr. Parker nodded to one of the Sweepers, and turned.
"No!" Eli started struggling again. "Dad! Dad, no! Please don't!" Eli begged. Mr. Parker ignored him, as the Sweepers dragged Eli out of the room.
They pulled up to a Centre safehouse, and a Sweeper roughly grabbed the hooded Eli out of the backseat, and dragged him inside the building.
"Welcome home, kid. For the next, lifetime." The Sweeper laughed maliciously, and hit Eli in the stomach.
"Ow...what was that for?" Eli moaned, holding his abdomen.
"Cause I can." The Sweeper replied, punching Eli in the stomach again.
"No!" Eli gasped, realizing what it meant.
"Yep. Your own house of torture, kid. For however many years you live."
A punch to the jaw, and Eli slumped to the floor.
Eli sat up, gasping for air, and sweating profusely. The Sweeper had been right. House of Torture. Eli faintly remembered the lady he thought was his mother, singing to him, and reading to him out of a small book. What had the book been? A little Bible. Yes, it had been a children's Bible.
"My God! Oh, my God! Save me!"
And the Lord Almighty, in heaven, sent angels to guard the man named Eli, and He wept, at His child's pain.
Jarod sat for hours before he fell asleep, and the memories grabbed hold of him once again.
"Sydney!" Jarod exclaimed, as Sydney walked in with his lunch tray. It was Friday. "Sydney, where's Eli?"
"He's, not able to come today Jarod." Sydney said slowly, obviously uneasy with what he had been told to tell Jarod.
"Will he come next week?" Jarod pushed, frowning at the health food and water, instead of the hamburger and soda he had been promised. He had been looking forward to the soda all week!
"No, Jarod. I'm afraid he won't be able to," Sydney said, a little firmer this time.
"Where is he, Sydney?" Jarod jumped up from the table, and demanded. "What did they do to him? Where is he?" He was yelling now, and Sydney cringed a little. Sixteen year old Jarod was a little more intimidating than twelve year old Jarod.
"Jarod, he's dead." Sydney said quickly. "It was an accident." He quickly added. "A rack of pans fell, and a big twenty five gallon stainless steel hit him on the head. He died instantly." Jarod sat back down so fast there was an audible thud.
"Sydney, he was my friend," Jarod slowly croaked.
"I know, Jarod. I'm sorry."
"You're sorry? For what, Sydney? For locking me up here, then killing my only friend?" Jarod stood up again, and grabbed Sydney by the collar.
"Jarod!" Sydney started to snap, but Jarod cut him off.
"Sydney," Jarod was speaking in a low, threatening whisper, "Don't lie to me. It was not an accident, and you know it. Do not, Do not lie to me!" Jarod shoved Sydney backwards, and he sat back down, burying his head in his arms. Sydney turned, so Jarod wouldn't see the tears that were beginning to flow.
Jarod walked in front of the Sweeper, as he was escorted to his bedroom for the night. He went through the door, and the Sweeper slammed it shut, and turned to take his place as guard. Something on the bed caught Jarod's eye, and he went over to see what it was.
A can of something called COCACOLA lay on the bed, with a note. Jarod picked up the can, and then the note.
"This is soda. Forgive me, Jarod. I'm sorry. -Sydney"
Jarod turned his back to the camera, and forced a small smile.
"Forgiven, Sydney. This time, anyway." Jarod popped the small tab on the can, and took his first sip of soda.
Jarod opened his eyes, but didn't sit up. He had almost forgotten about the soda. He smiled, thinking now about what Sydney had risked when he put the small can and note on his bed. Maybe now he could sleep without the dreams...
Eli sat, doing nothing, saying nothing, until his eyes closed, from pure exhaustion.
"No! NOOOOOOO!" WHAM! *gasp* WHAM "please, no, please..." WHAM! *moan* "oh please, stop..." WHAM! blackness. again. this wasn't life, this was a scarred shell of being. no one to trust, no one to love. and blackmail.
"run, and we kill your twin." Eli couldn't let them kill her! he couldn't!
"NOOO!" WHAM! pain, blurred pictures of vivid reds and yellows and whites, screaming pain and agony.
"please, don't! not again!" WHAM! They enjoyed it! How could they? The Sweepers actually enjoyed it!
"oww...please stop! please!" WHAM! Eli doubled over, holding his swollen and bruised stomach. His eyes were both black, his nose broken and bleeding, and his lip puffy and bleeding.
WHAM!
WHAM!
WHAM!
blackness.
what is hope?
Eli and Jarod each fought through the sleepless, tortured, dream-filled night, thinking of a friend lost, and pain endured.
Jarod had come to a decision. If Eli was alive, he had to rescue him.
Eli had come to a decision. He had to get out, no matter what the cost.
no matter what the cost...
Sydney knocked on the door of Broots' house the next morning, and Debbie answered.
"Hi, Sydney! You want my Dad?" Sydney nodded, smiling at Debbie.
"Who is it, Debbie?" Broots asked, coming down the hall. "Sydney! Come in!" Sydney stepped in, and Broots shut the door.
"What's going on?" Broots asked, his head cocked slightly.
"We need to talk, Broots. It's about Miss Parker." Broots gulped, and slowly nodded.
"Okay, you wanna sit down?" He asked, leading Sydney into the living room. Sydney shook his head.
"No thank you, but you should." Broots cocked his head even more, as Debbie went back into the kitchen.
"Okay," Broots lowered himself to the couch. "What is it?"
"She's alive, Broots."
"What?" Broots yelped, standing up. "She's alive, Syd?" Sydney nodded. "Have you seen her?"
"No. Angelo told me, and I wormed it out of Sam."
"And?"
A phone rang. Sydney pulled his cell phone out, and snapped it open.
"I'm, I'm having nightmares again, Sydney." Jarod's voice had a sad air about it.
"With Miss Parker there? I'm not surprised." Sydney smiled slyly.
"How'd you find out?" Jarod snapped quickly.
"Sam. I made him tell me."
"Where are you?" Jarod asked, almost panicking.
"Broots' house." Sydney replied, and Jarod sighed with relief.
"Can I talk to him?" Jarod asked,
"Can I talk to her?" Sydney countered.
"Yes. But I'll only take a second." Sydney nodded resolutely, and handed the phone to Broots.
"Hello?" Broots asked, hesistantly.
"Broots? Do you remember Cox mentioning someone named Eli?" Jarod questioned.
"Yes. I saw him as well. He was yelling at Cox, and Cox was screaming at him,"
"And he called him 'Eli?" Jarod pushed.
"Yes. Eli." Broots replied.
"Thank you, Broots. You can give the phone back to Syd." Broots handed Sydney the phone, and minutes later, Sydney exclaimed,
"Miss Parker!"
"Hi, Syd. Nice to talk to you again," Sydney smiled. She sounded happy!
"Where are you, Miss Parker?"
"Some little town in West Virginia, is all I can say."
"Oh. How are you?"
"Great! And you?"
"Good." Sydney replied honestly. He looked over at Broots. "But I won't be, if I don't let Broots say hi." Parker laughed.
"Give him the line."
"Hi? Miss Parker?" Broots asked, doubting.
"Hi Broots!" Miss Parker answered.
"Miss Parker!" Broots exclaimed. "You're really alive!"
"Yes. I'm alive." A flash of pink, purple, and dark hair almost knocked Broots over, as Debbie flew into the room.
"She's alive? Is she alive?" Debbie squealed, as Broots nodded, and reluctantly handed her the phone.
"Miss Parker!" Debbie squealed again.
"Hi, Debbie!" Miss Parker greeted. "I need to talk to Sydney, okay? We'll take later, when I have time, okay?" Miss Parker hated to tell Debbie she couldn't talk, but she needed to lay some things out with Syd.
"Okay," Debbie's disappointment was obvious, as she handed the phone back to Sydney, and trudged back to the kitchen.
"Yes, we'll help!" Sydney exclaimed, as Broots looked on worriedly.
"Help with what?" He asked, and Sydney waved a hand to silence him. He frowned, and sat down on the couch.
"Okay, call me tommorrow, and we'll put everything together." Click. Sydney looked at Broots, as he slid his cell phone back in his pocket.
"Help with what?" Broots repeated.
"Rescue Eli, and find out who the baby is."
Mr. Lyle was sifting through some reports when he heard Broots and Sydney talking excitedly in the hall. He hadn't heard them talk like that since his twin was alive! He guessed they didn't know he was in the storage room right next to where they were standing. Lyle decided not to tell them.
"So, have you heard from Jarod, today?" Broots was asking Sydney,
"No, Miss Parker. But Parker says Jarod's found the baby." Sydney replied.
"Really? Where is he?"
"Miss Parker didn't say." Lyle sat down with a gasp. Miss Parker was alive? His twin was alive? When he had found she was dead, it was like his whole world had come crashing to the ground around him. His only link to humanity, his link to himself, was gone. But now she was alive? He couldn't help jumping out and asking more.
"Miss Parker's alive? Really?" Lyle flung the door open, and practically ran into Sydney.
"What?" Broots gave a startled cry, and Sydney's face echoed Broots' surprise. Sydney looked closely at Lyle, and was also surprised to see...was it, desperation? It wouldn't be worth lying to Lyle, he had probably already heard everything.
"She's alive, Mr. Lyle." Sydney said slowly, and Lyle leaned against the near-by wall.
"Sydney!" Broots gasped, and Sydney shook his head. Suddenly, Sydney had a gun, and was pressing it into Lyle's chest. Lyle was too surprised to even taunt.
"Lyle, if you breathe one word about this to anyone, anyone, I will shoot you, and make sure you stay dead. Do you understand?" Lyle nodded weakly, and Sydney put the gun back in his pocket. Broots stared at Sydney, eyes wide, and heart pounding so hard he was sure everyone could hear it.
Lyle's heart, meanwhile, leapt with joy. She was alive, after all! Alive, alive, alive! Sydney glared at him one last time, and turned and walked towards the elevator. Broots followed hurriedly.
Lyle was slumped against the wall, and he sank to the floor. She was alive!
~~*~~
"Lyle," Mr. Parker began as Lyle strode into his office. "Cox has a lead on Jarod. I want you to go with him." Lyle nodded briskly, and smirked at his Father. I know something you don't know! I know something you don't know! The thought played to some bizarre children's rhyme tune over and over.
Mr. Parker looked at Lyle, and glared at the smirk upon his face. He was still suspicious. Had arranged Miss Parker's death? But, it wasn't anything unusual, so it didn't mean much to Mr. Parker anyway. Mr. Cox slipped into the office.
"Ready?" He asked, and Lyle nodded, as a plan formed in his mind. Cox was obviously mad that Lyle had to come, but didn't protest much at the time.
They walked out to the corporate jet, and boarded. Several Sweepers sat on board already, and Lyle saw Sam, Miss Parker's Sweeper, among them. He wondered if Sam knew, then realized that he had to know if he was on the plane when they came back. The seat next to Sam was empty, and Lyle sat next to him. Sam shifted uneasily in his seat, Lyle noticed, with another smirk. Cox sat several rows ahead of them, out of earshot. Lyle looked around at the other Sweepers, before leaning over to Sam, and speaking.
"Ready to catch two fish?" He whispered, and Sam turned around.
"What?" Sam's expression didn't change in the least, and Lyle was disappointed.
"Two fish...oh, never mind." Lyle leaned back in his seat, and Sam eyed him carefully, before turning his gaze back to the window. "Cox, where are we going?" Lyle called out after several minutes, and Cox turned around.
"It's Mr. Cox, to you. Some dinky town in West Virginia."
"Morgantown." Sam muttered under his breath, and Lyle grinned eerily, pleased with both answers.
"Isn't this nice?" Jarod breathed, looking out over the river.
"Jarod, we're in a trailer, next to a junk yard and a half-sunken, rusted barge, only two miles from the dam, and you expect me to think this is nice?" Miss Parker snapped, looking at the brown river water.
"You forgot the 'dinky town in West Virginia' part."
"Right." They watched, as across the river, a small dot of white and red moved down the bike trail.
"It is pretty, though, nevertheless."
"In a strange way, yes." Miss Parker admitted, looking back at the water. All of a sudden, shouts were heard from over the gravel hill, only yards away from them.
"He's right over here!"
"I'm coming!" Lyle and Cox. Jarod looked at Parker, and Parker looked at Jarod.
"The barge!" Jarod whispered fiercely, and they scrambled for the river bank. Jarod looked back, expecting to see Cox and Lyle standing on top of the gravel hill, but they weren't.
"Hey, Cox!" He heard Lyle yell, and Cox curse at him. Jarod heard a splash, and turned to see Parker dive under the water, and under the barge. He quickly followed, and resurfaced in an air pocket underneath the large rusted, metal, boat, just as Cox topped the hill, now running for his life. Lyle ran after him, waving a gun.
Cox slid down the bank, and jumped. He landed with a heavy thud on top of the barge, and Lyle soon followed. Jarod and Miss Parker listened from underneath, shivering. Jarod tried to look around in the darkness, but it was useless. In the deep midnight under the barge, blindness ruled. He shivered in the sunless, dark water, and tried to touch the bottom of the river, his feet slipping off slime crusted rocks, and being sucked into oozing mud. Miss Parker squirmed next to him, and he leaned forward.
"What?" Jarod whispered in her ear, trying not to squirm himself.
"Fish!" She whispered in reply, as Jarod felt something colder than the water, and smooth, and slimy, slide past him, brushing against his leg and sending an unpleasant chill up and down his spine.
Footsteps vibrated above them, and Jarod and Parker strained their ears, trying to hear what was being said.
"Why?" An angry voice asked.
"Because I wanted to! Because I could!" Another equally angry voice replied.
"I should have killed you months ago!"
"And answered to whom? What do you think the Triumvirate would have said?"
"I'm going to kill you anyway, so, I guess I'll find out what the Triumvirate says about it."
Two gunshots echoed, and Jarod felt an woosh of water by his feet, and around his legs, as scared fish darted for safety near the middle of the river. There was a thud as a body fell. Jarod held a finger to Miss Parker's lips as they clung to each other in the mirky blackness.
A splash came next, as a body was tossed into the water, and then an agonizing wait.
Suddenly, they heard a tap on the barge, and another.
"Hey, sis, are you in there?" Lyle's voice sounded strange through the metal, and Parker debated for a mintue whether she should answer or not. Finally, she did.
"Yes."
"Jarod with you?"
"I'm here, Lyle." They both ducked, and swam out from underneath the barge, into the blinding daylight. Miss Parker and Jarod shivered as they climbed from the cold water, and Lyle jumped back onto the firm ground.
Jarod was fully expecting a gun and handcuffs, but the gun was no where in sight, and Lyle looked like he was ready to hug Miss Parker. Jarod noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that the red and white dot was still there, making slow progress down the trail.
"Lyle!" Sam's voice came first, followed by his head, then his body, as he topped the hill, and came sliding down the other side. He froze when he saw Lyle grinning at Miss Parker and Jarod, and both of them soaked and shivering. He had been surprised enough in the past several months, and it was getting annoying.
"Sam," Miss Parker snapped. "How'd he find out?"
"I, I don't know!" Sam shrugged helplessly, and Lyle's grin widened.
"I heard Sydney and Broots talking." Lyle explained. Jarod finally spoke through chattering teeth.
"Let's go in the trailer and get some towels and stuff." Miss Parker nodded, and they both turned towards the trailer as Sam and Lyle followed.
It took a while for them to dry off, start some coffee, and change, but it was finally all done, and Lyle, who still hadn't shown any intention of taking them back to the Centre, just sat and enjoyed it all.
"Two fish, Sam! Two fish! I caught them both!" Lyle finally said with yet another smile.
"Lyle, how in the world do we know we can trust you?" Miss Parker asked again, as Lyle frowned, and tugged at the handcuffs. This was definatly not what he had planned.
"Well, I shot Cox," Lyle started.
"That's normal, Lyle. Something unusual." Miss Parker corrected.
"I didn't tell Dad, when I had the chance."
"Good point, number one." Jarod muttered.
"I didn't try to drag you back when I had the chance." Lyle added.
"Good point two." Jarod said.
"I'm the one in handcuffs." Lyle finished.
"Point three. Take your base." Jarod murmured, with a sigh.
"Um, I missed you?" Lyle added, hesistantly, yet truthfully.
"Bonus point one, for a total of four." Jarod fought a smile, as he tried to make himself remember what Lyle had done in the past.
"Okay. You have me half convinced." Miss Parker sighed.
"Can you take off the handcuffs?" Lyle asked, tugging again.
"Fine. Sam, take the things off him." Parker ordered, and Sam jumped to his feet, and undid the handcuff lock. Lyle pulled his hands away, and shook them.
"Thanks, finally." Lyle said, rubbing his wrists.
"Anything you've forgotten to mention?" Miss Parker asked, slightly annoyed for some strange reason.
"Would it help if I shot myself in the arm?" Lyle asked eagerly. Jarod almost laughed, then he paused.
"You're serious." Jarod stated. Lyle nodded.
"If it would help!"
"Not nessecary." Jarod finally said. "There's already been too much blood."
"What can I do?" Lyle asked, looking around.
"Find what you can on the baby, from the inside." Miss Parker instructed warily, and Lyle nodded.
"Sure thing, sis. Anything else?"
"Don't get yourself killed." She added slowly. He beamed.
"I'll try not to."
"Cox is dead." Lyle said flatly, as he walked into his father's office.
"What?" Mr. Parker almost yelled.
"Same man that shot Miss Parker. Sam saw him, and positively identified him." Lyle said, adding a mock air of sadness to his tone.
"What a shame." Mr. Parker finally murmured. Lyle smiled a fake sad smile.
"I've got work to do. I'll talk later, okay?" Lyle said, heading out of the office. Mr. Parker nodded.
"Sure thing, son." Lyle left the room, and headed for Broots' lab.
"Broots, do me a favor."
"Lyle!" Broots jumped. "Don't scare me like that!"
"Find anything you can on this baby they've found, okay?"
"But-"
"It's cleared with Jarod. I talked to him. Just do it, okay?"
"Sure, I'll get to it right away." Broots finished slowly, still undecisive.
The black-clad figure slipped out of the building, and as he reached the edge of the property, alarms began to go off. He had almost escaped.
He began to run, as fast as he could, leaping underbrush, ducking tree branches, racing for the Canadian border.
As he ran, a bitter-sweet thought came to mind. He was just like a Negro slave of the eighteen hundreds, running the Underground Railroad, to freedom and the north.
The crack of gunshots in the woods behind him sharpened his senses, and his fear. He ran faster, not caring to jump, or duck.
The light of the moon could occasionally be seen through the trees, flickering, providing little viewing range. Branches whipped his face, like angry, bony, hands, trying to catch him, slow him down, drag him back. The fear pushed him on, faster and faster.
Brambles, thorns, bit at his legs, clawed and scraped and bloodied his legs and lower chest. His legs stung from lack of oxygen, and scrapes. But he couldn't stop. His feet were sore, and stinging. But now was not the time to stop.
More angry shouts sounded behind him. They were getting closer! How was it possible? One thought echoed through his mind, over and over and over.
Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death. Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death. Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death. Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death. Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death. Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death. Run or Die, Give me liberty or give me death.
There was a ravine ahead. Not far, but still far. Would he make it? Could he jump the distance? He would have to tr-
KATHUNK!
All was blackness, and silence. He knew in the depths of his mind what had happened. He had run into a tree. What a stupid thing to do! He couldn't rouse himself, no matter how hard he tried. He was out, out cold.
Lyle had taken the corporate jet to Yoder, as soon as he heard of a mysterious, 'potential' pretender's disappearance. He knew who it was. It had to be Eli. What a better way to prove his loyalty to Miss Parker than bring her Eli?
Now, he combed the woods with other, unsuspecting Sweepers, and Sam. He wasn't quite sure how Sam had managed to come with him. The past few hours were in a sort of daze, for some strange reason. Had he asked Sam? Had Sam asked him? Then another thought hit him, and got him back on the right track. Did it really matter how Sam had come? The answer was obviously no, for unobvious reasons, that still eluded Lyle.
But for the task at hand. Combing the wild, North Dakotian forests, and the border of Canada, in the early morning hours, minus a cup of coffee.
He could see a ravine ahead, and he wandered forward, hoping he wouldn't find a body at the bottom. He neared the edge, and as he was passing a large oak, he tripped over a big something.
"Oouf!" Lyle lost any air that was in him, as he fell on a large rock, with a thud. He looked back at his feet, and couldn't resist a grin.
Hidden in the underbrush, was the unconscious form of the man who could only be Eli.
"Sam!" Lyle called out, and several Sweeper's turned. "Nothing!" He waved the other Sweepers off. "I just fell, and I'm kinda stuck. Sam! Come help me!" Sam jogged over to help Lyle up, and Lyle wordlessly pointed.
Sam's mouth turned into a half-grin. If he had had any doubts about Lyle's loyalty (which he had), they were all lost right then and there. He bent down, as if to help Lyle up.
"How are we going to get him out of here?" He whispered, and Lyle grinned.
"Easy. I'll go to the other side of the building, and say I've found something."
"What will you find?" Sam couldn't help asking, knowing that the Sweepers weren't exactly dumb, however they may seem.
"This." Lyle reached down, and pulled off one of Eli's shoes. To any of the other searchers, it would have just looked like Lyle was freeing his foot.
"You get Eli to the Suburban you said Jarod hid, while I chew out all the Sweeper's for chasing a dumb deer last night, while the escaped 'pretender' went the other way." Sam nodded.
"Okay. You going to meet me at the Suburban?" It was Lyle's turn to nod. "You follow the gravel road we came in on for a mile. There's a hidden dirt turnoff, that leads to a clearing. I'll get him in the van, and wait for you at the turnoff." Lyle smiled, as he stood up, and brushed himself off while shoving the shoe in his jacket. Sam turned around, and pretended to be interested in the ravine itself.
Minutes ticked by before the faint shouts of 'Over here!' could be heard. All the Sweepers started running for towards the yell. Sam watched them go, waited another minute to make sure it was safe, then dashed back over to Eli.
He picked him up, surprised by how light the man was, slung him over his shoulder, fireman style, and set off at a jog towards the Suburban, about a mile away.
By the time he made it to the SUV, and found the keys in the end of the exhaust pipe, Eli had become very heavy. He unlocked the car, and put Eli in the back, as he remembered a similar rescue, from the same place, a little less than a year ago.
He did a quick check over of Eli, then shut the door, locked it, and headed for the dirt turnoff.
When he stopped to wait for Lyle, he realized how much his arm still hurt, and he rubbed it, trying to numb the area and make the dull ache go away.
Lyle rounded a corner minutes later, and waved. Sam waited, not wanting to waste energy by lifting his arm.
"You have him?" Lyle asked, as soon as he got close enough. Sam nodded.
"Yes. You ready to go?"
"Where are we going to?" Lyle inquired, realizing he hadn't thought that far ahead yet.
"Jarod has a cabin in Canada. We went there when we rescued Broots. We'll go there, then contact him."
"Okay. And the jet?"
"You figure something out." Sam muttered, tired, and not looking forward to the long drive. "Let's go." Lyle climbed in the back, to check out Eli, while Sam jumped in the driver's seat once again, to drive.
"Hello?" Jarod answered his cell phone, and leaned back on the couch in the medium-sized, Trenton, N.J. apartment.
"Jarod, we have Eli." Lyle said quickly, pausing to let it sink in.
"What? Where?" Jarod sat straight up, his idea of relaxing instantly abandoned.
"In your cabin in Canada. Sam brought us here."
"Sam's with you?"
"Yes." As faint as it was, Lyle still caught Jarod's sigh of relief. "So, what now?"
"Wait there!" Jarod said quickly.
"Okay. Waiting, but I can't stay that long, or my Father's going to get suspicious." Click.
"Miss Parker! They have him!" Jarod said excitedly.
"Have who, Jarod?" Miss Parker asked groggily, from the bedroom.
"Eli! Let's go!"
"Sydney! Look at this!" Broots exclaimed in an excited whisper. Sydney leaned over, to see the computer screen. "It says that Eli is the baby's father!"
"Who's the mother?" Sydney asked, surprised, but trying not to show it.
"It doesn't say. It says the egg was from NuGenesis, a frozen harvested egg." Broots said, unconsciously blushing as he read.
"Trace it." Sydney ordered.
"Okay." Broots stuttered, before starting to type again.
Sydney's cellphone rang, and Sydney grabbed it and pushed the talk button.
"Sydney, Lyle and Sam have Eli at my cabin in Canada. Do you have anything new?" Jarod said, in one breath.
"Eli is the baby's father." Sydney responded.
"Um, okay. Who's his mother?"
"We don't know yet." Sydney sighed.
"Find out! Please, Syd!" Click.
Eli blinked, and stared at the strange ceiling, trying to figure out where he was.
"Hello?" He whispered hoarsely, as a strange man came into the room.
"Oh, hey. Lyle! He's awake!" The man shouted out the door. "You've been out for at least twelve hours. How do you feel?"
"Strange. My head hurts." Eli moaned, blinking.
"We can take care of that, I think."
"Where am I?" Eli asked, looking around.
"Jarod's cabin, in Canada. I'm Sam." Eli's eyes brightened.
"Jarod?"
"Yes. He's on his way." Another man walked in, and Eli smiled a little.
"Lyle, I presume?"
"Yes. I'm Lyle." Lyle smiled as well, and Eli closed his eyes.
"I'm finally free..."
