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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: All the Pretender characters are the sole property of “The Pretender” creators Steve Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle. All other characters are created by the author of this work with no correlation to anyone living or diseased. This written work is produced solely for recreational purposes, to honor “The Pretender” series and to entertain its fans.
The Game of Life can easily turn into the Game of Strategy
A player’s car can take many routes.
Some decisions create the pitfalls.
Others create master plans.
Can the players master the pitfalls to achieve victory?
*************************
Angels Hope
The Game: Act 1
Outside the Broots' house, a man with binoculars picked up his cell phone. “Yes. She is in the residence now. I have the gas explosives. It will be an easy retrieval.”
Inside, Broots and Debbie were setting the table. They brought their dinner to the table and poured themselves some orange juice.
“So, honey. Did you notice anything strange today?” Broots asked trying to be non-chalant, but hoping that she would return a negative answer.
“No. Everything went fine. No one followed me and I went to rehearsal where everything went as scheduled. Maybe I was wrong and let my imagination run amok. People following me.” She laughed. “Like some big secret organization would want me.”
Broots nearly choked on his food.
************************
“Damn.” Parker hit her fist on the now exposed empty desk.
“Well I guess it was a long shot to begin with. We should have known that they would never allow us to have computers unsupervised.” Jarod exhaled in frustration at looking at the empty hole. “Maybe in a while we could have gained Dr. Stedman’s trust.”
“But we don’t have months, days, maybe even hours. If the Centre wants Debbie, they are going to get Debbie. Unless we can warn Broots or Syd.” She walked the room in frustration. “I won’t let Raines hurt Debbie.”
“Lily has the same idea. They pushed me out of her room before I had a chance to tell her about Debbie.”
Parker stopped her pacing and slightly turned her head toward Jarod. “And why wouldn’t they want Lily to know about Debbie? What are they trying to hide from her?”
“I don’t think it’s that they don’t want her to know about Debbie as much as they don’t want her reacting about Debbie.” Jarod said as he came around his bed and sat down. “I think there is more about those chips than they’re telling us.”
“Great! And I’ve got one of those things in my head. What are they waiting for us to implode?” Parker came and sat next to Jarod on his bed.
Jarod, noticing her proximity, took what she said and expanded. “What if they’re not afraid of imploding, but exploding? I bet that chip can cause a person to become violent pretty quickly. What if they are afraid that they can’t control her?”
Parker, also noticing their closeness, added. “What if they are afraid that they can’t control just her? Could they be afraid of the two of us joining forces and becoming a destructive force? There is strength in numbers. Dr. Stedman said that she had been watching me through the years, but couldn’t approach me because the Centre always had me under watch.”
“But was the Centre watching your progress as a subject or were they watching you because of the chip?” Jarod’s mind was racing with scenarios.
“Or both. But we can’t worry about this now, we have to find a way to contact Broots.” Parker was frustrated with her lack of control over the situation.
“Maybe we just have to state our case to Dr. Stedman over dinner and explain the urgency of her either letting us contact Broots or sending one of the operatives from here to help.”
Both agreed they would have to go to dinner and get Stedman to understand.
************************
Jarod and Parker entered the Dining Hall to see that Becky was already seated with her new shadow.
“Good evening Becky and was it Frank. Where is Dr. Stedman?”
“Good evening Jarod. We were the first to arrive. From what I hear, Lily was giving them a run for their money.” Becky laughed. “She can be obstinate when she wants to be.”
“I was there for part of it. Did more happen after I was escorted out of her room?” Jarod was concerned for Lily.
“Well from what Frank heard, Lily called her team together and ordered Joan and Mark out of her room.”
“Her team?” Parker asked now intrigued.
“Lily has had a group of trained staff that she has supervised for years. But never before has she ordered Joan out of anything. Let alone Mark. Mark has always been by her side.”
The group talked for about an hour and a half when they heard movement at the entrance of the room. The door opened and in walked Joan Stedman who looked obviously upset. “Hello everyone. You shouldn’t have held dinner for us.” Joan sat in her customary place.
“How is Lily?” Jarod asked trying to read the woman’s face.
“We are trying to keep her under control, but she has decided to keep us out of the loop.” Joan showed definite anger in her eyes. “She assembled her group and proceeded into the media center. Locked Mark and I out. And disabled the cameras in the room.”
“In the media center? Why would she want to be in the media center? That just has filming equipment and instruments.” Becky said confused by her sister’s actions.
“I don’t know, but her actions are starting to trouble me. She is not acting reasonably.” Joan started to say as Jarod interjected.
“What is reasonable Dr. Stedman? If you mean she is not acting like she did before her memories started coming back – you’re right. She now has to integrate her memories into who she is.”
“She will become stronger, better, faster.” Parker said as everyone in the room looked at her. “Didn’t anyone watch The Bionic Woman?”
Parker was let off the hook by a loud alarm bell sounding. “What now?” Joan Stedman moaned as she dropped her head into her folded hands.
One of the men Jarod recognized from the Retrieval Team came running into the room. He spit out in between breaths. “Dr. Stedman. You’ve got….to come quick. Lily…..she’s broadcasting……to the Centre.”
The group ran out of the room to the nearest monitor room.
************************
Lily sat at the control center after having hacked into the main computer to give herself access to an outside fiber optic line. She sat with Veronica at her side.
“You know that this Raines fellow you were telling us about is going to have a fit.” Veronica said as they watched the beginning of Lily’s broadcast.
“I’m counting on it.” Lily said as she watched the video monitor.
************************
At the Centre, all the security monitor equipment and PC monitors went blank. The night shift staff of the computer department was in a frenzy. One technician got on the phone. “Mr. Broots, you have got to turn on your Centre linked computer. We’re being accessed from an outside source. We have breeches in all our systems.” Broots went running from the dinner table to his computer.
Raines was screaming orders from his office. Lyle was going from computer to computer trying to access the main frame. Sweepers were running in every different direction. Suddenly something came onto the screens and the personnel at the Centre stopped and watched.
On the screen, Lily appeared with what looked like musicians (in reality it was her team) with dark glasses behind her. She was dressed in a long black leather coat, black leather pants, a tight black heart shaped shirt, black sunglasses, and had a longhaired black wig. Loud music began to play. The instrumental was from Alanis Morisette’s Hands Clean, but Lily had changed the words.
If it weren’t for my maturity none of this would be happening.
If I wasn’t so wise beyond my years I would have been able to control myself.
If it wasn’t for our birth (Pictures that Lily had pulled from the computer of the Centre children started to appear in small boxes and went to the rim of the screen.) you wouldn’t have been successful.
And if it weren’t for us you would never have amounted to very much.
Ooh. This could get messy (Lily coyly faced the camera looking over her shoulder, then turned to face it)
But you don’t seem to mind.
Ooh don’t go telling everybody (She puts her finger in front of her lips and smiles)
And overlook this supposed crime.
Well fast-forward to a few years later
And no one knows except the group of us. (Lily started to move in and out of the group and then opens her arms indicating the group standing around her)
I have honored your request for silence (She moves back to the front of the screen)
And you’ve washed your hands clean of us. (The pictures that were on the rim start to disappear one by one.)
We were essentially employees and you liked us to depend on thee. (Lily was again looking straight into the camera)
We’re all your “Prodigy’s” and one day you’d say that we learned all we know from thee.
I know you wanted me to depend on you like a young thing would to a guardian.
I know you abused authority for years and I think you liked it.
Ooh this could get messy
But you don’t seem to mind
Ooh don’t go telling everybody
You’d rather overlook this supposed crime. (A picture of Kyle came up on the screen in a small box)
Well fast-forward to a few years later
No one knows except the both of us
And I have honored your request for silence
And you’ve washed your hands clean of us.
What part of our history is reinvented and under rug swept? (Lily faces the camera with anger in her eyes)
What part of your memory is selective and tends to forget?
What with my observance it seems so obvious.
You made sure you didn’t tell on me especially to members of my family.
You felt it best to keep to yourself and not tell anyone of the inner posse.
(A picture of Lyle came onto the screen) I wish I could tell the world cuz you’re such a fine thing when you’re done up properly. (Lily made a cat growl face into the camera)
I might want to marry you one day if you watch that weight and keep your firm body.
Ooh this could get messy (A picture of Raines came back on the screen)
But you don’t seem to mind
Ooh don’t go telling everybody
You’d rather overlook this supposed crime. (A picture of Catherine Parker came onto the screen in a small box next to Raines)
Well fast-forward to a few years later
No one knows except the both of us
And I have honored your request for silence
And you’ve washed your hands clean of this. (The music starts to fade)
“Or so you think.” The music faded off. “Now that I have your attention Mr. Raines and Mr. Lyle, let me tell you a story about a small boy named Jarod. I have become very fond of your grown up Pretender. And I also think that I have another person who may be ‘Centre’ property – Miss Parker.” Lily pulled up a stool and faced the camera.
“So let’s play a game of seek and find. Shall we? If you can catch me, then the prize will be yours. If you don’t, the spoils go to me. So if you’re up for the challenge, I’ll be partying down with my friends here at Lairs.” Lily held up a Mardi Gras mask to her face. “I’m dying to meet you Mr. Raines. Don’t forget to try the gumbo, I hear it is delicious. Hope to see you soon.” And the broadcast ended.
************************
“Well I think that went well.” Lily was saying to Veronica as they sat in the control booth. Lily heard a commotion outside in the main gallery of the media center. “I think company is coming.”
The door to the common room was literally being pulled from the doorframe. Joan stood there, as the maintenance team pulled the door away, a scowl on her face.
“I don’t think she is happy.” Veronica replied. “Think she didn’t like our taste in music?”
“No. I think that she has death on her mind.” Lily just kept her straight face. “Bring it on.”
************************
Broots sat at his computer at home in astonishment. He couldn’t believe what he had seen. No one had broken into the Centre’s mainframe like that except for……..Jarod. Was Jarod helping this woman, this very good-looking woman? Reminded him of Parker.
“Keep your mind on work idiot.” Broots said to himself. He tried to trace the transmission, but it had been back fed through signals throughout the world. A variation of a trick Jarod had pulled. “Oh no. Mr. Raines won’t like this.” The charge for the transmission was billed to the Centre.
Broots phone rang. He picked it up. “So, did you get a trace?” Broots cringed as he heard Mr. Lyle’s voice on the other end.
***********************
The Centre was in chaos. People were running in every direction and none wanted to be anywhere near Raines who was having a conniption. “I want to know who that woman is. You run her picture through every database in the world. No one plays with me!”
The technicians in the workroom snickered as Raines made his remark.
“Is there a problem here people?” The group shook their heads and started their search. “Lyle, where is Broots? I want action here!”
Lyle, who had found the whole broadcast quite amusing, was sitting in a chair thinking about the mysterious woman who had his sister and what should be his prize possession. “He’s at home. He had to pick up his child. Mr. Broots said the transmission was untraceable. Some kind of feedback of signal through other signals.”
“Jarod did that years ago with the phone lines. He must be working with her.” Raines sneered.
“OR.” Lyle started. “This woman has studied our Pretender, studied the Centre. She doesn’t seem to have a thing for either of her captives, she seems to have a bone with – YOU.” Lyle got up from his chair. “Do we have another Alex on our hands – DAD?” Lyle grabbed a piece of paper that was being handed to him from one of the techs.
“You best keep your place BOY. I’m still in charge here.”
“Then I suggest you get the jet ready. We’re going to New Orleans.”
“New Orleans?” Raines wheezed.
“Lairs is a warehouse in New Orleans. Or so Mr. Broots sent over to the team.” Lyle smiled as he started for the door. “Let me get my things and we’ll be off.” A technician came up to Mr. Lyle and whispered something before retreating back to his chair.
Raines screamed. “Get the jet ready!”
“One problem.” Lyle started.
“What problem Lyle?” Raines wheezed.
“It seems an electronic message went through to the hanger an hour ago requesting all Centre jets to head for California. There are no more here to transport us. We’ll have to wait for them to turn around and refuel.” Lyle smiled at the thought of Raines being outsmarted. He wanted to confront this vixen himself.
Raines turned away from the group and opened his cell phone. He spoke a few short words and hung up. “Notify me when we are able to leave, I’ll be in my office.”
The man outside the Broots house opened his cell phone, listened to the instructions, and hung up. He backed away from the house, got into his car, and left.
************************
Lily went and opened the door to the monitor room to confront Joan.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing!” Joan screamed. “Broadcasting to the Centre! Practically giving them the address of a property owned by Angel’s Hope.”
“I’m doing what I had to do!” Lily screamed back, the long black hair of the wig flying around her face.
Jarod, Parker, Becky, Mark, and the assorted entourage filed in after Joan.
“What you made me do!” Lily still screamed pointing at Joan’s chest. “You gave me no choice.” Jarod moved and put his arm around his sister trying to calm her down.
“What are you talking about? No choice.” Joan’s fury matched that of Lily’s as she faced her prodigy face to face.
Jarod had started to analyze the broadcast from the minute it started and had been playing the scenarios in his head. “To help Debbie.”
The group looked at Jarod. “What do you mean help the Broots’ girl? How does exposing our operation help your Debbie Broots?” Joan fumed.
Parker picked up on where Jarod was going. “Because if Raines has his attention distracted, then he wouldn’t be going after Debbie anymore.”
“He’d be going after…”Jarod started.
“Me.” Lily finished.
“Do you realize what you have done?” Jarod asked with fear in his eyes. “Raines will do everything in his power to catch you.”
Lily moved away from Jarod and looked at the group. “Let the Game begin.”
************************
Strategy
A complicated game to predict, even more complicated to live.
Life
Has actions and consequences
Both are equal in the universal games that our players are about to play.
The Game of Life can easily turn into the Game of Strategy
A player’s car can take many routes.
Some decisions create the pitfalls.
Others create master plans.
Can the players master the pitfalls to achieve victory?
*************************
The Game: Act 1
Outside the Broots' house, a man with binoculars picked up his cell phone. “Yes. She is in the residence now. I have the gas explosives. It will be an easy retrieval.”
Inside, Broots and Debbie were setting the table. They brought their dinner to the table and poured themselves some orange juice.
“So, honey. Did you notice anything strange today?” Broots asked trying to be non-chalant, but hoping that she would return a negative answer.
“No. Everything went fine. No one followed me and I went to rehearsal where everything went as scheduled. Maybe I was wrong and let my imagination run amok. People following me.” She laughed. “Like some big secret organization would want me.”
Broots nearly choked on his food.
************************
“Damn.” Parker hit her fist on the now exposed empty desk.
“Well I guess it was a long shot to begin with. We should have known that they would never allow us to have computers unsupervised.” Jarod exhaled in frustration at looking at the empty hole. “Maybe in a while we could have gained Dr. Stedman’s trust.”
“But we don’t have months, days, maybe even hours. If the Centre wants Debbie, they are going to get Debbie. Unless we can warn Broots or Syd.” She walked the room in frustration. “I won’t let Raines hurt Debbie.”
“Lily has the same idea. They pushed me out of her room before I had a chance to tell her about Debbie.”
Parker stopped her pacing and slightly turned her head toward Jarod. “And why wouldn’t they want Lily to know about Debbie? What are they trying to hide from her?”
“I don’t think it’s that they don’t want her to know about Debbie as much as they don’t want her reacting about Debbie.” Jarod said as he came around his bed and sat down. “I think there is more about those chips than they’re telling us.”
“Great! And I’ve got one of those things in my head. What are they waiting for us to implode?” Parker came and sat next to Jarod on his bed.
Jarod, noticing her proximity, took what she said and expanded. “What if they’re not afraid of imploding, but exploding? I bet that chip can cause a person to become violent pretty quickly. What if they are afraid that they can’t control her?”
Parker, also noticing their closeness, added. “What if they are afraid that they can’t control just her? Could they be afraid of the two of us joining forces and becoming a destructive force? There is strength in numbers. Dr. Stedman said that she had been watching me through the years, but couldn’t approach me because the Centre always had me under watch.”
“But was the Centre watching your progress as a subject or were they watching you because of the chip?” Jarod’s mind was racing with scenarios.
“Or both. But we can’t worry about this now, we have to find a way to contact Broots.” Parker was frustrated with her lack of control over the situation.
“Maybe we just have to state our case to Dr. Stedman over dinner and explain the urgency of her either letting us contact Broots or sending one of the operatives from here to help.”
Both agreed they would have to go to dinner and get Stedman to understand.
************************
Jarod and Parker entered the Dining Hall to see that Becky was already seated with her new shadow.
“Good evening Becky and was it Frank. Where is Dr. Stedman?”
“Good evening Jarod. We were the first to arrive. From what I hear, Lily was giving them a run for their money.” Becky laughed. “She can be obstinate when she wants to be.”
“I was there for part of it. Did more happen after I was escorted out of her room?” Jarod was concerned for Lily.
“Well from what Frank heard, Lily called her team together and ordered Joan and Mark out of her room.”
“Her team?” Parker asked now intrigued.
“Lily has had a group of trained staff that she has supervised for years. But never before has she ordered Joan out of anything. Let alone Mark. Mark has always been by her side.”
The group talked for about an hour and a half when they heard movement at the entrance of the room. The door opened and in walked Joan Stedman who looked obviously upset. “Hello everyone. You shouldn’t have held dinner for us.” Joan sat in her customary place.
“How is Lily?” Jarod asked trying to read the woman’s face.
“We are trying to keep her under control, but she has decided to keep us out of the loop.” Joan showed definite anger in her eyes. “She assembled her group and proceeded into the media center. Locked Mark and I out. And disabled the cameras in the room.”
“In the media center? Why would she want to be in the media center? That just has filming equipment and instruments.” Becky said confused by her sister’s actions.
“I don’t know, but her actions are starting to trouble me. She is not acting reasonably.” Joan started to say as Jarod interjected.
“What is reasonable Dr. Stedman? If you mean she is not acting like she did before her memories started coming back – you’re right. She now has to integrate her memories into who she is.”
“She will become stronger, better, faster.” Parker said as everyone in the room looked at her. “Didn’t anyone watch The Bionic Woman?”
Parker was let off the hook by a loud alarm bell sounding. “What now?” Joan Stedman moaned as she dropped her head into her folded hands.
One of the men Jarod recognized from the Retrieval Team came running into the room. He spit out in between breaths. “Dr. Stedman. You’ve got….to come quick. Lily…..she’s broadcasting……to the Centre.”
The group ran out of the room to the nearest monitor room.
************************
Lily sat at the control center after having hacked into the main computer to give herself access to an outside fiber optic line. She sat with Veronica at her side.
“You know that this Raines fellow you were telling us about is going to have a fit.” Veronica said as they watched the beginning of Lily’s broadcast.
“I’m counting on it.” Lily said as she watched the video monitor.
************************
At the Centre, all the security monitor equipment and PC monitors went blank. The night shift staff of the computer department was in a frenzy. One technician got on the phone. “Mr. Broots, you have got to turn on your Centre linked computer. We’re being accessed from an outside source. We have breeches in all our systems.” Broots went running from the dinner table to his computer.
Raines was screaming orders from his office. Lyle was going from computer to computer trying to access the main frame. Sweepers were running in every different direction. Suddenly something came onto the screens and the personnel at the Centre stopped and watched.
On the screen, Lily appeared with what looked like musicians (in reality it was her team) with dark glasses behind her. She was dressed in a long black leather coat, black leather pants, a tight black heart shaped shirt, black sunglasses, and had a longhaired black wig. Loud music began to play. The instrumental was from Alanis Morisette’s Hands Clean, but Lily had changed the words.
If it weren’t for my maturity none of this would be happening.
If I wasn’t so wise beyond my years I would have been able to control myself.
If it wasn’t for our birth (Pictures that Lily had pulled from the computer of the Centre children started to appear in small boxes and went to the rim of the screen.) you wouldn’t have been successful.
And if it weren’t for us you would never have amounted to very much.
Ooh. This could get messy (Lily coyly faced the camera looking over her shoulder, then turned to face it)
But you don’t seem to mind.
Ooh don’t go telling everybody (She puts her finger in front of her lips and smiles)
And overlook this supposed crime.
Well fast-forward to a few years later
And no one knows except the group of us. (Lily started to move in and out of the group and then opens her arms indicating the group standing around her)
I have honored your request for silence (She moves back to the front of the screen)
And you’ve washed your hands clean of us. (The pictures that were on the rim start to disappear one by one.)
We were essentially employees and you liked us to depend on thee. (Lily was again looking straight into the camera)
We’re all your “Prodigy’s” and one day you’d say that we learned all we know from thee.
I know you wanted me to depend on you like a young thing would to a guardian.
I know you abused authority for years and I think you liked it.
Ooh this could get messy
But you don’t seem to mind
Ooh don’t go telling everybody
You’d rather overlook this supposed crime. (A picture of Kyle came up on the screen in a small box)
Well fast-forward to a few years later
No one knows except the both of us
And I have honored your request for silence
And you’ve washed your hands clean of us.
What part of our history is reinvented and under rug swept? (Lily faces the camera with anger in her eyes)
What part of your memory is selective and tends to forget?
What with my observance it seems so obvious.
You made sure you didn’t tell on me especially to members of my family.
You felt it best to keep to yourself and not tell anyone of the inner posse.
(A picture of Lyle came onto the screen) I wish I could tell the world cuz you’re such a fine thing when you’re done up properly. (Lily made a cat growl face into the camera)
I might want to marry you one day if you watch that weight and keep your firm body.
Ooh this could get messy (A picture of Raines came back on the screen)
But you don’t seem to mind
Ooh don’t go telling everybody
You’d rather overlook this supposed crime. (A picture of Catherine Parker came onto the screen in a small box next to Raines)
Well fast-forward to a few years later
No one knows except the both of us
And I have honored your request for silence
And you’ve washed your hands clean of this. (The music starts to fade)
“Or so you think.” The music faded off. “Now that I have your attention Mr. Raines and Mr. Lyle, let me tell you a story about a small boy named Jarod. I have become very fond of your grown up Pretender. And I also think that I have another person who may be ‘Centre’ property – Miss Parker.” Lily pulled up a stool and faced the camera.
“So let’s play a game of seek and find. Shall we? If you can catch me, then the prize will be yours. If you don’t, the spoils go to me. So if you’re up for the challenge, I’ll be partying down with my friends here at Lairs.” Lily held up a Mardi Gras mask to her face. “I’m dying to meet you Mr. Raines. Don’t forget to try the gumbo, I hear it is delicious. Hope to see you soon.” And the broadcast ended.
************************
“Well I think that went well.” Lily was saying to Veronica as they sat in the control booth. Lily heard a commotion outside in the main gallery of the media center. “I think company is coming.”
The door to the common room was literally being pulled from the doorframe. Joan stood there, as the maintenance team pulled the door away, a scowl on her face.
“I don’t think she is happy.” Veronica replied. “Think she didn’t like our taste in music?”
“No. I think that she has death on her mind.” Lily just kept her straight face. “Bring it on.”
************************
Broots sat at his computer at home in astonishment. He couldn’t believe what he had seen. No one had broken into the Centre’s mainframe like that except for……..Jarod. Was Jarod helping this woman, this very good-looking woman? Reminded him of Parker.
“Keep your mind on work idiot.” Broots said to himself. He tried to trace the transmission, but it had been back fed through signals throughout the world. A variation of a trick Jarod had pulled. “Oh no. Mr. Raines won’t like this.” The charge for the transmission was billed to the Centre.
Broots phone rang. He picked it up. “So, did you get a trace?” Broots cringed as he heard Mr. Lyle’s voice on the other end.
***********************
The Centre was in chaos. People were running in every direction and none wanted to be anywhere near Raines who was having a conniption. “I want to know who that woman is. You run her picture through every database in the world. No one plays with me!”
The technicians in the workroom snickered as Raines made his remark.
“Is there a problem here people?” The group shook their heads and started their search. “Lyle, where is Broots? I want action here!”
Lyle, who had found the whole broadcast quite amusing, was sitting in a chair thinking about the mysterious woman who had his sister and what should be his prize possession. “He’s at home. He had to pick up his child. Mr. Broots said the transmission was untraceable. Some kind of feedback of signal through other signals.”
“Jarod did that years ago with the phone lines. He must be working with her.” Raines sneered.
“OR.” Lyle started. “This woman has studied our Pretender, studied the Centre. She doesn’t seem to have a thing for either of her captives, she seems to have a bone with – YOU.” Lyle got up from his chair. “Do we have another Alex on our hands – DAD?” Lyle grabbed a piece of paper that was being handed to him from one of the techs.
“You best keep your place BOY. I’m still in charge here.”
“Then I suggest you get the jet ready. We’re going to New Orleans.”
“New Orleans?” Raines wheezed.
“Lairs is a warehouse in New Orleans. Or so Mr. Broots sent over to the team.” Lyle smiled as he started for the door. “Let me get my things and we’ll be off.” A technician came up to Mr. Lyle and whispered something before retreating back to his chair.
Raines screamed. “Get the jet ready!”
“One problem.” Lyle started.
“What problem Lyle?” Raines wheezed.
“It seems an electronic message went through to the hanger an hour ago requesting all Centre jets to head for California. There are no more here to transport us. We’ll have to wait for them to turn around and refuel.” Lyle smiled at the thought of Raines being outsmarted. He wanted to confront this vixen himself.
Raines turned away from the group and opened his cell phone. He spoke a few short words and hung up. “Notify me when we are able to leave, I’ll be in my office.”
The man outside the Broots house opened his cell phone, listened to the instructions, and hung up. He backed away from the house, got into his car, and left.
************************
Lily went and opened the door to the monitor room to confront Joan.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing!” Joan screamed. “Broadcasting to the Centre! Practically giving them the address of a property owned by Angel’s Hope.”
“I’m doing what I had to do!” Lily screamed back, the long black hair of the wig flying around her face.
Jarod, Parker, Becky, Mark, and the assorted entourage filed in after Joan.
“What you made me do!” Lily still screamed pointing at Joan’s chest. “You gave me no choice.” Jarod moved and put his arm around his sister trying to calm her down.
“What are you talking about? No choice.” Joan’s fury matched that of Lily’s as she faced her prodigy face to face.
Jarod had started to analyze the broadcast from the minute it started and had been playing the scenarios in his head. “To help Debbie.”
The group looked at Jarod. “What do you mean help the Broots’ girl? How does exposing our operation help your Debbie Broots?” Joan fumed.
Parker picked up on where Jarod was going. “Because if Raines has his attention distracted, then he wouldn’t be going after Debbie anymore.”
“He’d be going after…”Jarod started.
“Me.” Lily finished.
“Do you realize what you have done?” Jarod asked with fear in his eyes. “Raines will do everything in his power to catch you.”
Lily moved away from Jarod and looked at the group. “Let the Game begin.”
************************
Strategy
A complicated game to predict, even more complicated to live.
Life
Has actions and consequences
Both are equal in the universal games that our players are about to play.
