Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
***** I am in no way connected to The Pretender, NBC or the like. I am using their characters and plotlines based on their show, of which I am obsessed. The only thing that's mine in here is Nikki.
It Takes A Thief....
Part 5
by CrackerJack
A Café Patio
Clear Bay
Jarod sat on the patio of a restaurant. It had a nice view of the lake, and off to Jarood's right there was a dock packed with boats. Jarod himself sat at a table in the middle of the patio with a balding, chubby man. The man took a sip of his drink.
"Your resumé's impressive." he said. "Flawed, but impressive." Jarod was confusd.
"Flawed?" he asked.
"The job you did in Seattle almost landed you in Jail."The man pointed out. Jarod was confident, however, and he put on a smug face to convince the man that HE was in control.
"Well I'm here, aren't I?" The men was still unconvinced. He looked nervous and wary as he spoke. "Mr Kincaid needs...a consommate professional. If he in even slightly associated with...incendiarye events, other arrangements will have to be made." 'Okay so isn't going to convey my message' Jarod thought as he took a bite of his meal.
"Try English."He said. The man was still not convinced.
"But how do we know you're any good?"He asked, not without good reason. If Jarod was almost caught once, what was to stop it from happening again. The logic was spotless. Jarod glanced at his watch. It was just about time for his 'visual aid.'
"See that 18 footer at the end of the dock?"he asked and pointed as he spoke.
"Yes." the man answered warily.
"It belongs to the local sherrif, I believe." Jarod was cool and confident.
"Yes. Randall Carver. That's him over there. He lives for that boat."The man confirmed. Jarod smiled. Things were going exactly as he had planned so far. Plus, the man had given him the 'perfect setup'.
"Not anymore." he answered and as he spoke the boat in reference exploded in a ball of flame. The coustomers on the patio froze at this site, and Sherrif Randall Carver could clearly be seen scrambling towards the flames, yelling
"That's my Boat! That's my Boat!" Then all of a sudden, the onliikers regained their mobility and scramble back inside the Café. Jarod and his companion stayed where they were, however, and Jarod asked the man
"So...we in business?"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Next morning:
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
When Miss Parker came in to work the next morning, she found The Centre in an uproar. There were Sweepers, Cleaners, and Operatives running around all over the place, scrambling around, attempting to please their superiors.It reminded Miss P about the chaos there had been when Jarod had escaped. No one bothered to stop for Miss P, and this annoyed her. So she decidid to take matters into her own hands and stopped the first person to came her way. It was Bobby.
"What is going on here?" She snapped. Bobby frowned and looked glum as he gave his reply.
"Oh good you're here. I've been looking for you." Miss p got even more annoyed. It struck her as strangely typical that he wouldn't tell her what was up.
"That isn't what I asked."She reminded him. He ignored her comment again.
"I've been meaning to tell you. That's why I've been looking for you."' Avoiding a straight answer', Miss P thought. 'As usual.'
"Get to the point." She snapped. He seemed to get the hint, and he swalllowed hard before he answered.
"There's been another escape." He admitted. "From a cell in SL-26. I have the DSA from last night. I spoke to our Father, and he said that catching this person was practically on the top if The Centre's agenda." This caught Miss P off guard. She wasn't expecting this.
"Above the search for Jarod?" She asked warily. She wasn't about to let Bobby catch her with her guard down.
"Not quite. But it's neck-and-neck." Even now, Miss P was genuinely confused. What was this to compromise their search for Jarod. But Miss P wasn't down yet. She still had a few cards to play.
"Let me see that DSA. " She couldn't believe that bobby would get such pressing Info before she. "And one more thing: Why wasn't I told about this?"
"I wanted you to get your beauty sleep." he teased.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Miss Parker's Office
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
Miss Parker and Bobby stepped into Miss P's office, and she got out her DSA player. She was still annoyed that Bobby wouldn't tell her right away who it was that was said to have escaped. 'But he is my brother, as unlikely as it seems.' she reminded herself. 'I probably should've expected as much.'
"Give me the DSA" she seethed. Bobby grinned and placed the DSA into her waiting hand. She inserted it into the player. . .
. . . A woman with lonng, wavy hair sat on a bed in a cell, with her back to the screen. After a few minutes, she turned around to reveal her face and hands. Her hands held a napkin and a straw. Her face was Lt Cmmdr Nikki's She torre off a piece of the napkin and placed it in her mouth. Then she raised the straw to her lips and blew. A white blob flew through the air and the screen went white. . .
. . . Again Bobby grinned, clearly amused by Nikki's escapade. He also looked half-shocked that she would even have to escape.
"When the sweepers arrived, she was gone." He reached into his pocket, pulling out what Miss P recognised as the rest of Nikki's napkin.
"They found this." he said, as if adding it as a footnote. Miss P took it and read the note she found on the inside. . .
Two down,
How many more to go?
"What does she mean by this?" she asked, imagining the possibilities.
Footsetps, two sets, neared the office, and the door opened. Sydney and Broots came in. Sydney noticed the DSA player and the napkin and was confused.
"What's this?" He asked. It was Bobby who answered first, right away and completely. Miss P felt it was just to annoy her.
"Nikki escaped from a room in SL-26 with spitballs last night. She left this." He said. Broots and Sydney looked at the note both confused and amazed.
"A spitball? A NAVY officer uses a SPITBALL to escape the Centre?" Broots bourted ou, unable to caontain himself. His tone changed quickly as a sudden realization came to him. "Wait a minute? Why was she in Sub Level 26?"
"Because SubLevel 27 was destroyed?" Miss P suggested. Strangely enough, nobody said anything to the contrary. It was as if she had struck a chord that rang true. It was a possibility.
"But what does that note mean?" Sydney asked, breaking the silence. "Is she referring to herself and Jarod?" It was a good theory. One that warranted more research.
"Broots- I want you to get me everything and I mean EVERYTHING there is anywhere about Cmmdr. Nikki." She ordered him. He left.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The "Job in Seattle"
The next day.
Nikki got out of the car she had gotten at the Centre in what used to be the parking lot of a grand building. Now the building was marked by ash and debris, and more noticeably, a police line which surrounded the perimeter. There was a police officer sureying the site. Nikki slowly approached him, eyeing him as a potential source of information. Seallowing her anger and distrust, she called to him sweetly.
"Hi, officer." The officer turned around and saw Nikki, and he smiled at her. Nikki had made the right impression.
"What happened here?"she asked innocently. The officer looked confused.
"You don't know?" he asked. Nikki thought he needed a little more persuasion before he gave up any details.
"All I know is what i've read, and the article in the paper was a little sketchy in the details." she smiled at him again, hoping to get him to divulge more crucial information.
"Well not too long ago, this building here went up in flames. It was so unexpected. We managed to put it out, but not before a lot of tenants died. The place was almost full when the fire broke out. We had a suspect, and we almost caught him, but we haven't yet. Funny thing is, when they examined the detonator, they said that the same device,if a few modifications were made, would've made the fire look completely accidental. " Nikki looked shocked, but inside she was grinning. NOw that she knew what to look for, It shouldn't take very long to find Jarod.
"The funny thing is the arsonist seems to be very intelligent. Why he wouldn't have known this already? I just guess he's just not a very experienced arsonist." The Officer continued. Nikki knew she was expected to comment but she also needed to get away, and take the next step in step in her search.
"Wow" she said simply. Looking around, she excused herself, saying "I've got to go. I'm supposed to meet someone. " She got into the car and drove off.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A Newstand in Seattle
Washington
Again Nikki was out of her car, having parked it in a garage. She looked at the front pages of the newspapers, untill one caught her eye. It was not a main headline that attracted her, however. It was a smaller onw about a boat fire in Clear Bay. The boat belonged to the local sherrif. It was ruled as 'completely accidental'. Nikki smiled as she headed back for her car. With luck she could be in Clear Bay within a day.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Back at the Centre, the next day.
Broot's "Hole"
Broots sat at his computer, hacking away at Raines' private files. He thought since Nikki worked for Raines, he would most likely have information on her background. IF it was anywhere to be found, that is. This theory kept him at his task, hoping that he wouldn't be caught. After a few minutes he succeeded in breaching the next bunch of security barriers.
"Yess!" Broots said aloud. Sydney was waiting at the other end of the room, by the door, and at this he came over to Broots. With a few clicks, he pulled up a search form. He typed in 'Nikki' and held his breath out of anxiety, and ckicked OK. The computer displayed a while it searched. Miss Parker, checking in on Broots also entered at this moment. The computer displayed the search results: 1item found in accessible files. Broots let out his air in a relieved sigh.
"This isn't going to take long." He said. He was relieved he didn't have to wade through hundreds of files, but knowing the classified nature of his search, he probably should have known better. His words must've attracted Miss P, because she came and stared at the screen.
"This is all we've found so far, but we haven't seen it yet." Sydney explained as Broots opened the File. As they looked they realized it was a recruitment form for the US navy. It was for Nikki, dated about 20 years ago. It contained other information: Height, weight, Physical description, Characterizing marks, Placement and other information you would find on this type of document. What drew the most reaction out of the group were the signatures on the bottom.
The Commanding Officer's SIgnature was for an Admiral Douglas Sargon, presumeably one of Raines' cohorts since the document was found in his archives. In the space where the recruitee was supposed to sign, the name enscribed was not Nikki's. It was Raines'.
"What did Raines sign for?"Broots asked his companions."Isn't Nikki supposed to sign here?" Broots was genuinely confused, and not having any military background, he could only begin to consider the repercussions.
"If Nikki didn't sign her recruitment papers, then her enlistment is not Official."
Sydney answered. Miss P must've noticed a loophole that confused her, for she wore that look for a moment, then spoke.
"Which brings up the question as to whether she joined willingly, or whether whe was forced."She leaned over and printed it out, snatching the copy as it finished. "Broots, keep looking, double-time. If you spot so much as a hair, tell me. In the meantime No one is to know about this. No-one."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It Takes A Thief....
Part 5
by CrackerJack
A Café Patio
Clear Bay
Jarod sat on the patio of a restaurant. It had a nice view of the lake, and off to Jarood's right there was a dock packed with boats. Jarod himself sat at a table in the middle of the patio with a balding, chubby man. The man took a sip of his drink.
"Your resumé's impressive." he said. "Flawed, but impressive." Jarod was confusd.
"Flawed?" he asked.
"The job you did in Seattle almost landed you in Jail."The man pointed out. Jarod was confident, however, and he put on a smug face to convince the man that HE was in control.
"Well I'm here, aren't I?" The men was still unconvinced. He looked nervous and wary as he spoke. "Mr Kincaid needs...a consommate professional. If he in even slightly associated with...incendiarye events, other arrangements will have to be made." 'Okay so isn't going to convey my message' Jarod thought as he took a bite of his meal.
"Try English."He said. The man was still not convinced.
"But how do we know you're any good?"He asked, not without good reason. If Jarod was almost caught once, what was to stop it from happening again. The logic was spotless. Jarod glanced at his watch. It was just about time for his 'visual aid.'
"See that 18 footer at the end of the dock?"he asked and pointed as he spoke.
"Yes." the man answered warily.
"It belongs to the local sherrif, I believe." Jarod was cool and confident.
"Yes. Randall Carver. That's him over there. He lives for that boat."The man confirmed. Jarod smiled. Things were going exactly as he had planned so far. Plus, the man had given him the 'perfect setup'.
"Not anymore." he answered and as he spoke the boat in reference exploded in a ball of flame. The coustomers on the patio froze at this site, and Sherrif Randall Carver could clearly be seen scrambling towards the flames, yelling
"That's my Boat! That's my Boat!" Then all of a sudden, the onliikers regained their mobility and scramble back inside the Café. Jarod and his companion stayed where they were, however, and Jarod asked the man
"So...we in business?"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Next morning:
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
When Miss Parker came in to work the next morning, she found The Centre in an uproar. There were Sweepers, Cleaners, and Operatives running around all over the place, scrambling around, attempting to please their superiors.It reminded Miss P about the chaos there had been when Jarod had escaped. No one bothered to stop for Miss P, and this annoyed her. So she decidid to take matters into her own hands and stopped the first person to came her way. It was Bobby.
"What is going on here?" She snapped. Bobby frowned and looked glum as he gave his reply.
"Oh good you're here. I've been looking for you." Miss p got even more annoyed. It struck her as strangely typical that he wouldn't tell her what was up.
"That isn't what I asked."She reminded him. He ignored her comment again.
"I've been meaning to tell you. That's why I've been looking for you."' Avoiding a straight answer', Miss P thought. 'As usual.'
"Get to the point." She snapped. He seemed to get the hint, and he swalllowed hard before he answered.
"There's been another escape." He admitted. "From a cell in SL-26. I have the DSA from last night. I spoke to our Father, and he said that catching this person was practically on the top if The Centre's agenda." This caught Miss P off guard. She wasn't expecting this.
"Above the search for Jarod?" She asked warily. She wasn't about to let Bobby catch her with her guard down.
"Not quite. But it's neck-and-neck." Even now, Miss P was genuinely confused. What was this to compromise their search for Jarod. But Miss P wasn't down yet. She still had a few cards to play.
"Let me see that DSA. " She couldn't believe that bobby would get such pressing Info before she. "And one more thing: Why wasn't I told about this?"
"I wanted you to get your beauty sleep." he teased.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Miss Parker's Office
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
Miss Parker and Bobby stepped into Miss P's office, and she got out her DSA player. She was still annoyed that Bobby wouldn't tell her right away who it was that was said to have escaped. 'But he is my brother, as unlikely as it seems.' she reminded herself. 'I probably should've expected as much.'
"Give me the DSA" she seethed. Bobby grinned and placed the DSA into her waiting hand. She inserted it into the player. . .
. . . A woman with lonng, wavy hair sat on a bed in a cell, with her back to the screen. After a few minutes, she turned around to reveal her face and hands. Her hands held a napkin and a straw. Her face was Lt Cmmdr Nikki's She torre off a piece of the napkin and placed it in her mouth. Then she raised the straw to her lips and blew. A white blob flew through the air and the screen went white. . .
. . . Again Bobby grinned, clearly amused by Nikki's escapade. He also looked half-shocked that she would even have to escape.
"When the sweepers arrived, she was gone." He reached into his pocket, pulling out what Miss P recognised as the rest of Nikki's napkin.
"They found this." he said, as if adding it as a footnote. Miss P took it and read the note she found on the inside. . .
Two down,
How many more to go?
"What does she mean by this?" she asked, imagining the possibilities.
Footsetps, two sets, neared the office, and the door opened. Sydney and Broots came in. Sydney noticed the DSA player and the napkin and was confused.
"What's this?" He asked. It was Bobby who answered first, right away and completely. Miss P felt it was just to annoy her.
"Nikki escaped from a room in SL-26 with spitballs last night. She left this." He said. Broots and Sydney looked at the note both confused and amazed.
"A spitball? A NAVY officer uses a SPITBALL to escape the Centre?" Broots bourted ou, unable to caontain himself. His tone changed quickly as a sudden realization came to him. "Wait a minute? Why was she in Sub Level 26?"
"Because SubLevel 27 was destroyed?" Miss P suggested. Strangely enough, nobody said anything to the contrary. It was as if she had struck a chord that rang true. It was a possibility.
"But what does that note mean?" Sydney asked, breaking the silence. "Is she referring to herself and Jarod?" It was a good theory. One that warranted more research.
"Broots- I want you to get me everything and I mean EVERYTHING there is anywhere about Cmmdr. Nikki." She ordered him. He left.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The "Job in Seattle"
The next day.
Nikki got out of the car she had gotten at the Centre in what used to be the parking lot of a grand building. Now the building was marked by ash and debris, and more noticeably, a police line which surrounded the perimeter. There was a police officer sureying the site. Nikki slowly approached him, eyeing him as a potential source of information. Seallowing her anger and distrust, she called to him sweetly.
"Hi, officer." The officer turned around and saw Nikki, and he smiled at her. Nikki had made the right impression.
"What happened here?"she asked innocently. The officer looked confused.
"You don't know?" he asked. Nikki thought he needed a little more persuasion before he gave up any details.
"All I know is what i've read, and the article in the paper was a little sketchy in the details." she smiled at him again, hoping to get him to divulge more crucial information.
"Well not too long ago, this building here went up in flames. It was so unexpected. We managed to put it out, but not before a lot of tenants died. The place was almost full when the fire broke out. We had a suspect, and we almost caught him, but we haven't yet. Funny thing is, when they examined the detonator, they said that the same device,if a few modifications were made, would've made the fire look completely accidental. " Nikki looked shocked, but inside she was grinning. NOw that she knew what to look for, It shouldn't take very long to find Jarod.
"The funny thing is the arsonist seems to be very intelligent. Why he wouldn't have known this already? I just guess he's just not a very experienced arsonist." The Officer continued. Nikki knew she was expected to comment but she also needed to get away, and take the next step in step in her search.
"Wow" she said simply. Looking around, she excused herself, saying "I've got to go. I'm supposed to meet someone. " She got into the car and drove off.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A Newstand in Seattle
Washington
Again Nikki was out of her car, having parked it in a garage. She looked at the front pages of the newspapers, untill one caught her eye. It was not a main headline that attracted her, however. It was a smaller onw about a boat fire in Clear Bay. The boat belonged to the local sherrif. It was ruled as 'completely accidental'. Nikki smiled as she headed back for her car. With luck she could be in Clear Bay within a day.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Back at the Centre, the next day.
Broot's "Hole"
Broots sat at his computer, hacking away at Raines' private files. He thought since Nikki worked for Raines, he would most likely have information on her background. IF it was anywhere to be found, that is. This theory kept him at his task, hoping that he wouldn't be caught. After a few minutes he succeeded in breaching the next bunch of security barriers.
"Yess!" Broots said aloud. Sydney was waiting at the other end of the room, by the door, and at this he came over to Broots. With a few clicks, he pulled up a search form. He typed in 'Nikki' and held his breath out of anxiety, and ckicked OK. The computer displayed a while it searched. Miss Parker, checking in on Broots also entered at this moment. The computer displayed the search results: 1item found in accessible files. Broots let out his air in a relieved sigh.
"This isn't going to take long." He said. He was relieved he didn't have to wade through hundreds of files, but knowing the classified nature of his search, he probably should have known better. His words must've attracted Miss P, because she came and stared at the screen.
"This is all we've found so far, but we haven't seen it yet." Sydney explained as Broots opened the File. As they looked they realized it was a recruitment form for the US navy. It was for Nikki, dated about 20 years ago. It contained other information: Height, weight, Physical description, Characterizing marks, Placement and other information you would find on this type of document. What drew the most reaction out of the group were the signatures on the bottom.
The Commanding Officer's SIgnature was for an Admiral Douglas Sargon, presumeably one of Raines' cohorts since the document was found in his archives. In the space where the recruitee was supposed to sign, the name enscribed was not Nikki's. It was Raines'.
"What did Raines sign for?"Broots asked his companions."Isn't Nikki supposed to sign here?" Broots was genuinely confused, and not having any military background, he could only begin to consider the repercussions.
"If Nikki didn't sign her recruitment papers, then her enlistment is not Official."
Sydney answered. Miss P must've noticed a loophole that confused her, for she wore that look for a moment, then spoke.
"Which brings up the question as to whether she joined willingly, or whether whe was forced."She leaned over and printed it out, snatching the copy as it finished. "Broots, keep looking, double-time. If you spot so much as a hair, tell me. In the meantime No one is to know about this. No-one."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
