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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
*Disclaimer: I don't own "The Pretender" or any of its characters. Thanx for not suing! ~Oriana
1) Paper Snowflakes (the original, isn't a sequel)
2) To Dance In An English Garden
3) A Night To Remember
4) The Trick Is To Keep Breathing
5) Life In A Heartbeart
6) With Me (the last in the series)
~~~~~~~~~
The Trick Is To Keep Breathing
Part IV
by Orinana
"Broots!" Sydney hissed, leaning into the doorway and peering around inside. "Broots, where the bloody hell are you?"
The nervous man in question appeared from the kitchen. "Yeah?" he squeaked.
"Get over here, I need your help." He obliged, hurrying over the door and looking around expectantly. "What?"
"Not here, you idiot," Sydney growled. "Downstairs. Come on." Broots followed him meekly into the elevator, trying to figure out just what was up with Syd. He was about as chipper as Parker in the morning before her coffee.
He noticed that they stopped at Parker's level, and gave Syd a curious look as he followed him inside the penthouse.
"Wait here," he ordered. Broots nodded, and stopped at the door. As Sydney walked inside, he caught a glance of the place--it was pitch black. After a moment, he picked out the barely audible sound of moaning coming from another room. It almost sounded like--
"Broots!" Sydney reprimanded him sharply, though he wasn't entirely sure why. "Get your ass back in the elevator." He tossed him a white pillow and comforter. "And take these with you."
"But--"
"Don't talk, just wait for me there," he ordered. The steely look to his eyes was making Broots nervous.
"O-okay." A moment later Sydney reappeared, pushing a fold-away metal cot along with him.
"Basement level," he barked. Broots nodded, and pressed the appropriate button. The trip down was made in complete silence. As the elevator stopped and the doors slid open, Syd impatiently grabbed hold of the cot and pushed past, dragging it behind him. Broots followed a little uncertainly down the long hallway, and into the last apartment on the left.
Flipping a light on, Sydney stopped in the middle of the bedroom, as bare as the rest of the rooms. Unfolding the bed, he brought Broots over with a sharp nod. After all of his rough, hurried movements, Broots was surprised to see the care Sydney took in making the bed, fluffing the pillow, airing the comforter, as if trying to maximize the comfort.
"Back upstairs," Syd ordered, and they retreated to the elevator. Soon, they were again at Parker's doorstep. Giving him an expectant look, Syd walked right in. "I'll need your help. Wait here."
So Broots stood uncertainly in the elevator, keeping the doors from sliding shut, and looking with question inside. Soon Sydney reappeared, and all he could do was gape, as Syd continued toward him, with slow, cautious steps, avoiding jostling the unconscious woman he carried in his arms. And
again he pressed the button for the basement level, and couldn't help but continue to stare. He'd never personally seen Parker -or any human being, for that matter- in such a horrible state.
~~~~~~~~~
With the greatest gentility, Sydney laid his precious bundle on the cot, and after seeing that there was nothing else to do at the moment, he walked silently back into the empty living room, where Broots was pacing rather speedily. At his appearance, though, the smaller man stopped abruptly, and faced him. "Mind t-telling me just w-what the hell's g-going on?"
"You may want to sit down for this," Sydney suggested as gently as his wavering energy would allow.
"Where?!" He waved his hands around sarcastically. "There's not a single damn chair in this place!"
"Keep your voice down," Syd hissed.
Broots lowered his voice, but it was still as angry and scared. "Whatever's wrong with her, she should be back up in her place, where it's comfortable and closer to us. Hell, more than that, she deserves it. For that matter, she shouldn't even be in this building. Mind telling me why you haven't at least called an ambulance?"
"We can't call an ambulance because if Parker's in the hospital, the Centre's bound to find out. There's nothing they can do for her anyhow."
"What?"
"The hospital won't even recognize the foreign agent in her body."
"Centre-made?"
"Yes."
"So we take her to the Centre, have them take care of it."
"That's not a possibility. Even by train, we don't have enough time to get there, and it wouldn't matter--the Centre has no cure either."
"So we fly her."
Syd gave a frustrated sigh, more towards the situation than his colleague. "You don't understand."
"Then explain it."
Rubbing his forehead and giving a concerned glance into the bedroom through the open door, where Parker -though still asleep- had begun to moan even louder, Sydney began. "When Jarod was 12, the Centre had him create a biological weapon that worked on an individual basis. The goal was not death, but symptoms so horrible that death was desired."
"For interrogations," Broots murmured.
"Precisely. Problem was, there wasn't a cure. He'd made such a perfect chemical, there was no way to remove it from the body. No matter how hard they pressed, Jarod insisted that there was no cure. Finally they accepted it, but rather reluctantly. Even the Centre clientele specializing in terrorism is hesitant to use something that hasn't a solution. Anyhow, fast forward to the ball--the man that went after Parker injected her with it."
"How'd he get hold of it?"
"That's another story for another time."
Broots nodded, then gave a look into the bedroom. "This is probably the wrong thing to say, but it doesn't seem too bad so far, considering what you've told me. I mean, it doesn't seem to be a very successful device for torture."
Sydney shook his head, then led Broots out of the apartment. The last thing he wanted was to wake up Parker. After closing the door securely behind him, Syd led Broots to the elevator.
"Where are we going?"
"We have to talk to Jarod."
"Oh." The doors slid shut, and they began their way up to the top floor.
After a moment of thought, Sydney looked over at Broots. "About what you said--considering you're involved now, I suppose I should explain the rest."
"You mean, like why she can't fly?"
He nodded. "LS49 is rather ingenious, really. Jarod created as brutal a drug as the Centre demanded. It attacks the very nerves of the body, spreading through the blood stream. Swelling and such occurs as a reaction. The problem with flying is that it includes a changed in altitude; during testing, the Centre found that any change in elevation resulted in an even worse experience for the victim, mostly because of the stress it caused in blood vessels surrounding the brain. As far progressed as Parker is, even bringing her down to this bottom floor may have caused a small bit off relief. Flying would probably send her into shock, if not kill her immediately."
"And how far, exactly, has she progressed?"
"She's entered stage three."
Broots managed a weak nod of understanding. "There are only three stages, aren't there."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I know Parker, too, though probably not as well as you, and she wouldn't admit to even something like this unless it'd gotten really bad."
Sydney looked him straight in the eye, determined to give it to him straight. "There are four stages, actually."
"That's good, then, right?"
"No--the fourth stage is death, Broots." That last word seemed to somehow echo throughout the elevator, and he seemed to finally absorb just how serious this was.
"How bad is it gonna get?" Sydney looked away uncomfortably. "Damn it, Syd, I care about her too. Now tell me, how bad?"
Staring with a sense of doom at his reflection on the metal doors, Syd replied in a low voice, "Imagine torture unbearable enough to make a Parker scream in pain."
Broots was speechless.
~~~~~~~~~
Up in the top penthouse, Sydney and Broots sat down with Jarod and Julia at the kitchen table.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Julia smiled.
"And where's Parker? Was she okay when you checked up on her?" Jarod asked, showing a bit more concern than he meant.
Syd gave them both a hesitant look. "Yeah, good as can be expected, but listen, what we came to talk about is your earlier offer. We've been discussing, and decided that -if the offer's still open- we'd love to stay for awhile. We could all use a vacation." Broots shot him a shocked look--why wasn't he telling them?!
"And Parker agreed?" Jarod asked doubtfully.
"She didn't argue. So is it all right?"
"Of course!" Julia laughed.
"We'll be more than happy to have you. How long do you have?"
"I wish I knew."
~~~~~~~~~
Down in a corner apartment of the basement, unbeknownst to anyone in the penthouse, Parker -now awake- released the screams she could no longer hold in, pained cries that echoed through all the empty rooms.
1) Paper Snowflakes (the original, isn't a sequel)
2) To Dance In An English Garden
3) A Night To Remember
4) The Trick Is To Keep Breathing
5) Life In A Heartbeart
6) With Me (the last in the series)
~~~~~~~~~
Part IV
by Orinana
"Broots!" Sydney hissed, leaning into the doorway and peering around inside. "Broots, where the bloody hell are you?"
The nervous man in question appeared from the kitchen. "Yeah?" he squeaked.
"Get over here, I need your help." He obliged, hurrying over the door and looking around expectantly. "What?"
"Not here, you idiot," Sydney growled. "Downstairs. Come on." Broots followed him meekly into the elevator, trying to figure out just what was up with Syd. He was about as chipper as Parker in the morning before her coffee.
He noticed that they stopped at Parker's level, and gave Syd a curious look as he followed him inside the penthouse.
"Wait here," he ordered. Broots nodded, and stopped at the door. As Sydney walked inside, he caught a glance of the place--it was pitch black. After a moment, he picked out the barely audible sound of moaning coming from another room. It almost sounded like--
"Broots!" Sydney reprimanded him sharply, though he wasn't entirely sure why. "Get your ass back in the elevator." He tossed him a white pillow and comforter. "And take these with you."
"But--"
"Don't talk, just wait for me there," he ordered. The steely look to his eyes was making Broots nervous.
"O-okay." A moment later Sydney reappeared, pushing a fold-away metal cot along with him.
"Basement level," he barked. Broots nodded, and pressed the appropriate button. The trip down was made in complete silence. As the elevator stopped and the doors slid open, Syd impatiently grabbed hold of the cot and pushed past, dragging it behind him. Broots followed a little uncertainly down the long hallway, and into the last apartment on the left.
Flipping a light on, Sydney stopped in the middle of the bedroom, as bare as the rest of the rooms. Unfolding the bed, he brought Broots over with a sharp nod. After all of his rough, hurried movements, Broots was surprised to see the care Sydney took in making the bed, fluffing the pillow, airing the comforter, as if trying to maximize the comfort.
"Back upstairs," Syd ordered, and they retreated to the elevator. Soon, they were again at Parker's doorstep. Giving him an expectant look, Syd walked right in. "I'll need your help. Wait here."
So Broots stood uncertainly in the elevator, keeping the doors from sliding shut, and looking with question inside. Soon Sydney reappeared, and all he could do was gape, as Syd continued toward him, with slow, cautious steps, avoiding jostling the unconscious woman he carried in his arms. And
again he pressed the button for the basement level, and couldn't help but continue to stare. He'd never personally seen Parker -or any human being, for that matter- in such a horrible state.
~~~~~~~~~
With the greatest gentility, Sydney laid his precious bundle on the cot, and after seeing that there was nothing else to do at the moment, he walked silently back into the empty living room, where Broots was pacing rather speedily. At his appearance, though, the smaller man stopped abruptly, and faced him. "Mind t-telling me just w-what the hell's g-going on?"
"You may want to sit down for this," Sydney suggested as gently as his wavering energy would allow.
"Where?!" He waved his hands around sarcastically. "There's not a single damn chair in this place!"
"Keep your voice down," Syd hissed.
Broots lowered his voice, but it was still as angry and scared. "Whatever's wrong with her, she should be back up in her place, where it's comfortable and closer to us. Hell, more than that, she deserves it. For that matter, she shouldn't even be in this building. Mind telling me why you haven't at least called an ambulance?"
"We can't call an ambulance because if Parker's in the hospital, the Centre's bound to find out. There's nothing they can do for her anyhow."
"What?"
"The hospital won't even recognize the foreign agent in her body."
"Centre-made?"
"Yes."
"So we take her to the Centre, have them take care of it."
"That's not a possibility. Even by train, we don't have enough time to get there, and it wouldn't matter--the Centre has no cure either."
"So we fly her."
Syd gave a frustrated sigh, more towards the situation than his colleague. "You don't understand."
"Then explain it."
Rubbing his forehead and giving a concerned glance into the bedroom through the open door, where Parker -though still asleep- had begun to moan even louder, Sydney began. "When Jarod was 12, the Centre had him create a biological weapon that worked on an individual basis. The goal was not death, but symptoms so horrible that death was desired."
"For interrogations," Broots murmured.
"Precisely. Problem was, there wasn't a cure. He'd made such a perfect chemical, there was no way to remove it from the body. No matter how hard they pressed, Jarod insisted that there was no cure. Finally they accepted it, but rather reluctantly. Even the Centre clientele specializing in terrorism is hesitant to use something that hasn't a solution. Anyhow, fast forward to the ball--the man that went after Parker injected her with it."
"How'd he get hold of it?"
"That's another story for another time."
Broots nodded, then gave a look into the bedroom. "This is probably the wrong thing to say, but it doesn't seem too bad so far, considering what you've told me. I mean, it doesn't seem to be a very successful device for torture."
Sydney shook his head, then led Broots out of the apartment. The last thing he wanted was to wake up Parker. After closing the door securely behind him, Syd led Broots to the elevator.
"Where are we going?"
"We have to talk to Jarod."
"Oh." The doors slid shut, and they began their way up to the top floor.
After a moment of thought, Sydney looked over at Broots. "About what you said--considering you're involved now, I suppose I should explain the rest."
"You mean, like why she can't fly?"
He nodded. "LS49 is rather ingenious, really. Jarod created as brutal a drug as the Centre demanded. It attacks the very nerves of the body, spreading through the blood stream. Swelling and such occurs as a reaction. The problem with flying is that it includes a changed in altitude; during testing, the Centre found that any change in elevation resulted in an even worse experience for the victim, mostly because of the stress it caused in blood vessels surrounding the brain. As far progressed as Parker is, even bringing her down to this bottom floor may have caused a small bit off relief. Flying would probably send her into shock, if not kill her immediately."
"And how far, exactly, has she progressed?"
"She's entered stage three."
Broots managed a weak nod of understanding. "There are only three stages, aren't there."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I know Parker, too, though probably not as well as you, and she wouldn't admit to even something like this unless it'd gotten really bad."
Sydney looked him straight in the eye, determined to give it to him straight. "There are four stages, actually."
"That's good, then, right?"
"No--the fourth stage is death, Broots." That last word seemed to somehow echo throughout the elevator, and he seemed to finally absorb just how serious this was.
"How bad is it gonna get?" Sydney looked away uncomfortably. "Damn it, Syd, I care about her too. Now tell me, how bad?"
Staring with a sense of doom at his reflection on the metal doors, Syd replied in a low voice, "Imagine torture unbearable enough to make a Parker scream in pain."
Broots was speechless.
~~~~~~~~~
Up in the top penthouse, Sydney and Broots sat down with Jarod and Julia at the kitchen table.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Julia smiled.
"And where's Parker? Was she okay when you checked up on her?" Jarod asked, showing a bit more concern than he meant.
Syd gave them both a hesitant look. "Yeah, good as can be expected, but listen, what we came to talk about is your earlier offer. We've been discussing, and decided that -if the offer's still open- we'd love to stay for awhile. We could all use a vacation." Broots shot him a shocked look--why wasn't he telling them?!
"And Parker agreed?" Jarod asked doubtfully.
"She didn't argue. So is it all right?"
"Of course!" Julia laughed.
"We'll be more than happy to have you. How long do you have?"
"I wish I knew."
~~~~~~~~~
Down in a corner apartment of the basement, unbeknownst to anyone in the penthouse, Parker -now awake- released the screams she could no longer hold in, pained cries that echoed through all the empty rooms.
