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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
By Andrea
Disclaimer:: NBC owns the Pretender, I own the words
The sweepers escorted Miss Parker to Sub-Level 27, Willie leading the little group. Shoving her through the main entrance, they didn't lock her into any cell, just secured the main door. A few men stood guard outside, if by any chance she managed to get loose.
-~-~-~-~-
Four levels above, Lyle and Raines were having a heated discussion. Raines' religion, had of course, been just an act. One he'd pulled off so the Triumvirate wouldn't roast his ass. "What do you intend to do, Lyle?" Raines questioned in his gravely voice.
"What should have been done a long time ago," Lyle replied mysteriously, and motioned to Willie. "You know what you need to do?"
Willie nodded affirmatively. "Yes Sir."
Turning back to Raines, Lyle finished, "Getting rid of Parker my way."
-~-~-~-~-
Parker had tried to figure out what Lyle was up to, but with no avail. She could barely hear the words, 'Take her to SL-22, Room 33.' through the thick door, but she did.
Seconds after her brother left the level, sweepers once again entered SL-27. Dragging her to Room 33, Parker saw, to her horror, what Lyle was planning to do. This was one of the 'pre-cells,' a room that they oft used before T-board inquiries. There was only one good thing about this - if she was here, Broots and Sydney were sure to be next.
-~-~-~-~-
Broots and Sydney still hadn't been brought down, crashing her earlier hopes that they would be able to fill her in on what was going on. She knew, instinctively, that something fishy was going on - and Lyle was in the thick of it.
Willie came to #33, and spoke gleefully, "Time for you to make an appearance."
Her hate at the sight of him was like a flame, igniting itself. He was the son of a bitch who had shot her, and gotten away with it! "Appearance?" She asked, has coldly as she could.
But the bastard just ignored her. "Shall we do this the hard way or the easy way?" He said, pulling out his gun. "I, myself, prefer the easy way. Less of a mess."
-~-~-~-~-
Broots crept into Room #233. "Any change?" He spoke quietly.
Sydney shook his head. "None, I'm afraid." He paused, then continued. "Broots, would you mind if I stepped out for a bit?"
"Not at all. Oh, did you finish your calls?"
"Yes," Sydney replied quietly.
"Did they care? Did they even ask how Miss Parker's doing? What's wrong?" Broots shot angrily. "Don't even bother to answer, because I already know the answer."
Sydney just left the room; he knew some things were best left to themselves. Making his way to the crummy hospital cafeteria, Syd ordered a cup of coffee. With the lukewarm liquid sitting in front of him, the psychiatrist pulled out his cellphone. Pressing number three on speed dial, he waited as the call went through.
The steady ringing of his phone on the nightstand woke him. "Lo," Jarod mumbled, half awake.
"Jarod, this is Sydney. There's been an accident..."
"I'll be there as fast as I can," Jarod said, now fully alert.
-~-~-~-~-
2 HOURS LATER
-~-~-~-~-
"Broots, would you mind getting some coffee?" Sydney requested, when it was time for Jarod to arrive.
The tech rose, "Not at all, Syd. I'll be right back."
"Take your time, Broots."
A couple minutes after Broots left, the renegade Pretender slipped into Miss Parker's hospital room. "Oh my god, Sydney. Who did this to her?" Jarod half questioned, half demanded.
Sydney sighed. "I don't know, Jarod. The doctors don't know why she's in a coma, either."
"Uhm...Sydney...could I...?" Jarod trailed off uncertain as how to put what he wanted into words.
But Syd understood. "Don't worry, nobody from the Centre knows you're here. You're safe, for the time being. Go ahead, I'll go talk to Mr. Broots."
Jarod released his breath gratefully. "Thanks, Syd."
Pulling the light beige armchair from its position against the wall, Jarod placed it in front of Parker's bed. Sitting down, he reached his hand out.
The instant the Pretender touched Parker's hand, he was transported to another place...
-~-~-~-~-~-
Willie had pulled Miss Parker to the T-Board, or at least, he'd tried to. When she finally took a seat, Parker saw people she didn't know. The fabled 'Inner' Triumvirate. Everyone that was anyone was here, seated around the light-blue, faintly glowing table. Even the Director. What the hell was going on?
Apparently, other people were wondering the same thing. "Mr. Lyle, what is going on?" The Director questioned in a clipped voice.
Lyle stood from his chair at the head of the T. "I've called you all here for one reason," He began, but was interrupted.
"And that would be?"
Pissed at being halted, Lyle tried again. "Call it a trial, if you will. All of you, I'm sure, have heard of the Jarod pursuit, and how my sister has been assigned to the chase. How after four years she had failed to catch him, even after being trapped in the same room with him! Her personal interests conflict with the pursuit; once we narrowly missed Jarod only because she was off, 'running erran-'"
Moving in her memory back to the time her father had called her so urgently, to help him with retrieving the strong box from SL-22, and how he had told her to say nothing about where she'd been. Lyle had told her she would be held accountable for this...
" - The truth is, she doesn't want Jarod to be caught."
Outraged at her psychotic twin's words, Parker jumped up, before Willie could push her back down. "You lying son of a bitch! That isn't true! Look at all the humiliating scrapes Jarod's -"
"I want to correct this problem," Lyle said, gesturing to the screaming Miss Parker, who had been subdued by a couple sweepers.
"How do you intend to 'correct this problem?'"
"By giving the bitch to Raines," Lyle responded, with a baneful laugh.
The members of the Triumvirate stood. "We all agree that there needs to be an improvement to the Jarod chase. Therefore, Mr. Lyle, you may go ahead with your idea of giving the Chairman's daughter to Mr. Raines. However," The Director said, turning to Raines, "This is your last chance."
"Thank you, Madam Director," Raines said, his voice just as gleeful as Willie's had been. He waited until the group filed sedately out of the sub-level, before telling his men to take Parker back to SL-27.
