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This is a fanfic written purely for entertainment and promotion of my favorite show, The Pretender. I am merely borrowing the characters from the TV show owned by Pretender Productions and Fox (I think) for my story. All the characters not appearing on the Pretender are mine. Please don’t sue me, as I have not money.
As you may recall, this story takes place in the first days and following months immediately after the 3rd season final, Donoterase. This story is very different from the real 4th season of the Pretender, as it was started in the summer before the season began, and has taken on a life of its own.
Intense interrogations will be continuing, as the Centre strives to recover Gemini. The shootout at the farmhouse in Kansas took its toll on Jarod, and company, but none more than Sydney, who was the only one actually shot. Miss Parker, Major Charles, and Broots, have all been assigned cells on renewal wing, as the Centre does what it does best. Lyle is in intensive care after almost being killed by Jarod, and Joe who is alive and well, is a very busy man. June 28, 2000
In Pursuit Of Happiness
Part 17
by jojarod50
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
Dr. Meisser’s office
Surveillance cubical
9:48 PM EST
“No, not the entire time. I know he fell asleep for a little bit on the couch right after I left, but experienced some kind of night terror by the time I got down here. For a while after that, he surveyed the room, picking up this and that then threw something at one of the surveillance cameras. He’s been wearing out the rug pacing every since.”
“What’s that he’s doing now?”
“I’m not sure. You’re going to have to send someone down there to adjust the cameras. I can’t see him very well when he’s over there.”
“I don’t like the looks of him. I had no idea he would be in this condition.”
“You didn’t? Haven’t you read the report I left you?”
“I’m a busy man, Dr Meisser. That’s why I hired you. Let’s have him sedated for the night, so he will be fresh tomorrow when he’s questioned about Gemini.”
“Questioned? You can’t be serious, Mr. Parker.”
“Dead serious. We need to find the boy ASAP. The Centre must have at least one pretender up and running and it’s obvious it won’t be Jarod.”
“I understand that, but I can’t authorize this in good conscious. Jarod is already having enough trouble dealing with things as it is. For your information, he’s still suffering from partial amnesia and according to Sydney’s notes, doesn’t remember anything about having a clone. Putting him though this will just be a waste of time. As his doctor, I must tell you that it would be very unwise to force this on him. I stand in opposition to any questioning at this time.”
“Don’t be so naive. He’s a pretender, or have you forgotten that? I’m sure he knows more than he’s letting on.”
“Be advised. I don’t need your authorization to do anything, Mr.. You are accustomed to following orders aren’t you? We’ll need him at 6:00 AM. Make sure he’s ready. Sam and Willie will be down to pick him up. Oh, and I want him in a straight jacket. No sense risking him having another fit and taking someone else out.”
Getting up suddenly, Mr. Parker abruptly left.
Dr. Meisser shook his head in disbelief at the Chairman’s callousness, as he headed to the medicine cabinet to line up Jarod’s 10:00 dose with an added sedative. Building trust with his patient was going to be decidedly more difficult than he had originally thought, with Mr. Parker calling the shots.
Glancing at his watch, the doctor hurried out the door.
****
Jarod’s old room
10:01 PM EST
The pretender glanced up when his door opened. He had been expecting the doctor with his last shot for the night. Jarod felt a thrill of excitement knowing the shots were rapidly restoring his mind, even though they were very unpleasant to take. Biting back his resentment at being trapped at the Centre again, he shoved a pad of coded notes into its hiding place and switched into his slightly confused mental patient persona.
“Jarod, what are you doing over there on the floor? I was hoping you would be getting a little rest.”
Well aware of the pretender’s injuries, he gave orders for Sam the sweeper to help his patient off the floor.
Holding his arm tightly around his injured ribcage, Jarod winced in pain as he was carefully pulled up onto his feet, wishing he could retape his cracked ribs. He glanced at his doctor and back at the floor with a look of confusion on his face, as if he had lost track of what was going on.
“Jarod, why don’t we just go into your bedroom. I can talk to you in there. You really need to be lying down for your shot anyway,” Dr. Meisser suggested as he made his way over to him in an unthreatening way, disheartened by his patient’s apparent mental confusion.
The pretender grudgingly allowed Sam to usher him into the bedroom, which he had been avoiding like the plague, as painful memories of terrible loneliness, fear, and severe guilt over the countless deadly sims he had performed, washed over him.
Six surveillance cameras carefully hidden around the room. Clever, but definitely over kill. With a sick feeling he wondered how many were in the bathroom. Again, his anger burned at the indignity of it all, but he masked it well, pretending to be distracted and distant, as he gingerly lay down on the bed, willing his trembling hands to be still.
“Sam, go ahead and wait outside. We’ll be fine here.”
Dr. Meisser wrote a few things down on Jarod’s chart then gave him a quick medical evaluation.
“You’re blood pressure is too high, your pulse is racing, and despite your cracked ribs you are nearly hyperventilating. I know being back at the Centre is very stressful for you, but you need to try to adjust or you are going to make yourself very sick. Jarod are you listening to me?”
Jarod stopped fiddling with the bedspread he had been focusing on and spoke with urgency avoiding eye contact.
“Let me see my father. I need to know if he’s all right,” he asked glancing up at his doctor and then acting unsure of himself. “And please could you tell me how Sydney is?” he asked almost in a whisper.
“I’m sorry, I can’t help you with those things right now. Major Charles and Dr. Green are probably both asleep anyway, as you should be. You may be able to see your father in the morning though. Mr. Parker is having all of you questioned about…. Gemini.”
“Gemini? What’s that?” Jarod asked drawing a blank, yet suddenly feeling terribly nauseous.
The doctor studied his patient carefully for any signs of deception and found none.
“You really don’t know, do you, Jarod? Well, don’t worry about it. Just tell the truth when the panel questions you and hopefully it won’t take very long.”
“Let’s get your shot over with, so that you can get some sleep. The sedative in the shot should help you do that.”
“Sedative? I don’t want to be sedated,” Jarod said wrenching his side as he scrambled off the bed and distancing himself from the doctor.
“Sam, I need your assistance.”
Sam hurried back into the room with his gun drawn, and waited for instructions.
“Sam, put that thing away. Jarod let’s not have a scene here. There is really nothing you can do to get out of this. You know you need your shot. Let me assure you that the sedative is harmless. Now, why don’t you go ahead and lie down on your own so we can get this taken care of.”
The infuriated pretender made no move to comply.
“Sam.”
Jarod irrationally fought the sweeper even after he was pinned down on the bed, remembering all the horrible things that the Centre had done to him the different times they had put him out. The doctor hurriedly delivered the shot and the pretender fell into sudden euphoric stupor. In very little time, things began to dim around him. The last thing he saw was the look of regret on Dr. Meisser’s face, as he passed out.
* *
Dr. Meisser’s office
10:33 PM EST
“So, how’s your prize patient doing, Jerry,” Dr. Grackle asked, stopping by the doorway with a cup of coffee in each hand.
“Oh, hi, Nelson, I thought you were going to cut down on that stuff,” Dr. Meisser
mused reaching out for one of the cups.
“Yeah, well, it’s been a long day. I promised a friend I’d give him a patient update after I talked with you,” he said following the other doctor to the surveillance cubical.
“Don’t tell me. Dr. Green?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not surprised. It’s obvious from Jarod’s patient records, how deeply he cares about him. How is he doing? Jarod asked about him.”
“Actually, he’s doing quite well. The damage to his spleen wasn’t nearly as severe as we first thought, and the surrounding tissue sutured up nicely. His vitals are stable so far and he had gotten some sleep, but is awake now and very insistent on knowing how his former patient is doing. Don’t want his blood pressure going though the roof, now do we?”
Dr. Meisser sat down in front of the monitor and let out a long sigh as he viewed the pretender lying motionless on the bed.
“Did you tell him about the incident with Lyle?”
“No, he doesn’t need to know about that right now.”
“That’s wise. I wish I had better news for you. He’s experiencing severe anxiety, which is to be expected, considering it’s dogged him for the past 5 weeks, and he’s definitely under more stress now. For some reason, though, he seems to be trying to hide it, as if he could. His vitals are way out of wack. What really worries me, is that he is exhibiting signs that he might be slipping into clinical depression again. Dr. Green noted that he was headed that way right before he was given his first shot and that he suspected he was entertaining thoughts of suicide. Amazingly he made an abrupt turn around, following his first dose of Raines neutralizing serum. But, since his arrival here, he’s been increasingly withdrawn, confused, and at times acting out his anger. I don’t envy that kid for the roller coaster ride he’s been on.”
“Situational setbacks are understandable. How was he after his last shot? Any improvement?”
“I can’t tell you. Mr. Parker ordered him sedated, so I just included it in his last shot. It’s funny though. He became hysterical when I mentioned the sedative, and had to literally be held down before I could give him his shot. I’ve never had a patient react quite like that before. He seemed absolutely terrified.”
“You’ve never worked at the Centre. Sydney confided in me once that, a few years ago, when he was sent abroad for a symposium, Jarod had been sedated and ended up in Mr. Raines lab on SL. 27, becoming the old man’s guinea pig for experiments I would not recommend for late night reading. Unfortunately he made other unauthorized trips down stairs when Sydney was scheduled to be gone. Actually, Sydney should be commended for keeping Jarod from becoming like Angelo or some of Raines other pet projects. He did everything he could to keep Jarod in his care. Besides being a brilliant psychiatrist, he has always been an extremely compassionate man.
“What are you going to tell him?”
“Probably not as much as you told me. You’re patient may be better after a good nights sleep. Well, I better be getting back. Don’t stay up too late and quit worrying.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Probably only to me. You know, you remind me a little bit of Sydney. Goodnight.”
* * *
Centre Renewal Wing
5:00 AM EST
The sweepers were busy getting Broots, and Major Charles awake and cleaned up for questioning. Broots weaved back and forth, threatening to pass out, as he stood in line for the shower. He was slick with sweat and vomit from lying on the floor of his cell, too weak to make it to the toilet. Willie looked him over and shook his head in amusement as he talked to the other sweeper assigned to the detail.
Finally, to Broots relief, the door swung open and Major Charles was helped out of the lavatory, leaning heavily on the sweeper assigned to him. It was obvious that it must have taken a lot of manpower to take him down at the farmhouse. The Major glanced his way, with an expression of compassion and sympathy for the timid computer tech, and then scanned the hallway looking for his son, as he was lead away.
“All right, Mr. Broots, it’s your turn. Try not to pass out in there, while your taking your shower. I wouldn’t want to explain to your daughter, Debbie, that you drowned and couldn’t make it to the inquiry,” Willie said just to be cruel.
“My daughter? You bastards better not la lay a h hand on her or I’ll..,”
“Yes, Mr. Broots? Or you’ll what?” Willie asked removing his gun from its holster and aiming it at his forehead.
“Willie, that’s enough of that,” Mr. Cox said stepping up to him.
Everything started spinning, and Broots fainted, falling limply to the floor.
“Oh dear. Look what you’ve done now. Well, I guess you’ll just have to carry him into the lavatory and help him get cleaned up. Hmm. He really is quite untidy. That wasn’t very bright of you, Willie,” Cox said in a low angry voice. “We’re on a tight schedule.”
“Yes Sir,” Willie said trying to hide his embarrassment and revulsion at his new task, as he leaned over and dragged Broots back onto his feet and took him into the lavatory.
* * *
Mr. Parker’s Office
5:35 AM
Sam had been personally assigned to Miss Parker and was ordered to escort her to her father’s office to clean up. There were no surveillance cameras in his lavatory to cause him further embarrassment on account of his daughter.
He waited patiently just outside the bathroom door, hoping Miss Parker wouldn’t give him any more trouble. She had been beyond anger, when he had worked the coded lock to her cubical and had entered, giving him the most vicious verbal beating he had ever received from her to date and nearly scratched his eyes out when he had tried to lead her out into the hallway.
He had found his job as sweeper distasteful ever since Mr. Parker had turned on his daughter and made him party to retrieving her and the others, including the pretender, knowing what had been done to him and hating what would probably happen to him now. It wouldn’t take much for him to join the opposition, if the odds were right.
Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by the reappearance of Miss Parker. Even in her Centre issue clothes, she was stunning.
“Ok, Sam, what’s next on my father’s twisted agenda?”
“I, um, need to make sure you didn’t lift anything from the shower that might be used as a viable weapon.”
“Touch me, and you die,” Miss Parker said sticking her face in his and then turning to walk away.
“Miss Parker, I have my orders,” he said pulling his gun out and grabbing her arm effectively stopping her in her tracks.
“Ok, you win, Sam, on one condition. Tell me what you know about what happened to Sydney, Broots, Angelo, Major Charles, and Jarod,” purposefully listing Jarod last.
“Miss Parker, I…”
“Sam, I’ve never asked for anything from you.”
The sweeper let out a deep sigh and put his gun away.
“Ok, Miss Parker, just this once, but first I need to frisk you,” he said quickly checking her while she held his gaze daring him to make a mistake.
“Sydney was shot in the side and is in fair condition, in a private room off the main infirmary. They’re leaving him alone for right now.
Everyone else, including you, will be questioned about the whereabouts of Gemini, starting with Jarod and Major Charles at 6:00 this morning.
Mr. Cox caught Angelo down in the lower levels with a computer linking him to emails you had been receiving, shall we say, while you were away. The board is unconvinced that he is coherent enough to have been involved and will probably release him later today.
Broots was worked over pretty good when he was captured and on top of that, is such a nervous wreck he is physically ill. I, um, was ordered to find Debbie and bring her in to help motivate him into giving them more information concerning your sting operation and Gemini. Strangest thing… I haven’t been able to locate her, yet.
As far as the Major is concerned, he was badly beaten when he was captured and can barely walk without assistance. They are planning to use Jarod to pressure him into divulging the location of Gemini. From what I observed, Jarod is pretty out of it mentally, and has some cracked ribs.”
“Sam, you know they would probably lock you up and throw away the key for telling me all of this, if they find out. I don’t understand why you decided to risk it.”
“Miss Parker, don’t worry about me. If I’m caught, it’ll be poetic justice for being a willing participant of the Centre’s sick agenda. I’m going to try to find a way to help you out of this, so don’t be surprised if I do. You better come along now. You’re going to be interrogated right after Jarod and the Major.”
“Thank you, Sam,” Miss Parker said refusing to allow her tears to fall.
Her heart sank, as she thought about Jarod becoming sick again, after how hard he had fought to regain his sanity. Thinking back, she remembered their final conversation before the attack.
“…but if we fail we need a contingency plan, Parker. It’s time to make some difficult decisions. I’m willing to be taken back, if you, Sydney, and Broots need to go along with it for a time, until a better plan can be put into place. I’ve planted some surprises in their Mainframe, just in case. I’m sorry to be the realist here, Miss Parker. If it comes down to it, do what ever it takes to survive. You better believe I will.”
“Miss Parker, are you listening to me? It’s time to go.”
“Sorry, Sam,” she said hoping against hope that Jarod had just been maximizing his pretender skills pretending to be emotionally ill. Bracing herself, she allowed him to lead her to the tower for what would probably be a very unpleasant ordeal.
* * *
Tower Interrogation room A
6:20 AM
Major Charles shifted uncomfortably in his chair, as the questioning became more heated and his denials more adamant.
“Major Charles, this board does not take kindly to evasive answers and outright lies. Perhaps you need added incentive to cooperate in our endeavor to locate our younger pretender. Bring in Jarod, Mr. Cox.”
“No! You can’t do this. He’s not well,” the Major yelled barely making it to his feet, before being forced painfully back down into his chair, by one of the sweepers.
* * *
Miss Parker arrived just in time to see Jarod being escorted into the other room, wearing a straight jacket and looking as if he were in another world. She closed her eyes tightly, as if she could erase the sight of him, picturing instead the cocky pretender who had kissed her hard and given her a wink, as they had prepared to fight off the Centre sweepers at the farmhouse.
“Please have a seat, Miss Parker. This may take a while,” Sam said motioning to a wooden bench along the wall in the foyer.
* * *
“Jarod, why don’t you come over here and sit next to Mr. Cox. Jarod, did you hear what I just said?
The pretender locked eyes with his father for a moment, sharing his unspoken love and concern for him. He was stunned by how horrible his dad looked, and brokenhearted that he had been captured along with the rest of them. He wished he could somehow convey to him that he was just pretending to have lost his faculties, but couldn’t risk them finding out, if he was going to have a chance of getting them all out of this. It was all he could to keep from becoming violent, as rage over cruelty inflicted on his father threatened to unravel his self-control.
Willie broke him out of his trance, as he shoved him hard in the back and motioned him over to the waiting seat, making him almost double over in pain.
“Now, Major Charles, I’m going to ask you again, what did you do with Gemini? Give us his location and nothing will happen to your son. Think about it, Major. Gemini is only a clone of Jarod. Is he worth sacrificing your son for?”
“You inhuman son of a bitch! How dare you threaten to hurt my son! I told you before, I left Gemini with an acquaintance that promised to take him to an undisclosed location and help him catch a ride to somewhere else, before dropping out of sight. There is no way I can know where any of them are. We planned it that way so that I wouldn’t be able to reveal his location, if I were captured.”
“What was the acquaintance’s last name? The other driver?”
“I told you before, I don’t know.”
“Major Charles, I’m tired of being lead in circles. Mr. Cox?”
“Come with us, Jarod,” he said motioning to Willie to take him to the room toward the back.
“You can’t do this! There is no way I can answer your questions, even to save my son. Oh God, please don’t do this!”
Jarod was in shock at the revelation that he had a clone. Images of him coming face to face with his younger self at Donoterase flashed through his mind, as the floodgates opened allowing his memories to return. He saw images of their daring rescue of Gemini, as he was being taken to the airport to be transported to Africa. Daylight faded suddenly into a shadowy scene of a flickering oil lamp and the lost look on the boy’s face, as he was told he had no real parents. The scene smashed into streams of daylight again, as he watched the boy take his first bite of ice cream.
“What’s the matter with you? I said get up,” Willie breathed, as he hauled the pretender onto his feet and led him into the little room with Mr.Cox.
As you may recall, this story takes place in the first days and following months immediately after the 3rd season final, Donoterase. This story is very different from the real 4th season of the Pretender, as it was started in the summer before the season began, and has taken on a life of its own.
Intense interrogations will be continuing, as the Centre strives to recover Gemini. The shootout at the farmhouse in Kansas took its toll on Jarod, and company, but none more than Sydney, who was the only one actually shot. Miss Parker, Major Charles, and Broots, have all been assigned cells on renewal wing, as the Centre does what it does best. Lyle is in intensive care after almost being killed by Jarod, and Joe who is alive and well, is a very busy man. June 28, 2000
Part 17
by jojarod50
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
Dr. Meisser’s office
Surveillance cubical
9:48 PM EST
“No, not the entire time. I know he fell asleep for a little bit on the couch right after I left, but experienced some kind of night terror by the time I got down here. For a while after that, he surveyed the room, picking up this and that then threw something at one of the surveillance cameras. He’s been wearing out the rug pacing every since.”
“What’s that he’s doing now?”
“I’m not sure. You’re going to have to send someone down there to adjust the cameras. I can’t see him very well when he’s over there.”
“I don’t like the looks of him. I had no idea he would be in this condition.”
“You didn’t? Haven’t you read the report I left you?”
“I’m a busy man, Dr Meisser. That’s why I hired you. Let’s have him sedated for the night, so he will be fresh tomorrow when he’s questioned about Gemini.”
“Questioned? You can’t be serious, Mr. Parker.”
“Dead serious. We need to find the boy ASAP. The Centre must have at least one pretender up and running and it’s obvious it won’t be Jarod.”
“I understand that, but I can’t authorize this in good conscious. Jarod is already having enough trouble dealing with things as it is. For your information, he’s still suffering from partial amnesia and according to Sydney’s notes, doesn’t remember anything about having a clone. Putting him though this will just be a waste of time. As his doctor, I must tell you that it would be very unwise to force this on him. I stand in opposition to any questioning at this time.”
“Don’t be so naive. He’s a pretender, or have you forgotten that? I’m sure he knows more than he’s letting on.”
“Be advised. I don’t need your authorization to do anything, Mr.. You are accustomed to following orders aren’t you? We’ll need him at 6:00 AM. Make sure he’s ready. Sam and Willie will be down to pick him up. Oh, and I want him in a straight jacket. No sense risking him having another fit and taking someone else out.”
Getting up suddenly, Mr. Parker abruptly left.
Dr. Meisser shook his head in disbelief at the Chairman’s callousness, as he headed to the medicine cabinet to line up Jarod’s 10:00 dose with an added sedative. Building trust with his patient was going to be decidedly more difficult than he had originally thought, with Mr. Parker calling the shots.
Glancing at his watch, the doctor hurried out the door.
****
Jarod’s old room
10:01 PM EST
The pretender glanced up when his door opened. He had been expecting the doctor with his last shot for the night. Jarod felt a thrill of excitement knowing the shots were rapidly restoring his mind, even though they were very unpleasant to take. Biting back his resentment at being trapped at the Centre again, he shoved a pad of coded notes into its hiding place and switched into his slightly confused mental patient persona.
“Jarod, what are you doing over there on the floor? I was hoping you would be getting a little rest.”
Well aware of the pretender’s injuries, he gave orders for Sam the sweeper to help his patient off the floor.
Holding his arm tightly around his injured ribcage, Jarod winced in pain as he was carefully pulled up onto his feet, wishing he could retape his cracked ribs. He glanced at his doctor and back at the floor with a look of confusion on his face, as if he had lost track of what was going on.
“Jarod, why don’t we just go into your bedroom. I can talk to you in there. You really need to be lying down for your shot anyway,” Dr. Meisser suggested as he made his way over to him in an unthreatening way, disheartened by his patient’s apparent mental confusion.
The pretender grudgingly allowed Sam to usher him into the bedroom, which he had been avoiding like the plague, as painful memories of terrible loneliness, fear, and severe guilt over the countless deadly sims he had performed, washed over him.
Six surveillance cameras carefully hidden around the room. Clever, but definitely over kill. With a sick feeling he wondered how many were in the bathroom. Again, his anger burned at the indignity of it all, but he masked it well, pretending to be distracted and distant, as he gingerly lay down on the bed, willing his trembling hands to be still.
“Sam, go ahead and wait outside. We’ll be fine here.”
Dr. Meisser wrote a few things down on Jarod’s chart then gave him a quick medical evaluation.
“You’re blood pressure is too high, your pulse is racing, and despite your cracked ribs you are nearly hyperventilating. I know being back at the Centre is very stressful for you, but you need to try to adjust or you are going to make yourself very sick. Jarod are you listening to me?”
Jarod stopped fiddling with the bedspread he had been focusing on and spoke with urgency avoiding eye contact.
“Let me see my father. I need to know if he’s all right,” he asked glancing up at his doctor and then acting unsure of himself. “And please could you tell me how Sydney is?” he asked almost in a whisper.
“I’m sorry, I can’t help you with those things right now. Major Charles and Dr. Green are probably both asleep anyway, as you should be. You may be able to see your father in the morning though. Mr. Parker is having all of you questioned about…. Gemini.”
“Gemini? What’s that?” Jarod asked drawing a blank, yet suddenly feeling terribly nauseous.
The doctor studied his patient carefully for any signs of deception and found none.
“You really don’t know, do you, Jarod? Well, don’t worry about it. Just tell the truth when the panel questions you and hopefully it won’t take very long.”
“Let’s get your shot over with, so that you can get some sleep. The sedative in the shot should help you do that.”
“Sedative? I don’t want to be sedated,” Jarod said wrenching his side as he scrambled off the bed and distancing himself from the doctor.
“Sam, I need your assistance.”
Sam hurried back into the room with his gun drawn, and waited for instructions.
“Sam, put that thing away. Jarod let’s not have a scene here. There is really nothing you can do to get out of this. You know you need your shot. Let me assure you that the sedative is harmless. Now, why don’t you go ahead and lie down on your own so we can get this taken care of.”
The infuriated pretender made no move to comply.
“Sam.”
Jarod irrationally fought the sweeper even after he was pinned down on the bed, remembering all the horrible things that the Centre had done to him the different times they had put him out. The doctor hurriedly delivered the shot and the pretender fell into sudden euphoric stupor. In very little time, things began to dim around him. The last thing he saw was the look of regret on Dr. Meisser’s face, as he passed out.
* *
Dr. Meisser’s office
10:33 PM EST
“So, how’s your prize patient doing, Jerry,” Dr. Grackle asked, stopping by the doorway with a cup of coffee in each hand.
“Oh, hi, Nelson, I thought you were going to cut down on that stuff,” Dr. Meisser
mused reaching out for one of the cups.
“Yeah, well, it’s been a long day. I promised a friend I’d give him a patient update after I talked with you,” he said following the other doctor to the surveillance cubical.
“Don’t tell me. Dr. Green?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not surprised. It’s obvious from Jarod’s patient records, how deeply he cares about him. How is he doing? Jarod asked about him.”
“Actually, he’s doing quite well. The damage to his spleen wasn’t nearly as severe as we first thought, and the surrounding tissue sutured up nicely. His vitals are stable so far and he had gotten some sleep, but is awake now and very insistent on knowing how his former patient is doing. Don’t want his blood pressure going though the roof, now do we?”
Dr. Meisser sat down in front of the monitor and let out a long sigh as he viewed the pretender lying motionless on the bed.
“Did you tell him about the incident with Lyle?”
“No, he doesn’t need to know about that right now.”
“That’s wise. I wish I had better news for you. He’s experiencing severe anxiety, which is to be expected, considering it’s dogged him for the past 5 weeks, and he’s definitely under more stress now. For some reason, though, he seems to be trying to hide it, as if he could. His vitals are way out of wack. What really worries me, is that he is exhibiting signs that he might be slipping into clinical depression again. Dr. Green noted that he was headed that way right before he was given his first shot and that he suspected he was entertaining thoughts of suicide. Amazingly he made an abrupt turn around, following his first dose of Raines neutralizing serum. But, since his arrival here, he’s been increasingly withdrawn, confused, and at times acting out his anger. I don’t envy that kid for the roller coaster ride he’s been on.”
“Situational setbacks are understandable. How was he after his last shot? Any improvement?”
“I can’t tell you. Mr. Parker ordered him sedated, so I just included it in his last shot. It’s funny though. He became hysterical when I mentioned the sedative, and had to literally be held down before I could give him his shot. I’ve never had a patient react quite like that before. He seemed absolutely terrified.”
“You’ve never worked at the Centre. Sydney confided in me once that, a few years ago, when he was sent abroad for a symposium, Jarod had been sedated and ended up in Mr. Raines lab on SL. 27, becoming the old man’s guinea pig for experiments I would not recommend for late night reading. Unfortunately he made other unauthorized trips down stairs when Sydney was scheduled to be gone. Actually, Sydney should be commended for keeping Jarod from becoming like Angelo or some of Raines other pet projects. He did everything he could to keep Jarod in his care. Besides being a brilliant psychiatrist, he has always been an extremely compassionate man.
“What are you going to tell him?”
“Probably not as much as you told me. You’re patient may be better after a good nights sleep. Well, I better be getting back. Don’t stay up too late and quit worrying.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Probably only to me. You know, you remind me a little bit of Sydney. Goodnight.”
* * *
Centre Renewal Wing
5:00 AM EST
The sweepers were busy getting Broots, and Major Charles awake and cleaned up for questioning. Broots weaved back and forth, threatening to pass out, as he stood in line for the shower. He was slick with sweat and vomit from lying on the floor of his cell, too weak to make it to the toilet. Willie looked him over and shook his head in amusement as he talked to the other sweeper assigned to the detail.
Finally, to Broots relief, the door swung open and Major Charles was helped out of the lavatory, leaning heavily on the sweeper assigned to him. It was obvious that it must have taken a lot of manpower to take him down at the farmhouse. The Major glanced his way, with an expression of compassion and sympathy for the timid computer tech, and then scanned the hallway looking for his son, as he was lead away.
“All right, Mr. Broots, it’s your turn. Try not to pass out in there, while your taking your shower. I wouldn’t want to explain to your daughter, Debbie, that you drowned and couldn’t make it to the inquiry,” Willie said just to be cruel.
“My daughter? You bastards better not la lay a h hand on her or I’ll..,”
“Yes, Mr. Broots? Or you’ll what?” Willie asked removing his gun from its holster and aiming it at his forehead.
“Willie, that’s enough of that,” Mr. Cox said stepping up to him.
Everything started spinning, and Broots fainted, falling limply to the floor.
“Oh dear. Look what you’ve done now. Well, I guess you’ll just have to carry him into the lavatory and help him get cleaned up. Hmm. He really is quite untidy. That wasn’t very bright of you, Willie,” Cox said in a low angry voice. “We’re on a tight schedule.”
“Yes Sir,” Willie said trying to hide his embarrassment and revulsion at his new task, as he leaned over and dragged Broots back onto his feet and took him into the lavatory.
* * *
Mr. Parker’s Office
5:35 AM
Sam had been personally assigned to Miss Parker and was ordered to escort her to her father’s office to clean up. There were no surveillance cameras in his lavatory to cause him further embarrassment on account of his daughter.
He waited patiently just outside the bathroom door, hoping Miss Parker wouldn’t give him any more trouble. She had been beyond anger, when he had worked the coded lock to her cubical and had entered, giving him the most vicious verbal beating he had ever received from her to date and nearly scratched his eyes out when he had tried to lead her out into the hallway.
He had found his job as sweeper distasteful ever since Mr. Parker had turned on his daughter and made him party to retrieving her and the others, including the pretender, knowing what had been done to him and hating what would probably happen to him now. It wouldn’t take much for him to join the opposition, if the odds were right.
Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by the reappearance of Miss Parker. Even in her Centre issue clothes, she was stunning.
“Ok, Sam, what’s next on my father’s twisted agenda?”
“I, um, need to make sure you didn’t lift anything from the shower that might be used as a viable weapon.”
“Touch me, and you die,” Miss Parker said sticking her face in his and then turning to walk away.
“Miss Parker, I have my orders,” he said pulling his gun out and grabbing her arm effectively stopping her in her tracks.
“Ok, you win, Sam, on one condition. Tell me what you know about what happened to Sydney, Broots, Angelo, Major Charles, and Jarod,” purposefully listing Jarod last.
“Miss Parker, I…”
“Sam, I’ve never asked for anything from you.”
The sweeper let out a deep sigh and put his gun away.
“Ok, Miss Parker, just this once, but first I need to frisk you,” he said quickly checking her while she held his gaze daring him to make a mistake.
“Sydney was shot in the side and is in fair condition, in a private room off the main infirmary. They’re leaving him alone for right now.
Everyone else, including you, will be questioned about the whereabouts of Gemini, starting with Jarod and Major Charles at 6:00 this morning.
Mr. Cox caught Angelo down in the lower levels with a computer linking him to emails you had been receiving, shall we say, while you were away. The board is unconvinced that he is coherent enough to have been involved and will probably release him later today.
Broots was worked over pretty good when he was captured and on top of that, is such a nervous wreck he is physically ill. I, um, was ordered to find Debbie and bring her in to help motivate him into giving them more information concerning your sting operation and Gemini. Strangest thing… I haven’t been able to locate her, yet.
As far as the Major is concerned, he was badly beaten when he was captured and can barely walk without assistance. They are planning to use Jarod to pressure him into divulging the location of Gemini. From what I observed, Jarod is pretty out of it mentally, and has some cracked ribs.”
“Sam, you know they would probably lock you up and throw away the key for telling me all of this, if they find out. I don’t understand why you decided to risk it.”
“Miss Parker, don’t worry about me. If I’m caught, it’ll be poetic justice for being a willing participant of the Centre’s sick agenda. I’m going to try to find a way to help you out of this, so don’t be surprised if I do. You better come along now. You’re going to be interrogated right after Jarod and the Major.”
“Thank you, Sam,” Miss Parker said refusing to allow her tears to fall.
Her heart sank, as she thought about Jarod becoming sick again, after how hard he had fought to regain his sanity. Thinking back, she remembered their final conversation before the attack.
“…but if we fail we need a contingency plan, Parker. It’s time to make some difficult decisions. I’m willing to be taken back, if you, Sydney, and Broots need to go along with it for a time, until a better plan can be put into place. I’ve planted some surprises in their Mainframe, just in case. I’m sorry to be the realist here, Miss Parker. If it comes down to it, do what ever it takes to survive. You better believe I will.”
“Miss Parker, are you listening to me? It’s time to go.”
“Sorry, Sam,” she said hoping against hope that Jarod had just been maximizing his pretender skills pretending to be emotionally ill. Bracing herself, she allowed him to lead her to the tower for what would probably be a very unpleasant ordeal.
* * *
Tower Interrogation room A
6:20 AM
Major Charles shifted uncomfortably in his chair, as the questioning became more heated and his denials more adamant.
“Major Charles, this board does not take kindly to evasive answers and outright lies. Perhaps you need added incentive to cooperate in our endeavor to locate our younger pretender. Bring in Jarod, Mr. Cox.”
“No! You can’t do this. He’s not well,” the Major yelled barely making it to his feet, before being forced painfully back down into his chair, by one of the sweepers.
* * *
Miss Parker arrived just in time to see Jarod being escorted into the other room, wearing a straight jacket and looking as if he were in another world. She closed her eyes tightly, as if she could erase the sight of him, picturing instead the cocky pretender who had kissed her hard and given her a wink, as they had prepared to fight off the Centre sweepers at the farmhouse.
“Please have a seat, Miss Parker. This may take a while,” Sam said motioning to a wooden bench along the wall in the foyer.
* * *
“Jarod, why don’t you come over here and sit next to Mr. Cox. Jarod, did you hear what I just said?
The pretender locked eyes with his father for a moment, sharing his unspoken love and concern for him. He was stunned by how horrible his dad looked, and brokenhearted that he had been captured along with the rest of them. He wished he could somehow convey to him that he was just pretending to have lost his faculties, but couldn’t risk them finding out, if he was going to have a chance of getting them all out of this. It was all he could to keep from becoming violent, as rage over cruelty inflicted on his father threatened to unravel his self-control.
Willie broke him out of his trance, as he shoved him hard in the back and motioned him over to the waiting seat, making him almost double over in pain.
“Now, Major Charles, I’m going to ask you again, what did you do with Gemini? Give us his location and nothing will happen to your son. Think about it, Major. Gemini is only a clone of Jarod. Is he worth sacrificing your son for?”
“You inhuman son of a bitch! How dare you threaten to hurt my son! I told you before, I left Gemini with an acquaintance that promised to take him to an undisclosed location and help him catch a ride to somewhere else, before dropping out of sight. There is no way I can know where any of them are. We planned it that way so that I wouldn’t be able to reveal his location, if I were captured.”
“What was the acquaintance’s last name? The other driver?”
“I told you before, I don’t know.”
“Major Charles, I’m tired of being lead in circles. Mr. Cox?”
“Come with us, Jarod,” he said motioning to Willie to take him to the room toward the back.
“You can’t do this! There is no way I can answer your questions, even to save my son. Oh God, please don’t do this!”
Jarod was in shock at the revelation that he had a clone. Images of him coming face to face with his younger self at Donoterase flashed through his mind, as the floodgates opened allowing his memories to return. He saw images of their daring rescue of Gemini, as he was being taken to the airport to be transported to Africa. Daylight faded suddenly into a shadowy scene of a flickering oil lamp and the lost look on the boy’s face, as he was told he had no real parents. The scene smashed into streams of daylight again, as he watched the boy take his first bite of ice cream.
“What’s the matter with you? I said get up,” Willie breathed, as he hauled the pretender onto his feet and led him into the little room with Mr.Cox.
